Jeff Searcy

Happy New Year! Wow…2013. Now…given the fact that you are reading this article means the 12/21/2012 doomsday folks did NOT get it right. Who’d a thunk it? Of course…we are still here and the world is still turning. So…who’s up for another trip around the sun? I am. You know, it’s been said that time waits for no one…So let’s get on with it. Every day we draw breath, God has something for us to do. And every day…we are in a war…a Spiritual War.

Over the next few months, we are going to be looking at our calling as Christians…as men of God…as Servant Warriors…and how that calling mirrors the mission of a Marine Corps Rifle Squad…which is to: Locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, and repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat. Oorah! We will be hanging out in the book of Ephesians…chapter 6…verses 10-18. It’s a familiar passage and one that I think is one of the most empowering and inspiring passages in all of Scripture.

In preparation for the next few months, let’s quickly break down Ephesians 6:10-18 and parallel the passage with the Mission of a Marine Rifle Squad – to locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver and repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat. The “fire” we use to destroy the enemy are the weapons of God…belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness (v.14)…helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – God’s Word (v.17)…and prayer (v.18). The “maneuver” is fitting your feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace (v.15). We repel the enemy’s assault and his arrows with the shield of faith (v.16). “Close combat” is our interactions with others…how we treat them…and how we handle the trials of this world and the struggles of life.

The way we, as Christians, engage the enemy is done through very similar tactics when comparing to the traditional aspects of war. However, we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12).

Now, one of the things our military learn during their training…and throughout their military career…especially if they are in a combat unit…is how to handle themselves in close quarters. Hand to hand…mano e mano. Effective close combat is one of the deadliest tactics we as Christians…as Servant Warriors…can employ to flat out kick the enemy’s tail…and hit him right where it hurts.  What am I talking about you ask? Here it is…

The devil’s tactics and weapons are the things of this world. He uses things such as arrogance, pride, status, and judgment to create separation among people…among God’s children…among our brothers and sisters…and thus making them, and us, easy prey for him and his henchmen. Divide and conquer is one of his most effective tactics. Why? Because we are the ones often delivering it…that’s why. And if we don’t recognize it…we will continue to be the weapons he uses to deploy his tactics. “What do you mean, Searcy?”

^“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick….For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:10-13) Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t spend all of His time with “church” people. He spent time with and loved, only as an all sufficient Savior could, those society deemed outcasts, unclean, unworthy.

In John chapter 15, verse 12, Jesus commands us to “Love each other as I have loved you.” Who did Jesus hang out with and gravitate to during His earthly ministry? That’s right…sinners. Want to know what irritates and hurts the devil the most? The tactical weaponry that we, as Servant Warriors…Christians…can let loose on the evil one and really rock his world? It’s when we love our neighbors as ourselves. It’s when we share the message and love of Christ with those often shunned and turned away because they don’t look like us…or act like us…or who has messed up…made mistakes. We must remember that we ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our righteousness is like filthy rags…and none of us could be saved if not for the unconditional love and grace of God through Jesus’ death on the cross.

The Spiritual Warfare training will continue next month. Until then, keep it Real…Radical…Relentless…Relevant…and definitely Armor Up.

Make sure to check out ServantWarriorRadio.com.

The above article appeared in the January 2013 edition of Power Source Magazine and can be viewed HERE.

Hello, October! Fall is in full swing…my craving for North GA fried apple pies has peaked…the Fall Classic is once again upon us…college football dominates conversations…and God is expecting His kids, that’s you and me by the way, to shine a little brighter this month and give the trick or treaters a few more lumens than lollypops.

Creation: Day 1. God set the tone for His plan. Genesis 1:4 ‘God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.” God made it very clear that He wanted the light to be completely separate from darkness. His Son, Jesus Christ, the true Light of the World, said in John 9:5 “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”…a responsibility He passed on to us. (see Matthew 5:14-16)

In Ephesians 5, Paul tells all believers, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Now, I’m not saying that being the light of the world is easy. It’s tough! Why? Because to be the light that we have been called to be, we have to put ourselves out there…exposed…on display…in the middle of the arena…which is why we’ll often shy away from being the “light”.

It’s common knowledge that one of the things feared most by people is speaking in public. Well, except for crazy folks like me who feel perfectly at home and comfortable talking on a stage in front of a million people. However, when we are light, as God calls us to be light, we are to be “on a hill…put on a stand to give light to everyone in the house…to let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5). I hear the screams now…”NOOOOOO! Anything but that, God!”

Sorry folks. We are not called to be lampshade Christians. We are called to be super L.E.D.’s…shining for all to see.

In fact, three things are going to happen to you when you are the light God has called you to be.

1. People are going to look AT you.   Sorry. Get over it. Remember “ …the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self discipline.” People want to see how you live your life. If you are what you say you are. They want to see if you’re genuine. God wants people to look at us…His children. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Some of you may be saying…”Jeff, I just don’t think I shine that brightly.” Trust me. You shine brighter than you think. The thought that you don’t is a lie the devil wants you to believe because he knows what will happen once you allow the light of Christ to shine through you.
2. People are going to look TO you. When you bring light, truth, to people, to situations, to circumstances, people are going to look to you for guidance, direction, to show them the way. The light of Christ in us will be the flashlight for those walking in darkness.  Often people say, “Jeff, I’ve made so many mistakes, how can I lead anyone? How can I show anyone the way?” I understand where you are…been there…still there sometimes. Again…those are lies meant to discourage you and make you believe you have nothing to offer. God doesn’t allow anything to happen in our lives that He doesn’t intend for us to use to impact another life for His glory. Yes, that includes all of the mistakes…bad decisions…we’ve made throughout our lives. Remember, “God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
3. People are going to look FOR you. So many look for fulfillment in things of the world, possessions, power, in other people, and continue to end up unfulfilled. The more they search for fulfillment, the more fall. “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” Proverbs 4:19. As followers of Christ, we emit a light, a joy, and a peace that people are looking for. While they may not think so or realize it…they’re looking. They recognize there’s something different about a follower of Christ…a child of light…and if we are genuine and real…if we lead people in light and in truth…people will seek us out to see if they can get what we have. How awesome is it that we can say with a resounding YES! You can have the peace…the joy…the light…His name is Jesus.

So…check your batteries…plug into His power…and be the light, the L.E.D., you have been called to be. Until next time, keep it real…and Armor Up.

View the actual article as published in Power Source Magazine HERE.

Make sure to check out Servant Warrior® Radio each week at ServantWarriorRadio.com. Servant Warrior® Ministries is a Real…Radical…Relentless…Relevant…movement to reach guys, of all ages, where they are and empower and inspire them to be who God has created and called them to be. Find out more and how you can keep us in the fight at ServantWarriorMinistries.org.

Hello and welcome to September. Summer is wrapping up…at least on the calendar…college football has begun its 2012 campaign, and school is back in session. Now, while this message is for all of us, God put the youth on my heart.

I don’t know about you, but I love puzzles. And I think it would be hard pressed to find anyone, anywhere, who has never been exposed to or put together a puzzle. The nature of a puzzle is quite simple. It is made up of numerous pieces of distinct shapes and imagery and when put together exactly where they were designed to reside, the pieces reveal the desired image or shape as intended by the puzzle’s designer. Let me tell you, there are some awesome puzzles, a whole lot more than when I was a kid, to include the double sided two-dimensional kind as well as three-dimensional puzzles of Egyptian Pyramids, the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, airplanes and aircraft carriers, even Fenway Park (Go Sox!), to name a few. And regardless of whether the puzzle is two dimensional or three, the concept is the same: Each piece has a specific spot in the puzzle. I’ve got an idea. Let’s look at God’s plan as an incredibly super-awesome puzzle and our lives as pieces of it. When you think about this in the scope of God’s plan, we all have a distinct purpose…calling…place in His plan…His puzzle.

Like it or not, God doesn’t provide us with a “top of the box” picture of His overall plan and how we “fit” into it. What we do know is that we are a hand crafted, one-of-a-kind creation that has been put on this earth at a specific time and place in history, with specific and distinct abilities and gifts for a purpose within God’s plan that only we can fulfill. How do I know? In Psalms 139:13-16(NIV), David writes, “For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them ever came to be.”

Let’s put this thing into perspective. David wasn’t talking to Joe Schmoe, the clay-mation figure builder guy. He was talking to and speaking of the Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Creator of the heavens and the earth…the One who spoke the heavens and earth into being but wove together, with His own hands, you and me. We are a one-of-a-kind puzzle piece…created by the ultimate Designer. There has never been, nor will there ever be, another you…another me. That’s how. In other words, we all have a specific place in God’s puzzle. And, no matter how hard we might try and force a puzzle piece into a spot where it doesn’t fit, like trying to be something we’re not or what we may think others want, it becomes pretty obvious the piece is in the wrong spot. Here’s a perfect example. Remember that nice horse puzzle that we had as kids? You know the one…the gift we received from an elementary school Christmas party. Yeah, that one. It’s like trying to jam the round piece showing…well…let’s say the south end of the horse’s north bound direction into the square spot where the head should be. Get the picture? The key is not to allow the world and its lies and influences to mold and shape us but to allow God, the Master Designer, to shape and mold us into the people…the puzzle pieces…that He desires, so that we can fulfill the calling on our lives and experience all that He has in store for us…so that we’ll fit into His “perfect” puzzle.

Guys, I get it. The pressures to be what the world deems…desirable…in order to fit into its puzzle are powerful and everywhere. It’s in what we watch…look at…and hear. It’s in our conversations…who we hang with. The thing is, we decide what we watch…look at…and listen to. We choose the content and direction of our conversations…who we talk to and hang with. In other words, we have ultimate control in what we allow to shape us. If we will allow the Master Designer to shape us into the puzzle pieces that fit into His puzzle, and not the world’s, I guarantee your horse won’t be looking through the south end of its north bound direction. Until next time, keep it real…and Armor Up!

View the actual article HERE.

Make sure to check out ServantWarriorRadio.com each Friday morning at 6am CST (7am EST) on AM630 TruthTalk 630 St Louis, MO (www.truthtalk630.com) or anytime day or night at www.ServantWarriorRadio.com

Servant Warrior Ministries is a Real…Radical…Relentless…Relevant…movement to reach guys, 5 to 105, where they are, share the life changing Message of Jesus Christ, and empower and inspire them to be who God created and called them to be. Visit www.ServantWarriorMinistries.org for more information.

I would like to welcome everyone to August. Summer and the heat roll on…kids face the reality that their summer vacation is virtually over…and folks all over will be squeezing in that one last getaway. And you’re planning that last chance road trip, I’ll bet you’ll rely on some type of navigational device to get you there.

You know, when you get right down to it there is very little difference between our lives and a road trip. And in life, like a road trip, getting good directional information could be the difference between, well, getting where you want to go…or not. Let’s take a trip down memory lane (Insert blurry picture and wavy lines across the TV screen here). Remember when… maps were what we used.  Let’s look at the difference between a GPS and a map.

A GPS literally provides direction. It tells us when to turn, the best route to take, often warns us of traffic (on the souped up versions). All we have to do is to do exactly what it says and we’ll end up at our destination. It’s a no-brainer on how to get to where we’re going. Maps, on the other hand, show us the spatial data but we must interpret that information and make our own directional decisions. Maps tell us nothing of best routes, traffic issues, or when or where to turn. I can tell you that if your head is buried in a huge Rand McNally or you’re trying to fold up the 10’x5’ road atlas of Texas, chances of you missing that turn are better than average. Bottom line: with maps our directional decisions are left up to us.

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather have someone telling me when to turn than for the decision to be left to me. Can I be real with you? Despite the navigational training I received in the Marine Corps, I am and have always been directionally challenged. Land navigation was NOT my strong suit. I can get to where I’m going, mind you, but my trips are usually not without color or scenery. I think we all agree that a GPS is the preferred method of navigation.

Now, you might not know it but there are two types of Positioning Systems: a Global Positioning System, and a God Positioning System. A Global Positioning System represents the world. And the direction we get from a worldly perspective always points us to self. The world’s perspective points us to riches, applause, power, desires, pleasures, etc…“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Prov 14:12) A God Positioning System, on the other hand, represents direction from a Biblical and spiritual perspective. The direction comes from God and His word…and it always points us to Him. “Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word.”  (Ps 119:35-37).

Let’s have some fun. Imagine we have dual, side-by-side machines. One Global Positioning System and one God Positioning System. The destination we plug in…Heaven. Yep…Heaven.

Here’s what we’ll get from the Global Positioning System: Do this. Do that. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Be a good person. Go to church. Blah, blah, blah. I’ll bet the money in my pocket that if we got the directions to Heaven from a Global Positioning System, or Mapquest, there would be thousands of turns and direction changes. The world is always asking what do we need to DO. And it wasn’t any different a few thousand years ago. Read John chapter 6. When the people finally caught up to Jesus after He fed the 5,000, they asked the million dollar eternal life question. “…’What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.’” (John 6:28-29) Now, let’s plug “Heaven” into God’s Positioning System. What directions do we get? One word: Jesus. That’s it. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6). No map…no compass…no voice in a box…only a Savior…Jesus Christ.

Now, don’t go throwing away your Garmin. You’ll need it for your family excursions. But make sure to get directions to your eternal getaway from His GPS. “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John2:17) Until next time, Keep it Real…and Armor Up!

If you’d like to hear the audio version of the “GPS” message, visit ServantWarriorRadio.com.

Make sure to check out Servant Warrior Ministries.

To see the article as it appeared in the August 2012 Issue of Power Source Magazine, click HERE.