Training to Withstand the Forces of the World

Eph. 6:10-17

I recently had the opportunity to attend the NW District Assembly and heard some amazing preaching.  One sermon that hit home was preached by our District Superintendent, David Mowry.  It dealt with withstanding the pressures of the world (my summary and meaning).  In his sermon he mentioned the forces of gravity which really struck home for me.

In college I was enrolled in the Air Reserve Officer Training Corps, preparing for commissioning as a Second Lieutenant.  In the summer of 1976, I got the opportunity to play “3^rd Lieutenant” for a few weeks at Nellis AFB, the Air Force’s premier fighter base. Mostly we stood around in our new flight suits looking cool, but one day I got the opportunity to take a flight with a fighter pilot assigned to the 65^th Tactical Fighter Squadron, a unit that pretended to be Soviet fighters to teach US fighter pilots how to dogfight.  I climbed into my anti-G suit, checked out my shiny helmet, and headed out to the F-5 that would fulfill all my boyhood dreams.  We taxied out to the end of the runways, the pilot kicked in the afterburners, and we jetted into the sky.  There is no way to explain how excited I was.  We flew out to a training area, and I heard the words that turned my world upside down (literally) – “fight’s on.”  All of a sudden, we were pulling lots of Gs and my world began to get smaller and smaller as my field of vision began to get smaller and smaller until I had no vision at all.  It’s called G-Induced Loss of Consciousness (you’ve seen it happen in the most recent Top Gun movie).  It happens when you pull lots of Gs and the blood is trapped in your seat instead of your brain.  You can’t fly airplanes when your brain is shut down.  No one had told me how to fight G-forces!!  Fortunately, we had an engine malfunction and we had to go home.

Fast forward a few years and I was assigned to my first fighter squadron.  I was introduced to the L1/M1 Anti-G maneuver.  It is a straining maneuver that helps the pilot push blood back up to the brain to prevent loss of consciousness.  It’s not easy, but with consistent practice and physical conditioning, it works.  I never lost consciousness again.

Fast forward to 1992 when I flew my last sortie.  I had the opportunity to climb in the backseat of an F-16.  I had not flown operationally for 5 years.  Interestingly, I flew my last sortie where I flew my first sortie – Nellis AFB.  We took off and flew to the National Training Center where we supported ground forces training to go to the Middle East.  Once again – “fight’s on.”  An F-16 can snap into a 9G turn in a second.  I had approximately 1865 pounds of pressure pressing down on my body.  I was determined to not lose consciousness again and succeeded in that endeavor. Fortunately, we were super low on fuel and had to go home.  When we landed, we climbed out of the airplane and headed for the squadron.  I was totally exhausted and headed home for the rest of that day.

So, what does this have to do with our spiritual health?  One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Eph. 6:10-17.  Paul recognized the pressures that believers would face from the world around them.  It’s almost like he could see into 2024.  Paul provided a brief training plan for our spiritual health.  He told us to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the right shoes for standing firm, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – Scripture.  When we first get saved, we’re like 21-year-old Doug heading out to a powerful jet.  We don’t have the skills or the conditioning to fight the battle.  It seems like sometimes we get the training and the discipline to fight and win the battle, only to become complacent and flabby in our spiritual walk.  Later, when trials come, we don’t have the strength to take on the enemy and we tire quite quickly.  Paul concludes his training plan with prayer.  It is the exclamation point of the plan.  Most of us have the tools to fight the battle, but many have lost our strength and stamina.  Let’s commit ourselves to re-enter training so that when we are on the other side of the battle, we will not only win, but will be exhilarated by the fight.  Fight’s On!!

Blessings,

Pastor Doug