T.D. Jakes, other faith leaders weigh in on Ukraine's fight for freedom

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More than 1.4 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland

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As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on past the two-week mark — and as some 2.5 million people have now left Ukraine in search of safety — prominent faith leaders from all across America continue to share their views, wisdom and prayers for the Ukrainian people during this horror.

T.D. Jakes, who runs The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, told Fox News Digital this week, "The images of brutality from the last two weeks have been hard to watch. But it’s important that we do, as there are many hard lessons the American people can take away from this tragic situation."

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He said, "What we have seen so far has been horrific — but triumph and tragedy often cohabitate in the same space. Triumph in this case is not simply the restoration of democracy, although that's the ultimate goal. Ukrainians are currently triumphant in their spirit of patriotism, which they're displaying through their relentless fight for what is right."

T.D. Jakes is shown speaking to radio listeners in the Inspiration 1390AM "Sprite Lounge" on May 13, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. Jakes shared his views of the war in Ukraine — and what he believes all Americans must know — with Fox News Digital this week. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

Jakes, who is also a best-selling author, filmmaker, global entrepreneur and philanthropist, said there are lessons here to be learned by Americans.

Chief among them is this: "Freedom is expensive. In the days ahead, we'll all pay some price to support the Ukrainian people. It will be difficult for many of us as gas prices rise. Yet when we compare the price of gas against the price of blood, against the death of children, the price of gas seems bearable."

A Polish soldier holds a baby as refugees fleeing war in neighboring Ukraine arrive at the Medyka border, Poland, on Thurs., March 10, 2022.  (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

The bishop also referenced this period of Lent right now — which began on Ash Wednesday of last week (March 2). In short order, we'll be arriving at Holy Week as a lead-in to Easter (which is April 17 this year).

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Jakes said, "As we forge ahead into Holy Week, we must recognize how fragile democracy is and understand the necessity of unity in a functioning political system. If Ukraine had been as divided as the U.S. is today, they would have already been defeated. Their unity, patriotism and tenacity are the only reasons they are doing as well as they are."

Women and children wait to board a bus heading to Przemysl after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on Thurs., March 10, 2022. U.N. officials said the Russian onslaught has forced 2 million people to flee Ukraine. It has trapped others inside besieged cities that are running low on food, water and medicine. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Further, Jakes said that "the American people must take this as an opportunity to be less divisive. Remember we are not red states and blue states. We are together the red, white and blue."  

"We must do unto others as we would have them do unto us." — T.D. Jakes

He said he encourages all Americans to "mimic the determination of the Ukrainian people as they stand united against this senseless attack on their freedoms."

"In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,'" Jakes added.  

Gutted cars following a night air raid in the village of Bushiv, 40 kilometers west of Kyiv, Ukraine, are shown in this image taken on March 4, 2022.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

"Those words echo in my mind as I recognize how easily we all could find ourselves ensnared in tragedies that compromise the normalcy we take for granted."

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For all those Americans who want to do something to help — and want to support the Ukrainians — Jakes said, "I urge you to be your brother’s keeper. Let's open our arms to a unified human family and display the empathy necessary to sustain freedom and justice for all, no matter where we are in the world."

Ukrainian soldiers are seen near the recently collapsed bridge, which was the target of a Russian missile, near the town of Irpin, Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In the moment at hand, Jakes said, "we must do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We must not become so committed to winning our internal arguments that we lose our humanity in pursuit of scoring points on the other side." 

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Jakes shared his fear that "violence on this scale could happen on the streets of our own cities. This could be us — leaving our loved ones and our residences in rubble with nothing but a small bag over our shoulders, wondering if we will ever go home again." 

Women and children board a train for Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on Thurs., March 10, 2022. U.N. officials said the Russian attacks have forced 2 million people to flee Ukraine.  (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

But it's his sincere hope, Jakes said, "that as many of us who are Christians celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, we experience a great resurrection of faith and brotherhood — and seek the common good for all people during these trying times."

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He added, "That is my prayer for our country and every country around the world."

'Pray for divine intervention'

Dr. Michael Brown, biblical scholar and host of the nationally syndicated daily radio show "The Line of Fire," told Fox News Digital on Thursday from Concord, N.C., "There are some Bible teachers who are pointing to passages in the Book of Ezekiel and saying, ‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of Bible prophecy and further proof that Jesus is coming any moment.’ I believe this is misguided."

In this frame from footage released by Ukraine's State service of special communication and information protection, firefighters work inside the regional administration building in the city's central square of Kharkiv, Ukraine, after Russian shelling, on March 1, 2022. Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Tuesday, and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital.  (State service of special communication and information protection of Ukraine via AP)

Brown said he believes, instead, that the focus "should be on helping to meet the humanitarian needs in the midst of this crisis, praying for divine intervention and asking God to give our leaders wisdom and restraint."

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He said that "otherwise, in our desire to save the people of Ukraine, we endanger all of Europe and even the world."

Pray for Putin to 'see the error of his ways’

James Spencer, head of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Mass., told Fox News Digital, "The Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the mind of a man who might properly be described as ‘anti-Christ.’ I do not mean that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, nor would I presume to know that the ‘end is near.’"

"Putin’s dismissal of God and his ways is resulting in devastating consequences."

Instead, said Spencer, "Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is exactly the opposite of Christ’s decision to set aside all his advantages in order to serve others and to sacrifice himself for the sake of the world. In this sense, Putin is anti-Christ." 

Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of the Russians' shelling, according to images shared by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

He added, "Whereas Putin sees his position as a means of grasping more power and wealth at the expense of others, Christ demonstrates the sort of self-service and self-sacrifice that reflects what it means to be God." 

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Spencer said further, "Christ’s self-giving lies at the heart of what it means to be Christian. So, as the world watches as Putin and his regime attack the Ukrainian people, we are witnessing a moment in which Putin’s dismissal of God and his ways is resulting in devastating consequences."  

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As a result, said Spencer, "we are recognizing that our world is broken, vulnerable and more fragile than we often want to admit."

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He said he hopes that "God’s people are in prayer for Putin to see the error of his ways, for the world’s leaders to be wise as they seek to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and for the people of Ukraine whose lives are in danger."

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"More than that," Spencer also said, "I hope the church will find the courage to imitate our Lord and to practice selflessness so that the world may see Jesus reflected in us."