when ever I say "Jesus is not real" I feel emotional hurt when I say the opposite I feel clam, peaceful and more clear minded, to answer your questions yes I'm bipolar and no I'm not taking my melds, I want to know how real religious delusions feel first and rule out the possibility that this is something spiritual
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:29:23 AM
when ever I say "Jesus is not real" I feel emotional hurt when I say the opposite I feel clam, peaceful and more clear minded, to answer your questions yes I'm bipolar and no I'm not taking my melds, I want to know how real religious delusions feel first and rule out the possibility that this is something spiritual
u feel 'clam' ?..oh, calm !...ok, that's good..that's very good. :dsunny:
WhaT does it mean
Sorry, I am not totally understanding the question as framed. What kind of religious or spiritual delusion do you think you are having?
God trying to convert me
God is 100% successful. No margin of error. He works at His own rate for each one of us. We are His children thanks to Christ's work.
I.M.O seems you are experiencing flesh versus spirit.
Religious delusions seem to be powerful, until the real truth exposes they are nothing at all.
I remember going to prayer meetings where there was supposed power and emotions;- so this must be God.
The flesh is able to copy, but is not as good or clear as the truth.
Christ has covered everything. Trying to add personal efforts detracts from Christ and focusses on self. Common problem.
Fortunately at the right moment God strips away these lies/deceits bit by bit.
The truth literally sets us free from the law, sin, and death.
So religious delusions do not give the peace of God which passes all understanding.
His love is immeasurable.
How do I tell the difference between God and my bipolar disorder
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:42:23 PM
How do I tell the difference between God and my bipolar disorder
Dear one ,
I also went though divisions and doubts and failing the tests , wonder what was happening to me
Come to find out it was God dealing with me on a personal level ,
Just as ROSS shared with you in his post .
Sometimes I was worse off than got better and sunk into a horrible pit of despair .. with guilt and shame and unrest .
I got physically sick as well and went to the doctor with strep throat and gave me antibiotics , but stated I was ''depressed '' and put me also on paxil than prozac for some years and was SOO hard to get off of , was an emotional roller coaster and ride of my life .. hated every minute of it . Asking God to make me ''normal '' like everyone else '' and not feel so out of place and like a freak of nature and so hated by Him and everyone else , death sounded good to me at that time , even though I was actually tasting/experiencing it without even knowing it .
the worst thing ever , made me ''numb and gain weight and a feeling of lifelessness and dead and hollow inside . than wanting this all to be over with , put me in an
even darker place than I was before ,those pills made me deader as nothing at all .. at least before there were good days and bad days .
So began the praying in private and constant asking for Jesus help , begging for some peace of mind
Gods Holy Spirit sent me to the Psalms and the read them carefully and completely with His help , I could see Davids struggles , he was up and free in some and down low in doubt in other places and thought , you know if David had went to the Doctor in these times , they would have put him on antidepressants too ..
So it was God dealing with my heart and this prolonged it or maybe it was God allowing this for His own purpose , It takes whatever it takes to change us ,,
Everyone has their own CROSS to bear and even though they ALL include suffering , some sufferings are different than others sufferings , but they all create results and expose our choices and our weaknesses and why we do what we do , even if we don't want to do it or be this way or that way , we get to see sin and error for what it is , utterly sinful and lost and needing salvation to come and free us from the death of deaths , our own mental torments ...
I have always said , you can run away from God and run away from everyone and even places you dont like to be in , but you CANNOT run away from yourself
and until we deal with that , we cannot be set free by the Truth ... JESUS began to Shine as a light in all that darkness and despair , creating within me a new desire to seek His face and SEE THIS LORD whom saves us , that was the step made by Gods own Spirit to set me up straight and walk , on that narrow path that leads to life , from laying down and wallowing in self pity and shame and secret selfishness of always wanting my way , like a 3 year old having a temper tantrum , because a lot of anger rises up when you feel like an outcast and hated by everyone and everything that never feels right and where is God in all this mess ?
weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth , that was me alright , laying down in death and not knowing how to walk in the Spirit of life , It took the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ coming as Light and Life to save a wretch like me from my own destructive path ....
I hope this helps you somehow know you are not alone and we all fall short but have an amazing God of great love and mercy that will get us all though this rough part , giving us the gifts of faith and hope and love being the greatest thing that can happen to a human being knowing they are loved an accepted by God , no matter how much doubt rises in ourselves or in hearing others say what a failure you are , our salvation depends on trusting God to the end of everything that comes upon us all .. God bless :HeartThrob: May you feel His Love in you working it all out in you today ...
God's Spirit will always agree with His Word.. so being well acquainted with the New Testament is key, in my opinion.. And also, however!! Knowing all references which seem to portray Him in a bad light, are easily explained (namely translators have made two, or three errors, such as translating 'deepest darkness' of character into a level of a 'hell', a ridiculous idea.) Like sister Rose, I had my struggles and darkness.. and what most helped me was knowing - #1, any thing which contradicts either of these two truths, cannot be true. He is 100% able (almighty, all powerful, all able). And He is 100% Good.
~ He is love. I need not listen to or heed any negative report, no spirit of fear, or threat.. and no accusation, for His Spirit within keeps us from a lifestyle of sin, and His goodness covers our present flaws as we are progressing by letting self interest become less and less.. We really follow one rule - Love God.. seek Him. "Love works no ill". I figure if I love God, I wiLL abide in His Word.. Psalm 12:6 "the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. (7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe..) And love loves its fellow person.. "works no ill"/hurts none..
I am helped by 'living in His Word'. I divided and scheduled my readings of the gospels into two 6 month readings.. I used to read one gospel per season, and that works pretty well too, but I wanted to more fully 'enter the story'..
Also I scheduled reading through the letters, in the order thought written, in a schedule of reading for each year.. And the Book of Acts, I read according to a weekly schedule. These last I have written in my bible as I've read, so the next year I could follow the schedule even easier.. But the gospel reading schedules I printed.. I have my schedule - http://inner-monastery.blogspot.com/p/daily.html - on my main blog - http://inner-monastery.blogspot.com/
Oh dear! I see I didn't get my second 6 month gospel schedule up..! I switched this year, from all four gospels together - which was a bit too repetitive, to the two gospels each six month period. It took me a while to figure those out.. :mshock:
..the blog is somewhat about resting in Him.. which was my real healing.. Realizing I can rest in Him, trusting. I am His child, that is who I am.. a stone of His temple.. temple for the Living God, who is love.
Another key, I tend to think all do well to recognize is not to put too much stock in 'feelings'.. God's Word is reality. My feelings are not, they are fleeting and temporary. I see folks get riled up and controlled by emotions.. Better to just let them pass.. Unless it is joy of loving Him! That one, especially in union with peace, is a good one..
~ "cast your care upon Him, for He careth for you.." -1 Peter 5:7 :HeartThrob:
In summary, God's Spirit will always agree with His Word. So "abiding in His Word" - for us, the New Testament - is key. Imho..
I hope these responses are helpful to you.. Each of us can only speak from our own knowing and experience..
God bless you dear!! :girlheart:
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:42:23 PM
How do I tell the difference between God and my bipolar disorder
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:29:23 AM
when ever I say "Jesus is not real" I feel emotional hurt when I say the opposite I feel calm, peaceful and more clear minded.
Peace of God passes ALL understanding. I.M.O suggesting you will know the difference because of the peace of God which is touching your heart like never before.
Personally I never knew how to handle things; made many attempts. My changes did not even start until literally handing 100% to God for His work, not my personal efforts. Literally taking up the cross every day.
Paul gives his example in1 Cor 15;10 " Yet not I but the grace of God that is with me."
Perfect love casts out all fear; to be aware of the fears is the start of the casting out process.
May He bless you as you seek answers.
Quote from: Ross on August 11, 2016, 04:33:34 AM
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:42:23 PM
How do I tell the difference between God and my bipolar disorder
Quote from: ask21771 on August 10, 2016, 02:29:23 AM
when ever I say "Jesus is not real" I feel emotional hurt when I say the opposite I feel calm, peaceful and more clear minded.
Peace of God passes ALL understanding. I.M.O suggesting you will know the difference because of the peace of God which is touching your heart like never before.
Personally I never knew how to handle things; made many attempts. My changes did not even start until literally handing 100% to God for His work, not my personal efforts. Literally taking up the cross every day.
Paul gives his example in1 Cor 15;10 " Yet not I but the grace of God that is with me."
Perfect love casts out all fear; to be aware of the fears is the start of the casting out process.
May He bless you as you seek answers.
AMEN !
The sin nature loves to rule over us , we can not see them , but see their results ..... Just as we can see the fruit / results of the Divine nature in action as well .
Learning the difference between the two ''natures'' comes from the Holy Spirit teaching us on a personal level , what is right and what is wrong , in pleasing God , a leap of faith , just doing it without seeing any results yet [fruit] , staying strong in the WORD by His Spirit and gives us a quickening , the WORD becomes living and moves within your being and you know and all the doubts removed by the TRUTH setting you free from the confusion of not knowing if it was right or wrong , but become stronger in the faith and hope and love growing within you , and less and less of the negative results ..
GOD hears and answers prayers ..
I am not boasting in anything but the LORD here about an example , having an enemy ,[the EVIL ONE ] , we are to Pray daily for the Lord to keep us from Matt 6 . they work doing evil in us and others causing anger and divide us , and rob us of peace and joy and well being , thoughts '' rise up '' in us that are not good , but of a bad attitude and nature , thinking evil or bad thoughts that are unloving and unkind , very harmful to others as well as your own self ....
When we eat or consume the tree of knowledge of good and evil we get to experience both Life /good and evil / death both natures struggle for control over your mind and thoughts and do in your mortal body as they please , as you consume more of one or the other , the actions and than the results are PROOF of what is consuming you( of a feeling) completely filling one's mind and attention; absorbing.
Jesus tells us how to deal with that , He said , make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree corrupt and its fruits [results ] corrupt ,A TREE is KNOWN by its doings / actions , fruit , results , this is how we can AVOID a lot of needless suffering and troubles put on others as well as staying miserable with no quality of life .
JESUS IS HERE TO HELP US AT ANY TIME WE ASK sincerely and honestly with the motive of holy / pure thoughts from our hearts , He does not fail us ever ,
you can bank on that , your peace in the Lord will come as you wait on the Lord in secret and quiet trust , as it is done already and don't start taking matters into your own hands as before and got the bad results you hate that keep on happening over and over again making them worse and not better .
There is a simplicity in Christ that is beautiful,,,, as a child would trust a parent to help us, when we cannot do them ourselves yet .
It is loving and kind and persuasive as we learn to take a hold of the task at hand with confidence by growing in truth and grace as a parent teaches us how to do it right from doing it wrong and becoming frustrated and having a temper tantrum .
Fruits of the Spirit are the working results of the HOLY SPIRIT teaching us obedience in patience , how to know and please GOD, THE FATHER .
Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things
there is no law. LOVE IS perfection /complete /maturity excellent results /fruit that the Heavenly Father has been honored and glorified .To make glorious, or
cause so to appear ( John 12:28 ; John 13:31 John 13:32 ; John 17:4 John 17:5 ). BE SEEN AND KNOWN .
Hi Ask.
It may well be the Holy Spirit.
I don't think you can be sure, however, on meds or not. We all have enough erroneous thoughts, temptations, misunderstandings, and so on, running around in our heads,
which can all mislead us, and do, at various times.
Pray for clarity, in this, and every matter. It might well not come as quickly as you like, but if you continue to pray and believe, it will come, at just the right time.....God's time.
And, may I suggest, you pray about finding a medication that will work for you, and that you will feel comfortable using. Perhaps a different doctor will help.
I will keep you in prayer, too.
D.
Ask :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob:
Sending love. God works through us and for us and with us. You are not alone in your doubts or confusion, we all go through that or are still going through it. Life is full of ups and downs for all of us. Fear, death, despair, love, hope faith...they are all part of his human experience. Pray about it. Prayer is really for us, to experience the love of God that exists but that we may not feel because of our feelings of being disconnected from God, when in actuality God is with us loving us even when we don't feel it. Right now, in your doubt, God loves you, exactly how you are.
Rose :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob:
Loved your post, Rose. You are a sweetheart and always a loving and tender soul. I agree with you about experiencing death and about the bad effects of those meds. I am glad to be rid of them as well. Of course it's a personal journey for us all to go through, so Ask will have to figure it out for himself/herself. We can just offer our own experiences, love and prayer.
Amazing what we go through in this life.
I remember some lyrics from a Barry McGuire song;
" I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way,
Leaving me none the wiser, with all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow, never a word said she,
BUT all the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me."
Seems we have to go through harder stuff to learn more.
Christ went through the cross as a demonstration that the things in this life are temporary, but essential, to be applied in the coming ages as led in spirit.
I am also inspired by the logic of the body having many parts- ergo many different experiences and functions- but still one body with Christ as the head.
In the family scenario we have that re-enforced; that we are different to each other in many regards but still one family with ONE Father.
Quote from: Ross on August 12, 2016, 05:52:28 AM
Amazing what we go through in this life.
I remember some lyrics from a Barry McGuire song;
" I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way,
Leaving me none the wiser, with all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow, never a word said she,
BUT all the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me."
Seems we have to go through harder stuff to learn more.
Christ went through the cross as a demonstration that the things in this life are temporary, but essential, to be applied in the coming ages as led in spirit.
I am also inspired by the logic of the body having many parts- ergo many different experiences and functions- but still one body with Christ as the head.
In the family scenario we have that re-enforced; that we are different to each other in many regards but still one family with ONE Father.
:HeartThrob: :goodpost:
Quote from: GodIsLove on August 12, 2016, 04:40:25 AM
Ask :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob:
Sending love. God works through us and for us and with us. You are not alone in your doubts or confusion, we all go through that or are still going through it. Life is full of ups and downs for all of us. Fear, death, despair, love, hope faith...they are all part of his human experience. Pray about it. Prayer is really for us, to experience the love of God that exists but that we may not feel because of our feelings of being disconnected from God, when in actuality God is with us loving us even when we don't feel it. Right now, in your doubt, God loves you, exactly how you are.
Rose :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob:
Loved your post, Rose. You are a sweetheart and always a loving and tender soul. I agree with you about experiencing death and about the bad effects of those meds. I am glad to be rid of them as well. Of course it's a personal journey for us all to go through, so Ask will have to figure it out for himself/herself. We can just offer our own experiences, love and prayer.
Amen and amen , beautifully said sis !!! :HeartThrob: Love is as strong as death , so LOVE remains when death is no more , Love will always RISE UP out of death :HeartThrob:
SOS 8 5"Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on her beloved?"
"Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; There your mother was in labor with you,
There she was in labor and gave you birth.
6"Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of the LORD. 7"Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it;
If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised."...
Quote from: GodIsLove on August 12, 2016, 06:47:51 AM
Quote from: Ross on August 12, 2016, 05:52:28 AM
Amazing what we go through in this life.
I remember some lyrics from a Barry McGuire song;
" I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way,
Leaving me none the wiser, with all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow, never a word said she,
BUT all the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me."
Seems we have to go through harder stuff to learn more.
Christ went through the cross as a demonstration that the things in this life are temporary, but essential, to be applied in the coming ages as led in spirit.
I am also inspired by the logic of the body having many parts- ergo many different experiences and functions- but still one body with Christ as the head.
In the family scenario we have that re-enforced; that we are different to each other in many regards but still one family with ONE Father.
:HeartThrob: :goodpost:
Awesome bro !!! Words of life , right there , rise up out of death and Christ will give you Life !!! :dsunny:
Eph 5 Children of Light
...13But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.
14So it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." 15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,... :HeartThrob: Death and Life are ours , all things are ours to experience in this life . As the gift of Wisdom from above shines upon us Today , this day ...
:dsunny:
2 Cor 2;14 " But thanks be to God, Who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ,
and He is manifesting through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."
2 Cor 3;11 " For if the thing DONE AWAY was glorious, much MORE GLORIOUS is that which remains."
Love literally conquers all. Any delusions try to minimise the love Christ demonstrated for us.
Nothing can keep us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus. :cloud9:
Quote from: Ross on August 12, 2016, 01:03:41 PM
:dsunny:
2 Cor 2;14 " But thanks be to God, Who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ,
and He is manifesting through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."
2 Cor 3;11 " For if the thing DONE AWAY was glorious, much MORE GLORIOUS is that which remains."
Love literally conquers all. Any delusions try to minimise the love Christ demonstrated for us.
Nothing can keep us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus. :cloud9:
AMEN BRO!! LIFE GIVING WORDS , right there! , now !!! Time to rise and shine !, morning has broken the darkness and the Day is in Power
waking up the sleepy heads :dsunny:
:HeartThrob: