Ungodly Beliefs

John 10:10 (NIV) - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

What Is a UGB? - One of the most useful concepts that I learned from deliverance ministry is UGBs - Ungodly Beliefs. A UGB is any part of your personal belief system that is contrary to God and His Word and His character. It includes beliefs, decisions, opinions, attitudes, mindsets, agreements, judgments, vows, oaths . . . anything rooted in the heart of your being that exerts a habitual negative influence on your life. UGBs can be about yourself, others, or God. There are no perfect Christians; everyone has UGBs. But not everyone is aware of what they have. Below are some example UGBs:

I'll always be a failure.
My feelings don’t matter, so why share them?
No one cares about me, they just like me for the things I do for them.
I am responsible to keep peace in our home. I must smooth everything out.
No one values my opinion.
I must be strong and in control so others won’t hurt me.
God is too busy managing the universe to pay attention to my little life.
People will reject me if they know who I really am.
No one is looking out for my interests. (Orphan Spirit)
Never get yourself into the position where you have to depend on a man/woman.
Always have a back door ready so you can exit your marriage quickly if you need to.
I’m trapped with no way out.
I’ll never change. Things will always be the same.
I’m unlovely. I’m unattractive.
It’s not safe to submit to anyone.

This is a very incomplete list. But you can easily imagine how detrimental any of these example UGBs would be if they were part of someone's core belief system. None of them will lead to the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

Before you become a Christian, what you believed about your personal value, your purpose, the source of your security, marriage, family, relationships with other people, and about God Himself were mostly based on UGBs. Once you become a Christian, you can begin to clean up this mental mess by following Holy Spirit's leading to change your UGBs into GBs (Godly Beliefs). The longer you wait until becoming a Christian, the more UGBs you accumulate. I did not get saved until my early thirties. Consequently, I had lots of UGBs to deal with. Better late than never!

How Are UGBs Formed? One way is when a bad thing happens to us (e.g. "I failed three times.") and we come to a wrong conclusion ("Therefore, I'm a failure."). Whenever you are heading in an ungodly direction, this will attract an unclean spirit to encourage the ungodly belief until it becomes a deep-rooted UGB in your core belief system. Many UGBs are passed down from one generation to the next, where they cause generational sin. If you find yourself repeating the mistakes of a parent, you've almost certainly inherited their UGB. And everyone can see it except you!

Where Do UGBs Reside In Our Brain? -
The physical part of a UGB is a thought coded into a structure of connected neurons in your nonconscious brain. That is where it can have the greatest impact on your life. That is also where it can remain hidden from normal introspection (the self-examination or observation of your own mental and emotional processes). You can't examine the contents of your nonconscious brain through introspection. Consequently, a UGB can remain undetected for years or even for a lifetime - even though others can plainly see it.

How Do I Identify and Replace a UGB With a Godly Belief? -
Time in God's Word is essential. But since UBGs are rooted in your nonconscious mind, a direct "front door" approach aimed at your conscious mind (e.g. a good sermon or a relevant book) may not be effective. You may need a "back door" approach. Good Christian counseling, Deliverance ministry, and the "Brain Neuroplasticity" self-help method championed by Dr. Caroline Leaf (see the psych section of this website) are all good ways to accomplish this. They can help you identify deep-rooted hidden UGB(s) in your nonconscious mind and then teach you how to replace them with lasting Godly Beliefs. In all cases Holy Spirit knows precisely what you need. Ask Him to show the way!

Maintain Your Deliverance - Sadly, some people who are set free slip right back into bondage. After attending a deliverance for a friend the Lord spoke a word to my heart, which I (gently) passed on as a warning to this person.

"If you don't know how to keep your deliverance, it will be taken from you."

Sadly, the person soon reverted back to their old ways. Lesson Learned: The Devil is not going to give up territory without a fight. Therefore, don't let your guard down. Be prepared to defend your new-found freedom!