God’s Wounded Warriors

"Sword of the Spirit"

“Put on the FULL armor of GOD,
Taking up the shield of faith
The helmet of salvation with
The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
So you may be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy.¹

God's Wounded Warrior

Greetings, fellow warrior. My name is Cooper, and together, my mother and I wanted to write a book for boys who, like me, have been called to battle as God's Warriors. You are being called to battle against good and evil, right and wrong, to protect the helpless and vulnerable.

God says, "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, who rule wicked spirits in the spirit world."²

You may have already read about me in Macy's Barn Cat or Horses Hoped For, which are mostly about my sisters. This book is about boys becoming men because without our strength and wisdom from God, our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters will be attacked and taken captive by the enemy.

We men, can't do this alone. We must do it God's way, and He says, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."³ This is one of your weapons: the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God! Read this promise every day to remain strong in the spirit.

Now, my Son, I'm sure you want to hear how I became a Wounded Warrior. Are you a Wounded Warrior too?

Secret Weapon

My Son, your wounds and my wounds are a valuable secret weapon of war. The custody battle is one wound that the enemy has used to destroy future warriors. When a parent leaves because of the strange woman or the lusts of the flesh, both described in the book of Proverbs. Even the strongest man in history, Samson, failed to win this battle, but God used it for good in the end because Samson destroyed all the evil men. Warriors "know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”⁵ Read this promise and weapon of war when you wake up and before you close your eyes at night, which will unlock a treasure chest full of promises.

When you read God's promises, day and night, it will unleash incredible superpowers. A warrior's "delight is in the Law of the LORD, and he thinks about it day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which produces fruit in season and whose leaf does not wilt—and whatever they do prospers."⁶

Solomon's Wisdom

My Son, during most custody battles, children are emotionally cut in two—by the parents or the court. When Solomon, the wisest man of all time, faced the difficult decision of judging between two mothers who said the same child was theirs, he called for a sword to divide the baby in half. The true mother begged the king to spare the child's life, which showed she was the real mother.

During the custody battle for my two sisters and me, our parents agreed that one would have sole custody and the other visitation. But, not long after, we were captured and held hostage until our one parent decided to give up custody because God says, "Agree with your enemy quickly,"⁷ and I was in danger.

While riding my bike down a steep hill, I flew over the handlebars and broke my left wrist. In the hospital, I had surgery and the surgeon drilled pins into the bones to hold them steady that stuck out from my blue cast.

After leaving the hospital, we visited our other parent and their new family. Desperate to have us live with them, my sisters and I were not returned. But the pins in my wrist needed to be taken out before they stayed attached to my wrist bones. So the parent, whom the courts gave custody to, agreed to surrender custody so we would live with their family.

Unfortunately, some battles leave permanent damage. The pins were in too long, so I can't move my left arm, and I was born left-handed—but "GOD meant it for good."⁸ Now I use both arms! I am ambidextrous like the brave men who joined David when he fought King Saul. "These [ambidextrous] men helped David in battle. They could shoot arrows from their bows with either their right or left hand. They could also throw stones from their slings with either their right or left hand."⁹

Helmet of Salvation

"You will need the helmet of salvation [not just] the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God."¹⁰

My first battle wound as a warrior happened when I was just a baby. I fell backward off the bunk beds and landed on my head. A few weeks later, my oldest brother shouted, "Come quick!!!! Come quick!!!! Something's wrong with Cooper!" I was shaking violently until they suddenly stopped. My body was left stiff, and my arms were drawn up, which meant I had brain damage.

My mother once cared for was severely brain damaged—a happy five-year-old boy who couldn't walk, speak, or "play" like other children. But rather than call for emergency medical help, my parents remembered what God said, "I am the LORD, who heals you. I am the LORD, your healer.”¹¹

They also remembered the power of praise. So my family (my parents and five older siblings) began singing praise songs—when suddenly, God came to live in "the praises of His people."¹² Suddenly, my arms and legs started to relax, and God healed me! And my brain and intelligence grew larger, too.

Three youths were thrown into a furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel,¹³ and they refused to bow down to the King (like my parents refused to bow down to modern medicine). They came out unharmed "from the furnace of blazing fire. Like Daniel in the lion's den, each boy was determined to live according to God's law."¹⁴

My Son, whatever God has for the future, no matter what, I will continue to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.”¹⁵ Will you join me?