The Virginia Tech Massacre, a teenage girl abducted in the middle of the day, an 11 year old boy mauled by a bear, plus numerous other crimes and tragedies. No doubt, the world we live in is full of dangers. Since the 60’s, in the US, there has been a dramatic increase in crime rates yet we should not forget that common dangers and evil have existed in every generation. Can you be true to your faith and yet be forceful, aggressive or even violent? Maybe being passive isn’t the acceptable way to deal with threats? Consider how improving your physical fitness and personal faith in Christ go hand-in-hand in not only keeping yourself and your family safe, but also those around you.
Consider what is good and reasonable from both a faith and legal perspective. Sometimes the biblical concept of “Turn the other cheek” (which guides us to have a spirit of no retribution and to forgive) is incorrectly used. It doesn’t mean you’re NOT to defend yourself. Read the full verse in context. The verse provides instruction on how to respond to an insult or provocation (backhanded slap to the cheek). Not a violent assault. Today’s equivalent would be a shove or getting spit on. In this case we have every moral and legal obligation to walk away or try to calm the situation. The Bible provides guidance that leads us to spiritual maturity. Can you walk away from an insult or control your temper when pushed to your limit? Can you forgive and pray for your enemy? With any use-of-force/self defense case a judge and jury will consider what you did to avoid or diffuse the situation and any force used (including deadly force) must have been reasonable. If you escalate or don’t consider a way out, you may lose your claim of self defense.
WWJD? How about WDJD (What DID Jesus Do)? Jesus taught us about love and compassion, even for our enemies. But he also confronted the leaders of his day with boldness. He overturned tables and cleared the temple of vendors with a makeshift whip! He did it righteously and without sin.
Just before his arrest and execution, Jesus gave some final instruction to the men who were with him. He had often sent them out to surrounding towns telling them to go with nothing. This time was different. He told them to not only bring money with them, but some should also sell their coat and buy a sidearm! That isn’t the passive image of Jesus we create. Yet, they would draw their weapons for defense during the arrest of Jesus. Peter struck out with his weapon and cut off the ear of a soldier. I suspect he was aiming for more than the fellow’s ear. Jesus told them to put their weapons away or they would die fighting. He knew the arrest was in God’s timing and plan. Jesus had also stated that there was no greater love than to lay down your life for another, the ultimate sacrifice.
Could you put yourself in harms way to save another? You may be willing to do it but do you have the ability to do it? If you’re confronted with the choice to act, you need to be prepared.
What about 911 and law enforcement response? Gabriel Suarez is a former Law Enforcement Officer and President of Suarez International. As a Christian professional he specializes in training citizens in personal protection.
Here’s what he says, “The 911 system is reactive in nature. In fifteen years, I recall a handful of times we got the call in time and got there while the crime was in progress. In no cases, that I am aware of, did we ever prevent a violent crime-in-progress. Something bad happens, someone calls, the cops respond. All of this takes time and time is not something the victims have in abundance.”
Law enforcement and security have their place in keeping us safer, but they are rarely present at the scene when something bad happens. This is why you need to be prepared to protect yourself and others.
At Virginia Tech, law enforcement responded quickly. Yet even with the knowledge gained from previous school shootings, they were unable to prevent the murders. It was up to the victims to respond to the threat. Take for instance Professor Librescu, a holocaust survivor, who blocked the doorway so his students could escape out a window. They survived, but he was shot and killed. In another room student Zach Petkewicz was frightened, like everyone else, then realized the shooter could get into the classroom. He realized something had to be done so he and two others pushed a table against the door preventing the shooter from entering. The shooter then fired a couple shots through the door. However, the defensive students were off to the sides, protected while holding the table in place. Because of this, all in the room could return to their families. Not so, for others.
Handguns have been successfully used to halt other school and workplace type shootings, as well as everyday encounters. Examples include the Vice Principle in Pearl, Mississippi and two students at the Appalachian School of Law who ran to their vehicles to retrieve their weapons and then were able to confront the shooters. A restaurant employee prevented the execution of staff just a short while after another case of several workers being executed in a restaurant walk-in cooler. The murders were reported nationwide, but in these and other examples the national media failed to mention how the use of handguns saved lives. This omission leads to a mindset that tragedy is mostly unavoidable and that we must rely on laws and law enforcement to save lives. The real good news in these tragic stories was not reported — you can prevent unnecessary death and suffering by taking action!
In an example of unarmed self-defense, Tony Blauer (a well known pioneer of training for self-defense) recounts the story of a man gaining entry to a home and striking a mother in the head, knocking her down. The teenage daughter charged at the man but was knocked out. The mother, seeing her daughter knocked out, got up and attacked him. Tony asks, “Where did she get her black belt? I want to go train with her!” She of coarse was not a black belt, but reacted to the dire situation by attacking the attacker instead of laying down in defeat in victim mode. Special training and having a weapon of any kind is beneficial, but people without training are still able to defend themselves and others. Mindset and determination can save the day. Cowering in a fearful victim mindset, will only guarantee you become a victim and a statistic.
Tony Blauer, who teaches much on the topic of psychological/mindset aspects of self defense says this, “The mind navigates the body. If the mind hesitates, so does the body.” In one of his Golden Rules he states, “Apathy and denial will seal your fate. The victim mindset is often born of apathy and then imprisoned in denial. The key to action (the remedy for panic and inertia) is to simply accept the situation and move on. This is the first step towards tapping into the ‘victim’ to ‘victor’s’ shift.”
I can see Tony’s statement illustrated by David in the Bible. As a boy, he had great faith in God and didn’t hesitate to take action against the threat of Goliath.
People need to be a part of their faith community. It is beneficial in growing and maintaining maturity and accountability. A spiritual family also provides support in the wake of tragedy. People who do not have this are more likely to handle the situation in negative ways including abuse of their self and others or even suicide.
Look at the way the Amish community, after the murder of their children, took care of each other. That is how a healthy church functions. It will be interesting to compare their ongoing recovery to those who do not have such a support network.
I know men who have killed others as an act of self-defense. Certainly it has impacted them. Yet they tell me that they don’t regret it. In fact they say if they were faced with the same threat they wouldn’t hesitate to be defensive again. If you experience a threat, you can defend yourself, move forward in life with the strength and grace of God and not be a psychological basket case. We should try to stay healthy with good mindset, diet and exercise. Being fit gives us a better ability to act and to survive.
PERSONAL SAFETY TIPS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
- Always trust your instincts/intuition. If someone or something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Leave or do what seems best. This has saved lives.
- Keep your car and house doors/windows locked, even when you are home and in a “nice” neighborhood. Burglars often enter homes through open garage doors and unlocked homes. Car-jackings happen when the vehicle is stopped. Lock your doors as soon as you get in!
- Practice a tactical mindset everywhere you go. That means look for routes of escape, improvised weapons to grab and always be aware of who’s around and may be a threat.
- Practice a fighting or warrior mindset. Prepare yourself mentally for worst-case scenarios. Example; “If someone assaulted me or started shooting in my church, how could I tackle them or fight to take their weapon”? You can also face death with less fear, knowing God is with you now and always – in life on earth and in eternity.
- Practice a survival mindset. Think proactively. People have been beaten, shot, or stabbed multiple times and survived. Keep thinking and praying, “I can survive; I need to get through this to save others, Lord give me strength.”
- At minimum, take a Basic Self Defense Course. (Men too!) Better yet, train regularly or at least a few months in a practical martial art. Better a school that is less focused on sport or tradition and more on street effective skills (women too!). Pepper spray, stick and knife training are other options and, if considering firearms training, be sure to get professional instruction on unsighted/point shooting skills as well as the safe and legal use. If you already carry a weapon, learn to use your hands. Keep in mind that a gun, or any deadly force, is only for deadly threats.
- Add to this the “full armor of God” for the most complete protection plan! Keep in mind that God uses ordinary, sinful, people to do his will. Samson, Moses, Abraham, David and others were instruments of God. The same God who can deliver you from danger can even prepare you to be His instrument, in a terrible situation, to deliver others!
Be prepared in every way for life. This includes having faith and putting your trust in Jesus. Paul’s instruction in the Bible teaches about the “full armor of God”. We are not told to just put on our favorite parts we need to be fully armored before spiritual battle. The same applies to the physical. We need to be prepared before it’s needed. Having the Physical, mental and spiritual preparedness will give us that edge. We can be bolder and more assured that it will be for His glory, not ours. Crimes, tragedy, and spiritual warfare will happen. Are you prepared?
Brent Fox, a resident of St Paul, MN, offers practical training in all areas of personal protection. He also will make house calls to give affordable 3-4 hour personal protection training and education for your family and friends. Churches and groups may also contact him for group seminars. www.foxdefensivetraining.com (651) 491-0101FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PERSONAL PROTECTION
www.karateconnection.com
www.suarezinternational.com
www.tonyblauer.com
