Uprooting the Weeds of False Beliefs
May 30th, 2022 • by Ashley Chesnut
I’m a beginner gardener, but I’ve learned by experience how quickly weeds can sprout up and take over. If left unattended, they can overrun my backyard, so I’ve found it helpful to regularly check on my yard and to do maintenance work in my flower beds.
But this truth doesn’t just apply to my yard, it also applies to false beliefs and how they can grow and influence our lives. Consider the following beliefs uttered by several Christian young women I know.
“No one would ever want to be around me.”
“I’m so broken.”
“God is disappointed with me.”
“It would be better if I didn’t exist.”
“I’m trapped. There’s no hope for things to change.”
“I’ll never be enough.”
For some of these young women, people scattered seeds of these beliefs by saying such things to them at various times in their life. Others were made to feel unwanted or rejected by the way people treated them. If left unaddressed, these lies can take root and, like weeds, pop up and choke out truth.
Here are a few real-life examples of what it looks like when such weed-like thoughts take root in the lives of women:
Compulsively exercising a minimum of one hour a day in order to have some sense of control about her weight and life.
Perfectionistic tendencies with grades and job performance in order to show that she’s “enough.”
Pasting a smile on her face and always being cheerful because she feels God is disappointed in her if she feels “negative” emotions as a Christian.
Pretending to have it all together and faking being fine because she thinks people wouldn’t want to be in her life if they knew what baggage she carried from her past.
Feeling angry and depressed about the current state of her life but lacking hope that things could actually be different.
“Our “enoughness” isn’t found in us. It’s found in God”
Pulling Up the Weeds
How can we as Christians address such deeply rooted beliefs? When I meet with young women in our church, I’ll often walk through the following exercise to help them start to recognize and weed out these lies.
1. Identify your beliefs
List 3-5 adjectives or phrases that describe how you view or feel about yourself. Then, setting aside the Sunday School answers you know you should give, describe in a couple of words or phrases how you view God. The point is to identify what you believe about God, yourself, other people, and/or how the world works.
2. Examine your beliefs
Consider what is true or false about what you’ve stated. What does the Bible say? Note Scripture next to the statements, so you can reference it later. I recently did this exercise with a young woman, and she expressed not knowing enough of Scripture to do this. If this is where you are, I suggest asking a mature believer to do this exercise with you. Included below is an example of how you could chart this out.
Thought or Belief
“I’ll never be enough.”
What is True Based on God’s Word
Romans 3:23—Because of sin, you don’t meet God’s standard of perfection. You aren’t “enough” on your own.
2 Corinthians 5:21—God sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross, and if we trust in him as our Lord and Savior, we become righteous. We are not enough, but he is. Our sin is credited to him, and his righteousness is credited to us.
Psalm 103:13-14—God knows your frame. He knows your weaknesses and your sin. He knows your insufficiency, and he has compassion for you. He loves you.
2 Corinthians 3:5—Our “enoughness” isn’t found in us. It’s found in God.
3. Study and meditate on the truth
Whatever Scripture you identify, study it and the verses surrounding it so you better know and understand God’s Word. Pick a Scripture and memorize it. Do activities that help you reflect on truth. Ideas include doodling or drawing a picture based on the Scripture, using calligraphy to write the verse, creating hand motions to go with the words, turning it into a song, or telling someone about the passage and what you’re learning about it. Such kinesthetic activities reinforce what you’re reading and help you know it more deeply.
4. Give thanks to God
The Bible is a book God has provided to tell us about himself. As you read it, identify what the text is saying about God. If it’s helpful to think through reasons to thank him, imagine what it would be like if God didn’t possess that attribute. As you would affirm a friend by telling them what you appreciate about them, do the same with God. Gratitude and affirmation contribute to growing a relationship with a person, and they do the same with God.
5. Take a next step
What does it look like to live in light of the truth you know and have identified? Maybe it’s recognizing the weed-like thoughts, choosing to identify them for what they are and reminding yourself of what’s true rather than letting the weeds linger. Maybe it’s being honest (with yourself and another person) about how you actually feel or think rather than bottling it up and pretending to be “fine.” Maybe it’s opening the Bible to read rather than waiting until you feel like doing it. Maybe it’s going ahead and praying rather than waiting to reach some measure of “good enough” behavior before you feel like you can talk to God. Identify one small step you can take to live in light of the truth you’ve identified.
“We’re not without hope, and we’re not without help as we address deeply rooted thoughts and beliefs. ”
The Help of the Gardener
What weed-like beliefs need to be uprooted in your life? Maybe they’re self-condemning statements or shame-ridden labels you’ve allowed to define you. If you do nothing, they’ll continue to grow and affect you. But they can be uprooted if you’re willing to put forth the effort.
Sin affects every area of our lives, including how we think and what we think. However, we’re not without hope, and we’re not without help as we address deeply rooted thoughts and beliefs. Second Peter 1:3 tells us God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,” and in John 14-16, Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit works to help us, teach us, convict us, and guide us into all truth. You won’t always feel like identifying weed-like thoughts or addressing them, so ask God to help you to obey and to walk by faith rather than by how you feel. Ask him to remind you of truth and to stir your affections for him and his Word.
God desires for his children to thrive as healthy and holy in their thoughts, actions, and relationships. Moreso, he equips us with what we need to uproot weed-like thoughts and beliefs. He wants you to see yourself as he sees you, and he’s here to help you in addressing weed-like beliefs in your life.
Ashley Chesnut serves as the Associate Young Adult Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, and she’s the author of It's Not Just You: Freeing Women to Talk about Sexual Sin and Fight It Well. She has a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School and a Certificate of Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. When she's not at the church or meeting with girls, you can probably find her at the farmer's market or trying some new local restaurant.
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