24-Year Army Vet Reveals What It Means to be a 'Camouflaged Christian', On and Off the Battlefield
Someone who serves in the military likely has the keenest insight regarding the concept of the full armor of God and being thrust into combat.
Understanding the importance of the various pieces of the uniform, the tools available for offense and defense, physical preparation and perhaps most importantly, the mental, emotional and spiritual preparation all mean the difference between gaining victory versus becoming a prisoner of war…or perhaps worse.
Richard A. Smith, CW4 USA retired, served in the Army for 24 years in numerous assignments and deployments.
During that time, he learned that having a deep faith in God was crucial to surviving hardships, both on and off the battlefield, according to the Daily Sentinel.
Smith has written a book in which he shares insights with readers that blend his experiences in the army with the illustration of the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20.
His book is entitled, “Camouflaged Christian: A Warrior for Christ.”
Smith acknowledged that there are many difficulties that a military service person must overcome, and highlights just a few of them on his book’s website.
The faith of a Christian serving in the military may be questioned, and their attitude toward their faith can become compromised because of the many difficult situations that will be encountered.
These challenges can cause a person to want to be more of a camouflaged Christian.
In fact, the challenges of life can even cause a Christian who’s not in the military to respond in a similar way.
Smith pointed out that those are the times when a person must draw strength from God and let God’s light shine through.
Smith sees serving in the military as an opportunity to embrace the mentality of having a worldwide platform on which to reach others for Christ and illustrate what it means to live a Christ-centered life.
He believes it’s a unique opportunity to help people understand that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
In his book, Smith detailed how he drew strength from the Word, prayer and fellow Christians to assist him with enduring and persevering in his military career and in his personal life.
After retiring from the Army, he and his wife, Teri, attended seminary at the College for Officer Training in Suffern New York (The Salvation Army), and they were both ordained as pastors.
His most recent pastorate is with Rome Alliance Church where he served for several years.
Smith also has a bachelor of science degree in Social Structure, Social Theory and Social Change from SUNY, Empire State College.
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