Avoidant of Prayer, Not praying enough?

i deal with this too. what’s helped me is that the number one thing the bible has to say about God is that God is love. it also says that God understands us. so God understands that you’re struggling. God understands your OCD. if praying is a compulsion for you, it’s important to avoid it as compulsive behavior. find time for prayer when you aren’t having an episode, or try practicing mindfulness, meditation, etc. to put yourself in a regulated state and then pray. but if you engage in prayer as a compulsion, it’s going to make these feelings worse. just remember, God sees you. God loves you. God understands this and you aren’t the only christian who deals with this. God feels your pain. God loves you unconditionally.

Your fear that God perceives you as insincere is unfounded. God knows; He doesn’t speculate. His knowledge is absolute. God is aware of what you’re experiencing, and He is loving and merciful.

You don’t have to fear losing your salvation. Once you’re saved, nothing can take away your salvation. The Bible says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” ‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is nothing you can say or feel or even do that would separate you from the love of God. David, Abraham and Moses all questioned God and expressed their concerns to him, regularly. All made terrible mistakes, especially David, yet at the end their faith saved them. It’s hard to believe this when you have OCD, I know, but it is true!

I think a lot of our thoughts that have this “flavor” of condemnation are based on an incorrect view we have of God. I wrote a book called “Waging War Against OCD - A Christian Approach to Victory.” I think you would find it refreshing….i use God’s Word to show us how to discern our OCD thoughts from God. Also, I go more into God’s grace….it is His grace specifically that gives OCDers freedom - b/c OCD can really carry a strong punch when we realize IN OUR HEARTS - even just a little bit - that it is God’s grace that sustains us.