Political Pistachio

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

A friend of mine that doesn’t necessarily agree with all of my constitutional or political notions caught me off guard in a recent email. He wrote to me, “…it isn’t ‘war’. It’s politics. Despite whatever you’ve been convinced of, the two are not the same thing. Thinking that they are is what turns the latter INTO the former. And that never works out well for ‘our’ side.”

What doesn’t work out well for “our side” is the fact that the enemy of liberty does not see it as politics. They are at war. They use war tactics, war strategies, and their goal is to totally eliminate their opposition. They are using everything available in their arsenal, and we respond like it’s a schoolyard fight, and refuse to arm up with the political weapons we need to be using because we don’t want to come across like we think it’s a war.

We act like it is a political disagreement, and they treat it like it is a war. The side that refuses to pull out the heavy artillery will always lose. Warfare being waged by armies of ideological sycophants will always overrun a bunch of nice guys fighting with sticks and stones because they don’t want to alarm everybody if they pull the tanks and missile launchers out of storage. The guy with the more brutal offense always wins at chess. Playing defense may make the game last a long time, but in the end the guy using the strongest war tactics always wins.

Republicans, Conservatives, and other members of the jellyfish club are the reason we are in trouble. And these are the same spineless creatures who hate Trump, and cringe at his firm and forceful tactics.

If you are not willing to recognize we are at war, and if you are not willing to wage war in the current political atmosphere, then you are as much a part of the problem as is the Democrats, GOP Jellyfish, and the rest of the commies in our governmental system.

They are constantly on offense, and they use War Tactics; using tools of deception, operating outside any rules we might think exist in this political conflict (such as election fraud, and then denying anyone the opportunity to even talk about it, much less investigate the possibility), they use false flags (January 6, 2021 is a good example), demoralization techniques (ridicule into silence in Saul Alinsky fashion), disinformation (mainstream media, and the political class, have mastered this war technique), infiltration techniques, shock tactics (drag queen family drag shows comes to mind), pincer techniques (attacking local control both from the State and federal level), interdiction (severing of lines of communication and supply, i.e. censorship, political correctness, hate speech legislation), disrupt the supply chain through economic damage and tyrannical legislation and/or presidential mandates, attack against fortified positions (such as demanding high-density housing in conservative places that do not require such in an effort to make sure those traumatized into voting democrat move into those regions), and Blitzkrieg mobilizations (riots or attacks by groups like Antifa, Black Lives Matter, or other anti-Liberty groups); many of which come from Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.” Notice that the title of the classic is not “The Art of Politics.”

Not convinced we are at war, yet?

How about Ephesians, Chapter 6; God’s pieces of armor. Some are used for defense, some are used for offense. Some for both. Why? For “Spiritual Warfare.” Not spiritual politics.

1.    The Belt of Truth

2.    The Breastplate of Righteousness

3.    The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

4.    The Shield of Faith

5.    The Helmet of Salvation

6.    The Sword of the Spirit

7.    The Power of Prayer

In John 10:10 we are advised that our enemy has a mission beyond politics. The enemy is playing for keeps, and is willing to “steal, kill, and destroy” to achieve the goals set before them. The armor was not given to us for politics, but to engage in battle, and win. 

The Belt of Truth holds our armor together, making sure we are able to engage in battle with all of the things we need in place. Without truth, it all falls apart; which is why among the enemy’s assaults are those schemes that attack truth. God’s standard is being dismantled by the enemy with a counterfeit way of thinking, and we must tighten our belt of truth and make sure we remember that the truth of God’s Grace is our most important piece of our armor.

The Breastplate of Righteousness covers our vulnerable heart, keeping us focused on Him, not our emotions, pain, or desires.

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace ensure our walk on the battlefield is protected from our feet, on up. The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace ensure we can move around the battlefield, stepping into places that would be too dangerous for us if we were barefoot. The Word of God keeps us on our feet, and capable of navigating through the booby-traps laid by the enemy.

The Shield of Faith is carried in our hand as a defensive weapon to deflect whatever the enemy throws at us. It can be moved around, providing protection over all parts of our bodies. It is especially impervious to the fiery darts the enemy launches. Hebrews 11:6 – Without Faith it is impossible to please God. Our faith serves to shield us against attacks, and temptation.

The Helmet of Salvation protects our most important part of our body, our mind. With the message of salvation saturating our minds, and the truth holding our armor all together, we are protected from all of the deceptions, counterfeits, and lies thrown at us. The Helmet, however, was not purchased by us. It is a gift from Jesus. All we must do is put our trust in the Salvation He provided, and the helmet will guard us against all attacks.

The Sword of the Spirit is our main offensive weapon. You can’t fight a war without a tool to engage in battle with. The enemy has a whole arsenal of weapons, yet none of those weapons can even compare to the Sword of the Spirit. The Sword of the Spirit is truth, strength, Grace, and internal protection all thrown into one. 

The Power of Prayer is a weapon at our beckoning call at any time, and it is connected to all of our pieces of armor; but, it has a special connection to the Sword of the Spirit. Romans 8:26 – The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with the groaning which cannot be uttered.

Fervent Prayer not only delivers the defensive protection we need, but also enlivens our strength and resolve to not only deflect the enemy’s fiery darts, but to move forward and gain ground for our Savior.

We must also remember one more thing. God has already won the war. It was won on The Cross. We are simply engaging the enemy in the final days before the armies of evil find that they can stand against God no more, and the clock strikes the final hour.

— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary