{"id":60608,"date":"2005-04-30T21:04:00","date_gmt":"2005-05-01T02:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=60608"},"modified":"2024-12-05T16:54:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T22:54:49","slug":"warning-against-that-first-instinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/warning-against-that-first-instinct\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning Against \u201cThat First Instinct\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Warren E. Berkley\n

\"\"“Check your moral compass frequently.<\/em><\/b>\u00a0I have seen it both in combat and in peace. If you do<\/em>\u00a0not know who you are walking into a situation, you may not like who you are when you’re done. When I was a\u00a0lieutenant in\u00a0<\/i>Vietnam, I lost Lance Corporal Guido Ferranaro from Bethpage, New York, a 19-year-old Marine, to a sniper-the first Marine I’d ever lost in combat. I was filled with rage, and I called in an artillery strike on the village from which the sniper fired. Between the time that I called in the strike and the rounds were fired, my platoon sergeant didn’t say a word, he just looked at me. And I realized I was doing the wrong thing, and I called off the artillery strike, and we did what we should’ve done, which was to sweep through the village. And all we found in that village were women and children.<\/p>\n

I do not know how I could live with myself today if I had carried that first instinct forward. The time to decide who you are and what you will let yourself do is not when somebody gets shot, it is not when your wingman gets shot down, it is before you get in that situation so you have an anchor to hold on to. This applies elsewhere.”<\/p>\nCommencement address – The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina<\/a>
\n6 May 2006, McAlister Field House. General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff<\/blockquote>\n

Though many of us have never experienced the combat situation General Pace describes, most of us know what he means about\u00a0“that first instinct.”<\/b><\/p>\n

We can recall specific circumstances where our first reaction was not the best. It may have been a temptation to react with vengeance. It could have been some powerful seduction into other sins of passion or gratification. Or maybe someone in a group offended you, and your impulse was to denounce or destroy the entire group. Often, the devil puts before us some temptation and his hope is, we will not think through the consequences. His purpose is to provoke that first instinct.<\/p>\n

God wants us to know we are capable of better things.<\/b> Building on commitment and attitude and with training from the Word, we can prepare ourselves for the right responses.<\/p>\n

I can\u00a0prepare my mind for action<\/i><\/b>\u00a0(I Peter 1:13). I can live my life “under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt<\/em>” me “at the proper time<\/em>,” (I Peter. 5:6). I am able now to “draw near to God,” knowing that “He will draw near to me<\/em>,” (James 4:8). There is no reason for me to despair or assume I am defeated, for I can “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,<\/em>” (II Timothy 2:1). I can use the time I have now to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,<\/em>” (Philippians 3:14) and I can “do all things through Him who strengthens me<\/em>,” (Philippians 4:13).<\/p>\n

There is no excuse. And there is no need to be a victim of your own instincts! “And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God<\/em>,” (Galatians 6:16).<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0http:\/\/www.citadel.edu\/pao\/addresses\/grad06_GenPeterPace.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Warren E. Berkley “Check your moral compass frequently.\u00a0I have seen it both in combat and in peace. If you do\u00a0not know who you are walking into a situation, you may not like who you are when you’re done. When I was a\u00a0lieutenant in\u00a0Vietnam, I lost Lance Corporal Guido Ferranaro from Bethpage, New York, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[810,764],"class_list":["post-60608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-conscience","tag-rashness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21114,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-moses-strike-the-rock-twice-and-what-was-aarons-participation\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":0},"title":"Why did Moses strike the rock twice and what was Aaron’s participation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why did Moses strike the rock twice and what was Aaron's participation? Answer: \"So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Then the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88934,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/strike-the-rock\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":1},"title":"Strike the Rock?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The children of Israel were desperate for water and were crying out to Moses, \"Why have you brought us out here to die of thirst?\" God told Moses to take his rod and \"strike the rock,\" and \"water will come out of it, that the people may drink\" (Exodus 17:3-6).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/tissot-moses-strikes-the-rock-491ed5-small-229x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87599,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-would-god-have-moses-strike-the-rock-one-time-and-not-the-next\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":2},"title":"Why would God have Moses strike the rock one time and not the next?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Brother Jeffrey, I have a question and would appreciate your insights. In Exodus 17, God commanded Moses to smite the rock for water, and then in Numbers 20, He commanded Moses to speak unto the rock for water. We know that Moses smote the rock in Exodus; he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28416,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/repentance-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":3},"title":"Repentance (McGarvey)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by J. W. McGarvey (1828-1911) There are certain considerations in regard to repentance, which is exceedingly important for us to keep in mind. Among all the conditions of pardon and eternal life, it is the most difficult to bring about. When you look through the record of the Savior's earthly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19187,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-elisha-strike-the-water-once-or-twice\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":4},"title":"Did Elisha strike the water once or twice?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In II Kings 2:14, do you believe Elisha strikes the water twice with the mantle of Elijah or just once? Answer: \"Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, \"Where is the LORD God of Elijah?\" And when he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13394,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-it-true-that-jesus-did-not-have-to-eat-the-passover-lamb-because-he-had-no-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":60608,"position":5},"title":"Isn’t it true that Jesus did not have to eat the Passover lamb because he had no sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 16, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I recently read your\u00a0article\u00a0\"Was Jesus a\u00a0Vegetarian?\". There is only a few things I would like to comment on. First thing, I eat fish and am not in any way involved with PETA. But Jesus would not have had to eat the Passover lamb, the lamb was killed as an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}