1-2. Wetin we need to continue to do after we don baptize? Explain.

 HOW many times you de clean your house? E fit be say before you pack enter the house, you take time clean-am well. But wetin go happen if you no clean-am again? Dust go full everywhere and e go dirty again. So you need to de clean-am every time so that the house go dey clean and neat.

² Na this kind work we need to de do to ourself. We must continue to de correct our character and the way we de think. Na true say before we baptize, we don do our best to change plenty things for our life so that we go fit ‘remove all dirty from our body and mind.’ (2 Cor. 7:1) But now wey we don baptize, we need to follow apostle Paul advice say “make the way [we] de think continue de change to new one.” (Eph. 4:23) Why we need to continue to de correct the way we de think and behave? Because we fit start to think and do things like people for this world, and that one go make us no clean for Jehovah eye. So we must continue to correct the way we de think, our character, and the things wey we de like, so that we go fit de make Jehovah happy.

3. Wetin e mean to correct the way you de think? (Romans 12:2)

³ Wetin we need to do to fit correct the way we de think?  (Read Romans 12:2.) For Greek language, the word wey we translate as “de change the way [you] de think,” still mean “to make your mind new again.” To make something new again no be just to make the outside fine. For example, when person paint e house, that one no mean say e don make the pillars and other important things for the house new again. Na so e still be with our life, just to de do better things wey people fit see no mean say we don make our mind new again. So to make our mind new again, we need to de check the kind person wey we really be, and correct any area for our life wey we no de do well, so that we go fit make Jehovah happy. This na wetin we need to continue to de do every time.

4. Wetin go help us make this world no control the way we de think and do things?

⁴ Na when we don dey perfect, we go fit de do everything wey Jehovah want, for the way e want-am. But for now, we need to continue to de do our best to fit do wetin go make Jehovah happy. For Romans 12:2, apostle Paul talk say we need to de correct the way we de think, so that we go fit know wetin Jehovah want make we do. Instead for us to allow this world to de control the way we de think and do things, we must continue to de check ourself to make sure say we de allow wetin God want control the way we de think, our plan, and our decisions.

5. How you fit check if you still de think about the time wey Jehovah go destroy this wicked world? (Check the picture.)

⁵ For example, Bible tell us say make we always de think about the time wey Jehovah go destroy this wicked world. (2 Pet. 3:12) Ask yourself this questions: ‘The way I de live my life de show say I really believe say na only small time remain before this wicked world go end? Wetin I decide about whether to go university and the kind work wey I de do, de  show say na Jehovah dey important pass for my life? I get faith say Jehovah go care for me and my family, or na so-so worry I de worry about wetin me and my family need?’ E de really sweet Jehovah for mind when e see say we de do everything wey we fit do to make-am happy.—Matt. 6:25-27, 33; Phil. 4:12, 13.

6. Wetin we need to continue to de do?

⁶ We need to de check the way we de think every time and correct any area wey we see say we no de think the way Jehovah want. Paul tell Christians for Corinth say “Make [them] continue to check” whether the way them de live their life de show say they get real faith. (2 Cor. 13:5) So to show say we get real faith, no be only to de go meeting and de preach to people. The way we de think, the things wey de hungry us to do, and why we want do-am, still join for this matter. So we need to de check and correct the way we de think. How we fit do-am? We need to de read Bible, learn to de think the way Jehovah de think, and do everything wey we fit do to make sure say we de do wetin Jehovah want.—1 Cor. 2:14-16.

7. With wetin Ephesians 4:31, 32, talk, which other thing we need to do, and why e fit no easy for us to do?

⁷ Read Ephesians 4:31, 32. Another important thing wey we need to do na to “wear the new character.” (Eph. 4:24) And to do this one no be small work. Some of the character wey we need to remove from our life, na bad mind, to over vex, and hot temper. Why this one fit no easy for us to do? Na because some of this bad character don enter our blood. Na e make Bible talk say some people ‘de quick vex,’ and some “de over vex.” (Prov. 29:22) We need to continue to do our best to remove this kind character even after we don baptize. The story of one brother wey we go talk about, go show why we talk like that.

8-9. How Stephen story show say we need to continue to de remove the old character?

⁸ One brother wey e name na Stephen no de fit control the way e de vex before. E talk say: “Even after I baptize, I still need to continue to learn how to control the way I de vex. For example, when I de preach one day, somebody thief radio from my car, so I pursue-am and as I want catch-am, e troway the radio for ground and run comot. When I de tell brothers and sisters wey we de preach together how I pursue the thief and get my radio back, one of the elder wey dey there ask me say, ‘Stephen, wetin you for do-am if to say you catch-am?’ That question make me see say some bad character wey I get before I baptize still dey my body. And e still help me see say I need to continue to de make peace with everybody.” b

⁹ Just as Brother Stephen story show, something wey we no expect fit happen and e go bring out the bad character wey we get, even after we don do our best to comot-am. When that kind thing happen to you, make you no tire and no think say hope no dey again. This kind thing happen to apostle Paul, na e make-am talk say: ‘When I want do the correct thing, na bad thing de come my mind.’ (Rom. 7:21-23) Since nobody dey perfect, some bad character wey we don do our best to comot, fit still come back, just the way dust de make house wey we don clean, dirty again. So we need to continue to do our best to dey clean. How?

10. Wetin we go do to fit remove the old character? (1 John 5:14, 15)

 ¹⁰ Pray to Jehovah about the bad character wey you want remove and trust-am say e go hear your prayer and help you. (Read 1 John 5:14, 15.) Na true say Jehovah no go use miracle comot the bad character at once, but e go give you power so that you go fit control yourself. (1 Pet. 5:10) Make you de do wetin go make your prayer work. How? No de do anything wey go make the old character come back. For example, make you no de watch film, television program, or read book wey go bring back the old character wey you de try remove. And when bad thing come your mind, make you comot-am quick-quick.—Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:2.

11. Wetin we fit do so that we go continue to wear the new character?

¹¹ When you don remove the old character, e dey important make you wear the new one. How you fit do this one? De learn about the better-better character wey Jehovah get and do your best to copy them. (Eph. 5:1, 2) For example, when you read for Bible about how Jehovah de forgive, make you ask yourself, ‘I de forgive people when them do me bad?’ When you read for Bible about how Jehovah de care for people wey need help, ask yourself, ‘I de feel for people wey need help the way Jehovah de feel for them, and do my best to help them?’ Make you wear the new character because e go help you correct the way you de think. As you de do this one, you still need to dey patient with yourself.

12. How Bible help Stephen fit change e bad character?

¹² Brother Stephen wey we don talk about see say as time de go, e do e best to wear the new character. E talk say: “Since I baptize, plenty things don happen wey for make me no fit control the way I de vex. Some times, I go just waka comot from where the people wey de make me vex dey or I go find how to cool the situation down when them want make me vex. My wife and other people de praise me say I no de vex again like before. The thing de even surprise me too. No be my power I take stop this bad character. But e de show say Bible get power to change people life.”

13. Wetin go help us fit control bad things wey fit come our mind? (Galatians 5:16)

¹³ Read Galatians 5:16. Jehovah don give us e holy spirit so that we go fit win as we de fight the bad things wey de come our mind. When we read Bible, we de show say we want make holy spirit help us. Another way we de get help from holy spirit na when we go meeting. For there, we de spend time with our brothers and sisters wey still de do their best to make Jehovah happy and this one na good thing. (Heb. 10:24, 25; 13:7) And when we pray to Jehovah and beg-am to help us fit control the bad character wey we get, e go use e holy spirit give us the power to fit continue to fight them. Na true say all this thing fit no stop the bad character make them no come our mind sometimes, but they go help us make we no do the bad things when them come our mind. As Galatians 5:16 talk, people wey de allow God holy spirit direct them “no go ever do the things wey body want.”

14. Why e dey important make we continue to do wetin go make Jehovah happy?

¹⁴ When we don start to de do wetin go make Jehovah happy, e dey important make we no stop, but make we continue to de think  good things. Why? Na because we get one enemy wey no dey ever rest. That enemy na the temptation to do bad thing. Even after we don baptize, e fit still de come our mind to de do things like, to gamble, over drink or de watch naked people picture and film. (Eph. 5:3, 4) One young brother talk say: “One thing wey no really easy for me to stop na to de get feeling for men and want sleep with them. I think say one day, I go grow pass this kind feeling, but I still de struggle with-am till now.” Wetin fit help you if the bad thing wey de come your mind really strong?

15. Why e suppose make your mind come down say no be only you de struggle to comot bad thing for mind? (Check the picture.)

¹⁵ As you de do your best and struggle to comot the bad things wey de come your mind, make you no forget say no be only you de struggle like that. Bible talk say: “Nothing don tempt wuna wey never tempt another person before.” (1 Cor. 10:13a) Another Bible translate the verse like this: ‘No temptation wey wuna get wey somebody never get before.’ Apostle Paul write that message to the brothers and sisters wey dey the congregation for Corinth. Before this brothers and sisters become Christians, some of them de sleep with who no be their husband or wife, men de sleep with men and women de sleep with women and some of them de over drink. (1 Cor. 6:9-11) You think say even after they don baptize, all this bad things no go come their mind again? No be so! E fit still de come their mind sometimes. Na true say all of them na anointed Christians, but them no dey perfect. So they need to continue to do their best to comot this bad things from their mind. This one suppose make our mind come down. Why? Because e de show say any bad thing wey you de fight to comot from your mind, some people don succeed to comot-am from their mind. So e dey important  make you “get strong faith [and] make you know say na this kind suffer your brothers wey dey everywhere for this world de face.”—1 Pet. 5:9.

16. When we de struggle with the bad things wey de come our mind, wetin we no suppose think, and why?

¹⁶ When you de struggle with all this bad things wey de come your mind, no think say nobody go fit understand the problem wey you de face. If you think like that, e go make you start to feel say you no get hope again and say you no go fit get the power wey you need to control-am or fight-am. Bible give us hope, when e talk say: “God no de fail, and e no go allow the temptation pass wuna power. But as the temptation de come, God go help wuna make wuna fit endure-am.” (1 Cor. 10:13b) So, if the bad things wey de come your mind really strong, you go fit succeed to fight and win-am. Jehovah go help you make you no fall for the temptation.

17. Even though say we no go fit stop bad thing make they no enter our mind, wetin we go fit do?

¹⁷ Always remember say since you no dey perfect, bad things go de come your mind sometimes. But when them come, no waste time to run from them, just as Joseph no waste time run when Potiphar wife say make e sleep with-am. (Gen. 39:12) Abeg, no do the bad thing wey de come your mind!

18-19. As we de do our best to correct the way we de think, which questions we need to ask ourself?

¹⁸ As we don learn for this article, to de correct the way we de think, we need to continue to think and do things the way Jehovah want. So always de check the kind person wey you be and ask yourself say: ‘The way I de live my life de show say I really believe say na only small time remain before this wicked world go end? I de succeed as I de do my best to wear the new character? I de allow holy spirit control me, so that I no go do wetin my body want?’

¹⁹ As you de check yourself, no think say everything go just dey perfect. But make you de look for area wey you don succeed. When you see area wey you need to do more, no waste time to correct-am. Follow the advice wey dey Philippians 3:16. E talk say: “No matter how . . . we don de make progress [reach], make we continue to do well as we don de do.” When you follow this advice, make you get-am for mind say Jehovah go help you continue to fit correct the way you de think.