Have you ever heard the narrative in your head that goes something like this?
- Who do you think you are?
- No one wants to hear anything you have to say!
- You have nothing to offer!
I had just finished a texting conversation with one of the most gifted writers I know. Impostor Syndrome had taken over her thoughts and she shared how unqualified and incapable she felt. As we worked through the narrative circling her heart and mind, I had what I call a “heavy revvy.”
It spotlighted the way Satan is literally everything he calls us. Dictionary.com defines an impostor as “a person who practices deception under an assumed character, identity or name” … another definition is “a person who deceives others, especially by assuming a false identity … a charlatan.”
Now let’s put this conversation in context. As Christina and I were texting, I was in the middle of a book launch. As the publisher of a book entitled Overcoming the Narcissist, Sociopath, Psychopath, and Other Domestic Abusers: The Comprehensive Handbook to Recognize, Remove and Recover from Abuse – it was and still is an important topic since there’s way too many abuses happening in Christian homes and even pastors’ homes. So extremely fresh in my mind were some of the tactics used by these abusers and outlined in the book.
WOW!
“Christina, this is blowing my mind! I grasped the depth of the impostor syndrome accusation that occurs constantly with some of the most gifted writers I know and began to see it from a perspective of abusive behavior. I recognized anew that predators and abusers call you what they are. It’s called projecting!
Dictionary.com describes it as:
To ascribe one’s own feelings, thoughts, or attitudes to others.
To impute to others one’s hidden desires and impulses especially as a means of defending oneself.
When you’re married to a narcissist/sociopath/ domestic abuser and he tells you he knows you are cheating on him, it’s often because he literally is cheating on you. If he doesn’t trust you with the finances, it frequently is because he can’t be trusted with the finances. So just like the abuser’s behavior, Satan does the same.”
Satan calls you what HE is – an impostor, a loser, condemned to hell. He’s only pretending to be victorious because he knows his days are numbered and that WE WIN!
The enemy of our souls will do anything to silence believers called to glorify God with their story, their words, spoken or written, over a cup of coffee or to a crowd. He wants to shame you into believing that you are the imposter and have nothing to share with others. If he can influence one person to give you a bad review on Amazon or complain to the elder board about you sharing your testimony, the enemy will have a heyday shutting you up. The enemy runs the narrative of those critical words inside your head to the point of paralysis, or even worse, influencing you into giving up!
The truth is, we cannot resist what we do not recognize—it is of utmost importance for us as followers of Christ to recognize the abusive character of Satan and stand firm against it! Remember what Peter commanded the believers in his epistle, specifically in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
Question: How has the enemy lied to you about who you are, whose you are, and the message God has given you? Has it taken you a minute to recognize that he is the liar?
About Athena Dean Holtz
Athena Dean Holtz has spent 38 years in Christian publishing, Athena pioneered the independent publishing movement in the Christian space in the early 90’s. Founder and Publisher at Redemption Press, she is chief visionary for the pandemic pivot She Writes for Him movement. The publishing ministry led by an amazing team of women has qualified 3 years in a row for Best Christian Workplace. Her personal ministry to those who’ve suffered spiritual abuse and been hurt by the church is at AthenaDeanHoltz.com.
Wow!
A “heavy revvy” indeed.
Near the end of my marriage , I began to realize that no matter how hard I tried to convince my husband that I was NOT cheating on him, he didn’t believe me because he was cheating on me.
I did not make the connection of other things he accused me of, but took that blame and criticism to heart.
What an eye-opener for me to realize that Satan uses the same tactic. He calls me what he is. And too often I listen instead of recognizing the source and the strategy.
Amen my friend! He keeps using the tactic because it works! The more we recognize it the sooner we can say NO!
Soooo good! And so timely. As I prepare to speak this weekend, the enemy has turned up the volume on the accusations. Thank you, Athena, for this reminder of truth. I am chosen, loved, and even adored by The King!
Yes yes! Oh that we would fully know our identity in Christ so we stop falling for his lies!
As always, outstanding Athena. We need this message even more in these times.🩷
Thank you dear one, so much to recognize so that we can grow strong to stand firm against the enemy’s strategies!
Thank you Athena, this was so insightful and necessary. So many women need to hear this. I wish I had 45 years ago in my first marriage,
Amen, Dyann … me too!
Satan is a liar for sure.
Who do you think you are?
No one wants to hear anything you have to say!
You have nothing to offer!
He uses those above statement tactics for sure. And it is 100X worse when it also came from another person’s mouth speaking those 3 sentences out loud to me over and over and over for years.
Jesus is still healing those verbal wounds that Satan keeps tossing them back in my path every opportunity he can find. I in my head no longer believe those lies but at times my heart does still bleed a little bit.
I hear you! It’s hard on the heart, the accusations. That’s exactly how he tries to wear us out so we will just give up and agree with his lies!