The Patriot Post® · 'It's Not Good'

We live in an age of spin. You can pretty much take any statement and spin it to give it an entirely different meaning (see politics). That being said, I think it is safe to say that the three words “It’s not good” would be hard to spin into something less foreboding.

To put it in the proper context, the first time these words were ever spoken happened in the beginning of God’s creation. He made the world and everything in it, repeatedly pronouncing that “it was good.” Then He came to something that was not good. He said it was “not good” for man to be alone. With that pronouncement, He made a woman and introduced her to Adam.

But it is not just the man-woman relationship where God tells us it is not good to be alone. God made us for relationship and community.

Let me apply this to the warfare in which we are engaged. We hear a lot about being alone these days — the “Lone Ranger” (actually, he did have Tonto), a “lone wolf” terrorist, or the “Lone Survivor.” I want to relate a war story of an experience in my second tour in Vietnam.

I was an artillery Forward Observer assigned to a Combined Action Unit. The unit had 10 Marine infantry squads along Highway 1 south of Danang. We were living in the villages with the Vietnamese people and fighting alongside the local militia. I moved from squad to squad based on the operational needs. One day I decided that, on my own, I would make my way to one of the other villages in preparation for an operation. I was pretty competent with a map and compass, so I decided to navigate cross-country.

Halfway to my destination, I heard a thump on the trail behind me. I turned and saw no one. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as my mind recognized the sound. I began to pivot just as the grenade exploded, the force of the blast knocking me off my feet. Momentarily disoriented, I was unable to locate the Viet Cong responsible for tossing the grenade, so I proceeded to my destination. When I arrived, I discovered I was bleeding from a shrapnel wound to my knee. The Corpsman was unable to stop the bleeding, so I was medevaced for fear of bleeding out overnight.

My point is that, just like in combat, it is “not good” to engage in spiritual warfare on your own. You are a lot easier to pick off when you are alone. The team also suffers when a teammate is missing. Just as I should have taken someone to have my back, we all need someone to have our backs when it comes to spiritual warfare.

When Jesus sent His disciples out, they went in pairs. When you get serious about walking with the Lord, you become a target, and the devil will do his best to get you off the battlefield. Many of the booby-traps in Vietnam were intended to disable you and get you off the battlefield. Our “booby-traps” are much more subtle — that flirtatious co-worker we see daily. The tendency to compromise on principles of honesty and integrity to get the sale. The list goes on. We all need a couple of faithful brothers we can meet with regularly, and with whom we can be open and honest about our weaknesses and struggles, knowing they have our backs in prayer, counsel, and fellowship.

If you want to be successful in fighting for your home, your family, your church, and your community, “it is not good to be alone”! The million-dollar question is, knowing this, what are you going to do about it?

You can pretend that this does not apply to you. You can convince yourself that you cannot afford the time. This is a scary proposition — baring your soul to a couple of guys you are just getting to know. It could get messy. But life without risk is not life at all, and this is a risk worth taking.

There is no app for this. Ask the Lord to show you a couple of guys with whom you can engage. You will probably find guys who want the same thing but do not know what to do about it.

Be bold!

What say ye, Man of Valor?