Month: May 2007

Bullet Stopper

…in addition to all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

As I read Blackhawk Down, I was struck by the incredible punishment the Ranger convoy endured as it roamed the streets of Mogadishu. The lost string of vehicles became great sport for their enemy as both men and machine were riddled with bullets. One of the Rangers noted that it looked as though the sun was poking holes in the Humvee door. What a terrifying experience! In the same way, our everyday lives are just as penetrable as our spiritual enemy tries to take us out. Without protection, we can be riddled with unholy holes. We try to duck behind our own strength or wisdom for protection, but the flaming missiles of the evil one streak through it all. God is our only shield and our trust in Him deflects the enemy’s projectiles. By faith, we hunker down behind His love and promises and we are protected. Take Cover Behind Jesus!

LPCs

…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15)

As a young infantryman in training the Drill Sergeant kept saying to us, ‘We’ll be traveling by LPCs today.’ We always expected some vehicle to pick us up and take us to our destination. Invariably, we would end up walking everywhere we went. Then we figured it out. LPC stood for Leather Personnel Carrier, boots! The soldier’s feet are one of his greatest assets and must be protected with properly fitted boots. They protect the feet of those on the go. Jesus commanded us to ‘Go.’ In Matthew 28:19, He says, ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples…’ We are called to a mission. And, as we are going, part of our protection and presentation is the Gospel. Think about that for a few minutes. There’s protection in presenting Jesus Christ and bringing peace into other’s lives. Lace up those boots!

Put On Your Body Armor

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… (Ephesians 6:13-14)

Sometimes during PT we run in our body armor to add weight and make running a little more challenging. Once PT is done, we can drop that heavy armor in the closet. When we are deployed, however, we wear it 24/7 because if lead starts flying we want to have it on. For the believer, our body armor is RIGHTEOUSNESS. Not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. It’s issued to us at spiritual birth. This spiritual flack vest is put on by acknowledging the fact that our good deeds don’t cut it. If we begin to think that somehow our good works make us more acceptable to God, the spiritual shrapnel of Satan’s accusations begin to wound us. We need Christ to protect us with His holiness. Nothing can penetrate the Righteousness of Christ. Keep your spiritual body armor on.

Truth Based Faith

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. (Ephesians 6:14a)

I was confronted with this question, ‘If I could prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus never existed, would you believe it?’ Without a second’s hesitation I responded, ‘Yes.’ My challenger was dumbfounded and stood there with his mouth open. When he regained his wits he replied, ‘You are the first Christian I’ve met who has ever responded that way.’ Obviously, he’d been setting up trip wires for Christians for some time. I then explained that my faith was based on evidence gathered from the scripture, history, science, and my experiences in life. I told him I was pursuing the truth, not a fairy tale. Both he and I knew he could not disprove the existence of Christ. He was testing my foundation for faith. We seek the truth. Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.’ (John 14:6)

Safety First?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

We were rushing down the runway at Ft. Benning in a C-141 and settling in for the long flight to Ft. Bliss, Texas. We had grown so comfortable with our frequent trips to the desert that we ignored some of the basic safety precautions. Then suddenly there was deafening explosion. I jumped as though a bolt of lightning had struck me. A portion of the engine housing had ripped off. Now things like putting on a helmet and rolling down sleeves didn’t seem so trivial. Both were done in seconds, but precious seconds that were only given by the grace of God. We made a safe emergency landing at a nearby airport. Seconds. That’s all it takes. In the spiritual realm the unprepared trooper can have his or her life suddenly and irrevocably changed by a bad decision that the tempter has initiated. Be prepared. Put on the full armor of God.

Don’t Give Up on Them

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)

Failure is a tough part of life. I tried for the Expert Infantrymen’s Badge (EIB) seven times and failed seven times. I was always the honor graduate in everything I did but for some reason I would always bolo the EIB. I knew I wouldn’t quit until I conquered it and others assisted me as well. My Chain of Command could have said, “Wood, you’ve wasted enough time on this. Face it, you’ll never be good enough.” However, they stuck by me. They encouraged me and allowed me to train year after year. We also fail in our spiritual lives. Our brothers and sisters fail too. Our job is to encourage and lift up, not to discard or ignore. It takes support and encouragement to restore the fallen and the goal should always be restoration. By the way, on my eighth try I finally received my EIB.

You Struggle with that Too?

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

One of the things I found unique in Ranger School was that everyone was the same. Although there were officers and enlisted in the course, we wore no rank and were forbidden to even mention it. Everyone carried a heavy rucksack. Everyone had their turn at carrying the radio and the M60 machinegun. And most importantly, EVERYONE was evaluated on leadership and followership. Everyone experienced the same thing. Much like it is in the Christian life. We all experience temptation and we all have the means by which to escape it. Jesus makes sure of that. He gives a way for success. The question is, are we willing to take it? Pop Smoke and Break Contact!