TREASURES OF THE BIBLE, Week of December 19 to 25, How our enemies try to weaken us, Prepared Speech.

TREASURES OF THE BIBLE, December 19-25, 2022, How our enemies try to weaken us, Prepared Speech.

“How our enemies try to weaken us” (10 min.)

In the letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said that the Christian has a hand-to-hand battle. Of course, our war is not physical, but spiritual. Our enemies are Satan and his demons, although we cannot see them. They use the people that we can observe, so their strategies are very real and they have a lot of skill and experience with combat. So we might think that victory may seem impossible, but it is actually possible. How can we get it?

Studying the enemy well and let's see how we can prepare ourselves at this time, as well as for what awaits us in the future. And it is what we are going to review on this occasion in our Treasures of the Bible section, with the title: «How Our enemies are trying to weaken us." Now, it is true that we can know the tactics that they use, but we must also remember that they also watch us closely what are our strengths and what are our weaknesses.

Thanks to Jehovah we have the word of God that helps us avoid fear, the fear of thinking that they are supernatural beings can win us over. Or in the case of human beings who oppose the truth, who have a lot of authority and also try to scare us. And we, because when we feel that fear we could give in to the pressure.

Let's review with the story of the Bible How we can prepare ourselves and what are the methods used by our spiritual enemies. The first point is that they try to discourage us by telling us lies about those who lead us within the organization. Let's look at the case presented here in 2 Kings 18:19-21.

WE ARE GOING TO READ 2 KINGS 18:19-21.

So the Rabshaq said to them: “Please tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “Why are you so confident? 20 You say 'I have a strategy and I have military forces for war', but they are empty words. Who do you trust, so that you dare to rebel against me? 21 Look! You trust in the support of Egypt, that broken reed that, if someone leans on it, it sticks and pierces his hand. So is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, with all who trust in him.

These words were being spoken by the envoy of King Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. This was a man who was conquering nation after nation, so he had too much confidence in Jehovah's people and his capital, that's why they thought it was going to be very easy to finish them off. So this king sends his spokeswoman a Rabsakh, which is not the name, but apparently a title, with the demand that the city must Surrender immediately. And what is the strategy?, speak ill of the king. He said that what the king was saying were empty words. And he asks them, who do you trust so that you dare to rebel against me?

Applying it to us that could demoralize and discourage us. Since it is very easy that the strategy of Satan and his demons is to speak ill of the brothers who lead the congregation or the organization of Jehovah. How many times have you said things against the Governing Body, or against the Brothers who run the organization? It is very easy to talk about things, and one could perhaps doubt that this is true. Possibly if these words came from political authorities, perhaps it would not affect us much.

But if these words come from others who have been inside the organization, they might make us think twice. That is the devil's strategy to discourage us by thinking that our brothers are our enemies. That is why we must be very careful about what we listen to or what we read. Just because someone says things that are related to Jehovah's organization does not mean that we need to believe them.

It is like on one occasion a columnist said the following: "Not all those who wear work clothes stained with grease are mechanics, even if they appear to be, even if they say we are mechanics." Sometimes there are brothers or people who have been witnesses who speak ill of the organization and one believes that they, as they have been witnesses or claim to be witnesses, are telling the truth and that is why this brings us to the second.

Our enemies try to deceive us by spreading false information about Jehovah and his organization. And that is what happened here in 2 Kings 18:22-25 as well.

WE ARE GOING TO READ 2 KINGS 18:22-25.

And if you say to me, 'We trust in Jehovah our God,' were not his high places and altars which Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, 'It is before this altar in Jerusalem that you must bow down'?”' .

With these words this Rabsaqué was giving to understand that Jehovah was not going to defend his servants, what more like that he was taking revenge for having removed the high places that were used in his name when they were not authorized. This is really a strategy that apostates also carry out today, or also the authorities that persecute the servants of God. Sowing doubts that Jehovah is simply not going to support us, from which organization he is profiting I know from which he is taking money from people who allow themselves to be deceived.

Remember, Not everyone who is stained with grease is mechanical, that is, Not everyone who says that he is a witness or has been, And uses misleading words can cause us harm if we do not allow it. What is the other strategy of his enemies to weaken us? They try to get us to disobey Jehovah by making us false promises. Let's look now at 2 Kings 18:31, 32.

WE ARE GOING TO READ 2 KINGS 18:31,32.

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make peace with me and surrender. So all of you will be able to eat from your own vine and from your own fig tree, and drink from your own cistern, 32 until I come and take you to a land like yours, to a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then they can go on living, they won't die. Do not listen to Hezekiah, because he deceives you when he says 'Jehovah will save us'.

This King offered them wonders, but the Assyrians did not have that reputation for being Condescending or treating their captives well. They cruelly killed them. They tortured them. In the yearbook for the year 1974, Page 177, paragraph 1, it is indicated how these famous SS soldiers tricked Christians into signing a letter of resignation of allegiance. Some gave themselves and what they had been offered wonders was not true. They had them in jail and made them look ridiculous. So enemies will always make false promises.

So, Dear Brothers, how can we prepare for the possible persecution that may arise? Examining the enemy's strategies and being aware of them. But another thing, we must also examine ourselves. Do we have the problem of exalting ourselves? Do we always want to be first? Do we hide our pride? Do we have jealousy or envy or love for money? Do we get easily irritated when we are advised?

The battle is given. The enemies are there. But we have more support than any other human spiritual army. We have Jehovah, Jesus and his angels. Let's take advantage of that support, but let's also examine and be aware of the strategies that the enemies manifest to try to weaken us. Let's stay loyal. We can win this battle with Jehovah's help.