"I will make you and the woman hostile toward each other. I will make your descendants and her descendant hostile toward each other. He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel." Gen 3:15

We don't escape hostilities with Satan and his army of demons, as a Christian. Crushing and bruising is going to happen.

Christ Himself, His heel was bruised, as ours will be, as "the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet." Christ in you, may use such force, that you will bruise your heel.

That means you will suffer injury, even after knowing Christ already defeated Satan.

Now there is a teaching, fueled by the excesses of the faith movement, turbo charged by the many TV prosperity cults, identity only cults, all selling a painfree cross and supported by greasy grace doctrines that teach Christians will not so suffer any such bruising. This is not true and not consistent with whole bible teaching.

There is a useful and underutilized term for this ... spiritual bypassing.

Spiritual bypassing is when a believer uses Scripture, prayer, or spiritual language to avoid confronting emotional wounds, sin patterns, trauma, or necessary conflict — rather than allowing God to bring healing and transformation through honest engagement and discipleship.

Its like the term says, its a bypass, a denial of the necessity to go THROUGH, its avoidance la grande of your Red Sea, Jordan River or Cross! Do not take the bypass! Its the long and treacherous way ... its a lie, its a false path that leads you away from the Promised Land. As Satan offered the bypass of the cross to Jesus "worship me and I will give you the nations". Fear asks "What if?" Faith declares "Even if!"

Don't be tempted by the bypass! Its a big fat lie dressed as a kind granny offering you freshly squeezed orange juice on a very hot day. Its a ravenous wolf dressed as a cute wholesome little red riding hood.

Its 'spiritualising' pain away by covering it with a plaster-verse in the name of 'higher faith'. When its actually avoiding real faith. It's escapism. This is not faith in action. Its a type of vain triumphalism that promises you will never bruise your heel.

Its human to have a bias toward loss and the pain of that loss.

Problem of Bias

It is a problem of bias. There are generally about 50 well studied cognitive biases. Essentially a cognitive bias is a human tendency to 'short circuit' the facts, to arrive at a conclusion. This is more than denial which is straight bypassing facts period. Biases, attempt to look at certain facts to come to a certain conclusion for 50 different reasons. Cognitive bias is a defense mechanism but it hides truth from us. We need to be aware of the bias. See https://www.visualcapitalist.com/50-cognitive-biases-in-the-modern-world/

Authority bias, stereotyping bias, optimism bias ... etc

Lack of Temperance

It is a problem in temperance. It applies scriptures in the extreme. It builds straw man arguments with the scriptures mis-quoted or mis-applied.

It misquotes and twists the scriptures ... with this "uber-faith " you don't even need to go to the lions den because "you already have the victory brother". It's pathological pain avoidance, not courageous love-integrity in the face of acute hostility.

Some Examples

1. Avoiding conflict with “turn the other cheek”

 “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:39

Spiritual bypass: A Christian stays in a toxic and violent relationship or refuses to set healthy boundaries, believing they must tolerate harm as “Christian love,” instead of seeking justice, wisdom, or safety (see also Proverbs 22:3 – “The prudent see danger and take refuge…”).

2. Suppressing grief with “God works all things for good”

 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28

Spiritual bypass : Telling someone who’s lost a loved one to stop crying and “just trust God,” rather than sitting with them in their pain. Even Jesus wept (John 11:35) at the tomb of Lazarus, showing that grief has a place in faith.

3. Avoiding accountability by saying “Only God can judge me”

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matthew 7:1

Spiritual bypass: A believer deflects correction or discipleship by saying others shouldn’t judge them — when Scripture also teaches the church to lovingly correct sin.

4. Neglecting mental health with “Just pray more”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Spiritual bypass: A Christian struggling with depression or anxiety is told only to “pray harder” instead of being encouraged to seek help through therapy, support, or rest — all of which are consistent with God’s holistic care for the person (God let Elijah rest and eat in his depression).

5. Spiritual abuse by elders / leaders demanding unbiblical levels of obedience

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." Hebrews 13:17

Spiritual bypass: An insecure or controlling leader demands your personal compliance to unbiblical levels of submission, in the name of obedience to Christ.

Did they die for you? Call no man your father ... Use your brain, read the Bible yourself! We are all priests. Leaders can be wrong. Don't participate in corporate co- dependent church cultures, where unquestioning obedience and absolute submission to human authority is expected. There is a vast difference between healthy submission to spiritual authority and control by dominating insecure leaders. If you accuse someone of insubordination or un-submissiveness, you have most likely already fallen into the trap of 'Lording it over'.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers." Mt 23:8

Such leaders are bypassing the pain of the cross of leadership, where you become 'servant of all' and their uncrucified self, clothed in white robes of piety, boast in your fleshly obedience ... to their man made rules. Where is the love? Where is the freedom? Submit to a 'servant-of-all' type leader ... with joy!

The deeper issue is that spiritual bypassing masks and attempts (unsuccessfully) to bypass pain with religious language and tricks. But the Gospel invites transformation through truth, not denial. Pass through, pass through the gates! Don't construct an elaborate bypass!

Bypass the bypasses offered by the Easy Road!

Healthy Spirituality Includes

* Wonderful, healing lament (Psalm 13)

*Accountability (James 5:16)

*Boundaries (Mark 1:35–38 – Jesus often withdrew)

*Healing (Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted…”)

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isa 43

His grace is sufficient and His comforting love is everlasting.