Wicked Lies!

Do you know that the enemy wants to completely destroy you? His greatest desire is to kill you! Nothing makes him happier than to hold God’s people captive! Do you constantly feel trapped or like the devil has you by the throat? I want to proclaim out loud for all to hear—he has no power over you!!! If you are born of the Spirit, the only power he can have over you is what you give him by giving in to temptation and believing his lies. And he is a tempter, a condemner, a bluffer, and a horrible and insidious liar! Why do we believe him? Why do we choose to listen to “the father of lies” instead of our loving, perfect Lord who not only speaks the truth but is the truth!

Are you are caught in hopelessness and despair? Do you feel like there are areas of your life that you will never win in or experience His abundant life? If so, then somewhere you are believing the enemy’s lies. God wants to deliver you out of Satan’s snare by replacing those lies with His truth that sets free. If you follow and believe in the same God I do, then you will remember that He can raise the dead! He is the One who parted the Red Sea and cast out demons, so I know that He can help you stop yelling at your children, enable you to get out of bed, let go of the guilt from the filthy things you did before marriage, deliver you from your addiction to shopping, and set you free from the secret sin you carry or whatever keeps you from a life of fullness and freedom in Him.

I don’t believe that using “positive confession” is the answer. That’s a christianized counterfeit that is the basic equivalent of folks who do yoga and visualize world peace. The Lord’s way is so different. First, you have to come to Him as a child and fully yield your heart (Matt. 18:3). Then you have to confess [acknowledge] the lies that you have been clinging to and turn from them by replacing them with the truth. And then, with all your heart, simply believe Him. I am convinced that what hinders Christians in their walk is unbelief (Heb. 3:12-19).

So before you go through the following list of common lies we can believe, come before your Father as an open vessel ready to receive from Him. If you are objective (i.e., “above it”) or think you are too big and refuse to be as a child before Him, you won't gain any lasting freedom. Just be still before Him and ask him to show you your heart. As you read on, if you can tell that you are believing a lie, just stop and do whatever it takes to throw away that lie and then believe what He has spoken.

Lie #1: “I’m just different from everybody else.” More than 90% of all the people I’ve ever counseled feel like they are somehow unique and that no one else is as bad as them, that no one else has been through what they have been through, or that no one else feels the way they do. Why is this lie so devastating? Because the moment you believe it you cannot receive any of God’s promises and you render yourself incapable of taking in His love, understanding, truth, and help—and you are unusable by Him to give to others. And why is this? Because if you believe this lie then you also subtly believe that the scriptures don't apply to you because, in your eyes, you are the exception. The truth? “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith...” (James 1:5-8). Take these scriptures to heart and search your Bible because there are hundreds more. Our God is good! He has made a way! Just believe! Your problems aren’t too great, and there is absolutely nothing too hard for him. Your situation may seem like nobody else’s, but the answers for everything are found in Him and they always deal with issues of the heart that are “common to man.” Anyone I have ever known who refused to let go of this lie only sank further and always ended up alone.

Lie #2: “I’ll be rejected if I bring this to the light.” This lie is one that literally strangles the life out of you. I don't think I need to convince anyone of God’s standard of living in the light. The scriptures are so clear. But for any of you who push this truth aside because you are controlled by the “what ifs,” you are not free. Your intense fear of what you think potentially could happen if you tell something is magnified by the enemy who uses it to keep you bound. That’s his scheme. I have seen him completely destroy entire families because of hidden sin and secrets. It is not too late! There is a young man who my husband and I were working with and he continually dealt with guilt, fear, and strongholds of sin. He had been held captive by the enemy for 10 years and was at the point of not even wanting to live. But as he began to “come clean” and bring everything to the light, the power of sin was broken. The enemy was defeated! Where he had known no grace at all to conquer sin, he now experienced so much that he didn't even have an appetite for it anymore. The freedom he felt was so deep that, for well over a year, all he could do was weep for joy and thankfulness pretty much anytime he spoke. The key was him being honest before the Lord with others who were in the light about his choices and actions and motives, confessing them, and believing God’s forgiveness and love. This man is now one of the most faithful men I know and the Lord uses him to help others be set free. Now, when he remembers what his life used to be like, he can’t believe how tormented he used to continually feel. He will readily tell you that the devil’s tactic is to steal away and ruin your life by keeping you from living in the light by deceiving you into thinking that you must keep things hidden. I have witnessed him tearfully plead with others to bring everything of darkness to the light and live with nothing hidden, and he always says, with his crystal-clear eyes, “You have no idea how much peace you’ll feel... it’s so worth it.”

Lie #3: “Because of my past I’ll never be able to [fill in the blank].” Shame and regret always, always, always hinder! Satan loves it when God’s people are held back in some area because they wont let go of the past. Let’s replace this lie with the most wonderful truth this world can ever hear: Jesus has paid for it ALL! You cannot add to it! He doesn’t want your guilt offerings and penances. Nor does He want you backwards-looking and focused on and talking about your past sin and failures. If you have thrown a poop-diaper away in the trash, why in the world do you later need to crawl around in the dumpster, find it, get it out, examine the old putrid poop, pick it apart with your fingers, and stick your face in it? Now that analogy might be a little vivid for some of you precious ladies, but I can honestly not think of a better way to put it. When you live stuck in shame and regret, you are going through something that really is that foul. If you have repented, it is under the blood of Jesus. Enjoy His forgiveness and freedom! Thank Him everyday for what He has done! If you really get the reality that He has conquered sin and death and you are “in Him,” then you should be doing a jig! If the enemy likes to remind you of your past, you just boldly declare out loud what Jesus has done. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17)— walk in it!

Lie #4: “I don’t have the strength.” The truth is that, in and of ourselves, none of us do. We are weak people, aren’t we? But Jesus is amazingly strong. We have to daily believe the simple reality that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and that through my weakness He is strong (Phil. 4:13, 2 Cor. 12:9-10). I have known numerous people throughout my life who are paralyzed by “I can’t.” It is so sad and actually pretty pitiful when someone is aching to move forward and yet won’t budge. They believe the enemy’s wicked lie which bears the fruit of their truly thinking they can’t move. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been helping someone and they see the truth, agree with it, are convicted, and even impassioned to change. But the moment it’s time to take action to change, they get that defeated look in their eyes and mournfully say, “I just can’t... I’m not strong like you.” At that moment I always want to either pick them up and hold them or lovingly push them. It kills me when the devil wins on this front. If this describes you, you need to know that to get free, you will actually have to go against all that you feel. You are stuck in passivity and the only answer I have is—JUMP!!!

Lie #5: “This is just the way I am.” This is a lie that a lot of people’s flesh really enjoys. I remember talking with one sister and she really wanted to see God move in her life and yet she was so miserable every day. As I began to connect her attitudes and actions with why there was no life in her or her home, I encountered resistance, fear, and stubbornness. She had herself convinced that she had a certain personality and bent that was “just her,” and she made it very clear that she wouldn’t be changing that at all. Needless to say she never found freedom, peace, joy, victory, etc. Yes, we all have different ways that we are and different ways we process information and relate to others. Some of us do well with lots of things going on and for others it’s a stretch. Some of us are more “head in the clouds” people, while others are “feet on the ground” types. Some of us love to live open-ended and consider lots of possibilities, and some like everything finished and decided quickly. But in all honesty it ultimately doesn’t matter what type of personality you have. What does matter is if you are allowing the Spirit of God to fill the vessel that you are with His life and express Himself through you with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” and things like these (Gal. 5:22-25). When our personality bents are filled with the Lord, His fragrant aroma comes forth, but when they are yielded to the flesh, they bring forth death and can be incredibly destructive. There are some areas in our lives that will require more focus and diligence to walk in the Lord’s way than others. The key is: are you willing to grow? Are you willing to change? Are you willing to move out of your comfort zone? You might not, for example, be very good at sharing your heart and being open and it is hindering intimacy in your marriage, but you really can learn. Of course, it will feel foreign to you, but you’ll be okay. Or you may stink at organization and so your husband and children live in a home of disorder and chaos and the environment of your home doesn’t lend itself to the Lord’s life and peace, all because you have settled for the lie that this is “just the way you are.” Guess what? I have seen God transform people as they humble themselves and are willing to learn. I know for me, when I’m an old woman, I want to still be learning and growing and making more room for Jesus in my life!

So remember, when you see yourself believing these or any other of the enemy’s lies, the answer is always to confess the lie for what it is and believe what God has said. So many folks I know carry around massive burdens that He never intended for them to carry. Trust what He has said and surrender everything to Him. He is big enough! He is strong enough!