Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers-USA

09/08/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Isaiah 1:1 – 2:22, 2 Corinthians 10:1-18, Psalm 52:1-9, and Proverbs 22:26-27.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: We have many weapons at our disposal. Each weapon has its own use and purpose. We must learn the advantages of each weapon and when to use it.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) The objective of the spiritual battle is to control your heart and mind. Whoever controls the heart and mind controls the body and the destination.

1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭: In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told about the Armor of God. God’s Word, the Bible, is our sword. We must know God’s Word and not let the world teach us theology. Know your Bible so that you can testify to and defend the Truth.
2️⃣ 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Test the thoughts that come into your mind to determine whether they are God-honoring thoughts or selfish thoughts. Examine your intentions and motives and determine whether they are good or bad. I have heard some police officers say “arrest every thought” instead of “take every thought captive.” I like that phrase. It carries a sense of duty and responsibility.
3️⃣ 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: First, take action to stop yourself from doing anything that is not right. Secondly, you are an agent of God’s righteousness and justice (Romans 13). Therefore, we must take action in a loving and instructive manner while standing on the authority of God (see 1 Corinthians 16:13-14). Put it all together and lead by example through obedience to the Word of God.

Satan is trying to gain control of your heart through acts of the flesh that bring temporary pleasure and lead to selfish ambition, greed, lust, anger, and control issues. The only way to successfully combat the schemes of the devil is to put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), use the spiritual weapons available to you, pray continually, and do all of this through the love of God.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Ephesians 6:10-18 and Romans 13.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: The work of law enforcement is as much a spiritual battle as it is a physical and earthly one. You would not go to work without your physical weapons. Stop and make sure you are spiritually prepared as well.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Song of Songs 5:1 – 8:14, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Psalm 51:1-19, and Proverbs 22:24-25.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: There are Biblical principles that can be used in many different ways to teach multiple lessons.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Corinthians 9:6) There is a Biblical principle that follows the common-sense understanding that if you plant one row of corn, you will reap one row of corn. If you plant a whole field of corn, then you will reap a whole field of corn. If you sow a little compassion and mercy, then you will also receive a little compassion and mercy. If you are compassionate and merciful much of the time, then you will receive much compassion and mercy. The same is true with all the fruit of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Think about what you want in your life and then start sowing those seeds.

Paul is telling this group that not only will they reap the benefits of this gift, but others will also benefit from their generosity.

Take a moment to think about what kind of seeds you are planting in your community. If you plant anger, hatefulness, and untrustworthy actions and behavior, then that is what you can expect in return. If you plant trust, respect, and honesty, you will receive those things as well. It takes time; you do not plant seeds on Monday and expect a harvest on Friday. It takes time, attention, nourishment, watering, and care to grow a good crop. Sometimes, you must go into your garden and pull the weeds. Be patient and stay committed.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Judges 1:6-7, Psalm 119:29-31, Proverbs 10:14.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: Law enforcement officers must be intentional about the seeds they are planting. It would be wise to examine the attitude you are receiving from your community and consider whether it is a return on what you have already planted. If it is not what you want, plant a different crop next season.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/06/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Song of Solomon 1:1 – 4:16, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, Psalm 50:1-23, and Proverbs 22:22-23.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: Being a God-pleaser sometimes means being a people-pleaser.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Corinthians 8:21) In this verse, Paul makes a point of saying, “𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛.” Paul seems to be contradicting other verses such as Galatians 1:10, “𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑚 𝐼 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑? 𝑂𝑟 𝑎𝑚 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛? 𝐼𝑓 𝐼 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛, 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑑-𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡.” Acts 5:29 says, “𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑, ‘𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑛.’” John 12:43 also says, “𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑.”

Paul is making a very important statement to clear up any misunderstanding about how others see us. If we are God-pleasers, the way we live will naturally make us people-pleasers because God’s law is written on every person’s heart and conscience. Even if someone does not believe in God, they still have His law and recognize that it is wrong to kill or steal.

If we are serious about the Great Commission that Jesus gave to all believers, we must live in such a way that non-believers feel comfortable enough to listen when we share the reason for the hope within us. Without that hope, we will arrive at the same conclusion King Solomon did in Ecclesiastes: without Jesus Christ, life is meaningless.

If we expect non-believers to listen when we share the Good News, we must do as Paul says by “𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛.”

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Galatians 1:10, Acts 5:29, and John 12:43.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: It is all about priority. We can be people-pleasers by focusing on being God-pleasers, but we cannot be God-pleasers by focusing on being people-pleasers.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/05/2026

𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Ecclesiastes 10:1 – 12:14, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Psalm 49:1-20, and Proverbs 22:20-21.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: I once had a friend tell me, “Retire early and often.” Solomon suggests that we seek God early and often.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (Ecclesiastes 11:9 – 12:8) Solomon obviously did not know about Christ or the atoning sacrifice He would bring through His work on the cross. I find this interesting because Solomon’s father, David, wrote many psalms that pointed toward Christ. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and it is easy for me to make that observation 2,000 years later while surrounded by study Bibles and volumes of commentaries.

What Solomon did understand was the importance of coming to know God while a person is still young rather than trying to catch up later in life. There is wisdom in starting early.

I began my law enforcement career at 22 and retired at 52. I now have a good pension and am still young enough to enjoy many of the things I always hoped to do. Had I started later, many of those opportunities would have been pushed further down the road. There is wisdom in getting an early start, but there is even greater wisdom in seeking a relationship with God as early as possible.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Matthew 18:3.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: Seek wisdom; it will become one of the best allies and backup you could ever have. God can be found in wisdom.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/04/2026

𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Ecclesiastes 7:1 – 9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, and Proverbs 22:17-19.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: True wisdom and discernment come only from God. If you want this wisdom, all you have to do is ask the God who gives it freely.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (Ecclesiastes 9:18) This verse should be viewed as a challenge to Christian law enforcement officers: “𝑊𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑟.” How much better is it for an officer to solve a problem, restore peace to chaos, or bring light into a dark place than to simply not care and rigidly follow only the letter of the law? If we try to handle calls with dignity, love, and respect, we plant seeds for future encounters. It may even lead to earning the respect of the people we serve. Law enforcement officers often say, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” and there is wisdom in that statement.

The second part of this verse reminds us that despite our wisdom and best efforts, “𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑.” We should not become discouraged when the good-faith efforts and positive relationships we have built within our communities are damaged by the actions of a bad person or even a bad officer. We know this will happen. Our responsibility is to pick up the pieces and continue forward.

“𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝐼 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢? 𝐵𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠. 𝐷𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑; 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑, 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜.” (Joshua 1:9).

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Joshua 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: As Solomon reminds us repeatedly, life on this earth will not always go according to plan, and sometimes things will go completely off the rails. When that happens, pray, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to work. Your ultimate rewards are not on earth, but in heaven.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/03/2026

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐥?

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Ecclesiastes 4:1 – 6:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:7, Psalm 47:1-9, and Proverbs 22:16.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: Do all people truly receive justice? Humans are born with sin, and part of that sinful nature is a predisposition toward people who are different from us. Each person must work through the Spirit of God to overcome this in their life.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (Ecclesiastes 5:8) Law enforcement officers are entrusted with the responsibility of correcting injustice. Peace officers should hold justice in the highest regard. Even if we witness another officer oppressing someone or denying justice, we have an obligation to intervene and report it through the proper chain of command. If you stand by and do nothing, then you are derelict in your duty.

This principle is just as important in our personal lives as it is in law enforcement. The difficult truth is that sin affects every human being. We are all born with prejudices and sinful tendencies that we must work to overcome. This is not a problem humanity can completely eradicate on its own, even though the world may claim otherwise. Every generation will continue to struggle with these issues until Christ reigns fully.

The best thing we can do is allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives so that we show love, fairness, and compassion to all people, while praying that others will do the same.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Ezekiel 3:17-21, Obadiah 1:11, Leviticus 19:35; 24:13-16, and Judges 5:23.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: Failing to do the job you are called to do is dereliction of duty. This is just as true in the Christian life as it is in law enforcement.

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/02/2026

𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Ecclesiastes 1:1 – 3:22, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Psalm 46:1-11, and Proverbs 22:15.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: When someone asks you to introduce yourself, what are the first things you say to describe yourself?

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (Ecclesiastes 3:10) I am proud to have served as a police officer for 30 years. This verse reminds me that although I was called to this profession, and although I believe it is noble and very important, it is still just a job. It contributes to who I am in many ways, but it is not my identity. When you retire from law enforcement, who will you be then?

My law enforcement career is over, but I am still a Christian, husband, father, son, brother, and friend. This verse says that the work God gives us is meant to occupy us, provide opportunities to do His good works, and allow us to share the reason for the hope we have while we are here on earth. It is not who we are; it is what we do. “𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝐺𝑜𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑝𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠.”

Do not let law enforcement become your identity. Find your identity in Christ.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: John 1:12, Jeremiah 1:5, and Galatians 3:27-28.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: Do you consider yourself a peace officer who happens to be a Christian, or a Christian who happens to be a peace officer?

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.

09/01/2026

𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭): Read Job 40:1 – 42:17, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Psalm 45:1-17, and Proverbs 22:14.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠: Thankfully, God does not see me the way people see me. I may look short, a little overweight, and goofy, but God sees what is in my heart.

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭: (2 Corinthians 5:16) Have you considered how you look at and judge people? On the job, we must be cautious when dealing with others. We do not get 911 calls to join family meals or listen to church sermons. We are usually called to restore peace where it has been replaced with chaos. The very nature of our work causes us to intersect with people who are having some of the worst days of their lives and need someone to step into their situation for protection or to restore peace.

This kind of daily routine can lead peace officers to view others from a worldly perspective, the kind Paul is speaking about here. Moving from that viewpoint to a spiritual one requires peace officers to develop a new filter, or lens, through which they see people.

Looking for clues and evidence of a person’s spirit can be important. Being alert to good or evil may help guide how we respond to people. When dealing with evil, we must act accordingly, but not every encounter involves evil people or spiritual oppression. When dealing with the public, we should strive to see people through the lens of kindness.

What would my day look like if I chose to treat everyone with kindness, regardless of what I received in return? What if the next day I focused on being joyful, then good? What if I allowed the fruit of the Spirit to guide my attitude each day? I would be much closer to the perspective Paul is describing.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: Remember the “motto”: “𝐵𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑; 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ; 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠; 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝐷𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒.”

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐶𝑜𝑝 © 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐺𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 (𝑁𝐼𝑉) 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 © 𝑏𝑦 𝑇𝑦𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑐. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑.