Confronting the Spirit Behind False Teaching
Friday night changed everything for me. We had just finished sharing about the truth behind 1 Corinthians 14—how Paul was actually silencing those who wanted to silence women, not silencing women themselves. I was excited about the revelation and eager to help others see what I'd discovered through years of careful study.
Then I met someone who challenged everything I'd shared—not with humble questions or genuine seeking, but with an aggressive confrontation that revealed something much deeper than theological disagreement.
The Confrontation
As soon as our conference ended, a gentleman approached me with a Greek Bible in hand—a small Bible with not one English word in it. "Can you tell me where that verse is?" he demanded. "You know, where you're saying Paul is saying 'nonsense'?"
I was actually excited. "Oh yes!" I said enthusiastically, thinking he wanted to see the evidence for himself. "It's 1 Corinthians 14:36."
He opened to the passage, found the disjunctive particle I'd been talking about, and his demeanor immediately shifted. "That's a feminine article. Can you read all that right there?" When I admitted I couldn't read Greek, his response was swift and harsh: "You can't read Greek and you're preaching this? You're a false prophet."
The Heart Behind the Attack
In that moment, I faced a choice. I could engage in an argumentative exchange, standing in the middle of a conference, defending my credentials and my research. Or I could recognize what was really happening here.
This wasn't about Greek grammar or theological scholarship. This was about something much deeper.
When someone approaches you in an argumentative spirit, chances are they're not really seeking truth. They're not saying, "Let's come and reason together." They're not open to the possibility that they might learn something new. Instead, they're looking for a fight, a chance to assert superiority, a way to protect something they feel is under threat.
More Than Flesh and Blood
As I prayed about this encounter later, I realized we weren't just dealing with intellectual disagreement. We were dealing with spiritual forces that have a vested interest in keeping God's people divided and limited in their understanding of His heart.
The enemy has worked for centuries to twist Scripture in ways that create division, hierarchy, and spiritual abuse. When someone begins to uncover these deceptions and share the liberating truth of God's design, spiritual opposition often intensifies.
This gentleman didn't even know the disjunctive particle was there in the text. He had never studied this passage deeply enough to discover the grammatical evidence. Yet he felt confident enough to make bold accusatory statements against someone who had spent years researching these passages.
That's not intellectual honesty—that's spiritual blindness.
The Power of Agreement
Here's what I've learned about how the enemy operates: he only has power over us through our agreement. You would never agree with a liar if you knew it was a lie. So the enemy is very crafty at manipulating and controlling and twisting things to get us to agree with deception.
Like a python that wraps its tentacles around its prey, the enemy uses lies to squeeze the life out of our relationships, our ministries, and our understanding of God's heart. But his power is entirely dependent on our agreement with those lies.
When we expose the lies and reveal the truth, the enemy's grip loosens. That's why there's often such strong opposition when these truths begin to emerge.
The Spirit of Religion vs. the Spirit of Truth
There's a difference between the spirit of religion and the Spirit of truth that Jesus promised to send us. The spirit of religion:
Seeks to control through intimidation
Uses knowledge as a weapon rather than a tool for liberation
Creates hierarchies that elevate some and diminish others
Resists new understanding that might threaten established power structures
Operates through fear, shame, and condemnation
The Spirit of truth, on the other hand:
Sets people free through understanding
Creates unity and mutual honor
Welcomes questions and honest seeking
Brings clarity that reflects God's character
Operates through love, grace, and empowerment
My encounter that Friday night was a collision between these two spirits.
Breaking the Chains
When we recognize we're dealing with spiritual forces and not just intellectual disagreement, it changes how we respond. Instead of getting caught up in arguments and defensiveness, we can:
1. Pray for those caught in deception rather than fighting with them
2. Speak truth in love without needing to defend our worth or credentials
3. Break the power of lies through revelation and exposure of truth
4. Release people from the spiritual chains that bind them
That night, I chose to pray for the gentleman who confronted me. I prayed that God would remove any scales from his eyes, just as He did for Saul of Tarsus. I prayed that his obvious passion for Scripture would be channeled toward truth rather than control.
The Angel and the Dragon
Recently, I saw a powerful video that depicted exactly what I experienced that night. In the video, an angel was training someone who had been previously controlled by spiritual forces. The angel taught this person how to recognize when the enemy was trying to wrap his tentacles around them like a python, and how to break free from that spiritual control.
The angel showed how to become a "dragon devourer"—someone who devours the dragon that wants to steal truth and keep God's people in bondage.
This is exactly what happened that Friday night. We encountered a dragon that didn't want the truth about women's equality to be revealed. But instead of being intimidated or backing down, we had the opportunity to devour that dragon through truth, prayer, and the power of God's love.
A Heart for Restoration
Here's what I want to be clear about: my heart isn't to attack or condemn anyone who disagrees with these interpretations. I understand how threatening these ideas can feel if you've been taught traditional complementarian theology your entire life.
I've been there. I once believed and taught these same restrictive interpretations. I understand the fear that comes with questioning long-held beliefs.
But I also believe that God's truth is strong enough to withstand honest examination. In fact, when we study these passages more carefully, we often discover that God's design is more beautiful, more liberating, and more reflective of His character than we previously understood.
Spiritual Warfare Through Truth
The most effective spiritual warfare isn't always loud prayer or dramatic confrontation. Sometimes it's simply exposing lies through careful study and patient teaching. When we shine the light of truth on deception, darkness has to flee.
As I write in BLIND SPOT:
"The time for bold and courageous action is here. That bold action is simply walking out the truth in love... Welcome to God's Kingdom, where mutual submission reigns and where 'head' has no 'ship' attached. Where 'head' means unity with the body, not control over it. Where power flows through love, not force."
The Saul of Tarsus Factor
One of the most exciting things about that Friday night encounter was recognizing the potential in this gentleman's passion. His boldness, his concern for Scripture, his willingness to engage—these are exactly the qualities God can use powerfully when they're channeled in the right direction.
Some of the greatest advocates for truth start as its most passionate opponents. Saul of Tarsus thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians. When his eyes were opened, that same passion made him one of the most effective apostles in history.
I believe God wants to do the same thing with this gentleman and others like him. Their passion for Scripture, when aligned with truth rather than tradition, could make them powerful advocates for the liberation God desires for all His people.
Our Response
So how do we respond when we encounter spiritual opposition to liberating truth? Here are some principles I've learned:
1. Don't take it personally. The attack isn't really about you—it's about the truth you're carrying.
2. Recognize the spiritual dimension. We're not fighting against flesh and blood.
3. Respond with grace. Even if someone attacks, remember they may be sincere but deceived.
4. Pray for breakthrough. Ask God to open eyes and hearts to truth.
5. Keep teaching. Don't let opposition silence the truth.
6. Trust God's timing. Some people need time to process challenging new information.
Breaking Generational Chains
The lies that bind us often go back generations. Families, denominations, and entire theological traditions can be held captive by interpretations that contradict God's heart.
But when we break through with truth, we're not just setting ourselves free—we're breaking chains that may have bound our spiritual ancestors for centuries. We're creating freedom for future generations who won't have to struggle under the weight of these deceptions.
The Victory
That Friday night, what the enemy intended for intimidation and silence, God used for confirmation and empowerment. The very verse that was attacked—1 Corinthians 14:36—became a focal point for deeper teaching and greater revelation.
The dragon that tried to devour the truth was itself devoured by the power of God's love and the sword of His word.
A Prayer for Breakthrough
As I conclude this post, I want to pray for anyone who has been bound by lies about their worth, their calling, or their place in God's kingdom:
Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for Your message. I thank You that the truth sets people free, and we know that lies bind. We know that the enemy wants nothing more than to keep us divided, to keep us spinning, to keep us operating in his realm of influence where we would argue and criticize and enter into the accuser of the brethren's tactics.
Father, we break the chains of lies that have been wrapped around Your people like python's coils. We come against every lying spirit that would try to silence Your daughters and diminish Your sons. We declare that Your Kingdom is one of mutual submission, mutual honor, and mutual empowerment.
Lord, we pray for those who have been wounded by hierarchical systems that use Your name to justify control and manipulation. Bring healing to every heart that has been told they are "less than" because of their gender, their background, or their calling.
And Father, we pray for those who sincerely believe they are defending Your truth but are actually perpetuating lies that bind Your people. Remove the scales from their eyes as You did for Saul of Tarsus. Help them see that Your Kingdom is so much more powerful and beautiful than the power structures of this world.
We release Your angelic forces to help us combat every spirit that would twist Your word and manipulate Your people. Train us to be dragon devourers who overcome lies with truth and darkness with light.
In the mighty name of Jesus, we declare that every chain is broken, every lie is exposed, and Your truth marches forward with power and love. Amen.
The Invitation
If you've been bound by lies about your calling, your worth, or your place in God's kingdom, I want to invite you into the freedom Christ died to give you. The same Jesus who scandalized religious leaders by elevating women, touching the untouchable, and including the excluded is still breaking chains today.
You don't have to defend yourself to those who would diminish you. You don't have to prove your worth to systems that would control you. You don't have to silence your voice to accommodate traditions that contradict God's heart.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are called, chosen, and equipped. You are a vital part of the body of Christ, and when you don't show up fully as who God created you to be, we all miss out.
The Kingdom of heaven is at hand, and it's a Kingdom where love reigns, truth prevails, and every person is empowered to fulfill their divine destiny.
Welcome to the revolution.
Have you encountered spiritual opposition when seeking or sharing liberating truth? How has God used those attacks to actually strengthen and confirm His message through you? I'd love to hear your stories of breakthrough and victory.
Blessings,
Susan 😊