By Matthew Hexter
“Would you like me to make you a mocha latte?”
Those were the words to my daughter in response to “I’m terrible at math!”
But those weren’t my first words.
I first had to address the lie. Because her “terrible at math” turned into “I’ll always be terrible at math!”
As soon as she said “always,” I knew she was making an agreement. I needed to fight for her heart and for truth.
“Sweetie, that is a lie and it is not true. Though it may feel true right now, it isn’t. Don’t make that agreement.”
Isn’t it amazing that when we’re in the midst of our own swirl, the lie feels so true?
When the enemy baits us with a lie, once we bite, we begin to feel the weight of the lie. It’s at that point that our emotional state can help bring us back to reality, back to the truth of the situation, back to the truth about ourselves and God. Our feelings can be the litmus test because we can then ask, “Does the fruit of my feelings lead to love, joy, peace, patience, etc… does it lead to the fruit of the Spirit? And does it lead to freedom and liberty?” If not, then what I’m believing is a lie. It is untrue. Whether or not it feels true.
So once I was able to talk my daughter off the ledge of false belief, I needed to shock her out of the swirl. So I asked, “would you like me to make you a mocha latte?”
Yes, I first addressed the lie. I fought for her, prayed with her, then told her to put her math book away for a bit.
But then I needed to counteract the enemy’s ploy by loving on her in a tangible way. In a simple and quick way. A mocha latte speaks love to her heart.
Yes, she needed to know the truth. But she also needed to feel loved. Remember, she was feeling the weight of the lie in her feelings. She now needed to feel the weight of the truth, that she is loved, by God and her daddy.
In what way do you need to experience the tangible weight of God’s love today?
