A Spiritual Battle is Escalating in America
Abortion is the litmus test that reveals the spiritual condition of culture in America. For those of you who, like me, may have forgotten most of what you learned in chemistry class, a litmus test is a test using litmus paper to determine if a solution is an acid or a base. The color of the litmus paper dipped into the solution would identify a base or an acid. Used in the political arena, a litmus test is a quick test to determine the political position of a person.
The way one believes about abortion will immediately place them for the most part in either the conservative or the liberal camp. If you believe that abortion is the purposeful killing of an unborn baby and consider that to be anathema, you fall into the conservative camp on this issue. If you believe that the unborn human baby has no rights under the Constitution since it is still unborn, you conclude that taking the life of the unborn baby is the choice of the woman who is pregnant.
There is no question that our country is terribly divided. Social media, the evening news, internet comments and a slew of other indicators clearly show that two basic political camps have arisen in our nation. Most people think of this division as a political, social or communication problem but by doing so we ignore the big elephant in the room. The elephant is the spiritual origin of this divisive chasm that has dominated the national discussion for many years.
By “spiritual” I am not referring to some vague concept about the spiritual nature of humans. I am referring to the biblical truth that there is a spiritual realm inhabited by beings that are not of this realm — spiritual beings ruled by their leader Satan, the god of this world system (2 Cor. 4:4). John puts it even more bluntly: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
Paul details this for us in words that cannot be denied: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). America is ground zero in the spiritual war for possession of this planet and the issue of abortion is bringing it into focus.
Jesus described the enemy as the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy and Himself as the Good Shepherd who came to bring abundant life to all who seek it (John 10:10). Life! That is the key to this spiritual war that is raging and people are choosing sides based on how they view Christ who came to bring life and Satan who came to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
This battle is not just about the choice of a woman or the lack of a choice by the unborn baby. This war is about how we view God and His people. One hand held sign in the recent protests in Washington D.C. said “F — — your prayer.” The people on the side of killing the unborn for selfish reasons definitely do not believe in prayer or the God who hears prayer. They mock it with derisive, egocentric words of hate. “My body, my choice” other signs declared. Those who believe in God know that the choice belongs to God. We do not get to do whatever we want. That evil freedom got its start in the Garden of Eden when the first humans rebelled against God in favor of their own selfish choice. Sin has ravaged the human race since that betrayal.
Tragically, since most progressive/liberal minded people have chosen to reject God and His recorded word, the Bible, apathy and unbelief have increased accordingly. The apostle Paul prophesied all of this when he predicted that in the last days “difficult times” would come and the primary characteristic of humanity would be “lovers of self” (2 Tim. 3:1, 2). When society rejects the one true God, self becomes god. As it was in the Garden of Eden, the enemy of God convinced the man and the woman that their ability within themselves was enough and they did not need God (Gen. 3:1–5). Today, this attitude is flourishing on steroids.
When this happens the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy and the abundant life that Christ offers becomes a remote, vague hope held only by a few. When the Bible and prayer are removed from the schools the thief enters and begins his propaganda program. The devastating results we see in our educational programs are all the proof we need of this transformation. When the thief is allowed to have his way with marriage and families, he begins to steal God’s provision of the sacred institution of marriage resulting in broken families, single parent children, and broken lives and hearts. Since family is where children gain their morals, the destruction of the family has destroyed the moral fabric of our nation. We see the results in massive shooting deaths in our big cities where people have only experienced the death and destruction of God’s enemy, the thief. We see lawlessness in most big cities as permissive prosecutors release criminals back into society and many cities are defunding their peacemakers insuring that peace will be disrupted. Satan is at work.
The battle is raging all around us and it will take courageous warriors who hear from God and believe what He says to rise up boldly despite the conditions we see with our own eyes. Almost all of what I proclaim through writing and teaching is rejected by those who have bought into the lies and even many Christians simply give me an empty stare when I speak God’s truth about the times we are living in.
Paul was right. We are in a spiritual war against “. . . rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” Of course, those who reject the Bible and God reject the existence of the spiritual realm. Make no mistake about it, that the leader of that realm exists and his goal is to defeat people of faith with the lying propaganda of hell. He will fail, of course, because he is already defeated by the redemptive cross of Jesus.
According to God’s word, our responsibility is to take up the armor of God that enables us in His power to fight in this spiritual war. The weapons are truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith and the powerful word of God (Eph. 6:13–17). Without these weapons firmly in your life you will fail. With them you will be victorious if you enter the battle with courage and fight with boldness. May the Lord be with you all.
