And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:17)
George Patton, one of the late great American army generals, once said as he spoke to his troops, “Your job is not to die for your country, but to cause others to die for theirs.” Whether we realize it or not, as Christians we are in a war.
The Bible refers to us as soldiers who must fight many battles through the course of our lives. This is not a time for Christians to go “AWOL” on God. The good news is that we don’t have to be afraid of any battle we face.
God has given each of us an offensive weapon in our armor. It’s called the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
It’s time to stop admiring our sword, polishing our sword—and even carrying it. We’ve got to use it! When we speak the Word of God boldly in faith, that mighty spiritual weapon cuts through every temptation or spiritual opposition that comes our way.
Commitment Prayer
Father in heaven, I am not afraid of the trials and battles I am currently facing in my life. I am confident to trust in You and know that Your Word is my weapon in battle. I will not lose! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Blaine and Lori Bartel didn’t set out to build a place like this. They became it.
Blaine once lived at the top of the ministry world—national TV, a booming youth movement at Church on the Move, and a growing church in Dallas. But while the stage lights were bright, the darkness underneath was darker. A secret 23-year sexual addiction buried everything he valued—his marriage, ministry, finances, reputation, and identity.
Crushed and barely holding on to life, he spent over a year in deep therapy, wrestling with shame and fighting for healing. Then, somewhere on a windswept highway between Kansas City and Tulsa, he heard the voice that lifted him out of the soil:
“I am not going to give you a recovery. I am calling you into resurrection.”
Everything changed.
Blaine found complete freedom and began decoding a Jesus-centered path that leads men out of the grave and into new life. For more than a decade, he’s been guiding other men through that same resurrection.
Lori was walking her own road—rebuilding after 17 years married to a chronic alcoholic, carrying both the wounds and the courage of a woman who refused to stay broken. She was searching for purpose, for peace, for somewhere her heart could breathe again.
Then God crossed their paths.
They met over pasta at Ti Amo (“I love you”—God’s little wink).
A year later, in a simple wedding wrapped in hope, they said yes to each other and to a calling bigger than themselves.
Today—13 years in—they share one mission:
To pull men out of addiction and to rebuild the marriages addiction has shattered.
House of Resurrection is the fruit of the very ground that once tried to bury them—a sacred space for honesty, healing, and brand-new beginnings.
They are joyful parents of four grown kids, proud grandparents of two, and happiest anywhere with lakes, beaches, sunshine, and reminders that darkness never gets to write the final chapter.