Walking on Water When You Feel Like You're Drowning by Tommy Nelson

Author:Tommy Nelson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781604826791
Publisher: Focus on the Family
Published: 2012-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

You have to separate your

obsession from reality.

* * *

Part of the solution is to recognize that it is just an obsession, and it does not define who you are or what you will become. You have to separate your obsession from reality and yourself. When you obsess, just call it obsession and identify it as such. It’s not fact; it’s not real; it’s just obsession.

Yes, we must work at not having these thoughts by turning our minds away from them and sometimes by seeking appropriate medical help for OCD. But the fact is that if you are obsessive, you may always struggle with this, and it will consume you if you are not able to recognize the thoughts as obsession.

Most obsessors also struggle with legalism in their walk with God. They don’t accept grace very well. I just talked to a young man yesterday who started by saying he thought he was depressed. When I talked to him about what his brain was doing and explained anxiety and obsession to him, he said, “I have never been able to put words to it, but that is what I do.” He wasn’t depressed at all. His obsessive thoughts were giving him anxiety, which led to feelings of hopelessness, which he interpreted as depression.

I had another client who was unwilling to ask his girlfriend to marry him because he feared that he might do something inappropriate with the children they would eventually have together. But he was not a pedophile. He had simply fixated on the worst thing he thought a human could do, and it had become an obsession. He struggled with legalism and obsessed about sin or guilt over sin. He was a perfectionist and extremely hard on himself. Most people like this have a hard time accepting God’s love.

Is this you? If so, you need to understand God grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He sees you as beautiful and lovely no matter what obsession is going through your mind. Chuck Swindoll has a great book on grace called Grace Awakening. I highly recommend it.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You. (Psalm 139:17–18)

Obsession can be a horrible thing to live with, and a huge number of us struggle with it. It leads to stress, phobias, worry, anxiety, and depression. We seek to train our minds away from it, and in the end many of us learn to live in a godly, peaceful way with it.

You can, too. Be hopeful and keep trusting God with your obsessions. Recognize them for what they are. Train your brain to move away from the lies and toward the truth.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

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