By Becky Olszewski

 

The constant nagging in my head tells me I can’t do it; tells me I’m not good enough.  If I’m not careful, I’ll believe it.  Not long ago, I did believe it.  The lies had twisted and coiled themselves inside my head so much that I didn’t even recognize their existence.  An idea or opportunity would present itself in my life and without even realizing it, I was telling myself “Nope, you can’t do that”; “You aren’t good enough, important enough, or special enough”.  A close friend pointed out the limits I had placed on myself.  She helped me process my thoughts and made me aware of lies I had come to believe.

 

The Enemy is so sneaky in the ways he gets ahold of our thoughts. The more lies he gets us to believe, the more we stay confined to the boundaries those lies create so that we never reach our full potential in Christ.

 

How was I supposed to serve God and follow the path He made for me if I believed I couldn’t do it and wasn’t good enough?  I had to fix it; I had to change my way of thinking.

 

Changing our thoughts takes a lot of consistent work.  First, we have to recognize the enemy’s lies that are manifesting themselves in our thoughts.  This takes constant focus and awareness of what you are thinking about.  Once we recognize a thought from the enemy, we have to cast out that thought from our mind.  The name of Jesus can help us do this!

 

Luke 10:17-19 says, “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!  Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them.  Nothing will injure you.”

 

It wasn’t just the disciples Jesus gave authority to, we have it too!  Say His name out loud!  “In the name of Jesus, I cast out this lie and throw it away.  I will believe it no more!  In the name of Jesus, I take away any power you think you have over me and I cast it away.  In the name of Jesus, I cover myself and others around me in the Holy Spirit who gives us strength, peace and power.”  AMEN!

 

Then we can replace the enemy’s negative thoughts with a positive truth about who we are in Christ.  Memorizing scripture about how much God loves us is a great way to do that.  Psalm 139 is one of my favorite scriptures about Gods love.

 

So, what lies from the enemy are you believing?  What truth are you going to focus on to replace the lies?  Pray for God to reveal them to you, then bind and cast the lies away and find a verse to memorize that supports God’s truth.