The Spiritual War is Here

By Reverend Dr. Elliott Robinson, JD

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

We are witnessing the purposeful and malicious deconstruction of America. Full stop!

With every policy decision, executive order, press conference, or social media post, the Trump Administration is exhibiting sociopathic and demonic behavior. The onslaught of attacks on the American people has reached an almost manic pace. Between funding cuts to essential services, government closure, trampling the Constitution, double-dealing, disregard for the rule of law, attacks on higher education, and dispatching military forces against American citizens, in just over 9 months, this has turned into the most dangerous presidency in the history of the United States.

Most of us are in unfamiliar territory. We want it just to stop, but we’d settle for it to simply slow down. Watching the news is stressful, if not downright depressing. Our social media algorithms take us on an emotional roller coaster ride between ICE ripping apart families, prank videos, and the US military invading American cities. We feel the only accessible mental and emotional downtime is when we are asleep… and sleep can be fleeting.

Charlie Kirk’s death unleashed a new level of political cruelty, racial hostility, and violent vitriol. In their effort to eliminate freedoms, consolidate power, and silence dissent, orchestrated gaslighting and unrestrained misinformation and disinformation from the federal government have become the norm.

America, the fatted calf, is being butchered. Not a surgical butchering by skilled technicians, but instead one with clubs, dull instruments, and rusty blades by a group of hard-hearted and unscrupulous odd-job men and handywomen. While only made of tissue, bones, muscle, and sinew, this political motley crew of mayhem and malice is committed to projecting an aura that is all-encompassing, all-consuming … immortal.
While we fight the actions of the mortal beings, we must be equally adept at battling them in the spiritual realm. When Donald J. Trump leaves this earthly realm for the 37th sub-chamber of hell, the spirits that shaped and catapulted him into prominence and power will still be loose in the earth.

We are in the fight of our lives, and there is a reason why Ephesians 6:13-20 gave us timeless instructions for spiritual warfare. This popular passage suddenly feels like a lot more than spiritual hyperbole. To withstand the evil of our day, we must take up the whole armor of God.
Belt – Truth
Breastplate – Righteousness
Sandals – Gospel of Peace
Shield – Faith
Helmet – Salvation
Sword – Word of God
Prayer – Specific, Intercessory, Continuously
Stay alert and persevere

How do we defeat the rulers of darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places? Not by being a worse version of it, but by being the most ferocious, unrelenting version of what God has told us is needed, for the battle at hand.

We need to focus on being the aggressor in this fight. Mentally and spiritually, we must go beyond simply absorbing and responding to the blows. We must move beyond the admonition of Forever First Lady Michelle Obama, who implored that, “When they go low, we go high.” No, we must become more resolute, more outward, more vocal, like our weapons of spiritual warfare. We must empower ourselves and others to battle the wickedness spreading across this land actively.

We must: Be vocal about truth; Lift righteousness; Extol the virtues of peace; Stay grounded in faith; Share the assurance of salvation; Consume the Word of God; Continuously pray specific prayers, not just for ourselves, but for others; and stay alert and aware as we persevere through this battle.

The spiritual war is here, but we have our instruction on what it takes to be battle-ready. Now we simply have to follow them. This 45-47 demon isn’t going to be cast out without a fight, but we will win this spiritual war because God is certainly on our side.

Reverend Dr. Elliott Robinson, JD (AME Itinerant Elder), is an award-winning journalist. He developed the homiletical system “Imagineer Preaching.” He is the Founder of “How to Tell Great Stories,” where he helps preachers and professionals harness the power of storytelling. – www.howtotellgreatstories.com/. He is also the host of the “R3 Podcast” on Substack, where he deals with race, religion, and rhetoric in the age of misinformation and disinformation. www.substack.com/@r3podcast