Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need " -LIKE PAUL-REMAIN SPIRITUAL WELL-CLOTHED - Conclusion

 Paul was able to strip off his negative traits and then in clothing himself with the personality because he did not rely on his own strength. (Philippians 4:13) Like Peter, Pauli depended on "the strength that God supplies."  (1 Peter 4:11) Still, Paul at times felt like failure. But when he was discouraged, he thought of the good things his heavenly Father had done for him, and that strengthened his resolve to keep on trying. - ROMANS 7:21-25.

We can imitate Paul by recognizing that no matter how long we have been serving Jehovah, we need to keep working at stripping off the old personality and putting on the new personality-the spiritual clothing that God supplies. If we have setback-such as losing our temper or speaking unkindly to someone-we do not need to view ourselves as a failure. Instead, we should keep pursuing our goal of transforming the way we think and act. (Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 4:24) As wed do, however, we must remember a key fact: Unlike literal cloths that are adjusted to fit us, we must ourselves to fit the spiritual clothing that Jehovah supplies. It is only reasonable that we change who we are in order to measure up to God's requirements. 

Next time: Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE DAVID -REMAIN SPIRITUALLY WELL-SHELTERED 

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Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE PAUL-REMAIN SPIRITUALLY WELL-CLOTHED

    To please God, we must take advantage of another of Jehovah's provisions: spiritual clothing. What do we mean by that? The apostle Paul wrote that we must "strip off the old personality" and clothe ourselves with the new personality" and clothe ourselves with "the new personality (Read Colossians 3:8-10.) Clothing ourselves in such a way is an ongoing challenge. Consider Paul's own example. From a young age, he worked hard to gain God's favor. (Galatians 1:14; Philippians 3:4, 5) But he lacked accurate knowledge of God's purpose and was thus in a poor spiritual condition. His ignorance of God's teachings, couple with pride, made him "an insolent man" who was clothed in negative traits. - 1 TIMOTHY 1:13. 

Before becoming a Christian, Paul had a hot temper. An account in Acts states that Paul was so angry with the disciples of Jesus that he was "breathing threat and murder" against them. (Acts 9:1) After becoming a Christian, Paul no doubt worked hard to strip off this old aspect of his old personality.  (Ephesians 4:22, 31) Even so, when Paul an Barnabas had an argument, it erupted into "a burst of anger." (Acts 15:37-39) That was a setback for Paul, but he did not give up. He kept 'pummeling his body-fighting his imperfections-so as to retain Jehovah's approval. - 1 CORINTHANS 9:27. 

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE PAUL-REMAIN SPIRITUALLY WELL-CLOTHED - Conclusion

From the jw.org publications 

 

Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE PETER-REMAIN WELL-FED SPIRITUALLY "

 Like Peter, we must regularly feed on the milk, or basic truths, of God's Word. We also develop an appetite for solid food-truths that may be more difficult to understand. We have set aside the time and be willing to make the effort to get a deeper understanding of God's Word, but its worth it. Why? We benefit in at least two ways; One, we learn things about Jehovah that deepen our love and respect for him; and two, we feel even more motivated to tell others about our awe-inspiring heavenly Father. (Romans 11:33; Revelation 4:11) Peter's example teaches us another lesson: when we receive adjustments in our understanding of God's Word, we need to be quick to adapt our thinking and actions. Only then will we remain spiritually well-fed and useful to Jehovah. 

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE PAUL -REMAIN SPIRITUALLY WELL-CLOTHED

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Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritually Need" - LIKE PETER -REMAIN WELL-FED SPIRITUALLY

 Consider the apostle Peter's example, He was one of the first Jews to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah-the one whom Jehovah was using to feed His people "sayings of everlasting life." (John 6:66-68) Before the resurrected Jeus ascended to heaven, he gave Peter this commission: "Feed my little sheep." (John 21:17) Peter fulfilled that commission faithfully, and Jehovah even used him to write two letters that became part of the Bible. But Peter also needed to nourish himself with spiritual food. For example, he studied the inspired letter that the apostle Paul wrote previously. Peter acknowledged that some of the things Paul wrote about were "hard to understand." (2 Peter 3:15, 16) But Peter obviously persisted, having faith that Jehovah would help him digest, or understand and apply, the "solid food" that Paul had been inspired to serve in his letters. - Read Hebrews 5:14-6:1. 

Peter proved that he had faith in Jehovah by obeying the direction he received. For instance, while in the city of Joppa, Peter had a vision in which God's representative told him to slaughter and eat animals that, according to the Mosaic Law, were unclean. To the Jews, that direction would have been shocking. At first, Peter responded: "Not all, Lord, because I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean." He was then told: "Stop calling the defiled the things God has cleanse." (Acts 10:9-15) Peter got the point. How do we know? Soon after he received the vision, three men sent by the Gentile Cornelius arrived and invited Peter to come and speak to his master. Normally, Peter would never have agreed to enter a Gentile's house. The Jews considered Gentiles to be unclean. (Acts 10:28, 29) But Peter immediately accepted the new light that Jehovah revealed to him. (Proverbs 4:18) He preached to Cornelius and his household and had the joy of seeing them accept the truth, receive holy spirit, and get baptized. - ACTS 10:44-48. 

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - LIKE PETER -REMAIN WELL-FED SPIRITUALLY

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Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" - AN EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY, PERSISTENCE, AND FAITH

 The Phoenician woman showed humility. Why can we say that? Because she did not take offense when Jesus used an illustration that seemed likened her to a little dog, perhaps the kind of animal kept as a family pet in a Gentile's home. How would you have reacted to Jesus' words and actions? Would you have felt insulted and given up on seeking his help? That is not how the Phoenician woman behaved. She showed not humility but also persistence. This is evident by the way she continued to beg Jesus for help. What moved her to do so? Her faith in Jesus. In fact, this woman's faith moved Jesus so deeply that he did something remarkable. Despite having just said that he was sent only to help "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," Jesus removed the unclean spirit from this Gentile woman's daughter. 

In order to satisfy our spiritual need, we must develop the same qualities. We must be humble, be persistent, and have strong faith. Only a humble person will persistently beg God for help. We must also have strong faith in Christ Jesus and trust those whom, he is using to direct his disciples. (Matthew 24:45-47) Jehovah and his Son are pleased to satisfy the spiritual need of those who display these qualities. (Compare James 1:5-7.) Now let us examine the way Jehovah provides us with spiritual food, clothing, and shelter. We will see what we need to do to gain these necessities by looking at the examples set by the apostles Peter and Paul as well as King David. 

 Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" -LIKE PETER-REMAIN WELL-FED SPIRITUALLY

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Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need"

 In this article, we will first consider what we can learn from a Phoenician woman who begged Jesus to help her. This account highlights three qualities that must be developed by those who are conscious of their spiritual need. Then we will discuss the examples set by the apostles Peter and Paul as well as King David, who were all spiritual men. 

AN EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY, PERSISTENCE, AND FAITH

On one occasion, a Phoenician woman approached Jesus. Her daughter was "cruelly demon possessed." (Matthew15:21-28) The woman fell to her knees and begged Jesus for help. This Phoenician woman displayed noteworthy qualities when she approached Jesus. Consider some of these. 

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Needs" -AN EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY, PERSISTENCE, AND FAITH

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Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need"

 "Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need." - MATTHEW 5:3. 

JEHOVAH has created humans with basic needs. For example, to sustain our life, we need food, clothing, and shelter. If we lack any one of these necessities, even for a brief time, life becomes a trial. In addition to creating us with a need for those material things, Jehovah has also created us with a spiritual need. (Read Matthew 5:3) If we want to be truly happy, we have to be aware of that need and continue to sastify it.

What does it mean to be "conscious" of our "spiritual need"? The original language expression conveys the idea of being a beggar for the spirit. That phrase creates a powerful mental picture. Imagine a scraggly figure in rags, crouching on the corner of a city street. Heus weak from a lack of food, shunned because of his appearance, and exposed to the searing heat of the day to the bitter cold of night.  The beggar is keenly aware that he will need help if he is to improve his situation in life.  Similarly, someone who is conscious of his spiritual need-a beggar of the spirit-will need help to improve his situation. So he is eager to take advantages of the abundant spiritual provisions that Jehovah supplies to those who love Him.

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" 

From the jw.org publications

Do You Remember?

What are three things that can make our personal prayers more meaningful?

 (1) We can reflect on Jehovah's qualities. (2) We can think about what we are dealing with and mention it, such as our need to forgive someone. (3) We can linger in prayer. This will more likely allow us to express our inner thoughts. - w25.10, pp. 19-20. 

How can we help older ones?

We can visit or call those that are older. We may also be able to accompany them to medical appointments. Or we can work with older ones in different forms of the ministry. - w25.11, pp. 6-7.

What are key aspects of an honorable Christians wedding?

Comply with any relevant requirements. Ensure that the atmosphere of the ceremony and reception reflects the fruitage of God's spirit. Be modest in your attire and be sure to avoid unscriptural customs. Communicate well while planning the wedding. -  w25.12, pp. 21-24. 

Next time: Continue to Satisfy Your "Spiritual Need" 

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Do You Remember?

 What can we learn from God's for how he dealt with David?

Though David committed grave sins, when he sincerely repented, Jehovah forgave him.(1 Kings 9:4,5) Once God forgives, he does not hold a past error against the sinner or bring it up in the future. - w25.08,  p.17.

If a Bible student struggles with a point, what can you do?

If he still struggles with a point after you have to teach it well from the Bible, move past it and plan to return to it later. -w25.09,bp.24.

The Bible says that sin has "deceptive power." (Hebrews 3:13) How so?

Sin can entice us to commit wrong acts. It can also deceive us into having persistent doubts, such as whether God really loves us. - w25.10, p.16.

Next time: Do You Remember? -Conclusion 

From the jw.org publications

25

Do you Remember?

 

What did Jesus mean when he prayed: "I have made your name known to them"? (John 17:26) His disciples already knew God's name. But Jesus made known to them the Person behind the name, including his purposes, activities, and qualities. -W25.05,pp.20-21.

If we are modest, what do we recognize?

We recognize that we do not know some things. For example,  we do not know when the end will come or how Jehovah may act at that time. Nor do we know what will happen tomorrow or how well Jehovah knows  us. - w 25:06,pp. 15-18.

'What can help us benefit from an article or public talk? 

We can ask ourselves: what evidence is being used to convince the audience? Is there an effective illustration that I can use when teaching? Who might be interested in this topic? - w25.07,p. 29.

Next time: Do You Remember? - Continue

From the jw.org publications