Since we’re in the Halloween season, I thought I’d address a serious idea with a lighter approach.

There’s a scene from Star Wars: Episode 2 where the battle is raging and it’s looking grim for the good guys. Yoda says, “concentrate all your firepower on the nearest starship.” (Click here for the video clip)

The wisdom here being that they will have a greater chance of defeating at least one starship if they focus on one instead of spreading out their firepower over the whole fleet.

I think this same strategy makes sense in life as well.

In particular, in combating lies that we have believed.

What I mean is, you and I are very prone to believing lies about ourselves and others. We easily slip into buying distortions of reality that are completely opposite of what God sees or thinks.

“I’m not beautiful.” “I don’t have friends.” “No one really likes me.” ” I’m not smart enough.” “I’m not worthy of love.” “I always mess things up.” “I’m too afraid to try anything new.” “I’ll always feel fat, sick and unhealthy.” “Nothing ever goes my way.”

I’m sure we can all relate to some of these. And our minds are really good at making a case that justifies these lies. So they are reinforced and ultimately become the underlying operating system that we live our lives from.

Sometimes these lies can be extraordinarily deep and powerful. They’ve had decades to fester and grow their nasty tentacles into almost every area of our lives.

When we step back and look at it, it can feel completely overwhelming to try to undo all of the chaos and destruction.

There’s just too much.

But here’s where we circle back to Yoda.

We don’t need to fix everything all at once.

We don’t need to spread our firepower over all of the lies at the same time.

“Concentrate all your firepower on the nearest [lie].”

In other words, ask the Lord, “Which lie is the one we need to destroy first?”

Then forget the others for now and get militant about destroying that one.

Find all the Scriptures you can that speak truth into that area of your life Study and meditate on them. Memorize and recite them.

Whenever the lie pops back up “… but I’m not beautiful.” Slam it down with “I am fearfully and wonderfully made! I am the bride of Christ. He calls me lovely and beautiful. He has given His life for me.”

Surround yourself with people who will remind you of who you really are.

Don’t let the overwhelming nature of things prevent you from making progress. Get focused and trust the Lord that as you replace lies – even very old, comfortable, festering lies – with His truth, His grace will expand more and more in your life.

Soon that starship fleet will be retreating altogether and you will be living in a new freedom that you never thought was possible.