Lukewarm Christian to Warrior for Christ: It's Time to Prepare for Battle

By Charles J. Pettitt

The United States of America is at a tipping point. Like the teeter-totter I played on as a child, our beloved country is about to go from a godly country to an ungodly one.

If we do not act now, the liberties that we Christians have enjoyed since the birth of our nation are at risk of being eliminated. If we do not ?ght in unity, we will lose our country to secularists who believe Christianity is for the weak.

We need warriors, Christian warriors to take to the battle?eld and defeat the enemy.

BUT HOW DOES ONE BECOME A WARRIOR FOR CHRIST?

The samurai are arguably the greatest warriors ever. Imagine incorporating their dedication and self-sacri?ce into your Christian walk; what a great Warrior for Christ you could become!

It will not be easy, and you will be tested, but God is with you, as he was with Joshua: Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. JOSHUA 1:9

ITS TIME TO PREPARE FOR BATTLE.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456760410

Charles J. Pettitt

Charles J. Pettitt is the head instructor of the Christian Karate Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Warrior is his second book, preceded by Lukewarm Christian to Warrior for Christ, published in 2011. Charles and his wife, Lupe, live in Albuquerque and attend Family Worship Center.

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© 2011 Charles J. Pettitt. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/28/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-6041-0 (ebk)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-6042-7 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011907387

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from the New King James version of the bible, utilizing the BibleGateway.com online Bible resource.

Contents

Preface

Synopsis

Chapter One

Crooked Path Made Straight

Chapter Two

The Need for Warriors for Christ

Chapter Three

Bushido: The Samurai Code

Chapter Four

Christian Samurai - Who Knew?

Chapter Five

Today’s Hidden Christians

Chapter Six

Warrior or Martyr?

Chapter Seven

Know Your Enemy

Chapter Eight

Becoming a Warrior for Christ

Bibliography

Preface

Revelation 3:15,16 says:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

This message was given to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans; it was a message the church needed to hear. God wanted them to make a decision; repent and make a total commitment to him or turn away completely. Do not straddle the fence; totally commit and take a stand.

This is also the message that God gave me. Even though I had been a Christian for 30 years, my walk, the majority of that time, was lukewarm.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines lukewarm as: lacking conviction; halfhearted.

Though I had no doubt that Jesus was my Savior, and that I was going to heaven, I was not passionate about my beliefs. I went to church on Sundays, except for when my favorite NFL team was on TV. When I did go, I went out of duty, not because I was excited to hear God’s word and to praise and worship him. It was my responsibility as a Christian to be there.

Do not get me wrong; I loved the Lord, but going to church was a chore. It was very easy to find an excuse for not going.

My every day walk was not much better. Did I go to my Father every day looking for direction? No. Instead I placed him on the shelf and brought him down whenever I was in need of assistance. I only needed him when I couldn’t get myself out the predicament I got myself into.

I did not stand up for Christ when my friends were using his name in vain. I kept quiet, not wanting them to ridicule me if I did stand up.

Again I kept quiet, not wanting to force my beliefs on others. I did not witness to others or spread the Good News. The world calls that being politically correct.

I was so ashamed to proclaim my faith in public that I didn’t even say grace before a meal. Praying for others in public was out of the question.

These are just a few examples of me being a lukewarm Christian. I lacked conviction and I was afraid of what people would say or think of me. I worried more about what people would think, than what Jesus would think. I am so ashamed to admit that.

But God was very patient and very loving; he used my love of martial arts and my passion to identify with the samurai, to bring out the Warrior for Christ that was hiding inside of me.

This book is not my Biography, it is an example of how God changed a lukewarm Christian into a Warrior for Christ. How he used Bushido, the samurai code of conduct, to achieve it. How he can do the same for you.

In this book you will learn:

•   Why there is an urgent need for Christian Warriors in the world today.

•   What Bushido is and how we as Christians can learn from the Samurai Code.

•   What it means to be 100% committed to your Christian belief.

•   To understand who your enemy is, what his battle tactics are, and how to defeat him.

•   The difference between spiritual warfare and physical warfare.

•   The difference between a warrior and a martyr.

•   Some practical steps to help you become a Warrior for Christ.

I hope to see you on the battlefield.

Synopsis

The United States of America is at a tipping point. Like the teeter-totter I played on as a child, our beloved country is about to go from a godly country to an ungodly one. The Obama administration is about to push us over the edge.

I feel an overwhelming urgency to get this book into Christian hands before it is too late.

As of this writing, Congress is trying to push through health care legislation that includes public funding of abortions. Currently on the table is legislation that requires one dollar from everyone who pays a monthly premium, go into an account, managed by the Federal Reserve which pays for abortions. This means that you and I are directly paying for abortions. Whether this particular method of collecting money is passed or some other mechanism is used, they will try and ram public funding of abortions down our throats. Also, the Obama administration is trying to do it in such a way that future administrations will not be able to reverse the legislation.

You and I have a decision to make. Either we sit back and allow our tax dollars to fund abortions, or we stand up and fight. I know my decision. I cannot sit back and allow my federal government to use my tax dollars to pay for the killing of unborn babies. We must pray and use any legal means necessary to reverse this atrocity.

Also included in this legislation, is the legal requirement that doctors will have to perform these abortions and not have the legal right to say no. They too have a decision to make. Either they perform the abortions, face prison time if they do not, or quit their profession.

Even though this is a federal law and being Christians we are supposed to abide by it, it does not supersede God’s laws; murder is murder! When I stand face to face before my Creator, I want to hear these words: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant"

The battle lines are drawn; it is time to make a choice.

Society wants to make abortion a political issue, not a moral one. Many Christians voted for Mr. Obama, even though they knew his stance on abortion. As a Christian who is totally against the murder of unborn children, I do not understand this.

Abortion is not the only issue pushing the USA over the edge. Prayer in our schools is illegal. The Biblical definition of family is under attack. Marriage being defined as between a woman and a man is being challenged mightily. Corporations throughout our nation are having to provide health coverage to homosexual couples just as they do heterosexual couples. The Ten Commandments are being removed from our public buildings. Christmas is no longer a celebration of Christ’s birth; the manger scene is banned in many cities throughout the US.

If we do not act now, the liberties that we Christians have enjoyed since the birth of our nation are at risk of being eliminated, as Christians sit on the sidelines. If we do not fight in unity, we will lose our country to secularists who believe Christianity is for the weak.

I believe there are many Christians who want to fight, but just do not know how. They do not know who the enemy is, and what weapons are at their disposal. There are also many Christians who do not even know we are under attack.

Whether you recognize the need to fight or not aware of the need to fight, most Christians are not prepared for battle. Our enemy is ruthless and cunning. Like a magician who uses sleight of hand to fool our sight into believing one thing, while doing another. The enemy uses man and his inherent weaknesses, such as greed, worry, confusion and selfishness to have us believe one thing when in fact he is doing another.

Having been a martial artist for many years, my interest in samurai and their battle tactics have always intrigued me. When learning about Bushido, the samurai code, I was amazed how their code was in line with our Christian code, the Bible. The virtues that the samurai lived by were virtues that Christ taught. As I made comparisons to how the samurai lived their lives and how I, and many other Christians I knew, lived ours, one thing became apparent to me. The samurai were completely dedicated to being samurai twenty four hours a day. Being a samurai was not a hobby. It was practicing every day and dedicating every waking moment to being the best warrior they could be. They believed it was an honor to die in battle.

Compare that to how I lived my Christian life, part-time at best. As I mentioned previously, I was not willing to stand up for my faith in public. Compromising my beliefs and committing sins I knew I should not be committing. I felt ashamed to be called a Christian. I was not living up to the code that Christ had given me. I decided to change, to become a Warrior for Christ.

One caveat, not all samurai were true to their code, as there are Christians who are not true to theirs. It is still up to the individual to take the code and to live it. Not all are willing to sacrifice and are disciplined enough to abide by it.

I want to be very clear about something. Bushido does not take precedence over or replace the Bible! What it did for me was take righteous virtues that are throughout the Bible, and condense them into a warrior’s code. It allowed me to take a snapshot of my life and compare it against what my life should be, if I were a warrior. It gave