~From the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns
I'm sure you know what it's like to be lied to. Maybe you've told a few lies of your own. Maybe you've even believed some lies.
Actually, if you're like me, you've believed a LOT of lies in your lifetime. And I'm not talking about the "She's the one who took the last cookie" lies.
I'm talking about the lies of Satan. You know, the ones that aren't very in your face. But just because they aren't in your face doesn't mean they can't be very destructive and cause a lot of damage.
The Bible calls Satan the father of all lies, and the great deceiver. He will stop at nothing to try to make us believe things that aren't true. About ourselves, people around us, even about God!
...He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ~John 8:44
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ~2 Corinthians 11:14
The first lie he ever told to a human happened back in Genesis. He lied to Eve, telling her that it wasn't wrong to eat the forbidden fruit. She believed him. Do you think he stopped there? No.
Think about some of the daily thoughts you have about yourself.
I'm ugly.
I'm unloved.
I'm unwanted.
I've fallen too far to be forgiven.
I should have never been born.
These are some of the lies I notice a lot of people believing about themselves today. But sadly, a lot of them don't know that they're lies! There are also a lot of other lies people believe about sin, and God.
Disobeying and disrespecting my parents is okay. What do they know anyway?
Getting wasted with my friends isn't bad. I want to fit in.
Lust isn't a big deal.
I'm in love with him. It doesn't matter if we're not married. We've been together for a long time.
This situation is just too small to ask God for help. God doesn't care about my life.
So how can we know the difference between what is true about ourselves, and what the lies are? To know which are lies, we must first know the truth.
Jesus calls Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The key word we're looking for here is Truth. And where can we find Jesus? In the Good Book.
Looking in the book of Matthew chapter 4, we see that Jesus used the word of God to rebuke Satan.
Jesus was in the desert, fasting, and He became hungry. So Satan tried to tempt Him by telling him that if He was the Son of God, He should tell the rocks to turn to bread. Jesus responded with "It is written...'a person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.'" Then Satan takes Him to a high place of a temple, telling Him to jump down, because the Bible says that God would command His angels to catch Him. Again, Jesus responds by quoting scripture. "It also says in the Scriptures, 'Do not test the Lord your God'". Then Satan takes Him to the top of a mountain and tells Him that if Jesus would bow down to him, he would give Him all of the kingdoms of the world. But Jesus said "Go away from me Satan! It is written... 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.'" After this, Satan leaves.
The thing I've come to realize about Satan is that for every truth God has, he has a lie to counteract it. It is so important that we know the truth about ourselves, because what we believe about ourselves strongly affects so many things in our lives!
So remember those lies I told you to think about earlier? Are you thinking of them now? Lets look into the Bible and find the truth that goes with each lie.
I'm ugly. Psalm 139:14 says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God and His works are wonderful.
I'm unloved. John 3:16, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:9-11, and Romans 5:8 say that God loved me so much that He sent His son to die for me even while I was still a sinner so that I could be made alive and become His child.
I'm unwanted. Jeremiah 29:11 and 31:3 say that God knows the plans he has for me, to give me a hope and a future. He wants a relationship with me more than He wants to rule over me.
I've fallen too far to be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 says that if I confess my sin, He will forgive me and cleanse me and purify me from all unrighteousness.
I should have never been born. Jeremiah 1:5 says that before He formed me in the womb, He knew me and set me apart.
Disobeying and disrespecting my parents is okay. What do they know anyway? Ephesians 1:1-3 and Colossians 3:20 say that I should obey my parents because it pleases God.
Getting wasted with my friends isn't bad. I want to fit in. Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians 6:10 and 1 Peter 5:8 say that I should be sober-minded and filled with the Spirit because drunkards will not inherit God's Kingdom.
Lust isn't a big deal. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that even lust is considered adultery of the heart.
I'm in love with him. It doesn't matter if we aren't married. We've been together for a long time. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Hebrews 13:4, Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:5 and Romans 12:1 say that sex is for marriage only, and I am to honor God with my body because it belongs to Him.
This situation is just too small to ask God for help. God doesn't care about my life. Psalm 139 says that God has examined me and knows everything about me, when I wake up, when I sleep. He knows my thoughts before I think them. He knows my words before I speak them.
I challenge you to make a list of all of the lies that Satan has you believing about yourself. Maybe the list I made can help you. Then, go back and look into the Bible to see what the truth is. Speak them over yourself. Even if you don't believe it at first. Eventually you will start to believe it. Ask God to help you.
One thing I struggled with in the past was severe anxiety. I had really bad panic attacks for a long time. And God totally healed me from it! Satan's lies just made my anxiety worse. He would try to make me believe things would happen so that I would be scared to go to school. It was really hard. But after praying really hard and speaking the truth over myself that I found in the bible (Perfect love casts out fear 1 John 4:18) I began to heal from it, to the point where I don't have panic attacks anymore! Sometimes Satan will try to come in and tell me that I am not healed, but I rebuke him and tell him that I have been healed in Jesus' name and recite what the Bible says about fear.
I hope you have found this encouraging and helpful. And remember, if you are struggling with severe anxiety or depression or thoughts of wanting to hurt yourself, it is okay to get help! God gave us doctors and counselors, and there is no reason not to utilize them! Just don't put more faith in them than you do in your God! He has all the answers, but there are times when He also wants us to reach out for help. You could also tell an adult, or a trusted friend about what you're going through, and I'm sure they would be willing to pray with and for you!
One more thing: No matter what you've done, there IS forgiveness! So if you've gone too far with your boyfriend, or you've completely wronged someone, you don't have to feel like you're beyond forgiveness. Jesus will always love you. Just repent and ask Him for forgiveness. He will receive you with open arms and heal you from any hurt you're carrying.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ~ Isaiah 1:18
Jesus loves you guys! Whatever you're struggling with, talk to Jesus! He is always listening, so just pour out your heart to Him and He will comfort you!
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