Rising to the Call of Leadership

Last week we looked at what it means to “run to the battle” in terms of both our spiritual lives AND as it relates to what we do in law enforcement. The lyrics of Steve Camp’s song by the same title read (in part), “Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells but I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of hell…” God has called us to this profession and Romans 13 gives us our authority. We run to the sound of battle because that is what God made us for (and who He made us to be). Rest assured that we are in a war against the forces of darkness not only from a law enforcement standpoint but spiritually as well. Moreover, the devil wants nothing more than to see those of us “in the breach” be defeated on a personal level. 1 Pet. 5:8 reads, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” But our Father has given us powerful weapons to combat evil in this world that go far beyond what we carry on our rigs or in our units. Psalm 144:1 reads, “Praise be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” Here’s the gist: We will never experience God in powerful ways by acquiring biblical knowledge alone. It is only when that knowledge is used in the heat of battle that you will know what you’ve learned in the Word. Otherwise, it remains only an exercise --training that yields little fruit. We can practice and train all we want but it is when we put that training into practice – with the added pressure of the “real deal” (the battlefield) – that we see how truly prepared we are. David became a great warrior and a LEADER of a nation at an early age. His training ground was his job protecting the sheep from wild beasts (hmmm – sounds familiar). That training ground prepared him for his combat with Goliath – and it served him well (but remember that God is the ultimately the one who fights before us).

Are you watching from the sideline? Retired on duty? Or are you actively engaged in the battle? Are you faithful and obedient in your personal life? Have you prayed with others in public? Have you taught a Bible study? Have you served others for the sake of the Gospel? Do your colleagues KNOW that you are a Christian by the way you live? Ask God to give us the grace to “get into the fight” both spiritually and in our jobs as well.

We’ll build on these concepts further this week by asking more tough questions. Are you a true servant-leader or just the person out front (if you are in the front at all)? Are you another in a long line of supervisors who has failed to truly lead? Are you a line officer who is content to stay in the background or do your rise to the call of leadership (leadership has NOTHING to do with rank)? If you lead, do you do so from a biblical world view? We’ll answer these questions and more at Thursday’s meeting (see below).

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

(1) MEETING UPDATES: We will be meeting this Thursday (July 9th) from 1900-2000 at Calvary South Denver in Littleton.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (subject to change of course…keep an eye on the website and be sure you are getting our e-newsletters – shoot me and email at fullarmor911@yahoo.com if you are not):

-- Thu, July 9th, 1900-2000, Calvary South Denver
-- NO MEETING the week of July 12-18
-- Thu, July 23rd, 1900-2000, Calvary South Denver or TBD (stay tuned).
-- Sat, August 1st: Promise Keepers! See below!
-- Saturday, August 8th, 0900-1000+, TBD

(2) PROMISE KEEPERS is coming to Boulder July 31-August 1, 2009. We will not have a Saturday, August 1st meeting in deference to this life-changing event. Guys – take your wives (women are welcome and encouraged to attend)! This year marks the return of Coach Mac to PK and this year’s rally is supposed to be incredible. Entitled “A Time to Honor,” it is very much in line with God’s call on our own ministry. Check out the PK website for more:


PRAYER REQUESTS:

(1) From our Chief Investigator (State): “Please pray for a man named Christopher. We came upon a very severe one car accident on the 4th and stopped to assist. He seemed OK when I left the scene; but yesterday we received a call from his mother and she said he was in ICU and not conscious. That family and the victim need God’s grace, comfort and healing."

(2) Be in prayer for a brother in Dallas who is dealing with some tough, all-too-common issues stemming from a duty-related shooting. He has emailed me and asked for prayer…let’s hold him up! His story is detailed at http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/1836536-One-survivors-post-shooting-mission-more-respect-between-cops-and-security/.

(3) Keith Adams in Cary, NC writes, “I just want to thank you for your ministry Brother! Here in Cary NC, our Bible study started out with two now has grown to now include members of our command staff, and we are hosting it at the PD! We are currently using Mike Dye's book, The Peacekeepers.” Let’s keep Keith and his brother/sister officers in our prayers!

See ya Thursday!