Resisting Comparison
Choosing Truth Over the Lie
James 4:7 (NIV)
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
At the end of last school year, my daughter came home insisting she couldn’t read.
Not “struggling to read.”
Not “afraid to read out loud.”
But a full, confident, “I can’t.”
Her teacher was confused.
Her dyslexia specialist was confused.
I was confused.
Because she can read.
But somewhere along the way, she started looking around at the other kids in her class — especially the ones reading far beyond her level — and something inside her whispered a lie:
“If I can’t do it like they can… I won’t do it at all.”
And she believed it.
Her confidence dropped.
Her effort dropped.
Her willingness to even try dropped.
The comparison trap had done its job.
When we moved to North Dakota, I wrestled with whether to send her back to school. She begged to go. But all I could picture was her walking into a new classroom, seeing confident readers, and shrinking back into that same lie:
“I can’t.”
And I realized something:
The comparison trap doesn’t just discourage.
It steals identity, effort, and joy.
It’s a spiritual battle.
And if we’re not paying attention, our kids — and we — start listening.
James 4:7 tells us exactly what to do with a weapon like that:
Resist it.
Stand against it.
Push back with truth until the lie loses its voice.
So this year, I decided to homeschool.
We rebuilt our routine.
We found a dyslexia program online.
And slowly — almost quietly — something beautiful happened.
She started reading things she used to avoid.
She began sounding out words with bravery instead of fear.
She started volunteering to read in our co-op… out loud… in front of everyone.
She reads song lyrics with her friends.
She helps cook by reading the instructions.
She points out headlines, signs, and captions with excitement.
Not perfectly.
Not quickly.
But confidently — and that is the victory.
The same girl who once said, “I can’t read,” is now looking for opportunities to read.
Because confidence doesn’t grow from comparison.
Confidence grows from resisting the lie that says you’re already defeated.
That’s what James 4:7 is talking about.
Resisting the devil doesn’t always look dramatic.
Sometimes it looks like a child choosing to read one sentence she was scared to read.
Sometimes it looks like a teenager ignoring the highlight reel of others’ lives.
Sometimes it looks like a parent choosing to stop comparing their calling, gifts, or timeline to everyone else’s.
The enemy loves comparison — because it shuts down courage before it begins.
But when we resist?
When we reject the lie and choose truth?
When we refuse to let fear silence us?
He flees.
This week, remember this:
When you resist the enemy’s lies — even the quiet ones — God strengthens you with a confidence that cannot be taken.
The devil doesn’t get to define your ability.
God does.
And He always speaks life.
Reflection
Where has comparison tried to silence you?
What lie have you been believing about yourself?
What truth will you stand on instead?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for giving me strength to resist the lies that try to steal my confidence. Help me recognize comparison for what it is and replace it with Your truth. Build courage in me—as You’re building it in my daughter. Quiet every lie, every fear, and every distraction. Strengthen us to walk in confidence, peace, and identity rooted in You alone.
Amen.