Lies At Full Volume

Written by: Justina Murphy

The enemy speaks the loudest in the areas God calls us to be the most influential, even if we don’t feel equipped to be there.

“You don’t even know what you’re doing.”

“Why would anyone want to hear what you have to say?”

“You have zero authority here.”

“What if people see just how inadequate you are? Then what will they think?”

Time and again, in and out of the Bible, God meets people right where they are, at a well, on a hillside like Moses, in the middle of worship, or even while doom-scrolling on social media, trying to calm a stressed mind. That day, I told myself I just needed a quick five-minute break before heading back into battle, otherwise known as the kitchen, where lunch dishes still sat and the kids were arguing over whose turn it was in their game.

As I scrolled along, I was stopped by one particular post. A post that, despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to find again, but in which the author states boldly, “What if the enemy fills our heads with the exact lies that will pull us out of the place the Lord calls us to be?”

When Moses felt the weight of failure, the fear of rejection, and the sting of trauma, he did what so many of us do - he fled. Sure maybe we don’t all flee to another country and take on a new identity, but how many of us pack up our “junk” in a nice neat box, we never intend to open again, and walk swiftly away from it? So many of us do just that because in our minds that box of “junk” isn’t fun, it isn’t attractive, and from our point of view, it isn’t useful either.

But that’s the thing about God, what we see as “failure,” He sees as opportunity.

Is it possible that when we hear a voice telling us we can’t because of a list of reasons, it’s because the enemy is trying to stop us from realizing God is calling us to greatness in that exact arena?

It was nearly 5 years ago when I left the workforce and effectively left behind my two degrees and what felt like the only authority I had on any subject. But I knew the Lord was calling me to be home and to work in a different capacity, even if at the time I wasn’t sure what that was. It wasn’t long before I began feeling a pull to build something around helping other moms find peace in their homes and their motherhood journeys.

While I felt the tug to move in this direction, I stalled because, as great as the tug was, the voice saying, “What makes you think you have anything to offer?” was even louder. I am endlessly grateful to be a mother, but motherhood has also exposed my deepest shortcomings, unearthed long-buried trauma, and brought me to my knees more times than I can count. So when God stirred my heart to encourage and equip other moms, I questioned everything - Who am I to lead when I often feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water? Who would listen to me? You’ve got the wrong mom, God.

But here’s the thing, the Lord never asks us to know how to do it or to do it alone, He simply asks us to show up and trust Him. Just like in Exodus 3:12 when the Lord tells Moses, “But I will be with you…” He gives us the same promise.

I began to wonder, what if my sense of failure and struggle wasn’t meant to be seen as failure in the way the enemy wants me to believe, but rather what if God could use my vulnerability to create a soft place for a fellow mom or friend to land? What if, in sharing my struggles in life, motherhood, and marriage, I could help others feel less alone and in turn come to God? What would happen if I stopped trying to hide and instead stepped out trusting that God was with me?

What if our position and stories matter more than we realize?

When Moses tried to hide behind his shame, weaknesses, and shortcomings, the Lord pulled him up using exactly what Moses saw as inadequacies. God took Moses from his lowly position and used him as a catalyst for one of the greatest biblical stories of all time. The Lord took a terrified, insecure shepherd and built him into a beacon of hope and guiding light back to the Lord.

What if God was calling you to let him do the same with your story? What if every bit of shame, imperfection, and insecurity you carried was a puzzle piece in moving the kingdom? What if what you thought you should hide from the world is actually what brings hope to another? What if we stopped seeing our stories as insignificant and started offering them to the Lord to do with what He will?

The enemy is loud, and he will try over and over again to tell you that you are not enough. The enemy wants us to believe that we have to meet a standard, achieve a level, or be deemed worthy before we have anything useful to offer, but what if we already had all that we needed to make a difference? Our vulnerabilities and weaknesses give us the relatability that can bring others to Jesus.

It isn't in perfection that others find where they belong… It's the nod of welcome and that sense of understanding that helps people feel at home.

Every wound, every bit of shame, every weakness, every shortcoming isn’t without value and purpose when we let the Lord work.

Let the Lord decide who is qualified.

So the next time you hear the whisper, “Who do you think you are?”, remember Moses. Remember that God’s response was not, “You’re more capable than you think,” but, “I will be with you.” The measure of our usefulness to God is not our résumé, our degrees, or our ability to be perfect; it’s our willingness to step forward when He calls.