The Help Club for MomsExemplo

Replacing Lies with Truth

By Kristall Willis

"I’m a bad mom.”

“I’m not successful or productive.”

“I can’t do this.”

These are the words I sometimes hear in my mind. Do you listen to them too?

Quite often, I struggle with toxic thoughts about myself, which causes me to respond to my kids out of frustration and irritation. I lose my patience with them when they are just merely being kids, and then I feel worse. My children suffer and are not seeing the best version of me as a mommy because I am believing lies! Why do we believe these lies about ourselves? The truth is that the enemy of our souls wants to plant this constant negative thought chatter in our minds. Satan is crafty and manipulative, and he relishes in our weakness. But guess what, mama? Jesus is stronger, and His authority will triumph in our mothering!

In trying to stop this cycle, I have turned to Scripture to find the truth. The Word of God is filled with so much encouragement, strength, and power. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger,” and James 1:19 says, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” These Scriptures have become unwavering truths for me and are now in my arsenal to wield against Satan.

I have found the practice of turning my worries and fears into prayers also helps exchange these lies with truths. For example, when I worry about my children getting hurt, I’ll say, “Lord, please protect and watch over them. Send Your angels to guard and guide them.” Or when I worry about my husband, I’ll pray, “Lord, be with my husband as he works. Give him confidence in You to follow Your will and feel Your Spirit’s presence around him. Strengthen him to rely on You and show him You are his provider and how much You love him.” This takes control from the enemy and passes my burdens over to our Lord and Savior.

Our “enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is ready and waiting to tempt you and bring you down that rabbit hole of bad thoughts again and again! Remember, though, he is not very creative and tends to use the same triggers over and over. We have to remember the Word of God continually and hide it deep in our hearts.

This practice of fixing our minds on things from above is not something we tend to do naturally—it takes prayer, discipline, obedience, and continued training. By filling our minds with God’s Word, we can begin responding with truth from Scripture. Oh, how this will change our daily interactions, responses, and moods!