I could hear the mockers in my mind whispering, “You’re not good enough, they think you’re annoying, you sing off pitch, you’re going to let everyone down, you’re too prideful, they don’t care what you have to say, you’re too young.”

You see, every promise of God in my life, at one point or another, has been challenged by the voice of doubt and unbelief. These promises have been twisted into feelings of needing to prove myself to the world, the devil and God. They became something they were never meant to be.

Have you ever been there? Wondering if what He said is true? Wondering if you can measure up to the destiny over your life? Perhaps you’re there now.

I can remember the moments when people would come up to me and try to encourage me, saying, “you’re so confident,” “you have an incredible gift,” “what an awesome time of worship,” and everything inside of me scoffed, “yeah, sure…”

In hindsight, I believed the lies over the promises and was completely unaware that I was aligning my identity with the liar. It was just recently that God began to bring real clarity to this area of my life.

Earlier this year, my husband and I were sitting through the CORE Discipleship Intensive orientation day. Pastor Renee Groff challenged us with a question, “What are the areas in your life that you need to surrender?”

Feeling like I’ve asked this question a million times, I, with some attitude, asked, “alright, God, what do I need to surrender now?” The voice of the Holy Spirit immediately rang clear in my mind, “I want you to surrender your identity.” I felt unsure what He was getting at, so I asked Him, “are you talking about my future, my plans, my pride, what specifically are you asking of me?” I heard Him speak, “No. I am going after the lies that you believe about yourself.”

All the lies, the mockers, the voices that I believed came flooding through my mind, and I sat there broken before Jesus. You see, without realizing it, I had begun to repeat over myself these same lies that had accumulated throughout my life. Unwittingly, I would speak them over my identity, my destiny, and who I was as a child of God.

In that moment of clarity, Holy Spirit began to do a work in my heart and my mind. He jumpstarted me on a journey of confronting the lies and demolishing the voice of unbelief in my life.

A few weeks later, I was sitting at a conference for church leaders and the speaker asked a question. He said, “Who gave the voice of man the authority of God’s voice in your life?”

I was struck. Struck by the truth of that statement and the awareness that it brought to the idolatry of other influences in my life. That day I wept. I wept for all the times I believed those around me over the promises of God. For all the times I believed the lies over the truth, for all the times I had placed someone else, other than Jesus, on the throne of my mind. Holy Spirit was bringing healing to my mind and belief, and I believe He wants to do the same for you.

So, I want to ask you what He asked me, “Whose voice are you listening to?”

KNOW THE WORD OF GOD

There is no better voice to be attentive to than the word of God. I like the way The Message translates Hebrews 6:13-18 (MSG). It reads, “When God wanted to guarantee His promises, He gave His word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break His word. And because His word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.”

You see, every time we place our confidence in the word of God and His promises, there is an unshakeable, unchangeable, rock-solid guarantee of their fulfillment in our lives.

Every voice that speaks something contrary to God’s word and His promises over your life is a LIAR. It’s time to start identifying the liars in our lives and calling them out for what they are. We need to speak to those lies and declare the truth.

ARM YOURSELF WITH TRUTH

Ephesians 6:14 (ESV) says, “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” In this verse, there are intentional action words. They are a call to stand, to fasten and to put on. We can see a partnership happening and that partnership requires something of us.

As much as we might wish, the lies don’t just magically disappear into thin air. Instead, we are required to intentionally fasten truth to ourselves to combat the liars in our lives. Truth is found in the word of God, and for every lie, there is truth that can take it out.

DON’T FIGHT ALONE

So, are you ready for battle? You don’t have to fear, you are not alone in this fight. Jesus promised His disciples, “…behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, ESV). If you have said yes to Jesus and are His disciple, then this promise is available to you. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, today is the day to say “yes” to Jesus, and stop living and fighting your battles alone. Make your decision so that the next time a lie tries to infiltrate your identity, you use the word of God, His promises, His partnership and go to war. Ask Holy Spirit to renew your mind daily, and live ready for battle, armed with truth.