The Peril of Emptiness Upon Evil’s Return
Jesus emphasized the danger of emptiness in an eerie story about a man who had a demon cast out. The formerly possessed man’s freedom was short-lived because he did not protect himself from the return of evil.
The restless demon found no suitable host to inhabit, so he recruited seven evil spirits, more wicked than himself – and this unholy horde reinhabited the unguarded man, magnifying his misery.
When evil is purged, the now-unoccupied space must be filled with righteousness. Spiritual warfare will shield oneself from the return of evil, for wickedness returns with no-holds-barred vengeance.
This truth has implications for both international and domestic affairs.
New Tenants, Please
Ancient Israel could have purged idolatry from the land, but failed to protect itself from hundreds of man-made religious rules and regulations that left the nation emptier than before. Legalism can never replace love!
A modicum of this moral can be applied to nation-states. More recently, globalists have pressed to purge shared culture, social norms, religious tradition, and sovereign laws from the West while ignoring issues of border security, ensuring floods of illegal immigrants from every continent into multiple nations across Europe and in the U.S. The resulting clash of cultures is amplified by leftist media catapulting fireballs of poisonous woke ideology into unsuspecting nation-states — followed by a calvary of woke activists charging through the media to foment confusion, chaos, and rebellion by fixating on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
President Donald Trump is not about to surrender the sovereignty of the United States of America to some contemporary supranational entity. He has keenly seen the grip of globalization squeezing out the industrial base of our nation. He and Vice President J.D. Vance have seen thriving towns in the Midwest hemorrhage jobs and factories while enriching other nations. The MAGA movement is simply putting the interests of the American people on the top shelf — not the interests of globalists.
As our president’s movement looks to downsize our bloated government and exorcise waste, fraud, and abuse from bureaucratic big spending, We the People must stand as sentries against the return of evil and the bitter backlash from the bureaucratic swamp. Sweeping Washington D.C. clean is not enough; the bureaucratic state must be replaced with new tenants: freedom, truth, hope, and righteousness.
A Different Presidential Precedent
After we purge our bloated permanent bureaucracy and casting out the bad actors, the void must be filled with new devotion as we “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Instead of the tribalism produced by DEI policies, politicians, pastors, and news personalities should fill the void with hope and faith that we can soon regain America’s pluralistic vision.
America’s pastors and intercessors must realize that the residue of emptiness must be counteracted with spiritual warfare to shield against the return of evil. Actually, a former president gives us a template for righteous action.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower must have sensed the need for a renewed American spirit and the revival of our faith after World War II. Days after his inauguration in 1953, he became the first American president to be baptized while in office. This took place the first Sunday of February at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C.
Before the election, in Eisenhower won with 55% of the popular vote and 442-89 of the Electoral College, he had met with Billy Graham many times on the campaign trail. Graham’s spiritual advice strengthened the new president’s vision for America.
Eisenhower, one of the most powerful military generals of World War II, saw a need for spiritual healing in our nation. He said, “I think one of the reasons I was elected was to help lead this country spiritually. … We need a spiritual renewal.”
The night after Eisenhower was baptized, he gave an address from the Oval Office for the American Legion’s “Back to God” ceremony, calling America back to her spiritual foundations. A few days later, he was the guest of honor at the first National Prayer Breakfast, thereby setting in place a new tradition.
In 1954, Eisenhower was instrumental in Congress adding “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Shortly thereafter, “In God We Trust” was printed on American postage stamps and paper currency. Church attendance and membership across America grew rapidly.
I pray that President Donald Trump and his outstanding cabinet will be on guard against the return of evil and destructive forces after they have purged waste, fraud, and abuse from our government. Let’s all seek God’s help in replacing it with holy and righteous things.
Ron F. Hale is a retired Southern Baptist pastor and former missionary. He has authored articles for The Stream, The Christian Post, The Christian Index, American Thinker, and various Baptist State Convention newspapers.