T h e Te n B i g g e s t L i e s o f t h e E n e m y — a n d H o w t o C o m b a t T h e m
through memories of past breakups—until eventually the individual starts to believe that they really are unlovable. We may also come into agreement with a lie as a way of protecting ourselves from pain or further suffering. In other words, we internalize the lie and begin to believe that it reflects some truth about us. For example, individuals who grew up in highly dysfunctional homes and coped with judgment, manipulation, and abuse, may come to believe that they don’t need love. Such a lie may cause them to make inner vows not to open their hearts to anyone. Such vows are interior decisions we make that shape how we relate to God, ourselves, and others. These inner vows can powerfully protect a person—and just as powerfully keep the love of the Father from their heart. I made such a vow when I was a young adult. A series of very painful relationship rejections in my late teen years led to an interior decision that I would never allow myself to be hurt in that way again. That vow created a kind of wall around my emotions, and I soon found myself using and manipulating others, particularly women, so that I could experience what I wanted without any kind of vulnerability or openness on my part. It wasn’t until I surrendered myself to Jesus and grew in my relationship with him that I was able to repent of that vow and break its hold on me. Once someone opens the door to a lie and begins to believe it, they give the Enemy further influence. He will, in turn, try to take that toe hold and turn it into a foothold, and then turn that foothold into an actual stronghold. Bob Schuchts, a Catholic counselor and founder of the John Paul II Healing Center, describes this process of gradual bondage in his book Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life: 10