When Satan Lies to You About Your Body

Satan is an expert liar. For years, I believed his lies about my body and it robbed me of joy, peace, and freedom. But he did not win, for greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Lies distort the truth and Satan is the father of lies. He has one mission:

To kill, steal, and destroy.

He is not for us. He does not want good for our lives. He is incredibly manipulative. And he is the biggest bully I know.

Maybe you’ve heard the lies too. The ones that sound a little something like this:

You’d look better in those jeans if your thighs were thinner, better eat less. Your abs aren’t toned like the models on magazine covers, better do some more sit-ups. Those stretch marks are hideous, better buy some better cream to disguise the lines. Your chest is too flat, your nose is the wrong shape, your feet are too big, your arms are too flabby, you’re just plain ugly…

Sister, your Maker who is the Father of Truth, would never ever speak to you in this way. Ever. The lies are NOT from Him. Whether Satan has spoken these sort of lies to you directly, through another person, through media, or through another source…half the battle is being aware that there is battle going on in the first place.

Our flesh is weak and Satan knows it. His lies can spread like wildfire and burn out of control.

The good news?

We don’t have to live captive to the lies.

The Word of God extinguishes the flames burning out of control, because the Word is truth and truth triumphs over the lies. God’s Word can help us train our minds to think truth and live in line with the Spirit rather than the flesh.

Satan is all about life STEALING but God is all about life GIVING — and His truth brings life. His Word is a gift of love.

Rick Warren says it well:

The Bible is essential to our lives because it gives us life. In fact, the Bible also talks about Jesus as the Word of God. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (NLT) God gave you the Living Word — Jesus — to be the author and finisher of your faith, and He gave you the Written Word to prepare you to live out your faith.

God doesn’t want us to be slaves to the lies, but He knew we would battle them. He’s given us everything we need to renew our minds so that we can be transformed from the inside out.

Our culture gets it backwards and tells us to fix the outside and then we’ll feel better on the inside. An “ideal body” according to the world’s standards won’t heal the ache. Sure, maybe a better body will offer moments of temporary happiness, but God wants to give us so much better than that. He wants to give us everlasting joy. He wants us to be whole.

As we walk in relationship with Jesus, embrace a life of prayer, and take time to study and meditate on Scripture — the lies are replaced with truth — ultimately transforming us and allowing us to experience abundant life. The less the lies rule over our minds, the freer we are and the clearer we see God’s will for our lives.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:1-2 (NIV, emphasis mine)

No matter how many lies Satan throws at us, God is greater and His Word extinguishes every single lie.

Satan says we’re nobodies, but the truth is we are daughters of the King. (Romans 8: 15-16, 1 John 3:1)

Satan says we’re only beautiful if we meet certain criteria, but the truth is we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14)

Satan says we’re undesirable, but the truth is God richly delights in us. (Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 149:4)

Satan says our bodies will never measure up, but the truth is we are God’s masterpiece and our bodies equip us to do the unique work God put us here to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

The Bible says our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit and we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19). We should care for the bodies we’ve been given, but we can’t do a very good job of this when we’re operating out of lies. There is a mind, body, and soul connection and when one part is hurting so are the others.

A renewed mind allows us to see ourselves in the way God sees us, therefore changing our focus. Rather than having an appetite for receiving the world’s stamp of approval, our desire becomes to honor God and take care of what has been given to us in love. And the best part? God’s already given us His stamp of approval.

As fierce as the lies are sometimes, God’s love is fiercer and His Voice is so much sweeter.

And here’s some more truth…

God is sovereign, faithful, unchanging, good, gracious, forgiving, tender, holy, just, kind, patient, merciful, and mighty. He is the Peace Giver, the Promise Keeper, the Good Father, and the Life Breather.

He is for us. He adores us. And there is none is this whole wide world greater than Him.

Lies about my body once ruled my mind, but today I know that I am a Redeemed Daughter of the One True King, and He richly delights in me and I in Him. So when the lies try to invade my mind, I seek shelter in the truth. I run into the loving arms of Jesus, my sweet Savior, and my mind finds peace.

In Him, I am free.