Becoming a Discerning Woman

Growing up in church and youth group, I believed whatever professing Christians taught me. They claimed to be believers, they had studied Scripture, and a few of them had degrees from Bible schools. Why shouldn’t I trust them? I knew to beware of false teachers, but I assumed they would be as obvious as spoiled milk.

Once I became a believer and a woman discipled me, I started to see how false teachers had woven themselves into the church. I saw how they disguised themselves. I watched them lead the strong astray. I witnessed the damage of their errors.

False teachers aren’t extinct. They ran rampant in the Old Testament and tried to crush the ministry of Jesus. They lurked in the days of the apostles, they propagated heresy in church history, and they still continue to slither through church doors today.

Just as the Old Testament saints and the Early Church had to watch closely for false teachers among them, so we still do today. We can’t rely on our pastors, mentors, teachers, or favorite bloggers to tell us who is false and who isn’t. We need to be equipped to discern for ourselves. False teaching is damaging, and we can’t allow it to linger. As maturing believers, we need to develop discernment and learn to see false teachers when they arise.

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