How to Use This Book

For Individuals:
Take your time with this book. Read each Lesson and the Gems from the Masters in such a way that you allow yourself time for reflection. Let the lessons sink in. The Gems from the Masters are taken from the wise warriors who have gone before. Let their wisdom become yours. Ask yourself how these words and ideas relate to your own life, and how you can incorporate them more fully into your way of thought and daily routine. The Questions for Personal Reflection and Discussion can help you gain a deeper insight into each discipline. If possible, share your thoughts and ideas with others, for their benefit, and also to ground these insights into your memory by articulating them. When you come to the Meditation, let yourself relax and allow for the imagery to sink in deep. Read a few sentences or thoughts and let your mind wander in the imagery. Return to the words and read some more. When finished reading the meditation, ask yourself what you have learned or received from it. The Processes are for individuals and groups. Take time to work with these, and experience the lesson on a physical level as well as mentally and emotionally. Allow yourself to incorporate these disciplines into your life. Ask yourself what you can do to live more fully by these principles today. Close each chapter with your own prayer for yourself and the world. Allow yourself enjoy the entire process.

For Groups:
Each chapter of this book can serve as an outline for leading a support group in spiritual warfare. Groups should consist of no more than eight to ten participants, so that a sense of inimacy and trust can be built, and the processes completed in a timely manner in each session. The thirteen chapters outline thirteen sessions to aid in learning the art of the noble warrior. When these are completed, the group can continue, if members choose, by reading other pertinent material about spiritual warfare, and simply sharing thoughts, struggles, and support for one another.

For each session, have one or more persons read aloud the Lesson. Let people take turns reading aloud the individual Gems from the Masters. Use the Questions for Personal Reflection and Discussion to aid in a brief ten minute interchange among participants to gain insight and clarity about the topic. After this, get comfortable and have a volunteer lead in a relaxation process and read the Meditation offered in that particular chapter. When this is finished, participants may want to briefly share what they learned or received from the meditation. After this, follow the directions for the Processes, and allow time for people to debrief afterwards. Keep in mind that the processes often take the most amount of time, but are critical to learning the discipline. Allow for closing thoughts, and close with a prayer.


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