Power to Resist the Devil

Growing up I never fully appreciated the mantle my father, David Wilkerson, wore in his role as a “watchman.” He spent hours wrestling with God over the difficult sermons he delivered regarding the subject of judgment. As a young man I failed to understand the purpose of prophetic messages. My Bible was filled with underlined passages about grace, peace, and the unity of Christians, not judgment, wrath, and societal chaos.  

As Christians, we know our hope doesn’t rest in this world. Right now, the enemy is stoking violence, and troubles have come to our cities more visibly than ever. Some of this is racial, some of it is economic. Satan has gained a foothold through violence, but he never settles for that — he always seeks to kick the door in and take over completely. And I believe he wants all-out war in the streets.

I tremble as I say this. Yet this is just one result of societies that turn themselves over to godlessness. When evil is called good, and good evil, God allows judgment to fall. He doesn’t do this to destroy but so that we may recognize the evil we’ve allowed and turn our hearts and hope back to him.

“Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty” (2 Timothy 3:1). Paul doesn’t say this to scare us. He attributes it all to the sin of the human heart: “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (3:2-5).

That is quite a list of sins. Yet Paul is talking not only to the world but also to us Christians: “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”

Satan will continue to spew forth death and only one thing can resist his hell on earth: a church that is able to stand up and speak God’s Word boldly with integrity. Without a holy presence in this darkening world, the world will never know an alternative. Our mission is to preach the gospel of peace and justice, to bring hope where there is fear, and to restore life where it has been destroyed.

It's time to seek the Lord’s face and call on heaven to see a spiritual awakening in our society.