NEWS PROVIDED BY
6qCreative
Oct. 10, 2025
OPINION, Oct. 10, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — The following is submitted by Holly Abernathy of 6qCreative:
Heartbroken under a northern gray sky, I stood at the foot of the casket of a loved one not so long ago. Complicated relational issues stemmed from her dangerous doctrinal beliefs and practices, years of scapegoating due to her inability to face the deep emotional pain she carried in her mind, heart, and soul. The painful journey I had walked with her for years – some in abuse, chaos, and confusion, some in punishing silence – was finally over. The demons she faced, both literally and figuratively, were gone and her broken, disease-decayed body became uninhabited as her troubled soul was finally released to Jesus. Painfully, in these last days, the same spiritual struggle seems to be arising once again with people we hold close, yet Jesus told us it would be so.
In this enduring spiritual battle between good vs. evil, there’s a third nuance in the conflict that’s often missed: you and me – all of us. Within the metaphysical realm, there’s the physical realm where our bodies exist. Evil approached good (God’s creation) in the metaphysical realm when Satan approached Eve in the garden of Eden in an attempt to permanently steal, kill, and destroy what God had made. But in the physical realm, Satan approached Eve. He didn’t approach her with an army of demons and a sword; he was permitted entry into her inner world through his words and her sense of pride. Satan didn’t need to use force and the rest of the fallen angels – demons – to accomplish his intended destruction of humanity. He only needed to tempt Eve with the fruit of the tree, the one that would make her wise just like God. In these last days, the original deceptive tactic is still the same. Jesus said there would be many false teachers who “will rise up and deceive many” at “the end of the age.” In the name of demons and a “spiritual battle,” many Christians are being led astray by those proclaiming false theological doctrine, counterfeit spiritual warfare, and a deadly doctrine of pride masquerading as divine spiritual enlightenment. Jesus warned his disciples about deception when he called the end of the age and the signs of his coming “the beginning of sorrows.” He said, “take heed that no one deceives you.”
False Theological Doctrine
False theological doctrine and twisting of Scripture are becoming more prevalent in these last days. One podcaster, among many, who frequently and divisively criticizes the Church and takes a moralistic or fear-based approach recently stated: “Satan cannot curse you…so his strategy is to get you to curse you. And he does that by planting thoughts in your mind and convincing you to say them out of your own mouth. And as soon as you say that thought from Satan out of your mouth, he didn’t curse you, you cursed you.” This mystical, man-centered approach is confusing and only motivates through fear, not love, gratitude, or Biblical truth, and dangerously disregards God’s redemptive work. Believers are secure in Christ, and no demonic word or curse can overturn God’s redemptive decree (Romans 8:31-39). Another example is “Word of Faith” or prosperity theology where one thinks they can create reality by simply speaking, to manipulate circumstances or guarantee an outcome. One social media influencer with almost 200k followers defiles holy Scripture, (Psalm 45:1) manipulating and twisting God’s word with tempting assertions that one can be god-like, saying, “You are writing your life by what’s coming out of your mouth…use that tongue like a pen to create the life that he has planned for you.” This wicked lie ignores the Creator-creature distinction and that – ex nihilo (Latin for “from or out of nothing”) – only God can create something out of nothing. Proverbs 18:21 (“death and life are in the power of the tongue”) is often misunderstood or misapplied in that while we are to bridle the tongue and are morally and relationally responsible for our words, we cannot conjure up a desired reality – only God alone has the power and authority to determine outcomes, including life and death or any change in circumstances. We are not gods that can control outcomes with our words or create a reality by simply speaking; God is sovereign. Another twisting of Scripture (I Corinthians 14:33) comes from an influencer with over 56k YouTube subscribers divisively advising one to “cut people out of their life,” giving them “3 signs that someone is sent to you by the devil…the quicker you can remove the demons from your life, the quicker you’re going to reach your highest potential in Christ.” Also advocating for swift and silent removal rather than Biblical accountability and personal responsibility is a popular influencer with 1.2 million Instagram followers who says it’s okay to just leave people, without ever offering a proper Bible-based theological model for forgiveness and reconciliation first, saying “You know it’s biblical, right? Jesus left people…It’s not unbiblical for you to let relationships sail off into the sunset…” being sure to add at the end of every post that “we’ve got a full ministry of Christian coaches that would love to support you. Click the link in my bio or comment ‘support.’”
Counterfeit Spiritual Warfare
Social media influencers and false teachers are amassing power and wealth by taking advantage of vulnerable people, drawing their eyes away from Jesus and onto Satan, and ironically, demons; it’s malicious craftiness for clicks, fabrication of truth for followers, and messages of deception and death for dollars. One social media influencer with almost 700k followers and whose bio reads “Spiritual Warfare is Real. YOU are under ATTACK!” rebukes, cancels, declares, and decrees all in one post and ends with, “Comment ‘amen’ if this was a word for you. Share it with your friends and family to declare God’s protection over their lives. If you comment the word ‘declare,’ I’ll send you my free guide to change your life with the words you speak.” Millions are also being misled by people just like this influencer with a growing Instagram following for her focus on spiritual warfare. In a thick Irish accent, she repeatedly distorts and manipulates Scripture, saying such things as, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…but you know who else is close to the brokenhearted? Satan…Satan sees you in your weakness, he sees your tears, he sees your brokenness and he’s cheering…” Yet another social media influencer says, “Narcissistic witchcraft is invading the church…this free live training will help you discern and overcome it.” There are many who are coming in Jesus’ name and are leading others astray, just as He said would be in these last days. A “former” witch, astrologer, and New Age practitioner with almost 140k Instagram followers supposedly advocates for the Christian faith as she shares her “journey of spiritual transformation and exodus from occult practices.” A collaborative reel was posted by her with the popular “Gospel Love” Instagram account with 1.3 million followers. In my research and review of the deceptive post and its comments, I was perplexed by the lack of challenge – by anyone – to her claims. There was not even one opposing comment. So, I commented with the following: “Beware those who mislead – this woman is twisting Scripture. Look up her profits. She makes quite a tidy sum off her podcast and social media. This is a trap. Read your Bible, pray. The Holy Spirit will teach and provide all we need. Beware of false teaching/teachers.” Within just 5 minutes, the “former” witch rapidly removed my comment and immediately blocked me, not only from her collaborative post, but from all her accounts. The truth doesn’t need to hide. It’s clear there is something bigger operating among us, leading vulnerable believers down a path of destruction, while blocking opposing voices and counterfeiting the truth.
Deadly Doctrine of Pride
Any teaching that elevates anything other than Jesus Christ is false doctrine, including self-elevation; it’s idolatry. “The devil doesn’t attack you because you’re in darkness. He moves toward the light of the faithful. He hunts the warriors, not the wicked…you were born to conquer,” is a quote from an Instagram influencer account with over 100k followers. To say, “I am a warrior” and “I was born to conquer” appeals to pride – elevating me – not Jesus, and in no way exposes my sinful condition and need for Christ and his redemptive work in my life. Additionally, wounded pride in the form of shame, avoidance of accountability, or an “I know more than they do” mentality can deceptively cause us to succumb to isolation. “When you are called by God, he’s calling you away from the world. You will begin to notice that you will be disconnected…your entire identity shifts. You have no choice but to lean into your faith…to this place of alienation. This is how you know that God is setting you apart and then he takes you as you lean into isolation where so many things die. Relationships, attachments, things just begin to disintegrate and dissolve…all of these things are by design…the kingdom sees you as a warrior in the making. The position that you’re stepping into is of the heavenly realms,” states another influencer with a smaller, yet growing following. Warrior, set apart, and interrupter are all labels, when used within the context of controlling outcomes, that glorify self and devalue the redemptive work of Christ. Another social media account with almost half a million followers discusses “interrupters” breaking generational curses and spirits: “The warfare has been heavy because you’re ending agreements hell depended on…the Holy Spirit is opening your eyes to what you were once blind to…you have spiritual sight. Trust what you see. You are not imagining things. You are waking up to your assignment,” and concludes with, “If this post confirmed what you’ve been discerning in your family, comment: I’m the interruption.” The irony is the very thing these false teachers and their followers claim to have enlightenment about is the very thing that has deceived them. Jesus and only Jesus is the “interruption.” He is The Redeemer. Pride and elevation of self make a mockery of the sacrificial blood of Jesus.
The War Has Already Been Won
With memories of plaguing helplessness and finally an ominous gray canopy over the scene of her final resting place, the same heartbreak begins again, only now with others. It feels like death a second time. It’s the same. Again. The same confusion…the same punishing silence. The same grief. The same succumbing to the desire to grow the prideful seed planted in the mind that in the end gives birth to death. Satan, meaning our “adversary” or “opponent,” and the father of lies, seeks to steal and kill, to divide and destroy and ultimately separate us from each other and from God. It started with deception and ended in death – not with a sword and an army of demons, but with words: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” Spiritual warfare is real and the battle is great, but our God is greater. He planned and provided for our salvation through Jesus from the beginning, as stated in Genesis 3:15, and defeated death so we could live with him forever. Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” That is where our focus should be – not on evil and death and the fact that, yes, the spirits are indeed subject to us based on the authority given to us by Christ – but on Light and life – on Jesus, and that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Let us rejoice in the joy of our salvation made manifest in the glorious person and work of Jesus Christ through whom the battle – and the war – has already been won.
Holly Abernathy is a communications and creative arts professional. She works in a variety of media and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, visit www.6qCreative.com.
SOURCE 6qCreative