Trained and Ready for Battle

My Fellow Warriors:

My prayer is that you had a safe and productive Independence Day weekend. If you were able to spend at least a part of it with your families, consider yourself blessed – there are many who were (are) fighting both at home and abroad to make that possible. If you were on duty, then consider yourself blessed as well – God gave you an opportunity to make the lives of others -- fireworks issues aside -- that much more safe and peaceful (that’s our call, duty and privilege).

I had the benefit of growing up all over the world as part of a military family and then later serving overseas as a peace officer. I am also a student of history. Taken together, I can speak with some authority about how very blessed this nation has been and still is. Even with all our failings (there have been many), America has truly been “God blessed.” Sadly, the United States is rapidly turning its back on God and I fear that righteous judgment has so far been stayed only by the prayers of a righteous few.

That said, it is important for the true Christian to understand that America is not our home, nor is true liberty found in any document or system of government. On the contrary, the Bible – God’s perfect and inerrant word – tells us that true freedom is found only through a life-altering/life-saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.). On this Oswald Chambers wrote, “When you have a right-standing relationship with God, you have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight...” Amen to that

Recently Tulsa PD Captain and Ten-Four Ministries (www.tenfourministries.org) Director Travis Yates spoke on this subject during his latest “Centurion Radio” broadcast that also featured our own Officer Jason Pearson of Englewood (CO) PD: http://thecenturionpapers.blogspot.com/2011/07/centurion-radio-22-disaster-response.html.

Regardless, I encourage all Americans to take a moment to read the God-inspired document that we call our Declaration of Independence with the understanding that while it is both unique and special, it is NOT God's word, nor does it replace that word: http://nationaldayofprayer.org/declaration-of-independence/.

As God’s ordained ministers (Romans 13:1-7), it is our (law enforcement, military) duty and our privilege to preserve and defend this great nation through our service and fervent prayer. This special call requires that we maintain our warrior skills and fitness in order to serve in a manner worthy of that calling. Tonight I’ll be teaching a special message that embraces that concept while at the same time remembering that the foes we face in our daily battles are both human and demonic. Regarding the latter, ALL Christians are called to be prepared and proactive warriors engaged in battle against a very real enemy. I’ve entitled this message “Trained and Ready for Battle” and you’re invited to join us tonight at Calvary South Denver in Littleton (www.calvarycsd.org for directions) starting at 7 PM. I’ll of course post a detailed recap for all our many readers from all over the USA (and many points beyond our borders) in next week’s newsletter – stay tuned!

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The latest/updated PRAYER REQUESTS, MEETING SCHEDULES and more have been posted here on our website (see following posts). Please take the time to join us in prayer and to get yourself up-to-date on what’s happening all over the country (and check back frequently)!

Speaking of upcoming events posted here on our website, we’ve got two very special ones coming up this month and next here in Colorado:

(1) Colorado State Trooper Scott Hinshaw will be our very special guest speaker NEXT Thursday, July 14th at Calvary South Denver staring at 7:00 PM. Many may recall that Scotty was nearly killed in the same line of duty incident that resulted in the death of fellow Trooper Zach Templeton in October of 2007. Scott’s amazing, inspirational and powerful story is a not-to-be-missed event and is so far reaching that I’ve opened it to all…please plan on joining us on the 14th and don’t forget to bring you spouse and invite a colleague.

(2) Secondly, you are invited to attend "An Evening with Joel C. Rosenberg," the Ministry Architecture Inc. (MAI) annual fundraiser to be held on Thursday, August 4, 2011, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Calvary Chapel South Denver. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. MAI was founded and is directed by Leonard (Len) C. Rosenberg, a licensed architect since 1974. Len and his wife, Mary Jo, travel to developing countries to design, at no cost, buildings for Christian ministries and to teach The Bible.

Contributions to attend the two-hour session are $25 per person. Using your credit card, you will be able to register on our cart located on MAI's website at: www.ministryarchitecture.com.

Joel, a New York Times bestselling author, is knowledgeable about the Middle East, prophecies, and the correlation of current events to predicted final events in The Bible. His annual sessions on behalf of MAI are informative, engaging, and entertaining. Fresh from an Epicenter Conference hosted by Joel in Jerusalem in mid-May, he will relate his perspective regarding up-to-date activities in Israel and the Middle East. Len and Mary Jo will also report on their recent ministry activities in Israel, the West Bank, Nigeria, and Zambia.

Last year, Calvary Chapel's auditorium, with a seating capacity of 1,000, was completely filled. Make your reservations early, and plan to attend an enjoyable evening with us. All contributions are tax deductible and help support MAI activities throughout the year.

We hope to see you on August 4th at 7:30 p.m.! More on this in upcoming newsletters and on our website.

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That’s the “briefing” for this week – stay the course as we lead, serve and protect under our true Captain.

MC