Cultivating Quiet: Exposing Common Lies that Steal Our Peace
As widespread and varietal are the lies of the Enemy, one common thread weaves through them all: they seek to undermine our faith in Jesus, and to bring chaos and destruction into the lives of God’s people.
Some have said that “you know a tree by its fruit”, and I believe this phrase holds relevance for our topic today: often, we can identify enemy tactics by the end result that they bring. We can spot lies more clearly, if we trace towards the final product—or the fruit—of the lies. Are certain thoughts eventually leading to discouragement? Contempt? Disunity? Weakened faith?
In addition to a keen observation of the fruit, there are a number of ways we can grow in our identification of enemy lies—before they develop, wreaking havoc on our hearts and lives.
In this portion of the “Cultivating Quiet” series, we will explore key sources of truth, and well as expose common lies that plague us.
The Lord intends good fruit for us—the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, and then some. May we take our stand against the pestilence of the enemy, who seeks to hinder the good crop that is ours as believers in Jesus.
Thankfully—praise God!—we have been graciously given the tools we need to weed through the many messages that come our way—to expose lies for the lies they are, and to identify life-giving truths as well.
Let’s explore some of these God-given tools to obtain truth:
Truth Source No. 1: The Word of God
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
Has it ever struck you that The God of the Universe made a way for humans to hold black-and-white text that speaks to who he is and what his good ways are? A book. It’s so unassuming, so normal, and yet this book holds the divine power to teach us, guide us, and redirect us when things go off track. The Bible teaches us the truth of God, and we are to consume it heartily. Isaiah 55:8-12 speaks to the elicit power and beauty of God’s Word—and its ability to lead us in peace, to accomplish God’s purposes, and to bring flourishing. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Isaiah 55:8-12, Hebrews 4:12)
Truth Source No. 2: The Holy Spirit
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13 NIV
Just as a person’s words are understood at a deeper and more rich level as we encounter the person behind them, so the words of the Bible are brought to life through the living and active person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that the Spirit will guide us into all truth. The Spirit works deep in our hearts, reminding us of the truth of God and the abundant riches poured out to us as his people. The Holy Spirit is a living-and-active animator of our lives with God—and a Holy Lens by which we take in the Word and other resources. What a gift! (John 16:13, Romans 8:16, Ephesians 1:13-14)
Truth Source No. 3: The Church
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV
It’s one of the most beautiful and complex realities on this side of eternity: God chooses to further his mission through the vessels of normal, everyday people. The book of Ephesians tells us that though the Church, we are brought into the fullness of Christ. We are told that there are individuals given spiritual abilities to teach, admonish, shepherd, and guide God’s people into the truth of the Gospel, enabling them to live it out in fullness. The church is a tremendous blessing, and a gift to any one who longs to walk in the fullness of God. (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 4:11-13)
Now that we have established a few of the beautiful tools the Lord has given us to fight for truth, let’s talk about five specific lies that pop up in day-to-day living. As we aim to cultivate quiet hearts and lives, let’s be sure to conquer a few of the common attacks on our spiritual peace.
Lie No. 1: Don’t pray about it.
One of life’s great mysteries is the reality that when we pray—when we simply orient our hearts towards God and express praise, hopes, requests, or confessions—things happen. We connect with God; we submit to the work of the Spirit in our lives, and—among so much else—we experience the spiritual fruit of peace.
And I don’t mean small things, I mean big things happen. Angels-being-commanded-to-act-on-our-behalf types of things. (Check out these pieces from Scripture if you want explore further: James 5:16, Acts 4:31, Daniel 9:20-23.)
Beyond the mysterious nature of prayer—the fact that we are invited to commune relationally with the living God—may we never forget that prayer has the ability to re-orient our hearts as we step into all kinds of situations. I love these words on prayer by C.S. Lewis:
“I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.” —C.S. Lewis
As we pray through all the weighty and mundane moments of life—inviting God to infuse our speech with those we encounter, to open doors for the Gospel, as we align our will with his—we are inviting the Spirit of peace into our day-to-day circumstances.
Prayer is a form of abiding in Christ, and abiding produces fruit. The enemy aims to deceive us, convincing us that our prayers will be fruitless or a waste of our time, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our prayers are effective—and he knows it.
The Spirit of Peace prompts our moment-by-moment connection with God, and enlists us to call on God and his mighty power. Because prayer is such a powerful tool given to the people of God, it’s under serious assault by our enemy.
The lie of “don’t pray” or “it’s not worth it to pray right now” is one I’m constantly swatting at and pushing aside. Maybe you feel the same…
This lie comes in a million different ways, at a million different times throughout the week: usually, my God-given urge to connect with God in prayer is almost immediately met with the follow-up, tainted thought of “Well… sure you ought to pray, just not right now…”
Maybe I’m in the car with my kids and my mind is in a few different places so… “it’s not the right time”. Maybe it’s in the morning, and I only have a two minutes to pray instead of twenty, so “it’s not the right time”. Maybe I feel prompted to prayer for a friend, but I don’t know how she’ll feel about my offer, so “it’s not the right time”. You get the idea.
Do you see how sneaky the enemy is? It’s not that he convinces us to throw prayer out the window altogether—that would be too obvious. Instead, he batters each individual instance with distractions, excuses, and reasons for why “later would be better”.
But do you want to know what I’ve experienced in moments that I’ve swatted this pestilent lie aside and prayed anyway? I’ve discovered that little car-prayers with my children can still be powerful and day-altering. I’ve found that two-minute morning prayers have the ability to center my heart on Jesus for the rest of my day! And I’ve seen that offers to pray for friends are often graciously-received, and bring about the rich presence of the Holy Spirit into our conversations and time together.
If the Spirit is prompting your heart to pray, then pray. While lengthier, focused times of prayer are worth pursuing, we don’t need two hours to pray each time we are prompted. In fact, Scripture advices us to pray 24/7. Nonstop! In all the moments of life.
Pray in the car. Pray on your walks. Pray as things come to mind. And don’t let the enemy convince you that “it’s not the right time”. It’s a divine mystery: more is accomplished by our prayer than we could ever imagine. Let’s persevere in prayer! (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6)
Lie No. 2: God doesn’t love me.
This is a subtle dig that tears at my tender heart. Maybe you feel the same? In everyday moments of choosing to watch or not watch that show, or to respond more gently or firmly to my children, or to attend or not attend that church meeting, the enemy somehow twists the question into a matter of whether I will be loved or unloved by my Heavenly Father. Common matters of biblical discernment or leaning into the Holy Spirit’s guidance because a stress-filled game of “Can I get this right, and therefore be loved?”
It’s tactical lie that is sadistic, maniacal, and cruel. It distracts us from practical pursuits of wisdom, discernment, and biblical Freedom, as it twists our hearts into distracted anguish and oppressive legalism.
Our hearts were made to rest in God’s Divine Love. It’s not a falsity or a pipe dream: we truly are deeply, unfathomably, richly loved by Our God. In our darkest moments, his love doesn’t cease. And it certainly isn’t going to cease if I make an unwise decision—especially when I am seeking his wisdom and doing my best to follow him—weak and flawed as I may be!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
God never stops loving us. And his redemptive and restorative mercies are unending. When the enemy tries to sneak in and convince me that my menial decisions are a matter of Love or Unlove (which honestly—to my soul, feels like a matter of life and death), anxiety ensues.
This is a common lie that steals the restfulness of my heart, and produces a striving “Gotta get it right, or else!” spirit within me. It’s entirely contrary to the Holy Spirit—who assures us of our titles as sons and daughters, and of the lavish riches of God’s love—poured out for us in Christ. May we never stop pressing back against this wretched lie—resisting it, and stopping it its tracks. May we move forward in decision-making, sober-mindedly assured of God’s ever-present love. (Romans 8:16, Ephesians 1:13-14, Lamentations 3:22-23, 2 Timothy 1:7, John 3:16, Romans 5:8)
Lie No. 3: It’s in my hands to obtain what I desire.
Oof! This one is a doozy. Like so many lies, it is tangled up and chaotically intertwined with all kinds of half-truths. It’s like the devil loves to play that silly little game, “Two Truths and a Lie”.
So, let’s get these two truths straight: (1) We have good God-given desires. (2) God created all kinds of pleasures for us to enjoy in this world, that we should count as blessings.
And ready for the lie? We are to spend our lives striving for what we want or enjoy.
The problem isn’t in our desires—or in the good gifts of God—but in our striving to fulfill them. God-given desires for good things can and should be moved toward, but not strived for. The difference may looks subtle on the outside, but at a heart-level, it couldn’t be more contrasting: are our hands open or closed when it comes to our desires? Have we surrendered our hopes, dreams, and will to the hand of God, —or— do we believe we are in the driver’s seat?
We are called to seek God’s kingdom first and foremost. Or, said another way, we are called to place Jesus on the throne of our life. We can make requests of the king for the things we want—and we are invited to petition gratefully to him! (Philippians 4:6-7) But ultimately, if doors are closing, or we would need to sin—or rebel against the ways of His Kingdom—in pursuit of what we want, that’s where the problem comes up.
Tightly-fisted pursuits of our pleasures are the circumstances which bring chaos, destruction, and brokenness into our lives. As we grow in faith that God is good, that Jesus is our loving King, and that he is benevolent in regards to us, may we learn to move toward our desires open-handedly, with surrendered hearts.
Striving hearts are ridden with anxiety, as we seek an unduly ownership over our own lives. Surrendered hearts are laden with peace, as we take the yoke of Christ upon us, seeking His Kingdom above all else (even as we enjoy his innumerable blessings). (1 Peter 5:6-7, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 103:5, James 1:17, Psalm 104:27-28)
Lie No. 4: If I can’t, then I shouldn’t (and I won’t).
Repentance has been described as a turning from sin and a turning to Jesus. When we come across the realization that are prone to a certain sin, and we want to turn from it, but forget that mandatory second step of turning to Jesus, a few things tend to happen: on one hand, we become discouraged, ashamed, or even depressed over our incapable state. Alternatively, our hearts may become hardened to our sin—realizing our inability to overcome it in our own strength—and we may move to a place of complacency in order to avoid the pain of our own shortcomings.
Neither of these routes are intended for us by a God who is rich in mercy and mighty to save us. We were meant to—upon discovering sin in our hearts or actions—turn to the living God, to entreat his forgiveness and saving help. Mercy is his way. When we lose sight of God’s merciful nature, we are often slower to repent, forgetting that we serve a God who loves us and is after our ultimate good.
Peace comes when we open our hands to God in surrender. We invite his Spirit to move in our hearts and minds and help us. We cling to our perfect standing in Christ—not lowering our standard of what is or isn’t sin. We thank God that we have His Son to fill in the gap and to make us righteous in his sight.
If we accept sin into our lives, especially in areas that the Lord has lovingly highlighted to us in our journey of sanctification, we are providing an open door for chaos and unrest. We were made for dependence on Jesus—dependence on his ultimate sacrifice for our atonement and perfect standing before God, and also for the daily help of his indwelling Spirit, bringing us along in our route to freedom on this side of eternity.
Being unable to overcome sin in your own strength, doesn’t mean the next step is ignoring it! The thought that we need to brush aside exposed sin is an evil lie that brings harm. Complacency hurts us, because sin is destructive.
Complacency is different than surrender to God. Complacency is kind of like surrendering to the enemy’s work in your life. Surrendering to God sets us free and invites him into every nook and cranny of our soul. Allow Jesus to set you free in every way—and to bring true rest.
Complacency may initially feel like rest but it’s actually more like sweeping sin under a rug. Surrendering our fallen state to God and enlisting his help is the opposite of sweeping sin under a rug; it’s is more like hiring the housecleaning service you so desperately need to “deep clean” what feels beyond your own abilities.
Don’t let the enemy convince you that if you can’t move into the goodness God is calling you towards on your own, that you should toss the whole idea aside. Don’t be persuaded that God won’t help you, and therefore neglect to call on his saving help. Don’t give in to the idea that if a stronghold feels all-encompassing, then maybe it’s not something you just need to try to ignore…
Our flesh is bound to sin, but we are eternally saved in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, reminding us of our firm standing. Identifying sin isn’t a shame game when God is involved. Shame fills us with despair, and tells us that we are irreparably broken. Conviction from the Lord, however, sounds like a clear path towards goodness, a deep trust in his ability to help us, and the peace that God is moving us towards victory. It’s not always easy… but the hardness of turning from sin is subdued by a holy peace, and a rest in the cross of Christ.
Our inability to live sinlesslessly doesn’t need to impact our clear vision for what sin is and how it’s impacting us. We won’t live perfectly on this side of eternity, but the Lord is always calling us into deeper levels of goodness, sanctification, and freedom. May we not miss out because we weren’t strong enough to do it on our own! (Philippians 4:13, Psalm 107:13-14, Romans 7:21-25, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Galatians 2:21)
Lie No. 5: Loving people means pleasing people.
God desires for us to love and serve others. As we love others, we are called to take the focus off of our own interests, and yet… there is a sneaky little snare regarding the topic of relationships with others that we can get tangled up in.
The snare is living to please people, versus living to please Christ. You see, in either situation, we are called to lay our own agendas down; the difference is that living to please Christ brings peace to our days, while living to please people entraps us. It can place us on a never-ending hamster wheel of performance for the satiations of those around us. Not to mention the unfortunate reality that some people will simply never be satisfied.
Some of the times that my heart has been in the most turmoil, have been moments where I felt the Spirit of God prompting me one direction, but the opinions of man pulling in another direction. This caused a dis-ease and tumultuousness in my heart.
It’s a lie from the enemy: that loving people means pleasing them. We love people in the name of Jesus—but living to please anyone, anytime will lead to our destruction. Allow me to clarify further…
Living to please Christ will often have us giving of our own time, resources, and preferences for the sake of others. However, as we are guided along by the Holy Spirit—fitted by the yoke of Christ—we may often sense these sacrifices as being infused with joy and peace, as we get a front seat to God working in our midst and through our very hands.
We are free to serve by the power of the Holy Spirit, submitted by choice—not bound to serve, as though we are controlled or manipulated. We choose to serve as we become consumed by the reality that Christ’s love for us is endless, his providence is perfect, and we are blessed with life eternal. As we see how service builds others up in their knowledge of Christ’s love, we are compelled towards it.
Again, this doesn’t mean we don’t do good deeds out of a commitment to Christ. It doesn’t mean we don’t lay our lives down for the sake of the Kingdom. But, it does mean that we let Christ himself be the driving force of our actions; we don’t allow ourselves to be directed by the fear of other people’s opinions.
God loves a cheerful giver. And he is aware when one is giving under compulsion or obligation. Often, people-pleasing can be a root of such behavior.
Submit yourself to God’s ways and seek to put his truth into action—believing as a deep level that his ways are good. That he is trustworthy! Lean into the Holy Spirit’s loving and guiding voice as you are prompted to impact the world for the sake of Jesus’ name.
The Spirit guides with his peace, not compulsion or control. If you find yourself bound up in decision making, ask yourself if it truly is the Spirit guiding you. Often, when we are concerned about the opinions of the people around us—and when those opinions are in conflict with the Spirit’s voice leading us along—the result is a chaotic heart (or even over-committed schedule).
Let the Word and the Spirit be your guide. Allow God’s perfect ways to direct you. And allow the spiritual gifts of other church members to help you in your thinking. Don’t allow yourself to become ensnared by the fear or what others will think. In doing so, allow your days to be infused with the loving peace of God. (2 Corinthians 9:7, Colossians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Proverbs 29:25, Galatians 1:10)
As you see, so much of our peace is found in our surrender. As we bring ourself to full submission (or surrender) to the lordship of Jesus, peace follows.He is a good leader, friend, protector, and provider; we can trust him. And as we grow in trust of his guardianship over our lives, we are enabled to set boundaries—as we lean into his plans for us.
This is a natural segway to the next section of the “Cultivating Quiet” series: setting boundaries, and other practical means to cultivate a quieter life. May we live to serve Christ, cultivating a quiet and beautiful heart. Follow along for the next portions of this series!
