How often do we get stuck in the analysis of paralysis? So often our thoughts get stuck in an endless loop and keep us from moving forward. In a recent episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast, I talked with Cheryl Lutz about the power of our thoughts, the reality of spiritual warfare and the fact that we can be securely held in the midst of such battles. If you missed that episode, you can listen here: Spiritual Warfare is Real – Episode 93. Today I’ve asked Cheryl to talk about the five practical strategies for breaking the power of hidden lies.

Five Practical Strategies for Breaking the Power of Hidden Lies:
You Can be Free from the Lies of Your Past!
By Cheryl Lutz

Hidden Lies Keep Us Stuck.

Have you ever wrestled with the same sin over and over, wondering why you can’t seem to break the pattern? I have.

I wrestled for years with obsessive people-pleasing. Finally, I began to recognize I was wasting physical and emotional energy on the impossible task of keeping everyone happy. It was exhausting! A therapist helped me see I was making the approval of others an idol. Lightbulb moment! Yikes…I was making people more prominent than the King of the Universe.

But, even after the realization and confession of the seriousness of my idolatry, I couldn’t seem to break free. I was stuck in an ugly cycle of guilt and shame. BUT GOD. When we’re seeking His face, our gracious Father never leaves us stuck in our sin. Through the Holy Spirit, He began showing me there were lies I believed at the root of my struggle.

Like me, do you long to get unstuck?

I found five practical strategies for breaking the power of hidden lies, and I’d like to take a few minutes to share with you. Because, let’s face it, we all want to experience freedom from the guilt and shame the enemy throws at us!

1.  Recognize

“So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)

Have you ever sincerely desired to change yet found yourself back in the same place? Different day, same struggle! There is likely a hidden lie from the enemy at the root of the sin. The first step to freedom is to recognize there is a deeper issue we need to explore.

2. Expose the ROOT

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” ~ Hebrews 12:15 (ESV)

I had to ask the Holy Spirit to expose my sin and the WHY of my specific struggle. Unprocessed pain and unforgiveness can be the root cause, making us vulnerable to hidden lies. For me, the Lord showed me some buried childhood wounds that left me believing the lie of the enemy that I was responsible for issues that were outside my control. I was striving to arrange the chessboard to keep everyone happy. An exhausting task!

3. Repent

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ~ 1 John 1:7

We need to ask the Lord’s forgiveness for the specific sin and repent of the hidden lie of the enemy we have been believing. Exposing the enemy’s lies to the light of Christ breaks their power. We know that Satan is the “father of lies,” so we are not responsible for the falsehoods he whispers in our ears. However, we are responsible for believing them!

4. Renew

“..but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 12:2

Exposing and repenting of the lie is crucial, but we also need to replace the enemy’s lie with the truth of God’s Word. I realized that is what the Scripture means when it calls us to renew our minds. When I was just rebuking the lie, it kept coming back. I needed to go a step further and ask the Holy Spirit to replace the lie with a specific truth from the Word.

5. Revere

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord..” ~ Genesis 8:20 “..and the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma..” ~ Genesis 8:21

Like Noah, after deliverance from a storm or a sin, our first act should always be to revere the precious name of our Father. He delights in our sweet-smelling worship! Worship is also a weapon that shuts the mouth of the “father of lies.”

YOU can be set free from the lies of your past! Let God’s light shine on your hidden secrets breaking their power.
Then you can exchange the cloak of guilt and shame and step into your blood-bought freedom!

We would love to hear how you have found freedom from the lies of your past in the comments below.

Father,
We are so very grateful for your everlasting love that is not based on what we do or what we don’t do, but on the fact that you are love and are incapable of anything other than love. Help us Lord to tune our ear toward you, to hear your voice above every other voice, and to recognize the lies for what they are, then be able to refute them with your truth. We thank you that your Holy Spirit reminds us of all truth. We ask that your Holy Spirit would strengthen us with the truth of your Word.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.

About Cheryl Lutz

Cheryl Lutz has an infectious laugh, and smiling is her favorite! She is a trained and experienced Speaker, Lay Counselor, and founder of the ministry, Securely Held. Her passion is helping others realize Christ firmly holds them amid spiritual warfare. She is married to her pastor and best friend (who has transitioned to a full-time teaching ministry), has four adult children, a bonus son by marriage, and is Mimi to her oldest daughter’s dog and youngest son’s cat.

Connect with Cheryl here: Cheryl’s Facebook / Securely Held’s Facebook

 

 

 

 

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There is hope.

Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the companion Hope Prevails Bible Study help the reader understand how depression comes to be, recover their joy, reclaim their peace, and re-establish their true identity, while knowing their worth, remembering their secure destiny, and being confident that nothing separates them from God’s love.

Hope Prevails and the Hope Prevails Bible Study are must-reads for anyone suffering from depression or knows someone suffering from depression.

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