Restoration 10:10

"I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric" said President George Bush. The US leader is regretting the choice of words he used to deal with Osoma Bin Laden and the Iraq situation. Perhaps he could have spoken differently when challenging Iran over the issue of its uranium enrichment. ‘Bring them on’, ‘dead or alive’, 'all options are on the table' are just some of the phrases fired in the important global debate  about the Middle East problems. George is not the only leader to speak imprudently either. The newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coined a phrase that he might regret. "Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad.” This was misunderstood as ‘Israel must be wiped off the map’. But apparently it means ‘this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time". Either way it sounds as though Mahmoud is looking for a final solution to a problem in Jerusalem. Whoops did I say ‘final solution’? Sorry that phrase sends tingles down my spine. It reminds me of another politician who wanted to permanently deal with Jews. His name was Hitler. He was adamant that the European Jewish community vanish from the pages of time. Consequently people were brought alive on trains to concentration camps. And there an unimaginable number of men women and children ended up dead. Of course George Bush didn’t really mean bring them on dead or alive. The USA has been misunderstood that’s all. And Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wouldn’t dream of wiping Israel off the map. Iran’s nuclear ambitions are only for domestic purposes. We believe them; don’t we?

An army officer told the Sun newspaper of his miracle escape when a rocket-propelled grenade bounced off him.

“Lt David Robertson was struck in the chest by the missile, fired by a Taliban terrorist in Afghanistan. Incredibly it ricocheted off his body armour and exploded against his Warrior armoured vehicle – and David escaped with just minor arm wounds.

The 30-year-old from 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Highlanders), said:

“I saw it coming at me head-on. I was knocked back hard, and then there was a bang and a heat wave. My body armour saved me.”

David, of Inverness, is usually based in Germany. A defence expert said:

“Thanks to his armour we are celebrating the survival of a hero and not mourning the loss of a brave officer.”

WOW. How cool is this? The soldier came under attack was knocked back hard, felt the heat of a missile and was bombarded by an explosive loud bang. And he died; NOT. Thankfully the soldier was wearing his body armour and survived with receiving only minor injuries. So come on Christians. You might not be in a battle like the one being fought in the Middle East, but you are in a spiritual war zone so,

‘ Put on the full armour of God’ says the Apostle Paul, ‘so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes’ Ephesians 6:11.

Don your spiritual Kevlar. Take hold of Christ’s righteousness, thank the Lord for your salvation, proclaim the gospel truth, ready yourself for biblical service, live by faith, and walk humbly before your God. And like all the surviving heroes of Scripture we will be more than conquerors.