Brother against Brother?

 The year was 1863, and the Union army had invaded Mississippi under the direction of Ulysses S Grant. They were stronger than the confederates in this area. The tide was turning in the war at this stage it seemed. The confederates fell back, and set up defensive positions on Champion Hill. The battle was hot and heavy, like all civil war battles, eventually though, the Union's superior numbers and supplies overran the Confederate positions, and it became a matter of taking prisoners. A union colonel named John McLaughlin picked his way through the bloody battlefield and found a confederate lieutenant. He took him prisoner. The confederate's name was Henry McLaughlin. 

 Years earlier, in a different life, and a different time, there was a close knit family in Indiana, the parents loved their children, the brothers loved their sisters, and from the outside, based on what we know, it was more or less the way a family should be. However, later in life, when the boys had grown, Henry moved to Alabama, married and started a family. That's when the war came. Henry chose to join the Confederacy, and John stayed in the Union.

 John was not pleased with Henry, he seemed to see in Henry a traitor. Henry was kept in Union captivity with no known sympathies or regards from John until their mother could take it no longer and put in a plea to President Lincoln. After Henry swore an oath of loyalty to the Union, Lincoln let him go. It is hard to know quite just what to think of this story. Henry was in a tight spot, as far as which family he should betray. John, seemed to resent being betrayed, and it is hard to blame him. Both brothers believed in fighting for their homeland, and both stayed true to that belief. 

 Leaving the McLaughlin's now and going above the physical, and poking our head into the spiritual realm, it's cloudy up here, but as you wait, and the earthly mists clear away, may I ask you, can you see that tank over there? That mighty spiritual fighting tank, covered in several layers of armor, righteousness, truth, faith and a roof hatch made of a strong impregnable stuff called salvation. On the tank, you see a big gun, made from the very spirit of God. (Ephesians 6) This tank, is your calling, your gifting, your protection, and your weapon in the spiritual realm. The Lord has built this tank for you, and it is not yours. He has leased it to you for your protection, and your defense. However, it has a gun, and because it has a gun, you can go on offense if you want to, in fact, your Creator may very well have given you a big gun for this very reason. What will you offend? Do you see that tank over there? It is made from the same things as yours, it might be better protected with thicker walls, but it has a smaller gun. It's gun seems to be sorta, kinda, pointing at you! This offends you, what will you do? Will you shoot? This tank has your brother in it. Would you shoot at your brother? 

 Somewhere out there, is an enemy host, making dark tanks, out of far inferior materials, materials like, deceit, corruption, and every wrong, distasteful, sinful act you can imagine. Things like revenge and malice are in their design blueprints. Will you employ the revenge and malice from their blueprints to attack your brother? They want you to. Which tank do you think your creator would have you shoot at? Do you think that maybe your tank should only be used by your commander? That voice in your ear, perhaps listen to it, and only move your hands and feet to work the controls in response to that voice? What if ultimate victory comes from being completely surrendered to that voice in your ear, and only responding to it, even if you walk a pathway of millions of tanks that look like yours, and yet, seem to have their guns pointed right at you?