Lies Young Women Believe

GOD'S TRUTH
By Belinda Elliott

– Depression, Fear, Shame, Anger, Obsessions with food, dieting, or appearance, Sexual sin, Addictions.

Have you ever struggled with any of these? You are not alone!



Young women are under more pressure than ever to look, act, and feel certain ways, and the results are lives filled with stress and anxiety. But you don’t have to live that way.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh, authors of Lies Young Women Believe, say that woman struggle in these areas because they have bought into many of Sa-tan’s lies that are so prevalent in every culture. Why are these lies so widespread? Dannah Gresh feels that it is because we have given up searching out God’s truth, and we have allowed our culture to shape our values.

I say, “We don’t spend their time feasting on the Word of God. We spend it in front of the television watching Novela's (Soap series). We spend it in front of our computers watching dirty pages. When our feast is on places where there are lies presented, we’re not going to be able to know truth”.

Are You believing Sa-tan’s Lies?
In their book, the authors examine the top 25 lies that many have accepted as true, and they explain how to replace those lies with God’s truth. In a recent interview, Gresh identified two of the most common lies that young women believe.

Lie: Beautiful woman are worth more
‘I’m ugly.’ ‘I’m fat.’ Ever thought that about yourself?

Young women have believed lies like these for centuries, Gresh said. But there is a bigger lie that is at the root of them all: ‘I have to be beautiful to have worth.’ Believing this lie leads woman to starve themselves, or engage in other destructive behaviors. It can also lead to low self-esteem or depression because they feel they don’t measure up.

The Truth: If you’ve believed this lie, it’s time to take a closer look at God’s Word. Scripture says that you are valuable because you are God’s creation and He loves you. He alone gives our lives value.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

Though you may have a bad hair day now and then, God still considers you His masterpiece. He crafted you just as you are for a purpose.

Lie: I need a boyfriend
Do you feel better about yourself if you have a boyfriend? Do you think that you can’t be happy without a guy in your life?

The authors polled woman of all ages in both Christian and public, and found that this was an area where the most struggled. Woman often crave the attention of men because it boosts their self esteem. This is one of the most lethal lies you can buy into because it can lead to sexual sin.

“It’s a gateway lie to so many other lies,” Gresh said. “‘I need to have sex with him to keep him.’ ‘I can control how far that sex goes.’ ‘Now that I’m pregnant, I have to marry him.’”

If you don’t tackle this lie head on, it will continue to follow you. That all-consuming desire for a boyfriend will later become an urgent need for a husband.

The Truth: A person can’t make you happy. Any time we look for satisfaction or fulfillment in another person, we will be disappointed because only God can provide that for us.

Want to Find Freedom?

Identify the Lie
It’s easy to identify the outcomes of the lies, because they often show up as a blocked prayer life, depression, fear, or habitual sins. But recognizing the lie at the root of your behaviors can be more difficult. Begin by asking God to show you what things you believe that are not true.

Stop Cooperating with Sa-tan
There is always a progression to believing these lies. We often “cooperate with Sa-tan” by dwelling on the lie and then acting on it. You have to recognize what you are exposing yourself to that is feeding the lie.

“Sa-tan doesn’t have authority over us,” Gresh said. “Understand that he can’t put us in bondage unless we cooperate with him.”

Replace the Lies with Truth
Go to the Scriptures and look for God’s truth about lie. As you find verses that speak about that, hide them in your heart by memorizing them. Then meditate on them whenever you feel the urge to act out.

For example, tell yourself that you are just right at the size that you're at. Tell yourself: "He created me perfectly. He knew me in my mother’s womb." Go back to those verses. As you dwell on them, you are set free from the lie.