English (United States) 
Opening letter from Community 2016/04
We are all familiar with the story of Gideon. Gideon gathered a large army to fight against their enemies, the Midianites. He had 42,000 soldiers. But God told him, “The men you have are too many.” And He told Gideon to reduce the army—until, finally, there were only three hundred men left. On top of this, this small band of soldiers was to go into battle without any kind of weapons. All they were to take was a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside it.
This was contrary to all common sense. How were they supposed to fight against a huge army with only torches and trumpets? But Gideon was filled with the fear of God and thought, if God tells us to fight with these weapons then we will win. From a human point of view this was absurd, but because Gideon feared God and trusted Him, he took his men with their pathetic weapons and went into battle. He defeated the enemy: God gave Gideon the victory!
God wants us to fight with His weapons, not with earthly weapons. People use force and violence to fight. And the strongest wants to win. But God says, put your weapons aside and use the weapons of prayer and obedience. And use the readiness to forgive as a weapon, as well as patience and the love of God.
Let us use these weapons when we are attacked. This may seem absurd at first, but it works. Try it!