After my brother's death, I sort of disappeared into silence and began to believe horrific lies about my self-worth.
I was ashamed, thinking I should have been the one taken.
I felt guilty, thinking I could never be enough for the people around me.
I wondered whether God had abandoned me to pain and sorrow.
I worried that I didn't belong, that God didn't care and couldn't take me through the terrifying darkness.
When I finally began to heal, I found that God's Word was the only Truth strong enough...true enough,
to defeat the giants in my mind.
I wrote these verses down on index cards and carried them with me. When voices yelled their insults at me
or I felt the shame of my failures, I'd pull out the cards and read the truth aloud...
demolishing the strongholds of blame and guilt and shame.
While this list of verses is definitely not comprehensive, these are the specific Bible verses I memorized and the truths I pulled from them to directly combat Satan's lies and come out of the shadows.
Shame
Ps. 119:68 – God is good and does only good. That includes his design and plan for you.
Ps. 138:8 – You are a work in progress, one that the Lord is perfecting through the situations that come your way.
Eph. 2:10 – I am a special creation out of God’s creative mind. I am not useless, worthless, a hopeless failure or a loser.
Col. 2:7 – God wants you to be rooted and grounded in Him, not dependent on your feelings.
Phil. 1:6 – God has started something amazing in you, so be confident. He will finish the job.
Phil. 2:13 – God is at work within you.
2 Tim. 1:9 – God has a grand plan and purpose for your life, even if your situation looks tumultuous.
Guilt
Ps. 32:5 – Sin removes confidence and causes an ache of guilt in the soul.
Ps. 94:19 – When doubts fill your mind and your heart is in turmoil, God’s love can give you renewed hope and cheer.
Ps. 103:12 – Christ has removed our guilt far away from us, so far it cannot be found.
2 Tim. 1:7 – Confusion and fear are not from God. He wants you to feel stable and secure in Him.
2 Cor. 10:5 – Feelings can be deceptive and you might have to deliberately force untrue feelings out of your mind so you can focus on Christ.
2 Cor. 12:9 – When you are at your weakest, God’s strength is perfect.
Rom. 8:1 – There is no condemnation for a soul trusting in Christ.
Rom. 8:28 – Nothing will happen to you that will not be used by God for a good purpose in your life.
Rom. 8:39 – Nothing, nothing can separate you from God’s overwhelming love for you.
Abandonment
Ps. 46:1-2 – The world may fall apart, but God is present, even when you can’t sense Him.
Ps. 139:6-12 – We can’t count how many times a day God thinks of us. He has charted your path. Every moment He knows where you are. You can never be lost and everywhere you go, He is there.
Matt. 28:20 – Nothing will happen to me without God’s presence. He promised to be with us always.
Heb. 4:13 – Nothing can be hidden from God. He knows about everyone, everywhere.
Worry
Deut. 33:27 – God is a defense from below. Even if you feel you’re slipping, His arms will hold you up.
Ps. 34:7 – God is a defense from about. The angel of the Lord is camped out around you to protect and watch over you.
Ps. 145:19 – God sees your pain and hears your cries. He will deliver you.
Isa. 26:3 – The Creator of the earth never gets weary. He is always available to give strength and power to those who need it.
Ps. 91:4 – God is a defense from overhead. He shields you with His wings.
Phil. 4:7 – God is a defense from the inside. As you trust in Christ, the peace of God will keep your heart and thoughts quiet and at rest.
Isa. 26:3 – You find peace when your mind is focused on God and you trust Him with your heart.
Zeph. 3:17 – Thinking on the love of God quiets the spirit.
Phil. 4:8 – When your thoughts are focused on the truth of God’s love, His peace stays with you.