The new year brings new inspiration, and I get super excited about trying new things: I want to diversify my work-ous, leave behind the sarcasm and pick up more laughter, develop new products for my online store, and dive deeper into understanding the Enneagram.
That’s when the lies start bouncing around in my head.
Your brain does this too: it thinks of all these amazing ideas, new habits you’d like to form, unhealthy patterns you’d like to lose, and dreams you want to live out. But you may have noticed that…
…as you start fresh, five lies creep in, but God comes in with the truth.
Lie #1: If I can’t do this perfectly, I shouldn’t try.
Not knowing how to do something “the right way” with excellence means you never do the new thing. Your enemy shouts that it’s far better to do nothing than to do something imperfectly. Better to avoid than to “fail” and look like an idiot.
God’s Truth #1: His people are always imperfect, but they also make progress.
Look at King David, the only person ever called a man after God’s own heart. He was 100% imperfect: jealous, fearful, manipulative, murderous, but God didn’t need or ask David to live flawlessly. God wanted David simply to trust and obey Him. God desires the same for you.
You don’t need to launch the new work-out routine perfectly or start the blog with zero mistakes. You aren’t responsible for holding it all together. God is with you and for you. He wants you to trust that He’ll love and protect you wherever He leads.
Lie #2: What I want to improve is too messed up to fix.
It’s easy to assess where you are and deem the finances, parenting, or marriage, too far gone. Your enemy tells you that some things are just too messy to make pretty. Better to cut your losses now.
God’s Truth #2: Nothing is too big of a mess for God.
Look at Israel. Their first king, Saul, made a disaster of the country, and yet, God restored His relationship with Israel by giving them David. What seemed lost at the time was made right in ways few could ever imagine. God desires to heal, restore, replace, and make new any broken relationship or hurt. God is in the restoration business.
You don’t need to evaluate and assess how messy your situation is. You aren’t cleaning things up on your own. God does the heavy lifting. You get to hold His hand and obey what He tells you to do – even when it’s hard. God desires that you bring the messiness to Him so He can restore it.
Lie #3: It’s too late for me to start something new.
It may seem like there’s nothing you can do to heal old wounds, restore a relationship, or shed baggage accumulated over decades. Your enemy tells you that you’re out of time and you’ve lost your chance. Better to walk away.
God’s Truth #3: It’s never too late in God’s kingdom.
Look at David (again!). He was promised by God that he’d be Israel’s king as a teenager and it seemed like forever until that happened. God’s timing allows for solutions and restorations that our enemy doesn’t want us to believe are possible. God is in charge of time and can do anything He wants.
You don’t need to calculate how much time you think you have left to make a difference. Want to discipline your kids better? Want to form that non-profit? Want to study the Bible? It’s not too late. God is in charge of the clock and if you’re alive, there’s time.
Lie #4: The best course of action is to marinate on my past mistakes.
Wallowing is easy. Taking note of every failure over decades seems familiar. Your enemy shouts that it’s best to just stay stuck because it takes too much energy to break old patterns. Better to just lay low.
God’s Truth #4: Repent and then move forward.
Look at David. A sinful choice led to the catastrophic and wholesale killing of an entire family of priests (1 Samuel 22). When told of the news, David didn’t waste time on guilt and regret. He took responsibility and then took his next right step. God wants that for you. God says that your past doesn’t define you, that there’s freedom for you.
You don’t have to marinate in past mistakes. Repent, a.k.a. confess what you’ve done to God and others, then live an amended life. God wants freedom, not captivity, for you.
Lie #5: I am who I am.
It’s easy to believe that change is impossible, especially when you’ve got generations of examples of unhealthy behaviors to follow. Your enemy asks who you are to change decades of behavior. Better to just accept who you are and live with it.
God’s Truth #5: God can transform you.
Look at Saul-turned-Paul. The most zealous and legalistic man for God became the most gracious and truth-speaking person for Christ. Your Heavenly Father wants you free. God makes all things new.
You aren’t stuck in your past or patterns because you have a God who wants to set you free so you can run the race that He has set before you. If you want to start something fresh this year, something that requires you to lose unhealthy patterns, God can transform you in ways you cannot ask or imagine. No matter your past or family history, you are not the sum total of every generational sin.
Sweet friend, your enemy wants you stuck, isolated, frustrated, and rooted in the status quo, but God wants you alive and free.
This year, may inspiration strike you to do something new. May you be more in alignment with who Christ created you to be. May the lies the enemy speaks get thrown back in his face. And may you believe that your God is for you and with you.
If you’re ready to lower the volume on the lies you’re hearing in your head, register for the 5-day Inner Critic Challenge.
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I have gotten tricked so many times by lie 1 in the past, but see myself believing all of these at one point or another in my life. I love how you gave the lie and followed it up by the truth. So helpful.
Crystal, wanting to do something new perfectly is a lie we so easily fall into. But God is so good in that He asks us not for perfection, but for obedience and trust! -jill
Preach! I mean, please, preach this to me every single day because I NEED TO HEAR IT! (Specifically, I need this today as I’m preparing to launch a podcast on Tuesday and feel all the perfectionist pain in the world over it.) Thank you. <3
Mary – so glad that you’re preaching this to yourself as you launch your podcast into the world. I’m rooting you on over here! -jill