Some Wars Must Be Fought Alone

 

America is in trouble.

Not because of politics.

Not because of economics.

Not because of technology.

America is collapsing at the level no one wants to talk about:

the soul.

We live in a culture where usury is normal, perversion is trending, pride is celebrated, tradition is forgotten, and the loudest voices are the ones least connected to truth. What used to be warnings in Scripture are now descriptions of daily life.

Psalm 12:8 hits harder today than ever:

“The wicked strut about on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.”

Welcome to the modern world.

America’s Spiritual Sickness Isn’t Subtle, It’s Everywhere

We don’t just tolerate wickedness.

We exalt it.

• We turned lust into entertainment.
• We turned greed into a lifestyle.
• We turned marriage into a gamble.
• We turned debt into a personality trait.
• We turned virtue into something people roll their eyes at.

We live in a society where the wrong people are celebrated and the right people are ignored.

The wicked strut because no one stops them.

Vileness spreads because we stopped resisting it.

And when a culture stops resisting evil, evil becomes the norm.

Usury: The Chains We Pretend Are Freedom

The early Church didn’t mince words.

St. Basil called usury “legalized robbery.”

St. Ambrose said it was a serpent that slowly kills the poor.

Now?

We treat debt like oxygen.

• “Easy payments.”
• “Pay later.”
• “Zero down.”
• “Buy now in 4 installments.”

We’ve built an economy designed to keep people trapped forever.

America doesn’t ask,

“Can you afford it?”

It asks,

“How long are you willing to be owned?”

Usury is no longer a danger, it’s a business model.

And people wonder why families feel constantly crushed.

The Porn Demon: Perversion Masquerading as Entertainment

Let’s stop sugarcoating it.

Porn is destroying us.

Not figuratively. Not romantically.

Literally.

• It rewires the brain.
• It kills intimacy.
• It destroys patience.
• It burns out dopamine receptors.
• It trains your soul to crave what ultimately hollows you out.

And it’s hitting children long before they ever develop a concept of love, commitment, or self-worth.

The Desert Fathers warned:

“Guard your eyes, and you guard your soul.” — Abba Moses

We ripped the guardrails off and handed kids smartphones.

The results?

Dating is broken.

Marriage is fragile.

Fertility is collapsing.

Emotional maturity is dropping.

Loneliness is skyrocketing.

Porn isn’t a nuisance.

It’s a social apocalypse.

Adultery: The Final Stage of Cultural Rot

Porn is the gateway.

Adultery is the impact.

And today, it’s everywhere.

Casual. Common. Expected.

The Church Fathers talked about it like a nuclear threat:

Augustine: “Adultery tears the soul from its own body.”

Jerome: “It is a slow death worse than execution.”

Modern culture?

We treat it like a plot twist on TV.

But here’s the truth:

Adultery destroys more than marriages.

It destroys generations.

Families. Children. Trust. Legacies.

Broken in one moment of selfishness.

And the culture cheers it on.

The Arrogance of Modern Politics

Both parties have the same disease: hubris.

St. Anthony the Great warned:

“When pride conquers a people, God allows them to be ruled by fools.”

If that doesn’t describe today, nothing does.

Our political class is obsessed with power, attention, and performance. Not leadership. Not morality. Not responsibility.

They posture while families collapse.

They grandstand while addiction rises.

They campaign while souls rot.

You cannot vote your way out of spiritual decay.

The Churches Lost Their Fire

This part hurts, but it’s true.

Many modern churches have become soft.

No repentance

No discipline

No fasting

No fire

No courage

No truth

Too many sermons are therapy sessions with nicer lighting.

But the early Church understood something we’ve forgotten:

“The world is not saved by comfort but by repentance.” — St. John Climacus

Weak churches produce weak people.

And weak people get devoured by the world.

Some Wars Must Be Fought Alone

This is the turning point.

You cannot outsource your battle.

You cannot delegate your discipline.

You cannot subcontract your repentance.

You cannot assign your spiritual work to a priest, pastor, politician, or influencer.

St. Maximos said:

“The warfare within cannot be delegated.”

Meaning:

Your addictions?

Your lust?

Your anger?

Your laziness?

Your debt?

Your envy?

Your weakness?

Only you can fight those.

Brotherhood helps.

Faith strengthens.

Tradition anchors.

But the battle?

That’s yours.

Some wars must be fought alone because they happen in the silence of your mind, where no one can intervene but God.

But No One Wins Alone, Brotherhood Is Armor

You start alone.

But you don’t win alone.

The Desert Fathers formed entire communities because they understood a single coal grows cold, but a pile of coals keeps the fire alive.

You need:

People who challenge you

People who sharpen you

People who don’t tolerate your excuses

People who want you to rise

People who don’t feed your addictions

Brotherhood, not acquaintances, creates strength.

How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything

This isn’t a corporate slogan.

This is ancient asceticism.

The early monks believed that:

How you sweep is how you pray

How you work is how you fight temptation

How you show up is how you show your soul

St. Dorotheos taught:

“Small obediences lead to great victories.”

Meaning:

You rebuild your life one disciplined act at a time.

How to Kill Porn Addiction 

1. Cut off the access

Radically. Completely. Immediately.

2. Replace the craving

Prayer. Training. Reading. Work. Meaning.

3. Confess

Darkness dies in the light.

4. Fast

Fasting burns out the fog where demons hide.

5. Accept withdrawal

Your brain will scream.

Let it.

You’re reclaiming the throne.

6. Build real intimacy

Not pixels.

Not fantasy.

Not dopamine hits.

Real, human connection.

This is warfare.

But it’s winnable.

Tradition Is the Anchor That Keeps You Whole

Tradition isn’t “old-fashioned.”

It’s spiritual oxygen.

Holidays

Rituals

Feasts

Fasts

Family routines

Sacred days

Sacred stories

St. Vincent of Lérins said:

“What is handed down binds us more surely than what is invented.”

Tradition keeps the soul standing when the world tries to knock it down.

• Lose tradition, lose identity.
• Lose identity, lose direction.
• Lose direction, lose yourself.

Prayer and Fasting: The Nuclear Weapons of the Soul

Christ Himself said it:

“This kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.” — Matthew 17:21

Some things aren’t “bad habits.”

They’re spiritual parasites.

And you kill them by:

starving the flesh

sharpening the spirit

calling on heaven

fighting with discipline and humility

Prayer clears the mind.

Fasting burns away the chains.

Together?

They shatter demons.

Fix Yourself. Then Fix the World.

St. Seraphim said:

“Acquire the Spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved.”

Meaning:

• Fix your soul, and you will naturally fix your family.
• Fix your family, and you will naturally fix your community.
• Fix your community, and you will naturally fix your culture.

This is how nations are rebuilt.

Not by politics.

Not by speeches.

Not by outrage.

But by men and women who choose:

discipline over comfort

holiness over pleasure

tradition over trends

faith over feelings

strength over weakness

truth over corruption

Some wars must be fought alone.

But when enough people fight them

Hell starts losing ground.