One of the most embarrassing incidents in my law enforcement career happened one night after work. I was assigned to the swing shift (3 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.). After work, several of us decided to go to a local convenience store and play PACMAN, a video game.

One of the officers had a girlfriend who was working at the store, and she would rig the machine so we could play free. So, when 11:00 rolled around we headed that way. We didn’t even change into our civilian clothes, but stayed in our uniforms, including our gun rigs (of course).

While I was playing the game, Jeff, a fellow officer, stood behind me. All of a sudden Jeff said, “Jimmy. Are you aware that there are NO bullets in your gun?”

I froze with embarrassment. I slowly turned my head toward my gun, a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum, and sure enough, the cylinder was empty. I was humiliated. I told Jeff that I had taken the bullets out and left them at the station. An outright lie.

I had gone the ENTIRE SHIFT with NO bullets in my gun. I started thinking of what the consequences could have been…

What if I had responded to an active shooting at a school, and had the shooter in my sights? I would have pulled the trigger repeatedly, only to hear it “click” six times.
Or what if a fellow officer had been shot and had to count on me to stop the killer?

The thought of it still troubles me to this day.

**AS CHRISTIAN SHEEPDOGS WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE OUR LIVES … LOADED**.

This same truth applies to our Christian life, for we never know when we are going to be “shot at.” Our enemy is prowling about, waiting for the opportunity to attack. Thus, we must be “loaded and ready.”

And the surest way to defeat him is by the use of the Word of God. When the Word is thrown in his face, he surrenders.

AND NO ONE KNEW THIS BETTER THAN JESUS.

Luke 4 tells the story of Satan tempting Jesus while in the wilderness. Jesus was fasting and had gone 40 days and nights with no food. No doubt, He was on the brink of starvation. It was in this depleted and exhausted state that Satan came after Him.

He tempted Jesus three times. Jesus did not “fight back” the way humans fight back. He did not rely on his willpower or determination to defeat the enemy. Instead, He made use of a Higher and more Powerful Weapon: the Word of God.

IN RESPONSE TO EACH TEMPTATION, JESUS QUOTED SCRIPTURE.

He understood the POWER that His Father’s WORD contained and that when that Word was spoken, it could silence the enemy.

And it did. Luke 4:13 tells us that Satan “departed from Him…”

Time and again we read in the gospels where Jesus quoted the Word. That begs a question: how was He able to do so? He didn’t carry around a copy of the scriptures, and He had not downloaded any Bible App onto his smartphone. So, how did He do it? The answer is simple: He had committed it to memory.

Even while hanging on the cross, He quoted scripture: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22. Some scholars believe He quoted the entire chapter. That’s 31 verses!).

THERE IS NOTHING AS POWERFUL AS OUR FATHER’S WORD.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword.”
Jeremiah 23:29 says that God’s Word is like a fire and a hammer: it will surely burn the enemy, or maybe even “smash” him!

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU TRAIN YOURSELF TO MEMORIZE THE WORD.

I’m a bit suspicious of folks who say they cannot memorize scripture. Many of those same people can recall many things from memory: but, when it comes to the Word of God, they can’t do so?!

Some of these same folks can drive down the freeway, singing along with their favorite song - and get every word right. How is that possible? They have memorized the song. I suspect that committing scripture to memory might not be as difficult as we have allowed ourselves to believe.

YOUR ENEMY IS DETERMINED TO KEEP GOD’S WORD OUT OF YOUR MIND.

He delights in your ignorance. Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” What you don’t know, can hurt you.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE ENEMY IS GOING TO STRIKE: THUS, YOU MUST BE LOADED AND READY.

Suppose you’re at home one evening all by yourself, and the wife and kids are out and about. Your enemy notices that you’re alone, and knows it would be a perfect time to “launch an attack.” Thus, he comes and whispers in your ear: It sure would be a good time to turn on the computer and look at some porn.

THAT … THAT … is how he works.

And you must “fight back.”
You must retaliate.
You must exact revenge on him.

And you start that process by hurling the Word of God in his face. I don’t mean to say that quoting scripture is a cure-all for our bad habits (addictions), but it’s a pretty good start. You might say it’s at least “pulling the trigger.”

In Ephesians 6 Paul discusses spiritual warfare. He reminds his friends in Christ that we are in combat with dark forces, entities that are committed to our destruction. He encourages them to “put on the full armor of God,” assuring them that when they do so, they have a greater chance of standing against the enemy.

In that same chapter, he calls attention to the various parts of our “uniform”: the belt, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield, and the helmet. After describing what combat clothing looks like, he closes by telling them to,"…take the …sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD” (Eph. 6:17).

THERE IS POWER IN HIS NAME, AND THERE IS POWER IN HIS WORD.

In March of 2010, a robbery attempt was thwarted in Frisco, Texas. A would-be robber entered a store, gun in hand, and while pointing it at the lady cashier, demanded money (video).

But this was no ordinary lady. She knew the Power of the Name - and the Power of the Word.

She stood her ground, boldly telling the robber, “You get out of my store right now … IN THE NAME OF JESUS.”

As the narrator in the video states, the thief “reels from the biblical assault.” He turned and “took off.”

And that is precisely what you are doing when you hurl the Word at the enemy: you are engaging in “biblical assault.” And he, like the robber, will “flee.” That is exactly what the Bible tells us, as recorded in James 4:7 -

“Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee…”

I would never advocate that what she did is what everyone needs to do. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. But either way, this saintly woman shows us that there is no doubt that there is power in His Word, there is power in His name!

Brothers and Sisters, let us “load and make ready.”

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