The Lies That We Believe

You can’t do anything right.
You are a failure.
You are worthless.
Nobody loves you.

Do you ever hear the devil whispering any one of those thoughts in your ear? He’s real good at making us feel like trash. When our enemy can’t get us to sin, he finds other ways to crush us. He goes through the backdoor and does his dirty work where we’re least expecting it. Sin destroys from the outside and slowly eats away at the inside until we are all rotted out, but when the devil can’t get us to sin, then he works from the inside to the outside by tampering with our emotions, telling us lies about ourselves that we believe, and eventually we become so discouraged that we are powerless as Christians.

Yesterday morning I was listening to some of those lies. I was discouraged and crying and very upset. Everything had been building up, and I haven’t been feeling well physically, which certainly doesn’t help having a positive outlook on life. Mom tried to comfort me and finally ended up calling Dad. My parents are my greatest encouragers. I truly don’t know what I’d do without them.

Whenever I have one of these times when it just seems like the devil is riding on my back, Dad prays for me and gently reminds me of the truths of God’s Word. Then all of Satan’s demons of discouragement flee and the lies crumble. Dad always directs me back to the Lord, and that makes everything better. He doesn’t tell me anything I don’t already know, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded.

2 Corinthians 10:5 is an old standby. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

The “high thing” spoken of in this verse is the great big monster of a lie that fills our minds. Like a giant gazing despicably at an ant, this demon of discouragement looks down on us in disgust and tells us we are worthless, we are of no value to God, and nobody loves us. This “high thing” exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

What is the knowledge of God? The knowledge of God is that we will never be expected to do more than we can accomplish. We will never be expected to be more than we can be. We will never be expected to go through more than we can handle. “There hath no temptation [trial] taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly.” Psalm 138:6
God sees our weakness. He sees our circumstances and knows our limits. He sees that we are nothing, and still He looks down from the heavens and has respect unto us and loves us. God is not the one who would have us feeling so low. It’s the devil who is the accuser of the brethren and the father of all lies.

How do we cast down the imaginations of discouragement and worthlessness? By bringing every thought into the captivity and obedience of Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Yesterday I spent the rest of the day saturating my mind with Scripture (praise God for Alexander Scourby!) and good Christian music. That’s the best way I know of to rid my mind of Satan’s lies. God’s Word is mighty to the pulling down of strong holds!!! The devils run when we go past our emotions and feelings and instead fasten our gaze on Jesus Christ, our great encourager! He is cheering us on! He loves us! We are complete in Him!

“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:11-14

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 42:11

“Thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” Psalm 139:13-18

Truly, the Lord loves us!!! And if you still feel like you are worthless and you have too many problems for God to consider using you, check out this list!!! God used these people despite their inabilities, and when they surrendered in obedience to Him, they were used in unbelievable ways!

God can only use those who realize they are nothing and have nothing!!!
God can only use empty vessels!

Remember…

• Abraham and Sarah were too old to have children
• Jacob was a liar and a deceiver
• Joseph was a dreamer
• Moses stuttered
• Gideon was afraid
• Samson was a womanizer
• Rahab was a prostitute
• Hannah was barren
• Naomi was a widow
• Ruth and Esther were both foreigners
• Jeremiah and Timothy were too young to be in the ministry
• David had an affair and was a murderer
• Elijah was suicidal
• Naaman’s wife’s slave was only a young girl and she saved Naaman’s life
• Jonah ran from God
• Abigail had a lousy husband
• Job went bankrupt
• Martha worried about everything
• The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
• Matthew was a despised tax collector
• Zaccheus was too small
• Paul was too religious
• Lazarus was dead
• The Disciples fell asleep while praying
• Peter denied Christ
• And the list goes on…