I have written about identifying and avoiding the lies of the enemy, including false teachings of some church leaders, but there are other lies that are often even more difficult to identify and avoid. They are the lies we tell ourselves. Even the Psalmist prayed for help with that problem. “Keep me from lying to myself: give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.” (Psalms 119:29) He knew the truth of the scriptures would give him the instruction he needed to avoid those lies. As Christians, we have God’s Holy Spirit within us to help us be honest with ourselves and with others, but we have to pay close attention to His promptings and God’s word.
Those lies we tell ourselves are not original. They too come from the enemy through something someone said to or about us that has stuck with us and we start believing it is true. Those who have been verbally abused in life let those hurting words define them. They tell themselves, “You will never amount to anything,” or “No one will ever love you”. Those who have been flattered instead of encouraged have a larger than life view of themselves as they tell themselves, “I can handle whatever life throws at me without help from anyone.” Whatever lies we tell ourselves the end result will keep us from being who God created us to be and doing what God has for us to do.
The most common lie I tell myself these days is, “I’ll get around to it tomorrow.” Years ago I carried a little wooden disc in my pocket with the words “To It” engraved on it. It reminded me that I’ve already got “a round to it”, so I might as well do it. You would think that at 75, with my remaining days getting fewer, I would try to cram as much into every day as possible. But age and physical limitations take a toll and sometimes there just isn’t energy to get everything done. That’s when I need God to help me keep my priorities straight so I get done those things which are truly important.
God’s word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit provide a miraculous mirror that allows us to see ourselves as God sees us. We see the true person God created us to be; no false weaknesses or strengths; sins washed away by the blood of Jesus; a child of God who “can do anything through Christ who gives me strength”. (Philippians 4:13)