The Spiritual Battle Behind This Year's State of the Union Address

Yesterday, President Donald Trump accepted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's invitation to give the State of the Union address on Feb. 5. It was a huge political victory after a long battle, in which Pelosi withheld the important State of the Union address until Trump agreed to end the government shutdown. Trump responded by cancelling Pelosi's use of a military vehicle for an international trip. Finally, on Friday, both sides renegotiated to open the government for three weeks—and the State of the Union moved forward.

During these politically charged times, it's important to remember Ephesians 6:12: "Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." These conflicts playing out on the news are not about people. This is not one party against another. I believe this is a battle between good and evil.

I recently spoke with Perry Atkinson on his show, Focus Today, about my book Trump Aftershock, the State of the Union and the spiritual battle happening behind the scenes. You can listen to my interview with him below, or check out the video interview here.

When I did the interview, news hadn't yet broken that Trump would hold the State of the Union on Feb. 5. However, I knew he would stand his ground against Pelosi and make it happen. Our president is not a man who backs down. He needs to speak to the American people, and they deserve to hear from him.

We can never underestimate Trump. After all, when everybody else is playing checkers, he's playing chess. Plenty of his moves have seemed crazy when he made them—anyone remember when he called Kim Jong Un "rocket man"?—but results have shown that he is a master negotiator. Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, D-New York, are simply not in his league.

The State of the Union is Trump's ultimate opportunity to prove that. With the State of the Union, the president can take his case directly to the American people. When he speaks, America listens. Of course, the other side will have some sort of rebuttal ready afterward, but I believe it will be too late. The president can sell the American people on the importance of border security.

During my interview with Atkinson, I also talked about the president's strategic relationships with the Hispanic community—especially Hispanic pastors—and how my book shows both Trump's accomplishments and the left's growing derangement. If you like the interview, make sure to share it with your friends on social media and to review and subscribe to the show on iTunes.

Additionally, I'm excited to share with you my new podcast, "In Depth With Stephen Strang." The show will tentatively start this Friday, Feb. 1, but for my column's readers, I have a special sneak peek. To hear a preview episode of the new series, click here.