By U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) David J. Giammona, Ret.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus (John 10:10)
I was saddened to hear of the suicide of one of the beloved pastors in America, Jarrid Wilson, an associate pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and a mental health advocate.
I was equally stunned to hear of several megachurch pastors that have stepped down from their positions, along with other influencers that have had setbacks in their faith and callings.
Scores of high-level pastors, artists, writers, and Christian influencers have succumbed to the pressures of spiritual casualties, warfare and ministry over the last several years. Why?
Casualties of War
From my perspective and I think, correctly form the biblical view, they are causalities of war.
Both physical war and spiritual war involve death and destruction.
I know and I have been on real battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have seen first-hand what war can do to soldiers and civilians alike.
It’s unrealistic to believe in conflict that there will be no causalities, death, or destruction. Those things are the very nature of war.
As the return of Jesus Christ draws near and the end times heat up, the Apostle Paul explicitly tells us that things will get dramatically darker and more chaotic:
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come (2 Timothy 3).”
Casual Christianity
The casual believer goes to church once a week, goes home, goes to work, has family or fun time, and then repeats this cycle week in and week out.
When hard times hit, they fall apart. When strong leaders fall away, most of these believers go into shock or even leave the faith.
What we don’t realize is that war is with us whether we like it or not. Hence, it is all around.
Every day our enemy is attacking Christian strongholds and bastions of freedom.
Every day our freedoms our eroding and we don’t even know it.
Churches are closing at an alarming rate, Christian leaders that we have esteemed for years are now catering to dark forces, and once strong educational facilities are crumbling under the weight of societal pressures.
War isn’t pretty or glorious. It’s tough, dirty, gritty, exhausting, fear-filled, bloody, and destructive. What makes us think that spiritual warfare is any different.
Several contemporary Christian worship songs talk about the war being over. I strongly disagree! The war is ongoing until the final return of Christ and the destruction of the forces of evil and the Antichrist.
The stresses and strains of modern-era ministry are enormous and unrelenting.
Many of these things are brought on by our own doing and attitude. Some believe they need to neglect their families in order to win. Others believe that we need more and more programs that take a toll on both the leader and those who participate.
Unfortunately, many of those called into ministry are emotionally unhealthy in the first place. Hence, the enemy of our souls uses these things to bring them down.
What does this war look like in real time and terms? Certainly, most pastors, influencers and Christian leaders don’t wake up one morning and tell themselves, “This is the day I will fail.”
Spiritual Warfare is Stealthy
Spiritual warfare is devious and stealthy; it takes many subtle and soft turns. A leader starts counseling or consulting with a good-looking member of his or her staff, they spend time alone, and then in a blink of an eye, they have fallen into sin. They think: “Well, I have earned this since I have been working so hard.”
Our enemy targets many of the leaders in three areas: money, sex, and power.
Christianity Today interviewed one of the elders at Willow Creek Community Church and asked about how things were going. He replied with the following: “Battered, weary, divided.”
The types of casualties in spiritual casualties and warfare include wrecked marriages, affairs, abuse of position and power, money scandals, suicide, alcoholism, drug addictions, pornography, and the list goes on.
Hence, the landscape is littered with the aftermath of human wreckage.
We, who are not casualties, need to form a kind of combat medical facility to care for our hurting and wounded.
U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) David Giammona is the founder and president of the Warrior Refuge. In addition to that, he retired in June 2018 after 32 years of military service in the Army. His last assignment was the Installation Management Command (IMCOM) in San Antonio, Texas where he was responsible for religious support at all 75 Army installations around the world. An ordained Assemblies of God minister since 1988, Giammona has dedicated his life to writing and speaking with a focus on preparing the church and warning the world regarding the end times. His first book, The Military Guide to Armageddon: Preparing Your Life and Soul for the End Times, coauthored with Prophecy Investigators Founder and Editor-in-Chief Troy Anderson, will be released by Chosen Books/Baker Publishing Group in January 2021. Learn more about him at www.warriorrefuge.com, https://www.facebook.com/GiammonaDavid, and www.facebook.com/TheWarriorRefuge.
