A Wanted Man Read online

  You must realize that you are living in a society where everything at every turn is competing for your loyalty and attention.

  Really, it doesn’t affect you?

  Then you need to explain why corporations paid up to $5 million for a thirty-second ad during the 2016 Super Bowl to get your attention.1

  Are the heads of those corporations stupid? Are those companies led by CEOs and marketing teams that are anti-intellect on every level?

  No. You are able to be influenced. And while a beer commercial may not get to you, messages sink into your bones over time.

  Many years ago I heard a leadership axiom that goes like this:

  It takes up to a mile for a large battleship or aircraft carrier to make a U-turn in the ocean. So how do you turn a battleship? Constant pressure on a small rudder.

  That’s how the enemy, the thief, wins with his messaging. Constant pressure on your mind. Constant pressure speaking lies mixed with truths over the course of a few years, getting you to rethink things that once were nonnegotiables in your life.

  Now consider that we are currently living in the most biblically illiterate culture we’ve ever seen.

  Let’s put it all together. We live in a culture rife with incredibly well-crafted messages everywhere. A culture where companies pay good money to get access to your purchasing habits so they can send you messages that appeal to your core values.

  You and I live in a world of deception enhanced by a lifestyle of distraction.

  Stack that sort of powerful, well-funded messaging up against the average person—including the average churchgoing person—who is biblically illiterate.

  What do you get?

  Sheep wandering around doing life in hostile territory.

  That’s what we’re up against today, my brother.

  You and I live in a world of deception enhanced by a lifestyle of distraction.

  There’s the money voice. Financial Pharisees are constantly telling you, “Get that bigger house. You deserve it. You need it. We’ll offer it to you at 3.1 percent. Never mind that you can’t pay for it. Never mind that you have $22,000 of credit card debt already. You deserve a bigger house, and you can figure it out later.”

  There’s the identity voice. Messages on how to get ahead bombard today’s workingman. Voices of corporate competition tell you that if you’re not winning, you’re losing. The enemy’s marketing agents are always there, telling you to take more pride in your market value as a businessman. Pay attention and you’ll start to notice that there’s just enough truth mixed with lies to keep you distracted from the Identity Giver.

  There’s the sex voice. Steadily creeping into your life are songs on the radio telling you that looking at her is nowhere near the same as touching her. It’s a victimless action, so they say. Magazine ads linger in your periphery, hoping to get you to look at her cleavage for one extra second while you consider the product being sold. Thoughts are planted into your mind, and daily you must struggle to push them out.

  I could go on and on and on and on.

  Voices all around you, and every man responds to different voices in different ways.

  Some men are honestly quite immune to porn, while others fall easily to it. Some men have a soft spot for money, while others aren’t too concerned with wealth.

  It doesn’t matter to the devil. He has messaging built on design spec created just for you. Every virus needs a sneeze. The right kind of sneeze pointed at the right target.

  People in Jesus’ day knew this about sheep: sheep live outside the city in a hostile environment.

  Every. Single. Day.

  And Jesus tapped into that idea about a hostile world.

  So the hunt was on then, and the hunt is on now. And if you want to win, if you want to live, you’d better confront the hunt.

  If you want to win, if you want to live, you’d better confront the hunt.

  2 : BRUTAL FACT #2

  YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE WIRE

  Before you read any further, watch “Brutal Fact #2: You Live outside the Wire” at JasonCruise.com/WantedMan.

  “The thief comes…”

  Haunting words.

  Shepherds and their sheep lived outside the city in the rough country. Outside the city walls. Outside the wire.

  Most cities in those days had walls. That’s why Jesus, as well as the Old Testament writers, often made reference to “the city gate.” These barriers were meant to keep out intruders.

  Think of these gates as a modern-day umbrella policy you purchase from your insurance agent.

  My insurance agent looks out for me.

  Recently my wife and I added some investment property to our portfolio, and in reviewing the risks, my agent suggested an umbrella policy because my risk had become greater after increasing my net worth. Just as an umbrella policy protects everything under it, a city gate protected everything behind it. It was, as they say in the insurance world, “another layer of protection.”

  Shepherds and sheep lived outside the umbrella. They were exposed, which for them was the price of doing business. Everyone knew that shepherds lived vulnerable lives outside the gate, or wire, of protection.

  My Special Forces buddy, Brad—whom I mentioned in the most recent video I asked you to watch—has told me a lot about the wireless life.

  I’ll never forget him talking about what it felt like to leave the security of the umbrella. He said that his team knew the Taliban or local militants were watching them.

  Not only did they know it; they heard it. Immediately.

  As soon as the gate went up, they heard increased chatter on their radio frequencies. Brad said they knew the moment their convoy left the wire that they were in the hot zone.

  And that’s why it felt so very stressful. Their senses remained on critical high alert. They knew the chances of beings shot at or the likelihood of hitting an IED had just gone up dramatically.

  LIFE TODAY AS A JESUS FOLLOWER

  You are being hunted whether you like it or not. Jesus made it clear that the enemy is on the hunt. Walking toward you. Planning behind the scenes of your life. Talking about you. Watching you.

  In John 10:10 Jesus made it painfully clear for you, my brother. Your enemy is real, and you are walking in his territory now. The thief is coming at you, and he is no ordinary enemy.

  Your enemy is the enemy of enemies—the underlord of evil.

  Your enemy is the enemy of enemies—the underlord of evil.

  Today the enemy is thinking about how to gain access to your children.

  Today the enemy is thinking about your relationship with your boss.

  Today the enemy is thinking about your sex life.

  Today the enemy is thinking about you.

  Every single facet of you is on his mind.

  The day you gave your life to Christ, you actually made two decisions, and yet most likely you were aware of only one of them.

  You gave your life to Christ. You felt elated. If your salvation experience was anything like mine, people praised you to high heaven. Teachers sent notes. Preachers sent words of affirmation. You’d walk into church and elders of the community would tell you how proud they were of you.

  It was great. And it should be great. It’s supposed to be great.

  The problem comes in what many never told you: life is full of battles. Real battles. Epic battles. And some of them, you are going to lose. And when you lose, you’re going to get wounds.

  So, yes, the day you came to Christ, you made a decision.

  You also declared yourself an enemy to the devil. You may not have picked up on that, but I can promise you that Satan didn’t miss it.

  The average Christian man lives in spiritual oblivion right in the midst of hostile territory.

  A STRANGE REALITY

  It’s strange to me. And yet as strange as it is, I’m still guilty for doing it myself. In fact, I probably do it daily.

  I walk through life outside the wire in gentle oblivion.<
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  Equally strange, after twenty years of engagement in men’s ministry, I am fully convinced from the email and other feedback I receive that most men live here.

  The average Christian man lives in spiritual oblivion right in the midst of hostile territory. He lives outside the wire with a mentality of comfort.

  THE COOPER COLOR CODE

  Col. Jeff Cooper’s legendary contribution to society wasn’t just the founding of the world famous Gun Site Academy.1 I believe his greatest contribution came in defining a psychological worldview commonly referred to as “situational awareness.”

  Col. Cooper created word pictures for how the prepared man is to “think” so that a man can stay sharp in a hostile environment and never let his guard drop. Eventually that mental state came to be referred to as the Cooper Color Code for Readiness, and as the name indicates, it is based on a color system.

  Condition White is oblivion. You’re just living life, going about your day like a sheep grazing in a pasture, completely unaware of your surroundings.

  The sad reality is that the average person lives in Condition White, oblivious to what’s around them as they go through the motions of getting through the day.

  I’ve taught my wife about this condition over and over again.

  I don’t want her parking next to just anyone in a parking lot. I tell her to look around at her situation and to walk out of stores with her head up, making eye contact with strangers.

  Condition Yellow is awareness. Any person who teaches self-defense or tactical training can tell you about living in Condition Yellow. You can train yourself to live with this kind of awareness so that it becomes muscle memory.

  Under Condition Yellow, you are alert, at least somewhat. You notice people’s habits on some level.

  For instance, you walk into a convenience store and notice two guys wearing hoodies with the hoods up over their heads. They may not be criminals, but they are together, and both are wearing hoodies; it’s a bit suspicious. You simply need to take note of it.

  I carry a gun. I’ve taken the required concealed-carry classes, but I’ve taken some advanced tactical classes as well. They were really worth it, too.

  In my advanced courses, one of my instructors talked about the Cooper Code. He talked about training yourself with muscle memory because muscle memory kicks in big-time under pressure. People’s repetitive responses when under distress are amazing.

  My instructor gave us a few examples, but how to approach convenience stores is one that has stuck with me to this day.

  He taught us to get in this habit: as you walk up to the doors of the store after pumping gas, look at the counter before you go inside. Look to see if someone is standing at the counter or nearby.

  Look to see if the clerk is standing really still, almost robotic in nature. Look to see if the person standing nearby has their head down, most likely wearing a hoodie.

  If so, something might be up. It could be that the clerk is in the process of being robbed and the thief is just waiting on you to check out and leave.

  That’s situational awareness, and situational awareness is what keeps you alive, my brother.

  Let me tell you just how critical to survival awareness can be. My instructor, who has become a friend of mine, had an encounter a few years ago that was truly ironic for someone who teaches situational awareness.

  Ken is an active law enforcement officer who, as I said, also trains the average citizen in concealed carry and tactical response. In fact, he is often even brought in to teach local and state law enforcement. He is that good!

  He was at the movies with his wife. She gets cold easily, so during the movie she couldn’t get warm, and he went out to the SUV to grab her coat.

  Ken carries a gun 24/7. You simply are not going to find him unarmed. Protecting himself and others is a lifestyle, not a hobby. He knows the dangers of being unarmed, and he simply refuses to be a statistic.

  I’ll share the encounter in his own words. He said:

  I noticed from a distance that three adult males were wearing hoodies and walking right at me. [They were] standing side by side and approaching me rapidly from about forty yards away. I changed direction, walked through some parking spaces, chose a new lane opposite them, put cars between us, and continued forward. No big deal.

  Nobody was in the parking lot. Just me and them.

  However, they did the same thing. They crossed through the lanes of cars and came over to my side, making direct eye contact with me. They continued to walk directly at me. Side by side. It was obvious they were going to rob me.

  At twenty yards away, I simply pulled out my gun, drew down at low ready, pointed just in front of them, and yelled out, “Can I help you fellas with anything?”

  Upon seeing his weapon and hearing his question, they bolted!

  Ken’s commitment to situational awareness saved his life; actually, I’d say it saved the lives of the three guys. No kidding. They had no idea who they were up against! If Ken were to click off ten rounds, he’d hit his target with nine of them. Yet he avoided a gunfight, and they avoided sheer death at the hands of a man who wouldn’t hesitate to end the threat.

  Ken lives in a constant state of Condition Yellow, and in this particular situation he shifted into the next phase—Condition Orange—when the threat persisted.

  Condition Orange is being prepared to fight. In Ken’s encounter he moved from being aware that a threat could come to noticing a threat approaching, and once it escalated, he was ready to fight if necessary.

  Condition Red is fighting. That is, the fight is on. It’s time to survive at all costs.

  SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

  Ask any Christian male, and he’ll readily admit to the power of evil; but watch how he operates daily, and you’ll see a diminished response to that very same evil power he so readily acknowledges. Is that not perplexing?

  Can you imagine being deployed to the Middle East to fight ISIS but living daily as if you were back at home walking your kids to ball practice?

  Yet that is what most men do in terms of living life outside the wire.

  The average Christian man walks around as if there’s no real war going on around him. Sure, he’ll admit there is a devil. Sure, he’ll admit that evil is real and present, yet there’s a mental disconnect to his willingness to admit that “the thief comes.”

  NATHAN’S SWORD

  My inner circle consists of a few brothers whom God has provided to walk with me outside the wire. Our relationships are deep and filled with many layers that undergird our bond of brotherhood.

  The average Christian man walks around as if there’s no real war going on around him.

  One of those chosen few is a man named Pierce Marrs. Pierce is a world-class professional and a career coach. Most of all, he’s a man of God. He’s well read, and he pursues life.

  Pierce and I have had lunch together only one time.

  And that same lunch is still a monthly appointment. The reason we’ve had only one lunch is that the same lunch never ends. We just pick up where we left off. We never close the conversation; it just lingers until the next month when we pick back up and solve 87 percent of the world’s problems, leave the 13 percent until the next time, and then do it again.

  It’s awesome. I never leave my perpetual lunch with Pierce without being a better man on every level, having gleaned from his heart and wisdom.

  Pierce told me a story once that has never left me. It was about his youngest son, Nathan. Nathan is a grown man now and recently returned from China where he was serving as a missionary.

  From his youngest years, Nathan loved film. Movies, drama, plotlines, character development—all those things resonated with Nathan. Pierce, being the career coach he is, would often exegete life with Nathan through films they’d watch.

  Pierce told me that from the start, Nathan loved anything with battles and swords. Especially swords. Even to the point that as a young boy he would go out in the yard and pr
actice sword maneuvers, actually becoming quite impressive with how he handled the blade.

  One night during the early years when Pierce went up to tuck Nathan into bed, he noticed Nathan had put a sword by his bed.

  “Son, I see you’ve got your sword. Why did you prop it up beside the bed tonight?” Pierce asked.

  Nathan responded, “I just want to be ready, Dad.”

  Ready.

  Think about that. Here’s a young boy who doesn’t want to be unprepared should the fight come his way. Nathan had something inside him that told him that life, his included, had villains within it. And he just wanted to be…ready.

  We all live outside the wire, yet most of us live out there walking through minefields every day, eating a burrito and drinking a Coke. Readiness is not something we live by habit.

  We are, in a word, lulled.

  A WORLD OF DISTRACTIONS OR A WORLD OF DECEPTIONS?

  Do we live in a world of distractions or a world of deceptions? I think it’s both.

  Jesus said that we are “not of the world” (John 17:16). That is, He understands that life is lived outside the wire—in hostile territory.

  Talk with any military combat veteran, and he’ll tell you that combat is a surreal emotional ride.

  I had an older friend who saw intense combat in the Vietnam War. He said to me, “Combat is an odd daily grind. Combat is twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes of the most mind-numbing boredom you can imagine, with fifteen minutes of panic and terror like you’ve never known before—and then it’s over until you do it again later.”

  That’s what I think about when I think of life outside the wire. We don’t live unaware of the enemy, but we walk rank and file down the path of the redeemed knowing that our redemption is not complete just yet because we are still on this side of heaven. We know that we are in hostile territory, but we’ve learned to move on because in many cases we have small scars from the occasional wound. A wound that, while painful, is still manageable.