Cheryl Brodersen - When a Woman Lets Go of the Lies: Discovering the Truth About Who You Are in Gods Eyes

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cover photo Pindyurin Vasily / Shutterstock

WHEN A WOMAN LETS GO OF THE LIES

Copyright 2012 by Cheryl Brodersen

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brodersen, Cheryl, 1960-

When a woman lets go of the lies / Cheryl Brodersen.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-4942-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4943-9 (eBook)

1. Christian womenReligious life. 2. Self-esteem in womenReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4527.B745 2012

248.8'43dc23

2011046147

All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Once again I find myself indebted to Hope Lyda for her vision, patience, and expertise in transforming my earnest warnings into a readable format. She is simply amazing!

I have great appreciation for those at Harvest House who work with me throughout the publishing process. You people are the best!

My daughters, Kristyn and Kelsey, had a great hand in the inspiration behind this manuscript. They are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus!

I want to thank the girls at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California, who were in my All About Eve class. Their honesty, testimonies, and attentive devotion served as the catalyst for writing on this subject. You girls are terrific!

Finally, I am devoted to my precious co-laborers and prayer partners the Tuesday Girls! They prayed each chapter into a reality. Among these great women, I give special thanks to Kathy Gilbert for her diligence in reading each chapter and offering such great and profound insights. I am very blessed to have friends like you!

My husband, Brian, is always a great source of encouragement. When I think I have nothing to say, he loves to remind me of all I have said. He is truly one of the greatest gifts God has given me .

Finally, and most of all, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truth incarnate! I thank Him for giving us the Spirit of Truth to lead us into all truth. I thank the Lord Jesus for His continual love for and devotion to each one of us .

Let Go of Uncertainty Embrace Gods Promises

Let Go of Blame Embrace Responsibility

Let Go of Insecurity Embrace Your Identity in God

Let Go of Discontentment Embrace Fulfillment

Let Go of Confusion Embrace Clarity

Let Go of Guilt Embrace the Grace

Let Go of Insignificance Embrace Gods Purpose

Let Go of Pride Embrace Trust

Let Go of Temptation Embrace Gods Strength

Let All the Lies Go Watch Your Garden Grow

The sandals werent a style Id normally wear, but they were so adorable. They immediately caught my eye.

They looked so tantalizing in the cataloga catalog I had never looked at, let alone ordered from. But those perfect-for-summer shoes caught my eye. I imagined how they would look with my different summer outfits. This catalog wasnt one Id ever even considered buying from before. It was just too sensual. So ignoring the urge to let my eyes and imagination linger on those sandals, I tossed the catalog into the trash.

The next day I couldnt get the wedge-heeled rope sandals out of my mind. I pulled the crumpled catalog out of the trash bin and made the fateful call. I gave the woman on the phone my order. She verified my request: That would be the wedge-heeled rope sandal? I concurred and gave her my payment information. As I hung up, I thought about how trendy I would look in my new summer shoes. Or so I thought.

A few days later a package arrived in the mail. I quickly opened it up, eager to see my delightful sandals. But I was totally dismayed to discover undergarments ten sizes too large for me instead. I immediately called the company. They apologized and told me to put the clothes back in the packaging and simply pay the return charges. I complied.

At this point I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. I was wondering if those shoes were really worth the hasslewhen another shipment of oversized undergarments arrived. This time when I called the company, the customer service representative was argumentative; insisting that I must have placed this order. After giving her my weight, height, and circumference I finally convinced her I had only ordered sandals.

Ignoring the sense of foreboding, I again repackaged the undergarments and paid return postage fees. Two weeks later, a shoebox-shaped package arrived. I was ready to forgive all injustices just to get those sandals on my feet. With great anticipation I tore off the wrapping and opened the box.

Ugh! The shoes in the box were uglier than a homemade bar of soap, as my mom would say. They only slightly resembled the irresistible pair in the photo. They had a distressed look, as if they had been worn before and discarded. I thought maybe theyd look better when I had them on, but as I tried to squeeze my foot into one, I noticed they were two sizes too small! I called the company and let them know Id be making a final return. I requested that they never send me anything again. Including a catalog!

Have you ever been deceived by something as innocent as a picture in a catalog? The images are shiny, attractive, and very tempting. They are a lot like the forbidden fruit that lured Eve from her normal behavior and better judgment and opened up the world to lies, hurts, shame, and brokenness. Okay, sandals arent the downfall of society. But when we believe a lie that is packaged and presented so nicely and innocently, we find ourselves justifying our actions. We buy into the lie instead of Gods truth and the wisdom of our faith. Then when we try to force our life into that lie, we realize it doesnt fit the heart and purpose of Gods design for us.

Have you encountered problems? Chances are that many of your problems stem back to some lie you have bought into.

Most of us are aware of the problems we are experiencing but are much less certain about where those problems came from. Maybe you too have spent many waking hours rehashing and revisiting your emotional hardships in an effort to find their origin and, just maybe, find a remedy. Are you surprised when anger rises up in you during a conversation or the happenings of a regular day? Has jealousy seeped into your thoughts and undermined a relationship? Does a false belief that you arent any good take over when you are about to start something new?

Our biggest problems seem to make an appearance with clamor and without invitation. And then they accompany us on our journey as if they had been with us since the beginning. I want you to know that there is something to that sensation. These problems, these thought- and energy-consuming issues, are born of the lies that have been a part of the human experience, the female experience, since the very beginning in the Garden of Eden.