In the Shakespeare play "Richard III," the first line starts out with the quote: "This is the winter of our discontent..." The play is about a former king of England who is an unhappy man who lives an unhappy life and eventually dies. For us as Military Chaplains, this is the summer of our discontent because another ruling by leaders in the military has taken away the association of Christianity and Judaism with the SEAL of our Armed Forces. It is now illegal to have the SEALs of each of the military services on the cover of a Bible. The storm will obviously get worse before it gets better... if it does get better at all. Chaplain Timothy Libertay writes about it in this months' blog.
For our second "Opp Ed," Chaplain Pat Opp talks about "Through the Lens of Faith." Read, pray, meditate and enjoy this month's Shofar. God bless.
WILL YOU CONTEND FOR BAAL?
By
Chaplain Tim Libertay
In Judges 6:28 and following, Gideon’s father had built an altar for the pagan god Baal.
One night Gideon destroyed the altar and in the morning all of his fellow Jewish townspeople wanted to punish him for what he had done. Rather than rejoice that one of their own had
the intestinal fortitude and moral courage to stand against an oppressive religious and civil government, (not to mention obeying the God they all worshipped), the mob wanted to kill Gideon.
It was a sad state of affairs for the masses were willing to keep the status quo instead of doing what was right before the Lord. It was at this time that Gideon’s father said something very insightful. As the mob wanted blood, he confronted them and said “will you contend for Baal?” In other words, even though you are being forced to maintain the status quo from the pagan government, why are you actively supporting something that is against God? These villagers were so backslidden in their faith that they were willing to actively fight against the Lord by
helping their enemies. Perhaps they were more afraid of the pagans than they were of God. Whatever the reason, from this point on Gideon was used by God to accomplish great things which ultimately brought down the enemy’s army and government.
Such is a time right now for those of us who name the name of Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. Last week, the Department of Defense caved into another demand from an atheistic group who contend the Military Seals of each branch of the military cannot be used on Bibles. Ignoring literally centuries of American civil and military history another foundational keystone has been wiped clean. Our military and spiritual leaders have contended for Baal because now we can no longer have Bibles with military logos on them. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE AND SHOULD HAVE EVERY SINGLE CHRISTIAN IN THE MILITARY WRITING THEIR LEADERSHIP!!!!!!!!!
In Islam there is a saying called the “Death of a Thousand Cuts.” It is the belief that one does not have to have a single decisive and devastating blow to the enemy in order to kill them. Instead, a slow and methodical plan is used to defeat their enemy. From its inception every opportunity the person has is focused on using every tool and means to accomplish the eventual demise of their enemy. Finally after a long protracted fight, the victor merely blows a kiss at the enemy and the victim merely falls back dead, never to fight again.
While Bibles themselves are not outlawed (at least not yet), the dominoes are falling and
this will not end until Christians themselves are silenced. I’m not a prophet or a son of a prophet, but we are starting to see in our culture our freedoms gradually being taken away
for the sake of meeting a secular agenda. We are already at the point where a person’s faith has no relevance in the public or secular arena. Once Christians are fully neutralized socially, it becomes a matter of time before we ourselves are the targets. Don’t believe me? Well, look around to see what is happening in our country. For instance: The government is mandating where the Catholic Church has to provide birth control insurance for their female employees, even if it against their faith tradition. No longer is freedom of religious convictions an argument or defense against public policy. Futhermore, when openly gay Soldiers and Sailors were allowed in the military, Biblical minded Chaplains were protected because the government passed the “Defense of Marriage Act.”
Now that the President and the Justice department has declared the legislation essentially null and void, the stakes have changed. What does one think will happen in the future to Believing Chaplains? To refuse to do this and other services for homosexual Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen begs the question that one who believes this is immoral is now considered to be “intolerant” or worse yet (think promotion) not “diverse and
pluralistic.”
There are other examples, but mark my words, this is an all-out war declared on every God
fearing Chaplain for the heart and soul of the military. It has an analogy with the frog placed in
water. If the water is hot, the frog will jump out immediately to protect itself. If the frog is placed in cool water which is gradually heated up, it will end up boiling to death.
So what is the answer and our response to this onslaught? I suggest the following:
A)
Get on our knees and pray morning, noon and night for our country and God’s intervention. God accomplished great things through the apostle Paul as he spread the Gospel. Do we actually believe in the power of our Lord or do we not? God’s power in the time of Gideon worked miracles. We need God’s people to be serious about the things of God in an honest to
goodness revival. We need to be the God fearing and loving leaders God expects of us. For the others, we need to pray for the salvation of those who have no opinion. I believe that is the start which is the foundation for real change!
B)
We need to counter and answer by any means possible this creeping secularism in all aspects of our lives. Understand that we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:10-12). Be strong in the Lord! This work is Satan’s tactic and we who see it need to be active! Even though God gave the victory to Israel through David, the people still had to show up for the battle! If
this means preaching, preach. If it means by writing and blogging, so be it! Put on the whole armor of God.
C)
See what is happening from the perspective of God and not man. We are tools in the hands of
the Living God. Make sure what you say and do is from the Lord and not from one’s own arrogance and pride. As Jim Poe our acting President said one time, “don’t look for trouble, but do God’s work and will and if you are doing God’s will, trouble will find you.”
Gideon did what was right and his peers were ready to kill him. Sobering thought for doing what is right before God.
May we as God’s elect repent of our own sin and come before God with all humility and
fear. Only then will we be effective warriors for the cause of Christ. Amen!
Through the Lens of Faith
By Chaplain (CPT) Pat Opp
3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Chemical Brigade
Everyone agrees that safety is important. When we adhere to safety it helps protect us. In tours down range, Soldiers wear eye protection at all times. It is critical to protect our eyes from dangers like the sun’s harmful rays, wind, dust storms, airborne particles, and in combat situations. During the day it demands a shaded lens while at night a clear lens. So, it is imperative for one to see to wear the correct lens.
The Bible encourages us to wear the correct lens too! Faith. While Scripture doesn’t say to wear sunglasses, it does tell us to trust God. It’s true, that we are to walk by faith and
not by sight. Yet, God knows opposition, challenges and trials can negatively influence and discourage us in how we see Him. So, the writer of the Book of Hebrews reminds
us that; “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; it is the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith teaches us to see God in life and each event. When we do, we learn to trust Him and act appropriately. Chuck Swindoll adds, “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react.” Faith is the best way to react.
In Hebrews 11, the great heroes and heroines of the faith put on their “eye-pro of faith” and chose to trust God despite the odds. Instead of looking to the difficulties, they looked to God. By faith, Enoch walked with God. Noah built an ark that saved him and his family from the Great Flood. Abraham looked ahead to God’s future city. Moses chose God over Egypt’s palace and riches. Joseph led by his integrity. David defeated the giant. Israel walked through the Red
Sea on dry ground. Many others trusted God too!
Perhaps these acts of faith in the Bible are wonderful examples of safety for us to adhere to. We are safe when we trust God and take Him at His word. So, the next time you face
difficult challenges, practice this safety principle and view God and your circumstances through the lens of faith. After all, it is only faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). When we do, we’ll enjoy His rewards and be glad we did!
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