QUESTION: I’ve been trying to figure out how Satan is pulling the strings behind the scenes and I can’t come up with an answer. How does he influence humans to do his will? Does the Bible have any answers on this subject? It seems to me that humans are evil themselves and don’t need Satan’s influence. He would have to possess someone in order to [...]
Wednesday, May 19 Keep in expectation of it! For it will without fail come true. —Hab. 2:3. We naturally long for the good things that Jehovah has promised. However, when the fulfillment of our expectations appears to be delayed, it may dampen our enthusiasm. We could even lose heart. (Prov. 13:12) This happened at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, many anointed Christians expected [...]
Tuesday, May 18 I [will] sanctify myself through you before their eyes, O Gog. —Ezek. 38:16. Gog will trust in his “arm of flesh” —his military might. (2 Chron. 32:8) We will trust in Jehovah our God —a stand that will seem foolish to the nations. After all, the gods of the once powerful Babylon the Great did not save her from “the wild beast” and its “ten horns”! (Rev. [...]
Monday, May 17 Go on carrying the burdens of one another. —Gal. 6:2. Commendably, many congregations and individuals do what they can to enable those in full-time service to remain in their assignments. They do so by encouraging them to continue their work, by giving them financial or other material support, or by helping them to care for their family members back home. If those in full-time [...]
The Watchtower published a milquetoast article on how to protect ourselves from misinformation and conspiracy theories. So, here is my response filed under Watchtower Review. Did you know that the phrase “conspiracy theory” came into vogue after the assassination of President Kennedy? It was only natural that people would want to know who was behind the murder of the American president—the fourth to be murdered, [...]
Wednesday, May 12 Be in subjection to the older men. . . . Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the haughty ones. —1 Pet. 5:5. Avoid being presumptuous. If we heed the direction we receive from trusted, responsible brothers, we will avoid problems. For example, in a land where the work is under ban, the responsible brothers had directed that the publishers not leave printed literature [...]
Three years ago, the Watchtower revised its interpretation of the fascinating prophecy of Daniel regarding the kings of the north and south. While providing considerable insight into the historical developments from Alexander the Great to Jesus Christ, the Watchtower now claims that there was no king of the north or south for nearly 2,000 years! The prophetic kings supposedly only reappeared when Charles Taze Russell [...]
Tuesday, May 11 It is enough! Now, O Jehovah, take my life away. —1 Ki. 19:4. Elijah became afraid when Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him. So he fled to the area of Beer-sheba. He became so discouraged that “he asked that he might die.” What made him feel that way? Elijah was an imperfect man, “a man with feelings like ours.” (Jas. 5:17) Perhaps he felt overwhelmed [...]
Monday, May 10 Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and empty deception according to human tradition. —Col. 2:8. Satan wants to turn us against Jehovah. To achieve his goal, he tries to influence our thinking, in effect, to bring our mind into captivity and make it obedient to him. He tries to persuade or to deceive us into following [...]
Saturday, May 8 Watch that among you there is no one who is sexually immoral. —Heb. 12:16. Jehovah God hates all forms of wickedness. (Ps. 5:4-6) How he must hate child sexual abuse —an especially repugnant wicked deed! In imitation of Jehovah, we as his Witnesses abhor child abuse and do not tolerate it in the Christian congregation. (Rom. 12:9) Any act of child abuse is [...]
