I need help for blasphemous thoughts. I go to a church run out of a womans home and 2 weeks ago she was speaking on the antichrist (she says it is going to be prince Charles because of his coat of arms). She suggested we google it. When i got home i not only googled it but printed one or two articles! Every since then I have had horrible blasphemous thoughts-have repented for doing this, have no unforgiveness, etc. I am going to this womans ministry today for counseling and she is coming to annoint my apartment after that. I have not said any of these thoughts-they, as you can imagine, are awful! I am off this week on vacation (don't have alot left) because my mind was being attacked so much last Wednesday I could hardly concentrate on my work! What can I do besides binding and rebuking the demons and praying? Any help would be appreciated. I believe with that "spirit of antichrist" you get blasphemous thoughts. Please help!
Help for unwanted blasphemous thoughts
- Thread starter steflou64
- Start date
Brad Huber
Loyal
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2012
- Messages
- 4,419
I like to say Prov 3:5-6 over and over, to replace bad thoughts with good ones, and to mean what you are saying, its the sword of the spirit.
B-A-C
Loyal
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2008
- Messages
- 11,079
Demons can not stand up to Jesus.
Mark 1:24; saying, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"
Luke 4:34; "Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"
In fact believers have the power to cast out demons.
Mark 16:17; "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
Jas 2:19; You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
There are ridiculous movies about devils, anti-christs, demons, exorcisms, and so on. Here were I live there are plenty of "reality" television shows about haunted houses
and ghosts. Even one fairly sacrilegious movies about the anti-christ.
Jas 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
If you are under the blood of Christ, those demons and spirits of the anti-christ have no power over you.
If you don't know Jesus that is a different story, see the story of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16;
If the Holy Spirit enters a place where there is a spirit of the anti-christ, which one do you think is going run away?
Listen too me ? satan speaks to mankind by putting thoughts in peoples minds ! Just say get out of here satan and take your dumb thoughts with you in the mighty name of JESUS CHRIST 1 he will go ,but will try again ! But if we keep rebuking him ? he will try others . but will return again !
he a deciever a trickter ! God also speaks in our minds to us ! Sometimes we get two thoughts at once . wondering which we should do or accept ?
the called and the elect can both hear GOD . But HE only dwells in the elect ! Those who have been born of God !
The minds the battle field ! Every thought that enters your mind is NOT YOUR THOUGHT !
We Need to know the Truth , other wise we will think we are very evil or nuts and be very confused about everything ?
satan looking for any way to get control of people , he such a evil vile creature and knows his time is short and he is doomed !
I pray dear father GOD you will help this person and reveal the truth to them and bless them and there household with love and peace and truth , in the mighty name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST ! Thank you LORD !
he a deciever a trickter ! God also speaks in our minds to us ! Sometimes we get two thoughts at once . wondering which we should do or accept ?
the called and the elect can both hear GOD . But HE only dwells in the elect ! Those who have been born of God !
The minds the battle field ! Every thought that enters your mind is NOT YOUR THOUGHT !
We Need to know the Truth , other wise we will think we are very evil or nuts and be very confused about everything ?
satan looking for any way to get control of people , he such a evil vile creature and knows his time is short and he is doomed !
I pray dear father GOD you will help this person and reveal the truth to them and bless them and there household with love and peace and truth , in the mighty name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST ! Thank you LORD !
After I had my counseling today the lady said I was being harrassed by the spirits of endless geneology and accuser of the brethern-she referred me to Psalm 149:8 and 1 Timothy 1:4. She said it came from my father's side of the family. She gave me a prayer to bind them whenever I am attacked.
Strypes
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 710
What prayer is that?
Strypes
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 710
I quoted this from the other thread.
That is an interesting "prayer". That seems like you are "praying" (speaking to) to demons for the first half of the "prayer". There was a thread on here at Talk Jesus recently regarding "binding and loosening", I would suggest you read it for it is full of lots of insight.
I know Jesus spoke directly to unclean spirits and delivered people from their bondage and when Peter was speaking to Jesus regarding not allowing him (Jesus) to die in Jerusalem, Jesus rebuked him saying "get thee behind me satan".. and there is the account in Acts where some folks tried to cast out demons and the demons turned and attacked them saying something like "Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are you?" or something to that effect.. and then there is that passage in Jude...
I would suggest you learn all you can first before you start tossing evil spirits around.
Strypes
Member
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 710
Here is the link to the "Bound on earth, bound in heaven" thread...
http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/12966-bound-earth-bound-heaven.html#.UT_MeTdm9vI
http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/12966-bound-earth-bound-heaven.html#.UT_MeTdm9vI
We do not need to talk over these evil thoughts these demons put in our minds. '
We just rebuke those demons and tell them to get going and to take those evil thoughts with them in the name of JESUS CHRIST.
They Must leave and take the evil dumb thoughts with them
Everyone gets evil thoughts at times. we just do not want to dwell on them or even talk about them.
Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1Pe_5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Jn_3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
They might keep trying to get you to dwell on this evil junk? But if you keep rebuking them ? They will leave and try someone else .But they might return and try again?
We just rebuke those demons and tell them to get going and to take those evil thoughts with them in the name of JESUS CHRIST.
They Must leave and take the evil dumb thoughts with them
Everyone gets evil thoughts at times. we just do not want to dwell on them or even talk about them.
Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1Pe_5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Jn_3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
They might keep trying to get you to dwell on this evil junk? But if you keep rebuking them ? They will leave and try someone else .But they might return and try again?
Fenn
Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2012
- Messages
- 130
1 Timothy 1:4
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
It seems to me that this is saying not to believe in endless genealogy. Are you saying that you are dealing with this belief or that this is a spirit of that? Is there any Biblical reference to demons being hereditary and discerning, who a demon came from? I have never heard of a demon coming from a mother or father's side of the family.
I believe you should never go back to back to his place again. I would call her thoughts and actions "blasphemous". This is not at all what the Bible teacher ! She is out to lunch ! Get involved with a Bible believing chrurch, and a Pastor that believes in and preaches the Bible. This woman does NOT ! She has taught you a false teaching, and her ways are not in line with Jesus Christ. There is no where in Scripture that tells us to anoint our dwelling.
Hello, I know exactly the kind of thoughts you are hearing, you don't need to tell me I know what they are. I have those same thoughts, they are an attack. I had them so bad one day thought my salvation was gone, that it was no more, and no matter how much I tried to shut them out they wouldn't leave me alone. I was just crying and crying and crying, and I was at work. Horrible attack. You need to rebuke them in the name of Jesus Christ. More of all, you need to realize these do not come from you, they come from the devil. Rebuke them! The name of Jesus Christ has power! You can do it! God bless
rickygtz
Member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2012
- Messages
- 56
I went almost 3 years with this terrible tormenting thoughts, but Jesus Christ delivered me, and you can be free as well. Let me know I can be of any help, you can write me at ragutierrez3 @ G m a i l , , com . and is nine five six two two 3 0 seven 1 nine
Ricardo
Ricardo
As certain as it is that, like Jesus himself, his true followers will suffer temptation, so none of us can be a true Christian for long without suffering condemnation, feeling unforgivable, being hounded by strong guilt feelings, fearing we’ll end up in hell, or feeling unable to forgive ourselves.
This is so inevitable and so bewildering – and for some of us even terrifying – that I would be letting Christians down had I not written extensively on this subject. You deserve the delight of knowing that God’s approving smile upon you.
Nevertheless, it is vital to grasp that no matter how devastatingly real and intense the feeling, there is a vast difference between merely feeling guilty and actually being guilty. Likewise, there is a vast difference between having sinned in the past (no matter how recent or distant) and being rendered totally sinless in the eyes of God. Spiritual peace is not about lack of inner turmoil but about refusing to accept the turmoil as a genuine reason for concern and instead choosing to put all our faith in the pronouncements of the Holy Judge of all humanity.
In the wilderness Jesus defeated the devil’s attempt to twist Scripture, not by examining every theological argument about the disputed Scripture, but simply by holding on to another Scripture whose meaning was clear. Seeing that Jesus was resolute in clinging to that Scripture, the devil left him, “for a season,” or as the NIV puts it, “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).
We can expect no more than Jesus received. If you are resolute in holding on to Scripture’s affirmation that forgiveness and eternal life are available to everyone who seeks it through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the devil might eventually leave you – but only for a while.
When you least expect it, wham! he’ll be back again, pouring on all the doubt and guilt and condemnation and emptiness and feelings that God has abandoned you – every powerfully convincing, deceptive feeling he can possibly muster.
Salvation is through faith and this satanic attack is your opportunity to shine, by proving that your faith is in Jesus and not in deceptively powerful feelings that are inconsistent with the Word of God and with the heart of God. The devil is a loser because every time he attacks and you resist, your faith grows stronger. And faith is of infinite and eternal value.
This is so inevitable and so bewildering – and for some of us even terrifying – that I would be letting Christians down had I not written extensively on this subject. You deserve the delight of knowing that God’s approving smile upon you.
Nevertheless, it is vital to grasp that no matter how devastatingly real and intense the feeling, there is a vast difference between merely feeling guilty and actually being guilty. Likewise, there is a vast difference between having sinned in the past (no matter how recent or distant) and being rendered totally sinless in the eyes of God. Spiritual peace is not about lack of inner turmoil but about refusing to accept the turmoil as a genuine reason for concern and instead choosing to put all our faith in the pronouncements of the Holy Judge of all humanity.
In the wilderness Jesus defeated the devil’s attempt to twist Scripture, not by examining every theological argument about the disputed Scripture, but simply by holding on to another Scripture whose meaning was clear. Seeing that Jesus was resolute in clinging to that Scripture, the devil left him, “for a season,” or as the NIV puts it, “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).
We can expect no more than Jesus received. If you are resolute in holding on to Scripture’s affirmation that forgiveness and eternal life are available to everyone who seeks it through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the devil might eventually leave you – but only for a while.
When you least expect it, wham! he’ll be back again, pouring on all the doubt and guilt and condemnation and emptiness and feelings that God has abandoned you – every powerfully convincing, deceptive feeling he can possibly muster.
Salvation is through faith and this satanic attack is your opportunity to shine, by proving that your faith is in Jesus and not in deceptively powerful feelings that are inconsistent with the Word of God and with the heart of God. The devil is a loser because every time he attacks and you resist, your faith grows stronger. And faith is of infinite and eternal value.
- 1 John 3:19-20 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
THIS IS FROM SOMETHING I WAS READING EARLIER.....Anyone wanting to stop intrusive thoughts must understand that like ants at a picnic, unwanted, offensive thoughts invade everyone’s minds and annoy us all. To stop intrusive thoughts completely is beyond human power, but our reaction determines how much they dominate our lives.When walking over an ant nest, most of us pay little attention and move on. A different approach, however, could seriously worsen things. If an ant bites as you are walking over a nest and you stop where you are to fight the ant, stomping your foot to try to jolt it off, other ants will swarm and start attacking you. What would have been a minor annoyance turns into a frenzied attack. The more you panic and try to stomp on every ant, the more bites you’ll receive. Something minor escalates into something serious and you may wonder why you are so viciously attacked while others walk through the same area with hardly a bite.So it is with intrusive thoughts. Most of us dismiss disgusting, unwanted thoughts and mental images as just an annoying fact of life, and move on. Some of us, however, panic and stop in our tracks to try to fight them off, but this very act intensifies the attack.To change the analogy, intrusive thoughts are like an itch that remains minor if you ignore it but becomes increasingly serious the more you scratch it. Just as it is not easy to ignore an itch and act as if it were not happening, so it is not easy for us to remain calm and unconcerned when attacked by ugly intrusive thoughts, but it is the only way to stop them getting worse.I am so proud to call Angela my sister in Christ because she clings by faith to the forgiving power of Christ and refuses to give in to false feelings of shame, no matter how strong and oppressive those feelings are. It takes immense, Christ-honoring faith to resist all the fear, false guilt and screaming doubts as Angela does.
<center>[h=2]As explained intrusive thoughts feed off anxiety. The more you fear them, the more they will keep invading your mind. Having no fear or anxiety to feed off, the unwanted thoughts died down, like a fire starved of oxygen.[/h]</center>
Over time, however, it is common for doubts to creep back so that we begin once again to worry that such thoughts might be a terrifyingly serious offense against God. When this fear begins to resurface, rather than just dismiss the thoughts as harmless annoyances, we will frantically try to fight them again. As we panic, the unwanted thoughts will begin to swarm and attack, as surely as stomping on an ant nest. We enter an ever-worsening vicious circle in which anxiety causes the thoughts, which in turn increase our anxiety. So I’m not the slightest surprised that Angela continues:
Since a couple years ago intrusive thoughts have started to come back but in a different way. I’ve tried to get closer to Jesus, but when I did, I started thinking really icky things that I’ve been too ashamed to admit to anyone before. After reading your webpage, however, I know that it’s more common than I thought. I’m by no means the only devoted Christian who thinks unclean things about my Lord and Savior. I still detest the thoughts, of course, but now I know there’s hope.
You’ve really taken a big weight off my shoulders. I hope that now I can become closer to God without my intrusive thoughts.
Comment by Grantley: If Angela no longer fears the thoughts, they will indeed fade away. Nevertheless, the goal must never be the avoidance of blasphemous thoughts. The harder we try to avoid them, the worse they will get. The goal must always and only be to by faith draw near to God. We do this by clinging to the fact that through the power of Christ’s sacrifice we are accepted by God, no matter what thoughts invade our minds and no matter how much our conscience accuses us.
People write to me hoping God will stop their intrusive thoughts. That’s like hoping God will stop us from ever being tempted, despite the fact that Jesus himself suffered severe temptation. What glory is there in being able to survive when not under attack? Our chance for glory comes when we cling to Christ by faith despite being under such strong attack that everything within us screams that Christ has fled from us in horror.
No one is forgiven because intrusive thoughts no longer occur, nor because of the smallness of his or her sin, but solely because of the greatness of the forgiving power of Christ trading places with us on the cross.
Angela continues:
I take delight knowing that I’m throwing a major wrench in Satan’s plan. Here’s why: I kind of consider my intrusive thoughts a blessing because if I never had them, I never would have looked it up online, and I probably wouldn’t have found Net-Burst.Net and I don’t think I would have as good an understanding of how loving and forgiving God is.
It was with a tear stained smile of thankfulness that I jumped at the chance to e-mail Grantley, author of this website. The website has really changed my life, and now I’m closer to God, with more understanding of his love and forgiveness, and I’m getting to know Jesus more than I have ever before.
So instead of making me doubt the power of Christ’s sacrifice, and doubt the love and forgiveness of God, those intrusive thoughts have only driven me closer to God! Having realized that there is so much more hope than I thought there was, I’m much less afraid. I used to feel that I had to live my life perfectly or I’d fall under the judgment of God. Naturally, I want to do what is right, but I now understand that God’s acceptance of me depends not on my futile attempts to be perfect but solely on me trusting the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice for me.
I’ve realized that the most valuable thing we can possibly attain is totally free to anyone who accepts it: Jesus’ sacrifice.
I told my dad about how Satan’s plan backfired and caused me to be closer to God. He agreed and said to watch out, though, because now that I’ve pushed that in Satan’s face, he’s going to try a different attack. Satan might, for example, try a fleshly temptation.
Comment by Grantley: Angela’s dad is right that the devil is a sore loser and is sure to counter-attack. My experience with people, however, strongly suggests that when the enemy has had a little success with upsetting someone through a particular tactic, he doesn’t change tactics quickly. In other words, I expect Angela to be repeatedly tested in the realm of intrusive thoughts before the devil reluctantly gives up, and even then he will try sneak attacks from time to time.
The intrusive thoughts that kept coming to Angela involved the use of foul, sexually explicit swear words aimed at defiling Jesus. It is not just words, however, but mental images of degrading Jesus physically and sexually in the most atrocious matter. All of this is totally out of character for Angela.
Uncontrollable thoughts reveal how anxious a person is not to think such things. They indicate not how bad a person is, but that how good the person is, in that they show that the person is unusually desperate not to think such things.
To better understand what drives devoted Christians to think filthy, obscene things about their Lord, let’s consider a common, non-religious example of people who suffer from intrusive thoughts. It is more common than most people realize for loving mothers with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to be unable to stop thinking of mutilating and killing their babies with a knife. They are not just upsetting thoughts; these mothers are terrified that they will actually act out those thoughts on the babies they love. Experts insist that such people would never in reality endanger anyone. The uncontrollable nature of these unwanted thoughts, however, often fools these people into mistakenly thinking that they would sink so low as to harm, or even kill, their children. These horrific thoughts keep plaguing them precisely because the thoughts cause these mothers immense distress. And they cause such distress precisely because the thoughts are totally out of character and the last thing they would ever want to do.
Likewise, Christians with a tendency towards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can suffer hideous thoughts about Christ, precisely because it is completely out of character and the last thing they would ever want to do. Like sweet, non-violent mothers who needlessly fear – and even come to believe – that they have transmuted into virtual monsters, anyone relentlessly subjected to barrages of intrusive thoughts is likely to become so confused as to conclude that such thinking really is part of his/her true character.
, we see that 1 Corinthians 10:13 implies that our first line of defense when undergoing spiritual attack is the knowledge that many other Christians have suffered similar attacks. This knowledge is such a source of strength that the enemy of our souls usually tries his hardest to fool each of us into thinking that no Christian has done such wicked things as we have. It is to help counteract this lie that Angela has selflessly specified the exact nature of the appalling thoughts and images that have plagued her.
As explained elsewhere in this series, this should be unnecessary, because the Bible insists that Jesus died for the sins of the world – for every sin ever committed on the entire planet. So unless you are in another part of the galaxy using alien technology to hack into earth’s computers, Jesus died for the forgiveness of every sin you have ever committed. Forgiveness is yours, provided you don’t die before believing Jesus for that forgiveness. Only if you don’t believe Jesus for forgiveness, is a sin unforgivable.
So why do I bother writing all these pages when all that is needed is simple faith in the Bible? Unfortunately, people who suffer intrusive thoughts keep demanding ridiculous amounts of proof. To understand this, let’s remember that intrusive thoughts are a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and look at another manifestation of this illness.
Many people with OCD keep repeatedly checking the same door to ensure that it is locked. Once should suffice, but not for these people. They are continually and irrationally filled with doubt about whether the door is locked. So you can expect someone with religious OCD to be repeatedly filled with doubt. Like checking a door once, whenever one doubt is removed from such a person, another doubt will come.
Out of compassion for those plagued with this insatiable need for proof, I am writing this webpage and the nearly fifty others in this series. Nevertheless, a million words will not end the doubts of anyone suffering from the medical condition known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This affliction has been called the doubting disease. It causes the mind to keep playing tricks such that no matter how overwhelming the evidence, doubts will continue to surface. The only real answer is for anyone with OCD to accept the continual presence of doubt and guilt feelings as an unavoidable fact of life. Sadly, such people must get used to living with these disturbing feelings and stubbornly refuse to believe their feelings, including feeling that no one is as depraved as them.
Of course, just like contemplating what our loving Lord suffered at the hands of his Roman torturers, it pains not just Angela but all of us to read a description of her thoughts. As Christ’s suffering glorifies his love for us, however, so an account of her thoughts highlights his love and grace, since Angela – like anyone who regrets such thoughts and trusts Christ’s cleansing power – is accepted and pure in the eyes of the Holy One. As the cross reveals, the Pure One would endure anything, including the most depraved slander and obscenities, in order to be our best friend. Because God sees Angela’s heart and knows she wants to honor him, her unwanted thoughts have displeased her far more than him. He is thrilled by Angela’s refusal to let intrusive thoughts hamper her relationship with him.
Even humans can vow to be faithful “in sickness and in health.” Jesus would never distance himself from us just because we became physically ill. Likewise he will remain steadfastly with us through any mental illness. Uncontrollable blasphemous thoughts are a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a form of mental illness. Just as some physical illnesses can affect us without causing us to be bedridden, so this form of mental illness is not so severe as to incapacitate us, but it is an illness, nonetheless.
Writes Angela:
It is going to be really hard to explicitly detail my thoughts. I’ve never told anyone what my exact thoughts were. I didn’t think I could do it but with the Lord’s help I have set aside my pride and opened up my heart. I’m doing it for Jesus and my fellow Christians so that, like me, they can be inspired to get closer to God.
I can’t remember all of my gross thoughts, but having offered a heartfelt prayer for strength to do this, I’ll state what I do remember. It will be graphic, but here goes:
A couple of years ago, the anti-Holy Spirit sentences came back. I wasn’t as terrified as when I was younger because I remembered what my dad said years before, but they still scared me a lot and I needed to be reassured again that it wasn’t my fault. They went away for a little awhile, but then the really bad thoughts started coming.
Comment by Grantley: Intrusive thoughts relentlessly target the very thing their victim least wants and most fears. So if a thought loses its power to terrorize a person, the mind – ably supported by the devil – of anyone susceptible to this mental condition will keep searching for a new thought that will alarm the person. So once the thoughts lost their power to terrify Angela it comes as no surprise that the intrusive thoughts took another form.
Horrid sentences would come to me, often associated with foul, sexually explicit language. I tried so hard to not think such things, but they just grew worse; forcing me to visualize images of Jesus engaging in indecent acts with myself or other people.
I felt extremely sick and filled with shame over these thoughts.
Comment by Grantley: Angela boldly revealed to me all her thoughts and the language used and was willing for them to be published if they would help you. I’ve tried to tone them down a little, while still hoping to convey how extreme the thoughts are.
Angela has repeated thoughts of bodily defiling and humiliating (sexually and otherwise) the holy Son of God in ways far more disgusting and depraved than even hinted at by the Bible’s description of what Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans. And the thoughts come with the most vulgar, sexually explicit language to describe these despicable acts. Moreover, it went far beyond words: for countless times she would vividly visualize personally doing it to her Lord.
Sentences would form in her mind, often commencing, “I want to . . .” followed by vulgar language about doing detestable, degrading things to the King of kings, or of wanting him to do it to her.
In reality, she did not want such things, but it would be easy for all victims of such a relentless attack on one’s mind to mistakenly conclude that they must really want such things, since it is within their own minds that such gross expressions keep repeating over and over and over, accompanied by appropriately vile images.
Angela continues:
I also had a few angry-sounding, foul-mouthed outbursts against God or Jesus. It made it hard to read the Bible or engage in any other Christian activities, because I was afraid the vile thoughts would start again.
Comment by Grantley: What if Angela had not only had obscenely blasphemous thoughts and had genuinely wanted to act out those thoughts but had deliberately declared them to thousands of people in the hope of corrupting them and slandering the King of kings? The purifying power of Christ’s sacrifice is such that Angela would be utterly cleansed through a simple faith-union with Christ. Moreover, there is no reason why she could not then be powerfully used of God for the most earth-shaking and holy ministry.
I have done a little to conceal Angela’s identity and tone down what she has been willing to publish, but she concludes:
I am not afraid to let people know who I am. To hide my identity would be to say that I am ashamed, and it’s Satan who should be ashamed! He is the one who has exploited my obsessive compulsive tendencies. I now know that I have nothing to be ashamed about.
My intrusive thoughts have subsided a lot. I pray that many people suffering from intrusive thoughts are helped by knowing what my exact thoughts were and so realizing that they aren’t alone in suffering such attacks.Trials are a blessing and a chance to deepen our faith. There is always a reason to praise God.
<center>[h=2]As explained intrusive thoughts feed off anxiety. The more you fear them, the more they will keep invading your mind. Having no fear or anxiety to feed off, the unwanted thoughts died down, like a fire starved of oxygen.[/h]</center>
Over time, however, it is common for doubts to creep back so that we begin once again to worry that such thoughts might be a terrifyingly serious offense against God. When this fear begins to resurface, rather than just dismiss the thoughts as harmless annoyances, we will frantically try to fight them again. As we panic, the unwanted thoughts will begin to swarm and attack, as surely as stomping on an ant nest. We enter an ever-worsening vicious circle in which anxiety causes the thoughts, which in turn increase our anxiety. So I’m not the slightest surprised that Angela continues:
Since a couple years ago intrusive thoughts have started to come back but in a different way. I’ve tried to get closer to Jesus, but when I did, I started thinking really icky things that I’ve been too ashamed to admit to anyone before. After reading your webpage, however, I know that it’s more common than I thought. I’m by no means the only devoted Christian who thinks unclean things about my Lord and Savior. I still detest the thoughts, of course, but now I know there’s hope.
You’ve really taken a big weight off my shoulders. I hope that now I can become closer to God without my intrusive thoughts.
Comment by Grantley: If Angela no longer fears the thoughts, they will indeed fade away. Nevertheless, the goal must never be the avoidance of blasphemous thoughts. The harder we try to avoid them, the worse they will get. The goal must always and only be to by faith draw near to God. We do this by clinging to the fact that through the power of Christ’s sacrifice we are accepted by God, no matter what thoughts invade our minds and no matter how much our conscience accuses us.
People write to me hoping God will stop their intrusive thoughts. That’s like hoping God will stop us from ever being tempted, despite the fact that Jesus himself suffered severe temptation. What glory is there in being able to survive when not under attack? Our chance for glory comes when we cling to Christ by faith despite being under such strong attack that everything within us screams that Christ has fled from us in horror.
No one is forgiven because intrusive thoughts no longer occur, nor because of the smallness of his or her sin, but solely because of the greatness of the forgiving power of Christ trading places with us on the cross.
Angela continues:
I take delight knowing that I’m throwing a major wrench in Satan’s plan. Here’s why: I kind of consider my intrusive thoughts a blessing because if I never had them, I never would have looked it up online, and I probably wouldn’t have found Net-Burst.Net and I don’t think I would have as good an understanding of how loving and forgiving God is.
It was with a tear stained smile of thankfulness that I jumped at the chance to e-mail Grantley, author of this website. The website has really changed my life, and now I’m closer to God, with more understanding of his love and forgiveness, and I’m getting to know Jesus more than I have ever before.
So instead of making me doubt the power of Christ’s sacrifice, and doubt the love and forgiveness of God, those intrusive thoughts have only driven me closer to God! Having realized that there is so much more hope than I thought there was, I’m much less afraid. I used to feel that I had to live my life perfectly or I’d fall under the judgment of God. Naturally, I want to do what is right, but I now understand that God’s acceptance of me depends not on my futile attempts to be perfect but solely on me trusting the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice for me.
I’ve realized that the most valuable thing we can possibly attain is totally free to anyone who accepts it: Jesus’ sacrifice.
I told my dad about how Satan’s plan backfired and caused me to be closer to God. He agreed and said to watch out, though, because now that I’ve pushed that in Satan’s face, he’s going to try a different attack. Satan might, for example, try a fleshly temptation.
Comment by Grantley: Angela’s dad is right that the devil is a sore loser and is sure to counter-attack. My experience with people, however, strongly suggests that when the enemy has had a little success with upsetting someone through a particular tactic, he doesn’t change tactics quickly. In other words, I expect Angela to be repeatedly tested in the realm of intrusive thoughts before the devil reluctantly gives up, and even then he will try sneak attacks from time to time.
The intrusive thoughts that kept coming to Angela involved the use of foul, sexually explicit swear words aimed at defiling Jesus. It is not just words, however, but mental images of degrading Jesus physically and sexually in the most atrocious matter. All of this is totally out of character for Angela.
Uncontrollable thoughts reveal how anxious a person is not to think such things. They indicate not how bad a person is, but that how good the person is, in that they show that the person is unusually desperate not to think such things.
To better understand what drives devoted Christians to think filthy, obscene things about their Lord, let’s consider a common, non-religious example of people who suffer from intrusive thoughts. It is more common than most people realize for loving mothers with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to be unable to stop thinking of mutilating and killing their babies with a knife. They are not just upsetting thoughts; these mothers are terrified that they will actually act out those thoughts on the babies they love. Experts insist that such people would never in reality endanger anyone. The uncontrollable nature of these unwanted thoughts, however, often fools these people into mistakenly thinking that they would sink so low as to harm, or even kill, their children. These horrific thoughts keep plaguing them precisely because the thoughts cause these mothers immense distress. And they cause such distress precisely because the thoughts are totally out of character and the last thing they would ever want to do.
Likewise, Christians with a tendency towards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can suffer hideous thoughts about Christ, precisely because it is completely out of character and the last thing they would ever want to do. Like sweet, non-violent mothers who needlessly fear – and even come to believe – that they have transmuted into virtual monsters, anyone relentlessly subjected to barrages of intrusive thoughts is likely to become so confused as to conclude that such thinking really is part of his/her true character.
, we see that 1 Corinthians 10:13 implies that our first line of defense when undergoing spiritual attack is the knowledge that many other Christians have suffered similar attacks. This knowledge is such a source of strength that the enemy of our souls usually tries his hardest to fool each of us into thinking that no Christian has done such wicked things as we have. It is to help counteract this lie that Angela has selflessly specified the exact nature of the appalling thoughts and images that have plagued her.
As explained elsewhere in this series, this should be unnecessary, because the Bible insists that Jesus died for the sins of the world – for every sin ever committed on the entire planet. So unless you are in another part of the galaxy using alien technology to hack into earth’s computers, Jesus died for the forgiveness of every sin you have ever committed. Forgiveness is yours, provided you don’t die before believing Jesus for that forgiveness. Only if you don’t believe Jesus for forgiveness, is a sin unforgivable.
So why do I bother writing all these pages when all that is needed is simple faith in the Bible? Unfortunately, people who suffer intrusive thoughts keep demanding ridiculous amounts of proof. To understand this, let’s remember that intrusive thoughts are a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and look at another manifestation of this illness.
Many people with OCD keep repeatedly checking the same door to ensure that it is locked. Once should suffice, but not for these people. They are continually and irrationally filled with doubt about whether the door is locked. So you can expect someone with religious OCD to be repeatedly filled with doubt. Like checking a door once, whenever one doubt is removed from such a person, another doubt will come.
Out of compassion for those plagued with this insatiable need for proof, I am writing this webpage and the nearly fifty others in this series. Nevertheless, a million words will not end the doubts of anyone suffering from the medical condition known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This affliction has been called the doubting disease. It causes the mind to keep playing tricks such that no matter how overwhelming the evidence, doubts will continue to surface. The only real answer is for anyone with OCD to accept the continual presence of doubt and guilt feelings as an unavoidable fact of life. Sadly, such people must get used to living with these disturbing feelings and stubbornly refuse to believe their feelings, including feeling that no one is as depraved as them.
Of course, just like contemplating what our loving Lord suffered at the hands of his Roman torturers, it pains not just Angela but all of us to read a description of her thoughts. As Christ’s suffering glorifies his love for us, however, so an account of her thoughts highlights his love and grace, since Angela – like anyone who regrets such thoughts and trusts Christ’s cleansing power – is accepted and pure in the eyes of the Holy One. As the cross reveals, the Pure One would endure anything, including the most depraved slander and obscenities, in order to be our best friend. Because God sees Angela’s heart and knows she wants to honor him, her unwanted thoughts have displeased her far more than him. He is thrilled by Angela’s refusal to let intrusive thoughts hamper her relationship with him.
Even humans can vow to be faithful “in sickness and in health.” Jesus would never distance himself from us just because we became physically ill. Likewise he will remain steadfastly with us through any mental illness. Uncontrollable blasphemous thoughts are a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a form of mental illness. Just as some physical illnesses can affect us without causing us to be bedridden, so this form of mental illness is not so severe as to incapacitate us, but it is an illness, nonetheless.
Writes Angela:
It is going to be really hard to explicitly detail my thoughts. I’ve never told anyone what my exact thoughts were. I didn’t think I could do it but with the Lord’s help I have set aside my pride and opened up my heart. I’m doing it for Jesus and my fellow Christians so that, like me, they can be inspired to get closer to God.
I can’t remember all of my gross thoughts, but having offered a heartfelt prayer for strength to do this, I’ll state what I do remember. It will be graphic, but here goes:
A couple of years ago, the anti-Holy Spirit sentences came back. I wasn’t as terrified as when I was younger because I remembered what my dad said years before, but they still scared me a lot and I needed to be reassured again that it wasn’t my fault. They went away for a little awhile, but then the really bad thoughts started coming.
Comment by Grantley: Intrusive thoughts relentlessly target the very thing their victim least wants and most fears. So if a thought loses its power to terrorize a person, the mind – ably supported by the devil – of anyone susceptible to this mental condition will keep searching for a new thought that will alarm the person. So once the thoughts lost their power to terrify Angela it comes as no surprise that the intrusive thoughts took another form.
Horrid sentences would come to me, often associated with foul, sexually explicit language. I tried so hard to not think such things, but they just grew worse; forcing me to visualize images of Jesus engaging in indecent acts with myself or other people.
I felt extremely sick and filled with shame over these thoughts.
Comment by Grantley: Angela boldly revealed to me all her thoughts and the language used and was willing for them to be published if they would help you. I’ve tried to tone them down a little, while still hoping to convey how extreme the thoughts are.
Angela has repeated thoughts of bodily defiling and humiliating (sexually and otherwise) the holy Son of God in ways far more disgusting and depraved than even hinted at by the Bible’s description of what Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans. And the thoughts come with the most vulgar, sexually explicit language to describe these despicable acts. Moreover, it went far beyond words: for countless times she would vividly visualize personally doing it to her Lord.
Sentences would form in her mind, often commencing, “I want to . . .” followed by vulgar language about doing detestable, degrading things to the King of kings, or of wanting him to do it to her.
In reality, she did not want such things, but it would be easy for all victims of such a relentless attack on one’s mind to mistakenly conclude that they must really want such things, since it is within their own minds that such gross expressions keep repeating over and over and over, accompanied by appropriately vile images.
Angela continues:
I also had a few angry-sounding, foul-mouthed outbursts against God or Jesus. It made it hard to read the Bible or engage in any other Christian activities, because I was afraid the vile thoughts would start again.
Comment by Grantley: What if Angela had not only had obscenely blasphemous thoughts and had genuinely wanted to act out those thoughts but had deliberately declared them to thousands of people in the hope of corrupting them and slandering the King of kings? The purifying power of Christ’s sacrifice is such that Angela would be utterly cleansed through a simple faith-union with Christ. Moreover, there is no reason why she could not then be powerfully used of God for the most earth-shaking and holy ministry.
I have done a little to conceal Angela’s identity and tone down what she has been willing to publish, but she concludes:
I am not afraid to let people know who I am. To hide my identity would be to say that I am ashamed, and it’s Satan who should be ashamed! He is the one who has exploited my obsessive compulsive tendencies. I now know that I have nothing to be ashamed about.
My intrusive thoughts have subsided a lot. I pray that many people suffering from intrusive thoughts are helped by knowing what my exact thoughts were and so realizing that they aren’t alone in suffering such attacks.Trials are a blessing and a chance to deepen our faith. There is always a reason to praise God.
SpiritLedEd
Member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
- Messages
- 5,315
Steflou64; as to the Prince Charles prophecy, I would find another experienced pastor to run that by before accepting it as legitimate. As for the blasphemous thoughts, keep growing in your relationship with Jesus and don't let anyone lay a guilt trip on you for experiencing what we all experience.
SLE
SLE
Melanie Rayworth
Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2015
- Messages
- 32
Know where you are coming from , I have had a similar experience myself , thoughts from something that was not my own thoughts, all I could do was rebuke the devil over and over again in my head in the name of Jesus. It did work in the end
JohnP
Active
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2015
- Messages
- 201
Reading this thread has been such a blessing to me. I have suffered from blasphemous thoughts like these for several years. I let them get to me, gave in to them, and lost my focus on Jesus. I became lost in darkness. When I had my heart attack a few weeks ago, it was a wake up call for me. I didn't make promises to God, I made promises to myself that I would never go back to the darkness. These last few weeks I have immersed myself in constant prayer, I have started reading the Bible again, and once again I can feel God's presence. I'm only a little over 3-weeks in my return to God, and I know that Satan is going to do everything he can to lure me back. Through this thread though, I understand now that I am not alone. I feel better equipped to handle the attacks when they come.
Jesus is about love, and through this tragic event in my life, I have experienced an outpouring of love from places where I didn't even expect it. During one of my office visits to the doctor, a nurse asked me if I believed in God and I was able to truthfully say yes for the first time in a long time. I feel God's presence in my life once more, and I don't ever want to turn away from that love again. I thank everyone who contributed to this thread for helping me understand that I'm not the only one to have suffered from blasphemous thoughts like that, and that the advice on how to deal with it - even though it was directed at the OP - has been such an eye opener for me.
Jesus is about love, and through this tragic event in my life, I have experienced an outpouring of love from places where I didn't even expect it. During one of my office visits to the doctor, a nurse asked me if I believed in God and I was able to truthfully say yes for the first time in a long time. I feel God's presence in my life once more, and I don't ever want to turn away from that love again. I thank everyone who contributed to this thread for helping me understand that I'm not the only one to have suffered from blasphemous thoughts like that, and that the advice on how to deal with it - even though it was directed at the OP - has been such an eye opener for me.
