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Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)

As a sniper in the Ranger Battalion half my job was shooting and the other was hiding. We had specially designed suits and received extra training in camouflage to ensure maximum stealth. I must say we were pretty hard to find. During one training exercise in Yakima, Washington, we had at least a platoon looking for us all day. Even though they walked and drove by us several times, they never saw a thing. But, one thing is sure with God, you can’t hide. He sees everything and even understands the motives behind our actions. This is some great motivation for living our lives as though we were always in plain view.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3)

Sometimes it’s good to get a reality check. I can remember as an enlisted guy driving my brand new car and wondering whether I should re-enlist for a $3000, $6000, or $10,000 bonus. Then all of a sudden it struck me, ‘What other army in the world has enlisted soldiers being confronted with such a quandary?’ When I consider how good I really have it, I am humbled and convicted by some of the petty things I complain about. We should also consider Christ and His sufferings. All His sufferings have worked out to benefit us. Good things to think about when we are tempted to snivel.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

When my family and I traveled through Egypt we were a little nervous. You know traveling through a Middle Eastern country these days can cause any American family (especially a military family) a little fear. But, Egypt has more security than you can shake a stick at. There’s a soldier with an AK-47 rifle on every corner. We had a plain clothed Secret Serviceman with us almost everywhere we went. After evaluating their vigilance, I still wasn’t sure a dedicated terrorist couldn’t sneak by their security. Then I thought about God’s security. Whose intentions can go unnoticed by Him? Who can overcome His defensive plan? No One! With Him as our security there is truly “No Fear.”

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is… His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Our family had a chance to vacation in Egypt with some friends. You can bet we practiced as many force protection measures as possible. But try as we may to look like tourist, our hair cuts, the way we walked, and the terms we used would give us away as American military. It should be just as easy to identify us as followers of Jesus. The way we act, talk, and carry ourselves should be a dead give away that we are not like the world around us. We need to check our motivations and attitudes to see if we have really been transformed. Do we really stand up and stand out for Christ!

Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

I’ve always liked the Marines slogan, ‘We’re looking for a few good men.’ And I’ve always liked the way the Marines recruit. They don’t pull any punches. They don’t advertise their college benefits, travel opportunities, or skills for a future job. They simply give it to you straight. If you want to be a US Marine you need to first and foremost want to be a warrior. I think that is exactly what Jesus did in His recruiting. He didn’t promise a life of ease or riches. Instead, He challenges us to live a life of sacrifice and endurance. He advocates a life that is sold out for His objective to share the gospel with all the nations. Who wants to sign up?

Pass this on to another warrior who wants to follow Jesus!

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

I was talking to a young sergeant a while back who was worried about his next assignment. Turns out he got exactly the opposite of what he wanted. He wanted East Coast, he got West. He wanted TOE, he got TDA. I encouraged him to continue to pray and work the system but I also told him God will ultimately chose his next assignment. God does give us our ‘wants’ but He is more interested in meeting our ‘needs’. Sometimes the very place or thing we don’t want turns out to be what we needed most. God is our real Branch Manager and He is willing and able to meet our needs.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9, 11)

One of the keys to land navigation is to trust your compass. I can’t count the number of times I’ve traveled through thick vegetation in the blackness of night and wondered, “how lost am I, really?” But, in the end, following the luminous dial on my lensatic compass, led me to my destination. My compass kept me from wondering off course (where I could have found myself in a heap of trouble). The Bible is our spiritual compass. It points our heart in the right direction no matter what temptations may try to pull us to the one way or another. We need to read it and follow it. The Word of God will guide us in the straight and narrow way and to our final destination, being like Jesus.

Men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty… (1 Chronicles 12:33)

Loyalty is one of our most prized values but different things can ambush relationships. We can be put in circumstances where commitments to one another are tested. Things like misunderstandings, unresolved conflict, or petty jealousies can rip us apart. Sometimes people want us to cross over to the other side by joining in on gossip. And you know what? There are times, in our weakness, we give in to saying or doing something against the ones we love the most. Commanders, peers, parishioners, friends, and family all deserve our faithfulness. My prayer for you and I is that we will recognize the ambush and steer clear. Be true to the people around you.

The Wood Family

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

Being in the military is a young man’s game. We walk, run, march, throw, lift, push, carry, and drag. You have to be in good shape at all times. Units take a lot of pride in their physical fitness. We can get so physically strong we almost start feeling like there’s nothing we can’t do. Then life slaps us around and we come to grips with our mortality. We face challenges that stretch us to the point of failure, not only physically and mentally, but spiritually too. It’s then that we find our true strength is in Jesus Christ. He gives us strength beyond our own. Call upon the Lord. He will renew your strength.’

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

I was talking to an ederly lady on a flight home during Christmas leave years ago. As we discussed her grandchildren and other things, she asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was an Airborne Ranger. Her response was typical for those who know nothing about the military, ‘Oh, that’s good. We need people to take care of our forests and animals.’ This nice lady didn’t have a clue. It’s the same with the world. When it comes to spiritual things, they just don’t get it. But we should! As believers in Christ, we have the Spirit of God within us and we should know better. Live what you know!