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War.  Whether we like it or not, whether we want to bury our heads in the sand about it or not, our country is in an existential war.  And I’m not talking about the United States involvement in the conflict with Iran, which for most Americans is nicely distanced on a television set or media feed they can easily turn off.  It’s not quite like the days of sending masses of young men (and women) into the forefront of the beaches of Normandy to sacrifice their lives to stop a raging despot raking Europe under his war machine.  (This is not meant to minimize the sacrifice of any of our esteemed servicemen and women — God bless them!).  No, our battle is much more refined, much more technical, much more nuanced.  We are in an ideological war, a cultural war, a technological war (don’t even get me started with Artificial Intelligence), and an economic war.  But most of all, we are in a spiritual war.  From the moment we said “I do” to Jesus, we were catapulted from a kingdom that owned us for nefarious purposes to one that liberated us from all oppression and evil (Col. 1:13).  President Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”  I could be so bold as to assert:  we are never more than one election away from being deprived of our divinely given liberties and unalienable rights.

We are seeing it in political races across the country.  Democrats have long been the champions of misusing social programs to buy votes: a clear precursor to socialism.  Now we see a massive, desperate shift of the left to win back seats of power through almost any means necessary:  rebranding itself as socialist through an “alarming” number of candidates; throwing off moral reason and common sense; abandoning scientific thinking about sex (I hesitate to admit — even Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary atheist biologist, agrees); and dabbling in dark spiritual means to gain power.  We are seeing the beginning of malevolently audacious power plays, like the stack of Constitutional Initiatives in Montana meant to reframe and alter how the state government even functions:  keep the electorate blind to judiciary philosophies and rulings, redesign the government of Montana to make it less of a Democratic-Republic and more of a Pure Democracy, and keep money pouring in from wealthy individuals while barring organizations from political involvement, which is back to where we started — money.  The Scripture is unwaveringly, crystal-clear:   

For the love of money is the root of all evil:  which some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Tim. 6:10 KJV).

1. Pray that America Would be Delivered from a Spirit of Mammon

Money itself is not “evil”. As a small-business owner, I know that money is a God-given tool.  It’s a great servant, but a horrible master.  We become slaves to whatever conquers us (2 Peter 2:19).  I believe in the biblical promise of godly prosperity (3 John 2; Ps. 35:27; Josh. 1:8) and building wealth (Deut. 8:18), which are different from just getting more money and following materialism.  But seeking money as the power and means by which we have influence, or desiring what has not been granted to us from heaven, is idolatry (Col. 3:5).  

Yet, these are the cords by which this generation is being tugged:  the quest for more riches, even if it is at someone else’s expense, especially the wealthy.  Somehow, the harsh condemnation of socialism in a previous generation has become a newly-packaged, trending idea among youth.  They have become enamored with Marxism and Communism as if they are the cool, new kids on the block.  The voters are being promised universal free child care, free bus rides, non-profit, city-owned grocery stores, cancellation of medical and student debt, and the promise that your rent won’t go up, or even housing as a “right.”  (They haven’t quite reached enough momentum to pitch Universal Basic Income yet).  “Hallelujah!” the people prematurely cheered; maybe this is god’s “answer” to my needs. They didn’t read their history books well enough. They didn’t learn how to balance their checkbook in Personal Finance very well, did they?  “There is no such thing as a free lunch,” the economist Milton Friedman asserted.  (The only exceptions I can think of were when Jesus twice handed out fish and bread to thousands of hungry followers, or would bless the needy with such a miracle today).  But the government still has to balance its books.  Who is paying the bus companies, the store workers, the child care workers, the banks that hold the student or medical loans?  It’s simple, second-grade math; eventually, the rooster comes home to roost, and this affects the country’s whole economy negatively.

And history is clear on the tragedy of government-enforced economic “equality” that socialism holds out like a poisoned carrot.  The USSR struggled with low productivity, shortages, and a poorer quality of goods and services.   Shortages and misallocations in Venezuela led to citizens scavenging for basic needs.  Sweden’s trial run on socialism led to sky-high taxes that drove investment and business away.  Under Mao’s China, the government’s draconian experiment produced mass starvation.  North Korea, Cuba, and the Soviet Union all resorted to criminalizing opposition, leading to mass imprisonment and executions.   In communism (the ultimate goal of socialism), the government owns it all.  People end up owning nothing. But they certainly aren’t “Happy”.  The lack of personal reward (which capitalism otherwise fuels) leads to lethargy.  Instead of building wealth, people look to be spoon-fed.  Then they object, “But what about Europe?  It works there.”  Every single socialized healthcare and education system is undergirded by a capitalist economy.  “Capitalism is the hard-working parent; socialism is the spoiled, entitled teenager.” (My paraphrase from Trump’s Unfinished Business by Steve Cioccolanti).  Then the defenders of socialism create a nuanced objection, trying to distinguish Leninism from “true” socialism, or opine that the Soviet Union was not “real” socialism.  And yet, every single attempt at socialism has failed.  It always ends in either economic disaster, political repression, loss of freedom, cultural decay, government oppression, or all of the above.  The seduction of socialism is that it promises “freedom” and “prosperity” but at the expense of others.  They fail to mention the horrifying, gruesome record that more than 110 million people died between 1900 and 1987 from communism.  This is more in one century than in the last 5,000 years of religiously-motivated wars combined.  And let us not forget that the word “Nazi” meant the “National Socialist German Workers’ Party.”  But you won’t hear any Democratic Socialists of America espousing that connection, yet.  If you still doubt, you could read the Heritage Foundation’s complete “case-closed” critique of socialism. 

Yet in spite of all the truth calling in the streets – “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Santayana) – and although metrics demonstrate that Republicans outrank Democrats in terms of being more business- and economic-friendly (at least in Montana), the appeal of socialism still needs some attention and prayer.  Who exactly is leading the charge of this neo-socialism?  One hope of an answer is this promise from the Good Book:   There is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9).  All of this has been foretold:

And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words…They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed…These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. (2 Peter 2:2-3,14,17-19  ESV, emphasis mine)

They are the prophesied liars, catering to human propensity toward laziness and greed.

2. Pray that the Schemes of the Devil are Exposed in the Political Realm and be Completely Undone

I would press further to expose something that isn’t often seen or recognized.  This isn’t your parents’ or grandparents’ battle against socialism or the “red scare” a hundred years ago.  Along with hard red-liners, Cioccolanti highlights what he calls “pink communism” — those who sympathize with aspects of socialism, but don’t see the real dangers.  I would insist that we are dealing with something much more nefarious than either:  Alinskyism.  Former President Obama’s political philosophy was heavily shaped by Saul Alinsky’s model of “community organizing.”  Bernie Sanders was, too.  It isn’t socialism. It isn’t far-left, principled ideology.  In fact, Alinsky felt that those who held too deeply to any one political conviction or platform were “weak,” even if it was progressive or liberal.  Instead, the means, methodology, and even the platform needed to be malleable in order to achieve the final goal: power. It is Machiavellianism — cunning manipulation with emotional detachment, with only one goal: seize control.  He knew that seats (or should I say “gates”) of influence needed to be occupied in order to bring down the system. It seems like the simple battle of Marxism — “haves” against “have-nots,” but the end is clear when examined more closely: anarchy. Saul Alinsky’s strategy book, Rules for Radicals, can be easily read in .pdf form online.  Otherwise, you can read a quick summary here.  And if the end goal of the political and social movement isn’t clear enough already, Saul Alinsky’s booklet opens with an ominous dedication to his “hero”:  

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgement to the very first radical…who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom–Lucifer.”  

Clearly, the political, economic, social, and (most of all) spiritual war that we are in is deeper than just fighting a municipal leader who wants to rob from the rich and give to the poor bus riders in New York, like some pseudo-Robin Hood.  The spirit who is trying to seduce voters this November doesn’t care about living a nice, principled Marxist ideology, or even one that aligns well with the Democratic Party (whatever that means anymore).  It wants to mask its agents as “angels of light” (2 Cor. 11:14):  as “Republicans,” as “Christians,” as socialists, as “whatever-title-is-most-appealing,” so long as they seize places of power and control.  And they want to appeal to your pocketbook the most.  Voters are already thinking that way, and the political tension is palpable.  What happens when the economy in general is in crisis?  How then shall we vote? The war in Iran (which is much more important to Israel and the end-times than most Christians want to understand, admit, or believe), the overspending of government, and the aftermath of the Covid response (like people fleeing to Montana and buying up all the houses, ahem) are all catalysts to the monstrous quagmire we are in.  So they’re asserting “let no tragedy go to waste,” as Rahm Emanuel said in November 2008, who was President-elect Barack Obama’s then-chief of staff.  We know that (ultimately) people are not our true enemies, but this is not mutually exclusive to our duty to be known at the gates (Prov. 31:23) and prevent evil from taking over; our response is clear:  extend the scepter of His kingdom and be co-laborers with Christ (1 Cor. 3:9) to undo the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) by tearing down strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4) — every argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of the one, true God (2 Cor. 10:5).  Expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11).

 3. Pray for the Majority to Heed the Voice of the Faithful

I often think about how Joshua and Caleb felt while wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  I ponder how we overcome situations where other people’s decisions affect our options or opportunities, even when we’ve tried to stop them or persuade them otherwise.  It wasn’t even their fault.  They spied out the territory, brought back a good report, and encouraged the people to trust and follow God’s Promise to occupy the Land (Numbers 13 and 14).  But they were caught in the choice of the majority — the democratic vote, even an unrigged one.  We make so much of democracy in America, but it’s only useful and productive when it follows the prophetic voice of the Spirit telling how to cast our vote, how to possess the gates of our enemies (Gen. 22:17), and how to govern in righteousness.  Without a righteous vision, the people perish (Prov. 29:18).

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (from John Adams’ letter to the Massachusetts Militia, 1798).

4. Pray for Godly Government to be Established in Every Seat of Influence and Power in America

The ancient Israeli King David’s last words included a charge for government rulers to uphold justice and to fear the Lord (2 Sam. 23:3). We know, as intercessors, it is the will of God and our duty to pray for godly government to prevail in every society, especially the country where we reside (Jer. 29:7). The evidence of this kind of government is clearly laid out in 1 Timothy 2:1-4: It brings civil order, stability, and prosperity: peace (shalom) and quiet for the innocent (those leading godly and holy lives). It opens doors of freedom for the Gospel to advance (that all may come to a “knowledge of the truth”). According to Romans 13:1-6, this kind of government maintains clear governing authority that commands respect not only to collect tax revenue, but to put down rebellion, lawlessness, and injustice. It also adequately and fairly maintains a sword of wrath against evil doers (both individuals and nations) in order to protect the innocent.

The short-term tradeoff for a “free-lunch” government is not going to fix the long-term economic, social, or cultural problems.  The last thing we need is a political salesman who’s sold us “snake oil” — promising “free everything” through wealth redistribution and a means to end the economic and political crisis that (ironically) it had a hand in creating.  Nearsightedness in this election may end in more than just a “flesh wound.”   Voting only through the lens of considering how painful it is at the gas pump over-simplifies the complexity of the spiritual dynamics of Iran and the Middle East, as well as global issues at this juncture in history.  It could spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R for any hope of restoring the American dream and truly Making America Great Again.   What America needs is disciplined, principled decision-making, based upon a biblical worldview of government that might seem costly (in the short run) to our pocketbook. The path less traveled.  The hard road.  The narrow way.  

He promises us:  Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it” (Isa. 30:21 AMP).

He admonishes us to persevere in the right Way, even if it is difficult and requires restraint: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid (Prov. 12:1 ESV). A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Prov. 25:28 ESV).

When we live by standards of morality and godly government, we are willing to pay the hard price and contend for the best for ourselves and our posterity, no matter the cost.  Our forefathers knew this.  They weren’t living (or dying) for their own personal gain.  To this end, “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”  (from Declaration of Independence).  Let us follow the example of those who served us, because we do not know what our sacrifice now could mean for future generations:

It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves, but you in the things that have now been announced through the preaching of the good news (1 Peter 1:12 ESV).

It may seem costly (in the short run) to our pocketbook, but it isn’t really if you think about it (2 Cor. 4:17).

Prayer: 

LORD, it is Your will for righteousness to hold the helm of authority in the land, rather than for wicked, secular, or ungodly rulers to oppress the populace (Ps. 125:3). You take down rulers and put others up (Dan. 2:21), so that Your sovereign plan will be fulfilled, and so that righteous people are not forced to or are otherwise inadvertently partaking in decisions that are evil. We stand upon this declaration as a promise for You to exalt righteousness in America (Prov. 14:34) and to remove wickedness from holding a scepter over it.  Forgive us for loving and serving mammon, instead of serving You (Matt. 6:24). May the ungodly’s grasp for power be like grasping at sand, pouring through their fingers.

We repent on behalf of Americans who are pushing for or complacent to the advancement of an Alinsky, neo-socialist agenda, especially any believers who were complicit in allowing this evil to creep into our nation, for calling evil “good” and exalting tolerance above truth.  We renounce false mercy that excuses sin and false justice that rejects Your law.  We pray for Your mercy, Your justice, and Your Truth to prevail in power over our nation.  We appeal to the Supreme King of the Universe to overturn the darkness that has crept in.  We declare the Truth of Your Word – exposure, exposure, exposure.  We follow Your directive: to have nothing to do with the works of darkness, but rather expose them (Eph. 5:11) through Your Spirit and through prayer.  We ask that everything that violates Your love, and Your justice, and every illegal and immoral practice of these evil doers and their associates be brought before Your heavenly throne, that You would fulfill the promise of Your Word – that the scepter of the wicked will not remain over our land, which is allotted to the righteous.  

We bind the spirits of Socialism/Marxism, of humanism, Islam, the zeitgeist (spirit of this age), of antisemitism, rebellion, anarchy, and witchcraft, and cast them down under the name above all names: Jesus. We declare: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble (James 4:6,7 NKJV).  Therefore, we submit to You and resist the devil’s work in our nation.  We invoke Your Word:  May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame (Ps. 129:5 NIV).  We destroy every argument that has arisen that opposes and exalts itself against the knowledge of You and Your Promises over America– the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete (2 Cor. 10:4-6 ESV).

So we take our authority as Your ekklesia, as Your legislative body on earth, and invite the hosts of heaven to be with us as part of our spiritual weapons in taking power over all the power of the enemy, and declare that socialist/Alinsky candidates are unfit to serve in political offices in America. Their ungodly, dark agenda is anti-American and does not adequately serve the people of America, or the freedoms that the United States Constitution protects.  This includes the right of businesses and wealthy individuals to maintain their wealth against unlawful seizures of personal property for redistribution (5th Amendment) and unlawful, discriminatory policies against wealthy individuals, denying them due process (14th Amendment), and suppressing individual rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  We pray for powerful class-action and corporate lawsuits, and federal legal action, to be levied against every evil actor so that it puts them in a position where they are incapable of doing anything to harm the good citizens of our nation.  We highlight their agenda, which includes:  civil rights violations, abuse of power, and a violation of the oath of office to uphold the Constitution.  Further, we hold them all to account to the highest standard – Your Glory and the Word of God:  “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  We proclaim Your majesty, power, and glory over America, where every knee bows and every tongue proclaims that Jesus Christ (the Messiah and King) is Lord of All, and Lord over America.  We proclaim — no king but King Jesus.  We call all of them to repentance through a fear of the Lord, Your great mercy, and the blood of Jesus poured out for them.  For any currently holding any office or position of power, we ask, for the sake of our nation, that if they will not quickly turn to You, that You will displace them with a man or woman who fears You and honors You.  We speak to the gates of government from sea to shining sea, Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in (Psalm 24:7, NIV).   

We re-dedicate America—its people, its leaders, its future—to the reign of Jesus Christ.

May Your Kingdom come here. May Your will be done here —  in this election as it is in heaven.

Lord, take this nation by storm, and bring Your Fire and Revival here that penetrates the halls of government and business in every community.  We proclaim shalom – peace, protection, serenity, and security over every citizen by Your Mighty-outstretched hand. Your Word stands above every culture, ideology, and power.  Your Kingdom is righteous, just, and unshakable.  Not for coexistence with darkness, but for the victory of Light.

What are you praying for as America approaches the midterm elections? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

Brian M. Friess is an educator, small business owner, and Montana State Prayer Leader for IFA. He grew up in northwest Montana, completed college studies in the Midwest, East Coast, and Jerusalem, Israel, and later earned a Master’s degree in Secondary Science Education in 2020. Brian and his wife have four daughters and serve their local community through education, prayer, worship, and family life. He enjoys music, the outdoors, hunting, skiing, and exploring God’s creation. Photo Credit: studioroman via Canva Business.