Irreplaceable
“We need to replace the lies of the enemy with the truth of God; to do so we need to know the truth of God.” --Christine Caine
The Stories That Really Matter
Have you ever tried to go a day without words? How about an hour? Or 5 minutes? Even if you can manage to sit in silence for an extended period of time, what are the odds that someone else won’t randomly start talking to you? Or you hear the television blasting in the other room? Or your neighbors conversing about the abundance of leaves in your yard? But even if you could go an entire day without hearing one single conversation, could you go 5 minutes without hearing the voices in your head? Those words are often the loudest and most impactful.
Since I promised to be totally transparent with you, I’m going to let you in on a nerdy little secret. I like Lord of the Rings. Other than the Bible, there is not a story that has stuck with me and given me more encouragement than the world of Middle Earth. A couple of times in my life, I remember speaking the same words that Frodo said to Sam at the end of The Two Towers. “I can’t do this...” And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, Sam’s words echoed through my head—the entire scene replaying in the iMax theater of my mind:
I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even the darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. These were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding onto something...that there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
As soon as I hear Sam’s speech, something happens on the inside. Those words give me hope. It doesn’t negate the pain of what I’m feeling. It doesn’t slough it off or treat it as insignificant, but it reveals the truth. Darkness will pass. And it is the process of living, choosing to go on, fighting when everything within you is screaming run, that makes the story beautiful. They are just words, but they have the power to replace the lies I’m believing, rewire my thoughts and reframe my perspective. If a story written by a mere man has that kind of power, just imagine what a story orchestrated by the God of the universe can do?
I’ve taken you on a journey of the ups and downs of my thoughts and the havoc those lies produce in my life. I’ve challenged you to take inventory of the words in your head—are they positive or negative? Do they produce words or actions that are life giving? Are there any lies that you have been believing as truths? I’ve encouraged you to call them out, see them for what they are, and realize that you can be free from the effects those lies have on your life! We’ve explored the concept of freedom in Christ and how that starts by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior and allowing Him to renew your mind.
We are body, soul, and spirit. We can choose to allow our physical pleasures to be in control of our decisions. We can give our emotions and thoughts control of our behaviors and destiny. Or we can allow the Holy Spirit who dwells within our spirit lead us in wide open spaces. But that doesn’t automatically happen when we become believers. It is a process of dying to ourselves, calling out the lies that hide within our thoughts, and bringing them captive—making them bow in obedience before Jesus.
We are going to walk to the edge of this great precipice in our mind and make the decision to do the hard climb in order to walk in complete openness and freedom. Before you get to the fields of freedom, you must demolish the strongholds of slavery that keep you bound to lies. And that is far beyond your feeble capabilities and mine. That takes supernatural power. Fortunately, I know just the person who can take down enemies like death, depression, and despair.
Replacing the Lies
In the last blog post, I asked you to write down some of the lies the enemy has told you—the things that hold you captive in your thinking. Pull out that list and let’s talk about the Replacement Principle. Craig Groeschel in his book, Winning the War in Your Mind, explains it like this: “Remove the lies, replace with the truth.” The best example of this principle in action is Matthew 4 when Jesus came face to face with the same enemy that we face. Jesus had just experienced a spiritual high—he was baptized by his cousin, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove and rested on Him, and God’s voice resonated through the crowd, “This is my beloved Son! Pay attention to all He says!” But before the echo had barely gone silent and the memory of the water had washed away, Jesus was facing the accuser in a wilderness of hunger and isolation. Satan waited until His weakest point and started whispering lies.
“Son of God? How could you possibly be the Son of God? Just look at you! Look at your background! You’re from a no nothing town! Your father wasn’t a god! He was a carpenter, and he’s dead! Your mother—a poor girl who found herself pregnant before she was married. Not exactly Son of God material! But if you are who you claim to be, then prove it! You’re hungry. Turn these stones to bread.”
How many times has the enemy used that same worn out lie on you? “You call yourself a Christian? Look at your background! Your family are the biggest losers! You will never amount to anything! You are destined to be a nobody! You think you can pull yourself out of this pit you’re in? Prove it!”
The only way to combat this lie is to follow Jesus’s example; replace it with the truth. Jesus doesn’t miss a beat. He tells Satan, “The Scriptures say: Bread alone will not satisfy, but true life is found in every word that constantly goes forth from God’s mouth.”
So when the enemy attacks your identity, tells you that you are a nobody—worthless—you just tell him, “The Scriptures say: We have become His poetry, a recreated people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One (Ephesians 2:10 TPT).” To you get the picture? Replace the lie with the truth of God’s word.
That will not be the end of the battle. Right after Jesus quoted Scripture to Satan, he hits him up with another lie. This time he thought he would be crafty, beat Jesus at His own game. He twisted Scripture to tempt Jesus. He took Jesus to the highest point of the temple. “Okay, Jesus. If you’re God’s Son, jump off this building. The Scripture says that God will command the angels to protect you. If you really are the Son of God, that is.”
Doubt—the enemy of the soul. Not only did Satan try to make Jesus doubt His identity, but He wanted to make Jesus doubt the goodness of God. Sound familiar? “If God is so loving, then why did your mom get cancer? If God is so good, then why did you lose your job? If God is all powerful, then why is the world in such a mess? If God is real, then why didn’t he answer your prayer?” And Satan will use Scripture—the very words of God—to plant doubt in your mind. That is why studying the Word of God and hiding it in your heart is so important.
Jesus answered right back, “The Scriptures say: You must never put the Lord your God to a test.” He got right to the heart of the lie. So when the enemy whispers that God has forgotten you, that he can’t be trusted, then you tell him, “The Scriptures say: I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (Isaiah 46: 3-4 NLT).
But that wasn’t the end of Jesus’s battle in the wilderness. Satan offered him worldly power and possessions in exchange for His worship. Satan isn’t very creative. He is still using this lie with us, thousands of years later. “You would be happy if you had this $1,000,000 house! What will people think of you driving that old car? You need this new sports model! You can’t wear last year’s styles! Do some retail therapy! That job is beneath you! You need this position! People will see how important you are!” Satan is still trying to convince us to exchange the illusion of power and influence for his worship.
Do what Jesus did. When the enemy promises power, influence, and riches in exchange for worship, command him, “Get away from me, Satan! The Scriptures say, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).
Many of the lies we believe fall into those same categories: identity, doubt, and power/possessions. Now that we’ve called them out, it’s time to search God’s Word to confront and demolish those thoughts. We can only demolish them by replacing them with what God says. We can only replace them with what God says if we study His Word. Our goal every day should be to hold only one thing as irreplaceable—the truth of God’s word.
Weekly Challenge
Look at your list of lies. Dig down until you find the root of the lie. Is it an attack on your identity? Is it the fear that you will not be enough? Is it doubting the provision of God in your life? Is it your endless need to always be in control of every situation? Write it down. Call it out.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your Counselor—to lead you to the truth of God’s Word that will demolish those lies. It is as simple as Googling “Scriptures for doubt” or “Scriptures about identity in Christ.” Or find a Bible Study plan on YouVersion that deals with the root of the issue. Find one or two verses to combat each of the lies you have listed. Write the Scripture beside of the lie.
Start reading these Scriptures out loud every day. The next post will dive deep into the subject of rewiring and reframing our thoughts.
Until next time, Dive Deep and Drown Willingly. And always stay inside the circle...
