Battle Plans

WAKE UP!

You are in a WAR ... whether you want to be, or not.

This war you are in can not be ignored. And it will not go away. You are on the front lines of a fierce battle, where the victor claims a valuable commodity ...

... your soul.

The battle you fight is against the forces of Satan. Your battle started when you were born and continues today. Skilled soldiers launching their daily assaults against you. Haven't you heard the bullets whizzing by you, or the whistling of incoming artillery? Haven't you seen the smoke and the signs of battle?

No?

What about thoughts of envy whizzing through your head, or the voices of friends inviting you into mischief. Inappropriate Internet advertising that draws your eye or maybe the fog of hatred caused by unmet expectations. Do any of those attacks sound familiar? Tailor made temptations purposefully launched at your weak points to cause one thing... separation from GOD. All from Satan, the enemy.

Make no mistake, Satan has a well planned campaign against you. What are your battle plans? What is your plan when Satan brings the fight to you?

Miguel de Cervantes said, "To be prepared is half the victory." I agree! So let me offer this divine battle plan to you. It is broken into three parts:

TRAINING: I think we all agree that a well trained soldier is better than the untrained one. Weapons training is at the top of that list. The soldier's weapon should become like a part of their body. The Holy Warrior's weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Know this weapon intimately and train with it as though your life depends on it ... because it does. Jesus himself used this weapon to fight off Satan in desert. It is battle proven.

PRE-BATTLE PREPARATIONS: Fortify your weak points. In the days of Joshua, the cities without walls were easy targets, but the cities with walls were protected. Even the generals of modern times see the benefit of fortifying weak areas to protect them against attack. Where are your weak areas? Lust, greed, pride? Build fortifications around these known areas and guard against inevitable temptations. Not only fortify but have strategies in place to counter-attack temptation.

COMBAT: When the battle comes, have your strategies in place and follow them. Have your prayers ready and unleash them in battle. Have fellow Holy Warriors in place and go to them for strength. Endure to the end of the battle. Combat is hard and draining. Wounds are inflicted on the front lines. Know when you are wounded and need healing. Remove yourself from the front lines and find faithful first-aid. Go on a retreat, take a sabbatical and heal yourself. Then return to the battle.

I don't know about you, but I've read the last chapter in the book and I know how this story ends. The battle belongs to the LORD. Assured victory empowers the army. Don't be intimidated by Satan. When your feet hit the floor in the morning, make Satan shutter and say ...

... "Oh no, he's awake!"

Lines

I have something you need to hear, but sinners only please.

If you are not a sinner, just go ahead and skip to the ending. This chapter does not apply to you. If you are a sinner, keep reading.

My mother believed in keeping EVERYTHING of mine when I was a child. Toys, clothes, pictures and school work occupied multiple containers in my parent's garage. In the summer of 2009, My parents decided to clean out their garage and, you guessed it, all that stuff of mine was returned back to its original owner (whether I wanted it or not). As I filtered through the boxes of artifacts, I found an ancient masterpiece. A picture I had colored when I was in kindergarten. A white page with a thick black outline of a puppy in the middle. The puppy was colored with a red crayon. I use the term "colored" loosely, because it appeared I had a seizure while coloring that page. The technique was anything but neat and it was clear I did not understand the concept of coloring within the lines.

A simple concept really, here is the line ... do not cross it. Is it really that simple? Especially when the lines apply to our lives. Move the lines from the sheet of paper and they become things like the trust of a friend, vows in a marriage, care for our bodies and honoring GOD. Coloring a picture has now become life's major decisions. But I want to point out that the concept is still the same. Here is the line ... do not cross it.

The trust of a friend ... do not soil it.

The vows in a marriage ... do not break them.

Caring for your body ... do not misuse it.

Honoring your GOD ... do not disgrace HIM.

Hear this. Crossing the line is a choice. You choose to stay within the lines or cross over them. That choice can mean the difference between blessings and banes.

A very emotionally broken drug addict sat in my office, confessing to burglary and prostitution. She blamed her situation on family, friends, the economy, even her lack of a job. But her situation was a result of her own choices. She knew where the line was and chose to cross over it. She chose to associate with friends who abuse drugs, she chose to abuse drugs, she chose to steal money instead of earn it. She could have made a different choice anywhere along that path and changed the direction of her life. But she chose not to change.

"I choose to sin." That sounded pretty bad, didn't it. It's true. When temptation or situation knocks, you choose whether to open the door or lock it.

Is it really that easy? Choose not to sin?

I'm going to try it. I'll let you know ...

So Help Me GOD

"So help me God."

Have you ever said those words?

The words that follow every oath taken by a person when called upon to perform a duty. It follows a soldier's oath to fight for his country and a policeman's oath to serve his community. If you have ever served on a jury or testified in court, you made a promise to do your best, speak only the truth and then asked GOD to help you do it.

Makes sense to me ... to invoke the help of the ONE who created everything and can do anything. If any could help you, HE could, right? Tragically our country seems to be moving away from this line of thought. For the worst of reasons ... compromise.

Trijicon, Inc. is a Michigan based company that produces state-of-the-art combat targeting systems for small arms weapons. Their equipment is the best of the best, and that's what you want when your life depends on it. I know! I'm a cop. I use their equipment every day. I'm not the only one, Trijicon has a $660 Million dollar contract with the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army to provide the same equipment to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. those troops deserve the best of the best. But that relationship was in jeopardy this past week.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council's director Salam Al-Marayati called on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to withdraw from combat use all weapons of the U.S. Military that used a Trijicon sighting system. It was discovered that Trijicon was inscribing biblical references next to the serial number on all their sighting systems. Immediately following the serial number, in letters no bigger than two centimeters, where "2COR4:6" or "JN8:12".

Al-Marayati said, "Allowing religious references to be placed on U.S. weaponry, which are bought and paid for by U.S. taxpayers, is unacceptable. Such inscriptions not only run afoul of the Constitution and U.S. military rules, but they also feed into the violent extremists' narrative the the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are a 'crusade against Islam.' "

2 Corinthians 4:6 reads, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

John 8:12 reads, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "

The Department of Defense was considering termination of the Trijicon contract over the complaint. Trijicon was forced into a difficult decision. In order to keep their state-of-the-art sighting systems in the hands of the guys who need them, Trijicon voluntarily offered to stop inscribing the references on the sights and offered free modification kits to remove the inscriptions from the systems already in the field.

Trijicon CEO Stephen Binder made the statement, "As part of our faith and our belief in service to our country, Trijicon has put scripture references on our products for more than two decades. As long as we have men and women in danger, we will continue to do everything we can to provide them with both state-of-the-art technology and never ending support and prayers of a grateful nation." (emphasis mine)

I applaud Trijicon for placing scripture references on their products. They are truly doing everything they can to help us fight the battles we fight. Not only are they making reliable and hi-tech equipment, they are also calling on GOD to shine his light in the darkness we are fighting in. By placing those references on their equipment, they are saying ...

"So help me GOD."

"People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be happy. Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. Their ancestors did the same thing to the prophets." (Luke 6:22-23 NCV)

Lost and Found

Parents ... Raise your hands in confirmation if you agree that your children teach YOU more about your relationship with GOD than any other person. If you are raising your hands right now, you're in good company. Abraham and Sarah, Joseph and Mary, all can relate to that experience.

I can too.

While exploring the yard, my youngest son Brady (5) found an old toy police car. I remembered the toy car from when I first gave it to him. I'm sure every parent could relate to the story. Brady and I were in a local retail pharmacy store and he saw this key chain with a toy police car dangling on the end. The toy was small , shiny and had a real LED light on top that flashed red when you pressed a button. This toy quickly became his temporary obsession. You could imagine the ordeal that followed. Brady's sole survival depended on me buying that toy car for him.

So I did.

He loved that car and took it with him everywhere. Until one day, it was gone. Lost. Probably devoured by the black hole at the bottom of the toy box ... with my spare set of car keys. We searched for it, but came up toy-less.

Time passed until one day ... the toy car was found in the yard

Time and the elements had their way with the lost toy. It no longer resembled the small shiny toy we remembered. It was rusted inside and out with dirt where the windows used to be. The LED on top was broken and the rubber was completely gone from the tiny wheels. By definition, it was BUSTED.

In fact, the only thing that remained intact was Brady's love for that toy car. He brought it to me with the same excitement he had when he first saw it in the store. "Dad, look what I found!" It was hard for me to find the same excitement, looking at the rusted carcass of the once functional toy.

"Daddy, can you wash this off for me?" It was an odd request for sure. Did he really want to play this rusted car? It looked more like a health hazard than a play toy.

"Lets throw this one away," I said to Brady. "It's broken and dirty."

Brady was insistent with his request for a car wash. "No daddy, you just need to wash it off and it'll be better." Brady sincerely believed the toy was repairable, even though I didn't see it that way. He saw that toy with a different set of eyes. His argument was strong and passionate.

I washed the toy.

The reunion was grand. It was like the toy was brand new, at least in Brady's eyes. Boy and beloved toy together again. Just like it used to be.

In your mind's eye, picture this scene in a heavenly throne room. GOD and JESUS, Father and Son, are troubled. Their most-loved creation, skillfully made in their image, has become lost. They glean a smile, remembering the day they created man and woman. But tears fall as they realize that sin has taken it's toll on their loved creation and it has become dirty and broken.

Then JESUS brings you to GOD saying, "Dad, look what I found! This one just needs to be washed and it'll be better." Jesus seeks you and when He finds you, He sees you through a different set of eyes ... the eyes of a savior. Jesus sincerely believes that you are repairable. His argument to the Father is strong and passionate.

So, GOD washes you ... forever. The reunion will be grand!

Just like it used to be...

The Terminator

My team of four arrived on the scene of a home invasion gone bad. The officer in charge briefed us on what he knew: an unknown number of heavily armed bad guys were inside the house. The condition of the home owner and his family was unknown. The larger tactical team was enroute, but due to the sounds of active gunfire inside house, my team needed to make a dynamic entry into the house NOW in order to rescue any surviving hostages. To make things worse, it was night time.

This was probably the WORST report that you could possibly receive in a briefing. You want to know as much information as you can get before you go charging into a building full of bad guys. How many bad guys are inside, where are they located, what are they armed with, where are the hostages ... all answered with, "Unknown."

Fear thrives in the unknown.

Our survival now depended on our training. Luckily we didn't skimp in that area. We had training for everything. Physical fitness training kept us in shape. Weapons training developed an intimate relationship with our weapons. Tactical training transformed our team into one fluid unit instead of four separate men. Defensive tactics training taught us hand-to-hand combat.

"Man, I wish I would have paid a little more attention in that hostage rescue training class," I thought to myself.

GEAR UP ! It's time to do what we do ...

As we stacked up on the front door, the entire house was black as night. We heard gunfire inside. Time to move. The front door swung open and in we went ... into the unknown. We moved smooth and quick through the darkness, as well trained team. Three rooms were cleared quickly. We made it look easy, until ...

I heard a noise behind me. It sounded like gunfire ... loud gunfire ... close gunfire ... OUCH! I felt the painful burn of rounds striking my back and arms. Two of us were sprayed with rounds from a Glock handgun. I turned around just time to see the bad guy firing off rounds as fast as he could pull the trigger. "Where did that guy come from?" As flashlights were concentrated on him, I could see the bad guy smiling. He had out-smarted us. An attack from the rear. What a JERK!

The remaining two team members reacted quickly and ended the fire-fight with a volley of precision placed bullets until the bad guy was covered in blue ....

Blue? Did you say BLUE?

Blue paint bullets.

Remember? We don't skimp in training. The fear, the courage, the pressure, the building, the bad guys, the pain ... all real. The situation and the bullets ... training. We called it The Terminator. A building specifically designed to train officers in tactical manuvers. A bloodless battle to hone our skills in preparation for the real thing.

As a faithful believer, has your faith or beliefs ever been challenged? Not the simple, "Do you believe in God, " question. I mean a complicated, scripturally based, well-planned and rehearsed challenge that comes from an educated challenger. The kind of challenge that blows holes in your Galilean boat and sets your Bethlehem manger ablaze. Terminator questions!

The next question is even scarier. Did you survive?

Have you ever thought the battle for your soul requires training? Consider that every challenge against your faith is a battle. Is your sword of the Spirit (God's Word) sharp? Have you studied it and trained with it? Can you wield it proficiently?

A close friend of mine just returned from such a battle ... wounded but alive. For three straight days his Bible knowledge, faith and beliefs were severely attacked by a well educated challenger. You could hear the scriptural steel clash as both used God's Word to disprove the other. To hear my friend describe the experience, I envision two titans in epic battle. My friend was not as well trained as he could have been. He survived, but a lesson was learned.

What did I learn from my wounds in The Terminator? Always look underneath the sofa, no matter how small it looks. What did my friend learn from his wounds? Know what your beliefs are and where they come from. Eliminate the unknown. Train with your Bible so when your faith is challenged, you'll be properly prepared to defend it.

Your battle is coming ...

Thaumastos

How many amazing people do you know? Not just good or great. I'm talking knock your socks off, jaw dropping, standing ovation, how did they do that ... amazing.

All but two of the New Testament writers described Jesus as amazing. The actual word they used was Thaumastos. When the Greek writer used the word Thaumastos, it was used to describe someone worthy of pious admiration. An extraordinary person. A marvelous and excellent person. Let me tell you a story about such a man...

At a US Marine boot camp in 1959, cadets were preparing to take their final physical fitness exam. After weeks of grueling work, the class was ready to get this test behind them. But one cadet was nervous ... David. David was a great Marine cadet, full of enthusiasm, intelligence, and desire to serve his country. So what made David so nervous about this test?

The chin-up bar ...

David was a "large" Marine and lacked the upper body strength to complete the required number of chin-ups needed to pass the fitness test. It had been an ongoing challenge for David since the beginning of boot camp and the whole class knew it. All through boot camp, his brother cadets encouraged and pushed David to be his personal best. But he still could not pull out the required number on his own. And the day had come when David had to face the drill Sgt and the test ... alone. Failing the test meant failing boot camp ... David would not become a Marine.

One of the cadets in David's class saw the inevitable and was determined not to let his brother cadet fail. This was the cadet's plan ...

The drill Sgt grading the test didn't know faces. Therefore, every cadet wore a t-shirt with their last name and serial number printed across the front. Cadets were lined up and pushed through tests in efficient assembly line formation. The drill Sgt would read the name and number on the t-shirt and record the grade in the appropriate blank on the score sheet. "Next!" would advance the line forward.

Our Thaumastos cadet's last name was near the top of the alphabetical list. David's last name was near the middle. When the Thaumastos cadet's name was called, he did his required number of chin-ups without breaking a sweat. The drill Sgt looked at the name and number on the t-shirt, recorded the grade, and yelled "NEXT !" The line advanced, but this cadet, unnoticed, strangely moved to the middle of the line.

He found David and switched places with him, putting on David's t-shirt. The line advanced and soon David's name was called ... But it wasn't David stepping forward. It was the other cadet. That cadet pulled out another round of the required number of chin-ups. The drill Sgt looked and the name and number on the t-shirt, recorded the passing grade, and yelled, "NEXT !"

David passed the physical fitness test and became a US Marine. All because of an amazing, Thaumastos, cadet that did his own and David's required chin-ups. Twice the work! Is this cadet worthy of admiration? You bet. Extraordinary? I think so. Worthy of the Greek adjective Thaumastos? Without a doubt.

That cadet went on to become a great man. He has inspired me my whole life and still continues to amaze me today. His name ...


Bobby Aycock, my dad.

I am truly blessed to have an earthly father with such compassion, heart, and dedication ...

... on earth as it is in heaven.


(SIDE NOTE) Three years ago, that 67 year old Marine (my dad) cranked out more chin-ups than the Marine recruiter AND the gathered cadets at a Marine recruiting station, much to their embarrassment. HUA!

Consequence

I'm a cop.

By the nature of my exsistence, I deal with consequence ... usually dealing it out. My exsistence has a devine pupose and ordination according to Paul (Romans 13). I am a servant of GOD, commissioned by HIM to bring evil-doers to justice. To resist me is to resist the very ordinance of GOD (Romans 13:2).

But that doesn't stop some poeple.

I was recently assigned to a US Marshal's fugtive task force that was tasked with tracking down and arresting several felony fugitives. Bad guys on the run ... a game I've played alot. We tracked one fugitive to a neighborhood home and knocked on the door. Before our team of seven could surround the house, the fugitive jumped out a back window and sprinted off through the back yard. By the time we reached the back fence, he had already cleared the neighboring back yard fence and was quickly progressing to the next fence in line.

Keep in mind that I am 15 years senior to this fugitive and 35 pounds heavier because of all the gear I'm wearing. To get a mental picture, imagine a moose chasing a gazell.

The fugitive finally lost steam and hid in a back yard storage shed a few streets over. This well built 10x10 shed was a miniature house, with one window and one metal door, which he quickly dead-bolted upon entering. Seven (tired) cops quickly surround the shed and announce for the fugtive to come out.

No answer.

We knew he was inside the shed. He knew ... we knew he was inside the shed. Yet he refused to come out or even talk. He was caught. No escape. Did he hope that we would just give up and leave? Maybe he thought we would forget he was in there? Did he reason that if we could not see him, we could not know that he was inside?

When it comes down to it, there was no reason or logic behind his actions at all. His destiny with consequence awaited him outside that door and he did not want to face it. Worse, it would not go away. He was going to jail whether he came out ... or we went in. There was no escaping consequence.

After short "aggressive" negotiations, the fugitive came out of the shed and was arrested. All that running, fighting, and avoiding his destiny with consequence was useless. In the end, he went to jail.

We are all sinful, broken, unclean. And although there is a bandage (Jesus) for it, there is NO CURE. The damage has already been done and we all face a consequence ...

Death.

There is no escaping GOD's consequence. You can't out run it. You can't hide in a shed and hope it goes away. It is GOD's agent of justice. (Romans 5:12)

Want some advice? DON'T RUN!

Turn and stare death straight in the face, with courage. Follow in the footsteps of the MAN who stared down death couragously and was victorious over it. Live your life according to HIS guidlines. Accept the after-death pardon HE is offering. Eternal life (Romans 6:23)

Consequence - unescapable

Death - unavoidable


Jesus - unstoppable