The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe: How to Find It, Fight It, and Live Free

Bible teacher Allen (Get Out of Your Head) argues in this flimsy guide to rebuilding one’s self-esteem that each person is shaped by a “core lie” that prevents them from truly connecting with God and living authentically. She leads readers through the process of identifying their core lie—often that one is helpless, unlovable, or worthless—and how to vanquish it. Steps include determining where the lie originated (damaging family dynamics, traumatic experiences), paying close attention to negative self-talk, getting closer to God, and exchanging the lie for a holier vision of one’s life. Such a vision involves becoming part of a God-focused community and connecting with God in small, everyday ways, like praying and attuning to his will when making choices. Readers may appreciate Allen’s candid disclosures about overcoming her own core lie but will be turned off by the dearth of concrete examples and her penchant for bizarre, sometimes judgmental tangents, as when she recounts drawing on “God’s spirit” to ward off the “curses” of an agitated plane seatmate who she assumed was a “witch.” Readers seeking spiritual self-help would be better served elsewhere. (Mar.)