From the Pastor's Desk
Overcoming The Fog
Soldiers pride themselves on having battlefield situational awareness–being aware of your enemy’s capabilities and intent, and being aware of your own capability and power to act.
However, there are times in the heat of the battle where you lose the ability to trust your eyes and ears. This is called the “fog of war.” Dangers in the fog become evident really quickly. Many good men are lost due to friendly fire or become isolated from their group and fall into enemy hands.
We must truly be mindful of the dangers during a spiritual “fog of war”. Not only the danger of shooting our own (friendly fire), but also the danger of isolation from Godly fellowship. The spirit of fear (as in a fear of acceptance or a fear of rejection) causes many to die by friendly fire. You think you are shooting at the enemy but in reality you are killing your own brothers/sisters in the Lord.
We must also guard against isolation as isolation breeds distortion. When we become isolated from fellowship, our view of others gets distorted and their view of us becomes distorted. The father of lies has space now to create false images of one another. During this time, these two major problems not only face the ministry but also face the laity.
I would like to offer three keys to overcoming the fog of war: trust the process, remember past victories, and stay connected to the church.
When you can’t trust your eyes or ears, trust the process. We’ve heard it said, “When you don’t know what to
do, do what you know to do”. Saint of God, trust the process. Keep praying, keep giving, keep doing what you know is right.
When the present battle overwhelms you, remember past victories. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11. When David was facing the fog of war in his life, it seemed all was against him. We find that he ran to where he had hid Goliath’s sword. Why? Not to just have a weapon, he needed something to remind him how God delivered him in the past.
When you feel the temptation to pull away– stay connected. I spoke with a soldier who had been in battle and asked about the fog of war. He said, in the heat of the battle when the fog of war is surrounding, you realize that you can’t trust your own eyes and ears. The only way to continue to fight is by touch. You find a fellow soldier and you put your back to them. You trust the touch of each other to get through the fog. God wants to be your rear guard. STAY CONNECTED!
We understand that this is but a season. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” (Revelation 3:21). This fog will soon pass. Hold on! Better days ahead!