CIRCLE UP AND HUNKER DOWN!!!

Man!! if I had a dollar for every time I heard that command shouted out! Do you see these soldiers?  That is somewhat the idea of hunkering down. It is called out to give the warriors a break; it can be ordered to take the time to check out who and what is out there up ahead. and it can be motioned very quietly BECAUSE there is something out there.  From the time that warfare began, we are so accustom to the concept of the entire line of defense is to the front…of course! Why? Because that is where the enemy is! Hmmm. Have you been following the news lately?  Terrorist attack here and terrorist attack over there –  oh I am sorry! For you readers in the US your government has told you that Ft Hood was “workplace violence” and now San Bernardino is “workplace violence”. According to the entity in the White House there is no such thing as an Islamic jihadist/terrorist. Okay, back on topic. We are now faced with attacks from EVERY direction and many times it is one after the other. THIS line up (seen below) does not work anymore. This isn’t your grandfathers’ war that we are fighting. Spiritual warfare as well as the real one happening around us is from all over and attack after attack! What do we do? Bear with me while I lay this out using military tactics. Pictured below is a circle hunker. Granted, they are not behind any real viable cover, but pretend.When we are faced with attacks from many different quadrants. we need to WORK TOGETHER. The well worn phrase “I’ve got your back” (six in the military) was derived from tactics!  

  I want to apply this to us as soldiers of the cross. With all that is happening in our world, more than ever, we need to become tighter! We should be always ready to cover each other against attack. If all of us face one direction – let’s start stepping on toes here…say, thinking we have to concentrate our “fire” on the political. Great! we maybe accomplish some TEMPORARY bandaid on an ETERNAL dilemma. If we think we hear the command to ALL face the same direction …in say, the social/moral decline; we achieve only small victories with potentially larger casualties among us! If we are guilted into facing the “enemy” of theology or doctrine and let all other quadrants go undefended…..some of us die. ALL of us are in one position and the foundation of that position is the BIBLE.I couldn’t find a more apt picture! WE, the little child that Jesus yearns to have come to Him…in childlike faith; are standing on Him…on the Living Word and on “every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” aka The Bible. THAT and that alone is our mission doctrine. THAT is what motivates us to keep each other safe during the “firefights” THAT is all that matters when it comes down to it.

Now, before I get too many of you all in a lather… YES, God calls certain soldiers to be His light in politics. YES, God sets some soldiers aside to work in the social justice arena. YES, God selects some to be the defenders of the faith in terms of ensuring we hold to sound doctrine. I grant you that…BUT they are the “special forces”. MOST of us are the everyday, regular forces that face ALL the onslaughts together. It is really simple, people. Either we stand together or ALL will fall. Bottom line: There is one evil master plan; and that is to ensure that as many of those who inhabit this planet as they can get to, will be annihilated WITHOUT ever knowing Jesus personally. Lucifer/Satan/The devil (you choose) does not want one single person to ever confess, repent and become adopted into God’s family. So,,,either we all fight THEM (and stop fighting each other) or we accomplish nothing for Christ.

Which is it? He PLEADS with us to fight together. This I pledge: I will NOT fight another follower of Christ; I WILL ALWAYS guard their six against all attacks. Join me? Let’s stop the bickering and the recriminations because someone doesn’t read ONLY this translation of the Bible or drinks wine or goes to a worship service on Saturday as their Shabbat! ENOUGH! We face spiritual attacks from ALL directions and ALL of them are meant to overwhelm us; to cause chaos and make us become frozen, ineffectual warriors. Philippians 1:27 says we “strive together”. It does NOT say cause strife with each other. Unite under our Commander – Jesus Christ. SERVE UNITED!