Bullets whiz over the heads two men taking cover in a bomb crater—one a soldier, and one a civilian. “Uh oh. I’m way too close to the action. How can I get away from all this shooting?!” whimpers the civilian as he beats a hasty retreat.

“Excellent!” breathes the soldier. “If the enemy has opened fire, my unit must be making gains. Forward!”

The difference between the two? Mindset—peacetime versus wartime. When you’re a civilian, you panic when bullets fly, and you run away. When you’re a soldier, your jaw sets, your eyes glint with new determination, and you attack.

So I’ll put a couple simple questions to you:

1) Is this entire world at war? (As a reader of Adventist Frontiers, I hope this answer is obvious to you!)

2) What’s your mindset?

A peacetime mindset would be great—if war was only optional. But just when you think you’ve found a little island of earthly peace, Satan will bring the battle right into your home turf. Count on it. So ask yourself: Wouldn’t you rather bring the battle to his home turf?

• Twitter