Serve God Loyally Despite "Many Tribulations" - PREPARE NOW FOR TRIBULATION

As we have seen, Satan has a number of "crafty acts" at his disposal.  (Ephesians 6:11) Each of us needs to follow the admonition found at 1 Peter 5:9: "Take your stand against him, firm in the faith."  To do that, we need to prepare our mind and heart, to train ourselves to do what is right.  To illustrate:  An army of soldiers will often go through a series of grueling drills long before there is a threat of battle. It is similar in Jehovah's spiritual army.  We do not know what our warfare may involve in the future.  Therefore, would it not be wise to do some significant training during a time of relative peace?  Paul wrote to the Corinthians:  "Keep testing whether you are in the faith; keep proving what you yourselves are." - 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5.

One way that we can heed Paul's inspired advice is by making a serious self-examination. Ask yourself such questions as: 'Do I persevere in prayer?  When faced with  peer pressure, do I obey God as a ruler rather than men?  Do I attend Christian meetings regularly?   Am I bold in speaking about my beliefs?  Do I really try to put up with my fellow believer's shortcomings-just as they put up with mine? Am I  submissive to those taking the lead in the local congregation and to those responsible for doing so in the worldwide congregation? 

Note that two of the questions are about boldly defending our beliefs and standing up to peer pressure.  Many of  our young ones have to do that while in school.  They have learned not to be timid or embarrassed  about their beliefs.  Rather, they speak up with boldness.  Helpful suggestions in this regard have been published in our magazines.  For example, the July 2009 Awake! suggests that a classmate  asks: "Why don't you believe in evolution?"  You could simply reply: "Why should I believe in evolution?  Scientists don't even agree on it, and they're suppose to be the experts!" Parents, be sure to have practice sessions with your children so that they are prepared to face such pressures from  their peers at school. 

Next time: Serve God Loyally Despite "Many Tribulations" - Conclusion of PREPARE NOW FOR TRIBULATION

From the jw.org publications