Disentangled.
I love that word.
I first read it in Jinger Viola's book, "Becoming Free Indeed" and I believe it describes perfectly what we need to do when we are bound in the lies of false teachings.
What does it mean?
Well, imagine that you had a favorite necklace.
One day, you went to put it on and realized that, somehow, the chain got all tangled up in knots.
Obviously, you couldn't wear it like that! So you have some choices.
You can ignore it and never wear it again. But what a waste!
You could throw the necklace away and say, "It's not worth the effort to get rid of all the knots."
Or you can take the time to slowly and meticulously untie each knot until the necklace is restored to its former beauty and usefulness.
That's disentangling—taking the time to sort through all of the lies and heartache in our minds and discern what is Biblical truth and what is manufactured, twisted-up false teaching.
Then, you hold on to what is Biblically true and discard the false teaching.
In the end, your faith is stronger and more precious because you've fought for it, and you can become the person God intended you to be.
The opposite is deconstruction. Deconstruction is the new hype trend in today's culture.
In a recent interview with Mama Bear Apologetics, Alisa Childers defined "deconstruction" as:
-Deconstruction is the walking away from historic Christianity
-A turning away/rejection of the core beliefs of evangelical faith
-Deconstruction becomes a vehicle to take the former believer to another faith
-Objective truth can't be known through religion and morality
-Theology is filtered through the person's feelings
It breaks my heart that so many people choose this path and abandon their faith altogether.
It's like throwing the necklace away.
Please don't do that. Instead, allow God to heal your heart and disentangle your thoughts.
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through the process of untying the knots in your heart and mind.
Reject the lie that says, "Deconstruct. Throw the necklace away. Abandon your faith. Walk away from God and the church and the Bible. True freedom is found by throwing your faith away."
It's absolutely not true.
Don't throw away your faith.
Don't allow your pain and the evil, hurtful choices of people who don't accurately represent God, His Word, or His church to cripple you and keep you from experiencing all that God has for you.
Instead, run toward God and His Word and let them heal you.
Choose to disentangle and separate God's truth from man-made lies.
As I've said before, the answer to overcoming false teaching is not turning away from God and the Bible—it is abandoning people who misrepresent God and the Bible.
It's what I've done, and I have absolutely no regrets.
Ultimately, I treasure my relationship with God more because He set me free.
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry."
