When the Dust Settles

Dear Sons,

There is a danger when deep feelings and emotions have been

stirred up. In the ages when many battles were won by hand to hand combat you can imagine how confusing things could become with clouds of dusts hindering visibility, men, swords, spears, and shields all around you. Yelling, growling, men screaming in pain and adrenaline, men falling down or bumping you from every angle; a soldier could easily become fearful, confused and disoriented. I wonder how many soldiers accidentally wounded or killed their own fellow soldiers because they couldn't see well, or they were so scared that they swung their sword before they realized it was not an enemy.

There is a similar danger of speaking, acting or making decisions when our minds, or our emotions are stirred up. We must learn to keep a tight reign on our tongue in situations where the "dust is flying." Christians too can wound fellow believers by speaking or acting out of their fear or emotional turmoil.

A spiritual man is one who has learned to distrust his natural reactions, and to not give in to sudden impulses like fear or anger.

The power to overcome these strong impulses is called "self-control." Self control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and can only be experienced by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our actions even when there is a great stirring on the inside of us or a turmoil happening around us.

Anger can make a friend look like an enemy. Fear can make us hurt someone who really is in need of our help. A strategy that worked for many armies was to make a group of soldiers charge right into the middle of a well organized group of enemy lines. The commanding officer knew that most of those men would die who were leading the charge, but his goal was to create chaos and confusion that his better soldiers could take advantage of.

Be on your guard against the enemy's strategies. Don't let him move you into fear, or panic or confusion.

Call upon the Lord when the enemy charges, listen to the Holy Spirit's direction before you think, act and speak on your own.

Often the most experienced soldier is the one who knows when and on whom to use his sword. It's not just how many enemies he has slain, but just as importantly how many of his own men he has not!

The above is from a series of letters that Alan wrote to our sons, several years ago.

"Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences."  ~Samuel Rutherford

"One thing, and only one, in this world has eternity stamped upon it.  Feelings pass; resolves and thoughts pass; opinions change.  What you have done last--lasts in you.  Through ages, through eternity, what you have done for Christ, that, and only that, you are. ~Frederick W. Robertson