Editor’s note: Bible verses about God’s love for us are countless, but if you need a few to counter the lies of the enemy, soak in these: Jeremiah 31:3, 1 John 3:1, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 103:8, and Isaiah 41:10. Then, enjoy today’s devotion from The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe by Jennie Allen. Also, join us for The Lie You Don't Know You Believe Online Bible Study starting June 1!
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Countering a lie is not as simple as believing a truth instead. If it were this simple, would we still be walking around ashamed, addicted, exhausted, and discouraged? We could just quote a verse and snap out of it.
It’s not so much replacing the lies with truth as it is replacing them with God’s vision for our lives.
My friend and I went out for dinner, and like always, we went deep quickly, talking about what’s happening in our lives. My friend told me she just couldn’t snap out of it, that on any given day she’d rather do anything but the things she should do. Like spending time with God, replying to the text from a friend, sending invoices that needed to go out, deciding what to eat for lunch.
This friend is humble and well aware that she has much to be grateful for and that God’s love for her doesn’t waver based on what she does or fails to do—she knows the truth. But like so many times before, we hit the same dead end: “I’m stuck and I know it.”
“I’m fine. I know my life is good.” But beneath the surface of that answer is an ache of shame that she keeps, and we are sometimes scared to take the shame off.
The fear is that if she took off that shame, then she would become the worst version of herself. Because the only thing keeping her in check is the story her shame is telling her. Her shame has almost become a parent who protects her from going off into this horrible version of herself—checked out, undisciplined, unaware, selfish even.
If she really let herself believe, “I’m okay even though I’m late. I’m okay even though my clothes don’t fit. I’m okay even if I didn’t spend time with God today,” then she would never be self-controlled, disciplined, spiritual. But the irony is, because of the heavy cloak of shame, she doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning or spend time with God.
The irony is, the very song being sung over her is causing her not to experience freedom and peace and life.
I remember Curt telling me something similar. “I want you to notice how many times you say the words ‘I should’ throughout your day,” he said. “I think you’re afraid that if you quit saying ‘I should,’ you’ll float out to sea and you won’t ever do anything. You won’t care anymore. The voice of ‘should’ is keeping you in check.”
Then he asked if that voice sounded like God’s voice. Because if it didn’t, then whose was it?
And at that moment, I didn’t know. Had I been living off the fuel of shame? Just like my friend sitting in front of me, processing it in the same way I have for so long?
(I should) get out of bed.
(I should) stop numbing out.
(I should) pray more.
If I stopped telling myself “I should...,” I would certainly stay in bed all day, go days without reading my Bible or praying, and find a million ways to avoid deadlines and discomfort.
But this time, sitting across from my friend, I didn’t have platitudes or a pep talk. To some degree the lie is a little bit true. We are a little bit helpless. We are a little bit unlovable. We are a little bit worthless. Yeah, there’s some truth to these things.
Which is why pretending or convincing ourselves isn’t enough.
We want to prove so badly that we are not helpless, unlovable, and worthless. But it’s a futile fight against real Darkness and a real voice of shame from a Dark Kingdom.
I pictured this friend I love sitting in a big glass box, and in her hands is another little box. The little box is full of all the things she has failed to do and continues to fail at every morning. If only she could pull them out one by one, check off the list, make it right, do it well, and feel better.
But little does she know, the bigger box is her deepest ache of shame. The dark voice of the enemy disguised as conviction and motivation and okay-ness.
And all I see is Jesus saying, “No, look outside of this box at this beautiful Kingdom I’ve made for you! My voice is gentle and kind. We’ll walk through each day together. I’ll help you and show you. It’s okay if you don’t have it in you, because I do. I already took care of shame on the cross so you don’t have to anymore. It’s good news! There will be hard things, but I promise I will never leave you.”
You can walk out of the box. Never to return.
Beneath the Surface
Part of what makes it so hard to see outside of that box of shame, to take His hand and walk out and into the kingdom Jesus offers us, is that there is something darker going on beneath the lies. Underneath every obvious lie we believe—those loud, painful words we speak over ourselves—is something even more dangerous. A deeper, more seductive lie that keeps us stuck.
It’s the lie beneath the lie.
On the surface, the lies are
- I’m helpless.
- I’m worthless.
- I’m unlovable.
But beneath each of those is a darker lie. Not one that crushes us, but one that quietly entices us to fix it ourselves.
A lie that says,
- I can be in control of my life.
- I could be perfect and measure up.
- I can be accepted by everyone.
And as long as we believe those deeper lies, we’ll keep striving and hustling and performing—trying to escape the pain of the surface lies by building our own version of salvation.
- If I could just get control...
- If I could just do it perfectly...
- If I could just win everyone over...
- Then I’ll be okay.
- Then I’ll be enough.
- Then I’ll finally be at peace.
But if you’ve lived long enough, you know this doesn’t work. Because even when we manage to check all the boxes, our souls still aren’t settled. We might have the job, the applause, the plan—but deep down, we still ache.
Here’s what’s true:
You were never meant to be in control. But Jesus is, and He is good.
You don’t have to be perfect. Jesus is perfect, and He gave you His righteousness.
You won’t be accepted by everyone. But Jesus has already accepted you, fully and forever.
Excerpted with permission from The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe by Jennie Allen, copyright Jennie Allen Ministries, LLC.
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Your Turn
You can’t always snap out of the snare of a lie quickly or easily, but the Lord is with you! He won’t leave you to struggle alone. He’s in control and He loves you and accepts you right where you are! Join us for The Lie You Don't Know You Believe Online Bible Study starting June 1!~ Devotionals Daily
