feeling distant from God

hiii ! please can religious folk with ocd give me some advice? i have found that my ocd has made me feel really far from God. i find it hard to focus on prayer, reading the bible, etc. that’s partly because i have a lot of intrusive thoughts that make me feel bad/guilty when i do these things, and partly because my ocd simply is very good at distracting me from actual important things (which makes me feel very guilty too) i feel like i’ve kind of lost my way and i’m starting to feel lukewarm toward my faith, which i don’t want to feel, but i don’t know how to get better again. does anyone have any advice?

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 6w ago

Hi, please try to remember that God loves you and will be patient with you. He will meet you where you are. If you’re struggling with obsessions/compulsions while praying, reading your Bible, or any other activity that makes you feel closer to God, He sees you. He sees that you are trying. He is aware that you have OCD and that it makes things difficult. Consider that if engaging in these activities is something you want to do, then they are worth doing. Additionally, if you are starting to feel less close to God because you have not been engaging in these activities, you are not alone in that either and God STILL understands that because He sees it all the time. The more time spent away from God/ time spent not engaging with Him, the easier it is to continue not spending time with Him. Many people end up de-prioritizing their relationship with God in this way, me included. But God is always there, desiring for you to come back to Him and choose Him. And like I said earlier, He understands that it’ll be hard for you to engage in those activities again. But you can, and you clearly do care about your relationship with Him to some degree. Just know that making the attempt is a sacrifice of your time, and your energy, and it is progress. God won’t see that as nothing.

Username: ElevenBElevenB

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 6w ago

Try not to go by feelings. They are not reliable. Don't force prayer or Bible reading. Thinking you have to pray and read a certain amount can be a compulsion. Go easy on yourself.

Username: Someone99Someone99

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 6w ago

I went through this very same thing. Please search Mark DeJesus on YouTube. He is an ex pastor, OCD survivor and has tremendous resources I think may be a help to you as they have me.

Username: wren <3wren <3

Date posted: 6w ago

@Someone99 thank you, i’ll watch some of his videos :)

Username: Someone99Someone99

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 6w ago

@jasperandcarnelian His book "The OCD Healing Journey" is fantastic as well! Let me know if you find help through his work. I'd really like to follow up, to pray for you, if that's ok. 🙂

Username: HeididanielsHeididaniels

Date posted: 6w ago

Yes. Ive felt.this way. Deep down I had allot shame and guilt about OCD. I was.so exhaused and I sat and imagined sitting down at Jesus feet. I wouldnot even look at him. It when from that till absolutley sobbing and crying and moving from a placeof being numb and hopless. That night I actually was a ble sleep. Now each night I read the bible and.spend quiet time with God. It is during these time of.OCD..flare up I get closer to God and his truth. I am not the OCD. I have been given the spirit of fear but power love and sound mind. OCD is like a fly buzzing around has no power....

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 6w ago

Additionally, I know how horrible the feeling of guilt can be and how it can make you want to avoid behaviors, whether it’s to avoid praying/reading etc., or to avoid thinking about the guilt, etc. Guilt is an awful feeling, I’m sorry you feel it. Coupled with feeling obligated to pray and read the Bible and engage with God, it can be easy to just avoid these activities altogether. But as you have stated, it does sacrifice your relationship with Him. This is why I said that if it’s something you want to do, it’s worth doing. It’s easy to avoid, but if you care about your relationship with God, you do have to put in some effort. It’s not fair for Him to do all the work and be the only one engaged, right? At the very least, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. Give yourself some grace, it’s okay to start small when re-engaging with God, but it has to come from a place that’s genuine. He will know if you are being avoidant, or allowing yourself to “half-ass” things (sorry for the language). It’s incredibly hard, but try to hold yourself accountable (while being compassionate with yourself! It’s a hard line to walk and I’m trying to use language that won’t exacerbate compulsions/avoidant behaviors or feelings of guilt). My point is just that if you’re at a point where you’ve been neglecting your relationship with God, He wants to see genuine effort made from you and He will be pleased. Again, it’s okay to start small, and try not to obsess over whether or not the effort is genuine. Just make an effort, you don’t need to strain yourself, but without effort from you the relationship will not grow.

Username: wren <3wren <3

Date posted: 6w ago

@Anonymous thank you so much, this has really helped me 💗

Username: AdhdocdLMNOPAdhdocdLMNOP

Date posted: 6w ago

Look up Matt McMillian Ministries… And GRACE. This post is literally the whole purpose of Jesus. We were not meant to carry the weight of the world and God knew then what we would face now. OCD is no surprise to God. That’s why there is Grace. That’s why he sent Jesus. Believe and Love. 🤙🏼🙏🏻

Username: AdhdocdLMNOPAdhdocdLMNOP

Date posted: 6w ago

@AdhdocdLMNOP Accept the fact that grace is yours. You are forgiven. Believe that Grace is yours and let your guilt go. Doesn’t matter what our “crazy” OCD thoughts are. Jesus died so we could be set free from even the junk in our minds.

Username: The man with the capThe man with...

Date posted: 6w ago

x eD

Username: JesusSaves424

Date posted: 20w ago

Religion and OCD

I’m a Catholic Christian and I love my religion so much. I have found that every now and again, my OCD becomes triggered and I find myself distancing from God & my faith, and avoiding (or trying to) avoid God because religion starts to give me anxiety or trigger my OCD. Lately, like the past week and a half, I think I’ve been doing well. I’m still anxious (and talking about it makes me anxious too, so I guess this is kind of an exposure), but I’ve been trying to keep practicing my faith nonetheless. I’m proud of myself, I’ve been able to keep my OCD at bay and continue to live my life and practice my faith. I even have anxiety right now, but instead of dwelling on “what if?”, I’m trying to continue telling my OCD “so what?” I would just like to know, what do you guys do to deal with moments of anxiety or fear or irrational thinking?

Username: Angel J K

Date posted: 13w ago

Religious/scrupulosity

Hey guys lol So the longer I’ve been in OCD therapy, the more my meds have helped quiet my mind: I realize how many things I have been doing that was compulsive that I didn’t realize was compulsive. And for some reason I felt like those compulsions helped me to feel closer to God. Like felt closer to my values. And now that I’m recognizing what I’m was doing and now that my medicine has helped create space between my thoughts and what to do next, I feel like fear was what helped me be close my values? Can anyone else relate? Or does anyone have tips on how to still feel close to your values with the absence of so much fear and paranoia caused from OCD?

Username: AnonCat227

Date posted: 8w ago

Feeling Distant From God

OCD often makes me feel distant from God. I often feel unforgiven, unloved, and even hated. In my head I often view God as someone who hates me and who is always constantly disappointed in me. My relationship with him feels like an Obligation now more than a relationship. I’m always on the cusp of becoming an atheist, but I always draw myself back because I don’t want to give up my faith so fast, even if it’s been 4-5 years of living like this. I’m often at war with myself daily. There is never a day that I feel as though if I do one small thing whether it be buy something or eat something that I’m going to end up in eternal damnation. And even though I know it’s only OCD and it’s cognitive distortions, I still feel uneasy.

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