SIGNS OF THE TIMES - Are You Tender or Are You Tough?

There is a time to be tender and there is a time to be tough. We need a tender heart and a tough will. We need a tender conscience and a tough determination. We need a tender inward man and tough outward man. We must be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.

1. Soldiers endure hardness during maneuvers. If they did not endure hardness, their commander would take them to task. They would never be trusted to go to the front lines. Soldiers on maneuvers crawl under machine-gun fire eighteen inches above the ground. They sometimes even meet poisonous snakes while doing so, but they dare not raise their heads. They are under strict orders to be faithful. If they prove faithful, they are then trusted to go out to battle. They may even get promoted. A soldier does not do as he pleases. He goes by the Book of Rules. A soldier arrives on time. He goes to bed on time.

2. George Washington's soldiers endured hardness. Many times they walked through the snow with blood dripping from their bare feet ... You could trail them by the blood. These loyal soldiers were loyal to their country, no matter how tough the going became. They hid behind stumps rocks, trees and rocks. They were willing to fight to the last man. They did this for their country.

3. Soldiers in the Civil War were tough. They went without food, clothes and necessities to be faithful to the commander-in-chief. Civil War soldiers fought to the last man. They fought for they thought was right. Will you endure some hardness? Will you endure some things for what you know is right?

4. The soldiers in World War II endured hardness. At Pearl Harbor they jumped from a sinking ship into water covered with fire and oil. They waved the flames back with their hands and came to the top of the water long enough to get their breath and then went back under that water again. They fought in the bitter cold of Europe. They fought in the hot desert sands of North Africa. They fought in the heat and rain of the South Pacific. They went forward; they endured.

5. Soldiers in Vietnam fought in the heat, rain and in some cases the cold, depending on the time of year and location. They fought guerrilla warfare. They were really tough. They endured hardness. They didn't regard the cold, heat, and rain. These soldiers let nothing stand in their way. They just followed orders and kept going.

6. We now have men and women the Middle East going through all the trials and tribulations that we went through in previous combat. They too follow orders and advance. They are tough. I have been to Ft. Knox, Kentucky and watched soldiers of the 15th Cavalry train. They are dedicated to their job. I have visited them at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Even after life threatening, life lasting wounds, they are determined and dedicated. American civilians will never understand how lucky they have been over the generations to have such strong, tough and to repeat, determined and dedicated people willing to give all.

Now I have a question?

If soldiers can endure “all” for their country, should not a God-fearing people be able to endure for their God? A brave man is not always a man that walks out in front of a gun, mortar or cannon. It takes a brave man to die for his country, but it really takes a brave man to live for God. What kind of hardness have you endured for God? Have you been too much a baby to stand up under a little criticism? What does your God or “Commander-in-Chief” think of you? Does he think you are soft?,p> Now let’s take a short historical look at God-fearing soldiers from the past.

The Apostle Paul Apostle endured as a soldier. He practiced what he preached. He was in the ocean twenty-four hours after being shipwrecked. He received five public whippings for his belief in Jesus Christ. He usually stayed in a prison instead of a hotel. His audience was usually a mob. False brethren hounded him continually. The devil persecuted him day and night.

Daniel was in the lion's den because he was told he could not pray to his God. But Daniel moved forward. He was tough. God intervened and shut the mouth of the lions. Daniel’s faith was justified. But what if God had not stepped in and Daniel had died? Daniel had faith that God would deliver him but he still went to the lion’s den knowing he could die. He was a good soldier.

For lack of space I will only mention these two. There are many more that could be cited. However, at this point, I would like to look at modern history.

Once I wrote an article that stated, “The day will come when we will not be allowed to say "GOD"! It will become a crime. We may be arrested and put in prison. To my surprise, not long after writing that article an order was issued by U.S. Armed Forces saying the name “Jesus Christ” could not be used in public prayer while in uniform. If it was used that person would be court-martialed. A host of military chaplains resigned their commissions and left the service. They “bugged out.” I think would be the appropriate term.

But there was one Navy Chaplain who was tough. He stood his ground. Because of his faith he violated that order and was jailed in a military prison. After several weeks of a hunger strike and bad press the Navy reversed the decision and the Chaplain was released. The Bible said, Daniel was not allowed to pray. When they caught him praying, they threw him in the Lion's den. Is this dedication by this Navy Captain not the same story?

In closing, a good soldier endures. God says, “Those that endure to the end will be saved.” If you have the right heart, you will endure. The Lord tells us to put off hatred, malice, envy and strife to put on the whole armor of God. A good soldier puts on the whole armor. A soldier will not last long and do much fighting with part of his armor. He must have every vital part of his body is covered. A soldier’s duty is to survive and win. If I recall General George S. Patton said something to that effect when he said, “Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.” Stand fast and fight the enemies of our God. God promises He will return and put all of our enemies (hatred, malice, envy and strife) under our feet. He even promises to overcome death.

The Lord demands us to go into the entire world… to face the enemy so be brave like the soldier you once were. Satan, our enemy, knows his time is short. He is waging an all out war on people. If you have not been told this, you are not going hearing the right sermons.

Our strength is shown by the things we stand for, our weakness by the things we fall for.” Author Unknown.