They’re slippery little dudes.
They feel safe….not because they ARE safe….but because they are familiar.
They disguise themselves as truths we have to live by….the key words being “have to”….because if we don’t live by them, we believe some sort of danger will result. They are “truths” with some sort of special super-powers to secure things we think God isn’t going to give to us in the timeframe or package we want our desire to come in.
Lies.
And the best lies….the very best ones….have truth mixed in with them. A powerful lie is a truth, twisted by the perception of an event(s) we experience, and has conditions added to it. Most of the time these lies that we believe are value-based in nature. Often the conditions have to do with control…something we have to do in order to create the outcome we want. For example, maybe the truth is that someone important to me is often negative or critical. After repeated critical interactions with this person I highly value, my perception is that I disappoint them. I then associate their reaction to me with my value. My internal “truth” becomes something like: I can’t do anything right; I am worthless. (Value)
Other common mental lies we feed on include:
If it’s going to get done right, I have to do it. (Control)
I can’t let anyone get too close, because if they find out what I’m really like, they will leave. (Value and Control)
I will never be enough.
People really only want to use you.
I have to earn my way into relationships.
I am too broken to fix.
There is nothing wrong with me.
I don’t need anyone. I’m just fine on my own.
How do you catch a lie? Often lies evoke certain odors within our souls…..certain emotions, or combinations of emotions, that if they were smells, would be unpleasant and uncomfortable. They most often manifest as some combination of feeling driven, fearful, threatened, controlled (or the need to control), offended, hopeless, or valueless. If those feelings are present, especially in combination with each other, it is wise to examine your thoughts. Those emotions can often mean a lie is being entertained.
Which of these thoughts have you found yourself thinking?
If it’s going to get done right, I have to do it.
I can’t let anyone get too close, because if they find out what I’m really like, they will leave.
I will never be enough.
People really only want to use you.
I have to earn my way into relationships.
I am too broken to fix.
There is nothing wrong with me.
I don’t need anyone. I’m just fine on my own.
Spend some time with God, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you. Are there other thoughts that seem true but are potentially toxic?
What situations make you feel driven, fearful, threatened, controlled (or the need to control), offended, hopeless, or valueless?
Scripture:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
“The Call of Jeremiah
4Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
6Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’
7But the LORD said to me,
‘Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the LORD.’
9Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,
‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.'”
“Jeremiah 1:4-10.” Biblehub. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Thoughts to Pray Through:
As You were with Jeremiah….so You are with me. You knew me before I was formed….You know me now….all of me. What do I think I am hiding from You?
As Jeremiah was with You….so I am with You. What am I telling you about myself that isn’t true? What thoughts do I think about my life, myself, that don’t square up with Your design of me? What lies am I living by?
Written by Heather Oden