STUDY ARTICLE 3
How You Fit Protect Your Heart?
“Na your heart you go protect pass any other thing.”—PROV. 4:23.
SONG 36 We Guard Our Hearts
WETIN WE GO LEARN? *
1-3. (a) Why Jehovah love Solomon, and which blessings e get? (b) Which questions we go answer for this topic?
SOLOMON begin rule Israel when e still be young man. When e just start to rule, e dream one dream and Jehovah appear for inside. E tell Solomon say: “Talk the thing wey you want make I give you.” Solomon answer say: “I still dey young and I no get experience. . . . So make you give your servant the heart wey de obey so that e fit judge your people well.” (1 Ki. 3:5-10) Solomon know where e need help, so e ask for “heart wey de obey.” No wonder Jehovah love Solomon! (2 Sam. 12:24) Jehovah dey happy with the thing wey Solomon talk. So e give the young king the kind “heart” wey go fit “do things with sense and understanding.”—1 Ki. 3:12.
2 When Solomon de serve God well, e get plenty blessings. Na special thing for Solomon to build temple “for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.” (1 Ki. 8:20) People come know Solomon for the sense wey e get from God. The spirit of God move Solomon make e talk some things, and this things dey for three Bible books wey e write. One of this book na the book of Proverbs.
3 The book of Proverbs mention the heart about one hundred times. For example, Proverbs 4:23 talk say: “Na your heart you go protect pass any other thing.” For this verse, wetin the word “heart” mean? We go answer that question for this topic. And we go answer two questions wey be: How Satan de try to poison, or corrupt, our heart? And wetin we fit do to protect our heart? If we want continue to serve God well, we need to understand the answer to this important questions.
“YOUR HEART”—WETIN E MEAN?
4-5. (a) How Psalm 51:6 help us understand wetin the word “heart” mean? (b) How our health fit help us understand say the kind person wey we be for inside dey important?
4 For Proverbs 4:23, the word for “heart” de talk about “the person wey we be for inside” or “the secret person” wey we be. (Read Psalm 51:6 and footnote.) We fit still talk say “the heart” na the things wey only us de think about, the way we de feel, the reason why we de do things, and the things wey we de like or want. Na the kind of person wey we really be for inside, no be just the way people de see us for outside.
5 Make we talk about how our health fit show say the kind person wey we be for inside dey important. Number one, for our body to dey fine for inside, we must chop good food and always do exercise. Na so e still be if we want make our faith dey strong. Just like person wey e de chop good food, make we de read Bible and our publications. And just like person wey e de always do exercise, make we de always show say we get faith for Jehovah. We de do this kind of exercise when we de do the things wey we learn, and de tell people about wetin we believe. (Rom. 10:8-10; Jas. 2:26) Number two, because of the way our body be for outside, we fit think say we dey fine even if we get disease for inside. Na so e still be when we de do the normal things wey de help us near Jehovah, like personal study and other things. We fit de think say our faith dey strong, but bad things fit de grow inside us. (1 Cor. 10:12; Jas. 1:14, 15) Make we remember say Satan go like to poison our heart make we de think the way e de think. How e fit do this one? And how we fit protect ourself?
THE WAY SATAN DE TRY TO POISON OUR HEART
6. Wetin be Satan plan, and how e de try to make-am work?
6 Satan want make we copy e example. E no de ever do the things wey Jehovah want, and e de do things only because of the benefit wey e go get. But e no go fit force us make we think the way e de think and de do the things wey e de do. So e de try other ways to make e plan work. For example, na people wey Satan don already corrupt dey around us. (1 John 5:19) Satan de hope say we go spend time with them. But we know say when we de spend time with bad people, they go “spoil” or “corrupt” the way we de think and behave. (1 Cor. 15:33; ftn.) King Solomon fall for that trap. E marry plenty women and they no de serve Jehovah. As time de go, the women “really affect Solomon well-well” and “small-small, [they] change e heart” from Jehovah.—1 Ki. 11:3; ftn.
How you fit protect your heart make Satan no try to poison-am with the way e de think? (Check paragraph 7) *
7. Which other way Satan de use spread the way e de think, and why we need to dey careful about-am?
7 Satan de use movies and television programs to spread the way e de think. E know say we no de only enjoy to hear story. Story still de teach us how to think, feel, and do things. When Jesus dey this earth, e sabi use story teach people. For example, e tell people the story about the good Samaritan, and the story about the pikin wey pack comot for house and waste the things wey e inherit. (Matt. 13:34; Luke 10:29-37; 15:11-32) But, people wey Satan don poison their heart to think the way e de think fit use story corrupt us. We need to use our sense. We fit enjoy films and TV programs; they fit teach us something and they no go spoil our mind. But make we dey careful. Before we choose anything wey we go watch, e good make we ask ourself say, ‘Wetin this film or TV program de teach me? E de teach me say e no bad to do the things wey my body want?’ (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 2:1-3) Wetin you suppose to do if you see say the program or film want make you de think like Satan? If you see person with disease and na disease wey de spread, you go near the person? Make you do like that with any program wey fit make you think like Satan.
8. How papa and mama fit help their children to protect their heart?
8 Papa and mama, wuna get special work to protect the heart of wuna children make Satan no poison-am. Na true say you de protect your children make they no get disease. Prov. 1:8; Eph. 6:1, 4) So make you no fear to tell your family wetin they go do and wetin they no go do for the house, as long as Bible no condemn-am. Tell your young children things wey they fit watch and things wey they no fit watch. And help them to understand the reasons why you decide like that. (Matt. 5:37) As your children de grow, train them make they fit know by theirself wetin dey correct and wetin no dey correct, as e be for Bible. (Heb. 5:14) Na true say, your children go learn plenty things from wetin you talk. But no forget say, they go even learn more things from wetin you do.—Deut. 6:6, 7; Rom. 2:21.
You de always clean your house, and you de trowey anything wey e fit make you or your children sick. Na the same thing you need to do about film, TV programs, video game, and website wey they fit poison the heart of your children to de think like Satan. You need to protect your children from them. Na you Jehovah give the work to help your children to become e friend. (9. Wetin be one thing wey Satan want people to believe, and why this thing fit put us for trouble?
9 Which other way Satan de try to poison our heart? Satan de make us trust the way human being de think instead of the way Jehovah de think. (Col. 2:8) For example, Satan de make people believe say the thing wey suppose dey important pass for life na for them to dey rich. People wey them de think like this fit get money after, or they fit no get. But whether they later get or they no get, this kind people dey for danger. Why? Because they fit begin use all their heart find money sotey they go abandon some things make they fit get wetin they want. Things like their health, their family, and even their friendship with God. (1 Tim. 6:10) Jehovah our Papa for heaven get sense. So we dey happy say e de help us to see money the way we suppose to see-am.—Eccl. 7:12; Luke 12:15.
HOW WE FIT PROTECT OUR HEART?
Like watchmen and gatemen for Bible time, make you open your eye and close your heart so that bad things no go enter your heart (Check paragraph 10-11) *
10-11. (a) Wetin we must do to fit protect ourself? (b) Which work watchmen de do for Bible time, and how our conscience fit be like watchman?
10 If we want protect our heart, we need to fit see danger and do something quick-quick to protect ourself. The word wey they translate as “protect (safeguard)” for Proverbs 4:23 de remind us of the work wey watchman de do. For the time of King Solomon, watchmen de stand on-top the walls of the city to protect-am. If they see say trouble de come, they go let other people know. This explanation fit help us understand the thing wey we must do so that Satan no go spoil our mind.
11 For Bible time, watchmen de work together with gatemen (or gatekeepers). (2 Sam. 18:24-26) Watchmen and gatemen de join hand together to protect the city. Them de make sure say the gate no dey open anytime wey they see enemy de near the city. (Neh. 7:1-3) When we use Bible train our conscience, * e fit be like watchman for us anytime wey Satan de try to attack our heart. E go warn us when Satan want poison how we de think, how we de feel, the reason why we de do things, and the things wey we de like or want. Anytime wey our conscience warn us about any danger, we need to listen and do everything wey we fit do make the danger no near us.
12-13. Wetin fit come as temptation, but wetin we go do about-am?
12 Make we see one example about how we fit protect ourself make Satan no poison us Eph. 5:3) But wetin we go do if our workmates or schoolmates begin talk about sex matter wey God hate as topic? We know say we no need to “put hand for things wey God no like and things wey people for this world want.” (Titus 2:12) Our conscience, wey be like watchman, fit warn us about the danger. (Rom. 2:15) But we go listen when e warn us? Temptation fit make us want listen to wetin our workmates or schoolmates de talk, or look the pictures wey them de share. But like watchman, we go close the gate of the city, we no go allow the danger reach us. So make we change the topic or we waka comot for the place.
with the way e de think. Jehovah don teach us say ‘make we no even talk about sex matter wey e hate and all kind of things wey no clean among ourself.’ (13 People around us fit de push us make we think about bad things or do-am. But we need strong heart to fight-am. We dey sure say Jehovah de see us as we de do our best. E go give us the power and the sense wey we need to fit fight any bad thinking from Satan. (2 Chron. 16:9; Isa. 40:29; Jas. 1:5) But, which other thing we fit do to protect our heart?
ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR HEART
14-15. (a) Wetin we need to open our heart for, and how we fit do-am? (b) How Proverbs 4:20-22 fit help us gather almost all the better things from our Bible reading? (Still check the box “ How to Think Deep About Wetin You Read.”)
14 If we want protect our heart, we no go only block-am from things wey fit poison-am but we go still allow good things enter. Think about the example of the city wey wall surround-am. The gateman go close the gate of the city make enemy no enter and attack the people. But another time, e go still open the gate so that people go fit carry food and other things enter the city. If they no open the gate at all, hunger go kill the people for inside the city. Na so e still be if we want make the way God de think de affect us. We need to always open our heart for good things to enter.
15 The way Jehovah de think dey inside Bible. So anytime wey we read Bible, we de allow the way Jehovah de think to affect the way we de think, feel, and do things. How we fit gather almost all the better things from our Bible reading? Prayer dey important. One sister talk say: “Before I read Bible, I de pray to Jehovah make e help me ‘see-am clear the wonderful things’ for e Word.” (Ps. 119:18) We still need to think deep about the thing wey we read. When we pray, read, and think deep about wetin we read, wetin dey Bible go enter “deep inside [our] heart.” Then we go come love the way Jehovah de think.—Read Proverbs 4:20-22; Ps. 119:97.
16. How JW Broadcasting don benefit plenty people wey de watch-am?
16 Another way to let the way God de think to affect us na when we de watch wetin dey for JW Broadcasting®. One husband and wife talk say: “We don get answer to our prayer from the program wey them de show every month! This programs don give us power and encourage us when we dey sad and lonely. And we de always listen to the JW Broadcasting songs when we dey house. We de play them when we de cook, de clean, or when we just de drink tea.” All this programs de help us to protect our heart. Them de teach us make we fit de think like Jehovah and fight anything wey de push us to think like Satan.
17-18. (a) Wetin de happen anytime wey we do wetin Jehovah de teach us, as 1 Kings 8:61 talk-am? (b) Wetin we fit learn from the example of King Hezekiah? (c) From wetin David pray about for Psalm 139:23, 24, which thing we fit pray for?
17 Anytime wey we do the right thing and we get good result, our faith de strong Jas. 1:2, 3) This kind thing de sweet us because Jehovah go glad well-well to call us e children. And we go always want do things to make God happy. (Prov. 27:11) Anytime something test our faith, we go see-am as chance to show say na our whole heart we de use serve Jehovah, our good Papa. (Ps. 119:113) We go show say we love Jehovah with all our heart. This kind heart na heart wey dey ready to obey God’s commandments and do the things wey e want.—Read 1 Kings 8:61.
more-more. (18 We go make mistake? Yes, because they born us with sin. But if we make mistake, make we remember the example of King Hezekiah. E make mistakes. But e repent, and e continue to serve Jehovah ‘with all e heart.’ (Isa. 38:3-6; 2 Chron. 29:1, 2; 32:25, 26) So make we reject anything wey Satan de try to do to poison us with the way e de think. Make we pray so that we go get “heart wey de obey.” (1 Ki. 3:9; read Psalm 139:23, 24.) If we protect our heart pass any other thing, we fit continue to serve Jehovah well.
SONG 54 “This Is the Way”
^ par. 5 We go continue to serve Jehovah well, or we go let Satan deceive us make we leave our God? No be how our test strong reach go answer this question, but na whether we de protect our heart well. Wetin the word “heart” mean? How Satan de try to corrupt our heart? And how we fit protect-am? This topic go answer this important questions.
^ par. 11 WORD WEY WE EXPLAIN: When Jehovah make us, e give us something wey we fit use check wetin dey our mind, how we de feel, and the things wey we de do. And then we go use-am judge ourself. Bible de call this thing conscience. (Rom. 2:15; 9:1) Conscience wey person use Bible train de check the things wey person de think, do, or talk and use Bible judge whether e dey good or bad.
^ par. 56 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: The brother don baptize, e de watch television, and bad picture show for the TV. The brother must decide the next thing wey e go do.
^ par. 58 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: One watchman for Bible time see danger de come for outside the city. E warn the gatemen for down, and they close the gate of the city quick-quick; they still lock-am from inside.