"You'll never amount to anything!"
"You're not pretty enough."
"You're not talented enough."
"You're not smart enough."
"No one likes you."
"You'll always be a failure."
"If I just work hard enough, then I'll be accepted."
"If I meet his every need, then he'll love me."
"If I don't make any mistakes, then he won't hit me."
"If I give her everything she wants, then she'll love me."
"If I'm really good, Mom/Dad will love me."
Our world is filled with lies, and those lies have a very negative impact upon our lives.
Israel believed the lie that if they just went through the forms of worship, then God would accept them. Isaiah warns the people to get their hearts right with God or face the consequences. But, the people wanted to believe their lie, so they lost their country and were hauled away into Babylonian captivity.
It is the believing of a lie that handicaps so many of us. It is being told as a child that you will never amount to anything so you begin to believe it. You don't push yourself to achieve because you are a failure. Mom and Dad said so!
It is being told by a parent that "it's not your fault" when clearly it is, so you grow up believing that the mistakes you make are really someone else's fault. So, you live a life of refusing responsibility for your own actions. People stop wanting to be around you because they are tired of trying to fix your mistakes.
A lie that rears its head in marriages is, "I don't think I've ever really loved you." We want to believe this lie because it gives us an excuse to abandon our marriage. In reality, marriage is hard work and we just don't want to work that hard. We want it easy like the movies say it should be.
If you are trapped in believing a lie, reach out for help. God never intended for us to live a lie. He wants us to know the truth because the truth will set us free. (John 8:32)