Warrior Mindset The "Ethos" Of A Christian Life

Several months ago, the Lord, you can be seated

for just a moment. The Lord laid Brother David

on my heart for this particular day. Veterans

Day is coming up. And I'd like to honor those

who have served and maintained, stood on guard

and stood their post. Ready, willing, at a moment's

notice, to protect us if necessary. Amen? So

if you're in this house today and you've served

in the military in any branch, would you just

stand and let us honor you this morning? Amen.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your service.

We invite you to eat lunch. We have a wonderful

meal prepared for you. We invite you to stay

and join us. You say, well, this is my first

time. This is the best time then. If it's your

first visit, you come on the right day. You get

to have lunch. We want you to stay with us. But

the Lord put Brother David on my heart for this

particular service this morning. I don't know

of a more humble individual than the man that's

coming to speak for us this morning and to share

whatever it is the Lord's laid on his heart.

I know it's burning very deeply and very intently.

And he's going to deliver what the Lord laid

on his soul this morning. Would you make Brother

David O 'Boyle welcome this morning? Thank you,

Pastor. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yep, take

it. Take it. It's my ADHD that comes out, and

I got to have my hands. And so when I found out

we had a speaker, and I was looking at Brother

Randy's mic, but I also want to give a special

thanks to Pastor Brian for working with me and

helping me on all this stuff. Because I got to

have visuals. That's just how I roll. But first

of all, let me say that I'm absolutely, I'm honored.

I'm so honored. And I just saw you, brother,

obviously. I wasn't nervous until I started seeing

everybody in here. I think that's you, Corey.

Corey's actually going through the Tennessee

State Trooper Academy. He's in week 12 now. So

thank you, sir, for watching. What you do. I

really didn't think y 'all would show up. That's

why I wasn't really nervous. But I'm totally

honored. And I absolutely do take this opportunity

very serious. And because when you're behind

the pulpit, there's pressure. Because I want

to honor God more than impress anybody else in

here. And that's the focus that I want to have.

So I'm totally honored, Pastor. Thank you. When

Pastor called me and asked me to speak, I originally

told him no. I said, sir, we got retired chaplains

in here. We got folks that is just more qualified

than me. And I said, so I'd appreciate if you

asked them. So I had my Moses moment, right,

where I, but I can't speak good. I'm not that

good. But Pastor's got a sneaky way of really

bringing you into. He said, well, I think it's

funny God didn't put them on my heart. I said,

well, roger that. Yes, sir. But I am honored

that I'm here and I got my prayer cloth. I'm

going to put it right there. But I'm honored.

I'm actually honored, too, to have my friends

and family, Pastor Michael and his wife. You

guys mean a lot to me. His daddy married me and

Nikki, so it's an honor. have y 'all here and

my in -laws and family and I just, I'm honored

and I'm glad to have my mama. Thanks for being

here, mom. If there's any amens, I know it's

going to get mama, so that's okay. That's why

I called her and said, you got to be there in

case I don't get one. But also, I'm also honored

to be among my heroes. One of them I definitely

want to call out is Sergeant First Class Moore.

He is a decorated combat veteran of Operation

Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom. Would

you stand, brother? Would you stand, brother?

Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. The Sarge is

my motivation at the gym. When I don't think

I got one more, he comes running around. I'm

like, oh, Lord, here comes Sarge. You better

get another rep, bro. But I also want to honor

Master Sergeant. Thank you, sir, for being here.

Your service to our country, and thank you so

much, brother. It's an honor. I also want to

call out, I call him my Sergeant Major, John.

Where's Sergeant Major John at? There he is.

Go ahead and stand, brother. Thank you so much,

sir. Yes. Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother.

So it's just an honor to be amongst these men

that I call my heroes. And it's just such a privilege.

And if it wasn't for these heroes who are here,

and there's some family members who have sons

or daughters that are out there, I thank you

because... I know what it was like to see my

son go off on some training. It's motivating,

but it hurts. But I also know there's family

members in here who's lost loved ones that served

our country. So thank you so much for what you

do. And because if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't

have the opportunity to live free, to speak free,

and to gather free. So I do honor that. Thank

you so much. So how do I show? How do I show

respect for the Urah? And also, how do I honor

the spiritual side of the hallelujah part? That's

where I was struggling, trying to figure out

how do I honor the day? How do I honor what it

stands for, what it represents? But also, how

do I feed the sheep, if you will? So with that

said, I would ask that you would stand for the

reading of the word of God. These two scriptures

out of 2 Timothy and then out of Ephesians, this

will be sort of the catalyst for our text today

and how we're going to roll here. So in 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, 1 through 4 says, Therefore, my son,

be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

and the things that thou hast heard of me among

many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful

men. Who shall be able to teach others also?

Thou therefore endure hardness. Everybody say

endure. Endure. You're going to learn that word

today. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No

man engaged. in warfare, entangles himself with

the affairs of this life that he may please him

who hath chosen him to be a good soldier. Let

me jump over here to Ephesians 6 .12, something

that we're all familiar with. We've all been

taught it. We've all been preached to at it.

We've all heard it in some way, shape, or form.

But it is in line with today, and it says this.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but

against principalities, against powers, against

the rulers of darkness of this world, against

spiritual wickedness in high places. Now I was

raised up on the word wrestle when wrestling

was real. Not this fake stuff that we got today,

but when wrestling used to be real. But in wrestling,

The Greek word for wrestle is pele, and it means

to battle. We're in a battle. As pastor says,

you pray for me, and I'll pray for you, but today

I'm going to ask you to pray for me, and I'm

going to pray for me. Gracious Heavenly Father,

Lord, I love you, and I thank you. It is such

an honor, God, Lord, to be able to read your

word today. And Father, I pray right now, Lord,

as the enemy is now encircling around people's

hearts and people's minds, and they're being

reminded today of the battle that they're in,

what they're wrestling with, Father God. And

I pray in the mighty, mighty name of God, my

Savior, Jesus Christ, that I bind you, Satan,

into the authority. of the blood of Jesus Christ.

I don't have that authority, but that same spirit

that raised Jesus from the dead is the same spirit

that resides in me today. And it's with that

power, it's with that authority that I don't

boast, but I proclaim the Holy Spirit settles

itself upon the house today and that we get reminded

that we are Christian warriors. We are in a battle.

And I pray, Father God, Lord, that whatever battle

it is today, it will be broken by the blood of

Jesus Christ. It's in the mighty name of Jesus

I pray these things. And the whole church says

amen. And you may be seated. And, yes, I did

ask Scott to stay up in here. I didn't know I

was going to get serrated the whole time. But

that's good. I like it, brother. It's more of

a comfort for me. And I got my brother and my

sister as backup. So if anybody charges the stage.

It's on. They got you. They got me. But I want

to remind the church today as it's no surprise,

just as military members prepare to fight for

battle, there is absolutely no difference with

each and every person in this house today that

we're in a battle. But hear me, you are the victor.

You are. The victor. If you're unsure of your

salvation today and you're unsure that if you

was to die today and you stood before God Almighty,

are you sure? That wasn't in the note, but your

salvation is more important to me than impressing

anybody in this house today. So I beg you, if

you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior, it's

your day. Because when you step into heaven,

you're going to hear only one of two statements.

Welcome in thou good and faithful servant. Or

you're going to hear what I think are the most

damaging, scariest 11 words in the Bible. Depart

from me, you worker of iniquity. I never knew

you. What are you going to hear? I want you to

be thinking about your salvation today. And for

the Christian warriors out there, I want to try

to speak a little bit about the Christian mindset,

that warrior ethos that all military members

know what I'm talking about. And I'm going to

cover some of those, but I also want to give

honor to my flag. This flag here, there is a

rich history of sacrifice under the banner of

this flag. I get it. I served the flag. I fought

for the flag. I see brothers. Go down from this

flag. I've seen the coffins draped with this

flag. So there's something special about this

flag that just, when I hear the star -spangled

banner done right, I can't help but get a little

moist in my eyes because of the respect that

I have for this flag, the history of this flag.

I visited Fort McHenry, and I listened to the

history of Francis Scott Key, wrote the song,

and then how the flag was inspired and how this

flag is withstood. And yes, we live in the most

messed up country right now, but we're still

free. It's messed up, but thank God we're still

free because we still have a remnant. There's

a remnant that's holding this country together,

and this remnant is in this house today. But

as much honor and respect as I want to bring

today to this flag and what it stands for, the

same holds true for the Christian flag. And there's

pledges to each flag. We all know the pledge.

We've said it. We've restated it. It used to

be a staple in our school systems, which that

has died out now. But it's the ethos of the flag

that I want to honor today, but it's also the

Christian flag that I also want to bring honor

to as well today. We all know the Pledge of Allegiance.

I would remind you to learn the Pledge of Allegiance

to the Christian flag. It's actually a lost heart,

if you will. But I want to remind you today about

a Christian ethos, a warrior mindset. So what

is a warrior? What is a warrior? A warrior means

someone who's courageous. They're disciplined

in battle. They demonstrate great vigor. They

demonstrate courage and determination in any

struggle. A warrior embodies qualities like...

Bravery, persistence, honor, integrity. A warrior

will defend the truth. A warrior will defend

principles. A warrior will defend their faith.

And a warrior will defend their family. And a

warrior will defend their community. It's in

line with what we all know as a... prayer warrior.

What's a prayer warrior? It's a lost art. But

it's somebody that intercedes on the behalf of

others during spiritual battles. They encourage

you through prayers. Anybody ever heard somebody

pray and say, I wish I could pray like that?

I used to listen to my papa and I would just

be in awe of his prayer because it's like heaven

stood still. And I thought, how did you do that?

He said, it's easy, son. You got to pray. You

want to be a prayer warrior? Pray. Prayer is

declining in the church. At a recent two Christian

organizational conventions, it was asked, do

you pray daily? Only 32 % said they do. They

asked if they pray once a week. This is at Christian

organization conventions. 44 % said they only

pray weekly. You're not going to be a Christian

warrior if your prayer life's weak, folks. What's

an ethos? I'll keep that short and sweet. Ethos

is Greek for character. It's Greek for character.

What is character? It's one's habits. and actions

and your responses to life. So there's the warrior

ethos principle. The soldier in 2 Timothy 2,

1 -4 compares the Christian life to military

service. If you're a Christian, a true Christian,

then you're a soldier in battle. It requires

the need for discipline, single -minded focus,

endurance through hardship. Because we are to

please the commanding officer, Jesus Christ.

A military warrior avoids the distractions of

the civilian life so they can focus on the battle.

And that's exactly the same as parallel. And

that's what Paul is saying. And he says, the

affairs of this life, Paul puts it and he says,

Avoid what's going on in this world. Endure the

battle. Now, am I a Christian warrior, David?

Well, if somebody walked in here right now in

full, we call it dress blues. We call it service

dress uniform. If somebody walked in right now

decorated in their class A service dress uniform.

There's an automatic respect there. There's a

little bit of an awe when they're here and they're

standing. You see them out in public. You see

commitment. You see loyalty. You see discipline.

You see identification. You see identification

and authority and distinction. You see the rank.

You see the hash marks. You see the medals. You

see the ribbons. You see the pins. You see the

campaign medals and you see the stripes. But

you also as a Christian are to be in uniform.

There must be a bearing and a clothing about

you as a Christian warrior. So are the traits.

So you may not have all the battle dress uniform

stuff, but do people see you in your Christian

uniform? So are the traits of what a Christian

warrior looks like and acts like and carries

him or herself like. In John 13, 34, 35, Jesus

makes it clear of how people will know if you're

a Christian warrior. And it says this, a new

commandment I give you that ye love one another

just as I have loved you, you also are to love

one another. By this, all people. will know you

are my disciple if you have love for one another.

Now, I want to make sure you're crystal clear

that Jesus is love and we preach love, but I

want to make sure that as a church, our biblical

truth is understood that love does not mean we

accept sin. Love means that we address sin from

a biblical perspective. perspective. The world

has taken the word love and twisted it to where

we now are looked at as bigots and racist and

narrow -minded folks. But we love you because

we tell you the truth. Because as I mentioned

earlier, I know there's a soul in here that's

struggling and you got to make that decision.

So folks, do people know if you're in service

to him? I know you're in the service by your

uniform, by your standards, how you carry yourself.

But listen, does the world know that you're in

his service? By your testimony, by your language,

by your walk, by your prayer life. By your praying

life, do they see Jesus in you? Check this out.

This has got to be one of the coolest stories

in the Bible. And it's out of Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

There's these seven dudes. Their daddy is named

Sceva. And they're following Paul. They're following

Paul all around. And here's my point. Even the

demons know if you're not a Christian. They know.

They know. So what's going on in Acts chapter

Acts 19 · chapter mention

19? And it says this in 11. Now God worked unusual

miracles by the hands of Paul so that even handkerchiefs

and aprons were brought from his body to the

sick and the disease left them and evil spirits

went out of them. A .K .A. the prayer cloths.

I had somebody ask me, what do you guys do with

that cloth? It was an honor to tell them. But

it says on, then some of the traveling Jewish

exorcists took it upon themselves to call the

name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil

spirits, saying, we exorcise you by Jesus, whom

Paul preaches. And also there were seven sons

of Sceva. Now, Sceva was a Jewish priest who

did so. These seven sons thought, well, my daddy's

a four -star general, and they're making money

here, so let's go out and start casting out demons,

right? This ought to be embarrassing. And the

evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know,

Paul I know, but who are you? Even the demons

know if you got it or not. They know. That would

have freaked me out. That a demon says, yeah,

I know Jesus for sure, Paul. I got it. But dude,

who are you? And immediately the evil spirit

jumps out of the man, puts a WWF beat down on

these boys. Matter of fact, so much of a beat

down, they left Buck naked and wounded and scarred.

Because the demons knew, he ain't no warrior.

He ain't no warrior. Nah, he comes to church

on Sunday. He puts on the show. He'll raise his

hand. He'll sing a hallelujah. He'll do his thing,

but boy, I got him Sunday night through Saturday

night, and he's nothing. He's nothing. So are

you truly a Christian warrior? It doesn't matter

who your daddy is on here on earth. It doesn't

matter if you were raised in church. It doesn't

matter what religion you are or what you claim.

It's 100 % about a relationship with him. That's

all it is. Do you have a relationship with him?

That is a Christian warrior, folks. Listen, listen.

We are in a war. Wake up, church. Quit patty

-caking around. We are in a war. If you're a

blood -bought man, woman of God, congrats. You're

in a war. How many here have a prayer request

today in need? Seriously, how many have a need,

a prayer request, something going on? If you

didn't raise your hand, I'm going to call it.

I won't call it that word, but you're lying.

We all have a need. We all have a request. We

all are in a battle. We all need an intervention.

We're all in a struggle. There you go. Battle

up, Christian. You're in a war. But you got to

read the book because we win, we win, we win,

and we win. Where did this battle begin, David?

Let me tell you, it didn't start in the garden.

The battle didn't start in the garden. Sin didn't

start in the garden. You know where it started?

Heaven. Started in heaven. Out of the leagues

of angels, there's three distinct angels. You

got Michael, who's the angel of war. Gabriel,

who's the angel of communication, the message

deliverer, and you got Lucifer. Lucifer was responsible

for what? Worship. Loves music. As a matter of

fact, he still loves music to this day. Let that

sink in. Lucifer was a unique angel. He had beauty.

He had talent. He had high status. He had radiance.

He began to see himself as God. He began to go

to one -third of the angels and began to whisper

in their ears, that should be me. Of course,

God knows this. He sees this. And God Almighty

says, I saw Satan cast out of heaven like lightning

to earth, and his tail, according to Isaiah and

Revelation, took one -third of the angels with

him. And guess where they're at? They're here.

They're here on this earth. These demons today

are whispering in your ears, you're a failure.

These are demons today listening to your fussing,

your cussing, your moaning. You're groaning.

These are the demons today causing confusion

in the skies. These are the demons today causing

Sister Nay -Nay and Brother No -No to get all

up into your skin. These are the demons that

whisper in your ear when you go to your psychic

and you start hearing what I call prophelying.

These are the demons today whispering, don't

forgive them. That brother, that sister, that

family member, if you forgive them or ask for

forgiveness, you're weak. You're weak. And on

that note, I think forgiveness is the hardest

thing for a Christian to do. It's hard. And we

all got some stories about that hard. But as

pastor calls it, these nymphs of hell. will keep

you back. They'll keep you frustrated. They'll

keep you angry. And worst of all, they'll keep

you lukewarm. Because lukewarm, Jesus says, I

will. That's a rejection, folks. Either you're

in or you're out. Either you're a Christian warrior

pressing through the fight or you're just standing

back, letting the enemy lie. These one -third

demonic angels and their commander, they're here

on this earth warring against your home, warring

against your family, warring against yourself,

warring against your faith. So wake up, warriors.

We're in a war. Well, I don't feel like I'm in

a war. Oh, just wait. You will be. Or for most

of us, we are now. You mean I've got to go through

some tough times as a Christian? I can't name

it. I can't claim it. There's no immediate health.

There's no immediate wealth. Free of charge?

No, sir, no, ma 'am. John 16, 33 says, these

things have I spoken to you, that in me you may

have peace, but in this world ye shall have tribulation.

But be of good cheer. I've overcome it. It's

all good, warriors. It's all good. It's all good.

Now, I want to share this because this may bring

back a little PTSD for some of us. But in boot

camp, it's meant to change you. It's meant to

make you uncomfortable. It's to forge out weakness.

It develops you physically. It develops you.

to have a resilience in your life. It pushes

recruits to their limits through challenging

and stressful situations. It builds confidence

and character. You are taught a warrior ethos

that stands out from the rest of the civilian

world. You're different. You're different. You

learn to act. and be a part of a team. It teaches

recruits to work as a cohesive unit, relying

on each other to succeed and instilling a do

or die attitude to mission accomplishment. You

are taught a warrior ethos, principles of conduct,

self -bearing, and a war victory mindset. The

same holds true for the Christian warrior. Now

hear me. Listen. When God wants to make a man

spiritually powerful, he doesn't crown you first.

He breaks you. Did you hear me? Being a Christian

warrior is not easy. You're going to go through

stuff. But when you're going through that stuff,

he's preparing your crown. You are either going

through a forge, been through the forge, or you're

headed to the forge. That's our mountains and

that's our valleys. It's like boot camp. When

you're in a spiritual battle, your comfort is

stripped away. Your pride and your plans. succumb

to the greater will. To all that's left is the

real you. And that's all Jesus wants. He wants

the real you, brother. He wants the real you.

It's not punishment that you're going through

stuff. It's training. You see, pain doesn't come

to destroy you. It comes to move out what's weak

inside of you. That's why you go through your

stuff. That's what makes a prayer warrior. James

1 through 2 says, my brethren, this is a tough

one, count it all a joy when you fall into various

trials. That's tough. Knowing that the testing

of your faith, produces patience. And then you

go to Romans 5 .3, it says, not only so, but

we also glory. This is tough. We glory in our

sufferings because we know that suffering produces

perseverance. Perseverance produces character.

Character produces hope. Go read your Bibles.

These testings, your battles, they grow you so

you can carry the weight of your testimony. Your

testimony. We all got a testimony. Revelation

12 .11 says this. You want to overcome the enemy?

There's two ways to do it. The blood of the lamb

and the word of your testimony. Did y 'all ever

used to have testimony services? Remember those?

It just broke out because people began to overcome

the enemy because of the word of their testimony.

Every bad day, every setback, every heartache,

every trial, that is God molding you piece by

piece. Listen, listen. You do not grow in comfort.

You grow in chaos. Make sense? You're growing.

If you're going through a spiritual battle right

now, listen up, Christian warrior, you're growing.

I don't feel like I'm growing. I get it. But

you're growing. Pressure is a privilege. That

pressure that's breaking you now is the same

pressure that will grow you, make you unstoppable

for the kingdom of God. So when you're down on

your knees, it's not the end, it's the rebuild.

And when you see me on my knees, it's not because

I'm weak, I'm getting stronger. Most Christians

quit when it hurts, when it gets too tough, but

the Christian warrior goes through the fire.

A Christian warrior goes through the fire until

their purpose starts glowing, starts shining.

Every tear, every sleepless night is just proof

God isn't done yet. As the song said, he never

promised that the cross would not get heavy and

the hill would not be hard to climb. He never

offered victories without fighting, but he said

help. would always come just in time. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. On October 12th, 2025,

the Department of Defense changed their name

to the Department of War. I personally love it.

Matter of fact, I think the church needs to take

on this same banner, the Department of War. Here's

the Department of War motto. Peace through strength.

Man, that hit me. You want peace in your life?

Strengthen your prayer time. Prayer strengthens

you. You want peace in your life? Strengthen

your Bible reading time. This book strengthens

you. There's life in this book. There's hope

in this book. Every question you have, there's

an answer in this book. It's not the book, folks.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the

life. No man comes by me, but I am the word.

When you read this book, you're talking to Jesus.

There's something empowering to it. You want

peace through strength? Start praying. Start

praying. You want peace through strength? Start

reading. Start reading. You want peace through

strength? Start worshiping. I stand up here and

watch you. Oh, yeah. And if I watched you too

long, you'd bring me down. So I really don't

pay much attention to you, but I see it. I'm

like, good Lord. This puppy must have got run

over this morning. It's just, what is up with

that? And then I'll switch over to, it's not

about you. I'm here to build up my Christian

warrior mentality. You want peace through strength?

Worship. Sing a song. Y 'all hush up in here,

but when you get in your car, when you get in

your shower, you let it rip, Tater Chip, right?

But you start singing, our God is an awesome

God. He reigns from heaven above with wisdom,

power and love. Our God is an awesome God. Sing

it. Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from

heaven above with wisdom, power and love. Our

God is an awesome God. Sing it. Our God is an

awesome God. He reigns from heaven above with

wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an awesome

God. And when you start to worship, here come

the demons. Here come the demons. They don't

like you worshiping. Oh, no. Here come the demons.

Listen. The demons will say, do you really think

that works? Do you really think your worship

is going to chase me off? Do you really think

this works on me? You're still a loser. You need

to quit. You have no worth. You have nothing

left. So give it up. Give it up. Well, that's

when you break in. So I lift up my hands and

praise you again and again. Because. through

strength. When you start reading, when you start

praying, and when you start worshiping, demons

can't handle it. You are enacting a Christian

warrior ethos within you. You can be seated.

You can be seated. Are we really in a war, Brother

David? I just read Ephesians 6, 12. Yes, you

are. Yes, you are. So listen here. Listen here.

Listen. And I'm going to say this to the men

of the church. It's time you get off of your

blessed assurance and you wake up, you're in

a war. So get your Christian warrior attitude

checked up, Holy Ghost filled up, and start fighting.

Start fighting. If you're not in a war, then

why did Paul go on? Why did Paul go on in Ephesians

6 .13? He says, Boys, put on the whole armor.

Put on the whole armor. You're in a war. And

in verse 18, it says, praying always with prayer

and supplication in the spirit and watching there

unto all perseverance and supplication for all

saints. Paul says, watch. You look that up and

translate that into Greek, it means to stand,

to battle. So I'm going to call you out, men.

Watch for your family. Watch for your children.

Watch for your church. Watch for your community.

Watch for your soon coming king. I want to go

through these pretty quick, but I want to touch

just on a few warrior principles that as military

members are taught, the same holds true for the

Christian warrior. Here's one. I will always

place the mission first. The military mindset

is always mission first, get it done by any means

necessary, get results, keep moving forward no

matter what, be resilient. All throughout the

Bible, we see examples of mission first folks.

Job, Joseph, the woman with the issue of blood,

Abraham, Moses, you get into Jesus himself and

even David. Let me tell you about a mission first.

It's about a man who was an usher. The rest of

the world will never know his name. But he had

the most spiritual significant impact on this

world about mission first. There was a preacher

named Mordecai Ham in 1934 who was preaching

a tent revival in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mordecai Ham is preaching this revival, and two

young 14 -year -old boys are walking past the

tent and get a little curious. They walk in and

see there's no seats available. It's packed out,

and the two boys start to walk off. This usher

sees these two boys walking off and goes back

and says, hey, boys, boys, where are you going?

You need to hear about this Jesus. The boys go,

well, sir, there's no seats. He said, oh, I'll

find you a seat, son. Both of you. Come on in.

Let's go. You got to hear about this man named

Jesus. So the two 14 -year -old boys go into

the tent revival. They're getting the message

from Pastor Mordecai Ham. These two boys end

up giving their hearts to Jesus Christ. And as

we know them today, one of them boys was the

Reverend Billy Graham. who's absolutely changed

the world, and his buddy, Grady Wilson, who organized

all of Billy Graham's crusades and was his number

one man. Listen, he changed the world. Not Billy

Graham, not Mordecai Ham, not Grady Wilson, the

usher. That one man saw two 14 -year -old boys

walking away from the faith and said, not on

my watch. Not on my watch. I'm committed that

these boys will hear the word of God. And look

what it did. Mission first. Mission first. Listen,

your job is not to change the world. Your job

is to change somebody's world. And then when

you change somebody's world, it'll have an impact.

on the world. Even little David, little David

had a mission first mindset. David's coming out

into the field to feed his brothers. He hears

this big old giant mocking and defiling the armies

of Israel. He's like, what's the deal here? Little

David, man, I can't wait to meet him. But little

David said, well, I don't get this. We got a

mission, boys. We got a mission here. What's

your problem? Little David runs into the breach,

stands firm to the big giant. The giant's balking

him. We all know the story. But then David said

to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword

and with a spear and with a shield, but I come

to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the God of

Israel, whom thou hast defiled. This day. Will

the Lord deliver thee into my hand and I will

smite thee and I will take thine head from thee

and I will show all the earth that there is a

God in heaven. That is a mission first mentality.

Is there a heater up here? Man, I don't know

how you do it, Pastor. The other one is, I will

never accept defeat. In all the branches of the

military, you're taught, I will never accept

defeat. It means a refusal to give up when you're

facing stuff, adversity, loss. Don't give up.

Never quit. It's not worth it. We're more than

conquerors through Jesus Christ. I got to share

some of my folks who remember Grandma Goldie.

Grandma Goldie was from Harlan, Kentucky, Brother

Warren. Now we all know in Harlan, Kentucky,

nothing good comes out of Harlan, Kentucky, but

Grandma Goldie. Grandma Goldie was an encouragement

to me as... As a child, as things were going

on in my life, the Grandma Goldie would tell

me, she called me Little David. She called me

David Paul. She liked to say David Paul. Little

David Paul, keep a victor's heart. I didn't know

what that meant then. Little David Paul, you're

a little warrior for Christ. Don't ever forget

there is nothing too hard for Jesus. Grandma

Goldie was a fighter against spiritual strongholds.

Grandma Goldie understood what a victor's heart

looked like. I would put Grandma Goldie up against

any airborne Navy SEAL, Ranger, you name it,

I would put Grandma Goldie up to her spiritually

and be like, get you some of that, trooper boy.

But Grandma Goldie taught me to have a Christian

warrior's heart. The other ethos. that we're

taught, is never quit. It's the commitment that

we have. We're trained under an acronym of Charlie

Mike. Charlie Mike means continue mission. It's

tough out here, Sarge. Charlie Mike, continue

mission. We've lost this, we've lost that. Charlie

Mike, continue mission. But you don't understand

what's happening out here, sir. Charlie Mike,

continue mission. But you don't understand, I

just lost a loved one. Continue the mission.

But you don't understand what I'm going through

this week, Brother David. Charlie Mike, continue

the mission. But you don't understand what I'm

fighting. Charlie Mike, continue the mission.

In 2 Chronicles 15, 7, it says, but as for you,

be strong, do not give up, for your work will

be rewarded. It'll be rewarded. I want to go

into the second one, is never leave a fallen

comrade behind. It's a tough one. From a Christian

warrior perspective, never leave a fallen comrade

behind means showing active love and support,

which includes spiritually restoring and caring

for those who have fallen or are struggling.

Just as God promises never to leave you or forsake

you, we have that same hope that we are not to

do that to our brother and our sister. When Moses...

was going through his stuff in the Battle of

the Amlekites, and it started getting bad. His

brothers, Aaron and Hur, propped his arm up,

and victory started to show. This principle is

applied to the church community where members

are called to be soldiers of Christ, looking

out for one another. We are to have each other's

back. But it's like today we applaud failure.

When we see another brother or sister struggling,

we talk about it, we gossip about it, instead

of going into the breach and praying with them

and for them and interceding on their behalf.

You start gossiping and fussing. Did you see

Sister Yeo? Did you see Sister Nay? You're leaving

a fallen comrade behind. Never leave a brother

or sister behind, and I'm going to be very straight

with you. And if this upsets you, talk to the

pastor. But when there are folks up here praying,

and they are seeking a miracle, seeking healing,

seeking salvation, and half of the church beat

feet out of here, you are leaving a fallen comrade

behind. When we have baptisms, and people are

demonstrating their commitment to public for

Jesus Christ, half of the church walks out. You

are leaving a brother and a sister behind. If

that was your mama, if that was your daddy, if

that was your son, if that was your daughter,

you'd be right up here. That's your brother and

your sister. Don't leave them hanging. Get into

the breach with them. Because when you're praying

and you feel the touch of a brother or sister

and they start praying, there's something that

rises up in you with encouragement. And then

when two or three or more start to gather, you

get a little bold. You start saying, I think

I got this. I think I can do this. I think I'm

going to have a breakthrough. And then everybody's

up here praying. That is never leaving a fallen

comrade behind. You learn to go pick them up.

Just like this picture. This is my oldest son.

When he was going through his marine training,

he was taught, you don't leave another brother

behind. Go get him. If they're down, if they're

hurt, if they're going through stuff, go get

them. Go pick them up. Go get them. And lastly,

hold the line. Hold the line. Military members

are taught a warrior ethos principle of you hold

the line. You stand fast. At all cost, defend

the cause. It's courage. Listen, you are commanded

as Christian warriors. To be of good courage.

Joshua 1 .9 says, have I not commanded you? Be

strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't

be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be

with you wherever you go. In the courtroom. In

the boardroom. in your house, in the church,

for your family, for your sickness, for that

diagnosis. Be strong and courageous. Hold the

line. Three men in the Bible, Hananiah, Azariah,

and Mishael, you know them as Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego. They held the line. They held the

line. Nope, won't do it. Hold the line. Be it

known unto thee, O king, hold the line, that

we will not bow down, hold the line, before your

golden image. Hold the line. But if God, hold

the line, chooses not to deliver us from the

burning fiery furnace, hold the line, we're not

going to do it. Mission first. Never give up.

I'm not leaving my other brothers here. I'm holding

the line. Remember, folks, we do have a loving,

gentle, saving Jesus. Jesus held the line. He

exemplified courage. Jesus wasn't only soft.

He is a warrior. He cast out demons. He rebuked

the leaders. He flipped tables. He was gentle

with the broken. but ruthless with evil. He didn't

come to please the world. He came to save it.

He's not tamed. He's a consuming fire, a righteous

judge, a lion, and a lamb. My friends, you are

called. You are called to be Christian warriors.

You must have the spine, the courage to stand

against sin. Anything that is against this book,

You must hold the line and you must stand. You

have to learn to fight for your home. Hold the

line. You've got to fight for your family. Hold

the line. You've got to fight for yourself. Hold

the line. Hold the line. Because at the end of

the day, here's what it boils down to. Men, I

want to especially call you out. Men, listen

to me. Up top, below, listen to me. As for me

and my house, we will serve the Lord. Hold the

line, men. As for me and my house, we will serve

the Lord. Hold the line. Show some courage, men.

Men are being defamed nowadays. Men are being

pushed back. I'm going to tell you what a real

man is. A real man. Here it is. Here it is. Sarge,

I love working out when you're in the gym and

you push me beyond anything. But that doesn't

make me a man. What makes me a man is I pursue

righteousness. That makes you a man. Men, you've

got to stand in the gap. Everybody stand with

me, stand with me, stand with me. Word to music,

word to music. Men especially, look at me, look

at me, listen to me. I'll say it again. Get up

off of your blessed assurance, grow some courage,

and hold the line. Pray, surrender, seek God.

It takes guts to be a man. It takes guts to be

a man. Christianity is not for the weak -hearted.

I want every man, I want every teenager, I want

you to come up. I'm going to call you to hold

the line. I'm going to tell you to man up today.

I want you to come here. I don't care if you're

up top, I'll give you time. I want every man,

and I don't mean to single out anybody else,

but this group here today is what the enemy is

attacking the most. I was telling my brother

earlier, I'm proud of you, bro. I'm proud of

you, man. I've watched you, brother. I've watched

you go from zero to hero. And I mean that in

a way because I'm watching you worship, dude.

You encourage me. That is a Christian warrior.

I'm super proud of you, brother. Men, listen,

listen to me. You got to get battle focused.

Hey, listen, God doesn't want to turn bad men

to good men. He wants to turn dead men into alive

men. That's what he wants to do. That's my God.

We're all here in a battle, a battle for your

mind, a battle for control of your soul. Some

of us in here today got battles going on with

our homes, our families, our sons, our daughters,

just things. We all, we all got needs. We all

got battles. But men, listen, I'm here to tell

you, I'm here to tell you under the authority

of Jesus Christ, the battle is not yours, says

the Lord. And God has not given you a spirit

of fear, but of sound mind. So be of courage.

And it's time to man up. Hold the line. When

you're in a battle and it's chaos, it's hectic,

and you're here today and you want peace through

strength, we're going to do two of the three

things today. Number one, we're going to pray.

You want peace through strength? We're all going

to pray as brothers today. You want peace through

strength? We're going to worship. And I better

not see y 'all leaving. There are souls at stake

up here. There are battle lines being drawn in

the sand today going, enemy? Satan? No. No. No

more depression. No more heartache. No more sucking

me back into the life I'm trying to leave. No

more of this weakness. No more of the trials.

No more Satan. Right up here is where we draw

the line and we hold the line. That's what Christian

men do. And it's that military mind. Listen,

you're in God's army. Whether you enlisted for

real or not, you are now. You are in God's army.

You're in the army. I want everybody to. I want

everybody to lock arms with a brother beside

you, whether you know him or not. I want you

to lock in because right here locks in unity.

Right here locks in, I got your back, brother.

I will never leave a fallen comrade behind. If

you have a need, tell your brother, this is it.

You let him know, I've got a problem here. I'm

struggling here. This is where we hold the line.

This is where you hold the light. This is where

you let the enemy know no more. This is where

things are going to change. This is where things

are going to change, folks. So get ready. Get

ready because you're going to walk out a Christian

warrior. You're going to have a new attitude

and your mentality is going to change because

you've been encouraged. and you got your comrade

right behind you. Let's pray. Father, God, Lord,

in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Father, I

pray over each man. I pray over each situation.

I pray, Father, God, Lord, over everything that

has them bound, Father God. I pray, Lord, that

the Holy Ghost, Father, Lord, would infiltrate

their life. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus

that a new change, God, Lord. Father God, I pray,

God Lord, that you would move in a mighty way.

Oh, God, I pray, Father God, Lord, that you would

move, Father God, Lord, and that you would break

chains today, Father. You would move the mountains,

God, and that you would cause, Father Lord, these

men to stand up, to stand up in battle and say,

as for me and my house, we will serve. the Lord.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

God, I love you, Jesus. I love you, Father God,

and I thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Touch my brothers in the mighty name

of Jesus, God. Raise a standard in them, God.

Lord, let that Christian warrior mentality and

attitude, Lord, be birthed out of them in the

mighty. Mighty, mighty name of Jesus today. Father,

we love you. We thank you. And Lord, I give you

honor today as my commander and my chief. I love

you, Lord, and I thank you, Jesus. In the mighty

name of Jesus, we pray these things, Father God.

Give the Lord a hand clap of praise, God. Thank

you, Father. Yes, Lord.