Trading Lies We Believe for Truth
How wonderful would it be to walk up to the nearest shopping center with all our heavy bags of lies we believe in tow and drop them off at the service counter for an exchange purer than gold?
Forget the small grocery bags, we’d have to use the giant Hefty flex bags because you can bet all those lies would be fighting tooth and nail to the end to get out.
We’d have to pull up to the curb and borrow one of the rolling carts to load the bags up. People may be watching, curious if we’re really going through with dropping them off and wondering from a distance what it would actually be like to get rid of them.
The lies would be stuffed down and packed in, squeezing up against each other. It’d be a reunion of sorts for them. They’d all be crammed in together for the last time and well aware they were headed to the dreaded Exchange Counter.
They’d be shouting and making every last effort trying to get your attention:
You’ll be exposed if you take us to the counter!
You’re not strong enough to follow through with this!
Everyone is going to judge you!
Do you really believe there’s a way to get rid of us!?
But, you put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. The bags are heavy and fighting against you, but you’ve had enough of their exhausting words. You can’t live with them in your life anymore. Today is the day. Exchanging the lies must take place.
You finally make it to the counter and it’s not what you were expecting at all.
Immediately, you’re called by name. Surprised, you turn and hear, “I’ve been wanting this for you for a long time. Welcome to The Exchange.”
The Exchange
This may be a fictional scene but The Exchange is real. His name is God and he wants you free from every single lie that entangles you.
He wants to shine His truth over all the dark areas that you have fallen for and for you to trust that Jesus is the only way for that to happen.
It’s not an easy road to get to the place of exchange. Usually, you are battered and beat up by the time you get there.
It really doesn’t matter how you arrive as long as you get there.
Once you do, you’ll realize it was completely worth it.
Getting to the Exchange
Are you wondering the quickest route to get to The Exchange?
Let me tell you what doesn’t work. Don’t go the route via Comparison Blvd., I-Can-Handle-It-Myself Freeway, or No One Else Struggles With This Avenue.
Trust me. I’ve been down those roads and they are dead ends. They all secretly connect to each other and will have you going around in circles, leading to nowhere.
I’d also like to encourage you to NOT stop at Pointless Pit Stop. Here, they try to convince you that it’s a waste of time to deal with your baggage. They have vending machines that only dispense nasty bars called Hopeless and Don’t Bother.
“Futile” and “Failed” signs cover their walls. It’s such a drab and depressing place. Definitely avoid it at all costs.
No, the quickest route to get to The Exchange is Surrender Street.
I can tell you exactly how to get there.
Identify the Lie.
First, make a stop at Identify the Lie Junction.
At this place, identify the lie and recognize it. What lie have you fallen for? What area of your life has overtaken you?
Where do your thoughts dwell?
Lies in Motherhood: I’m not a good enough mom. I’m not doing enough for my kids. Everything I do is wrong.
Lies in Marriage: I deserve better than my husband. My husband is beyond repair. Things will never change.
Lies in Life: The grass is greener anywhere but here. Life is about me. As long as I can control it, everything will be fine. I need to prove my worth.
Lies about God: God is far from me. God doesn’t care about me. God is punishing me. If God loved me, I wouldn’t be in this situation.
While you’re here, ask God for help identifying what lies you’ve fallen for. It’s important to know exactly what lies to deal with.
From this point, head straight towards Root of the Lie Intersection.
The Root of the Lie.
Once the lie has been identified, go after the root of the lie. What are you believing that is not true? What’s the root of it?
If you just get rid of the lie and leave the root, it will grow back. Have you ever dealt with an invasive plant? Then you know a lot more needs to be done than cutting the stems off. You’ve got to go all the way down into the earth and dig up the entire root to kill it.
For instance, there was a time that I believed the lie that I was not enough. My friends were climbing the corporate ladder and becoming doctors, lawyers, and educators. I believed I wasn’t enough because I was “just a stay-at-home mom” with two little kiddos.
I looked out and saw their advanced degrees and accolades, and l looked in and saw dirty diapers and a home that had toys scattered all over the place. My physical eyes convinced me I was not measuring up to everyone else.
The root of my struggle was in where I placed my worth. I believed I had little value because I did not have a degree or corporate position to prove it.
When you realize what the root is, give that to God. Confess it completely. Surrender it to Him.
It’s hard to admit, but completely necessary. It’s one of those things that to get to it, you have to go through it. And yes, to go through it means you have to take Surrender Street.
Surrender Street is the only sure route to The Exchange.
The Exchange: Trading the lies we believe for truth.
My value wasn’t found in any of those career paths. My true value is rooted in Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Do you know what this means? It means I am His masterpiece. I don’t have to be a doctor to be that. – I could, but it’s not required. In God’s eyes, I am a created masterpiece right where I’m planted.
My made-up or worldly value system has no bearing.
This applies to you, too!
Trade the lie for God’s truth alone. ANYTHING else will not work.
And here’s the thing, when you exchange the lies you believe and instead, believe what God says about you, so many of the things you used to see with your physical eyes lose their hold on you.
The Great Exchange promises freedom. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NIV.
Truths:
Truth In Motherhood:
“Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.”
Truth in Marriage:
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” ~ Proverbs 31:10
Truth in Life:
“And God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:19
Truth in God:
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his great mercy. He washed away our sins..” ~ Titus 3:4-5
I pray you know true freedom in Christ.
Whatever you are facing today, The Exchange is always open. Hours are around the clock.
Call to Action
Consider how your life would change if you based your self-worth on God’s view of you instead of the world’s. Have the courage to reject anything that is not true and exchange it for God’s truth. Let today be the day we get rid of the lies we believe and exchange them for truth.
Related Post: Lies Women Believe and How to Combat Them
