The headlines never stop.

Wars. Rumors of wars. Economic uncertainty. Political division. Cultural upheaval. Every day brings another crisis, another controversy, another reason to feel exhausted.

That growing fatigue was at the heart of a recent episode of Prophecy Live, where Joseph and Heather Z delivered a warning that reaches far beyond headlines, elections or international conflicts.

The greatest threat facing believers is not persecution.

It is passivity.

Heather Z described the current season as a “spiritual world war” and warned that many Christians are growing weary under the weight of constant pressure.

“And we’re in a place of a spiritual world war. And it takes all hands on deck. You can’t just be shrinking back right now,” she said.

She pointed to the endless stream of crises competing for attention and argued that the enemy’s strategy is not simply to attack believers, but to wear them down.

“The division is all by design,” she said. “All of the crisis fatigue is all by design.”

That observation cuts to the heart of a growing challenge facing the modern church.

Most Christians recognize obvious threats. They can identify anti-Christian sentiment in culture. They can spot attacks on biblical values. They can see the moral confusion unfolding across society.

The harder battle to recognize is the slow drift into spiritual numbness.

A believer rarely wakes up one morning and decides to abandon faith. More often, spiritual sensitivity is lost one distraction at a time. Prayer becomes less frequent. Discernment grows dull. Urgency fades. The noise of the world gradually drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit.

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Heather Z urged believers to fight against that trend.

“You got the spirit of the living God on the inside of you,” she said. “You need to begin to rise up and you need to begin to re-sensitize yourself back to the Holy Spirit.”

Joseph Z reinforced that message through an unexpected example: Iran.

During the broadcast, he highlighted footage showing Christians publicly celebrating Jesus in the streets of the Islamic nation. While many viewers focused on revival, a deeper question emerged.

Why are believers willing to openly proclaim Christ in a country where faith can carry significant consequences while many Christians in the West remain hesitant to share their beliefs despite extraordinary freedoms?

“I believe before this is done, we could see a great awakening of Christianity right in Iran,” Joseph Z said.

The contrast is striking.

Throughout church history, some of the most powerful revivals emerged from places marked by pressure, opposition and hardship. Meanwhile, comfort produced complacency.

The early church expanded under persecution. The apostles preached despite threats and imprisonment. Faith flourished in places where believers had every reason to remain silent.

Today, many Christians enjoy freedoms previous generations could scarcely imagine. Yet the modern battle is not persecution. It is a battle for attention, focus and spiritual awareness.

Joseph Z argued that believers must move beyond simply reacting to the natural world and learn to discern the spiritual realities behind it.

“We got to stand in faith and favor,” he said.

The warning is timely.

The church does not lose influence only when governments oppose it. It also loses influence when believers become distracted, exhausted and disengaged from the mission Christ has given us.

The Christians celebrating Jesus in Iran are not the biggest story.

The bigger story is the question their courage forces us to answer.

If believers can boldly proclaim Christ where the cost is high, what excuse remains for silence where the cost is low?

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Pastor Vlad Savchuk of HungryGen Ministries is warning believers not to dismiss every spiritual struggle as burnout, distraction or a bad season. While acknowledging that many spiritual challenges have natural causes, Savchuk recently argued that some Christians may be experiencing the effects of what he calls high-ranking territorial spirits—demonic powers that influence regions, cultures and atmospheres.

Drawing from passages such as Daniel 10 and Ephesians 6, Savchuk outlined five signs that spiritual resistance may be more than a personal struggle.

1. You Are Consistently Numb to Spiritual Things

According to Savchuk, one of the clearest warning signs is a persistent dullness toward God.

A believer may still attend church, serve faithfully and maintain spiritual disciplines, yet feel disconnected from God’s presence. Worship no longer stirs the heart. Scripture feels lifeless. Prayer becomes a burden instead of a joy.

Savchuk described it this way: “You still believe. You actually still attend church. You still serve and you still tithe. But you feel spiritually dull like your spirit is wrapped in some kind of a cotton. Worship doesn’t move you anymore. Scripture feels flat. Prayer feels like you’re pushing a boulder up the hill.”

He pointed to Jesus’ experience in Nazareth, where unbelief hindered mighty works, arguing that some regions can develop an atmosphere of spiritual resistance that affects believers living within it.

At the same time, he cautioned Christians to examine their own hearts for unforgiveness, bitterness and unrepentant sin before blaming outside spiritual forces.

2. Heaviness Appears When You Pray or Fast

Savchuk said another indicator is unusual resistance whenever a believer attempts to seek God more deeply.

Tasks and responsibilities may seem manageable throughout the day, but the moment prayer or fasting begins, an overwhelming heaviness sets in. Fatigue increases. Focus disappears. Irritability rises.

“You can do hundred other things but the moment you begin to seek God, you feel this crushing heaviness. You feel sudden sleepiness and you’re very irritable, moody, cranky and your distractions, they multiply like crazy,” Savchuk said.

He connected this experience to Daniel 10, where the prophet encountered spiritual opposition while pursuing God through prayer and fasting.

Savchuk suggested that intense resistance can sometimes indicate that a believer is pushing against genuine spiritual opposition.

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3. Confusion and Discernment Become Clouded

A third sign is an unusual level of confusion that interferes with spiritual discernment.

Instead of clarity, believers may find themselves trapped in cycles of uncertainty, second-guessing and mental fog. Simple decisions suddenly feel overwhelming. Persistent “what if” scenarios dominate the mind.

“Soon you feel mental fog. Suddenly you’re second-guessing everything. You have uncertainty about simple things and you have a constant what if, what if, what if ruminating in your mind,” he said.

Savchuk emphasized that God does not communicate through confusion. While the Holy Spirit brings conviction and correction, he argued that hopelessness, deception and generalized confusion often originate elsewhere.

He believes territorial spirits frequently attempt to blanket regions with confusion, compromise and spiritual deception.

4. Sin and Compromise Feel Normal

Savchuk also pointed to cultures where darkness is celebrated rather than hidden.

In some places, behaviors that Scripture condemns become socially accepted, applauded and defended. Over time, constant exposure can weaken a believer’s sensitivity to holiness.

“Immorality in those regions is very casual. Drunkenness exists and is normal. Occultic practices are trendy. Mockery of holiness is actually entertaining,” Savchuk said.

He warned that remaining immersed in such environments without spiritual vigilance can slowly reshape a person’s convictions.

Referencing Romans 12:2, Savchuk encouraged believers to resist conformity to the culture around them and remain anchored in biblical truth.

5. Strife, Division and Offense Dominate the Church

The final sign focuses on the body of Christ itself.

Savchuk argued that one of the enemy’s most effective strategies is turning believers against one another. Rather than advancing God’s kingdom, Christians become consumed by offense, jealousy, gossip and conflict.

“Territorial spirits love to bind the region by keeping believers fighting each other,” he said.

He added, “The way you bind it is that you have believers no longer fighting the warfare that they’re anointed to fight, but believers now are fighting each other.”

According to Savchuk, unity creates an environment where God moves freely, while division produces confusion and weakens the church’s spiritual effectiveness.

What Should Christians Do?

Despite discussing territorial spirits, Savchuk repeatedly warned against becoming obsessed with identifying or confronting them directly.

Instead, he urged believers to focus on strengthening their relationship with Christ, putting on the armor of God, pursuing prayer and fasting, maintaining unity with other believers and remaining spiritually grounded.

“You don’t need to talk to the territorial spirits. You need to talk to God,” Savchuk said.

Pointing again to Daniel’s example, he encouraged Christians to respond to spiritual resistance with sustained prayer, consecration and perseverance rather than dramatic confrontations.

His message was simple: Stay focused on Jesus, remain rooted in Scripture, walk in unity with other believers and continue seeking God until breakthrough comes.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

The arrival of a child is often filled with joy, anticipation and carefully made plans. For McKenna Kelley, daughter of Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton, the journey into motherhood became a reminder that God’s plans are greater than our own.

Kelley recently announced the birth of her first child, Jones Harper Doughty, whom she welcomed with her husband, Braden Doughty.

“Jones Harper Doughty 🩷 8lbs 1oz, 21 inches 5/12/26,” Kelley and her husband shared in a joint Instagram post.

The couple revealed that the birth came after a day and a half of labor that ended in a cesarean section. Yet through the unexpected challenges, Kelley pointed to God’s faithfulness.

“A full day & a half of labor that ended in a c-section and yet the Lord met us every step of the way,” the couple wrote. “The birth we didn’t plan for became everything we could’ve asked for. The hardest 36 hours of my life led us to our sweet girl.”

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In a follow-up post, Kelley reflected on how her Christian faith carried her through a delivery that unfolded differently than expected.

“‘The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.’ Proverbs 16:9,” she wrote.

Kelley explained that she and her husband prayed intentionally throughout the pregnancy and prepared extensively for an unmedicated birth.

“From the day we got two pink lines we prayed so intentionally for the birth we desired,” she wrote. “I did all the prep, the courses for an unmedicated labor and delivery.”

After more than 24 hours of labor and numerous medical interventions, those plans changed.

“On paper, not a single thing we specifically prayed for happened,” Kelley wrote. “But spiritually? The Lord met us through every contraction, every intervention and answered our prayers in a way that my ‘perfect birth’ couldn’t have.”

The new mother said the experience taught her that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on circumstances unfolding exactly as hoped.

“It’s a funny thing to think that though we are parents now, we don’t stop being children of God,” Kelley wrote. “Braden, myself and Jones are all children of God.”

She said God used the experience to prepare their family for the season ahead.

“I believe with every ounce of myself that our birth experience was designed for us to be the best parents for Jones,” Kelley wrote.

Kelley also shared a story from her pregnancy that she sees as evidence of God’s hand at work long before her daughter was born.

While searching through old notes on her phone, she discovered a message she had written years earlier to a future daughter she hoped to have someday.

“As I reread it, my heart stopped when I noticed the date: May 4, 2025. Our due date? May 4, 2026,” Kelley wrote.

The discovery reinforced her belief that God had been working behind the scenes long before she became a mother.

“The Lord was so intentional before we were even pregnant,” she wrote. “He is a God who works in the whispers and in the details, and He knew Jones would be ours all along.”

For Kelley, the birth of her daughter became more than a family milestone. It became a testimony that God’s presence remains constant when life takes an unexpected turn and that His plans can be trusted every step of the way.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

A senior Turkish official just said the quiet part out loud.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi declared that Jerusalem would one day return to Turkish control “just as in the past.” Speaking before supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling party, Çiftçi pointed to recent regional victories and declared, “Just as we witnessed the liberation of Damascus, Aleppo and Karabakh, God willing, one day we will also witness the liberation of Jerusalem.”

Israel did not let the statement pass.

“The corrupt Ottoman Empire is gone. Forever,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded. Defense Minister Israel Katz added, “Jerusalem is not Constantinople, and the State of Israel is not a crumbling Crusader Empire.” He also reminded Turkey that Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years.

Most headlines treated the exchange as another diplomatic spat. It is far more significant than that.

The battle for Jerusalem has always been spiritual before it was political.

For years, Bible prophecy students have watched Turkey’s transformation under Erdoğan.

Once a secular ally of Israel, Turkey has embraced a neo-Ottoman vision of regional influence. The nation maintains a military presence in northern Syria, projects power across the Middle East and presents itself as a defender of Islamic interests throughout the region.

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That matters because Syria sits directly on Israel’s northern border.

The same nation now openly talking about the “liberation” of Jerusalem already has troops, military infrastructure and political influence positioned just north of the Jewish state. Turkey is no longer commenting on events in the Middle East. It is shaping them.

At the same time, another prophetic trend is accelerating inside Israel.

Jewish worship on the Temple Mount continues to grow. Jewish prayer on the Mount, once heavily restricted, has become increasingly common. Religious fervor surrounding Jerusalem and the Temple Mount has intensified as more Jews ascend the site that once housed the First and Second Temples.

The Temple Mount remains the most contested piece of real estate on earth.

It is sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. Every major prophetic scenario involving Jerusalem leads back to that mountain.

That is what makes Çiftçi’s remarks so striking.

He did not speak about Tel Aviv. He did not speak about Haifa. He did not speak about Israeli settlements. He spoke specifically about Jerusalem.

The city sits at the center of God’s prophetic timetable.

The prophet Zechariah saw a day when the nations would become obsessed with Jerusalem.

“On that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples. All who lift it will surely injure themselves. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it” (Zech. 12:3).

That description is playing out before our eyes.

The world’s attention is fixed on a tiny nation roughly the size of New Jersey. Global powers argue over its borders. International organizations debate its legitimacy. Terror groups target it. Regional powers threaten it. A senior Turkish minister openly envisions a future in which Jerusalem returns to Turkish rule.

The remarkable thing is not that Jerusalem remains controversial.

The remarkable thing is that Scripture said it would be.

Turkey’s threats are another reminder that the nations surrounding Israel continue moving into position while Jerusalem grows more central to regional and global tensions.

The closer the world moves toward Jerusalem, the more the pages of prophecy come alive.

Keep your eyes on Israel. Keep your eyes on Jerusalem. And keep your eyes on the God who declared the end from the beginning.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

The promise sounds almost biblical.

An end to disease. Longer life. Greater intelligence. A future where humanity overcomes its limitations and perhaps even conquers death itself.

The world’s most influential technology leaders are investing billions of dollars pursuing that vision. Artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, brain-computer interfaces and life-extension research are advancing at breathtaking speed. What was considered science fiction only a generation ago is rapidly becoming reality.

Most people see these developments as technological milestones.

Pastor Billy Crone sees a prophetic warning unfolding in real time.

In a recent interview with Charisma Media, Crone pointed to Christ’s warning that conditions before His return would resemble the days of Noah.

“We always think about the flood,” Crone said. “But Jesus said, ‘As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.'”

Scripture identifies three defining characteristics of that pre-flood world.

The first was widespread indifference toward God’s warnings.

“People at time had a casual, lackadaisical, scoffing attitude towards the coming judgment,” Crone said. “Get out of here, you wacko. Eating, drinking, giving in marriage, whatever. I got stuff to do, man.”

The comparison is striking. Modern culture treats biblical prophecy as entertainment, mythology or something reserved for fringe believers. Warnings about judgment, repentance and Christ’s return are met with ridicule and dismissal.

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The second characteristic was a culture consumed by evil.

“The second sin that was going on according to Genesis 6, it says mankind got so evil at that time that their thoughts were continually wicked all the time,” Crone said.

Every day brings fresh reminders of humanity’s moral decline. Violence dominates entertainment. Pornography is available in seconds. Darkness is celebrated as enlightenment. Good is called evil and evil is called good.

Yet the third characteristic of Noah’s generation sits at the center of Crone’s warning.

He points to Genesis 6 and the account of the Nephilim.

“Clearly in Genesis 6, why did God judge the planet? Because fallen angels, demons, were mingling with the daughters of men, and out of that they were creating a hybrid race called the Nephilim,” Crone said.

That is where Crone connects ancient history to modern technology.

Artificial intelligence, genetic modification and human enhancement are often presented as the next stage of human progress. Crone argues they are part of a broader effort to alter humanity itself.

He points to the language used by transhumanists.

“Their terms are this new and improved race, human 2.0, post-human species, neo-humanity and augmented humanity,” Crone said.

Then he delivered the comparison that drives his thesis.

“You know what that is? Four different new terms to describe the Nephilim.”

The world’s most powerful technology leaders openly discuss a future where human biology and technology become intertwined. Companies are developing brain implants. Researchers are experimenting with gene-editing technologies. Artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace few imagined possible.

For Crone, the issue is not merely technology. It is the philosophy behind it.

He argues that transhumanism promises what he calls “the three supers.”

“They’re going to give us through science and technology… super health, super intelligence. And then here’s the big one, super longevity,” Crone said.

The pursuit of extended life spans has become one of the movement’s primary goals. Billionaires and technology entrepreneurs are funding companies dedicated to slowing aging, reversing aging and dramatically extending human life.

Crone calls that pursuit a spiritual counterfeit.

“This is Satan’s counterfeit as to why you don’t need Jesus. You don’t need God to live forever,” he said. “Heaven’s, you know, we’ll create heaven down here.”

That statement strikes at the heart of the battle unfolding before our eyes.

The Bible presents eternal life as a gift received through Christ. The transhumanist vision presents eternal life as something humanity can engineer for itself.

One points to a Savior.

The other points to a laboratory.

One promises resurrection through the power of God.

The other promises immortality through the power of man.

Crone argues that the accelerating push toward artificial intelligence, genetic enhancement and human augmentation is setting the stage for events Scripture foretold long ago.

Yet his message is not one of fear.

It is one of urgency.

“We’re the winners, not the losers,” Crone said. “Get excited about the Lord’s return and get out there and save souls.”

As the world races toward Human 2.0, Christians are witnessing the reemergence of humanity’s oldest rebellion—the belief that man can replace God, redefine creation and secure eternal life on his own.

That rebellion failed in Eden. It failed before the flood. And it will fail again when the King of Kings returns to establish His kingdom forever.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Thousands packed into downtown Nashville expecting a memorable CMA Fest weekend. What they got was something few will soon forget.

The second annual Cowboy Church, founded by Brandon Lake, drew such a large crowd that organizers were forced to open multiple overflow areas with livestream feeds. Worship leaders and country music stars filled the lineup, including CeCe Winans, Dan + Shay and surprise guest Lainey Wilson.

The atmosphere was electric. Thousands sang worship songs in the heart of Music City. Then everything stopped.

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Lake had just welcomed Winans to the stage for a performance of “I Know a Name” when movement near the front of the crowd caught people’s attention. Arms began waving. Voices started calling out. Someone needed help.

An attendee had collapsed in the heat.

In a matter of seconds, the focus shifted from the stage to a single person in need.

“This is more important,” Lake said as he halted the service and called for medical personnel.

As first responders made their way through the crowd, Lake did not try to fill the silence. He led thousands of people in prayer.

“Well, in Jesus’ name … revive him right now. Give him strength,” he prayed while Winans sang softly in the background.

For a few tense moments, thousands watched and waited.

Then came relief.

The attendee was escorted from the area after receiving medical attention, and the crowd erupted in appreciation for those who responded.

“Let’s give it up for our medical team, officers,” Lake told attendees.

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The worship leader also offered a practical reminder to the crowd gathered under the Tennessee sun.

“On that note, drink your water. Drink your water! God is a healer, but we’ve got to be smart.”

The service resumed, but the morning had already become bigger than a concert, bigger than a festival and bigger than a celebrity lineup.

Cowboy Church was created to reach people who may never step inside a traditional sanctuary. Lake has described the gathering as a place for “the wanderers, the worn-out, the misfits, the ones who aren’t sure they belong anywhere.”

Standing before a packed crowd, he made it clear he wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

“Grace is so much bigger than any sin or any mess you’ve gotten yourself in trouble with,” Lake said, according to The Tennessean.

Then he delivered the line that revealed exactly how he viewed the moment.

“But the Holy Ghost is here and I got to take advantage of the fact that we have a packed-out crowd.”

Some people came expecting country music. Some came because a friend invited them. Others simply followed the crowds gathering in downtown Nashville.

Lake had a message for all of them.

“Maybe somebody got dragged here by your grandma or something, who said, ‘We’re going to a country rock concert.’ Well, surprise, you came to church.”

That may be the most remarkable part of the story.

Not the size of the crowd. Not the overflow sections. Not even the star-studded lineup.

In the middle of one of the biggest weekends in country music, thousands of people found themselves praying for a stranger, cheering for first responders and hearing an invitation to God’s grace.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Violence and fires erupted across Belfast this week after a graphic stabbing attack involving a Sudanese migrant reignited a debate that has been simmering across Europe for years: that mass migration policies and weak border enforcement have created a public safety crisis that political leaders refuse to confront.

According to Breitbart, protests broke out after footage circulated online showing a man repeatedly stabbing another man’s neck in what the outlet described as an apparent attempted beheading.

Police later announced the arrest of a Sudanese man in his 30s, Hadi Alodid. The suspect had reportedly been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom in 2023 after traveling through Paris and Dublin before entering the UK through the open land border with the Republic of Ireland.

BREAKING:

The asylum seeker who sparked huge riots in Belfast by trying to behead a local has been named as Hadi Alodid.

He’s from Khartoum in Sudan. The city is currently under control of the Muslim Brotherhood-allied Sudanese Armed Forces. Beheadings are an Islamist specialty

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 10, 2026

What followed was chaos.

Multiple vehicles, including a city bus and a police vehicle, were set on fire as demonstrations escalated into riots. Petrol bombs were reportedly thrown at police officers in parts of the city, while residents were forced to evacuate homes after fires broke out in East Belfast.

Political leaders quickly condemned the violence.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill called the unrest “outright thuggery.”

“The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here,” O’Neill said.

The condemnation of rioting was swift. The conversation about how Belfast arrived at this point was not.

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The issue extends beyond one horrific crime. It centers on years of immigration policies that have allowed large numbers of migrants to enter Europe while governments struggled to vet arrivals, enforce deportation orders and secure borders.

The Belfast incident is not occurring in isolation. Similar events have erupted in France, Germany, Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom following violent crimes involving migrants or asylum seekers. Each incident has intensified concerns about public safety, national identity and the ability of governments to manage migration flows.

Europe’s political class has spent years dismissing public concerns while portraying opposition to mass migration as extremism. The result has been a growing divide between governing elites and ordinary citizens who increasingly believe their concerns are ignored until unrest erupts.

Ahead of Tuesday’s violence, Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister urged residents not to engage in rioting.

Allister warned people not to “fall into the trap” of allowing attention to shift away from what he described as the consequences of open-border policies.

While acknowledging that people had a “right to be angry” over the attack and the importation of an “alien culture” against their will, Allister argued that violence would only provide Prime Minister Keir Starmer an “excuse to talk in dismissive terms about right-wing extremists and about people indulging in violence” rather than addressing the underlying issues.

His comments, in a way, reflect a growing sentiment across the rest of Europe. Citizens increasingly believe governments are more willing to condemn public anger than to confront the policies that generated it.

The reactions from the political class have also fueled accusations of two-tier policing throughout the United Kingdom. Authorities often respond more aggressively to anti-immigration demonstrations than to other forms of civil unrest, creating a perception that political considerations influence law enforcement decisions.

The scenes in Belfast show the world a reality many European leaders continue to avoid. Public frustration does not emerge overnight. It builds when citizens conclude that those in power routinely dismiss concerns about border security, immigration and public safety.

The unrest in Belfast is not simply the story of one horrific attack or one night of rioting. It is the latest chapter in a broader European struggle over migration, national sovereignty and public trust in institutions. As governments continue to defend policies that have failed, the tensions visible on Belfast’s streets are likely to become increasingly difficult to contain.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Something is happening.

You can see it almost everywhere.

Turn on the television and there is another documentary about UFOs. Open social media and you’ll find videos about ghosts, shadow figures, spirit guides and unexplained encounters. Entire communities have formed around the search for answers that exist beyond the physical world.

People are looking for something.

They know there is more to reality than what can be measured in a laboratory or explained away in a textbook.

The question is where that search is leading them.

That question surfaced again and again during a recent episode of Stewards of the Mysteries, where filmmaker Joey Loomis sat down with Katie Souza to discuss months spent traveling across America documenting reports of UAPs, paranormal encounters and supernatural phenomena.

At first glance, it sounded like a collection of strange stories.

Lights appearing over remote mountains.

Ghost sightings.

Shadow figures.

Reports of supernatural manifestations during worship services.

But underneath every story was a much bigger conversation: Discernment.

Loomis said his journey into documenting the paranormal began with a dream.

After seeking the Lord for an interpretation, he said God gave him an unexpected assignment.

“He said, ‘You’re doing documentaries. I want you to cover the scary things.'”

Those “scary things” would eventually take Loomis and his wife across the country investigating everything from reported UFO hotspots to stories of ghosts and unexplained spiritual encounters.

Yet the goal was never entertainment.

“The whole point is to be from the God perspective,” Loomis said.

That statement reveals something many Christians have missed.

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For decades, the culture has been flooded with supernatural content. Hollywood has spent years telling people where to look for answers.

Sometimes the explanation is aliens. Sometimes it’s ancient civilizations. Sometimes it’s interdimensional beings.

Almost never is it the Bible.

“We have the greatest ancient text called the Bible,” Loomis said.

That observation cuts to the heart of the issue.

People are fascinated by the supernatural because they were created for a supernatural God.

The hunger is real.

The danger comes when that hunger is fed by the wrong source.

Souza pointed to the explosion of occult content online and warned that many people are learning about spiritual realities from influencers, paranormal investigators and New Age teachers instead of Scripture.

Meanwhile, Christians often avoid the conversation altogether.

That creates a vacuum.

And vacuums rarely stay empty for long.

One of the more striking moments of the interview came when Loomis discussed the sheer number of people who report paranormal experiences.

“Sixteen to 20 million people just in the United States have said, ‘I have seen a ghost,'” he said.

“There’s no scientist in the world that would disregard 20 million data points. There’s no judge in the world that would disregard 20 million witnesses.”

Whether every account is genuine is not the point.

What matters is that millions of people believe they have encountered something beyond the physical world.

And they are searching for an explanation.

“If you come to the end of that thread, you will always end up spiritual,” Loomis said.

That may be the most important takeaway from the entire discussion.

The battle is not over whether the supernatural exists.

The battle is over who gets to define it.

Scripture has never shied away from the unseen realm.

The Bible speaks openly about angels, demons, visions, miracles and spiritual warfare. Yet many believers have become uncomfortable discussing the very subjects that dominate modern culture.

The result is that countless people are seeking spiritual answers everywhere except the place where those answers can actually be found.

As the conversation shifted toward reports of shadow figures, orbs and unexplained encounters, Souza repeatedly brought the discussion back to a central truth.

Not everything spiritual is from God.

In fact, some of the most dangerous deceptions look remarkably close to the truth.

“Satan masquerades as an angel of light,” Souza said.

That is why discernment matters.

Not because every supernatural claim deserves belief.

Discernment matters because deception rarely arrives looking like deception.

It usually arrives dressed as something else.

Something intriguing. Something fascinating. Something that appears harmless.

Loomis pointed to Jesus’ teaching that a tree is known by its fruit.

“You tell a tree by its fruit,” he said.

That principle cuts through confusion faster than any paranormal investigation ever could.

• Does it produce peace or fear?
• Does it point people toward Jesus or away from Him?
• Does it lead to freedom or bondage?
• Does it produce truth or confusion?

The fruit tells the story.

Near the end of the interview, Souza offered a simple but powerful reminder.

“Peace acts as an umpire,” she said.

An umpire makes a call.

Safe.

Out.

The same principle applies to spiritual discernment.

In a world filled with competing voices, believers must learn to recognize the peace of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps that is the real story hiding beneath the headlines about UFOs, ghosts and paranormal encounters.

People are searching because they know there is more.

They know the material world is not the whole story.

The danger is not that they are asking questions.

The danger is that someone else answers them first.

And in an age overflowing with spiritual counterfeits, discernment may be one of the most important forms of spiritual warfare we have.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

More than 1.1 million people have visited Serbia’s Church of Saint Sava in recent weeks to view a revered Christian relic believed to be part of a belt worn by the Virgin Mary while she was pregnant with Jesus.

According to Breitbart News, which visited the church during a reporting trip to Belgrade, Orthodox Church officials estimated that more than 1.1 million people passed through the church during the relic’s display.

The relic was brought from Mount Athos in Greece, where it is normally kept. Church officials said it was the first time in centuries that it had returned to Serbia.

“She made it by hand and wore it when she was pregnant with the baby Jesus,” Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Stavorich told Breitbart News.

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Church official Bozidar Lijeskic said the occasion carried deep significance for Serbian Christians.

“It’s a very special occasion for us because for 650 years, this belt wasn’t in Serbia,” Lijeskic told Breitbart News. “It’s actually one of the holiest and most prized and venerated possessions of the whole of Mount Athos.”

The relic was displayed around the clock, drawing pilgrims from across Serbia and beyond. The turnout underscores the enduring importance of Christian faith and sacred history for millions throughout the Orthodox world.

The display took place inside the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world and one of Serbia’s most recognizable religious landmarks.

Lijeskic told Breitbart News that the church’s entrance reflects its mission of welcoming visitors from every nation.

“Basically, for every person coming from any part of the world approaching the church, the first thing they will feel and also notice will be the prayer either in their own language or in a language that they can understand,” he said. “You get an immediate feeling of warmth coming inside.”

The church is named after Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the nation’s first archbishop. Lijeskic described him as “one of the most important as well as most venerated Saints in our spiritual heritage.”

Construction of the massive church began in 1935 and continued for decades through wars and political upheaval. Today, it houses what church officials describe as the world’s largest mosaic art installation.

“This is the biggest mosaic art piece in the world,” Lijeskic told Breitbart News. “It’s placed on a surface of more than 17,000 square meters.”

The mosaics depict Jesus Christ, biblical scenes and Orthodox saints using millions of pieces of stone, glass and 24-karat gold.

For many visitors, however, the focus remained on the relic that drew more than a million people through the church’s doors — a rare opportunity to witness a treasured piece of Christian history that had not been seen in Serbia for generations.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Hollywood has been fascinated with the possibility of extraterrestrial life for a very long time. Now legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is taking that conversation a step further.

Speaking about his upcoming film Disclosure Day, Spielberg said the movie explores what would happen if evidence of alien encounters were suddenly released to the entire world.

“‘Disclosure Day’ is about how, if somebody had the power and if somebody had possession of the entire archive of visual evidence of what’s been happening for the last 80 years, what would happen if they decided to do a data dump across the entire world all at once?” Spielberg said.

Steven Spielberg says his new movie, Disclosure Day, about aliens will have Christians and people of faith second-guessing their own religion.

Spielberg says the movie will take the position of the Church.

"Is God our God only on this planet, or is God a God for every system…

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) June 8, 2026

He described the film as a chase story centered on efforts to stop that information from being revealed.

But the most revealing comments were not about government secrecy. They were about God.

“The movie takes the position of the believers, or the curious, the ones that have been deeply affected by this,” Spielberg said. “The movie also takes the position of the church. What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have?”

He then posed a question that has become increasingly common throughout the modern disclosure movement.

“Is God our God only on this planet?” Spielberg asked. “Or is God a god for every system where there’s civilization and intelligent life, and even developing life?”

It is a question that surfaces repeatedly whenever discussions of UFOs, aliens and disclosure enter the mainstream. Yet there is another question that deserves attention.

Why is Christianity so often the focus?

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The disclosure movement rarely centers on how alien life would affect belief in Hinduism, Buddhism or other world religions. Time and again, the conversation returns to Christianity, the Bible and the identity of Jesus Christ.

That is not an accident.

At the heart of Christianity is a claim unlike any other religious claim in human history.

Jesus did not present Himself as one path among many. He declared Himself to be the only path.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Many religions teach that there are numerous roads leading to God. Jesus rejected that idea completely. His words leave no room for alternative paths, alternative saviors or alternative sources of salvation.

That reality helps explain why so much attention is devoted to Christianity whenever disclosure discussions emerge.

The central issue is not whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. The central issue is the identity of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament repeatedly warns believers about deception in the last days.

“Let no one deceive you by any means” (2 Thess. 2:3).

Jesus Himself warned, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matt. 24:4).

The biblical conflict has always been spiritual before it becomes physical. Scripture describes a battle for truth, a battle for souls and a battle over the identity of Christ.

Spielberg’s film raises questions about faith, God and humanity’s place in creation. Those questions will undoubtedly attract audiences around the world.

Yet the answer remains unchanged.

No disclosure event alters the gospel.

No new revelation replaces the cross.

No alleged higher intelligence changes who Jesus is.

Two thousand years after His resurrection, the claim of Christ stands exactly as it always has: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.