"The Moscow Rules"
Once, while I was in the Washington, D.C., area holding a gospel meeting, I had the privilege of going through the International Spy Museum near Chinatown. Having an avid interest in both military history and the former Soviet Union, I was thrilled at the opportunity.
Although the museum displays how ancient the espionage game is, the greater part of the exhibits covers just the last 100 years. There is a whole section of the museum devoted to espionage during the Cold War. This period of intense espionage developed it's own “ten commandments” of spying (some say there are forty or more). The museum itself published ten of these so-called "Moscow Rules."
Some of these rules include: “assume nothing,” “don’t look back,” “there is no limit to a human being’s ability to rationalize the truth,” “maintain a natural pace,” “…if it feels wrong, it is wrong….”
Former CIA operative Jonna Mendez, as well as countless others, is quick to say that these rules are used by agents around the globe today. Many of these rules boil down to trusting instincts.
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Whereas Christians battle a foe that will not collapse or capitulate until the Lord returns, we have been given rules of engagement that we must follow for our own spiritual preservation in, as our foe is the most formidable of them all (see 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 2:10; etc.).
We need to mature to the point of having our powers of discernment trained (cf. Hebrews 5:14). This will give us the kind of instincts we need to be most aware of our enemies tactics (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:11). We should not become paranoid or see problems where they do not exist, but we must not let our guard down either.
God’s Word will protect us and serve us heroically in this terrific battle (cf. Ephesians 6:17), but only if we know how to use it properly.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Temporary Blindness
“Blinding Laser Weapons” are weapons that are designed to blind soldiers on the field of battle. Most countries adhere to international law to minimize the power of their lasers. China, however, instead of limiting the power of such weapons, took full advantage of the potential, developing the battery-powered ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber. Its desired effect was to injure or dizzy the eyes of enemy combatants. By seeking to blind the enemy, they render them unable to fight.*
I’ve never thought much about the tactics of war, but it makes a lot of sense that a soldier doesn’t have to be destroyed in order to be rendered useless. Blinding them is enough.
*Though effective in its main objective of blinding the target, the weapon had several technical glitches and was subsequently retired. No doubt, however, the Chinese will continue their efforts to perfect a reliable model.
Satan doesn’t have to get rid of us to take us out of the battle. All he needs to do us render us useless by blinding us to the truth.
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Shooting At Rubber Dummies
D-Day. Normandy. Anyone familiar with WWII history knows the horrors of this day. Are you familiar with British Ruperts or American Oscars? These were decoy paratroopers--dummies about 3 ft. tall with a parachute attached. Ruperts were typically made of burlap and filled with straw. Oscars were inflated rubber. Sometimes they are referred to as rubber dummies.
Ruperts were dropped from planes during the dark, early morning hours of D-Day. Enemy soldiers could not distinguish them from real paratroopers. As a result, enemy soldiers would waste their ammo shooting in the wrong direction at the decoys, while the allied soldiers were advancing in another area. The whole point: They were shooting at the wrong thing.
In spiritual warfare, it’s easy to battle against the wrong thing. We might be focused on a debate, a person, a book, an organization—but they’re all rubber dummies.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)
If we forget this, then our focus might become set on the person with whom we are debating, trying to outwit them. If so, then we have forgotten that that person is redeemable. Our struggle is not with that person--he is blinded to the truth. Our real struggle is with Satan.