I put a lot of pressure on myself to do things right. I sometimes think of rules that sound plausible, and because they sound plausible I follow them. As an example the \u201cBible says to be responsible with money, so you can\u2019t buy anything that\u2019s unnecessary.\u201d This causes a lot of anxiety and makes daily life difficult. It can get extreme such as, you have to live in your current town forever because you didn\u2019t forgive a stranger who was annoying and apologized about it.\u201d These thoughts sound so convincing and it scares me. I once stopped showering, and wouldn\u2019t eat or drink for hours. I know that\u2019s crazy and disgusting but I did it because my thoughts had me convinced to do these things.<\/p>\n
I have a lot of questions, but I don\u2019t want to overwhelm anyone.<\/p>\n\t
“Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar<\/em>” (Proverbs 30:5-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Since every word in the Bible is tested and proven to be true, the prophet Agur concludes that you cannot improve upon perfection. You can’t add to the truth and still have the truth. The Bible also states that it contains everything needed for life and godliness (II Peter 1:2-4). Yet, you decided to add rules to your life that are not found in the Bible. These made-up rules are impossible to keep and so you use your failures to berate yourself.<\/p>\n
Solomon warned against this line of thinking. “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 7:16). Trying to be more righteous than God said to be only leads to personal ruin.<\/p>\n
Your problem sounds like a few other people I know who have a mild form of schizophrenia. If that is the case, there are very effective medications that reduce the symptoms to a manageable level. My best advice is to see a good psychiatrist and see if medication can help you think clearer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I put a lot of pressure on myself to do things right. I sometimes think of rules that sound plausible, and because they sound plausible I follow them. As an example the \u201cBible says to be responsible with money, so you can\u2019t buy anything that\u2019s unnecessary.\u201d This causes a lot of anxiety and makes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[508,965,966],"class_list":["post-13236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-mental-illness","tag-ocd","tag-scrupulosity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42424,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/am-i-obligated-to-marry-my-fiance\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":0},"title":"Am I obligated to marry my fiance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I somehow made a complete mess of my life and I am hoping to get some perspective on my situation. I am 21 years old. I have been with a man for 4 years. I love him a lot, but I am no longer 'in love' with him. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10734,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-see-a-doctor-about-my-ocd\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":1},"title":"Should I see a doctor about my OCD?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, This whole year has been quite a nightmare. At the beginning of this year, I started to realize how I wasn\u2019t living the right way. I wanted to start making changes in my life and be a better Christian. In hindsight, I went about it the wrong way.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68574,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-have-enough-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":2},"title":"Do I have enough faith?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I am writing to you because I have been researching OCD a lot, and I see that you address a lot of OCD-related issues. I know I have OCD, although I have never been formally diagnosed. I deal with unwanted thoughts, thoughts I feel like I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50848,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-see-myself-as-someone-who-is-fake\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":3},"title":"I see myself as someone who is fake","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeffrey, I just read your answer to \"I have a hard time controlling my thoughts. I'm scared I might not be saved,\" and I was wondering: how do we fix the intentions of our heart, so we will have true godly intentions? Rather than OCD, I have ADHD,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56037,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/it-seems-impossible-to-perfectly-control-your-thoughts\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":4},"title":"It seems impossible to perfectly control your thoughts!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I suffer from OCD, anxiety, and Asperger's (on the autism spectrum), basically it's a high-functioning autism. I have been struggling with this issue for years. As soon as I read the verse about the unpardonable sin, I became obsessed with it. There have been times when this obsession is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52284,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-dont-know-if-these-thoughts-are-gods-or-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":13236,"position":5},"title":"I don’t know if these thoughts are God’s or not","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I need an answer. I'm bipolar, and I have all kinds of thoughts and feelings. I don't know if it's God or not. I argue with my husband a lot about this. 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