Heavy, Deep & Real ministries

Since the Charlie Kirk assassination I’ve spoken to a number of people who have admitted they’ve been sitting on the sidelines of their faith but no more. It’s been interesting to watch people who have faith ranging from “nominal” to deep realize that this is a war against evil and they can no longer idly sit by and watch.

As someone who has been actively in the fight for the past 20 plus years it is a welcome change!

Now remember, this war is not between people; it’s between Christ-followers and Satan. We all know Ephesians 6:12 – ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Rulers, authorities, and powers are the demonic hierarchy – sometimes you will see the work “principalities” used as well. It’s a spiritual war against Christians. It’s a war against God’s creation and God Himself. It’s a war to destroy mankind which God crowns with glory!

There is a book called The Final Quest Trilogy by Rick Joyner. In the first book, Joyner explains how this spiritual war works using what I think was a powerful image. Let me share it with you.

“The demonic army was so large that it stretched as far as I could see. It was separated into divisions, with each carrying a different banner. The foremost divisions marched under the banners of Pride, Self-Righteousness, Respectability, Selfish Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment, and Jealousy.

“The weapons carried by this horde were also named. The swords were named Intimidation; the spears were named Treachery; and the arrows were named Accusation, Gossip, Slander, and Faultfinding. Scouts and smaller companies of demons with such names as Rejection, Bitterness, Impatience, Unforgiveness, and Lust were sent in advance of this army to prepare for the main attack.

“A single demon of Bitterness could sow his poison into multitudes of people, even entire races or cultures. A demon of lust would attach himself to a single performer, a movie, or advertisement and send what appeared to be bolts of electric slime that would hit and ‘desensitize’ great masses of people. All of this was to prepare for the great horde of evil which followed.

“Although this army was marching specifically against the church, it also was attacking anyone else that it could. I knew it was seeking to preempt a coming move of God, which was destined to sweep great numbers of people into the church.

“The primary strategy of this army was to cause division on every possible level of relationship – churches with each other, congregations with their pastor, husbands and wives, children and parents, and even children with each other….

“The most shocking part of this vision was that this horde was not riding on horses, but primarily on Christians! Most of them were well-dressed, respectable, and had the appearance of being refined and educated, but there also seemed to be representatives from almost every walk of life. While these people professed Christian truths in order to appease their consciences, they lived their lives in agreement with the powers of darkness. As they agreed with those powers, their assigned demons grew and more easily directed them.”

I think Joyner’s vision here is spot on – how many “Christians” have you met whose lives look nothing like Jesus? I lived that life for 40 years! Perhaps you, too, resonate with what Joyner is saying here. Maybe like I was, you’ve been sidelined by living your life agreeing with darkness instead of even understanding there is a fight to be fought!

2 Corinthians 4:4 puts it this way: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

But I’m a believer so this doesn’t apply to me! Are you? I thought I was – I believed the entire Christian doctrine yet I lived my life in a very secular way. Scripture tells us that we will be changed into a new creation in Christ when we have truth faith (2 Corinthians 5:17). Scripture also says that even Satan knows the Christian doctrine; “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19). Yes scripture says that if we confess Jesus is Lord with our mouths we are saved (Romans 10:9). However, Jesus is clear that to be a disciple of His is about Holy Spirit transformation not empty words.

Satan knows all this and attacks us just as Joyner allegorizes. For the majority of Christians, these demons are indeed riding them like horses with bits in their mouths directing their thoughts, words, and actions.

Then Charlie Kirk gets assassinated.

Why are all these people dumping the demons off their backs, getting off the sidelines and are now motivated to get into the fight against the evil that is pervasive in our world? I think that the graphic nature of the assassination on social media woke up sleepy Christians to the reality of evil – an evil that would put a bullet through a guy’s neck simply for having views they didn’t like.

Further, some have told me that the vile things people were saying after the assassination really spurred them to realize just how evil things are and how much we need to share Jesus right here in America!

And make no mistake, evil in our country is as large as the divisions of demons Joyce relates in his vision. I saw one post that was particularly heinous regarding Kirk that had 320,000 likes! Think about that for a second; someone out there making fun of a guy that was assassinated and more than 300,000 people agreed with the post. It’s a sick world out there folks!

For those of us who have been fighting the fight this is no surprise. We see the evil every day. We see Satan blinding people to the truth of Jesus’ grace, mercy, and love, keeping them in bondage to his dark world. We see Satan use addictions, sex trafficking, mental illness, violence, and hate to destroy people. We see Satan dividing people by every imaginable difference he can create. We see Satan enticing people to reject God and hate His people to the point of violence against them. We see Satan use the entertainment industry to pedal lies regarding pretty much everything God say is sin, as well as God’s absolute moral law.

In other words, we see Satan doing what Satan does – ^“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10a)

So, what do we as Christians do to fight this fight? We remember the second half of John 10:10 – “I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” We share Jesus with people by the way we think, talk, and act. This is what it looks like:

• We Love our Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)
• We Pray for Those Who Persecute Us (Matthew 5:44-45)
• We Love One Another (John 13:34)
• We Pick Up Our Cross (Matthew 16:24)
• We Deny Ourselves (Matthew 16:24)
• We Show Mercy (Luke 6:36)
• We Show Grace (2 Corinthians 8:7)
• We Forgive One Another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
• We Bear With Another (Colossians 3:13)
• We Bear One Another’s Burdens (Galatians 5:13)
• We Encourage One Another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• We Don’t Judge (Matthew 7:1)
• We Are Patient with Others (Ephesians 4:2)
• We Hold Those in the Faith Accountable (Romans 15:14)
• Stir Each Other to Good Works (Hebrews 10:24)
• We Humble Ourselves (James 4:10)
• We Live in Harmony with One Another (Romans 12:16)
• We Don’t Compromise God’s Truths (John 8:31-32)
• We Tell Those Truths in Love with Grace (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
• We Point People to Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)

Notice how none of these things are the weapons of our opponent the Devil!! No, we don’t use name calling, threats, intimidation, or even violence when we meet our opponent on the battle field. We do as Paul says in Ephesians 6:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

And what happens when we do?

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Think about it – Christians were persecuted for 300 years and all they fought back with was martyrdom, acts of service, and faith. It wasn’t until Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire and then Popes were instituted that the faith got perverted into the historical abuses we all know.

Now I’m not saying we should all become martyrs and just lay down against evil. What I am saying is today we respond to all this evil in the same ways our ancient brothers and sisters – we love and bring light to the dark.

Let me give you some examples of how I’m thinking.

In Nigeria, Christians are being hunted down and slaughtered by ISIS groups. Nigeria is made up of: Muslims 53.5%, Roman Catholic 10.6%, other Christian 35.3%. The northern part of the country is ruled by Islamic sharia law. The government ought to be protecting these Christian communities but that’s not happening.

 Intersociety reported that 7,087 Christians were killed and 7,800 were abducted in Nigeria between January 1 and August 10, 2025. According to a 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), at least 52,250 Christians were killed by Islamist militants between 2009 and 2023. 

Christian persecution is still VERY real in parts of the world. So, what do we do?

First, we pray. We pray for our brothers and sisters and their safety. We pray that God will soften the hearts of their killers. We pray that these killers will feel just a twinge of empathy and allow the Holy Spirit to move in them. We pray that the government of Nigeria will do its job and protect its people.

Second, we petition our government to intervene. That means we ask our elected representatives to engage the Nigerian government to intervene on behalf of these persecuted Christians.

Third, we trust God’s plan. This is the hardest part. As brutal as this may sound, God’s plan may include more martyrs for the faith. John tells us in the Book of Revelation that the area for martyrs in heaven is not yet filled (Revelation 6:9-11).  

Sometimes doing this little can seem as if we are completely impotent at doing really anything! But when we trust that God’s arm is not too short – that He can do anything He pleases – we are not at all impotent. We are just trying to align with God’s plan even when we don’t have any clue what that plan is or when that plan make absolutely no sense to us.

If you want another real-life example you have to look no further than Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. Were there angry voices? Were there threats against the other side? Were there riots in the street, burning down towns like other events we’ve seen?

Nope.

Charlie Kirk’s memorial service turned into a worship service! Nearly every speaker preached the gospel. The 70,000-plus crowd sang worship songs a Capela. And Charlie Kirk’s wife, through her tears of grief, forgave “that young man” who assassinated her husband.

That, my friends, is what Christianity is supposed to look like. And that is the kind of power that evil will never extinguish.

I agree with the pastor that said that Satan overplayed his hand. By killing Charlie Kirk, evil went a step beyond what those sitting on the bench could take. It has so outraged even nominal Christians that many are searching for ways to make a difference in this evil generation.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Serve in your church
2. Serve in your community
3. Teach the youth – especially about God’s absolute truths
4. Start a podcast
5. Meet in small groups
6. Study your Bible! Become biblically literate
7. Talk politics and religion – the two taboo subjects in our culture
8. Encourage people by being a light
9. Stand up against the bullying and intimidation
10. Lead others to Christ

Make no mistake about it, my friends, we’re at war. Not with other people but with Satan and the evil he perpetrates. Gear up, people, it’s go time!