“A man must have a battle to fight, a great mission to his life that involves and yet transcends even home
and family. He must have a cause to which he is devoted, even unto death, for this is written into the
fabric of his being. Listen carefully now: you do! That is why God created you—to be His intimate ally,
to join Him in the Great Battle. You have a specific place in the line a mission God made for you.”
John Eldredge, Wild at Heart.
In natural war the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA), where large armies meet to engage in
combat, has always been an intense, dynamic theater to itself. During recent decades, in our nation’s
wars, the FEBA has been less well defined. It is often where small, opposing bands of warriors, elements
of larger forces, engage each other in fierce combat. I experienced such action in numerous “fierce fire
fights” flying helicopter gunship support for navy SEAL and swift boat units in Vietnam. Today, within
our homeland, these lines of battle are increasingly drawn up as “culture wars”. This warfare manifests as
evil and diabolical influences passionately espousing anti-Christian rhetoric, assaulting the sanctity of
life, the sacredness of marriage, and the God-created male gender and female gender.
It seems to me that John Eldredge is speaking of the spiritual FEBA, that theater of operations where holy
warriors are called to take their stand…a specific place in the line, where cause is translated into action.
For without a cause to which he is devoted, even unto the death of self, a man is without a real purpose
and can have no real passion for selfless service for others. This lack of “being discipled” absolutely
prevents a man from becoming Christ-like…from becoming His intimate ally, as a husband, father or
brother. In fact, this guarantees a man’s mediocrity in following the Great Commission and explains the
tepid response of some men to the Great Commandment. Ponder that for a moment!
Regardless of what our culture or religious traditions espouse, the masculine gender is different, divinely
created different from the feminine gender. That does not at all mean that one is “better” than the other.
However, a masculine warrior prepares himself for life’s battles from the passion in his heart because
God has written it into the fabric of his being, his spiritual DNA. Consider immersing yourself in what I
define as The Warrior Spirit: “The passionate desire and determination in a man’s heart to prepare
himself and to perfect himself for the stance against evil in the service of others.” Sound familiar? This is
exactly what Jesus did, see Luke 2:52 and 1John 3:8, so we must be Jesusesque!
In the absence of this passionate preparation for serving others, the women, children, and weaker men
among us, risk being overrun and conquered by evil forces that are fully committed to do just
that…conquer! A sense of urgency should grip us from looking at our global and national landscape and
considering how the spheres of influence of righteous forces and evil forces have changed over the recent
years. We must sound the alarm in prayer for a network of men, with Christ-like passion, to be raised up
to restore righteousness to this landscape! Brothers, we are “Plan A” and there is no “Plan B”!
Many Christian men seem to be feeding on a steady diet of consumerism, junk information, and social
media. In the absence of real discipleship, and without the full armor of God, should they stagger into a
spiritual FEBA, instead of setting captives free and creating enemy casualties, they often become a
casualty. The ancient warrior Sun Tzu said this: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of
the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking
but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” For the Christian warrior, that
“unassailable position” must be in Christ alone…on The Rock! The identical guidance is given to us in 1
Peter 5:8-9, please check it out. Our challenge…our purpose must be to diligently seek our place in the
line… to be His intimate ally? Lock arms…lock shields…Onward Christian Soldiers!
Barney Barnes, 03-08-2026, Former Promise Keepers National Ambassador for the Military and Prisons