Surround Yourself With Those Who Speak Life

A battle buddy scrawled a telling personal prophecy in my Bible that shockingly came true in my life

I promised not to make this journal a political journal, and while this entry involves allusions to my political journey, its intent is to highlight the power of those who speak life. I met James Charles Phillips in late 2020, and when my services came in high demand, he reached out to me and offered to accompany me on my travels. For months, he watched my back and offered fellowship on the road.

James Charles is a lifelong Mississippian I did not know when I was growing up in the state. He’s a former Marine and State Trooper, and we were connected by a mutual friend. Honestly, James Charles is a little crazy. I think most veterans are. The guy doesn’t go to the gym but is just country strong and someone you wouldn’t want to run into in some smoky back room where the deals are being made – if in fact you were on his bad side. We have butted heads frequently over matters of faith. He is far more charismatic in expressing his faith than I am, but the purpose of this post is to call out boldness.

One day, in late September 2021, the two of us flew from Washington, D.C., to Minneapolis, for the next stop on the trail, just over the state line in Wisconsin. I had just bought a new Bible, English Standard Version, shown below, and started it the week before. As is my custom, I like to take down dates and locations in the margins and have read through six Bibles in this fashion.

Being no respecter of physical boundaries, James Charles reached across the aisle and snatched my Bible right out from under my hands, and penned a message in the back pages:

Capt Keshel, sir.

Many will never know the details of your service to this Republic or the pains, wounds, and strains that recent combat has hurled at you. One day, when we have our country back, I will tell your children of your honor and your courage. Always lead with 3 elements of victory.

1) Blood of the Lamb

2) The bold Word of our testimony

3) Not caring if we live or die

Victory is ours when we seize it.

May Heaven help us.

James Charles Phillips for the Kingdom and the Republic

John 14:6

True to form, James Charles went big and bold on the next page with this:

You Shall Stand Before Kings is a reference to Proverbs 22:29:

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

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I had been mentioned by President Trump in a press release, and then again at a live event, the month before he wrote those words. One week before the release, I had accidentally shared fake news on social media and got a lot of heat for it. When that release dropped on August 3, I was reluctant to share it out because I thought it was a prank; nevertheless, I thought my moment in the sun was a pinnacle of sorts for my journey, even though it was extremely cool to be called out by a President.

Time passed, and I never met the President who spoke my name and lent credibility to my hard work. I never considered it a matter of my self-worth, but it did nag at me a bit that I never had a chance to shake his hand, thank him, and maybe even talk shop with him over shared missions and goals. I brought this up here and there to James Charles and he reminded me, “you shall stand before kings.”

I attended an event in December 2022 at Mar-a-Lago and stayed around for a couple days thanks to my friend Cameron Moore, who sponsored my visit for dinner the next two evenings. On December 7, we ran headlong into the man himself in the dining area of his Florida home. He remembered me, told me good work, and asked me my thoughts on the midterms, which had just wrapped in disappointing fashion. He asked me a few more questions, and I pulled out my maps and we had a brief conversation about them. I gave him one of my challenge coins, told him I was in it to win it, and he asked his people to get my information and stay in touch. And off he went.

A couple months later, I was back down in Florida, and got this photo with our incoming Commander in Chief:

As some of you who follow my political writings know, I have put my credentials forward to be of service to the incoming administration. I don’t know if I’m going to make the team or not, but I trust God will use me how He sees fit; I’ve come to learn that He always has a better plan than I do.

My point remains this: it is vital to have friends who speak life into you and affirm your mission in life. These friends are never perfect, just as none of us are. In fact, James Charles and I were divided for some time over some major disagreements. There are people who will read this entry with contempt, scoffing at it at remembering the things I’ve done wrong. Some will probably reference it in the very near future to criticize me personally, given that I know of several people who read my personal commentaries for no other purpose than to find items to hold against me. This will not change the fact that those who speak life over your purpose are substantially more important to your ultimate success than those who do nothing but criticize, root for your failure, and spend years attempting to hold your nose in your failures of the past. To those of you with ringing ears - you know who you are, and your opinions of me mean nothing.

What James Charles prophesied in my Bible came true, even if for a few blips in time and never again. I am learning, even though I have a long way to go, to discard the negative barbs and hatred foisted upon me by those (including those once close to me) who wish for me to fail so they can feel better about their own miserable life circumstances and lack of purpose, and value the words of those who believe in you and want you to succeed.

That Bible has been signed by some very well-known, even outright famous people, I’ve crossed paths with over the years. They are household names that almost every American who follows current events knows. James Charles is not one of them, but his words (not including those contained in the Bible itself) are the most impactful that anyone has written between those covers.