Be Not Overcome

Words have power. Whether spoken or written, words can change our minds and change our lives. Occasionally I come across a book that makes an impact. At a recent library book sale, I picked up Telling Yourself the Truth by William Backus and Marie Chapian.  

I strive to be honest with people. I don’t purposely mislead or knowingly give false information. Yet, I often find myself telling myself lies about myself.  And worse, I believe the lies. The lies are not telling me what a wonderful, smart, funny, and gorgeous—for my age, of course—person I am. Quite the opposite.

Apparently, I’m not the only person listening to the lies in their head. The publishers boast “over 750,000 copies sold” of this book with the subtitle: Find Your Way Out of Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Anger, and Other Common Problems by Applying the Principles of Misbelief Therapy.  Wow. Long, but effective. Who can’t relate to something on that list?

Misbelief Therapy advises us to replace every negative thought with a positive statement. I found the practice to be very effective, but soon realized misbelief therapy is really belief therapy. The principles reflected Scripture. For example, I was merely “putting on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:3). “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good” (Romans 12:21).

If you are not one of the 750,000 people practicing misbelief therapy and want to save a few dollars, I recommend belief therapy. It will change your mind and change your life.