Anxiety Is Real: So Is GodMuestra

## The Lies Satan Tells You When I was 14, my dad was in an accident at work. He fell off a ladder and suffered a traumatic brain injury. As my mom and I rushed into the hospital’s emergency department, one of the first people we spoke to lied to us about the severity of my dad’s condition. When we found my dad lying unconscious in the hospital bed, I was angry for being lied to. Have you ever been lied to? What emotions stir up when you think of that time? Anger, sadness, confusion? John 8 calls Satan the “father of lies.” He is the one who tries to deceive, trick, and make us believe things about God and ourselves that aren’t true. It’s easy to blame God for our trouble, but Satan is the real enemy. When I’m anxious, the lies I hear most often from Satan are: I am broken . I cannot be healed or repaired. I also hear the lie that God caused my problems and is causing my anxiety. But God’s Word tells me a different story. It says Jesus is full of empathy and compassion for people who are hurting. It says God loves me, flaws and all. Through counseling, I’ve unpacked the lies my younger self believed, from the 14-year-old who almost lost her dad to the 3-year-old hiding behind her mom. I had to learn to forgive myself for being tricked by Satan, and I’m learning to lean into God’s truth. What are some of the lies you hear when anxiety takes hold? Write them down. Spend some time in God’s Word. Ask God to help you see what is true about yourself and about Him. And don’t be afraid to share your list with a trusted friend, pastor, or Christian counselor. It can take time to unravel lies we’ve believed all our lives. Counseling has helped me greatly. It can help you too.