DAILY TEXT, From today Wednesday January 4, 2023, how unfortunate I am! Who will free me? (Rom. 7:24).

DAILY TEXT, Wednesday January 4, 2023,  How unhappy I am! Who will free me? (Rom. 7:24).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2023

Wednesday, January 4

How unfortunate I am! Who will free me? (Rom. 7:24).

Do we carry so many responsibilities that sometimes we feel that we cannot handle them all? The apostle Paul felt the same way. He said that he was concerned not for one congregation, but "for all congregations" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Do we suffer from a chronic disease that often robs us of joy? Paul was very frustrated because he could not get rid of a certain "thorn in the flesh", perhaps some health problem (2 Cor. 12: 7-10). Do we feel discouraged by our imperfections? Paul sometimes too. He said that he was very unhappy because all the time he had to fight to do what is right (Rom. 7:21-24). Despite so many trials and difficulties, Paul continued to serve Jehovah. Where did he get the strength? Although he was very aware of his shortcomings, he had unwavering faith in the rescue. w21.04 22 pars. 7, 8.

TO DOUBT THE LOVE OF JEHOVAH IS DANGEROUS

Why is it dangerous to doubt Jehovah's love?

If we are convinced that Jehovah loves us, we will feel compelled to give him our best, no matter what difficulties we face in life. But, if we doubt his love, we "will lack strength" (Prov. 24:10). And, if we get discouraged and begin to believe that Jehovah does not love us, we will be defenseless against Satan's attacks (Eph. 6:16).

What has happened to some brothers who doubted the love of God?

Some faithful Christians have begun to doubt that Jehovah cares about them and because of this their faith has weakened. An elder named James says: “Although he served at Bethel and enjoyed preaching in a foreign-language congregation, I wondered if Jehovah really accepted my sacrifices. At a certain point I came to doubt that he was listening to my prayers. Eva, who also serves full-time, explains: “I realized that doubting Jehovah's love is dangerous because it makes you stop wanting to do things for him and lose the joy of serving him. You enter a vicious circle.” And Michael, who is a regular pioneer and an elder, says, “If you don't believe that God cares about you, you slowly drift away from him.”

What should we do when negative feelings invade us?

These comments help us understand why it is so dangerous to doubt God's love. What should we do when negative feelings invade us? Get them out of our head immediately. Let us ask Jehovah to give us his peace and to protect our hearts and minds so that we can free ourselves from “disturbing thoughts” (Ps. 139: 23; note; Philip. 4: 6, 7). And let's not forget that there are other faithful Christians who are also struggling with negative feelings. Even some of Jehovah's servants in the past felt this way. Let's see what we can learn from the example of the Apostle Paul.

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