Not everything that sounds spiritual reflects the Spirit of God.

In this episode of Born to be a Butterfly, Nina explores why discernment matters, especially when Scripture and Christian language are used without the fruit of love.

If you’ve ever left a conversation feeling confused, unsettled, or spiritually heavy — this message will help you understand why.

Learn how Jesus taught us to recognize truth, protect our peace, and discern the spirit behind the words.

📖 From Broken to Butterfly is available now on Amazon.

📩 Connect with Nina at ninapajonas@gmail.com or on Instagram @borntobeabutterfly

Healing is holy. Transformation is possible. The Lord can turn your wounds into wings. You were born to be a butterfly. 🦋

Welcome back to Born to Be a Butterfly,

where we embrace healing and growth in Christ so that we can step into true transformation.

My name is Nina Pajonas,

and I pray that today's episode ministers to you.

Today's message came from an encounter that looked holy,

sounded spiritual, and yet carried none of the fruit of the Spirit.

And that's what we're going to talk about today.

Because one of the most dangerous forms of deception is not the kind that looks dark.

It is the kind that looks right.

It uses Christian language.

It quotes scripture.

It invokes the Holy Spirit.

And yet something in your spirit says,

this is not love.

If you've ever walked away from a conversation confused,

unsettled, or heavy,

even though the other person claimed God's authority,

this episode is for you.

I recently had a conversation that on the surface,

had all the right ingredients.

The person spoke confidently about God.

They claimed spiritual authority.

They insisted that they were speaking truth.

And yet,

as the conversation went on,

there was no gentleness,

no humility,

no patience,

and no love.

There was only accusation and condemnation.

I want to be clear here.

This is not about calling out a person.

This is about recognizing a pattern.

Because deception often doesn't come dressed as rebellion.

It comes dressed as righteousness.

Scripture warns us of this plainly.

In 2 Corinthians 11, 14,

NIV it says,

and no wonder,

for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Masquerading means appearing to be something that you're not.

And here's something that the Lord has been teaching me deeply.

Labels are easy.

Fruit is costly.

Anyone can say,

God told me,

the Holy Spirit is speaking.

This is biblical truth.

But Jesus never told told us to judge truth by labels or titles.

He said,

by their fruit you will recognize them,

not by their confidence,

not by their vocabulary,

not by how spiritual they quote, unquote,

sound.

Fruit takes time.

Fruit reveals character.

Fruit exposes the spirit behind the words.

Let's go back to the beginning.

In Genesis, we see that deception did not enter the world through obvious evil.

It entered through twisted truth.

The serpent didn't deny God.

He simply distorted what he said.

We read all about it in Genesis 3:1.

Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman,

did God really say,

you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

I'm sure to Eve,

the words sounded reasonable,

the tone sounded calm.

But the intent was destructive.

And that same tactic exists today.

Those who are trying to deceive will often ask questions that sound Spiritual while leading people away from God's heart.

After that encounter,

I realized something important.

Discernment isn't about becoming suspicious of other people.

It's about becoming anchored in who the Holy Spirit actually is.

Because I am a vessel for the Holy Spirit,

because he lives within me,

I knew almost immediately that something was wrong with this woman.

I felt a foreboding in my soul.

And if I did not know my Lord and Savior as well as I do, and if I did not know Scripture as well as I do,

if I did not have the Holy Spirit residing in me as I do,

I would not have recognized her as a false prophet.

I would have accepted her version of truth.

I would have accepted her toxicity as truth.

It saddens my heart to think of all the other people that this woman has spoken to,

who might not have known better,

who might not have been far enough on their walk to know better,

and who might have believed her and accepted her spiritual authority as if it was God's sovereignty.

Those people could have easily gotten led off the path of righteousness that they were on because she told them that they weren't a child of God.

Because, in essence, that's what she tried to tell me.

When I went to the Lord about this situation in prayer later that night,

he brought to my mind the Pharisees.

And I want to be clear.

Jesus reserved his strongest words.

Not for sinners,

not for the broken,

not for those struggling in faith,

but for the religious leaders who used spiritual authority to control,

condemn, and elevate themselves.

The Pharisees were experts in the law.

They spoke Scripture fluently,

they prayed publicly, and they corrected others constantly.

And yet Jesus said this about them in Matthew 23, verses 3 through 4.

NIV so you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do,

for they do not practice what they preach.

They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people people's shoulders.

But they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

What struck me as I reflected on this encounter was how familiar the pattern felt.

The Pharisees often approached Jesus not to learn, but to trap him.

They asked questions not out of curiosity,

but rather out of accusation.

They didn't want to understand the truth. They wanted to expose fault.

They had no desire to examine themselves,

but they desperately wanted to elevate themselves above others.

And that is something we need to pay attention to,

because not every question is asked in good faith.

Some questions are asked to invite dialogue.

Others are asked to provoke shame.

And others are asked to establish dominance.

And once I recognized that that was happening in that conversation,

I realized something in important I did not owe any answers to questions that were designed to trap me.

Jesus himself did this.

There were moments when he answered questions,

and there were moments when he remained silent.

There were moments when he even answered a question with one of his own.

He did not submit himself to manipulative spiritual interrogation.

And neither should we.

The Pharisees loved to point outward while ignoring their lack of inward transformation.

Jesus said,

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,

you hypocrites.

You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside,

but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

He called them whitewashed.

They were convincing on the outside,

but empty of love and filled with the bones of the dead inside.

Which means that Jesus was saying that they were responsible for the spiritual death of others.

Jesus walked with people he loved first and then he corrected with compassion.

He had personal relationships with his followers.

Jesus never discipled from a distance.

He never elevated himself,

although he very well could have.

He never sought to humiliate anyone.

He acted honorably at all times and loved us faithfully.

He never once told someone,

if this hurts you,

it's not me,

it's the Holy Spirit.

And the reason I'm saying that is because that is exactly what that woman said to me.

She prefaced our conversation with that statement,

she didn't even know me.

She had just met me.

You. Yet she immediately led with a lack of accountability combined with spiritual superiority.

The Holy Spirit does not abdicate responsibility for harm,

and he does not preemptively excuse cruelty.

Correction from God will convict,

but it never humiliates.

His truth may be firm, but it is never abusive.

And if someone tells you in advance that their words will wound you,

that is not prophetic authority.

That is meanness masquerading as moral high ground.

This is important and I want you to hear it clearly.

The Holy Spirit does not contradict himself.

If someone claims the Holy Spirit, but their words produce fear,

shame,

confusion,

spiritual superiority or emotional harm,

that is not the Spirit of God.

Scripture tells us exactly what his fruit looks like.

In Galatians 5:22 through 23 NIV,

we read,

but the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy,

peace,

forbearance,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

and self control.

Against such things there is no law.

Truth spoken without love is not about truth,

it's about control.

Correction without humility is not discipleship.

It's domination.

For those of us who have experienced trauma,

abuse, or spiritual manipulation,

this matters deeply because we are often conditioned to to doubt our discernment,

to submit to authority without question,

and to confuse control with care.

So when someone sounds confident and spiritual, it can throw us off,

even if we know better.

And if that's you,

please hear me, Sister.

Your discernment did not fail you.

Your discomfort was information.

Peace is a fruit,

and if peace leaves the room,

you need to pay attention because you might want to leave with it.

When you're unsure,

ask yourself,

does this conversation draw me closer to Christ or interfere?

Is Scripture being used to heal or to harm?

Is there humility or spiritual superiority?

Do I feel invited or am I feeling coerced?

Is the focus on transformation or is it on control?

God's voice leads with clarity,

not confusion.

If you've ever questioned yourself after an encounter like this,

let me say this.

Are not weak for being discerning.

You are not unloving for setting boundaries,

and you are not rebellious for testing the spirit.

You are wise.

Jesus himself modeled this Just because someone uses God's name does not mean that they reflect God's heart.

Jesus knew when to walk away from such people,

and it's important that you know when to as well.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

we ask for discernment that is rooted in love,

not fear.

Teach us to recognize your spirit,

not just your name.

Protect us from deception that looks holy but bears no fruit,

and give us peace that confirms your presence.

It is in your most beautiful,

mighty, and matchless name that we pray.

Amen.

If today's message ministered to you,

please share it with a friend and follow Born to Be a Butterfly so you never miss an episode. If you're ready to dive deeper into my story of healing and transformation,

you can get my book From Broken to Butterfly on Amazon.

If you have any questions or would like to connect,

send me a DM on Instagram Born to be a Butterfly or you can email me@nina pajonasmail.com the link to my email is in my episode description.

Until next time,

remember transformation is possible.

Healing is holy.

The Lord can turn your wounds into wings.

You were born to be a butterfly.