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Thom Gardner’s Strongholds of Untruth and Scriptural Responses to Them
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I have been asked to summarize the 7 lies that the world tells us and the Christian response I enunciated in my Advent II sermon.
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1. Fear – the lie that I am alone in the dangerous waters of life.
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Response: God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
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2. Rejection – the lie that “I don’t fit in, I don’t belong.”
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Response: I am accepted in Christ (Ephesians 1:18) and God has reserved a place for me in his Church on earth and in his Kingdom in heaven (I Corinthians 12:18).
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3. Worthlessness – the lie that “I am worth less than others.”
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Response: I am God’s treasure, his glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18), made in his image (Genesis 1:27) and accounted worthy of life of his one-begotten Son.
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4. Shame – the lie that “I have crossed the line of God’s grace, and that I am therefore unworthy of his love.”
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Response: Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).
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5. Insecurity – the lie that “I am a helpless victim in a world that is out of control with nobody to trust.”
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Response: I predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11).
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6. Defilement – the lie that “I have been ruined for life by what others have done to me.”
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Response: I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).
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7. Hopelessness – the lie that “I will never…I can never, and I should just give up and give in to despair.”
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Response: I can do everything [that God wants me to do] through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
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There are other verses that could have been cited to support these points, but I have selected the ones I thought best apply to countering the falsehoods. I hope you find this helpful.
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Father Young
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