A Man Needs A Code To Live By The Warrior code

In his great book, The Faith of the American Soldier, Stephen Mansfield writes, “The warrior code takes a soldier and makes him a knight. It connects the natural life of a fighter to the supernatural understanding of the warrior calling. His duties are transformed into holy sacrifices; his sense of self is reformed into an image of the servant in pursuit of valor. He becomes part of a fellowship, a noble tradition that flows through him and carries him beyond the mediocre and the vain.”

I have found from serving in combat and in law enforcement that, Stephen Mansfield was spot on, “all who wear the uniform are not warriors.” In my book, Born To Be a Warrior, I defined the Warrior Spirit as, “The passionate desire and determination in the heart of a man to prepare himself and to perfect himself for the stance against evil in the service of others.” Because this perfectly describes what Jesus did for each of us, I call this being Jesus-esque!

Our old pal, retired Navy SEAL Chris Sajnog, wrote this, “Going to war is not a prerequisite for the title of warrior. Warrior is simply a recognized role in society…in every great society in history. The way of the warrior is a never-ending road of discovery and self-improvement.” As Christian men and spiritual warriors, we are on a never-ending road of becoming “Christ like”.

Chris also wrote this, “Grow a set of NUTs! Non- negotiable---Unalterable---Terms. Live by them. Terms like integrity, loyalty, honor, courage…that you will not compromise.” A set of core values, like humility, is an essential building block for a life of serving others. Ask yourself, “What are my personal core values?” Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discover this identity if you are not sure. Develop “a set of ” 3 to 5 and then purpose to be the expression of them.

As Christian men, we need a code to live by and a conscious desire to be transformed into the image of Christ, to be Jesus-esque in all our roles in life. We must capture the masculine, God-given DNA and ride it towards, not away from the adventure, the danger, and the challenges that we will encounter and confront in 2021.

“Putting on the full armor of God” must not be a trite phrase we use, rather it must be recognized as a do-or-die maxim. Only then can we confidently position ourselves for battle to engage and slay the dragons that threaten to destroy and kill all that we hold dear. With our spiritual sword drawn and shields locked we Band of Brothers advance to fulfill our destiny in God. We are that movie that men rush to see, the knight mounted on the war horse rescuing “the beauty”---our wives, our families, our Faith, our friends, our communities, our heritage and our nation.

Barney Barnes, 01-15-21, Promise Keepers National Ambassador for the Military and Prisons