What’s holding you back?
In the self-help world, it is common to hear the term “limiting beliefs.” Limiting beliefs are defined as any negative thoughts or assumptions that are holding you back from the life you want. More and more, however, I am hearing this phrase on the lips of Christians. And I have some concerns.
I think most of us would agree, in principle, that our beliefs about reality, ourselves, and God hold some power over how we behave.
- We assume people will judge us, so we don’t try.
- We think God doesn’t care, so we don’t pray.
- We think we’re failures, so we quit before we start.
Beliefs are indeed powerful things. And so if a belief can propel you forward, it stands to reason that a belief can also hold you back. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” But there is actually much more baked into the concept of limiting beliefs that Christians should be aware of. Much of this is tied to the concept of manifestation and the law of attraction. So, I want to share three big problems with the concept of limiting beliefs and end with a more biblical way to think about this issue.
Problem 1: Ultimate Success
Every teaching on limiting beliefs rests on an unstated answer to one question: limiting you from what, exactly?
Tony Robbins popularized the term in his bestseller Awakening the Giant Within. Notice how he frames the objective of overcoming limiting beliefs: “What’s your story? What do you believe about your lot in life? Are those beliefs empowering you — or are they holding you back from a happy, fulfilled life?”
In secular self-help, a limiting belief is whatever holds you back from your goals, your happiness, your vision of a successful life. The vision is almost always self-focused. It’s about money, fame, comfort, or some other worldly measure of a life well lived.
As Christians, however, our definition of success isn’t about getting the most out of this life for ourselves. It’s bringing God the most glory. If you let a self-focused view of success creep into your thinking, it will corrupt everything downstream. And that includes the basis on which you evaluate the beliefs themselves.
Problem 2: Utilitarian Beliefs
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the popular teaching on limiting beliefs is how it views beliefs not as true or false, but as useful or not useful. That’s utilitarianism, the doctrine which holds “that the useful is the good and that the determining consideration of right conduct should be the usefulness of its consequences” (Merriam-Webster).
Mark Manson says as much in his bestselling self-help book: “It’s not so much about adopting the correct beliefs, as much as adopting the process of being able to update our beliefs.” Truth, in other words, is irrelevant. What matters is whether the belief serves you or not. Not finding a belief helpful in reaching your goals? Update it!
But what about truth?
Christians do not evaluate beliefs that way. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). We are servants of the God who cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18), and we are commanded not to bear false witness (Exodus 20:16). We are people of the truth.
The value of a belief lies in its truthfulness, not its “usefulness.” Repeating affirmations of utilitarian beliefs that aren’t true, even ones meant to boost confidence or fuel ambition, will never produce ultimate success.
Problem 3: Untrusting Faith
As a result of this utilitarian outlook, those who teach on limiting beliefs treat them like interchangeable parts. I’ve heard beliefs described as items on a buffet; one author called them Legos you can swap and stack to build the worldview and life that you want.
But beliefs don’t work that way. Because truth doesn’t work that way.
Every truth claim has a truth claimer. That means believing or disbelieving is never an abstract, impersonal act. It’s an exercise of trust in a person or an institution. And who or what you trust or distrust is a matter of honor or dishonor.
If my wife tells me something and I say, “I don’t believe you,” I’m not making a detached statement of fact. I’m questioning her character or intellect. I am not believing her. The same is true with God. When I believe His promises, I’m honoring His character as a promise-keeper. When I adopt a belief that contradicts His Word because it’s “useful” to me, I’m effectively calling God a liar. That is no small thing. I glorify or dishonor God according to the degree to which I believe Him.
Beliefs are a matter of faith, and faith is personal.
A Better Term: Limiting Lies
So should we throw out the idea of limiting beliefs altogether? Well, I think to set it back on a biblical foundation, we just need to make a slight modification. How about instead of “limiting beliefs,” we talk in terms of limiting lies?
In many ways, the path toward Christian maturity is the process of identifying lies we believe, rooting them out, and replacing them with what God has said is true. This isn’t affirmation. It’s spiritual warfare. The battle over what we believe is not ultimately a battle between our current selves and the person we want to become, as the self-help gurus frame it; it’s actually a spiritual battle between the Father of Lies and the God of Truth.
The war for change is indeed fought at the level of beliefs. But it’s a battle for truth.
How to Confront Limiting Lies
So let’s talk about how we might put this into practice. The method is actually quite simple, just two steps:
- Identify the lie you’re believing.
- Identify what Scripture says about it.
You’ll notice that the prerequisite for both of these steps is familiarity with the Word of God. It is the Word that the Spirit uses to convict us of where we need to change (John 16:8). He uses it to identify the limiting lies we are believing. Likewise, it is the Word of God that is the truth, which the Spirit uses to renew our minds. Identify the lie, affirm the truth.
Here are a few examples I’ve reproduced from this chart created by Dave Dunham:
| Lies I Believe | Scriptural Truth | Scripture Text |
|---|---|---|
| You will never change | You can change because God is changing you | Philippians 1:6 |
| You need the approval of others | I have God’s approval, and that is enough | Romans 8:31 |
| I am a failure and screw-up | God has forgiveness for my sin and grace for my weaknesses; I am not defined by what I’ve done but by my union to Christ | 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Colossians 3:3 |
This is why it’s so important to be in a church that teaches the Bible, to be reading the Bible regularly yourself, memorizing scripture, and practicing biblical meditation. It’s not a merely academic exercise; it’s arming yourself with ammunition for spiritual warfare.
Conclusion
God made you for a purpose. He wants to use you. The enemy will use limiting lies to hold you back from that calling. So yes, confront those beliefs that are not true. But do it like a Christian. Do it with the truth that comes from God’s Word.
