1. How is Satan like a hunter?
He has the ability to use different traps, some are hidden, and others are decoys to deceive unsuspecting animals; any of these traps have the objective of capturing or killing their prey; In the same way, Satan has created a system full of traps, that is why he studies us and sees what we like to choose the trap that works best for him, but the Bible warns us of his traps so that we do not fall into them and lead us to the spiritual ruin.
Pride and greed have been two of Satan's most effective traps. (See paragraph 2). *
2. What are two of Satan's most effective traps?
Number 1: Pride, which is the undue feeling of thinking that we are better than others, and number 2: Greed, which is the excessive desire to have more money, to have sex or other similar things.
ILLUSTRATION
Series of images: 1. With a proud attitude, a brother rejects an advice given to him by two elders. 2. A man who has stepped on a trap is hung upside down. 3. A sister carrying several shopping bags looks longingly at a store window.
3. Why did Jehovah include in the Bible examples of people who gave in to pride and greed?
Jehovah has included in the bible real life experiences of people who gave themselves to pride and greed, to serve as a warning, and is let us say practical lessons; thus we avoid falling into these traps or if we have fallen into one of them learn how to free ourselves from it.
ILLUSTRATION
Series of images: Examples of pride and greed. Satan, King Uzziah, Eve, King David, and Judas Iscariot. The scenes are repeated in paragraphs 4, 7, 9, 10 and 12.
The Bible contains examples that help us avoid or escape the Devil's traps. (See paragraph 3). *
THE TRAP OF PRIDE
4. What can pride lead us to?
So if we have a tendency to believe ourselves better than others, we must remember that Proverbs 16:18 says: That pride comes before crashing, so we must not allow this defect to develop in our heart; In addition, the bible warns us that if we do not fight against pride, we will have the same condemnation as Satan.
ILLUSTRATION
Satan watching Adam and Eve enjoy life in the Garden of Eden. (See paragraph 4).
5. According to Ecclesiastes 7:16, 20, how does the proud person behave?
As it says in these texts, it makes people believe they are just, you knew it excessively, and the problem is that behind pride, a selfish person hides, that's why when problems arise; Instead of seeking the help or guidance that Jehovah offers, she rejects or blames Jehovah for these, and makes her think that the only solution is to do things her way. In this case, Satan must be delighted when he sees that human beings think more of ourselves than of Jehovah.
6. What does what happened to a sister from the Netherlands teach us?
The problem with our sister is that she focused on the imperfections of the other brothers; She even asked her husband to change congregation, but he saw one of the Broadcasting programs, where suggestions were given to deal with the imperfections of others, this helped him and he understood that he should correct his way of thinking, be humble and focus on Jehovah, and seek his help, and beg him to help him see the brothers as he sees them. This example teaches us that we should immediately correct any tendency to pride and selfishness, because it can ruin our relationship with others and our friendship with Jehovah.
7. What happened to King Uzziah?
He of the days had ruled well and enjoyed success in what he did, because he had the blessing of Jehovah, but the Bible says: That as soon as he became strong, his heart became arrogant and he sought his own ruin, Uzziah he exalted himself, and had the audacity to offer incense in the temple, something that only the priests had to do; even though they corrected it. He, blinded by pride, rejected correction, the consequences of his pride, was that Jehovah punished him with leprosy the rest of his days.
ILLUSTRATION
King Uzziah carrying a censer in his hands while the chief priest and other priests try to stop him. (See paragraph 7.)
8. How does 1 Corinthians 4: 6, 7 help us avoid pride?
These texts speak of the examples of Apollo XI, Paul: They recognized that the success of their work in the congregations was possible thanks to the blessing of Jehovah, and because they did not go beyond the things that are written. This reminds us that the talents and responsibilities we have in the congregation are because they come from Jehovah, and that we must strive to erase from within ourselves any trace of a spirit of pride that may cause us to lose Jehovah's favor.
THE TRAP OF GREED
9. What did both Satan and Eve do because of greed?
For instance; Satan who surely when he was one of the angels of jehovah, enjoyed having very good privileges, due to greed and his intense desire to have more than what legitimately belonged to Jehovah; It led him to be unhappy and to rebel against him. In Eva's case it was similar; Greed led her to push the boundaries of what is right, because a simple desire overcame her and made her think she needed to eat from the forbidden tree. She did not appreciate what she had, she wanted more, so she ended up believing that 'no, and eventually she died.
ILLUSTRATION
Eva listening to the Devil, who is using a snake to speak to him from a tree. (See paragraph 9.)
10. How did King David fall into the trap of greed?
David's mistake may allow the seed of greed, sexual desire, to take root and grow in his heart; As a result of his misconduct, he also forgot what Jehovah had given him. Although he had several wives, he began to lust after another man's wife and committed adultery with her, and got her pregnant from such a situation he managed to get them killed on the shore. This example shows us that falling into the trap of greed can lead us to commit a chain of sins without realizing it, so we must be careful and avoid the death trap of greed.
ILLUSTRATION
King David watching from his rooftop at dusk. (See paragraph 10).
11. According to Ephesians 5: 3, 4, what is the antidote to greed?
The antidote to greed is to always be grateful for all that Jehovah has given us. As this text says: Sexual greed should not even become a topic of conversation, instead we should meditate on all that Jehovah has done for us, be thankful and be happy with what we have, then we will not fall into the greed trap.
12. What did Judas Iscariot do because of greed?
Due to greed, love, money, Judas became a thief long before he betrayed Jesus. Although at the beginning he was chosen to be one of the apostles, and entrusted to him in the contribution box, Judas loved money so much, that he diverted him from the faith, began to steal, and did not heed the warnings that he gave him. Jesus Christ.
ILLUSTRATION
Judas Iscariot stealing a coin from the money box and putting it in a bag. (See paragraph 12).
13. At what point did Judas show that he had become greedy?
It was when he, Jesus, and the other disciples were guests at Simon's house; On that occasion while he was eating, Mary got up and poured a very expensive perfumed oil on Jesus' head, Judas and the other disciples were outraged, but Judas sweated at this action and said that the best thing would have been to sell the oil, and give money to the poor; but the reality was another his annoyance, it was because he was a thief and wanted to steal the money from the box.
14. How did a married couple apply the words of Luke 16:13?
A married couple in Romania, I apply the advice of this text that says that we cannot be slaves of God and at the same time of wealth. They were offered a job in another country, and although they initially thought it was a blessing from Jehovah and thus they could pay off a large loan they had; They realized that this work would take time away from serving Jehovah and would damage their spirituality, moreover; They read a watchtower article that helped them see that their motive for earning more money was not the right one, and they were putting Jehovah second so they rejected it, then they saw that putting Jehovah first brought them blessing , because the husband found a job in his country that covered his needs.
AVOID SATAN'S TRAPS
15. Why are we sure that it is possible to escape the traps of Satan?
The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:26; that we can regain our senses and escape from Satan's traps, so this text shows us that if it is possible to escape from them, we must also bear in mind that Jehovah is more powerful than him, and if we accept his help, we can escape from any trap let him put us.
16. What will help us avoid Satan's traps?
Which will help us to follow the advice of Psalm 139: 23,24 that it says; that we should ask Jehovah to examine our hearts, and beg him every day to help us see if we have these unpleasant attitudes or bad tendencies and correct them immediately.
17. What will soon happen to our enemy, the Devil?
He will soon be bound and thrown into an abyss, and in time he will be destroyed. Therefore, while that day arrives, we must resolve them to follow the advice of James 4: 7, to oppose the Devil and thus he will flee from us.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What does King Uzziah's example teach us about pride?
We learned that King Uzziah was successful in what he did because he had the blessing of the Lord, but he becomes proud and because of that he offered incense in the temple, something that only the priests had to do; The result was that Jehovah punished him with leprosy. This teaches us that taking pride in whatever talents or responsibilities we have in the congregation, and not acknowledging that it is because it comes from Jehovah, will lead to spiritual ruin and disapproval.
What do the examples of King David and Judas Iscariot teach us about greed?
We saw that greed can take many forms. In the case of the vine, sexual lust led him to desire something that belonged to another man and to commit serious sins, so this teaches us that we must learn to be thankful and content with all that Jehovah gives us, and in In the case of Judas, greed and his love of money caused him to become a thief, and then betray Jesus. This teaches us of the danger of loving wealth instead of loving and serving Jehovah. We must recognize that money is essential to meet our needs in life, but the main thing is our love and service to Jehovah.
Why are we sure that we can escape Satan's traps?
Because the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:26, that we can regain our senses and escape from Satan's traps, we must also bear in mind that Jehovah is more powerful than him, and if we accept his help, we can escape from any trap that he has us. put.
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