‘It’s Never Too Late’: Jennie Allen Inspires Women to Let Go of Lies and Embrace God’s Purpose (Exclusive)
Beloved Bible teacher Jennie Allen reveals how to silence the "enemy" and reclaim your best years—at every age
Key Takeaways
- Jennie Allen exposes the three "enemy" lies: "I am worthless, I’m helpless, and I’m unlovable."
- Your age or a past mistake cannot stop God from using your gifts for a powerful new purpose.
- Freedom begins the moment you speak your struggle out loud to a supportive group of friends.
Known for her bold faith, compassion, and heart for women, beloved Bible teacher and founder of the IF:Gathering, Jennie Allen is on a mission to bring hope and freedom to women of all ages.
In her latest book, The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe: How to Find It, Fight It, and Live Free, Jennie explores the three core lies that people — women, especially — spend their whole lives believing and how to find freedom from them. They are: “I am worthless, I’m helpless, I’m unlovable.”
For Jennie, the message of freedom from false beliefs isn’t just for the young — it’s for anyone who has spent years, even decades, believing something untrue about themselves. And she’s passionate about reminding women that no matter their age or past, change is still possible.
Here, Jennie opened up to Woman’s World about how God has a purpose for women of all ages and how we can rid ourselves of lies the enemy uses to distract us and make us feel disqualified.
Jennie Allen explains the lie that holds women back
Jennie begins with the story of a woman who deeply impacted her life — a first-grade teacher in her 60s, who had faithfully poured into her own children for years. Yet when Allen encouraged her to step into mentoring others, the woman resisted. “I can’t,” she said.
Why? “Because I’ve been divorced.” The statement stunned Jennie. “This lovely woman has poured her life into first graders for decades,” she says, yet she couldn’t see her own worth. “She cannot imagine that her life could have an impact as she’s having an impact.”
Jennie says this is exactly how these lies work. “We get shut down. We miss the things that we could bring into the world,” she explains.
And often, these lies grow louder in seasons when women finally have the time and wisdom to step into something new. But only if we’re willing to challenge what we’ve believed.
Finding purpose in the present
Jennie understands this struggle personally. Like many of us, she’s navigated different seasons of life, and each one comes with its own challenges and opportunities.
As a mom of four kids, Jennie is familiar with the stressors of life when children are young. But, as we age and become grandparents and retirees, there’s more free time to use our gifts and wisdom to make a difference.
“There is a special moment when we are not drowning in kids. We have the wisdom that we have because of the life we’ve lived, where we get to go wild with our gifts,” Jennie explains. “I’m watching my mom do it right now. She’s played bridge all her life, and that woman is the president of the bridge club, all the while ministering to people, all the while helping them.
“She’s having the time of her life, she’s using her gifts, and she’s using the platform God’s given her that she’s really good at. She sees it as a ministry.
“So I just want to cheer on everybody that’s reading this. This lie really is holding you back, and it doesn’t have to anymore because you are uniquely positioned. This is not an accident where you live, what you’re good at, this is all scripted for you to have meaningful work in these years.”
Freedom can start today
Allen has witnessed incredible transformations simply by helping people name their struggles. Through her work on college campuses, in prisons, and across the globe, she’s seen what happens when people finally speak the truth.
“When people say out loud the thing that they are afraid to say, it’s like chains break,” she shares. The shift is immediate and visible. “They exhale, and they’re okay.”
Jennie knows these moments are part of something bigger. “We’re looking at a moment where revival is spreading,” she says, describing powerful spiritual awakenings happening among young people.
The power of truth and community
But regardless of whether we are on a college campus or at a bridge club, the most powerful element of healing, Allen says, is community. “Now, you have people that can fight for you,” she explains, once the lie is spoken. That connection breaks isolation and brings truth into the light.
She emphasizes that these lies may have been present for decades, but they don’t have to stay. “Even though these thoughts have dug in, they can quickly be recognized, named,” she says.
Her encouragement is especially meaningful for women who feel their best years are behind them. In reality, Jennie believes the opposite is true. With life experience, wisdom, and often more margin, this can be a season of incredible purpose.
“These lies don’t have to hold you back anymore,” she reminds readers. No matter how long the lie has lingered, it can be replaced.
Because the truth, she says, is already secure: “You are loved, you are worthy, and your life still matters.” And the moment you begin to believe that is the moment everything changes!
Pick up The Lie You Don’t Know You Believe: How to Find It, Fight It, and Live Free — on sale now!
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
