Breaking Strongholds – Maturity is Being Able to Tell the Truth

Hey family, I’m back! And wow, when you are in a season of taking back ground, it doesn’t happen without resistance. The fight is real. The spiritual wrestle is ongoing. When you strike, expect the enemy to strike back. But the good news? I’m still here. I’m alive. I’m breathing. And I’m walking forward with God.

Welcome back to the channel :D

Lies as the Foundation of Fantasy

Let’s start here: lies. I spent most of my life battling the identity of being a liar. I would lie about little things, big things and swear I'll never do it again- only to enter into the same cycle again. So as a reformed liar... is that me lying? Okay, as a person that God has healed from lying and exaggeration- let's talk about lies. Not just the big ones that wreck lives, but the small ones. The little white lies. The lies we tell others, and even more dangerously, the lies we tell ourselves.

Why do we lie? Most often, it’s to escape pain. We don’t want to admit we’re disappointed, hurt, or insecure. So instead of facing reality, we create a softer version of it. We say, “I’m fine” when we’re breaking inside. We say, “It doesn’t matter” when it really matters deeply. We say, “I’ve moved on” when we’re still carrying the weight.

I never knew that people who lie a lot tended to be people who escaped into fantasy (an entire world of lies) a lot.

Fantasy is simply a world we build out of the lies we’ve told ourselves. If we live there long enough, we start treating it as more real than the world God has placed us in. And like a self made hiding place we run there rather facing the pain of our reality and wonder why our faith is ineffective.

Reflection Questions:

• What are some “small lies” I’ve been telling myself to avoid facing disappointment or pain?

• Do I use phrases like “I’m fine” or “It doesn’t matter” when deep down, it actually does?

• Where in my life have I built a fantasy world that feels safer than reality?

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Feelings Are Symptoms, Not Realities

This week at Elisha Company I heard a phrase that really stuck with me:

“Being able to process disappointment is a sign of maturity.”

At first, I thought, “I’ve got this. Next!” But God stopped me. I realized I often avoid my disappointment. Instead of inviting God into my pain, I bury it under busyness desperately waiting for the feeling to fade.

Are you like me? Do you fight for the feeling to pass? Or are you aware that the feelings are pointing to something much deeper?

You see emotions are not enemies. They are messengers. They are symptoms, not realities. Like a fever points to infection, emotions point to deeper wounds in the soul. If we ignore them, we miss the chance for true healing. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” You can’t guard what you refuse to face.

Reflection Questions:

• Do I tend to suppress emotions, distract myself, or let them fade instead of addressing them with God?

• What recent emotion might actually be a symptom pointing to a deeper disappointment?

• How could I bring that honest feeling into prayer instead of hiding it?

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More Than One Thing Can Be True

We are not just spirits floating around with bodies as an afterthought. We are whole beings: spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Each part of us perceives truth from it's correspinding realm in its own way.

Maturity means being able to hold multiple truths at once. For example, it is perfectly plausible for me feel pain in my soul while also being fully aware that I am seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Both are true.

The body reports to you about activities in the physical realm, the soul- the emotional realm, the spirit- the spiritual realm. All these pieces of intel are true from the realm they are coming from. They may have different weights of importance but all must be heard and considered.

Think of a king in his courtroom. If he only listened to half the petitions brought before him and ignored the rest, we’d call him unjust. To rule well in life, we must hear the reports from spirit, soul, and body, and then judge them in Christ. That’s why 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls us to “take every thought captive.” How can you say you have taken a thought captive when you have never heard it?

Reflection Questions:

• Which “report” do I tend to ignore more often—my body, my soul, or my spirit?

• Do I allow myself to acknowledge pain while still believing God’s promises, or do I swing to one extreme?

• What would it look like for me to bring all three parts of myself before God honestly?

  
  

The Trap of Fantasy in Modern Life

Fantasy doesn’t always look like daydreaming about a better world. Sometimes it hides in plain sight.

• Social Media: We scroll for hours, living in highlight reels, casting judgement outside because we have failed to do so inside.

• Success and Work: We chase achievements, hoping applause will silence the ache inside.

• Romance or Escapism: We hide in stories—movies, shows, even our imagination—because they feel safer than real relationships.

• Even Ministry: Yes, even serving God can become a mask. We can stay busy doing for Him while avoiding being real with Him.

All of these can become fantasy worlds. They help us avoid pain. But they are built on lies.

Reflection Questions:

• Where do I run when I don’t want to face reality—social media, work, entertainment, or something else?

• Have I ever used “ministry” or serving others as a way to avoid dealing with my own brokenness?

• What would it look like for me to turn to God instead of these escape routes?

  
  

Worship vs Flattery

And here’s the danger: when we find comfort in fantasy instead of truth, our worship becomes distorted. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

True worship is founded in reality that recognises God's diety. It says, “God, I’m hurting. I don’t understand. But I still believe You are King.”

Flattery denies reality. It says nice words while denying what’s really in the heart. It says, “God, You are good” while secretly thinking, “But You haven’t been good to me.” That’s not worship. That’s flattery.

At the root of true worship there is a foundation of homage, reverence and devotion that needs to be present. Can you acknowledge that God is still good when everything seems bad or has this become a stumbling block that you cannot overcome?

This is the demand of New Testament Worship. For worship to be spirit filled and also to be true. For us to be mature enough to walk in the tension of seeming contradiction, all the while recognising that there is more and life does not finish when we die.

Reflection Questions:

• When I worship, am I being completely honest with God about my pain?

• Do I sometimes “say the right words” to God while my heart believes something different?

• How can I bring raw honesty into my worship without fear of offending Him?

The Call to Maturity

So here’s the challenge. Stop running into fantasy. Stop covering pain with lies. Stop trying to flatter God while hiding your true heart. Fantasy is an idol. Throw it out and burn it with every other false god.

Maturity means facing reality. It means letting every thought, every emotion, and every truth from body, soul, and spirit come before God’s throne, and then letting Him judge it. That is rulership. That is maturity.

Don’t run into fantasy. Don’t settle for flattery. Face the truth. Judge the thoughts. And worship God in spirit and in truth.

Reflection Questions:

• What is one area of my life where I sense God is asking me to face the truth rather than escape into fantasy?

• How would my worship change if I brought God my honest disappointments as well as my praises?

• What practical step can I take this week to “judge my thoughts” instead of ignoring them?