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Key Bible Verse: You must warn each other every day … so that none of you will be deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13). Bonus Reading:Psalm 18:25-29

Squatting on the side of a burned-out Vietnamese hill, Phil Downer and his partner were covering a retreat by pouring fire at the enemy, when Phil's machine gun jammed. It normally spit out 550 rounds per minute. But now it froze-and Phil knew exactly what to do.

Phil was a skinny white guy from suburban America; his partner, Ralph, a muscular African-American from the inner city, was the army's best machine gunner. The training Ralph had poured into Phil saved their lives. He'd insisted that Phil memorize the manufacturer's handbook for his machine gun, which he could take apart blindfolded.

That day, with incoming fire all around, the two disassembled the weapon, emptied the bent cartridges, reassembled it, and resumed firing—all within 50 seconds! Their training took over, and kept them safe and calm.

"On the front line," Phil says, "we depended on each other. We never argued among ourselves. Battle was directed at the enemy. We tried to keep our buddies alive. Experienced soldiers taught the new guys who and where the enemy was, and how to fight him. That's how you survive a war. It's a model Christians should follow."

—Chip MacGregor in Brave, Strong & Tender

My Response: To better master my "manufacturer's handbook" I'll …

Thought to Apply: The ability to be cool, confident, decisive in crisis is … the direct result of how well the individual has prepared himself for battle.

—Richard Nixon

Adapted from: Brave, Strong, & Tender (Vision, 1996).

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

I'm reporting for duty, my Commander in Chief. Grant me the required discipline, passion, vision, and willingness to risk to accomplish the mission You have for me.

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