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00:01 As has been mentioned in our scripture for today, 00:04 the apostle Paul talks 00:07 about this inner struggle 00:09 —this inner war, really— 00:11 that is going on inside every one of us. 00:14 It’s the war 00:16 between God’s law in our mind 00:19 and sin’s law in our flesh. 00:22 And it’s interesting, the expression “law” 00:25 in both cases is appropriate because a law 00:29 —the purpose— is to legislate action 00:31 or conduct. 00:33 And of course, God’s law in our mind 00:35 is trying to legislate that we act 00:38 according to Jehovah’s thinking. 00:40 But, of course, sin’s law in our flesh 00:42 is trying to dictate 00:44 that we act according to Satan’s thinking 00:47 —selfishly, fleshly. 00:49 And it is an intense war, see. 00:52 These two laws are warring, 00:55 trying to overpower each other 00:57 and dominate and control how we act, 01:01 and only if we fight hard 01:03 will we win the war. 01:05 Now, the apostle Paul fought hard, didn’t he? 01:08 It’s true he lost some battles along the way, 01:11 but he won the war, didn’t he? 01:13 And he’s now an immortal spirit creature 01:16 in the heavens. 01:18 So we want to imitate Paul. 01:20 But now, what can help us win this war? 01:23 Well, let’s develop an illustration that can help us 01:27 —hopefully appreciate what can help us— to win the war. 01:30 We want to illustrate with two opposing armies. 01:34 And if we think about it, 01:36 that’s what we have inside of us, don’t we? 01:38 We have two opposing armies fighting each other. 01:41 In effect, one is a good army; 01:43 one is a very bad army. 01:45 Now, what can we do to help the good army, 01:48 God’s law in our mind, to dominate 01:52 over the other army? 01:54 Well, let’s talk about two factors that are involved: 01:57 one, food; 01:59 second, attitude. 02:01 Now, taking first, food. 02:03 If one army is well-fed 02:05 and the other is starved, 02:07 now, which one do you think is going to win? 02:09 Well, the answer is obvious, isn’t it? 02:11 It makes me think of the saying that an army 02:13 marches on its stomach. 02:15 Well, how do we feed the good army? 02:18 Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man must live, 02:21 “not on bread alone, but on every word 02:24 that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.” 02:27 First Peter 2:2 talks about the “milk of the word.” 02:30 Hebrews 5:14 talks about the “solid food,” 02:34 deeper truths of God’s Word. 02:36 Matthew 24:45, Jesus talks 02:39 about feeding his disciples through the faithful slave. 02:43 So how do we feed the good army? 02:45 Well, we consistently, diligently consume 02:48 the spiritual food and thereby keep 02:52 the law of God in our mind well-nourished, 02:54 strong, and healthy. 02:57 But now, how do we starve the bad army? 03:00 Well, for one thing, we refuse to dwell 03:03 on the immoral thinking 03:05 that Satan’s world promotes. 03:08 We wouldn’t even think of looking at pornography. 03:11 If we did that, 03:13 that would be like feeding a steak dinner 03:15 to the bad army. 03:18 But even much more than that, if an immoral thought 03:21 enters our mind, we push it out. 03:23 We pray to Jehovah. 03:25 We get the Bible out; start reading it; somehow we switch 03:28 our mind onto something wholesome. 03:30 We do our best, as brought out 03:32 at 2 Corinthians 10:5 03:35 to bring “every thought into captivity” 03:38 and “to make it obedient to the Christ.” 03:41 We also refuse to feed our mind materialistic 03:44 and other worldly thinking that Satan’s world promotes. 03:48 When we think about this matter 03:50 of feeding the good army, 03:52 starving the bad army, it makes me think 03:54 of the old Cherokee Indian legend —you might have heard of this. 03:59 According to one reference book, 04:01 a grandfather was talking to his grandson, 04:03 and he talked about how he had inside him 04:06 two wolves fighting intensely with each other 04:10 —one, a very good wolf; one, a very bad wolf. 04:12 The grandson naturally wanted to know, “Well, which one is going to win?” 04:16 Well, the grandfather explained, “The one I feed.” 04:20 And it’s really true of us. 04:22 But now, let’s get the second factor—attitude. 04:26 If one army has a positive, determined attitude 04:31 and the other has a hopeless, demoralized attitude, 04:34 which one is likely to win? 04:36 Well, again, the answer is pretty clear. 04:38 Well, how do we maintain a positive, determined attitude 04:41 in the figurative good army inside of us? 04:44 Open up to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, please. 04:48 And here is a key factor: 04:50 No matter what trials, tests, tribulations 04:53 come our way, we don’t give up; 04:55 we don’t lose our hope; 04:57 we keep our eyes on the prize. 04:59 Now, notice how it’s expressed here, 2 Corinthians chapter 4 05:03 beginning in verse 16. 05:05 It says: “Therefore, 05:07 “we do not give up, 05:11 “but even if the man we are outside 05:14 “is wasting away, 05:16 “certainly the man we are inside 05:19 “is being renewed from day to day. 05:22 “For though the tribulation is momentary and light, 05:26 “it works out for us a glory that is of more 05:30 “and more surpassing greatness and is everlasting; 05:34 “while we keep our eyes, not on the things seen, 05:37 “but on the things unseen. 05:39 “For the things seen are temporary, 05:41 but the things unseen are everlasting.” 05:45 And I really like that thought that any trial, 05:47 no matter how intense it is, 05:49 is only momentary 05:52 and is only light, 05:54 relatively speaking. 05:56 It’s momentary when you think of the comparison 05:59 of eternal blessings in Jehovah’s new world. 06:01 It’s light compared to the weightiness, 06:04 the greatness, of the blessings of Jehovah’s new world. 06:08 Can you imagine being able to trade 06:11 a moment of pain 06:13 for an eternity of pleasure? 06:15 An ounce of misery 06:17 for tons of happiness? 06:19 And if you think about it, we’re able to make that exchange, 06:21 see, if we don’t give up, no matter what trial comes our way. 06:25 But now, how do we infuse 06:28 a hopeless, demoralized attitude 06:32 into the bad army, sin’s law in our flesh? 06:36 Well, for one thing, we always remember 06:39 that if we were to give in to sin’s law 06:42 and pursue a life of sin —and that’s just a terrible thought 06:45 to even think about, but if we did that 06:47 —it would be a lose-lose proposition, wouldn’t it? 06:51 In fact, we would lose big time now, 06:54 reaping the horrible consequences 06:57 —physically, mentally, emotionally— of sin. 07:01 We would lose even bigger in the future, totally missing out 07:04 on what Jehovah has in store for those who love him. 07:07 So we remember that. 07:09 And we remember scriptures such as Psalm 37:38: 07:13 “All the transgressors will be destroyed; 07:16 the future of wicked people will be cut off,” see. 07:20 We remember that Satan and his followers 07:24 are headed for the lake of fire, and we don’t want to join them. 07:28 See, our destination is the new world, isn’t it? 07:30 Not the lake of fire. 07:32 So we don’t even slightly envy 07:35 the wicked, unlike Asaph. 07:37 At one point in his life, he began to envy them. 07:40 We don’t envy them. We feel sorry for them, don’t we? 07:42 We certainly infuse 07:45 this hopeless attitude 07:47 into the bad army that to pursue a course of sin 07:51 would be very foolish. 07:53 Well, there we have two factors involved: 07:56 food and attitude. 07:58 Now if we had time, we could discuss training, 08:01 equipment. 08:03 But we’re going to leave that for you. 08:05 You can do that in your family worship, your personal study. 08:08 And I think you’ll find it interesting if you pursue, just like we did 08:10 with food and attitude, equipment and training. 08:14 But the point is, as long as we have this inner struggle 08:18 inside us, it’s really good. 08:20 It means we haven’t lost. See, we’re still fighting. 08:24 And even though we lose a battle or two along the way, 08:28 we’ll win the war if: We don’t give up; we don’t lose hope; 08:31 we don’t surrender. 08:33 So don’t ever put up the white flag. 08:36 Don’t ever call a truce. 08:38 Continue to fight 08:40 until that wonderful day 08:42 when that inner struggle will be gone. 08:44 We’ll be perfect, and God’s law 08:47 in our mind will completely dominate. 08:49 And like Jehovah and Jesus, 08:51 just naturally, our natural inclination 08:55 will be to do what is right. 08:57 But until then, let us fight 08:59 with all our might.
00:01 As has been mentioned in our scripture for today, 00:04 the apostle Paul talks 00:07 about this inner struggle 00:09 —this inner war, really— 00:11 that is going on inside every one of us. 00:14 It’s the war 00:16 between God’s law in our mind 00:19 and sin’s law in our flesh. 00:22 And it’s interesting, the expression “law” 00:25 in both cases is appropriate because a law 00:29 —the purpose— is to legislate action 00:31 or conduct. 00:33 And of course, God’s law in our mind 00:35 is trying to legislate that we act 00:38 according to Jehovah’s thinking. 00:40 But, of course, sin’s law in our flesh 00:42 is trying to dictate 00:44 that we act according to Satan’s thinking 00:47 —selfishly, fleshly. 00:49 And it is an intense war, see. 00:52 These two laws are warring, 00:55 trying to overpower each other 00:57 and dominate and control how we act, 01:01 and only if we fight hard 01:03 will we win the war. 01:05 Now, the apostle Paul fought hard, didn’t he? 01:08 It’s true he lost some battles along the way, 01:11 but he won the war, didn’t he? 01:13 And he’s now an immortal spirit creature 01:16 in the heavens. 01:18 So we want to imitate Paul. 01:20 But now, what can help us win this war? 01:23 Well, let’s develop an illustration that can help us 01:27 —hopefully appreciate what can help us— to win the war. 01:30 We want to illustrate with two opposing armies. 01:34 And if we think about it, 01:36 that’s what we have inside of us, don’t we? 01:38 We have two opposing armies fighting each other. 01:41 In effect, one is a good army; 01:43 one is a very bad army. 01:45 Now, what can we do to help the good army, 01:48 God’s law in our mind, to dominate 01:52 over the other army? 01:54 Well, let’s talk about two factors that are involved: 01:57 one, food; 01:59 second, attitude. 02:01 Now, taking first, food. 02:03 If one army is well-fed 02:05 and the other is starved, 02:07 now, which one do you think is going to win? 02:09 Well, the answer is obvious, isn’t it? 02:11 It makes me think of the saying that an army 02:13 marches on its stomach. 02:15 Well, how do we feed the good army? 02:18 Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man must live, 02:21 “not on bread alone, but on every word 02:24 that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.” 02:27 First Peter 2:2 talks about the “milk of the word.” 02:30 Hebrews 5:14 talks about the “solid food,” 02:34 deeper truths of God’s Word. 02:36 Matthew 24:45, Jesus talks 02:39 about feeding his disciples through the faithful slave. 02:43 So how do we feed the good army? 02:45 Well, we consistently, diligently consume 02:48 the spiritual food and thereby keep 02:52 the law of God in our mind well-nourished, 02:54 strong, and healthy. 02:57 But now, how do we starve the bad army? 03:00 Well, for one thing, we refuse to dwell 03:03 on the immoral thinking 03:05 that Satan’s world promotes. 03:08 We wouldn’t even think of looking at pornography. 03:11 If we did that, 03:13 that would be like feeding a steak dinner 03:15 to the bad army. 03:18 But even much more than that, if an immoral thought 03:21 enters our mind, we push it out. 03:23 We pray to Jehovah. 03:25 We get the Bible out; start reading it; somehow we switch 03:28 our mind onto something wholesome. 03:30 We do our best, as brought out 03:32 at 2 Corinthians 10:5 03:35 to bring “every thought into captivity” 03:38 and “to make it obedient to the Christ.” 03:41 We also refuse to feed our mind materialistic 03:44 and other worldly thinking that Satan’s world promotes. 03:48 When we think about this matter 03:50 of feeding the good army, 03:52 starving the bad army, it makes me think 03:54 of the old Cherokee Indian legend —you might have heard of this. 03:59 According to one reference book, 04:01 a grandfather was talking to his grandson, 04:03 and he talked about how he had inside him 04:06 two wolves fighting intensely with each other 04:10 —one, a very good wolf; one, a very bad wolf. 04:12 The grandson naturally wanted to know, “Well, which one is going to win?” 04:16 Well, the grandfather explained, “The one I feed.” 04:20 And it’s really true of us. 04:22 But now, let’s get the second factor—attitude. 04:26 If one army has a positive, determined attitude 04:31 and the other has a hopeless, demoralized attitude, 04:34 which one is likely to win? 04:36 Well, again, the answer is pretty clear. 04:38 Well, how do we maintain a positive, determined attitude 04:41 in the figurative good army inside of us? 04:44 Open up to 2 Corinthians chapter 4, please. 04:48 And here is a key factor: 04:50 No matter what trials, tests, tribulations 04:53 come our way, we don’t give up; 04:55 we don’t lose our hope; 04:57 we keep our eyes on the prize. 04:59 Now, notice how it’s expressed here, 2 Corinthians chapter 4 05:03 beginning in verse 16. 05:05 It says: “Therefore, 05:07 “we do not give up, 05:11 “but even if the man we are outside 05:14 “is wasting away, 05:16 “certainly the man we are inside 05:19 “is being renewed from day to day. 05:22 “For though the tribulation is momentary and light, 05:26 “it works out for us a glory that is of more 05:30 “and more surpassing greatness and is everlasting; 05:34 “while we keep our eyes, not on the things seen, 05:37 “but on the things unseen. 05:39 “For the things seen are temporary, 05:41 but the things unseen are everlasting.” 05:45 And I really like that thought that any trial, 05:47 no matter how intense it is, 05:49 is only momentary 05:52 and is only light, 05:54 relatively speaking. 05:56 It’s momentary when you think of the comparison 05:59 of eternal blessings in Jehovah’s new world. 06:01 It’s light compared to the weightiness, 06:04 the greatness, of the blessings of Jehovah’s new world. 06:08 Can you imagine being able to trade 06:11 a moment of pain 06:13 for an eternity of pleasure? 06:15 An ounce of misery 06:17 for tons of happiness? 06:19 And if you think about it, we’re able to make that exchange, 06:21 see, if we don’t give up, no matter what trial comes our way. 06:25 But now, how do we infuse 06:28 a hopeless, demoralized attitude 06:32 into the bad army, sin’s law in our flesh? 06:36 Well, for one thing, we always remember 06:39 that if we were to give in to sin’s law 06:42 and pursue a life of sin —and that’s just a terrible thought 06:45 to even think about, but if we did that 06:47 —it would be a lose-lose proposition, wouldn’t it? 06:51 In fact, we would lose big time now, 06:54 reaping the horrible consequences 06:57 —physically, mentally, emotionally— of sin. 07:01 We would lose even bigger in the future, totally missing out 07:04 on what Jehovah has in store for those who love him. 07:07 So we remember that. 07:09 And we remember scriptures such as Psalm 37:38: 07:13 “All the transgressors will be destroyed; 07:16 the future of wicked people will be cut off,” see. 07:20 We remember that Satan and his followers 07:24 are headed for the lake of fire, and we don’t want to join them. 07:28 See, our destination is the new world, isn’t it? 07:30 Not the lake of fire. 07:32 So we don’t even slightly envy 07:35 the wicked, unlike Asaph. 07:37 At one point in his life, he began to envy them. 07:40 We don’t envy them. We feel sorry for them, don’t we? 07:42 We certainly infuse 07:45 this hopeless attitude 07:47 into the bad army that to pursue a course of sin 07:51 would be very foolish. 07:53 Well, there we have two factors involved: 07:56 food and attitude. 07:58 Now if we had time, we could discuss training, 08:01 equipment. 08:03 But we’re going to leave that for you. 08:05 You can do that in your family worship, your personal study. 08:08 And I think you’ll find it interesting if you pursue, just like we did 08:10 with food and attitude, equipment and training. 08:14 But the point is, as long as we have this inner struggle 08:18 inside us, it’s really good. 08:20 It means we haven’t lost. See, we’re still fighting. 08:24 And even though we lose a battle or two along the way, 08:28 we’ll win the war if: We don’t give up; we don’t lose hope; 08:31 we don’t surrender. 08:33 So don’t ever put up the white flag. 08:36 Don’t ever call a truce. 08:38 Continue to fight 08:40 until that wonderful day 08:42 when that inner struggle will be gone. 08:44 We’ll be perfect, and God’s law 08:47 in our mind will completely dominate. 08:49 And like Jehovah and Jesus, 08:51 just naturally, our natural inclination 08:55 will be to do what is right. 08:57 But until then, let us fight 08:59 with all our might.
