How to silence the lies that play in our mind.

By Janet Perez Eckles

“You want to do what?” I asked Henry, one of the Taiwanese students staying with us. (“Henry” is the name given to him by his English teacher in Taiwan.)

“I want to buy records,” he said in his admirably eloquent English.

Surely he’s using the incorrect word for CD, I thought. Why would a teenager want to buy records, an item only familiar to oldies like me?

I chuckled. “You mean those big round things that you need a record player for?”

“Yah, yah!” he said in an excited tone.

Goodness gracious, does he know only old, really old songs come in records?

I leaned toward him. “Tell me just what kind of music are you looking for?

Are you ready for his answer? “Elvis Presley,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

After I bombarded him with questions just to satisfy my curiosity, I learned that is his passion—old American songs, from long-gone artists. At 16 years old, he knew more song titles, lyrics and history about American singers that would put any trivia buff to shame.

Henry is not the only one who plays old records. We do too. Those recordings that play in our head, sometimes subtly, sometimes softly but echo even when we don’t realize it. But they play over and over again.

They repeat what someone way in the past said: we were fat, we’d never make it, or we’re not worthy, or intelligent enough, or possess what it takes.

For me, the recording that played over and over again since I was a little girl in Bolivia was that I wasn’t good enough. So I had to perform to be loved. I had to achieve to win approval, so I reasoned that if I excelled in school my father would be proud of me. If I was a good little girl, I’d win his affection.

What a mess I’d be if the God of the universe hadn’t taken notice of me and poured His grace to help me silence those old misguided recordings.

He does this for all of us when we choose to…

• Recognize we’re in a battle and the evil one uses those recordings to accomplish his purpose.
• Receive God’s recording of His truth, and His promises to counter those lies.
• Retire those old records in the trash of life. And instead, rejoice and rewind the CD of His Word that plays over and over again of the promises of His unconditional love.

“I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul” (Psalm 31:7).

Father, when the secret anguish of my soul played over and over again, you silenced the anxiety those lies brought. Thank you for setting me free from the old messages that tainted my life. Thank you for the truth that now plays the song of joy and reassurance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

• What record plays in your heart?
• How does it affect your life today?
• When will you exchange that old record for the sweet CD of Christ’s truth?

Janet

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