Way more than you have been, O.C. Me and my boys just got back from six month's worth of operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and some truly hairy experiences therein.
137 posted on
04/28/2004 12:59:51 PM PDT by
Long Cut
("Fightin's commenced, Ike, now get to fightin' or get outta the way!"...Wyatt Earp, in Tombstone)
Al Qaeda submarines.
Most people are followers, Long Cut, but the committed Christian can't and most of the time, won't indulge in typical group behavior. For a lot of these folks it was likely their first time away from home for any extended period. Without a real grounding in God's word it is hard not to join the crowd. The pressure can be intense, and sometimes threats of intimidation are employed. But the truly committed Christian will be unmoved, because he or she would rather suffer persecution than bring dishonor to the name of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The type of toughness required for combat demands physical discipline, but an even greater degree of mental hardness, as the Army Rangers teaches a man. This echoes the teaching of the Apostle Paul where he discusses what is needed to do battle in the spiritual realm. But there we don't rely on ourselves, but on the one true Champion, Jesus Christ, to stand in the gap and fight for us.