Most of us have not experienced actual live fire combat. Have you ever wondered what that is really like? We have an idea of what its like from movies and TV shows, but watching a movie in which your life is not on the line misses the main factor that dominates real military encounters. Now, imagine that you are a new recruit just entering a military situation. For you, this scenario goes from an interesting question to a vital concern that dominates your thinking. In your private moments you wonder how you will perform under fire, when it is the real thing, which could happen in any moment of any day.

The performance of such new soldiers is the business of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Recently they conducted a survey of 304 military veterans, spanning from Vietnam to present day to determine what their real combat experience in which their life was on the line was really like. Not surprisingly, these combat encounters of the veterans were highly emotional in the moment in which they were happening. Heart pounding, fear, and tunnel vision are just a few of the physical and emotional responses the soldiers reported. Many reported fear and even terror during combat, blowing apart a macho myth that you're not supposed to ever be scared during battle. The following physiological processes take over, the study found:

Once the mind identifies an acute stressor (through sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell), the body reacts almost instantaneously with a series of carefully orchestrated hormonal and physical responses. The amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) perceives danger and sends a signal to the hypothalamus (the command center for the autonomic nervous system). This can result in immediate changes such as increased heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. At the same time, the hypothalamus sends signals to the adrenal glands to release epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream. If the stressful situation continues, the brain releases hormones that prompt the release of cortisol, keeping the body on high alert. This process happens almost on auto-pilot without any conscious thought. Source: mwi.usma[dot]edu/baptism-fire-survey-first-combat-experiences/

All of these changes in the body are well documented as part of the so-called "fight or flight response" in which raw instinct takes over, producing an almost uncontrollable urge to either run away - or to fight to stay alive. People vary as to which choice they favor, and they may never know, until they are in such a situation and the response is triggered. Then they know for sure, because they have gone through it.

An army of soldiers who run away in the face of battle is not very useful, so this study attempted to zero in on factors that make the difference for soldiers under "fight or flight" pressure. One veteran offered a list that was a very representative summary:

• Do not panic.

• Pay attention to everything in your environment.

• Do not let your guard down.

• Remember your training it works.

• Sometimes you will have to improvise.

• Be aggressive but not reckless.

• If your gut is telling you that there is something wrong go with it.

An overwhelming number of veterans said they "didn't think" and just acted during combat — giving a positive nod to their training beforehand. Training seemed to be the key to success in battle. Even so, the study concluded:

Overall, the first time a service member faces a real combat situation is often a critical moment of self-actualization. Simply put, once a service member knows battle first hand and survives, he or she will likely never be the same again. Source: mwi.usma[dot]edu/baptism-fire-survey-first-combat-experiences/

All of this applies directly to supernatural warfare encounters. These can be life-threatening, and even worse, eternal life threatening. These can happen suddenly, in the life of any believer. Further, due to changes in the culture, even in western countries, such as the USA, these encounters are dramatically on the rise. Consider how the culture has changed over the last few decades, as seen in the chart to the left. The upward line shows the rise in the "no religion" category between 1972 and 2014 in the USA. Clearly, the population has been dramatically moving away from God. Put another way, society is much less godly and far more hostile to people who are. All of this tracks with what any awake believer has been seeing and experiencing all around him or her in the common culture. A lot of hate is being drummed up against Bible-based thinking and behavior. The devil is using this changed societal environment as a battlefield from which to attack believers. Often they don't even know they are experiencing a spiritual attack. They perceive it as hostility from individuals or institutions, and they are often deeply wounded by these very real attacks. Unfocused fight or flight is a common emotional response that ratchets up the chaos. Many believers simply don't know how to handle these attacks, and many have been devastates, some even leaving the faith. The chart tells the story - for decades we have been losing the war, and it is only getting worse. Believers sorely need training to deal with this.

At Tsiyon, we have no intention of surrendering to the hostile environment and just giving up. Quite to the contrary, we are determined to overcome. We want to help you do the same. To win, it will take a much different mindset than apathetic believers in the West have been exhibiting. If you are to get through this with your faith in tact, you must adopt the mindset of a soldier of the King, and the sooner the better. We invite you, and any person you invite, to a live presentation at tsiyon.net, at 8 pm cst, entitled Supernatural Warfare - Fight to Win! Tell you friends to register free at  https://tsiyon.net/register/ to take in this special presentation tonight.

Don't care or be there - choose your future!