“There are no harmless lies. We cannot expose ourselves to the world’s false, deceptive way of thinking and come out unscathed. Eve’s first mistake was not eating the fruit; her first mistake was listening to the Serpent.”
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Fault lines. We all have them hiding quietly within our minds. “Fault line refers to a long crack, break or fracture on the surface of the earth. Fault lines are usually caused by a shift of tectonic plates.” The fault lines I’m personally acquainted with are the lies I believe.
When I was twenty-seven years old I had a tumor on my thyroid, which resulted in half of my thyroid being removed. The pathology report came back as follicular carcinoma. Having the big C-word, cancer, stamped across my neck terrified me. I remember I was so distraught, weeping uncontrollably one Sunday morning while driving home from church. I had myself dead, buried and John remarried. While stopped at a red light, the Lord asked me, “Do you know for sure that’s going to happen?” I told Him, “No.” He then preceded to give me a principal to live by: “Tell yourself the truth.”
Fault lines are cracks in our thinking which hinder and weaken our walk with God. The scary thing is, just like fault lines in the earth, you don’t always realize they’re there until an earthquake happens and devastating damage is done.
One of my fault lines was established the weekend of my wedding. For some reason, even though my Dad liked John and approved of our marriage, Dad emotionally struggled with the whole idea of his “baby” getting married. I remember crying while sitting in the pew at our wedding rehearsal, because I was unsure my Dad was going to walk me down the aisle the next afternoon. Fortunately he did, but he did not attend the rehearsal dinner, nor the reception in my parents’ backyard. The fault line that developed within my mind and heart was, “Men are not there for me at significant times in my life.” Ten years later during John’s residency training, there was a chance he was going to miss our son’s birth. As a result an earthquake exploded within my heart from believing that lie and I lost it, crying hysterically. Overreacting to something can be indicative of a fault line or a deep wound that is not healed.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The lies we believe effect our actions and emotions; what we do, say, and feel. Likewise, believing the truth, has the same effect within us. If we tell ourselves something is awful, then we’ll feel awful and play the role of a victim. On the other hand, we will handle things better if we tell ourselves we might not like what is happening, but God is with us and has our best interest at heart. Our thoughts are powerful; releasing death or life, poison or nourishment to our souls.
The apostle Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” We renew our minds by telling ourselves the truth. The lies we believe need to be replaced with God’s truth. Our minds need to agree with God and His Word. We need to detoxify our minds, remove the poisonous thoughts which are holding us captive, and stop listening to the Serpent.
What are some of the fault lines in your mind? Fill up the cracks in your thoughts with God’s Word and exchange the lies with His truth. Replace “God doesn’t have my best interest
at heart” with “God is good and what He does is good.” (Psalm 119:68) Exchange the belief of “No one loves me” with “I am loved with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3) Fill in the fault line of “I’m defective” with “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14) And substitute “I am more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me” for the crack which says, “I am a victim.” When your mind is filled up with the truth, then nothing will be able to hinder or weaken your walk with God.
“We’re going to have to let the truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us.”
Beth Moore
Relevant Reflections:
1. What are the fault lines in your mind?
2. What truths from God’s Word can replace the lies you believe?
3. How has believing lies or God’s truth effected your behavior and emotions?