The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife

Rural Home Defense Conference

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2025-09-15

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver delivers a foundational message on the biblical responsibility of believers to provide for and protect their families, including physical defense. He argues from 1 Timothy 5:8 that failing to provide for one's own household is a denial of the faith, and that 'provide' encompasses protection, medical care, and preparation for emergencies. Weaver emphasizes that individuals, not the government, are the first responders, and that a biblical mindset requires training, situational awareness, and community cooperation. The lecture includes practical exhortations to acquire defensive skills, medical knowledge, and supplies, while ultimately trusting in God for safety.

[John Weaver] Now let me mention, I'm just going to tell you, actually the theme of this little conference came from this book. I'm not going to be teaching or preaching what's in this book. This is Rural Home Self-Defense or Rural Home Defense. And this is written by Don Schiff, who is a retired cop. He also has another book on a rural, not rural, but suburban home defense. And so these books are good. And what we've done over on this little Couch over here. We've got a lot of books just for you to look at there's some on that book on the table right there None of them are for sale, but just to show you what is available And once I teach today, you'll understand I think the necessity of some of these books and the value

[John Weaver] of them as well so Let's have prayer to begin with and we'll just get started. Okay? Let's pray Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we pray that you would teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. May your perfect and holy will be accomplished today. Give us, Lord, our understanding hearts, and may we serve thee in reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] Alright, let's open our Bibles if you would please the first Timothy chapter 5 in verse 8 I preached this message to our people back in November. I actually started preparing for this this meeting back in November and When I finished this message, I thought it was so important. I did not want to wait to preach it So I preached to our people. So some of our people have heard this message and Probably most of them have forgotten it I hope not but I'm just simply saying I think this is foundational It is a root message and that I'm going to start from here the other messages. Nobody's ever heard So I'm just going to tell you here first Timothy chapter 5 verse 8 the title of the message is responsibility and responding so if you look in verse 8 first Timothy 5 verse 8 and The Bible says, but if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of

[John Weaver] his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. So let me begin by asking you this question. Who is responsible to protect your life, your family, and your property? Many take the position that it is the responsibility of the government to protect them and therefore they do absolutely nothing to prepare themselves or their family. The interesting thing is I just came across this this morning. There was a whole article and I just couldn't out of it. And here it is. In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 71.2% of all Americans have no faith in the United States government to save them or prevent a doomsday event. Now listen to this.

[John Weaver] If you actually believe that the government will be there to rescue you when things really start hitting the fan, you're being delusional. If it was equally divided up among the entire population, now there's 330 million Americans, not counting the 30 million illegal immigrants. If it was equally divided up among the entire population, the emergency supplies that the government has on hand would not last a single day. Wow.

[John Weaver] So many people think that somehow the government's going to come in and save them. A few tend to believe that the police or the deputies or the sheriff somehow will protect them and their property. Then you have to remember this, when you really need them, they're at least 30 minutes away. And usually, law enforcement arrives just in time to secure the crime scene. In other words, it's over by that time.

[John Weaver] You're a victim and you're dead. Your property is stolen and your family probably has been murdered as well. Here's a quote it would pay you to remember. This quote is from Darren L. Hutchinson, who happened to be a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what he said. Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm. even when they know harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you, refuse to intervene, and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody.

[John Weaver] So if you want to be protected by the cops, you need to get arrested. Otherwise, they have absolutely no duty to protect you at all So here's a biblical truth that I'm going to enunciate this from the Bible and that is you are responsible for your life You're responsible for your family. You're responsible for your property. You are the first responder not the cops not the firemen you are the first responder and It's not up to your neighbors.

[John Weaver] It is up to you. You're responsible. And if you do not learn how to protect yourself and have the means to protect yourself, then you're going to be a victim. One man said it like this. When you don't think of yourself as the first responder, your destiny is to be the first victim. And that's certainly true. Here is a recent headline, and I want you to listen carefully.

[John Weaver] Terrorist activity with the continental United States and general violent crimes are increasing exponentially and are likely to get much worse. The situation is so discouraging that our leftist media is desperately and deliberately under-reporting all violent crime because it makes the Democrat darlings look bad. And I hope you've been keeping up with the fact that at the border, a number of these illegal immigrants that are coming across have been caught with IEDs, improvised explosive devices.

[John Weaver] So I'm just simply telling you, it is up to you to learn to be responsible. Now, if you look in your Bibles at 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8, the Bible says, But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he denied the faith, he's worse than an infidel. So before I show you this message, and this truth from 1st Timothy 5 and verse 8. I want to show you the remote context and then we're going to be looking at the immediate context in which verse 8 occurs. So the remote context, if you look back in your Bibles to 1st Timothy chapter 3 and look at verse 15, 1st Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, you'll find that this is the theme of the book of 1st Timothy. Look at it. The Bible says, 1 Timothy 3 verse 15, So everything in 1 Timothy And actually, 2 Timothy is based upon the fact that this is how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God, especially when you get to 1 Timothy 2.

[John Weaver] But the point I'm trying to make is, when we're talking about families, if you're a believer, you actually have two families. You have the family of faith, and then you have your own personal, physical family as well. So, I think the widest application of what I'm going to say today would be to our church, to our fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and secondly, then to our immediate family.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn back 1st Timothy chapter 5 and let's be in looking there at verse 3 1st Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3 Look at it. The Bible says honor widows that are widows indeed but if any widow have children or nephews Let them learn first to show piety at home and to requite their parents For that is good and acceptable before God. I Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplication and prayers night and day.

[John Weaver] But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. Now look what he says in verse 7, strange. And these things give in charge that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, He denied the faith. He's worse than an infidel now interestingly enough verse 7 the Bible tells you these things give in charge What in the world does the word charge mean? Well, the Greek word happens to be perigoleo, and it's translated in our Bibles as charge, as command, and as commandment. So I want you to look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Timothy chapter 1. I want to show you this word to show you how it's used. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Look if you would please at verse 3. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith so do.

[John Weaver] Now, the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Now, look if you would back at verse 3. Paul said, And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some, that they teach no other doctrine.

[John Weaver] Now, the word charge here does not mean a suggestion It does not mean to give advice. The word charge is actually the word command. For instance, skip down, if you would, in verse 5 and look at this. Because now he says, now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of good conscience and of faith unfeigned. Now he says the end of the commandment. What commandment? What commandment is he talking about? Well, if you go back to verse 3, And he said, I give thee charge. It's the same word, paragola-o. now it's translated as commandment in verse 5 so a charge then is indeed a commandment now Paul then tells Timothy if you will look back to first Timothy chapter 5 and verse 7 these things give in charge When he says that he's not talking about giving suggestions. He's not talking about giving advice. He's saying you give them a commandment Why? Are we to be given this commandment? And the answer is found in verse 7, that we may be blameless.

[John Weaver] Now the word blameless there happens to be a word that refers to being blameless, to being unrebukable, to be without censure, without being condemned. In fact, the Bible tells you in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 15, listen to this, that you may be blameless harmless the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine his lights of the world." So he's saying once again that we should be without rebuke.

[John Weaver] So Paul is giving this commandment that you and I are to provide for our own, especially their own household. And he says this is a commandment and I'm giving it to you that you may be blameless.

[John Weaver] Now So look, if you would, in verse 8 again. Verse 8. And Carl, if you don't mind, please, since you're long and tall, come close this vent. It's blowing right on me. All right. Look, if you would, at verse 8. Look what he said. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he denied the faith, He is worse than an infidel. Notice, if you would, he denied the faith and he's worse than an infidel.

[John Weaver] Now, do you see a picture? I want you to think about this. Usually the husband and the father, of course, is the head of the house. That is the way the Word of God has ordained it.

[John Weaver] Now, he says in verse 4, look at it. But if any were to have children or nephews, Let them learn first to show piety at home and to requite their parents for this is good and acceptable before God So notice he talked about children And he talked about nephews. So let's let me put it like this Let's suppose that Alice and I both get down We're unable to work. We're sick. We're unable to do anything Who's responsible to take care of Alice and I? our children. That's a fact. What if we don't have any children? Then he mentions nephews.

[John Weaver] In other words, it's the family, the immediate family, and then it happens to be the extended family. So I want you to look, if you would please, again in verse 4. He said, but if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home. What is piety? It's godliness. its holiness. Now how in the world do children are supposed to show and nephews to show piety at home?

[John Weaver] The Bible says,"...and requite their parents." You know what the word requite means? It means to pay back. In other words, we took care of our children when they could not take care of themselves. We fed them. We clothed them. We educated them. Now God says when the parents and get elderly and can't take care of themselves It's now the children's turn to pay them back Wow in other words It's not the government's responsibility to take care of your elderly it's your responsibility Alice and I took care of her mother until she died. We took care of my mother until she died our fathers both died early and In fact, Alice's mother lived with us for 17 years. In the last three years, she lived in the house with us because she could not live alone. So, the Bible says that we are to take care of those. We are to pay back. Now, when you consider the fact, once again, that the husband and the father is the head of the house, and God has therefore designated him as the provider.

[John Weaver] So, look back at verse 8. I want you to see this. But if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house He denied the faith and is worse than infidel I'm gonna say this now. I'm gonna say it again later Do you realize the only thing that you have to do to deny the faith and be worse than an infidel? Is to deny and do not fulfill your responsibility That's it If you do not fulfill your responsibility, the Bible said, you have denied the faith and that you are worse than an infidel.

[John Weaver] Now, when you and I think about provision, the very first thing we think about is food and clothing. I mean, stop and think about that. You've got hungry children. You've got children that need all kinds of clothes and that kind of thing. Wow, that's exactly what we think about. But let me tell you something about the word provision. Just because you and I think about food and clothing does not mean that is exactly what that word means. The word provision in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8 is a Greek word.

[John Weaver] It's called, it is, pro-noi-eo. Pro happens to be a preposition which means before. Noi-eo means to think and to consider. It's from the Greek word noun, nous, which is the mind. So actually the word prepare here or provide means that you are actually thinking beforehand, you are understanding beforehand, you are perceiving beforehand, you're considering beforehand. In other words, it does not just simply deal with food and clothing.

[John Weaver] It deals also with every provision imaginable. So the word provide then means to perceive with the mind, to understand with the mind. It means to heed and to ponder and consider. So here's the question that I'm going to ask you. Since you understand how broad this word is, provide, does not just refer to food and clothing. So here's the question. Have you provided for the defense of your family? Have you provided for the protection of your family? Have you provided for the medical care of your family? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we need to understand that the word provide means far more than what you and I would just simply consider food and clothing now I want you to look in verse 8 again look at first Timothy chapter 5 verse 8 he said but if any provide not for his own and specially for those of his own house specially for those of his own house he denied the faith and he's worse than an infidel So if you do not provide then for the lives and the safety and protection of your family, God says that you're worse than an infidel and

[John Weaver] that you basically denied the faith. Now, I'm going to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is this from Harry Brown. He says this, the police can't stop an intruder, mugger, or stalker from hurting you. They can pursue him only after he has hurt or killed you. Protecting yourself from harm is your responsibility, and you are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun owners than in one of disarmed citizens, even if you don't own a gun yourself. That is true. There's another quote I want to give you. I've preached this before.

[John Weaver] There was a man by the name of Jack Potter. In fact, he was known as Fighting Jack Potter. He happened to be a Confederate soldier, but he was also a Methodist circuit riding preacher after the war was over. And here's what Jack Potter said, a pastor. He said, I'm not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use means to preserve it. It is no evidence of a preacher's want of trust in God when he carries a gun to shield his life in the time of peril.

[John Weaver] It would be the most sinful presumption not to do so. Indeed, I do not carry a gun because I'm afraid to die but because it is a duty and a means to preserve life Wow now God places a very high value on the family and And he places a very high value on family protection. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Luke. The book of Luke. And I want you to look, please, at chapter 11 to begin with. Luke chapter 11. Luke 11. And notice, if you would, please, Luke 11 and verse 21. Notice what the Word of God says, Luke 11 and verse 21. Our Lord says, When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. Now first of all, I want you to note he talks about a strong man. A strong man is someone who's strong not just in body but also in mind. And secondly, the Bible says he is a strong armed man. And the word armed in the Greek, kathopelidzo, literally means furnished with arms.

[John Weaver] In other words, he has more than one. He's furnished with arms.

[John Weaver] Third, the Bible says, he keeps or guards and protects himself and his goods. But note if he would, in order to do so, he has to be a strong man and he has to be an armed man, one furnished with arms.

[John Weaver] Now, here's another reason why you should understand family protection and self-protection. God not only requires it, But he's telling you if you're going to provide for the safety of your family You better be thinking ahead why? Just because you're armed Just because you're furnished with arms Does not mean that that is sufficient in and of itself why well look if you would please at verse 22 look at it verse 22 he says this but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him He taketh from

[John Weaver] him his armor wherein he trusted and divided the spoils. Ah, now wait a minute. It is wise to consider the fact that I have need to protect my family. It is wise to consider the fact that, yes, I must be furnished with arms. I must have an ample supply of arms to do what God requires me to do. But I also must consider this. What if a stronger man comes along with more arms? Or what if a stronger individual or a stronger group comes along? I have to consider that as well.

[John Weaver] The last meeting we had was on community. Where believers would actually come together. Do you understand this is exactly what our Lord is hinting at right here? Because if you are alone, no matter what you have, you cannot defend yourself or your family or your property. It's impossible. There's no one can stay awake 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's no one that can do everything that needs to be done. It's absolutely impossible. Do you understand?

[John Weaver] This is how the early settlers and the frontiersmen protected themselves. If they were alone, they were easy targets. And so what they would do, they would come into communities, they would come into groups, and sometimes they would even build a little fort. But they always had someone that would come to their aid when aid was needed. You know, one of our problems is this. You and I have lived in relative safety for so long, We don't think anything like this can happen to us. It's cognitive dissonance. It happens somewhere else, but it's never going to happen here. It's going to happen to other people, but it's never ever going to happen to us. That's how we think.

[John Weaver] I'll tell you this right now. I've got a friend, some of you know him. His name is Michael Danley. He is a police officer and has been for How many years I don't know he likes about two years retiring. He's an officer and he called me this past week And he said I want to tell you something. I want you to convey this to your people. I said fine. I'll be glad to He said I carry Everywhere I go even when I'm off duty He said so does my family in fact, I've had his family down here and I've helped train him and his family and But he said we went to a little out-of-the-way Chinese restaurant out in the boonies He said so I left my weapon in the car Now he's Michael is a big man I Mean, he's not fat. He's not flabby. He's just big and His boys are big like six four six five strong as ox They were in Michael told me he said I went in the bathroom to wash my hands before we ate And he said just as I was washing my hands here was someone banging on the door loudly cursing

[John Weaver] Get out of there get out of there And it was a big black man One of his boys hollered dad. Watch out. He's got a gun And Michael said there I am in the bathroom without my weapon He said when I locked the door he said the man ran in cussing me And he said I went around to the manager the owner whoever it was and I said what's wrong with him The man said he just hates white people He said he then came out of the bathroom and began to antagonize Michael and curse him and So Michael looked at the owner said well, we're just gonna leave And he said he followed them outside his children and his wife went ahead and got in the car And he said I had a choice Whether I should reach in and try to grab my weapon Or just jump in the car and leave He said but he already had his weapon out He said, that would have been foolish for me. So the children opened the door for me.

[John Weaver] He said, I jumped in and drove off. He said, I called the local law enforcement there and swore out a warrant for his arrest. But you see what I mean. Here's a man who's been a cop all of his life. And he said, I just never dreamed something like this would happen in that one little out of the way restaurant. This is what I'm talking about. Let me give you a recent headline. Listen to this. This was just this past year, just a few months back, from the Highland County Press out of Ohio. A real threat.

[John Weaver] Experts warn Hamas-connected terrorists crossing U.S. border. Here are the first three short paragraphs of that article. Hundreds of immigrants on the federal terror watch list have been caught at the southern and northern U.S. borders in recent years, and national security experts say there is a real threat of a terrorist attack on American soil as a result. With the conflict between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas escalating, that threat has only grown. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's San Diego field office warns that Hamas may attempt to send individuals to the United States through the southern border.

[John Weaver] Well, the truth of the matter is they're already here, and so are 30,000 Chinese communist soldiers. Where in the world do you think all of these people are coming across the border? They're single military-age men. They're not coming with wives and children. I'm just simply pointing out, here is Ohio even talking about this. In other words, these terrorist cells have already been pre-positioned. Why? Years ago they were talking about the Islamic training camps over around Jessup, Georgia and around other places as well. They're all over the country. So, here's the question. What in the world are you going to do when one of these groups approaches your family, your property, your home? What is going to transpire? Are you going to have help? Are you going to be alone? Are you going to be outnumbered? Are you going to be outgunned? Have you provided 14?

[John Weaver] Have you worked with your neighbors? Have you worked with your family? Have you asked others to help you? Scripture not only teaches that we need help, it teaches that two are more than one. For instance if you look in your Bibles to the book of Ecclesiastes the book of Ecclesiastes Notice if you would chapter 4 of the book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes arrived before the Song of Solomon Look in Ecclesiastes chapter 4 beginning there with verse 9 Ecclesiastes 4 in verse 9 God says two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. We understand that. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat, but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. So God is saying, yeah, it's good to have two or three people around who's going to help you and to work with you.

[John Weaver] Frederic Bastier, if you've never read his little book on the law, I would encourage you to do so. It's a very short book. He was a Frenchman, and it's a classic work. But here's what he said in one of his paragraphs. If every person has a right to defend, even by force, his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect their rights constantly.

[John Weaver] So here is a thought to consider involved with provision. Think about this. If you cannot reach each other, If you cannot communicate with each other, you cannot help each other. So how in the world are you going to communicate if the power grid is down? How are you going to communicate if the electricity is turned off? How are you going to communicate if all the internet is down? That's why those little handheld radios, they can reach 5 miles and with an antenna 15 and 20 miles and sometimes more if you have a larger one there. In fact, we built out here in one of our classes, we built an antenna and then we hooked everything up and where was the man in New York was it New York we talked to him over our radio and he was in New York so it's amazing what some of these little things can do when you have the right equipment so I'm just simply pointing out the fact have you thought about this when that cell phone's not working What in the world are you going to use?

[John Weaver] I'm just simply saying this is why we need community. This is why we need like-minded people. This is why we need to understand we have a family of faith and we have our physical family as well. In other words, we must learn to take responsibility for our own lives, our own families, our own property. It's just that simple. During an EMP, an electronic or electric magnetic pulse attack, what are we talking about? A natural calamity? A tornado? A hurricane? The floods? Just stop and think about this.

[John Weaver] When those things happened, all the stores are usually looted. Look what happened in Hurricane Katrina. Look at all the hurricanes out in Texas Look what happened in the stadium there where they were housing everybody And I got news for you When there is no food left and there's nothing to steal The hordes are going to be looking And if they see a garden, they're going to assume that you have food, and you may have canned food, and you may have stored food, and they are coming to see you.

[John Weaver] That is, you are next on their list. It is just that simple. And all you've got to do is listen. All you have to do is look at what is happening in all these mobs. in these larger cities. They're going into the jewelry stores. They're going into convenience stores. They're going into these high expensive stores, 30 and 40 and 50 of them at one time, stealing everything they can steal and running out. And no one stops them because no one's going to shoot them. And they're devastating and destroying everything.

[John Weaver] Colonel Jeff Cooper is now dead. But he said this. Listen carefully. One cannot legislate the maniacs off the street. These maniacs can only be shut down by an armed citizenry. Indeed, bad things can happen in nations where the citizenry is armed, but not as bad as those which seem to be threatening our disarmed citizenry in this country at this time. And then I love his next quote. He said this.

[John Weaver] You can say stop, or you can say auto, or use any word you think will work. But I have found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language. Yeah, it is. That will make someone stop. Senator Larry Craig said this, the first right of every human being is the right of self-defense. Without that right, all other rights are meaningless. The right of self-defense is not something the government bestows upon its citizens. It is an inalienable right, older than the Constitution itself. It existed prior to government and prior to the social contract of our Constitution. And certainly, we have an inalienable right not only to defend ourselves, but also to stand together to defend ourselves, to come together to preserve our lives. It is our God-given right.

[John Weaver] And I may be able to speak on this this afternoon, but I want to mention it right now. The sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill. The sixth commandment actually could read thou shalt not murder or thou shalt not take life apart from God's directive But that is a negative thou shalt not kill the positive is thou shalt preserve life So the positive side of the sixth commandment is you have a duty you have a responsibility to preserve

[John Weaver] your life The life of your family and the life of your neighbors as well in fact the Bible says in Psalm 82 in verse 3 defend the poor and the fatherless do justice to the afflicted and to the needy now you have to understand that First Timothy chapter 5 in verse 8 when he said but if any will not provide for his own the word provide Remember means to think beforehand to consider beforehand. It does not just deal with food It just does not deal simply with clothing. It means everything that your family would need for protection so You have to think beforehand and conceive with the mind beforehand and preparing your mind beforehand.

[John Weaver] Here's another question to ask you Have you seriously thought about and prepared for Medical emergencies I Don't Come here and tell me well, I'm not a doctor. I I'm not a nurse. I'm not an EMT. I'm not a paramedic Neither am I Most people are not But I can tell you something I Know how to suture I've sewed up animals. I've sewed up humans. I Know how to stop Bleeding I Know how to pack a wound I'm not a doctor.

[John Weaver] That's why I want you to look at some of these books over here. Do you realize there are so many things that you can learn? And you can even go to your local tech school. And you can learn CPR. You can learn basic medicine. Have you ever considered what is going to happen medically when there are no hospitals? When there are no clinics? When you have no one around?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. If an EMP happens, whether naturally or whether it is an act of war, you're not going to have a hospital. You're not going to have any electricity. You're not going to have anything. You're going to have to take care of yourself. Let me ask you a question. This is absolutely astounding to me. But how in the world did people on the frontier take care of medical emergencies?

[John Weaver] How did women ever have babies before there were hospitals? Isn't that amazing? How did people set broken bones when there were no doctor around? How did people deal with animal attacks? If you've never heard my message, mountain man Jedidiah strong Smith I Would encourage you to listen to that message Jedidiah Smith Was a Christian He was attacked by a grizzly bear Now I want you to listen to this I'm reading On his second expedition He was attacked by a grizzly bear The bear came out of the thicket and mauled Smith violently, throwing him to the ground, smashing his ribs, and literally ripping off his scalp. When the attack was over, the scalp was hanging on his head by an ear. Smith instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on.

[John Weaver] Now remember, we don't have anything to deaden the pain. There's no laticane back then. No, no, no. So he instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on. Clyman did the best he could, but thought nothing could be done for the severed ear. Smith insisted that he try. According to Clyman, I put my needle, sticking it in through and through and over and over, laying the lacerated parts together as nice as I could with my hands. And then listen to this after two weeks of rest Smith returned to his duty as captain of the party So he just sat there With nothing to deaden his pain having everything sewn back on his scalp and his ear If you think that is something, you ought to read about Hugh Glass. Hugh Glass was another mountain man. Hugh Glass was mauled by a grizzly bear. He was mauled so terribly, but he was not dead.

[John Weaver] But all of his friends thought he would die any time The Indians were around they were afraid of an Indian attack and so they took his knife They took his weapon and they left him to die Hugh glass Came to He crawled to the river and washed his wounds drank some water Crawled on his hands and knees and until he found Carrion a dead carcass and he ate some of that meat When he got some strength after crawling he began to walk and stumble and he walked and stumbled for 200 miles until he came to Fort Kiowa and he lived a I'm just simply pointing out the fact.

[John Weaver] You know, we need to learn some things. We need to learn to do some things for ourselves. You can buy medical books. You can read. You can buy herbal books. You can buy medical supplies. You can teach yourself basic medicine. You can have supplies on hand for short-term and even long-term emergencies. By the way, I will mention this here. Back in November, I guess it was, I spoke for three hours at one conference on preparedness, on preparedness to survive.

[John Weaver] And I was pointing out the fact that fish antibiotics, animal antibiotics, are the same as our antibiotics. You just need to know the difference in weight. and how to apply them. But there are two companies now that you can stock up on your antibiotics and whatever you need. One of them is Chase Medical, J-A-S-E, and the other is the wellness company, and that is Dr. Peter McCullough. And what you do is you go online and you fill out your form and they send it to a doctor and the doctor then signs off on it and then they send you the kit and it's all kind of antibiotics, whatever, even ivermectin is in it. Both of these companies are very good. I'm just simply saying you can.

[John Weaver] So let me ask this question again. Whose responsibility is it then Keep your family not just fed not just clothed But protected and and also prepared for medical emergencies in the words, it's your responsibility I Want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to the book of 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 I Want I want you to understand something 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 Look what the Bible says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. It is not your responsibility to feed the whole world. It is not your responsibility to take care of the whole neighborhood. It is your responsibility to take care of your family, which would include your physical family and your church family as well. But I want you to watch 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Look at this. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 look in verse 10 Paul said for even when we were with you This we commanded you that if any would not work Neither should he eat For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all, but are busybodies now them that are such

[John Weaver] we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ and that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. Now, go back to verse 10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. It is your job, it is your responsibility to take care of your family and to provide for their every need. Yes, there is biblical charity, and I've got messages on that, but charity does not extend to supporting the indolent, the lazy, the sluggards who will not work and provide for themselves.

[John Weaver] Hungry men will usually do one of two things. They'll either go to work or they'll steal. If someone is willing to work, you might be willing to share. But if someone wants to steal, then you have to deal with that problem. I want to ask you a question. I understand charity. I understand that. But if times get really, really tough, and you have just enough to take care of your family, And then I come along with my little children and ask you to share. Here's my question. Are you going to take the bread out of your children's mouth and give it to my children?

[John Weaver] You see what I'm trying to say? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have a responsibility to prepare.

[John Weaver] Now, in all things, we have to learn to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. David over and over said this in the Psalms for instance psalm 7 in verse 10. He said my defense is of God who saveth the upright in heart My defense is of God who saveth the upright in heart then in Psalm 31 in verse 2 He says bow down an ear unto me deliver me speedily For thou art my strong rock and my house of defense to save me And then he says this, because of his strength, that is the enemy's strength, I will wait upon thee for God is my defense.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you, while we prepare and while we may be willing and able to defend ourselves, that does not mean that we trust in our provisions. It does not mean that we trust in our abilities. It means that we must trust in God and God alone. We must be wise, as he commands us, be wise as serpents, go to the imp, thou slugger, consider her ways, and be wise.

[John Weaver] I'll deal with some of those later, but the point I'm trying to make right now, it is your responsibility, it's your responsibility to take care of your family. It's not the government's job. It's not the job of your neighbor. It's your responsibility now God said again if any provide not for his own Especially for those of his own house. He's worse than an infidel. He's denied the faith All you have to do to be worse than an infidel and deny the faith is to deny your responsibility The old saying you've heard it all of your life Trust in the Lord and keep your powder dry What did the Bible say in Psalm 127 verse 1 except the Lord build a house They labor in vain that build it except the Lord keep the city the Watchman waketh, but in vain So all of our preparations, even though we're responsible to prepare, are worthless unless God sovereignly protects us. Now what did he say? He said, if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he's denied the faith And it's worse than an infidel.

[John Weaver] God requires you to provide everything that your family needs. Now, in just a moment, I'm going to have prayer. Warren Luke is going to come up and speak just about 10 minutes. Then we're going to take just a short break. Then I'll be starting over again on a different subject, but please understand I believe and I honestly think that this message that I just preached is absolutely Fundamental because we cannot deny our responsibility So let's pray and then Warren Luke will come up and then we'll take a short break.

[John Weaver] All right, and Father in the name of Jesus Christ. We love thee today. We thank you for your word We thank you for your truth and we ask father that you would indeed make us see and help us to see Lord our responsibility and Lord help us Lord to Understand thy truth and apply it to our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. We ask and pray Amen All right, Lorne Luke Luke chapter 10.

[John Weaver] I'd like to gain some momentum moving forward here. So we'll pick up a story and then move move on Luke chapter 10 verses 38 through 42 a familiar passage of Jesus being received into the home of Mary and Martha Luke chapter 10 verse 38 now it came to pass as they went and that he that is Christ and those were with him entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house and and she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she helped me verse 41 and Jesus answered and said unto her Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken from her Notice if you would back in verse 40 Martha's question

[John Weaver] to our Lord. She says Lord Dost thou not Care now Jesus's response to Martha seems to be one that is calm and collected But do you realize what Martha just asked? Lord dust thou not care a wretched question Because if we must know anything we must know this Christ does care This is a wretched question. It ought to stir in us a response, a reaction. The question is asked, Lord, does thou not care? Christ cares. How dare she? Ask such a question if we don't react Appropriately to this who are we do we not do we not think that well, maybe Martha's right? Maybe Christ doesn't we're waffling on it. We ought to know as the old hymn says. Oh Yes, he cares. I know He cares So, our reaction to the question ought to be one of assurance and surety that Christ does care, simply in response to Martha's question.

[John Weaver] Now, if we would, back to 1 Samuel chapter 17. 1 Samuel chapter 17. We will look at another question and I hope it stirs in you yet again another response a reaction similar to the one first Samuel chapter 17 the very famous story where David is given the the provisions from the father To take to his brothers who are in the field of battle the story of Goliath as we pick it up first Samuel chapter 17 look if you would at verse 26 the last part of verse 26 since we're all familiar with the story David says this to his brother brothers for who is this we're at first Samuel 17 verse 26 the latter part for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God who is he that's a good question verse 28 if you'll notice and Eliab his David's eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men notice the last part of that verse alive says David I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart For thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle see some of the gore see some of the excitement Eliab is saying this to David wrongfully Accusing him of it verse 29 and David said what have I done?

[John Weaver] Is there not a cause? The question, is there not a cause, should burn in us a reaction of, yes, there is a cause. There was a cause then, and there is a cause now. A cause to be here. A cause to prepare. There is a cause. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? Can he defy Jehovah? Who are the wicked who surround us in the world today, 2024? Can they defy Jehovah?

[John Weaver] Ought we to be fearful of them? No. As the courage David had, so ought we to have. Did David rise up and stand against the evil? Ought we to rise up and stand? Is there a cause? Is there not a cause? Yes, there is a cause to do all that Brother Weaver has just talked about. Yes, there is a cause. To further the question, how many causes are there?

[John Weaver] to fight for today, to stand for, to preserve your own life, to preserve your family, to preserve your family of faith, to preserve the theology that has been handed down to us, that it might continue to our children. There is a cause. There are causes worth preparing for. There is a cause to serve our Lord in his kingdom is our cause to be a remnant if our Lord calls us to it to preserve all these things to fulfill our All these causes now the question is does god need us did god need david No, god doesn't need Anything or anyone god doesn't need brother weaver. He doesn't need you. He doesn't need me, but he called David for the purpose our lord calls brother weaver to that purpose our lord has called you to the purpose Will you answer that call? Our only response can be to the question, is there not a cause? Yes, there is a cause. Let us rise and answer that calling as David did, and we will gain the victory as David did.

[John Weaver] Amen. Let's be dismissed. Well, let's open our Bible's day to the book of Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. And we're going to be reading verse 51. Luke 9 and verse 51. You will see the application of this just shortly. Luke 9, verse 51. The title of the message is, Mind Set. The Bible says,"...and it came to pass, when the time was come, that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." Now, there's much in the Bible concerning the mind.

[John Weaver] And the truth is that everything stems from our minds. Our minds control our actions and they certainly control our lives. I've pointed out many times in the Bible that the mind is the understanding. Occasionally, When you read the word heart, occasionally it refers to affection, but most of the time it refers to the heart. Because the Bible says in Proverbs 23, verse 7, For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So it's the heart that does the thinking. And that's why the Bible says in Proverbs 4 and verse 23, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn, if you would, hold in Luke 9, but turn back in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 15, and let me just show you this. Matthew chapter 15, our Lord is speaking. He's teaching His disciples, and look what He says, beginning there with verse 18. Notice if you would. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 15. Watch this. Matthew 15, verse 15,"...Then answered Peter and said unto him, declared unto us this parable.

[John Weaver] And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man. But eat with unwashed hands, defile if not a man." Now, the interesting thing is, our Lord says in verse 18, but those things which proceed out of the mouth cometh forth from the heart. Now look, if you would, what is the first thing that comes from the heart? Notice, if you would, he says in verse 19, for out of the heart proceed evil, thoughts. And then, of course, murders, adulteries, fornications. The truth of the matter is, see, you can't do any of these things without thinking. Everything in your life comes from your heart or from your mind or from your understanding.

[John Weaver] So if I reach down and pick up this pair of glasses, I've already thought about the fact that I'm going to reach down and pick up this pair of glasses. It's impossible to commit adultery without thinking. I've heard people say, well, Brother Weaver, it just happened. I didn't plan it. That's hogwash. You thought about it well before you ever did it. That's a fact. Well, I didn't mean to steal. The money was just there. No, no, no. You thought about it before you ever took it. You can't act. You can't move without everything coming from your mind.

[John Weaver] Now, in this passage, you're going to see, once again, evil thoughts, of course, proceed from the heart. So, the point I'm trying to make is it's impossible to act without the mind, without thinking. I've heard people say, when they've done something very stupidly, they would say, well, I guess I was not just thinking. I guess I was not just thinking. No, no, no, no. You were thinking, you were just thinking stupidly.

[John Weaver] I mean, that's all there is to it. Now, let me give you a good illustration. One, is that our mind actually controls our actions. I had a good friend years ago, who's now dead. He was a very talented carpenter. He could build anything. And in his house, around there, for their children, they had a swimming pool. And he was going to do some work out by the swimming pool, and he had an electric drill, and he was drilling into the concrete.

[John Weaver] And the bed got hot. And he thought, well, I'll cool the bit and dip it into the water. And he was instantly electrocuted. Now, did he think? Yeah, he thought. But he did not think it through. He did not think, this is not just going to cool this bit, it's going to electrocute me. So, his mind was working, but it was certainly a stupid thought.

[John Weaver] Now, I've seen videos and you can find them online, of people who very stupidly look into the barrel of a weapon to see why it didn't fire. In fact, there is one, I suppose it's still up, of an Islamic terrorist who actually looked into the barrel of that weapon when it wouldn't fire, and then he stupidly hit it on the ground to see what would... and of course it shot himself in the head and killed himself.

[John Weaver] You know, we do things and without understanding what we're doing. So what I want to emphasize today is mindset. Everyone knows the implication of a set mind. We use that phrase all the time, especially in reference to individuals and in reference to action. We can say he set his mind on finding work. He set his mind on marrying that girl. He set his mind on doing certain things. I mean, in other words, we understand that everyone has a mindset.

[John Weaver] Now the question you have to ask is this, do you have a biblical mindset and or do you have a biblical mindset on every subject? Now you say, Brother Weaver, I can't think of every subject. Really? Well, you know, the Bible tells you in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5, that you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Now, if you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ, it means you must learn to think biblically on whatever you're thinking about. I don't care if you're thinking about marriage. I don't care if you're thinking about work. I don't care if you're thinking about buying an automobile. I don't care what you're thinking about. You need to learn to think biblically on every subject.

[John Weaver] Now, we have people saying, well, his mind was set on being a martial artist. His mind was set on being a carpenter. His mind was set on being a welder. His mind was set on being a grocer or whatever. We understand when we say that, When we talk about someone having a mindset that nothing is going to stop him, nothing is going to change his goal. In other words, that mind is set and he's going to accomplish what he wants.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is this, we need to make sure that we have a mindset when it comes to Scripture. There are not very many passages that will say, here's a mindset, but there are many passages that will show you the exact same truth, although it's Different words are used. Let me show you let's go in our Bibles whole Luke chapter 9 But let's go in our Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 31 I'm gonna run you through some of these things very quickly just to show you look in Genesis chapter 31 and Notice if you would verse 21, this is about Jacob. Look at this Genesis chapter 31 and verse 21 The Bible says this so Jacob Stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, and that he told him not that he fled. Now that's verse 20. Look at verse 21.

[John Weaver] So he fled with all that he had, and he rose up and passed over the river and set his face toward Mount Gilead. So what did he do? He set his face. He set his mind. In other words, that mind was absolutely set on going home. Nothing was going to stop him. If you would turn right over to the book of Numbers, chapter 24. Here it is again. Numbers, chapter 24.

[John Weaver] Look, if you would, at verse 1. Now we're talking about Balaam. The Bible says that when Balaam saw that it pleased not the Lord to bless Israel, he went not as at other times to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. In other words, he went to bless them because he knew that God was not going to curse them. When you look at 2 Kings chapter 12 and verse 17, and let me just quote it. Then Hazael, king of Syria, went up and fought against Gath and took it. Now listen carefully. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. What does that mean? I'm determined to fight against Jerusalem. I'm determined to conquer it. I'm determined to make sure that that place is mine. It was a set mine." Now, when you go back to the book of Luke, chapter 9, and you look at verse 51, you're now referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says,"...and it came to pass, when the time was come, that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] Now the word steadfastly set, or from the Greek word, steirizo, which means to make stable, to set fast, to confirm in one's mind and establish. So when He set His face, He was actually confirming in His mind, He was setting in His mind, that He was going up to Jerusalem to die. Nothing was going to stop Him from doing His Father's will. Now, when it says, He steadfastly set His face, the word is prosopon in the Greek, and it denotes the countenance that is on one's face based on the determination of his mind. For instance, You could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm angry. You could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm happy. You can look at my face and tell whether or not I'm determined. In other words, our mindset is usually demonstrated by our face. That is why the Bible said, He set His face. Now, here's why. If you look back, or look over I should say, in Luke chapter 13, verse 33 Luke 13 verse 33 look what he said our Lord says nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem so he said my face is

[John Weaver] set my mind is set I am going to fulfill my father's will I am going to die Now, I want to give you several quotes from different authors on this verse, just to show you how everyone understands this is exactly what the set face is. It is a mindset. So here's what they say. Number one, he steeled his forehead against all discouragements. Number two, the readiness and resolution of our Lord Jesus in prosecuting His great undertaking for our redemption and salvation. Here's number three. He steadfastly set His face, that is, after proper and mature deliberation, He chose now to go up to Jerusalem and firmly determined to accomplish His design. Now here's one more. He determined to go to Jerusalem or he set out resolutely. When a man goes toward an object, it may be said, he set his face toward it. The expression here means only that he resolved to go, that is, he had a mindset, and it applies that he was not appalled by the dangers, that he was determined to brave all and to go up in the midst of his enemies and to die."

[John Weaver] Now, if there's any question over those statements, If you would look in your Bibles to Isaiah 50 and verse 7, that will certainly verify everything that I have just read. So look in your Bibles, Isaiah chapter 50, and look if you would please at verse 7, at what the Bible says. Isaiah 50 and verse 7. Here it is. Look at this. Isaiah 50, verse 7. For the Lord God will help me, Therefore I shall not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." That's concerning our Lord. If you look back in verse 6, of course, that refers to the Lord. I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.

[John Weaver] I hid not my faith from shame and spitting. And then He said, I've set my face like a flint. So obviously, clearly, lack of flint means our Lord's face was hardened toward the end which His Father had ordained. His mind was set that He was going to accomplish it. He was not going to die outside of Jerusalem. So He was determined to do exactly what God demanded.

[John Weaver] Now, this truth should greatly influence our lives. We must understand that we too have mindsets. We also must understand that we normally have mindsets, but our mindsets must be biblical, and they must be biblical on every subject. Let me just tell you very briefly about one mindset that we should have, and I'm going to show you why I'm saying this. We should have one mindset that we're going to love our Lord Jesus Christ the way that He commands and the way that He demands.

[John Weaver] So I want you to look back to several passages. First of all, to Matthew chapter 22. You're going to see the significance of this momentarily. Look at Matthew chapter 22 and verse 37. So a lawyer now has asked our Lord, what is the greatest commandment? Our Lord does not quote any of the 10. Look what he says. Matthew chapter 22, verse 37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

[John Weaver] And the second is likened to it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

[John Weaver] Now, note if you would what our Lord says. We're to love him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind.

[John Weaver] Now, if we love him the way that he demands and deserves, We understand that we must have a mindset on that subject. Let me show you where this originated. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6, and Deuteronomy chapter 6, this passage is known as the Shema Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 6. You'll find in all the Orthodox synagogues, Most of them will recite something like this. Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Achad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. So if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 4, here it is. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. I just said that. Now watch this. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. Now let me just stop right there. Note if you would, that's exactly what our Lord said in Matthew chapter 22. We must love Him with all of our mind, with all of our heart, with all of our soul.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to see the implication of that. So let's continue and let's read verse 5 again. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, or in thy mind, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which he sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not," et cetera, and he goes on. But note, if you would, what he says. He says, you're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body. But then he said, if you love Him that way, if you've got that kind of mindset, he said, in these words which I command you shall be in your life.

[John Weaver] In other words, If we're talking, walking, writing, dreaming, and placing His words before our eyes, it means that we understand that He is central in our lives, and that His Word is central in our lives. In other words, His words, His truth, are the warp and wolf of our being. In other words, it's impossible to separate us from His words if we have the mindset that we need toward Him.

[John Weaver] Now, it is The truth that our lord said in john chapter six that he is the bread of life We live on him. We live on his words We have to walk pleasing unto him Did you know that there was a special promise in isaiah 26 in verse 3? It says this thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him Uh, here's a good question. How in the world to keep your mind on jesus christ The answer is you keep His mind, your mind on Jesus Christ by keeping in your mind His Word. Whether you're walking, whether you're talking, whatever you're doing, whether you're working, what does His Word say in this area? How does His Word apply to me?

[John Weaver] So you must consider then that there are precepts and there are principles in the Word of God that you and I must learn and you and I must hold to tenaciously. I've had people say to me in time past, boy, I wish the Bible covered every instance of everything that could ever happen. And it was there in black and white. Well, let me tell you something, if God did that, you would never be able to read the Bible all the way through. And you'd never be able to carry one around. But what God has done is he's given us everything that we need in precept and in principle form, and we need to have a mindset on this.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible says that our Lord steadfastly set his face. That is, he steadfastly had his mind set.

[John Weaver] Now, we're talking about, in reality, obedience and disobedience. Because if we have a biblical mindset, we're going to be obedient. If we do not have a biblical mindset, we're going to be disobedient. And you have to remember this, that God's blessings always follow obedience, and God's curses always follow disobedience.

[John Weaver] Now, here's why I'm telling you this. I want you to look in your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. And I want you to see Verse 29. Look at this. Luke 12, verse 29. We're going to look at some of the other verses. Luke 12, verse 29. Let's see. Luke 12, verse 29. He said, And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink.

[John Weaver] And then he says this. neither be ye of a doubtful mind." If you have a doubtful mind, you do not have a mindset. Actually, this word, metaridzo, is a metaphor taken from ships that were tossed in the sea by the wind and by the waves. So he said, and be not of a doubtful mind. So someone who has a doubtful mind, listen carefully, is someone who is unsure, he's someone who is agitated, he's someone who is anxious, he's someone who is perplexed.

[John Weaver] In other words, he doubts everything. He doubts his course, he doubts his direction, he doubts his actions, he doubts his thoughts. Don't be of a doubtful mind. That's what he said, be ye not of a doubtful mind. Now, a doubtful mind is absolutely contrary to Scripture. So listen, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. God says, Wherefore be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Now, if you've got a doubtful mind, you're unwise. If you've got a doubtful mind, you do not understand what the will of the Lord is. And the word for unwise is the word affron, which means foolish, unwise, stupid, one without reason and one without sense. So he says, be not stupid. That's what he actually said. Be not senseless. Don't be a fool is what he's saying. You understand what the will of the Lord is. And the reason we're in doubt at many times is because we don't know what the will of the Lord is. We don't know how to act.

[John Weaver] We don't know how to think. We don't know how to move or how to proceed.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible tells you in Proverbs chapter 25 in verse 2, it's the glory of God to conceal a thing, but it's the honor of kings to search a matter out. And so if our Lord then has made us kings and priests unto Himself, it's our responsibility to search out those precepts and those principles and to keep them in our lives so that we can love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and body. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1 and verse 8. James chapter 1, Hebrews James. Look in James chapter 1, if you would please, at verse 8. Okay? All right. James chapter 1 and verse 8. Look at what God says.

[John Weaver] A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Wow! A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. You know what a double-minded man is? Actually, the Greek word is dipsikos. It literally means a double-souled man. A double-minded man It's someone with basically two faces, two minds. He's a wavering, unstable, uncertain individual. He's an individual that's divided in his interests. And so God says, a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Who wants to be around an unstable man? Who wants to be around someone who never knows Which end is up and what to do now to act and what to say? They're always confused. They're always causing heartache and anxiousness and problems I'm just simply saying a double-minded man. He said is unstable in all of his ways now I want you to watch this if you would please we cannot be of a doubtful mind and Neither can we be of a double mind in light of what is going on in our country?

[John Weaver] We cannot be of a doubtful double mind in light of what is going on in our state and in our community. We are facing at this point multiple threats in our nation. We are staring at an economic collapse. You say, I'm making more money now than I've ever made in my life. I understand. But it's more worthless than it's ever been. I've told people, and they just smile.

[John Weaver] In fact, I told some folks last night, when Alice and I got married 61 years ago, I used to give her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries, and I'd kind of fuss at her if she didn't bring two or three of it back. I mean, can you imagine that two people could live a whole week I own six or seven bucks. That would be meat, milk, bread, veggies, fruit, whatever we needed. You can't even buy a loaf of bread for that today.

[John Weaver] We're looking at an economic collapse. Did you realize, do you realize the interest on the national debt is a billion bucks a day? I'm not going to get into that, but the national debt is a big fraud and scam anyhow. But the point I'm trying to make is, you look around. If I had time, I could tell you about the hyperinflation in Germany in 1923, when the Deutschmark, I mean, they wallpapered their houses with their money. It was absolutely worthless. Absolutely worthless. One of my favorite stories is about the German woman who had a wheelbarrow full of money.

[John Weaver] She was on her way to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread and she saw a fight. And so she put her wheelbarrow down and she kind of parted the people so she could look in and see who was fighting. When her curiosity got satisfied, she turned around and someone had emptied the wheelbarrow of all the money and stolen the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was worth more than the money.

[John Weaver] I'm just, we're facing an economic collapse. We're talking about the power grid possibly going down. Did you know our power grid has not been updated since the 1970s? Did you know that California was taken out offline by someone who shot up some of the huge transformers? Did you know that there is only one manufacturer of high voltage transformers? And if you placed an order today, it would take six months to a year to get one of them. We're not only talking about an EMP from China, North Korea.

[John Weaver] Talk about the solar flares. The Carrington effect, where All the telegraph lines were shut down about a hundred years ago, 1849 I think it was, 18 something. It was a solar flare. I get notices from an astronomical laboratory in Australia every year, I mean every day basically, I've been doing it for years, and they send me all about the solar flares, when they originate, their intensity, and when they disappear. And sometimes I get a dozen of them a day, because the sun is continually shooting out these solar flares.

[John Weaver] And all you have to do to take down the... By the way, did you read just this past... It was just this month where some Iranian hacker shut down the power grid. Where was it? In Pennsylvania? Yeah, it was one of the northern cities. Shut it down. An Iranian hacker. I'm just simply saying we're facing an economic collapse. We're facing a failing power grid. Not only that, and I'm being very precise when I say this, but we are facing one of the most corrupt and treasonous administrations that has ever been in the seat of power in years. And the collapse of our nation and our way of life is at hand.

[John Weaver] And God has allowed me And I know Dr. Bowen and several others. God has allowed me to live long enough to see changes in this nation, changes in our state, changes in our community, changes in people. I'm going to tell you, you. It's the absolute truth. When I was a teenager, I was a younger man. If I wanted to see a cop I had to go uptown and then look around because there were so few. Because back when I was a boy, at least most people lived by the Ten Commandments. They may not have been Christians, but they at least had morality.

[John Weaver] And when I was much younger, my father used to take us down to Miami, Florida, where relatives were, for a two-week vacation every year. We never locked the house. We never moved all of the expensive equipment anywhere. It was all outside. When we came back after two weeks, guess what? Everything was exactly the way we left it. You try that today. You try that today. All I'm trying to say is there have been changes.

[John Weaver] Now, Christian principles no longer hold sway in our Congress, in our judicial system, or in our administrative offices. I've got, I have friends right now that have been fighting injustice through the courts and even the higher courts are just as corrupt as the day is long. It doesn't really matter to them about truth. So let me make something exceedingly clear right now. I'm certainly not advocating revolution, I'm not advocating sedition, but what I am going to be advocating is this, a biblical mindset when it comes to our defense and when it comes to our families and when it comes to our property.

[John Weaver] You have to know how to act biblically and scripturally during times of great stress and anguish. You have to understand that. The truth of the matter is this, I have endeavored for years to try to get pastors and Christians to train in multiple ways. And one of those ways has been in self-defense. You would be absolutely astounded at how long it took me to actually get preachers out here to train with weapons. Here's what's so astounding. Read history. Do you realize the movers and the shakers during the war for independence were pastors?

[John Weaver] Jonas Clark, Lexington and Concord. When Sam Adams and John Hancock asked him, would his men fight? He said, yes, for this very hour, I have trained them. Look at Peter Gabriel Muhlingberg. Look at James Caldwell. The same thing was true during the war of northern aggression. It was the pastors. What I'm trying to make is the pastors are responsible to train their people. And we not only need to be trained in self-defense, we need to be trained medically. We need to be trained in communication. We need to be trained in a whole lot of areas.

[John Weaver] For instance, we do have a class coming up February 10 and 11 on survival trapping and on trapping. I've had people tell me, Brother Weaver, I don't know how to clean a chicken. I don't know how to gut a deer. I don't know how to skin a squirrel. The point I'm trying to make is this, folks. If everything goes down like they're saying it is going to go down, We're going to be back in the 17th and 18th century, and you better know some of these things. You better know how to plant a garden. You better have heirloom seeds. You better have whatever you need so that your family can survive. I'm saying you have to have a biblical mindset. Now, listen to me. If we're going to protect our families, We're not going to do it if we have a doubtful mind. We're not going to do it if we have a double-minded individual or a double-souled individual. It's not going to happen. You're not even going to protect anyone else.

[John Weaver] You remember what the Bible says, our Lord, when He was asked, what is the greatest commandment? He said the first one is this, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind. And the second is likened to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. What does that mean? That means if I love myself, and I'm willing to protect my life, if I love Omer as myself, I'm willing to protect him. If I love Gordon as myself, I'm willing to protect him. In other words, I have a duty, I have a responsibility to protect my neighbors just like I have a duty and a responsibility to protect myself. So how in the world can I protect my family? Listen to me. How in the world can I protect my family if I cannot even protect myself? And how can I protect my neighbor if I can't even protect my family? I'm just asking these questions. So here's my question. Have you developed a biblical mindset when it comes to the defense of your life and the defense of your family and the defense of your property?

[John Weaver] Do you know what God demands and commands Do you know what He allows and what He does not allow? Let me tell you something. When someone is attacking your home and attacking you, it's too late for you to try to figure out what God allows you to do. It's just too late. The truth of the matter is, when your life is on the line, when your family's life is on the line, you will have wished that you'd really learned to operate your weapon and to operate it smoothly. I want to tell you something. Every weapon will malfunction.

[John Weaver] Sometimes, and most of the time, Most malfunctions are induced by the user, by an improper grip, by all kinds of things like that. But I'm just simply saying, if you do not know how to correct a malfunction and to correct it quickly and easily and naturally, you're going to be in trouble. It's just that simple. You will have wished that you, yeah, I wish I'd have learned that, but you didn't. So I'm just saying, you'll wish you'd have practiced more often.

[John Weaver] It boggles my mind when I think about all the scenarios that could possibly come up. You'll wish you'd spent more money on ammo. I get tickled. I've had people ask me, Brother Weaver, how much ammo do I need? My response is always, one more box, one more box. And that's the truth. Because it's not just you you're preparing for, but it's your family and your friends as well. So it's too late to try to develop a biblical mindset once everything falls down. And if you don't have a biblical mindset, I'll tell you what's going to happen. You're going to be a quitter. You're going to give up, you're going to give out, you're going to quit, and you're going to die. It's just that simple. We are not going, and you should have this mindset, that you're not going to allow evil to triumph. So many people at this point, they're going to play the pietist. And they're going to say something like this. Well, I'm just willing to die for the Lord. Well, let me tell you something, folks.

[John Weaver] I'm willing to die. And I'm willing to die for the Lord. But I'm not willing to die until he ordains it. And the truth of the matter is, I had much rather the wicked die and the righteous live. Augustine, one of the early church fathers, said it like this. Though defensive violence will always be a sad necessity in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men.

[John Weaver] I don't know about you, but I do believe that Larry Craig was right, the Senator, when he said that self-defense is God-given. It predates government. It predates Constitution. It does because God has ordained it. That is a fact. General Black Jack Pershing, and I love General Black Jack Pershing. He's been dead for years, but here's what he said. In fact, he died in 1948. But he said this, if you know how to shoot and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are you won't have to shoot. And that's a fact.

[John Weaver] Resistance to sudden violence, said John Adams, one of our founders, resistance to sudden violence for the preservation not only of any person, not only of my person, my limbs and life, but of my property is an indisputable right of nature, which I've never surrendered to the public by the compact of society and which perhaps I could not surrender it if I would." So he says it's just simply a natural right to defend yourself.

[John Weaver] Now, we're going to get on some of this a little bit later, but in Nehemiah There's a verse. In fact, I'm going to be looking at several verses later. But just think about this. If you do not possess the training that you need to protect yourself and your family, your neighbor. Then you must require and you must maintain a biblical mindset about training. Nothing comes easy, nothing. Everything requires work. And when Nehemiah was building that wall, we'll look at it a little bit later, but Nehemiah said they built the wall. Why? Because they had a mind to work. Had a mind to work. Do you realize that training is work? I tell people, when we go through the basic class, the basic class is hard work. It really is.

[John Weaver] Because you have to learn all the principles, you have to learn muscle memory, all of this. It's just plain hard work. But when you get to the advanced class, that's where the fun part comes in, because all the hard work has been done. And someone says, well, you know, I'd really love to train, but, you know, I just don't have any time. Really? May I tell you something?

[John Weaver] Everybody has 24 hours in one day. It's not you don't have enough time. It's that you do not prioritize your time and that's not a priority for you. That's what it means. If you had a biblical mindset on defending yourself and your family and your property, you would have time. You would find time. Someone says, but you know, and I've heard this one, ammunition is so expensive. I understand.

[John Weaver] But once again, sore funerals. You will wish you'd have sacrificed and had the ammo you needed and the training that you needed. So if you think you're going to rely upon the sheriff, you're going to rely upon his deputies, you're going to rely upon the police to help you, you're mistaken. Because like I said earlier, Once you call them, they're only 15 or 30 minutes away. It's just that simple. And I want to tell you this, whether you laugh or whether you cry, and those that hear this, it's still the absolute truth. Most cops, deputies, as well as police, cannot shoot. Now, there are exceptions. I understand that. I know some who are exceptions. I know some who train. But as a whole, they cannot. I have shot, besides sheriffs, besides deputies, besides cops, the worst student I ever had in my entire life out on the range was a cop.

[John Weaver] He couldn't shoot, he wouldn't listen, he muzzled himself and muzzled everybody else, and nobody wanted to be around him. I'm going to tell you one more quick story. The last time, I guess it was, Alice and I were at Front Sight. Front Sight is no longer in existence. It's been bought out by Prairie Fire. But the last time we were there, there was a class of deputies right next to our range. There were 40 deputies. 40 men in the class. 40 of us in our class. These deputies were not newbies. They were older men.

[John Weaver] They were, you know, middle-aged. And some of them had been, I guess, on the force for a number of years. But I knew the instructor. I knew the range master. And so what he would do, he would bring them over to watch us, to watch our range, our students. And he told them, he said that you watch Pastor Weaver and Alice. And a lot of them got behind us. And I know most of you don't ever get to see Alice shoot.

[John Weaver] But believe me, she can. And she just really does not miss. And we were making headshots, and we were making those headshots from 10 and 15 yards. And every time I'd shoot, and every time Alice would shoot, boy, those deputies were back there. They were high-fiving. They'd turn around. They'd high-five Alice, you know, this kind of stuff. And they came over every day for four days.

[John Weaver] They watched the whole class. And they would, you know, congregate behind Alice and I and all the other students there. And so we had to leave early the last day of class. And so I walked over to the range master and I said, look, these deputies have been coming over every day and watching us shoot. We've got to leave early. Would it be all right if Alice and I came by for about 15 minutes and just watch them shoot?

[John Weaver] He said, yes, you may come. Well, after we gathered up all of our things and put it in the car, we walked in and of course they were all sitting down. And when we walked in, every one of them turned and looked at us just like that. Why are they looking at us? The range master came over and whispered in my ear, he said, I told them they were going to have to shoot against you and Alice. But that was not going to happen, and I knew that.

[John Weaver] But now listen to this. I'm telling you the absolute truth. There's a man-on-man competition. And this was the time of day that they were doing their man-on-man competition. The very first thing you have to do, you have two men, one on the right, one on the left, and when they give you the sound, the buzzer, you have to come out and you have to shoot and save a hostage. And you have a whole hostage there, and you've got a little metal plate just about that wide and about that high, and you're at, what, 10 yards? and you have to flip that plate over without hitting the hostage, okay? Then, at about 15 to 20 yards, there's a full-size, you have to hit that plate, put it down, hit another plate, put it down. Whoever does that the fastest and successfully wins that round, and you keep doing this until, you know, there's a one-man standing is what it amounts to. Well, when we got over all these deputies, we're doing this.

[John Weaver] If you hit the hostage, if you hit the hostage, if you even graze the hostage, you're out. You lose. I am not making this up. 38 out of the 40 deputies kill the hostage, the first thing. They could not. Finally, only two did not kill the hostage, and one finally won. I thought to myself, Lord, now I understand that bumper sticker, I don't dial 911. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, listen, we've got to have a biblical mindset. If you don't have that mindset, you're not going to work, you're not going to train, you're not going to do anything except quit.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you something. Turn in your Bible, if you would, to 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and look, if you would, please, at verse 7. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and verse 7. I hope you can quote this verse. This is a wonderful, wonderful verse. Look at this. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and verse 7. Notice what the Bible says, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power out of a sound mind. God has not given us a spirit of fear. Let me tell you something, if you have fear, it did not come from God. It may come from your own ignorance, it may come from peer pressure, it may come from the world, it may come from the devil, but it does not come from God. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. You know what the word sound means? It means a mind that is rational, one without illusion, one that is purposeful, one that is deliberate, one that is set.

[John Weaver] God gives us a set mind. And here's the problem we have in Christianity today. Most professing Christians do not have a set mind. They don't have it set on any subject. Not just defense. They don't have it set on any subject. They live their lives as a child that refuses to grow up, that refuses to think, and refuses to apply truth. Mark this down. God requires you to think. God requires you to have a mindset, and He requires you to have that mindset that is biblical on any and every subject imaginable.

[John Weaver] that's in the Bible and that He tells us. So here's the question. You do have a mindset. The question is, do you have a biblical mindset or a humanistic mindset? Are you thinking rationally? Biblically? Scripturally? Or are you just thinking, well, I'll trust whatever happens." Now, God demands, now demands, that you have a Biblical mindset. Did you know the Scripture says, let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus? Did you know the Bible says, be renewed in the spirit of your mind? God requires you to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Do you have a mindset that's biblical and scriptural? Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy. We pray, Lord, that you would continue to teach us, make us, Lord, and give us a biblical mindset in all of these areas. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] But he was sure to come. When will our currency or our electrical grid go down? When? We don't know. But we must be ready. Oil was purchased by the wise virgins calmly and prudently during the day. No panic. No frenzy. No last minute struggle. It was calmly when they prepared for themselves. They were in no danger as they bought that oil and were ready. The five received a blessing. Notice the five foolish virgins. They weren't cast away. They weren't killed. The bridegroom did not kill them for their foolishness, but they certainly did not receive of that blessing. If there is anything to be ready for, for the sake of our families, our church families, it is to be ready that we might receive a blessing. We can see the bad day and prepare for it. That is the encouragement of today is to be ready. The concept of preparing and being ready clearly taught to us. And notice the preparation was a physical one. They bought the oil to have on hand. Did the five foolish get real spiritual and pray for oil that the Lord might do a miracle inside their lamps?

[John Weaver] The Lord can do what he would. The Lord can bring a miracle. But it was not meant that we ought to just, well, we'll just pray about it. No! There was a physical preparation that was rewarded with the blessing. They were foolish and the Lord being faithful to his nature did not reward their foolishness. And we cannot expect the Lord to reward us in our foolishness if we see the bad day and refuse to prepare for it.

[John Weaver] Would you please turn to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. Just another well-known passage, and we don't need to get into it. John chapter 6, beginning in verse 5. John chapter 6 in verse 5, when Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him, for he himself knew what he would do. And Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them.

[John Weaver] Brother Weaver talked about the financial cost to preparations. Two hundred pennyworth is not enough, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, two small fishes, but what are they among so many? There is, in fact, and we know the rest of the story, there was the multiplication. The Lord took what had been prepared by the lad.

[John Weaver] Shame on the other 5,000. The lad prepared. Meager and modest as it was, the Lord brought the multiplication. It was in our Lord's hand to reward with a blessing. There was an economic cost to that meal. They tried to break it down. We need this many pennies in order to bring this about. It's in our Lord's hands. Each portion had a value that related to money. It would cost. We could say, well, I need this many meals worth in the food supply, years worth, and all of this. We need to do what we can and the Lord can bless it. However, our Lord took what had been prepared, modest as it was, meager as it was, and it was sufficient for the purpose of God. And it was more than sufficient. There were 12 baskets.

[John Weaver] gathered up at the end. So the question is, how much have you prepared in these things? The food put by, the ammunition, the equipment needed for farming by hand, gardening, whatever it might be. How much have you prepared? Our Lord, Jehovah Jireh, my provider, can take your modest and perhaps meager preparations and bless them and multiply them beyond all you can ask or think, according to Ephesians 3.20, according to His power.

[John Weaver] If you would, Acts chapter 5, a final passage, Acts chapter 5. And we won't go into detail into this story either, but we're all familiar with it. Ananias and Sapphira Acts chapter 5 verse 1 but a certain man named Ananias and Sapphira his wife sold a possession a financial ability of theirs they sold a possession verse 2 and kept back part of the price his wife also being privy knowing to it and brought a certain part and laid it at the Apostles feet but Peter said Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of land. While it remained, was it not thine own? After it was sold, was it not in thy power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, gave up the ghost.

[John Weaver] Great fear came on all them that heard these things. I'm not suggesting the Lord would strike you dead if you don't buy enough preparations, not enough ammo, that sort of thing. But please know, as Brother Weaver said, each of us has an ability to purchase things. We all have the chance to sacrifice the enjoyments today, whether it's vacations, whether it's that extra quad, the boat, the motorhome, the house on the lake, whatever it might be. I'm aware of my own life, you're aware of your own life.

[John Weaver] But how dare you begin to say I'd like to prepare. I think it's a great idea, but I just can't afford it. Whoa! Any one of us can afford modest and even meager preparations. So I encourage you, don't ever allow yourself to say, I can't afford it. Any of us, the most humble and the poorest among us, can still do something. And the Lord can multiply that.

[John Weaver] So, you're not lying to men. You're not going to lie to Brother Weaver. You're lying before the Lord. If you take the position, well, I'd like to, but I don't have a choice. I don't have money. I can't afford it. No, no, no. You can. You can do something that's between you and the Lord. How much is it? What's the dollar value? A thousand? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Five dollars? That's between you and the Lord. But I encourage you, don't lie about not being able to afford it. You're not lying to man, you're lying to God. How much money do you have extra to spend on everyone?

[John Weaver] And my challenge is, do not allow yourself. Don't ever say, I can't afford it. Brother Weaver went over that, so I'm going to move on. Scripture demands preparation. Was any excuse good enough for the five foolish versions? What could they have said that was allowable, that they didn't have their oil ready? What excuse could we have to say, well, I didn't know about any of this collapse. I didn't know about any of this grin down stuff. You've heard it today.

[John Weaver] It's your responsibility now between you and the Lord as he has enlightened your heart, opened your mind. It's now your responsibility. No excuse is good enough to do what you can. No excuses. Preparation in Scripture is commanded. It is demanded. How much do you have to prepare? Don't raise your hand. Don't give me a dollar value. How much do you have? You have something. How much do you have to spend? That's up to you. You do what you can, honestly, before the Lord.

[John Weaver] Allow Him to multiply the loaves and fishes. Everyone can afford something to prepare. Be honest. before the Lord in your spending. Be wise, be frugal, be efficient, and the Lord will bless you in that. We prepare. We buy preparations. We're called preppers, that the Lord might be glorified in it. Amen. Jeremiah chapter 4, and we look, if you notice, at the first six verses, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] And I want to take just for a few moments and just review. The first lesson we learned, of course, was it must be understood that defense was not for weaklings, because Sanballat, of course, accused them of being weaklings.

[John Weaver] Secondly, self-defense and biblical defense also mandates character and courage to see the work through. And of course, we talked about that in Luke chapter 14 from our Lord. And I want to just point something out in light of that. I never mentioned it earlier. But when I'm saying that it requires character and courage. There was an old saying that Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to put all the time.

[John Weaver] And when I was in the university, you would have all these sayings everywhere. You saw them every day that you went around. And one of them was this. You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. So that means this. I may not know a lot of, say, medical knowledge, but if I can get in Tony's mind and get him to teach me some things, as long as I have the character to put them in application and to bring them through, then I've got it made. But if I don't have the character to apply knowledge, no amount of knowledge is going to do me any good whatsoever. So you can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character.

[John Weaver] The third principle is defense requires sacrifice, and you have to be willing to sacrifice. And Alice Annie is up here. So all right. And of course, the fourth principle, of course, it requires dedication and determination. And the fifth principle is We cannot give in to ridicule. We cannot give in to mockery. We must do what needs to be done.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look, if you would, please, in verse 9 of Nehemiah chapter 4, because I very quickly want to give you seven defensive mandates. And this may surprise you, but the very first defensive mandate is prayer. Look in verse 9. Nehemiah said, Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God and set a watch against them day and night because of them. Why in the world would prayer be our first defensive mandate?

[John Weaver] And the answer is, because if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected. It's just that simple. You remember the Bible says in Psalm 66 in verse 9, it is God who holds our soul in life. And then in Psalm 31 in verse 15, David said, my times are in thy hands. And certainly our times are in God's hands. He does hold our soul in life. And David once again said in Psalm 127 in verse 1, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it, and except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So, if you would read through the book of Psalms, and just kind of take note of the fact, how many times David says, the Lord is my defense, or the Lord is my fortress, or the Lord is my rock, or the Lord is my high place.

[John Weaver] And all of these terms refer to the very defensiveness of God for His people, that is for sure. Our ultimate protection is not in our weaponry. It's not in our preparations. It's not in our abilities. Our ultimate protection is in God himself. And I won't get to preach another message today that I really wanted to, but let me just put it to you like this to show you I can be as prepared as I could possibly ever be.

[John Weaver] But let's suppose I've got a weapon in every corner of my bedroom. a weapon laying on my nightstand, a weapon under my pillow. Guess what? If someone breaks into my house with the intent on murdering me and my wife, if God does not awaken me in time, all of those weapons are useless. Or if I do wake up and I'm unable to shoot straight, they're still useless. You follow me? So our protection ultimately has to be of God and God alone.

[John Weaver] That is why The Bible says it like this in Proverbs 21 and verse 31. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. So prayer for safety and deliverance is relying upon God, it's trusting in God, and it's recognizing His sovereignty and His providence. So, just like I went and preached yesterday in Milan, which was two to three hours away, I ask the Lord for safe travels there and safe travels back.

[John Weaver] I realize he must protect, and certainly that is true. David prayed many prayers, and you will find a lot of them in the book of Psalms. In Psalm 34 and verse 4, he said, I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all of my fears. And then in Psalm 66 and verse 19, he said, but verily God hath heard me, he hath attended of the voice of my prayers.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you how this works together. I want you to hold Nehemiah chapter 4, but if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and then 1 and 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. Now, in this chapter, there was a war between Israel and Judah. It's amazing how the Northern Kingdom often fought against the Southern Kingdom as well. Israel had fallen into idolatry in worshipping the golden calves that Jeroboam had built. Jeroboam, the king of Israel, came against Abijah, who was the king of Judah. So if you look in 2 Chronicles 13, verse 3, now watch this. And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even 400,000 chosen men. So Judah has 400,000 men. Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with 800,000 men, chosen men being mighty men of valor. So Judah now is outnumbered 2 to 1.

[John Weaver] Just stop and think about this. Seemingly, Judah is going to be overrun. They're going to be devastated. But although Judah was outnumbered 2 to 1, yet the Bible tells us Judah prevailed and won the battle. And I might say it was a very decisive battle because they literally slaughtered the Israelites. If you look in verse 17, look at this. Verse 17, I think it is. It's the wrong number, wrong verse. Let's see. What number, what verse do I want? Should be 17. Is it 17? Yes. Well, I'm in the wrong, I'm in the wrong. Okay. 2 Chronicles 13. Yeah, I'm in 2 Chronicles. 11.

[John Weaver] 13, all right, that's fine. I didn't turn over. 2 Chronicles 13, verse 17. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. Can you imagine going out to battle with 800,000 men and having 500,000 of them slain? Here's the question. Why did Judah prevail? Well, if you'll look in verse 18, Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed. Why?

[John Weaver] Because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers. In other words, they had prayed, they relied upon God. Trust in the Lord and relying upon Him means that He is your protection. And by the way, let me point this out too. Trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him does not mean that you do not have to fight. They had to fight. But at the same time, they were trusting Him and looking to Him for victory. You're not trusting in your flesh. You're not trusting in your abilities. You're trusting in Him.

[John Weaver] Let me give you a quote by Adam Clark. He said this, The strongest confidence in the protection and favor of God does not preclude the use of all or any of the means of self-preservation and defense, which His providence has put in our power. While God works in us to will and to do, we should proceed to willing through the power he has given us to will, and we should proceed to action through the power he's given us to act. We cannot will, but through God's power, we cannot act, but through God's strength. The power and the use of it are two distinct things. We may have the power to will and not will, We may have the power to do and not act.

[John Weaver] Therefore, says the apostle, seeing God is wrought in you these powers, you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now, he's not saying you have to save yourself, but he's saying you have to do what God has put in you. And if God puts it in you, then you should bring it out. That is for sure. So prayer then is absolutely mandatory in defense. I don't know about you, but if I'm in trouble, I'm going to be praying. And I'm certainly going to be praying if somebody is shooting at me or somebody trying to attack my family. So the very first biblical mandate for self-defense is prayer. The second biblical mandate for defense is situational awareness. Situational awareness.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look back, if you would, in Nehemiah chapter 4. And look what he said. He said this. I've got Nehemiah chapter four, and he says, Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God, verse nine, and set a watch against them. That is situational awareness. We set a watch against them. They don't only prayed, they actually acted. They ended up setting a watch.

[John Weaver] Now, although they trusted in God for deliverance, that does not mean that they did not have to pay attention. That did not mean that they did not have to be aware of their surroundings. Our Lord told his disciples in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 41, watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. So he says, watch and pray. You not only pray, but you also act. And I want you to notice something else in verse 9. He says, Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them.

[John Weaver] In other words, they said we're not going to be caught by surprise. We're going to have sentries on duty day and night. We're going to be aware of our situation. And I'm much afraid today that most people are so easily caught off guard and so easily surprised because most of us do not have situational awareness. How many times do we pull up to a convenience store and park and just walk in?

[John Weaver] We never look around in the parking lot. We never look around inside the store before we go in. We don't do that with banks. We don't do that with motels. We don't do that with anything because we're not aware of our surroundings. I watched, it was on the internet, of a woman walking by, working on her phone, and stepped into an open manhole. I mean, how in the world do people not kill themselves?

[John Weaver] No one hardly is paying any attention whatsoever. I mentioned earlier cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. You say, what in the world are you talking about? Well, let me give you an illustration. You could say, Brother Weaver, I believe everything you've taught today. You've showed me scripture after scripture after scripture. I know what you're telling me is true. I know it's biblical.

[John Weaver] We're never going to be in a situation where we're going to need it. I mean, it's never happened here before. So therefore, I conclude it's probably never, ever going to happen again. I mean, let's be honest. We have cognitive dissonance. Another example of cognitive dissonance is when We see all these people illegally coming into our country, and they're all young, military-age men, and we say, oh, they're just refugees. They're just looking for a new life. Really? That's cognitive dissonance. When we have been threatened over and over and over, that's cognitive dissonance. That's when you say, well, we've got the best politicians that money can buy. And they're never going to betray us. They're not going to do anything to harm us. Really? Everything they've done is to harm us. Just look at COVID. Not just the vaccinations. I mean the very fact that it was developed in our own country before it was ever sent to China.

[John Weaver] And now also the CIA and the FBI have already been linked to all of this stuff. David Martin has all kind of lawsuits against these people because of it. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that when we think that nothing like this is going to ever happen, most people are so programmed by their TVs, they've just been brainwashed. And they think that nothing will ever, ever happen.

[John Weaver] The truth is that most Christians do not even watch and pray. Oh, we'll pray some. But we don't really watch. We're not really paying any attention. There is no situational awareness in our lives, not only for our safety and our defense, but even spiritually speaking. You're not looking out where we will be attacked. I'm just simply pointing out the fact here in the world, here is where the world gets the best of us because we're not aware of what the world can do and what the world will do. That is for sure. And we think we'll never, ever have to be in a position that we will have to fight and defend our lives and defend the lives of our family. And if you think that you're just mistaken, you are indeed washed thoroughly with cognitive dissonance. Now, here's the third. The third aspect of a biblical defense Mandate is to be alert to a surprise attack.

[John Weaver] I want you to look at verse 11 he said in our adversary said they shall not know neither see till we come in the midst of them and Slay them and cause the work to cease So we're talking about a surprise attack Surprise is a very strong element in war If one can surprise his enemy That means he catches his enemy off guard And an excellent illustration of this is when General George Washington defeated the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey. He knew that the Hessians, who were Germans, who had been hired by George III to fight against the colonists, he knew that those Hessians would be drinking themselves drunk in the celebration of Christmas. And so what Washington did was he crossed the Delaware River on the night of the 25th of December, 1776, and he attacked the Hessians early on the morning of December the 26th. After a brief battle, two-thirds of the Hessians were captured. They were totally surprised. They were totally caught off guard, and they lost the battle, and the Americans won.

[John Weaver] And of course that stimulated the war for independence as well. Now there's another excellent book. If you don't have it, I would encourage you to get it. It was written by Sun Tzu, who was a Chinese warrior. And it is filled with good military information. The title of it is The Art of War. And he has many excellent sayings. And one of his sayings was this, in conflict, Direct confrontation will lead to engagement and surprise will lead to victory. So understand this. When somebody is surprised, usually you have one or two responses.

[John Weaver] You either fear or you freeze. Have you ever had someone jump out at you when you were not expecting it? I made the mistake one time of slipping up behind Alice. I was not expecting her response. Oh, well, I'll tell you what. Sometimes she doesn't freeze. But, you know, people either they either get frightened and they run or they just simply freeze in place is what it amounts to. And when one freezes, it's because of unbelief.

[John Weaver] You're standing there, you're thinking, I can't believe this is happening. And I certainly can't believe this is happening to me. But it is happening. And so when you don't have a situational awareness, and when you are caught off guard by the element of surprise, that's when you are absolutely astounded. And you either freeze, or you just and fear run.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a verse in Jeremiah chapter 14 verse 4. I want you to listen. I'll just read it for you. Listen to this. Carry off is taken. By the way, carry off is taken. Let me stop. Do you know a fellow in the Bible by the name of Judas Iscariot? The word Iscariot means man of carry off. So we're talking about the town of Judas. Listen to this. Carry off is taken, and the strongholds are surprised.

[John Weaver] And then he goes on to say this, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pains. So what in the world can a woman delivering a child in agony and pain, what can she do to fight? Absolutely nothing. So when God surprises his enemies, that's the way it will be. And oftentimes our enemies use the element of surprise against us. And if you will notice, especially the communists, they always like to surprise you when you're in church, or when you are at home, when you're asleep, when you're in your own environment. And what they're trying to do is create as much terror in you as they possibly can, because these are the places where you are the most safe, or at least you believe that you're the most safe. That is why they always attack usually in churches as well.

[John Weaver] So here's the fourth biblical mandate for defense. And that is, we must be aware of those who fraternize with the enemy. Look, if you would please, at verse 12. In fact, he says this, and it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, who's the them, that is Sanballat, Tobiah and the Arabians and all these other people. It came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, they came, they said unto us ten times, from all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Wow! Ten times, they will be upon you.

[John Weaver] Now there are a few scholars who will take this verse in a positive sense. And they're trying to say that these Jews were doing nothing else than coming and bringing intelligence to Nehemiah and the men working with him. However, most scholars consider this verse in a negative light and say that these Jews who live close to Sanballat and Tobiah and all these other people were trying to dissuade their brethren from the work by repeating the threats of these enemies And they were fearful, and even more fearful than those with Nehemiah, because they dwell close to the enemy.

[John Weaver] Remember now, the enemy's already threatened to come in and slay them. And so, these people who live close to Sanballat, and remember the armies of Samaria, they're coming in saying ten times, you can't get away, you can't escape, they're going to kill every one of you.

[John Weaver] Now let me give you some quotes, just to show you how some scholars interpret this verse. Albert Barnes says, the Jews who dwelt by the Samaritan border came to Jerusalem and tried to withdraw their contingents of workmen from the work, representing to them the impending danger and saying, you must return to your homes and so escape. John Gale said it like this, from all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Come which way you will, so that you are in the utmost danger from all places where you are repairing and rebuilding. Return to us that you may enjoy peace and prosperity with us under Sanballat and escape the wrath and fury you are now exposed to. And from all places we come that you may return to us. So these Jews, though they pretended to be friends to their brethren, yet seem to be in friendship with their enemies and sought to discourage them and weaken their minds and cause them to cease building."

[John Weaver] In other words, you've got to be aware of these people who are basically frightful, who are afraid, and who are fraternizing with the enemy. Let me make sure that you understand this point. There will always be individuals, let me rephrase that, There will always be fearful individuals who will be willing to compromise for their own safety and their own security, and they could care less about you or anyone else.

[John Weaver] They're only interested in themselves. They're not interested in the work. They're not interested in truth. They're not interested in righteousness. They're not interested in peace. They're not interested in principle. The only thing they're interested in is themselves. Ignorance. and a lack of character are only conducive to fear. In light of this, the next thing you must understand is that there will always be traitors. There will be men who will sell their souls for their own monetary advantage, for power, for prominence. for prestige.

[John Weaver] If you don't believe that, just look at Washington, D.C. Look at Atlanta. Look in any state capitol that you want to. I would say you could probably find enough congressmen to number on one hand who really care about the Constitution and liberty and freedom. You know the scandals that the Biden family has been through, the scandals that all these congressmen have been through. I want to ask you a question.

[John Weaver] How is it that you can go to Congress and make $80,000 to $100,000 a year, and in four or five years, you're a multimillionaire? How is that possible? especially when you're spending millions just to get there, just to win an election. When you stop and think, I read the other day, for Nancy Pelosi, if she died, she would leave her daughter five different mansions. a jet, and I forget how many millions.

[John Weaver] All I'm trying to say is this. Just look around, because you better be understanding the fact that there are people who will fraternize with the enemy for their own benefit. There will be people who will be absolute traitors just for their own benefit as well. Here's the fifth defensive mandate, and that is we need to be prepared to fight and to be encouraged in the Lord. So look at verses 13 and 14. Look what Nehemiah said.

[John Weaver] Therefore said I that in the lower places behind the wall, you know, the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, with their spears and with their bows. And I looked and I rose up and said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, be not you afraid of them. Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible and fight for your brethren.

[John Weaver] your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses. Now, let me make some obvious deductions from these verses. First of all, in order to fight, you must have weapons to fight with. You not only must have weapons to fight with, you must be trained in the use of those weapons. Weapons, if they do not work, are useless. Weapons are useless to you if you do not know how to work them or how to use them. And if you are not able to quickly and easily and efficiently clear malfunctions in order to make your weapon work, then you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you cannot get your weapon out in a timely manner, you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you can't shoot straight, if you can't shoot accurately most of the time, you're just not prepared to use your weapon.

[John Weaver] That's all there is to it. Now, I want you to note something else in this passage. Here's another observation, and that is this. The wall gave them a defensive position, and therefore he set the people behind the wall for their safety and for their protection. Defensive positions should be planned and built. Think about your whole Think about your land. If your family was attacked, if 10 or 15 men attacked your family, you can't just hide in the house. Most of our modern houses will not stop a bullet, period, unless it just happens to hit a stud.

[John Weaver] And if it's a 50 cow, a stud's going to be blown to pieces and the bullet's going to keep going. And most houses are not designed to be spared by fire. Of course not. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, here he put the people behind the wall because it was already prepared and it was a defensive position.

[John Weaver] Now, hang on to this one. Look at verse 13 again. Here's the third observation. He said, Therefore said I in the lower places behind the wall and in the higher places, I even said the people, after their families. The whole family could fight. Men, does your wife know how to shoot? Does your wife know how to use your weapons? Do your children know how to shoot? Do your children know how to use your weapons? You say, but I can use them.

[John Weaver] Well, suppose you get incapacitated or suppose you get killed. All I'm pointing out the fact it was the families that fought together. I wish I had time to tell you about some of the women in the American Revolution and some of the women in the war of northern aggression. You'd be absolutely astounded when you read some of their lives and how one, one woman, one woman held about 10 or 15 English soldiers captive until her husband got home. I'm just simply pointing out these were families.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will note verse 14, I want you to look at this. He said, And I looked up and rose and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses. Now, the very first command is do not be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of them. Fear paralyzes. I wish you would go through the Bible and just underline every time God says, fear not. Did you know the Bible says in Proverbs 29 in verse 25, the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth this trust in the Lord shall be safe. The fear of man bringeth a snare. David said, I will not fear what man can do unto me. If you really and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, The worst that man could do to you is send you to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] That's the worst. I'm just simply saying, the fear of man brings us there.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to watch this. In this passage, it also includes a second command, and that is, remember the Lord. Remember the Lord. Which simply means not only to trust in Him, rely upon Him, But remember what He's capable of. What did He do to the Egyptians? What did He do to the Hittites and the Philistines and the Jebusites? All I'm saying is this, when you remember the Lord, you remember His power, you remember His grace, you remember His mercy, you remember everything that He has done in times past.

[John Weaver] And then He says this, if you look in this verse again, the third commandment that He gives is this, He said, and fight. for your brethren, your sons and your daughters and your wives and your houses. God gave Canaan to Israel, but Israel had to fight. God gave David victory after victory, but David had to fight. There are some things that cannot be achieved without fighting. I like what Tim Larkin said.

[John Weaver] He said violence is not always the answer. But when it is the answer, it's the only answer. And that's true. Did you know that God is a man of war? The Bible says in Exodus chapter 15 verse 3, the Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name. When you get to Isaiah 42 in 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, he shall roar, he shall prevail against his enemies. The Lord is a man of war.

[John Weaver] Now here's a truth that has to be grasped. Once you understand that God has commanded you to fight, you must know how to fight, and you must be determined to fight. And you must know when to fight and when not to fight. Look if you would in verse 15. When you are prepared to fight, when you know how to fight, when you're willing to fight, most of the time you don't have to fight. Verse 15, And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his own work.

[John Weaver] So Nehemiah had the people ready. Nehemiah said, we will fight. He had them in a defensive position. And since the enemy then found out that, hey, these people are not going to just roll over for us. They're not going to just bow down to us. They're not going to give up. They're not going to give in. They themselves turned around and went back. Here's the sixth defensive mandate.

[John Weaver] Always err on the side of caution when your enemies are routed. Look at verses 16 and 17. And it came to pass after that time forth that half of my servants wrote in the work and the other half of them held both the spears and the shields and the bows and the hammer guns and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which build it on the wall and they that bear burdens with those that laid it, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work and with the other hand held a weapon." Wow. Always err on the side of caution.

[John Weaver] They had given up, supposedly. They had left, supposedly. But Nehemiah said, I'm not going to trust you. We're going to stay prepared. We're going to stay alert. And if we need to fight, we will fight. They kept their weapons with them. They kept their weapons on them. They were not going to be caught off guard. They were not going to be surprised. Now, I'm going to tell you something.

[John Weaver] Since we are in Georgia, according to law, you have a constitutional right to carry your weapon wherever you go. There are some exceptions, I understand. like the federal courthouses or the courthouses. And there had been a prohibition even carrying in the post office. However, one judge just this past week ruled that they could not ban weapons out of the post office, that it was unconstitutional. Wow. Well, we'll see where that one goes. But the truth of the matter is you have a constitutional right to carry. You ought to carry. You ought to always be carrying. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that it is your right. It is a constitutional right. It is a biblical right.

[John Weaver] And so you have to ask yourself, do you care? Do you care? And you should. I never will forget, I was preaching in South Carolina, and there was a banquet first, and then I was to preach afterwards. And there was one lady there with a son who had an affliction. And while we were eating, the young man had an episode. He was having some type of seizure.

[John Weaver] So I jumped up and I ran back to him along with some others. And I was helping pick him up from the floor. Someone else had already called for an ambulance. And we were getting him to the door. And the mother said, my purse, my purse. I said, I'll get it for you. It was one of those long purses, it was kind of heavy. It was wide, you know, just two handles. And I went to pick up that purse, and I looked in there, and there was a pistol right on top.

[John Weaver] And I said, yes, ma'am, here it is. I was making sure she got that purse. But the truth of the matter is, I'm just saying, it's a constitutional right. It's a biblical right. We have a right to carry.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen carefully to this one. I want you to look at verses 18 and 20 in this verse. Because here is, in this chapter, because here is the seventh defensive mandate, and that is that we must have a rallying point. Look, if you would, at verse 18. He says, For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so build it. Now look at this.

[John Weaver] And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated from the wall. one far from another. In what place, therefore, do you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort you thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us." Now, he said we're separated. We've got a trumpet. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, you come here.

[John Weaver] Now, we don't have trumpets, but we do have handheld radios. Right now, we do have the use of cell phones. But the point I'm trying to make is there was a rallying point. Now, a rallying point could mean several things. A rallying point, first of all, could refer to a point where a breach is about to be made. In other words, those who are defending that particular point are insufficient to hold that point. And a rallying point, a rallying cry could come, and that means the others who are not fighting as fiercely or have such a heaven-forced heavy force against them, they can come and help the point where it is about to be breached. So that could be a rallying point. In other words, they come and help stem the tide and clear up those who are fighting fiercely at that particular point. Now, let me point out the fact that you must, you must understand that this is one of the rallying points. Now, another rallying point is this.

[John Weaver] That would be where you have to move to a secondary position. So, if we're defending, say, at the gate, and we get overwhelmed, or the force is too great, we might meet back at the tree line. That would be a rattling point. In other words, it's a secondary position. It's a secondary position to fight from. So, therefore, you're talking about your own property. You need to look at primary positions, secondary positions, sometimes even tertiary or third positions, that is for sure. But also a rallying point could also be a point where you gather together to initiate an attack or a counterattack upon the enemy.

[John Weaver] So notice if you would, as you read through Nehemiah chapter 4, you have all of these biblical mandates for defense. And this is exactly what Nehemiah did. I'm going to make this statement. I'll probably make it tomorrow while I'm preaching because I'm not going to be able to finish this series. But but I will tell you this. According to the scripture, weaponry may be used to defend the church of God and the people of God, but it cannot be used to extend the church of God or the kingdom of God. We're not conquistadors. We're not going around with a sword and saying you either bow or else. No, no. But God oftentimes uses physical means when the church is attacked. So let me make some scripture and some applications for this. So according to our text, this last principle should be well understood. Everything that can be done should be done to secure defense and safety.

[John Weaver] I want you to look at verses 21 and 23 again. Look at this. 21 and 23. He said, So we labored in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise, at the same time said I unto the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us and labor on the day. Now look at this. So neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the guard which followed me None of us put off our clothes, saving that everyone put them off for the washing. What is he saying? He's saying we learned to look out for each other. We learned to guard each other. We learned to give up luxury. We banded together. We were sleeping in the same area for our defense. And we did not even take our clothes off except for washing.

[John Weaver] And in other words, you have to be You have to do whatever has to be done to protect yourself and protect your family. It's just that simple. If you have to sleep with your broganzone, sleep with your broganzone. There's nothing wrong with that. You can put on a clean sheet. If you have to sleep hugging that AR-15, sleep hugging that AR-15. It's just that simple. Do what needs to be done.

[John Weaver] I'll tell this on him. It's kind of like my grandson, my baby grandson. When he was a young boy, he was so squeamish. Listen, if he saw someone vomit, he vomited. If he saw blood, oh, it just threw him. And I had a cow that was down. And she was bloated and had gas. And if you don't do something, they die. So I had a needle about this long. So I said, Tripp, you have to help me with this cow. I said, I'm going to have to put this needle through her ribs into her stomach to let this gas out.

[John Weaver] He said, Papa, I can't do that. I looked at him. I said, yes, you can. and you will do it. You have to learn, you have to do what needs to be done, period. And he helped me hold that cow, and I put that needle in, and I let the gas out, and that cow survived. And of course, most of you know, Tripp became a nurse before he became a logger, and then he ended up marrying a nurse.

[John Weaver] And so now he tells me, what I need and what I don't need in some of the medical areas. I'm just saying, folks, listen, you have to do what needs to be done. That's all there is to it. Years ago, I was plowing and my family had all gone to dinner and I was trying to finish and I had a sweep on the back and the sweeps were worn and they came to a very, very sharp point. And While I was trying to hurry and clean them off, I stepped right into one of the rears of those sweeps. And I mean, it just gouged into my leg and took a hunk of flesh out and blood was going everywhere.

[John Weaver] So I called Alice and I said, tell your mother, who was a RN, who was a nurse, a LPN. I said, tell your mother to come over here and tell my sister who was a registered nurse, who was head nurse at the operating room. She was head nurse at the operating room. I said, tell them to come over here. I need them. And so they got over here, and I showed them my leg. They said, oh, you need to go to the emergency room. I said, no, I don't need to go to the emergency room. I said, I've got the line of cane right here. I've got the sutured material right here. You sew it up. I said, I've got the betadine to wash it out with.

[John Weaver] You take care of it. Well, we don't want to do this. I said, let me tell you something. Either you're going to do it or I'm going to do it. And I can't do it as well bending down as you can do it. So do it. And they did. And guess what? I don't even have a scar. No, no scar there. I'm just saying you have to learn to do what you need to do. It's it's that simple. You have to say I am going to do it.

[John Weaver] I will look out for my my husband. I'll look out for my wife. I'll look out for my children. I'll look out for my brother. I'll look out for my sister. I will do whatever needs to be done. You have to understand, these biblical mandates, this biblical mindset, God gives us principles, God gives us precepts that we are to live by and we are to die by and we are to fight by.

[John Weaver] Do you remember that passage in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17? All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. Why? That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished under every good work. Do you really believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? And do you really believe that it's profitable? And do you really believe that's everything you need that you might live a holy, righteous, godly life? That means this.

[John Weaver] You must have that biblical mindset. It means you must understand these mandates. It means that you must be determined. It means that you must have the character and the consistency and the courage to do whatever needs to be done. It's just that simple. And I want to tell you. The more you study the Word of God. And the more you apply the Word of God. The more determined you are going to be. and the more courageous you're going to be, the more character you're going to have, and the more you'll understand that God is a God of truth and a God of justice and a God of righteousness. And the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, the Bible says, and justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. You have to understand, we're facing some very, very serious times. We better understand these mandates. We better prepare our hearts, our lives. We better prepare our families. We better prepare our children. If we want to survive, we must learn to help each other. We must learn to band together.

[John Weaver] We must learn to do whatever needs to be done. That brings me to this. Everyone has a different opinion about some things. Wonderful. Have all the opinions you want, but do not try to force them on everyone else. If there's a Bible principle, fine. We'll all bow to the Word of God. But we're not going to fight each other. There are too many enemies to fight. And the truth of the matter is, if you understand the biblical doctrine of illumination, I could teach all day long, I could teach all night long, but if God doesn't open your eyes, you're never going to see it, you're never going to understand it anyhow. And so what I need to do is just keep teaching and praying that God will open your eyes. What you would need to do is keep teaching and praying until God opens my eyes. We're not going to fight over little things. We've got too many enemies.

[John Weaver] And we can't take the attitude, well, I don't like this attitude, this so and so. Well, that's all right. Deal with that attitude later. But do what needs to be done. Biblically. scripturally for God's honor and glory and for our good. Let's pray. And then Warren Luke is going to come in just a moment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your help. We ask for your grace. We ask for your mercy. Teach us. Oh, Lord, build us up in the most holy faith and Lord, help us to prepare according to your word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. 1 Samuel 17. I'd like to remind you of 1 Thessalonians 5.21 which says, Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Clearly a passage once again speaking of spiritual things. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. In 1 Samuel 17 we once again go to the familiar passage of David and Goliath.

[John Weaver] If you would notice verse 38. 1 Samuel 17 verse 38. And as we cut into the story, and Saul armed David, verse 38, and Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head. Also, he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go. That is, he attempted to go. He tried to go, for he had not proved it. That is, he had not tested this armor. He had not tested could he do it. He hadn't attempted it before. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I've not proved them. That is, I've not tested them. And David put them off him. So now the question is, David attempted to go to fight, but he'd not tested that equipment.

[John Weaver] Prove all things, hold fast that which was good. Was the armor deficient? was the weaponry of poor quality. No, this was the king's armor, the king's weapons. These are the best money could buy. But for David, who had not practiced with them, who had not trained with them, who had not tested and proved them, he put them away and rather went with his sling. David had not practiced with them. He did, however, test and practice with his sling. which was, we might say, an inferior weapon, but yet he had proved it. Prove all things, hold fast that which was good. David held fast to that sling which he was accurate with, and truly he won the day.

[John Weaver] I'd like to show you a little show and tell, just kind of fun here at the end. And I'll simply point this in this direction. This is what's called a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. This is an actual weapon, and so I will be careful with it. There we are, and the bolt is locked back. It is in fact clear. So this is just a 9mm. This is a fine gun.

[John Weaver] I paid $300 for it about 20 years ago, and I've had it ever since. So the question is, here's a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. What can this weapon do? Now if I this weapon, I can rely on it. And you might say, well, what if I went against an Abrams tank with this little pea shooter? Well, as long as the Abrams tank has a dead battery and it can't function, I'll take this, this trusty old pea shooter, and I'll take out the tank, one by one, if it's failed in its course, if it's mechanically failed.

[John Weaver] So, let's not despise inferior weapons just because there's something grander or more glorious over there, if it doesn't work. Saul's armor did not work for David. The sling won the day. And so we must prove these things. So the Kel-Tec Sub 2000, I'm just going to use this as an example. We all have many different weapons. There's a thousand examples we could go through. But notice if you would, my Kel-Tec Sub 2000 is a nine millimeter. I own 9mm handguns. That's my handgun round.

[John Weaver] I don't have 40s or 45s. This takes a Glock 17 mag. My only handguns are Glock 17s. So any and all of my Glocks take all the same magazine, and I can have a chest full of magazines in my pouches and either go with my handgun Glock 17 or into my Kel-Tec Sub 2000. Question is, this is kind of a rifle. It's got a longer barrel. How accurate is this?

[John Weaver] I need to ask all these questions. It's kind of made out of plastic. It's kind of got a weird situation to close the bolt, then to open it, bring it on a catch. Is this reliable in battle? I'm asking all these questions. How can I know? I need to test it and I need to prove it. I need to take this out to the range, put some ammo through it, and find out what's it like.

[John Weaver] 20 years ago when I bought it, I did shoot it. And I can tell you this, this is an iron pipe that is built in the construction. And in order to shoot it, what I'd want to do is bring some cheek meat up against it to be able to get on the sights. But if I do that, I can't actually see through the sights. I have to put it against my bone to get my eyes low enough in order to do that. When you shoot even the 9mm, this pipe hits your bone. This is a painful gun to shoot.

[John Weaver] You wouldn't know that unless you tested it, unless you proved it. This doesn't really work for me. It's mine, I paid for it, but what do I do with it? Maybe this is a fine weapon for a younger man. Maybe I can give this to one of my sons whose smaller face can get on it. I can teach him the reloads and the malfunctions and get him on this weapon. And I need to know what can it do and what can it not do. There's no offense to the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 to know its abilities as well as its weaknesses. It's simply a firearm.

[John Weaver] And if you'll notice, it even folds in half. You can put it in a backpack. It's kind of cool. Is this a toy or is this actually a real weapon of war? These questions ought to be answered. I need to prove it. I need to prove what is good and hold fast to it. I'll give you one more example. This is a CFP 90. These were all the rage Back in the early 2000s. CFP 90. On eBay, 100 bucks. This is the best backpack money could buy. There was a separate compartment here at the bottom so you could put your sleeping bag in the bottom. If anyone's packed a backpack, you know if your sleeping bag goes in the bottom of the main part, to pull your sleeping bag out, you're disrupting all of your other packing. In order to put a tactical backpack together, you need to know how to layer it.

[John Weaver] What items are you going to get to first? These are all things you have to practice. Prove your system and your layering. Prove it. Test it. Practice it. And hold fast when you get a good program. I'm not telling you how to layer it. I'm saying you need to practice it.

[John Weaver] Now, I bought this 25 years ago off eBay. I spent my hard-earned money. Put it in storage. Recently, I pulled it out of storage. I knew I had a CFP 90, the finest backpack money could buy. Been in storage for 25 years. would you know it it had actually broken the plastic here whether in my in my storage had rotted out so i'm going to need to repair this but i wouldn't know that unless i actually got it out looked at it tested it improved it now this can be repaired and i'll repair it but i needed to know that if i had gone after this in the day of battle i was it's broken This is not the time to find that out. We need to be going through our things. Prove all things. Test all things.

[John Weaver] Hold fast that which is good. So buying the preparations. We talked about spending the money. Buying these things is indeed the first step. Buying the equipment. What must come next is the testing, the proving. Put your hands on it. Take it out to the range. It's got to be used. tested and proven. Hold fast or relying on that which has been proven to be successful, proven to be good.

[John Weaver] I'd like to switch gears just to finish out the passage. If you would notice in verse 40, and he, that is David, took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had. David selected five smooth stones, not random stones, but fine stones for flinging through the air. Smooth stones out of the brook, hand-selected smooth stones. So the question is, why five stones? It only took one stone to defeat the giant. Why would David take five? David knew God would give him the victory. Why did David choose five stones? Why did he take four stones he didn't end up needing? Why choose any stones at all? Why not just pray the giant down, as we've alluded to earlier? Because David was being consistent with tactical preparations. The Lord would give him the victory, but it was prudent and it was appropriate for David to get reloads. If the first one missed, he'd be ready again. in the victory of the Lord.

[John Weaver] David was consistent. He was faithful to proper military tactical process and procedure. It makes tactical sense to have reloads. It makes preparation sense for us to store up ammo. There's a foolish group of those within the church who just want to pray it all away. And that is not what scripture demands of us. We are fully reliant on the Lord, but it can't just be praying it out.

[John Weaver] No, we are to prepare. We are to practice and prove that which is good. Our God, the Lord of War, will give us the victory, but we must also be consistent to be sensible, sensical with our tactical equipment and our preparations. Again, the Lord can multiply the loaves and fishes. The Lord can multiply the bullets and magazines. In our Lord's grace and victory, he might give us 31 rounds in that AR-15.

[John Weaver] Well, I counted 30 and I still had the miracle. Thank the Lord, because here's the man charging at me. I've expended it, but the Lord gave the extra one. Let him do it. David's victory and ours will always be firstly spiritual. But we must be faithful to the physical equipment, the physical preparation, the physical accumulation, and tactical action. So I encourage all of you in all of this concept of prepping and purchasing and preparing and all of this, prove all things, hold fast that which is good.

[John Weaver] Surely we need to Purchase these things whether it's food boil some of those beans taste it get some of those free freeze-dried Meals cook them up. Give them a taste. Do they need salt? What do you need to add to them? Prove all things test all things Hold fast that which is good test theology this theology that's been given to us prove it prove the Lord your God and Hold fast to that which is good ♪ ♪ you

Rural Home Defense Conference

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	u8x8OGtPeKs
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-09-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 33
Source Timed Segments	251

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Foundation

Weaver introduces the conference theme from Don Schiff's book on rural home defense and opens with prayer, then reads 1 Timothy 5:8 as the foundational text.

Now let me mention, I'm just going to tell you, actually the theme of this little conference came from this book. I'm not going to be teaching or preaching what's in this book. This is Rural Home Self-Defense or Rural Home Defense. And this is written by Don Schiff, who is a retired cop. He also has another book on a rural, not rural, but suburban home defense. And so these books are good. And what we've done over on this little couch over here, we've got a lot of books just for you to look at. There's some on that book on the table right there. None of them are for sale, but just to show you what is available. And once I teach today, you'll understand, I think, the necessity of some of these books and the value of them as well.

So let's have prayer to begin with and we'll just get started. Okay? Let's pray. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we pray that you would teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. May your perfect and holy will be accomplished today. Give us, Lord, our understanding hearts, and may we serve thee in reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen.

Alright, let's open our Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8. I preached this message to our people back in November. I actually started preparing for this meeting back in November, and when I finished this message, I thought it was so important I did not want to wait to preach it. So I preached to our people. So some of our people have heard this message, and probably most of them have forgotten it—I hope not—but I'm just simply saying I think this is foundational. It is a root message, and that I'm going to start from here. The other messages nobody's ever heard. So I'm just going to tell you here, 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8. The title of the message is "Responsibility and Responding." So if you look in verse 8, 1 Timothy 5:8, the Bible says, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

The Myth of Government Protection

Weaver argues that the government cannot protect individuals, citing statistics and a legal scholar to show police have no duty to protect citizens.

So let me begin by asking you this question: Who is responsible to protect your life, your family, and your property? Many take the position that it is the responsibility of the government to protect them, and therefore they do absolutely nothing to prepare themselves or their family. The interesting thing is I just came across this this morning. There was a whole article, and I just couldn't out of it. And here it is. In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 71.2% of all Americans have no faith in the United States government to save them or prevent a doomsday event. Now listen to this.

If you actually believe that the government will be there to rescue you when things really start hitting the fan, you're being delusional. If it was equally divided up among the entire population—now there's 330 million Americans, not counting the 30 million illegal immigrants—if it was equally divided up among the entire population, the emergency supplies that the government has on hand would not last a single day. Wow. So many people think that somehow the government's going to come in and save them. A few tend to believe that the police or the deputies or the sheriff somehow will protect them and their property. Then you have to remember this: when you really need them, they're at least 30 minutes away. And usually, law enforcement arrives just in time to secure the crime scene. In other words, it's over by that time.

You're a victim and you're dead. Your property is stolen and your family probably has been murdered as well. Here's a quote it would pay you to remember. This quote is from Darren L. Hutchinson, who happened to be a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what he said: Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you, refuse to intervene, and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody.

So if you want to be protected by the cops, you need to get arrested. Otherwise, they have absolutely no duty to protect you at all. So here's a biblical truth that I'm going to annunciate this from the Bible, and that is: you are responsible for your life. You're responsible for your family. You're responsible for your property. You are the first responder, not the cops, not the firemen. You are the first responder, and it's not up to your neighbors.

You Are the First Responder

The speaker asserts that personal responsibility for self-defense is biblical, and failure to prepare makes one a victim.

It is up to you. You're responsible. And if you do not learn how to protect yourself and have the means to protect yourself, then you're going to be a victim. One man said it like this: When you don't think of yourself as the first responder, your destiny is to be the first victim. And that's certainly true. Here is a recent headline, and I want you to listen carefully. Terrorist activity within the continental United States and general violent crimes are increasing exponentially and are likely to get much worse. The situation is so discouraging that our leftist media is desperately and deliberately under-reporting all violent crime because it makes the Democrat darlings look bad. And I hope you've been keeping up with the fact that at the border, a number of these illegal immigrants that are coming across have been caught with IEDs, improvised explosive devices.

Exegesis of 1 Timothy 5:8

Weaver examines the remote and immediate context of 1 Timothy 5:8, explaining that 'provide' (pronoeo) means to think beforehand and encompasses all provisions, including defense.

So I'm just simply telling you, it is up to you to learn to be responsible. Now, if you look in your Bibles at 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8, the Bible says, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." So before I show you this message, and this truth from 1 Timothy 5 and verse 8, I want to show you the remote context and then we're going to be looking at the immediate context in which verse 8 occurs. So the remote context, if you look back in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and look at verse 15, 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, you'll find that this is the theme of the book of 1 Timothy. Look at it. The Bible says, 1 Timothy 3 verse 15, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." So everything in 1 Timothy, and actually 2 Timothy, is based upon the fact that this is how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God, especially when you get to 1 Timothy 2.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 3:15

But the point I'm trying to make is, when we're talking about families, if you're a believer, you actually have two families. You have the family of faith, and then you have your own personal, physical family as well. So, I think the widest application of what I'm going to say today would be to our church, to our fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and secondly, then to our immediate family. Now, if you will turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 5, and let's be looking there at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3. Look at it. The Bible says, "Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."

Now look what he says in verse 7, strange.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

Now interestingly enough, verse 7, the Bible tells you,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"these things give in charge."

What in the world does the word "charge" mean? Well, the Greek word happens to be paraggelia, and it's translated in our Bibles as "charge," as "command," and as "commandment." So I want you to look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Timothy chapter 1. I want to show you this word to show you how it's used. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Look, if you would please, at verse 3. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."

Now, look if you would back at verse 3. Paul said,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."

Now, the word "charge" here does not mean a suggestion. It does not mean to give advice. The word "charge" is actually the word "command." For instance, skip down, if you would, in verse 5 and look at this. Because now he says, "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"the end of the commandment."

What commandment? What commandment is he talking about? Well, if you go back to verse 3, and he said, "I give thee charge." It's the same word, paraggelia. Now it's translated as "commandment" in verse 5. So a charge then is indeed a commandment. Now Paul then tells Timothy, if you will look back to 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 7, "these things give in charge." When he says that, he's not talking about giving suggestions. He's not talking about giving advice. He's saying you give them a commandment. Why? Are we to be given this commandment? And the answer is found in verse 7, "that we may be blameless."

Now the word "blameless" there happens to be a word that refers to being blameless, to being unrebukable, to be without censure, without being condemned. In fact, the Bible tells you in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 15, listen to this, "that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." So he's saying once again that we should be without rebuke. So Paul is giving this commandment that you and I are to provide for our own, especially their own household. And he says this is a commandment and I'm giving it to you that you may be blameless.

Now, so look, if you would, in verse 8 again. Verse 8. And Carl, if you don't mind, please, since you're long and tall, come close this vent. It's blowing right on me. All right. Look, if you would, at verse 8. Look what he said: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Notice, if you would, he denied the faith and he's worse than an infidel.

Now, do you see a picture? I want you to think about this. Usually the husband and the father, of course, is the head of the house. That is the way the Word of God has ordained it.

Now, he says in verse 4, look at it: "But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God." So notice he talked about children and he talked about nephews. So let's—let me put it like this. Let's suppose that Alice and I both get down. We're unable to work. We're sick. We're unable to do anything. Who's responsible to take care of Alice and I? Our children. That's a fact. What if we don't have any children? Then he mentions nephews.

In other words, it's the family, the immediate family, and then it happens to be the extended family. So I want you to look, if you would please, again in verse 4. He said, "But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home." What is piety? It's godliness. It's holiness. Now how in the world are children and nephews supposed to show piety at home? The Bible says, "...and requite their parents." You know what the word "requite" means? It means to pay back. In other words, we took care of our children when they could not take care of themselves. We fed them. We clothed them. We educated them. Now God says when the parents get elderly and can't take care of themselves, it's now the children's turn to pay them back. Wow. In other words, it's not the government's responsibility to take care of your elderly; it's your responsibility. Alice and I took care of her mother until she died. We took care of my mother until she died. Our fathers both died early. In fact, Alice's mother lived with us for 17 years. In the last three years, she lived in the house with us because she could not live alone. So, the Bible says that we are to take care of those. We are to pay back. Now, when you consider the fact, once again, that the husband and the father is the head of the house, and God has therefore designated him as the provider.

So, look back at verse 8. I want you to see this: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." I'm gonna say this now. I'm gonna say it again later. Do you realize the only thing that you have to do to deny the faith and be worse than an infidel is to deny and not fulfill your responsibility? That's it. If you do not fulfill your responsibility, the Bible says you have denied the faith and that you are worse than an infidel.

Now, when you and I think about provision, the very first thing we think about is food and clothing. I mean, stop and think about that. You've got hungry children. You've got children that need all kinds of clothes and that kind of thing. Wow, that's exactly what we think about. But let me tell you something about the word provision. Just because you and I think about food and clothing does not mean that is exactly what that word means. The word provision in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8 is a Greek word.

It's called pronoeo. Pro happens to be a preposition which means before. Noeo means to think and to consider. It's from the Greek word nous, which is the mind. So actually the word prepare here or provide means that you are actually thinking beforehand, you are understanding beforehand, you are perceiving beforehand, you're considering beforehand. In other words, it does not just simply deal with food and clothing. It deals also with every provision imaginable. So the word provide then means to perceive with the mind, to understand with the mind. It means to heed and to ponder and consider. So here's the question that I'm going to ask you. Since you understand how broad this word is, provide does not just refer to food and clothing. So here's the question. Have you provided for the defense of your family? Have you provided for the protection of your family? Have you provided for the medical care of your family? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we need to understand that the word provide means far more than what you and I would just simply consider food and clothing. Now I want you to look in verse 8 again. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8. He said, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." So if you do not provide then for the lives and the safety and protection of your family, God says that you're worse than an infidel and

that you basically denied the faith. Now, I'm going to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is this from Harry Brown. He says this, "The police can't stop an intruder, mugger, or stalker from hurting you. They can pursue him only after he has hurt or killed you. Protecting yourself from harm is your responsibility, and you are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun owners than in one of disarmed citizens, even if you don't own a gun yourself." That is true. There's another quote I want to give you. I've preached this before.

Biblical Basis for Armed Defense

Using Luke 11:21-22 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Weaver teaches that a strong man arms himself and that community defense is necessary.

There was a man by the name of Jack Potter. In fact, he was known as Fighting Jack Potter. He happened to be a Confederate soldier, but he was also a Methodist circuit riding preacher after the war was over. And here's what Jack Potter said, a pastor. He said, "I'm not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use means to preserve it. It is no evidence of a preacher's want of trust in God when he carries a gun to shield his life in the time of peril." It would be the most sinful presumption not to do so. Indeed, I do not carry a gun because I'm afraid to die, but because it is a duty and a means to preserve life. Wow. Now, God places a very high value on the family, and He places a very high value on family protection. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Luke. The book of Luke. And I want you to look, please, at chapter 11 to begin with. Luke chapter 11. Luke 11. And notice, if you would, please, Luke 11 and verse 21. Notice what the Word of God says, Luke 11 and verse 21. Our Lord says, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." Now first of all, I want you to note He talks about a strong man. A strong man is someone who's strong not just in body but also in mind. And secondly, the Bible says he is a strong armed man. And the word "armed" in the Greek, kathoplizō, literally means furnished with arms.

In other words, he has more than one. He's furnished with arms. Third, the Bible says, he keeps or guards and protects himself and his goods. But note, if you would, in order to do so, he has to be a strong man and he has to be an armed man, one furnished with arms.

Now, here's another reason why you should understand family protection and self-protection. God not only requires it, but He's telling you if you're going to provide for the safety of your family, you better be thinking ahead. Why? Just because you're armed, just because you're furnished with arms, does not mean that that is sufficient in and of itself. Why? Well, look, if you would, please, at verse 22. Look at it. Verse 22. He says this: "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from

him his armor wherein he trusted and divided the spoils." Ah, now wait a minute. It is wise to consider the fact that I have need to protect my family. It is wise to consider the fact that, yes, I must be furnished with arms. I must have an ample supply of arms to do what God requires me to do. But I also must consider this: What if a stronger man comes along with more arms? Or what if a stronger individual or a stronger group comes along? I have to consider that as well.

The last meeting we had was on community, where believers would actually come together. Do you understand this is exactly what our Lord is hinting at right here? Because if you are alone, no matter what you have, you cannot defend yourself or your family or your property. It's impossible. There's no one can stay awake 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's no one that can do everything that needs to be done. It's absolutely impossible. Do you understand?

This is how the early settlers and the frontiersmen protected themselves. If they were alone, they were easy targets. And so what they would do, they would come into communities, they would come into groups, and sometimes they would even build a little fort. But they always had someone that would come to their aid when aid was needed. You know, one of our problems is this. You and I have lived in relative safety for so long, we don't think anything like this can happen to us. It's cognitive dissonance. It happens somewhere else, but it's never going to happen here. It's going to happen to other people, but it's never ever going to happen to us. That's how we think.

Current Threats and the Need for Preparation

Weaver cites recent headlines about terrorist threats and border crossings to emphasize the urgency of preparing for medical emergencies, communication, and community defense.

I'll tell you this right now. I've got a friend, some of you know him. His name is Michael Danley. He is a police officer and has been for—how many years I don't know, he likes about two years retiring. He's an officer and he called me this past week and he said, "I want to tell you something. I want you to convey this to your people." I said, "Fine. I'll be glad to." He said, "I carry everywhere I go, even when I'm off duty." He said, "So does my family." In fact, I've had his family down here and I've helped train him and his family. But he said, "We went to a little out-of-the-way Chinese restaurant out in the boonies." He said, "So I left my weapon in the car." Now, Michael is a big man. I mean, he's not fat. He's not flabby. He's just big. And his boys are big, like six-four, six-five, strong as ox. They were in—Michael told me, he said, "I went in the bathroom to wash my hands before we ate." And he said, "Just as I was washing my hands, here was someone banging on the door loudly cursing."

"Get out of there! Get out of there!" And it was a big black man. One of his boys hollered, "Dad, watch out! He's got a gun!" And Michael said, "There I am in the bathroom without my weapon." He said, "When I locked the door," he said, "the man ran in cussing me." And he said, "I went around to the manager, the owner, whoever it was, and I said, 'What's wrong with him?' The man said, 'He just hates white people.'" He said, "He then came out of the bathroom and began to antagonize Michael and curse him." And so Michael looked at the owner and said, "Well, we're just gonna leave." And he said, "He followed them outside. His children and his wife went ahead and got in the car." And he said, "I had a choice: whether I should reach in and try to grab my weapon or just jump in the car and leave." He said, "But he already had his weapon out." He said, "That would have been foolish for me. So the children opened the door for me."

He said, "I jumped in and drove off." He said, "I called the local law enforcement there and swore out a warrant for his arrest." But you see what I mean. Here's a man who's been a cop all of his life. And he said, "I just never dreamed something like this would happen in that one little out-of-the-way restaurant." This is what I'm talking about. Let me give you a recent headline. Listen to this. This was just this past year, just a few months back, from the Highland County Press out of Ohio. A real threat.

Experts warn Hamas-connected terrorists crossing U.S. border. Here are the first three short paragraphs of that article. "Hundreds of immigrants on the federal terror watch list have been caught at the southern and northern U.S. borders in recent years, and national security experts say there is a real threat of a terrorist attack on American soil as a result. With the conflict between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas escalating, that threat has only grown. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's San Diego field office warns that Hamas may attempt to send individuals to the United States through the southern border." Well, the truth of the matter is they're already here, and so are 30,000 Chinese communist soldiers. Where in the world do you think all of these people are coming across the border? They're single military-age men. They're not coming with wives and children. I'm just simply pointing out, here is Ohio even talking about this. In other words, these terrorist cells have already been pre-positioned. Why? Years ago they were talking about the Islamic training camps over around Jessup, Georgia and around other places as well. They're all over the country. So, here's the question. What in the world are you going to do when one of these groups approaches your family, your property, your home? What is going to transpire? Are you going to have help? Are you going to be alone? Are you going to be outnumbered? Are you going to be outgunned? Have you provided?

Have you worked with your neighbors? Have you worked with your family? Have you asked others to help you? Scripture not only teaches that we need help, it teaches that two are more than one. For instance, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Ecclesiastes, the book of Ecclesiastes. Notice if you would chapter 4 of the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes arrives before the Song of Solomon. Look in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, beginning there with verse 9. Ecclesiastes 4:9, God says, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." So God is saying, yeah, it's good to have two or three people around who's going to help you and to work with you.

Frédéric Bastiat, if you've never read his little book on the law, I would encourage you to do so. It's a very short book. He was a Frenchman, and it's a classic work. But here's what he said in one of his paragraphs: "If every person has a right to defend, even by force, his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect their rights constantly."

So here is a thought to consider involved with provision. Think about this. If you cannot reach each other, if you cannot communicate with each other, you cannot help each other. So how in the world are you going to communicate if the power grid is down? How are you going to communicate if the electricity is turned off? How are you going to communicate if all the internet is down? That's why those little handheld radios, they can reach 5 miles and with an antenna 15 and 20 miles and sometimes more if you have a larger one there. In fact, we built out here in one of our classes, we built an antenna and then we hooked everything up and where was the man? In New York, was it New York? We talked to him over our radio and he was in New York. So it's amazing what some of these little things can do when you have the right equipment. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact, have you thought about this? When that cell phone's not working, what in the world are you going to use?

I'm just simply saying this is why we need community. This is why we need like-minded people. This is why we need to understand we have a family of faith and we have our physical family as well. In other words, we must learn to take responsibility for our own lives, our own families, our own property. It's just that simple. During an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse attack, what are we talking about? A natural calamity? A tornado? A hurricane? The floods? Just stop and think about this.

When those things happened, all the stores are usually looted. Look what happened in Hurricane Katrina. Look at all the hurricanes out in Texas. Look what happened in the stadium there where they were housing everybody. And I got news for you: when there is no food left and there's nothing to steal, the hordes are going to be looking. And if they see a garden, they're going to assume that you have food, and you may have canned food, and you may have stored food, and they are coming to see you. That is, you are next on their list. It is just that simple. And all you've got to do is listen. All you have to do is look at what is happening in all these mobs in these larger cities. They're going into the jewelry stores. They're going into convenience stores. They're going into these high expensive stores, 30 and 40 and 50 of them at one time, stealing everything they can steal and running out. And no one stops them because no one's going to shoot them. And they're devastating and destroying everything.

The Sixth Commandment and the Duty to Preserve Life

The positive aspect of 'Thou shalt not kill' is the duty to preserve life, which includes self-defense and defense of family and neighbors.

And I may be able to speak on this this afternoon, but I want to mention it right now. The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." The sixth commandment actually could read "Thou shalt not murder" or "Thou shalt not take life apart from God's directive." But that is a negative: "Thou shalt not kill." The positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." So the positive side of the sixth commandment is you have a duty, you have a responsibility to preserve your life, the life of your family, and the life of your neighbors as well. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 82:3,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:3

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

Now you have to understand that 1 Timothy 5:8, when he said, "But if any provide not for his own," the word "provide" remember means to think beforehand, to consider beforehand. It does not just deal with food. It just does not deal simply with clothing. It means everything that your family would need for protection. So you have to think beforehand and conceive with the mind beforehand and preparing your mind beforehand.

Practical Preparation and Trust in God

Weaver discusses medical preparedness, antibiotics, and the need to trust God while making practical preparations, citing Psalm 127:1.

Here's another question to ask you: Have you seriously thought about and prepared for medical emergencies? I don't—come here and tell me, "Well, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. I'm not an EMT. I'm not a paramedic." Neither am I. Most people are not. But I can tell you something: I know how to suture. I've sewed up animals. I've sewed up humans. I know how to stop bleeding. I know how to pack a wound. I'm not a doctor.

That's why I want you to look at some of these books over here. Do you realize there are so many things that you can learn? And you can even go to your local tech school, and you can learn CPR. You can learn basic medicine. Have you ever considered what is going to happen medically when there are no hospitals? When there are no clinics? When you have no one around?

Let me tell you something. If an EMP happens, whether naturally or whether it is an act of war, you're not going to have a hospital. You're not going to have any electricity. You're not going to have anything. You're going to have to take care of yourself. Let me ask you a question. This is absolutely astounding to me. But how in the world did people on the frontier take care of medical emergencies?

How did women ever have babies before there were hospitals? Isn't that amazing? How did people set broken bones when there were no doctor around? How did people deal with animal attacks? If you've never heard my message, "Mountain Man Jedediah Strong Smith," I would encourage you to listen to that message. Jedediah Smith was a Christian. He was attacked by a grizzly bear. Now I want you to listen to this. I'm reading: On his second expedition, he was attacked by a grizzly bear. The bear came out of the thicket and mauled Smith violently, throwing him to the ground, smashing his ribs, and literally ripping off his scalp. When the attack was over, the scalp was hanging on his head by an ear. Smith instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on.

Now remember, we don't have anything to deaden the pain. There's no lidocaine back then. No, no, no. So he instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on. Clyman did the best he could, but thought nothing could be done for the severed ear. Smith insisted that he try. According to Clyman, "I put my needle, sticking it in through and through and over and over, laying the lacerated parts together as nice as I could with my hands." And then listen to this: after two weeks of rest, Smith returned to his duty as captain of the party. So he just sat there, with nothing to deaden his pain, having everything sewn back on his scalp and his ear. If you think that is something, you ought to read about Hugh Glass. Hugh Glass was another mountain man. Hugh Glass was mauled by a grizzly bear. He was mauled so terribly, but he was not dead.

But all of his friends thought he would die any time. The Indians were around; they were afraid of an Indian attack, and so they took his knife, they took his weapon, and they left him to die. Hugh Glass came to. He crawled to the river and washed his wounds, drank some water, crawled on his hands and knees until he found carrion, a dead carcass, and he ate some of that meat. When he got some strength after crawling, he began to walk and stumble, and he walked and stumbled for 200 miles until he came to Fort Kiowa, and he lived. I'm just simply pointing out the fact. You know, we need to learn some things. We need to learn to do some things for ourselves. You can buy medical books. You can read. You can buy herbal books. You can buy medical supplies. You can teach yourself basic medicine. You can have supplies on hand for short-term and even long-term emergencies. By the way, I will mention this here. Back in November, I guess it was, I spoke for three hours at one conference on preparedness, on preparedness to survive.

And I was pointing out the fact that fish antibiotics, animal antibiotics, are the same as our antibiotics. You just need to know the difference in weight and how to apply them. But there are two companies now that you can stock up on your antibiotics and whatever you need. One of them is Jase Medical, J-A-S-E, and the other is The Wellness Company, and that is Dr. Peter McCullough. And what you do is you go online and you fill out your form and they send it to a doctor and the doctor then signs off on it and then they send you the kit and it's all kind of antibiotics, whatever, even ivermectin is in it. Both of these companies are very good. I'm just simply saying you can.

So let me ask this question again. Whose responsibility is it then to keep your family not just fed, not just clothed, but protected and also prepared for medical emergencies? In other words, it's your responsibility. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. I want you to understand something. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Look what the Bible says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. It is not your responsibility to feed the whole world. It is not your responsibility to take care of the whole neighborhood. It is your responsibility to take care of your family, which would include your physical family and your church family as well. But I want you to watch 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Look at this. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, look in verse 10. Paul said, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such

we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread." Now, go back to verse 10. "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." It is your job, it is your responsibility to take care of your family and to provide for their every need. Yes, there is biblical charity, and I've got messages on that, but charity does not extend to supporting the indolent, the lazy, the sluggards who will not work and provide for themselves. Hungry men will usually do one of two things. They'll either go to work or they'll steal. If someone is willing to work, you might be willing to share. But if someone wants to steal, then you have to deal with that problem. I want to ask you a question. I understand charity. I understand that. But if times get really, really tough, and you have just enough to take care of your family, and then I come along with my little children and ask you to share. Here's my question. Are you going to take the bread out of your children's mouth and give it to my children?

You see what I'm trying to say? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have a responsibility to prepare. Now, in all things, we have to learn to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. David over and over said this in the Psalms. For instance, Psalm 7, verse 10: "My defense is of God, who saveth the upright in heart." Then in Psalm 31, verse 2, he says, "Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: for thou art my strong rock, and my house of defense to save me." And then he says this, "Because of his strength"—that is the enemy's strength—"I will wait upon thee: for God is my defense."

Now, let me tell you, while we prepare and while we may be willing and able to defend ourselves, that does not mean that we trust in our provisions. It does not mean that we trust in our abilities. It means that we must trust in God and God alone. We must be wise, as He commands us: "Be wise as serpents." "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise."

The Necessity of a Biblical Mindset

Using Luke 9:51, Weaver teaches that a steadfast, biblical mindset is required for defense, contrasting it with a doubtful or double mind.

Amen. Let's be dismissed. Well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. And we're going to be reading verse 51. Luke 9 and verse 51. You will see the application of this just shortly. Luke 9, verse 51. The title of the message is, "Mind Set." The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:51

"...and it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

Now, there's much in the Bible concerning the mind.

And the truth is that everything stems from our minds. Our minds control our actions and they certainly control our lives. I've pointed out many times in the Bible that the mind is the understanding. Occasionally, when you read the word heart, occasionally it refers to affection, but most of the time it refers to the heart. Because the Bible says in Proverbs 23, verse 7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." So it's the heart that does the thinking. And that's why the Bible says in Proverbs 4 and verse 23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

Now, I want you to turn, if you would, hold in Luke 9, but turn back in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 15, and let me just show you this. Matthew chapter 15, our Lord is speaking. He's teaching His disciples, and look what He says, beginning there with verse 18. Notice if you would. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 15. Watch this. Matthew 15, verse 15, "...Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable."

And Jesus said, "Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." Now, the interesting thing is, our Lord says in verse 18, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart." Now look, if you would, what is the first thing that comes from the heart? Notice, if you would, He says in verse 19, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts." And then, of course, murders, adulteries, fornications. The truth of the matter is, see, you can't do any of these things without thinking. Everything in your life comes from your heart or from your mind or from your understanding.

So if I reach down and pick up this pair of glasses, I've already thought about the fact that I'm going to reach down and pick up this pair of glasses. It's impossible to commit adultery without thinking. I've heard people say, "Well, Brother Weaver, it just happened. I didn't plan it." That's hogwash. You thought about it well before you ever did it. That's a fact. "Well, I didn't mean to steal. The money was just there." No, no, no. You thought about it before you ever took it. You can't act. You can't move without everything coming from your mind.

Now, in this passage, you're going to see, once again, evil thoughts, of course, proceed from the heart. So, the point I'm trying to make is it's impossible to act without the mind, without thinking. I've heard people say, when they've done something very stupidly, they would say, "Well, I guess I was not just thinking. I guess I was not just thinking." No, no, no, no. You were thinking, you were just thinking stupidly. I mean, that's all there is to it. Now, let me give you a good illustration. One is that our mind actually controls our actions. I had a good friend years ago, who's now dead. He was a very talented carpenter. He could build anything. And in his house, around there, for their children, they had a swimming pool. And he was going to do some work out by the swimming pool, and he had an electric drill, and he was drilling into the concrete.

And the bit got hot. And he thought, well, I'll cool the bit and dip it into the water. And he was instantly electrocuted. Now, did he think? Yeah, he thought. But he did not think it through. He did not think, this is not just going to cool this bit, it's going to electrocute me. So, his mind was working, but it was certainly a stupid thought.

Now, I've seen videos and you can find them online, of people who very stupidly look into the barrel of a weapon to see why it didn't fire. In fact, there is one, I suppose it's still up, of an Islamic terrorist who actually looked into the barrel of that weapon when it wouldn't fire, and then he stupidly hit it on the ground to see what would... and of course it shot himself in the head and killed himself. You know, we do things and without understanding what we're doing. So what I want to emphasize today is mindset. Everyone knows the implication of a set mind. We use that phrase all the time, especially in reference to individuals and in reference to action. We can say he set his mind on finding work. He set his mind on marrying that girl. He set his mind on doing certain things. I mean, in other words, we understand that everyone has a mindset.

Now the question you have to ask is this, do you have a biblical mindset and or do you have a biblical mindset on every subject? Now you say, Brother Weaver, I can't think of every subject. Really? Well, you know, the Bible tells you in 2 Corinthians 10:5, that you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Now, if you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ, it means you must learn to think biblically on whatever you're thinking about. I don't care if you're thinking about marriage. I don't care if you're thinking about work. I don't care if you're thinking about buying an automobile. I don't care what you're thinking about. You need to learn to think biblically on every subject.

Now, we have people saying, well, his mind was set on being a martial artist. His mind was set on being a carpenter. His mind was set on being a welder. His mind was set on being a grocer or whatever. We understand when we say that, when we talk about someone having a mindset that nothing is going to stop him, nothing is going to change his goal. In other words, that mind is set and he's going to accomplish what he wants.

Now, the truth of the matter is this: we need to make sure that we have a mindset when it comes to Scripture. There are not very many passages that will say, "Here's a mindset," but there are many passages that will show you the exact same truth, although different words are used. Let me show you. Let's go in our Bibles to Luke chapter 9, but let's go in our Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 31. I'm going to run you through some of these things very quickly just to show you. Look in Genesis chapter 31 and notice, if you would, verse 21. This is about Jacob. Look at this: Genesis chapter 31 and verse 21. The Bible says this: "So Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled." Now that's verse 20. Look at verse 21.

"So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead." So what did he do? He set his face. He set his mind. In other words, that mind was absolutely set on going home. Nothing was going to stop him. If you would turn right over to the book of Numbers, chapter 24. Here it is again. Numbers, chapter 24.

Look, if you would, at verse 1. Now we're talking about Balaam. The Bible says that when Balaam saw that it pleased not the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. In other words, he went to bless them because he knew that God was not going to curse them. When you look at 2 Kings chapter 12 and verse 17, and let me just quote it: "Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it." Now listen carefully: "And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem." What does that mean? I'm determined to fight against Jerusalem. I'm determined to conquer it. I'm determined to make sure that that place is mine. It was a set mind. Now, when you go back to the book of Luke, chapter 9, and you look at verse 51, you're now referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says, "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

Now the word "steadfastly set" is from the Greek word stērizō, which means to make stable, to set fast, to confirm in one's mind and establish. So when He set His face, He was actually confirming in His mind, He was setting in His mind, that He was going up to Jerusalem to die. Nothing was going to stop Him from doing His Father's will. Now, when it says, "He steadfastly set His face," the word is prosōpon in the Greek, and it denotes the countenance that is on one's face based on the determination of his mind. For instance, you could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm angry. You could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm happy. You can look at my face and tell whether or not I'm determined. In other words, our mindset is usually demonstrated by our face. That is why the Bible said, "He set His face." Now, here's why. If you look back, or look over I should say, in Luke chapter 13, verse 33. Luke 13:33, look what He said. Our Lord says, "Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." So He said, "My face is..."

Set my mind is set. I am going to fulfill my Father's will. I am going to die. Now, I want to give you several quotes from different authors on this verse, just to show you how everyone understands this is exactly what the set face is. It is a mindset. So here's what they say. Number one, he steeled his forehead against all discouragements. Number two, the readiness and resolution of our Lord Jesus in prosecuting His great undertaking for our redemption and salvation. Here's number three. He steadfastly set His face, that is, after proper and mature deliberation, He chose now to go up to Jerusalem and firmly determined to accomplish His design. Now here's one more. He determined to go to Jerusalem, or he set out resolutely. When a man goes toward an object, it may be said, he set his face toward it. The expression here means only that he resolved to go, that is, he had a mindset, and it implies that he was not appalled by the dangers, that he was determined to brave all and to go up in the midst of his enemies and to die.

Now, if there's any question over those statements, if you would look in your Bibles to Isaiah 50 and verse 7, that will certainly verify everything that I have just read. So look in your Bibles, Isaiah chapter 50, and look if you would please at verse 7, at what the Bible says. Isaiah 50 and verse 7. Here it is. Look at this. Isaiah 50, verse 7: "For the Lord God will help me; therefore I shall not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." That's concerning our Lord. If you look back in verse 6, of course, that refers to the Lord: "I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.

I hid not my face from shame and spitting." And then He said, "I've set my face like a flint." So obviously, clearly, "like a flint" means our Lord's face was hardened toward the end which His Father had ordained. His mind was set that He was going to accomplish it. He was not going to die outside of Jerusalem. So He was determined to do exactly what God demanded.

Now, this truth should greatly influence our lives. We must understand that we too have mindsets. We also must understand that we normally have mindsets, but our mindsets must be biblical, and they must be biblical on every subject. Let me just tell you very briefly about one mindset that we should have, and I'm going to show you why I'm saying this. We should have one mindset that we're going to love our Lord Jesus Christ the way that He commands and the way that He demands.

So I want you to look back to several passages. First of all, to Matthew chapter 22. You're going to see the significance of this momentarily. Look at Matthew chapter 22 and verse 37. So a lawyer now has asked our Lord, "What is the greatest commandment?" Our Lord does not quote any of the Ten. Look what he says. Matthew chapter 22, verse 37: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Now, note if you would what our Lord says. We're to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind. Now, if we love Him the way that He demands and deserves, we understand that we must have a mindset on that subject. Let me show you where this originated. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6, and Deuteronomy chapter 6, this passage is known as the Shema Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 6. You'll find in all the Orthodox synagogues, most of them will recite something like this: Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. So if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 4, here it is. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. I just said that. Now watch this. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. Now let me just stop right there. Note if you would, that's exactly what our Lord said in Matthew chapter 22. We must love Him with all of our mind, with all of our heart, with all of our soul.

Now, I want you to see the implication of that. So let's continue and let's read verse 5 again. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. Now look what he says. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, or in thy mind, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which he sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not," et cetera, and he goes on. But note, if you would, what he says. He says, you're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body. But then he said, if you love Him that way, if you've got that kind of mindset, he said, in these words which I command you shall be in your life.

In other words, if we're talking, walking, writing, dreaming, and placing His words before our eyes, it means that we understand that He is central in our lives, and that His Word is central in our lives. In other words, His words, His truth, are the warp and woof of our being. In other words, it's impossible to separate us from His words if we have the mindset that we need toward Him. Now, it is the truth that our Lord said in John chapter 6 that He is the bread of life. We live on Him. We live on His words. We have to walk pleasing unto Him. Did you know that there was a special promise in Isaiah 26 in verse 3? It says this: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Here's a good question. How in the world to keep your mind on Jesus Christ? The answer is you keep your mind on Jesus Christ by keeping in your mind His Word. Whether you're walking, whether you're talking, whatever you're doing, whether you're working, what does His Word say in this area? How does His Word apply to me?

So you must consider then that there are precepts and there are principles in the Word of God that you and I must learn and you and I must hold to tenaciously. I've had people say to me in time past, "Boy, I wish the Bible covered every instance of everything that could ever happen, and it was there in black and white." Well, let me tell you something: if God did that, you would never be able to read the Bible all the way through, and you'd never be able to carry one around. But what God has done is He's given us everything that we need in precept and in principle form, and we need to have a mindset on this. Now, the Bible says that our Lord steadfastly set His face. That is, He steadfastly had His mind set.

Now, we're talking about, in reality, obedience and disobedience. Because if we have a biblical mindset, we're going to be obedient. If we do not have a biblical mindset, we're going to be disobedient. And you have to remember this: that God's blessings always follow obedience, and God's curses always follow disobedience.

Now, here's why I'm telling you this. I want you to look in your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. And I want you to see verse 29. Look at this. Luke 12:29. We're going to look at some of the other verses. Luke 12:29. Let's see. Luke 12:29. He said, "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink."

And then he says this: "Neither be ye of a doubtful mind." If you have a doubtful mind, you do not have a mindset. Actually, this word, meteorizo, is a metaphor taken from ships that were tossed in the sea by the wind and by the waves. So he said, "And be not of a doubtful mind." So someone who has a doubtful mind, listen carefully, is someone who is unsure, he's someone who is agitated, he's someone who is anxious, he's someone who is perplexed. In other words, he doubts everything. He doubts his course, he doubts his direction, he doubts his actions, he doubts his thoughts. Don't be of a doubtful mind. That's what he said: "Be ye not of a doubtful mind." Now, a doubtful mind is absolutely contrary to Scripture. So listen, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Now, if you've got a doubtful mind, you're unwise. If you've got a doubtful mind, you do not understand what the will of the Lord is. And the word for unwise is the word aphron, which means foolish, unwise, stupid, one without reason and one without sense. So he says, "Be not stupid." That's what he actually said. "Be not senseless. Don't be a fool," is what he's saying. "You understand what the will of the Lord is." And the reason we're in doubt at many times is because we don't know what the will of the Lord is. We don't know how to act.

We don't know how to think. We don't know how to move or how to proceed. Now, the Bible tells you in Proverbs chapter 25, verse 2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." And so if our Lord then has made us kings and priests unto Himself, it's our responsibility to search out those precepts and those principles and to keep them in our lives so that we can love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and body. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1, verse 8. James chapter 1—Hebrews, James. Look in James chapter 1, if you would please, at verse 8. Okay? All right. James chapter 1, verse 8. Look at what God says.

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Wow! A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. You know what a double-minded man is? Actually, the Greek word is dipsuchos. It literally means a double-souled man. A double-minded man—it's someone with basically two faces, two minds. He's a wavering, unstable, uncertain individual. He's an individual that's divided in his interests. And so God says, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Who wants to be around an unstable man? Who wants to be around someone who never knows which end is up and what to do, how to act, and what to say? They're always confused. They're always causing heartache and anxiousness and problems. I'm just simply saying, a double-minded man, He said, is unstable in all his ways. Now, I want you to watch this, if you would please. We cannot be of a doubtful mind, and neither can we be of a double mind in light of what is going on in our country.

Defensive Mandates from Nehemiah 4

Weaver outlines seven defensive mandates from Nehemiah 4: prayer, situational awareness, alertness to surprise, awareness of fraternizers, preparedness to fight, erring on caution, and having a rallying point.

And I want to take just for a few moments and just review. The first lesson we learned, of course, was it must be understood that defense was not for weaklings, because Sanballat, of course, accused them of being weaklings. Secondly, self-defense and biblical defense also mandates character and courage to see the work through. And of course, we talked about that in Luke chapter 14 from our Lord. And I want to just point something out in light of that. I never mentioned it earlier. But when I'm saying that it requires character and courage, there was an old saying that Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to put all the time.

And when I was in the university, you would have all these sayings everywhere. You saw them every day that you went around. And one of them was this: "You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character." You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. So that means this: I may not know a lot of, say, medical knowledge, but if I can get in Tony's mind and get him to teach me some things, as long as I have the character to put them in application and to bring them through, then I've got it made. But if I don't have the character to apply knowledge, no amount of knowledge is going to do me any good whatsoever. So you can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. The third principle is defense requires sacrifice, and you have to be willing to sacrifice. And Alice and Annie is up here. So all right. And of course, the fourth principle, of course, it requires dedication and determination. And the fifth principle is we cannot give in to ridicule. We cannot give in to mockery. We must do what needs to be done.

Now, I want you to look, if you would, please, in verse 9 of Nehemiah chapter 4, because I very quickly want to give you seven defensive mandates. And this may surprise you, but the very first defensive mandate is prayer. Look in verse 9. Nehemiah said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God and set a watch against them day and night because of them."

Why in the world would prayer be our first defensive mandate? And the answer is, because if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected. It's just that simple. You remember the Bible says in Psalm 66 in verse 9, it is God who holds our soul in life. And then in Psalm 31 in verse 15, David said, "My times are in thy hands." And certainly our times are in God's hands. He does hold our soul in life. And David once again said in Psalm 127 in verse 1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it, and except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So, if you would read through the book of Psalms, and just kind of take note of the fact, how many times David says, the Lord is my defense, or the Lord is my fortress, or the Lord is my rock, or the Lord is my high place. And all of these terms refer to the very defensiveness of God for His people, that is for sure. Our ultimate protection is not in our weaponry. It's not in our preparations. It's not in our abilities. Our ultimate protection is in God himself. And I won't get to preach another message today that I really wanted to, but let me just put it to you like this to show you I can be as prepared as I could possibly ever be. But let's suppose I've got a weapon in every corner of my bedroom, a weapon laying on my nightstand, a weapon under my pillow. Guess what? If someone breaks into my house with the intent on murdering me and my wife, if God does not awaken me in time, all of those weapons are useless. Or if I do wake up and I'm unable to shoot straight, they're still useless. You follow me? So our protection ultimately has to be of God and God alone. That is why the Bible says it like this in Proverbs 21 and verse 31. "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. So prayer for safety and deliverance is relying upon God, it's trusting in God, and it's recognizing His sovereignty and His providence. So, just like I went and preached yesterday in Milan, which was two to three hours away, I ask the Lord for safe travels there and safe travels back. I realize he must protect, and certainly that is true. David prayed many prayers, and you will find a lot of them in the book of Psalms. In Psalm 34 and verse 4, he said, "I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all of my fears." And then in Psalm 66 and verse 19, he said, "But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayers." Now, I want to show you how this works together. I want you to hold Nehemiah chapter 4, but if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and then 1 and 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. Now, in this chapter, there was a war between Israel and Judah. It's amazing how the Northern Kingdom often fought against the Southern Kingdom as well. Israel had fallen into idolatry in worshipping the golden calves that Jeroboam had built. Jeroboam, the king of Israel, came against Abijah, who was the king of Judah. So if you look in 2 Chronicles 13, verse 3, now watch this. "And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even 400,000 chosen men." So Judah has 400,000 men. "Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with 800,000 men, chosen men being mighty men of valor." So Judah now is outnumbered 2 to 1.

Just stop and think about this. Seemingly, Judah is going to be overrun. They're going to be devastated. But although Judah was outnumbered 2 to 1, yet the Bible tells us Judah prevailed and won the battle. And I might say it was a very decisive battle because they literally slaughtered the Israelites. If you look in verse 17, look at this. Verse 17, I think it is. It's the wrong number, wrong verse. Let's see. What number, what verse do I want? Should be 17. Is it 17? Yes. Well, I'm in the wrong—I'm in the wrong. Okay. 2 Chronicles 13. Yeah, I'm in 2 Chronicles. 11.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

13, all right, that's fine. I didn't turn over. 2 Chronicles 13, verse 17. "And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men." Can you imagine going out to battle with 800,000 men and having 500,000 of them slain? Here's the question. Why did Judah prevail? Well, if you'll look in verse 18, "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed." Why?

Because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers. In other words, they had prayed, they relied upon God. Trust in the Lord and relying upon Him means that He is your protection. And by the way, let me point this out too. Trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him does not mean that you do not have to fight. They had to fight. But at the same time, they were trusting Him and looking to Him for victory. You're not trusting in your flesh. You're not trusting in your abilities. You're trusting in Him.

Let me give you a quote by Adam Clarke. He said this: "The strongest confidence in the protection and favor of God does not preclude the use of all or any of the means of self-preservation and defense, which His providence has put in our power. While God works in us to will and to do, we should proceed to willing through the power he has given us to will, and we should proceed to action through the power he's given us to act. We cannot will, but through God's power; we cannot act, but through God's strength. The power and the use of it are two distinct things. We may have the power to will and not will. We may have the power to do and not act." Therefore, says the apostle, seeing God is wrought in you these powers, you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now, he's not saying you have to save yourself, but he's saying you have to do what God has put in you. And if God puts it in you, then you should bring it out. That is for sure. So prayer then is absolutely mandatory in defense. I don't know about you, but if I'm in trouble, I'm going to be praying. And I'm certainly going to be praying if somebody is shooting at me or somebody trying to attack my family. So the very first biblical mandate for self-defense is prayer. The second biblical mandate for defense is situational awareness. Situational awareness. Now I want you to look back, if you would, in Nehemiah chapter 4. And look what he said. He said this. I've got Nehemiah chapter four, and he says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God,"

verse nine,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"and set a watch against them."

That is situational awareness. We set a watch against them. They not only prayed, they actually acted. They ended up setting a watch. Now, although they trusted in God for deliverance, that does not mean that they did not have to pay attention. That did not mean that they did not have to be aware of their surroundings. Our Lord told his disciples in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 41, "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." So he says, watch and pray. You not only pray, but you also act. And I want you to notice something else in verse 9. He says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them."

In other words, they said we're not going to be caught by surprise. We're going to have sentries on duty day and night. We're going to be aware of our situation. And I'm much afraid today that most people are so easily caught off guard and so easily surprised because most of us do not have situational awareness. How many times do we pull up to a convenience store and park and just walk in? We never look around in the parking lot. We never look around inside the store before we go in. We don't do that with banks. We don't do that with motels. We don't do that with anything because we're not aware of our surroundings. I watched, it was on the internet, of a woman walking by, working on her phone, and stepped into an open manhole. I mean, how in the world do people not kill themselves?

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

No one hardly is paying any attention whatsoever. I mentioned earlier cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. You say, what in the world are you talking about? Well, let me give you an illustration. You could say, "Brother Weaver, I believe everything you've taught today. You've showed me scripture after scripture after scripture. I know what you're telling me is true. I know it's biblical."

We're never going to be in a situation where we're going to need it. I mean, it's never happened here before. So therefore, I conclude it's probably never, ever going to happen again. I mean, let's be honest. We have cognitive dissonance. Another example of cognitive dissonance is when we see all these people illegally coming into our country, and they're all young, military-age men, and we say, oh, they're just refugees. They're just looking for a new life. Really? That's cognitive dissonance. When we have been threatened over and over and over, that's cognitive dissonance. That's when you say, well, we've got the best politicians that money can buy. And they're never going to betray us. They're not going to do anything to harm us. Really? Everything they've done is to harm us. Just look at COVID. Not just the vaccinations. I mean the very fact that it was developed in our own country before it was ever sent to China.

And now also the CIA and the FBI have already been linked to all of this stuff. David Martin has all kind of lawsuits against these people because of it. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that when we think that nothing like this is going to ever happen, most people are so programmed by their TVs, they've just been brainwashed. And they think that nothing will ever, ever happen. The truth is that most Christians do not even watch and pray. Oh, we'll pray some. But we don't really watch. We're not really paying any attention. There is no situational awareness in our lives, not only for our safety and our defense, but even spiritually speaking. You're not looking out where we will be attacked. I'm just simply pointing out the fact here in the world, here is where the world gets the best of us because we're not aware of what the world can do and what the world will do. That is for sure. And we think we'll never, ever have to be in a position that we will have to fight and defend our lives and defend the lives of our family. And if you think that you're just mistaken, you are indeed washed thoroughly with cognitive dissonance. Now, here's the third. The third aspect of a biblical defense mandate is to be alert to a surprise attack. I want you to look at verse 11. He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And our adversary said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease."

So we're talking about a surprise attack. Surprise is a very strong element in war. If one can surprise his enemy, that means he catches his enemy off guard. And an excellent illustration of this is when General George Washington defeated the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey. He knew that the Hessians, who were Germans, who had been hired by George III to fight against the colonists, he knew that those Hessians would be drinking themselves drunk in the celebration of Christmas. And so what Washington did was he crossed the Delaware River on the night of the 25th of December, 1776, and he attacked the Hessians early on the morning of December the 26th. After a brief battle, two-thirds of the Hessians were captured. They were totally surprised. They were totally caught off guard, and they lost the battle, and the Americans won. And of course that stimulated the war for independence as well. Now there's another excellent book. If you don't have it, I would encourage you to get it. It was written by Sun Tzu, who was a Chinese warrior. And it is filled with good military information. The title of it is The Art of War. And he has many excellent sayings. And one of his sayings was this: In conflict, direct confrontation will lead to engagement and surprise will lead to victory. So understand this. When somebody is surprised, usually you have one or two responses.

You either fear or you freeze. Have you ever had someone jump out at you when you were not expecting it? I made the mistake one time of slipping up behind Alice. I was not expecting her response. Oh, well, I'll tell you what. Sometimes she doesn't freeze. But, you know, people either they either get frightened and they run or they just simply freeze in place is what it amounts to. And when one freezes, it's because of unbelief.

You're standing there, you're thinking, I can't believe this is happening. And I certainly can't believe this is happening to me. But it is happening. And so when you don't have a situational awareness, and when you are caught off guard by the element of surprise, that's when you are absolutely astounded. And you either freeze, or you just and fear run.

Now, there's a verse in Jeremiah chapter 14 verse 4. I want you to listen. I'll just read it for you. Listen to this. Kerioth is taken. By the way, Kerioth is taken. Let me stop. Do you know a fellow in the Bible by the name of Judas Iscariot? The word Iscariot means man of Kerioth. So we're talking about the town of Judas. Listen to this. Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are surprised.

And then he goes on to say this, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pains. So what in the world can a woman delivering a child in agony and pain, what can she do to fight? Absolutely nothing. So when God surprises his enemies, that's the way it will be. And oftentimes our enemies use the element of surprise against us. And if you will notice, especially the communists, they always like to surprise you when you're in church, or when you are at home, when you're asleep, when you're in your own environment. And what they're trying to do is create as much terror in you as they possibly can, because these are the places where you are the most safe, or at least you believe that you're the most safe. That is why they always attack usually in churches as well. So here's the fourth biblical mandate for defense. And that is, we must be aware of those who fraternize with the enemy. Look, if you would please, at verse 12. In fact, he says this,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

and it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, who's the them, that is Sanballat, Tobiah and the Arabians and all these other people. It came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, they came, they said unto us ten times, from all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Wow! Ten times, they will be upon you.

Now there are a few scholars who will take this verse in a positive sense. And they're trying to say that these Jews were doing nothing else than coming and bringing intelligence to Nehemiah and the men working with him. However, most scholars consider this verse in a negative light and say that these Jews who live close to Sanballat and Tobiah and all these other people were trying to dissuade their brethren from the work by repeating the threats of these enemies. And they were fearful, and even more fearful than those with Nehemiah, because they dwell close to the enemy. Remember now, the enemy's already threatened to come in and slay them. And so, these people who live close to Sanballat, and remember the armies of Samaria, they're coming in saying ten times, 'You can't get away, you can't escape, they're going to kill every one of you.'

Now let me give you some quotes, just to show you how some scholars interpret this verse. Albert Barnes says, 'The Jews who dwelt by the Samaritan border came to Jerusalem and tried to withdraw their contingents of workmen from the work, representing to them the impending danger and saying, "You must return to your homes and so escape."' John Gill said it like this, 'From all places which you

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

shall return unto us, they will be upon you.

Come which way you will, so that you are in the utmost danger from all places where you are repairing and rebuilding. Return to us that you may enjoy peace and prosperity with us under Sanballat and escape the wrath and fury you are now exposed to. And from all places we come that you may return to us.' So these Jews, though they pretended to be friends to their brethren, yet seem to be in friendship with their enemies and sought to discourage them and weaken their minds and cause them to cease building.

In other words, you've got to be aware of these people who are basically frightful, who are afraid, and who are fraternizing with the enemy. Let me make sure that you understand this point. There will always be individuals—let me rephrase that—there will always be fearful individuals who will be willing to compromise for their own safety and their own security, and they could care less about you or anyone else. They're only interested in themselves. They're not interested in the work. They're not interested in truth. They're not interested in righteousness. They're not interested in peace. They're not interested in principle. The only thing they're interested in is themselves. Ignorance and a lack of character are only conducive to fear. In light of this, the next thing you must understand is that there will always be traitors. There will be men who will sell their souls for their own monetary advantage, for power, for prominence, for prestige.

If you don't believe that, just look at Washington, D.C. Look at Atlanta. Look in any state capitol that you want to. I would say you could probably find enough congressmen to number on one hand who really care about the Constitution and liberty and freedom. You know the scandals that the Biden family has been through, the scandals that all these congressmen have been through. I want to ask you a question. How is it that you can go to Congress and make $80,000 to $100,000 a year, and in four or five years, you're a multimillionaire? How is that possible, especially when you're spending millions just to get there, just to win an election? When you stop and think, I read the other day, for Nancy Pelosi, if she died, she would leave her daughter five different mansions, a jet, and I forget how many millions.

All I'm trying to say is this: just look around, because you better be understanding the fact that there are people who will fraternize with the enemy for their own benefit. There will be people who will be absolute traitors just for their own benefit as well. Here's the fifth defensive mandate, and that is we need to be prepared to fight and to be encouraged in the Lord. So look at verses 13 and 14. Look what Nehemiah said.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Therefore said I, that in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

Now, let me make some obvious deductions from these verses. First of all, in order to fight, you must have weapons to fight with. You not only must have weapons to fight with, you must be trained in the use of those weapons. Weapons, if they do not work, are useless. Weapons are useless to you if you do not know how to work them or how to use them. And if you are not able to quickly and easily and efficiently clear malfunctions in order to make your weapon work, then you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you cannot get your weapon out in a timely manner, you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you can't shoot straight, if you can't shoot accurately most of the time, you're just not prepared to use your weapon.

That's all there is to it. Now, I want you to note something else in this passage. Here's another observation, and that is this: the wall gave them a defensive position, and therefore he set the people behind the wall for their safety and for their protection. Defensive positions should be planned and built. Think about your whole—think about your land. If your family was attacked, if 10 or 15 men attacked your family, you can't just hide in the house. Most of our modern houses will not stop a bullet, period, unless it just happens to hit a stud.

And if it's a .50 cal, a stud's going to be blown to pieces and the bullet's going to keep going. And most houses are not designed to be spared from fire. Of course not. I'm just simply pointing out the fact: here he put the people behind the wall because it was already prepared and it was a defensive position. Now, hang on to this one. Look at verse 13 again. Here's the third observation. He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Therefore said I in the lower places behind the wall and in the higher places, I even set the people, after their families."

The whole family could fight. Men, does your wife know how to shoot? Does your wife know how to use your weapons? Do your children know how to shoot? Do your children know how to use your weapons? You say, "But I can use them."

Well, suppose you get incapacitated or suppose you get killed. All I'm pointing out is the fact it was the families that fought together. I wish I had time to tell you about some of the women in the American Revolution and some of the women in the War of Northern Aggression. You'd be absolutely astounded when you read some of their lives and how one woman held about 10 or 15 English soldiers captive until her husband got home. I'm just simply pointing out these were families.

Now, if you will note verse 14, I want you to look at this. He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And I looked up and rose and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses."

Now, the very first command is do not be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of them. Fear paralyzes. I wish you would go through the Bible and just underline every time God says, "Fear not." Did you know the Bible says in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." The fear of man bringeth a snare. David said, "I will not fear what man can do unto me." If you really and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the worst that man could do to you is send you to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the worst. I'm just simply saying, the fear of man brings a snare. Now I want you to watch this. In this passage, it also includes a second command, and that is, remember the Lord. Remember the Lord. Which simply means not only to trust in Him, rely upon Him, but remember what He's capable of. What did He do to the Egyptians? What did He do to the Hittites and the Philistines and the Jebusites? All I'm saying is this, when you remember the Lord, you remember His power, you remember His grace, you remember His mercy, you remember everything that He has done in times past.

And then He says this, if you look in this verse again, the third commandment that He gives is this, He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters and your wives and your houses."

God gave Canaan to Israel, but Israel had to fight. God gave David victory after victory, but David had to fight. There are some things that cannot be achieved without fighting. I like what Tim Larkin said. He said, "Violence is not always the answer. But when it is the answer, it's the only answer." And that's true. Did you know that God is a man of war? The Bible says in Exodus 15:3, "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name." When you get to 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." The Lord is a man of war. Now here's a truth that has to be grasped. Once you understand that God has commanded you to fight, you must know how to fight, and you must be determined to fight. And you must know when to fight and when not to fight. Look, if you would, in verse 15. When you are prepared to fight, when you know how to fight, when you're willing to fight, most of the time you don't have to fight. Verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work."

So Nehemiah had the people ready. Nehemiah said, "We will fight." He had them in a defensive position. And since the enemy then found out that, hey, these people are not going to just roll over for us, they're not going to just bow down to us, they're not going to give up, they're not going to give in, they themselves turned around and went back. Here's the sixth defensive mandate. Always err on the side of caution when your enemies are routed. Look at verses 16 and 17: "And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon." Wow. Always err on the side of caution. They had given up, supposedly. They had left, supposedly. But Nehemiah said, "I'm not going to trust you. We're going to stay prepared. We're going to stay alert. And if we need to fight, we will fight." They kept their weapons with them. They kept their weapons on them. They were not going to be caught off guard. They were not going to be surprised. Now, I'm going to tell you something.

Since we are in Georgia, according to law, you have a constitutional right to carry your weapon wherever you go. There are some exceptions, I understand, like the federal courthouses or the courthouses. And there had been a prohibition even carrying in the post office. However, one judge just this past week ruled that they could not ban weapons out of the post office, that it was unconstitutional. Wow. Well, we'll see where that one goes. But the truth of the matter is you have a constitutional right to carry. You ought to carry. You ought to always be carrying. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that it is your right. It is a constitutional right. It is a biblical right.

And so you have to ask yourself, do you care? Do you care? And you should. I never will forget, I was preaching in South Carolina, and there was a banquet first, and then I was to preach afterwards. And there was one lady there with a son who had an affliction. And while we were eating, the young man had an episode. He was having some type of seizure. So I jumped up and I ran back to him along with some others. And I was helping pick him up from the floor. Someone else had already called for an ambulance. And we were getting him to the door. And the mother said, "My purse, my purse." I said, "I'll get it for you." It was one of those long purses, it was kind of heavy. It was wide, you know, just two handles. And I went to pick up that purse, and I looked in there, and there was a pistol right on top. And I said, "Yes, ma'am, here it is." I was making sure she got that purse. But the truth of the matter is, I'm just saying, it's a constitutional right. It's a biblical right. We have a right to carry. Now, I want you to listen carefully to this one. I want you to look at verses 18 and 20 in this verse. Because here is, in this chapter, because here is the seventh defensive mandate, and that is that we must have a rallying point. Look, if you would, at verse 18. He says,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built it."

Now look at this.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated from the wall, one far from another. In what place, therefore, do you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort you thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us.'"

Now, he said we're separated. We've got a trumpet. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, you come here.

Now, we don't have trumpets, but we do have handheld radios. Right now, we do have the use of cell phones. But the point I'm trying to make is there was a rallying point. Now, a rallying point could mean several things. A rallying point, first of all, could refer to a point where a breach is about to be made. In other words, those who are defending that particular point are insufficient to hold that point. And a rallying point, a rallying cry could come, and that means the others who are not fighting as fiercely or have such a heaven-forced heavy force against them, they can come and help the point where it is about to be breached. So that could be a rallying point. In other words, they come and help stem the tide and clear up those who are fighting fiercely at that particular point. Now, let me point out the fact that you must, you must understand that this is one of the rallying points. Now, another rallying point is this.

That would be where you have to move to a secondary position. So, if we're defending, say, at the gate, and we get overwhelmed, or the force is too great, we might meet back at the tree line. That would be a rallying point. In other words, it's a secondary position. It's a secondary position to fight from. So, therefore, you're talking about your own property. You need to look at primary positions, secondary positions, sometimes even tertiary or third positions, that is for sure. But also a rallying point could also be a point where you gather together to initiate an attack or a counterattack upon the enemy.

So notice if you would, as you read through Nehemiah chapter 4, you have all of these biblical mandates for defense. And this is exactly what Nehemiah did. I'm going to make this statement. I'll probably make it tomorrow while I'm preaching because I'm not going to be able to finish this series. But I will tell you this: According to the Scripture, weaponry may be used to defend the church of God and the people of God, but it cannot be used to extend the church of God or the kingdom of God. We're not conquistadors. We're not going around with a sword and saying you either bow or else. No, no. But God oftentimes uses physical means when the church is attacked. So let me make some Scripture and some applications for this. So according to our text, this last principle should be well understood: Everything that can be done should be done to secure defense and safety.

Testing and Proving Your Preparations

A guest speaker (Lorne Luke) uses 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to emphasize testing equipment and preparations, illustrating with a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and a backpack.

If you would notice verse 38. 1 Samuel 17, verse 38. And as we cut into the story, "And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head. Also, he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go." That is, he attempted to go. He tried to go, for he had not proved it. That is, he had not tested this armor. He had not tested could he do it. He hadn't attempted it before. And David said unto Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I've not proved them." That is, I've not tested them. And David put them off him. So now the question is, David attempted to go to fight, but he'd not tested that equipment.

Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Was the armor deficient? Was the weaponry of poor quality? No, this was the king's armor, the king's weapons. These are the best money could buy. But for David, who had not practiced with them, who had not trained with them, who had not tested and proved them, he put them away and rather went with his sling. David had not practiced with them. He did, however, test and practice with his sling, which was, we might say, an inferior weapon, but yet he had proved it. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. David held fast to that sling which he was accurate with, and truly he won the day.

I'd like to show you a little show and tell, just kind of fun here at the end. And I'll simply point this in this direction. This is what's called a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. This is an actual weapon, and so I will be careful with it. There we are, and the bolt is locked back. It is in fact clear. So this is just a 9mm. This is a fine gun.

I paid $300 for it about 20 years ago, and I've had it ever since. So the question is, here's a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. What can this weapon do? Now if I this weapon, I can rely on it. And you might say, "Well, what if I went against an Abrams tank with this little pea shooter?" Well, as long as the Abrams tank has a dead battery and it can't function, I'll take this, this trusty old pea shooter, and I'll take out the tank, one by one, if it's failed in its course, if it's mechanically failed.

So, let's not despise inferior weapons just because there's something grander or more glorious over there, if it doesn't work. Saul's armor did not work for David. The sling won the day. And so we must prove these things. So the Kel-Tec Sub 2000, I'm just going to use this as an example. We all have many different weapons. There's a thousand examples we could go through. But notice if you would, my Kel-Tec Sub 2000 is a nine millimeter. I own 9mm handguns. That's my handgun round.

I don't have 40s or 45s. This takes a Glock 17 mag. My only handguns are Glock 17s. So any and all of my Glocks take all the same magazine, and I can have a chest full of magazines in my pouches and either go with my handgun Glock 17 or into my Kel-Tec Sub 2000. Question is, this is kind of a rifle. It's got a longer barrel. How accurate is this?

I need to ask all these questions. It's kind of made out of plastic. It's kind of got a weird situation to close the bolt, then to open it, bring it on a catch. Is this reliable in battle? I'm asking all these questions. How can I know? I need to test it and I need to prove it. I need to take this out to the range, put some ammo through it, and find out what's it like.

20 years ago when I bought it, I did shoot it. And I can tell you this, this is an iron pipe that is built in the construction. And in order to shoot it, what I'd want to do is bring some cheek weld up against it to be able to get on the sights. But if I do that, I can't actually see through the sights. I have to put it against my bone to get my eyes low enough in order to do that. When you shoot even the 9mm, this pipe hits your bone. This is a painful gun to shoot.

You wouldn't know that unless you tested it, unless you proved it. This doesn't really work for me. It's mine, I paid for it, but what do I do with it? Maybe this is a fine weapon for a younger man. Maybe I can give this to one of my sons whose smaller face can get on it. I can teach him the reloads and the malfunctions and get him on this weapon. And I need to know what can it do and what can it not do. There's no offense to the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 to know its abilities as well as its weaknesses. It's simply a firearm.

And if you'll notice, it even folds in half. You can put it in a backpack. It's kind of cool. Is this a toy or is this actually a real weapon of war? These questions ought to be answered. I need to prove it. I need to prove what is good and hold fast to it. I'll give you one more example. This is a CFP-90. These were all the rage back in the early 2000s. CFP-90. On eBay, 100 bucks. This is the best backpack money could buy. There was a separate compartment here at the bottom so you could put your sleeping bag in the bottom. If anyone's packed a backpack, you know if your sleeping bag goes in the bottom of the main part, to pull your sleeping bag out, you're disrupting all of your other packing. In order to put a tactical backpack together, you need to know how to layer it.

What items are you going to get to first? These are all things you have to practice. Prove your system and your layering. Prove it. Test it. Practice it. And hold fast when you get a good program. I'm not telling you how to layer it. I'm saying you need to practice it.

Now, I bought this 25 years ago off eBay. I spent my hard-earned money. Put it in storage. Recently, I pulled it out of storage. I knew I had a CFP 90, the finest backpack money could buy. Been in storage for 25 years. Would you know it, it had actually broken the plastic here. Whether in my storage it had rotted out, so I'm going to need to repair this. But I wouldn't know that unless I actually got it out, looked at it, tested it, improved it. Now this can be repaired and I'll repair it, but I needed to know that. If I had gone after this in the day of battle and it was broken, this is not the time to find that out. We need to be going through our things. Prove all things. Test all things.

Hold fast that which is good. So buying the preparations—we talked about spending the money. Buying these things is indeed the first step. Buying the equipment. What must come next is the testing, the proving. Put your hands on it. Take it out to the range. It's got to be used, tested, and proven. Hold fast, relying on that which has been proven to be successful, proven to be good.

I'd like to switch gears just to finish out the passage. If you would notice in verse 40, "And he," that is David, "took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had." David selected five smooth stones, not random stones, but fine stones for flinging through the air. Smooth stones out of the brook, hand-selected smooth stones. So the question is, why five stones? It only took one stone to defeat the giant. Why would David take five? David knew God would give him the victory. Why did David choose five stones? Why did he take four stones he didn't end up needing? Why choose any stones at all? Why not just pray the giant down, as we've alluded to earlier? Because David was being consistent with tactical preparations. The Lord would give him the victory, but it was prudent and it was appropriate for David to get reloads. If the first one missed, he'd be ready again, in the victory of the Lord.

David was consistent. He was faithful to proper military tactical process and procedure. It makes tactical sense to have reloads. It makes preparation sense for us to store up ammo. There's a foolish group of those within the church who just want to pray it all away. And that is not what Scripture demands of us. We are fully reliant on the Lord, but it can't just be praying it out.

No, we are to prepare. We are to practice and prove that which is good. Our God, the Lord of War, will give us the victory, but we must also be consistent to be sensible with our tactical equipment and our preparations. Again, the Lord can multiply the loaves and fishes. The Lord can multiply the bullets and magazines. In our Lord's grace and victory, He might give us 31 rounds in that AR-15. Well, I counted 30 and I still had the miracle. Thank the Lord, because here's the man charging at me. I've expended it, but the Lord gave the extra one. Let Him do it. David's victory and ours will always be firstly spiritual. But we must be faithful to the physical equipment, the physical preparation, the physical accumulation, and tactical action. So I encourage all of you in all of this concept of prepping and purchasing and preparing and all of this, prove all things, hold fast that which is good.

Surely we need to purchase these things, whether it's food. Boil some of those beans, taste it. Get some of those freeze-dried meals, cook them up. Give them a taste. Do they need salt? What do you need to add to them? Prove all things, test all things, hold fast that which is good. Test theology, this theology that's been given to us. Prove it, prove the Lord your God, and hold fast to that which is good.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Personal Responsibility for Protection

Summary: Individuals, not the government, are responsible for their own safety and that of their families.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'you are responsible for your life. You're responsible for your family. You're responsible for your property. You are the first responder, not the cops, not the firemen.'

Biblical Mandate to Provide (Including Defense)

Summary: 1 Timothy 5:8 commands providing for one's household, which includes protection and preparation for emergencies.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Greek word 'pronoeo' means to think beforehand, encompassing all provisions, not just food and clothing.

The Necessity of a Biblical Mindset

Summary: Believers must have a determined, biblical mindset on every subject, including self-defense, to avoid fear and instability.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God requires you to think. God requires you to have a mindset, and He requires you to have that mindset that is biblical on any and every subject imaginable.'

Community and Mutual Defense

Summary: Scripture teaches that two are better than one, and believers should band together for protection.

Evidence: Weaver cites Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and the example of early settlers forming communities for defense.

Practical Preparation and Training

Summary: Believers must acquire skills in self-defense, medicine, and communication, and test their equipment.

Evidence: Weaver discusses medical training, antibiotics, and the need to practice with weapons; Lorne Luke emphasizes proving equipment.

Trust in God Alongside Preparation

Summary: While preparing, ultimate trust must be in God, who is the true defender.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'all of our preparations, even though we're responsible to prepare, are worthless unless God sovereignly protects us.'

The Duty to Preserve Life

Summary: The positive side of the sixth commandment is the duty to preserve life, which includes self-defense.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the positive side of the sixth commandment is you have a duty, you have a responsibility to preserve your life, the life of your family, and the life of your neighbors.'

Urgency Due to Current Threats

Summary: Economic collapse, power grid failure, terrorism, and moral decay make preparation imperative.

Evidence: Weaver mentions terrorist watch list crossings, IEDs at the border, and the fragility of the power grid.

Key Arguments

Government Cannot Protect You

Summary: Police have no legal duty to protect individuals, and government emergency supplies are insufficient.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Darren L. Hutchinson: 'Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers... to protect individual persons from harm.'

1 Timothy 5:8 Commands Comprehensive Provision

Summary: The Greek word 'pronoeo' means to think beforehand, encompassing defense, medical care, and all family needs.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'the word provide then means to perceive with the mind... It deals also with every provision imaginable.'

A Strong Man Arms Himself

Summary: Luke 11:21 teaches that a strong man armed protects his household, implying the use of weapons.

Evidence: Weaver notes the Greek 'kathoplizō' means 'furnished with arms.'

Community Defense is Biblical

Summary: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 shows that two can withstand an attacker, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Evidence: Weaver reads Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and applies it to the need for like-minded people to band together.

Fear and Doubt Paralyze Defense

Summary: A doubtful or double mind leads to instability; God gives a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Evidence: Weaver cites James 1:8 and 2 Timothy 1:7 to contrast a biblical mindset with fear.

Prayer is the First Defensive Mandate

Summary: Nehemiah 4:9 shows that prayer and setting a watch go together; ultimate protection is from God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected.'

Preparation Must Be Tested

Summary: David rejected Saul's armor because he had not proved it; believers must test their equipment and skills.

Evidence: Lorne Luke uses 1 Samuel 17:38-40 to argue for proving all things, including weapons and gear.

Fighting is Sometimes Necessary

Summary: God gave Canaan to Israel, but they had to fight; there are things that cannot be achieved without fighting.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God gave Canaan to Israel, but Israel had to fight. God gave David victory after victory, but David had to fight.'

Scripture References

1 Timothy 5:8

Context: The foundational verse for the message, commanding provision for one's own household.

1 Timothy 3:15

Context: The theme of 1 Timothy: how to behave in the house of God.

1 Timothy 5:3-7

Context: Immediate context of verse 8, discussing care for widows and the charge to be blameless.

1 Timothy 1:3-5

Context: Shows that 'charge' means commandment, not suggestion.

Philippians 2:15

Context: Illustrates the meaning of 'blameless' as without rebuke.

Luke 11:21-22

Context: A strong man armed keeps his palace; a stronger man may overcome him, implying the need for community.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Context: Two are better than one; a threefold cord is not quickly broken, supporting community defense.

Psalm 82:3

Context: Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

Context: If any would not work, neither should he eat; responsibility to provide for one's own.

Psalm 127:1

Context: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain; trust in God alongside preparation.

Luke 9:51

Context: Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, illustrating a determined mindset.

Matthew 15:18-19

Context: Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts; the mind controls actions.

Matthew 22:37

Context: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind; the greatest commandment.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Context: The Shema; loving God with all one's being and keeping His words central.

Luke 12:29

Context: Be not of a doubtful mind; a doubtful mind is unstable.

James 1:8

Context: A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

2 Timothy 1:7

Context: God has not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Nehemiah 4:9-23

Context: The primary text for defensive mandates: prayer, watchfulness, arming families, and rallying points.

2 Chronicles 13:3-18

Context: Judah prevailed over Israel because they relied on the Lord, showing trust and fighting together.

1 Samuel 17:38-40

Context: David rejected Saul's armor because he had not proved it; he chose five smooth stones.

Historical References

Don Schiff's book 'Rural Home Defense'

Context: The conference theme was inspired by this book, written by a retired cop.

Darren L. Hutchinson, professor at University of Florida School of Law

Context: Quoted to support that police have no duty to protect individuals.

Jack Potter (Fighting Jack Potter), Confederate soldier and Methodist circuit rider

Context: Quoted on the duty to carry a gun for self-preservation.

Frédéric Bastiat, author of 'The Law'

Context: Quoted on the right of groups to organize for common defense.

Colonel Jeff Cooper

Context: Quoted on the necessity of an armed citizenry and the universal language of a large bore muzzle.

Senator Larry Craig

Context: Quoted on the inalienable right of self-defense.

Jedediah Strong Smith, mountain man

Context: Example of frontier medical care: his scalp was sewn back on after a grizzly attack.

Hugh Glass, mountain man

Context: Survived a grizzly mauling and crawled 200 miles to safety.

German hyperinflation of 1923

Context: Illustration of economic collapse: a wheelbarrow of money was worth less than the wheelbarrow.

Carrington Event (solar flare)

Context: Historical solar flare that disrupted telegraph lines, illustrating grid vulnerability.

Important Quotes

Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know harm will occur.

Significance: Supports the argument that individuals cannot rely on police for protection.

When you don't think of yourself as the first responder, your destiny is to be the first victim.

Significance: Emphasizes personal responsibility for self-defense.

I'm not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use means to preserve it.

Significance: Historical pastor's view on the duty to use means for self-preservation.

You can say 'stop,' or you can say 'alto,' or use any word you think will work. But I have found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language.

Significance: Colonel Jeff Cooper's pragmatic view on deterrence.

The first right of every human being is the right of self-defense. Without that right, all other rights are meaningless.

Significance: Senator Larry Craig's assertion of the primacy of self-defense.

Though defensive violence will always be a sad necessity in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men.

Significance: Augustine's justification for defensive violence.

If you know how to shoot and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are you won't have to shoot.

Significance: General Black Jack Pershing on deterrence through preparedness.

Violence is not always the answer. But when it is the answer, it's the only answer.

Significance: Tim Larkin's statement on the necessity of violence in certain situations.

Discussion Questions

In what ways have you relied on the government or others for your safety instead of taking personal responsibility?

Context: Weaver argues that individuals are the first responders and must not depend on police or government.

How does the biblical command to 'provide' for your household extend beyond food and clothing to include defense and medical preparation?

Context: Weaver explains the Greek word 'pronoeo' and its broad meaning.

What practical steps can you take to develop a biblical mindset regarding self-defense and family protection?

Context: Weaver emphasizes the need for a determined, biblical mindset on every subject.

How can your church or community band together for mutual defense in a crisis?

Context: Weaver cites Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and the example of early settlers.

What medical skills or supplies do you currently lack, and how can you acquire them?

Context: Weaver discusses the need for medical training and supplies like antibiotics.

How do you balance trusting God for protection while actively preparing and training for defense?

Context: Weaver says preparations are worthless unless God protects, but we are still responsible to prepare.

What does it mean to 'prove all things' in the context of your defensive equipment and plans?

Context: Lorne Luke uses 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to emphasize testing gear.

In what areas of your life do you have a 'doubtful mind' or 'double mind' that hinders your preparedness?

Context: Weaver contrasts a biblical mindset with being double-minded or doubtful.

Applications

Take Personal Responsibility for Protection

Summary: Stop relying on government or police for safety; accept that you are the first responder for your family.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'you are responsible for your life. You're responsible for your family. You're responsible for your property.'

Broaden Your Understanding of Provision

Summary: Recognize that providing for your household includes defense, medical care, and emergency supplies.

Evidence: Weaver explains 'provide' means to think beforehand about all needs, not just food and clothing.

Develop a Biblical Mindset on Defense

Summary: Study Scripture to form a determined, biblical view on self-defense and family protection.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'you have to learn to think biblically on whatever you're thinking about.'

Build Community for Mutual Defense

Summary: Work with like-minded believers and neighbors to create a network for protection and communication.

Evidence: Weaver cites Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and the need for rallying points and radios.

Acquire Medical Knowledge and Supplies

Summary: Learn basic medical skills, stock antibiotics, and prepare for times when hospitals are unavailable.

Evidence: Weaver mentions Jase Medical and The Wellness Company for antibiotics, and the need to learn suturing.

Train with Your Weapons

Summary: Practice regularly with your firearms, learn to clear malfunctions, and ensure your family can use them.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'if you do not know how to correct a malfunction... you're going to be in trouble.'

Test and Prove Your Equipment

Summary: Do not assume gear works; test it under realistic conditions and hold fast to what proves reliable.

Evidence: Lorne Luke demonstrates with a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and a backpack, citing 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Pray and Trust God While Preparing

Summary: Make prayer the first defensive mandate, recognizing that ultimate safety comes from the Lord.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T13:17:09Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T17:07:00Z

Clean Transcript

Rural Home Defense Conference

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

Now let me mention, I'm just going to tell you, actually the theme of this little conference came from this book. I'm not going to be teaching or preaching what's in this book. This is Rural Home Self-Defense or Rural Home Defense. And this is written by Don Schiff, who is a retired cop. He also has another book on a rural, not rural, but suburban home defense. And so these books are good. And what we've done over on this little couch over here, we've got a lot of books just for you to look at. There's some on that book on the table right there. None of them are for sale, but just to show you what is available. And once I teach today, you'll understand, I think, the necessity of some of these books and the value of them as well.
#1 | 0:11 to 1:05 | cleaned
So let's have prayer to begin with and we'll just get started. Okay? Let's pray. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we pray that you would teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. May your perfect and holy will be accomplished today. Give us, Lord, our understanding hearts, and may we serve thee in reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen.
#2 | 1:05 to 1:35 | cleaned
Alright, let's open our Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8. I preached this message to our people back in November. I actually started preparing for this meeting back in November, and when I finished this message, I thought it was so important I did not want to wait to preach it. So I preached to our people. So some of our people have heard this message, and probably most of them have forgotten it—I hope not—but I'm just simply saying I think this is foundational. It is a root message, and that I'm going to start from here. The other messages nobody's ever heard. So I'm just going to tell you here, 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8. The title of the message is "Responsibility and Responding." So if you look in verse 8, 1 Timothy 5:8, the Bible says, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
#3 | 1:36 to 2:36 | cleaned
So let me begin by asking you this question: Who is responsible to protect your life, your family, and your property? Many take the position that it is the responsibility of the government to protect them, and therefore they do absolutely nothing to prepare themselves or their family. The interesting thing is I just came across this this morning. There was a whole article, and I just couldn't out of it. And here it is. In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 71.2% of all Americans have no faith in the United States government to save them or prevent a doomsday event. Now listen to this.
#4 | 2:37 to 3:27 | cleaned
If you actually believe that the government will be there to rescue you when things really start hitting the fan, you're being delusional. If it was equally divided up among the entire population—now there's 330 million Americans, not counting the 30 million illegal immigrants—if it was equally divided up among the entire population, the emergency supplies that the government has on hand would not last a single day. Wow.
#5 | 3:27 to 3:57 | cleaned
So many people think that somehow the government's going to come in and save them. A few tend to believe that the police or the deputies or the sheriff somehow will protect them and their property. Then you have to remember this: when you really need them, they're at least 30 minutes away. And usually, law enforcement arrives just in time to secure the crime scene. In other words, it's over by that time.
#6 | 3:59 to 4:24 | cleaned
You're a victim and you're dead. Your property is stolen and your family probably has been murdered as well. Here's a quote it would pay you to remember. This quote is from Darren L. Hutchinson, who happened to be a professor and associate dean at the University of Florida School of Law. Here's what he said: Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know harm will occur. Police can watch someone attack you, refuse to intervene, and not violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are in custody.
#7 | 4:24 to 5:19 | cleaned
So if you want to be protected by the cops, you need to get arrested. Otherwise, they have absolutely no duty to protect you at all. So here's a biblical truth that I'm going to annunciate this from the Bible, and that is: you are responsible for your life. You're responsible for your family. You're responsible for your property. You are the first responder, not the cops, not the firemen. You are the first responder, and it's not up to your neighbors.
#8 | 5:21 to 5:48 | cleaned
It is up to you. You're responsible. And if you do not learn how to protect yourself and have the means to protect yourself, then you're going to be a victim. One man said it like this: When you don't think of yourself as the first responder, your destiny is to be the first victim. And that's certainly true. Here is a recent headline, and I want you to listen carefully.
#9 | 5:48 to 6:11 | cleaned
Terrorist activity within the continental United States and general violent crimes are increasing exponentially and are likely to get much worse. The situation is so discouraging that our leftist media is desperately and deliberately under-reporting all violent crime because it makes the Democrat darlings look bad. And I hope you've been keeping up with the fact that at the border, a number of these illegal immigrants that are coming across have been caught with IEDs, improvised explosive devices.
#10 | 6:13 to 6:47 | cleaned
So I'm just simply telling you, it is up to you to learn to be responsible. Now, if you look in your Bibles at 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8, the Bible says, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." So before I show you this message, and this truth from 1 Timothy 5 and verse 8, I want to show you the remote context and then we're going to be looking at the immediate context in which verse 8 occurs. So the remote context, if you look back in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and look at verse 15, 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, you'll find that this is the theme of the book of 1 Timothy. Look at it. The Bible says, 1 Timothy 3 verse 15, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." So everything in 1 Timothy, and actually 2 Timothy, is based upon the fact that this is how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God, especially when you get to 1 Timothy 2.
#11 | 6:49 to 8:07 | cleaned
But the point I'm trying to make is, when we're talking about families, if you're a believer, you actually have two families. You have the family of faith, and then you have your own personal, physical family as well. So, I think the widest application of what I'm going to say today would be to our church, to our fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and secondly, then to our immediate family.
#12 | 8:07 to 8:31 | cleaned
Now, if you will turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 5, and let's be looking there at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3. Look at it. The Bible says, "Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day."
#13 | 8:31 to 9:05 | cleaned
"But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." Now look what he says in verse 7, strange. "And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Now interestingly enough, verse 7, the Bible tells you, "these things give in charge." What in the world does the word "charge" mean? Well, the Greek word happens to be paraggelia, and it's translated in our Bibles as "charge," as "command," and as "commandment." So I want you to look back in your Bibles very quickly to 1 Timothy chapter 1. I want to show you this word to show you how it's used. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Look, if you would please, at verse 3. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."
#14 | 9:06 to 10:24 | cleaned
"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now, look if you would back at verse 3. Paul said, "And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."
#15 | 10:25 to 10:49 | cleaned
Now, the word "charge" here does not mean a suggestion. It does not mean to give advice. The word "charge" is actually the word "command." For instance, skip down, if you would, in verse 5 and look at this. Because now he says, "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now he says, "the end of the commandment." What commandment? What commandment is he talking about? Well, if you go back to verse 3, and he said, "I give thee charge." It's the same word, paraggelia. Now it's translated as "commandment" in verse 5. So a charge then is indeed a commandment. Now Paul then tells Timothy, if you will look back to 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 7, "these things give in charge." When he says that, he's not talking about giving suggestions. He's not talking about giving advice. He's saying you give them a commandment. Why? Are we to be given this commandment? And the answer is found in verse 7, "that we may be blameless."
#16 | 10:50 to 12:02 | cleaned
Now the word "blameless" there happens to be a word that refers to being blameless, to being unrebukable, to be without censure, without being condemned. In fact, the Bible tells you in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 15, listen to this, "that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." So he's saying once again that we should be without rebuke.
#17 | 12:03 to 12:38 | cleaned
So Paul is giving this commandment that you and I are to provide for our own, especially their own household. And he says this is a commandment and I'm giving it to you that you may be blameless.
#18 | 12:38 to 12:52 | cleaned
Now, so look, if you would, in verse 8 again. Verse 8. And Carl, if you don't mind, please, since you're long and tall, come close this vent. It's blowing right on me. All right. Look, if you would, at verse 8. Look what he said: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Notice, if you would, he denied the faith and he's worse than an infidel.
#19 | 12:53 to 13:29 | cleaned
Now, do you see a picture? I want you to think about this. Usually the husband and the father, of course, is the head of the house. That is the way the Word of God has ordained it.
#20 | 13:29 to 13:42 | cleaned
Now, he says in verse 4, look at it: "But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God." So notice he talked about children and he talked about nephews. So let's—let me put it like this. Let's suppose that Alice and I both get down. We're unable to work. We're sick. We're unable to do anything. Who's responsible to take care of Alice and I? Our children. That's a fact. What if we don't have any children? Then he mentions nephews.
#21 | 13:43 to 14:29 | cleaned
In other words, it's the family, the immediate family, and then it happens to be the extended family. So I want you to look, if you would please, again in verse 4. He said, "But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home." What is piety? It's godliness. It's holiness. Now how in the world are children and nephews supposed to show piety at home?
#22 | 14:30 to 14:58 | cleaned
The Bible says, "...and requite their parents." You know what the word "requite" means? It means to pay back. In other words, we took care of our children when they could not take care of themselves. We fed them. We clothed them. We educated them. Now God says when the parents get elderly and can't take care of themselves, it's now the children's turn to pay them back. Wow. In other words, it's not the government's responsibility to take care of your elderly; it's your responsibility. Alice and I took care of her mother until she died. We took care of my mother until she died. Our fathers both died early. In fact, Alice's mother lived with us for 17 years. In the last three years, she lived in the house with us because she could not live alone. So, the Bible says that we are to take care of those. We are to pay back. Now, when you consider the fact, once again, that the husband and the father is the head of the house, and God has therefore designated him as the provider.
#23 | 14:58 to 16:11 | cleaned
So, look back at verse 8. I want you to see this: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." I'm gonna say this now. I'm gonna say it again later. Do you realize the only thing that you have to do to deny the faith and be worse than an infidel is to deny and not fulfill your responsibility? That's it. If you do not fulfill your responsibility, the Bible says you have denied the faith and that you are worse than an infidel.
#24 | 16:12 to 16:53 | cleaned
Now, when you and I think about provision, the very first thing we think about is food and clothing. I mean, stop and think about that. You've got hungry children. You've got children that need all kinds of clothes and that kind of thing. Wow, that's exactly what we think about. But let me tell you something about the word provision. Just because you and I think about food and clothing does not mean that is exactly what that word means. The word provision in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8 is a Greek word.
#25 | 16:53 to 17:23 | cleaned
It's called pronoeo. Pro happens to be a preposition which means before. Noeo means to think and to consider. It's from the Greek word nous, which is the mind. So actually the word prepare here or provide means that you are actually thinking beforehand, you are understanding beforehand, you are perceiving beforehand, you're considering beforehand. In other words, it does not just simply deal with food and clothing.
#26 | 17:23 to 18:00 | cleaned
It deals also with every provision imaginable. So the word provide then means to perceive with the mind, to understand with the mind. It means to heed and to ponder and consider. So here's the question that I'm going to ask you. Since you understand how broad this word is, provide does not just refer to food and clothing. So here's the question. Have you provided for the defense of your family? Have you provided for the protection of your family? Have you provided for the medical care of your family? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we need to understand that the word provide means far more than what you and I would just simply consider food and clothing. Now I want you to look in verse 8 again. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 8. He said, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." So if you do not provide then for the lives and the safety and protection of your family, God says that you're worse than an infidel and
#27 | 18:01 to 19:18 | cleaned
that you basically denied the faith. Now, I'm going to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is this from Harry Brown. He says this, "The police can't stop an intruder, mugger, or stalker from hurting you. They can pursue him only after he has hurt or killed you. Protecting yourself from harm is your responsibility, and you are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun owners than in one of disarmed citizens, even if you don't own a gun yourself." That is true. There's another quote I want to give you. I've preached this before.
#28 | 19:18 to 19:59 | cleaned
There was a man by the name of Jack Potter. In fact, he was known as Fighting Jack Potter. He happened to be a Confederate soldier, but he was also a Methodist circuit riding preacher after the war was over. And here's what Jack Potter said, a pastor. He said, "I'm not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use means to preserve it. It is no evidence of a preacher's want of trust in God when he carries a gun to shield his life in the time of peril."
#29 | 20:00 to 20:37 | cleaned
It would be the most sinful presumption not to do so. Indeed, I do not carry a gun because I'm afraid to die, but because it is a duty and a means to preserve life. Wow. Now, God places a very high value on the family, and He places a very high value on family protection. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Luke. The book of Luke. And I want you to look, please, at chapter 11 to begin with. Luke chapter 11. Luke 11. And notice, if you would, please, Luke 11 and verse 21. Notice what the Word of God says, Luke 11 and verse 21. Our Lord says, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." Now first of all, I want you to note He talks about a strong man. A strong man is someone who's strong not just in body but also in mind. And secondly, the Bible says he is a strong armed man. And the word "armed" in the Greek, kathoplizō, literally means furnished with arms.
#30 | 20:38 to 22:07 | cleaned
In other words, he has more than one. He's furnished with arms.
#31 | 22:07 to 22:13 | cleaned
Third, the Bible says, he keeps or guards and protects himself and his goods. But note, if you would, in order to do so, he has to be a strong man and he has to be an armed man, one furnished with arms.
#32 | 22:14 to 22:30 | cleaned
Now, here's another reason why you should understand family protection and self-protection. God not only requires it, but He's telling you if you're going to provide for the safety of your family, you better be thinking ahead. Why? Just because you're armed, just because you're furnished with arms, does not mean that that is sufficient in and of itself. Why? Well, look, if you would, please, at verse 22. Look at it. Verse 22. He says this: "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from
#33 | 22:30 to 23:12 | cleaned
him his armor wherein he trusted and divided the spoils." Ah, now wait a minute. It is wise to consider the fact that I have need to protect my family. It is wise to consider the fact that, yes, I must be furnished with arms. I must have an ample supply of arms to do what God requires me to do. But I also must consider this: What if a stronger man comes along with more arms? Or what if a stronger individual or a stronger group comes along? I have to consider that as well.
#34 | 23:12 to 23:52 | cleaned
The last meeting we had was on community, where believers would actually come together. Do you understand this is exactly what our Lord is hinting at right here? Because if you are alone, no matter what you have, you cannot defend yourself or your family or your property. It's impossible. There's no one can stay awake 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's no one that can do everything that needs to be done. It's absolutely impossible. Do you understand?
#35 | 23:53 to 24:31 | cleaned
This is how the early settlers and the frontiersmen protected themselves. If they were alone, they were easy targets. And so what they would do, they would come into communities, they would come into groups, and sometimes they would even build a little fort. But they always had someone that would come to their aid when aid was needed. You know, one of our problems is this. You and I have lived in relative safety for so long, we don't think anything like this can happen to us. It's cognitive dissonance. It happens somewhere else, but it's never going to happen here. It's going to happen to other people, but it's never ever going to happen to us. That's how we think.
#36 | 24:31 to 25:21 | cleaned
I'll tell you this right now. I've got a friend, some of you know him. His name is Michael Danley. He is a police officer and has been for—how many years I don't know, he likes about two years retiring. He's an officer and he called me this past week and he said, "I want to tell you something. I want you to convey this to your people." I said, "Fine. I'll be glad to." He said, "I carry everywhere I go, even when I'm off duty." He said, "So does my family." In fact, I've had his family down here and I've helped train him and his family. But he said, "We went to a little out-of-the-way Chinese restaurant out in the boonies." He said, "So I left my weapon in the car." Now, Michael is a big man. I mean, he's not fat. He's not flabby. He's just big. And his boys are big, like six-four, six-five, strong as ox. They were in—Michael told me, he said, "I went in the bathroom to wash my hands before we ate." And he said, "Just as I was washing my hands, here was someone banging on the door loudly cursing."
#37 | 25:24 to 26:51 | cleaned
"Get out of there! Get out of there!" And it was a big black man. One of his boys hollered, "Dad, watch out! He's got a gun!" And Michael said, "There I am in the bathroom without my weapon." He said, "When I locked the door," he said, "the man ran in cussing me." And he said, "I went around to the manager, the owner, whoever it was, and I said, 'What's wrong with him?' The man said, 'He just hates white people.'" He said, "He then came out of the bathroom and began to antagonize Michael and curse him." And so Michael looked at the owner and said, "Well, we're just gonna leave." And he said, "He followed them outside. His children and his wife went ahead and got in the car." And he said, "I had a choice: whether I should reach in and try to grab my weapon or just jump in the car and leave." He said, "But he already had his weapon out." He said, "That would have been foolish for me. So the children opened the door for me."
#38 | 26:51 to 28:03 | cleaned
He said, "I jumped in and drove off." He said, "I called the local law enforcement there and swore out a warrant for his arrest." But you see what I mean. Here's a man who's been a cop all of his life. And he said, "I just never dreamed something like this would happen in that one little out-of-the-way restaurant." This is what I'm talking about. Let me give you a recent headline. Listen to this. This was just this past year, just a few months back, from the Highland County Press out of Ohio. A real threat.
#39 | 28:03 to 28:42 | cleaned
Experts warn Hamas-connected terrorists crossing U.S. border. Here are the first three short paragraphs of that article. "Hundreds of immigrants on the federal terror watch list have been caught at the southern and northern U.S. borders in recent years, and national security experts say there is a real threat of a terrorist attack on American soil as a result. With the conflict between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas escalating, that threat has only grown. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's San Diego field office warns that Hamas may attempt to send individuals to the United States through the southern border."
#40 | 28:43 to 29:24 | cleaned
Well, the truth of the matter is they're already here, and so are 30,000 Chinese communist soldiers. Where in the world do you think all of these people are coming across the border? They're single military-age men. They're not coming with wives and children. I'm just simply pointing out, here is Ohio even talking about this. In other words, these terrorist cells have already been pre-positioned. Why? Years ago they were talking about the Islamic training camps over around Jessup, Georgia and around other places as well. They're all over the country. So, here's the question. What in the world are you going to do when one of these groups approaches your family, your property, your home? What is going to transpire? Are you going to have help? Are you going to be alone? Are you going to be outnumbered? Are you going to be outgunned? Have you provided?
#41 | 29:24 to 30:18 | cleaned
Have you worked with your neighbors? Have you worked with your family? Have you asked others to help you? Scripture not only teaches that we need help, it teaches that two are more than one. For instance, if you look in your Bibles to the book of Ecclesiastes, the book of Ecclesiastes. Notice if you would chapter 4 of the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes arrives before the Song of Solomon. Look in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, beginning there with verse 9. Ecclesiastes 4:9, God says, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." So God is saying, yeah, it's good to have two or three people around who's going to help you and to work with you.
#42 | 30:18 to 31:32 | cleaned
Frédéric Bastiat, if you've never read his little book on the law, I would encourage you to do so. It's a very short book. He was a Frenchman, and it's a classic work. But here's what he said in one of his paragraphs: "If every person has a right to defend, even by force, his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect their rights constantly."
#43 | 31:33 to 32:03 | cleaned
So here is a thought to consider involved with provision. Think about this. If you cannot reach each other, if you cannot communicate with each other, you cannot help each other. So how in the world are you going to communicate if the power grid is down? How are you going to communicate if the electricity is turned off? How are you going to communicate if all the internet is down? That's why those little handheld radios, they can reach 5 miles and with an antenna 15 and 20 miles and sometimes more if you have a larger one there. In fact, we built out here in one of our classes, we built an antenna and then we hooked everything up and where was the man? In New York, was it New York? We talked to him over our radio and he was in New York. So it's amazing what some of these little things can do when you have the right equipment. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact, have you thought about this? When that cell phone's not working, what in the world are you going to use?
#44 | 32:05 to 33:38 | cleaned
I'm just simply saying this is why we need community. This is why we need like-minded people. This is why we need to understand we have a family of faith and we have our physical family as well. In other words, we must learn to take responsibility for our own lives, our own families, our own property. It's just that simple. During an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse attack, what are we talking about? A natural calamity? A tornado? A hurricane? The floods? Just stop and think about this.
#45 | 33:38 to 34:11 | cleaned
When those things happened, all the stores are usually looted. Look what happened in Hurricane Katrina. Look at all the hurricanes out in Texas. Look what happened in the stadium there where they were housing everybody. And I got news for you: when there is no food left and there's nothing to steal, the hordes are going to be looking. And if they see a garden, they're going to assume that you have food, and you may have canned food, and you may have stored food, and they are coming to see you.
#46 | 34:11 to 34:50 | cleaned
That is, you are next on their list. It is just that simple. And all you've got to do is listen. All you have to do is look at what is happening in all these mobs in these larger cities. They're going into the jewelry stores. They're going into convenience stores. They're going into these high expensive stores, 30 and 40 and 50 of them at one time, stealing everything they can steal and running out. And no one stops them because no one's going to shoot them. And they're devastating and destroying everything.
#47 | 34:50 to 35:28 | cleaned
Colonel Jeff Cooper is now dead. But he said this. Listen carefully. "One cannot legislate the maniacs off the street. These maniacs can only be shut down by an armed citizenry. Indeed, bad things can happen in nations where the citizenry is armed, but not as bad as those which seem to be threatening our disarmed citizenry in this country at this time." And then I love his next quote. He said this.
#48 | 35:29 to 36:00 | cleaned
"You can say 'stop,' or you can say 'alto,' or use any word you think will work. But I have found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language." Yeah, it is. That will make someone stop. Senator Larry Craig said this: "The first right of every human being is the right of self-defense. Without that right, all other rights are meaningless. The right of self-defense is not something the government bestows upon its citizens. It is an inalienable right, older than the Constitution itself. It existed prior to government and prior to the social contract of our Constitution." And certainly, we have an inalienable right not only to defend ourselves, but also to stand together to defend ourselves, to come together to preserve our lives. It is our God-given right.
#49 | 36:02 to 37:05 | cleaned
And I may be able to speak on this this afternoon, but I want to mention it right now. The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." The sixth commandment actually could read "Thou shalt not murder" or "Thou shalt not take life apart from God's directive." But that is a negative: "Thou shalt not kill." The positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." So the positive side of the sixth commandment is you have a duty, you have a responsibility to preserve
#50 | 37:06 to 37:31 | cleaned
your life, the life of your family, and the life of your neighbors as well. In fact, the Bible says in Psalm 82:3, "Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy." Now you have to understand that 1 Timothy 5:8, when he said, "But if any provide not for his own," the word "provide" remember means to think beforehand, to consider beforehand. It does not just deal with food. It just does not deal simply with clothing. It means everything that your family would need for protection. So you have to think beforehand and conceive with the mind beforehand and preparing your mind beforehand.
#51 | 37:31 to 38:21 | cleaned
Here's another question to ask you: Have you seriously thought about and prepared for medical emergencies? I don't—come here and tell me, "Well, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. I'm not an EMT. I'm not a paramedic." Neither am I. Most people are not. But I can tell you something: I know how to suture. I've sewed up animals. I've sewed up humans. I know how to stop bleeding. I know how to pack a wound. I'm not a doctor.
#52 | 38:21 to 39:14 | cleaned
That's why I want you to look at some of these books over here. Do you realize there are so many things that you can learn? And you can even go to your local tech school, and you can learn CPR. You can learn basic medicine. Have you ever considered what is going to happen medically when there are no hospitals? When there are no clinics? When you have no one around?
#53 | 39:15 to 39:42 | cleaned
Let me tell you something. If an EMP happens, whether naturally or whether it is an act of war, you're not going to have a hospital. You're not going to have any electricity. You're not going to have anything. You're going to have to take care of yourself. Let me ask you a question. This is absolutely astounding to me. But how in the world did people on the frontier take care of medical emergencies?
#54 | 39:43 to 40:13 | cleaned
How did women ever have babies before there were hospitals? Isn't that amazing? How did people set broken bones when there were no doctor around? How did people deal with animal attacks? If you've never heard my message, "Mountain Man Jedediah Strong Smith," I would encourage you to listen to that message. Jedediah Smith was a Christian. He was attacked by a grizzly bear. Now I want you to listen to this. I'm reading: On his second expedition, he was attacked by a grizzly bear. The bear came out of the thicket and mauled Smith violently, throwing him to the ground, smashing his ribs, and literally ripping off his scalp. When the attack was over, the scalp was hanging on his head by an ear. Smith instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on.
#55 | 40:15 to 41:28 | cleaned
Now remember, we don't have anything to deaden the pain. There's no lidocaine back then. No, no, no. So he instructed Jim Clyman to sew it back on. Clyman did the best he could, but thought nothing could be done for the severed ear. Smith insisted that he try. According to Clyman, "I put my needle, sticking it in through and through and over and over, laying the lacerated parts together as nice as I could with my hands." And then listen to this: after two weeks of rest, Smith returned to his duty as captain of the party. So he just sat there, with nothing to deaden his pain, having everything sewn back on his scalp and his ear. If you think that is something, you ought to read about Hugh Glass. Hugh Glass was another mountain man. Hugh Glass was mauled by a grizzly bear. He was mauled so terribly, but he was not dead.
#56 | 41:28 to 42:40 | cleaned
But all of his friends thought he would die any time. The Indians were around; they were afraid of an Indian attack, and so they took his knife, they took his weapon, and they left him to die. Hugh Glass came to. He crawled to the river and washed his wounds, drank some water, crawled on his hands and knees until he found carrion, a dead carcass, and he ate some of that meat. When he got some strength after crawling, he began to walk and stumble, and he walked and stumbled for 200 miles until he came to Fort Kiowa, and he lived. I'm just simply pointing out the fact.
#57 | 42:43 to 43:48 | cleaned
You know, we need to learn some things. We need to learn to do some things for ourselves. You can buy medical books. You can read. You can buy herbal books. You can buy medical supplies. You can teach yourself basic medicine. You can have supplies on hand for short-term and even long-term emergencies. By the way, I will mention this here. Back in November, I guess it was, I spoke for three hours at one conference on preparedness, on preparedness to survive.
#58 | 43:52 to 44:29 | cleaned
And I was pointing out the fact that fish antibiotics, animal antibiotics, are the same as our antibiotics. You just need to know the difference in weight and how to apply them. But there are two companies now that you can stock up on your antibiotics and whatever you need. One of them is Jase Medical, J-A-S-E, and the other is The Wellness Company, and that is Dr. Peter McCullough. And what you do is you go online and you fill out your form and they send it to a doctor and the doctor then signs off on it and then they send you the kit and it's all kind of antibiotics, whatever, even ivermectin is in it. Both of these companies are very good. I'm just simply saying you can.
#59 | 44:30 to 45:28 | cleaned
So let me ask this question again. Whose responsibility is it then to keep your family not just fed, not just clothed, but protected and also prepared for medical emergencies? In other words, it's your responsibility. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. I want you to understand something. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Look what the Bible says. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. It is not your responsibility to feed the whole world. It is not your responsibility to take care of the whole neighborhood. It is your responsibility to take care of your family, which would include your physical family and your church family as well. But I want you to watch 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Look at this. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, look in verse 10. Paul said, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such
#60 | 45:28 to 46:56 | cleaned
we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread." Now, go back to verse 10. "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." It is your job, it is your responsibility to take care of your family and to provide for their every need. Yes, there is biblical charity, and I've got messages on that, but charity does not extend to supporting the indolent, the lazy, the sluggards who will not work and provide for themselves.
#61 | 46:56 to 47:35 | cleaned
Hungry men will usually do one of two things. They'll either go to work or they'll steal. If someone is willing to work, you might be willing to share. But if someone wants to steal, then you have to deal with that problem. I want to ask you a question. I understand charity. I understand that. But if times get really, really tough, and you have just enough to take care of your family, and then I come along with my little children and ask you to share. Here's my question. Are you going to take the bread out of your children's mouth and give it to my children?
#62 | 47:37 to 48:36 | cleaned
You see what I'm trying to say? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have a responsibility to prepare.
#63 | 48:37 to 48:46 | cleaned
Now, in all things, we have to learn to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. David over and over said this in the Psalms. For instance, Psalm 7, verse 10: "My defense is of God, who saveth the upright in heart." Then in Psalm 31, verse 2, he says, "Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: for thou art my strong rock, and my house of defense to save me." And then he says this, "Because of his strength"—that is the enemy's strength—"I will wait upon thee: for God is my defense."
#64 | 48:46 to 49:30 | cleaned
Now, let me tell you, while we prepare and while we may be willing and able to defend ourselves, that does not mean that we trust in our provisions. It does not mean that we trust in our abilities. It means that we must trust in God and God alone. We must be wise, as He commands us: "Be wise as serpents." "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise."
#65 | 49:31 to 49:58 | cleaned
I'll deal with some of those later, but the point I'm trying to make right now: it is your responsibility. It's your responsibility to take care of your family. It's not the government's job. It's not the job of your neighbor. It's your responsibility. Now, God said again, "If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he is worse than an infidel. He hath denied the faith." All you have to do to be worse than an infidel and deny the faith is to deny your responsibility. The old saying, you've heard it all of your life: "Trust in the Lord and keep your powder dry." What did the Bible say in Psalm 127, verse 1? "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So all of our preparations, even though we're responsible to prepare, are worthless unless God sovereignly protects us. Now what did he say? He said, "If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
#66 | 49:59 to 51:38 | cleaned
God requires you to provide everything that your family needs. Now, in just a moment, I'm going to have prayer. Lorne Luke is going to come up and speak just about 10 minutes. Then we're going to take just a short break. Then I'll be starting over again on a different subject, but please understand, I believe and I honestly think that this message that I just preached is absolutely fundamental, because we cannot deny our responsibility. So let's pray, and then Lorne Luke will come up, and then we'll take a short break.
#67 | 51:39 to 52:26 | cleaned
All right. And Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we love Thee today. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth, and we ask, Father, that You would indeed make us see and help us to see, Lord, our responsibility. And Lord, help us, Lord, to understand Thy truth and apply it to our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen. All right, Lorne Luke. Luke chapter 10.
#68 | 52:27 to 52:58 | cleaned
I'd like to gain some momentum moving forward here, so we'll pick up a story and then move on. Luke chapter 10, verses 38 through 42, a familiar passage of Jesus being received into the home of Mary and Martha. Luke chapter 10, verse 38: "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he"—that is Christ—"and those that were with him entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me." Verse 41: "And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken from her." Notice, if you would, back in verse 40, Martha's question.
#69 | 52:58 to 54:05 | cleaned
to our Lord. She says, "Lord, dost thou not care?" Now Jesus's response to Martha seems to be one that is calm and collected. But do you realize what Martha just asked? "Lord, dost thou not care?" A wretched question. Because if we must know anything, we must know this: Christ does care. This is a wretched question. It ought to stir in us a response, a reaction. The question is asked, "Lord, dost thou not care?" Christ cares. How dare she ask such a question? If we don't react appropriately to this, who are we? Do we not think that, well, maybe Martha's right? Maybe Christ doesn't—we're waffling on it. We ought to know, as the old hymn says, "Oh yes, He cares; I know He cares." So, our reaction to the question ought to be one of assurance and surety that Christ does care, simply in response to Martha's question.
#70 | 54:06 to 55:26 | cleaned
Now, if we would, back to 1 Samuel chapter 17. 1 Samuel chapter 17. We will look at another question, and I hope it stirs in you yet again another response, a reaction similar to the one. First Samuel chapter 17, the very famous story where David is given the provisions from the father to take to his brothers who are in the field of battle, the story of Goliath. As we pick it up, 1 Samuel chapter 17, look if you would at verse 26, the last part of verse 26, since we're all familiar with the story. David says this to his brothers: "For who is this—" we're at 1 Samuel 17 verse 26, the latter part—"for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Who is he? That's a good question. Verse 28, if you'll notice, and Eliab, his—David's eldest brother—heard when he spake unto the men. Notice the last part of that verse. Eliab says, "David, I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle." See some of the gore, see some of the excitement. Eliab is saying this to David, wrongfully accusing him of it. Verse 29, and David said, "What have I done?
#71 | 55:26 to 56:59 | cleaned
Is there not a cause?" The question, "Is there not a cause?" should burn in us a reaction of, "Yes, there is a cause." There was a cause then, and there is a cause now. A cause to be here. A cause to prepare. There is a cause. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? Can he defy Jehovah? Who are the wicked who surround us in the world today, 2024? Can they defy Jehovah?
#72 | 57:00 to 57:39 | cleaned
Ought we to be fearful of them? No. As the courage David had, so ought we to have. Did David rise up and stand against the evil? Ought we to rise up and stand? Is there a cause? Is there not a cause? Yes, there is a cause to do all that Brother Weaver has just talked about. Yes, there is a cause. To further the question, how many causes are there?
#73 | 57:40 to 58:13 | cleaned
to fight for today, to stand for, to preserve your own life, to preserve your family, to preserve your family of faith, to preserve the theology that has been handed down to us, that it might continue to our children. There is a cause. There are causes worth preparing for. There is a cause to serve our Lord in His kingdom. Is our cause to be a remnant, if our Lord calls us to it, to preserve all these things, to fulfill all these causes? Now the question is, does God need us? Did God need David? No, God doesn't need anything or anyone. God doesn't need Brother Weaver. He doesn't need you. He doesn't need me, but He called David for the purpose. Our Lord calls Brother Weaver to that purpose. Our Lord has called you to the purpose. Will you answer that call? Our only response can be to the question, "Is there not a cause?" Yes, there is a cause. Let us rise and answer that calling as David did, and we will gain the victory as David did.
#74 | 58:14 to 59:45 | cleaned
Amen. Let's be dismissed. Well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. And we're going to be reading verse 51. Luke 9 and verse 51. You will see the application of this just shortly. Luke 9, verse 51. The title of the message is, "Mind Set." The Bible says, "...and it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." Now, there's much in the Bible concerning the mind.
#75 | 59:46 to 1:00:33 | cleaned
And the truth is that everything stems from our minds. Our minds control our actions and they certainly control our lives. I've pointed out many times in the Bible that the mind is the understanding. Occasionally, when you read the word heart, occasionally it refers to affection, but most of the time it refers to the heart. Because the Bible says in Proverbs 23, verse 7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." So it's the heart that does the thinking. And that's why the Bible says in Proverbs 4 and verse 23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
#76 | 1:00:33 to 1:01:20 | cleaned
Now, I want you to turn, if you would, hold in Luke 9, but turn back in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 15, and let me just show you this. Matthew chapter 15, our Lord is speaking. He's teaching His disciples, and look what He says, beginning there with verse 18. Notice if you would. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 15. Watch this. Matthew 15, verse 15, "...Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable."
#77 | 1:01:21 to 1:01:53 | cleaned
And Jesus said, "Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." Now, the interesting thing is, our Lord says in verse 18, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart." Now look, if you would, what is the first thing that comes from the heart? Notice, if you would, He says in verse 19, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts." And then, of course, murders, adulteries, fornications. The truth of the matter is, see, you can't do any of these things without thinking. Everything in your life comes from your heart or from your mind or from your understanding.
#78 | 1:01:54 to 1:03:06 | cleaned
So if I reach down and pick up this pair of glasses, I've already thought about the fact that I'm going to reach down and pick up this pair of glasses. It's impossible to commit adultery without thinking. I've heard people say, "Well, Brother Weaver, it just happened. I didn't plan it." That's hogwash. You thought about it well before you ever did it. That's a fact. "Well, I didn't mean to steal. The money was just there." No, no, no. You thought about it before you ever took it. You can't act. You can't move without everything coming from your mind.
#79 | 1:03:06 to 1:03:38 | cleaned
Now, in this passage, you're going to see, once again, evil thoughts, of course, proceed from the heart. So, the point I'm trying to make is it's impossible to act without the mind, without thinking. I've heard people say, when they've done something very stupidly, they would say, "Well, I guess I was not just thinking. I guess I was not just thinking." No, no, no, no. You were thinking, you were just thinking stupidly.
#80 | 1:03:39 to 1:04:05 | cleaned
I mean, that's all there is to it. Now, let me give you a good illustration. One is that our mind actually controls our actions. I had a good friend years ago, who's now dead. He was a very talented carpenter. He could build anything. And in his house, around there, for their children, they had a swimming pool. And he was going to do some work out by the swimming pool, and he had an electric drill, and he was drilling into the concrete.
#81 | 1:04:06 to 1:04:39 | cleaned
And the bit got hot. And he thought, well, I'll cool the bit and dip it into the water. And he was instantly electrocuted. Now, did he think? Yeah, he thought. But he did not think it through. He did not think, this is not just going to cool this bit, it's going to electrocute me. So, his mind was working, but it was certainly a stupid thought.
#82 | 1:04:40 to 1:05:08 | cleaned
Now, I've seen videos and you can find them online, of people who very stupidly look into the barrel of a weapon to see why it didn't fire. In fact, there is one, I suppose it's still up, of an Islamic terrorist who actually looked into the barrel of that weapon when it wouldn't fire, and then he stupidly hit it on the ground to see what would... and of course it shot himself in the head and killed himself.
#83 | 1:05:08 to 1:05:38 | cleaned
You know, we do things and without understanding what we're doing. So what I want to emphasize today is mindset. Everyone knows the implication of a set mind. We use that phrase all the time, especially in reference to individuals and in reference to action. We can say he set his mind on finding work. He set his mind on marrying that girl. He set his mind on doing certain things. I mean, in other words, we understand that everyone has a mindset.
#84 | 1:05:39 to 1:06:13 | cleaned
Now the question you have to ask is this, do you have a biblical mindset and or do you have a biblical mindset on every subject? Now you say, Brother Weaver, I can't think of every subject. Really? Well, you know, the Bible tells you in 2 Corinthians 10:5, that you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Now, if you're responsible to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ, it means you must learn to think biblically on whatever you're thinking about. I don't care if you're thinking about marriage. I don't care if you're thinking about work. I don't care if you're thinking about buying an automobile. I don't care what you're thinking about. You need to learn to think biblically on every subject.
#85 | 1:06:14 to 1:07:01 | cleaned
Now, we have people saying, well, his mind was set on being a martial artist. His mind was set on being a carpenter. His mind was set on being a welder. His mind was set on being a grocer or whatever. We understand when we say that, when we talk about someone having a mindset that nothing is going to stop him, nothing is going to change his goal. In other words, that mind is set and he's going to accomplish what he wants.
#86 | 1:07:02 to 1:07:28 | cleaned
Now, the truth of the matter is this: we need to make sure that we have a mindset when it comes to Scripture. There are not very many passages that will say, "Here's a mindset," but there are many passages that will show you the exact same truth, although different words are used. Let me show you. Let's go in our Bibles to Luke chapter 9, but let's go in our Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 31. I'm going to run you through some of these things very quickly just to show you. Look in Genesis chapter 31 and notice, if you would, verse 21. This is about Jacob. Look at this: Genesis chapter 31 and verse 21. The Bible says this: "So Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled." Now that's verse 20. Look at verse 21.
#87 | 1:07:28 to 1:08:25 | cleaned
"So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead." So what did he do? He set his face. He set his mind. In other words, that mind was absolutely set on going home. Nothing was going to stop him. If you would turn right over to the book of Numbers, chapter 24. Here it is again. Numbers, chapter 24.
#88 | 1:08:25 to 1:08:55 | cleaned
Look, if you would, at verse 1. Now we're talking about Balaam. The Bible says that when Balaam saw that it pleased not the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. In other words, he went to bless them because he knew that God was not going to curse them. When you look at 2 Kings chapter 12 and verse 17, and let me just quote it: "Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it." Now listen carefully: "And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem." What does that mean? I'm determined to fight against Jerusalem. I'm determined to conquer it. I'm determined to make sure that that place is mine. It was a set mind. Now, when you go back to the book of Luke, chapter 9, and you look at verse 51, you're now referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bible says, "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."
#89 | 1:08:55 to 1:10:13 | cleaned
Now the word "steadfastly set" is from the Greek word stērizō, which means to make stable, to set fast, to confirm in one's mind and establish. So when He set His face, He was actually confirming in His mind, He was setting in His mind, that He was going up to Jerusalem to die. Nothing was going to stop Him from doing His Father's will. Now, when it says, "He steadfastly set His face," the word is prosōpon in the Greek, and it denotes the countenance that is on one's face based on the determination of his mind. For instance, you could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm angry. You could look at my face and tell whether or not I'm happy. You can look at my face and tell whether or not I'm determined. In other words, our mindset is usually demonstrated by our face. That is why the Bible said, "He set His face." Now, here's why. If you look back, or look over I should say, in Luke chapter 13, verse 33. Luke 13:33, look what He said. Our Lord says, "Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." So He said, "My face is..."
#90 | 1:10:14 to 1:11:52 | cleaned
Set my mind is set. I am going to fulfill my Father's will. I am going to die. Now, I want to give you several quotes from different authors on this verse, just to show you how everyone understands this is exactly what the set face is. It is a mindset. So here's what they say. Number one, he steeled his forehead against all discouragements. Number two, the readiness and resolution of our Lord Jesus in prosecuting His great undertaking for our redemption and salvation. Here's number three. He steadfastly set His face, that is, after proper and mature deliberation, He chose now to go up to Jerusalem and firmly determined to accomplish His design. Now here's one more. He determined to go to Jerusalem, or he set out resolutely. When a man goes toward an object, it may be said, he set his face toward it. The expression here means only that he resolved to go, that is, he had a mindset, and it implies that he was not appalled by the dangers, that he was determined to brave all and to go up in the midst of his enemies and to die.
#91 | 1:11:52 to 1:13:23 | cleaned
Now, if there's any question over those statements, if you would look in your Bibles to Isaiah 50 and verse 7, that will certainly verify everything that I have just read. So look in your Bibles, Isaiah chapter 50, and look if you would please at verse 7, at what the Bible says. Isaiah 50 and verse 7. Here it is. Look at this. Isaiah 50, verse 7: "For the Lord God will help me; therefore I shall not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." That's concerning our Lord. If you look back in verse 6, of course, that refers to the Lord: "I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.
#92 | 1:13:24 to 1:14:23 | cleaned
I hid not my face from shame and spitting." And then He said, "I've set my face like a flint." So obviously, clearly, "like a flint" means our Lord's face was hardened toward the end which His Father had ordained. His mind was set that He was going to accomplish it. He was not going to die outside of Jerusalem. So He was determined to do exactly what God demanded.
#93 | 1:14:23 to 1:14:49 | cleaned
Now, this truth should greatly influence our lives. We must understand that we too have mindsets. We also must understand that we normally have mindsets, but our mindsets must be biblical, and they must be biblical on every subject. Let me just tell you very briefly about one mindset that we should have, and I'm going to show you why I'm saying this. We should have one mindset that we're going to love our Lord Jesus Christ the way that He commands and the way that He demands.
#94 | 1:14:49 to 1:15:27 | cleaned
So I want you to look back to several passages. First of all, to Matthew chapter 22. You're going to see the significance of this momentarily. Look at Matthew chapter 22 and verse 37. So a lawyer now has asked our Lord, "What is the greatest commandment?" Our Lord does not quote any of the Ten. Look what he says. Matthew chapter 22, verse 37: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
#95 | 1:15:28 to 1:16:09 | cleaned
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
#96 | 1:16:10 to 1:16:16 | cleaned
Now, note if you would what our Lord says. We're to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind.
#97 | 1:16:17 to 1:16:24 | cleaned
Now, if we love Him the way that He demands and deserves, we understand that we must have a mindset on that subject. Let me show you where this originated. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6, and Deuteronomy chapter 6, this passage is known as the Shema Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 6. You'll find in all the Orthodox synagogues, most of them will recite something like this: Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. So if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 4, here it is. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. I just said that. Now watch this. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might. Now let me just stop right there. Note if you would, that's exactly what our Lord said in Matthew chapter 22. We must love Him with all of our mind, with all of our heart, with all of our soul.
#98 | 1:16:25 to 1:17:38 | cleaned
Now, I want you to see the implication of that. So let's continue and let's read verse 5 again. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy might.
#99 | 1:17:38 to 1:17:51 | cleaned
Now look what he says. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, or in thy mind, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which he sware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not," et cetera, and he goes on. But note, if you would, what he says. He says, you're to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body. But then he said, if you love Him that way, if you've got that kind of mindset, he said, in these words which I command you shall be in your life.
#100 | 1:17:53 to 1:18:53 | cleaned
In other words, if we're talking, walking, writing, dreaming, and placing His words before our eyes, it means that we understand that He is central in our lives, and that His Word is central in our lives. In other words, His words, His truth, are the warp and woof of our being. In other words, it's impossible to separate us from His words if we have the mindset that we need toward Him.
#101 | 1:18:53 to 1:19:23 | cleaned
Now, it is the truth that our Lord said in John chapter 6 that He is the bread of life. We live on Him. We live on His words. We have to walk pleasing unto Him. Did you know that there was a special promise in Isaiah 26 in verse 3? It says this: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Here's a good question. How in the world to keep your mind on Jesus Christ? The answer is you keep your mind on Jesus Christ by keeping in your mind His Word. Whether you're walking, whether you're talking, whatever you're doing, whether you're working, what does His Word say in this area? How does His Word apply to me?
#102 | 1:19:23 to 1:20:14 | cleaned
So you must consider then that there are precepts and there are principles in the Word of God that you and I must learn and you and I must hold to tenaciously. I've had people say to me in time past, "Boy, I wish the Bible covered every instance of everything that could ever happen, and it was there in black and white." Well, let me tell you something: if God did that, you would never be able to read the Bible all the way through, and you'd never be able to carry one around. But what God has done is He's given us everything that we need in precept and in principle form, and we need to have a mindset on this.
#103 | 1:20:15 to 1:21:00 | cleaned
Now, the Bible says that our Lord steadfastly set His face. That is, He steadfastly had His mind set.
#104 | 1:21:01 to 1:21:11 | cleaned
Now, we're talking about, in reality, obedience and disobedience. Because if we have a biblical mindset, we're going to be obedient. If we do not have a biblical mindset, we're going to be disobedient. And you have to remember this: that God's blessings always follow obedience, and God's curses always follow disobedience.
#105 | 1:21:12 to 1:21:33 | cleaned
Now, here's why I'm telling you this. I want you to look in your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. And I want you to see verse 29. Look at this. Luke 12:29. We're going to look at some of the other verses. Luke 12:29. Let's see. Luke 12:29. He said, "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink."
#106 | 1:21:35 to 1:22:15 | cleaned
And then he says this: "Neither be ye of a doubtful mind." If you have a doubtful mind, you do not have a mindset. Actually, this word, meteorizo, is a metaphor taken from ships that were tossed in the sea by the wind and by the waves. So he said, "And be not of a doubtful mind." So someone who has a doubtful mind, listen carefully, is someone who is unsure, he's someone who is agitated, he's someone who is anxious, he's someone who is perplexed.
#107 | 1:22:16 to 1:22:59 | cleaned
In other words, he doubts everything. He doubts his course, he doubts his direction, he doubts his actions, he doubts his thoughts. Don't be of a doubtful mind. That's what he said: "Be ye not of a doubtful mind." Now, a doubtful mind is absolutely contrary to Scripture. So listen, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Now, if you've got a doubtful mind, you're unwise. If you've got a doubtful mind, you do not understand what the will of the Lord is. And the word for unwise is the word aphron, which means foolish, unwise, stupid, one without reason and one without sense. So he says, "Be not stupid." That's what he actually said. "Be not senseless. Don't be a fool," is what he's saying. "You understand what the will of the Lord is." And the reason we're in doubt at many times is because we don't know what the will of the Lord is. We don't know how to act.
#108 | 1:23:00 to 1:24:15 | cleaned
We don't know how to think. We don't know how to move or how to proceed.
#109 | 1:24:16 to 1:24:20 | cleaned
Now, the Bible tells you in Proverbs chapter 25, verse 2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." And so if our Lord then has made us kings and priests unto Himself, it's our responsibility to search out those precepts and those principles and to keep them in our lives so that we can love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and body. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 1, verse 8. James chapter 1—Hebrews, James. Look in James chapter 1, if you would please, at verse 8. Okay? All right. James chapter 1, verse 8. Look at what God says.
#110 | 1:24:20 to 1:25:12 | cleaned
"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Wow! A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. You know what a double-minded man is? Actually, the Greek word is dipsuchos. It literally means a double-souled man. A double-minded man—it's someone with basically two faces, two minds. He's a wavering, unstable, uncertain individual. He's an individual that's divided in his interests. And so God says, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Who wants to be around an unstable man? Who wants to be around someone who never knows which end is up and what to do, how to act, and what to say? They're always confused. They're always causing heartache and anxiousness and problems. I'm just simply saying, a double-minded man, He said, is unstable in all his ways. Now, I want you to watch this, if you would please. We cannot be of a doubtful mind, and neither can we be of a double mind in light of what is going on in our country.
#111 | 1:25:14 to 1:26:32 | cleaned
We cannot be of a doubtful, double mind in light of what is going on in our state and in our community. We are facing at this point multiple threats in our nation. We are staring at an economic collapse. You say, "I'm making more money now than I've ever made in my life." I understand. But it's more worthless than it's ever been. I've told people, and they just smile.
#112 | 1:26:34 to 1:27:12 | cleaned
In fact, I told some folks last night, when Alice and I got married 61 years ago, I used to give her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries, and I'd kind of fuss at her if she didn't bring two or three of it back. I mean, can you imagine that two people could live a whole week on six or seven bucks? That would be meat, milk, bread, veggies, fruit, whatever we needed. You can't even buy a loaf of bread for that today.
#113 | 1:27:12 to 1:27:45 | cleaned
We're looking at an economic collapse. Did you realize—do you realize the interest on the national debt is a billion bucks a day? I'm not going to get into that, but the national debt is a big fraud and scam anyhow. But the point I'm trying to make is, you look around. If I had time, I could tell you about the hyperinflation in Germany in 1923, when the Deutschmark—I mean, they wallpapered their houses with their money. It was absolutely worthless. Absolutely worthless. One of my favorite stories is about the German woman who had a wheelbarrow full of money.
#114 | 1:27:47 to 1:28:33 | cleaned
She was on her way to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread and she saw a fight. And so she put her wheelbarrow down and she kind of parted the people so she could look in and see who was fighting. When her curiosity got satisfied, she turned around and someone had emptied the wheelbarrow of all the money and stolen the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was worth more than the money.
#115 | 1:28:34 to 1:28:58 | cleaned
I'm just—we're facing an economic collapse. We're talking about the power grid possibly going down. Did you know our power grid has not been updated since the 1970s? Did you know that California was taken offline by someone who shot up some of the huge transformers? Did you know that there is only one manufacturer of high voltage transformers? And if you placed an order today, it would take six months to a year to get one of them. We're not only talking about an EMP from China, North Korea.
#116 | 1:29:00 to 1:29:42 | cleaned
Talk about the solar flares. The Carrington effect, where all the telegraph lines were shut down about a hundred years ago—1849 I think it was, 18-something. It was a solar flare. I get notices from an astronomical laboratory in Australia every year—I mean every day basically, I've been doing it for years—and they send me all about the solar flares, when they originate, their intensity, and when they disappear. And sometimes I get a dozen of them a day, because the sun is continually shooting out these solar flares.
#117 | 1:29:44 to 1:30:28 | cleaned
And all you have to do to take down the... By the way, did you read just this past... It was just this month where some Iranian hacker shut down the power grid. Where was it? In Pennsylvania? Yeah, it was one of the northern cities. Shut it down. An Iranian hacker. I'm just simply saying we're facing an economic collapse. We're facing a failing power grid. Not only that, and I'm being very precise when I say this, but we are facing one of the most corrupt and treasonous administrations that has ever been in the seat of power in years. And the collapse of our nation and our way of life is at hand.
#118 | 1:30:28 to 1:31:13 | cleaned
And God has allowed me—and I know Dr. Bowen and several others—God has allowed me to live long enough to see changes in this nation, changes in our state, changes in our community, changes in people. I'm going to tell you, you—it's the absolute truth. When I was a teenager, I was a younger man, if I wanted to see a cop I had to go uptown and then look around because there were so few. Because back when I was a boy, at least most people lived by the Ten Commandments. They may not have been Christians, but they at least had morality.
#119 | 1:31:15 to 1:32:06 | cleaned
And when I was much younger, my father used to take us down to Miami, Florida, where relatives were, for a two-week vacation every year. We never locked the house. We never moved all of the expensive equipment anywhere. It was all outside. When we came back after two weeks, guess what? Everything was exactly the way we left it. You try that today. You try that today. All I'm trying to say is there have been changes.
#120 | 1:32:07 to 1:32:40 | cleaned
Now, Christian principles no longer hold sway in our Congress, in our judicial system, or in our administrative offices. I have friends right now that have been fighting injustice through the courts, and even the higher courts are just as corrupt as the day is long. It doesn't really matter to them about truth. So let me make something exceedingly clear right now. I'm certainly not advocating revolution, I'm not advocating sedition, but what I am going to be advocating is this: a biblical mindset when it comes to our defense, and when it comes to our families, and when it comes to our property.
#121 | 1:32:40 to 1:33:25 | cleaned
You have to know how to act biblically and scripturally during times of great stress and anguish. You have to understand that. The truth of the matter is this: I have endeavored for years to try to get pastors and Christians to train in multiple ways. And one of those ways has been in self-defense. You would be absolutely astounded at how long it took me to actually get preachers out here to train with weapons. Here's what's so astounding. Read history. Do you realize the movers and the shakers during the War for Independence were pastors?
#122 | 1:33:26 to 1:34:11 | cleaned
Jonas Clark, Lexington and Concord. When Sam Adams and John Hancock asked him, would his men fight? He said, yes, for this very hour, I have trained them. Look at Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. Look at James Caldwell. The same thing was true during the War of Northern Aggression. It was the pastors. What I'm trying to make is the pastors are responsible to train their people. And we not only need to be trained in self-defense, we need to be trained medically. We need to be trained in communication. We need to be trained in a whole lot of areas.
#123 | 1:34:13 to 1:34:58 | cleaned
For instance, we do have a class coming up February 10 and 11 on survival trapping and on trapping. I've had people tell me, Brother Weaver, I don't know how to clean a chicken. I don't know how to gut a deer. I don't know how to skin a squirrel. The point I'm trying to make is this, folks. If everything goes down like they're saying it is going to go down, we're going to be back in the 17th and 18th century, and you better know some of these things. You better know how to plant a garden. You better have heirloom seeds. You better have whatever you need so that your family can survive. I'm saying you have to have a biblical mindset. Now, listen to me. If we're going to protect our families, we're not going to do it if we have a doubtful mind. We're not going to do it if we have a double-minded individual or a double-souled individual. It's not going to happen. You're not even going to protect anyone else.
#124 | 1:34:59 to 1:36:09 | cleaned
You remember what the Bible says, our Lord, when He was asked, what is the greatest commandment? He said the first one is this, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind.' And the second is likened to it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' What does that mean? That means if I love myself, and I'm willing to protect my life, if I love Omar as myself, I'm willing to protect him. If I love Gordon as myself, I'm willing to protect him. In other words, I have a duty, I have a responsibility to protect my neighbors just like I have a duty and a responsibility to protect myself. So how in the world can I protect my family? Listen to me. How in the world can I protect my family if I cannot even protect myself? And how can I protect my neighbor if I can't even protect my family? I'm just asking these questions. So here's my question. Have you developed a biblical mindset when it comes to the defense of your life and the defense of your family and the defense of your property?
#125 | 1:36:10 to 1:37:29 | cleaned
Do you know what God demands and commands? Do you know what He allows and what He does not allow? Let me tell you something. When someone is attacking your home and attacking you, it's too late for you to try to figure out what God allows you to do. It's just too late. The truth of the matter is, when your life is on the line, when your family's life is on the line, you will have wished that you'd really learned to operate your weapon and to operate it smoothly. I want to tell you something. Every weapon will malfunction.
#126 | 1:37:31 to 1:38:29 | cleaned
Sometimes, and most of the time, most malfunctions are induced by the user, by an improper grip, by all kinds of things like that. But I'm just simply saying, if you do not know how to correct a malfunction and to correct it quickly and easily and naturally, you're going to be in trouble. It's just that simple. You will have wished that you—yeah, I wish I'd have learned that, but you didn't. So I'm just saying, you'll wish you'd have practiced more often.
#127 | 1:38:33 to 1:39:14 | cleaned
It boggles my mind when I think about all the scenarios that could possibly come up. You'll wish you'd spent more money on ammo. I get tickled. I've had people ask me, "Brother Weaver, how much ammo do I need?" My response is always, "One more box, one more box." And that's the truth. Because it's not just you you're preparing for, but it's your family and your friends as well. So it's too late to try to develop a biblical mindset once everything falls down. And if you don't have a biblical mindset, I'll tell you what's going to happen. You're going to be a quitter. You're going to give up, you're going to give out, you're going to quit, and you're going to die. It's just that simple. We are not going—and you should have this mindset—that you're not going to allow evil to triumph. So many people at this point, they're going to play the pietist. And they're going to say something like this: "Well, I'm just willing to die for the Lord." Well, let me tell you something, folks.
#128 | 1:39:15 to 1:40:34 | cleaned
I'm willing to die. And I'm willing to die for the Lord. But I'm not willing to die until He ordains it. And the truth of the matter is, I had much rather the wicked die and the righteous live. Augustine, one of the early church fathers, said it like this: "Though defensive violence will always be a sad necessity in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men."
#129 | 1:40:36 to 1:41:16 | cleaned
I don't know about you, but I do believe that Larry Craig was right, the Senator, when he said that self-defense is God-given. It predates government. It predates Constitution. It does because God has ordained it. That is a fact. General Black Jack Pershing, and I love General Black Jack Pershing. He's been dead for years, but here's what he said. In fact, he died in 1948. But he said this: "If you know how to shoot and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are you won't have to shoot." And that's a fact.
#130 | 1:41:21 to 1:42:06 | cleaned
"Resistance to sudden violence," said John Adams, one of our founders, "resistance to sudden violence for the preservation not only of any person, not only of my person, my limbs and life, but of my property is an indisputable right of nature, which I've never surrendered to the public by the compact of society and which perhaps I could not surrender it if I would." So he says it's just simply a natural right to defend yourself.
#131 | 1:42:07 to 1:42:40 | cleaned
Now, we're going to get on some of this a little bit later, but in Nehemiah there's a verse. In fact, I'm going to be looking at several verses later. But just think about this. If you do not possess the training that you need to protect yourself and your family, your neighbor, then you must require and you must maintain a biblical mindset about training. Nothing comes easy, nothing. Everything requires work. And when Nehemiah was building that wall, we'll look at it a little bit later, but Nehemiah said they built the wall. Why? Because they had a mind to work. Had a mind to work. Do you realize that training is work? I tell people, when we go through the basic class, the basic class is hard work. It really is.
#132 | 1:42:40 to 1:43:36 | cleaned
Because you have to learn all the principles, you have to learn muscle memory, all of this. It's just plain hard work. But when you get to the advanced class, that's where the fun part comes in, because all the hard work has been done. And someone says, well, you know, I'd really love to train, but, you know, I just don't have any time. Really? May I tell you something?
#133 | 1:43:37 to 1:44:02 | cleaned
Everybody has 24 hours in one day. It's not you don't have enough time. It's that you do not prioritize your time and that's not a priority for you. That's what it means. If you had a biblical mindset on defending yourself and your family and your property, you would have time. You would find time. Someone says, but you know, and I've heard this one, ammunition is so expensive. I understand.
#134 | 1:44:03 to 1:44:37 | cleaned
But once again, sore funerals. You will wish you'd have sacrificed and had the ammo you needed and the training that you needed. So if you think you're going to rely upon the sheriff, you're going to rely upon his deputies, you're going to rely upon the police to help you, you're mistaken. Because like I said earlier, once you call them, they're only 15 or 30 minutes away. It's just that simple. And I want to tell you this, whether you laugh or whether you cry, and those that hear this, it's still the absolute truth. Most cops, deputies, as well as police, cannot shoot. Now, there are exceptions. I understand that. I know some who are exceptions. I know some who train. But as a whole, they cannot. I have shot, besides sheriffs, besides deputies, besides cops, the worst student I ever had in my entire life out on the range was a cop.
#135 | 1:44:40 to 1:46:03 | cleaned
He couldn't shoot, he wouldn't listen, he muzzled himself and muzzled everybody else, and nobody wanted to be around him. I'm going to tell you one more quick story. The last time, I guess it was, Alice and I were at Front Sight. Front Sight is no longer in existence. It's been bought out by Prairie Fire. But the last time we were there, there was a class of deputies right next to our range. There were 40 deputies. 40 men in the class. 40 of us in our class. These deputies were not newbies. They were older men.
#136 | 1:46:05 to 1:46:46 | cleaned
They were, you know, middle-aged. And some of them had been, I guess, on the force for a number of years. But I knew the instructor. I knew the range master. And so what he would do, he would bring them over to watch us, to watch our range, our students. And he told them, he said that you watch Pastor Weaver and Alice. And a lot of them got behind us. And I know most of you don't ever get to see Alice shoot.
#137 | 1:46:47 to 1:47:22 | cleaned
But believe me, she can. And she just really does not miss. And we were making headshots, and we were making those headshots from 10 and 15 yards. And every time I'd shoot, and every time Alice would shoot, boy, those deputies were back there. They were high-fiving. They'd turn around. They'd high-five Alice, you know, this kind of stuff. And they came over every day for four days.
#138 | 1:47:23 to 1:47:47 | cleaned
They watched the whole class. And they would, you know, congregate behind Alice and I and all the other students there. And so we had to leave early the last day of class. And so I walked over to the range master and I said, "Look, these deputies have been coming over every day and watching us shoot. We've got to leave early. Would it be all right if Alice and I came by for about 15 minutes and just watch them shoot?"
#139 | 1:47:47 to 1:48:15 | cleaned
He said, "Yes, you may come." Well, after we gathered up all of our things and put it in the car, we walked in and of course they were all sitting down. And when we walked in, every one of them turned and looked at us just like that. Why are they looking at us? The range master came over and whispered in my ear, he said, "I told them they were going to have to shoot against you and Alice." But that was not going to happen, and I knew that.
#140 | 1:48:16 to 1:48:48 | cleaned
But now listen to this. I'm telling you the absolute truth. There's a man-on-man competition. And this was the time of day that they were doing their man-on-man competition. The very first thing you have to do, you have two men, one on the right, one on the left, and when they give you the sound, the buzzer, you have to come out and you have to shoot and save a hostage. And you have a whole hostage there, and you've got a little metal plate just about that wide and about that high, and you're at, what, 10 yards? And you have to flip that plate over without hitting the hostage, okay? Then, at about 15 to 20 yards, there's a full-size, you have to hit that plate, put it down, hit another plate, put it down. Whoever does that the fastest and successfully wins that round, and you keep doing this until, you know, there's a one-man standing is what it amounts to. Well, when we got over all these deputies, we're doing this.
#141 | 1:48:49 to 1:49:59 | cleaned
If you hit the hostage, if you hit the hostage, if you even graze the hostage, you're out. You lose. I am not making this up. 38 out of the 40 deputies kill the hostage, the first thing. They could not. Finally, only two did not kill the hostage, and one finally won. I thought to myself, "Lord, now I understand that bumper sticker, 'I don't dial 911.'" I'm just simply pointing out the fact, listen, we've got to have a biblical mindset. If you don't have that mindset, you're not going to work, you're not going to train, you're not going to do anything except quit.
#142 | 1:50:00 to 1:50:59 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you something. Turn in your Bible, if you would, to 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and look, if you would, please, at verse 7. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and verse 7. I hope you can quote this verse. This is a wonderful, wonderful verse. Look at this. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, and verse 7. Notice what the Bible says, "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." God has not given us a spirit of fear. Let me tell you something, if you have fear, it did not come from God. It may come from your own ignorance, it may come from peer pressure, it may come from the world, it may come from the devil, but it does not come from God. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. You know what the word "sound" means? It means a mind that is rational, one without illusion, one that is purposeful, one that is deliberate, one that is set.
#143 | 1:50:59 to 1:52:06 | cleaned
God gives us a set mind. And here's the problem we have in Christianity today: most professing Christians do not have a set mind. They don't have it set on any subject—not just defense. They don't have it set on any subject. They live their lives as a child that refuses to grow up, that refuses to think, and refuses to apply truth. Mark this down: God requires you to think. God requires you to have a mindset, and He requires you to have that mindset that is biblical on any and every subject imaginable.
#144 | 1:52:13 to 1:53:09 | cleaned
That's in the Bible and that He tells us. So here's the question: you do have a mindset. The question is, do you have a biblical mindset or a humanistic mindset? Are you thinking rationally, biblically, scripturally? Or are you just thinking, "Well, I'll trust whatever happens"? Now, God demands—now demands—that you have a biblical mindset. Did you know the Scripture says, "Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus"? Did you know the Bible says, "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind"? God requires you to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Do you have a mindset that's biblical and scriptural? Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for Your grace and Your mercy. We pray, Lord, that You would continue to teach us, make us, Lord, and give us a biblical mindset in all of these areas. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#145 | 1:53:10 to 1:54:36 | cleaned
But He was sure to come. When will our currency or our electrical grid go down? When? We don't know. But we must be ready. Oil was purchased by the wise virgins calmly and prudently during the day. No panic, no frenzy, no last-minute struggle. It was calmly when they prepared for themselves. They were in no danger as they bought that oil and were ready. The five received a blessing. Notice the five foolish virgins: they weren't cast away, they weren't killed. The bridegroom did not kill them for their foolishness, but they certainly did not receive of that blessing. If there is anything to be ready for, for the sake of our families, our church families, it is to be ready that we might receive a blessing. We can see the bad day and prepare for it. That is the encouragement of today: to be ready. The concept of preparing and being ready is clearly taught to us. And notice the preparation was a physical one. They bought the oil to have on hand. Did the five foolish get real spiritual and pray for oil that the Lord might do a miracle inside their lamps?
#146 | 1:54:44 to 1:56:06 | cleaned
The Lord can do what He would. The Lord can bring a miracle. But it was not meant that we ought to just, "Well, we'll just pray about it." No! There was a physical preparation that was rewarded with the blessing. They were foolish, and the Lord, being faithful to His nature, did not reward their foolishness. And we cannot expect the Lord to reward us in our foolishness if we see the bad day and refuse to prepare for it.
#147 | 1:56:07 to 1:56:40 | cleaned
Would you please turn to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. Just another well-known passage, and we don't need to get into it. John chapter 6, beginning in verse 5: "When Jesus then lifted up His eyes and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, 'Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?' And this He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do. And Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them.'"
#148 | 1:56:40 to 1:57:20 | cleaned
Brother Weaver talked about the financial cost to preparations. "Two hundred pennyworth is not enough, that every one of them may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him, 'There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many?'" There is, in fact—and we know the rest of the story—there was the multiplication. The Lord took what had been prepared by the lad.
#149 | 1:57:20 to 1:57:48 | cleaned
Shame on the other 5,000. The lad prepared. Meager and modest as it was, the Lord brought the multiplication. It was in our Lord's hand to reward with a blessing. There was an economic cost to that meal. They tried to break it down. We need this many pennies in order to bring this about. It's in our Lord's hands. Each portion had a value that related to money. It would cost. We could say, well, I need this many meals worth in the food supply, years worth, and all of this. We need to do what we can and the Lord can bless it. However, our Lord took what had been prepared, modest as it was, meager as it was, and it was sufficient for the purpose of God. And it was more than sufficient. There were 12 baskets gathered up at the end.
#150 | 1:57:48 to 1:58:39 | cleaned
So the question is, how much have you prepared in these things? The food put by, the ammunition, the equipment needed for farming by hand, gardening, whatever it might be. How much have you prepared? Our Lord, Jehovah Jireh, my provider, can take your modest and perhaps meager preparations and bless them and multiply them beyond all you can ask or think, according to Ephesians 3:20, according to His power.
#151 | 1:58:39 to 1:59:17 | cleaned
If you would, Acts chapter 5, a final passage, Acts chapter 5. And we won't go into detail into this story either, but we're all familiar with it. Ananias and Sapphira. Acts chapter 5, verse 1: "But a certain man named Ananias, and Sapphira his wife, sold a possession," a financial ability of theirs, they sold a possession. Verse 2: "And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, gave up the ghost.
#152 | 1:59:17 to 2:00:26 | cleaned
Great fear came on all them that heard these things. I'm not suggesting the Lord would strike you dead if you don't buy enough preparations, not enough ammo, that sort of thing. But please know, as Brother Weaver said, each of us has an ability to purchase things. We all have the chance to sacrifice the enjoyments today, whether it's vacations, whether it's that extra quad, the boat, the motorhome, the house on the lake, whatever it might be. I'm aware of my own life, you're aware of your own life.
#153 | 2:00:27 to 2:00:59 | cleaned
But how dare you begin to say, "I'd like to prepare. I think it's a great idea, but I just can't afford it." Whoa! Any one of us can afford modest and even meager preparations. So I encourage you, don't ever allow yourself to say, "I can't afford it." Any of us, the most humble and the poorest among us, can still do something. And the Lord can multiply that.
#154 | 2:00:59 to 2:01:37 | cleaned
So, you're not lying to men. You're not going to lie to Brother Weaver. You're lying before the Lord. If you take the position, "Well, I'd like to, but I don't have a choice. I don't have money. I can't afford it." No, no, no. You can. You can do something that's between you and the Lord. How much is it? What's the dollar value? A thousand? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Five dollars? That's between you and the Lord. But I encourage you, don't lie about not being able to afford it. You're not lying to man, you're lying to God. How much money do you have extra to spend on everyone?
#155 | 2:01:37 to 2:02:16 | cleaned
And my challenge is, do not allow yourself. Don't ever say, "I can't afford it." Brother Weaver went over that, so I'm going to move on. Scripture demands preparation. Was any excuse good enough for the five foolish virgins? What could they have said that was allowable, that they didn't have their oil ready? What excuse could we have to say, "Well, I didn't know about any of this collapse. I didn't know about any of this grind down stuff"? You've heard it today.
#156 | 2:02:16 to 2:02:43 | cleaned
It's your responsibility now between you and the Lord as He has enlightened your heart, opened your mind. It's now your responsibility. No excuse is good enough to do what you can. No excuses. Preparation in Scripture is commanded. It is demanded. How much do you have to prepare? Don't raise your hand. Don't give me a dollar value. How much do you have? You have something. How much do you have to spend? That's up to you. You do what you can, honestly, before the Lord.
#157 | 2:02:43 to 2:03:17 | cleaned
Allow Him to multiply the loaves and fishes. Everyone can afford something to prepare. Be honest before the Lord in your spending. Be wise, be frugal, be efficient, and the Lord will bless you in that. We prepare. We buy preparations. We're called preppers, that the Lord might be glorified in it. Amen. Jeremiah chapter 4, and we look, if you notice, at the first six verses, that is for sure.
#158 | 2:03:18 to 2:03:53 | cleaned
And I want to take just for a few moments and just review. The first lesson we learned, of course, was it must be understood that defense was not for weaklings, because Sanballat, of course, accused them of being weaklings.
#159 | 2:03:54 to 2:04:10 | cleaned
Secondly, self-defense and biblical defense also mandates character and courage to see the work through. And of course, we talked about that in Luke chapter 14 from our Lord. And I want to just point something out in light of that. I never mentioned it earlier. But when I'm saying that it requires character and courage, there was an old saying that Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to put all the time.
#160 | 2:04:11 to 2:04:44 | cleaned
And when I was in the university, you would have all these sayings everywhere. You saw them every day that you went around. And one of them was this: "You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character." You can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character. So that means this: I may not know a lot of, say, medical knowledge, but if I can get in Tony's mind and get him to teach me some things, as long as I have the character to put them in application and to bring them through, then I've got it made. But if I don't have the character to apply knowledge, no amount of knowledge is going to do me any good whatsoever. So you can borrow brains, but you can't borrow character.
#161 | 2:04:44 to 2:05:32 | cleaned
The third principle is defense requires sacrifice, and you have to be willing to sacrifice. And Alice and Annie is up here. So all right. And of course, the fourth principle, of course, it requires dedication and determination. And the fifth principle is we cannot give in to ridicule. We cannot give in to mockery. We must do what needs to be done.
#162 | 2:05:33 to 2:05:56 | cleaned
Now, I want you to look, if you would, please, in verse 9 of Nehemiah chapter 4, because I very quickly want to give you seven defensive mandates. And this may surprise you, but the very first defensive mandate is prayer. Look in verse 9. Nehemiah said, "Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God and set a watch against them day and night because of them." Why in the world would prayer be our first defensive mandate?
#163 | 2:05:56 to 2:06:23 | cleaned
And the answer is, because if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected. It's just that simple. You remember the Bible says in Psalm 66 in verse 9, it is God who holds our soul in life. And then in Psalm 31 in verse 15, David said, "My times are in thy hands." And certainly our times are in God's hands. He does hold our soul in life. And David once again said in Psalm 127 in verse 1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it, and except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." So, if you would read through the book of Psalms, and just kind of take note of the fact, how many times David says, the Lord is my defense, or the Lord is my fortress, or the Lord is my rock, or the Lord is my high place.
#164 | 2:06:23 to 2:07:12 | cleaned
And all of these terms refer to the very defensiveness of God for His people, that is for sure. Our ultimate protection is not in our weaponry. It's not in our preparations. It's not in our abilities. Our ultimate protection is in God himself. And I won't get to preach another message today that I really wanted to, but let me just put it to you like this to show you I can be as prepared as I could possibly ever be.
#165 | 2:07:12 to 2:07:41 | cleaned
But let's suppose I've got a weapon in every corner of my bedroom, a weapon laying on my nightstand, a weapon under my pillow. Guess what? If someone breaks into my house with the intent on murdering me and my wife, if God does not awaken me in time, all of those weapons are useless. Or if I do wake up and I'm unable to shoot straight, they're still useless. You follow me? So our protection ultimately has to be of God and God alone.
#166 | 2:07:41 to 2:08:14 | cleaned
That is why the Bible says it like this in Proverbs 21 and verse 31. "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord." The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. So prayer for safety and deliverance is relying upon God, it's trusting in God, and it's recognizing His sovereignty and His providence. So, just like I went and preached yesterday in Milan, which was two to three hours away, I ask the Lord for safe travels there and safe travels back.
#167 | 2:08:14 to 2:08:48 | cleaned
I realize he must protect, and certainly that is true. David prayed many prayers, and you will find a lot of them in the book of Psalms. In Psalm 34 and verse 4, he said, "I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all of my fears." And then in Psalm 66 and verse 19, he said, "But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayers."
#168 | 2:08:49 to 2:09:15 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you how this works together. I want you to hold Nehemiah chapter 4, but if you would turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and then 1 and 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles chapter 13. Now, in this chapter, there was a war between Israel and Judah. It's amazing how the Northern Kingdom often fought against the Southern Kingdom as well. Israel had fallen into idolatry in worshipping the golden calves that Jeroboam had built. Jeroboam, the king of Israel, came against Abijah, who was the king of Judah. So if you look in 2 Chronicles 13, verse 3, now watch this. "And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even 400,000 chosen men." So Judah has 400,000 men. "Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with 800,000 men, chosen men being mighty men of valor." So Judah now is outnumbered 2 to 1.
#169 | 2:09:15 to 2:10:37 | cleaned
Just stop and think about this. Seemingly, Judah is going to be overrun. They're going to be devastated. But although Judah was outnumbered 2 to 1, yet the Bible tells us Judah prevailed and won the battle. And I might say it was a very decisive battle because they literally slaughtered the Israelites. If you look in verse 17, look at this. Verse 17, I think it is. It's the wrong number, wrong verse. Let's see. What number, what verse do I want? Should be 17. Is it 17? Yes. Well, I'm in the wrong—I'm in the wrong. Okay. 2 Chronicles 13. Yeah, I'm in 2 Chronicles. 11.
#170 | 2:10:42 to 2:11:32 | cleaned
13, all right, that's fine. I didn't turn over. 2 Chronicles 13, verse 17. "And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men." Can you imagine going out to battle with 800,000 men and having 500,000 of them slain? Here's the question. Why did Judah prevail? Well, if you'll look in verse 18, "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed." Why?
#171 | 2:11:32 to 2:12:11 | cleaned
Because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers. In other words, they had prayed, they relied upon God. Trust in the Lord and relying upon Him means that He is your protection. And by the way, let me point this out too. Trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him does not mean that you do not have to fight. They had to fight. But at the same time, they were trusting Him and looking to Him for victory. You're not trusting in your flesh. You're not trusting in your abilities. You're trusting in Him.
#172 | 2:12:11 to 2:12:44 | cleaned
Let me give you a quote by Adam Clarke. He said this: "The strongest confidence in the protection and favor of God does not preclude the use of all or any of the means of self-preservation and defense, which His providence has put in our power. While God works in us to will and to do, we should proceed to willing through the power he has given us to will, and we should proceed to action through the power he's given us to act. We cannot will, but through God's power; we cannot act, but through God's strength. The power and the use of it are two distinct things. We may have the power to will and not will. We may have the power to do and not act."
#173 | 2:12:45 to 2:13:35 | cleaned
Therefore, says the apostle, seeing God is wrought in you these powers, you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now, he's not saying you have to save yourself, but he's saying you have to do what God has put in you. And if God puts it in you, then you should bring it out. That is for sure. So prayer then is absolutely mandatory in defense. I don't know about you, but if I'm in trouble, I'm going to be praying. And I'm certainly going to be praying if somebody is shooting at me or somebody trying to attack my family. So the very first biblical mandate for self-defense is prayer. The second biblical mandate for defense is situational awareness. Situational awareness.
#174 | 2:13:36 to 2:14:23 | cleaned
Now I want you to look back, if you would, in Nehemiah chapter 4. And look what he said. He said this. I've got Nehemiah chapter four, and he says, "Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God," verse nine, "and set a watch against them." That is situational awareness. We set a watch against them. They not only prayed, they actually acted. They ended up setting a watch.
#175 | 2:14:23 to 2:14:59 | cleaned
Now, although they trusted in God for deliverance, that does not mean that they did not have to pay attention. That did not mean that they did not have to be aware of their surroundings. Our Lord told his disciples in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 41, "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." So he says, watch and pray. You not only pray, but you also act. And I want you to notice something else in verse 9. He says, "Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them."
#176 | 2:15:00 to 2:15:38 | cleaned
In other words, they said we're not going to be caught by surprise. We're going to have sentries on duty day and night. We're going to be aware of our situation. And I'm much afraid today that most people are so easily caught off guard and so easily surprised because most of us do not have situational awareness. How many times do we pull up to a convenience store and park and just walk in?
#177 | 2:15:38 to 2:16:05 | cleaned
We never look around in the parking lot. We never look around inside the store before we go in. We don't do that with banks. We don't do that with motels. We don't do that with anything because we're not aware of our surroundings. I watched, it was on the internet, of a woman walking by, working on her phone, and stepped into an open manhole. I mean, how in the world do people not kill themselves?
#178 | 2:16:05 to 2:16:41 | cleaned
No one hardly is paying any attention whatsoever. I mentioned earlier cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. You say, what in the world are you talking about? Well, let me give you an illustration. You could say, "Brother Weaver, I believe everything you've taught today. You've showed me scripture after scripture after scripture. I know what you're telling me is true. I know it's biblical."
#179 | 2:16:43 to 2:17:19 | cleaned
We're never going to be in a situation where we're going to need it. I mean, it's never happened here before. So therefore, I conclude it's probably never, ever going to happen again. I mean, let's be honest. We have cognitive dissonance. Another example of cognitive dissonance is when we see all these people illegally coming into our country, and they're all young, military-age men, and we say, oh, they're just refugees. They're just looking for a new life. Really? That's cognitive dissonance. When we have been threatened over and over and over, that's cognitive dissonance. That's when you say, well, we've got the best politicians that money can buy. And they're never going to betray us. They're not going to do anything to harm us. Really? Everything they've done is to harm us. Just look at COVID. Not just the vaccinations. I mean the very fact that it was developed in our own country before it was ever sent to China.
#180 | 2:17:22 to 2:18:39 | cleaned
And now also the CIA and the FBI have already been linked to all of this stuff. David Martin has all kind of lawsuits against these people because of it. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that when we think that nothing like this is going to ever happen, most people are so programmed by their TVs, they've just been brainwashed. And they think that nothing will ever, ever happen.
#181 | 2:18:40 to 2:19:12 | cleaned
The truth is that most Christians do not even watch and pray. Oh, we'll pray some. But we don't really watch. We're not really paying any attention. There is no situational awareness in our lives, not only for our safety and our defense, but even spiritually speaking. You're not looking out where we will be attacked. I'm just simply pointing out the fact here in the world, here is where the world gets the best of us because we're not aware of what the world can do and what the world will do. That is for sure. And we think we'll never, ever have to be in a position that we will have to fight and defend our lives and defend the lives of our family. And if you think that you're just mistaken, you are indeed washed thoroughly with cognitive dissonance. Now, here's the third. The third aspect of a biblical defense mandate is to be alert to a surprise attack.
#182 | 2:19:12 to 2:20:12 | cleaned
I want you to look at verse 11. He said, "And our adversary said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease." So we're talking about a surprise attack. Surprise is a very strong element in war. If one can surprise his enemy, that means he catches his enemy off guard. And an excellent illustration of this is when General George Washington defeated the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey. He knew that the Hessians, who were Germans, who had been hired by George III to fight against the colonists, he knew that those Hessians would be drinking themselves drunk in the celebration of Christmas. And so what Washington did was he crossed the Delaware River on the night of the 25th of December, 1776, and he attacked the Hessians early on the morning of December the 26th. After a brief battle, two-thirds of the Hessians were captured. They were totally surprised. They were totally caught off guard, and they lost the battle, and the Americans won.
#183 | 2:20:13 to 2:21:37 | cleaned
And of course that stimulated the war for independence as well. Now there's another excellent book. If you don't have it, I would encourage you to get it. It was written by Sun Tzu, who was a Chinese warrior. And it is filled with good military information. The title of it is The Art of War. And he has many excellent sayings. And one of his sayings was this: In conflict, direct confrontation will lead to engagement and surprise will lead to victory. So understand this. When somebody is surprised, usually you have one or two responses.
#184 | 2:21:37 to 2:22:20 | cleaned
You either fear or you freeze. Have you ever had someone jump out at you when you were not expecting it? I made the mistake one time of slipping up behind Alice. I was not expecting her response. Oh, well, I'll tell you what. Sometimes she doesn't freeze. But, you know, people either they either get frightened and they run or they just simply freeze in place is what it amounts to. And when one freezes, it's because of unbelief.
#185 | 2:22:20 to 2:23:05 | cleaned
You're standing there, you're thinking, I can't believe this is happening. And I certainly can't believe this is happening to me. But it is happening. And so when you don't have a situational awareness, and when you are caught off guard by the element of surprise, that's when you are absolutely astounded. And you either freeze, or you just and fear run.
#186 | 2:23:05 to 2:23:33 | cleaned
Now, there's a verse in Jeremiah chapter 14 verse 4. I want you to listen. I'll just read it for you. Listen to this. Kerioth is taken. By the way, Kerioth is taken. Let me stop. Do you know a fellow in the Bible by the name of Judas Iscariot? The word Iscariot means man of Kerioth. So we're talking about the town of Judas. Listen to this. Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are surprised.
#187 | 2:23:34 to 2:24:08 | cleaned
And then he goes on to say this, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pains. So what in the world can a woman delivering a child in agony and pain, what can she do to fight? Absolutely nothing. So when God surprises his enemies, that's the way it will be. And oftentimes our enemies use the element of surprise against us. And if you will notice, especially the communists, they always like to surprise you when you're in church, or when you are at home, when you're asleep, when you're in your own environment. And what they're trying to do is create as much terror in you as they possibly can, because these are the places where you are the most safe, or at least you believe that you're the most safe. That is why they always attack usually in churches as well.
#188 | 2:24:09 to 2:25:06 | cleaned
So here's the fourth biblical mandate for defense. And that is, we must be aware of those who fraternize with the enemy. Look, if you would please, at verse 12. In fact, he says this, and it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, who's the them, that is Sanballat, Tobiah and the Arabians and all these other people. It came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, they came, they said unto us ten times, from all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Wow! Ten times, they will be upon you.
#189 | 2:25:06 to 2:25:46 | cleaned
Now there are a few scholars who will take this verse in a positive sense. And they're trying to say that these Jews were doing nothing else than coming and bringing intelligence to Nehemiah and the men working with him. However, most scholars consider this verse in a negative light and say that these Jews who live close to Sanballat and Tobiah and all these other people were trying to dissuade their brethren from the work by repeating the threats of these enemies. And they were fearful, and even more fearful than those with Nehemiah, because they dwell close to the enemy.
#190 | 2:25:48 to 2:26:29 | cleaned
Remember now, the enemy's already threatened to come in and slay them. And so, these people who live close to Sanballat, and remember the armies of Samaria, they're coming in saying ten times, 'You can't get away, you can't escape, they're going to kill every one of you.'
#191 | 2:26:30 to 2:26:46 | cleaned
Now let me give you some quotes, just to show you how some scholars interpret this verse. Albert Barnes says, 'The Jews who dwelt by the Samaritan border came to Jerusalem and tried to withdraw their contingents of workmen from the work, representing to them the impending danger and saying, "You must return to your homes and so escape."' John Gill said it like this, 'From all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Come which way you will, so that you are in the utmost danger from all places where you are repairing and rebuilding. Return to us that you may enjoy peace and prosperity with us under Sanballat and escape the wrath and fury you are now exposed to. And from all places we come that you may return to us.' So these Jews, though they pretended to be friends to their brethren, yet seem to be in friendship with their enemies and sought to discourage them and weaken their minds and cause them to cease building.
#192 | 2:26:47 to 2:27:52 | cleaned
In other words, you've got to be aware of these people who are basically frightful, who are afraid, and who are fraternizing with the enemy. Let me make sure that you understand this point. There will always be individuals—let me rephrase that—there will always be fearful individuals who will be willing to compromise for their own safety and their own security, and they could care less about you or anyone else.
#193 | 2:27:52 to 2:28:21 | cleaned
They're only interested in themselves. They're not interested in the work. They're not interested in truth. They're not interested in righteousness. They're not interested in peace. They're not interested in principle. The only thing they're interested in is themselves. Ignorance and a lack of character are only conducive to fear. In light of this, the next thing you must understand is that there will always be traitors. There will be men who will sell their souls for their own monetary advantage, for power, for prominence, for prestige.
#194 | 2:28:21 to 2:29:08 | cleaned
If you don't believe that, just look at Washington, D.C. Look at Atlanta. Look in any state capitol that you want to. I would say you could probably find enough congressmen to number on one hand who really care about the Constitution and liberty and freedom. You know the scandals that the Biden family has been through, the scandals that all these congressmen have been through. I want to ask you a question.
#195 | 2:29:08 to 2:29:51 | cleaned
How is it that you can go to Congress and make $80,000 to $100,000 a year, and in four or five years, you're a multimillionaire? How is that possible, especially when you're spending millions just to get there, just to win an election? When you stop and think, I read the other day, for Nancy Pelosi, if she died, she would leave her daughter five different mansions, a jet, and I forget how many millions.
#196 | 2:29:53 to 2:30:43 | cleaned
All I'm trying to say is this: just look around, because you better be understanding the fact that there are people who will fraternize with the enemy for their own benefit. There will be people who will be absolute traitors just for their own benefit as well. Here's the fifth defensive mandate, and that is we need to be prepared to fight and to be encouraged in the Lord. So look at verses 13 and 14. Look what Nehemiah said.
#197 | 2:30:45 to 2:31:12 | cleaned
"Therefore said I, that in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren,
#198 | 2:31:13 to 2:31:35 | cleaned
your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." Now, let me make some obvious deductions from these verses. First of all, in order to fight, you must have weapons to fight with. You not only must have weapons to fight with, you must be trained in the use of those weapons. Weapons, if they do not work, are useless. Weapons are useless to you if you do not know how to work them or how to use them. And if you are not able to quickly and easily and efficiently clear malfunctions in order to make your weapon work, then you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you cannot get your weapon out in a timely manner, you're not prepared to use your weapon. If you can't shoot straight, if you can't shoot accurately most of the time, you're just not prepared to use your weapon.
#199 | 2:31:35 to 2:32:30 | cleaned
That's all there is to it. Now, I want you to note something else in this passage. Here's another observation, and that is this: the wall gave them a defensive position, and therefore he set the people behind the wall for their safety and for their protection. Defensive positions should be planned and built. Think about your whole—think about your land. If your family was attacked, if 10 or 15 men attacked your family, you can't just hide in the house. Most of our modern houses will not stop a bullet, period, unless it just happens to hit a stud.
#200 | 2:32:31 to 2:33:26 | cleaned
And if it's a .50 cal, a stud's going to be blown to pieces and the bullet's going to keep going. And most houses are not designed to be spared from fire. Of course not. I'm just simply pointing out the fact: here he put the people behind the wall because it was already prepared and it was a defensive position.
#201 | 2:33:27 to 2:33:51 | cleaned
Now, hang on to this one. Look at verse 13 again. Here's the third observation. He said, "Therefore said I in the lower places behind the wall and in the higher places, I even set the people, after their families." The whole family could fight. Men, does your wife know how to shoot? Does your wife know how to use your weapons? Do your children know how to shoot? Do your children know how to use your weapons? You say, "But I can use them."
#202 | 2:33:51 to 2:34:39 | cleaned
Well, suppose you get incapacitated or suppose you get killed. All I'm pointing out is the fact it was the families that fought together. I wish I had time to tell you about some of the women in the American Revolution and some of the women in the War of Northern Aggression. You'd be absolutely astounded when you read some of their lives and how one woman held about 10 or 15 English soldiers captive until her husband got home. I'm just simply pointing out these were families.
#203 | 2:34:40 to 2:35:28 | cleaned
Now, if you will note verse 14, I want you to look at this. He said, "And I looked up and rose and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses." Now, the very first command is do not be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of them. Fear paralyzes. I wish you would go through the Bible and just underline every time God says, "Fear not." Did you know the Bible says in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." The fear of man bringeth a snare. David said, "I will not fear what man can do unto me." If you really and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the worst that man could do to you is send you to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
#204 | 2:35:29 to 2:36:42 | cleaned
That's the worst. I'm just simply saying, the fear of man brings a snare.
#205 | 2:36:44 to 2:36:49 | cleaned
Now I want you to watch this. In this passage, it also includes a second command, and that is, remember the Lord. Remember the Lord. Which simply means not only to trust in Him, rely upon Him, but remember what He's capable of. What did He do to the Egyptians? What did He do to the Hittites and the Philistines and the Jebusites? All I'm saying is this, when you remember the Lord, you remember His power, you remember His grace, you remember His mercy, you remember everything that He has done in times past.
#206 | 2:36:50 to 2:37:24 | cleaned
And then He says this, if you look in this verse again, the third commandment that He gives is this, He said, "and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters and your wives and your houses." God gave Canaan to Israel, but Israel had to fight. God gave David victory after victory, but David had to fight. There are some things that cannot be achieved without fighting. I like what Tim Larkin said.
#207 | 2:37:25 to 2:38:07 | cleaned
He said, "Violence is not always the answer. But when it is the answer, it's the only answer." And that's true. Did you know that God is a man of war? The Bible says in Exodus 15:3, "The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name." When you get to 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." The Lord is a man of war.
#208 | 2:38:09 to 2:38:50 | cleaned
Now here's a truth that has to be grasped. Once you understand that God has commanded you to fight, you must know how to fight, and you must be determined to fight. And you must know when to fight and when not to fight. Look, if you would, in verse 15. When you are prepared to fight, when you know how to fight, when you're willing to fight, most of the time you don't have to fight. Verse 15: "And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work."
#209 | 2:38:51 to 2:39:36 | cleaned
So Nehemiah had the people ready. Nehemiah said, "We will fight." He had them in a defensive position. And since the enemy then found out that, hey, these people are not going to just roll over for us, they're not going to just bow down to us, they're not going to give up, they're not going to give in, they themselves turned around and went back. Here's the sixth defensive mandate.
#210 | 2:39:38 to 2:40:03 | cleaned
Always err on the side of caution when your enemies are routed. Look at verses 16 and 17: "And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon." Wow. Always err on the side of caution.
#211 | 2:40:04 to 2:40:44 | cleaned
They had given up, supposedly. They had left, supposedly. But Nehemiah said, "I'm not going to trust you. We're going to stay prepared. We're going to stay alert. And if we need to fight, we will fight." They kept their weapons with them. They kept their weapons on them. They were not going to be caught off guard. They were not going to be surprised. Now, I'm going to tell you something.
#212 | 2:40:44 to 2:41:09 | cleaned
Since we are in Georgia, according to law, you have a constitutional right to carry your weapon wherever you go. There are some exceptions, I understand, like the federal courthouses or the courthouses. And there had been a prohibition even carrying in the post office. However, one judge just this past week ruled that they could not ban weapons out of the post office, that it was unconstitutional. Wow. Well, we'll see where that one goes. But the truth of the matter is you have a constitutional right to carry. You ought to carry. You ought to always be carrying. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that it is your right. It is a constitutional right. It is a biblical right.
#213 | 2:41:09 to 2:42:04 | cleaned
And so you have to ask yourself, do you care? Do you care? And you should. I never will forget, I was preaching in South Carolina, and there was a banquet first, and then I was to preach afterwards. And there was one lady there with a son who had an affliction. And while we were eating, the young man had an episode. He was having some type of seizure.
#214 | 2:42:05 to 2:42:37 | cleaned
So I jumped up and I ran back to him along with some others. And I was helping pick him up from the floor. Someone else had already called for an ambulance. And we were getting him to the door. And the mother said, "My purse, my purse." I said, "I'll get it for you." It was one of those long purses, it was kind of heavy. It was wide, you know, just two handles. And I went to pick up that purse, and I looked in there, and there was a pistol right on top.
#215 | 2:42:38 to 2:43:09 | cleaned
And I said, "Yes, ma'am, here it is." I was making sure she got that purse. But the truth of the matter is, I'm just saying, it's a constitutional right. It's a biblical right. We have a right to carry.
#216 | 2:43:09 to 2:43:21 | cleaned
Now, I want you to listen carefully to this one. I want you to look at verses 18 and 20 in this verse. Because here is, in this chapter, because here is the seventh defensive mandate, and that is that we must have a rallying point. Look, if you would, at verse 18. He says, "For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built it." Now look at this.
#217 | 2:43:21 to 2:43:43 | cleaned
"And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated from the wall, one far from another. In what place, therefore, do you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort you thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us.'" Now, he said we're separated. We've got a trumpet. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, you come here.
#218 | 2:43:44 to 2:44:16 | cleaned
Now, we don't have trumpets, but we do have handheld radios. Right now, we do have the use of cell phones. But the point I'm trying to make is there was a rallying point. Now, a rallying point could mean several things. A rallying point, first of all, could refer to a point where a breach is about to be made. In other words, those who are defending that particular point are insufficient to hold that point. And a rallying point, a rallying cry could come, and that means the others who are not fighting as fiercely or have such a heaven-forced heavy force against them, they can come and help the point where it is about to be breached. So that could be a rallying point. In other words, they come and help stem the tide and clear up those who are fighting fiercely at that particular point. Now, let me point out the fact that you must, you must understand that this is one of the rallying points. Now, another rallying point is this.
#219 | 2:44:16 to 2:45:24 | cleaned
That would be where you have to move to a secondary position. So, if we're defending, say, at the gate, and we get overwhelmed, or the force is too great, we might meet back at the tree line. That would be a rallying point. In other words, it's a secondary position. It's a secondary position to fight from. So, therefore, you're talking about your own property. You need to look at primary positions, secondary positions, sometimes even tertiary or third positions, that is for sure. But also a rallying point could also be a point where you gather together to initiate an attack or a counterattack upon the enemy.
#220 | 2:45:25 to 2:46:11 | cleaned
So notice if you would, as you read through Nehemiah chapter 4, you have all of these biblical mandates for defense. And this is exactly what Nehemiah did. I'm going to make this statement. I'll probably make it tomorrow while I'm preaching because I'm not going to be able to finish this series. But I will tell you this: According to the Scripture, weaponry may be used to defend the church of God and the people of God, but it cannot be used to extend the church of God or the kingdom of God. We're not conquistadors. We're not going around with a sword and saying you either bow or else. No, no. But God oftentimes uses physical means when the church is attacked. So let me make some Scripture and some applications for this. So according to our text, this last principle should be well understood: Everything that can be done should be done to secure defense and safety.
#221 | 2:46:12 to 2:47:17 | cleaned
I want you to look at verses 21 and 23 again. Look at this. 21 and 23. He said, "So we labored in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise, at the same time said I unto the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us and labor on the day." Now look at this. "So neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that everyone put them off for the washing." What is he saying? He's saying we learned to look out for each other. We learned to guard each other. We learned to give up luxury. We banded together. We were sleeping in the same area for our defense. And we did not even take our clothes off except for washing.
#222 | 2:47:19 to 2:48:18 | cleaned
And in other words, you have to do whatever has to be done to protect yourself and protect your family. It's just that simple. If you have to sleep with your brogans on, sleep with your brogans on. There's nothing wrong with that. You can put on a clean sheet. If you have to sleep hugging that AR-15, sleep hugging that AR-15. It's just that simple. Do what needs to be done.
#223 | 2:48:18 to 2:48:45 | cleaned
I'll tell this on him. It's kind of like my grandson, my baby grandson. When he was a young boy, he was so squeamish. Listen, if he saw someone vomit, he vomited. If he saw blood, oh, it just threw him. And I had a cow that was down. And she was bloated and had gas. And if you don't do something, they die. So I had a needle about this long. So I said, "Tripp, you have to help me with this cow." I said, "I'm going to have to put this needle through her ribs into her stomach to let this gas out."
#224 | 2:48:50 to 2:49:40 | cleaned
He said, "Papa, I can't do that." I looked at him. I said, "Yes, you can, and you will do it. You have to learn, you have to do what needs to be done, period." And he helped me hold that cow, and I put that needle in, and I let the gas out, and that cow survived. And of course, most of you know, Tripp became a nurse before he became a logger, and then he ended up marrying a nurse.
#225 | 2:49:41 to 2:50:11 | cleaned
And so now he tells me what I need and what I don't need in some of the medical areas. I'm just saying, folks, listen, you have to do what needs to be done. That's all there is to it. Years ago, I was plowing and my family had all gone to dinner and I was trying to finish and I had a sweep on the back and the sweeps were worn and they came to a very, very sharp point. And while I was trying to hurry and clean them off, I stepped right into one of the rears of those sweeps. And I mean, it just gouged into my leg and took a hunk of flesh out and blood was going everywhere.
#226 | 2:50:12 to 2:50:56 | cleaned
So I called Alice and I said, "Tell your mother," who was an RN, who was a nurse, an LPN. I said, "Tell your mother to come over here and tell my sister," who was a registered nurse, who was head nurse at the operating room. She was head nurse at the operating room. I said, "Tell them to come over here. I need them." And so they got over here, and I showed them my leg. They said, "Oh, you need to go to the emergency room." I said, "No, I don't need to go to the emergency room. I said, I've got the lidocaine right here. I've got the suture material right here. You sew it up. I said, I've got the Betadine to wash it out with."
#227 | 2:50:57 to 2:51:34 | cleaned
"You take care of it." "Well, we don't want to do this." I said, "Let me tell you something. Either you're going to do it or I'm going to do it. And I can't do it as well bending down as you can do it. So do it." And they did. And guess what? I don't even have a scar. No, no scar there. I'm just saying you have to learn to do what you need to do. It's—it's that simple. You have to say, "I am going to do it."
#228 | 2:51:34 to 2:51:58 | cleaned
"I will look out for my husband. I'll look out for my wife. I'll look out for my children. I'll look out for my brother. I'll look out for my sister. I will do whatever needs to be done." You have to understand these biblical mandates, this biblical mindset. God gives us principles, God gives us precepts that we are to live by and we are to die by and we are to fight by.
#229 | 2:51:59 to 2:52:22 | cleaned
Do you remember that passage in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17? "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. Why? That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work." Do you really believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? And do you really believe that it's profitable? And do you really believe that's everything you need that you might live a holy, righteous, godly life? That means this.
#230 | 2:52:24 to 2:52:57 | cleaned
You must have that biblical mindset. It means you must understand these mandates. It means that you must be determined. It means that you must have the character and the consistency and the courage to do whatever needs to be done. It's just that simple. And I want to tell you, the more you study the Word of God, and the more you apply the Word of God, the more determined you are going to be, and the more courageous you're going to be, the more character you're going to have, and the more you'll understand that God is a God of truth and a God of justice and a God of righteousness. And "the righteous Lord loveth righteousness," the Bible says, and "justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne." You have to understand, we're facing some very, very serious times. We better understand these mandates. We better prepare our hearts, our lives. We better prepare our families. We better prepare our children. If we want to survive, we must learn to help each other. We must learn to band together.
#231 | 2:52:58 to 2:54:18 | cleaned
We must learn to do whatever needs to be done. That brings me to this. Everyone has a different opinion about some things. Wonderful. Have all the opinions you want, but do not try to force them on everyone else. If there's a Bible principle, fine. We'll all bow to the Word of God. But we're not going to fight each other. There are too many enemies to fight. And the truth of the matter is, if you understand the biblical doctrine of illumination, I could teach all day long, I could teach all night long, but if God doesn't open your eyes, you're never going to see it, you're never going to understand it anyhow. And so what I need to do is just keep teaching and praying that God will open your eyes. What you would need to do is keep teaching and praying until God opens my eyes. We're not going to fight over little things. We've got too many enemies.
#232 | 2:54:18 to 2:55:10 | cleaned
And we can't take the attitude, "Well, I don't like this attitude, this so-and-so." Well, that's all right. Deal with that attitude later. But do what needs to be done, biblically, scripturally, for God's honor and glory and for our good. Let's pray. And then Warren Luke is going to come in just a moment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your help. We ask for your grace. We ask for your mercy. Teach us, O Lord, build us up in the most holy faith, and Lord, help us to prepare according to your word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. 1 Samuel 17. I'd like to remind you of 1 Thessalonians 5:21, which says, "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." Clearly a passage once again speaking of spiritual things. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. In 1 Samuel 17 we once again go to the familiar passage of David and Goliath.
#233 | 2:55:13 to 2:56:20 | cleaned
If you would notice verse 38. 1 Samuel 17, verse 38. And as we cut into the story, "And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head. Also, he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go." That is, he attempted to go. He tried to go, for he had not proved it. That is, he had not tested this armor. He had not tested could he do it. He hadn't attempted it before. And David said unto Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I've not proved them." That is, I've not tested them. And David put them off him. So now the question is, David attempted to go to fight, but he'd not tested that equipment.
#234 | 2:56:21 to 2:57:16 | cleaned
Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Was the armor deficient? Was the weaponry of poor quality? No, this was the king's armor, the king's weapons. These are the best money could buy. But for David, who had not practiced with them, who had not trained with them, who had not tested and proved them, he put them away and rather went with his sling. David had not practiced with them. He did, however, test and practice with his sling, which was, we might say, an inferior weapon, but yet he had proved it. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. David held fast to that sling which he was accurate with, and truly he won the day.
#235 | 2:57:16 to 2:58:11 | cleaned
I'd like to show you a little show and tell, just kind of fun here at the end. And I'll simply point this in this direction. This is what's called a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. This is an actual weapon, and so I will be careful with it. There we are, and the bolt is locked back. It is in fact clear. So this is just a 9mm. This is a fine gun.
#236 | 2:58:12 to 2:58:38 | cleaned
I paid $300 for it about 20 years ago, and I've had it ever since. So the question is, here's a Kel-Tec Sub 2000. What can this weapon do? Now if I this weapon, I can rely on it. And you might say, "Well, what if I went against an Abrams tank with this little pea shooter?" Well, as long as the Abrams tank has a dead battery and it can't function, I'll take this, this trusty old pea shooter, and I'll take out the tank, one by one, if it's failed in its course, if it's mechanically failed.
#237 | 2:58:39 to 2:59:18 | cleaned
So, let's not despise inferior weapons just because there's something grander or more glorious over there, if it doesn't work. Saul's armor did not work for David. The sling won the day. And so we must prove these things. So the Kel-Tec Sub 2000, I'm just going to use this as an example. We all have many different weapons. There's a thousand examples we could go through. But notice if you would, my Kel-Tec Sub 2000 is a nine millimeter. I own 9mm handguns. That's my handgun round.
#238 | 2:59:18 to 2:59:53 | cleaned
I don't have 40s or 45s. This takes a Glock 17 mag. My only handguns are Glock 17s. So any and all of my Glocks take all the same magazine, and I can have a chest full of magazines in my pouches and either go with my handgun Glock 17 or into my Kel-Tec Sub 2000. Question is, this is kind of a rifle. It's got a longer barrel. How accurate is this?
#239 | 2:59:53 to 3:00:22 | cleaned
I need to ask all these questions. It's kind of made out of plastic. It's kind of got a weird situation to close the bolt, then to open it, bring it on a catch. Is this reliable in battle? I'm asking all these questions. How can I know? I need to test it and I need to prove it. I need to take this out to the range, put some ammo through it, and find out what's it like.
#240 | 3:00:22 to 3:00:47 | cleaned
20 years ago when I bought it, I did shoot it. And I can tell you this, this is an iron pipe that is built in the construction. And in order to shoot it, what I'd want to do is bring some cheek weld up against it to be able to get on the sights. But if I do that, I can't actually see through the sights. I have to put it against my bone to get my eyes low enough in order to do that. When you shoot even the 9mm, this pipe hits your bone. This is a painful gun to shoot.
#241 | 3:00:47 to 3:01:18 | cleaned
You wouldn't know that unless you tested it, unless you proved it. This doesn't really work for me. It's mine, I paid for it, but what do I do with it? Maybe this is a fine weapon for a younger man. Maybe I can give this to one of my sons whose smaller face can get on it. I can teach him the reloads and the malfunctions and get him on this weapon. And I need to know what can it do and what can it not do. There's no offense to the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 to know its abilities as well as its weaknesses. It's simply a firearm.
#242 | 3:01:18 to 3:01:57 | cleaned
And if you'll notice, it even folds in half. You can put it in a backpack. It's kind of cool. Is this a toy or is this actually a real weapon of war? These questions ought to be answered. I need to prove it. I need to prove what is good and hold fast to it. I'll give you one more example. This is a CFP-90. These were all the rage back in the early 2000s. CFP-90. On eBay, 100 bucks. This is the best backpack money could buy. There was a separate compartment here at the bottom so you could put your sleeping bag in the bottom. If anyone's packed a backpack, you know if your sleeping bag goes in the bottom of the main part, to pull your sleeping bag out, you're disrupting all of your other packing. In order to put a tactical backpack together, you need to know how to layer it.
#243 | 3:01:57 to 3:02:50 | cleaned
What items are you going to get to first? These are all things you have to practice. Prove your system and your layering. Prove it. Test it. Practice it. And hold fast when you get a good program. I'm not telling you how to layer it. I'm saying you need to practice it.
#244 | 3:02:51 to 3:03:09 | cleaned
Now, I bought this 25 years ago off eBay. I spent my hard-earned money. Put it in storage. Recently, I pulled it out of storage. I knew I had a CFP 90, the finest backpack money could buy. Been in storage for 25 years. Would you know it, it had actually broken the plastic here. Whether in my storage it had rotted out, so I'm going to need to repair this. But I wouldn't know that unless I actually got it out, looked at it, tested it, improved it. Now this can be repaired and I'll repair it, but I needed to know that. If I had gone after this in the day of battle and it was broken, this is not the time to find that out. We need to be going through our things. Prove all things. Test all things.
#245 | 3:03:09 to 3:04:02 | cleaned
Hold fast that which is good. So buying the preparations—we talked about spending the money. Buying these things is indeed the first step. Buying the equipment. What must come next is the testing, the proving. Put your hands on it. Take it out to the range. It's got to be used, tested, and proven. Hold fast, relying on that which has been proven to be successful, proven to be good.
#246 | 3:04:03 to 3:04:33 | cleaned
I'd like to switch gears just to finish out the passage. If you would notice in verse 40, "And he," that is David, "took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had." David selected five smooth stones, not random stones, but fine stones for flinging through the air. Smooth stones out of the brook, hand-selected smooth stones. So the question is, why five stones? It only took one stone to defeat the giant. Why would David take five? David knew God would give him the victory. Why did David choose five stones? Why did he take four stones he didn't end up needing? Why choose any stones at all? Why not just pray the giant down, as we've alluded to earlier? Because David was being consistent with tactical preparations. The Lord would give him the victory, but it was prudent and it was appropriate for David to get reloads. If the first one missed, he'd be ready again, in the victory of the Lord.
#247 | 3:04:33 to 3:05:53 | cleaned
David was consistent. He was faithful to proper military tactical process and procedure. It makes tactical sense to have reloads. It makes preparation sense for us to store up ammo. There's a foolish group of those within the church who just want to pray it all away. And that is not what Scripture demands of us. We are fully reliant on the Lord, but it can't just be praying it out.
#248 | 3:05:53 to 3:06:29 | cleaned
No, we are to prepare. We are to practice and prove that which is good. Our God, the Lord of War, will give us the victory, but we must also be consistent to be sensible with our tactical equipment and our preparations. Again, the Lord can multiply the loaves and fishes. The Lord can multiply the bullets and magazines. In our Lord's grace and victory, He might give us 31 rounds in that AR-15.
#249 | 3:06:29 to 3:07:05 | cleaned
Well, I counted 30 and I still had the miracle. Thank the Lord, because here's the man charging at me. I've expended it, but the Lord gave the extra one. Let Him do it. David's victory and ours will always be firstly spiritual. But we must be faithful to the physical equipment, the physical preparation, the physical accumulation, and tactical action. So I encourage all of you in all of this concept of prepping and purchasing and preparing and all of this, prove all things, hold fast that which is good.
#250 | 3:07:05 to 3:07:48 | cleaned
Surely we need to purchase these things, whether it's food. Boil some of those beans, taste it. Get some of those freeze-dried meals, cook them up. Give them a taste. Do they need salt? What do you need to add to them? Prove all things, test all things, hold fast that which is good. Test theology, this theology that's been given to us. Prove it, prove the Lord your God, and hold fast to that which is good.
#251 | 3:07:48 to 3:08:54 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T13:17:09Z

Rural Home Defense Conference

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver delivers a foundational message on the biblical responsibility of believers to provide for and protect their families, including physical defense. He argues from 1 Timothy 5:8 that failing to provide for one's own household is a denial of the faith, and that 'provide' encompasses protection, medical care, and preparation for emergencies. Weaver emphasizes that individuals, not the government, are the first responders, and that a biblical mindset requires training, situational awareness, and community cooperation. The lecture includes practical exhortations to acquire defensive skills, medical knowledge, and supplies, while ultimately trusting in God for safety.

Introduction and Foundation

Weaver introduces the conference theme from Don Schiff's book on rural home defense and opens with prayer, then reads 1 Timothy 5:8 as the foundational text.

The Myth of Government Protection

Weaver argues that the government cannot protect individuals, citing statistics and a legal scholar to show police have no duty to protect citizens.

You Are the First Responder

The speaker asserts that personal responsibility for self-defense is biblical, and failure to prepare makes one a victim.

Exegesis of 1 Timothy 5:8

Weaver examines the remote and immediate context of 1 Timothy 5:8, explaining that 'provide' (pronoeo) means to think beforehand and encompasses all provisions, including defense.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 3:15

But the point I'm trying to make is, when we're talking about families, if you're a believer, you actually have two families. You have the family of faith, and then you have your own personal, physical family as well. So, I think the widest application of what I'm going to say today would be to our church, to our fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and secondly, then to our immediate family. Now, if you will turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 5, and let's be looking there at verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 3. Look at it. The Bible says, "Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."

Now look what he says in verse 7, strange.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

Now interestingly enough, verse 7, the Bible tells you,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:3-7

"these things give in charge."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."

Now, look if you would back at verse 3. Paul said,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:3-5

"the end of the commandment."

Now, do you see a picture? I want you to think about this. Usually the husband and the father, of course, is the head of the house. That is the way the Word of God has ordained it.

Biblical Basis for Armed Defense

Using Luke 11:21-22 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Weaver teaches that a strong man arms himself and that community defense is necessary.

Current Threats and the Need for Preparation

Weaver cites recent headlines about terrorist threats and border crossings to emphasize the urgency of preparing for medical emergencies, communication, and community defense.

The Sixth Commandment and the Duty to Preserve Life

The positive aspect of 'Thou shalt not kill' is the duty to preserve life, which includes self-defense and defense of family and neighbors.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 82:3

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy."

Practical Preparation and Trust in God

Weaver discusses medical preparedness, antibiotics, and the need to trust God while making practical preparations, citing Psalm 127:1.

The Necessity of a Biblical Mindset

Using Luke 9:51, Weaver teaches that a steadfast, biblical mindset is required for defense, contrasting it with a doubtful or double mind.

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:51

"...and it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

Now, there's much in the Bible concerning the mind.

Defensive Mandates from Nehemiah 4

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto God and set a watch against them day and night because of them."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

13, all right, that's fine. I didn't turn over. 2 Chronicles 13, verse 17. "And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men." Can you imagine going out to battle with 800,000 men and having 500,000 of them slain? Here's the question. Why did Judah prevail? Well, if you'll look in verse 18, "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed." Why?

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer to God,"

verse nine,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"and set a watch against them."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them day and night because of them."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

No one hardly is paying any attention whatsoever. I mentioned earlier cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. You say, what in the world are you talking about? Well, let me give you an illustration. You could say, "Brother Weaver, I believe everything you've taught today. You've showed me scripture after scripture after scripture. I know what you're telling me is true. I know it's biblical."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And our adversary said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

and it came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, who's the them, that is Sanballat, Tobiah and the Arabians and all these other people. It came to pass that when the Jews which dwelt by them, they came, they said unto us ten times, from all places which you shall return unto us, they will be upon you. Wow! Ten times, they will be upon you.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

shall return unto us, they will be upon you.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Therefore said I, that in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"Therefore said I in the lower places behind the wall and in the higher places, I even set the people, after their families."

Now, if you will note verse 14, I want you to look at this. He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And I looked up and rose and said unto the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses."

And then He says this, if you look in this verse again, the third commandment that He gives is this, He said,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters and your wives and your houses."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work."

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built it."

Now look at this.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 4:9-23

"And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, 'The work is great and large, and we are separated from the wall, one far from another. In what place, therefore, do you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort you thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us.'"

Now, he said we're separated. We've got a trumpet. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, you come here.

Testing and Proving Your Preparations

A guest speaker (Lorne Luke) uses 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to emphasize testing equipment and preparations, illustrating with a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and a backpack.

Rural Home Defense Conference

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	u8x8OGtPeKs
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: Remember Lot And His Wife
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-09-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 33
Source Timed Segments	251

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Foundation: Weaver introduces the conference theme from Don Schiff's book on rural home defense and opens with prayer, then reads 1 Timothy 5:8 as the foundational text.
The Myth of Government Protection: Weaver argues that the government cannot protect individuals, citing statistics and a legal scholar to show police have no duty to protect citizens.
You Are the First Responder: The speaker asserts that personal responsibility for self-defense is biblical, and failure to prepare makes one a victim.
Exegesis of 1 Timothy 5:8: Weaver examines the remote and immediate context of 1 Timothy 5:8, explaining that 'provide' (pronoeo) means to think beforehand and encompasses all provisions, including defense.
Biblical Basis for Armed Defense: Using Luke 11:21-22 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Weaver teaches that a strong man arms himself and that community defense is necessary.
Current Threats and the Need for Preparation: Weaver cites recent headlines about terrorist threats and border crossings to emphasize the urgency of preparing for medical emergencies, communication, and community defense.
The Sixth Commandment and the Duty to Preserve Life: The positive aspect of 'Thou shalt not kill' is the duty to preserve life, which includes self-defense and defense of family and neighbors.
Practical Preparation and Trust in God: Weaver discusses medical preparedness, antibiotics, and the need to trust God while making practical preparations, citing Psalm 127:1.
The Necessity of a Biblical Mindset: Using Luke 9:51, Weaver teaches that a steadfast, biblical mindset is required for defense, contrasting it with a doubtful or double mind.
Defensive Mandates from Nehemiah 4: Weaver outlines seven defensive mandates from Nehemiah 4: prayer, situational awareness, alertness to surprise, awareness of fraternizers, preparedness to fight, erring on caution, and having a rallying point.
Testing and Proving Your Preparations: A guest speaker (Lorne Luke) uses 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to emphasize testing equipment and preparations, illustrating with a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and a backpack.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Government Cannot Protect You

Police have no legal duty to protect individuals, and government emergency supplies are insufficient.

Weaver quotes Darren L. Hutchinson: 'Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers... to protect individual persons from harm.'

1 Timothy 5:8 Commands Comprehensive Provision

The Greek word 'pronoeo' means to think beforehand, encompassing defense, medical care, and all family needs.

Weaver explains, 'the word provide then means to perceive with the mind... It deals also with every provision imaginable.'

A Strong Man Arms Himself

Luke 11:21 teaches that a strong man armed protects his household, implying the use of weapons.

Weaver notes the Greek 'kathoplizō' means 'furnished with arms.'

Community Defense is Biblical

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 shows that two can withstand an attacker, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Weaver reads Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and applies it to the need for like-minded people to band together.

Fear and Doubt Paralyze Defense

A doubtful or double mind leads to instability; God gives a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Weaver cites James 1:8 and 2 Timothy 1:7 to contrast a biblical mindset with fear.

Prayer is the First Defensive Mandate

Nehemiah 4:9 shows that prayer and setting a watch go together; ultimate protection is from God.

Weaver says, 'if the Lord does not protect us, then we are not protected.'

Preparation Must Be Tested

David rejected Saul's armor because he had not proved it; believers must test their equipment and skills.

Lorne Luke uses 1 Samuel 17:38-40 to argue for proving all things, including weapons and gear.

Fighting is Sometimes Necessary

God gave Canaan to Israel, but they had to fight; there are things that cannot be achieved without fighting.

Weaver states, 'God gave Canaan to Israel, but Israel had to fight. God gave David victory after victory, but David had to fight.'

Scripture References

1 Timothy 5:8: The foundational verse for the message, commanding provision for one's own household.
1 Timothy 3:15: The theme of 1 Timothy: how to behave in the house of God.
1 Timothy 5:3-7: Immediate context of verse 8, discussing care for widows and the charge to be blameless.
1 Timothy 1:3-5: Shows that 'charge' means commandment, not suggestion.
Philippians 2:15: Illustrates the meaning of 'blameless' as without rebuke.
Luke 11:21-22: A strong man armed keeps his palace; a stronger man may overcome him, implying the need for community.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: Two are better than one; a threefold cord is not quickly broken, supporting community defense.
Psalm 82:3: Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12: If any would not work, neither should he eat; responsibility to provide for one's own.
Psalm 127:1: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain; trust in God alongside preparation.
Luke 9:51: Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, illustrating a determined mindset.
Matthew 15:18-19: Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts; the mind controls actions.
Matthew 22:37: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind; the greatest commandment.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9: The Shema; loving God with all one's being and keeping His words central.
Luke 12:29: Be not of a doubtful mind; a doubtful mind is unstable.
James 1:8: A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
2 Timothy 1:7: God has not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
Nehemiah 4:9-23: The primary text for defensive mandates: prayer, watchfulness, arming families, and rallying points.
2 Chronicles 13:3-18: Judah prevailed over Israel because they relied on the Lord, showing trust and fighting together.
1 Samuel 17:38-40: David rejected Saul's armor because he had not proved it; he chose five smooth stones.

Historical References

Don Schiff's book 'Rural Home Defense': The conference theme was inspired by this book, written by a retired cop.
Darren L. Hutchinson, professor at University of Florida School of Law: Quoted to support that police have no duty to protect individuals.
Jack Potter (Fighting Jack Potter), Confederate soldier and Methodist circuit rider: Quoted on the duty to carry a gun for self-preservation.
Frédéric Bastiat, author of 'The Law': Quoted on the right of groups to organize for common defense.
Colonel Jeff Cooper: Quoted on the necessity of an armed citizenry and the universal language of a large bore muzzle.
Senator Larry Craig: Quoted on the inalienable right of self-defense.
Jedediah Strong Smith, mountain man: Example of frontier medical care: his scalp was sewn back on after a grizzly attack.
Hugh Glass, mountain man: Survived a grizzly mauling and crawled 200 miles to safety.
German hyperinflation of 1923: Illustration of economic collapse: a wheelbarrow of money was worth less than the wheelbarrow.
Carrington Event (solar flare): Historical solar flare that disrupted telegraph lines, illustrating grid vulnerability.

Important Quotes

Neither the Constitution nor state law imposes a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know harm will occur.

Supports the argument that individuals cannot rely on police for protection.

When you don't think of yourself as the first responder, your destiny is to be the first victim.

Emphasizes personal responsibility for self-defense.

I'm not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use means to preserve it.

Historical pastor's view on the duty to use means for self-preservation.

You can say 'stop,' or you can say 'alto,' or use any word you think will work. But I have found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language.

Colonel Jeff Cooper's pragmatic view on deterrence.

The first right of every human being is the right of self-defense. Without that right, all other rights are meaningless.

Senator Larry Craig's assertion of the primacy of self-defense.

Though defensive violence will always be a sad necessity in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men.

Augustine's justification for defensive violence.

If you know how to shoot and are quite ready to shoot, the chances are you won't have to shoot.

General Black Jack Pershing on deterrence through preparedness.

Violence is not always the answer. But when it is the answer, it's the only answer.

Tim Larkin's statement on the necessity of violence in certain situations.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways have you relied on the government or others for your safety instead of taking personal responsibility?

[Context]

Weaver argues that individuals are the first responders and must not depend on police or government.

[Question]

How does the biblical command to 'provide' for your household extend beyond food and clothing to include defense and medical preparation?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Greek word 'pronoeo' and its broad meaning.

[Question]

What practical steps can you take to develop a biblical mindset regarding self-defense and family protection?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes the need for a determined, biblical mindset on every subject.

[Question]

How can your church or community band together for mutual defense in a crisis?

[Context]

Weaver cites Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and the example of early settlers.

[Question]

What medical skills or supplies do you currently lack, and how can you acquire them?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the need for medical training and supplies like antibiotics.

[Question]

How do you balance trusting God for protection while actively preparing and training for defense?

[Context]

Weaver says preparations are worthless unless God protects, but we are still responsible to prepare.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'prove all things' in the context of your defensive equipment and plans?

[Context]

Lorne Luke uses 1 Samuel 17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to emphasize testing gear.

[Question]

In what areas of your life do you have a 'doubtful mind' or 'double mind' that hinders your preparedness?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts a biblical mindset with being double-minded or doubtful.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T17:07:00Z