Finally Here!

The books have finally arrived, and I've just e-mailed those of you who will receive a free copy for a physical address. Thank you for your patience, and may God bless you.

In case you will be joining us on the new radio program tomorrow and would like to chime in, the call in phone number is: 347-989-0136.

It promises to be an interesting hour, and as of now it looks as though we will be sticking with Thursday nights, at 6 pm central for the foreseeable future. May God bless you and keep you.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Clarifications and Such

As I knew it was likely to do, the Christmas issue has stirred a hornet’s nest of sorts, and although I chose not to post the comments informing me of my one way ticket to the depths of hell for uttering the word “Christmas”, I did post the comments I felt were honest, from the heart, and well-articulated.

Since it is evidently an issue with many, I will clarify my position on Christmas once and for all, just so there is no misunderstanding.

For me Christmas is neither about pomp, glut, or excess. For me Christmas is, and always has been a day of remembrance and gratitude and thankfulness. As I said in my previous post I know full well it is unlikely Jesus was born on December 25^th, and my contemplation, reverence, and adoration of Christ is not reserved to one day a year either. It is a day like any other, but one in which I am more likely to consider the grandeur of God’s plan for mankind via the birth of Jesus, and do so for a protracted period of time.

I made rotisserie chicken, fingerling potatoes with garlic and rosemary, and some polenta for my wife and daughter. That’s as far as my Christmas celebration went, and I only did this because I had the day off work and I enjoy cooking.

That said, I’ve been having the “root of this and root of that” debate for far too long, and I’m getting a bit exasperated. Christianity is only 2000 years old. Jesus was born only 2000 years ago. There are a lot of things that have roots going back past 2000 years. It is oftentimes the selfsame individuals who point out the roots of Christmas that insist speaking in tongues is pagan because some African tribe practiced some strange form of mysticism, or laying hands on people is evil because some vicar instated it among some brown robed monks on Athos ages ago.

Everything can be used for either evil or good in this world of ours. There are people, people I’ve come in contact with and have had dealings with that even use the Word of God as a meat tenderizer rather than the healing and restorative balm it is.

Even something as innocuous as choosing to dress simply, and live simply can become the antithesis of simplicity, when one’s pride takes hold for having chosen simplicity when others have not.

Christmas was a day like any other. It has come and gone. It is what you and I chose to do on that day that is of import. Did you remember with fondness the birth of the Savior, did you spend time with your family and friends and consider all the wonderful things God has done in your life, or did you throw a hissy fit for not getting the thing you wanted, eat until you started to sweat, then pass out in front of seizure inducing blinking lights? Your choices are on you, your actions are your own, and some long dead tradition is not to blame for either your choices or your actions.

I understand some of you have strong opinions regarding this issue. I respect that. If it is something God stirred in you, then live your conviction. I know individuals who get convicted if they drink caffeine, others who get convicted if they eat pork, others still who get convicted if they wear shorts. These are all signs of individual covenant like Samson and his long hair. These are things that God speaks to us as individuals, and I have my own covenant with God to which I adhere, and it is a means by which I show my obedience and subservience.

My sign of covenant with God is not burdensome to me, but if I insisted that you adhere to it, it may be burdensome to you. Likewise, your sign of covenant might not be burdensome to you, but it may be burdensome to me if you insisted I adhere to.

There are the general rules to which we must all adhere. There are things that are clearly called sin within the Word; there are things that are clearly forbidden. Other things become issues of personal conviction, signs of covenant, and must remain individual issues, not made to be broad based law for all within the household of faith.

If I came off as short or ill-tempered in my previous post it was not my intent. However, please understand that I am daily bombarded with correspondence damning me to hell for going to church on Sunday because it has the word sun in it and that has its roots in Egyptian mythology having to do with the sun god and such, I get damned to hell for saying Jesus because it sounds like Zeus, and Zeus is the Greek god of thunder, and on, and on, and on, and it just gets tiresome getting damned to hell every other day.

There are YouTube zealots out there who have realized that the only way to have a platform, get an audience, and amass a following is to pick a niche, and beat that dead horse until there’s nothing left of it but bone. There are actually “internet prophets” insisting that the Bible is not the word of God, and that’s just scratching the surface.

Oddly enough, once these ‘movements’ get a little traction, you come to discover that the visionary, the man who saw the truth behind the veil of lies and exposed the insidiousness of saying ‘Jesus’ was nothing more than a huckster getting rich of the backs of the innocent and milking them for all they were worth, leaving behind a trail of people trying to pick up the broken pieces of their lives.

I have always been honest with you. I have always told you the truth even when the truth was hard, and preached Jesus to you unabashedly because He is the only way, they only truth, and the only life.

I have done my best to protect you from the wolves, and to the best of my ability have done so with love and patience. The only thing I’ve ever asked for in return were your prayers, and for those of you who pray for me, I thank you.

As I wrap up this protracted article the words of Jesus echo in my ears louder than ever, “for many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray.” He was referring to the last days, the selfsame days we are living in, and the only antidote to this onslaught is to stand firm on the foundation of truth that is the Word of God.

Not men’s interpretations and half bake theories, not men’s newfangled doctrines about one thing or another, but the Word of God. Cling to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, and He will see you through the half-light, and half-truth to the shores of absolute truth.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Housekeeping!

It's been a while, and I'm still waiting for the books I promised everyone. It's understandable given the time of the year, and the fact that UPS and USPS trucks are zipping around town as though they were EMS.

As soon as my books get in I will contact those of you who sent in your e-mail addresses for your physical addresses.

Some exciting news, at least for some of you, we are starting a radio program on Blogtalk Radio, it will be called the Light of Truth Radio Broadcast, and I will be able to take phone calls and interact with those who choose to listen.

It was the only way I would agree to committing to another radio program. I wanted to be able to take questions, interact, converse, and bandy about even, and since they were able to make this possible, I agreed to it.

Our first live broadcast will be December 31, 2015 at 6:00 PM CST.

Since it will be our first broadcast I thought I'd keep it lighthearted, and discuss the topics of date setting, the need for accuracy in prophecy, and how we're still here seeing that September has come and gone.

We will also be doing what will be a weekly spot called Headlines From Sodom, get into some good old fashioned Bible exegesis, and just have a productive time in Christ.

Hopefully you will find a link below that will take you to the program. If not, Look us up on Blogtalk I guess. I really should become more computer savvy, but that's beside the point.

One last thing, to all of you who read this blog, who support the ministry I helm, and who keep me and my family in your prayers, Merry Christmas. Now, I could go into a whole three thousand word litany about how when I wish you a Merry Christmas I am not condoning Christmas Trees, that I understand Jesus was not born on December 24th, and other such things, but let's be grown ups and stop getting so easily offended at every little thing, even things for which there is no basis for offense.

While the enemy has overtaken the citadel we're still trying to poke each others' eyes out over futile inanities that are not salvation issues, or anything even close to them. Nothing like infighting to keep us distracted from the enemy's devices, but there I go again saying too much.

Merry Christmas! There! To those so inclined, be offended, and God bless you!

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Light Of Truth Radio Broadcast

More Free Stuff!

The second volume of the book on prayer is now live on Amazon. It will also be available on Kindle shortly. 

I will be giving away 6 signed copies of this newest book, and in order to participate, all you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address.

Your e-mail address will not be stored, shared, sold, bartered, or otherwise made public. 

I will contact the six who will be receiving a book for their addresses.

If you can't wait that long, I will post a link where you can get the book forthwith. 

My thanks and appreciation to all who helped with this project. You know who you are. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr. 

When Ye Pray Book 2

The Sick and Twisted

Anyone who didn’t see this coming wasn’t looking hard enough. In fact, they likely were not looking at all, because they were too busy trying to promote gender fluidity, interspecies amore, or some other freakish thing that as little as a decade ago would have rightly been called ill.

The bubble has burst. We can no longer say it cannot happen here, we can no longer say it will never occur on our own soil, because whether you like it or not, the fact of the matter is that a husband and wife pair of Islamic adherents snatched the souls of some fourteen individuals without a second’s worth of thought or hesitation.

As I said, this was no surprise. It was bound to happen, more is on the way, and thirteen will seem like a paltry number compared to the plans and aspirations some of these people have. Just because we bear them no ill will it does not mean they reciprocate in kind, and this is one of those uncomfortable truths we, as a nation, must get our minds around. Individuals such as the couple making headlines recently did not come to America to assimilate, they did not come for a better life, and they did not come for a better future for their children. For such individuals there is no other purpose, there is no other aspiration, there is no other goal towards which to strive than to destroy the perceived enemies of Islam, wash the world in blood, and make it ready for the coming of the Mahdi.

Throughout all this unfolding, the most sick and twisted thing of all is not the fact that these two individuals chose to shoot up a social services center largely made up of people with disabilities. The most sick and twisted thing of all is the narrative that is being spun in the wake of this tragedy.

Only in the Land of Oz that this nation has become can you blame the victims, and not be dragged into the street, tarred, feathered, and shunned from everyday society. Only in the Land of Oz this nation has become can someone attempt to find justification for two people going on a killing spree, and indiscriminately ending lives.

There are actually so called reporters doing their utmost to try and equate a man who was a Messianic Jew and was subsequently killed in the attack, with the attackers themselves, broad brushing them with the same brush, pretty much calling them two sides of the same coin.

 

All this because one of the men who died in the attack was a Christian and Christians are by their very nature offensive and as such they instigated the attack by their very being.

Have we truly gone mad? Is the most humane thing that can happen to us at this point for someone to put us out of misery?

 

More and more I am left speechless by the utter stupidity of some people. If someone is walking home from the grocery store and gets hit by a car while they're on the sidewalk do you blame them for being there at that particular moment, or for choosing that particular sidewalk to walk down? Perhaps they were wearing a color offensive to the driver. Perhaps they didn't wave back when the driver waved at them from inside the car.

 

How do you justify one individual killing another with premeditation never mind fourteen individuals and counting?

 

Although I’ve said it before, just in case the nosebleed section didn’t get it, there is no moral equivalency between Christianity and Islam! There is no moral equivalency between the Christian man who was gunned down by rabid zealots, and the rabid zealots themselves.

No matter how you slice it, and how much spin gets put on it, there is a marked difference between “Thou shall not kill”, and “Kill the infidel.”

Is the hatred for Christ and Christianity so blinding that people are willing to give mass murderers a pass just so they could condemn believers? Is the hatred for Christ and Christianity so all-consuming that men are willing to align themselves with a death cult just so they could get the upper hand?
While I’m at it, I think this would be an opportune time to call to account every sniveling, spineless, duplicitous, wishy washy preacher who has been promoting Chrislam, and hold their feet to the fire.

Sorry kids, one of these things is not like the other, and if we don’t embrace this reality it will be our own undoing.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

On This Thanksgiving Day

Thankfulness is a choice. It is a state of mind, a way of being, a mindset you adopt and nurture and grow in your heart. Oftentimes thankfulness comes about organically, other times we must remind ourselves to be thankful, and not just for the big things in life but also for the little ones we so often neglect or overlook.

Be thankful. It is a noble, honest, nurturing virtue which will make you see the world around you in a whole new light. Be thankful, and you will see the love, grace, mercy and favor of God throughout your days, and in every area of your life.

No matter who you are, no matter what your struggle, no matter what your hardship, no matter what your lack, you still have countless reasons to be thankful today, just as I do.

When we come to the realization that all things work together for good to them that love God, and we conclude without equivocation that we indeed love Him, we will understand that though the valley might be hard to cross, we will get through it and ascend onto the mountaintop once more. Though the trials in our lives may be difficult to endure, once they are behind us, we will be all the more mature, equipped, and possess a deeper understanding of the Father’s love.

 

If the journey does not transform you continually, then you are walking down the wrong path. The entire breadth and width of our existence hear on earth has our transformation into that which God desires us to be at its core.

May you have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, and may you give thanks this day for all that He has done.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Free Stuff!

I have not been idle. In fact, I've been more productive during the past few weeks than any time in recent memory. The only are in which I did not excel was posting to the blog, but I needed to finish a couple projects that I'd been working on for far too long.

One of those projects was a book of daily devotionals which I can finally say is complete. My thanks to all who helped with this project. You know who you are.

Because you have been so patient with me, I've decided to give away five signed copies of the newest book, as a thank you for your prayers and patience.

As such, if you would write a comment with your e-mail address, five will be picket at random, and the books will be mailed out forthwith.

The book is currently available on Amazon if you choose to avail yourself of one, and the Kindle version should be out momentarily.

This is the cover for the new book. I will post a link at the bottom of this post, but as I said, I am giving away five signed copies, and if you would like to participate, send a comment with your e-mail address. I will contact you for your mailing address if you happen to be a winner.

365 Thoughts Meditations & Words of Wisdom

To those of you who receive a copy, I would greatly appreciate you going to Amazon and leaving an honest review of the book. The second volume on prayer is due to come out shortly, I am in the process of finishing the third volume on prayer, and the book on the battle-ready believer is about 85% complete.

Lord willing, I will also be completing the first part of a verse by verse commentary on the book of Revelation by the end of this year. So, as I said, I have not been idle.

Please keep my family in your prayers, and continue to be patient with me.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Dare We Still?

So let me get this straight. I really want to make sure I’m getting it straight because it seems so utterly imbecilic, so out of this world idiotic, so utterly contemptuous of nature itself that I want to make sure I’m not mistaken.

Nativity scenes are only appropriate for private property, but men sodomizing each other in full view is fun and good times for kids of all ages? They even have a parade for it, they say they are doing it out of pride, and if you happen to cringe, or turn your head, or cover your child’s eyes to keep them from seeing two bearded fellows tongue each other’s molar fillings, you’re intolerant and bigoted and suffer from some sort of phobia or another.

Even if you can manage to keep a straight face, someone will accuse you of exhibiting micro aggressions, another totally made up thing that has no keeping whatsoever with reality.

Seriously! Dare we still invoke the name of God in the same sentence with words such as bless, protect, keep, or guide, when discussing this country? Dare we still try to convince ourselves that we are a Christian nation? Are we still praying for leniency and a delay to judgment?

I am utterly aghast at the lunacy that has gripped this nation, and the speed with which it has done it.

What much of the slumbering church doesn’t seem to get is that it only gets worse from here. It used to be when someone reached rock bottom they assessed their life, and in a moment of clarity turned things around, parting ways with the practices that had brought them to such a sad state.

Nowadays, when you reach rock bottom you just keep digging. If you can’t dig, you throw in a few sticks of dynamite, because no low is too low, and just when you think there’s nowhere left to go but up, we manage to sink lower still.

If there is one upside to all this madness it’s that it makes the story of Lot and his interactions with the people of Sodom all the more believable. Hard as it may be to stomach, there was no exaggeration in the account retelling the story of Lot, the angels, and the men of Sodom, and in less time than you might think, if God does not intervene, we will have far exceeded the dark works of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Every descent into darkness, societally speaking, begins with the removal of all things God. Once God is done away with, there’s no stopping it and there’s no slowing it down. The minions of Satan invest their time and their money with a clear purpose and that purpose is to silence, marginalize, and eventually do away with the followers of Christ altogether.

And as a response to all that we are seeing around us all you are hearing from the church is crickets.

What does it matter anyway? The rapture is just around the corner, and soon enough we won’t have to deal with any of this anymore. Sing it with me “I’ll fly away oh glory!” – Sarcasm off!

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Battle-Ready Believer Chapter 2

This is the second chapter of the upcoming book The Battle-Ready Believer. The title of this chapter is What Are You Fighting For? Although I'm not a perfectionist in any other area of my life, when it comes to the things of God I strive to be just that.

It is because I have reverence for God and respect the calling that I go over what I write multiple times, and although I am currently on chapter 9 of this book, it may take a couple weeks longer than I first thought.
So, here's Chapter two. Enjoy!

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

What are you fighting for?

If a man has nothing in his life he is willing to die for he has nothing worth living for either. We all fight for something but the something we fight for must be so all encompassing that we are willing, if need be, to lay down our very lives in its service.

What motivates you to fight the fight you are fighting? Is your motivation strong enough to carry you through the pain and the heartache? Is your motivation strong enough to carry you through the hardships and the trials? Is your motivation strong enough to carry you beyond this present life?

I want to begin this chapter by quoting a passage out of Nehemiah, because it goes to another aspect or attribute a battle-ready believer must possess, and that is the knowledge of what it is they are fighting for.

Nehemiah 4:14, “And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’”

It is of utmost importance to know what we are fighting for. Are we fighting for something temporal or something eternal? Are we fighting for something as fleeting as power or possessions or are we fighting for something with permanence like the Kingdom of God?

Each time you strap on your armor, each time you sheath your sword, each time you lift your shield, what is it you are doing these things for?

Each time you pray for someone, each time you share the gospel, each time you intercede, each time you give of yourself and your possessions, what is it you are doing it for? The answer we give must be clear and concise, without ambiguity. The answer we give will determine the wherewithal with which we do battle, and ferocity with which we fight, and the energy we exert on behalf of our endeavor.

In attempting to embolden his countrymen Nehemiah reminded them that they were fighting for their brethren, for their sons, for their daughters, for their wives, and their houses. There is nothing more personal, more intimate, and more motivating than fighting for those things you hold most dear, those things which are precious to you. There is nothing more energizing than the realization that you are the last line of defense for your family and your loved ones, and that their wellbeing hinges on the success of your endeavor.

 I don’t think it would have had the same punch if Nehemiah would have told his countrymen they were fighting for their political party. I don’t think it would have had the same punch if Nehemiah would have told his countrymen they were fighting for someone else’s lands and possessions. Nehemiah made it personal. He made it intimate. He opened the eyes of his countrymen to the reality that if they lost this battle then they lost everything.

What are you fighting for? This is a question you must know the answer to instantly without giving it any thought because it defines not only the battle but also you as a soldier.

Are you fighting to defend your pet doctrine or are you fighting to defend the truth? Are you fighting to defend a denomination or are you fighting to defend the kingdom of heaven? Are you fighting to defend a man or are you fighting to defend the name of Jesus? These are all questions only you can answer.

I don’t know about you but I am fighting for the name of Jesus, for eternity, for heaven, for those I love and care for, and for the Kingdom of God. Because I know what I am fighting for I hold nothing back. I do not try to minimize my effort, hedge my bets, or try to avoid the battle. I know what I’m fighting for and it’s precious enough to me that I would readily die for it.

When you know what you are fighting for you will nevermore grow weary, disillusioned, or despair. When you know what you are fighting for you will nevermore look for a way out, just for a way through. We know that our battle is not for earthly things or earthly possessions, but for heavenly things and treasures that do not rust or fade away.

Know what you’re fighting for! Know why you’re fighting the fight you are fighting! And know that the Lord is with you if you are with Him!

1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

So what motivates you? What promise? What reward? What prize motivates you to the point of forfeiting this present life and all its baubles, for the reality of battle day in and day out?

This in the end is what it must come down to. If we are soldiers of the cross, if we are warriors for Christ, if we are the army of God, then the only thing we must know, the only thing we can know is battle.

We’ve been lied to. Repeatedly, consistently, unashamedly, the household of faith has been lied to! We’ve been told by grinning fools that all one need do in order to obtain eternal life is be a good person, consider ourselves spiritual, try not to do bad things, don’t swear so much anymore, and of course, give ten percent of our money to the selfsame grinning men making these assertions.

As such, the notion of fighting the good fight has been lost from the collective hearts and minds of the church, and whenever the great majority hears of such a thing they are taken aback.  Many reject the notion of battle outright, because it would actually mean that they exert themselves, break a sweat, put down the TV clicker, or do something out of their comfort zone.

The church has grown lazy and we love to have it so. There is nothing required of us except for the few bucks we put in the offering basket, or the check we write to our favorite ministry. We love the spiritual leaders who encourage our spiritual slothfulness because they get us. We fawn over them and elevate them to godlike status because they understand us, and as long as they don’t rock the boat they’re alright by us.

The only problem with this scenario is that one need fight the good fight in order to lay hold of eternal life, and in the end that is the motivation. That is the driving force of why we choose to enroll in God’s army and do battle against the enemy.

Eternal life: the promise and the prize. The reward for your faithfulness, exertion, sweat, blood, tears, prayers, self-discipline, and everything else a life in Christ entails is eternal life.

It is not an earthly reward, it is not some material thing that rusts and loses luster with time; it is eternal life with God in His kingdom forever.

Once we understand the magnitude of what we’re fighting for, the training, the equipping, the exhaustion and the bruises are all worth it. Every scar, every blister, every sleepless night, every single one is more than worth it when we acknowledge the reality of what God offers as reward to those who overcome, and remain faithful until the end.

Revelation 3:21, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Not only does inheriting eternal life require we fight the good fight, it stipulates we must win the battle. We must overcome for to him who overcomes will Christ grant to sit with Him on His throne.

Men can twist it however they want. They can give their spin and put their personal interpretation on it – insisting that Jesus didn’t really say what He in fact said –  but the verse is there, plainly written, so even the plainest of men can understand it. The honor to sit with Christ on His throne is reserved for those who overcome.

It is not our duty to get along with the devil. It is not our duty to make peace with the enemy. It is not our duty to try and explain away God’s righteousness and holiness. It is our duty to defend the Gospel, if need be with our lives, and stand for truth even if we happen to be the only one standing before a sea of men.

I realize full well that some of us do not see ourselves in this role. That’s fine, neither did Gideon. What we must understand, what we must allow to sink deep into our marrow and take root in our hearts is that we must be willing and God will do the rest.

He will strengthen us when the time comes if we are faithful and true. He will strengthen us when the time comes if we stand in Him no matter what. It’s not that those who came before us were braver men than we. It’s not that those who came before us were cut from a different cloth. Those that came before us were committed plain and simple. They were committed because they knew what they were fighting for down to the very fiber of their being, and they would not allow forked tongued fools to sway them in their convictions.

They had purposed in their hearts to remain faithful no matter what, and seeing the sincerity of their heart, seeing their desire to remain faithful, God strengthened them and equipped them to the point that they remained faithful even unto death.

Thankfully, we weren’t just thrown upon this spinning rock and left to fend for ourselves. God is with us as long as we are with Him, and He will defend, protect, strengthen, and comfort us every time we need it.

Does this mean that we will never be called upon to endure hardship? Does this mean that we will never be called upon to endure persecution? Does this mean that we will never be called upon to suffer, and perhaps even die for the cause of Christ? No, the fact that God will be with us means none of those things.

What it does mean, what it has always meant since the advent of persecution against the saints is that God will give the necessary strength and fortitude to weather every storm. He will give the necessary wherewithal to stand no matter who the foe happens to be, and He will give the peace surpasses all understanding in our darkest hour.

Do not be afraid. Stand firm, and be committed to defending the truth and righteousness of God.

The life of a soldier is not an easy one. The Word of God forewarns us that if we desire to be soldiers of Jesus Christ, we will have to endure hardships, we will have to be molded, matured, refined, trained, and battle tested, because all these are necessary steps to making a true soldier.

Not only does a pretend soldier pose a danger to their own person because they are untrained, ill equipped, and likely fearful of the enemy’s advances, the pretend solder is a danger to those around him as well. Much of the time a pretend soldier serves as a distraction for the true soldiers because what they are doing is so out of step with what ought to be done that even the most seasoned warrior is surprised by their actions.

Yes, I know, we like to tell each other God is doing something new all the time, so it’s perfectly fine if some knucklehead is kicking cancer patients in the stomach, but in reality such individuals are a distraction, and often times a source of shame for the household of faith because of their actions.

 It’s one thing to suffer for righteousness’ sake, it’s quite another to suffer due to the actions of some conman whom the world automatically associates with you because he calls himself a Christian just as you do.

I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to come alongside other ministries, to validate certain preachers, to lend my name to some gathering or another, and I’ve always been hesitant because I know once I lend my name to a certain event or individual I will be associated with them whether for better or worse.

This is the reason I do not endorse ministers by and large, and if I do it is only after I possess enough knowledge about them as brothers or sisters in Christ wherein I know that they are walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

The Bible tells us our God changes not. He remains the same in perpetuity, and if something worked perfectly well a thousand years, a hundred years, or a day ago, God is wise enough not to mess with it, or try to improve upon it. How can one improve upon perfection? How can one improve upon something God Himself created and put together? 

Yes, men take it upon themselves to try and help God, to improve the ways and means by which we reach out to the lost, or attract the world to the household of faith, but these are gimmicks God neither sanctioned nor approved. We do these things of our own volition, driven by our own vanity, unimpeded in our actions by the reality that God is not in it.

So what does this have to do with knowing what you’re fighting for? No matter what motivates you to battle, no matter what you’re fighting for, fighting in defense of the truth will always be undergirding this motivation.

In the end that’s what it comes down to. We fight against the darkness, we fight against deception, we fight against principalities and powers, we fight against the rulers of the darkness of this age, we fight against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places, and as reward for our service we receive a crown.

It’s as important to know what you are fighting against as to know what you are fighting for. Some men are zealous in their desire to do battle, but they have not a clue whom their battle is with. Rather than pursue the enemy, rather than strike out at the darkness, they end up fighting amongst themselves, wounding both brothers and sisters alike, because they had not the discipline to grow, and understand who their battle was with.

It is important to go through basic training. It is important to be taught war. It is important to possess the ability to identify your enemy. It is important to know what you are fighting for. It is important to know how to wield the weapons in your arsenal, so that when war does come, you are prepared, you are ready, and rather than flee from before the enemy, you will advance against him as a true warrior ought.

Just consider this: God even allowed certain enemies of Israel to remain in the olden days, simply so the children of Israel might be taught war.

Judges 3:1-3, “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites, who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Ball Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.”

We cannot shy away from battle, nor can we shy away from the training implicit in every soldier’s life so that he might be able to not only defend himself, but advance into enemy territory and vanquish him.

God did not want His people to forget what war was like, nor did he want them to forget what being a soldier implied, so He allowed certain nations to remain for this specific reason.

Nowadays we’ve come to believe that just because our fathers knew spiritual warfare, it is enough. Since they knew it, in our mind there is no need for us to know it, not realizing that every generation and every individual must stand on the battle field, and on that day all that will matter is whether or not you’ve learned warfare, or just pretended at it.

History is rife with individuals who counted on their pedigree to see them through, only to find themselves fleeing from before their enemy in fear.

Thankfully, I don’t have a reputation to protect, or a following to impress, or a demographic to win over to my side, so I can still tell you the truth whether it hurts or soothes. That is what soldiers do. They do the work. They do the hard tasks. Soldiers run into the battle, they put on their armor, and they stand for what they know they ought to stand for, sometimes knowing full well that it’s only a matter of time before they are either injured or killed.

In order to be willing to lay your life down, in order to consciously make the choice to forfeit your dreams, aspirations, expectations, and future you must know and vividly so the driving force and the motivation behind this decision.

Every man and woman of God throughout history has known what it was they were fighting for. Everyone, to the last, who has left their mark, who is remembered, who stood out from the pack in their bravery and valor knew why they were doing it. It takes a certain level of self-awareness and intimate knowledge of God to choose to remain faithful, knowing that it will mean nevermore seeing another sunrise.

When we do not know what we are fighting for, when we are not certain of our motivation we are easily swayed, readily silenced, and far too often made to flee from before the enemy. Thoughts begin to creep in, and sooner than one might think we find justification for desertion and excuses for cowardice.

The flesh is ever ready to supply us with a long list of why we shouldn’t stand, why we shouldn’t fight, and why it’s best to keep our head down. The flesh is ever ready to try and save itself, keep itself comfortable for as long as possible and spare itself hardship of any kind.  

The enemy knows that if he can get into your head, if he can make you doubt your calling, if he can make you doubt your motivation, if he can make you doubt the need for battle, he’s gained the upper hand even before the first blow is struck.

The devil’s desire is to face you at your weakest, not at your strongest. His desire is to make you doubt because doubt is the fertile ground in which the defeatist mentality can grow unencumbered.

Even if during the battle you have moments of doubt or moments when you feel your strength ebbing, because you know what you are fighting for, because it is well defined and preeminent in your actions, you will fight through the doubt, you will fight through the exhaustion, you will fight through the weariness, because that for which you are fighting is worth the effort.

Only you know what you are fighting for. Make certain that it is something that will sustain you throughout, something that will keep you advancing on the enemy, and doing your utmost to vanquish him.

If your motivation is not strong enough you will give up the fight sooner rather than later because an unmotivated soldier will do his utmost to avoid the frontlines of battle. Rather than make war against the darkness a compromised soldier’s utmost desire becomes to keep himself from toil, even abandoning his post if need be.

Speaking in Southern California!

For the first time in a long time I will be traveling to Southern California this weekend, and I will be speaking at an old friend's church for one engagement only, the Sunday morning service. If you happen to live in the area come by, since only the good Lord knows when I will return to California again.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The details of the meeting are as follows:

Sunday Nov 1, 2015 at 10:00 am Full Gospel Church of Bellflower
9611 East Alondra Blvd.
Bellflower, CA 90706 
For more information contact Pastor Doug Chambers: 562-866-0755 

Update

A quick update on my request for help: The matter has been settled, but what humbled me to no end was the abundance offers to help in whatever manner they could. If not for the phone numbers and e-mails contained in your comments I would publish them just to see how inspiring they are.

Some who didn’t even know the first thing about formatting a book offered to learn just so they could help. That says a lot. Anyway, as I said, the matter has been settled, and I thank you all for your willingness to lend a hand of help.

It’s good to be pleasantly surprised once in a while. God bless you all.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Asking for Help...

I am not very good at asking other people for help. Truth be told I’m quite horrible at it. It’s not a pride thing. I don’t have a problem asking for directions or some such, but I always think I’m somehow imposing on someone’s good nature if I ask them to assist me in anything.

I realize it sounds odd, but it’s been an issue ever since I could remember, and although on many occasions I could have used some help, I failed to ask for it.

So recently I’ve been writing like mad. I’ve got five book projects that will likely see completion by the end of the year, with another five or so slotted for the year to come. Couple this with family life, spending time with my daughter, traveling, preaching, doing radio interviews, and filming teaching series, and you can see where time becomes the most valuable resource available to me.

It has taken me forty years, but I’ve come to realize I can’t do everything by myself. I’ve also come to realize that there is nothing wrong in asking for help, and that there are some of you out there who are just waiting to be asked. So, I’m asking for help. What I need help with is formatting. I am horrible with technology. If it were up to me I’d still be typing on an old Smith Corona I had back in my youth.

I realized I could either try to do it myself and waste time I don’t have, or reach out and see if anyone is willing to take on a labor of love.

If you are reading this and know how to format books for Create Space, have some free time and are willing to help, I would appreciate it. So, that’s that. Back to work. God bless.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Take Heart!

Having just returned from a weeklong tour of the East Coast wherein I visited Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, I wanted to sit down and write a few thoughts, fleeting and unedited, because I discovered something on this trip that gave me hope and a reason to take heart.

Throughout our journey we met believers of like mind who opened their homes and shared their food with us having never met us in person until the moment we drove up their driveway.

We met men and women hungry for the Word of God, and we met those who are as committed to standing for truth as anyone I’ve ever met in my almost thirty years of ministry. We met true believers both in the farthest reaches of this nation, as well as the bastions of lawlessness one would rarely expect to find one, never mind an entire congregation.

The biggest takeaway from this trip – and since it was the first of many trips I’m scheduled to take over the next few months it was encouraging – is that God has His people everywhere, and scattered as they might be, the number might surprise you just as it did Elijah.

Take heart! You are not alone. Take heart! There are many others throughout who desire the pure meat of God’s Word, and who will accept no compromise in their lives.

It’s easy to think we alone are left. It’s easy to look upon the world as it is and feel isolated, with no one to fellowship with, no one to break bread with, and no one who will understand the deeper truths you are trying to flesh out.

Though they might not live next door or in the next town over, know that God has men and women whom He has set aside, who have not defiled themselves, and who strive for righteousness and purity before God.

I also noticed a newfound hunger, a willingness to accept truth more readily, and at least on this trip, doors began to open quickly, one after the other, after the other. It was a fruitful time with the people of God, and for someone who thought such days were long passed, it was reviving and rejuvenating.

I realize many of you are weary. I realize many of you are growing discouraged. I realize many of you believe you are alone, but you are not. There are men and women of God even in the most spiritually desolate places. They are the individuals who will rise and take their place as bearers of truth in the coming days, men and women of whom the world has never heard, of whom the world is not worthy, and who I am honored to call my brothers and sisters in Christ.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Chapter 1: Who Taught You How To Fight?

The following is the first chapter of the upcoming book. I still haven't decided how many of the chapters I will be publishing on the blog, but we'll start with one and go from there. God bless, and enjoy.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

In the physical, when it comes to the craft of war and the doing of battle some men are self-taught, others have teachers, while others still enlist in the armed forces wherein they learn the basics of battle – insofar as they can defend themselves and reasonably hope to fell their enemies – in a matter of weeks.

For some, learning how to fight is a necessity, for others it is a hobby, and for a select few it is an identity, and something their entire existence revolves around.

There are warriors and there are warriors. There are men who enlist, put in their time, get their college paid for, and nevermore dwell on combat. Then there are those whose lifelong pursuit is the art of war, and their skillset grows exponentially throughout their lives.

Some men see soldiering as a means to an end, while others see soldiering and learning the finite details of warfare as the end itself.

As battle ready believers our learning never stops, nor does our training. It becomes so engrained in us, it becomes such an important part of our lives that we learn to exercise our spiritual gifts and go through a checklist of our spiritual weapons each morning upon waking, without fail.

As is the case with most things, repetition is the key to learning and the mother of all skill. In order to have something to repeat and thereby grow skillful at, however, one must have first been taught, and taught by someone who knew what they were talking about.

Unfortunately there are many instances wherein the spiritual mirrors the physical. As is the case in the physical wherein many an impostor comes off as something they are not and hoodwinks unsuspecting innocents into believing they are black belts in the Martial Arts, there are countless individuals when it comes to spiritual matters that pretend at being men of substance but are nothing more than profiteers and bandits.

These are men who will often boast of themselves, of their accomplishments, but give very little time and make very little effort to highlight their General, to highlight the Christ, and point the way to Him.

True soldiers know that they are one part of the whole, members of one unit, and as such never attempt to steal the spotlight or draw attention to themselves. True soldiers know what it is to work in unity, as a cohesive body, doing their part in ensuring that everyone makes it home alive and with as few wounds as possible.

Just as is the case in the physical, when one member of a unit drops the ball, when they fail to do their duty, when they don’t act quickly enough, decisively enough, or wisely enough, the whole body suffers, and is placed in mortal danger.

One bad apple can and oftentimes does spoil the bunch. One false teaching with no opposition, one false doctrine with no refutation, one false teacher with no renunciation, and the truth is slowly undermined, the hearts of men turned, and before you know it you have an entire denomination embracing abomination as though it were virtue itself.

Because false doctrine and false teaching often times comes via false teachers, I want to spend some time on this oft avoided topic within the household of faith.

Throughout the Word of God we are warned about false teachers and commanded to be weary, to be wise, to contend for the faith, and to stand up for truth no matter how unpopular our stance might be.

Jude 1:3, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

When we are told to contend, we are in fact told to struggle, and by doing so surmount any difficulty or danger. When we are told to contend earnestly, we are in fact told to contend with zeal, steadfastness, and unwavering commitment.

Speak of these things to some in the church and they’ll start screaming ‘works’ as though their hair was on fire, but it’s not me they must contend with, it is the Word of God. More and more I get the feeling that many within the church are simply too lazy to lift a finger in defense of the Gospel, and rather than admit the truth to themselves they’d rather label everyone else a legalist.

It is our duty to fight, to contend, to do battle, every time a heresy arises, every time apostasy arises, every time false teachers emerge, and the truth of God is attacked.

Jude 1:4, “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Unfortunately it is such men – men who have crept unnoticed – within the household of faith but who have long been marked for condemnation that are growing in popularity and attempting to teach others what it is to be battle ready when they themselves have not a clue.

Few things stand in starker contrast than the theory of warfare and the practice thereof. Anyone can spout off theory. Anyone can armchair quarterback a battle that has already taken place, or point out the failures of soldiers who came before them, men and women who fought valiantly, who stood their ground, and who are no more. Anyone can move their hands about and seem as though they know what they are doing, but the tale is told when the rubber meets the road, and when the clash of swords breaks the silence.

Individuals who pretend to know more than they do are a danger to the household of faith as a whole, and to the children of God as individuals. Many a soul take their words for gospel, mimic their actions, and when the time comes to do battle they are trodden underfoot before they realize it.

So the next time we decide to give one of these men a pass, or give them the benefit of the doubt, or defend what they said because we like their bubbling personality, just so we’re clear, the Word calls them ungodly men and men who were long ago marked out for condemnation.

What is their primary characteristic? Well, turning the grace of God into licentiousness is a good indicator, as is denying the singularity of Jesus, the Divinity of Jesus, the Lordship of Jesus, and the Kingship of Jesus.

Since this is not a book on false teachers, I’ll let you figure out who they are on your own!

It is only when we minimize what our enemy’s ultimate intent is and how single minded he is about attaining his objective that we become indifferent and even flippant about his minions and what they are doing within the household of faith.

The devil isn’t out to bruise you, or skin your knee, or call you nasty names. The devil is out to kill you, and every single individual who does his bidding, every single one roaming about already marked for condemnation, has the selfsame objective in mind.

Men teach heresy for the singular purpose of destroying other men spiritually!

In the end that is the root of every false teaching, false doctrine, and false interpretation. The devil knows the battle he is in but sadly much of the church does not. The devil knows the stakes of this battle but sadly the church seems to have forgotten, thinking that somehow if they are trampled underfoot, if they are overcome rather than overcomers, they’ll just end up in a less glitzy part of heaven, but heaven nevertheless.

After outlining a pretty grim picture of the end times, speaking of wars, rumors of wars, and how we would be hated by all nations for His name’s sake, Jesus went on to speak some heavy, heavy words for every believer who thinks they can wing it or somehow get through what’s coming without being fully equipped, fully trained, and fully sold out for Christ.

Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Jesus didn’t say “he who tries, attempts, or thinks they can endure to the end,” Jesus said, “he who endures to the end!”

Valiant efforts won’t cut it, nor will halfhearted attempts at enduring. If we believe the words of Jesus – and we have no reason to doubt Him – then only he who endures to the end shall be saved!

The whole point of this book is to prepare you spiritually, and open your eyes to the reality that you are more than what you’ve been told you are by those pretending to be your spiritual betters. The whole point of this book is to make sure you are a battle ready believer, and it all begins with who taught you how to fight.

If the one who taught you how to fight was not taught by Christ, if the one who taught you how to fight did not have the Word of God as his foundation, then you don’t know how to fight at all. True skill is not flashy; it is efficient. True skill is not interested in entertaining onlookers; it is only interesting in felling its enemy, and permanently so.

We can shadow box until we’re blue in the face but until we’ve taken a punch to the nose, felt tears well up in our eyes, and made the conscious decision to counterattack, all we’ve been doing is pretend fighting.  

The devil is not pretend fighting. He is not pulling punches, and he won’t give second chances.

As such, feelings, emotions, or opinions are irrelevant. The only thing of import, the only thing of relevance, the only thing that matters is if you were taught to fight by God through His Word, or if the individual who taught you was taught of God.  Because the topic of this book oftentimes compels me to be less than gentle in my approach, for those who are not yet ready to hear them, my words may seem downright offensive.

If you are offended, so be it! The stakes are too high, and the outcome of this battle too important for me to try and sugarcoat this in any way in an attempt to spare feelings.

If you were taught by a fool, modeled your life after a fool, and followed after a fool, then you are a fool. If you were taught by Christ, modeled your life after Christ, and followed after Christ, then you are like Christ.

We can try ty split heirs but why waste the time?

Once we understand the truth of the battle we find ourselves in, once we understand we are facing an enemy who takes no prisoners, then we will realize just how irrelevant our feelings or bruised egos are.

God doesn’t coddle soldiers, and we’re too old to be infants!

The lateness of the hour is evident to one and all perhaps with the exception of the church which is still under the misconception that when the Word tells believers to put on the whole armor of God somehow it doesn’t apply to them but to someone else.

Were you taught to fight by a man of God or a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Were you taught to fight by a true shepherd or a hireling whose insistence on your sowing seed and paying tithes bordered on psychotic?

Did you learn how to fight or were you just sheered of your wool like so many sheep, then left to wander about thinking yourself invincible when in fact you were defenseless?

In your heart you already know the answers to these questions. In your heart you know if you followed after a man of God or after an empty suit. You know who taught you to fight or even if fighting ever came up in between the lengthy sermons on the widow of Zarephath because let’s face it, spiritual warfare is not high on many a preacher’s agenda nowadays. You know! Now all that is required is for you to be honest enough with yourself to admit the truth and take the painful but necessary steps to remedy the situation you find yourself in.

One surefire way to keep from being deceived is to go directly to the source and learn from Jesus Himself. Yes, there are still well intentioned servants from whom you can learn, yes there are still messengers whom God sends, but you must be ever vigilant as to whom you allow to speak into your life, and who you allow to feed you spiritually.

No matter how bright their smile or how crisp their suit, a messenger will always be just a messenger; an envoy of the One who sent him. If they are true servants they will walk in the authority of their Master, and as such wield power. They will also possess the knowledge and ability to do battle, being someone you can learn from. Even so, always keep in mind that to elevate a servant to the position of master is to commit sin.  

I learned how to fight from my grandfather. He was a rare man. He was a man who loved God above all else, and his love for God knew no limits or delineations. I spent most of my childhood with my grandfather since my father was at work trying to put food on the table, and throughout my adolescence he taught me love for God. Not with words but with actions.

My grandfather never preached at me. He simply lived his life sold out to God, and this resounded with me more effectively than ten thousand sermons. His love for Jesus was obvious in his everyday life, and this love flowed out of him like a stream.

As I grew older he began to teach me deeper truths, but no matter what it was he taught me it was always tethered in the Word, and he insisted that I search it out for myself.

The first and most important thing my grandfather taught me about spiritual warfare is to always be prepared for battle. The devil is not a gentleman. He doesn’t fight fair. If the enemy can attack you when you are not paying attention or are distracted, that is exactly when he will attack.

As men and women of God our duty is to be perpetually hypervigilant for one of the enemy’s attacks. We cannot allow the enemy to take us by surprise, and the only way to guard against it is to watch and pray and be vigilant at all times. This does not mean we look for demons under every rock and around every tree. What it means is that we are continually tapped into the spiritual realm, and trust our warrior instincts when it comes to imminent attacks.

Whether or not they possessed this hypervigilance of which I speak was one of the ways God chose to whittle down Gideon’s army from 10,000 men to 300 men. At first there were 22,000 men, a healthy number to be sure, but after being told that if they were afraid they were free to return to their homes, only 10,000 men remained.

Of these 10,000 only 300 lapped water by putting their hand to their mouth, while the rest knelt to drink. A kneeling man starts out at a disadvantage. He cannot defend himself as readily as if he was standing, and by kneeling to drink he diminishes his ability to be aware of his surroundings.  God told Gideon to keep only those who were hypervigilant, and with a handful of men, the day was won.

I have been traveling pretty much nonstop since early adolescence. I was twelve years old when I began traveling as my grandfather’s interpreter, and although I turned 40 recently I’m still on the road. One of the first things I learned to do no matter where I found myself was to be aware of my surroundings. Whether in downtown Chicago, Istanbul, Miami, Sydney, or a small Amish town in Pennsylvania, my head is always on a swivel, and I am always aware of everything going on around me.

To this day I have not been mugged, held up, carjacked, or menaced in any way, even though I’ve traveled to dangerous places, and walked through dangerous neighborhoods. The reason I’ve never had a negative experience in these places is because I know how to gauge a situation, I am perpetually aware of my surroundings, and I act immediately upon getting that intangible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Experience will teach you to anticipate the enemy’s attacks because no matter how well he attempts to camouflage his actions, no matter how well he tries to mask his intent there is always that moment when your hair stands on end, and you get that feeling in your gut that something’s coming. Trust those feelings, and be ready for when the attack commences.

The second thing my grandfather taught me when it came to spiritual warfare was to stand one’s ground. It matters not whether you are outnumbered, it matters not if you are the only one on the battlefield, stand your ground.

The amazing thing is that once we commit to standing our ground, once we are resolute in our stance that nothing and no one will move us from the spot we are defending, everything becomes crystal clear. All the thoughts, all the doubts, all the second guessing, they all disappear, and all that remains is you doing your all to remain steadfast. It is in those moments of total commitment wherein we are not trying to find a way out of the battle but simply to man our post that we will notice we are being helped and aided by He who is always fighting alongside us.

Even if you are the only one on the battlefield you are still a majority. You are a one man or one woman army because God and the hosts of heaven stand with you. It is this knowledge that must embolden us and give us courage. It is this knowledge that must fuel us and drive us to defend the Gospel and the name of our God.

The third thing I learned from my grandfather regarding doing battle with the enemy is to never trust in oneself. No matter how proficient you become, no matter how mature, no matter how knowledgeable, never trust in the arm of the flesh.

History is littered with the corpses of those who forgot this all-important rule. There are countless examples of men and women who started out on the right path, laboring on behalf of the kingdom, trusting in the arm of God to see them through, then suddenly, without warning, they began to think themselves above the need to give all glory and honor to God. They began to think themselves strong in and of themselves, able to vanquish the enemy without any help, only to find themselves face down in the mud, vanquished and humiliated.

We ought to be wise enough to know our own limitations by now. We ought to be wise enough to acknowledge the presence of God in the midst of our battle, and give Him the glory He deserves for having given us the strength and having fought on our behalf.

It is human nature to try and take credit for things we didn’t do, and this is not anything new. This goes back to the beginning of creation, and whenever men had the opportunity to take credit for something God did, for many the temptation was too much to resist.

It is God who goes before us. It is God who aids us in battle. He is our General, he is our commanding officer, and He will always be on the frontlines of any battle.

God does not lead from behind. He does not simply give orders then hopes that His soldiers succeed. God is ever present in the battle, always there to lend a hand, and even when all seems lost, when we see ourselves as outnumbered and the outcome of our endeavor all but lost, God steps in and turns it around in an instant.

If the individual who taught you to fight was proficient, if their purpose was to train you to do battle on your own rather than keep you dependent upon them, then you know what it is to put on your armor and step onto the battlefield. Do so with the full assurance that God stands with you as long as you stand with Him.

Depending on who taught you to fight you will also have a predisposition toward a certain discipline. Some will have a predisposition toward exegesis, others will have predisposition toward certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, others still will have a predisposition toward the prophetic, and although they become well versed in every discipline becoming a complete Christian, those preferences and predispositions exist and carry throughout.

Soldiers recognize other soldiers even if they happen to serve in other branches of the armed forces. True soldiers need not advertise, and they need not put on a beret or wear camouflage pants. Soldiers just know other soldiers either by their demeanor, a look in their eye, or some inane sense that you have happened upon a brother in arms.

I am leery of any man who tries to draw attention to the fact that he is a soldier, and this is doubly true of those who go around telling one and all how they are a spiritual warrior the likes of which the world has never seen.

Titles don’t impress me; men of God do. Nowadays anyone can claim any title for themselves, but until they’ve been in the mud, until they’ve stared down the enemy, until we can compare scars and tell war stories, your title does nothing to endear me to you.

There are four things we must do as wise followers of Christ when it comes to this all important question of who taught us how to fight and those four things are: identify, analyze, resolve, and take the appropriate action.

1.      Identify the individual who taught you to fight.

2.      Analyze their life, character, conduct, and fruit thereby determining whether or not they were a true follower of Christ.

3.      Resolve whether or not you possess fighting knowhow given who taught you how to fight.

4.      Take the appropriate action whether that action is starting over and learning anew the art of war, or growing in your skill as a warrior, having a true and right foundation in place.