Building A Close Relationship With God Series: Overcome Religious Lies
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“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”-John 8:32
One of the reasons people don’t feel close to God is because they believe a religious lie, often picked up in childhood. Have you ever thought about what you believe about God? Could you believe a lie? It may be the reason you feel far from Him.
Ann Believed a Religious Lie
Ann grew up in the church and felt a connection to God as a child, but as an adult, she feels God is far off. She can never measure up to all the Christian do’s and don’ts, and the standards are too hard for her to keep. She feels disappointed in herself when she doesn’t read her Bible enough or want to go to church. It’s hard for her to feel a connection to God when she’s in church, so she figures, what’s the point?
She likely believes a lie that in order to be loved by God she has to perform perfectly. She believes she needs to earn His love, and when she makes a mistake or doesn’t follow through with the perceived do’s and don’ts of Christian living, God doesn’t love her.
She is absolutely wrong because God’s love isn’t earned, it’s given freely based on His goodness, not ours.
We all have different views of God and most of us are likely living out some distorted view of Him based on our personal experience, our family, and our church dynamics. The hardest part is most of us never question the distorted views of God we carry.
I’m convinced none of us escapes this ploy as the Enemy lies to us about God. The Bible explains the role the devil plays like this, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”-John 8:44 A major tactic of the Enemy is to lie to us about God to prevent us from moving closer to him.
According to Life Coaches, Daryl and Janet Daughtry, of Life Breakthrough Academy, the progression looks like this. We have a belief, which becomes a thought, which directs our emotions, which then becomes a behavior. So if what we believe about God isn’t true, we’ll have a hard time connecting to Him.
Dr. Chris Thurman, in his book “The Lies We Believe”, outlines several lies that can contribute to our feeling no connection with God.
Lies We Believe About God:
“God’s love must be earned.”
“God hates the sin and the sinner.”
“Because I am a Christian, God will protect me from pain and suffering.”
“All my problems are caused by my sins.”
“It is my Christian duty to meet all the needs of others.”
“A good Christian doesn’t feel angry, anxious or depressed.”
“God can’t use me unless I’m spiritually strong.”
What we believe to be true is what we act out of, so if we’re believing a lie about God it can be very destructive. The lie becomes a chain that binds us from the ability to receive God’s goodness. Each of these lies is powerful and meant to keep us from a loving God. Being aware of them is the beginning of healing. How do we overcome a lie once we know we believe it?
Each lie can be refuted by truth from God’s Word. For example, the lie, “God’s love must be earned” can be refuted by the Biblical truth in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It can also be torn down with the truth in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast.”
This is why it’s so important to renew our minds with the truth of God’s Word. If we don’t spend time reading the Word, it will be difficult for us to recognize lies. We have believed some of these lies for a long time that they become our norm, and we don’t recognize them as lies.
This list of lies is a good place to start if you feel distant from God. Spend some time in prayer or talk with a coach or counselor if you’re feeling stuck in one of these lies. It will require new patterns of thinking to overcome the lies. The truth will set you free and you’ll be able to feel a closer connection to God.
Dear Papa, Help me recognize the lies I’ve been believing that keep me from experiencing Your presence, goodness, and love. Help me pull down the destructive thought patterns that distort the correct view of who You are. Give me wisdom and help to discern the truth from Your Word so I can see You for who you truly are: loving, kind, good, generous, compassionate, helpful, redeemer, rebuilder, forgiver, restorer, faithful, the giver of life, wise, and trustworthy. Amen.
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