The transgender debate has been raging in earnest over the past decade as the issue has become one of a plethora of political footballs. Discussions over whether men can become women and vice versa have permeated the airwaves and interwebs.
The issue became even more pronounced when the pro-trans crowd began targeting children, convincing many that they were born in the wrong body. Before that, much of the conversations centered on whether biological males who identify as female should be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
Those opposing the spread of progressive gender ideology have fought this battle in the political and societal realms. But it appears many have missed what is likely the most important part of this discussion: The spiritual factor.
It makes sense that spirituality might not play a significant role in the discussion given that the political and cultural concerns are right in our faces. However, as Christians, we are called to remember what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
In my years of covering the transgender issue, there is something that has stood out to me about how so many suffer from gender dysphoria: It mirrors Satan’s attacks on identity. I’ve been a Christian long enough to know that when the Enemy wants to destroy someone, he typically does so by assaulting our perception of ourselves.
In fact, it started from the very beginning, with Adam and Eve. Satan brought about the fall of mankind by telling Adam and Eve that they would be like God if they consumed the forbidden fruit. By telling the couple that they were not who God said they were, he enticed them into sin.
The Enemy tried the same on the Messiah himself. You might recall in Matthew 4:1-10 after Jesus Christ spent 40 days being tempted by the devil.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[e]”
If Satan’s ultimate objective is to destroy those who were made in the image of God, what better way would there be to accomplish this objective than to confuse us about who we are?
This is where transgenderism comes into play. Those afflicted with gender dysphoria have been made to doubt one of the most important aspects of our identity. We have already seen how this has affected those suffering from this mental condition.
Those identifying as transgender have 7.7 times the rate of suicide attempts as those who do not suffer from gender dysphoria. Additionally, they are typically dealing with other mental illnesses as well.
I am convinced that much of what we consider mental illness stems from not having a clear sense of identity and purpose. This is not merely a biological issue, it is a spiritual one. Our Creator made us with a specific purpose in mind, and when we lose sight of that, it opens us up to attack from the Enemy.
Unfortunately, there are far too many in the Western world who are unknowingly doing the bidding of the entity that seeks to destroy us. The President of the United States is currently spending almost $1 million to persuade young people that there are more than two sexes. The Biden administration is also seeking to expand the definition of “conversion therapy” to allow the state to punish therapists who do not use the “gender-affirming care” model on children.
On social media, young people are being inundated with messages intended to convince them that some people are born in the wrong body. It has contributed to the social contagion effect that has plagued so many children across the country.
Even further, the pro-trans crowd has been leveraging government-run schools to promote their twisted and demonic ideas on gender identity among schoolchildren. In several school districts, teachers are instructed to conceal symptoms of gender dysphoria from the parents.
As Christians, we should certainly be pushing back against this movement in the political and cultural fields. But we must not forget that it is not politicians, activists, teachers, or media figures that we are fighting. It is nothing less than an all-out spiritual attack coming from an Enemy that cannot be seen with our physical eyes.
