“For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” (Psalm 18:29-42)
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…” (2 Corinthians 10:4, ESV)
In my police SWAT days, I was a breacher — the guy with the big hammer (yes, there is a connection between using my initials–MC–and “hammer”) used to tactically breach a door and sometimes even a wall. And interestingly enough, there is a very strong biblical connection to the concept of breaching a barricade (wall, stronghold, door, etc.). In this study I’ll share the biblical concept of what it means to tactically triumph over our spiritual barricades or be the warriors God called us to be.
Throughout history, cities and military bases (castles) have been protected or reinforced with walls — aka, a “barricade” of wood or stone. And for an army to defeat a walled city or castle meant breaching those walls. Jerusalem was surrounded by walls that were breached and destroyed many times throughout history. Like knights of old, we still use shields today (our body armor, and our badge that is symbolic of a knight’s shield. And we have the “walls” of armor that are used to protect tanks, military aircraft and naval warships today. And all of them can be “breached” (defeated).
So what is the biblical (God speaking to us) nexus to this? First, read Psalm 18:29-42 (Psalm 18 is sometimes called “the warrior’s psalm”). I shared the text of v. 29 above…and the message should be clear. We who serve under the command of Christ our “warrior king” (Exodus 15:3) are empowered by Him to overcome (breach) barricades — including the spiritual kind. On this, look again at 2 Corinthians 10:4 (“10-4” — hmmm). The context, as I’ll share here, is a spiritual one.
In this passage, Paul was forced to righteously challenge false teachers (wolves in shepherd’s clothing) in the Corinthian church. He stated/wrote (under the inspiration and leading of the Holy Spirit), “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” In this context, pulling down strongholds refers to demolishing or breaching spiritual walls/barricades (in this particular case, wickedness and false teaching) — spiritual warfare.
The “tactical” “battle plan” God has here for His faithful (meaning, genuine, born again believers) is that we are “wise up”, armor up, and wield/train with our spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18) of warfare through which God empowers us to pull down strongholds (breach barricades). And please understand that God has directed us to not rely on human tactics, strategy and wisdom, but on the power and weapons He supplies us with.
Another biblical (and tactical) illustration of breaching barricades (“pulling down strongholds”) is found in the battle of Jericho (a walled city) in Joshua 6. When God’s people in Joshua’s day, by faith, followed God and obeyed His commands, the supposedly impregnable walls of Jericho were breached (Joshua 6:1–27). The battle was the Lord’s, fought His way, and according to His instructions. Humanly speaking, the whole episode seemed absurd and impossible, but when we walk by faith and in obedience to God’s will (battle plan), even the mightiest of walls can be breached.
What about the mental walls we deal with as cops (for example, PTSi — I prefer “injury” to disorder). While modern psychology reveals no actual “cure” for what ails us (no cure is found in the DSM — only diagnoses), Christ is the “Cure” when we surrender to Him in faith as Lord and Savior. And part of that cure is tearing down (breaching) the strongholds of this life.
So, what are our spiritual “breaching” tools (weapons) for breaching barricades (strongholds) and triumphing in spiritual warfare? They include (but are not limited to) spending time “training” in the Word of God (our spiritual sword — the Bible), prayer (talking to God), being in regular “iron sharpens iron” fellowship with other believers (including being planted and serving in a solid, Bible-teaching church), putting on (and keeping on) our spiritual body armor, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives (and thus relying on God’s divine power and not our own).
Without Christ, the already hard life we live in law enforcement is very likely to bring about failure at multiple levels. But when we are serving and protecting under the loving command, leadership and protection of Christ our “Captain”, He will empower us to tactically triumph and breach any “wall” our enemy (Satan) sets before us. Without Christ, the already hard life we live in law enforcement is very likely to bring about failure at multiple levels. Click To Tweet
So, do you have that power? A spiritual, tactical “breaching hammer” if you will? Friend, the only way you can is by first repenting of your sin and placing your whole trust in Christ as Lord and Savior — by being born again in Him alone (John 3:1-21, 14:6) — a “Christian” as only God gets to define it. And NO, we can’t “badge” our way into Heaven or out of Hell — Jesus is the ONLY way (Ephesians 2:8-10, Acts 4:12).
Accordingly, if your answer is “no” or “I don’t know”, it is with a “Code 3” sense of urgency that I implore you to consider the truth about Christianity. And if you do know Christ as Lord and Savior, then start being the warriors He has called us to be! And start sharing our faith with others (just sharing these studies is a way to do that).
Armor-up, watch your 6, and start breaching barricades as the Lord leads!
