Lessons From Stepping on a Landmine at Age 15

It was cold winter morning and we emerged from the mountainous forest only to face a snow covered meadow, seeded with hidden landmines, that we had to cross without getting blown up.

The snow was soft, but determined not to yield to the penetrating rays of the early morning sun that would soon transform them into a mushy mess.

We knew the meadow had landmines and plenty of them, but we had no detection equipment. We had to use our instinct to cross this treacherous field.

I was just 15 years old and an air cadet in training. I learned fast, but not fast enough. About 1/4 way across the meadow, I stepped on one of the mines.

Although I didn’t see it coming and felt no pain, the officer in charge of our training, informed me that I had triggered one of the imaginary landmines which only the officers knew the location of.

There were two teams competing against each other to see which team could get the most cadets across the minefield alive. As each cadet made their attempt to cross the field, the officer would let them know if and when they had stepped on one of those imaginary mines.

Then it hit me… All over the meadow, there were footprints in the roughly 4 – 6 inches of fresh fallen snow, and once we got past a certain point, the footprints became the markers where the imaginary landmines were.

We weren’t told the rules, but every cadet was allowed to step on two or three footprints without incident. After that point, the very next footprint you stepped in, would trigger an imaginary detonation and you were removed from the field.

Although it was too late for me, I had figured out the secret way the officers knew where the landmines were. As each of my teammates prepared to traverse the meadow, I urgently told them not to step in the footprints and they would be ok.

Not one heeded my warning. And everyone of them failed to cross the meadow alive.

And so it is today… God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3) who is the embodiment of the Word of God (John 1:14). The weapons we need for survival and success are not those fleshly carnal ways offered up by so many these days.

Instead, they are mighty in God, and well able to demolish every argument, method and high thing that claims superiority over the knowledge of God. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

But so many choose another path. A lesser path. A path that is as seductive as it is dangerous.

Like the cadets who stepped on the first few landmines without incident, these folks think they really have it going on, as they experience some initial success. But inevitably, they step on something akin to a landmine, and their business, their marriage, their family and their dreams, blow up.

And they don’t know why…

God has given us a roadmap, blueprints and a guidebook, along with a Guide to lead us successfully through life and business, avoiding all the landmines the enemy has laid for us.

Last Thursday night, I did an unscripted talk to a couple hundred or more folks, talking about those very things that I refer to as God’s Best Kept Secrets for success in business and life. I think you’ll be more than a little surprised by what you hear.

If you have any interest in learning how God would navigate you through the treacherous minefield we call life, then I invite you to catch the REPLAY HERE before we take it down.

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Thank you for joining me on this journey as we transform the marketplace for the glory of God!