Stop Listening to Lies

I learned a very important lesson. Just now. Oh, I’ve know about it for quite some time. But then I actually heard it spoken out loud by someone else and the light bulb came on! The lesson? When the devil starts talking to you in your ear, you can speak out loud out of your mouth and he’ll have to shut his! Never run at your giants with your mouth shut. Remember that verse of Scripture that says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Well, it’s more true than you realize!

How many years have you lived in oppression? How many lies have you believed? You aren’t pretty enough. You aren’t thin enough. You don’t clean your house right. You don’t raise your kids right. You don’t dress right. Blah, blah, blah, blah! Over and over and over again. It’s never enough, is it! I heard it for many years. I lived it many more. When my oppressors were no longer present, their words were. I kept hearing their hurtful words, like a broken record in my mind. It got to a point where I would purposely avoid doing dishes, laundry, or housework of any kind because when I would do those things, the hurtful words would pop back in there and make me miserable. Before I could finish a job, I had worked myself into a nervous wreck. So, I avoided it. If I didn’t do the dishes, I wouldn’t hear those voices of shame. But if I didn’t do the dishes, they would pile up, and before long the voices would start saying other things. “See? You’ll never amount to anything.” Lies, lies, and more lies. All of them straight from the devil. All of them straight from hell.

For years, you’ve been listening to the same broken record that I have. Of course, your voices may sound different than mine, but the theme is the same: to keep you in the past and from moving forward.

It’s time to stop looking at our past and look toward our future. So what if those things happened to you in the past? Are you going to continue to let the enemy keep you in that, making your life miserable until you die? I say NO! God wants to prosper you, not harm you (Jeremiah 29:11). He wants to love you and for you to love Him. But more than that, God wants to do something new in and with you!

“Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”~Isaiah 43:19

The night I asked for more of Jesus, more of the Holy Spirit, and surrendered to what He wants me to do, a wellspring of stories bubbled up within me and the words kept coming, and coming, and coming. Now, I can type fast, but sometimes I can’t type fast enough! God speaks faster than I can type at times. What is it that God has gifted you to do? Do you have a heart for care giving? Do you love to work with children? Do you love working with teenagers? Are you a good baker, love taking things to others to brighten their day? Give it to God, give yourself to Him and watch what happens! Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a stupid idea. Because if God has called you to do it, He will also equip you to do it and make a way for you. So stop listening to the enemy! Say out loud right now, “NO!” Tell the devil, “That’s enough!” He has to shut his mouth and leave you alone. Do this every time you hear something negative whispered in your ear. Before long, you will begin to feel peaceful. You will begin to get excited about what the Lord wants you to do. You will be happy to do it and can’t wait to get going every morning.

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” ~Romans 12:2 (HCSB)

Set your mind and keep it set.

Shelley Wilburn

Shelley Wilburn has been writing since the age of twelve. She loves stories and adventures, and often finds herself getting into mischief with any one of her six grandchildren. She has written several articles and devotionals over the years for various newspapers, women's magazines, and newsletters. She has also co-authored devotionals. Shelley began writing full-time in 2012 after being healed of over 40 years of depression and anxiety. Using her love of writing, and wearing mismatched socks, Shelley has developed a unique ministry of encouraging others using biblical truths and stories from her own personal life. When not writing, you can find Shelley and her husband of over 30 years, D.A. zipping down the road in their newest adventure-maker, a bright orange, Mustang convertible Shelley has laughingly dubbed The Pony.