“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but [...] against the wicked spirit forces that are in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
1. Against whom do we, the servants of Jehovah, fight? (Ephesians 6:11, 12).
We, as servants of Jehovah, do not participate in the wars of this world, but we fight against Satan and the demons, as Ephesians 6:11, 12 shows. To win this fight, the most important thing is to trust in Jehovah's help and to know well the tactics they use to attack us and our brothers.
2. What will we analyze in this article?
In this article, we will analyze two other tactics that Satan uses to fight against us. On the one hand, he tries to destroy the unity of the congregation. On the other, he uses people to persecute us so that we lose sight of what is most important, become afraid, and stop preaching.
SATAN IS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR UNITY
3. What is Satan's strategy to try to divide us?
Satan's strategy is to infect us with the negative attitudes of the people in this world, such as coldness, cruelty, and distrust. In this way, he hopes we will begin to criticize our brothers and sisters, suspect them, and even hate them. His goal is for us to turn against each other instead of fighting against him.
4. Why did King Saul want to kill David? (See also the image).
When Saul saw that the people cheered David more than him, he was filled with envy and hatred, and he tried to kill him many times. Although at first he cared for David and admired him for his skills as a warrior, he allowed jealousy to take over. If Saul had succeeded in killing David, Satan would have rejoiced greatly, because Jehovah had already chosen David to be the next king of Israel.
ILLUSTRATION
Saul burns with jealousy as the Israelites celebrate David's victory by singing and playing tambourines. Jonathan looks at David, who is standing beside him, with a broad smile.
Saul was envious of David and stopped trusting in Jehovah, but Jonathan did have faith in Jehovah and supported David (see paragraphs 4 and 6).
5. Why does Satan want us to envy one another? (James 3:14-16).
Satan wants us to envy one another because he knows that Jehovah blesses his servants when they are united. If he succeeds in sowing jealousy among us, our love will weaken, and it will be difficult for us to treat each other with kindness. Furthermore, as James 3:14-16 indicates, envy breeds disorder and all sorts of bad things, which can damage our unity and affect our worship of Jehovah.
6. What does Jonathan's example teach you? (See also the image).
Jonathan’s example teaches me that if our hearts are filled with love and loyalty toward our brothers and sisters, there will be no room for jealousy or envy. Although his father, Saul, viewed David as a rival, Jonathan was humble, trusted that Jehovah would fulfill his promise, and offered him his full support. This teaches me that I should rejoice in the blessings and responsibilities my brothers and sisters receive, rather than feel envious.
7. What can we do to avoid giving the Devil any opportunity? (Ephesians 4:25-27).
To avoid giving the Devil any opportunity, we must resolve any problems or disagreements that arise with our brothers and sisters as soon as possible, just as Ephesians 4:25-27 advises. We must also strive to love them more and more and remember that, although we have different personalities, opinions, and cultures, we are all valuable members of the congregation. Instead of seeing each other as rivals, we should support one another and remain united, for we fight against the same enemies: Satan and the demons.
8. What should we do if a brother or sister says or does something that hurts us?
If a brother or sister says or does something that hurts us, we should remember that everyone makes mistakes and that, since we spend so much time together, it's normal for disagreements to arise. Therefore, we should be patient and willing to forgive. In this way, we will protect the unity of the congregation and show that we want to do what Jehovah and Jesus expect of us.
SATAN INCITES PEOPLE TO PERSECUTE US
9. What other tactic does Satan use against us?
Satan uses persecution to try to discourage us and distract us from our service to Jehovah. When we suffer injustice, we may become fixated on the desire for justice to be done or for the guilty to be punished. As a result, we may lose sight of the most important thing: to carry out the work that Jehovah has assigned us—preaching the Kingdom.
10. What did Isaac do when he suffered an injustice?
Isaac reacted with calm and patience when he suffered an injustice. The Philistines were envious of him and filled in the wells Abraham's servants had dug with earth, preventing him from drawing water for his family and livestock. Instead of becoming discouraged or escalating the conflict, Isaac decided to move again and dig new wells to seek peace. His example teaches us that when we suffer injustice, we should avoid confrontation and act with calm and patience.
11. How did Jesus react when he suffered injustices?
Jesus reacted with patience and love when he suffered injustice. Even though some of his relatives doubted him, religious leaders questioned his authority, and one of his associates betrayed him, he did not allow opposition to discourage him or distract him from his service to Jehovah.
Nor did he seek revenge against those who persecuted him. On the contrary, when Peter came to his defense and cut off the ear of a high priest’s slave, Jesus healed the wound. His example teaches us that we should remain calm, not seek revenge, and stay focused on our service to Jehovah when we suffer injustice.
12. According to Matthew 5:43, 44, how should we treat those who persecute us or oppose our work?
In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus commanded us to love even those who persecute us. Therefore, if someone mistreats us, it is not acceptable to retaliate in kind. Rather, we should treat them with kindness, patience, and respect, following Jesus' example and command. We must show love for all people, even those who oppose our work.
13. Why should we respect rulers even if they oppose our work? (See also the image.)
We must respect rulers because God’s Word commands us to do so, even if they oppose our work or enact laws that hinder our worship of Jehovah. Furthermore, we must remain neutral and avoid criticizing political leaders or participating in protests against laws we consider unjust. In this way, we will avoid falling into Satan’s trap and demonstrate that our primary loyalty is to Jehovah.
ILLUSTRATION
A young man on a motorcycle watches a group of people protesting. One of them gestures for him to join them.
Will we resist the world's pressure to stop being neutral? (See paragraph 13).
14. What should we keep in mind when people turn against the truth?
We must remember that some people who oppose the truth today may become our brothers and sisters in the future. Therefore, if we are insulted, persecuted, or spoken ill of, we must remain patient and not lose hope. We should also ask Jehovah to help us continue worshipping him peacefully and to find ways to help our family members and acquaintances change their opinion about Jehovah's Witnesses.
15. Why is it not worth trying to fix all the injustices we see or suffer in this world?
It is not worth wasting time and energy trying to fix all the injustices in this world, because we must remember that Jehovah knows exactly what we are enduring and that, very soon, his Kingdom will repair all the damage caused by Satan and his supporters. While we wait for that time, we should be patient, show love for our neighbor, and devote our time and energy to helping as many people as possible become friends of Jehovah.
WE CAN ACHIEVE VICTORY
16. What will help us to win in our fight against Satan and the demons? (See also the pictures.)
What will help us win our fight against Satan and the demons is having strong faith in Jehovah and Jesus. Therefore, we must continue to strengthen our faith, for it will motivate us to show love to our brothers and sisters and to remain united with them. In this way, we will be able to resist Satan and emerge victorious from this struggle.
ILLUSTRATION
Images of brothers and sisters promoting an atmosphere of love and unity: 1. Two brothers of different ages and races converse in the Kingdom Hall. 2. A young brother working on a construction site at one of our facilities gives instructions to an older brother. 3. A group of sisters of different ages and races talk in a car while traveling in the ministry.
We can win in our fight against Satan and the demons by fostering love and unity among brothers (see paragraph 16).
17. What are we determined to do?
We are determined not to fall into Satan’s traps, but to stay close to Jehovah and Jesus, trusting that they will help us. We also want to remain united with our brothers, continue preaching, and show kindness even to those who treat us unjustly. In this way, we will continue to confront Satan’s tactics with the assurance that we can achieve victory.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
In what ways does Satan try to destroy our unity?
Satan tries to destroy our unity by infecting us with the cold, cruel, and distrustful attitude of the world. He seeks to make us criticize our brothers and sisters, distrust them, and even feel hatred or envy, as happened with Saul and David.
It also tries to exploit our differences in personality, opinions, and culture, as well as the problems or disagreements that arise among us, to divide us. Therefore, we must strengthen our love and loyalty toward our brothers and sisters, resolve problems as soon as possible, be patient, and be willing to forgive.
What does Satan do to try to stop us from preaching?
Satan uses persecution and injustice to try to discourage us and make us stop preaching. He wants us to become obsessed with the desire for justice to be done or for the guilty to be punished, and to lose sight of our work of preaching the Kingdom.
It also tries to make us lose our neutrality by criticizing rulers or participating in protests. Therefore, we must remain calm, be patient, treat those who persecute us with kindness, and stay focused on the work Jehovah has entrusted to us.
What convinces you that you can win your fight against Satan and the demons?
I am reassured by the Bible's assurance that we can overcome Satan and the demons if we strengthen our faith in Jehovah and Jesus. Furthermore, by showing love to our brothers and sisters and remaining united, we thwart Satan's attempts to divide us. I am also confident knowing that Jehovah and Jesus will help us if we stay close to them and continue preaching, showing kindness even to those who treat us unjustly.
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