Breaking Free from the Lies
- Apr 3, 2023
- 6 min read
Dear Girl Mom,
From the time our girls were little, we encouraged them to always tell the truth. But many things they are told by our culture today are so far from the Truth!
What do we want our girls to know is true compared to what the world tells them is true?
On one hand this is a weighty topic. But on the other hand, the answers are so simple. God’s Truth is unfailing and unchanging. It never waivers or fails. Join us today as we discuss certain UN-truths being sold to our daughters by culture, and how we as moms can help them see the Truth.
Love,
Nicole and Stacy
Truth and Lies
There's no doubt about it; we can often find ourselves fumbling around in the dark as we swim in a sea of lies. Even as we do so, we can simultaneously and desperately be grasping for any semblance of the truth. Truly the world we live in is filled with lies, deception, and half-truths reverberating from one culture group to the next. Not only that, but no one can seem to land on an agreeable definition of what truth even represents these days.
For all intents and purposes of this post, we think it’s important to define what we’re talking about when we say truth. Goodness knows, if we were to look to and ask today's culture, the answer would be that there simply is not just one truth. Gracious, therein lies the problem! Is that the message we are honestly sending?! That whatever I personally deem true is true? That breaks down immediately because what I think and what someone else thinks cannot both be true.
Which is why we have to use the word Truth as it refers to the nature of God. Author Brandon Clay is quoted as writing these words on truth in his article, What Is Truth? A Christian Perspective:
"True is that which conforms with fact or reality. Truth is not determined by personal feelings, popular vote, scientific consensus, or any human court of appeal. Truth simply is what is and is anchored in the God who created and sustains the universe.
Truth is not relative to another person’s or society’s perspective, instead it is absolute for every human being, peacock, and blue whale. One person may ‘feel something is true’ but without objective verification, it means nothing.
Truth comes from somewhere. Truth doesn’t materialize out of thin air but originates in God himself.
Theologically, truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Truth is the self-disclosure of God Himself. It is what it is because God declares it so and made it so. All truth must be defined in terms of God, whose very nature is truth.”
Lie: I Am What People Say About Me
Wow, believing this means that we are only as good as the last person's comments about us. If this is what we believe, we will never be able to feel comfortable as ourselves and, quite honestly, will try to change to be what others want us to be. When we believe what people say about us as truth, we give them the power over our very lives, and we lend ourselves to becoming a mere shell of a person.
The truth is, there will always be someone who will doubt you. There will always be someone who will think negatively about you and, quite possibly, say bad things about you. In light of this truth, we might as well face the world as ourselves!
So, what if we choose to listen to the truth God says about us instead of what people say?
Truth: I Am God's Beloved
We have referenced it before, but it goes without saying how it says in God's Holy Word in Psalm 139:13-16 (MSG):
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
Likewise, God's promise to Jeremiah holds just as true for us, His children:
Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you. . .
Jeremiah 1:5a (MSG)
Once again, what if we choose to listen to the truth God says about us instead of what people say?
We will hear truth such as:
God takes delight in you with gladness (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT)
You are an image-bearer of God, created in His image (Genesis 1:27, NLT)
You are a child of God, a daughter of the King (1 John 5:1)
You are God's masterpiece and were created to do good things (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
You are His beloved, worthy of rescue and being saved (Psalm 108:6, NLT)
What would it look like to walk in these truths, daily leaning into the Spirit and allowing Him to uphold us as the dagger and onslaught of lies come at us? Let us put on the armor of God and walk in His Truth as declared in Ephesians 6:13-18!
Lie: I Need to be in a Relationship to Feel Loved, Fulfilled, and Satisfied
As humans, we are created for community, so the natural inclination is to be in relationship with one another. We pine for love and attention. What a joy, and how beautiful it is to know that we serve a God who is solely in pursuit of our worship and a relationship with us, His children!
Truth: God is Enough
The truth is: Jesus is the only one that offers a relationship where we can find ourselves completely fulfilled, satisfied, and filled with purpose. In recently running across Bobby Schuller's book, You Are Beloved, I was reminded of his personal daily creed based completely on truth found within the words of the Holy Bible, and words penned from a sermon by theologian Henri Nouwen. Bobby calls it the Creed of the Beloved and it has become his daily prayer:
Creed of the Beloved
(Written by Bobby Schuller)
I'm not what I do.
I'm not what I have.
I'm not what people say about me.
I am the beloved of God.
It's who I am. No one can take it from me.
I don't have to worry.
I don't have to hurry.
I can trust my friend Jesus and share His love with the world.
When we focus our mind and our heart on the truths God has to say about us, His beloved creation, we receive His abounding love and can find freedom from the bondage the lie tries to hold us in. When we align our mind and heart with God's Word, meditation, and prayer, we find a relationship in Jesus that is solid, secure, and faithful. Truly, God is enough. He pursues our heart and He alone desires our devoted soul. He longs for our faithfulness and promises to fill us with a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
Lie: If I Feel Something, It Must Be True
Culture encourages us to believe that we need to do whatever it takes to make ourselves feel happy. What insanity it would be if we made every decision based on how we felt in the moment! And yet, that is very much the reality we find ourselves living in within today's modern society and culture. Considering how quickly individual feelings can shift and change, over the course of only a single minute, it begs us to consider: How can something be true if it is ever-changing and shifting?
Truth: God is our Rock
Even as our feelings can ebb and flow as aptly as shifting sand, our God is our solid Rock of truth. He is our firm foundation (Psalm 75:3; 2 Timothy 2:19). He is unchanging and the same yesterday, as He is today, and as He will be tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). Truly, there is no solid Rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:2).
God can be trusted to guide us through our doubts and fears. He can be trusted to uphold us as we navigate deep waters and wrestle with hard questions. Answers to difficulties can be found within the pages of the Bible and He is faithful to encourage and strengthen us through the power of His Holy Word.
So, what do you and I have to lose in leaning into the heavenly arms of our Lord and Savior? Will you turn to Him today, in prayer, and invite Him into your circumstances? Will you invite Him into your heart and life? Will you believe His truth and accept the love He is longing for you to receive? As we lean into His love, His Spirit, and His Truth, we find rest and we find peace. He alone is worthy.
Jesus,
You are the Light of the World. Come, be a beacon of light within my heart. Shine your Truth on any and all lies that have become stumbling blocks to my heart, mind, body, and soul. Reveal Your truth over each lie and uphold me in the strength to overcome the lies, standing firm to live in truth. Calm the raging storm within me. Guide me in your everlasting freedom and peace. I praise how you are my God, you are enough, you are worthy, and you are my Rock of salvation.
Amen.
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