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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version^®, NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Backcover author photo by Natasha Brown Photography (www.natashabrownphoto.com).

For the beautiful women who have so bravely handed me a microphone, granting me a voice in this generation: You know who you are. This is written in your honor.

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If you are drawn to this message, I adore you already. The core of Beautiful Lies is based on one premise: We are more alike than we are different. We grapple with the same lies and need the same truths to free us.

About seven years ago, at the start of our ministry, the Lord began to etch this message on my heart. Today, my stack of Bibles and their falling-out, worn pages are tattered messes of highlights and scribbles which showcase truth after truth, like precious stones paving the pathway of the journey you are about to take.

This study is designed to help us see how the world imprints its darkest lies on our hearts, thereby twisting our vision of ourselves, others, and God. Conversely, this study helps us take a close look at the power born in us when we turn away from what we can see to what we can’t see. When we look to God for our strength, value, and dignity, he is like a streaming light through the stained glass windows of our soul, illuminating the colorful picture of who he designed us to be.

My friend, I wrote this study because it was the one I needed; it is a journey I had to take to walk tall, strong, and whole. More than anything, I desire to be a better reflection of our beautiful God, to stop looking to temporary things to validate or define me, and to make a positive imprint on this war-torn, tumultuous world.

In this study, we will follow the book Beautiful Lies. We look at five lies of the world and five truths of the Word. The lies are effective because they are dressed attractively. On the surface, they look good. But we will look at what a roller-coaster ride it is when these five outside sources—men, mirrors, magazines, masks, and the media—control the way we see ourselves. I know the roller coaster. I’ve lived it.

These pages contain a journey I took because I needed it, but the truth is, I would never have taken it only for myself. It is written for you, and for your daughter, and for her daughter when her time comes. Because I believe we are the same. I believe at the finish line of this journey, you and I will be stronger, brighter, more purposeful, and more powerful than ever.

Let’s walk this road together, remembering two are better than one, for two have an increased return on their investment. I know your precious time in these pages is an investment of your heart. I thank you for allowing me this special season of your life—to pour out my heart; to help you pour out yours, and then to stand back and be awed by the beauty.

Welcome to the Beautiful Lies Study Guide. While the book Beautiful Lies is written for every woman, the study is for a select group of women who want to delve deeper into their identity, value, and assignment as revealed by the Word. There is nothing more powerful than Bible study to give a woman deep convictions about who she is, who God is, and what she is here for. Founding your life on the Word instead of the world will make you a formidable force in the world.

This study is your journey: your pathway to discovering more deeply who God is, and in light of that, who you are and what your impact in the world will look like. There are options for you as you proceed. You can kick up your feet and read all of Beautiful Lies first and then review the chapters as you do the study, or you can read the book a chapter at a time and complete the study guide as you go. The important thing is to enjoy it! It matters more to me that you laughed or cried or opened your heart to God than that you just “filled in the blanks.” The goal is to meet God in a new way, to see yourself as he sees you, and to share your journey, when appropriate, with your husband, friends, or daughters. The goal isn’t just to “do a Bible study,” but to relish his Word.

My suggestion, however, is to not take this journey alone. Partner with a friend, a group of friends, or your whole church; do it with other women. The accountability, friendship, and harmony of women’s voices sharing their testimonies and truths holds tremendous power. As you meet with your group, decide on the pace that feels best to you. Take your time with the voyage. Don’t feel rushed to complete any one section; instead, apply the Word and probing questions like a salve to the areas of your life which need it most. Soak in all the truths contained herein and go as deep and long and wide as the Spirit leads you. At the same time, however, make a goal to finish—and finish well. I would never have completed the writing of this study if I didn’t have a date when it needed to be finished. So set the date of your finish line and keep it in mind as you run your race.

As you journey, be in prayer. Prayer and praise are our strongest weapons against the enemy. When trials and distractions come, don’t be fooled! The enemy wants to stop you in your tracks, because if you finish well, equipped and ready for battle, you will be a force to be reckoned with! The enemy wants to steal your treasure, your joy, your inheritance, your purpose, your family, and your influence. Don’t let him!

Be aware that you will be tested on the subjects we are studying; plan on it! I have been tested on all of it, and by no means do I think my period of testing is over! So be purposeful, returning regularly to your set-apart time with God in prayer, praise, and the Word. The more deeply rooted you are in him, the stronger your core will be.

During each of the ten weeks of our study, we will follow an infused pattern. On Day One, you will read a chapter of the book Beautiful Lies and answer some questions about it in your Study Guide. On Days Two, Three, and Four, you will study what the Word says about the topic of that week. Many of the weeks also include a “field trip,” usually on Day Four. On that day, you will plan to get out of the house, sometimes by yourself and other times with a friend. So look ahead at the week’s activities so you can plan accordingly. Regularly stepping away from the Word and engaging in the world is often the best way to define the world’s lies and compare them to the truths we are embracing. On Day Five, you will meet with your group, watch a short video message from my website, and review the week’s study together. Each day of our study, I have highlighted a “jewel for your journey.” These are precious verses that lay out our pathway, Scriptures that I treasure, and I hope you will too.

As we journey, we will be looking at five “beautiful lies” and how allowing those lies to reflect our value can distort our God-given identities. Conversely, we will turn to the “gorgeous truth,” the Word, where God clarifies for us what we look like in his eyes. Reclaiming our God-given identities is eye-opening, yet it is only the beginning. The real power comes for all of us when we realize how to live out our identity in our day-to-day lives. So take the time to answer the heart-probing questions along the way—they are there to help you walk out the destiny God has in mind for you.

May your journey through these truths be blessed and may you forever remember who you are and what you are worth…in his eyes.

“LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow” (Psalm 144:3-4).

Read the introduction and chapter 1. Journal your response to these questions. What did this chapter stir up in you? How did it make you feel? What or who did it make you think of and why?

“Do you see this woman?…I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown” (Luke 7:44,47).

I’m excited today to dig into the Word, because the Word always puts our life into perspective. We are going to start our study today by taking a look at the woman of Luke 7. This woman is nameless—the only name the Word gives her is “a woman…who lived a sinful life.” I can imagine myself slipping right into her tattered dress and doing exactly what she does. I bet you can imagine yourself in her place too.

Jesus is obviously more endeared by the humble, contrite woman than he is with the prideful Pharisee. Everything she does lacks etiquette. My guess is her mascara is a mess. Her hair, which she uses as a mop for his feet, is dirty and infused with oil from the perfume. As she kisses his feet, her lipstick must be smeared, and as she cries, she can’t possibly match the outward righteousness of those surrounding her.

Despite the Pharisee’s rude thoughts, Jesus is very kind to him. Instead of rebuking him outright, Jesus teaches him a lesson couched in a parable. The story about the debtors illustrates that none of us can make up for our own sin: “There is no difference…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).

Forgiveness is free, and the more lavish the forgiveness, the greater the gratitude.

Jesus follows the parable with a probing question for the Pharisee: “Now which of them will love him more?” What do you think is Jesus’s highest value, as expressed in this passage? Choose one:

Leave a bookmark in Luke 7 and read 1 John 4:7-12. Fill in the blank: God is ____________.

How does Jesus’s treatment of the sinful woman match up with this passage of Scripture from 1 John?

The Pharisee responds in judgment instead of love. I don’t know about you, but I can jump into the robe of the Pharisee just as easily as I can wear the dress of the sinful woman. Somehow, the longer we are Christians, the easier it is to forget that we first came crawling to Jesus’s feet in utter desperation. At least I did. When I came to Christ, I was broken and shamed, a living mess. I had made a mess of my life, and I carried such emotional wounds that I couldn’t possibly hide them from God. And since that day, I have come before him broken and longing more times than I care to count.

Yet something insidious can happen to us. Instead of granting others the kind of grace we received, we can easily narrow our eyes at their frailty, their impropriety, their utter lack of etiquette in light of our perceived greatness.

What would happen if you jumped out of the Pharisee’s rigid robe and into the soft tunic of Jesus? How would you look at and treat others differently?

Keep reading 1 John 4:13-19. These verses give me hope. They say that the love Jesus had for the sinful woman is the love that lives in us. We can love as Jesus did. And if we can love like that, people won’t fear rejection from us. Perfect love creates an atmosphere of acceptance, and people are not afraid to be themselves in the presence of this kind of love.

How does verse 18 define the essence of the interaction between the sinful woman and Jesus?

Turn back to Luke 7 now. The Pharisee labeled the woman a sinner. An evildoer. A wrongdoer. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve felt those words describe me. I seem to always mess up. But in Jesus’s eyes, our actions, our past, and other people’s labels don’t define us. He does.

You got that right, sister! Jesus defines the woman by her love for him and his love for her. Her sin does not define her.

What would be the result in this woman’s life if she allowed Jesus’s definition of her to be her identity?

What would be the result in this woman’s life if she allowed the Pharisee’s definition of her to be her identity?

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my life was believing the first lie: “You are what man thinks of you.” I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the very lie that led the sinful woman to fall at Jesus’s feet in the first place. Yet even when we are seeking forgiveness, even when we are pursuing a life of faith, even when we are pursuing God with all our hearts, people can try to define us in ways that are out of sync with Christ’s definition of us.

Before we close today’s lesson, I want you to think about some incorrect definitions people—or even the enemy—have assigned to you. I remember hearing words spoken by men that made me feel stupid, worthless, and unlovable. In fact, those were the words that led me to weep at Jesus’s feet. I hear words like “failure” in my mind. No one has to speak them to me; I’m guilty of speaking them to myself.

What about you? What incorrect definition have people (or even yourself) spoken over you that have impacted you negatively? How have those words affected you?

Just as the sinful woman has a choice which voice to listen to, so do we. As we close today’s study, put yourself in the place of the woman falling unabashedly at Jesus’s feet. Pour out your heart to him and listen closely for his words spoken back to you, writing them down.

My friend, plant his words in your heart like seeds in fertile soil. Allow his view of you to grow. Like a vine of fragrant flowers, the way he sees you can change who you are, how you walk, how you look at others, and even the words you say to yourself.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind” (Numbers 23:19 NLT).

It is quite appropriate that we started our study together by taking an up-close look at a messy woman. You are reading a study written by such a woman. In fact, I so identify with the sinful woman that one time I introduced myself as her to a crowd of proper Southern women. I had just moved from California to Texas when I was invited to speak at a famous Baptist church in Dallas. Showing up at the church, I could hardly believe the wealth—the facility alone rivaled the finest university in my mind! Looking out at the large crowd of well-dressed women who had just finished their delectable luncheon, I spoke into the microphone as I walked up on the stage: “Well, the sinful woman just came to your church. I hope she’ll find acceptance here!” I believe this may have caught the women off guard, and anyone secretly wearing a Pharisee’s robe had no choice but to shed it in an instant—after all, they were in church! Judgment’s not allowed! The good news is, they accepted, embraced, and loved me—and I felt the same for them.

I still don’t know how it is people invite me to speak on their stage; I always marvel at how I got there. Maybe it’s their fascination with the modeling world. Maybe it’s the romance of my story—of how God met me in faraway places, through unlikely people. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s my unashamed poured-out passion for Jesus.

The woman who lived a sinful life was an emotional wreck, but she was also fantastically in love with Jesus—and he so loved her back. I believe the words he spoke to her—“Your faith has saved you; go in peace”—were foundational stones upon which she based her future steps.

When God planted salvation, forgiveness, and love in my heart, I was still living in Europe, modeling. I felt him telling me to “go in peace,” and I did. Without hesitation I walked away from a lifetime invested in modeling because I longed to live free of man’s demands. I wanted to be accepted in all my frailty, all my imperfection, and to find a destiny based on how I looked in his eyes and none other.

But man had planted lots of poisonous seeds in my heart, and they had taken deep roots I knew nothing about back then. Eventually, the poison ivy would be uprooted.

Over the course of the next two days, you and I will study man and his influence upon us. The Word makes some profound statements about men—meaning human beings, women included—and their lack of power to make us or break us. Don’t mistake me: These are not “man-hating” verses. They are truth to set us free, meant to honor both God’s and man’s rightful place in our lives.

Let’s begin by looking at God and the comparison he draws between himself and man. Turn to Numbers 23:19, and write it down.