Real Honor, True Courage

Fellow Servant-Warriors:

We had a great profession-relevant Bible study and fellowship last week on a topic I entitled “Cops United in Combat.” Combat? As peace officers, we engage evil and sin on a daily basis – and that engagement routinely results in physical combat. As Christian officers (“Christian” meaning having repented of our sin and asking Christ to be both Savior and Lord via a life-saving, life-changing, personal relationship with Him – being spiritually born again as per John 3:1-7), we are also engaged in daily spiritual combat as well. As servant-warriors we strap on our body armor and carry an array of offensive and defensive weaponry. Likewise, our true Captain has provided us with both powerful defensive armor and offensive weaponry to use against a very real spiritual enemy in Satan, his demonic forces, and sin in general:

ARMOR: Ephesians 6:10-17
WEAPONS: Ephesians 6:17-18; 2 Corinthians 6:7 and 2 Corinthians 10:4,5

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4,5)

The key for this study is the weapon of prayer (Ephesians 6:18) based on two points:

(1) The Power of the MANY:
Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, 'Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours (Judges 1:3).

Jesus said, May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23). God calls each of us individually and corporately to represent Christ to the world and praying in UNITY is a very powerful strategy. When unity takes place among leadership in the Body of Christ, Jesus responds by impacting our communities, our agencies, our families, our marriages, our children and our colleagues in ways we would otherwise have never thought possible.

(2) The Power of the ONE:
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (James 5:16).

How are we made righteous? Only – ONLY – through a right relationship with God in Christ! Our individual prayer – especially when we are praying God’s word (wielding our offensive weaponry), is a POWERFUL weapon indeed.

To better illustrate where we’re going with this, I’ve been given permission by author Grant Wolf to share the June 2nd entry from Stories of Faith and Courage from Cops on the Street written by my friend and fellow FCPO national board member Dep. Mike Dye from Florida:


Prayer For Real!

Sheriff’s Detective Mike Dye*
*Author of The Peacekeeper's- A Bible study for Law Enforcement Officers
Volusia County FL Sheriff’s Department

There’s prayer, and then there’s prayer! This is about real prayer!

My career began as a deputy sheriff in Florida. For awhile, it took me to the west coast before God brought me back to Florida where I belong. While in patrol, I was assigned to the rough and tough neighborhood of Spring Hill. It was depressed and filled with druggies, alcohol and hopelessness. God had given me a fresh revelation on the power of prayer, and I decided to put it to use. I prayed up and down the streets of that neighborhood, and for specific buildings themselves. I even asked God to send a Bible-teaching pastor to that neighborhood.

One night a burglar alarm went off at a bar, and I answered the call. It was an ugly, concrete block building, painted black with barred windows. While I was there, God spoke to me and said, “Pray for this building." In obedience, I laid hands on that sin- filled building as I was pulling on doors and windows to check for entry, and asked God to convert it according to his purposes. A short time later and now on day shift, I passed by and saw a lady unloading paint and decorating supplies. When I spoke to her, she said her husband was a pastor, and God had sent them to Florida from New York to start a church. She told me the bar had gone out of business, and God had supplied the building! A few weeks later, I pulled up one day in my patrol car and she was crying. She told me that local thieves were stealing their supplies. I asked the men’s group of a large church if they could help, and they did! They took on the entire project, transforming that ugly, sinful bar into a clean house of hope and worship. It went from “blight to light.” Before long the bar across the street also went out of business, and God gave Pastor Brown the keys to that building at no cost!

Spring Hill is a changed community. It’s not perfect, and still has problems with drugs, thefts and all the other crimes of today’s society – but it is changed. Other faithful believers had been crying out to God for help, and he used me as a catalyst. Like I said, there’s “prayer,” and there’s “prayer!” Oh, that more of God’s people – especially police officers – would pray over their cities for change. If it can work in Spring Hill, it can work anywhere!

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you…
pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you will too.Jeremiah 29:7

Chaplain Wolf writes, “In these hot summer months there is abundant opportunity for crime in your area to flourish. Would you be willing to put Mike’s principle of “praying for your city” to work for the specific area you serve – your entire community if you’d like – and praying over it daily for at least one month? While I’ve suggested July as a “test month,” is there anything to prevent you doing that right now?”

Here is what we are suggesting:
1. Read (and share) Mike’s story and prayerfully consider making prayer for your area/city a conscious effort before the start of your shifts.
2. Specifically target the worst streets, buildings, individuals, etc. in your area, asking God to restore His righteousness there.
3. Ask your fellow Christian officers to join you in this approach to fighting crime.
4. Use your social networks – Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites, e-mail lists, etc. to encourage others.

Working together for one month – or even the entire summer – perhaps we can enlist God’s aid in “putting a bite on crime.”

That’s our call – and our combat! Let’s wield our weapons both together and individually and watch what God can do in your agencies, communities, families, colleagues and YOU!
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COURAGEOUS the Movie Event!

This Friday, June 17th, our FCPO-Denver chapter will be meeting in Parker (CO) with other ministry, church and community leaders (and a guest -- spouses encouraged to attend) for a special showing of the new film Courageous (see www.courageousthemovie.com). If you’re in the Denver area, please RSVP (click on the following link – tickets are FREE) and join us. If not, see www.courageousthemovie.com/screenings/ to get your FREE passes to the special screenings in your area of the country. Folks, the Holy Spirit is all over this movie and it is a potential GAME CHANGER for our profession and families.

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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

(1) Friend, colleague and fellow law enforcement ministry leader Travis Yates has launched a great new website that I’ve linked to ours: http://copsforchrist.com/. Great stuff and highly recommended!

(2) Speaking of Travis, Englewood PD Officer Jason Pearson (who will be sharing with us at our June 23rd meeting) writes,

Ten Four Ministries, a Law Enforcement outreach and ministry organization based in Tulsa, OK and run by Tulsa P.D. Captain Travis Yates, is instituting an "Adopt-an-Agency" program to help rural U.S. law enforcement agencies meet equipment, supply and training needs. Many agencies, especially in the "Deep South", are operating without uniforms or modern technology such as adequate flashlights, tasers, body armor or even cars and other equipment made in this century. Many of these Officers, and their Chiefs, live below the National poverty line and many earn less than $20,000 a year.

We are very fortunate to have decent pay, good benefits and modern equipment, and my recent trip to Alabama to meet Officers from rural agencies after the recent tornadoes reinforced my realization that we are in a great position to help out our fellow officers and deputies. What we often discard, throw away or auction off could help another agency operate and function under safer and more adequate working conditions. We can't help them make better pay or get a retirement plan, but we can certainly help them perform their difficult jobs with a higher chance of getting home safe to their families.

If your agency is interested in helping, please contact me here at Englewood P.D. We already have several agencies in Texas and Mississippi we are screening for possible "adoption" and would love to get them help as soon as we can.

Sincerely,

Ofc. J. Pearson #0502
Englewood Police Department
3615 S. Elati St.
Englewood, CO 80110
303-762-2438
jpearson@englewoodgov.org

Well?

(3) Lots of new links, news, resources, the latest PRAYER REQUESTS, Denver-area MEETING SCHEDULES, etc. are posted and updated almost daily here on our website. Check back frequently!

Denver-Area Events:

(4) If you are not paying into a legal defense fund and/or a Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) member, I encourage you to consider joining our new FOP chapter here in Denver. We are meeting this Saturday, June 18th, at 1100 hours in Westminster – shoot me an email if interested in being a part of this strong organization.

(5) As mentioned above, Englewood PD Officer Jason Pearson just got back from being his God-inspired “mission” trip (aid, support) to police agencies in storm-ravaged Alabama and will be sharing with us at our June 23rd meeting at Calvary South Denver in Littleton. Jason is on fire for Christ (Oorah!) and The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry/FCPO-Denver has been used by God in a powerful way in Jason’s life. Please join us!

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I’ll close this week’s newsletter by sharing the a warrior’s “creed” from a recent www.PoliceOne.com article written by Jack E. Hoban and Bruce J. Gourlie (www.policeone.com/training/articles/3774287-The-ethical-warrior-Guiding-principles-and-Humphreys-Warrior-Creed/):

Wherever I walk, everyone is a little safer because I am there.

Amen! Be safe out there and -- if you’re in the Denver-area this Friday -- hope to see you in Parker for the Courageous event!