Spiritual combat veterans by Cliff Gardener
A short time ago I had the oppor-
tunity to converse with a Vietnam
war veteran who had been a U.S.
Army Medical Corpsman. He re-
lated to me how deeply the experi-
ence had touched him.
It appeared to me that he was “marked” for the rest of his life. He had seen, heard, and felt things that very few human beings ever do.
He had lived at the doorway to eternity. All the rest of his life since has seemed somewhat
disconnected as compared to that
vivid era.
Thinking through this dear per-
son’s recollections brought me
to consider some parallels in the
spiritual realm. To come to the
understanding of life in Christ by
a revelation by the Holy Spirit is
like becoming a combat veteran.
Combat veterans have come under
aimed enemy fire. They have faced
death with all of its ramifications
in the physical realm. They have
seen comrades in arms fall dead by
their side. Many have been severe-
ly wounded in battle. Later, those
who have survived find it hard to
relate to those who have not “been
there.” They don't necessarily see
themselves as something special, or that they deserve honors or awards.
They simply have been to a place
in heart, mind, soul and body that
very few have gone. Their lives have been forever touched by what they
have seen, heard, thought, and felt.
It has marked and made them dif-
ferent. They may take the rest of
their lives to evaluate the meaning
of it all especially when they try to
relate to those who weren't there.
Those whose “processing” by the
Heavenly Father has taken them to
the “spiritual” war zone where “life”
and “religion” are in conflict are like
these combat veterans. Many have
been severely wounded and are
crippled in their journey from “re-
ligion” to “life.” They may have seen
religion kill loved ones or friends
— yes, some physically.
Some are so scarred in mind and soul that they are like the shell shocked veteran who jumps at every sound; they see death as the only way out! Those who survive the battle and finally see life in Christ find they can have no fellowship with “religious Christianity.” They have Christ's love operating in them and begin to love their enemies — and find that their enemies are mainly those who are still bound by the religious system.
Most attempts at bringing light and
life to those left back in religion are
found to be futile. These veterans
may become almost paranoid in
their loneliness and may be quite
isolated from the mainstream of
Christianity. In their “aloneness”
they will finally learn that the only
true basis of fellowship is with the
Father and the Son.
They begin to be aware that other veterans of the spiritual battle are out there and that the Father has taught them the same basic lesson.
They begin to see Christ in each other. They become
somewhat of an enigma to the re-
ligious system that sees them as
promoters of some sort of heresy.
Being rejected isn't easy, but often
it is necessary to stay on the jour-
ney to the Father’s house. These
dear veterans of the spiritual battle
stop trying to be “spiritual.” They
give up on “trying to be like Jesus.”
They have faced their own death
and are beginning to know and live
resurrection life by the Christ (the
resurrected one) in them.
They no
longer are stimulated and moved
by the world's problems and needs
unless it is by Christ in them. They
care, but are learning to operate by
Christ in them as wisdom rather
than by their fleshly perceptions.
They will see that God's work needs
no human promotion (which is
only a distraction from the truth
of God's power and sovereignty).
They will see the physical world as
a “schoolhouse” where lessons are
taught and learned along the jour-
ney. They see death as a release and
graduation to where life is lived in
its full reality — the Father's house!
There are some who come close to
the battle but have not experienced
actual combat. They are curious
to hear the veterans’ story and act
as war correspondents that report
battle conditions, but actually have
never been fired upon. Still others
of those who are very active in reli-
gion are like those who are involved
in guerilla warfare who cannot dis-
cern who the real enemy is, and in
the darkness end up fighting on the
wrong side, possibly being killed by
those they trusted.
A short time ago I had the oppor-
tunity to converse with a Vietnam
war veteran who had been a U.S.
Army Medical Corpsman. He re-
lated to me how deeply the experi-
ence had touched him.
It appeared to me that he was “marked” for the rest of his life. He had seen, heard, and felt things that very few human beings ever do.
He had lived at the doorway to eternity. All the rest of his life since has seemed somewhat
disconnected as compared to that
vivid era.
Thinking through this dear per-
son’s recollections brought me
to consider some parallels in the
spiritual realm. To come to the
understanding of life in Christ by
a revelation by the Holy Spirit is
like becoming a combat veteran.
Combat veterans have come under
aimed enemy fire. They have faced
death with all of its ramifications
in the physical realm. They have
seen comrades in arms fall dead by
their side. Many have been severe-
ly wounded in battle. Later, those
who have survived find it hard to
relate to those who have not “been
there.” They don't necessarily see
themselves as something special, or that they deserve honors or awards.
They simply have been to a place
in heart, mind, soul and body that
very few have gone. Their lives have been forever touched by what they
have seen, heard, thought, and felt.
It has marked and made them dif-
ferent. They may take the rest of
their lives to evaluate the meaning
of it all especially when they try to
relate to those who weren't there.
Those whose “processing” by the
Heavenly Father has taken them to
the “spiritual” war zone where “life”
and “religion” are in conflict are like
these combat veterans. Many have
been severely wounded and are
crippled in their journey from “re-
ligion” to “life.” They may have seen
religion kill loved ones or friends
— yes, some physically.
Some are so scarred in mind and soul that they are like the shell shocked veteran who jumps at every sound; they see death as the only way out! Those who survive the battle and finally see life in Christ find they can have no fellowship with “religious Christianity.” They have Christ's love operating in them and begin to love their enemies — and find that their enemies are mainly those who are still bound by the religious system.
Most attempts at bringing light and
life to those left back in religion are
found to be futile. These veterans
may become almost paranoid in
their loneliness and may be quite
isolated from the mainstream of
Christianity. In their “aloneness”
they will finally learn that the only
true basis of fellowship is with the
Father and the Son.
They begin to be aware that other veterans of the spiritual battle are out there and that the Father has taught them the same basic lesson.
They begin to see Christ in each other. They become
somewhat of an enigma to the re-
ligious system that sees them as
promoters of some sort of heresy.
Being rejected isn't easy, but often
it is necessary to stay on the jour-
ney to the Father’s house. These
dear veterans of the spiritual battle
stop trying to be “spiritual.” They
give up on “trying to be like Jesus.”
They have faced their own death
and are beginning to know and live
resurrection life by the Christ (the
resurrected one) in them.
They no
longer are stimulated and moved
by the world's problems and needs
unless it is by Christ in them. They
care, but are learning to operate by
Christ in them as wisdom rather
than by their fleshly perceptions.
They will see that God's work needs
no human promotion (which is
only a distraction from the truth
of God's power and sovereignty).
They will see the physical world as
a “schoolhouse” where lessons are
taught and learned along the jour-
ney. They see death as a release and
graduation to where life is lived in
its full reality — the Father's house!
There are some who come close to
the battle but have not experienced
actual combat. They are curious
to hear the veterans’ story and act
as war correspondents that report
battle conditions, but actually have
never been fired upon. Still others
of those who are very active in reli-
gion are like those who are involved
in guerilla warfare who cannot dis-
cern who the real enemy is, and in
the darkness end up fighting on the
wrong side, possibly being killed by
those they trusted.
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