One of the biggest things that blocks us from growing deeper in our relationship with God is the lies we believe about ourselves. Lies such as “I’m stupid,” “I’m no good,” or “I’ll never amount to anything.” Or lies like “I have to take care of myself” or “I have to keep the peace at all costs.”
Maybe we grew up hearing those lies and having them reinforced by people around us. Or maybe we concluded lies about ourselves in reaction to heartbreak. Perhaps lies have been with our family for generations. Regardless of where the lies come from, God wants to replace them with His truth.
Exchanging lies for truth is part of what Jesus helps us with. We start by recognizing the lies. Then we go to God’s Word to discover the truth. We ask God to help us believe His truth in place of those lies.
Often, it’s not enough just to know the truth. We can read the truth and say, “Yes, I understand that.” But if a lie has a hold on our heart, it’s hard for us to really accept the truth. We may see the lie, but our heart still holds onto the lie and won’t receive the truth.
How do we get past that roadblock? We need to experience the truth from Jesus. We invite Jesus to show us His truth in our heart. He may do that through a vision or by bringing a revelation to mind. He knows exactly how to show you His truth in a way you will believe it in your heart.
Once we get that truth settled in our heart, we take note of the ways He reaffirms the truth in our daily life. For example, let’s say you’ve believed the lie: “I’m not smart.” Then you get the truth in your heart that you have the mind of Christ and can ask Him for wisdom, and He will give it to you. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing people around you say, “Wow, what you said is brilliant” or “You have so much wisdom.” Where those lies have been reinforced for so long, God will reaffirm the truth through life experiences.
Let’s look at some common lies and the scriptural truth to replace those lies. If the lie resonates with you, look up the Bible verse and see God’s truth. If the lie you believe isn’t listed here, pray about what God’s truth is in place of that lie. If you aren’t sure what the truth would be, ask a friend—sometimes, others can see truth more quickly when they don’t share our same lie, just as we can for them.
I’m not good enough — Psalm 139:14
I can’t do anything right — Genesis 1:27
I’m a loser — Zephaniah 3:17
I’m hopeless — Jeremiah 29:11
I’m not lovable — John 3:16
I’m not smart enough — James 1:5
I’m too much trouble — Matthew 10:29-31
When you discover the truth that replaces the lie you’ve believed, ask God to make that exchange for you—to fill your heart with His truth and to bring experiences into your daily life that reaffirm that truth. And ask Jesus to help you really get that truth deep in your heart, in whatever ways He knows you need to experience.
For a devotional about exchanging our lies for God’s truth, you can read the previous post: Hold onto God’s Truth.
Adventures with God 