Last night, I had a hard time falling asleep. I was troubled and restless. It caused me to get out of bed to spend time with the Lord. I realized I was being stirred by the increase in demonic activity in our nation. I sensed a great power struggle taking place in the spiritual realm. 

The Lord brought to mind what happened to Paul in Ephesus. Soon after his arrival, the Lord began to baptize increasing numbers of believers in the Spirit. Miracles began to take place.

“This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:7). God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul, “so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (vs. 12). The spiritual powerbase of Ephesus was being disrupted by the presence of the Lord causing demons to lose their grip on people.

The presence of God began to challenge the lies that held the city in bondage, “A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (vs. 19-20).

As a result of the demonstration of God’s power, the demonic hold on the city was weakening. The businesses that supported this deception were being affected by the presence of God’s Spirit. Those who gained financially from this industry became concerned about their loss of influence and resulting profit. 

“Demetrius, a man who was part of the group who were producing idols to worship the demonic spirit called Artemis, called the artisans together who made the idols and said, ‘There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty’” (vs. 26-27).

“’When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ Soon the whole city was in an uproar’” (vs. 28). 

The United States is experiencing a similar demonic uproar, like what happened in Ephesus. Even some within the Church have taken up defensive positions against what the Lord is doing, citing the same scripts of offense employed by our news outlets, political pundits, and cultural icons to challenge the truth. What is happening is what Paul would later cite in his letter to the Ephesians when people allowed demonic spirits to “trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:14). Disrupting the influence of those lies is what’s causing the current uproar in our nation.