I have home Bible stufy tomorrow and need help asking some questions to get the elders mind going, as well as my wife. Oppose the Devil and His Crafty Acts “Oppose the Devil, and he will flee.” —JAMES 4:7. IF YOU have been serving Jehovah for decades, you have likely heard numerous baptism talks at our assem- blies and conventions. Yet, no matter how often you have been present on such occasions, you likely still feel moved each time you witness the moment that those sit- ting in the front rows of the auditorium stand up to pre- sent themselves for baptism. At that instant, a buzz of excitement ripples through the audience, followed by a burst of heartfelt applause. Tears may well up in your eyes as you look at yet another group of precious individuals who have taken sides with Jehovah. What joy we feel at such times! 2 While we may witness baptisms a few times a year in our locality, the angels are privileged to observe them much more often. Can you imagine how much “joy in heaven” there must be as they see thousands of individ- uals worldwide added to the visible part of Jehovah’s or- ganization each week? (Luke 15:7, 10) No doubt, the an- gels are thrilled to observe this increase!—Haggai 2:7. THE DEVIL “WALKS ABOUT LIKE A ROARING LION” 3 In stark contrast, however, there are spirit creatures who observe those baptisms with fury. For Satan and the demons, it is galling to see thousands turn their backs on this corrupt world. After all, Satan boasted that no hu- mans serve Jehovah out of genuine love and that none would remain faithful under severe test. (Job 2:4, 5) Every time someone is moved to dedicate himself to Je- hovah, Satan is proved wrong. It is as if Satan receives thousands of slaps in the face every week of the year. No wonder he “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to de- vour someone”! (1 Peter 5:8) This “lion” is eager to de- vour us spiritually, causing us to damage or even sever our relationship with God.—Psalm 7:1, 2; 2 Timothy 3:12. 4 Although we face a fierce foe, we have no reason to e overwhelmed by fear. Why not? Because Jehovah has restricted the reach of that “roaring lion” in two impor- tant ways. What are they? First of all, Jehovah has fore- told that “a great crowd” of true Christians will survive the coming “great tribulation.” (Revelation 7:9, 14) God’s prophecies never fail. Therefore, even Satan must know that God’s people as a whole are beyond his reach. 5 The second restriction can be deduced from a basic truth spoken by one of God’s faithful men of old. The prophet Azariah said to King Asa: “Jehovah is with you as long as you prove to be with him.” (2 Chronicles 15:2; 1 Corinthians 10:13) Numerous recorded examples dem- onstrate that in the past, Satan always failed to devour any of God’s servants who remained close to God. (He- brews 11:4-40) Today, a Christian who stays close to God will be able to oppose and even conquer the Devil. In fact, God’s Word assures us: “Oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.”—James 4:7. “WE HAVE A WRESTLING . . . AGAINST THE WICKED SPIRIT FORCES” 6 Satan cannot win the war, so to speak, but he can make casualties of us as individuals if we let our guard down. Satan knows that he can devour us if he can weak- en our bond with Jehovah. How does Satan try to achieve this? By attacking us intensely, personally, and cunning- ly. Let us consider these main strategies of Satan. 7 Intense attacks. The apostle John stated: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5: 19) Those words contain a warning for all true Christians. Since Satan has already devoured the entire ungodly world of mankind, he can now focus on and intensify his attacks on those who have so far eluded him—Jehovah’s people. (Micah 4:1; John 15:19; Revelation 12:12, 17) He has great anger because he knows his time is short. So he has stepped up the pressure. Today, we face his final ram- page of savagery and destruction. Hence, now more than ever, we need to “discern the times to know what [we] ought to do.”—1 Chronicles 12:32. 8 Personal wrestling. The apostle Paul warned fellow Christians: “We have a wrestling . . . against the wick- ed spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Why did Paul use the term “wrestling”? Because it con- veys the idea of hand-to-hand combat and a struggle at close quarters. Thus, by using that term, Paul stressed that each of us has a personal fight with wicked spir- its. Whether we live in a country where belief in wick- ed spirits is prevalent or not, we should never forget that when we dedicated ourselves to Jehovah, we stepped on the wrestling mat, as it were. At least from dedication on- ward, each Christian is locked in combat. No wonder that Paul saw the need to urge Christians in Ephesus three times to “stand firm”!—Ephesians 6:11, 13, 14. 9 Cunning schemes. Paul exhorts Christians to stand firm against Satan’s “crafty acts.” (Ephesians 6:11, foot- note) Note Paul’s use of the plural. Wicked spirits use not one but various cunning devices—and for good reason. In the course of time, some believers who have stood firm against one kind of trial have given in when faced with another. Hence, the Devil and the demons closely observe the behavior of each one of us to detect our weakest spot. Then they exploit any spiritual weakness we may have. Thankfully, though, we can recognize many of the Dev- il’s methods, for they are revealed in the Bible. (2 Corin- thians 2:11) Earlier in this publication, we discussed such schemes as the lure of materialism, harmful association, and sexual immorality. Let us now consider yet another one of Satan’s crafty acts—spiritism. PRACTICING SPIRITISM—AN ACT OF BETRAYAL 10 By practicing spiritism, or demonism, one makes direct contact with wicked spirits. Divination, sorcery, binding with spells, and inquiring of the dead are some forms of spiritism. As we well know, Jehovah views spirit- ism as “something detestable.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Revelation 21:8) Since we too must “abhor what is wick- ed,” it is unthinkable that we would ever seek out the company of wicked spirit forces. (Romans 12:9) What a repulsive act of betrayal against our heavenly Father, Je- hovah, that would be! 11 However, for the very reason that dabbling in spir- itism is gross treachery against Jehovah, Satan is bent on getting some of us involved in it. Each time he can induce a Christian to turn to demonism, Satan scores a grand victory. Why? Think of this comparison: If a soldier could be persuaded to desert and betray his army unit and join enemy forces, the enemy command- er would be delighted. He might even parade the trai- tor as a trophy, so as to insult that soldier’s former army commander. Similarly, if a Christian turned to spiritism, himself directly under Satan’s command. Imagine what pleasure it would give Satan to parade that desert- er as a trophy of war! Would any of us want to hand the Devil such a victory? Absolutely not! We are not traitors. RAISING QUESTIONS TO CREATE DOUBTS 12 As long as we abhor spiritism, Satan will not succeed against us by using it. Hence, he realizes that he must change our thinking. How? He seeks ways to confuse Christians to the point that some will think that “good is bad and bad is good.” (Isaiah 5:20) To do so, Satan of- ten falls back on one of his time-tested methods—he rais- es questions to create doubts. 13 Notice how Satan used that approach in the past. In Eden he asked Eve: “Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” In Job’s time, dur- ing a meeting of the angels in heaven, Satan raised the question: “Is it for nothing that Job has feared God?” And at the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Satan challenged Christ by saying: “If you are a son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” Imagine—in Jesus’ case, Sa- tan dared to mock the very words that Jehovah himself had spoken some six weeks earlier: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved”!—Genesis 3:1; Job 1:9; Matthew 3:17; 4:3. 14 Today, the Devil uses a similar scheme in an effort to create uncertainties about the wickedness of spiritism. Sadly, he has succeeded in raising doubts in the minds of some believers. They have begun to question wheth- er certain forms of spiritism are truly all that evil. In ef- fect, they are thinking, ‘Is it really so?’ (2 Corinthians 11:3) How can we help such ones to adjust their think- ing? How can we make sure that Satan’s scheme fails to influence us? To answer, let us consider two areas of life that Satan has slyly contaminated with spiritistic ele- ments. They are entertainment and health care. Thanks DS
Need thought provoking question to In Gods Love Ch 16--warning: kinda long!
by DS211 0 Replies latest watchtower beliefs