I think this may be what PTSD feels like. The nightmares and night sweats, heart palpitations and nausea, reliving the trauma and uncontrolled sobbing, irrational fears and fight or flight mode. If you know, you know.
This is where the enemy comes in. While I’m lying on the bathroom floor with the wind knocked out of me, he’s whispering in my ear, “I told you God doesn’t love you.” Maybe it’s just me; I don’t know. He’s used that lie on me before. When my daughter died. When my sister died. When we were rejected and betrayed by people we had poured our hearts into. When our son was prodigal. When the person I was supposed to grow old with went to Heaven without me.
I know it is a lie the instant it enters my brain, yet, in those moments, it’s a full-blown wrestling match to pin that thought down and defeat it. Perhaps that particular lie isn’t a struggle for you. But if you are a living, breathing child of God, the enemy of your soul is whispering something in your ear. Especially in your weak and vulnerable moments.
You’re not enough. You’re too much. This pain will never end. The answer is in the bottom of a bottle. You’ll never have victory. You’re a helpless victim. God isn’t good. This sin will bring you comfort. You’re not going to make it through this. Lie, upon lie, upon crippling lie.
He did it to Jesus, too.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’’
The battle for the mind is a war that must be fought with spiritual weapons, and Jesus Himself showed us how. Each time Satan whispered to Jesus in the wilderness, He responded with Scripture. God’s Word—our offensive weapon in the armor of God.
Only you know what goes on in the battle for your mind, but you have the same access to victory that I have. In my case, I have to combat the lie that God doesn’t really love me with these truths:
1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
God’s Word is truth. Absolute, infallible, irrefutable truth. And the only way to combat a lie is with truth. God is love. He cannot be untrue to Who He is, therefore He loves me. Nothing can separate me from His love; not even the rejection or death of those dearest to me. He proved His love for me on the cross, when He took my sin and guilt and placed it on His own Son. He loves me so much that He calls me His own. And He is faithful to His promises. Therefore, He will never stop loving me. This is truth. Anything contrary is a lie.
I may need to remind myself of all of these things again tomorrow. And that’s okay. As long as I stay in the battle and keep wielding my weapon.
How about you? What lies do you need to pin down? What does the Bible say?
Let’s learn to listen to—and believe—the Voice of truth.
April 24, 2022