Self Confidence Part 1
Part 1 and Part 2 can be read separately
Acts 4:8
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, 9 If we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. "
In Part 1, Acts 4:1-15 and John 20: 18-23 was presented to show what renewed confidence does to a person, Jesus' disciple Peter, who after Jesus' Crucifixion becomes afraid of what might happen next to him and the believers, and in a moment ready to do battle for his cause at hand.
This week, a more modern day story.
It was a little town called An Loc, on Hwy 13, about 60 miles North of Saigon that in April of 1972 the North Vietnamese launched an “Easter Offensive” pouring 200,000 ‘bad guys’ into South Vietnam from the North. About 50,000 of those soldiers from the North (NVA) positioned themselves around this little town of 15,000 and 300 American and Vietnamese soldiers, tough Rangers. A siege began that lasted into the end of July.
To save that town and soldiers from being over-run by the NVA, the U. S. Air Force was tasked to air drop supplies into a soccer field. A long story short, this author was tasked to develop a revolutionary airdrop technique to hit the leading edge of the field from 10,000 feet, this to provide to the troops fragile supplies in one ton bundles. After three days, the development was finished and it was time to go to war. Being a green 24 year old lieutenant, just 2 months qualified as a navigator in my plane, upon arrival in Saigon, June 3, 1972 I was.... well... absolutely and unconditionally petrified and scared of dying the next day.
Three C-130’s similar to my plane had been shot down over An Loc in the run-up to my arrival in Saigon. On June 3 at 00:45 AM, I arrived at my little blacked out dorm room in Saigon, truly petrified and hardly able to control my fearful emotions. The fear of the next day was overwhelmingly debilitating and exhausting as the feel of impending death took over my soul. What was I to do? Many people depended on me the next day, people and soldiers in An Loc.
I was not exactly a prayerful guy at the time, but my training as a child took hold of me and I began to pray. I prayed for many things, but especially for my life and the lives of my crew, then I closed, “Lord, let me go home in a box, or let me go home as a whole man.” And then, ... as I had never prayed, it came to me to finish my prayer with, “Not my will but Thine be done.” Amazingly and immediately....what came to me seemed to be an incrediable miracle.
My life changed in that moment in ways that took nearly 40 years to understand. But, in that moment, in that prayer, that little blacked out room in all its deep darkness suddenly just glowed as a soft yellow warm light. In that blacked out room suddenly everything there was visible to my eye. But there was no common source for the light, the glow was just there but not coming from one point; it seemed to be coming from everywhere in the room. The awe of the moment turned my fear into unbelievable assurance of God's protection and instilled in me a Confidence from God that things would work out. I did not believe necessarily that it would be as I desired in the prayer and had requested, but in time, that prayer came to be. I did go home a whole man, changed. A change in the moment but a change that grew over the next 40 years.
I slept good that first night and the fear of battle the next day and the days to come was not really on my mind ever again. In my new confidence, Confidence gained through prayer, I focused on the task, installed the new air drop system, trained many crews, and in July of ‘72 the siege lifted with the Americans, the South Vietnamese Soldiers, and the town "surviving".
I testify that Prayer and especially our humble prayers changes circumstances and people. It is a gift from God from and through the Holy Spirit.
And that miracle, in time I came to believe it was not so much a miracle but simply God's Daily work providing a visible assurance through the Holy Spirit in an answered prayer. In my most humble humility, in that moment God 'spoke' to me and the Holy Spirit filled me. And God continues to fill me as needed. I continue to pray often everyday for the Holy Spirit to fill me as my needs arise. In my humbleness, God never fails me.
Has God heard from you lately?
Thanks be to God.
(c) lonnie coggins
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More Information:
An Loc, the Commander’s Story
Air drop techniques have not changed much.
The following is from Afghanistan and is pretty much like as we did in Vietnam.
In about 5 to 8 seconds in a C-130 as you see in the next video about 32,000 pounds of supplies can exit the air plane, more from C141’s and C-5’s.
One of the biggest changes now is that airdrop is pretty much computerized with GPS guided bundles, sometimes from as high as 35,000 feet.
Air drop, Afghanistan
C-130 High Performance Take Off.... really
intro
Self-confidence can fly away in a heart beat. At a high point in my U.S. Air Force career, accomplishing a most important task, I came to a point where I thought I was going to truly die the next day. It was S. Vietnam, June 3rd, 1972, and military combat was about to become my reality. In my prayer, God Truly Lifted Me. Click below for more. Share as you wish on Facebook.
http://lonnieadailythought.blogspot.com/2011/06/self-confidence-part-2-of-3-6292011.html
