cannot be explained. When we touch it, we know it is life. But How? Not by thought or feeling or even a
sixth sense. We just somehow know. It all has something to do with first being able to recognize death.
Through our experiences in wars like Vietnam, we Veterans develop a new slant on life because we so often saw a new slant on death. How could we ever tell someone about death who had never seen it the same way we had? After Vietnam we knew life in a different way after having known death. Life's values have taken on a new complexion that others can't understand and we can't explain, so we just gave up and 'bottled it all up inside'.
It has been said that once you have been to war you always know the sound of the devil's footsteps - and they are always right behind you! This is more true than one would expect...
As a youngster, we probably grew up in a Christian home. We always heard about how evil will come to steal, kill and destroy, but we never related it to living and dying especially in a place like Vietnam. If we would have been told that the devil was causing all the death and destruction in South Vietnam, when we were there, we probably would have scoffed and laughed at the person who told us and say they had been watching too much 'Laugh-In' on TV! To most of us it was the 'Pollies', the 'noggies' and us causing it all, nobody else.
While in Vietnam we were constantly told to know and understand our enemy as much as we could , in order to wage effective war against him - and to protect ourselves.
We were always trying to figure out what kind of weapons and tactics he could use against us. But, there was one thing we never had to figure out, which we were 100% sure of...Charlie wanted to kill us!
No matter how bad the enemy manipulated the war protestors back home (remember when the mail didn't get through and how you dearly wanted to 'Punch-a-Postie' ?), the black marketeers, the
clammering prostitutes, the drugs you either took or were offered?, etc., above all the VC's main weapon was DEATH! With this one weapon the communists held our Nation's attention for over a decade - and we came home from Vietnam thinking that we knew all there was to know about death.
Like the communists in that war we need to really see the nature of the devil's attacks upon our lives today. If we are still plagued by flashbacks, nightmares, depression and the myriad of other war-related problems, you can rest assured that it
certainly isn't the Vietnamese people who are causing it - because they are thousands of miles away (yes, we know that many live in Australia now - but they aren't waging war with us are they?)! Our real enemy has to be much closer, and he is!
The devil, or Satan, is using his ultimate weapon against us right now, and it is death! Some people might tell you that he will attack you through sin (and he probably will). We've probably been hearing about sin all our lives and that is perhaps a pretty good thing to focus in on. But even when the question of sin is settled, and even if the things of the world have no attraction for us any longer,
Satan still has power over us by always holding the threat of death up in our faces. It seems that no matter what we do he will win in the end.
But, there's something you need to know as a Veteran soldier. There is a way to combat the enemy and his awesome weapon, but you first need to know that there is a war still going on that you need to be involved in. It's the war between life and death. God represents life,
Satan represents death. However, we have the freedom to choose which side we want to be on; because they are both volunteer armies.
If you choose God's army, here is what you need to know. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die before mortal man, so they could then see him rise from the grave completely
victorious over death. Yes, after Jesus died , He came back to life and put an end to the
seemingly endless power of death that Satan had over us.
When we join God's army, by calling out on the Name of the Lord, Acts 2:21 says that, "...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.", and do so with an honest heart, we then share in the Lord Jesus' victory of life over death.
Contact your nearest local Point Man Outpost to enlist in and begin your mission as a soldier in a brand new army...the Army of God.
