There’s no question a battle is going on for the soul of our nation. If you are a believer, you can see it in the news but also in the culture—sometimes even in our own families.
I talk about this spiritual struggle in the cover story I wrote for Charisma‘s November issue called “The Spiritual Struggle for the Soul of America.” (If you don’t already subscribe to Charisma, click here to buy that particular issue.)
The information I share in my article comes largely from my latest book, Trump Aftershock, which released earlier this month. During my research for the book, I discovered several interesting insights that I wanted to share with all of you who read my newsletter. The following is an excerpt from my article in Charisma:
Pundits would say the clash is between globalism and nationalism or between capitalism and socialism. As a Christian, I know this struggle is not just left versus right or Democrats versus Republicans. I believe it’s between light and darkness, between good and evil. There’s a spiritual nature to this conflict, which we call “spiritual warfare.” This isn’t just between people. In fact, the Bible says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12, KJV). And because it’s spiritual in nature, it’s up to those of us who understand spiritual things to stand against the darkness and pray for God to heal our land.
What’s really going on is unseen and unknown to most in our country—even to some believers whose spiritual eyes are not open or who choose to ignore this spiritual warfare.
Yet like the sons of Issachar, who discerned the times (see 1 Chron. 12:32), God is calling those who are spiritual to do battle for our nation. And God is raising up voices to help us know what is happening.
One who does know is David Lane, a Christian activist who gathers pastors to motivate them to provide spiritual leadership in the public square. Recently, he told pastors in San Diego: “Anyone who thinks that what’s happening in America has anything to do with Republican versus Democrat is very confused. It is a spiritual war. Two distinct religions, Christianity and secularism, are vying for control over the public square in America. The immutable former and the ever-changing latter cannot coexist. One will ultimately go down as a consequence of the elevation of the other.”
Another example is my friend John Kilpatrick, who in mid-August preached at Church of His Presence in Daphne, Alabama, that witchcraft had been unleashed on Donald Trump. Kilpatrick is best known in Christian circles as the pastor of the five-year-long revival at Brownsville Assembly of God (also called the Pensacola Outpouring), which drew 4 million people.
In his message, he referenced 1 Kings 19, when Jezebel unleashed a spirit of witchcraft against the prophet Elijah—the most powerful Old Testament prophet—and left him running for his life and feeling totally discouraged. Someone posted online a clip from the end of the service, when Kilpatrick called on his congregation to pray for the president. Within a week, almost a million people had watched it.
Usually the press is oblivious to anything the Bible says about such things. However, when the sermon went viral, press from around the world began running stories.
Newsweek’s headline blared, “Pastor Prays for Trump to Defeat Deep State ‘Witchcraft,’ Speaks in Tongues.” The article that followed said, “Kilpatrick connected America’s current scourge of ‘witchcraft’ that is attacking the president to a biblical struggle in which Trump is in a ‘showdown’ for power with the shadows of the Deep State. In the video, Kilpatrick can be seen shouting and speaking in tongues as he prays for Trump to defeat the evil ‘witchcraft’ powers.”
Newsweek even quoted Kilpatrick, who said, “I don’t know if you know this, and I don’t know if you’re going to believe me when I tell you this, but what’s happening right now in America is witchcraft is trying to take this country over,” prompting an audible response from his audience.
“I am not being political, but I don’t see how President Trump bears up under it,” Kilpatrick said. “He is as strong as I have ever seen a man be. But here’s what the Holy Spirit said to me last night, and here’s what He said for me to tell you. He said, ‘Tell the church that so far Trump has been dealing with Ahab. But Jezebel’s fixing to step out from the shadows.’ That’s what the Lord said to me. … He said, ‘Pray for him now, because…there’s about to be a shift, and the deep state is about to manifest, and it’s going to be a showdown like you can’t believe.’ So I’m coming to you as a prophet, as a man of God, and I’m telling you, it’s time to pray for the president.”
Two days later, Aug. 21, Paul Manafort was convicted on several counts in a case brought against him by the Mueller investigation. The same day, Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to some minor charges. Suddenly the president was in even more hot water than usual. It seemed something had been unleashed, something that had been predicted just two days before by this pastor in Alabama. Somehow, what Kilpatrick said resonated with Christians all over the country. They perceived something was very wrong, but they couldn’t put their finger on it. So when Kilpatrick said it was spiritual warfare and told them to pray, they understood what they were supposed to do.
“Something’s been unleashed in our nation,” Kilpatrick told me. “It’s like everyone is in a spiritual stupor. It’s time for America to turn and repent. This is more than just political differences. Spirits have been unleashed, but if we humble ourselves and pray, God will bring that spirit down.”
Time will tell if Christians will heed the call to pray and whether, as Kilpatrick predicted, revival will come to America to heal its wounds, or Trump will be brought down by these huge unseen forces. But for me—and for millions of other Christians trying to understand where God is in all this—what Kilpatrick preached explains in spiritual terms the war that seems to be tearing this country apart.
I believe Kilpatrick’s message is prophetic, and I interviewed him for one of my podcasts. It was also important enough that I included it in my new book, Trump Aftershock, just days before it left for the printer.
Most Charisma readers know that last year, I wrote God and Donald Trump. There were numerous books on this unlikely president, but none told the spiritual part of the story. I felt it was important to print the untold story about prophets who said God was raising up the New York billionaire as an answer to prayer. Now, a year later, my new book tells the story of not only the earthquake of his election but also the aftershocks of what’s happened since. That includes not only topics like tax cuts and increasing military spending, but those that really matter to Christians, like religious liberty in the face of those who want to upend Christian values in our nation, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and standing up for Christians who are being persecuted around the world.
Writing these books on a topic so political and secular has given me an opportunity to include the Christian perspective and to share that millions of Christians feel the nation has been going in the wrong direction. The rhetoric we hear in the media, online or from friends and family reflects the tension building in our society. All across the country, ordinary Americans are joining forces and donating to candidates who’ve promised to challenge the direction our leaders have taken us for the past 40 years.
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. In Trump Aftershock, I share more of what God is doing in our nation, especially through our current president. Buy the book at trumpaftershock.com.
To learn more about the spiritual war raging in America, listen to my podcast below. And if you enjoyed this article, share it on your social media and be sure to read tomorrow’s newsletter, where I will share Part 2 of my Charisma cover story.
Stephen Strang 
