It happened again. I walked into church five minutes early and scanned the crowd. This was my second time visiting this church on a Sunday, but I had attended the young adults group Tuesday night. Recognizing only a few people, I chose to sit on the opposite side of the sanctuary from where all the other young adults sit together. In a few brief moments, I had created the belief in my mind that I would be unwelcome. It didn’t matter that on Tuesday, multiple people told me they hoped I would be back on Sunday. I placed more weight on my unnecessary doubt, than on the truth clear to everyone but me.

The fear of being unwanted stopped me from connecting at church today. The lies I chose to believe in a fleeting moment dictated my actions. And that happens a lot more than it should. I’m reflecting on how many of my plans are altered or controlled by the lies that slip in and out of my mind.

I think lies start surfacing for me when I’m about to do something impactful or important. Sure, picking a seat at church seems minor- but today I chose fear instead of community.

2 Corinthians 10:5–“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I’m able to take captive the big lies. You know the ones. The lies that try to tell me I am unworthy of love and friendship, or that I am a burden. Even the lie that tells me my addiction makes me “less then,” I can call it out. I’ve learned how to grab those thoughts and stomp on them. It’s the small lies that finagle their way into my mind that start influencing me. When I accept a lie as my truth, I am giving it authority. I am allowing a fleeting lie be my boss in that moment. So today I say the lies are unwelcome- not me.

What lies are you going to squash today?