In MY VICTORY VOYAGE I’m sharing the trials I’ve faced and how God’s faithfulness carried me through. Join me on the 2nd Friday of each month in 2025 as we reflect on His restoration and grace.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NIV)
What if the Real Barrier Is What I Believe?
For years I believed lies like: I’m not good enough. I’m not smart. No one likes me. I can’t do anything right. It wasn’t until 2007 that I began to reprogram my brain—not just with positive affirmations, but by confessing God’s Word over myself and my life.
So many women live under these same lies. These limiting beliefs become invisible barriers, creating a self-imposed ceiling that keeps us from living freely—simply because we’ve believed something that isn’t true.
Limiting Beliefs: The Invisible Chains
Limiting beliefs are false narratives we believe about ourselves, others, or even God. They often take root in childhood wounds, painful experiences, or cultural pressures.
And while they’re not true, they feel true—because we live from them as if they were reality.
In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks calls this the Upper Limit Problem—when we subconsciously believe we’ve reached the highest point we’re allowed to go. But what if those ceilings are just lies dressed up as protection?
Scripture calls them strongholds—entrenched thought patterns rooted in fear, shame, and unworthiness. The good news? God’s truth has divine power to demolish them.
The Biblical Diagnosis: Strongholds of the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:4–5 gives us God’s battle plan for overcoming these mental strongholds. Lies become mental fortresses when we repeat them to ourselves day after day. Eventually, they freeze us in fear—keeping us from stepping into healing, purpose, and freedom.
Tracing the Root
One of the most powerful things I’ve done is simply ask the Lord: Where did this lie come from? Why do I still believe it?
Over the years, He’s gently revealed the roots—where the lie began and how I can begin to uproot it with truth.
God’s Word Sets Us Free
In The Answer to Anxiety, Joyce Meyer writes:
“Satan’s number one weapon against believers is deception. When we are deceived, we believe lies. Even though they are lies, they become realities to us if we believe them, and we cannot move past them until we learn the truth. God’s Word is truth, and if we discipline ourselves to learn it and meditate on it regularly, it will renew our minds.”
That hits home, doesn’t it? Sometimes the walls holding us back aren’t even real—they’re lies we’ve mistaken for truth.
Breaking the Barrier: A Victory Practice
Here’s a simple exercise you can do:
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- Ask God to show you a lie you’ve been believing.
- Write it down in your journal.
- Find a verse in a trusted study Bible (like the Life Application Bible) that speaks truth over that lie.
- Write that verse down and post it where you’ll see it daily.
- Speak it aloud over yourself until truth takes root.
Freedom begins when truth replaces the lie!
Walking in Freedom
The lies I shared earlier once defined me—but most have now been extinguished by God’s Word. Still, this is ongoing work. Some strongholds run deep, and healing takes time. Satan knows our weaknesses and will try to revive old lies through memories and triggers.
But here’s what I’ve learned: when I stay faithful in my quiet time with the Lord—especially in studying Scriptures that speak to the battle—I always find my way back to truth, peace, and victory.
Worship Response:
One song that ministers deeply to me in this area is “Sound Mind” by Bryan & Katie Torwalt. If you’re in a season of tearing down mental strongholds, let this song wash over you. It’s a powerful reminder that God has given you a sound mind, and His Spirit brings peace, not fear.
