Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications

Safety and Self-Defense

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2017-06-18

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Proverbs 21:31 to teach that safety ultimately comes from the Lord, yet God requires believers to responsibly use means for self-defense. He distinguishes self-defense from turning the cheek (which addresses insults), argues that war and fighting are not inherently evil, and outlines three essential components for living safely: a combat mindset (mental awareness), physical training (muscle memory), and the will to act. Without all three, one cannot effectively protect oneself or one's family.

[John Weaver] So Proverbs chapter 21 verse 31, the message is entitled Safety and Self-Defense. Notice if you would Proverbs 21 verse 31, the Bible says a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Well, that's chapter 22. I want verse 31. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. When I put my glasses on, I can see. The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." Everyone should be interested in safety and self-defense.

[John Weaver] And all, except the foolish and the naive, will actually be concerned about their health and their welfare. It is normal, natural, and biblical to desire to live safely and also to prosper. It was the desire of John the Apostle that his children and his people would all be blessed. He said in 3 John 1 verse 2, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. And let me just mention the fact that As I talk about Proverbs 21 and verse 31, and as I talk about safety and self-defense, I am referring to self-defense.

[John Weaver] I'm not talking about a Matthew 5 situation. Anytime you talk about Matthew chapter 5 or anytime the subject of self-defense comes up, someone is always going to say, well, our Lord said, if someone smites you on the right cheek, then you turn to him the left also. In other words, they bring up the subject of turning the cheek. May I point out that Matthew chapter 5 has absolutely nothing to do with self-defense. And Matthew chapter 5 is basically just teaching us how to deal with what you and I would call Insults and inconvenient things that happen to us in our lives. For instance, if I'm facing Gary, and since most men are right-handed, if I'm going to knock his block off, I'm going to come around with a haymaker, and I ball my fist up and I draw back and I hit him, my right hand is going to land on his left cheek.

[John Weaver] That's all there is to it. If I hit him on the right cheek, all that means is I've kind of back-fisted him or used the fingers of my hand. I've insulted him. His life is not in danger. It's kind of like the old-timers when they would challenge someone to a duel. They'd just take a glove like that and slap him on the cheek. That has nothing to do with self-defense.

[John Weaver] The Lord is saying, don't get bent out of shape over insults. It doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

[John Weaver] The next thing He said, if someone sues you for your coat, give him your cloak also. In other words, this is something that is insignificant and not worth getting upset about. Then He said, whosoever compels thee to go a mile, go with him twain. So what difference does it make if you walk one mile or two miles? And all our Lord is doing in that passage is teaching us how to deal with these insults and these things that are inconvenient to us, and He's telling us that we're not to get bent out of shape over it.

[John Weaver] However, when you talk about safety, if you really believe that your safety is important, then you have to put a high price on what you and I would call self-defense. It is impossible to remain safe if you're unconcerned with your self-defense or if you will not defend yourself.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you two caveats or two warnings based upon Proverbs 21, verse 31. Look at that. He says, The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. So first and foremost, Solomon is telling us that safety comes from the sovereign God of heaven and earth. If God does not protect us, if God does not keep us safe, that means all of our preparations, all of our endeavors, all of our plans, all of our trainings, all of our means will fail. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Psalms, Psalm 33 and verses 16 and 17.

[John Weaver] And you'll see a passage here that is almost parallel. Psalm 33, notice if you would, verse 16. It's going to give us basically the same truth in a different format. In Psalm 33, verse 16, he says it like this, There is no king saved by the multitude of an host. In other words, might does not do it. He says, a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. So a powerful man is not the one that always wins and succeeds. Then he says this, On horse is a vain thing for safety, neither will he deliver any by his great strength." So we could paraphrase verse 17, and we could say that a pistol, a rifle, a machine gun, a plane, or a tank is a vain thing for safety, and neither will it deliver any by its great firepower.

[John Weaver] In other words, what the Bible is teaching us is that means are useless and worthless unless the sovereign God of heaven and earth protects us. Our protection is in Him. That's why it's said in Psalm 127, verse 1, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. So, if safety does not come from the Lord, all else is basically hopeless.

[John Weaver] Now, without me going into great detail, let me just point out the fact that Scripture confirms that if you and I desire His protection, then we must be obedient to His law. He said in Leviticus chapter 25 and verse 18, Wherefore you shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them, and you shall dwell in the land safely. So God says if you want to dwell in the land safely, you obey Me. You keep My law, you do My judgments. Now there's a second caveat or a second warning Proverbs 21 in verse 31 when he says the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord The Bible is also very clear on this point that we must understand that God is Not going to fulfill our responsibilities for

[John Weaver] us It is true that he is sovereign It is true that he is omnipotent Yet He will not do for us that which we refuse to do for ourselves." Stop and think about this. God is not going to pray for us. God is not going to repent for us. God is not going to study for us. God is not going to think for us. God is not going to train for us. The man that will not use the means that God has provided will never ever be able to protect himself. God has given us certain responsibilities. Yes, safety first and foremost is of Him, but then God is not going to fulfill our responsibilities for us.

[John Weaver] So we've got to keep these two truths in proper perspective. First, we have to remember that safety first and foremost is of the Lord, and secondly, that God requires you and I to be responsible and to use the means that He has ordained. For instance, You remember, Samson was a mighty man of God, and God certainly empowered Samson. But Samson reached down and picked up the jawbone of an ass and slew a thousand Philistines. Samson had to pick up the jawbone of an ass. Samson had to fight. The power and the blessing of God was upon Samson, but Samson had to fight. God did not fight for him. God also gave David power and the ability to use a sling against Goliath, but he did not throw the stone for David. That was David's responsibility.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel 23. 2 Samuel 23. In this passage, You have a listing of David's mighty men, and I could multiply illustrations here, but I want you to just see these two verses talking about Eliezer. Look, if you would, please. 2 Samuel 23, verse 9, And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.

[John Weaver] In other words, there wasn't anybody around except these few. What did Eliezer do? He arose and smoked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. For the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil. So here's Eleazar. He's fighting the Philistines, and he fights them until his hand was so weary that it actually locked around the sword. And so they had to come up basically and pry his finger off so he could drop the sword. Now, the Bible says the Lord brought a great victory. It was true that God protected Eleazar. It is true that God gave him strength. It is true that God gave him power. It is true that God gave him the victory. But God did not swing the sword for him, and God did not fight for him.

[John Weaver] So that brings me to this statement. War and fighting are not necessarily evil in and of themselves. Usually, war and fighting are evil, but they do not have to be evil. And the truth is that God has used and He still continues to use war and fighting. And it may surprise you to discover that the Bible teaches that God Himself is a man of war. For instance, in Exodus chapter 15, verse 3, the Bible says, the Lord is a man of war. The Lord is His name. the Lord is a man of war. When you get to Exodus chapter 17 and verse 16, for he said, because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. So God is a warrior and God has sworn that he is going to have war with Amalek from generation to generation. If you look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 42, Isaiah chapter 42, and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 42 and verse 13. Notice what the scripture says about God.

[John Weaver] Isaiah 42 and verse 13. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar, he shall prevail against his enemies." Note, if you would, the Bible tells us that God is going to stir up himself like a man of war. That God is going to cry, yea, he's going to roar, and he shall prevail against his enemies. So, neither war, or fighting, or warriors, or evil in and of themselves. The calling of a warrior is indeed a holy calling if that warrior fights for God and in accordance to His law.

[John Weaver] So let me make a statement and listen carefully. God does not raise up antinomian warriors. He does not raise up men who fight contrary to His law and contrary to His Word. Those who fight for God must fight according to His law.

[John Weaver] Now, someone is going to say, well, I don't think there's any place for a warrior in Scripture. I just don't think that any man should fight. Well, in that case, you probably would have a controversy with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. So if you look in Revelation chapter six and then we'll go to Revelation 19, look in Revelation chapter six and verse two. In fact, we can read verse one just so that you can see that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the context. Revelation six, verse one. And I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals. And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse.

[John Weaver] And he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer." Now, obviously, this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There are some eschatological schools that would try to say that this is the Antichrist. It is true there's a lot of symbolism in the book of Revelation. But the truth is the symbolism is consistent. And if you look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, you will find out who it is on that white horse. Revelation 19 verse 11, And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True.

[John Weaver] and in righteousness doth he judge and make war." That's Jesus Christ. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, and He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself, and He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. But note back in verse 11, the Lord Jesus Christ who is faithful and true in righteousness, He doth judge and make war.

[John Weaver] So let me just spell it out for you. It is not a sin to fight. It is a sin to fight unbiblically and needlessly. It is not a sin to defend yourself. It is a sin to not defend yourself.

[John Weaver] message on the biblical doctrine of war. I also have a message the Lord teaches us to fight. I also have a message on total warfare. There are so many passages in the Bible concerning war and fighting. So the point I'm trying to make is this. Whenever we are called upon to fight, we must learn to trust in the Lord and fight according to His Word And at the same time, trust in Him to make all the means effectual. For if He doesn't make them effectual, everything is absolutely worthless. So, with these two thoughts in mind, first of all, safety is of the Lord.

[John Weaver] And secondly, God has given us a responsibility to defend ourselves, and God is not going to do that for us. So here's the question that I have to ask. How then do we begin to live safely? And how then do we have a mentality that we must protect ourselves and our families? Well, I want to answer that in three ways. Although I'm going to enunciate each one of these points individually, You must understand that they are intertwined, they work together, and you really cannot have one without the other and end up being successful. You must have all three.

[John Weaver] So how do we do that? First of all, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset.

[John Weaver] Now, let me say that again. First, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset. Colonel Jeff Cooper, who is now dead, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel, said this. Listen carefully. A gun is good. A knife is good. A stick is better than nothing at all. and your hands, arms, legs, and muscles are all to be relied upon when nothing else can be.

[John Weaver] But without your brain, without thinking, without cognizant awareness, you're little more than an animal fighting for survival in a dangerous situation. So what he's saying is you better learn to use your brain. You better learn to use your mind. The beginning of a combat mindset begins with what you and I would call mental awareness or situational awareness. And the truth of the matter is most people are hopelessly unaware.

[John Weaver] Their minds are off in la-la land and they're planning their next adventure. Most people are so addicted to their cell phones and their computer games and their laptops they have absolutely no idea who is next to them or even sometimes where they are or what is happening. Alice and I often fly on a plane and I'll get up and go to the bathroom and I look Practically everybody is looking down at a little cell phone or a little computer, playing a game, and have no idea who's sitting next to them or who's sitting across the aisle. They're just totally and completely unaware.

[John Weaver] Probably you read about this past week of the 67-year-old woman who's walking down the sidewalk texting and fell into the basement of a building. The doors were open like this, and the doors were 14 to 16 inches high, and she tripped over and went over. And the video showed her being carried out on the litter, totally, completely unaware. Most people, you could walk up on them, do whatever you wanted to do, and they would never even know it.

[John Weaver] So, a combat mindset simply means that you have developed the ability to be aware, to be alert, and to act effectively and ethically under adversity, stress, and extreme pressure. Now, it was this same Colonel Jeff Cooper who came up with what you and I know as the color code of mental awareness. They even teach that at Front Sight. A lot of schools teach it. But it began with Colonel Jeff Cooper.

[John Weaver] And so here is what he said. He gave four different conditions. First of all is condition white. Condition white is when an individual is unaware and unprepared. If you are attacked in condition white, it means basically the only thing that's going to save you is the ineptitude and the inability of your attacker. In other words, you are totally, absolutely caught off guard. And you're like, what? What is happening? This can't be happening to me. And and you're just absolutely, totally surprised. It's kind of like the men just recently, three teenagers slipped up behind him and hit him over the head and tried to rob him.

[John Weaver] Some of them had a pistol and they beat him and he ended up killing two of them. He happened to be an off-duty border patrol agent. And so, the simple fact is he was just walking down the street not paying attention and they came up behind him and began hitting him on the head. So that's a condition white. Condition yellow just simply means that you have a relaxed but a state of alertness.

[John Weaver] In other words, you're aware of your surroundings. You're aware of your situations. When you go into a restaurant, you look around and find the exits. You look at people and try to determine who's packing and who's not packing. The same thing with a motel. And you'd be surprised at the crimes and the murders that happen at motels and convenience stores. I just read yesterday about an off-duty guard who was murdered in a convenience store. So it's wise, especially these convenience stores, to stop and look on the inside before you go in and see what's going on on the inside. So condition yellow just simply means, hey, I'm aware, people could be here, things could be happening that I don't want to get involved in, and so if you are in a relaxed condition yellow, you're saying, I'm just going to be on my toes. I'm going to look out. I'm going to watch out. And then, of course, thirdly, is there's condition orange.

[John Weaver] That is a specific state of alertness. Your mind is being prepared. You've already identified specific issues. You've already identified potential threats. And what you're saying is, I may need to do something here. I may need to take action. It may be one. It may be two. It may be three. And what you want to make sure of in this situation that you do not have tunnel vision, there's Lorraine, that's the threat right there, when it could be over here and it could be over here as well.

[John Weaver] But that is condition orange. Condition red is when you actually know that you are involved and you have to fight and you have to be ready at that particular moment. All your threats have been assessed, you just have to do it. With this color code, and I admit this color code is indeed helpful, but if your mind stayed consistently in what you and I would call condition yellow, most unsafe conditions could be avoided. The greatest position of safety is avoiding unsafe circumstances.

[John Weaver] If you see it coming, and if you have the ability to leave, do so, especially if you're not able or prepared to defend yourself. Get out of the way of trouble. The best way to survive an attack is avoid one. Don't get attacked. stay out of the places where it's likely to happen. So, color codes or no color codes, whether you agree with the condition white, yellow, orange, or red is immaterial. The truth of the matter is you have to be aware of what is going on and you have to see these dangerous situations and avoid them. Now, when you see danger there are normally four different responses and each one of us will react in one of these four ways.

[John Weaver] There is fight, There is flight, there is fright and there is freeze. So that means is when you get in danger, you're either going to fight or you're going to run away or you're going to be so frightened and so scared that you don't know what is going to happen. And then, of course, you would absolutely freeze up much like a deer in the headlights who just stand there, stands there waiting for the vehicle to hit them. Someone has said, and we use this phrase all the time, I was scared to death. Well, being scared to death usually can result in your death. So you have to understand, you're going to respond one of these four ways to danger. A combat mindset will enable you to fight effectively under stress and danger. It just means that you've prepared your mind to the extent that you do not panic, you do not freeze, and you do not become helplessly frightened.

[John Weaver] No, you simply do what needs to be done. Let me go a little bit further. I want you to think. Please listen. A combat mindset, for a Christian especially, a combat mindset has already determined what course could be taken and should be taken from a biblical standpoint. So here's a good question for you. Do you know what God allows? In the act of self-defense. Do you know under what circumstances, according to the Word of God, life may be lawfully and legitimately taken? How far can you go in defending your life and in defending the lives of others? What exactly does God command?

[John Weaver] Now, each of us knows the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill. That is a negative. You have to remember that every negative has a positive. The positive of thou shalt not kill is thou shalt preserve life. So you have a duty, you have an obligation, you have a responsibility to preserve life. That means you have a responsibility to preserve your life and the lives of others. And God is not going to keep that duty and that responsibility for you. So it means if you are attacked and someone is trying to take your life, it means you must defend yourself And you must stop that attack and stop that threat.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to me carefully. If you can stop the threat without taking life, wonderful. If you cannot stop the threat without taking a life, then you just have to do what must be done.

[John Weaver] Now, many people will erroneously think, I don't even want to think about this. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. This is too painful for me. I just do not want to think about it." Well, let me tell you something. When it comes to a life and death situation, if you have not thought about it, if it's not worked out in your mind already, you will not know what to do. It will be too late because it will happen in an instant.

[John Weaver] If you hesitate, you're going to be the victim. That's all there is to it.

[John Weaver] Now is the time to find out what the sovereign God of the universe allows you to do in self-defense. You have to learn that the God who gives life and sustains life also tells you in the Bible why life may be lawfully taken on His terms. And if you do not possess a combat mentality, if you're not ready to fight and defend yourself, you will not do so.

[John Weaver] in the moment of danger because you do not have that mindset. Now let me explain something else about a combat mindset. A combat mindset does not mean that you become a hunter. It does not mean that you begin looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're just itching to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is you're not going to allow anyone to take your life or the life of your family or the life of your loved ones or the life of your friends and your neighbors. All a combat mindset is this, is I will fight and I will do whatever is necessary to protect my life and the life of my family. So if you're going to live safely and be able to defend yourself, You must possess a combat mindset.

[John Weaver] OK, here's the second thing I told you. These things go together.

[John Weaver] Secondly, there must be physical training that will make that combat mindset effective. You will fight the way you train. You respond and you will say, but I do not train. Well, fine. You will not fight, or at least you will not fight long, or you certainly will not fight effectively. If there is no muscle memory that will enable you to function, when your fine motor skills are unavailable, you will be defeated. If you have not, and do not practice and develop muscle memory to the point of doing it instinctively, or at least doing it without thinking, You will not be able to defend your family and you'll certainly not be able to defend yourself. Most people will go out and they'll buy a pistol, they'll buy a box of ammunition, they'll place it on the nightstand by their bed and they think somehow There's a home invasion that they're going to be able to get their pistol and load it and somehow save their family members.

[John Weaver] That's the furthest thing from the truth. It would never happen because you're not trained to use that weapon. You have no confidence in that weapon and you'll end up usually dead is what it would mean. Calvin was right when he said this, that all the skillfulness and art in training men for war, and in the use of armor, in marshalling of armies, in forming sieges, and all other military tactics are all from God. Wow.

[John Weaver] That was certainly so in the life of David. Now, I remind you what David said in Psalm 144, verse 1. He said,"'Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight.'" Where did David learn his martial skills? And the answer is, from God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. We're talking about physical training. David did not set out to learn how to use the sling when he met Goliath. He already knew how to use a sling. He had already been taught. He had already practiced and practiced, and he knew exactly what he could do. He probably could sling stones in his sleep, and the shot to Goliath's forehead was not a lucky shot. David knew exactly what that sling would do, and he knew exactly where that stone would go, because he trained himself.

[John Weaver] When you know what you're able to do, you will have confidence in yourself and in your weapon. Without training, without muscle memory, all you can do is hope. All you can do is hope is that your inability and your ineptitude is not as bad as the inability and the ineptitude of the attacker. That's all you can do. I've heard men say, But I shot expert when I was in the Army. And yes, you did.

[John Weaver] Probably 30 to 40 years ago. And that was on the range with no one shooting back at you. Besides that, most men haven't shot consistently since they were in the military. I know military men and I know law enforcement officers who cannot shoot. There have been some that have stated that publicly to us. One to Alice and myself as well. He admitted he just could not shoot. And he'd been in law enforcement for years and years and years. I know for a fact that a lot cannot shoot because I've seen them.

[John Weaver] I remember when my youngest grandchildren were something like 12 and 14. We took them to front site and there were five deputies standing side by side with my two teenage or nearly teenage grandchildren, one twelve, one fourteen. And those two grandchildren outshot the five deputies. Not just one time, but consistently over four days. The deputies just simply could not function.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just because someone's been in the military or just because someone's in law enforcement does not mean that they can shoot. I have said this several times. The worst student I've ever had in all the years of training was a former law enforcement officer. He couldn't shoot. He wouldn't listen. He did not know how to function. He thought he knew it all, but he could not function.

[John Weaver] And he was a danger not only to himself, but to everyone around him. Bad training is worse than no training. And so many people think that they can function without the necessary training. It's impossible. I remember years ago when I was invited to go to Front Sight for the first time. And when my pastor friend invited me, the first thought that hit my mind was, what can they teach me about shooting? I've been shooting since I was seven years old. I started hunting when I was seven years old, a little single shot.22. But I did start hunting when I was seven years of age. And I thought, well, this is going to be a waste of time, but I went.

[John Weaver] And boy, let me tell you something. What I discovered after my first day there was how absolutely stupid and dumb and ignorant I really was. So it's just like they say, you don't know what you do not know.

[John Weaver] Now, someone's going to say, but I've been in the military and I've shot. I'm somewhat of a decent shooter. I can hit. Yeah. On the range. But may I remind you there's that 50% rule. The 50% rule simply is this, that you're half as good under pressure as your best day on the range. If you cannot function under stress and pressure and danger, you're not going to be able to function in a real fight. If you can't function under stress and danger, you're going to become a victim. And by the way, there's a vast difference between target shooting and defensive handgun shooting.

[John Weaver] Most men have trained with a rifle. And most men can shoot a rifle fairly well. But most men do not walk around with a rifle slung over their shoulder. Pistols are usually carried because they're portable and they are concealable. But listen to me. In reality, it does not matter how great a shot you are. If you cannot get your weapon out quickly and you cannot get it on target, you perish.

[John Weaver] Accuracy is necessary and desired, but accuracy will not help you if you are slow or if you have no muscle memory. If I had to make a choice between accuracy and speed, certainly I would take accuracy. But I don't have to make a choice between them because with proper training I can have both. Accuracy will not help you if you can't get to your weapon. Accuracy will not help you if you keep your weapon under lock and key. Accuracy will not help you If you can't get on target quickly, just in the last month or so, there was a store owner and his son who were both murdered by three robbers. The store owner was carrying a pistol, concealed, but he had no round in the chamber. And when one of the robbers turned his head away, he went to draw his pistol and he came out and he tried to slingshot it. and put around in the chamber and his fingers were slipping. The robber turned and saw it, shot him, then turned and shot his son.

[John Weaver] And as the owner went down, he was still doing this right until he died. So I'm just simply saying, he could have been the best shot in the entire state. But if you can't get that weapon out and get it on target, your accuracy is absolutely worthless. And let me just go ahead and say this. I'm talking about physical training. I've heard every excuse under the sun why people do not train. It's too hot. July and August are really hot, I can tell you that. It's too cold. Well, I don't like cold any more than anybody else, but I will tell you this.

[John Weaver] One of the coldest classes I ever taught was in Oklahoma. It was 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground. And I had 25 to 30 folks who stayed with me for two days, and about 10 of them were women. Now, the second day was warmer than the first day, but still, you consider 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground? Yeah. It's raining. Well, that's fine. Let it rain. It costs money. Yeah, I'm going to cover that.

[John Weaver] I don't have the time. But yet we find time to go on vacation, we find time to go hunting, or we find time to go fishing, or we find time to do whatever we desire, and we will find time to die. Weather should not bother you. And I normally tell folks, jokingly, when they're concerned about the weather, there's no extra charge for actual combat conditions. Alice and I were at Front Sight one year. It was in May. The middle of May, the first day was 105. Second day, 106. Third day, 107. And the fourth day, 51 raining and snowing.

[John Weaver] And we just kept shooting. So you have to remember this simple truth. If you are attacked, you don't get to pick the time or the place or the weather conditions. Your adversary does that. He is not interested in picking a time or a place or the weather that is advantageous for you and convenient for you. He's going to choose all that for himself. And if you do not know how to function in any of those, you are going to be behind the curve and you're going to be the victim. You're going to end up losing. You cannot Protect your family if you are concerned about the weather and somebody said but look at the money and I've got a friend Oh, I've got a friend That I don't need to waste my ammunition. I need this. The ammunition costs money.

[John Weaver] Well, let me tell you something. I know that travel costs money. I know that ammunition costs money. I know that equipment costs money. And the problem is most of us do not have a sufficient amount of money. I understand that, but you also have to remember that emergency rooms and doctors and hospitals and funerals cost money as well. And I'd rather spend a little money on the former and sacrifice so my family would not have to spend all their money on the latter, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] Proper training and proper practice should allow you to acquire muscle memory and such training will automatically lead to what you and I would call instinct or point shooting, which means that you could shoot accurately without your sights. from five to ten yards. So if you refuse to train, you will never acquire a combat mindset. And if you refuse to train, you will never ever have a biblical martial spirit, and therefore you will never possess that mindset. Thirdly, listen carefully. Not only must you have mental training and physical training, thirdly, there must be a willingness to use your mindset and training in order to safely defend yourself and your family. If you are unwilling to act upon your training and apply that which you have learned, you will be the victim.

[John Weaver] One that has already made up his mind and will not hesitate, that is the one that's going to win the fight. There is a vast difference between action and reaction. Action always beats reaction. And the biggest difference between a target shooter and a defensive shooter is the will to act and to act speedily and readily with the grit and determination necessary to accomplish your self-defense. One of the greatest lines in a movie that I ever heard was uttered by Clint Eastwood and the outlaw Josie Wales.

[John Weaver] They were being attacked, and here's what he said. Now remember, things look bad, and it looks like you're not going to make it. Then you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean. Because if you lose your head and you give up, you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is. And that's an absolute truth. If you don't become mad dog mean and are willing to apply what you have learned, you will lose.

[John Weaver] You must have the will to act. Dave Spaulding has a wonderful book called Handgun Combatives. Dave Spaulding is retired law enforcement. And I want you to listen to this paragraph from his book. He said, I have spoken with many a student who has come to me and said, Oh, I will never shoot anyone. I'm just going to use the gun to scare them away. Well, let me tell you something. This technique seldom works. If you can scare them away, that is great. However, over the last several decades of law enforcement, I have learned that criminals, a.k.a. human predators, can tell when someone has the resolve to end a fight versus someone who is just trying to fake their way through a situation.

[John Weaver] I spent seven years of my 25-year law enforcement working in the county jail and dealing with inmates on a daily basis. When my shift was slow and my bookends were few, I would take the opportunity to get some of these human predators out of their cells and sit them down in the officer's dining room and talk to them about their criminal behavior. It was amazing for a few moments of freedom, a bologna sandwich and a can of soda, what information these individuals would share with me. I never ceased to be amazed by the amount of street intellect that these individuals possessed.

[John Weaver] Their ability to size up people is uncanny. Without a doubt, criminals, human predators, and even those people who live and breathe the street can tell when someone is willing to fight and someone who is only posturing. I would caution anyone who buys a firearm with this intention to rethink his or her solution. They have about a 75 to 80 percent chance of failure. in the event they brandish a firearm without the will to use it."

[John Weaver] That's from a 25-year law enforcement officer. He said, if you don't have the will to use it, you're dead.

[John Weaver] Now, if you do not think that the will to fight is necessary, think about David. Do you remember that passage in 1 Samuel chapter 17 where Goliath is coming out and challenging all those soldiers? Everyone's afraid. And then David in verse 32 said to King Saul, and David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go out and fight this Philistine. What did he say? I will fight. I will do it. David had the means to fight.

[John Weaver] He had the blessings of the Lord upon him. But he also had something else. He had something that none of those other soldiers had. He had the will to fight. He said, I will fight. I will do it. So you have to remember this. Without the will to fight, all the mental training, all the physical training are worthless and a waste of time. Because if you're not going to fight, you will be the victim. Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21.

[John Weaver] It is never wrong to emulate our Heavenly Father. In Jeremiah chapter 21, God is dealing with juda and jerusalem and that i have to ask jeremiah to pray that the lord would turn the babylonians back of course dot not going to do it because of the sins of juda jerusalem so i want you to watch what god says jeremiah twenty-one news verse four thus set the lord god of israel behold i will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city," look what God

[John Weaver] says,"...and I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, and I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, they shall die of a great pestilence." God said, I will fight. Did you know our Lord said the same thing? In the book of Revelation chapter 2 and verse 16, our Lord is talking to the church and he says, repent or else I will come into thee quickly and will fight against thee with a sword of my mouth. I will fight against thee, he said, with a sword of my mouth. Now, if you do not think that God has a resolve to fight, I would challenge you to do something.

[John Weaver] Rebel against Him and wait and see. If you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verses 9 and 10, Deuteronomy 7, look at verses 9 and 10. Look what the Bible says. You don't think God will repay his enemies? You don't think God will fight? Deuteronomy chapter 7, notice if you would please, verses 9 and 10. God says, Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him to their face. to destroy them.

[John Weaver] He will not be slapped to him that hated them. He will repay him to his face." God has the will to fight, and He will fight His enemies. You know, the problem is this. We do not understand that basically that we are in a war. There's a sheriff that you have here in Florida, Sheriff Wayne Ivey, out of Orlando, Florida, who understands the situation that we're in. And I just read an article about Sheriff Ivey just this week.

[John Weaver] In fact, you can look it up on the Internet. You can go to YouTube and type in Sheriff Wayne Ivey, and there's a little One of them there, we are at war. And here's what the article says. Listen to Sheriff Ivey's words. When Sheriff Ivey says war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.

[John Weaver] Let me just stop right there. If you haven't done so, check. And look at what happened in New Mexico, because here's a grown man, and look to me, probably in his forties, who murdered his stepfather because they got into an argument over the pickup truck. Then he shot his mother as she pleaded with him not to shoot her, and she will probably die. That's what the article said.

[John Weaver] She's in really critical condition. And then he left. And he went and shot and three killed three other individuals. And he said he just killed them for fun. Those were his words. So here's what Sheriff Ivey says. When I say war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.

[John Weaver] What's next is to fully understand that this is war, and you'd better be prepared to wage war to protect you, your family, and those around you if attacked, he argued. Sheriff Ivey went on to emphasize the fact that shooters feed off fear. and in many ways depend on people running and hiding as opposed to standing tall and fighting back. What they don't count on is being attacked themselves, having to become defensive to save their own lives, the sheriff said. So what he is saying is, you better have the means and you better have the will to fight or someone like this is going to die. It's like the lunacy in England where the jihadists were taking knives and going on London Bridge and slashing people and killing people.

[John Weaver] And so the authorities came out and said, in order to counteract this, you must run, hide, and tell. I prefer draw, aim, and shoot. That's absolute lunacy. Run, hide and tell. At least Sheriff Ivey is saying we have to determine that we're going to defend ourselves and we must have the will to fight. We must possess a combat mentality. We must acquire the proper training and we must have the will to actually apply that training. And let me say this again, a combat mindset and proper training and the will to use the training does not mean that you're a hunter. It does not mean that you're looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're seeking to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is that you are going to defend your life and your family and those whom God has given you the responsibility of protecting. That's all it means. Thomas Jefferson said this. Listen carefully.

[John Weaver] A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character upon the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion in all your walks. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to make some applications. I want you to think. We're talking about safety and self-defense. Do you realize that one of the greatest weaknesses of Christians, one of the greatest weaknesses in the people of God, is that we have lost our martial spirit? Most churches today will not even sing onward Christian soldiers marching against the war. They will not. And our men, both young and old, have been feminized, sanitized, and neutralized.

[John Weaver] And if you will not stand for something, you're going to fall for anything. And most people today are not going to fight temptation in their lives, in their family lives, in their church life, or in their national life. We're not only afraid to fight, we don't know how to fight. And we do not have the will to fight. It was Taylor Caldwell who said this. This summarizes our generation.

[John Weaver] He said, the strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women. We need to learn to pray that God would raise up men and give us men like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson who combined godliness with martial skill. Listen to this one. The principles of warfare apply both to physical and spiritual warfare. And I'm afraid that those who do not know how to fight physically may not understand how to fight spiritually since there is a correlation between attitude and action. If we are unwilling to fight in order to defend ourselves and others, will we not also be unwilling to fight and defend ourselves spiritually?

[John Weaver] A man who is quickly and easily and readily overcome with evil and the corrupt demands of evil men. What makes you think that he's going to fight against sin and temptation in his own personal life? He's not going to do it. Spiritual warfare is far greater than physical warfare. And if you do not have a fighting mentality physically, you're certainly not going to have it spiritually.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to leave you with this. Chad Cooper has infidel body armor. And I know some people say infidel. The reason he called it infidel body armor is because it's a Christian organization. Because the Muslims call all Christians infidels. So, Chad Cooper, usually on his blog, after stating this, be a warrior and be ready for whatever comes. He then lists five simple statements. Here they are.

[John Weaver] Number one, nobody is coming to save you. Stop and think about that. Nobody is coming to save you. You sign and call 911. And they'll get there 30 minutes after the fact just in time to use chalk to draw where your body lies and to write up a report on how you got killed. Nobody is coming to save you. Number two, everything is your responsibility. Think about that. Everything is your responsibility. Number three, save who needs to be saved. Number four, kill who needs to be killed. Number five, always be working. Now you're going to say, I have problems with number four, kill who needs to be killed. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't even want to hurt anybody.

[John Weaver] But may I tell you, the man who was shooting the Republican congressman in Arlington, Virginia, you know how he was stopped? He was killed. He was shot. If someone is shooting at you or your family, and the only way you can stop them is to take their life, they need to be killed. That's exactly what it means. Nobody's coming to save you. Everything is your responsibility. Save who needs to be saved. Kill who needs to be killed. Always be working.

[John Weaver] And you'll never ever understand those things without a combat mentality. And if you get a combat mentality, then you're going to want the physical training. And if you have the combat mentality and the physical training in all probability, you're going to end up with the will to fight. If you have to fight. Let me just tell you this. Stop and think about this. I'll soon be 73 years old. I have not had a fight since I was in junior high school.

[John Weaver] And then it was tussling. It wasn't a real fight as such. Alice and I both are second-degree black belts in jiu-jitsu. Back in my fifties, maybe early sixties, when I was in tip-top shape, I had a young man threaten me. He threatened to physically jump on me and whip me. And you know what I did? I laughed and I looked at him and I said, son, if you ever jumped on me, it would be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life. I didn't want to whip him.

[John Weaver] I mean, I could have. I know I could have. Why would I do it? I don't have to prove to him that I can whip it. I already know I can whip him. You follow what I'm saying? Three or four days later, he came back to me, this young man did, and apologized. And he said, I understand if I hadn't jumped on you, it would have been the worst mistake I'd ever made. So just because you know how to fight does not mean that you have to fight. But if you have to fight, You know how, and you know what you can do, and it gives you confidence, and it gives you confidence in whatever means you use to defend yourself.

[John Weaver] You need mental awareness, a combat mindset, physical training, and then the will to put that training into effect whenever it's needed and necessary. Without that, you cannot be safe and you cannot defend yourself. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You, Lord, for that which You know and that You have revealed for us, for our learning and for our admonition. And I pray, Lord, that You would help us to be safe. and be able and willing to defend ourselves and our families. And give us, Lord, the grace and mercy that we need to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

Safety and Self-Defense

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	61817233455
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-06-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 141: Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	93

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Text

Reading Proverbs 21:31 and clarifying the topic of safety and self-defense, distinguishing it from Matthew 5's teaching on insults.

So Proverbs chapter 21 verse 31, the message is entitled "Safety and Self-Defense." Notice if you would Proverbs 21 verse 31, the Bible says, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." Well, that's chapter 22. I want verse 31. "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." When I put my glasses on, I can see. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." Everyone should be interested in safety and self-defense. And all, except the foolish and the naive, will actually be concerned about their health and their welfare. It is normal, natural, and biblical to desire to live safely and also to prosper. It was the desire of John the Apostle that his children and his people would all be blessed. He said in 3 John 1 verse 2,

Scripture Reading — 3 John 1:2

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

And let me just mention the fact that as I talk about Proverbs 21 and verse 31, and as I talk about safety and self-defense, I am referring to self-defense.

I'm not talking about a Matthew 5 situation. Anytime you talk about Matthew chapter 5 or anytime the subject of self-defense comes up, someone is always going to say,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:39

"Well, our Lord said, if someone smites you on the right cheek, then you turn to him the left also."

In other words, they bring up the subject of turning the cheek. May I point out that Matthew chapter 5 has absolutely nothing to do with self-defense. And Matthew chapter 5 is basically just teaching us how to deal with what you and I would call insults and inconvenient things that happen to us in our lives. For instance, if I'm facing Gary, and since most men are right-handed, if I'm going to knock his block off, I'm going to come around with a haymaker, and I ball my fist up and I draw back and I hit him, my right hand is going to land on his left cheek.

That's all there is to it. If I hit him on the right cheek, all that means is I've kind of back-fisted him or used the fingers of my hand. I've insulted him. His life is not in danger. It's kind of like the old-timers when they would challenge someone to a duel. They'd just take a glove like that and slap him on the cheek. That has nothing to do with self-defense.

Two Caveats from Proverbs 21:31

Safety is of the Lord; all means are vain without His protection. Yet God does not fulfill our responsibilities for us—we must use the means He ordains.

Now, I want to give you two caveats or two warnings based upon Proverbs 21, verse 31. Look at that. He says, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." So first and foremost, Solomon is telling us that safety comes from the sovereign God of heaven and earth. If God does not protect us, if God does not keep us safe, that means all of our preparations, all of our endeavors, all of our plans, all of our trainings, all of our means will fail. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Psalms, Psalm 33 and verses 16 and 17. And you'll see a passage here that is almost parallel. Psalm 33, notice if you would, verse 16. It's going to give us basically the same truth in a different format. In Psalm 33, verse 16, he says it like this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"There is no king saved by the multitude of an host."

In other words, might does not do it. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"A mighty man is not delivered by much strength."

So a powerful man is not the one that always wins and succeeds. Then he says this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"An horse is a vain thing for safety, neither will he deliver any by his great strength."

So we could paraphrase verse 17, and we could say that a pistol, a rifle, a machine gun, a plane, or a tank is a vain thing for safety, and neither will it deliver any by its great firepower. In other words, what the Bible is teaching us is that means are useless and worthless unless the sovereign God of heaven and earth protects us. Our protection is in Him. That's why it's said in Psalm 127, verse 1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So, if safety does not come from the Lord, all else is basically hopeless.

Now, without me going into great detail, let me just point out the fact that Scripture confirms that if you and I desire His protection, then we must be obedient to His law. He said in Leviticus chapter 25 and verse 18, "Wherefore you shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them, and you shall dwell in the land safely." So God says if you want to dwell in the land safely, you obey Me. You keep My law, you do My judgments. Now there's a second caveat or a second warning. Proverbs 21 in verse 31 when he says, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." The Bible is also very clear on this point that we must understand that God is not going to fulfill our responsibilities for us.

It is true that He is sovereign. It is true that He is omnipotent. Yet He will not do for us that which we refuse to do for ourselves. Stop and think about this. God is not going to pray for us. God is not going to repent for us. God is not going to study for us. God is not going to think for us. God is not going to train for us. The man that will not use the means that God has provided will never ever be able to protect himself. God has given us certain responsibilities. Yes, safety first and foremost is of Him, but then God is not going to fulfill our responsibilities for us.

So we've got to keep these two truths in proper perspective. First, we have to remember that safety first and foremost is of the Lord, and secondly, that God requires you and I to be responsible and to use the means that He has ordained. For instance, you remember, Samson was a mighty man of God, and God certainly empowered Samson. But Samson reached down and picked up the jawbone of an ass and slew a thousand Philistines. Samson had to pick up the jawbone of an ass. Samson had to fight. The power and the blessing of God was upon Samson, but Samson had to fight. God did not fight for him. God also gave David power and the ability to use a sling against Goliath, but He did not throw the stone for David. That was David's responsibility.

Biblical Examples of Fighting with God's Help

Samson, David, and Eliezer illustrate that God empowers but does not fight for us; we must act.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel 23. 2 Samuel 23. In this passage, you have a listing of David's mighty men, and I could multiply illustrations here, but I want you to just see these two verses talking about Eliezer. Look, if you would, please. 2 Samuel 23, verse 9,

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:9-10

"And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."

In other words, there wasn't anybody around except these few. What did Eliezer do? He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. For the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil. So here's Eliezer. He's fighting the Philistines, and he fights them until his hand was so weary that it actually locked around the sword. And so they had to come up basically and pry his finger off so he could drop the sword. Now, the Bible says the Lord brought a great victory. It was true that God protected Eliezer. It is true that God gave him strength. It is true that God gave him power. It is true that God gave him the victory. But God did not swing the sword for him, and God did not fight for him.

War and Fighting Are Not Inherently Evil

God is a man of war; Jesus Christ makes war in righteousness. Fighting is not sin; fighting unbiblically or needlessly is.

So that brings me to this statement. War and fighting are not necessarily evil in and of themselves. Usually, war and fighting are evil, but they do not have to be evil. And the truth is that God has used and He still continues to use war and fighting. And it may surprise you to discover that the Bible teaches that God Himself is a man of war. For instance, in Exodus chapter 15, verse 3, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 15:3

"The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is His name."

The Lord is a man of war. When you get to Exodus chapter 17 and verse 16, for he said, "Because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." So God is a warrior and God has sworn that He is going to have war with Amalek from generation to generation. If you look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 42, Isaiah chapter 42, and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 42 and verse 13. Notice what the Scripture says about God.

Isaiah 42 and verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:13

"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar, He shall prevail against his enemies."

Note, if you would, the Bible tells us that God is going to stir up Himself like a man of war. That God is going to cry, yea, He's going to roar, and He shall prevail against His enemies. So, neither war, or fighting, or warriors, are evil in and of themselves. The calling of a warrior is indeed a holy calling if that warrior fights for God and in accordance to His law.

So let me make a statement and listen carefully. God does not raise up antinomian warriors. He does not raise up men who fight contrary to His law and contrary to His Word. Those who fight for God must fight according to His law.

Now, someone is going to say, "Well, I don't think there's any place for a warrior in Scripture. I just don't think that any man should fight." Well, in that case, you probably would have a controversy with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So if you look in Revelation chapter 6 and then we'll go to Revelation 19, look in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2. In fact, we can read verse 1 just so that you can see that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the context. Revelation 6, verse 1. "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer."

Now, obviously, this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There are some eschatological schools that would try to say that this is the Antichrist. It is true there's a lot of symbolism in the book of Revelation. But the truth is the symbolism is consistent. And if you look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, you will find out who it is on that white horse. Revelation 19 verse 11,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True."

"And in righteousness doth he judge and make war." That's Jesus Christ. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, and He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself, and He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. But note back in verse 11, the Lord Jesus Christ who is faithful and true in righteousness, He doth judge and make war. So let me just spell it out for you. It is not a sin to fight. It is a sin to fight unbiblically and needlessly. It is not a sin to defend yourself. It is a sin to not defend yourself.

Three Requirements for Safety and Self-Defense

Introducing the three intertwined necessities: mental training (combat mindset), physical training, and the will to act.

And secondly, God has given us a responsibility to defend ourselves, and God is not going to do that for us. So here's the question that I have to ask. How then do we begin to live safely? And how then do we have a mentality that we must protect ourselves and our families? Well, I want to answer that in three ways. Although I'm going to enunciate each one of these points individually, you must understand that they are intertwined, they work together, and you really cannot have one without the other and end up being successful. You must have all three.

So how do we do that? First of all, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset.

Mental Training: The Combat Mindset

Developing situational awareness (color code), avoiding danger, and determining biblically what is allowed in self-defense.

Now, let me say that again. First, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset. Colonel Jeff Cooper, who is now dead, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel, said this. Listen carefully. "A gun is good. A knife is good. A stick is better than nothing at all. And your hands, arms, legs, and muscles are all to be relied upon when nothing else can be."

"But without your brain, without thinking, without cognizant awareness, you're little more than an animal fighting for survival in a dangerous situation." So what he's saying is you better learn to use your brain. You better learn to use your mind. The beginning of a combat mindset begins with what you and I would call mental awareness or situational awareness. And the truth of the matter is most people are hopelessly unaware. Their minds are off in la-la land and they're planning their next adventure. Most people are so addicted to their cell phones and their computer games and their laptops they have absolutely no idea who is next to them or even sometimes where they are or what is happening. Alice and I often fly on a plane and I'll get up and go to the bathroom and I look. Practically everybody is looking down at a little cell phone or a little computer, playing a game, and have no idea who's sitting next to them or who's sitting across the aisle. They're just totally and completely unaware.

Probably you read about this past week of the 67-year-old woman who's walking down the sidewalk texting and fell into the basement of a building. The doors were open like this, and the doors were 14 to 16 inches high, and she tripped over and went over. And the video showed her being carried out on the litter, totally, completely unaware. Most people, you could walk up on them, do whatever you wanted to do, and they would never even know it.

So, a combat mindset simply means that you have developed the ability to be aware, to be alert, and to act effectively and ethically under adversity, stress, and extreme pressure. Now, it was this same Colonel Jeff Cooper who came up with what you and I know as the color code of mental awareness. They even teach that at Front Sight. A lot of schools teach it. But it began with Colonel Jeff Cooper. And so here is what he said. He gave four different conditions. First of all is condition white. Condition white is when an individual is unaware and unprepared. If you are attacked in condition white, it means basically the only thing that's going to save you is the ineptitude and the inability of your attacker. In other words, you are totally, absolutely caught off guard. And you're like, "What? What is happening? This can't be happening to me." And you're just absolutely, totally surprised. It's kind of like the men just recently, three teenagers slipped up behind him and hit him over the head and tried to rob him.

Some of them had a pistol and they beat him and he ended up killing two of them. He happened to be an off-duty border patrol agent. And so, the simple fact is he was just walking down the street not paying attention and they came up behind him and began hitting him on the head. So that's a condition white. Condition yellow just simply means that you have a relaxed but a state of alertness. In other words, you're aware of your surroundings. You're aware of your situations. When you go into a restaurant, you look around and find the exits. You look at people and try to determine who's packing and who's not packing. The same thing with a motel. And you'd be surprised at the crimes and the murders that happen at motels and convenience stores. I just read yesterday about an off-duty guard who was murdered in a convenience store. So it's wise, especially these convenience stores, to stop and look on the inside before you go in and see what's going on on the inside. So condition yellow just simply means, "Hey, I'm aware, people could be here, things could be happening that I don't want to get involved in," and so if you are in a relaxed condition yellow, you're saying, "I'm just going to be on my toes. I'm going to look out. I'm going to watch out." And then, of course, thirdly, is there's condition orange.

That is a specific state of alertness. Your mind is being prepared. You've already identified specific issues. You've already identified potential threats. And what you're saying is, "I may need to do something here. I may need to take action. It may be one. It may be two. It may be three." And what you want to make sure of in this situation that you do not have tunnel vision, there's Lorraine, that's the threat right there, when it could be over here and it could be over here as well.

But that is condition orange. Condition red is when you actually know that you are involved and you have to fight and you have to be ready at that particular moment. All your threats have been assessed, you just have to do it. With this color code, and I admit this color code is indeed helpful, but if your mind stayed consistently in what you and I would call condition yellow, most unsafe conditions could be avoided. The greatest position of safety is avoiding unsafe circumstances. If you see it coming, and if you have the ability to leave, do so, especially if you're not able or prepared to defend yourself. Get out of the way of trouble. The best way to survive an attack is avoid one. Don't get attacked. Stay out of the places where it's likely to happen. So, color codes or no color codes, whether you agree with the condition white, yellow, orange, or red is immaterial. The truth of the matter is you have to be aware of what is going on and you have to see these dangerous situations and avoid them. Now, when you see danger there are normally four different responses and each one of us will react in one of these four ways.

There is fight, there is flight, there is fright and there is freeze. So that means is when you get in danger, you're either going to fight or you're going to run away or you're going to be so frightened and so scared that you don't know what is going to happen. And then, of course, you would absolutely freeze up much like a deer in the headlights who just stand there, stands there waiting for the vehicle to hit them. Someone has said, and we use this phrase all the time, "I was scared to death." Well, being scared to death usually can result in your death. So you have to understand, you're going to respond one of these four ways to danger. A combat mindset will enable you to fight effectively under stress and danger. It just means that you've prepared your mind to the extent that you do not panic, you do not freeze, and you do not become helplessly frightened.

No, you simply do what needs to be done. Let me go a little bit further. I want you to think. Please listen. A combat mindset, for a Christian especially, a combat mindset has already determined what course could be taken and should be taken from a biblical standpoint. So here's a good question for you. Do you know what God allows in the act of self-defense? Do you know under what circumstances, according to the Word of God, life may be lawfully and legitimately taken? How far can you go in defending your life and in defending the lives of others? What exactly does God command?

Now, each of us knows the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." That is a negative. You have to remember that every negative has a positive. The positive of "Thou shalt not kill" is "Thou shalt preserve life." So you have a duty, you have an obligation, you have a responsibility to preserve life. That means you have a responsibility to preserve your life and the lives of others. And God is not going to keep that duty and that responsibility for you. So it means if you are attacked and someone is trying to take your life, it means you must defend yourself and you must stop that attack and stop that threat.

Now, listen to me carefully. If you can stop the threat without taking life, wonderful. If you cannot stop the threat without taking a life, then you just have to do what must be done. Now, many people will erroneously think, "I don't even want to think about this. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. This is too painful for me. I just do not want to think about it." Well, let me tell you something. When it comes to a life and death situation, if you have not thought about it, if it's not worked out in your mind already, you will not know what to do. It will be too late because it will happen in an instant.

If you hesitate, you're going to be the victim. That's all there is to it. Now is the time to find out what the sovereign God of the universe allows you to do in self-defense. You have to learn that the God who gives life and sustains life also tells you in the Bible why life may be lawfully taken on His terms. And if you do not possess a combat mentality, if you're not ready to fight and defend yourself, you will not do so. In the moment of danger because you do not have that mindset. Now let me explain something else about a combat mindset. A combat mindset does not mean that you become a hunter. It does not mean that you begin looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're just itching to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is you're not going to allow anyone to take your life or the life of your family or the life of your loved ones or the life of your friends and your neighbors. All a combat mindset is this, is "I will fight and I will do whatever is necessary to protect my life and the life of my family." So if you're going to live safely and be able to defend yourself, you must possess a combat mindset.

OK, here's the second thing I told you. These things go together.

Physical Training: Muscle Memory and Skill

Training is essential; without it, accuracy and weapons are useless. Excuses like weather, cost, or time are invalid.

Secondly, there must be physical training that will make that combat mindset effective. You will fight the way you train. You respond and you will say, "But I do not train." Well, fine. You will not fight, or at least you will not fight long, or you certainly will not fight effectively. If there is no muscle memory that will enable you to function, when your fine motor skills are unavailable, you will be defeated. If you have not, and do not practice and develop muscle memory to the point of doing it instinctively, or at least doing it without thinking, you will not be able to defend your family and you'll certainly not be able to defend yourself. Most people will go out and they'll buy a pistol, they'll buy a box of ammunition, they'll place it on the nightstand by their bed and they think somehow there's a home invasion that they're going to be able to get their pistol and load it and somehow save their family members.

That's the furthest thing from the truth. It would never happen because you're not trained to use that weapon. You have no confidence in that weapon and you'll end up usually dead is what it would mean. Calvin was right when he said this, that all the skillfulness and art in training men for war, and in the use of armor, in marshalling of armies, in forming sieges, and all other military tactics are all from God. Wow. That was certainly so in the life of David. Now, I remind you what David said in Psalm 144, verse 1. He said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 144:1

"Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight."

Where did David learn his martial skills? And the answer is, from God.

Now, let me point something out. We're talking about physical training. David did not set out to learn how to use the sling when he met Goliath. He already knew how to use a sling. He had already been taught. He had already practiced and practiced, and he knew exactly what he could do. He probably could sling stones in his sleep, and the shot to Goliath's forehead was not a lucky shot. David knew exactly what that sling would do, and he knew exactly where that stone would go, because he trained himself.

When you know what you're able to do, you will have confidence in yourself and in your weapon. Without training, without muscle memory, all you can do is hope. All you can do is hope that your inability and your ineptitude is not as bad as the inability and the ineptitude of the attacker. That's all you can do. I've heard men say, "But I shot expert when I was in the Army." And yes, you did. Probably 30 to 40 years ago. And that was on the range with no one shooting back at you. Besides that, most men haven't shot consistently since they were in the military. I know military men and I know law enforcement officers who cannot shoot. There have been some that have stated that publicly to us. One to Alice and myself as well. He admitted he just could not shoot. And he'd been in law enforcement for years and years and years. I know for a fact that a lot cannot shoot because I've seen them.

I remember when my youngest grandchildren were something like 12 and 14. We took them to Front Sight and there were five deputies standing side by side with my two teenage or nearly teenage grandchildren, one twelve, one fourteen. And those two grandchildren outshot the five deputies. Not just one time, but consistently over four days. The deputies just simply could not function.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just because someone's been in the military or just because someone's in law enforcement does not mean that they can shoot. I have said this several times. The worst student I've ever had in all the years of training was a former law enforcement officer. He couldn't shoot. He wouldn't listen. He did not know how to function. He thought he knew it all, but he could not function.

And he was a danger not only to himself, but to everyone around him. Bad training is worse than no training. And so many people think that they can function without the necessary training. It's impossible. I remember years ago when I was invited to go to Front Sight for the first time. And when my pastor friend invited me, the first thought that hit my mind was, "What can they teach me about shooting? I've been shooting since I was seven years old. I started hunting when I was seven years old, a little single shot .22. But I did start hunting when I was seven years of age." And I thought, "Well, this is going to be a waste of time," but I went.

And boy, let me tell you something. What I discovered after my first day there was how absolutely stupid and dumb and ignorant I really was. So it's just like they say, you don't know what you do not know. Now, someone's going to say, "But I've been in the military and I've shot. I'm somewhat of a decent shooter. I can hit." Yeah. On the range. But may I remind you there's that 50% rule. The 50% rule simply is this, that you're half as good under pressure as your best day on the range. If you cannot function under stress and pressure and danger, you're not going to be able to function in a real fight. If you can't function under stress and danger, you're going to become a victim. And by the way, there's a vast difference between target shooting and defensive handgun shooting.

Most men have trained with a rifle. And most men can shoot a rifle fairly well. But most men do not walk around with a rifle slung over their shoulder. Pistols are usually carried because they're portable and they are concealable. But listen to me. In reality, it does not matter how great a shot you are. If you cannot get your weapon out quickly and you cannot get it on target, you perish.

Accuracy is necessary and desired, but accuracy will not help you if you are slow or if you have no muscle memory. If I had to make a choice between accuracy and speed, certainly I would take accuracy. But I don't have to make a choice between them because with proper training I can have both. Accuracy will not help you if you can't get to your weapon. Accuracy will not help you if you keep your weapon under lock and key. Accuracy will not help you if you can't get on target quickly. Just in the last month or so, there was a store owner and his son who were both murdered by three robbers. The store owner was carrying a pistol, concealed, but he had no round in the chamber. And when one of the robbers turned his head away, he went to draw his pistol and he came out and he tried to slingshot it and put a round in the chamber and his fingers were slipping. The robber turned and saw it, shot him, then turned and shot his son.

And as the owner went down, he was still doing this right until he died. So I'm just simply saying, he could have been the best shot in the entire state. But if you can't get that weapon out and get it on target, your accuracy is absolutely worthless. And let me just go ahead and say this. I'm talking about physical training. I've heard every excuse under the sun why people do not train. It's too hot. July and August are really hot, I can tell you that. It's too cold. Well, I don't like cold any more than anybody else, but I will tell you this.

One of the coldest classes I ever taught was in Oklahoma. It was 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground. And I had 25 to 30 folks who stayed with me for two days, and about 10 of them were women. Now, the second day was warmer than the first day, but still, you consider 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground? Yeah. It's raining. Well, that's fine. Let it rain. It costs money. Yeah, I'm going to cover that.

I don't have the time. But yet we find time to go on vacation, we find time to go hunting, or we find time to go fishing, or we find time to do whatever we desire, and we will find time to die. Weather should not bother you. And I normally tell folks, jokingly, when they're concerned about the weather, there's no extra charge for actual combat conditions. Alice and I were at Front Sight one year. It was in May. The middle of May, the first day was 105. Second day, 106. Third day, 107. And the fourth day, 51 raining and snowing.

And we just kept shooting. So you have to remember this simple truth. If you are attacked, you don't get to pick the time or the place or the weather conditions. Your adversary does that. He is not interested in picking a time or a place or the weather that is advantageous for you and convenient for you. He's going to choose all that for himself. And if you do not know how to function in any of those, you are going to be behind the curve and you're going to be the victim. You're going to end up losing. You cannot protect your family if you are concerned about the weather. And somebody said, "But look at the money." And I've got a friend. Oh, I've got a friend that I don't need to waste my ammunition. I need this. The ammunition costs money.

Well, let me tell you something. I know that travel costs money. I know that ammunition costs money. I know that equipment costs money. And the problem is most of us do not have a sufficient amount of money. I understand that, but you also have to remember that emergency rooms and doctors and hospitals and funerals cost money as well. And I'd rather spend a little money on the former and sacrifice so my family would not have to spend all their money on the latter, that is for sure.

Proper training and proper practice should allow you to acquire muscle memory and such training will automatically lead to what you and I would call instinct or point shooting, which means that you could shoot accurately without your sights from five to ten yards. So if you refuse to train, you will never acquire a combat mindset. And if you refuse to train, you will never ever have a biblical martial spirit, and therefore you will never possess that mindset. Thirdly, listen carefully. Not only must you have mental training and physical training, thirdly, there must be a willingness to use your mindset and training in order to safely defend yourself and your family. If you are unwilling to act upon your training and apply that which you have learned, you will be the victim.

The Will to Act

One must have the resolve to apply training; action beats reaction. Without the will to fight, all else is wasted.

One that has already made up his mind and will not hesitate, that is the one that's going to win the fight. There is a vast difference between action and reaction. Action always beats reaction. And the biggest difference between a target shooter and a defensive shooter is the will to act and to act speedily and readily with the grit and determination necessary to accomplish your self-defense. One of the greatest lines in a movie that I ever heard was uttered by Clint Eastwood in "The Outlaw Josey Wales." They were being attacked, and here's what he said. "Now remember, things look bad, and it looks like you're not going to make it. Then you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean. Because if you lose your head and you give up, you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is." And that's an absolute truth. If you don't become mad dog mean and are willing to apply what you have learned, you will lose.

You must have the will to act. Dave Spaulding has a wonderful book called "Handgun Combatives." Dave Spaulding is retired law enforcement. And I want you to listen to this paragraph from his book. He said, "I have spoken with many a student who has come to me and said, 'Oh, I will never shoot anyone. I'm just going to use the gun to scare them away.' Well, let me tell you something. This technique seldom works. If you can scare them away, that is great. However, over the last several decades of law enforcement, I have learned that criminals, a.k.a. human predators, can tell when someone has the resolve to end a fight versus someone who is just trying to fake their way through a situation."

"I spent seven years of my 25-year law enforcement working in the county jail and dealing with inmates on a daily basis. When my shift was slow and my bookends were few, I would take the opportunity to get some of these human predators out of their cells and sit them down in the officer's dining room and talk to them about their criminal behavior. It was amazing for a few moments of freedom, a bologna sandwich and a can of soda, what information these individuals would share with me. I never ceased to be amazed by the amount of street intellect that these individuals possessed." "Their ability to size up people is uncanny. Without a doubt, criminals, human predators, and even those people who live and breathe the street can tell when someone is willing to fight and someone who is only posturing. I would caution anyone who buys a firearm with this intention to rethink his or her solution. They have about a 75 to 80 percent chance of failure in the event they brandish a firearm without the will to use it."

That's from a 25-year law enforcement officer. He said, if you don't have the will to use it, you're dead. Now, if you do not think that the will to fight is necessary, think about David. Do you remember that passage in 1 Samuel chapter 17 where Goliath is coming out and challenging all those soldiers? Everyone's afraid. And then David in verse 32 said to King Saul,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:32

"And David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go out and fight this Philistine.'"

What did he say? "I will fight. I will do it." David had the means to fight.

He had the blessings of the Lord upon him. But he also had something else. He had something that none of those other soldiers had. He had the will to fight. He said, "I will fight. I will do it." So you have to remember this. Without the will to fight, all the mental training, all the physical training are worthless and a waste of time. Because if you're not going to fight, you will be the victim. Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21.

It is never wrong to emulate our Heavenly Father. In Jeremiah chapter 21, God is dealing with Judah and Jerusalem and He has to ask Jeremiah to pray that the Lord would turn the Babylonians back. Of course, God is not going to do it because of the sins of Judah and Jerusalem. So I want you to watch what God says. Jeremiah 21, notice verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city."

Look what God says.

God's Will to Fight and Our Martial Spirit

God declares 'I will fight'; Christians have lost their martial spirit, which affects both physical and spiritual warfare.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city."

Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"...and I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, and I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, they shall die of a great pestilence."

God said, "I will fight." Did you know our Lord said the same thing? In the book of Revelation chapter 2 and verse 16, our Lord is talking to the church and He says, "Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against thee with a sword of my mouth." "I will fight against thee," He said, "with a sword of my mouth." Now, if you do not think that God has a resolve to fight, I would challenge you to do something.

Rebel against Him and wait and see. If you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verses 9 and 10, Deuteronomy 7, look at verses 9 and 10. Look what the Bible says. You don't think God will repay His enemies? You don't think God will fight? Deuteronomy chapter 7, notice if you would please, verses 9 and 10. God says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keepeth His commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them."

"He will not be slack to him that hateth Him. He will repay him to his face." God has the will to fight, and He will fight His enemies. You know, the problem is this. We do not understand that basically we are in a war. There's a sheriff that you have here in Florida, Sheriff Wayne Ivey, out of Orlando, Florida, who understands the situation that we're in. And I just read an article about Sheriff Ivey just this week. In fact, you can look it up on the Internet. You can go to YouTube and type in "Sheriff Wayne Ivey," and there's a little one of them there, "We are at war." And here's what the article says. Listen to Sheriff Ivey's words. When Sheriff Ivey says war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.

Let me just stop right there. If you haven't done so, check. And look at what happened in New Mexico, because here's a grown man, and look to me, probably in his forties, who murdered his stepfather because they got into an argument over the pickup truck. Then he shot his mother as she pleaded with him not to shoot her, and she will probably die. That's what the article said. She's in really critical condition. And then he left. And he went and shot and killed three other individuals. And he said he just killed them for fun. Those were his words. So here's what Sheriff Ivey says. When I say war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.

"What's next is to fully understand that this is war, and you'd better be prepared to wage war to protect you, your family, and those around you if attacked," he argued. Sheriff Ivey went on to emphasize the fact that shooters feed off fear, and in many ways depend on people running and hiding as opposed to standing tall and fighting back. "What they don't count on is being attacked themselves, having to become defensive to save their own lives," the sheriff said. So what he is saying is, you better have the means and you better have the will to fight or someone like this is going to die. It's like the lunacy in England where the jihadists were taking knives and going on London Bridge and slashing people and killing people. And so the authorities came out and said, in order to counteract this, you must run, hide, and tell. I prefer draw, aim, and shoot. That's absolute lunacy. Run, hide and tell. At least Sheriff Ivey is saying we have to determine that we're going to defend ourselves and we must have the will to fight. We must possess a combat mentality. We must acquire the proper training and we must have the will to actually apply that training. And let me say this again, a combat mindset and proper training and the will to use the training does not mean that you're a hunter. It does not mean that you're looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're seeking to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is that you are going to defend your life and your family and those whom God has given you the responsibility of protecting. That's all it means. Thomas Jefferson said this. Listen carefully.

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character upon the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion in all your walks." Isn't that amazing?

Now, let me try to make some applications. I want you to think. We're talking about safety and self-defense. Do you realize that one of the greatest weaknesses of Christians, one of the greatest weaknesses in the people of God, is that we have lost our martial spirit? Most churches today will not even sing "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war." They will not. And our men, both young and old, have been feminized, sanitized, and neutralized. And if you will not stand for something, you're going to fall for anything. And most people today are not going to fight temptation in their lives, in their family lives, in their church life, or in their national life. We're not only afraid to fight, we don't know how to fight. And we do not have the will to fight. It was Taylor Caldwell who said this. This summarizes our generation.

He said, "The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women." We need to learn to pray that God would raise up men and give us men like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson who combined godliness with martial skill. Listen to this one. The principles of warfare apply both to physical and spiritual warfare. And I'm afraid that those who do not know how to fight physically may not understand how to fight spiritually since there is a correlation between attitude and action. If we are unwilling to fight in order to defend ourselves and others, will we not also be unwilling to fight and defend ourselves spiritually? A man who is quickly and easily and readily overcome with evil and the corrupt demands of evil men. What makes you think that he's going to fight against sin and temptation in his own personal life? He's not going to do it. Spiritual warfare is far greater than physical warfare. And if you do not have a fighting mentality physically, you're certainly not going to have it spiritually.

Practical Admonitions and Conclusion

Five statements from Chad Cooper: nobody is coming to save you; everything is your responsibility; save who needs saving; kill who needs killing; always be working. Closing prayer.

Number one, nobody is coming to save you. Stop and think about that. Nobody is coming to save you. You sign and call 911. And they'll get there 30 minutes after the fact just in time to use chalk to draw where your body lies and to write up a report on how you got killed. Nobody is coming to save you. Number two, everything is your responsibility. Think about that. Everything is your responsibility. Number three, save who needs to be saved. Number four, kill who needs to be killed. Number five, always be working. Now you're going to say, "I have problems with number four, kill who needs to be killed. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't even want to hurt anybody."

But may I tell you, the man who was shooting the Republican congressman in Arlington, Virginia, you know how he was stopped? He was killed. He was shot. If someone is shooting at you or your family, and the only way you can stop them is to take their life, they need to be killed. That's exactly what it means. Nobody's coming to save you. Everything is your responsibility. Save who needs to be saved. Kill who needs to be killed. Always be working.

And you'll never ever understand those things without a combat mentality. And if you get a combat mentality, then you're going to want the physical training. And if you have the combat mentality and the physical training in all probability, you're going to end up with the will to fight. If you have to fight. Let me just tell you this. Stop and think about this. I'll soon be 73 years old. I have not had a fight since I was in junior high school.

And then it was tussling. It wasn't a real fight as such. Alice and I both are second-degree black belts in jiu-jitsu. Back in my fifties, maybe early sixties, when I was in tip-top shape, I had a young man threaten me. He threatened to physically jump on me and whip me. And you know what I did? I laughed and I looked at him and I said, "Son, if you ever jumped on me, it would be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life." I didn't want to whip him.

I mean, I could have. I know I could have. Why would I do it? I don't have to prove to him that I can whip him. I already know I can whip him. You follow what I'm saying? Three or four days later, he came back to me, this young man did, and apologized. And he said, "I understand if I hadn't jumped on you, it would have been the worst mistake I'd ever made." So just because you know how to fight does not mean that you have to fight. But if you have to fight, you know how, and you know what you can do, and it gives you confidence, and it gives you confidence in whatever means you use to defend yourself.

You need mental awareness, a combat mindset, physical training, and then the will to put that training into effect whenever it's needed and necessary. Without that, you cannot be safe and you cannot defend yourself. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You, Lord, for that which You know and that You have revealed for us, for our learning and for our admonition. And I pray, Lord, that You would help us to be safe and be able and willing to defend ourselves and our families. And give us, Lord, the grace and mercy that we need to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sovereignty of God in Safety

Summary: Safety ultimately comes from the Lord; all human preparations are vain without His protection.

Evidence: Proverbs 21:31: 'The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.' Psalm 33:16-17: 'An horse is a vain thing for safety.'

Human Responsibility in Self-Defense

Summary: God requires us to use the means He has provided; He will not do for us what we refuse to do for ourselves.

Evidence: God is not going to pray for us, repent for us, study for us, think for us, or train for us. Samson had to pick up the jawbone; David had to throw the stone.

Legitimacy of War and Fighting

Summary: War and fighting are not inherently evil; God is a warrior, and Jesus Christ makes war in righteousness.

Evidence: Exodus 15:3: 'The Lord is a man of war.' Revelation 19:11: 'In righteousness doth he judge and make war.'

Combat Mindset and Situational Awareness

Summary: A combat mindset involves mental awareness, avoiding danger, and knowing biblically what is permitted in self-defense.

Evidence: Colonel Jeff Cooper's color code: condition white (unaware), yellow (relaxed alert), orange (specific alert), red (fight).

Necessity of Physical Training

Summary: Without training and muscle memory, one cannot effectively use weapons or defend oneself under stress.

Evidence: David trained with the sling before Goliath. The 50% rule: you're half as good under pressure as your best day on the range.

Will to Fight

Summary: One must have the resolve to act; without the will to use training, all preparation is worthless.

Evidence: David said, 'Thy servant will go out and fight this Philistine.' Clint Eastwood: 'You've got to get mean... mad dog mean.'

Loss of Martial Spirit in Christians

Summary: Christians have been feminized and neutralized, losing the will to fight physically and spiritually.

Evidence: Most churches won't sing 'Onward Christian Soldiers.' Taylor Caldwell: 'The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men.'

Key Arguments

Matthew 5 does not address self-defense

Summary: Turning the other cheek refers to insults, not life-threatening attacks; self-defense is a separate biblical category.

Evidence: If someone smites you on the right cheek, it's a backhanded insult, not a life-threatening blow. The passage deals with insults and inconveniences.

Safety is from the Lord, but means must be used

Summary: God's sovereignty does not negate human responsibility; we must prepare and train while trusting Him for the outcome.

Evidence: Proverbs 21:31: 'The horse is prepared... but safety is of the Lord.' Psalm 127:1: 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'

God fights and commands fighting

Summary: God is a man of war; Jesus Christ makes war; therefore, fighting in accordance with God's law is not sinful.

Evidence: Exodus 15:3; Isaiah 42:13; Revelation 19:11. God says, 'I myself will fight against you' (Jeremiah 21:5).

Mental awareness is foundational to self-defense

Summary: Without a combat mindset and situational awareness, one cannot avoid or respond to threats effectively.

Evidence: Most people are hopelessly unaware, addicted to cell phones. Condition yellow (relaxed alertness) can avoid most unsafe conditions.

Physical training is non-negotiable

Summary: You will fight the way you train; without muscle memory, fine motor skills fail under stress, rendering weapons useless.

Evidence: Store owner killed because he had no round in the chamber and couldn't load under stress. David trained with the sling long before Goliath.

The will to act determines survival

Summary: Action beats reaction; one must have predetermined resolve to use force if necessary, or all training is futile.

Evidence: Dave Spaulding: criminals can tell who has the resolve to fight. David said, 'I will go out and fight.'

Spiritual warfare parallels physical warfare

Summary: If Christians lack a martial spirit physically, they will also lack the will to fight sin and temptation spiritually.

Evidence: A man quickly overcome by evil men will not fight against sin in his personal life. Spiritual warfare is greater than physical.

Scripture References

Proverbs 21:31

Context: The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.

3 John 1:2

Context: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Matthew 5:39

Context: Turning the other cheek refers to insults, not self-defense.

Psalm 33:16-17

Context: There is no king saved by the multitude of an host... An horse is a vain thing for safety.

Psalm 127:1

Context: Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Leviticus 25:18

Context: Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

2 Samuel 23:9-10

Context: Eliezer smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory.

Exodus 15:3

Context: The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

Exodus 17:16

Context: The Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Isaiah 42:13

Context: The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Revelation 6:2

Context: A white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Revelation 19:11

Context: I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Psalm 144:1

Context: Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

1 Samuel 17:32

Context: David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

Jeremiah 21:4-6

Context: I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Revelation 2:16

Context: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10

Context: Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God... and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them.

Historical References

Colonel Jeff Cooper

Context: Retired USMC colonel who developed the color code of mental awareness (white, yellow, orange, red).

Front Sight Firearms Training Institute

Context: A firearms training school where the speaker and his grandchildren trained; deputies were outshot by teenagers.

Dave Spaulding

Context: Retired law enforcement officer and author of 'Handgun Combatives'; quoted on criminals' ability to sense resolve.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey

Context: Sheriff in Orlando, Florida, who stated 'we are at war' regarding mass shootings and deranged individuals.

Thomas Jefferson

Context: Quoted on the benefits of gun exercise for body and mind: 'A strong body makes the mind strong.'

Taylor Caldwell

Context: Quoted: 'The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women.'

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson

Context: Examples of men who combined godliness with martial skill.

Chad Cooper / Infidel Body Armor

Context: Christian body armor company; his blog lists five statements: nobody is coming to save you, etc.

Clint Eastwood in 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'

Context: Movie quote: 'Now remember, things look bad... you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean.'

Important Quotes

The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.

Significance: The foundational text of the sermon, establishing that ultimate safety comes from God, not human preparation alone.

You will fight the way you train.

Significance: Concise statement of the necessity of physical training for effective self-defense.

Now remember, things look bad, and it looks like you're not going to make it. Then you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean. Because if you lose your head and you give up, you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.

Significance: Clint Eastwood's line illustrating the will to fight necessary for survival.

I have spoken with many a student who has come to me and said, 'Oh, I will never shoot anyone. I'm just going to use the gun to scare them away.' Well, let me tell you something. This technique seldom works.

Significance: Dave Spaulding's warning that brandishing a firearm without the will to use it often fails.

The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women.

Significance: Taylor Caldwell's quote used to diagnose the loss of martial spirit in modern culture.

Discussion Questions

How does Proverbs 21:31 balance God's sovereignty with human responsibility in the area of safety and self-defense?

Context: The sermon emphasizes that safety is of the Lord, yet we must prepare and train.

In what ways does Matthew 5:39 (turning the other cheek) differ from the biblical teaching on self-defense?

Context: The speaker argues that Matthew 5 addresses insults, not life-threatening attacks.

What does it mean that God is a 'man of war,' and how should that shape a Christian's view of fighting?

Context: Exodus 15:3 and Revelation 19:11 are cited to show God and Christ as warriors.

How can Christians develop a 'combat mindset' without becoming paranoid or aggressive?

Context: The color code of awareness is presented as a tool for relaxed alertness.

Why is physical training (muscle memory) essential for effective self-defense, and what excuses do people commonly make to avoid it?

Context: The speaker addresses excuses like weather, cost, and time, and stresses the need for practice.

What is the difference between 'action' and 'reaction' in a defensive situation, and why does the will to act matter?

Context: The sermon states that action beats reaction and that one must have predetermined resolve.

How does the loss of a 'martial spirit' in the church affect both physical and spiritual warfare?

Context: The speaker connects unwillingness to fight physically with unwillingness to fight sin spiritually.

What are the implications of the statement 'Nobody is coming to save you' for a Christian's view of self-defense and reliance on God?

Context: Chad Cooper's five statements are discussed as a practical summary of personal responsibility.

Applications

Cultivate Situational Awareness

Summary: Practice being aware of your surroundings, exits, and potential threats in everyday situations (condition yellow).

Evidence: When you go into a restaurant, you look around and find the exits. You look at people and try to determine who's packing.

Engage in Regular Physical Training

Summary: Develop muscle memory through consistent practice with defensive tools, regardless of weather or inconvenience.

Evidence: You will fight the way you train. If there is no muscle memory... you will be defeated.

Determine Your Biblical Boundaries for Self-Defense

Summary: Study Scripture to know under what circumstances life may be lawfully taken in self-defense, so you are not hesitant in a crisis.

Evidence: Do you know what God allows in the act of self-defense? ... How far can you go in defending your life?

Develop the Will to Act

Summary: Make a conscious decision beforehand that you will defend yourself and your family if necessary, rather than freezing or hesitating.

Evidence: If you are unwilling to act upon your training... you will be the victim.

Avoid Unnecessary Danger

Summary: The best way to survive an attack is to avoid one; stay out of places where attacks are likely.

Evidence: If you see it coming, and if you have the ability to leave, do so... Get out of the way of trouble.

Trust God While Using Means

Summary: Prepare and train diligently, but ultimately rely on God for safety, recognizing that means are vain without His blessing.

Evidence: If God does not protect us... all of our preparations... will fail.

Recover a Biblical Martial Spirit

Summary: Men especially should reject feminization and cultivate both physical and spiritual courage to fight for what is right.

Evidence: Our men, both young and old, have been feminized, sanitized, and neutralized.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:43:31Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:33:52Z

Clean Transcript

Safety and Self-Defense

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

So Proverbs chapter 21 verse 31, the message is entitled "Safety and Self-Defense." Notice if you would Proverbs 21 verse 31, the Bible says, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." Well, that's chapter 22. I want verse 31. "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." When I put my glasses on, I can see. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." Everyone should be interested in safety and self-defense.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:34 | cleaned
And all, except the foolish and the naive, will actually be concerned about their health and their welfare. It is normal, natural, and biblical to desire to live safely and also to prosper. It was the desire of John the Apostle that his children and his people would all be blessed. He said in 3 John 1 verse 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." And let me just mention the fact that as I talk about Proverbs 21 and verse 31, and as I talk about safety and self-defense, I am referring to self-defense.
#2 | 0:35 to 1:19 | cleaned
I'm not talking about a Matthew 5 situation. Anytime you talk about Matthew chapter 5 or anytime the subject of self-defense comes up, someone is always going to say, "Well, our Lord said, if someone smites you on the right cheek, then you turn to him the left also." In other words, they bring up the subject of turning the cheek. May I point out that Matthew chapter 5 has absolutely nothing to do with self-defense. And Matthew chapter 5 is basically just teaching us how to deal with what you and I would call insults and inconvenient things that happen to us in our lives. For instance, if I'm facing Gary, and since most men are right-handed, if I'm going to knock his block off, I'm going to come around with a haymaker, and I ball my fist up and I draw back and I hit him, my right hand is going to land on his left cheek.
#3 | 1:20 to 2:13 | cleaned
That's all there is to it. If I hit him on the right cheek, all that means is I've kind of back-fisted him or used the fingers of my hand. I've insulted him. His life is not in danger. It's kind of like the old-timers when they would challenge someone to a duel. They'd just take a glove like that and slap him on the cheek. That has nothing to do with self-defense.
#4 | 2:14 to 2:35 | cleaned
The Lord is saying, don't get bent out of shape over insults. It doesn't amount to a hill of beans.
#5 | 2:35 to 2:40 | cleaned
The next thing He said, if someone sues you for your coat, give him your cloak also. In other words, this is something that is insignificant and not worth getting upset about. Then He said, "Whosoever compels thee to go a mile, go with him twain." So what difference does it make if you walk one mile or two miles? And all our Lord is doing in that passage is teaching us how to deal with these insults and these things that are inconvenient to us, and He's telling us that we're not to get bent out of shape over it.
#6 | 2:41 to 3:11 | cleaned
However, when you talk about safety, if you really believe that your safety is important, then you have to put a high price on what you and I would call self-defense. It is impossible to remain safe if you're unconcerned with your self-defense or if you will not defend yourself.
#7 | 3:11 to 3:32 | cleaned
Now, I want to give you two caveats or two warnings based upon Proverbs 21, verse 31. Look at that. He says, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." So first and foremost, Solomon is telling us that safety comes from the sovereign God of heaven and earth. If God does not protect us, if God does not keep us safe, that means all of our preparations, all of our endeavors, all of our plans, all of our trainings, all of our means will fail. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Psalms, Psalm 33 and verses 16 and 17.
#8 | 3:33 to 4:14 | cleaned
And you'll see a passage here that is almost parallel. Psalm 33, notice if you would, verse 16. It's going to give us basically the same truth in a different format. In Psalm 33, verse 16, he says it like this, "There is no king saved by the multitude of an host." In other words, might does not do it. He says, "A mighty man is not delivered by much strength." So a powerful man is not the one that always wins and succeeds. Then he says this, "An horse is a vain thing for safety, neither will he deliver any by his great strength." So we could paraphrase verse 17, and we could say that a pistol, a rifle, a machine gun, a plane, or a tank is a vain thing for safety, and neither will it deliver any by its great firepower.
#9 | 4:14 to 5:05 | cleaned
In other words, what the Bible is teaching us is that means are useless and worthless unless the sovereign God of heaven and earth protects us. Our protection is in Him. That's why it's said in Psalm 127, verse 1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So, if safety does not come from the Lord, all else is basically hopeless.
#10 | 5:05 to 5:37 | cleaned
Now, without me going into great detail, let me just point out the fact that Scripture confirms that if you and I desire His protection, then we must be obedient to His law. He said in Leviticus chapter 25 and verse 18, "Wherefore you shall do My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them, and you shall dwell in the land safely." So God says if you want to dwell in the land safely, you obey Me. You keep My law, you do My judgments. Now there's a second caveat or a second warning. Proverbs 21 in verse 31 when he says, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." The Bible is also very clear on this point that we must understand that God is not going to fulfill our responsibilities for us.
#11 | 5:37 to 6:32 | cleaned
It is true that He is sovereign. It is true that He is omnipotent. Yet He will not do for us that which we refuse to do for ourselves. Stop and think about this. God is not going to pray for us. God is not going to repent for us. God is not going to study for us. God is not going to think for us. God is not going to train for us. The man that will not use the means that God has provided will never ever be able to protect himself. God has given us certain responsibilities. Yes, safety first and foremost is of Him, but then God is not going to fulfill our responsibilities for us.
#12 | 6:32 to 7:17 | cleaned
So we've got to keep these two truths in proper perspective. First, we have to remember that safety first and foremost is of the Lord, and secondly, that God requires you and I to be responsible and to use the means that He has ordained. For instance, you remember, Samson was a mighty man of God, and God certainly empowered Samson. But Samson reached down and picked up the jawbone of an ass and slew a thousand Philistines. Samson had to pick up the jawbone of an ass. Samson had to fight. The power and the blessing of God was upon Samson, but Samson had to fight. God did not fight for him. God also gave David power and the ability to use a sling against Goliath, but He did not throw the stone for David. That was David's responsibility.
#13 | 7:17 to 8:09 | cleaned
Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Samuel 23. 2 Samuel 23. In this passage, you have a listing of David's mighty men, and I could multiply illustrations here, but I want you to just see these two verses talking about Eliezer. Look, if you would, please. 2 Samuel 23, verse 9, "And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."
#14 | 8:09 to 8:48 | cleaned
In other words, there wasn't anybody around except these few. What did Eliezer do? He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. For the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil. So here's Eliezer. He's fighting the Philistines, and he fights them until his hand was so weary that it actually locked around the sword. And so they had to come up basically and pry his finger off so he could drop the sword. Now, the Bible says the Lord brought a great victory. It was true that God protected Eliezer. It is true that God gave him strength. It is true that God gave him power. It is true that God gave him the victory. But God did not swing the sword for him, and God did not fight for him.
#15 | 8:48 to 9:41 | cleaned
So that brings me to this statement. War and fighting are not necessarily evil in and of themselves. Usually, war and fighting are evil, but they do not have to be evil. And the truth is that God has used and He still continues to use war and fighting. And it may surprise you to discover that the Bible teaches that God Himself is a man of war. For instance, in Exodus chapter 15, verse 3, the Bible says, "The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is His name." The Lord is a man of war. When you get to Exodus chapter 17 and verse 16, for he said, "Because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." So God is a warrior and God has sworn that He is going to have war with Amalek from generation to generation. If you look in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 42, Isaiah chapter 42, and look if you would please at verse 13. Isaiah 42 and verse 13. Notice what the Scripture says about God.
#16 | 9:42 to 11:03 | cleaned
Isaiah 42 and verse 13. "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar, He shall prevail against his enemies." Note, if you would, the Bible tells us that God is going to stir up Himself like a man of war. That God is going to cry, yea, He's going to roar, and He shall prevail against His enemies. So, neither war, or fighting, or warriors, are evil in and of themselves. The calling of a warrior is indeed a holy calling if that warrior fights for God and in accordance to His law.
#17 | 11:04 to 11:48 | cleaned
So let me make a statement and listen carefully. God does not raise up antinomian warriors. He does not raise up men who fight contrary to His law and contrary to His Word. Those who fight for God must fight according to His law.
#18 | 11:48 to 12:09 | cleaned
Now, someone is going to say, "Well, I don't think there's any place for a warrior in Scripture. I just don't think that any man should fight." Well, in that case, you probably would have a controversy with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. So if you look in Revelation chapter 6 and then we'll go to Revelation 19, look in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2. In fact, we can read verse 1 just so that you can see that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the context. Revelation 6, verse 1. "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse."
#19 | 12:10 to 13:00 | cleaned
"And he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer." Now, obviously, this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There are some eschatological schools that would try to say that this is the Antichrist. It is true there's a lot of symbolism in the book of Revelation. But the truth is the symbolism is consistent. And if you look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, you will find out who it is on that white horse. Revelation 19 verse 11, "And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True."
#20 | 13:01 to 13:45 | cleaned
"And in righteousness doth he judge and make war." That's Jesus Christ. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, and He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself, and He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. But note back in verse 11, the Lord Jesus Christ who is faithful and true in righteousness, He doth judge and make war.
#21 | 13:46 to 14:14 | cleaned
So let me just spell it out for you. It is not a sin to fight. It is a sin to fight unbiblically and needlessly. It is not a sin to defend yourself. It is a sin to not defend yourself.
#22 | 14:15 to 14:35 | cleaned
I have a message on the biblical doctrine of war. I also have a message "The Lord Teaches Us to Fight." I also have a message on total warfare. There are so many passages in the Bible concerning war and fighting. So the point I'm trying to make is this. Whenever we are called upon to fight, we must learn to trust in the Lord and fight according to His Word. And at the same time, trust in Him to make all the means effectual. For if He doesn't make them effectual, everything is absolutely worthless. So, with these two thoughts in mind, first of all, safety is of the Lord.
#23 | 14:46 to 15:29 | cleaned
And secondly, God has given us a responsibility to defend ourselves, and God is not going to do that for us. So here's the question that I have to ask. How then do we begin to live safely? And how then do we have a mentality that we must protect ourselves and our families? Well, I want to answer that in three ways. Although I'm going to enunciate each one of these points individually, you must understand that they are intertwined, they work together, and you really cannot have one without the other and end up being successful. You must have all three.
#24 | 15:29 to 16:19 | cleaned
So how do we do that? First of all, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset.
#25 | 16:21 to 16:30 | cleaned
Now, let me say that again. First, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset. Colonel Jeff Cooper, who is now dead, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel, said this. Listen carefully. "A gun is good. A knife is good. A stick is better than nothing at all. And your hands, arms, legs, and muscles are all to be relied upon when nothing else can be."
#26 | 16:31 to 17:02 | cleaned
"But without your brain, without thinking, without cognizant awareness, you're little more than an animal fighting for survival in a dangerous situation." So what he's saying is you better learn to use your brain. You better learn to use your mind. The beginning of a combat mindset begins with what you and I would call mental awareness or situational awareness. And the truth of the matter is most people are hopelessly unaware.
#27 | 17:03 to 17:36 | cleaned
Their minds are off in la-la land and they're planning their next adventure. Most people are so addicted to their cell phones and their computer games and their laptops they have absolutely no idea who is next to them or even sometimes where they are or what is happening. Alice and I often fly on a plane and I'll get up and go to the bathroom and I look. Practically everybody is looking down at a little cell phone or a little computer, playing a game, and have no idea who's sitting next to them or who's sitting across the aisle. They're just totally and completely unaware.
#28 | 17:37 to 18:25 | cleaned
Probably you read about this past week of the 67-year-old woman who's walking down the sidewalk texting and fell into the basement of a building. The doors were open like this, and the doors were 14 to 16 inches high, and she tripped over and went over. And the video showed her being carried out on the litter, totally, completely unaware. Most people, you could walk up on them, do whatever you wanted to do, and they would never even know it.
#29 | 18:25 to 19:00 | cleaned
So, a combat mindset simply means that you have developed the ability to be aware, to be alert, and to act effectively and ethically under adversity, stress, and extreme pressure. Now, it was this same Colonel Jeff Cooper who came up with what you and I know as the color code of mental awareness. They even teach that at Front Sight. A lot of schools teach it. But it began with Colonel Jeff Cooper.
#30 | 19:01 to 19:28 | cleaned
And so here is what he said. He gave four different conditions. First of all is condition white. Condition white is when an individual is unaware and unprepared. If you are attacked in condition white, it means basically the only thing that's going to save you is the ineptitude and the inability of your attacker. In other words, you are totally, absolutely caught off guard. And you're like, "What? What is happening? This can't be happening to me." And you're just absolutely, totally surprised. It's kind of like the men just recently, three teenagers slipped up behind him and hit him over the head and tried to rob him.
#31 | 19:30 to 20:20 | cleaned
Some of them had a pistol and they beat him and he ended up killing two of them. He happened to be an off-duty border patrol agent. And so, the simple fact is he was just walking down the street not paying attention and they came up behind him and began hitting him on the head. So that's a condition white. Condition yellow just simply means that you have a relaxed but a state of alertness.
#32 | 20:21 to 20:47 | cleaned
In other words, you're aware of your surroundings. You're aware of your situations. When you go into a restaurant, you look around and find the exits. You look at people and try to determine who's packing and who's not packing. The same thing with a motel. And you'd be surprised at the crimes and the murders that happen at motels and convenience stores. I just read yesterday about an off-duty guard who was murdered in a convenience store. So it's wise, especially these convenience stores, to stop and look on the inside before you go in and see what's going on on the inside. So condition yellow just simply means, "Hey, I'm aware, people could be here, things could be happening that I don't want to get involved in," and so if you are in a relaxed condition yellow, you're saying, "I'm just going to be on my toes. I'm going to look out. I'm going to watch out." And then, of course, thirdly, is there's condition orange.
#33 | 20:47 to 21:51 | cleaned
That is a specific state of alertness. Your mind is being prepared. You've already identified specific issues. You've already identified potential threats. And what you're saying is, "I may need to do something here. I may need to take action. It may be one. It may be two. It may be three." And what you want to make sure of in this situation that you do not have tunnel vision, there's Lorraine, that's the threat right there, when it could be over here and it could be over here as well.
#34 | 21:51 to 22:19 | cleaned
But that is condition orange. Condition red is when you actually know that you are involved and you have to fight and you have to be ready at that particular moment. All your threats have been assessed, you just have to do it. With this color code, and I admit this color code is indeed helpful, but if your mind stayed consistently in what you and I would call condition yellow, most unsafe conditions could be avoided. The greatest position of safety is avoiding unsafe circumstances.
#35 | 22:20 to 22:57 | cleaned
If you see it coming, and if you have the ability to leave, do so, especially if you're not able or prepared to defend yourself. Get out of the way of trouble. The best way to survive an attack is avoid one. Don't get attacked. Stay out of the places where it's likely to happen. So, color codes or no color codes, whether you agree with the condition white, yellow, orange, or red is immaterial. The truth of the matter is you have to be aware of what is going on and you have to see these dangerous situations and avoid them. Now, when you see danger there are normally four different responses and each one of us will react in one of these four ways.
#36 | 22:58 to 23:42 | cleaned
There is fight, there is flight, there is fright and there is freeze. So that means is when you get in danger, you're either going to fight or you're going to run away or you're going to be so frightened and so scared that you don't know what is going to happen. And then, of course, you would absolutely freeze up much like a deer in the headlights who just stand there, stands there waiting for the vehicle to hit them. Someone has said, and we use this phrase all the time, "I was scared to death." Well, being scared to death usually can result in your death. So you have to understand, you're going to respond one of these four ways to danger. A combat mindset will enable you to fight effectively under stress and danger. It just means that you've prepared your mind to the extent that you do not panic, you do not freeze, and you do not become helplessly frightened.
#37 | 23:43 to 24:46 | cleaned
No, you simply do what needs to be done. Let me go a little bit further. I want you to think. Please listen. A combat mindset, for a Christian especially, a combat mindset has already determined what course could be taken and should be taken from a biblical standpoint. So here's a good question for you. Do you know what God allows in the act of self-defense? Do you know under what circumstances, according to the Word of God, life may be lawfully and legitimately taken? How far can you go in defending your life and in defending the lives of others? What exactly does God command?
#38 | 24:46 to 25:37 | cleaned
Now, each of us knows the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." That is a negative. You have to remember that every negative has a positive. The positive of "Thou shalt not kill" is "Thou shalt preserve life." So you have a duty, you have an obligation, you have a responsibility to preserve life. That means you have a responsibility to preserve your life and the lives of others. And God is not going to keep that duty and that responsibility for you. So it means if you are attacked and someone is trying to take your life, it means you must defend yourself and you must stop that attack and stop that threat.
#39 | 25:38 to 26:18 | cleaned
Now, listen to me carefully. If you can stop the threat without taking life, wonderful. If you cannot stop the threat without taking a life, then you just have to do what must be done.
#40 | 26:19 to 26:32 | cleaned
Now, many people will erroneously think, "I don't even want to think about this. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. This is too painful for me. I just do not want to think about it." Well, let me tell you something. When it comes to a life and death situation, if you have not thought about it, if it's not worked out in your mind already, you will not know what to do. It will be too late because it will happen in an instant.
#41 | 26:33 to 27:06 | cleaned
If you hesitate, you're going to be the victim. That's all there is to it.
#42 | 27:07 to 27:11 | cleaned
Now is the time to find out what the sovereign God of the universe allows you to do in self-defense. You have to learn that the God who gives life and sustains life also tells you in the Bible why life may be lawfully taken on His terms. And if you do not possess a combat mentality, if you're not ready to fight and defend yourself, you will not do so.
#43 | 27:12 to 27:39 | cleaned
In the moment of danger because you do not have that mindset. Now let me explain something else about a combat mindset. A combat mindset does not mean that you become a hunter. It does not mean that you begin looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're just itching to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is you're not going to allow anyone to take your life or the life of your family or the life of your loved ones or the life of your friends and your neighbors. All a combat mindset is this, is "I will fight and I will do whatever is necessary to protect my life and the life of my family." So if you're going to live safely and be able to defend yourself, you must possess a combat mindset.
#44 | 27:41 to 28:42 | cleaned
OK, here's the second thing I told you. These things go together.
#45 | 28:43 to 28:46 | cleaned
Secondly, there must be physical training that will make that combat mindset effective. You will fight the way you train. You respond and you will say, "But I do not train." Well, fine. You will not fight, or at least you will not fight long, or you certainly will not fight effectively. If there is no muscle memory that will enable you to function, when your fine motor skills are unavailable, you will be defeated. If you have not, and do not practice and develop muscle memory to the point of doing it instinctively, or at least doing it without thinking, you will not be able to defend your family and you'll certainly not be able to defend yourself. Most people will go out and they'll buy a pistol, they'll buy a box of ammunition, they'll place it on the nightstand by their bed and they think somehow there's a home invasion that they're going to be able to get their pistol and load it and somehow save their family members.
#46 | 28:47 to 29:45 | cleaned
That's the furthest thing from the truth. It would never happen because you're not trained to use that weapon. You have no confidence in that weapon and you'll end up usually dead is what it would mean. Calvin was right when he said this, that all the skillfulness and art in training men for war, and in the use of armor, in marshalling of armies, in forming sieges, and all other military tactics are all from God. Wow.
#47 | 29:45 to 30:17 | cleaned
That was certainly so in the life of David. Now, I remind you what David said in Psalm 144, verse 1. He said, "Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight." Where did David learn his martial skills? And the answer is, from God.
#48 | 30:18 to 30:38 | cleaned
Now, let me point something out. We're talking about physical training. David did not set out to learn how to use the sling when he met Goliath. He already knew how to use a sling. He had already been taught. He had already practiced and practiced, and he knew exactly what he could do. He probably could sling stones in his sleep, and the shot to Goliath's forehead was not a lucky shot. David knew exactly what that sling would do, and he knew exactly where that stone would go, because he trained himself.
#49 | 30:39 to 31:21 | cleaned
When you know what you're able to do, you will have confidence in yourself and in your weapon. Without training, without muscle memory, all you can do is hope. All you can do is hope that your inability and your ineptitude is not as bad as the inability and the ineptitude of the attacker. That's all you can do. I've heard men say, "But I shot expert when I was in the Army." And yes, you did.
#50 | 31:22 to 31:56 | cleaned
Probably 30 to 40 years ago. And that was on the range with no one shooting back at you. Besides that, most men haven't shot consistently since they were in the military. I know military men and I know law enforcement officers who cannot shoot. There have been some that have stated that publicly to us. One to Alice and myself as well. He admitted he just could not shoot. And he'd been in law enforcement for years and years and years. I know for a fact that a lot cannot shoot because I've seen them.
#51 | 31:56 to 32:43 | cleaned
I remember when my youngest grandchildren were something like 12 and 14. We took them to Front Sight and there were five deputies standing side by side with my two teenage or nearly teenage grandchildren, one twelve, one fourteen. And those two grandchildren outshot the five deputies. Not just one time, but consistently over four days. The deputies just simply could not function.
#52 | 32:44 to 33:13 | cleaned
Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just because someone's been in the military or just because someone's in law enforcement does not mean that they can shoot. I have said this several times. The worst student I've ever had in all the years of training was a former law enforcement officer. He couldn't shoot. He wouldn't listen. He did not know how to function. He thought he knew it all, but he could not function.
#53 | 33:14 to 33:49 | cleaned
And he was a danger not only to himself, but to everyone around him. Bad training is worse than no training. And so many people think that they can function without the necessary training. It's impossible. I remember years ago when I was invited to go to Front Sight for the first time. And when my pastor friend invited me, the first thought that hit my mind was, "What can they teach me about shooting? I've been shooting since I was seven years old. I started hunting when I was seven years old, a little single shot .22. But I did start hunting when I was seven years of age." And I thought, "Well, this is going to be a waste of time," but I went.
#54 | 33:49 to 34:35 | cleaned
And boy, let me tell you something. What I discovered after my first day there was how absolutely stupid and dumb and ignorant I really was. So it's just like they say, you don't know what you do not know.
#55 | 34:37 to 34:50 | cleaned
Now, someone's going to say, "But I've been in the military and I've shot. I'm somewhat of a decent shooter. I can hit." Yeah. On the range. But may I remind you there's that 50% rule. The 50% rule simply is this, that you're half as good under pressure as your best day on the range. If you cannot function under stress and pressure and danger, you're not going to be able to function in a real fight. If you can't function under stress and danger, you're going to become a victim. And by the way, there's a vast difference between target shooting and defensive handgun shooting.
#56 | 34:51 to 35:32 | cleaned
Most men have trained with a rifle. And most men can shoot a rifle fairly well. But most men do not walk around with a rifle slung over their shoulder. Pistols are usually carried because they're portable and they are concealable. But listen to me. In reality, it does not matter how great a shot you are. If you cannot get your weapon out quickly and you cannot get it on target, you perish.
#57 | 35:33 to 36:07 | cleaned
Accuracy is necessary and desired, but accuracy will not help you if you are slow or if you have no muscle memory. If I had to make a choice between accuracy and speed, certainly I would take accuracy. But I don't have to make a choice between them because with proper training I can have both. Accuracy will not help you if you can't get to your weapon. Accuracy will not help you if you keep your weapon under lock and key. Accuracy will not help you if you can't get on target quickly. Just in the last month or so, there was a store owner and his son who were both murdered by three robbers. The store owner was carrying a pistol, concealed, but he had no round in the chamber. And when one of the robbers turned his head away, he went to draw his pistol and he came out and he tried to slingshot it and put a round in the chamber and his fingers were slipping. The robber turned and saw it, shot him, then turned and shot his son.
#58 | 36:08 to 37:22 | cleaned
And as the owner went down, he was still doing this right until he died. So I'm just simply saying, he could have been the best shot in the entire state. But if you can't get that weapon out and get it on target, your accuracy is absolutely worthless. And let me just go ahead and say this. I'm talking about physical training. I've heard every excuse under the sun why people do not train. It's too hot. July and August are really hot, I can tell you that. It's too cold. Well, I don't like cold any more than anybody else, but I will tell you this.
#59 | 37:23 to 38:03 | cleaned
One of the coldest classes I ever taught was in Oklahoma. It was 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground. And I had 25 to 30 folks who stayed with me for two days, and about 10 of them were women. Now, the second day was warmer than the first day, but still, you consider 20 degrees with the wind blowing and snow and ice on the ground? Yeah. It's raining. Well, that's fine. Let it rain. It costs money. Yeah, I'm going to cover that.
#60 | 38:04 to 38:40 | cleaned
I don't have the time. But yet we find time to go on vacation, we find time to go hunting, or we find time to go fishing, or we find time to do whatever we desire, and we will find time to die. Weather should not bother you. And I normally tell folks, jokingly, when they're concerned about the weather, there's no extra charge for actual combat conditions. Alice and I were at Front Sight one year. It was in May. The middle of May, the first day was 105. Second day, 106. Third day, 107. And the fourth day, 51 raining and snowing.
#61 | 38:41 to 39:24 | cleaned
And we just kept shooting. So you have to remember this simple truth. If you are attacked, you don't get to pick the time or the place or the weather conditions. Your adversary does that. He is not interested in picking a time or a place or the weather that is advantageous for you and convenient for you. He's going to choose all that for himself. And if you do not know how to function in any of those, you are going to be behind the curve and you're going to be the victim. You're going to end up losing. You cannot protect your family if you are concerned about the weather. And somebody said, "But look at the money." And I've got a friend. Oh, I've got a friend that I don't need to waste my ammunition. I need this. The ammunition costs money.
#62 | 39:25 to 40:28 | cleaned
Well, let me tell you something. I know that travel costs money. I know that ammunition costs money. I know that equipment costs money. And the problem is most of us do not have a sufficient amount of money. I understand that, but you also have to remember that emergency rooms and doctors and hospitals and funerals cost money as well. And I'd rather spend a little money on the former and sacrifice so my family would not have to spend all their money on the latter, that is for sure.
#63 | 40:28 to 40:57 | cleaned
Proper training and proper practice should allow you to acquire muscle memory and such training will automatically lead to what you and I would call instinct or point shooting, which means that you could shoot accurately without your sights from five to ten yards. So if you refuse to train, you will never acquire a combat mindset. And if you refuse to train, you will never ever have a biblical martial spirit, and therefore you will never possess that mindset. Thirdly, listen carefully. Not only must you have mental training and physical training, thirdly, there must be a willingness to use your mindset and training in order to safely defend yourself and your family. If you are unwilling to act upon your training and apply that which you have learned, you will be the victim.
#64 | 40:59 to 41:59 | cleaned
One that has already made up his mind and will not hesitate, that is the one that's going to win the fight. There is a vast difference between action and reaction. Action always beats reaction. And the biggest difference between a target shooter and a defensive shooter is the will to act and to act speedily and readily with the grit and determination necessary to accomplish your self-defense. One of the greatest lines in a movie that I ever heard was uttered by Clint Eastwood in "The Outlaw Josey Wales."
#65 | 42:01 to 42:41 | cleaned
They were being attacked, and here's what he said. "Now remember, things look bad, and it looks like you're not going to make it. Then you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean. Because if you lose your head and you give up, you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is." And that's an absolute truth. If you don't become mad dog mean and are willing to apply what you have learned, you will lose.
#66 | 42:43 to 43:16 | cleaned
You must have the will to act. Dave Spaulding has a wonderful book called "Handgun Combatives." Dave Spaulding is retired law enforcement. And I want you to listen to this paragraph from his book. He said, "I have spoken with many a student who has come to me and said, 'Oh, I will never shoot anyone. I'm just going to use the gun to scare them away.' Well, let me tell you something. This technique seldom works. If you can scare them away, that is great. However, over the last several decades of law enforcement, I have learned that criminals, a.k.a. human predators, can tell when someone has the resolve to end a fight versus someone who is just trying to fake their way through a situation."
#67 | 43:18 to 44:13 | cleaned
"I spent seven years of my 25-year law enforcement working in the county jail and dealing with inmates on a daily basis. When my shift was slow and my bookends were few, I would take the opportunity to get some of these human predators out of their cells and sit them down in the officer's dining room and talk to them about their criminal behavior. It was amazing for a few moments of freedom, a bologna sandwich and a can of soda, what information these individuals would share with me. I never ceased to be amazed by the amount of street intellect that these individuals possessed."
#68 | 44:14 to 44:53 | cleaned
"Their ability to size up people is uncanny. Without a doubt, criminals, human predators, and even those people who live and breathe the street can tell when someone is willing to fight and someone who is only posturing. I would caution anyone who buys a firearm with this intention to rethink his or her solution. They have about a 75 to 80 percent chance of failure in the event they brandish a firearm without the will to use it."
#69 | 44:54 to 45:26 | cleaned
That's from a 25-year law enforcement officer. He said, if you don't have the will to use it, you're dead.
#70 | 45:28 to 45:39 | cleaned
Now, if you do not think that the will to fight is necessary, think about David. Do you remember that passage in 1 Samuel chapter 17 where Goliath is coming out and challenging all those soldiers? Everyone's afraid. And then David in verse 32 said to King Saul, "And David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go out and fight this Philistine.'" What did he say? "I will fight. I will do it." David had the means to fight.
#71 | 45:41 to 46:23 | cleaned
He had the blessings of the Lord upon him. But he also had something else. He had something that none of those other soldiers had. He had the will to fight. He said, "I will fight. I will do it." So you have to remember this. Without the will to fight, all the mental training, all the physical training are worthless and a waste of time. Because if you're not going to fight, you will be the victim. Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21.
#72 | 46:23 to 47:07 | cleaned
It is never wrong to emulate our Heavenly Father. In Jeremiah chapter 21, God is dealing with Judah and Jerusalem and He has to ask Jeremiah to pray that the Lord would turn the Babylonians back. Of course, God is not going to do it because of the sins of Judah and Jerusalem. So I want you to watch what God says. Jeremiah 21, notice verse 4. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city." Look what God says.
#73 | 47:07 to 47:57 | cleaned
"...and I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, and I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, they shall die of a great pestilence." God said, "I will fight." Did you know our Lord said the same thing? In the book of Revelation chapter 2 and verse 16, our Lord is talking to the church and He says, "Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against thee with a sword of my mouth." "I will fight against thee," He said, "with a sword of my mouth." Now, if you do not think that God has a resolve to fight, I would challenge you to do something.
#74 | 47:57 to 48:50 | cleaned
Rebel against Him and wait and see. If you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verses 9 and 10, Deuteronomy 7, look at verses 9 and 10. Look what the Bible says. You don't think God will repay His enemies? You don't think God will fight? Deuteronomy chapter 7, notice if you would please, verses 9 and 10. God says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keepeth His commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them."
#75 | 48:51 to 49:38 | cleaned
"He will not be slack to him that hateth Him. He will repay him to his face." God has the will to fight, and He will fight His enemies. You know, the problem is this. We do not understand that basically we are in a war. There's a sheriff that you have here in Florida, Sheriff Wayne Ivey, out of Orlando, Florida, who understands the situation that we're in. And I just read an article about Sheriff Ivey just this week.
#76 | 49:38 to 50:21 | cleaned
In fact, you can look it up on the Internet. You can go to YouTube and type in "Sheriff Wayne Ivey," and there's a little one of them there, "We are at war." And here's what the article says. Listen to Sheriff Ivey's words. When Sheriff Ivey says war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.
#77 | 50:22 to 50:53 | cleaned
Let me just stop right there. If you haven't done so, check. And look at what happened in New Mexico, because here's a grown man, and look to me, probably in his forties, who murdered his stepfather because they got into an argument over the pickup truck. Then he shot his mother as she pleaded with him not to shoot her, and she will probably die. That's what the article said.
#78 | 50:53 to 51:21 | cleaned
She's in really critical condition. And then he left. And he went and shot and killed three other individuals. And he said he just killed them for fun. Those were his words. So here's what Sheriff Ivey says. When I say war, he doesn't mean a massive battle fought with ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs, but rather a war against mass shootings and deranged lunatics who are out to destroy human life.
#79 | 51:21 to 51:53 | cleaned
"What's next is to fully understand that this is war, and you'd better be prepared to wage war to protect you, your family, and those around you if attacked," he argued. Sheriff Ivey went on to emphasize the fact that shooters feed off fear, and in many ways depend on people running and hiding as opposed to standing tall and fighting back. "What they don't count on is being attacked themselves, having to become defensive to save their own lives," the sheriff said. So what he is saying is, you better have the means and you better have the will to fight or someone like this is going to die. It's like the lunacy in England where the jihadists were taking knives and going on London Bridge and slashing people and killing people.
#80 | 51:53 to 52:40 | cleaned
And so the authorities came out and said, in order to counteract this, you must run, hide, and tell. I prefer draw, aim, and shoot. That's absolute lunacy. Run, hide and tell. At least Sheriff Ivey is saying we have to determine that we're going to defend ourselves and we must have the will to fight. We must possess a combat mentality. We must acquire the proper training and we must have the will to actually apply that training. And let me say this again, a combat mindset and proper training and the will to use the training does not mean that you're a hunter. It does not mean that you're looking for trouble. It does not mean that you're seeking to take someone's life. It doesn't mean that at all. All it means is that you are going to defend your life and your family and those whom God has given you the responsibility of protecting. That's all it means. Thomas Jefferson said this. Listen carefully.
#81 | 52:40 to 53:47 | cleaned
"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character upon the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion in all your walks." Isn't that amazing?
#82 | 53:49 to 54:20 | cleaned
Now, let me try to make some applications. I want you to think. We're talking about safety and self-defense. Do you realize that one of the greatest weaknesses of Christians, one of the greatest weaknesses in the people of God, is that we have lost our martial spirit? Most churches today will not even sing "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war." They will not. And our men, both young and old, have been feminized, sanitized, and neutralized.
#83 | 54:22 to 54:56 | cleaned
And if you will not stand for something, you're going to fall for anything. And most people today are not going to fight temptation in their lives, in their family lives, in their church life, or in their national life. We're not only afraid to fight, we don't know how to fight. And we do not have the will to fight. It was Taylor Caldwell who said this. This summarizes our generation.
#84 | 54:56 to 55:27 | cleaned
He said, "The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women." We need to learn to pray that God would raise up men and give us men like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson who combined godliness with martial skill. Listen to this one. The principles of warfare apply both to physical and spiritual warfare. And I'm afraid that those who do not know how to fight physically may not understand how to fight spiritually since there is a correlation between attitude and action. If we are unwilling to fight in order to defend ourselves and others, will we not also be unwilling to fight and defend ourselves spiritually?
#85 | 55:27 to 56:20 | cleaned
A man who is quickly and easily and readily overcome with evil and the corrupt demands of evil men. What makes you think that he's going to fight against sin and temptation in his own personal life? He's not going to do it. Spiritual warfare is far greater than physical warfare. And if you do not have a fighting mentality physically, you're certainly not going to have it spiritually.
#86 | 56:21 to 56:52 | cleaned
Now, I want to leave you with this. Chad Cooper has Infidel Body Armor. And I know some people say "infidel." The reason he called it Infidel Body Armor is because it's a Christian organization. Because the Muslims call all Christians infidels. So, Chad Cooper, usually on his blog, after stating this, "Be a warrior and be ready for whatever comes," he then lists five simple statements. Here they are.
#87 | 56:53 to 57:32 | cleaned
Number one, nobody is coming to save you. Stop and think about that. Nobody is coming to save you. You sign and call 911. And they'll get there 30 minutes after the fact just in time to use chalk to draw where your body lies and to write up a report on how you got killed. Nobody is coming to save you. Number two, everything is your responsibility. Think about that. Everything is your responsibility. Number three, save who needs to be saved. Number four, kill who needs to be killed. Number five, always be working. Now you're going to say, "I have problems with number four, kill who needs to be killed. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't want to kill anybody. I don't even want to hurt anybody."
#88 | 57:32 to 58:33 | cleaned
But may I tell you, the man who was shooting the Republican congressman in Arlington, Virginia, you know how he was stopped? He was killed. He was shot. If someone is shooting at you or your family, and the only way you can stop them is to take their life, they need to be killed. That's exactly what it means. Nobody's coming to save you. Everything is your responsibility. Save who needs to be saved. Kill who needs to be killed. Always be working.
#89 | 58:35 to 59:04 | cleaned
And you'll never ever understand those things without a combat mentality. And if you get a combat mentality, then you're going to want the physical training. And if you have the combat mentality and the physical training in all probability, you're going to end up with the will to fight. If you have to fight. Let me just tell you this. Stop and think about this. I'll soon be 73 years old. I have not had a fight since I was in junior high school.
#90 | 59:06 to 59:49 | cleaned
And then it was tussling. It wasn't a real fight as such. Alice and I both are second-degree black belts in jiu-jitsu. Back in my fifties, maybe early sixties, when I was in tip-top shape, I had a young man threaten me. He threatened to physically jump on me and whip me. And you know what I did? I laughed and I looked at him and I said, "Son, if you ever jumped on me, it would be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life." I didn't want to whip him.
#91 | 59:51 to 1:00:39 | cleaned
I mean, I could have. I know I could have. Why would I do it? I don't have to prove to him that I can whip him. I already know I can whip him. You follow what I'm saying? Three or four days later, he came back to me, this young man did, and apologized. And he said, "I understand if I hadn't jumped on you, it would have been the worst mistake I'd ever made." So just because you know how to fight does not mean that you have to fight. But if you have to fight, you know how, and you know what you can do, and it gives you confidence, and it gives you confidence in whatever means you use to defend yourself.
#92 | 1:00:39 to 1:01:23 | cleaned
You need mental awareness, a combat mindset, physical training, and then the will to put that training into effect whenever it's needed and necessary. Without that, you cannot be safe and you cannot defend yourself. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You, Lord, for that which You know and that You have revealed for us, for our learning and for our admonition. And I pray, Lord, that You would help us to be safe and be able and willing to defend ourselves and our families. And give us, Lord, the grace and mercy that we need to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
#93 | 1:01:25 to 1:02:16 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:43:31Z

Safety and Self-Defense

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Proverbs 21:31 to teach that safety ultimately comes from the Lord, yet God requires believers to responsibly use means for self-defense. He distinguishes self-defense from turning the cheek (which addresses insults), argues that war and fighting are not inherently evil, and outlines three essential components for living safely: a combat mindset (mental awareness), physical training (muscle memory), and the will to act. Without all three, one cannot effectively protect oneself or one's family.

Introduction and Text

Reading Proverbs 21:31 and clarifying the topic of safety and self-defense, distinguishing it from Matthew 5's teaching on insults.

Scripture Reading — 3 John 1:2

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

And let me just mention the fact that as I talk about Proverbs 21 and verse 31, and as I talk about safety and self-defense, I am referring to self-defense.

I'm not talking about a Matthew 5 situation. Anytime you talk about Matthew chapter 5 or anytime the subject of self-defense comes up, someone is always going to say,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:39

"Well, our Lord said, if someone smites you on the right cheek, then you turn to him the left also."

Two Caveats from Proverbs 21:31

Safety is of the Lord; all means are vain without His protection. Yet God does not fulfill our responsibilities for us—we must use the means He ordains.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"There is no king saved by the multitude of an host."

In other words, might does not do it. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"A mighty man is not delivered by much strength."

So a powerful man is not the one that always wins and succeeds. Then he says this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:16-17

"An horse is a vain thing for safety, neither will he deliver any by his great strength."

Biblical Examples of Fighting with God's Help

Samson, David, and Eliezer illustrate that God empowers but does not fight for us; we must act.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:9-10

"And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away."

War and Fighting Are Not Inherently Evil

God is a man of war; Jesus Christ makes war in righteousness. Fighting is not sin; fighting unbiblically or needlessly is.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 15:3

"The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is His name."

Isaiah 42 and verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:13

"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar, He shall prevail against his enemies."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True."

Three Requirements for Safety and Self-Defense

Introducing the three intertwined necessities: mental training (combat mindset), physical training, and the will to act.

So how do we do that? First of all, there must be mental training in order to possess a combat mindset.

Mental Training: The Combat Mindset

Developing situational awareness (color code), avoiding danger, and determining biblically what is allowed in self-defense.

OK, here's the second thing I told you. These things go together.

Physical Training: Muscle Memory and Skill

Training is essential; without it, accuracy and weapons are useless. Excuses like weather, cost, or time are invalid.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 144:1

"Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight."

Where did David learn his martial skills? And the answer is, from God.

The Will to Act

One must have the resolve to apply training; action beats reaction. Without the will to fight, all else is wasted.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:32

"And David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go out and fight this Philistine.'"

What did he say? "I will fight. I will do it." David had the means to fight.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city."

Look what God says.

God's Will to Fight and Our Martial Spirit

God declares 'I will fight'; Christians have lost their martial spirit, which affects both physical and spiritual warfare.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of this city."

Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 21:4-6

"...and I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath, and I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, they shall die of a great pestilence."

Practical Admonitions and Conclusion

Five statements from Chad Cooper: nobody is coming to save you; everything is your responsibility; save who needs saving; kill who needs killing; always be working. Closing prayer.

Safety and Self-Defense

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	61817233455
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2017-06-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 141: Revelation Themes and Eschatological Applications — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	93

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Text: Reading Proverbs 21:31 and clarifying the topic of safety and self-defense, distinguishing it from Matthew 5's teaching on insults.
Two Caveats from Proverbs 21:31: Safety is of the Lord; all means are vain without His protection. Yet God does not fulfill our responsibilities for us—we must use the means He ordains.
Biblical Examples of Fighting with God's Help: Samson, David, and Eliezer illustrate that God empowers but does not fight for us; we must act.
War and Fighting Are Not Inherently Evil: God is a man of war; Jesus Christ makes war in righteousness. Fighting is not sin; fighting unbiblically or needlessly is.
Three Requirements for Safety and Self-Defense: Introducing the three intertwined necessities: mental training (combat mindset), physical training, and the will to act.
Mental Training: The Combat Mindset: Developing situational awareness (color code), avoiding danger, and determining biblically what is allowed in self-defense.
Physical Training: Muscle Memory and Skill: Training is essential; without it, accuracy and weapons are useless. Excuses like weather, cost, or time are invalid.
The Will to Act: One must have the resolve to apply training; action beats reaction. Without the will to fight, all else is wasted.
God's Will to Fight and Our Martial Spirit: God declares 'I will fight'; Christians have lost their martial spirit, which affects both physical and spiritual warfare.
Practical Admonitions and Conclusion: Five statements from Chad Cooper: nobody is coming to save you; everything is your responsibility; save who needs saving; kill who needs killing; always be working. Closing prayer.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Matthew 5 does not address self-defense

Turning the other cheek refers to insults, not life-threatening attacks; self-defense is a separate biblical category.

If someone smites you on the right cheek, it's a backhanded insult, not a life-threatening blow. The passage deals with insults and inconveniences.

Safety is from the Lord, but means must be used

God's sovereignty does not negate human responsibility; we must prepare and train while trusting Him for the outcome.

Proverbs 21:31: 'The horse is prepared... but safety is of the Lord.' Psalm 127:1: 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'

God fights and commands fighting

God is a man of war; Jesus Christ makes war; therefore, fighting in accordance with God's law is not sinful.

Exodus 15:3; Isaiah 42:13; Revelation 19:11. God says, 'I myself will fight against you' (Jeremiah 21:5).

Mental awareness is foundational to self-defense

Without a combat mindset and situational awareness, one cannot avoid or respond to threats effectively.

Most people are hopelessly unaware, addicted to cell phones. Condition yellow (relaxed alertness) can avoid most unsafe conditions.

Physical training is non-negotiable

You will fight the way you train; without muscle memory, fine motor skills fail under stress, rendering weapons useless.

Store owner killed because he had no round in the chamber and couldn't load under stress. David trained with the sling long before Goliath.

The will to act determines survival

Action beats reaction; one must have predetermined resolve to use force if necessary, or all training is futile.

Dave Spaulding: criminals can tell who has the resolve to fight. David said, 'I will go out and fight.'

Spiritual warfare parallels physical warfare

If Christians lack a martial spirit physically, they will also lack the will to fight sin and temptation spiritually.

A man quickly overcome by evil men will not fight against sin in his personal life. Spiritual warfare is greater than physical.

Scripture References

Proverbs 21:31: The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.
3 John 1:2: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Matthew 5:39: Turning the other cheek refers to insults, not self-defense.
Psalm 33:16-17: There is no king saved by the multitude of an host... An horse is a vain thing for safety.
Psalm 127:1: Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Leviticus 25:18: Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
2 Samuel 23:9-10: Eliezer smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory.
Exodus 15:3: The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.
Exodus 17:16: The Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Isaiah 42:13: The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.
Revelation 6:2: A white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Revelation 19:11: I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Psalm 144:1: Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.
1 Samuel 17:32: David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
Jeremiah 21:4-6: I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
Revelation 2:16: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10: Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God... and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them.

Historical References

Colonel Jeff Cooper: Retired USMC colonel who developed the color code of mental awareness (white, yellow, orange, red).
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute: A firearms training school where the speaker and his grandchildren trained; deputies were outshot by teenagers.
Dave Spaulding: Retired law enforcement officer and author of 'Handgun Combatives'; quoted on criminals' ability to sense resolve.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey: Sheriff in Orlando, Florida, who stated 'we are at war' regarding mass shootings and deranged individuals.
Thomas Jefferson: Quoted on the benefits of gun exercise for body and mind: 'A strong body makes the mind strong.'
Taylor Caldwell: Quoted: 'The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women.'
Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson: Examples of men who combined godliness with martial skill.
Chad Cooper / Infidel Body Armor: Christian body armor company; his blog lists five statements: nobody is coming to save you, etc.
Clint Eastwood in 'The Outlaw Josey Wales': Movie quote: 'Now remember, things look bad... you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean.'

Important Quotes

The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.

The foundational text of the sermon, establishing that ultimate safety comes from God, not human preparation alone.

You will fight the way you train.

Concise statement of the necessity of physical training for effective self-defense.

Now remember, things look bad, and it looks like you're not going to make it. Then you've got to get mean. I mean plum, mad dog mean. Because if you lose your head and you give up, you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.

Clint Eastwood's line illustrating the will to fight necessary for survival.

I have spoken with many a student who has come to me and said, 'Oh, I will never shoot anyone. I'm just going to use the gun to scare them away.' Well, let me tell you something. This technique seldom works.

Dave Spaulding's warning that brandishing a firearm without the will to use it often fails.

The strongest sign of the decay of a nation is the feminization of the men and the masculinization of the women.

Taylor Caldwell's quote used to diagnose the loss of martial spirit in modern culture.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Proverbs 21:31 balance God's sovereignty with human responsibility in the area of safety and self-defense?

[Context]

The sermon emphasizes that safety is of the Lord, yet we must prepare and train.

[Question]

In what ways does Matthew 5:39 (turning the other cheek) differ from the biblical teaching on self-defense?

[Context]

The speaker argues that Matthew 5 addresses insults, not life-threatening attacks.

[Question]

What does it mean that God is a 'man of war,' and how should that shape a Christian's view of fighting?

[Context]

Exodus 15:3 and Revelation 19:11 are cited to show God and Christ as warriors.

[Question]

How can Christians develop a 'combat mindset' without becoming paranoid or aggressive?

[Context]

The color code of awareness is presented as a tool for relaxed alertness.

[Question]

Why is physical training (muscle memory) essential for effective self-defense, and what excuses do people commonly make to avoid it?

[Context]

The speaker addresses excuses like weather, cost, and time, and stresses the need for practice.

[Question]

What is the difference between 'action' and 'reaction' in a defensive situation, and why does the will to act matter?

[Context]

The sermon states that action beats reaction and that one must have predetermined resolve.

[Question]

How does the loss of a 'martial spirit' in the church affect both physical and spiritual warfare?

[Context]

The speaker connects unwillingness to fight physically with unwillingness to fight sin spiritually.

[Question]

What are the implications of the statement 'Nobody is coming to save you' for a Christian's view of self-defense and reliance on God?

[Context]

Chad Cooper's five statements are discussed as a practical summary of personal responsibility.

Applications

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