Why am I sort of bipolar with my faith?

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Danielle1234

Guest
#1
I want to love God with all of my heart, soul, and mind and believe He is real but I just read the story of Jesus throughout reading the story my faith grew then shrank then grew then shrank. I want to believe in Jesus and God and The Holy Spirit but something inside of head is stopping me from completely believing. Is this an intrusive thought or something? Can being bipolar cause this or having OCD or Scrupulosity? Its bothering me because I want to completely believe have a lot of faith but I can't for some reason, ad I don't know what that reason is. I'm afraid I have hardened my heart without my own knowing, what can I do?
 
L

lav

Guest
#2
i'm not sure of the definition of 'scrupulosity' and i cannot diagnose you with anything... i have manic depression and it has caused me to grow stronger in my faith in many circumstances. i also probably have at least slight OCD... this can cause intrusive thoughts and i'm wondering if this is along the lines of what you are experiencing.

we all struggle in our walks, it can be difficult to have faith when we feel cut off for whatever reason.

i'm not sure i have the answer for you, but you could see a psychologist to rule out or otherwise confirm whether you may struggle with OCD or manic depression. personally, my bought with manic depression has further confirmed my faith, yet i deal with symptoms of OCD where i have intrusive thoughts that i don't even really consider my own.

it's difficult to know what is going on, i think, unless you seek the care of a qualified psychiatrist in the area of discerning whether or not you struggle with mental illness. aside from that, i think we all have ups and downs and can waver and have weaker and stronger seasons of faith.

that is all i can think of to say, if something else occurs to me i will try and respond.
if any of this sounds redundant or obvious, i apologize. i just think it best to probably see a doctor if you are really struggling with inner turmoil that you are not certain about, just to be more clear yourself about what is going on.

there are people who will tell you ' it is all spiritual, you don't need doctors or medication. ' now i am not suggesting you need these things, i am only commenting that some people do need the support of specialized care and must be on medication to be able to function in a more stable manner. i cannot determine whether this is the case for you, as i have said... but it may be worth seeing a specialist just to narrow down what it is you may be going through and perhaps rule out any mental illness.

that said, yes... i do believe everything has a spiritual basis to it, but- if we are sick and need medication... such as someone who is diabetic needs insulin shots, or an amputee could need a prosthetic or a wheelchair, then we need to address these physical issues.

from there, knowing whether or not you need medical care or what kind... you can supplement and add to what you are experiencing by seeking support from other believers and doing the regular thing of reading the bible and prayer, perhaps attending a church and also clearing your life out and discarding things or behaviors that could be getting in the way of your relationship with our Lord.
 
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L

lav

Guest
#3
i'm not sure of the definition of 'scrupulosity' and i cannot diagnose you with anything... i have manic depression and it has caused me to grow stronger in my faith in many circumstances. i also probably have at least slight OCD... this can cause intrusive thoughts and i'm wondering if this is along the lines of what you are experiencing.

we all struggle in our walks, it can be difficult to have faith when we feel cut off for whatever reason.

i'm not sure i have the answer for you, but you could see a psychologist to rule out or otherwise confirm whether you may struggle with OCD or manic depression. personally, my bought with manic depression has further confirmed my faith, yet i deal with symptoms of OCD where i have intrusive thoughts that i don't even really consider my own.

it's difficult to know what is going on, i think, unless you seek the care of a qualified psychiatrist in the area of discerning whether or not you struggle with mental illness. aside from that, i think we all have ups and downs and can waver and have weaker and stronger seasons of faith.

that is all i can think of to say, if something else occurs to me i will try and respond.
if any of this sounds redundant or obvious, i apologize. i just think it best to probably see a doctor if you are really struggling with inner turmoil that you are not certain about, just to be more clear yourself about what is going on.

there are people who will tell you ' it is all spiritual, you don't need doctors or medication. ' now i am not suggesting you need these things, i am only commenting that some people do need the support of specialized care and must be on medication to be able to function in a more stable manner. i cannot determine whether this is the case for you, as i have said... but it may be worth seeing a specialist just to narrow down what it is you may be going through and perhaps rule out any mental illness.

that said, yes... i do believe everything has a spiritual basis to it, but- if we are sick and need medication... such as someone who is diabetic needs insulin shots, or an amputee could need a prosthetic or a wheelchair, then we need to address these physical issues.

from there, knowing whether or not you need medical care or what kind... you can supplement and add to what you are experiencing by seeking support from other believers and doing the regular thing of reading the bible and prayer, perhaps attending a church and also clearing your life out and discarding things or behaviors that could be getting in the way of your relationship with our Lord.
* sorry - i meant psychiatrist rather than psychologist . my mistake.

and i applaud you for being so honest because mental illness is something that has a huge stigma.
just because people can't see it or there aren't many tests that can be run to determine that something is in fact amiss, often people who are inexperienced with mental illness completely shun the concept and reality that a large percentage of the population struggles with this type of disability. there are so many wrong ideas and misinformation about mental illness it would be impossible to go into all the details without typing far too much. i hope you understand what i am trying to say.

i wish you well and ask for God be with you through all your trials. it is often these things that make us stronger and help us to have endurance in our faith. i hope and pray for the best with you and that you succeed in overcoming the obstacles you are facing. anything is possible with God.
 

godtruck

Junior Member
Jul 13, 2014
21
0
1
#4
If you had a hardened heart you wouldn't be here concerned about the issue ;) Sounds like The Spirit is working just fine inside of you. But I agree that if you are in fact officially diagnosed as having bipolar like me then chances are you'll need some medicine to help with that. Like Lav said, see a psychiatrist and get diagnosed.