Would God be mad if I took a break from him?

[Fervent]

I have read that scripture many times. Moreover, I have tried to talk to God about those anxious thoughts. And I have talked and sought after God in regards to my anxiety for a few years. I’m overall just not good at this

I also have to realize that God doesn’t fix everything So I’m willing to put up with those thoughts and anxiety (or at least seek help from someone else)

Have you taken hold of the authority we have in Christ to rebuke those thoughts the minute they begin? Speak truth over yourself when someone is whispering lies. God loves you with a love that is beyond understanding, if you are in Christ you are His dearly loved child. There are a couple of things you could do to help deal with anxious thoughts like grounding(think of one thing you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell) but ultimately that kind of anxiety requires replacing the distressing thought with something else. If thoughts of God are making you anxious, have you truly apprehended the gospel? I don't know that you have.

 

[GraceBro]

Hi

I have a lot of important things coming up at the moment that I need to 100% focus on. However, I have been noticing that once I get to thinking about God, I start to get unbearable anxiety (which often distracts me when studying for school, etc)

Would it be okay for me to take a break from God until I finish the important things in my life?

(Note, I'm not saying that God is not important, however, it's just that the thoughts I get when thinking about him are just too distracting and painful)

Assuming you are in Christ, He will go with you. You can't really take a break from somebody who indwells you. What is painful about a God who died for your sins, gave you His life, meets the desires of your heart for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning, and purpose?

 

[Bruce Leiter]

Yeah, prayer is the key to Jesus' victory all the time (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

 

[Saved.]

Hi

I have a lot of important things coming up at the moment that I need to 100% focus on. However, I have been noticing that once I get to thinking about God, I start to get unbearable anxiety (which often distracts me when studying for school, etc)

Would it be okay for me to take a break from God until I finish the important things in my life?

(Note, I'm not saying that God is not important, however, it's just that the thoughts I get when thinking about him are just too distracting and painful)

 

[VintageAli]

I have a lot of important things coming up at the moment that I need to 100% focus on. However, I have been noticing that once I get to thinking about God, I start to get unbearable anxiety (which often distracts me when studying for school, etc)

Would it be okay for me to take a break from God until I finish the important things in my life?

(Note, I'm not saying that God is not important, however, it's just that the thoughts I get when thinking about him are just too distracting and painful)

Is it really God Himself you're wanting to take a break from, or the religious expectations that people (including yourself) have placed on you?

I really would encourage you to find a compassionate, licensed Christian counselor to help you work through the anxiety & other issues surrounding it. Many times our ideas of what God expects of us can be far from what is true, which in turn leads to great anxiety, fear, etc. A counselor can be a great help in unpacking and identifying issues in an objective light.

 

[Religiot]

I have never felt the peace or rest that other people have talked about. Nonetheless, I don't pursue it (I'm not allowed to)

I don't blame God for this (or for anything). I blame my ignorant self. I wanted to take a break from God so I can at least rest and figure out what I'm doing wrong.

You are still developing, mentally and physically: right now it's your parent's responsibility to provide for you a Godly place of peace and tranquility.

To God, you are not yet a man til the age of twenty, only then will you be responsible to find peace and quite; but for now, you must deal with what's in-front of you, and try to be as patient as possible, knowing that God is not at all against you, but for you.

Obey your parents, even when they're wrong, and do it with patience and humility, for God is well pleased with this.

Be at peace, young brother, til you come of age.

 

[SusaninBC]

Let me share a story with you from my own life... my middle son experienced a similar kind of anxiety around spiritual things a couple of years ago. He wasn't living the way he should be, and was really struggling with his spiritual walk. He told me later that every time he heard anything about God, he would hear a deafening whooshing in his ears, his vision would go dark, and his heart would pound. He said he felt like he was going to pass out from the anxiety.

He tried taking a break from God (his exact words), but found that God was everywhere, and his anxiety response was becoming stronger and stronger. He was able to logically conclude that it was a spiritual battle, and he decided to push back.

He shocked me by coming to church with me one Sunday, then a second, and on the third Sunday he went forward for baptism. His life was transformed, and he began soaking up everything he could about the Lord.

The anxiety lifted, but the pressure did not. Spiritual opposition is always directed at the greatest threats. It's kind of hard to take a break from God when you're indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

The pressure on his life since then has been intense, but he has become so incredibly strong. He feels strongly that if he had allowed the anxiety to keep him from pursuing God, the pressure would have lifted and his life would have gotten easier. He also feels strongly that if he had walked away from God, or taken that break he was considering, that he would not be living as a Christian today.

It sounds like you're at a crossroad in your life, and your anxiety is coming from the decision you have to make. You don't always get to choose the timing of life pressure, or the kind of pressure, or the intensity... but you can choose your response to life pressure.