Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Refuse to Become a Slave

Lately, I've been hearing the same thing from a lot of women.  Hurting, broken women.  It isn't so much a new thing; for months God has been bringing women into my life, and using my story to speak His truth to others.  But there is just so much pain in the hearts and lives of all the women around me.  And I think God is calling me to say/do something about it.

I am learning that I have been granted this little thing called discernment.  Specifically when it comes to the lies that the enemy speaks to women.  Every single time I hear a woman say "I feel like I'm not enough" or "I hate the way I look" or "I just don't feel like I love my husband," I immediately hear the word "Lies!" screaming in my head!

These lies are all ones that have gone through my own head at one time or another as I have traveled through this life.  Here are the lies that haunted me and held me captive.  Some from the time I was just a child, and others from my not-so-distant past.  Some came from other people, and some came from inside my own head, but all were used by the enemy to leave me cowering and broken:

You're stupid.

You're ugly.

No one will ever want to marry you.

You're fat.

You are not loved.

You don't do anything right.

You're a failure.

You're not good enough for your husband.

Your husband looks at pornography, and you will never measure up to all those perfect women.  You will never be the most beautiful woman in the world, in his eyes.

You're the reason your husband looks at porn.

You will never be enough to satisfy your husband.

You are a horrible mother.

You are a horrible wife.

You are worthless.

You're a whore.

You don't make female friends easily, so there is no reason to even try.  Being friends with men is easier.

You have sinned too much and wandered too far for God to forgive you, much less love you.

You need to be afraid of everything.

There is no hope.

Have you ever wrestled with any of those thoughts? 

Have you ever stopped to consider that these are lies from someone who wants anything BUT to see you succeed and grow in your relationship with God and the body of Christ?

Those are just a FEW of the lies that held me captive for so long.  I was so ensnared by all the lies, I never could quite hear God's truth.  They had become a part of me.  They defined who I thought I was.  They kept me a broken and hurting woman, susceptible to anything that the devil wanted to tempt me with.  And as he always does, Satan took FULL advantage of my weakened state.  I withdrew from anyone or anything that was too "Godly" including my husband and God himself.

So wrapped in lies was my mind that even after I came home to Kris, and I felt God stirring, knocking on the door to my heart, I believed that He wanted to forgive everyone BUT me.  That He could love anyone, EXCEPT me.  I believed that all the wrong I had done defined me, and there was no way I could ever be accepted fully by anyone.  The lies kept my walls high, and kept the people who loved me the most from being able to truly minister to me.

I cannot explain to you how it happened.  How the lies became apparent to me.  I can just tell you that it took me finally surrendering my heart COMPLETELY to the Lord, and laying all of my sin, my guilt, and my shame at the foot of the Cross for me to SEE the lies for what they were.  As God poured His love and His TRUTH into me each moment of every day since Good Friday, the lies become more and more obvious to me.  It amazes me how many women especially are living their lives under the weight of Satan's lies. 

We look at ourselves and think, "I have low self-esteem."  We acknowledge that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way we view ourselves.  But more often than not, no one is teaching us anything different.  People say "Think positive thoughts."  That isn't enough. 

Recognize the lies.

Refute them with the truth.

It is only in doing this that God can swoop in and heal the hurt in your heart and your soul.  But as long as you live under the weight of lies, and the thoughts that you think are just a part of who you are (another lie of the enemy), you will not have peace.  You will not understand just how much God loves you and wants to bring you joy.  You will constantly question your self-worth, your looks, and your relationships with other people.  You'll question God even, and think that maybe God doesn't love you enough to keep you from pain.  Pain is a part of life.  We can't control it.  All we can do is either give in to the lies that we can never get through it, or march forward, allowing God to carry us through it.  Let God carry you!

I read a quote while looking for a new book to read.  I can't remember how I stumbled across the book, but a few lines from the book itself have stared back in my face for three months at my new job.  It's time to share those words with you.  If you struggle with the lies, I want you to do something.  Write these words on your mirror, on your refrigerator, a post-it on your desk, somewhere.  Somewhere where you will see it every day and you can have a constant reminder of what the enemy is trying to achieve.  This isn't self-help.  It isn't positive thinking.  It is simple truth, taken from a fiction author, who I don't think is even a Christian.  These are just words the main character spoke about another character in the story.  But they are so very applicable to what I am trying to say to you. 

Use these words against the enemy.  Show him that you will no longer listen to his lies, and that you will instead believe God's truth.  You're beautiful, in so many ways.  And of course, after you read the passage from the book "Fall of Citizens" by Eric Thomas, there is a video.  There is truth in this song.  It is true for each and every one of you reading this.  Let's build an army of believers who refuse to listen to the enemy's lies, and instead embrace the truth that God speaks to us.

Write this somewhere, memorize it if you have to!  Speak it as truth against the enemy.


------



Beautiful - MercyMe

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His

10 comments:

  1. I could have written this. Thank you for posting it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What usually starts out as one post turns into something else entirely...God did that with this one. :-) Plus, I am just passionate now that I can distinguish the lies from the truth!

      Delete
  2. Thank you for this word of encouragement...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading along! God has the power to defeat the enemy and his lies.

      Delete
  3. THANK YOU Jamie for allowing the Lord to speak through you. I came across your blog this morning and sitting in tears because so many feelings relate to what you have been through. Broken, defeated, tired, numb, "whatever" attitude.... I will overcome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you found me. Sorry that you have struggled with this as well. I will be praying for you.

      Delete
  4. Religion is all about lies. Foolish blind people.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Haha see you won't publish that will you, which rather makes the point doesn't it.

    ReplyDelete