The nation is still grieving over the two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed 31 people and injured dozens more the weekend of Aug. 3. And of course, people wasted no time in politicizing the horrific events. Many blame gun rights and others say Donald Trump is at fault because of his strong rhetoric and emphasis on illegal immigration.
But what those people don’t realize is that the answer to mass shootings is not found in stricter gun laws or socialist policies. In fact, the real answer isn’t political at all. What really needs to happen is a change of heart. And that only happens when someone surrenders to Jesus and begins a relationship with Him.
This, of course, makes a lot more sense to Christians than it does to secularists. The secular world pays no attention to truths like this. I talk more in depth about my opinions on the matter in my podcast today, which you can listen to by clicking here or clicking on the podcast icon in this article.
One thing several conservative commentators have pointed out is that passing more gun-control laws does not necessarily lead to less gun violence. Chicago is a good example of this. So is Paris, France. France has much more restrictive laws than the U.S. does, yet it has suffered some significant terror attacks in the last few years.
These conservative commentators instead point to community and family as more viable answers to the gun violence problem. Now, even the secular world acknowledges that the breakdown of the home leads to all kinds of societal problems, including mass shootings. Just look at Baltimore. That city has been in the news lately, and a big part of the problem is that very few families in the inner city have a stable father. And sadly, men often leave women they impregnate out of wedlock, deepening the poverty issue even further.
But in order to truly address this spiritual issue in our nation, Christians have to be willing to speak up. What has to happen before pastors and Christians in general will speak the truth without fear? Our country is in a crisis, and it’s a crisis only God can solve.
Granted, many Christians don’t speak up because they don’t want to face the attack the left will swiftly bring. Sarah Sanders, Mike Huckabee’s daughter, was harshly attacked when she worked as press secretary. Secularists just didn’t like the fact that this woman who has biblical values and comes from a strong Christian family held a position of influence. People even came up to her in restaurants to hassle her.
We as Christians have the answer to the intense spiritual warfare our country is facing right now. The mass shootings are just a symptom of the spiritual attack America is under. We have the Holy Spirit, and because of that, we have access to His wisdom. All we have to do is ask.
We can pray for open doors and for strategic things to happen in our nation that will cause the pendulum to start swinging the other way. It can happen—if we pray.
I encourage you to listen to my “Strang Report” podcast, and if you like what you hear, be sure to share it with a friend or on your social media. The more people understand the spiritual battle we’re in, the better equipped they will be to combat the real problems.
Joyce Meyer 
Stephen Strang 
