Albert M. McCaig

Today we will be talking about the first principles that have made America strong in the past, and will continue to keep her strong in the future. We tend to get so hung up on our labels and definitions and things that divide us that we lose sight of fundamental or first principles and spend our time facing off and fighting one another over labels. Frankly, it isn’t the labels that define us but our character. And our character is defined by our principles. 

Those principles that make up such a part of us that they are a part of our character. They’re not opinions or suggestions but the bedrock foundations upon which we build our lives. I can identify five first principles that are at the absolute foundation of liberty and of our personal lives: a strong family; a strong national defense; free enterprise; education; and finally, a faith in the true and living God.

Hey there, and welcome to "Honor and Courage," a podcast all about making good choices and being awesome. I'm Albert McCaig, your host with over 45 years of experience as a lawyer and judge in the great state of Texas.

Today, let's chat about something important: the difference between promises and principles. Now, I've seen a lot in my years dealing with serious cases – the stuff you see in the news. Murders, robberies, you name it. But one thing that keeps popping up is people making promises and not keeping them.

Ever wonder why that happens? Especially when it comes to promises of staying out of trouble. I deal with folks who've already promised to be good but end up breaking the rules. Why? Well, I think it's because they don't have the principles to back up their promises.

But here's the real question for all of us: Do we base our actions on promises or on principles?

I want to talk to you today about excellence, and what I call the four cornerstones of excellence. Excellence is not the same as perfection. Perfection is a concept; excellence is a reality. Rarely will we ever find the perfect situation, the perfect relationship, the perfect job, or anything else on this mortal earth being perfect.

Excellence, on the other hand is not just a concept, it is achievable. Doing your best under all circumstances is living a life of excellence. There is no such thing as doing 125%. Either you do your all, or you do less; but you can’t do more than your all. A soldier giving his or her all is just that; all he or she had to give.

Without excellence in what we do, and about how we act, we’re just an average Joe or Jane, just getting by and really not contributing all that much to what’s around us. We need to set a goal to live a life of excellence, just as we discussed last time about our life missions. In order to do that, we must know what makes up excellence. And here it is; here are the four cornerstones of excellence:

If you are as serious as I am about undertaking this campaign to take back America from the radical left, it is important to know what it is we want to do. We need to define our mission and then set about doing those things necessary to achieve our purposes. My mission statement for Honor and Courage is this: To remind Americans of our heritage and what it took to create the greatest nation in the world regarding global influence, power projection, economy, and innovation.

To caution Americans on how fragile we are right now as a nation in each of the categories of American influence in the world, those being global power, economic viability, and innovation. To provide insight, wisdom, and encouragement to patriotic Americans about their active involvement in all facets of American life, those being God, family, country, work, community, and social activities.

This podcast promotes honor and courage among patriotic Americans interested in turning our great country away from its current slide in to third-world obscurity. We will cover items of interest that shine a bright light on both the good and the bad that we all see happening in this great nation. There will be some wit, wisdom, and not just a few editorials about such things in the following episodes. There will be a strong, Christian thread running through many of the episodes and vignettes that you will hear on this podcast.

In the military, the line of departure is that point at which you are no longer in a safe area, the green zone, or behind the lines. The line of departure means that you are entering the fight, going into the combat zone and you had better be ready for action. Thus, the gaining of knowledge, training, and the acquisition of wisdom is necessary before you cross the line of departure.

Our line of departure in life is similar. If we’re going to cross the line of departure in life we need to gain knowledge, be trained, and acquire wisdom. We must have purpose, and as we discussed in the episode on focusing on your mission, we need to understand what it is we are about in life.

This podcast promotes honor and courage among patriotic Americans interested in turning our great country away from its current slide in to third-world obscurity. We  cover items of interest that shine a bright light on both the good and the bad that we all see happening in this great nation. There will be some wit, wisdom, and not just a few editorials about such things in the following episodes. There will be a strong, Christian thread running through many of the episodes and vignettes.

This episode concludes our study on prayer based on the book, Praying with Passion: Grounded in Obedience. Prayer is personal and intimate, yet prayer is universal in that it encompasses the feelings and thoughts of all Christians in relationship to almighty God. A life of prayer is a lifestyle. The details that have been covered in this study are literally only the beginning.

At this point, through the first 17 episodes, and the book, you have the basics. You know what the Bible says about prayer, how to approach prayer, and the attitudes of prayer. You understand in your head as much as you need in order to become an awesome prayer warrior in your own life as well as in the lives of others. All it will take from this point forward is rolling up your proverbial sleeves and getting on with it. 

Whether you exercise your privileges of prayer just for yourself and loved ones or become a renowned prayer warrior, the rest is up to you. As you embark on what I believe will be a fantastic journey of faith, I know you will bring your personal strengths and gifts to the project of being a prayer warrior. As Paul said, not everyone will have the same gifts, and that is evident in the body of believers as we work together in prayer.

In closing, this is not about you, and I think you know that. This is about God. This is about your having an abiding faith in God and in His willingness and ability to deal with all issues, all the time, in all ways. This is about the exercise of your faith through prayer.

We are continuing our examination of prayer using our authority in the name of Jesus. In parts one and two of our study on our Authority in the Name of Jesus, we covered how we need to have spiritual authority to do great and even supernatural things for the Kingdom of God. We discovered where we get that authority; and, of great importance, we found out that we can do all the things that Jesus did in his earthly ministry, and even more.

Today, we will look at the words we use. Almost all things begin in the mind or heart of the individual and come out through our words. We should be aware of and think about the words we use every day in our life. Words are so important. Proverbs 18: 21 says it so well:  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits (Proverbs 18:21).

By our words, attitudes, and thoughts we either reinforce the power of God in our lives, or the desires of the flesh in our lives. Everything we do will either enrich the influence of God in our life or empower the influence of the world in our life. It is a choice that we must make through training, discipline, and instruction. 

That discipline and instruction begins with our words. It is how we speak; what we say, what we tell others. Words do matter. All the words we use, good or bad, make a difference one way or another. When we indulge in worldly ways by the words we say, by the words we read, what we talk about, the words we listen to, we will get worldly results; and not get the spiritual results that we want and need. 

Through our individual discipline and instruction as a soldier for Christ, joined with other committed soldiers for Christ, we will not only see an abundancy in our own life, but in the lives of others we affect. James 5:16 says in part, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” 

We Christians have the power and authority to provide that fervent, effective prayer that is talked about in Scripture. Through using the authority we have been given in the name of Jesus, we can make a difference in our own lives, and greatly influence in a godly and positive way our families, our communities, and, ultimately, our culture.

We continue our study on the authority we have in the name of Jesus to do great and even supernatural things for the Kingdom of God. Under the Great Commission, and with that authority, where are we to go? "To all nations." And what are we to do? “Make disciples and observe all that He has commanded us to do.” The issue for us, then, is this: “What are we personally doing with that authority?” What are we doing not only in our own life, but also in the lives of others within our dominion or under our influence, with the full authority that we have been personally given by Jesus? 

That is not a rhetorical question. We are an agent of Jesus. By that, we have been given authority and responsibility to do things for Jesus. Agents act. Agents don’t sit and watch or do nothing.  Just as the parable in Matthew 25:14-30 describes the three men who were given various talents, we are expected to do something with the talents, skills, and knowledge Jesus has given us. 

Just as they were to use the talents they were given; we are to use our skills, talents, and resources that we have been given. We are not to go bury them in the ground never to be used, as one of them did. We cannot sit on what we’ve been given by Christ. We are to execute the Great Commission as stated above in the Gospel of John and do it in the name of and by the authority of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 

Failing in taking on our opportunities for ministry is the spiritual equivalent of burying those opportunities in the ground. Jesus also said in John 15:16, “… I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Again, that verse talks about the name of Jesus. We have been given a job, and that job is to bear fruit. That fruit includes the work we do in the name of Jesus, as well as the fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22. The fruit we bear shall abide; by that, it will last. That fruit will last not only in our own life and for our own time, but in the lives of others that we affect or influence. That fruit may even bear positive results for generations to come by the actions we take now as an agent for Christ.

In prior episodes and lessons, we studied prayer, and we know it can be effective. However, must focus that effective, spiritual power of prayer to accomplish God’s will in our lives, in the lives of our families, and in our culture in ways that are specific, personal, and needed. Spiritual power comes from spiritual authority. We often fail to understand our spiritual authority through Christ, and how we can use that authority to do extraordinary things. Those extraordinary things can and do have a great impact on us personally, on those we care about, and on our culture.

This session, and episodes 016 and 017, may be thought of as the culmination, or completion, of the work we began in the earlier studies. Here, we will bring together all the teaching and scripture we’ve gone through and focus it to have a positive, effective impact on each of us personally through prayer. That is spiritual power!

It all comes about through the authority we have in the name of Jesus.  We have authority in the name of Jesus to act as an agent for Christ in all parts of our lives. Being an agent is a legal term that basically means a person acts on behalf of another. Although the Bible does not use the term agent, when we act on behalf of Jesus, we act as an agent. We see this in John 14:12. Scripture does indeed talk about our acting on behalf of Christ. We are to act on His behalf to do what He has asked us and instructed us to do.