The Study Watchtower, "Article 47", Week of January 16 to 22, 2023, May nothing separate you from Jehovah, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, "Article 47", January 16-22, 2023, May nothing separate you from Jehovah, Answers.

“I, O Jehovah, trust in you” (Ps. 31:14).

1. How do we know that Jehovah wants to be close to us?

We know this because in James 4:8, he invites us to be close to him, because he wants to be our Father and our friend. We also know this because he listens to our prayers, helps us when we have problems, teaches us, and cares for us through his organization.

2. How can we draw closer to Jehovah?

We can draw closer to Jehovah by praying to him, reading the Bible, and meditating on it. Doing these things will motivate us to feel love and gratitude for him, and also to want to obey him and praise him as he deserves.

3. (a) How does the Devil try to separate us from Jehovah?

When we go through problems, the Devil takes the opportunity to try to separate us from Jehovah by weakening our trust in him and in his organization.

3. b) What do we need to never abandon our God and his organization? (Psalm 31:13, 14).

To never abandon our God or his organization, we need strong faith and absolute trust in Jehovah. Psalm 31 verses 13 and 14 shows us that if we have absolute faith and trust in Jehovah, we will not listen to malicious rumors, we will not be paralyzed or stumble in terror, nor will we fear persecution or loss of life. Hence the importance of cultivating this type of faith and trust on a daily basis.

4. What will we talk about in this article?

We will talk about three situations that arise outside the congregation that can damage our confidence in Jehovah and in his organization. We will also talk about how these situations can separate us from our God, and what things we can do to fight against Satan.

 WHEN WE HAVE PROBLEMS

5. How might difficulties damage our confidence in Jehovah and his organization?

Difficulties can damage our confidence in Jehovah and in his organization if they last for a long time, if we think they have no solution, if we become discouraged, and if Satan takes advantage of them to make us doubt Jehovah's love. This can even lead us to wonder if Jehovah or his organization are to blame for what is happening to us.

Satan always takes advantage of our difficulties to sow doubts about Jehovah. An example of this we have in the ancient Israelites. When they were enslaved in Egypt and Pharaoh made life more difficult for them, they came to blame Moses and Aaron. Satan has not changed. Now more than ever he wants to separate us from Jehovah and his organization. For this reason, among other things, he uses our difficulties and sows doubts.

6. What do we learn from Habakkuk's example? (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

We learn that all of Jehovah's servants go through difficulties, which at some point can lead us to doubt that we are of interest to God. Under these circumstances, it would be very good to imitate Habakkuk in the sense of opening our hearts to Jehovah in prayer, telling him how we feel and then reflecting on how Jehovah has saved his people so many times. That would help us to regain confidence and also to withstand any test, because like Habakkuk, we would be convinced that Jehovah is our strength and that our happiness comes from him.

Whatever our difficulties, we must not lose faith in the saving power of Jehovah as Habakkuk 3:17 to 19 shows. Nor should we forget that these adversities are temporary, that Jehovah is our source of vital energy, and that he will never fail us. Soon this world full of suffering will be gone, but in the meantime we must follow Habakkuk's good example and not weaken or doubt.

7. What did a family member try to convince Shirley of, and what helped her continue to trust in Jehovah?

Because Shirley and her family were poor and sometimes had a hard time getting enough food, a family member tried to shake her trust in Jehovah by saying: "You say God's holy spirit is helping you. But where is that help? You are still poor, you waste your time preaching.” Shirley admits that for a moment she doubted that Jehovah would remember her, but praying, reading the Bible and our publications, preaching, and attending meetings helped her to continue to trust Jehovah and to realize that he cared for her and her family. family Hence the importance of not neglecting our spiritual activities.

WHEN RESPONSIBLE BROTHERS ARE ABUSED

8. What could happen to brothers with responsibilities in the organization?

As our enemies spread lies or inaccurate information about the brothers with responsibilities in Jehovah's organization, they could be arrested and accused of being criminals. They may also use the media to damage your reputation. Today, an example of this is the brothers from Russia. And in ancient times, we have the example of the apostle Paul.

9. How did some Christians react when the apostle Paul was arrested?

At that time, some Christians abandoned the apostle Paul. Perhaps because they were ashamed that he would be considered a criminal, or perhaps because they were afraid that they would be persecuted as well.

10. What should we remember when persecuting responsible brothers, and why?

We must remember that they are persecuted because it is written in texts like Second Timothy 3:12, which says that "everyone who desires to live devotedly to God in union with Christ Jesus will also be persecuted." Another thing we must remember It is that Satan is the one who is behind all this, since his objective is to make them stop being loyal to Jehovah, and that we become intimidated.

11. What do we learn from the example of Onesiphorus? (2 Timothy 1:16-18).

We learn that we must continue to loyally support the responsible brothers, just as Onesiphorus did in ancient times when the apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Like this faithful servant, we must not let fear of others stop us from supporting our brothers who are enduring persecution. On the contrary, we must do everything possible to defend and help them, and above all to show them our brotherly love.

12. What do we learn from our brothers and sisters in Russia?

We learn that when a brother or sister goes to court, the rest of the brothers show up in court to support them. So neither slander, arrests or persecution of our brothers with responsibilities should scare us. Rather, they should rather motivate us to action, to pray for them unceasingly, and to find ways to care for and support them and their families.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Onesiphorus visits the apostle Paul in prison. 2. A group of brothers applaud as they watch a brother being taken to prison in handcuffs.

Although Paul was imprisoned, Onesiphorus was brave and supported him. Today, our brothers support their fellow Christians who are in prison, as shown in this representation. (See paragraphs 11 and 12).

WHEN THEY MAKE FUN OF US

13. How can teasing damage our trust in Jehovah and his organization?

Teasing can damage our confidence in Jehovah and his organization because it sows doubt in our minds. Teasing, especially when it comes from non-believing family members or from classmates or coworkers, can lead us to ask ourselves questions like these: Could it be that Jehovah expects too much of me? o Could it be that your organization is very strict? Doubts have a corrosive effect, which is why they can be very harmful.

14. How should we react if others make fun of us for keeping Jehovah's standards? (Psalm 119:50-52).

If others scoff at us because we uphold Jehovah's standards, we will react decisively like faithful Job, and we will continue to support Jehovah's standards and the organization that upholds them no matter how much they are scoffed at. We know that Jehovah's rules are fair and therefore are very beneficial for all of us. We also know that we have done better in life since we have put them into practice. So we will not allow ridicule to separate us from Jehovah or his organization. On the contrary, we are determined to support them more than ever.

ILLUSTRATION

Job, covered in ulcers, is sitting on the ground and looking up at the sky. One of the three false friends points to the sky and mocks Job.

Job did not believe the lies of the false friends who made fun of him. He was determined to be loyal to Jehovah. (See paragraph 14).

15. Why did Brizit have to put up with her family's teasing?

Sister Brizit experienced many hardships when her non-witness husband became unemployed. As a result, Brizit and the entire family had to move to her husband's parents' house, more than 350 kilometers away from the nearest congregation. She had to work full time to support the family.

Then the opposition in that house was so strong that they moved again. Her husband dies and later her 12-year-old daughter also dies of cancer. Due to all these misfortunes, Brizit had to endure the ridicule of her own family, who came to tell her that everything that had happened to them was her fault, for having become Jehovah's Witness. Fortunately, none of this turned Brizit away from Jehovah or his organization.

16. What blessings did Brizit receive for staying close to Jehovah and his organization?

Britzy received many blessings. Because she lived so far from the congregation, the circuit overseer encouraged her to preach in his area and hold meetings in his home. At first, she thought she couldn't handle that much, but she succeeded. She began to have many Bible courses, she became a regular pioneer, many of her students were baptized, there are now two congregations in her area, her daughters are faithful servants of Jehovah, and she understood that if she endured so many tests and ridicules it was because Jehovah gave her the forces.

BE LOYAL TO JEHOVAH AND HIS ORGANIZATION

17. What must we be determined to do?

Since we know that Satan uses lies, deceit, slander, and mockery to make us abandon Jehovah and think badly of his organization, and that he is merciless with the brothers who have responsibilities in the congregation, that is why we must be determined to reject these lies firmly and to remain loyal to Jehovah, to his organization and to let nothing separate us from our Heavenly Father.

18. What will we see in the next article?

In the following article we will talk about how we can deal with some situations that arise outside the congregation that test our trust in Jehovah, and other difficult situations that can arise within the congregation itself.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE CLOSE TO JEHOVAH AND HIS ORGANIZATION IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS?

When we have problems.

We can open our hearts wide to Jehovah and lean on him.

When we have problems, we can pray to Jehovah, and tell him how we feel and lean on him. We can be sure that Jehovah will give us the strength to endure. And when we see how he sustains us, our faith will grow stronger.

If we keep up with our spiritual activities, neither problems nor doubts will keep us from Jehovah.

When the responsible brothers are mistreated.

We must not let fear of others prevent us from supporting our brothers who are enduring persecution. Let's do everything we can to defend and help them. They need our love and our support.

If our brothers with responsibilities are slandered, arrested or persecuted, we should not be afraid. instead we must pray for them, take care of their families and find ways to give them our support.

When they make fun of us.

We must not allow ridicule to make us doubt Jehovah's standards. Rather, let us think about how we have fared in life for obeying them. That is why we must strongly support the organization that upholds these standards, no matter how much they are mocked, they will never succeed in separating us from Jehovah.

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