Via Chicago Boyz, this Twitter post.

Here is the link.

As correctly pointed out by some of you, Ukrainian troops seems to flooded the area north of Kyiv. That's the reason why the Russian advance is stagnating there. #Ukraine #UkraineRussiaWar #Kyiv https://t.co/aHRDDu1EC4 pic.twitter.com/ZUmQMRlvAh

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) March 4, 2022

He also observes that Ukraine has allowed the reservoirs to flood the region, and further makes the prediction that while Kiev might still be taken, these troops and this equipment won’t be involved.

They’re stuck in mud, likely for months.  They are likely out of fuel, out of food, and with batteries dead.

Read the entire post.

This is the winter thaw.  The spring rains have yet to arrive.

This is intended to be a tactical analysis.  If true, it suggests that mechanized warfare still suffers from the same sort of thing it always has.

I am currently reading this book (a gift from my oldest son).

Mud affects everything from mechanized machinery to infantry health.  It rots feet, keeps boots wet, cracks the boots when it dries, causes gangrene, messes up grease and bearings, breaks tank tracks, causes trucks to get stuck, and if it buries tanks to the point of sucking up to the underside of the vehicle, causes them to be immobile.  Mud contains bacteria and pathogens that can kill troops.

Mud is the enemy of warfare, or the friend, depending upon your perspective.

Via WRSA, this dumb commentary was seen.

What actually happened was:

At 11:11 AM Moscow time (about an hour ago) the authorities of Zaporozhye Region announced that Zaporozhskaya AES is under control of the Russian forces.

At 6:20 AM Moscow time the fire at the administrative building at Zaporozhskaya AES was extinguished with no casualties. It was probably set on purpose to create the media picture of “Europe’s largest nuke plant on fire!”

At 5:36 AM Moscow time the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the fire in the area of Zaporozhskaya AES did not affect any of the main equipment at the plant.

At 4:47 AM Moscow time president Zelensky goes live to announce that the Russians are trying to create a new Chernobyl. A likely story, that.

Between 3:51 AM and 3:59 AM Moscow time fire crews were on site putting out the fire. Apparently, there wasn’t a lot for them to do.

Between 2:00 AM and 3:30 AM Moscow time there was a shootout at the power plant’s administrative building. Somehow it resulted in a fire at the administrative building.

So much for a new Chernobyl.

He has no idea what happened.  He just made that up.

Unless there is a failure investigation team on site, running fault tree analysis and MORT evaluations, and unless that team has access to event recorder logs dumping to computer point IDs (and retrievable and uncompressed), no one at the moment knows the sequence of events.  I know.  I’ve done these evaluations before for both routine events and accidents.

No one said it was a new Chernobyl (at least, one who was has any intelligence and no know who talked to me for an analysis of the situation).

What I said was very specific, and I’ll add to it here.  I suggested that the fire was either in the auxiliary building (the worst place it could be) or the service building.  Fire can spread from building to building and from nuclear unit to nuclear unit.  I further described the accident at Chernobyl at least in basic detail.  At Chernobyl, the test engineer bypassed the electrical control system that is designed to account for the fact that the reactor can have an overall positive power coefficient.  Worse still, the steam explosion blew the building apart, allowing the unmitigated escape of radioactive fission products to the environment and workers (as well as the public).

That was likely not to be exactly the same situation here.  I won’t go on about how an accident might proceed, except to say that it might involve loss of essential power MCCs, loss of emergency power supply D/Gs, loss of SFP cooling equipment, loss of SSCs necessary for the ultimate heat sink, or a host of other things.

The details aren’t the point.  It could have happened.  It was dumb then to shoot at nuclear power plants and it’s still just as dumb today.  Furthermore, regarding fire, American reactors are designed with fire protection in mind.  Here we aren’t talking about fire hoses.  We’re talking about safety train separation.  For example, you can’t have redundant trains of equipment in the same fire zone, or any other component that could lead to a common mode failure.

We have 10 CFR 50 Appendix R for that, or more recently NFPA-805.  I do not know that this plant was designed to that criteria, probably not, and certainly not upgraded to NFPA-805 or other PRA (risk-based) considerations.

Additionally, to say that a fire at the admin building wasn’t significant is stupid because the author is stupid.  Suppose that the EQ engineer has all of his records and calculations in the admin building pertaining to radiation dose to equipment and TLAA (time limited aging analysis).  They now have no capability for traceability of SSCs in the plant as it pertains to aging analysis and required replacement intervals.  From the perspective of EQ, it’s a disaster.

To say that something didn’t happen and fail to acknowledge that it could have is dumb.  That makes the quality of everything else this writer says suspect.

I don’t claim to be a doctor, nurse practitioner, tax accountant or lawyer.  I’m a nuclear engineer and have been one my entire career.  This writer should refrain from making commentary about engineering until he gets education, training and experience.

In other words, stay out of my shop, boob.  Write and ask if you have questions and you may learn something.

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:32-33

God ordained this way: we that are Christ’s would testify and share Scripture; it’s by your mouth to the ear of the lost sinner that is God’s chosen modality of bringing those He would save to faith in Him. There are more efficient ways He could have made, for sure. Still, none other would bring greater glory to the Father than you, having been a lost sinner yourself, now a vessel full of faith, going and testifying of Jesus Christ to those that He would also call to glorify His holy name.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. You can be a part of the workings of God to see lost sinners come to the fullness of the realization of Christ Jesus to get saved.

Linked here is a Gospel Primer with clear and specific instructions on how to talk to people about Jesus Christ. Freely take and use it for God’s glory.

We are all witnesses for Jesus Christ. Sadly, most Christians in America today are bad witnesses and don’t even know what the Gospel is, probably because they aren’t actually Christian. Some Christians are good witnesses in how they live and share the love of Christ. But others, and this is our goal, are good at being a witness for Jesus Christ by purposefully learning how to share verses of Scripture in a way that God uses to bring faith in the heart of the lost sinner.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17

When sharing what great things Jesus has done for you, and especially when sharing how He saved you, it’s effective to share a few verses of Scripture about how Jesus saves lost sinners. There is real power in opening the Bible and sharing Scripture with a lost soul. It is strongly recommended that you read and discuss verses that prove sin, death, damnation, the futility of works, faith in Christ alone, and turning to God for salvation.

The Holy Bible is the words of life to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the lost. As a witness, or soul winner, you are only the messenger of the Gospel; it’s God’s power in grace and mercy that saves.

Parts Two and Three of these Essential Instruction posts are also necessary preparation for soul winning. Going under your own power is almost always fruitless. Without prayer and knowing some scripture sharing the Gospel is much more difficult. The Holy Spirit brings conviction to a lost sinner, and it is the word of God that brings faith.

The purpose of this, Part Five, is to give you some tools and ideas that will help you grow into a believer who is ready to share what great things Christ has done for sinners. Jesus spent three years training His men. It’s ok to need training. Get trained and do the works of God!

Nobody can take your salvation testimony from you. Telling people about how you got saved is a good witness for Jesus. Telling lost sinners how they can be forgiven of their sin to be saved by the power of God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is what soul winners do by sharing a few verses of Scripture that the Holy Spirit uses to bring conviction to the hearer.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

And so there you are, at the ends of the earth, saved, sealed, but for what? God didn’t save you because you’re a great guy or gal. He saved you to serve Him to bring glory to the Father through His Son.

You can share the Gospel in such a way that lost sinners come to the fullness of the realization of faith in Christ Jesus. You must pray for the help of God that lost souls would be converted to the truth. These conversations with lost sinners will be uncomfortable for both you and the lost sinner. Please keep in mind that the lost sinner is hell-bound to burn for all eternity. It is a much better thing to have a 20-minute uncomfortable conversation with a lost sinner, as you warn them, than that they die and suffer eternal damnation.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” – Revelation 20:11-12

You should care about souls headed for hell, and if you want a moral and just society, an America that is free again, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to get it. Nobody can set us at liberty but Christ. Do you want a Christian nation again? Serving in the power of the Holy Spirit that God would make more Christians through sharing a few verses of Scripture is the way to do it.

We are too hard on lost sinners and much too easy on other Christians. The lost know not what they do or before whom they will be held to account, for their eyes are blinded. They’re lost sinners; what do you think they’ll do but sin in wickedness, destroying what is good and holy all the day long. What do you need to be a just, moral, and upright Christian people; more Christians, say it ain’t so? How do you get more Christians; tell them *gasp* about Christ? Are you even Christian? How do you not feel pressed upon by the Spirit of God to share what great and glorious things He has done? Don’t shrink back now by denying God before men. Most Christians don’t even know what the Gospel is.

You can be a part of the workings of God to see lost sinners come to the fullness of the realization of Christ Jesus to get saved. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation.

The Gospel Primer will help you not only to discuss the things of God, but it will show you how to bring lost souls all the way to a decision to enter into His kingdom or reject Christ having chosen the things of this present world; God help them.

The lost sinner needs to understand these things. 1. That they are a lost sinner. 2. That the wrath of God is upon them. 3. That they cannot save themselves. 4. That only Jesus Christ can save them. And 5. That they must be saved by faith.

There is also a set of verses called the Roman(s) Road to show a lost sinner about these five facts. There are several variations of the Roman Road. Here is one such set of verses to share with lost sinners to show them their need for salvation in Christ.

Sin: Romans 3:10-12, 23

Consequences for sin: Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:14-15

Salvation from Sin and wrath: Romans 5:8-10

Belief (Faith) in Christ: Romans 9:10-11

Call upon the Lord: Romans 10:13

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

Your knowledge, personality, background, education, and salvation testimony build upon each other to make you the Christian God wants you to become. By adding tools and ideas to your existing knowledge, you significantly increase your effectiveness while witnessing for Jesus Christ.

As a point of personal testimony, I’ll say that I’ve never been full of more joy or been closer to God than having just led a lost soul to the foot of the cross of Christ into the point of decision. It’s the coolest thing ever. (I know it’s a childish expression, but it really is the coolest thing ever.) There is nothing that has satisfied my soul more than to see the light of Christ realized in the eyes of a soul that God is speaking to through His Holy Spirit. You can see the Kingdom of God in action, first hand, beholding the power of Jesus Christ to save. No stories here; go and make your own.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” – John 15:8

On fire with tracer rounds flying around.

2:40 AM — Zaporizhska nuclear power plant. More small arms fire & RPG shots. Building is definitely on fire pic.twitter.com/hSMGHcmW3E

— Hugo Kaaman (@HKaaman) March 4, 2022

I have earned a living as a nuclear engineer for 43 years doing everything from systems engineering to reactor engineering and particle transport and radiation shielding and activation calculations.  I can’t even begin to tell you how idiotic, ignorant, stupid, vulgar, unwise, wrongheaded, witless, irresponsible, lamebrained, and knuckleheaded this move was.

Only an uneducated nitwit, a lunkheaded fool and crackpot would order such a thing or even participate in it.

Now let’s be clear.  Commercial reactors don’t explode like nuclear weapons.  They just don’t.  American made nuclear reactors must be designed with an overall negative power coefficient by the Code of Federal Regulations.

Not so for Russian designed reactors.  I developed and presented training years ago to the Department of Energy safety analysis engineers on Chernobyl.  The problem with that accident is that the reactor design could (and did) have an overall positive power coefficient because of its positive void coefficient (here is the stipulation – assuming that the electronic controls work, this has been accounted for by automatic reactor control).  The precursor to the accident was that an electrical engineer bypassed that automatic protection circuitry for the purpose of a test and plant management let him do it without a documented safety analysis.

Even then it didn’t explode.  It was a steam explosion, not a nuclear explosion.  Nonetheless, the core melted and the radiological source term caused a problem for an awful lot of people.  Today I would gladly take a walk around the exterior of the plant.  Then, not so much.

Even if the reactor was shut down upon the assault by Russian forces, there is still core cooling to consider, as well as thousands of metric tonnes of spent fuel in the pools.  A SRO (Senior Reactor Operator) and RO, along with equipment operators, must be on shift 24 hours per day.

Nuclear reactors (especially as designed and built in America) are inherently safe, clean and efficient, and produce carbon free power.  America will go nuclear or suffer life without power, because solar cannot even begin to compete with nuclear in terms of powering industry.  Russian reactors are inherently safe too, mostly, that is, until some dunderhead goes shooting at safety systems and kills plant operators.  That’s why nuclear power plants have the most intensive security of virtually any place on earth.  I’ve seen it first hand.

But the security wouldn’t be able to stop an assault like this.

I … just … can’t … even … begin … to … tell … you … how … stupid … this … is!  Well, stupid or wicked.  Words fail me.

But, Putin … and Russia’s military apparatus.  So there.  You can sign me up for being highly pissed at Putin and his military apparatchiks.  While the responsible ones among us are trying to convince people of the rightful need for nuclear, they have to go and muddle this up, even if it’s only because of wrongheaded thinking by people who don’t understand the physics of nuclear energy and are frightened because of that.  Even if the plant is under control right now, the psychology of this is damaging.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

Time with other bible believers studying the truth of God’s word and learning about the Christian life is essential for growth in Christ.

The purpose behind these Essential Instruction posts is to grow in Christ. In the next post, we’ll provide specific technical instruction about how to lead a lost soul into the Kingdom of God if they’ve by given by the Father under the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God to rely on Christ Jesus. Here in Part Four, we’ll not be talking about modes of worship or rudiments of outward forms of godliness as a group of believers. This post is about you serving God in spirit and in truth.

“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” – Romans 12:4-5

See also: 1 Corinthians 12:12

A local church is a body of believers. All followers of Jesus are His church, sometimes referred to in Scripture as the body of Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is not a Church building. When the members refuse to serve, they make the body lame and dysfunctional retarding the growth of His church by slowing the spreading of the Gospel to every tongue. God has a job for you to do, that the body may be whole.

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” – Acts 11:26

What did Jesus command in the Great Commission? What did they do at Antioch? What did the disciples do everywhere they went? What are you doing?

A Christian is a believer who is now in the body of Christ and becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. A Christian is someone who gives His life in service to the Father just as our Lord Jesus did. Christianity is not a mere belief, although that is the essential first thing. Christians do the work of God to bring about the glorification of Jesus Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth, preaching the Gospel to every creature and teaching all nations to obey Christ. Being saved by Jesus is not the end; it is the beginning, the beginning of a new life of service for our Lord in the Kingdom of God.

This is very important; the Churches of America have taken to preaching the Gospel to each other and ministering to the lost. This is the exact opposite of what Almighty God calls Christians to do in service of Him as commanded in His word. The first work of believers, if done according to the Holy Bible, is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lost sinners outside the body. And secondly, care one for another as a group of believers, teaching not only about the Bible but how to accomplish what God commands in His word.

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” – Jude 1:3

The church we should want is not one where believers come to get refreshed from work, or the news cycle, or from a hectic life of worldliness nor as a babysitter for our children and an activity center. Your local church should be the group of believers we rely upon to be refreshed in the power of Christ, refilled with the Holy Spirit of God. And the local church should be the place we get encouraged and uplifted because we’ve spent a week reproving the wicked of sin, sharing the Gospel with the lost, and standing in the righteousness of Christ against the evil of this present world by following the commandments in the new testament. We should want a church that contends for the faith within and outside the body in serious commitment to follow after Christ.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples in John 15:12

Seek opportunities to teach, share the simple Gospel with the children of your church, spend a little time listening to widows and the elderly. Great all members with a smile and sincerely ask if you can pray for them, and then do pray throughout the week, and follow up the next week and ask them how it’s going. Offer to help the Pastor with anything He needs. He’ll say no at first but continue to make yourself available. Depending on how your church is structured, there may be many ways to contribute, but it’s mainly about the people. Serve in meekness, love, longsuffering, mercy, and compassion, never backbiting, telling tales, or spreading gossip. You don’t need anyone’s permission to love and care with sincere kindness one for another and not in words only but in deeds that help your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, pastoral leadership is a narrow calling of God on the men He chooses. But specific gifts and ministries may include teaching, church planting, missions, evangelism, and we are all made witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. And we all strengthen each other uplifting each other’s spirit to prepare each other to re-enter the battlefield doing battle for our High King.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2

Want to know the will of God for your service of Him? Prove it, test it, try the reigns of God by giving yourself in time and ability within the body. You’ll find where you work best for His glory. Perhaps He’ll use you in one capacity for a season and another capacity for another season. This is not unusual for those who seek to earnestly and humbly give of themselves for God’s kingdom. When you begin this search, God will put you where He wants you. You’ve got to want it; take the initiative.

God isn’t looking for benchwarmers to help Him with gravity by holding down a pew with your backside. Christians are not useless observers. Consumerist Christianity is destroying the American Church. Be ye doers of the word!

Another thing that is destroying the American Church is that it is supposed to be for believers; it is not a mixed multitude. Inviting somebody to church is a kindness but having a group that is half lost people is not the church. The church is the body of Christ, and we are His people. We are to assemble with other believers to strengthen each other so that we can go into the world and seek the lost that God would make His own. Filling the body with lost people weakens the purposes of assembling together.

Contending for the faith is done by following the commandments in the New Testament and telling people about Jesus. When studying the New Testament, it becomes clear that Jesus was preparing men to preach to the lost, create assemblies that gather as His church, and within those assemblies to set out specific functions for service of Him by caring for the saints. In these two things is the fullness of the Great Commission; to serve God on earth in the name of Jesus Christ by following His commandments; teaching and learning and ministering among a group of believers, and secondly by spreading the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls outside the body.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” – Hebrews 10:24

Disciples seek the lost to share the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus. And followers of Jesus Christ minister among a group of believers, a local church. This ministration includes caring for one another, urging each other to do good works, encouraging each other, and sharing life with other believers. The church is not a building; it’s the body of Christ, that is, all the believers working and serving Holy God to accomplish the specific tasks for the particular purposes that the New Testament lays out. If accomplished according to Scripture, this is an excellent work for Holy God in which He is well pleased.

Time with other bible believers studying the truth of God’s word and learning about the Christian life is essential for growth in Christ. Personal prayer and bible study do not replace church going. And going to church does not replace personal prayer and bible reading & study time. You must do both.

So that you mature in Christ becoming a worthy vessel to serve our King in His kingdom, you must examine yourself with fear and trembling to become the member in particular that God would have.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” – 2 Corinthians 13:5

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” – Philippians 2:12

Prove God’s perfect will for your service of Him. Prove your own self whether you are in the faith. Are you in or not!?! Work this out with fear and trembling before the throne of the Almighty; will you follow Christ?

And pray; God help me grow and put me in service of you that your holy name would be glorified and that I falter not unto the day of redemption. Amen.

First, as I’ve said before, no one keeps closer track of money and statistics than actuaries who work at insurance companies, not even Las Vegas mathematicians.

This report is bracing.

Since the beginning of the plandemic, the powers-that-be have told us to “follow the science.” But perhaps a better indicator of what’s really happening would be to follow the money. And if you really want to get an accurate view, the money to follow is in life insurance. They know about death better than anyone. It’s what they do.

We reported in January about the insurance executive caught admitting there had been an inexplicable 40% increase in mortalities in 2022. They tried to walk that back, but the cat was out of the bag and it has been verified as being true. Now, a former Blackrock portfolio manager has taken the insurance cover-up and blown it wide open.

During an interview with Kristi Leigh, Edward Dowd gave us multiple bombshells. One that may have been missed came at around the 27-minute mark when he revealed plenty of evidence of mortality dramatically increasing.

“Bottom line is, they saw an acceleration in mortality in the second half of 2021, okay. Given the ‘miracle vaccines,’ that should not have occurred.”

He detailed how OneAmerica CEO Scott Davison revealed the facts during a Chamber of Commerce meeting. The information was not supposed to get out to the public, but it did and it blew up.

“In fact, he put some meat on the bones,” Dowd said. “He said a 10% increase would be a three-standard deviation event. 40% is a once-in-200-year flood. And what you need to understand about insurance companies is they make their money giving whole life policies because they can predict death rates, which are pretty steady.

Second, there is this very important video that details how researchers have determined that mRNA enters the liver, enters the nucleus of the cells, and gets converted into DNA.  At the moment, they have numerous concerns: genomic toxicity, various cancers, the placenta route, and auto immune diseases.  Here is the original paper.

Finally, via WRSA, this is a very important Epoch Times article entitled The Truth is Coming Out about Covid Deaths.

When this is all said and done, there will be many people who knew and will be culpable, and many in the medical community who suspected and said nothing, and then there will be the victims.  The people who knew should be held to account.  The people who suspected and said nothing violated their oaths and should leave the profession.

It’s his video so he gets to say what he wants to.  I would add the following.  I like the BCM, but I wouldn’t recommend Colt.

I would recommend against a low tier AR and steer you towards: Rock River Arms, BCM, LaRue, Aeroprecision, or Daniel Defense.  Those are all going to cost in the upper tier price range, but it will be worth it in the long run.

As for hand guards, I have both KeyMod and MLok.  They both work.  I like KeyMod better, but that’s just me.

News to no one who watches and listens.

Russian agent who infiltrated the National Rifle Association says Ukraine should not hand out weapons to its citizens in case a child gets hurt.

Maria Butina condemned the embattled country’s leadership for dishing out more than 18,000 guns to civilian volunteers in an effort to drive back Russian invaders.

But that is apparently not acceptable for the convicted spy, who told Russian state media TV show Vremya Pokazhet on Saturday that “people don’t know how to handle them and a child might be killed at home”.

Gosh.  You mean the NRA is anti-gun?

I guess support for red flag laws, the NFA, GCA, bump stock ban, the Hughes Amendment, and AWB is for the children too.

Part One

Part Two

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” – Acts 17:11

This is Part Three of several posts about growing and maturing in Christ to accomplish the works that He foreordained for you to walk in. In later posts, we’ll look at serving within the body of Christ (Church) and then specific technical instruction in how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with lost sinners. Here we’ll discuss personal Bible reading and study.

If you say that you’re saved by the grace of Holy God and have never read the book that He left for you, shame on you! Men died to write it. Men died to make it a household item. Jesus died that it might all be fulfilled. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 that “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” God has preserved His word supernaturally by His will that you might know Him and have specific instruction on how to proceed to implement His kingdom while we anticipate His return. Please read the book; it’s all in there! You’ll answer to God one day. And we’ll leave it at that before this turns into a much-justified tirade.

If you love the Lord that saved you, the Holy Spirit should fill you with the desire to be salt and light, in His strength and righteousness, to the wicked and depraved world. Christians should change the environment they are in. This is the mandate of the Great Commission; to conquer the world in the name of Jesus Christ by effectively wielding the sword of God, which is His word; you have no right to settle for less. How can you wield His sword if you don’t know it?

Read for comprehension by examining the text with singleness of purpose; that you might know Him and His mind toward you. You should do personal Bible reading and study time daily. It’s best to set a specific time for this each day.

When reading the Scriptures, pray and ask God for at least four things: To reveal what is happening in the text. To reveal what He needs you to learn from it. To teach you what He wants you to learn. And ask Him to reveal personal application for your church, family, and self.

Context is king. Many religions claiming to be Christian have taken just a handful of verses and made a religion from them. There are 66 books within the Holy Bible. You must seek to know who wrote the individual book you are reading and studying and the overarching purpose of God in giving us that book. All Scripture is given us for instruction (2 Timothy 3:16), but knowing who the intended audience was and the occasion of the writing is critical to understanding sound doctrine as applied to the Church today. The Holy Bible is not a book of mystical, vaguely knowable sayings. You can understand it when studied in context.

Let’s start at the beginning. For brand new Christians and other infants, the book of John in the New Testament is a great place to begin personal reading and study. It lays out the simple fact of who Jesus is, how much God loves you, what He’s done for you, and who you are to God.

Here is how to grow; challenge God to prove His word. Now, don’t take that wrong; we don’t confront God or seek a duel of sorts, desire for God to show you that His word may be proven true. Our topic verse in Acts 17:11 at the top says: “…searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Don’t be afraid to tell God that you can’t hear the text, don’t understand it, and need His help to show you His purposes in judgment, grace, and instruction in righteousness.

Interrogate the text. Don’t take any man’s word for what the Bible says. Search the Scriptures daily for yourself! Are these things so?

A goal in reading and study should be to have family Bible study, but how can you teach your children if you are still ignorant? How can you know what your pastor teaches is accurate if you refuse to grow in the faith and knowledge of God by reading His word? How can you be a mature Christian soldier serving our King while remaining in darkness and ignorance?

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” – 2 Peter 3:17-18

After reading John, read the whole New Testament. It’s ok not to understand it all at first. Read from Matthew to the end of Revelation, asking God to reveal His word to you. The reason to start in the New Testament is that what happened two thousand years ago when Jesus was here is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The books of the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament were fulfilled in (by) Christ Jesus. Reading the New Testament is like reading the answers to the test before taking it. We have the answers to the prophecies of the coming of the Son of God to save His people, raise up a Church, restore righteousness in the earth, and end the curse of sin and death since the fall in the garden.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – Jesus in John 17:17

Next is some practical reading and study instructions for anybody. Although God’s word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11), those ‘read the Bible in a year’ plans are essentially a waste of time. After reading the whole New Testament (perhaps twice?), start back in Genesis and begin your reading cover to cover. There is no end to the growth in grace and knowledge of God as He reveals His holy word to you. There is no goal; read and study for the rest of your life to know Him that loves you and saved you from eternal torment. You’ll never attain to the end of the knowledge of God in this life; it’s an ongoing relationship with Jesus that matters.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Study a book going verse by verse, writing down what God reveals. The first book to do this with, again, is John. While studying in this manner, at times, you may simply be paraphrasing the word, but at others, God will bring the Scripture to life, and you’ll end up writing half a page about one verse that God is showing you. Pray for understanding and write down every thought working your way through the book a little at a time. Not only will God show you very personal things, but in writing about what you read, you’ll have to think and justify your understanding of the word of God and its meaning. If you have the Holy Spirit, you will grow very quickly doing this. Of course, without the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit of God, nobody can understand the word of God to any helpful degree of truth, especially the deep things of God.

You must be serious about reading and studying God’s word. This way, when you come under the sound of preaching, the Holy Spirit of God connects sections of Scripture, concepts, and related verses which will bring the word of God alive during the preaching. Otherwise, you sit there, not even knowing if what’s being said is true! If you know the word of God, no man can lie to you about God by soft-peddling perversions of the true and living God who is mighty to confound and destroy by His judgments, merciful and loving in His graces; for He is the only righteous One that exists.

Here are just three good reasons to study Scripture:

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” – Psalm 119:11

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

The word of God brings us into the light of truth and will change your simple mind to maturity. Coming into the knowledge of Christ consistently rebukes us from sinning against God that we may be steadfast in the faith unto the end. The word of God brings faith; we are to walk by faith, not by sight.

You must read and study the Scriptures to gain an in-depth understanding of God and the ministries He would have you serve in.

Note how not one extra-biblical text or course is mentioned here. Personal prayer with reading and study is done on top of any instructor-led or guidebook-driven studies. Personal prayer and bible study do not replace church going. And going to church does not replace personal prayer and bible reading & study time. You must do both.

News of War.

As the war in Ukraine continues, thousands of anti-tank missiles are on their way to the war-torn country from NATO member states and other countries to repel invading Russian military hardware and forces.

A total of 18 countries will be sending military support to Kyiv following a plea by Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov to send the besieged nation anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.

“We need as much Stinger [anti-aircraft] and anti-tank weapons as possible,” said Reznikov, seated at a conference table with a Ukrainian flag behind him. “In order to provide for reliable procurement of equipment, you may deliver it to Poland. From there we will transport them across the land and quickly saturate our defense.”

Here’s the thing about tank columns.  First, they must be able to sustain with both fuel and food, as well as other issues such as medical care, communications, batteries, power supply, etc.  That means ensuring security for lines of logistics.  Splitting off formations or splintering the column means you cannot do that.

Second, unless they splinter off, they are vulnerable to assault and loss of the entire column in the formation.

Third, the comms must be secure such that the enemy doesn’t know what you’re doing in advance.  The U.S. ensures this with encrypted communications going through MilStar uplinks.

Based on my reading assignments, the Ukrainians have so far caused huge problems for the tank formations because of two weapons: the Javelin, and Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones.  Of course, these are both stand-off weapon systems.

This is fortunate for the Russians because if they had faced down a couple of A-10s, the formation would already have been destroyed by now and it would just have been a matter of collecting bodies to send home.

Never forget the Iraq Highway of Death.

At that time it was mainly helicopters and A-10s (with A-10s doing most of the heavy lifting).  Thus far the Russians haven’t been able to ensure security for logistics, have already tried to splinter their columns (that led to disaster), and finally, they aren’t able to engage in secure comms.

More and more evidence is emerging that the Russian forces rely on civilian radios and mobile phones for their communications. Our source in one invading unit confirms this.

This photograph is said to show a civilian radio captured by Ukrainians.https://t.co/ppwYktFsaD

— CIT (en) (@CITeam_en) February 28, 2022

Even in the first Iraq war, the M1A1 tanks used crisscrossing routes and other modern tank warfare tactics (here think Marine Corps satellite patrols) to avoid enemy fire and never give them a chance to lay in fires against U.S. tanks (see the Battle of Medina Ridge).  What the Russians are currently pursuing is more akin to tank warfare as it was planned half a century ago.

They can still win, but this will get much more bloody in either case.  But the Russians aren’t fighting German tank columns in WWII.  They’re fighting Javelins and drones.  A lot has happened in 70 years.

This is entirely intended to be a tactical analysis.  Please refrain from geopolitical remarks in the comments.

Learn from these mistakes.