“For truth is truth to the end of reckoning.”
~ Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:32, 36
We often joke at the yarn shop that the biggest lie we tell ourselves is “I will remember that.” So, we don’t write it down and by the next day we are struggling to remember exactly what we said we would not forget. While that may be the biggest lie we tell ourselves, it is probably not the biggest lie we believe
In the Bible study Get Out of Your Head, Jennie Allen says that the lies we tell ourselves fit in one of three categories:
- I am helpless.
- I am unlovable.
- I am worthless.
The enemy will use these lies to try and make us utterly useless to the cause of Christ. We get so caught up in listening to the lies that we become frozen, unable to move forward. In order to break free from this bondage, we must recognize Athe origin of these lies.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44
The enemy is a liar. He has been at work on the earth a long time, and he knows just how to punch our buttons. It is usually so subtle that we often don’t realize what is happening. If we want to be free we need to recognize his tactics; however, there is something even more important: knowing the truth.
When federal agents are train in how to identify counterfeit bills, they don’t study fakes. They study the real thing. The biggest key to being spiritually free is not to study the enemy or his lies; it is to study truth so that we can identify the lies when we hear them.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
When you start hearing that little voice in your head, counter it with the truth:
- When it says, you are helpless, say:
- For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
- When it says you are unlovable, say:
- “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” I John 4:10
- When it says you are worthless, say:
- 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:4-8
Jesus Christ is the Truth, so when we know the Truth, He will set us free. However, we have to choose to accept the truth and make it a part of our everyday lives or we are still living in bondage to those lies. The best defense is to have an arsenal of weapons, so get in the Word and write verses on sticky notes or index cards and keep them at the ready. When the enemy attacks, follow Jesus’ example when he was tempted and point him back to the Word of God because what God says is all that matters
What lie is the enemy telling you? More importantly, what does God say?
Thank you for these reminders! We are set FREE from the enemies lies! Praise!
The enemy looks for our weaknesses and knows just how to target them. But we have a Savior more powerful than the devil. As you remind us, we have to seek our Lord’s protection from the enemy. Thanks for sharing scripture to bring comfort and assurance.