There is one luxury I have in life that I am unwilling to sacrifice or give up You may have the same luxury (or addiction).

For me it is probably a bit of an addiction, but its an addiction I enjoy and won’t give up. My wife has this same addiction but our taste differs slightly..

You might be worried about what type of bombshell I’m going to drop on you, but It’s not what you think. It’s Netflix and their True-Life Docuseries –

True life series and docu- dramas.

My wife and I have different taste in what is good. She loves these true crime series. Serial Killers, murders and Forensics investigations with subjects such as : “how to bury a husbands body and not get caught” type of series. Her taste does worry me, because when we disagree she reminds me that she watches these series and knows how to get rid of any evidence. That is scary!!!

Me – I love Military and historical docu dramas Real life documentaries that are historical in nature – Specifically historical wartime series I’ve watched all off the documentaries related to WWII – twice…possibly three times I’ve watched the Cold War I would watch anything historical with a bit of action, drama and a military bias.

I get pulled into the political intrigue and the rumour mongering, the political manoeuvring and backstabbing

I had a phase where every series I watched was foreign with subtitles Now I am fluent in Hebrew,Arabic Spanish and German.

One of these series that I enjoyed and have watched a few times – for research purposes of course, is Band of Brothers – not Netflix but absolutely brilliant, if you like that type of stuff. In the series,  there is this period where they are stuck in a forest during winter fighting the Germans

These men are fighting off wave after wave of attacks. and so they DIG IN.

They dug Foxholes and trenches – holes in the ground so that they could take cover from enemy fire… and whenever an attack would begin, they would scramble into these holes and take cover. The foxholes were cold, they faced the elements, the holes were at times dirty but it provided cover from enemy fire, from attack – it was their home for now.

They lived there. They ate there. They laughed, cried and sometimes died there. There were times in the foxhole that the attack became too much for them, and the fear, uncertainty and anxiety became overwhelming for them.

This was their life for now. The Foxhole was their means to survival. And although each man was alone in their own foxhole they would call out to each other and would remain connected reassuring each other.

A foxhole can represent that place we take cover in when we are facing insurmountable battles or challenges. The foxhole can be a hole we have dug to take cover from enemy fire.. but do we have faith in that foxhole?

A U.S. military chaplain William Thomas Cummings once PREACHED that there are no atheists in a Foxhole I don’t know about that, what I do know is that when you are stuck in a Foxhole – You are going to be scared and anxious and your faith is gonna be challenged.

A foxhole is a great metaphor for the place we are in when we are facing life’s battles or struggles.

These struggles or Foxholes could be illness, cancer, financial struggles, depression and we are in this deep hole that is cold, dark, lonely and uncomfortable and we are scared and anxious –

It is entirely possible to have faith and yet feel weak powerless and afraid.

THERE will be days, months seasons when life is tough.

You have nowhere to turn, and you feel as if you are in ditch or a hole and you are fighting a mother of all battles .

How do YOU hold onto your faith when you are in a Foxhole?

How do we stay connected with God ?

• We remind and reassure ourselves and each other of the promises God has made to use in Christ Jesus.
• We remind and reassure ourselves and each other of Gods presence, power and promises
• We remind ourselves there is a God who loves us and a Messiah son of God who paid the ultimate price for us –
• We remind ourselves and each other that we are not alone in this fight.

I have this journal book where I’ve written these promises in and when I am struggling – whether it is fear, depression, or anxiety.  I use this journal book to help me pray and to REMIND myself of these promises.

It is my turn to remind you now of some of these important promises….

Promise Number One: YOU ARE NOT ALONE

1. Joshua 1:9 tells us that we are not alone – God is with you

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,

for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

And that no matter what battle you are fighting, whether it is cancer, depression or financial RUIN, He is with you.

Isaiah 43:2 is another promise where God tells us:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Promise Number Two : YOU HAVE A LIFELINE

When you are anxious or worried about anything – PRAY!

Paul, writing to the church at Philippi, says “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “

Paul doesn’t say your situation will change, that there will be an earthquake, and the prison gates thrown open and the prison chains shattered such as when Paul and Silas were miraculously released from the jail in Philippi. No – Paul states – when you pray, when you cry out in thankfulness, God will fill you with a peace you cannot explain, a peace that says no matter what happens. In other words God reminds you “Ive Got this & Ive got you!

And that brings us to the next promise:

Promise Number three: Gods got a plan

Romans 8:28 REMINDS US “THAT God works together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His Purpose – His plan.

And it is here that we discover the most important promise of all – Gods plan.

WE have all quoted and preached Jeremiah 29: 11

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

And most of the time, and I’ve done it myself: I will pray wanting to know Gods plan for my life – here on earth, Gods plan for me in the here and now. My future. My prayer is all about me and MY life..But Gods plan is about all people. His redemptive plan for salvation.

A part of Gods Plan is found and discovered in Promise number 4, and this is the most important and the most valuable promise we can cling onto.

Gods promise Number Four– There is more.

Although the message in John 14 offers us comfort, strength, and hope— and is one usually used at funerals, the promise that Christ has prepared a place in heaven for each one of us. reminds us that even in the presence of death—there is more.

When Jesus told His friends that He was going to prepare a place for them in a house with many rooms, He was declaring that there is something beyond our last breath, that there is something more.

The one thing we can say with certainty, is that there is more.

God gives us hope that, when we believe in Him, that we are assured of eternal life in paradise, where there is no pain or shame, no tears or fear, A promise of life—life in its fullness and most importantly eternal life.

This is the post powerful promise that we can hold onto when we are stuck in a foxhole

THERE IS MORE!

When the disciples witnessed Jesus being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken away, they would have been anxious and fearful, but possibly still hoping that Jesus would be set free. When Jesus was tortured, abused and crucified, their fear and worry would have increased – possibly thinking its all over. But when Jesus died and was buried – their fear, worry and anxiety must have been overwhelming. A deep sense of loss, grief and utter defeat.

Yet, it was at that moment that victory was achieved. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians :

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is more.

When all seems to be lost and gone, let us remember that there is more. When it seems as if the battle is lost – there is more!

If you are stucin a foxhole and fighting a battle or you see someone else, fighting a battle and they are stuck in a foxhole, Remind them of these promises”:

God has a plan.

There is a lifeline – PRAY.

God has a plan

THERE IS MORE

(The promise of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ)

*Preached at St Andrews Presbyterian Benoni 18 May 2025

       Faith in a Foxhole - St Andrews Presbyterian        (Message begins at 27:30)