The Lord continues to expose the enemy’s tactics and reveal with compounding clarity the spiritual landscape in America.

 

Jesus said in Luke 11:24-26, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” The Lord showed me how this principle is manifesting in today’s spiritual climate and vital to countering this evil in this season.

 

For many believers, their Christian journey begins with a sincere yearning for Christ, His grace, His freedom, His love. They hear the gospel and respond to the call to follow Jesus, to come out of the world, to walk in the light, and to become part of God’s family. This represents the first phase in Jesus’ parable – the unclean spirit leaving. The person experiences some degree of spiritual transformation. Old habits may be broken, sins confronted, the mind renewed and a new religious identity embraced. The seed of the sower has been sown and the “house” of their life undergoes a cleaning. Based on the analysis, we can see how this is a critical juncture. We know that many members caught in the wave of the CN movement genuinely believe they are doing the Lord’s will. Jesus warns about a house that is “swept and put in order” but remains fundamentally empty. In healthy spiritual formation, this clean house should be filled with the knowledge of Christ through the Holy Spirit, leading to genuine regeneration and transformation into Christlikeness. However, when authentic spiritual regeneration doesn’t occur, a vacuum forms.

 

Into this vacuum, a subtle but insidious counterfeit gospel can enter. For many drawn to CN, this alternative “gospel” offers a compelling substitute for authentic spiritual transformation. A false prophet or a corrupt spiritual leader can then fill that void with an ideology masking as the gospel. It replaces the biblical emphasis on humility with religious pride and self-righteousness. It substitutes Christ’s command to love enemies with an us-versus-them mentality. It exchanges the kingdom of God for the advancement of national interests. It transforms Jesus from the suffering servant to a conquering political figure. It swaps spiritual authority for political power.

 

This counterfeit gospel is particularly dangerous because it maintains Christian language while fundamentally altering the heart of Jesus’ message. It allows individuals to feel spiritually secure while nurturing attitudes, behaviors, and messaging directly contrary to the Word. Jesus warns that the final state becomes “worse than the first” – a difficult thought for those concerned about this movement. The danger here is that the “seven other spirits more evil” that enter represent spiritual bondages that are more deeply entrenched and damaging than the original condition. Below are seven I see, but there may be more:

 

• Spiritual Pride: A sense of moral superiority and self-righteousness that blinds individuals to their own sin
• Fear-Based Faith: Faith manipulated to cause fear of cultural change rather than love of God and neighbor
• Idolatry of Nation: Elevating national identity to a position that goes beyond allegiance to Christ
• Authoritarian Tendencies: Embracing coercive power rather than servant leadership
• Dehumanization: Viewing those who disagree as enemies of God and the state rather than individuals who need salvation, or may be members of the body who don’t agree
• Prophetic Confusion: Mistaking political figures for divinely appointed saviors
• Gospel Distortion: Altering the meaning of following Christ based on their agenda

 

What makes this particularly disturbing is recognizing that this pattern represents a highly sophisticated spiritual warfare tactic. The enemy doesn’t need to pull us away from the church – sometimes it’s more effective to redirect religious passions toward aims contrary to Christ’s kingdom. It’s insidious and effective because those caught in its grip truly believe they are defending Christianity. They perceive themselves as standing for righteousness against secularism. The deception becomes part of their spiritual foundation, making it difficult to address through theological correction or political dialogue. This also makes these lost brothers and sisters difficult to save because this state is worse than the first.

 

So our enemies are of our own household. Addressing this challenge requires  discernment and patience. We must recognize that behind political manifestations lie spiritual realities that must be addressed through spiritual means. There are two objectives: First, to prepare for the harvest, a type of spiritual violence the church will experience as those fearful, anxious, worried, press into the church. Second, to counter the false gospel with the true gospel. We cannot get drawn into reactionary messages over the man, missing the complete picture. The enemy wants to keep the church divided, but it’s time to mobilize and demonstrate the true gospel.

 

In this season, we must remember that if the Lord is revealing these tactics, He is also empowering His body to respond. The same Spirit who shows us the problem provides the solution. Just as Jesus bound the strongman before plundering his house, the Holy Spirit is even now working to bind these spiritual strongholds and resweep the houses of our deceived brothers and sisters so the Lord can enter and remain. We do not fight in our own strength or wisdom, but through the power of the Spirit who continues to move across our land, calling His people back to authentic faith, to salt and light, and set captives free.