Emergency Prayer Requests and "Daily Armor"

Fellow Warriors:

Note the three late-breaking prayer requests below. Please, please take the time to lift these brothers and their families in prayer.

I've also included today's "Daily Armor for Cops" devotional sent out by Brian Stewart in GA (see the "Simple Messages" link here on our site) as it is directly on target for us today.

From fellow Detective and Chaplain Ralph Gallegos with Jefferson Co. SO:

I have two prayer requests for you to add please. Deputy Marcus Liebe was involved in a head on crash last night on US Hwy 285 while on duty. The female who hit him while driving the wrong way on the highway was killed. Marcus underwent surgery today for his injuries. He has a broken sternum, broken femur and hip as well as some other injuries.

Also Sgt Dave Fulenwider was involved in an incident where a suspect was throwing rocks at cars on Hwy 285. Dave was off duty traveling with his wife who is also a Deputy. They contacted the suspect who was intoxicated and attempted to detain him while waiting for a marked unit to arrive. Dave was assaulted and sustained a head injury which required 12 staples and 9 stitches in his head as well as suffering a concussion. Marcus Liebe is on his team and Dave was well enough to go to the hospital to see him yesterday. Dave is not doing so well today and is suffering the effects of the concussion. Please send this message out for prayer and a complete recovery for these deputies please.

In addition, Inv. Jimmy Wattles (many will recognize Jimmy from History Channel's Gangland show on the Sons of Silence OMG) asks that we be in prayer for a colleague in AZ. Jim writes,
Former Mesa Arizona police officer Lance Heivilin is in a mighty struggle with cancer. This is his second battle, having defeated cancer back in 1995. Lance recently went in and had surgery to remove a tumor and was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma. Just two weeks later, another large tumor is protruding from his chest and he has an infection from the first surgery. Lance is currently undergoing treatment at UCSF Medical Center in California and is enduring a lot of pain.

Lance and his wife are Christians and need our prayers. Lance's brother, Myles "Milo" Heivilin, is a detective here in the Denver Metro area and has taken off to California to be next to his brother. We need our Christian officers to pray for the entire family as they seek God for courage and strength in this battle.

Finally, let's be in prayer for a colleague who is undergoing testing for cancer today.

Daily Armor for LEOs:

Matthew 10:34-38 says, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

When you became a police officer it probably didn't take you long to figure out you weren't going to win any popularity contests. I can remember several times during my career when a so called "friend" would contact me because they had a less than favorable encounter with another LEO. After listening to their complaint and also reading between the lines (you know what I mean), I was able to discern what took place and each time the officer was in the right. When I showed my support for the officer and explained where the person was wrong it normally didn't go over well with them. It's just part of human nature, we don't like to be confronted when we are wrong and that translates into police officers normally not being the most popular people. That's part of the price we pay when we pin on the badge, and whether we like it or not, we accept it.

Depending on where you are spiritually you may have already discovered that the same can apply to a follower of Christ. The closer we draw to Christ, the more we start seeing things from His perspective, and the more we begin to change. That can result in conflict with those around us, and according to today's text it may even include your own family. As we take up our cross and follow Him, the stands we take and the decisions we make will sometimes isolate us from those around us and make us an easy target for those who choose not to follow Him. That doesn't mean that we are to look for conflict and enjoy it, but what Christ was teaching here is that our love and devotion to Him is to supersede that of all others, even our closest family members. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:18 " If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men". That should be our goal to be at peace with all men, but when faced with a decision that requires us to choose man's favor versus God's favor, we should choose God's every time!