Lies Women BelieveSýnishorn

The Christian life is supposed to be a life of blessing, freedom, and joy. Right? 

So . . . look around. Would you say that describes most of the Christian women you know? Does it describe you?

And why is it that most women I know (including myself far too often) are not experiencing true freedom in one or more areas of their lives?

Why do so many of us live under a cloud of guilt and condemnation? Why do we struggle to enjoy God’s love and experience His grace?

Many women are enslaved to their past. Whether as the result of their own failures or the failures of others, their past hangs like a huge weight around their neck. They carry it everywhere they go, unable to break free from the burden.

Others are in bondage to what the Bible calls the “fear of man”—gripped by a fear of rejection, a fear of what people think of them, and a craving for approval. Still others are emotional prisoners, enslaved by worry, fear, anger, depression, and self-pity.

One of the greatest areas of captivity women express is in relation to food. I’ve heard this from women of all sizes and shapes. Some can’t stop eating. Some can’t make themselves eat. All are in prison.

Now, I don’t mean to suggest that all women are a mess (although we all have moments when that’s the case!). But I am saying that all of us as Christian women deal with areas of spiritual bondage. And these issues require more than superficial solutions and remedies.

When we turn to the Scripture, we’re reminded that God didn’t intend for it to be this way. We read the words of Jesus in the gospel of John and know that God has something better for us: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Would you say that you are experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give? Or do you often find yourself just existing, coping, surviving?

I’m not asking if you have a trouble-free life. In fact, some of the most winsome, joyful women I know are women who are living in really difficult marriages; women who have wept at the graveside of a son or daughter; women who have been diagnosed with cancer or are caring for an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s.

But somehow, in the midst of the problems and the pain, they have discovered a source of life that enables them to walk through the valley with peace, confidence, and wholeness.

You say, “That’s what I want! I want it for myself; I want it for other women I know. Where do we begin?”

Through years of interacting with women about our shared burdens and concerns and searching the Word of God for wisdom, I’ve come to a simple but profound conclusion about the root of most of our struggles: You and I have been lied to. We have been deceived.

To understand how and why we’ve been deceived, we need to take a walk back to where all our problems began: the Garden of Eden. This was the first home of Adam and Eve. It was a perfect, ideal environment. But what took place in that setting thousands of years ago has a huge bearing on each of our lives today.

A lie told by the Deceiver to Eve was the starting place for all the trouble in the history of the world. Eve listened to that lie, believed that lie, and acted on that lie. In some sense every problem, every war, every wound, every broken relationship, every heartache goes back to that first simple lie. And as lies have a way of doing, that one lie grew and spun off more lies. And we, the daughters of Eve, have followed in her steps—listening to, believing, and acting on one lie after another.

But we’ve got to do more than identify the Deceiver and his lies. I want to introduce you to the power of the Truth. I want you to see that believing and acting on the Truth is our means to freedom—not just survival, not escape, but true, amazing freedom in the midst of this fallen, broken, hurting world.

~Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

Questions:

● Where do you feel stuck? Are there areas in your life where you are living in bondage?

● What is one thing you could do today to remind yourself of God’s truth?

It is our hope that women would be truly set free from the bondage of lies. If you’re enjoying this week’s devotionals, learn more about Lies Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free, where Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth identifies 45 lies many women face and the truth that counters those lies. We hope this book encourages and equips you on your journey to freedom.