Replace The Lies With Truth - Changing the Way You Think: Taking Every Thought Captive

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)

“It is written…” (Luke 4:4, 8, NIV)

I gave my life to Christ when I was a teenager. But echoes of “you’re so ugly” and “what’s wrong with you” and “you can’t do anything right” left me feeling congenitally flawed. I sat in Bible study groups like someone in a hospital waiting room: hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My greatest fear was that I’d be no closer to being free of the insecurity than I was before the study began.

When I was in my mid-thirties, an older woman in my church opened my eyes to the truths in Scripture about who I was, what I had, and where I was (my position) as a child of God. I had read those verses before, but I had a difficult time believing they were true about me.

One day God asked me an important question—one that He is asking you right now. Who are you going to believe?

Today, let’s look at the final step of our battle plan.

After Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John, the clouds parted, a dove descended, and God spoke: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Immediately, Jesus was led into the desert and came face-to-face with His nemesis—the devil He came to destroy. In Matthew 4 we read:

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (4:2-4).

Wait a minute. What does he mean, “If you are the Son of God…”? Didn’t God just say “You are my Son; whom I love…” Yes, He did. Friend, the deceiver will do the same to you. When you begin to take hold of the truth of your true identity in Christ and the powerful promises of God, the devil will say to you, if you were a child of God…

• Then He would answer your prayer.
• Then He would give you what you want.
• Then He would make you happy.
• Then He would make you successful.
• Then He would…

The devil knows exactly who you are and what you have as a child of God. His goal is to cause you to doubt and question the truth.

How did Jesus defeat the devil? He pulled out the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—and plunged it into Satan’s lie. He recognized the lie, rejected the lie, and replaced the lie with truth. With each of the devil’s temptations in the wilderness, Jesus fought back with the words, “It is written.” He rejected the lies and replaced the lie with the truth. (4:6, 4:7).

Defeated, Satan tucked his tail and slunk away to wait for an opportune time (Luke 4:13).

The devil does the same thing with us today. It is up to us to follow Jesus’ example: recognize the lie, reject the lie, and replace the lie with truth. Then the enemy has no other choice but to turn and walk away.

When we replace the lie with truth, our minds and thoughts begin to change (Romans 12:2).

Father, thank You that greater is He (Jesus) in me than he (the devil) that is in the world. Thank You for the battle plan that Jesus showed us in the wilderness. Today, I commit to recognizing the lies, rejecting the lies, and replacing them with the truth of Your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Make a list of five lies you have been telling yourself about yourself or your circumstances. Then use the concordance in the Life Bible App to find Scripture to replace those lies with truth.

For more on how to take every thought captive and change the way you think, see Sharon Jaynes’ book, Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence. Sharon also has a weekly devotion and many free resources at www.sharonjaynes.com.