For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The election of Barack Obama was a significant spiritual victory in one major wayâ€â€it was a victory against one of the most evil strongholds that dominates much of mankindâ€â€racism.
This is a huge victory over our racist history and has done much to heal the wounds caused by it. It has also become a hope for much of the world and has caused the stature of the United States to rise dramatically around the world. It is difficult to emphasize how much of a victory this is and how it can positively impact our future. For this reason, we need to understand it and be vigilant so the devil does not steal this great victory.
Racism is one of the ultimate evil strongholds of the human heart. This is because it is rooted in two of the ultimate evils of the heart – pride and fear. We are racist if we think we are better than others because of the colour of our skin, which is pride. We can also become racist if we fear those who are different from us.
Therefore, one of the biggest weapons against racism is having a basic understanding of how the Lord declares that He will resist the prideful and give His grace to the humble (see James 4:6). This alone should make us utterly devoted to seeking humility. The second weapon must combat the fear factor that makes people racist because they fear those who are different.
We know that perfect love casts out fear (see I John 4:18), so we should promote the love for diversity that God created. We also need to impart such vision and purpose to people that they become secure enough in who they are and not fear those who are different.
When these two most powerful and evil strongholds of fear and pride combine into racism, it becomes a basic gate of hell through which the spirit of death is released. This is why we are told in Romans11:15 that when the ultimate racial barrier is overcome, the one between Jew and Gentile, it will also mean the overcoming of death by the resurrection of the dead.
Consider how much death has been brought in the last century by racism. By some estimates, the worst conflict in history, World War II, which was rooted in some of the most diabolical racist ideologies, resulted directly in 100 million deaths. Recently, there has been Rwanda, the Balkans, and other conflicts where this enemy keeps surfacing and death came like a flood.
When the Lord began to teach me about the stronghold of racism, I was shown that it was not just a principality but a world ruler. It is one of the ultimate evils. The election of Barack Obama did strike a major blow against this ultimate evil, but we can count on this evil striking back and trying to turn this great victory over racism into a victory for racism. We need to be vigilant in prayer about this, and to guard our hearts against any root of racism in our own lives, thoughts and attitudes.
As we see in the Book of Revelation, when Satan is cast out of heaven or a high place where he has had dominion, he comes to the earth with great wrath (see Revelation 12:12). With this great blow against racism, we can expect racism to hit back in every way that it can, through every open door that is given to it.
Post published in: Arts