Spiritual Hypochondriacs

A hypochondriac is "a person who is abnormally anxious about their health." You have met someone like that. They hear of a disease and identify with the symptom and convince themselves they have the disease. They are always self-analyzing their health, which robs them of enjoying good health.

Many Christians are this way. They hear a sermon, and rather than being edified, they become terrified that they have the spiritual "disease" being described. They cannot live in the joy of the Lord because they are living in the paranoia of the flesh. They are so busy self-analyzing that it robs them of being used of God to serve others. These people beat themselves up, become depressed easily, seek constant counsel for a problem they may not have, and discourage others around them with their negativity. Do you know someone like that? Are you like that? What is the cure for this condition? Well, here are a few ideas.

1. Let God work on you and stop self-diagnosing and self-prescribing. You are HIS workmanship. Let him work.

2. Stop self-analyzing. I truly believe the Holy Spirit will make our faults known to us if we walk in the spirit rather than the flesh. Analyzing self often is a fleshly activity.

3. Rejoice in the Lord instead of bemoaning in yourself. Many Christians are miserable because they cannot forget themselves long enough to rejoice in him.

4. Stop talking about it. The more you tell people your "symptoms, the more you will work yourself into a frenzy of self-condemnation.

5. Stop treating God like he is nitpicking your life. This idea that God is looking at us through a microscope makes us self-conscious rather than grace conscious.

6. Stop misusing preaching. Preaching is for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The purpose is not to focus on the correction but on the instruction of righteous living. Be proactive, not reactive, when you hear a sermon.

7. Focus on serving others rather than analyzing yourself. Much of our spiritual health comes from ministering to others, not micro-analyzing ourselves.

I am not suggesting that we should not be aware of areas where we need to improve, but do not be excessive. Learn to enjoy the Christian life, not fear it.