DAILY TEXT, Today Wednesday September 11, 2024, You are my witnesses, declares Jehovah, yes, my servant, whom I have chosen (Is. 43:10).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

You are my witnesses, declares Jehovah, even my servant whom I have chosen (Is. 43:10).

Jehovah confirms his support for us. For example, just before he said, “You are my witnesses,” he declared: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not cover you. When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not scorch you.”—Isa. 43:2. Sometimes when we preach, we encounter obstacles that are like rivers and face trials that are like fire. But with Jehovah’s help, we keep on preaching.—Isa. 41:13. Most people reject the message. We remember that this rejection does not mean that we are bad witnesses for God. We are comforted and encouraged to know that Jehovah is pleased if we continue to faithfully declare the message. The apostle Paul said: “Each person will receive his own reward according to his work.”—1 Cor. 3:8; 4:1, 2. w22.11 4 §5, 6.

How must Ezekiel have felt every time he thought about the vision he received? (See the picture on the cover.)

Ezekiel saw how powerful God’s Holy Spirit is. In a vision he saw God’s Holy Spirit at work in powerful spiritual beings and in the huge wheels of a heavenly chariot (Ezek. 1:20, 21). He himself tells us of his reaction: “When I saw this, I fell face down.” He was so shocked that he fell to the ground (Ezek. 1:28). Every time he thought about this amazing vision, he probably became more convinced that he could fulfill his ministry with the help of God’s Spirit.

What command did Jehovah give Ezekiel? And what else did Jehovah do to strengthen Ezekiel?

Jehovah commanded Ezekiel: “Son of man, stand up so that I may speak with you.” That command and God’s Spirit gave him the strength he needed to stand up. He wrote: “The Spirit came into me and made me stand up.” (Ezek. 2:1, 2) Later in his ministry, “the hand of Jehovah”—that is, his holy spirit—guided him. (Ezek. 3:22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1) That spirit gave Ezekiel the strength he needed to fulfill his mission to preach to the “hard-headed and stubborn-hearted” Jews in his land. (Ezek. 3:7) Jehovah told him: “I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like an adamant stone, harder than flint. “Do not be afraid of them, and do not be terrified by their faces” (Ezek. 3:8, 9). It is as if Jehovah had said to him: “Do not let their stubbornness discourage you. I will make you strong.”

From then on, God’s Spirit led Ezekiel through the territory where he was to preach. He wrote: “The hand of the Lord was strong upon me.” It took the prophet a week to assimilate and internalize the message he had to announce (Ezek. 3:14, 15). Then, Jehovah told him to go to a plain, where the Spirit entered him (Ezek. 3:23, 24). Ezekiel was now ready to begin preaching.

What help do we need to fulfill our ministry, and why?

What help do we need to fulfill our ministry? To answer this question, let’s think about Ezekiel. Before he began to preach, the Holy Spirit gave him the strength he needed. Like Ezekiel, we would not be able to preach without the help of the Holy Spirit. Why do we say this? Because Satan fights against us to stop the preaching (Rev. 12:17). From a human point of view, it may seem that Satan is too powerful an opponent for us. But through our preaching, we are defeating him (Rev. 12:9–11). When we participate in the ministry, we show that his threats do not frighten us. Every time we preach, it is a defeat for Satan. So the fact that we can preach despite opposition shows that the Holy Spirit is giving us strength and that we have Jehovah’s approval (Matt. 5:10–12; 1 Pet. 4:14).

How will the Holy Spirit help us, and what should we do to continue receiving it?

The fact that Jehovah hardened Ezekiel’s face and forehead assures us of something else: that holy spirit can help us overcome any obstacle that may arise in our ministry. (2 Cor. 4:7–9) So what must we do to continue receiving God’s spirit? We must pray insistently, knowing that Jehovah will hear us. Jesus told his disciples to “keep asking,” “keep seeking,” and “keep knocking.” What will Jehovah’s response be? “He will give holy spirit to those who ask him.”—Luke 11:9, 13; Acts 1:14; 2:4.

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