We're up to lie #5 in our series on exposing the enemy's schemes..."Approval means I'm loved." This lie was nearly my undoing. I desperately want people to like me. There. I said it. The thought of someone being displeased with me in any way drops a sick feeling in my gut. What's one way to shake that cold feeling of dread? Work harder. Be more agreeable, more likable. Fit in. Be accepted and never, ever let them see the real you. After all, if they know what you're really like, the acceptance will disappear. Right?   That's what I told…

Lord, thank You for the gift of language. Thank You for written words that connect and reveal Your heart to ours. Thank you for the gift of creativity. The way Your Spirit moves through the realm of the unseen muse is a precious gift. I lift up my words, my written thoughts, my stories on the altar to You, Lord. I do not idolize them, Father, or think they are without flaw, for like me they are messy and tainted by sin. Yet I offer all that I have and yield it to You. In my weakness, show Yourself strong.…

As part of our series "Liar", a look at the enemy's schemes and how to defeat them, we've come to a rather tricky little lie. Little #4: God is not really enough. Why is this one so sneaky? I think it's because many of us don't realize we have fallen for it. The truth is we say Jesus is all we need, we sing it in countless hymns and worship songs and print it on t-shirts and bumper stickers. But do we really mean it?  I was recently singing Kari Jobe's beautiful song "What Love Is This" in worship one…

Welcome back to our blog series "Liar", a look at our enemy and the lies he tells us. As a refresher, we've discussed Lie #1 "God's Main Concern is my Happiness" and Lie #2 "If my life were different, I would be different". This week's lie seems to be an arrow flung with far too much frequency by the enemy and one believed by far too many of God's children. Lie #3: "I'm worthless." Whenever I'm teaching at retreats about the enemy's lies and I come to this one, I ask the ladies to raise their hands if they have…

Welcome back to our blog series "Liar", a look at the lies Satan tells us and how to defeat them. Lie #2 is a sneaky one, one that I've fallen for many times. "If my life were different, I would be different."  If my job only paid better... If my husband treated me like he cared... If our house wasn't so small... If my health was good... If my kids would listen... Have you been there? It's a tempting way to live life. The "If Onlys" provide us with a fantasy world of perfection. A land where all our troubles…

Welcome to the launch of a new blog series entitled "Liar". No, I'm not talking about what we regularly scream at our scales during weigh-ins. For the next few weeks, we'll be looking at the enemy of our souls, Satan, and some of his most common lies. I know from talking with many of you, we are stuck in the same cycle of behavior. The same mistakes and failures, the same steps to repair the damage, a step forward into freedom and then, whoops! We fall into the same old mess again. Part of that, I'm afraid, is just being…