Perfectionism I believe is born of the false belief that we have to maintain our justified status before God instead of resting in the finishwork of the cross and in the arms of Jesus letting the love of the Father compell holiness and His grace in which we stand. This is no longer a selfish motivation to make myself feel better but rather a selfless motivation trusting in Christ alone.
@@margaretrobertson632 Absolutely! God's been teaching me through Romans 5 that holiness is a selfless pursuit supernaturally born and carried out through the love shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Too many Christians like myself for many years don't realize it truly was finished upon the cross and that eternal life truly is a free gift! Now, living life for Jesus is a life of joyfully and willingly crucifying the flesh daily motivated by love trusting that hungering and thirsting after righteousness is the only thing that will truly satisfy. You don't crucify the flesh to ensure that you know you are in God's good graces... No! The full cup of wrath has already been taken by Jesus and now the Father has only love and indeed chastises those whom he loves as his children. Certainly, there is grief still in God's heart when we sin but no more wrath for we are now his children secure in His hands forever as he molds us and shapes ilus into the image of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In this way, daily crucifixion of the flesh is purely worship of the God who has already saved you clothed you with the robe of Christ's righteousness.
@@JoeyShae22 Definitely! I realized for the majority of my life I was striving to earn my identity and stay on God's good side and didn't realize that I simply needed to stop and rest in the arms of Jesus. It's a free gift and now holiness is a selfless pursuit of gratitude and worship of what Christ alone has accomplished. You can't submit to God as your Father unless you already know you are His child forever and that he loves you with an everlasting love! It is at this point that obedience is then done in love and gratitude because you simply know that he is your Father and you are His child and he loves you. Remember, we love because he first loved us. God doesn't want us obsessing over whether we're saved or not thinking that we have to maintain our justified status based upon our works (this is a deception of the enemy).
@@DavidSandyOfficial I truly thank you for sharing this with me. I will screenshot this for a daily reminder. I came up in a holiness church and it was basically all about SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS. I never even understood the grace of God until 2019 and was born and raised in church. I have came to that conclusion as well friend. When we have the understanding that we are Gods children and we have been made right with our Heavenly Father God, it makes living for Him a joy and not a burden. Thank you again for sharing this comforting word with me.
Mark.. After horrible OCD I came here and felt better and had a great day and BOOM panic came yesterday that i’m doing something wrong and i’ve been in a very distressed state since last night. The thoughts are horrible and scary then ever but i’m trying to remember the journey and that my feelings don’t reflect who He is. Praise God 🙏
This comment is 2 years old but I hope that you realized it's not an overnight thing and that compassion to yourself is key. Learn to recognize triggers.
Mark I’m new to all this.....it took me months to find someone like yourself to help me understand and accept my OCD. Thank you bro and God bless you and your family 💯👏🏽🔥
I discovered Mark and Melissa about a year ago. Since then I've gained so much insight into God's love for me, which is at the heart of my being. I mean, literally, I have come to realize that God lives in my heart, and knowing this brings me peace. Blessings to you and your family.
I can relate to your statement “accept my OCD.” I discovered Mark in June of 2021 but it wasn’t till November of 2022 that I was convinced that I was battling with Scrupulosity. It took me that long to process everything.. I kept dealing with the battle of “maybe this is not OCD, maybe it IS God and I’m not listening to Him.”
My moods have been so up and down at this point that its really effecting my relationship with my fiancé. To the point I am not sure if being in a relationship with her is a good idea anymore. It’s been a long journey of healing, then having break throughs and being on the roller coaster of having big highs and then a thought triggers and I’m back in the dump of these low lows I can’t get myself out of. I feel my OCD and depression stem from self hatred and covetousness so badly that I compare myself and her to a degree that scars our relationship and damages her levels of insecurity. I know I am not well but I dont want to resort to medication. Lately I’ve been so up and down so frequently that I can see that something is seriously wrong with me. On good days I have clarity and I can see the beauty in the day God has made and I am grateful. On other days like today my head hurts I can’t see clearly I dnt eat and I feel this sort of brain fog of darkness over me.
Thank you Mark for your video. Through personal experience I've also become a believer in getting lab work done to rule out certain vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Anemia, low Vitamin D, underactive thyroid etc will cause/worsen feelings of depression, tiredness and low motivation.
Wow this really came right on time Mark. I was depressed earlier this week. I didn't have anything to do work wise, and I was having trouble sleeping. I was starving my religious ocd, and struggling with some old lust issues, and started feeling really depressed, and not wanting to do anything. When I refocused on God's love I began to cultivate peace again.
Once again Mark is gifted in articulating exactly how my heart feels but what I personally can't put into words! I struggle with accepting my issues much like the person in the letter - I feel they are shameful and unacceptable and push them away with all my strength. I also feel like the letter as well - this is who I am gonna be the rest of my life, changing seems impossible. What a breath of fresh air explaining that it's a journey to be walked through and that the more you push against it the longer and more severe it gets. The pressure released from my shoulders while you were unpacking faith, hope, and love.
Thanks for sharing this it has helped me today to be kinder to myself. I want depression, anxiety, ocd to go and never come back but for now I'll be kind to myself! Thanks again brother, hugs, your content is refreshing, and just what I need at just the right time.
Thank you for this Mark. I have ROCD and Scrupulosity. I am also a therapist and work with others who have OCD, trauma, etc. I agree in regard to depression being the underlying cause in many of our cases. I wanted to add - which is something you've talked about often - how important it is to get to a place where we realize and are able to admit to our trauma histories as we learn how to address our depression. It's so easy to minimize our past trauma, comparing it to others, feeling guilty and protective of our parents, or feeling shame in thinking that what we experienced was a "big deal", etc. Though it can be difficult, coming to a place where we can integrate those realities from our past can help with that healing process. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. You've been an incredible help to me and I use some of your stuff in my sessions and have recommended you to some of my OCD clients. 😊
Thanks Mark ( brother from another mother ).. I've been down again in mood and interest in doing anything positive. Using sleep as a means to not deal with anything or anyone. Have been physically unwell for the last 3 weeks or so ( cold symptoms that left me feeling tired all the time) And irritability that just really annoys me . Your welcoming videos are a breath of fresh air ..this one especially as it speaks to alot to how I've been relating to myself . I think you have a wonderful gift of putting across ideas and encouragement to those of us who are sharing this lifes journey towards healing and wholeness.. God Bless you and your Family ...and may the sun keep shining..Love from the Isle of Wight , England 🇬🇧🆓🇱🇷
If I could have written this letter to you it would have been written exactly this way! I'm dealing with this at this moment and have been for years. If you are depressed you have a demon or you dont have faith, counseling is not needed, you are a new creature in Christ and the old you is gone meaning having no depression. Thanks for this!
I’ve noticed that I wake up feeling super depressed and then have intrusive thoughts all day but they subside in the evening and by the time I go to bed I feel completely normal. However, the next morning I still wake up depressed and the cycle starts back over. I’m very thankful for the evenings but I wish the peace I have in the evening would spill over into the next day. Anyone else experience this?
I have similarities to that. I’m aware this is not healthy thinking, but I’m very grateful I’ve noticed this about myself, and again, it’s a journey! I’ve noticed that when night time comes around I feel a little more peace, because I made it through the day, and now I can shut my brain off, but when I wake up in the morning I feel more anxious about the day, and having that “I have to go through this again” mentality. You’re not alone sister. It’s been a wild journey for me, and it will always be a journey, but I know I’ve come a long way, from where I was.
Oh wow! I am surprised how so many people deal with this! Thank you for helping us in our journey. You and Melissa are such a blessing! And inspiration!
Thank you Mark. So much great information here. Chasing compulsions, it's the grand distraction that keeps us from what our heart really needs, the Father's love.
When we don't get an answer: 1. Perhaps we already have the answer. 2. God wants us to learn something about ourselves and that is why we may be permitted to struggle; it increases our confidence, 3. He trusts you to make a decision. So, make the decision, present it to God, and then seek confirmation from Him as to whether you're making the right choice or not. 4. Perhaps it's a minor issue that we really are capable of managing. 5. Perhaps the answer He would give you is actually already something you've thought of. I could go on.
Hey Mark! Question: Have you ever had a hard time discerning between God speaking to you and intrusive thoughts that aren’t necessarily “bad” thoughts? A specific example - feeling like you having to quit your job and go work at a grocery store for minimum wage. A person close to me struggles with many different types of intrusive thoughts, but some of them (like the quitting your job example) are hard to decide between if it’s God calling them to step out in faith or an intrusive thought.
Oh my gosh, what you are describing sounds like this fixation that I have had for literally YEARS regarding wanting to lose weight but it feels like "no matter what I do" I'm destined to be this way...and when I start losing it freaks me out. Is this the OCD that you are talking about? I beat myself up unmercifully over it.
Dude where have you been all my life? I struggle with all this stuff and basically been told basically it's a demon and I need to be delivered. Been praying and waiting for deliverance for 40 year. I also struggle with substance abuse issues and am basically told im going to Hell all the time since I can't stop using. Good stuff here!
I'm so sorry to hear this. You are not condemned. Jesus loved you so much, he paid for all your sin, nailed it to his cross, shed his innocent blood and died in your place. He raised from the dead to give you the free gift of eternal life. If you believe that...that He did it all FOR you, then by believing, you are saved eternally. You may already believe this. People can be so cruel and point to your sin instead of pointing at Jesus. He took away your sin! God bless you sweet man. You are loved!
@@leighastjohn8612 thank you the " Christian Community " on You tube is very judgemental. And always quick to condem those of us struggling with sin. For me I just have no self worth and don't even feel worthy of heaven even if I could stop sinning.
In Chris cramers stat Mol thermo 4501 class when I asked him if I had to pay 60 bucks for coursera looked at me and said no additional charge for you. I am still praying on what this means!
Mark I'm an ocd perfectionist with bipolar and depression. I follow God deeply. Out of ALL your book's which one is the one I should start with. Please please respond. Tell us which one of your books should be first for us??!! God Bless you my friend.❤️🙏🏻
I find it so hard to love myself I just cant , I have so many things that I don’t like about myself. Even if u try to accept the love of God I’m afraid that I will take it for granted or I have this thought that day how dare you try and dwell in his love and you keep messing up you can’t even get something right your not obedient enough
I find if I tell myself Certain truths....or my wife tells me certain truths right before sleep, it helps me sleep. Anxiety and Depression can cause Sleep problems
I fell away from the Lord because of my feelings of rejection from him that I never could seem to overcome.... However in leaving the church I found myself in a very lonely and vulnerable place and eventually got back into drinking and self-medication and just living essential oil life trying to numb the pain and I did that for many years then finally five years ago I got sober and I've just not been able to feel like I could really get into state of Peace of mind.... I'm a minister of music and yet I just always feel like I'm being a hypocrite because of all the things I've got away with you know it's like somebody was protecting me I mean I got out of four or five DUIs and I don't know how to this day I don't know why I never write in a row I should be in prison right now not to mention all the things I did while I was under the influence that hurt other people... And now everything supposed to be okay I'm a minister music and I live in a parsonage but I feel like I don't deserve it I feel like a fake and that I'm just doing this because there's nothing else I know to do...I want more than anything to be with. I know in his presence is fullness of joy in his right hand are pleasures that do not end I know that I know there's nothing in this world that can satisfy me and they can bring me peace and about yet I just feel like I've waited so many years and my character my character so deformed that it just seems like it's just too much .. but as I've read somewhere in the New testament if it's hard for the righteous to be saved and what of the ungodly and the sinner
Those who think they are righteous through their own efforts , are who I believe Jesus is talking about . The Pharasee for example . No one is righteous , but Jesus Christ Himself. ✝️♥️
Peoplw who fix things are forgivers & the root of Depression is bitterness , if you are bitter you suffer from depression . Bitterness comes from unforgivness ,unforgivness, offense leads to anger hate etc.. get healed in those areas you will be free from depression. Ask the lord to set you free heal your heart give you a forgiving heart its steps to healing but the lord can do it , keep asking him to help you overcome this abd have a forgiven heart .
Depression can be a chemical imbalance that is genetic and physical . I'm a Christian but not everything mental is a spiritual problem. Alot of mental problems are actually physical problems. Mental health is really physical health. We have to separate who you are as a spiritual being and your body sometimes. Both effect each other but just because you have a chemical/genetic problem doesn't mean you have done something wrong. Remember Jesus on the garden sweated drops of blood. At that point his amount of stress was off tbe charts because he was also human as much as he was and is God. At that point I'm sure Jesus might of been suffered psychiatric symptoms of severe anxiety and depression and maybe ocd at that point. His brain chemistry from the acute stress was probably severely damaged at that point . Just saying
Mark….. Is it helpful to use binaural and isotonic brainwave tones? How about subliminal? Are they ok? Or too New Age or Satanic (or scientific?). I do not believe LOA or “manifesting a porshe” LOL. But are they ok to use with prayer, worship and Bible Study (as just an additional tool)? Asking for a friend.
Hei! Before I was a Christian or more a lukewarm Christian. I used binaural beats to help me sleep…that lead to sleep paralysis and I truly believe sleep paralysis is demonic. It was awful. I also used them to lucid dream and try astral projection. Thankfully the Lord in His mercy stopped the astral projection and it never happened. It wasn’t until I rebuked those thing in Jesus name that all of that went away. But I would stay away from those things. Instead of using that, I would listen to Bible scriptures or worship music that is from God. Look up the channel Abide they do awesome biblical sleep meditation(meditating on the Word)
God have mercy really I don't want to be separated from God I don't want to be alone forever and ever but I feel like I can't truly repent.... I need some serious help I'm tormented
Intrusive homosexual thoughts, images.. everyday 100% unwanted but happen started 10 months ago and still happens.. and let me not forget the intrusive statements around men “he’s cute “ Or “I’m gay” popping in your head all the time it kills me because I 100% know these are not my thoughts and I know I’m not gay because there is no evidence to prove that.. and I don’t have desires for the same sex so I know this is a lie.. but I battle with this I hope I can over come this