From Hiding to Healing: Replacing Lies with God’s Truth

I just got back home from two weeks of ministry. The first week, I was at Kid's Camp with a group of 18 campers from our church aged 8-12. I love camp. It's so much fun, and a great opportunity to get disconnected from the world and connected to Jesus for a week.

This week the speaker talked about tearing down the walls we build up that keep us separated from God. We build these walls to protect ourselves because of the events in our life that cause us to believe lies about ourselves, God, and others. 

As the speaker was putting out boxes with the ways we protect ourselves on them and forming a wall, one of the boxes jumped out at me: Depression.

I knew I had been trying to hide myself from others in order to protect myself. I knew I have been purposefully separating myself from others over the last few months after a traumatic interaction with a close friend.

I had been hiding.

Trusting the wall of separation and hiding that I had built, instead of trusting God. 

Immediately I began repenting for agreeing with depression and building that wall of separation. I also renounced the lie I had believed that 'I am depressed'.

So many times, events happen in our life that cause us to believe lies about ourselves, others, and God. These lies contradict what God has said about us in His Word. We say things over ourselves that are not true: 'I am........' and it contradicts what the Bible says about us. 

As Christ-followers we must allow Christ to come and heal these lies. That is an important part of sanctification. Surrendering the lies we have believed about ourselves, for the truth of His Word. This is what builds our identity in Christ. This is what allows us to break free from the negative thought patterns that keep us in bondage. This is what allows us to renew our minds and experience transformation.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

 But how? 

How do you identify what the lies you or your children are believing and replace them with the truth? 

First, you must learn what God says about you.

The enemy gets you to believe negative things about yourself through, experiences, media, and fears. These come in as thoughts like "I am not good enough", "nobody cares about me", "I am all alone." You combat these lies with the truth of God's Word. 

Here is a list of "I Am Statements" by Neil T. Anderson that you can use to re-train your mind, or your child's mind. 

Second, you must renounce the lie that you have believed, which is the opposite of what God's Word says. 

Renouncing means that you "formally declare one's abandonment of that lie". You no longer decide to claim those lies as your identity. 

Third you must choose to believe the truth of God's Word. 

No longer do the lies have to control you. No longer do you have to allow things like depression, anxiety, and fear rule your heart and mind. There is freedom and healing available through Jesus Christ and the renewal of your mind with His Word. 

Understanding our Identity in Christ is so important in our walk with Christ and how we raise our children to become Kingdom Kids. 

Many kids today are walking around with these same walls built from rejection, fear, and identity confusion. As parents, we can help them tear those walls down by teaching them who they truly are in Christ.

We’re raising Kingdom Kids—and it starts with identity.

You don't have to do it alone.

 Check out the Raising Kingdom Kids course to give you 3 steps to building your child’s identity in Christ, so they do not have to live with the same walls built up around their hearts. 

Check out 'The Armor Series' for teens and young adults. Follows along on the journey of a teenage girl who has an encounter with a figure, and he helps her walk-through inner healing and renouncing the lies she has believed about herself. 

My next blog post will be about the second week of ministry: a mission trip to Cartagena, Columbia.