Addicts lie. Yep! That’s the truth. In fact, I’ve heard more than a few women say that their husband’s lying is even harder for them to live with than their sexual improprieties. That’s saying a LOT. But, let’s face it, nearly every active addict is a liar.
Actually, there are logical reasons why they lie even when it would easier to just simply tell the truth. There are reasons they lie about dumb things that are easily disproved. There are even explanations for those lies that are so outlandish that you’re shocked they thought you’d believe them. But we’ll save that discussion for another day. Today we’re going to talk about the OTHER lying we all deal with.
LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE
No matter how cautious or analytical we’ve been, we have ALL believed lies. In fact, without knowing it, much of our life has been ruled, at least in part, by untruths.
Although Satan is the initial author of all lies, most of them are relayed to us via one of two sources. They either come from the people around us or from our own thoughts and erroneous conclusions. Lies that come through other people are called “projected lies.” If your dad called you “stupid” or “good for nothing,” it was a projected lie. If your brother said you were “ugly,” it was a projected lie. They are lies because they go against God’s own words about his creation.
THE SNEAKIEST LIAR OF ALL
There are times, however, when we don’t even need other humans to tell us lies. It’s like the enemy, himself, sits on our shoulder moderating our lives and whispering things in our ear. He says things like “if anyone knew about this, they wouldn’t like you” or “you’re not even pretty enough or sexy enough to satisfy your husband.” The words bite into our hearts and echo in our thoughts.
If you are particularly vulnerable at that moment, or if you hear the same lies over and over, you’re likely to begin believing they are true. The earlier in your life that you adopt them as truth, the more negative impact they will have and the more embedded they will become in your overall belief system.
LIES ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND
The problem with believing lies—no matter what their source— is that they always limit us in some way. They keep us from accepting many of God’s blessings and from being the person He always intended us to be. They cause us pain, isolate us and provide fuel for our addictive behaviors.
God wants to replace all our lies with HIS truth—truth that assures us we are valuable, acceptable, and worthy of the love and respect of others. It is the process of eliminating the power of the lies in our lives that finally yields true and lasting freedom from ALL the chains that have immobilized us.
“. . . Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31-32
TODAY’S CHAT: What beliefs do you have that you think could have been created by lies? (Hint: anything that you FEEL is true that contradicts the word of God is suspect. For example, God says in the Bible that we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made. The lies that we’ve been told over the years, however, may have convinced us that we are something different—like flawed, inferior or a mistake.
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