There are many lies that we have heard and quite a few we have believed. Some of these lies are dressed so prettily that it’s almost impossible to detect them for what they are: falsehoods that have been perpetuated, knowingly and unknowingly, to deceive and confuse us.
Now, the scary thing is that some of these lies relate to our Christian walk and what we know about living Christ-centered lives. These are lies the prince of lies whispers in our hearts, lies to create doubt and confusion as we seek to live for God and do His will. Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8 to:
“Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
What are the lies plaguing your heart? The lies that keep you up at night, making it impossible to truly live your life?
I will be looking at 12 lies we young women hear and often believe in this new Blog series and the truth that will set us free.
In today’s post, we will consider two lies that have affected many young women including myself. These are lies many of us have accepted to be true, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Lie No. 1: God doesn’t love me when I’m bad
I was sitting on my bed, staring at the window but couldn’t see through the mist of the tears dripping down my face and on to my clothes, thick droplets that fell to an unheard rhythm.
My life was a mess and I couldn’t see any good points. All had been well just a few months before, I had been happy and free until I met the guy. I thought I could handle the attention but ended up making terrible choices. Choices that made me believe there was no way God could love me.
This was from some years back. A time when I believed that God’s love was dependent on my actions and I would be bereft of God’s love where my actions were contrary to what He wanted for His children.
Have you ever felt this way, that you can buy God’s love by being good?
Lie 2: God cannot possibly love me since He has not given me what I want/need
What is your greatest desire? That thing you have been praying for for days, months, years or even decades. Perhaps, you are now weary of a God who is said to be loving, kind and the giver of good gifts. You wonder why he has refused to give you this “one” thing you have been asking for, for years.
Maybe for you, it’s a husband, children, good health or even career success and personal wealth. You now believe that God has forgotten you and doesn’t love you since he still hasn’t given you this one thing.
This is a lie the devil has been spewing since the beginning of time. It was the words of the serpent that made Eve doubt the person of God and choose to eat the forbidden apple.
What is the devil telling you today? Is he telling you to just find any guy and marry, is he telling you to get pregnant as an unwed woman?
A powerful way to fight the lies of the devil is to know the truth and hold on to it for it is the truth that will set us free.
The Truth: God’s love is unconditional; there are no restrictions, no timelines or take backs.
God’s love is eternal. It cannot be measured or valued. His love goes beyond time, space and nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Even before we knew God existed, he already loved us. He was thinking about us and longs for every one of us to understand all that He has for us.
The Bible reminds us of the following:
“God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
“For I am sure neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 37-39
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives our fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:18-19
Here’s another truth, God loves us too much to give us everything we want when we want them.
Think back to your life and some of the things you wanted and received and those things you didn’t receive. You may find that you were still okay even when things didn’t go according to plan. This is because God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. He is the only one that knows the end from the beginning, the one who lives beyond time.
He wants us to stand on the truth of his word, which reminds us that he cares deeply for his children and is ever willing to provide for them if they will trust Him and be patient:
“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him, it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25-26
I hope these words have encouraged you and I hope you remember the truth of God’s word when those lies come calling.
Do look out for the other posts in this series.
Thank you for writing this series, Chioma! I think as women we really need to recognize and debunk these lies about our identity. It brings so much freedom once we do! Looking forward to reading more from you!
Very insightful post! Thanks for this.
You’re so welcome, Wadzi. Thanks for your comment and hope you’re doing great