Fight the Good Fight

By Kate Hieb in Kesennuma, Japan – June 22, 2012

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him,”Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. Judges 7:5,6

Once as I was preparing a bible history lesson on this story, I read a commentary that made these verses forever stand out to me. The commentary noted that the way the 300 men (the ones God chose for Gideon’s army) lapped the water from their hands showed they were alert… Ready for battle.

Isn’t that how a Christian should wake up each day? Ready for battle.

Through the eyes of faith, I find the more aware of and alert to the devil’s schemes I am, the easier they are to overcome. Example: Today a weary soul called the center’s cell phone and asked that we stop delivering tracts to her house. (Note: Delivering tracts to houses is legal in Japan.) Anna gave the woman two options: a) throw the tract away upon receiving it, b) tell us your house number and we will stop delivering there. The woman didn’t like either option, refusing to give out any information about her living location. After an exhausting conversation on the phone, Anna apologized. The woman wanted to raise a stink about it.

Should this stop us from delivering tracts?

Some might have been discouraged. We recognize it as an obstacle Satan put in our path and thought “Silly Satan, you can’t trick us this way.”

Every day in Kesennuma the devil is hard at work on the souls of these hopeless people. He is also hard at work trying to distract us from accomplishing the mission of the relief center…

…but the LIGHT of the Gospel will shine brighter. We will continue to put on the armor of God and go into battle.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand….In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flames of the evil one.

-Ephesians 6: 10-13, 16

Read more at WELS Christian Aid and Relief