The Lies You Tell Yourself (And How God Sets You Free)

Dear diary,

One thing I’ve learned to be really good at is hearing lies. I know what you’re thinking: “That’s such a weird thing to say,” but the truth is... you’re probably really good at it too. Hear me out—how much time do we spend in front of the mirror believing lies about ourselves? Then we go to work and cuddle up with our best friend, ‘imposter syndrome,’ and later get into bed with our phones, doom scrolling social media and feeding self-doubt (who even named it that?). By now, you might have related to at least one of these, and suddenly my statement doesn’t seem so crazy.

But don’t worry. The good thing about lies is that they are not true. And they never will be. The Bible describes Satan as the “father of lies,” so his job is literally to fill our minds with lies and doubts. But I’ll say it again—they’re not true. So, if we know lies aren’t true, how do we protect ourselves from thoughts that sound so convincing? Let’s dive into this, because thankfully, God didn’t leave us hanging.

Recognizing

First, we have to figure out which thoughts are lies and which are not. I like a simple test: Does this align with the Word of God? If yes, it’s truth. If not, it’s false.

Let’s try a test run. Imagine you accidentally lost your temper while driving. You immediately repented, but you feel like God won’t forgive you for something you could have avoided. Lie or truth? Lie! 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Boom—truth. Recognizing what is a lie and what is true is the first step in overcoming the enemy’s lies.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9

Replacing

Now that you’ve identified the lie, what’s next? The Bible tells us exactly what to do with our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So, let’s transform “I don’t know if God will forgive me because I should have done better” into: “Because of God’s faithfulness and justice, I know He has forgiven me AND cleansed me from all unrighteousness.” We replace the lie with the truth and knowledge of God, taking the enemy’s planted thoughts and making them obedient to Christ.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Corinthians 10:5

Reminding

Now that we’ve done that, we’re good, right? Well… yes, but as humans, we tend to forget. The enemy will try everything to tear us down. We have to remind ourselves of God’s Word so we can stand strong against lies. Lies can come from anywhere—the words of others, comparisons, or even our own thoughts—but if we continually remind ourselves of what is true, we will be okay. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Jesus Christ is true. The Word of God is true. God is the one true God. Think on these things.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

Remember, you are not alone when it comes to believing lies. Jesus has given you the power to overcome them. Recognize which thoughts are lies, replace them with the truth of God, and remind yourself daily of His Word.

Lord thank you for showing us truth. Help us when we are filled with thee lies of the enemy. Let us live our life framed by your word and not our own. I give you all the glory and honor. Amen.

- xoxo God's Girl