The first device for SAD is pride and arrogance. Regardless of how well even the few prepared, even the most confident were shaken by the difficulty of the course. Life brings us curve balls, ambushes and unexpected grief many times from our own shortcomings or something we have no control over. Those who successfully endured to the end reaped the prize; the prize and honor of the Green Beret; a heritage to be passed down through the generations of the family and nation. Those who were self absorbed in the glory of their own abilities found themselves SADly mistaken.

Disoriented in the Dark
Like those volunteers, we find ourselves in life seemingly dropped off in the middle of the night, we don't know where we are and have few resources, save a map which is our Word of God. Self pity would be our second device for SAD.

If we sit down and wait until things are better, like those who hid themselves in a field, covered themselves until daylight, failed their mission, their fellow soldiers and their own integrity. We don't have forever. The Psalmist says, «teach me to number my days.»

Alone in the dark, secrecy gives us a false sense of our ability to «get away with something», to cheat the system. What those volunteers failed to know or remember is that their supervising officers were watching their every move, even though it was pitch black in the middle of the night, through their night vision glasses (Infra Red FLIR).

Their every move was being observed through the night vision binoculars, just as God watches us as well. God will hold us accountable for every SAD device we engage in. Jesus said, «What is done in secret will be shouted from the housetop.» Let's remember to do good things in secret, when no one watches, save God, so those things shouted from the housetop will be a pleasant return of honor, rather than shame and humiliation.

Those volunteers were monitored by — satellite; their every move was known, just as God watches us from his Eye in the sky. If we were outside of His knowing, He would cease to be God. They were instructed not to take routes which led them into a closed area, limited for escape, even though it was a shorter and easier route, where the enemy could ambush them.

Their alternative (and instruction) was to take those paths which assured their safe arrival, if necessary cross swamps, through snake or other hostile environments with their heavy 50 pound or more packs and weapons. Those volunteers who took the short cut were eliminated.

Just as Jesus said, 13 " Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 «For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.