The world is full of Debbie Downers who interject negativity and exaggerate the truth. Filling our ears with this information can cause us to lose our hope. Jeremiah 29:11 shares God’s plan for hope in our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These words do not tell us that we are going to get there without a fight. For some Christians, we need to silence these lying voices and believe the Word. These lying voices can be people that we encounter, watching the 6:00 PM news or little voices in our head telling us that we are not enough. 

There are two great examples in the Bible of shutting down the lying voices. In Numbers 13:30, “ … Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” The crowd was so focused on the size of the opposition that surely they could not win. Caleb spoke up to the crowd and changed that narrative.

In 1 Samuel 17, we hear the story of David and Goliath. David came down to bring food to his brothers and the Israel army under King Saul. His brothers were reciting the rewards for the man who killed Goliath, which included the daughter of King Saul in marriage and great riches. For forty days, the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take a stand. Whenever the Israelites saw Goliath, they fled in fear. David listened to all the negativity, including from his older brother and did not accept that narrative. He knew that the God of Israel is bigger than the Philistines. Saul heard David and while he first doubts his ability, David convinces him that he has taken on lions and bears to protect his sheep. The story ends with David killing Goliath. David had a choice to believe all the fear and negativity in the crowd or to stand up and believe in the God of Israel. 

Both Caleb and David silenced the people, shifted the tone and were victorious in their battle. Each of us have the same power to change our narrative too. We need to be ready to confront a lie, to protect our future. We need to be ready to believe and speak the Word, over every situation. Changing the narrative will change it for future generations too. Restore the hope promised in Jeremiah 29:11 by shutting down the lying voices and battling for the promised land.

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This post was written by a group of volunteer writers who strive to share God's truth through an online platform, but may not reflect the views of The Vineyard Church as a whole. To learn how you can get involved, email us at   .

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