Lies Women Believe

This book has challenged me more than once so I thought I would share with you all some of the truths it has helped me with. I started reading this about a year ago but stopped because it kept telling me that things I believed were lies and I didn't want to deal with them or be challenged in that way. I have recently begun to read it again and instead of stopping because I'm uncomfortable I'm trying to embrace the truth behind what Nancy is bringing out. Here are a few examples:

The Lie: God is not really enough.

At first I, probably like you, disagreed with thinking this way until she writes this, "Sure, I need God. But I need Him plus close friends; I need Him plus good health; I need him plus a husband; I need Him plus a job that pays enough; I need him plus a house with a microwave, a washer/dryer, a garage, and a fresh paint job...Do we truly believe God is enough, or are we looking to other things and people to fill the empty places of our hearts - food, shopping, friends, hobbies, vacations, our job or our family?

The Truth: God is enough. If I have Him, I have all I need.

This was hard for me to come to speak as truth in my life and it still is at times. My prayers have been that God would be the only One that would fill me up and others would leave me feeling empty so that I continue to turn to God and not others, not even my fiance, for all of my fulfillment.

The Lie: I have my rights.

Today it is assumed that...

• you have a right to be happy;
• you have a right to be understood;
• you have a right to be loved;
• you have a right to a certain standard of living, to an equitable wage, and to decent benefits;
• you have a right to a good marriage;
• you have a right to companionship and romance;
• you have a right to be treated with respect in the workplace;
• you have right to be valued by your husband and appreciated by your children;
• you have a right to time off and a certain number of vacation days;
• you have a right to a good night's sleep;
• you have a right to have your husband pitch in with the household chores;
• you have a right to be angy;
• you have a right to insist on your rights!

The Lord asks Jonah in Jonah 4:4 "Have you any right to be angry?" Jonah's emotions were controlled by whether or not he thought his rights were being fulfilled. Jonah felt he had the right to control his own life and environment, to have things go the way he wanted them to go, and to be angry when they didn't. His insistence on his rights caused him to be emotionally unstable, isolated, and estranged from God.

The Truth: Claiming rights will put me in bondage. Yielding rights will set me free.

Again, this was very hard for me to accept because it is so natural for me to keep my rights and want my rights. After a few attempts of trying to hold on to my rights and getting nowhere except frustration I am working on yielding my rights and have found it to be so much more freeing and also not so self-centered.

The Lie: I should not have to live with unfulfilled longings.

Our society has bought into the philosophy that there is (or ought to be) a remedy (preferably quick and easy) for every unfulfilled longing. Therefore...if you're hungry, eat. If you want something you can't afford, charge it. If you crave romance, dress or act in a way that will get men to notice you. If you're lonely, share your heart with whatever man you'd like regardless if you or he are married.

The Truth: I will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven. (Romans 8:23) The deepest longings of my heart cannot be filled by any created person or thing. If I will accept them, unfulfilled longings will increase my longing for God and for heaven.

Every created thing and person is guaranteed to disappoint us. Things can burn or break or be stolen or get lost. People can move or change or fail or die. I will always be disappointed and also be setting unrealistic expectations on people and things if I look to them to completely satisfy and fulfill me. God has made us in such a way that we can never be truly satisfied with anything or anyone less than Himself. It is not wrong to have unfulfilled longings - they do not make us any less spiritual. We must learn to accept those longings, surrender them to God, and look to Him to meet the deepest needs of our hearts.

I plan on continuing to read this book so I may share more in future posts about some lies and truths I am discovering.