When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:2-4

As men and women of faith, we pray and plead for peace. But, I’m afraid there are times when peace can only be achieved through the brutality of war. As we continue to fight this war on terror, I realize many of you, my friends, have deployed or will deploy soon. With that understood, I want you to hear the words of the Scriptures and receive it’s blessing. If you are called, go and fight with all the might the Lord of Heaven has given you and may compassion rise from the ashes of this necessary violence. Make sure your Bible is packed in your ruck and make prayer as essential as eating. Know that we who are in the support role here in the States are faithfully behind you in our thoughts and prayers. May God be with you. SP228

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2-3

I prayed for them before they left for Kuwait three weeks prior to our departure. They were the advanced party and their job was to get things started on our new home away from home. They set up tents, shower facilities, and the wonderful outhouses we were so fond of. They made coordination for food services so we could have a semi-hot meal twice a day. They did a lot of things to make life better in a barren wasteland. But, despite all their hard work it was a step down in the ol’ standard of living (a big step). There will be no such plummeting in residential standards when we pass from this life to the next. It will be like going from those hot sweltering tents in the desert to a plush 5 star hotel where the air conditioning never stops. The food will be gourmet and we will be seated with the King of kings. Be encouraged. Christ is our advanced party and He is preparing a place for us. SP227

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let’s consider the love that was poured out on us by the Creator. He gave His only Son. A blameless and perfect Son, Jesus. He died a brutal death on the cross. And He voluntarily gave His life as a payment for our sins. But history doesn’t end there. He has risen from the dead and He is Lord. He has authenticated His saving work on the cross by conquering sin and death. Celebrate the risen Savior this weekend by telling someone else, He has Risen! SP37

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

“for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” (John 16:27)
““He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.””
(John 14.21)

The way to love the Father is to love the Son. And the way you love the Son is by doing His will. We need to be Jesus’ disciple and follow Him.

Are you a disciple of Jesus? I’m not asking if you prayed a prayer to invite Him into your life. I’m asking “Are you actively following Him, Obeying Him, Becoming like Him?” That’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He left this command with His disciples;
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20)

My Story in 1 Minute from Chuck Wood on Vimeo.

The Two Kingdoms Gospel Presentation from Chuck Wood on Vimeo.

If you need help being His disciple, contact me at charleswood1@gmail.com

Tonight on ArmyNavsLive (Wednesday, 19 March 08 at 2100 EST)

The Pipeline Illustration – Some Love it, Some Hate it, Lets talk about it.

I’ll be taking your questions and comments via chat, email, and Skype. Bring your Bible, pen, paper (napkin) and your questions.

Website: www.ustream.tv/channel/army-navigators

And for those of you who use the Pipeline, I need your top 5 tips for sharing this Illustration – send them to charleswood1@gmail.com

To talk on Skype, you’ll need to have the free software down loaded from http://www.skype.com/ (make sure you get the free stuff). And add my contact info by searching for me by using my contact name in the search: benningnavs

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

In Ranger school, the word ‘quit’ never came out of my mouth but it sure went through my mind several times. When things got down right unbearable (and sometimes ridiculous), I could always count on my ranger buddy to make some kind of morbid sense of the torment we were going through. And I think I did the same for him on more than a few occasions. This is the powerful influence of having a buddy. We need that same source of encouragement in the Christian life. Because, to be honest, sometimes living for Jesus gets ‘stinken’ tough. We need a good Christian brother or sister to help us keep driving on when we just feel like quitting. Who’s your ranger buddy? SP225

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

It was my first sermon at Camp Darby, Italy and everyone was wondering what kind of chaplain they just inherited. What’s his flavor, what will he preach, will he be boring? I introduced myself, “I am a sinner saved by the grace of God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.” I was out of the starting block and there was no doubt where I was headed. New beginnings are important. They set the tone for the future. Our beginnings can usher in hope, direction, and strength providing we start with Christ. When we make the Lord the center of our lives, we can anticipate good things to come. SP224

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2

As a chaplain in an AIT battalion it gets a lot easier to counsel soldiers the closer we get to Christmas. As I listen to their troubles and discouragement, I knew one word that would help them find hope almost immediately; Exodus. As soon as I reminded them they will be going on Christmas leave in just a few weeks, it melt away their problems like the ice on my windshield in the morning. I’d see them begin to relax and the light returns to their eye because now they had hope. I didn’t leave them there though. I also explained the hope we have in heaven, that ultimately we will leave this troubled world behind and enjoy permanent residence with the King of kings through Christ. Now that’s an Exodus we can look forward too. SP221

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3

One of the ways we re-supplied ourselves in the Ranger Battalion was through secret pre-positioned caches of water, food, and ammo. When supplies ran low and the mission permitted, we would navigate to a clandestine supply point and refit. As we started digging into hidden containers, we were like kids opening presents on Christmas (especially if we had gone without chow for a while). There is another kind of cache, a spiritual cache. Christ is a hidden wealth of all truth and grace. He invites us to seek Him out, to refit and replenish all the things we need for successful living. Struggling with tough decisions? I’ll meet you at the Cache. SP220

Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

If I told you I just finished dropping a transmission and changed a clutch on a dump truck, you might be impressed. That is, until you found out all I really did was hand tools to my dad while he did most of the work. You see, he knew what he was doing and I was clueless. He chose the proper tools and I just handed them to him. He did most of the heavy lifting and I just got my hands little greasy. Really, he was the mechanic who changed the clutch and I was, well, allowed to help in the process. Oh, I could have tried to impress you, but the credit really belongs to my dad. Now that’s interesting as I reflect on my life and my relationship with God. I tend to take an awful lot of recognition when the fact is, God does most of the work. He’s the one who knows what to do. He’s the one doing the heavy lifting. I simply get to participate in His plan. The credit for the work really belongs to our Dad. Give Him all glory and honor! SP219