Saved?

Hi everyone. Its me again. My main struggle is over my salvation. I know I have asked Christ to save me many times and one stands out to me more than the rest(twenty five years ago). However I have been intensely battling doubts for the past 8 years. Not that I didn't doubt before but they were the come and go variety. I know I have not prayed and studied as I should have. My main question is this - do unsaved people go through this. My counselor who is of a different denomination keeps telling me that unsaved people don't worry about this but I don't know if the Holy Spirit is in me. I have such a hard time knowing for sure I am going through such a powerful stage of unbelief in God's promises right now that I'm scared real christians don't have these types of feelings. Please help if you can.
Thanks
James

Dear James:

All of us have our individual fears, but these fears should not make us feel so excluded. I am sure others have had the same doubts as you at some point. You do have the Holy Spirit, there is not a question in my mind, if you have been saved and pray to God. I am not sure of enough details to wager a guess as to why you are having such doubts of God now, but maybe your doubts alone are stopping you from seeing the evidence that He is inside you. I am sure someone else can answer you better than I can here, but felt I'd drop in my two cents. God bless and please realize that all troubled times come to an end.

Hi James,
If you have OCD and your relationship with Christ is the most important thing in your life then OCD is going to target that.
When my OCD attacks me in this way I often will withdraw from reading the Bible and studying as I should because my OCD picks out all sorts of statements, twists them and throws them in my face in an accusatory manner which increases my anxiety. This is the classic avoidance behavior of OCD. To me OCD is a condition where I become phobic about certain threatening thoughts. The only way to get over a phobia is by exposure. So part of the therapy of OCD is to allow the thoughts to be in your mind without warring against them or running away from them.
Even if I give you a very reassuring verse from scripture such as - "If our hearts condemn us than God is greater than our hearts, it won't take away the anxious feelings which are being caused by a misfiring in your fight or flight center.
If you haven't already sought the help of a Dr. to confirm that you have religious OCD you should. Then you can begin to treat it as a disorder rather than a spiritual problem.
I'm praying for you.
Mitzi

kicker said:

Hi everyone. Its me again. My main struggle is over my salvation. I know I have asked Christ to save me many times and one stands out to me more than the rest(twenty five years ago). However I have been intensely battling doubts for the past 8 years. Not that I didn't doubt before but they were the come and go variety. I know I have not prayed and studied as I should have. My main question is this - do unsaved people go through this. My counselor who is of a different denomination keeps telling me that unsaved people don't worry about this but I don't know if the Holy Spirit is in me. I have such a hard time knowing for sure I am going through such a powerful stage of unbelief in God's promises right now that I'm scared real christians don't have these types of feelings. Please help if you can.
Thanks
James

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I've responded before about myself having the same struggles. Thankfully, I'm doing much better, but I still struggle because my feelings don't seem to line up. I don't experience the peace that I think that a Christian should and what most seem to have. I remember being told by a counselor that I was saved because someone who wasn't wouldn't care about a relationship with God. I wanted the comfort of hearing that, but I battled it because of my strong feelings telling me otherwise, and because it wasn't his soul at stake if he was wrong, it was mine. The fear used to absolutely freeze me inwardly. I felt trapped with no way out. God is working in my life, but I want you to know that it has taken me being willing to believe what my counselor is telling me. It has taken me being willling to trust that God has put him in my life, not to feed me lies, but to help me see His truth. I absolutely have to take God at His word and go on. Otherwise, I don't really function well at all. I've said many times that God has led me to this site as part of my healing, and I feel that way for all of us who are a part here. Just reading the stories has helped me to realize that I'm not the "island" I felt like inside. It was so lonely and hopeless to feel that I was alone and rejected by God. We truly aren't, and I thank everyone for being willing to openly share their experiences, even though they are painful, as a way to get help for themselves and others here as well. You will be in my prayers.

Rebecca

How can I tell that I'm still saved?

James:
I haven't been diagnosed with OCD and I still have those same questions and fears so I can only imagine what someone with OCD would go through. Hang in there friend. God understands better than you think.

I'm right with you. I struggle with the same questions, and, though I haven't been formally diagnosed, I'm pretty sure it's OCD. I find that it helps to find encouragement from others who can see the work of the Holy Spirit in your life better than you can. Don't let the fear and doubt push you away from God. Even if you can get your feelings to be where you think they should be, keep following Christ and trust Him to be faithful.