A Cop's "Expected Virtues"

Fellow Sheepdogs and Supporters:

We had yet another powerful time of servant-warrior fellowship, prayer and profession-relevant Bible study as I taught on what it means to live "A Life of Valor." As stated previously, the inspiration for this study was the new film Act of Valor that opened last Friday. Now to be clear, this is definitely NOT a "Christian" film but is nevertheless being recommended -- albeit with some reservations -- by a number of respected Christian groups because there are a plethora of "teachable moments" for us. Moreover the film is a "hook" for the Christian officer/military personnel to share God's truth's with our unsaved and "fence-riding" colleagues. See my RECAP (below) for the details!

This Thursday, March 1st, our own Jim Wattles (retired Denver PD detective and Colorado State Investigator-turned-chaplain with the Colorado State Patrol) will be teaching a message he's entitled "Expected Virtues." What the Holy Spirit has led Jim to share has tremendous applicability to both what we do as cops AND in our Christian "walk" in general. If you're in the Denver area, please join us starting at 7 PM at Calvary South Denver in Littleton and don't forget to bring your spouse, a friend and/or a colleague. I'll of course post a detailed recap of Jim's message in next week's newsletter for our world-wide readership - stay tuned! As always, I encourage you to adapt the teachings to your own devotions and group studies.

Speaking of recaps, don't forget that I always share this newsletter on our FACEBOOK pages (scroll down the left side of this website to the links). In addition, don't forget about the latest prayer requests (scroll down), local meeting schedules, national news and announcements, a plethora of terrific resources and so much more. Please check back frequently.

FREE Centurion LE Ministry Apparel!

I'll have a free TCLEM t-shirt (or sweatshirt, caps or polo) along with a plethora of free literature, CDs, etc.) for any officer who attends a meeting (Yes, you gotta show to get one -- let me know your size ahead of time if at all possible.). Scroll down to the pics at the bottom of our website to see an example!


Message Recap: A Life of Valor

Both as peace officers and/or as combat military personnel, the concept of valor carries great meaning with us. That said, one does not have to an elite operator to live a life of valor. In fact, the Bible reveals that God is calling each of His children to be mighty men and women of valor - to live bold, radical, sanctified and victorious lives for Him regardless -- even in spite of -- our circumstances, trials and tribulations.

Let's define the word from a biblical standpoint: both the Hebrew (chayil, pronounced khah'-yil) and the Greek (arete -- ar-et'-ay) words for valor have virtually the same meaning and carry with it significant military/law enforcement connotations to both physical and spiritual warfare. While the Bible uses the word in conjunction with martial might and prowess, it is almost always with the understanding that it is God who provides the strength and power as opposed to man relying on his/her own skills.

The primary passage God gave me for this study is II Samuel 23:8-39 along with a quick re-visit (from recent studies) to Judges 6:11-12.

In the first passage we see who David chose to be his personal Mighty Men of Valor. They included just thirty-seven "elite operators" who would faithfully charge into battle against impossible odds and defend their king until the very end - even "unto death." Were these men perfect? Not by a longshot. However, like the elite Navy SEALs, David's mighty men possessed a sense of loyalty and service that transcended all else in their lives.

An example of this loyalty is found within the events that occurred between King David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. Bathsheba's husband -- Uriah the Hittite -- was one of David's elite "SEAL Team" members -- one of the aforementioned Mighty Men of Valor. When David attempted to cover up his sin with Bathsheba by bringing Uriah home from the front so that he could sleep with his wife, Uriah showed his loyalty and sense of duty by instead sleeping at the king's door rather than with Bathsheba because he felt it was not right to be with her while his own brothers-at-arms were still in harm's way. Uriah's loyalty, combined with David's sin, ultimately resulted in this mighty man of valor's untimely death.

It is interesting to note that God knows our abilities and talents to be His Mighty Men of Valor prior to us identifying them. In Judges 6:11-12, we find God clearly telling Gideon that he is a mighty man of valor: "The Angel of the Lord (speaking for God) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites [hiding in fear]. When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor."

It is safe to say that Gideon didn't "feel" very mighty or had much valor (or as the New International Version says, mighty warrior) when the Lord gave him his marching orders. On the contrary, just the opposite appears to be true.

So what is the lesson(s) for us here? When we look at scripture in context the picture becomes clear: God's standard for his elite warriors is often very different from "man's" standards and He goes out of His way to insure that His servant-warriors understand that their power, their skills, their "might" and their success all come from Him and not of themselves (II Samuel 22:33 - God is my strength and power... -- KJV).

Part of the SEAL Code is:

•Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate (you never leave your "swim buddy").
•Serve with Honor and Integrity.
•Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow.
•Never Quit!
•Take Responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates.
•Excel as warriors through Discipline and Innovation.
•Train for War, Fight to Win (our training is never complete).
•Defeat our Nation's enemies.

These principles have a correlation in scripture in that God is calling His mighty men of valor -- the Christian peace officer and Christian in general -- to be:

•"All in" in our loyalty and obedience to Him. Being a Christian means giving ALL of ourselves to the Lord.
•We can't go it alone - we are COMMANDED to be part of a team - to be united and strengthened in fellowship (church, our weekly meetings, etc.) with one another. Like a lone SEAL or the officer without cover, the all- alone Christian is a sitting duck for the enemy (for the SEAL, being alone equates with death). Team integrity and unity are absolute essentials.
•Serve Him with honor and integrity with the understanding that we are NEVER "off duty."
•God is calling us to true servant-leadership and true servant-hood (followers of "The Way").
•We too are to never quit (or, to quote Eliot Ness's character in The Untouchables, "Never stop, never stop fighting till the fight is done."). There is a spiritual war raging and we have been given spiritual armor that should never be removed (Ephesians 6:10-20).
•Take responsibility for our sin and seek repentance from the ONLY one who can give it. Be accountable for your own actions and for those of our partners and teammates - both cops and other Christians alike.
•Pursue excellence in all we do for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31 and others).
•Train relentlessly through the study of His Word (the Bible), prayer and Proverbs 27:17 fellowship). Understand that our training will never be complete so long as we have breath.
•Stand firm in the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat our enemy (Satan and his legions) with the conviction that the battle is His (2 Chronicles 20:15 and others) and our victory sure (1 Cor. 15:57-58).

Two former Navy SEALs who are also committed Christians have formed an evolving new companion ministry called Life of Valor (www.lifeofvalor.com) to the Act of Valor film that provides some excellent resources to help you understand "the mission" and call of the Christian servant-warrior. Take the time to check it out, write your code, pray for God's guidance and get in "the fight." With these tools in hand, also pray about seeing this film through a biblical "lens" and then discuss it with your teammates and those in the FCPO chapters or PeaceKeeper Bible study groups in which you serve and lead. This film can in fact serve as a powerful "hook" to share Christ with others. In fact, my FCPO-Denver chapter will be headed "to the movies" on March 8th to do just that!

Again, one does not have to be a SEAL, part of a Special Forces unit, SWAT team or even a regular LEO to have valor. On the contrary, God is calling YOU -- all of us -- to live a life of valor for Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. How? That kind of valor comes only from being in a life-saving/life-changing RELATIONSHIP (not "religion") with God in Christ. Are you ready to be "all in" for the Lord - to be one of His chosen few? Know that Christ Himself is knocking on the "door" of your heart and waiting for you to answer so that you can begin the grandest adventure of all. Scroll down the left side of this website to the links under How Can I Be Saved (aka True "Officer Safety"). Feel free to email me at thecenturionministry@yahoo.com if I can help in any way or to let me know you've made a decision to begin your "training" as one of God's mighty men of valor.

Additional resources? See www.lifeofvalor.com/resources



PRAYER REQUESTS, MEETING SCHEDULES & ANNOUNCEMENTS...

...are posted here on our website and updated regularly. Please take the time to review, pray for one another, and take advantage of the many resources available to you. If you have an announcement, prayer request or praise report, don't hesitate to email me with same.

That's it for this week folks. If you're in the Denver area, join us this Thursday. If not, shoot me and email and let me know how we're doing -- we love hearing from you! Let's stay "frosty" out there yet "cookin" in our walk with Christ.