By: Bryan Flanery
Growing up I knew that it was wrong to tell a lie. I wasn’t raised in the church, nor did I have an idea of what faith was, still I inherently grasped the wrongness of lying. Did that stop me from lying? Not at all, but I knew that it was wrong nonetheless. If I were to ask you to shut your eyes and reflect on a lie, many of us would recollect instances when we were untruthful to someone.
It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized just how deeply my life was impacted by lies from an early age. The lies communicated by those around me weren’t necessarily directed at me personally but affected me regardless of who they were intended for. The issue came when I began internalizing these messages, gradually believing that:
“You’re never going to amount to anything.”
“You’ll end up just another failure.”
“You’re worthless.”
For years these lies defined how I lived my life. Each mistake and poor choice I made, I attributed to fulfilling the lies that have been spoken over me. Instead of forgiveness, bitterness took root, directed not only toward others but also toward myself. I’ll never forget the moment I realized how wrong those people were, how wrong I was for believing these lies. I realized the key to finding myself was to first learn the truth about who I was.
This process starts by replacing the lies you were told, or told yourself, with truths about what God says about you. By directly confronting these lies and replacing them with the truth of scripture, you begin to see restoration and transformation from the lies you used to believe.
Here are some of the verses that helped me start believing truth about myself:
Colossians 2:20 NKJV– “And you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power”.
You were not a mistake! You were not an accident. With God, there’s nothing that we cannot do, He provides exactly what we need in every situation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV– “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.
When the world judges you by your past, the things you’ve done, God says we’re a new creation in Him. Just as He died for forgiveness of our sins, we were restored in His perfect sacrifice.
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV– “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace”.
His grace is sufficient, no matter your past, your mistakes, your decisions, HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH!
Psalm 139: 13-14 NKJV– “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”.
Before you were created He knew you, made you in His perfect image. It’s no mistake that you’re on this planet and He wants to use you!
Today, I encourage you to break free from the chains of your past and reject the lies that seek to define your future. Embrace the truth of how He sees you and the purpose He has for your life. Let your journey be guided by the light of authenticity and truth.
