Mount up, and ride to the sound of the guns!

I heard an interesting quote this weekend that I have been thinking about quite a bit. The quote is "Don't wait for orders from headquarters. Mount up, and ride to the sound of the guns." Althought this quote is probably most known for being used by Pat Buchanan, specifically after winning the 1996 Republican primaries in New Hampshire, it is widely attributed to one of Napoleon's generals, possibly during the Battle of Waterloo. (I have been to Waterloo!) From there it spread, and apparently became a widely used cavalry phrase, even quoted during the American Civil War. Anyway, although the quote undoubtedly has military origins, I believe it also has a good application in our spiritual lives.

In battle during the time period of our phrase, it was often difficult to communicate with commanding officers, and therefore orders from headquarters were often delayed, or sometimes never made it to their intended recipients. The terrain, gun smoke, night or weather conditions, and the confusion of battle were all factors that may have made it impossible for soldiers to know specifically what their commanding officers wanted them to do. By telling them not to wait, but to instead, "Mount up, and ride to the sound of the guns," they were being told to go toward the action, stay engaged in the battle, and not to be aimlessly wandering around the countryside. Many times a large battle consisted of several fronts, with skirmishes and smaller battles raging across a wide area. When a line was broken, a strategic point taken, or a skirmish won or lost, officers wanted their troops to rejoin the battle at another point. The goal was to keep the soldiers constantly engaged, presenting the full fighting force to the enemy, and to prevent any soldiers from getting lost or misdirected.

I believe this quote presents a great application to our spiritual lives. As Christians, we must realize that we are constantly engaged in a spiritual war. Every day there are different fronts being formed and many battles being fought. The problem with most Christians is that they have disengaged the enemy, and have engaged themselves somewhere away from the front, away from the sound of the guns. They are wondering around the countryside, hearing the sound of gunfire in the distance, but hesitating because the are waiting for orders that have already come. God has given us our "Mount up" instructions many times in Scripture, of which I believe the Great Commission is the best example (Matthew 28:19). As Christians, we need to re-engage in the battle, and quit using excuses such as saying that we are just waiting for God to give us our "orders" and show us what to do. There is "gunfire" all around us. There are people to witness to, ministries to get involved in, churches to support, prayers that need to be fervently offered by dedicated prayer warriors, and lives that need to be touched by soldiers who realize there is a war going on. There is a reason Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armor of God. He intends for us to fight. He intends for us to be constantly engaged in the battle. If our lines are broken, we are to "Mount up, and ride to the sound of the guns," where we will regroup with our fellow soldiers and reinforce our lines for the next charge. If we take a hill, we are to continue on so that we can take the next hill. Whether the conflict we are engaged in seems won or lost, we are to be fully in the thick of it, because that is what we have been told to do.

When Christians do not stay engaged in the spiritual battle, there are several consequences. One, we are not presenting our full fighting force against the enemy. Why have weapons if you are not going to use them? We need every Christian engaged in the battle so that we can win more of them. Two, we lose sight of the enemy. When we are not engaged in the battle, we take our eyes of the "enemy," or the temptations, distractions, and stumbling blocks that seek to defeat us spiritually. When we are engaged, we are on the lookout for these things, and we have other soldiers around to watch our backs and provide cover. This is also know as accountability. Three, we may be confused with the enemy. One of the greatest tragedies of war is when soldiers are killed due to friendly fire. When a Christian is not engaged in spiritual warfare, but instead watches the battle from afar, they may have difficulty determining who is on what side. Just as it is sometimes difficult for soldiers to determine who is friend or foe, unengaged Christians can experience the same thing. Anyone who has been involved in a church long enough has seen the damage that can be done when Christians take each other out of the battle through "friendly fire." Because they are not unified and engaging the enemy together, they engaged one another in battle. Unfortunately, this behavior can often split families, churches, communities, and entire denominations. We need to stay engaged and ride to the sound of the guns so that we avoid these pitfalls, and remain active and effective soldiers in the service of God.

I encourage you as a Christian and fellow soldier in the army of the Lord: "Don't wait for orders from headquarters. Mount up, and ride to the sound of the guns!" Stay constantly engaged in the battle of winning lost souls to Jesus Christ! Be strong and courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6), put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10), and ride confidently ahead, for our Lord goes out before us (Deuteronomy 9:3).

Dios les bendiga!