“4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:1-6 ESV)
Legions of ill-mannered ghouls, and legions of benign saints: the Power of any one saint to change the landscape, is scarcely told of enough. One saint who acts on that faith which says, of my kind of people, there are Many “out there”, waiting only to be found, waiting only to hear Gideon’s trumpet call to his army, waiting only for the circumstances majestically to warp and woof and heaving mountains to give Birth, to something Tomorrow Justified, Tomorrow Told, Tomorrow Anticipated. Yes, God’s means, His sanctity and Remove, His untouchable Status: these things come together in that Denouement trusted upon and hoped for.
Half-cocked, half-crazed, like something from a talking film, the One Man hero mows down inimical Ghouls. And does so because of a gentler talking point, his or her Personal Storyline around matters of faith, that God is for us, that God is Interested in making the story go down poetically yet majestically, beauteously yet potently. And that all of us, not written out of the equation or mere bystanders, but front and center as the Enablers of a New Covenant, Dispensation, Denouement.
Because we remembered at the right time, to make the incision, to offer the sacrifice, to testify to the Gift. We thus remembered over and against so many foolheaded Actions, over and against so many idiotic Concessions, over and against so much plain Devilish Attire donned. God does not forsake those He has called, and those He has called He justifies, and those He justifies, He saves, and those He saves, need not worry that their deeds will come together in God’s whirlwind exposé, His few things outlayed, His demonstrative Victory.
Victory is Demonstrable, because of all these “out there” souls taking ownership, entrusted to be caretakers, stakeholders, in the Majesty. In the Grandeur. In the Fruition. We all of us hear rocket fuel burning up as the jets soar above, hear thump-thump as the people-carriers whir overhead, hear a strange Peace as the trenches go audible no more, radio silent or Anticipatory that war is waged. Anticipatory that from here on out, it will be Master’s battle, and we only Invested in, as the vessels destined for Holy Use.
More, that our immaturities or outlandish behavior, this too we deal with via repentance, but with a light-hearted repentance, because God has already destined us for salvation, and He uses our mistakes to teach a lesson more broadly: all things work together for good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Therefore to the turrets and to the shared Duty, from the trench warrior to the suited up Spy, from the Embedded journalist-meets-officer-of-arms to the medic and the drill sergeant. The few, each One in her or his standing and ostensible position, is capable of saving lives. Of masterful moves that win wars and change the course of history. Who are forgotten by time, but lived and died with a smile on their face. Who are for a season suspect or hated, but who had Master’s imprint on their heart and in any and all Duty Discharged. And for those having nothing more than their shield and sword, to these we send laud and honor: their Courage is the soldier’s Courage, a courage to shock and awe with what Human Life is on the expense account, on the Invested stake held, on the Sacrifice and ultimate burden borne.