Blog 11/Armor Up: Standing Firm When Leadership Falters
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” — Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)
1. When the Battle Moves Indoors
There was a time when the battlefield felt far away—reserved for pulpits, politics, or protests. But lately, the frontlines have shifted. The fight is in our classrooms, boardrooms, and leadership circles.
As I stood before my church this morning reading Ephesians 6:11–13, I realized that spiritual warfare doesn’t just show up in obvious darkness. It disguises itself in policy memos, executive orders, and leadership decisions cloaked in “strategy.”
We wrestle not against flesh and blood—but against systems that normalize deception, dismantle diversity, and call it “restructuring.”
2. Higher Ed’s Hollow Armor
The Armor has a hole; therefore, it is not whole.
In Leadership Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022), Joseph King and Brian Mitchell describe three types of college presidents—presiders, change agents, and strategic visionaries—each shaping the moral compass of higher education differently. The tragedy today is that many institutions have settled for presiders: leaders guarding comfort rather than conviction.
Their polished statements echo inclusion, but their actions mirror exclusion.
As federal mandates dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, too many campuses choose silence over stance. Scholars Brandon Wolfe and Paulette Dilworth (2015) warned that predominantly White institutions often treat administrative power as “whiteness property,” where access and authority remain guarded by an unspoken cultural code.
When leadership loses its moral armor, institutions crumble—not from financial insolvency, but from spiritual bankruptcy.
Armor and Discernment pair well together.
3. The Cost of Complicity
Across the nation, higher-ed administrators are watching DEI programs unravel—some by executive mandate, others by institutional apathy. What’s often unspoken is the human toll: professionals of color carrying the weight of advocacy without authority.
Recent Equal Employment Opportunity findings in higher education highlight how retaliation and racialized stress persist within systems that promise fairness but deliver fear. It’s a sobering reminder: when those who see injustice stay silent, they become extensions of the machine.
In this climate, discernment is not optional—it’s armor.
Remember, you need to refill from the Source!
4. Discernment in the End Times of Leadership
My pastor has been preaching from Revelation, reminding us that deception will come dressed as light. The same applies to leadership. False prophets don’t always hold microphones—sometimes they hold titles.
We are witnessing an erosion of moral clarity in many institutions—where diversity is claimed as a value but not practiced in spirit or structure. Policies and promises sound inclusive, yet the actions behind them often tell a different story.
The armor of God—truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Spirit—isn’t just for church. It’s for boardrooms, classrooms, and committee meetings where decisions are made about whose humanity is protected and whose voices are silenced.
Stand firm and know the victory is HIS, despite that darkness.
5. A Prayer for the Remnant
Lord, guide us with truth when institutions trade justice for comfort.
Strengthen our faith when equity feels endangered.
Let us discern false light from divine purpose.
And may we, your ambassadors, stand firm—
not in fear, but in the courage of conviction.
Amen.
God is good…every last drop!
6. Final Sip
In the words of Ephesians 6:13: “After you have done everything, to stand.”
This isn’t just about survival—it’s about sacred defiance when culture demands silence. The armor we wear is not ornamental; it’s operational.
So, armor up, Beloved. The battle isn’t coming.
It’s already here.
Sources:
King, W. J., & Mitchell, B. C. (2022). Leadership matters: Confronting the hard choices facing higher education. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Wolfe, B. L., & Dilworth, P. P. (2015). Transitioning normalcy: Organizational culture, African American administrators, and diversity leadership in higher education. Review of Educational Research, 85(4), 667–697. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654314565667
Remember, bold conversations, brewed fresh - one cup at a time!
Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson
Founder of CourtneyCoffeeChats
Bold Conversations, Brewed Fresh.
Welcome to The Coffeehouse Collection - where higher education meets heart. Here, you will find Scholarly Sips, Courageous Cups, Life Latte Moments, and Freshly Brewed Reflections - bold conversation and personal insights brewed just for you!
