Micah 4:11 But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloat over Zion!”

Here we have the current nation of Israel’s situation in a nutshell! They do need to be vigilant and proactive, but they need faithful, obedient hearts most of all. The world does not understand that God is the ultimate Shield and Defender, and as long as we operate by the world’s thinking, we won’t understand it either. Israel’s situation is pretty obvious, but many Christians are oblivious to their own situation. They either don’t realize they are at war, or they think they have to wage that war on their own. Either way is a terrible misunderstanding. Everyone who seeks to follow God needs to realize that the forces of the devil are arrayed against him, but that if he is clad in the armor of God, that is, Christ, (Ephesians 6:10-18) he has nothing at all to fear. Daniel 7:21 says that at times the forces of evil will indeed defeat the forces of good in the short term, but we must remember that is the short term, and never lose hope. The point is, the devil is a terrorist, and his chief weapon is fear. All terrorists follow him, whether they realize it or not, and their end will be the same as his: eternity in the pit of hell. Those who follow God are not to be passive, certainly, but neither are they to be anxious, but rather trust God.

This is certainly topical and applicable! Yesterday I received some fresh information as to what the devil is doing to try to subvert the next generation in the US, and I was flabbergasted that they could get away with it. This is why those who seek to follow God must not be passive. It has become a truism, but Benjamin Disraeli’s famous quote is certainly applicable: “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Particularly in America, that has had such a strong Christian cultural framework in the past, what is called for is believers rising up and saying, “Enough is enough, and this is more than enough!” Japan doesn’t have the same history, so it’s not a matter of people returning to the “faith of their fathers.” Most Japanese need to be liberated from the faith of their fathers! However, the spiritual battle is just as real and just as intense, and as a pastor I need to equip and train the believers to stand strong, not being anxious but not being oblivious either, so that together we may advance against the gates of hell, which we are promised will not be able to stand against us. (Matthew 16:18)

Father, there is again the temptation to be overwhelmed by the task, but that comes from looking at myself instead of Christ. Help me follow Your instructions in Hebrews 12 and lead many into the victorious life You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!