I have a friend that’s asking me questions about God but I don’t feel like I know enough about the Bible as much as I should. So I don’t really feel worthy enough to preach it bc I should know more but I feel like my Bible time hasn’t been that great
:) Guess what. Im pursuing a masters degree in theology and my atheist friend still asks questions that stump me to this day… Imagine tho, being able to fully comprehend God? What would God be if you could fully wrap your mind around Him. Maybe He chooses to remain mysterious because He is more than a proposed concept in our heads… just maybe, He created us as finite beings with finite comprehensible capacities. This goes right along with OCD. Youre trying to find certainty in something that isnt fully certain. In theology we call this self evidence. God isnt self evident to us or essentially we cant come to know God through our own senses. But we can come to know God through His effects. Where the OCD part comes in is resting in the idea that we may never fully know or fully comprehend Him. We may never have all the answers for people to find certainty in. But our lives themselves are testimonies of living amidst uncertainty
Oooo where you getting your masters at? Just curious 🤔
@julianofnorwich Franciscan U haha
@slippery_salad Cool! Just curious what do u think of Liberation theology? I've been learning about different veins of theology and found Liberation theology to be more supportive of my OCD rather than the reformed theology I grew up with.
@julianofnorwich Care to explain the difference? From my understanding its a theology more focused on social justice?..
@slippery_salad As far as I understand it yes. That God cares for the oppressed and poor. And that He came to give liberation to people, both physically and spiritually. I also took it as liberation from OCD as well. For me reformed theology had an emphasis on certainty of spiritual matters that just enabled my ocd.
@julianofnorwich Ya I think reformed theology is an attempt to take grace and peace out of the gospel due to a legalistic view of God. Its a product of black and white thinking and seeing the bible as rules haha. Personally I dont subcribe that because, what is the good news if it only brings suffering and angst yenno. I think “liberation theology” is just a healthy outlook on the bible. I think thats why Christ came, for the sick, weak, and spiritually dead
@slippery_salad I agree! Thanks for chatting! Good luck to you and your studies. My pastor always "God is committed to your wholeness!" Meaning God wants you to be well in all aspects of life. May we all continue to be whole!!
There is nothing wrong about not knowing enough about a topic. If you feel like you should know more about this or any other topic, it's okay. You can tell your friend what you know and hear what they have to say, and then, do your own research and reading. Don't feel bad about it, we all have a lot to learn :)
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@em82 No she wants to know more about the Bible, I read the Bible
@G C I don’t think there is a certain level of knowledge you need to preach the word, better to preach about it then hide it from people who need it
I once heard sermon about how we are told to give our testimony. He went on to talk about how someone in a court of law gives their testimony by simply telling their experience. Now I completely understand that with OCD, our experiences are often filled with anxiety and torment. I personally have had powerful experiences with God, but have also been tormented by scrupulosity. I explain it this way in my book "Waging War Against OCD - A Christian Approach to Victory.": I felt as if I was looking through a doorway where I could see the immeasurable peace and joy of an infinitely loving God. I walked toward the doorway, only to be met by an invisible wall made of glass shards; I was left with a scratched-up face and was badly jarred by the experience. However, I could still see what the other side had to offer, so I brushed myself off and tried to walk through the doorway—over and over again. The harder I approached the doorway, the more the shards cut me. It wasn’t a lack of faith or Bible knowledge causing the separation; it was a chemical imbalance that got me so wrapped up in “what-if” scenarios that I began to lose sight of reality. I say all this to offer encouragement - you don't have to know alot to be share what God has done in your life. God will open the eyes of people who seek Him out, and He is kind enough to use us as part of the process. I hope this helps!
I always want to get close to God and my ocd is always related to me thinking I'm going crazy however my ocd also sticks to religion it kinda pulls me away because I'm scared that I'll go crazy if I focus too much on one thing or do too much of one thing..so I went to the dentist and I was waiting on my boyfriend when this man that was speaking about God came and he was speaking to me and he kept saying I should give my life to God and I told him I want to do it on my timing and he kept saying no and after a while he showed me something in the daily bread and he turned to another women that was a the desk of the dentist and say something along the lines of me being a dead little girl if I dnt follow the word of God or something similar 😔now this makes me scared and it puts a lot of pressure on me because now idk what to do anymore, and I'm lowkey trying to change and get closer to God in some way
I need some help. I keep having thoughts that I don’t believe in God anymore or that I don’t want to believe in God. I have always believed but I just recently started following him more closely. I did ask for Jesus to come into my heart. But now I’m scared that I have lost my salvation. It’s hard to read and pray and I keep getting thoughts that I don’t believe what I reading or that God won’t forgive the sins that I have done. I have been having panic attacks and I’m afraid I’m going to go to hell or I’m afraid that it’s true and I don’t believe in God. I’m also afraid that since God does know my heart what if it truly isn’t for him. I just need some help I’m afraid I’m never going to get back to normal.
Is it possible to follow Christ without actually believing? I want God but don't always trust and especially with Jesus/Christianity. I want to believe and I don't but I am still drawn in; it is comforting and compelling. I like what Jesus represented, I like the teachings (although don't always seem practical and seemingly so hard to live up to), and I LOVE Christian music. I love the community. It is so hard to embrace it really and it although gives me comfort brings on a lot of anxiety and confusion. I feel like I have no control to function when I am supposed to let myself be led; I don't even know what that means when I have to think and move my body to live. I want to have a strong faith in God in general without feeling condemned. I want to feel there is a God holding on to me so I don't feel so alone, restless, and lost. Who better to love than your creator? Who better to put your trust in to help you in times of despair. I cant help to think that the Bible is a myth and although if Jesus did exist was only a prophet. My conditioning and impulses are constantly rejecting it and so many times I opened myself up only to quit the next day because it doesn't stick. I am constantly met with rejecting thoughts and fear. It's not sustainable. At the same time, I love him and his story well I only read a little of the Bible and intended to sermons, etc. Another thing, how do I know what is the truth when I am getting interpretations of the Bible when reading, listening to others interpretations through pastoral sermons and other people voicing their opinion?
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