God's Word: Our spiritual night vision equipment

God’s Word: Our Spiritual Night Vision Equipment

One of the greatest strengths of the U.S. Armed Forces is that we “Own the Night”. Our night vision technology gives us an advantage over many enemies. As a Christian, God has given you spiritual night vision equipment – the Bible. God’s Word will help you to see the path that God’s wants you to walk in this life (Psalm 119:105). If you have ever walked through the woods at nighttime, you know that it is easy to stumble and fall. Do not journey through this life without seeking daily illumination from God’s Word.

At the U.S. Army Flight School, the first 75% of your training is done completely during the daytime. But then.....you finally enter into your last phase of flight training – “Nights”. The title is very appropriate because everything that you do is done during the night. Soon after “Nights” begins, you are issued a pair of night vision goggles. No problem, right? I remember the first few flights very vividly. They are very basic flights. You takeoff, hover, fly a few traffic patterns, navigate to a few remote landing zones, and land. Nothing significant at all. But boy was it hard! We soon found that we did not become skilled night warriors simply by having the best equipment. It was only through diligent training with this night vision equipment that we were able to “Own the Night”. It is the same way with our spiritual night vision equipment. The more you exercise your heart with God’s Word, the more effective you will be in spiritual battle. Be diligent in your study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15).

Make your study of God's Word a priority every day. When a soldier completes a mission in the Army, the first thing they take care of is their equipment. Before they rest, before they wash, and even before they eat – they always ensure that they take care of their equipment. In a similar way, our time with God’s Word should come before other temporal things. Job said, “I have esteemed the words of His (God’s) mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). When we wake up in the morning, we should have the same priorities as we begin the day: No Bible, no breakfast; No read, no feed.

Sometimes you may be very excited about Bible study. At other times you may not feel like reading the Bible at all. But weapons’ training is beneficial for a soldier, regardless of what they feel like. We are soldiers for Jesus Christ. Just as a good American soldier would never neglect training with their weapon, a good soldier for Jesus Christ will not neglect training with the Sword of the Spirit – God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17). So, study the Scriptures - and obey what you read. Be a good soldier of the Lord.