I feel like I have been slacking from my faith cuz sometimes it’s too much and stresses me out but that’s exactly what Satan wants is to not pray is much and being lazy. So I don’t really feel close to God but kind of feel less stressed but then stressed at the same time cuz I know I’m not putting in a lot of effort to spend time with the Lord.
God is compassionate and understanding. Pray to Him and tell Him all your worries or fears, tell Him why you haven’t put as much effort recently. Be open with Him.
If a lot of your time with God has been through compulsion, then it will be very exhausting. Do you feel like you have Bible reading and prayers that are based in compulsion? If you do, then it is TOTALLY FINE to take a break from those things. I think it is better to spend time with one Bible verse that comforts you then to spend hours a day in compulsive prayer or Bible reading Sometimes you need to give yourself a permission to take a break so that you can walk in the freedom of God. God doesn't want us to live by rules. He doesn't want us to feel like we are forced to read the Bible and pray. I used to feel like I had to read the Bible for four hours every morning. It was a compulsion. And I barely got anything out of it. It didn't make me closer to God at all A few years ago, I took a "vacation" mentally. I didn't do any Bible studies, and I didn't pray very much at all. I took a handful of Bible verses that comforted me, and I focused on them only. I stayed away from anything that would trigger me, which meant that I didn't watch sermons on YouTube or do a lot of Bible study. This season in my life was really good for me. And God was right there, even though I wasn't actively engaged in Bible studies and wasn't praying very much. I think God was Just fine with me taking a vacation and letting my brain recover for a while. God is not interested in us, checking the boxes of prayer and Bible study. And we don't necessarily get closer to him through spiritual disciplines when we are hurting the way that we are in OCD. I would encourage you to take a couple verses that speak to you, and just focus on those. Don't worry about doing a lot of Bible studies or praying a lot. Your relationship with God is not in contingent on those things. In fact, God would much rather that you enjoy your freedom than to feel like you HAVE to pray and study the Bible.
@Tea and Honey Did you feel like lukewarm at all or that you were kind of just following your own will or not really
@Tea and Honey It’s these same loops everytime like same cycle and be the same prayer like Lord I’m sorry I’ve been distracted and then tell him all I’m fearing and worried abt and wanting to trust him but then continue being distracted and not fill my voids with his word. Even tho he satisfies I don’t feel satisfied cuz I’m stressed. And then I feel bad asking him these things cuz I should try to better myself and advance his kingdom than asking for things I’m hoping for in life
@G C No, I didn't feel lukewarm at all. It is okay to only do a little Bible study. God doesn't mind
@G C This sounds kind Compulsive praying, not praying to a friend. If you feel like the praying is compulsive/guilty/repetitive , then it's time to stop doing that and just pray something simple and leave it. :)
how do I not treat God like a checklist I don’t want to do the bare minimum but then I feel like the more I try to spend time with him / in the word I will unhealthily obsess with how much time I should spend and if this or whatever the situation may be
It’s so hard to pray to God. I don’t want o put him on the back burner but I get anxiety talking to him and sitting in his presence. Then I will force myself to but then I just feel dumb since my flesh doesn’t want me to. And I pray and rush it then immediately scroll on my phone after cuz I get stressed and don’t know how to hear from him bc if I pray and just wait for Him I will get intrusive thoughts over and over and like I can’t even hear him anyway my mind is constantly going 1 million miles an hour and I have so many real life problems too on top of the ocd that makes it even harder.
I haven’t really been in my Bible lately cuz I just feel like when I read it like it’s to mark a box off and my ocd flare ups make it worse I don’t even want to read. I will read like a daily devotional or like a chapter but that’s like the bare minimum like it doesn’t even count so I don’t know what to do does that make me lukewarm I don’t want to backslide in my faith but I feel so far from God I mean I never really feel close either I just can’t even focus my brain is too loud.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
