As a pastor, I hear a lot of lies. Lies are the tool of the enemy. The more you allow yourself to think about and say a lie, the more it is endorsed. Don’t rehearse and endorse a lie. Replace the lie with the truth. Today, I want to share five lies I regularly hear as a pastor that we need to stop rehearsing and endorsing.

LIE #1 – My marriage can’t make it.

This lie is one that we really need to correct. If Jesus loves you enough to go to the cross for you, He loves you enough for your marriage to make it. If He can save the world, He can save your marriage. I am thankful to be part of a church that takes marriage seriously. If you have experienced a failed marriage, you know how painful it can be. But even a failed marriage in the past doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy marriage in the future.

I believe in your marriage, and I know God believes your marriage can make it.

Stop rehearsing and endorsing the lie that your marriage can’t make it.

TRUTH: Your marriage CAN make it.  

LIE #2 – I’m not good enough.

American artist James Whistler was once advised that a shipment of blank canvases he had ordered had been lost in the mail. When asked if the canvases were of any great value, Whistler remarked, “not yet, not yet.”

The keyword here is VALUE. You have great value in the eyes of God. You and I are good enough to die for you. Take a moment and correct this lie in your mind and your heart. Unfortunately, in today’s world, we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. When God gets involved, our past mistakes no longer define us. We have a clean slate. Paul wrote, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). None of us is perfect. The church exists to be the perfect place for imperfect people because God loves imperfect people.

I think you are good enough and God says you are good enough.

Stop rehearsing and endorsing the lie that you are not good enough.

TRUTH: You ARE good enough.

LIE #3 – God doesn’t care about me.

The church exists to share the good news of salvation by grace alone. We are saved by grace, but we still struggle in this world. Because God has not yet removed evil, we live in an evil world that results in pain and suffering. How do we understand and deal with our pain and suffering? Remember that God is at work and never wastes a hurt. His silence is not absence. Sometimes waiting is important, so be prepared to be still and have hope. Realize you are not alone, and the journey is important. Our freedom from pain is delayed but not denied. Jesus is enough. Ask yourself, “what is God doing here?” Ask yourself, “will I trust Him?”

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust. ” Psalm 18:2

I care about you, and I know that God cares about you.

Stop rehearsing and endorsing the lie that God doesn’t care about you.

TRUTH: God DOES care about you.

LIE #4 – Things will never get better.

This lie is the soil of depression, anxiety, and defeat. The hardest situations in life present a choice to either get BETTER or BITTER. Talking with God can help you push back bitterness and become a better person. The keyword here is HOPE.

When you feel like you have lost hope, talk with God. We exist to be people who pray without ceasing. One of the benefits of a relationship with God is that we have direct access to Him through prayer. However, we often misunderstand prayer to be our way of getting God to change our circumstances. When Paul prayed for people in the Bible, he never asked God to change their circumstances. Instead, he asked God to make them better in their circumstances. Even if your circumstances don’t get better, YOU CAN. Share with God about your situation and ask Him to give you the wisdom to see your situation from His perspective.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

I believe things will get better and I know God has great things ahead for you.

Stop rehearsing and endorsing the lie that things will never get better. 

TRUTH: Things WILL get better.

LIE #5 – My life doesn’t matter.

This lie is a dangerous and life-threatening one. Recent statistics tell us that there are about 5,000 teenagers who commit suicide every year. There are 2 million serious suicide attempts among young people each year.

God made us for relationships, and He created us to need each other. Someone needs to hear this today. You are needed! Christ paid a high cost for your life and for mine. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1John 3:1). If he loves us that much, who are we not to love ourselves? If you think the world would be better off without you, you are wrong. That is a lie. You are needed! You are loved, and you are not alone.

I believe your life matters, and I know your life matters to God.

Stop rehearsing and endorsing the lie that your life doesn’t matter.

TRUTH: Your life DOES matter.

Lies are the tool of the enemy. The more you allow yourself to think about and say a lie, the more it is endorsed. Don’t rehearse and endorse a lie. Replace the lie with the truth.

“Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Stop rehearsing, and endorsing lies.