If there is one thing I have observed and seen for myself over my years as a mother, it is this: Satan lies to moms. Fortunately, you can overcome Satan’s lies and learn what God wants moms to know.

Mothers are important in God’s plan. God relies on mothers to teach His children. He values mothers. The work of a mother is truly divine.

If mothers weren’t important to God, Satan wouldn’t bother us. But Satan knows if he can destroy a mother, he can probably destroy an entire family—and maybe even future generations. He works relentlessly to make you, me, and all mothers, forget what God wants you to know.

Satan has lots of tactics to make you doubt who you are and what your important work is. We can group his deceptions towards moms into three categories: comparison, expectations, and guilt.

Comparison

Satan tries to get you to compare yourself to others. Do any of these statements ring true to you?

• I’ll never be perfect.

• I’m not good enough.

• I can’t be as on top of things as my neighbor.

• Things are so much harder for me than for others.

• My friends will think I’m a bad mom if my child does that.

When it comes to comparison, Satan says, “You are not enough.”

The next time you hear that statement in your head, think of what Sheri Dew said:

“Satan tells us we’re not good enough. Not smart enough. Not thin enough. Not cute enough. Not clever enough. Not anything enough. And that is a big, fat, devilish lie. He wants us to believe that there is no status in being a mother. That is a lie, an evil lie. He wants us to believe that the influence of women is inherently inferior. And that is a lie.”

What God Wants You To Know About Comparison

Instead of listening to Satan, listen to what God wants you to know. “…through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved ” (Acts 15:11). There is no need to be better than someone else or to feel inferior. You have worth and Jesus Christ’s atonement was for you.

Heavenly Father wants to bless you with confidence in yourself. “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly,” He said. “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and … the Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46)

What God wants you to know is you can always rely on Him. Think of these words by Deiter F. Uchtdorf, “The promises of praise and acceptance by the world are unreliable, untrue, and unsatisfying. God’s promises are sure, true, and joyful—now and forever.”

Expectations

As a mother, you have a lot to do. You have a husband and children with needs. You have extended family to care for. You have a household to manage. You have volunteer commitments to schools and churches. You have kids’ activities to organize.

Satan puts lies in your head to tell you how you should handle all of these expectations.

• I’m a failure.

• I should just quit trying.

• I will never get everything done.

• Bad things always happen to me.

• I’m not smart enough to figure problems out.

• I can’t handle everything that comes along with motherhood.

What God Wants You To Know About Expectations

When Satan lies and tells you the expectations are too great and to just give up, remember what God wants you to know.

“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; … love God with all your might, mind and strength … [Then] ye may be perfect in Christ, … holy, [and] without spot.” (Moroni 10:32-33)

Joy D. Jones put it this way: “If the love we feel for the Savior and what He did for us is greater than the energy we give to weaknesses, self-doubts, or bad habits, then He will help us overcome the things which cause suffering in our lives. He saves us from ourselves.”

Guilt

If all else fails, Satan’s got a good ol’ guilt trip to help you forget what God wants you to know. Because of the expectations mothers have, there are a million things you can feel guilty about.

• I can’t do it all.

• My house is always a disaster.

• My child made a terrible choice.

• I’m disappointing so many people.

• My children will grow up and hate me.

• I have made too many mistakes to change.

Satan is the king of guilt.

What God Wants You To Know about Guilt

When Satan tells you your mistakes define you, remember what God wants you to know.

“Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

His love is constant. Your worth is constant. You can’t earn His love and His love is not dependent on what others think of you.  “…eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Russell M. Nelson reminds us “We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy–not guilt trips!”

How do you overcome Satan’s lies and hear what God wants you to know?

In the scriptures, Moses gives us an answer.

Satan tried to lie to Moses, but Moses had just had an incredible experience where he saw and talked with God. God told Moses he was His son, there was an important work for Moses to do and Jesus Christ was his Savior.

You can imagine this was a pretty intense encounter for Moses. It took all of his physical strength, and he just laid on the ground until he got his energy back. And then Satan came along.

Satan tells Moses to worship him. Without hesitation, Moses replies to Satan, “Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory that I should worship thee?” (Moses 1:13)

Moses saw right through Satan. He knew Satan had no glory and nothing to worship. He knew God was the only one He would worship. Without hesitation, he told Satan to leave.

Here’s what we can learn from Moses: Moses knew who he was.  “Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God has said unto me; Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten…” (Moses 1:16)

Moses shows you what God wants you to know about Satan’s lies.

Know Who You Are

What God wants you to know is you belong to Him. You are a daughter of God. You are His. He sent His son to overcome everything for you.

“As you reach out to your Heavenly Father, as you pray to Him in the name of Christ, He will answer you. He speaks to us everywhere. As you read God’s word recorded in the scriptures, listen for His voice. … Listen for the voice of the Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit. In your daily interactions with others, in the words of a hymn, in the laughter of a child, listen for His voice. If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead you on a course that will allow you to experience the pure love of Christ.” (Deiter F. Uchtdorf)

If you aren’t sure if you are truly a daughter of God but you want to overcome Satan’s lies, I would invite you to go directly to the source. Find out who you are by asking God in prayer. He will help you overcome Satan’s lies and know who you are.