Last night, Jan and I watched a few episodes of an Amazon TV series titled On Call. If rough language and intense scenes are not something you want to hear or see, I suggest you keep scrolling. To me, as a former cop, this show is about as real as it gets.

As the series began, the training officer asked her to recruit a question all FTOs (Field Training Officers) ask their rookie. Out of the blue, she asked, “Where are we?” Her rookie looked startled and confused by the question.
He began looking around, realizing he didn’t know his location. The FTO pressed him by shouting, “I’ve just been shot, and I’m bleeding out! Where are we?”

She pulled the patrol unit to the curb and had a talk with her rookie about how important it is to know your precise location. Any assistance and support would come only if we knew our exact location.

As that scene developed, I remember the first time my FTO asked me the same question. My response was similar to the TV character. After that moment, I always knew where we were and could report our location exactly. Until I learned the layout of the city, my head was on a continuous swivel, turning to catch the next street sign. Later, when I became an FTO, I asked my rookie the same question and received the same confused response.

As the series unfolded, something strange took place. I began to feel the weight of my police uniform and the gear I once wore. I could feel my bulletproof vest pressing against my chest. I felt my Sam Browne belt around my waist, supporting the weight of my handgun, ammunition, and handcuffs.

I was experiencing a physical manifestation of Ephesians 6:11, where Paul instructs the Church on how to prepare for spiritual warfare. It was like a cop putting on their uniform and equipment and preparing for duty, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Paul continued his instruction, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then, after the battle, you will still be standing firm” (vs. 13).

John wrote, “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one” (I John 5:19). If we, as followers of Christ, don’t know who controls this world, we will not be prepared for what is coming. It is foolish not to see that reality. As a result, our faith will appear more like a sitcom rather than the harsh spiritual truth of the world in which we live.

This world, as beautiful as it can be, is like a neighborhood given over to gangs. We can wear all the equipment of a spiritual life, but if we don’t know our location and who we are facing, we will be as confused as a rookie cop who failed to discern their location when asked, “Where are we?”