Lies we believe, Flip the script.

  It was the middle of the night; my mind apparently thought it was the middle of the day. Everyone was asleep and dreaming away. Except for me, of course, my thoughts were running rampant, and I knew it. The more I thought about my problems, the bigger they seemed to get. New worries began to entangle themselves with old concerns, both of which I was sure would consume me. I have tossed and turned too many nights, stressing over difficult situations or problems, feeding negative thoughts until they grew more significant than I could handle. Maybe you can relate?

As I was dealing with restless nights. The voice got loud, telling phrases such as are you sure you are doing what you suppose to. You know God is not going to help this time? Are you a good mother? He is not going to answer those prayers. And the film of instigation kept going until my heart was so unsettled. Have you ever been lied to? It hurts, doesn't it? We feel so naive and foolish when we realize the lie and generally swear to never believe another. However, there are some lies women believe repeatedly. And we feel powerless to stop. Just like I was giving in to that moment that the voice was telling all kinds of mess.

The enemy knew to rattle my sleep and filled my heart with worry, anxiety, and fear. He is so clever that it is not shocking. The lies typically begin with inner dialogue and questioning. The enemy loves to come to our hearts with lies every day. And we believe them over and over again. Yes, it's foolish, but he's so good at it. We are often deep in the belief of the lie before we realize we need to stop it. That is why we often suffer unnecessarily because of lies we believe about ourselves and our circumstances. We accept the words that are spoken to our souls by an enemy who wants us destroyed. We can become fearful, depressed, lonely, angry, doubtful, confused, insecure, hopeless, beaten down, worried, and full of self-pity, all because of lies we believe. But we can overcome each one of these lies with prayer, faith, and the truth of God's Word.  Philippians 4:8 "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. You have the choice to flip the script, to fight each lie with whatever is real, pure, holy, merciful, honorable, and admirable. To align every lie into the goodness of the Lord. Friend, who knows us better than our Creator and Savior? No one, not even us! Our identity is found in Him. He reveals us the Truth: We are His precious, beloved daughters. Own it, and we will be free.

Our society is filled with images of perfect people, expectations of how people should be, along movies filled with certain realities. It is easy for us to believe the lies, write chapters around them, and take ownership of it. The only way to combat all of this is to be deeply rooted in God's word and His presence. To flip the script with scriptures until all lies seem ridiculous. This is not an easy task, nor will it instantly disappear, but God has equipped you and given you divine weapons to overcome. Psalm119:29 Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! You have the choice to permit lies to take residence or to fight.   The danger of lies is that it not just passes through our thoughts. Lies ravage our beliefs.

A lie we believe becomes a limitation that steals possibility. That limitation then becomes a resignation of defeat preventing us from moving forward and moving on. ~ Lysa Terkeurst. Let your heart long for the peace of God. Allow His peace and love to give you a focused mind. A mind that views the world with an entirely new lens, a healthy perspective that leads to life transformation.

I have learned that the enemy is a pesky and persistent little creature. He will not stop trying to devour your mind. And you might at times listen to those defeating lies. That is ok. You do not need to fight on your strength; GOD is with you. He is telling you today I have given you the holy spirit to prepare you and win. I thank God, he has equipped me with immediate prayers to fight. "God, help me untangle this lie from my thoughts and replace it with Your life-giving Truth. This lie is damaging and defeating, so I will not let it deceive my mind or hinder my heart. I know with your powerful truth in me, I am set free."

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us - A.W. Tozer Friends, when we saturate our minds in truth (psalms 33:4), we can be freed from our self-imposed expectations and find peace in His presence. So let us put on His full armor and fight back! Let us fight for each other, and with the power of healthy minds trained in Christ, we will be a contagious and bright light to others.

 Remember, all is true. We can live with a renewed mind; God is indeed our strength, and when we take our focus off the world around us, we begin to direct our eyes to His Truth and begin to think and act differently. Freedom follows. "No natural feelings are high or low, holy or unholy, in themselves. They are all holy when God's hand is on the rein. They all go bad when they set up on their own and make themselves into false gods." ~C.S. Lewis

The power to flip the script is in daily writing down, confessing it, and believing in what God says; not just a positive statement or a motivational speaker's mantra, but biblical truth. So, to the girl that is believing the following lies:

1.      I'm helpless. TRUTH: I am not helpless because the Lord is with me. (Isaiah 41;10)

2.      I'm worthless. TRUTH: I have called you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)  

3.      This is just how I am. TRUTH: I am a child of God; I can choose to obey God. (Colossians 3:9-10)

4.      I cannot control my emotions. TRUTH:  take every thought captive to the truth, and let God control my emotions. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

5.      I cannot forgive myself. TRUTH: I forgive you. (1 john 1:9)

6.      I'm all alone. TRUTH: God is always with you.  

7.      God doesn't care. TRUTH: HE cares about you. (Psalms 22:1-2)

8.      I'm unlovable. TRUTH: God loves me so much He died for me. (John 3:16)

9.      You will never be "that" type of mom. TRUTH:  God handpicked me to be my children's mother (Jeremiah 1:5)

10.  You are not qualified to do the big things for God. TRUTH: God will equip me for whatever He calls me to (Hebrews 13:21)

11.  You will never have it as together as others. TRUTH: God does not expect worldly perfection; He calls me to love Him and love others (Mark 12:30-31)

12.  I have to meet others' expectations. TRUTH: We are not called to measure up to the standards of this world. (Matthew 5:14-16)

13.  I must be in control of everything. TRUTH: You do not have to be in control; you just need to trust the one who is.  (Psalm 28:7)

14.  I am only a good mom if I do ALL THE THINGS. TRUTH: Being a good mom means focusing our energy and attention on the things that matter most. (Mark 12:30)

15.  I just cannot take any more. TRUTH: Whatever my circumstance, whatever my situation, His grace is sufficient for me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

No matter what lies the world is throwing at you, remember this: We must let God's words become the words we live by. Being a woman of God is not about what you can do on your own. It is about standing firm in who you are in Christ and what He does in and through you. You can trust Him. And that is the truth.

 

Prayer

Heavenly God, thank You for the many blessings You continue to pour out upon me. As I praise Your mighty name, help me to overcome the lies of the enemy and to seek the truth. The devil persists with his conniving tactics to try to make me believe his lies. At Times, the images I form in my mind are so believable that I tend to reflect on the negatives instead of what your word says about me. From this day forward, I will condemn the lies that the devil sends to destroy my mind. I will declare that I will defeat the enemy by the blood of Jesus and the Word of my testimony. I pray, Abba Father, that every weapon formed against me shall perish as your word promised, and the Holy Spirit will raise a standard against all strongholds. They will be cast down and destroyed!

Scriptures

1 Peter 5:8-9, Psalm 33:4 Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:8 John 8:44 John 8:32 James 1:22, Psalm 119:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:6

Reflect

 What lies about yourself you tend to believe, either past or present. Why? What is the biggest lie you keep telling yourself? Do you honestly believe it? How does the thought of silencing those lies give you hope? What is one lie you are flipping the script today with the truth? How can scripture help you to fully absorb and shape your identity today?