Episode 7 - Destructive Banners

Podcast Title: Destructive Banners (Episode 7)
From the Thriving & Wholeness Series | A New Level Awaits You

What if the greatest battle after betrayal isn’t what happened to you… but what you started to believe about yourself because of it?

In Episode 7, Destructive Banners, we uncover the false identities and inner narratives that rise up in the aftermath of pain—labels like rejected, unworthy, forgotten, or not enough. These are the banners the enemy tries to raise over your life, quietly shaping your thoughts, your choices, and your future.

But those banners were never yours to carry.

Grounded in the truth of Scripture, including 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:13, this episode will help you recognize the lies, tear them down, and replace them with the unshakable truth of who God says you are. You’ll be challenged to stop living under the weight of false identities and step into the strength, grace, and authority that has always been yours in Christ.

This is more than awareness—it’s an invitation to realignment.

You don’t have to live under destructive banners any longer.
 It’s time to raise a new banner—one marked by truth, freedom, and victory.

🎧 Part of the Thriving & Wholeness Series and inspired by themes from Freedom After Betrayal, this episode will equip you to walk in clarity, confidence, and wholeness.

Connect with Lois Flewelling
Find books, resources, online courses, and speaking opportunities at: www.loisflewelling.com

A New Level Awaits You—leave the lies behind and step fully into your God-given identity.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hi, I am Lois Welling. We all desire spiritual growth, but you don't always know where to begin. On the new level away, you weak the right steps. I do into your divine assignment and reach new levels of greatness in the world. You begin to storm of every obstacle and enter into your specific assignment. So get ready to go from glory to glory as new levels await you. Well, welcome back to A New Level Awaits You. I'm your host, Lois Fulwelling. Today we're going to be continuing again on our within our Thriving and Wholeness series. And we've been discussing about betrayal. And you know, we're going to be talking about destructive banners today. And these messages that we have, I call them destructive banners because they're messages that were never meant to define us. Words are spoken in pain, labels are formed in betrayal. Conclusions we come to in moments of deep wounding. And you know, over time, these messages don't just pass through our minds. They begin to hang over our lives like banners. In fact, I've seen them, they go right across here. They were all uh torn and worn out because we've been trying to uh not take them on, believe them, but they hang across us like banners. And in this episode of destructive banners, we're going to uncover those false identities, those internal declarations that were born out of brokenness, and begin to replace them with the truth of who God really says we are. So a banner is something that identifies, it announces, it represents. It's what people see from a distance. It's what declares what you stand under. And spiritually speaking, many people are living under banners they never chose. But somewhere along the path, we've come into agreement with them. And as with betrayal, these banners often sound like I'm not enough, I am too much, I can't trust anyone, I'll always be rejected, something must be wrong with me. In fact, it keeps on getting hitting into I am unlovable, I don't really like myself, people don't want to be around me. All of these things. So they're not just thoughts, they're identity statements. And if they go unchallenged, they begin to shape how you live, they begin to shape how you relate and how you see yourself. Betrayal has a way of attaching meaning to pain, it just doesn't hurt, it speaks to us. And if we're not careful, we allow that voice to become louder than God's truth. What started as a wound becomes a belief. What was experienced becomes sometimes our identity, doesn't it? And before long, we're not just remembering what happened, we're living through what it told about us. It's deep, it's very deep, and it's difficult. And I've seen the pictures of people as they walk in, I can read their destructive banners, their shoulders are slumped down, their heads are down, they can't look you in the eye. Their hurt is just radiating out of them. But here's the truth: not every voice deserves agreement. Wouldn't you say that too? In 2 Corinthians 12 9, we hear the powerful words of the Lord, my grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness. That means the places where you feel the most inadequate, the most broken, the most exposed. Those are not places of rejection, they were places where God's power is revealed. Yet destructive banners will try to convince you that your weakness disqualifies you. You don't fit in. That was one of mine. That your pain is proof you are less than. People deserve to treat you that way. Not true. That your struggle defines you. But God says the opposite in all of this. Your weakness is not your identity, it's an invitation for his strength. And when we live under destructive banners, we begin to limit what we believe is possible. We shrink back, we hesitate, we question our worth, our calling, our capabilities, our future. But the truth of Philippians 4:13 declares, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You know, that's not just a motivational phrase. It's a spiritual reality. It's a declaration that I have stood on for many, many years. It's a declaration that your ability is not based on your past, it's not based on your wounds, and it's not based on what other people have said about you. It is rooted in God's strength working through you. You see, destructive banners will also try to disconnect you from the truth. They whisper things like, you'll never recover. But God says, My grace is sufficient. They say you're too damaged to be used. Boy, I just heard that the other night with somebody I was ministering to. Because whatever banner you stand under will shape how you live, it influences our decisions, our relationships, and our willingness to move forward. You cannot walk in freedom while still agreeing with lies. Do you hear me? You cannot walk in freedom while still agreeing with lies. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we become so familiar with those destructive banners that they become our truth. They feel like it's true, it's our truth, and yet it's not the absolute truth of what God is saying. Familiarity doesn't make something true. We have to hear the truth, the absolute truth from the word of God, what God says about who we are. So healing requires us to confront those banners and ask, where did this come from? And when did I begin to believe it? And does this align with what God says about me? Because if it doesn't align with the truth, it has no authority over your life. There is a moment in healing where you have to take down the old banner, you have to make a conscious decision. I will no longer live under this identity. I will no longer agree with what betrayal tried to label me as. Sometimes those old banners try to get back up again, especially in moments when fear or stress or vulnerability comes. I find it sometimes when I'm really tired, when I'm exhausted. Great things have happened, and then all of a sudden, that banner wants to slap itself back onto me. And then I realize I'm just tired. So they see my weakness, but yet I decide right then and there, no, I'm still strong in the Lord. I made me tired physically or I may be tired mentally, but that does not give them permission to be slapped back on me. And every time you truth truth over lies, you weaken the hold of those banners that once had over you. And over time, something shifts. Yeah, you begin to feel differently, you begin to respond differently, you begin to see yourself differently, you begin to start walking more in confidence, and people will say, What's different about you? You start to walk out in authority that you now have grabbed a hold of because that's who God says you are. You start talking differently because now you're talking out of wisdom, you're not talking out of the hurt and the pain and the trauma, you're talking through wisdom, and eventually that banner that wants to find you no longer has a place in your life, it doesn't control you anymore. So, in your journey of healing from betrayal, this is a critical step because you cannot fully step into freedom while still living under false identity. You cannot walk in wholeness without agreeing, while agreeing with broken labels. You cannot move forward with confidence if you're still anchored to lies about who you are. God is not asking you to pretend that the pain didn't happen. I'm not going to pretend that the pain that I've gone through didn't happen. But I will tell you, I'm not going to allow it to define me any longer. And this is what God is doing. He's inviting you to refuse to allow it to define you. For his grace is sufficient, his power is present, and his strength is available to you. So today I want to challenge you, like I do each time. I want you to identify the banners in your life. What are the statements that have been hanging over you? What are the beliefs that have shaped you? How you see yourself? Maybe it's since the betrayal, but maybe it's been since a brokenness, brokenness that occurred many years ago. Write them down if you need to, and then one by one bring them before the Lord. Lay them down, reject them, and replace them with the truth. Because you never were meant to live under destructive banners. No, I saw it. God just pull them off, just pull them off. And when we pull them off, then we start living under the covering of God's truth, his grace, his power. And as you begin taking down those old banners and raise up new ones, you're gonna find something powerfully, powerful happening. Like I said, you're gonna walk differently, you're gonna feel stronger, freer, more confident in who you are and whose you are. This is where healing deepens, this is where identity is restored, and this is where freedom becomes real. And it will feel different. You don't even realize sometimes you're walking out in new freedom, you're walking out in more wholeness. I actually get become a little bit surprised when people say those things over me, especially after I've gone through something really big, and yet God is so faithful, he's so faithful, and his truth is real. Our identity in him is real. Healing can happen because he is the great healer, and let me tell you, freedom is real too. So go after it, go after freedom, go after wholeness. Because I want to finish this out with saying, remember, betrayal does not get the final word. You do, and what you decide at this time makes a difference in how your life will continue on. So let me pray for you as we close. So, Lord, God, I thank you right now that you will come upon each one that you will start stripping away. Well, first of all, God, let's back it up. First of all, all God, would you just help them to recognize, recognize, bring forth those destructive banners? Help them, Lord, to see it. Some that they've become so familiar with that they're not even aware that they're there anymore. They're not even conscious that they walk out in that. Just start raising them up so they can pull them off and then pull them off and pull them off, Lord. Remove all of those tattered, destructive lies, those banners that have hindered them and held them back from really stepping into the fullness of who they are. I pray for healing to begin and deepen and deepen and deepen. I pray, Lord God, that you will pour out your truth, your identity upon them, that they get restored in this, and that, yes, Lord, they will truly walk out into the freedom that you have for them. So I want to God uh bless you today as we as we finish up this episode. And next time, I've got a couple more episodes on the betrayal piece that I know is going to help you. We're gonna be stepping into more of that restoration, wholeness, and freedom. So, looking forward to talking to you next time. I want to thank you for watching and joining me on this journey as we go higher. Expect to grow, expand your territory, and enter into new levels of intimacy with the Lord. Check out my website at loisforwelling.com for books, online courses, podcasts, and other resources to help you soar in the Lord. Are you interested in increasing your confidence, being able to speak assertively, subdue your fears, manage life situations effectively, and overcome rejection or betrayal so that you can tenaciously stand back up again? Then you must sign up for a free strategy session so we can design a plan specifically for you. I now offer one-on-one coaching sessions with group sessions coming soon. My heart is to equip and make disciples and advance them into living a life more abundantly. Yes, my website is loisfelling.com. Check it out, and I hope to be talking to you soon.