Lies. We’ve all told them & we’ve all believed them; lies about ourselves, others & God. Lies twist the truth, deceive, & destroy. Lies manipulate. Lies, at times, are easier to believe than the truth. How do we defeat lies? By confronting them with the truth! God is truth. He can never tell a lie, it goes against His character. So anything we hear, think or say that is a lie does NOT come from God, it comes from the enemy, Satan. I don’t know about you, but i am sick & tired of believing lies. A team mate gave me good advice last month. They said to write out a list of lies that i struggle with.Then write the truth on the opposite side, so when my mind starts to wander & my heart is tempted to believe a destructive lie straight from the pit of Hell, i can combat it with God’s truth. So here is my list. I am sharing very private thoughts with you. Thoughts that normally i would keep safely hidden in a journal for no one to see. I am going to be very vulnerable & transparent with you. It is humbling & a bit scary to share these things, but here it goes:
LIES:
I can not trust God with my future. I have to take control of it & do things my way. If i go after what i want, it will make me happy. I can’t wait for God’s timing. He doesn’t know what is best, i do. He has forgotten about my desires & needs. He’s not going to give me a Godly husband so i am going to have to make that happen on my own.(settle for what’s in front of me instead of waiting for His best, perfect plan) If i give away money/material possessions to others, i wont have what i need.
TRUTH:
God will provide all my needs, He always has. If i give all i have to others, He will supply whatever i need. God is truthworthy. He is faithful.It’s one thing to say you trust Him, but our lives/actions/words often say otherwise…
Jeremiah 29:11 “For i know the plans i have for you,’ says the Lord,’plans to prosper you & not harm you. Plans to give you a future & a hope.”
Psalms 16:11 “You, LORD, are all i have, & you give me all i need; my future is in your hands.How wonderful are your gifts to me; how good they are.”
Psalms 23:3 “The LORD is my shepherd, i have everything i need.”
Psalms 37:7 “Be patient & wait for the LORD to act..”
Psalms 37:5 “Give yourself to the LORD, trust in Him, & he will help you.”
Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD & he shall give you the desires of your heart.”
LIES:
I am not good enough. I need to be better. My best isnt good enough.I should just give up. I am a jack of all trades, master of none. If i try something new, i will fail. I am afraid of failure, so i should just not try something new or out of my comfort zone. I have to prove myself to God. I have to do more for Him to love me & accept me. I have messed up too much in my life.My life does not have much value or worth. Life would be better if i had someone else’s talent or skills. God loves me less on my bad days.
TRUTH:
God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL. I am precious to God. He created me exactly like this. He accepts me. He has given me talents & gifts to worship Him & bring Him glory. He is happy & delighted in the way He created me, for His special unique purpose. All i have to be, is me. That is good enough for Him. There is nothing i can do to change His love for me.
Romans 8:38-39 “For i am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life,neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above or the world below-there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our LORD.”
LIES:
I will be happier, more content & fulfilled if/when i meet my husband. He will satisfy me & complete me.
TRUTH:
Only Christ can truly satisfy the longings of my soul. Only in Him can i find true contentment. Only He can complete me. His love is perfect. He will never leave me or break His promises. His love never changes. He is always trustworthy & faithful. There is no end to His affection He has for me.
Psalms 42:1 ” As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so i long for you, O God.”
Psalms 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd, i have everything i need.”
LIES:
My beauty is based on the nice clothes i wear, my make up, the attention i get from guys. My self worth & value comes from guys. I am not thin enough/fit enough.
TRUTH:
My worth & value comes from the LORD. The LORD created me. The LORD sees me as beautiful, even on the days i think i look hideous. When i lived in Africa for 3 months, i challenged myself to go without make up. And i did. For those of you that know me well, you KNOW that this was a big step for me. For those 3 make up-less months i faced myself in the mirror (when we had one) & told myself that i was still beautiful, even though it was hard to believe it at times. I knew God’s Word said that i am His beautiful masterpiece & that God doesn’t make mistakes.That what He creates is beautiful. These last 9 months i have worn the same few pairs of clothes. Over & over & over to the point where i am SOOO ready to burn them. haha. They aren’t fashionable. Sometimes i match, on good days. Most days i dont. My shoes aren’t stylish or cute & my long skirts & worn out tshirts/tank tops are outfits that i wouldn’t even wear going to the grocery store at home in California. If you looked up the word “frumpy” in the dictionary, my picture would be in it. That is the life of backpacking (esp when you dont buy clothes while traveling) God has been teaching me to live off as little as possible & to get by with what i need. When you haven’t had a shower for a few days & you are wearing clothes that you would never be caught dead in at home & you arent wearing make-up & havent been able to hand wash your clothes for a few days….. can you still BELIEVE that WHO you are is beautiful?! As some of you know, i used to struggle with an eating disorder on & off for several years. Satan would tell me that i wasn’t thin enough & had to starve myself in order to be beautiful/accepted/liked/get attention. Lies from the pit of Hell! God has set me free from anorexia, but i would be lying to you if i said that i don’t struggle with those thoughts anymore. I can be a perfectionist at times & very critical of myself. I am truly my own worst enemy most of the time. Its a good thing God believes in me 🙂 He gently reminds me of how in love He is with me & shows me just how much i grieve His heart when i begin to believe Satan’s destructive lies.
Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful & beauty fades, but a woman who honors the LORD should be praised.”
LIES:
What i say isn’t important.My voice doesn’t need to be heard. No one cares what i have to say anyways, so why bother. I am not a good speaker. I mess up what i am going to say when i try to say it, so i’ll just not speak up. My words don’t have value & can not make a difference.
TRUTH:
Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves.Protect the rights of all who are helpless. Speak for them & be a righteous judge.Protect the rights of the poor & needy.”
Exodus 4:11-12 “The LORD said to him ‘Who gives man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? It is i, the LORD. Now go! I will help you to speak, & i will tell you what to say!” (LORD speaking to Moses, who didn’t have the confidence to speak)
LET US STOP BELIEVING THE LIES. LETS START BELIEVING THE TRUTH. OUR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WHEN WE TRULY ENCOUNTER & EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF GOD & HIS TRUTH. WHEN WE BELIEVE HIS TRUTH, IT WILL SET US FREE!!!!
WHAT IS YOUR LIST OF LIES???
