5 Ways to Prevent Mistaken Identity

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Welcome Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotion readers. If the rest of you haven’t read my devotion, click here to do so.

Mistaken identity. I do it all the time around here since we share a computer with our teens.

I think I am logged in as me, but I find I am cruising the Internet as someone else.

Spiritually it is also easy to have mistaken identity; to believe we are someone we are not. Satan’s biggest scheme is to make us doubt God and what He says to and about us. It is his oldest trick in the book.

Here are some ways to prevent identity theft by Satan; how to keep your mind centered on what God thinks about you.

Leave a comment and you may win a signed copy of Renee Swope’s book A Confident Heart.

5 Ways to Prevent Mistaken Identity

1. Read God’s Word. Though that sounds simplistic, I know the days I struggle with wrong thoughts about myself are the ones where it has been a few days since I cracked my Bible. Such tools as You Version on your smart phone or a small Bible that will fit in your purse can help you work reading the Bible into your busy schedule.

2. Find and replace.  Just like the feature on your computer, you can find those destructive words you are tempted to believe about yourself and replace them with God’s truth. I use www.biblegateway.com to locate scriptures by searching key words.

If you think you are incapable of living a godly life because you just can’t seem to do it, find 2 Timothy 1:9 that says, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time”

If you feel you aren’t wanted or loved, find Colossians 3:12 that states,  “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Each time Satan tries to whisper you aren’t good enough, let God shout that you are.

3. Don’t go it alone. Find a friend who will be available for you to call on those days when your thinking about yourself is askew. My friend Mary has talked me off the ledge and back down to reality on many days when I was tempted to take the leap head-first into wrong thinking.

4. Grab a pen.  I find that getting alone and writing my thoughts to God in a journal or notebook helps me to slow down and think more clearly. Be honest. Tell Him your fears, failures and desires for change. Nothing you can say will surprise Him. He knows it all. And He loves you anyway.

5. Grab a book. Besides Renee’s great book listed above, here are a few of my favorite books that help me to remember who and whose I am:

~ Crazy Love  by Francis Chan.

~ Self Talk, Soul Talk  by Jennifer Rothschild.

~ My Utmost for His Highest  by Oswald Chambers.

~ Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Now, to be entered to win Renee’s book, leave a comment with the lie you are most tempted to believe about yourself. Don’t forget to scroll down to the other two giveaways this week: the beach-themed gift centered on the novel The Guest Book and yesterday’s Christmas in July giveaway. All winners announced tomorrow.

129 Comments

  1. I struggle with thinking that I’m not doing enough to serve God and with my body image, including lots of spider veins.

  2. What a great thoughts for today! I know God knows our hearts desire and yet EVERY day I am amazed at how He brings to each of us ‘just what we need’ for the day, whether through His word or through others. As I scan down all of these replies today, I can relate to so many. My biggest struggle right now is feeling like I fail God day after day. I am reading the devotional, “Jesus Calling” (that a friend gave to me this year), EVERY day the words seem to have been written Just for ME! I am just blown away by how HE DOES THAT!! :) But He reminds me that the MOST important thing I can do EVERY day is to SPEND TIME WITH HIM. And if I am obedient to that and allow Him to orchestrate my day, it is typically much better. God is Good All the Time!

  3. The lie I believe is that I’m a failure as a wife and mother. It seems that these two areas where I strive to do my best are the enemy’s best source of discouragement for me.

  4. The biggest lie I face right now is “Absolutely God can do it….but not for you, He won’t do it for you.”

    Right now we are praying healing for both our daughters, the older one has a cardiology appt in August, and in that appointment, if there is not an improvement, they will likely schedule open heart surgery for a second time. So the lie hurts tremendously right now.

  5. God is truly amazing. Just last night I was seeking direction. My lie is a deep root about not being smart enough. Based on these posts, it looks like this is a very common one. I thought it was just me. I’ve just been struggling with finding my way back into the work-force and feeling like I don’t have direction because I’m not smart enough to be in my current role. Thank you for your devotion and reminder of where I go find my ‘compass’.

  6. It’s funny, I was just thinking in the shower earlier (where most of my thinking seem to happen, lol) how we as women have been fed so many lies and we need to replace them with the truths from God’s word. I know I have heard so many of them my whole life. From the comments here, it seems one of the most common lie is the “you’re not good enough”. This message has been conveyed verbally and in other means over and over it has become like a broken record in my head.

  7. Oh for so long I struggled with feeling unloved and unworthy…I can still go there, but I have learned to turn to friends in Christ who can remind me of their love and God’s everlasting love. And His Word is such a lifeline..always!

  8. I grew up believing I wasn’t good enough (learning disabilities & physical limitations – couldn’t compete with my sister). Then my ex convinced me I was worthless & would never amount to anything. (Apparently getting a master’s degree & fully supporting myself until I got married wasn’t an accomlishment). Got laid off 3 years ago & moved in with my Daddy & then last couple years been pretty much home bound. Really struggling to believe God instead of false beliefs/thoughts.

  9. the biggest lie I deal with is that I’m a failure and I am so overwhelmed that I feel like I just can’t make it – feeling like that today – then I read your post and guess what – it has been a couple of days since I opened my Bible – I will remendy that when I get home from work today

  10. The lie I can’t run far enough away from is that I’m not accepted. When I try to do things in ministry, homeschooling, be a good wife, work as if I’m working for the Lord, etc. there is this voice in my head that tells me I’m not good. I’m not needed. I’m not liked. I know that these things are lies, but I fall for it every time. This lie isolates me. Which is exactly what satan wants. Thank you for your encouragement today. And you know what? Who cares if I’m not accepted anywhere else in the world! God says that I am not only accepted, but worth dying for!

  11. Oh my! My fear is always that I am not enough to get the job done. There isn’t enough time, resources, money or ME to get everything done!!! I know it is a lie from the enemy!!! But it still haunts me!! Thanks for ALL YOU DO!!

  12. My husband of 19 yrs filed for divorce and always told me I was a mean and hateful
    bitch and would be all alone one day.
    My youngest is living with him and his girlfriend. I am not alone, I have the Lord with me which makes me new, caring and
    a better person. Thank You Lord for not forsaken me :)

  13. This was such a “God breathed” message for me today! I’ve just recently signed up to recieve the
    Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotions and I LOVE them! I have trouble when the devil whispers to me telling me that I’m not as good as ____________ because I don’t know my scriptures well enough. I have trouble just opening my heart and praying as the Spirit leads me to a group of people without feeling that they are judging me for my simple mind.

  14. Lies…..I am not worthy. I often find myself comparing myself to others…..and fall short. Thank you for your post today.

  15. I often struggle with feeling that I’m not good enough or not mature enough in my faith and frequently have a fear of being or saying something “stupid” when participating in religious discussions, so I appreciate your words today. It’s a growing point for me that I work on every day.

  16. I love your analogy of “mistaken identity”! It is so true and I appreciate your reminders of prevention. One book that has helped me so much in this area is Robert McGee’s The Search for Significance. For often the lies that hang us up are those that we learned in our past. Yet through God, His word and Spirit, we can replace our mistaken identity with our true identity in Christ: I am I am deeply loved,
    completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted by God, and absolutely complete in Christ!

    I’d love to win Renee Swope’s book A Confident Heart. Have a couple lady friends in mind for a small group study.

    Blessings,
    Becca

  17. Thanks so much! Just the reminder I needed.
    Because of my past – I did not think I was loveable! I know as a Child of the King! I am loved but on a bad day those thoughts can slip back in. May the Lord Bless YOU daily as you help lead others to know him more.

  18. HI. This was a great message for me today. I know that we are supposed to put one lie that we tend to believe about ourselves but I have to that are yelling at me and have been for a while. One is that I am not good enough or smart enough to pass my states boards for nursing (even though I was a 4.0 student). The second, which has been troubling me this year, is that I am too new in my faith to contribute to conversations or help open someone eyes and that I don’t understand the bible enough to go to a bible study and that I will never understand enough to be a women leading others through ministry(which I have been wanting to do ever since I found my way back to God and my faith). Thank you for your up lifting message today. I printed it off and there is a copy on my bathroom mirror, by the coffee maker and in my bible. Thanks again. Diane

  19. This was so good for me. I have a terrible habit of putting myself down, berating myself and calling myself stupid when i can’t seem to get something right. This was so helpful and encouraging with some good Prevention Steps. Thank you! I would love to win the book A Confidant Heart. I just went through the study with Renee but i only have the ebook copy and for a study it is so much better to have the actual book in your hands. I plan on going through the study again because it is very good and because i need to.

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