The Lies We Buy

I watched this video awhile back on YouTube. You may have seen it, too. These women described themselves to a sketch artist. Then a stranger whom these women had just met described them to the same sketch artist. The difference in how the women saw themselves versus how the new acquaintance saw them was staggering. The women were quite critical of their own faces, exaggerating their flaws and riddled in self doubt. However, the faces the strangers described were pretty, cheerful, and confident.

Fiction versus fact. Ideas versus reality. A lie versus the truth.

I was reading this week in Ephesians about putting on the armor of God. God's Word and fashion tips? Hey, you know I'm there. Let's read:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place... 

Ephesians 6:14

In ancient times, just as today, this belt was worn close to the body. It was a belt that held all other clothing in place. Without the belt tying everything together, all other clothing was meaningless and would not be secure on the body.

And isn't that just like truth? Without truth nothing else matters.

Friend, that's what I want us to see today. There are so many lies in this world written by the Father of Lies himself. Satan would love to have you believe the deceit he whispers in your ear.

You aren't pretty.
You aren't smart.
You are unworthy.
How dare you approach the throne of God?
You should be awash in guilt.
You aren't a good mother.
You are a terrible friend.
You aren't as good as her.

Lie.
Lie.
Lie.
These lies we buy.
And with every lie we buy, small pieces of truth are stolen.

So instead of listening to the whispers of lies, what if today we went to the truth and started believing that? What if we came to the throne of God and asked Him to reveal truth to us?

Father, what do I look like through Your eyes?

Isaiah 61:10 answers this question for us. Lean in with me and hear how God sees you:

I delight greatly in the Lord;

    my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

When God sees you, beloved, He sees you wearing righteousness and salvation. These precious garments bought by the blood of Jesus. And the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to cover anything, great enough to cover IT ALL.

When God sees you He sees nothing but holiness and perfection because that was won for you by your Savior. We are Daughters of God (Galatians 3:26).

But Satan wants you to doubt your lineage. He needs you to see yourself as unworthy to approach God's throne simply because he doesn't want you to approach God's throne.

He wants to steal your real identity. He wants to kill your belief that you are an Image Bearer of the Holy One. He wants to destroy the power of Jesus Christ in you.

He doesn't want you to know the truth.

Because the truth, just like that belt, holds us together. In particular, just like Ephesians tells us, it secures the breastplate of righteousness over our hearts. Satan wants us to forget our righteousness, wants us to forget that we are good and holy. But that belt, oh that belt of truth, wraps itself around our righteousness. Holding our salvation in place. The truth is there, secure, asking us to remember who we are! No, it's daring us to forget! Truth. Oh darling, the truth is what God sees.

The truth is that you are enough. Called. Anointed. Chosen.

Truth doesn't whisper because there is no shame in truth. Truth shouts! Can you hear it? It's shouting your name and the Name of Jesus in a beautiful song of salvation and abundance:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

Have you come to the Father through Jesus? If you haven't then ask Jesus in sincere faith to save you from the lies of Satan. Turn from your sin and walk into the willing and merciful arms of Jesus.

And friend, if you have come to the Father through Jesus, act like it. Stop walking in the lies of guilt and shame and unworthiness. Stop buying into the lie and instead dance in the truth.

And tell Satan to hit the road because it is your righteous right in Jesus to live in freedom.

Because that's another thing about truth. It sets you free. So go today and live in freedom. Live in truth.

Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 

John 8:32 (emphasis mine)