Opinion/Resources/Teen Perspective 

By Teen Opinion Contributor Maggie Verdught

Photo: Deposit

The danger of Satan’s lies

It was another slump that I couldn’t seem to shake off. My day had been going just fine; I was focused and mostly productive, and then– boom. My brain suddenly felt like it had been fried, and I had an urge to cry. I started thinking very negatively about myself and had a strong desire to leave school. 

I wish I could say that this was a story from long, long ago. Unfortunately, this happened only a couple of weeks ago! And some variation of it often occurs at school. The main issue here is not the emotional turmoil, or the temptation to believe the lies that enter my brain. The problem is how I deal with that temptation. I must not entertain those lies in my head, or I will usually end up believing them. This is dangerous. Satan is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). 

I believe that teenagers are particularly vulnerable to certain lies of the Devil, because we are figuring out who we are, and who we want to be. There have been several seasons in my life where I fell away from Scripture, from reading my Bible and caring much about God and His Word. Guess what? When I did that, I became even more susceptible to Satan’s lies! Sin even began to sound pleasing to me at times, because I was so out of touch with God and His will for me.

Ways you can be supportive

If you have a teenager in your life right now, especially if it is your own child, please encourage them to read God’s Word. That is the most vital thing. Model it, encourage it, live it. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Encourage your teen to saturate themselves in the Word of God, because that is what transforms our lives as Christians. It is not enough simply to try to weed out the lie in our minds; we must replace the lie with the truth of God’s Word. That is not an original idea of mine, by the way– it is from a book that has really helped me, called Speak Truth in Your Heart by Sarah Mally. The subtitle is, “replacing lies with God’s Word.” I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially teenagers! It is full of wisdom and always points back to the truth of God’s Word, which is so important. 

Another way you can support your teen is by helping them identify the root lies that they are tempted to believe. Here is a progression of what that sometimes looks like for me. 

Thought (whether subconscious or conscious!): Those other girls are so much prettier than me. I’m ugly.

Root lie: God made a mistake with me. I am inadequate and unloved. 

Blazing truth from God’s Word: God makes everything with a unique purpose and design. My worth and value does not come from how I look, but in what my Creator thinks of me– and the Bible says that I am His child, beloved and cared for!

When I start listing off complaints, and things I don’t like about myself or my current situation, my mom is fantastic at redirecting me and pointing out my sin. No, it’s not fun for me to hear, but I need to hear it! A lot of times as teenagers, we are perpetually focused on ourselves. Me, me, me. Our culture condones this self-centeredness and blames it on the nature of adolescence, as we are figuring out who we are. But, as Christians, we have a higher standard to aim for. Gently but firmly remind your child that who they are in Christ is most important. Remind them that selfishness is the root of many problems, and by turning the focus away from “self” they will be a lot better off. Jesus should always be our main focus. As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” How true that is! And what better way to do that than to strive for imitating Jesus, instead?

Conclusion

Ultimately, your support will make a big difference in your child’s life as they navigate the teenage years. Little things add up to make a real, positive impact that will stick with your kid! I know that as a teen myself, I do appreciate the kind, firm affirmations of God’s truth that my parents remind me of. It is not easy to combat the lies of the Devil, but God is with us and will not leave us alone. That comforts me. 

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

John 16:33

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. 

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Maggie VerDught is a high school student who enjoys learning about culture, news, and politics.

She is passionate about sharing the truth, especially with her generation. Maggie loves to run, read, and write poetry in her spare time.

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