Obsessions and Mental Compulsions

[PARCmd]

Hi!
OK, sorry if you feel that I’m posting everyday (cuz I get new mental compulsions and obsessions everyday). To be honest, the anxiety is killing me every day I wake up..

As you know, Mental Compulsions are the ones you deliberately or willfully think of and subsequently cancel to lessen anxiety (much as washing and repeating prayers in the O-C type), though the person who performs these does not believe in these..

So I would just like to ask some questions regarding Mental Compulsions. Examples of such are “I renounce Jesus not, but Satan” or even “[curse word..not]..[any person of the Godhead]”. Below are different types of Mental Compulsions, and I would like to ask your personal opinions on each.

1. Let’s say you are experiencing severe anxiety, so you deliberately do/think about them (like a typical physical compulsion such as washing and counting) – but then, because of some occurrence or whatever, you were not able to put a “not” (i.e., you were not able to cancel it – just like the above sentences without “not&#8221 – Is it a symptom of OCD or is it a sin?

2. If you are just compelled by your mind to do it, no anxiety or anything, just compelled, and you were able to cancel them though. Following this, you deliberately do them, is it a symptom of OCD or is it a sin?

3. Same as #2, but you’re not able to cancel it. An OCD symptom or a sin?

4. A Mental Compulsion that you prolong in your mind (either deliberately or not) then you cancel it with “not” (sometimes prolonged too, sometimes not). OCD symptom or sin?

5. Snowball Mental Compulsions where you’re not able to cancel some thoughts.

6. A Mental Compulsion that you did, even though you know that it has very little or even no chances of being cancelled. OCD symptom or sin?

OR RATHER, IN GENERAL, ARE MENTAL COMPULSIONS SIN OR ARE JUST SYMPTOMS OF OCD (JUST LIKE OBSESSIONS)? AND, THE REASON WHY OBSESSIONS ARE NOT CONSIDERED SINS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BY THE WILL OF THE OCD SUFFERER?

Have any of these happened to you?

 

[marcb]

I know what you are asking. You are very perceptive as are many folks with ocd. In fact, we can be perceptive to a fault.

Check this out:

Let's refer to all your "blasphemous" obsessions as "IT". Now whether are not you cancel or successfully tame "IT," you are still obsessing about IT. Otherwise IT would not continue to be an issue. Are you obsessing about God or are you obsessing about IT?

 

[PARCmd]

So are you saying that mental compulsions are, in a way, obsessions?

By the way, I've noticed that many of the past thread starters and repliers aren't that much active anymore here. Maybe many have received healing already, while there are also some (unavoidable), who have long lost hope of Salvation...

 

[Boxers1]

OCD is not logical. You can't reason with it or try to figure it out in regards to your obsessions. It's impossible so don't keep trying. The more I try to do that, the worse it gets. The biggest revelation for me (which sounds dumb) is that my mind can think of anything. Therefore, my obsessions are endless. My mind can say I don't believe in Jesus 3 times and then 6 times I will say I believe in Jesus b/c I doubled that thought against the other and phew I am covered now...or my previous obsessions with thinking Jesus' work is from satan....that would throw me into a lot of extra, double, triples, "No, your works are from God"...over and over just to make sure I cancelled the others....See what I mean? OCD is like a circle. There is no end and if you end up basing your faith on your OCD, then you feel you are really in and out of hell on a daily, hourly or minute by minute basis. Just remember, your obsessions are just that. Obsessions. They aren't true no matter how many times the computer in your head spits them out. I know this is a medical disorder, it is not a spiritual problem. It is a thought-control/thought-response/thought-evaluation problem. It really doesn't have anything to do with God although it feels like it does when the nature of the obsessions turn to that topic. This is one of the hardest OCDs to have. The religious kind where your thoughts make you receive or negate your salvation on an hourly basis. Its really a monster until you do the therapy and take medicine. I am still doing therapy and taking medicine b/c I have a medical/biological problem that needs to be treated. Just like if I had any other medical problem like high-blood pressure or something...it needs to be treated. So does the OCD. Therapy and Medication. You know you believe in Christ despite the mental abberations that try to say otherwise. That's why they have to be ignored, they are just all lies. So why listen to them. We just have to learn that they can be safely left alone. If you don't cancel it, its ok. The obsessions and mental compulsions are not sin. Its the disorder. Unbelief would be a sin, which none of us are exhibiting, but rather constant assurance that we do believe, despite our OCD.
Boxers1

 

[OptimisticSmile]

I see OCD as not a sin but as a result of the fall. the degree to which we allow the OCD to rule our life can turn into idolatry and God does instruct us to be anxious for nothing because we can always trust him. OCD is not a lack of faith it is a real problem and he understands it and grants us his mercy. somone mentioned the passage in Hebrews in another post so thats kinda bugging me now because at one point i qouted it as tellling me i was codnemned.

 

[PARCmd]

You're right in thinking that way, because when Adam and Eve sinned, OCD was one of the curses that God pronounced against mankind - so we have no choice - we have to live with it during our stay in this world.

As for Hebrews 6:4-6, it basically means that if a Christian falls away (i.e., apostasize), he shall have no chance to be saved again - because he has seen the miracles of the Holy Spirit and has tasted the goodness of God. In a sense, this is a verse with a hypothetical statement (notice the word 'if') that will never happen because accepting God is a permanent state. (The Bible uses the Greek word for adoption, which denotes permanence of Salvation). On the other hand, it also repeats what the blasphemy verse had said - notice that it says that the Pharisees and permanently backslidden Christians (who have seen the work of Holy Spirit with their own eyes through miracles) shall have no chance for repentance again - this is because they hardened their hearts completely against the truth and not because God would not give them repentance (because everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved). So, this does not apply to OCD anyway, because the reason you are afraid is because you still haven't hardened your hearts to the Lord.

 

[ChristianGuitarMan112190]

It's all alright man!! I don't quite follow everything you've said!! But I assure we are not responsible for what we cannot control!! I've replaced compulsions with prayer or reading The Bible!! It truly helps!! I myself would rather have any other thoughts than blasphemous ones!! But you see the pharisees denied that Christ was the Son of God and they believed it!! We as Christians accepted the Lord Jesus into our lives!! And NOTHING can take away that!! All sins are forgiven through Jesus!! There is no sin to great that will not be forgiven!! You have not committed this sin if you can admit your wrong, Love God, tell people about Jesus, if you believe Christ died to save us!! I feel for you man!! These thoughts feel real but I have battled with them for 3 years now!! I will surely pray for you!!

 

[marcb]

It's all alright man!! I don't quite follow everything you've said!! But I assure we are not responsible for what we cannot control!! I've replaced compulsions with prayer or reading The Bible!! It truly helps!! I myself would rather have any other thoughts than blasphemous ones!! But you see the pharisees denied that Christ was the Son of God and they believed it!! We as Christians accepted the Lord Jesus into our lives!! And NOTHING can take away that!! All sins are forgiven through Jesus!! There is no sin to great that will not be forgiven!! You have not committed this sin if you can admit your wrong, Love God, tell people about Jesus, if you believe Christ died to save us!! I feel for you man!! These thoughts feel real but I have battled with them for 3 years now!! I will surely pray for you!!

Amen, CGM! That's the gospel, buddy!