Silencing The Lies That Steal Your Confidence

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32, NIV)

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4, NIV)

I was in the sixth grade when I first ventured into the house of mirrors at my hometown county fair—a mere twelve years old. My group of giggling friends ran from booth to booth, suckered into paying good money to play rigged games. For hours we gave cash to shady carnival characters in hopes of winning a stuffed purple polka-dotted snake, an oversized tie-dyed teddy bear, or a cheesy piece of jewelry we’d never wear. Personally, I stuck with pickup ducks—a sure win.

We soared into the air on the Ferris wheel to get an aerial view of our small-town lights, rode through the darkened house of horrors, each with her latest crush, and plunged down the mountainous, rickety roller coaster with arms in the air. But of all the sideshows at the carnival, it was the house of mirrors that captured my attention.

We walked through maze-like halls, giggling at the distorted images of ourselves. I looked at the various versions of me and tried to decide which one I liked best. But deep inside, in a place no one knew existed, I was in search of another version of me. I did not like the one I knew best. And even though I became a Christian when I was fourteen, those feelings of I’m not pretty enough, smart enough, or just not good enough period dominated my thoughts.

What do you do when the words, “I’m not good enough” are stuck in your head? When the lies of the enemy create limitations in your life? When the belittling taunts of the devil are the barbed wire that fence you in and keep God’s best at bay? Do you have lies that tumble about in your mind no matter how desperately you want them gone? Do you have regrets piled high like books unread? If so, we’re going to tackle that in this five-day devotional plan.

The battle to change the song in my head began when I was in my mid-thirties, sitting under the teaching of an older woman in my church. She 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 scattered throughout Scripture before, but when she encouraged me to cluster them all together into one list, God began a new work in my heart:

• You are a saint.
• You are chosen.
• You are dearly loved.
• You are holy.

These truths were right there on the pages of my Bible in black and white, and a few in red:

• You are reconciled through Christ’s life.
• You are justified by Christ’s blood.
• You are free from condemnation through Christ’s death.
• You have the mind of Christ.

I knew the verses were the infallible Word of God, but I felt rather squeamish hearing them, reading them, believing them. They didn’t feel right. They didn’t sound right. They made me downright uncomfortable.

But I had a choice to make. Was I going to believe God told the truth? I tried to learn the verses and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to change the way I thought about myself, but it was a struggle…a battle. And so I came up with a battle plan—a plan to overpower the lies of the enemy with the truth of God.

In the next few days we’re going to discover how to silence the inner critic that holds us hostage—to silence the lies that steal our confidence. We’re going to knock down the walls that keep God’s best at bay and lean into the still, small voice that calls us to more. We cannot act differently than we believe, so let’s get started renewing our minds with the truth (Romans 12:2)

Prayer:

Lord, I want to believe the truth about who You say that I am. Help me to change the way that I think to line up with what You say. Help me to take every thought captive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Are you willing to believe you are who God says you are, regardless of how beautiful, strong, and courageous it may be?