Christians today, not all, but many, have gotten caught in one of the devil’s distractions – getting our focus off the things Jesus said to keep it on. While this isn’t new, it sure seems to be on the increase. With Covid and the changing of government officials and everything that has happened in the past year or two, many Christians – including church leaders who should know better, have gotten their eyes off the things of God and put them on the things of man.

While Christians should be involved in government and politics (we should be involved in all areas of society honestly), that is not our main focus. When pastors and ministers start trading their pulpits for political parties, you know someone has gotten off, gotten distraction, and has started following something other than God.

Many Christians today see the Democratic Party as the enemy of the church. But nothing could be further from the truth. Many Christians laugh and chant “Let’s Go Brandon” with glee. But It doesn’t matter if everyone in the congregation is chanting it – God isn’t. Want proof?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12

We are told plainly and specifically that the enemy of the Christian is not other religions, other people of different view points or political parties; it’s the devil and his crowd. It’s demonic spirits that influence people to do the things they do. Not people!

Sadly, that has been lost on many Christians. The people passing satanic laws to murder children, promote ungodly sin, and limit the freedoms of this nation aren’t doing it so they change the nation to fit their own ideas and views. They’re doing it because they have been blinded to the truth and they don’t see how evil they’re acting. All that other stuff is just secondary.

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

People are blinded. It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘evil’ politicians or ‘good’ nice little old ladies. If they don’t know Jesus – they’re blinded. Of course they are! No one with clear vision and a sound mind would willingly stroll into Hell and spend eternity there. People who have not had ‘the veil removed from their eyes’ and have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior do not have a comprehension of what they are actually doing. They actually should be pitied. They would stand up all boastful and arrogant and gladly declare that you and I are the ones who are crazy and they’re in their right mind, but there will come a day when they will be filled with tears wishing they would have listened to God’s call to come to Jesus.

We shouldn’t be arrogant about our position though. After all, every one of us was in their shoes at one point in our lives. Everyone of us was headed to Hell and didn’t know it. Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” We can’t take a high and mighty attitude about this. We’re not told this so we can look down on people, smirk at them, think we’re better, or yell out “Let’s Go Brandon.” We’re told this so we can have an understanding of where people are coming from – that they are not the enemy. We’re told this so we can pray for people, not against people.

Many Christians, even though the Bible tells us clearly, will still stand out and picket, demonstrate, or boycott someone or something even though they’re not the problem. The devil is. The truth is that for the unbeliever, the devil is a puppet master, whispering in their ears to do things that they would not do if they could clearly see and comprehend the reality and truth of what is going on. But they can’t. They have been blinded. In Acts 26, one of the things that Jesus told Paul he was to do was “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. (v18)” We have the same charge today – to open people’s eyes and turn them from darkness to light. That doesn’t come by fighting people or boycotting them. It comes by preaching the Gospel, walking in love, and by prayer. You cannot solve a spiritual problem with a natural answer. 

I remember when one of my kids was very little and would not listen to what his mother and I told him to do. We tried every form of discipline there was. We had friends encourage us to ‘stay after it,’ and be consistent. When you’re consistent for a whole year and things don’t change, maybe you’re the one that needs to change. We started looking at other reasons for his disobedience, not just a rebellious attitude. After much time and effort, we found out that he actually had a reaction to certain foods and chemicals in the foods – common things. It was amazing when we cut those food ingredients out of his meals how much his behavior changed. He was no longer the disobedient kid we had been struggling with for so long. Our issue was that we were fighting the wrong battle. His attitude and disobedience was just a bi-product of his body and mind reacting to the chemicals and foods he was eating. The things people are doing that are against God is a bi-product of the things the devil and his crowd are doing.

As Christians, we have to take a step back and see that we are not fighting a natural battle. Politicians may be. Celebrities may be. Religious people may be, but Christian aren’t. If they are, they’re fighting the wrong battle. We are fighting a spiritual battle – warring against spiritual enemies. And the weapons of our warfare are mighty for pulling down strongholds. Our weapons aren’t our votes, though they may be important. It’s not our money, although choosing where to spend it may be important. Our weapons are prayer in the name of Jesus, the authority He has given us, and the faith that can move mountains.

We can be assured, that even though things may look dark, if we do what we are told to do, we will see great changes. Ephesians 1:20-21 says, “which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Jesus has already been seated in a place of authority – high above the ones we are warring with. And we are seated with Him. We already have the victory. We just need to enforce it, stand on it, and do what the Word tells us to do. Don’t give up ground. Don’t get your eyes off the real enemy. Don’t be distracted. Stay with the Word and the Spirit.