Maybe all you’ve heard all your life or all you’re hearing now are as follows:

• God is so mad at you…
• You are damaged goods – you’re ugly and nobody likes you…
• You will never be a part of us. To fit in, to be accepted – you have to be this size or that color.
• You need to listen to that voice on the inside that is telling you that you are something other than who God made you biologically.
• The other shoe is about to drop… everybody is out to get you… the devil is behind every bush…
• You’ve got to give it to him to prove that you love him… that way you get a shot at a marriage proposal.
• A little pot won’t hurt… a little party won’t kill… one time click or a second look won’t destroy… flirting is just innocent fun – you’re not doing anything bad…

The lists, the whispers could go on forever.

One of the greatest battles you will ever fight – is the battle between truth and lies. Too many of us lose that battle everyday to the “father of all lies – Satan the devil.” He tells us lies about our heavenly father, about sin, about ourselves and about the world.

I can say with utmost certainty that each one of us have, at some point, believed a lie from either our culture about our sexuality, about money, about politics, or even how to raise a family.

One reason why the enemy is so successful and why we fall for his lies, is because of the very nature of the lies. Scripture says that the devil is tricky, sly, cunning and manipulative. He deals in deception – always casting doubt in our minds about what God said or didn’t say.

I believe in order to defeat him we must fight him with the very truth he tries to undermine. Jesus said in John 8:32, “if you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.”

The way we know the truth is, one, by knowing the one who is truth, and two, by allowing the word of truth to saturate our being.

That’s why it is important to not only to read the word of God, it is also important to meditate upon it. We must not only meditate upon the word, we must also hide the word in our hearts by way of memorization.

Memorizing scripture helps us:

• Resist temptations (Psalm 119:11).
• It helps us make wise decisions (Psalm 119:105).
• It helps us identify and extinguish every lie of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and wage effective spiritual warfare (Isaiah 54:17).

Allow me to point out two verses here in Psalm 31 that describe how to deal with falsehood, lies and negative voices:

Psalm 31:5 says, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Psalm 31:18 says, “Let the lying lips be mute…”

1/. You must commit your spirit to the Lord of truth. In other words, you must know Him and avail you heart and mind to His complete control. His word must dwell within you richly. His Spirit must have unrestrained access.

2/. As the word of God and the Spirit of truth rule your heart and mind, you will be able to not only discern falsehood but your will also be equipped to silence the lies of the enemy.

So, the question to us is – what lies, falsehood or negative voices need to be silenced today?

The way to continued and sustained victory is clear… take those steps today and stay free.