Is God's Word Your Concealed Carry Weapon?

Not long ago, a young man walked into a gun store for the first time. His house had been broken into and although local law enforcement had discouraged the purchase of a firearm by a novice, he was intent on protecting himself and his family by whatever means possible. It was a rough neighborhood he lived in and police response was not always as timely as others might've liked.

As he walked by the showcase, our hero viewed the options and settled upon one. A big black semi-auto. Major price tag. But, quality ain't cheap, right? Motioning over the counter attendant, he asked about the powerful looking handgun. It was a Beretta 9mm. Same as the one issued to our US Armed Forces and carried by many police departments. He wasn't to sure he wanted to pick it up.

Clearly, it represented power and would most assuredly protect his family. But, as the police detective told him, unless he really knew how to use it, it just might get taken away and turned against him and his family.

That price. Who could pay it? It was certainly out of his range, though something about it kept him glued to it as it sat quietly in the showcase. Could he really handle it? With his small frame, could he even carry such a pistol concealed without it being seen? As he began to walk out the door, the counter attendant approached him.

“Sir, I saw you looking at that Beretta. First time for you?”

“Yeah, my home was broken into and my wife wants one for protection but I never even picked up a handgun.”

“You're not the only one. There's been a rash of breakins lately and you're the third today who has come looking with no experience. Know what? If you're willing to learn, we not only hold classes but we also have an indoor range next door you could go to for practice and there's always a certified instructor there for help when you need it. The police will generally tell you not to buy a gun for protection and that's largely because most just buy it and let it sit on the mantle or the bed stand without learning anything about. Then, one time ya need it ya don't know where to start. I see their point and unless you really plan to learn, I would ask you to reconsider as you might just get yourself in trouble playin' with something with all that power you can't handle.”

“Well, maybe you're right. I'll go home and think some and come back if I want to go this route. OK?”

“Fine with me. I meant what I said, though. The Beretta is truthfully top quality and while some cannot pay the price, it is invaluable in the right hands and with the right mindset. They have to work together. Even a shotgun is useless if you haven't really made up your mind that you'll use it if you need it. Have a nice day and God bless.”

As the man left the store, the counter attendant busied himself polishing the showcase glass when his own words came back to him.

For quite some time, his own family had been seeing a change in him. After two tours in Vietnam and other areas afterward, the ghosts were returning. Nightmares and memories flashed through his mind. First, it was only at night. Now, it seemed as if certain photos and songs he heard triggered thoughts and incidents he thought were in the past. Perhaps vaporized by the large doses of anti-depressant prescribed to him by the VA doctors.

This was not to be the case.

The medication had only buried the manifestations of these memories and as the drugs wore off, the nightmares and memories came back even more. As if they were demons coming back outraged at being subdued and penned up.

What to do?

His family, who were devout Pentecostal, had asked to pray over him yet he refused. To him, God was a fantasy fairy. Some transparent being whose existence depended on the faith of others that He in fact existed at all. He consistently went back to his own reality that if there was such a loving God, then why did all those small children get blown up and napalmed? Why were total villages of innocent people shelled and attacked? Where was this loving God of theirs?

One Saturday evening, after a more than tormenting nightmare, he agreed to attend church the following day. He knew he needed some type of protection from his thoughts but he knew nothing of what he was being asked to do. More to the point, he wasn't really sure he wanted to. He'd remembered how the Vietnamese worshiped a being called Buddha. Some fat guy he always saw depicted in stone statues. Some even erected shrines and temples with candles and such. Still, this Buddha guy didn't save their people from getting shelled and killed. So, he thought, what's the point?

Out of respect for his family, he dressed up in his best suit and followed them into church. Taking his seat, he looked down in front of him and there it was. The Holy Bible. God's Word, they called it. After the music and praise team finished their selections, the preacher began speaking. A message he would come to remember.

As the preacher spoke, he was asked to pick up this thing called a Bible and follow along. The subject of the message was “How to leave the past in the past” and as he read, his hands began to shake. The words written by someone called the Apostle Paul seemed to come right off the page. The message also took a side turn and focused on the importance of learning as much as possible about the Bible. The more you studied and learned, the preacher said, the more powerful you become. He learned the enemy of God was Satan. OK, he thought. This is warfare. I can relate here. He began to read intently and although he heard the preacher's voice, he was engrossed in the book in his hands. As the service ended, he followed his family out the door but was intercepted by the preacher on the way out.

“Son, I thank you for coming today and I know you were reluctant. Joshua was a warrior. He did many great things for God and was given many visions and responsibilities. God would not have done any of that unless he was totally sure Joshua would be faithful and obedient. Look, I know you experienced the real thing, but remember the movie Rambo?”

“Yeah, sure. I guess everybody has. The first one tore me up. When he came home. I know what that was like.”

“Well, son, Rambo was sort of a cross between Joshua and another you'll read about named David. Just as John Rambo looked at Col.Troutman as his father in many ways, so did David and as tough as David was, he had his moments for sure. Like we all do. Sometimes, we doubt our own ability to overcome and emerge victorious even though we certainly possess the ability and knowledge. Ever wonder why that is?”

“Maybe we lack the confidence?”

“You are correct. I'm sure you found for your self that the more you learned and the more experience you got, the less you became fearful. Am I right about it?”

“You are. So, if this Satan you talked about is the enemy of God, how are we supposed to smoke this joker?”

The preacher smiled at the man. “Ya smoke the joker by learning as much as you can about God's Word.”

“You mean the Bible, right?”

“Exactly and to get you started off on the right foot here's a brand new King James Bible just for you.”

The man looked hard at the book in the preacher's hands. Black cover. Large book. He began to wonder how powerful he could be after learning as much as possible. How was he supposed to pay for it, though?

“Preacher, look, I appreciate all this, but how can I pay the price of this book? By the way you talk of all the power and knowledge inside, there ain't no way I can afford this. So, who pays the price?”

After handing the man the brand new King James Bible, he fixed him with the kind of stern fatherly look a father gives a son and said, “My son, neither you nor anyone on earth can do that and you don't have to. Jesus already has.”