Not too long after my twin brother Roger and I joined the Marine Corps, it came out with a now-iconic recruiting poster based on a country and western song by Lynn Anderson.

The lyrics start out, “I beg your pardon, I didn’t promise you a rose garden.”

In all honesty, that wasn’t the poster we saw when we went to the recruiting office. The one we saw showed Marines in dress blues with the Eiffel Tower in the background. If we were doing “truth in advertising,” the rose garden poster was a much more accurate description of Marine boot camp and the service that followed, especially during the Vietnam War era.

I don’t know when or where your “induction” into the Church, the Body of Christ, took place, but I can confidently say that some of the “recruiting pitches” today lean more toward the rose garden promise than the Marine Corps pitch.

There is a perception among many believers that the Christian life is one of health, wealth, and prosperity — angelic choirs sing above and cast rose petals along our way through life. To be certain, Scripture tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV).

We are, without a doubt, blessed beyond all comprehension. But at the same time, this isn’t the time to just kick back and count our blessings!

It doesn’t take a genius to see that we are in a war. In America, that war hasn’t advanced beyond ridicule, mockery, and attempts to legislate Christian values out of the public square— yet. Yes, any public witness of Christian moral values is labeled as “hate speech,” but on the other side of the globe, we see Christians and other minorities brutally oppressed and exterminated.

Can any Christian doubt that this level of evil is demonically inspired? I have a little bit of experience when it comes to fighting an insurgency, and I can tell you that the biggest mistake many countries make is ignoring the warning signs and pretending there is no problem. I fear the church in America has been doing the same.

What’s the game plan? Jesus is our example — He never took the easy path. The author of Hebrews tells us to “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

The cross comes before the crown. Should I expect anything less than what my Lord has endured on my behalf? Jesus faced the opposition of the enemy with courage and grace — and where did He get that courage? He received strength in His times of prayer and intimate fellowship with the Father.

You and I will never be anything more in public than we are in our private time with God. Our spiritual person, moral courage, wisdom, and godly character are formed in those times of intimate prayer and fellowship with the Father.

The battle is already in progress — it’s time to engage the enemy if we’re going to protect our families, our churches, and our community.

If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!