1. According to Colossians 2:4, 8, how Satan de try to control the way we de think?

SATAN want make we stop to love Jehovah. So e de try to change the way we de think so that e plan go work. Satan want control our mind so that we go begin think the way e want make we de think. E de try to fool us with things wey our body want so that we go do things wey e like.​—Read Colossians 2:4, 8.

2-3. (a) Why we need to think about the warning for Colossians 2:8? (b) Wetin we go talk about for this article?

² Na true say Satan want deceive us. But you think say that one really make us dey for serious danger? Yes, we dey serious danger! Remember say, Paul no write the warning for Colossians 2:8 to people of the nations. Instead, e write-am to Christians wey God anoint with holy spirit. (Col. 1:2, 5) Those Christians dey for danger that time, and the danger wey we dey today even pass their own. (1 Cor. 10:12) Why? Jesus don throw Satan from heaven come this earth, and Satan de do everything wey e fit do make e deceive faithful servants of God. (Rev. 12:9, 12, 17) Another thing be say, we de live for time wey wicked people and pretenders “de bad more-more.”—2 Tim. 3:1, 13.

³ For this article, we go talk about how Satan de use “wetin dey useless” so that e go fit de control the way we de think. We go talk about three “cunning-cunning style,” or “secret plan” wey Satan de use. (Eph. 6:11; ftn.) Then, for the next article, we go talk about how we go fit remove any bad thing  wey the plan of Satan don cause for the way we de think. But, first of all, make we talk about wetin we go fit learn from the way Satan deceive Israel people after they enter the Promise Land.

4-6. According to Deuteronomy 11:10-15, which new ways to do farm work Israel people learn when they begin live for the Promise Land?

⁴ Satan use style tempt Israel people to worship idols. How e do-am? Satan know say they need food, so e try to use this one so that they go do the thing wey e want. When Israel people enter Promise Land that time, they need to learn new ways to plant their food. When them dey for Egypt, them de use water from River Nile for their farm. But no big river for the Promise Land. So, if the things wey they plant must grow, they go always need rainy season and water from dew. (Read Deuteronomy 11:10-15; Isa. 18:4, 5) This one mean say Israel people go learn new ways to do farm work. This one no go easy because many of the people with experience for farm work don die for wilderness.

⁵ Jehovah explain to e people say their condition don change. Then e still warn them, but the warning first be like say e no connect with farm work. Jehovah tell the people say: “Make wuna dey careful so that wuna no go allow anything deceive wuna heart to go another way and worship other gods and bow down to them.” (Deut. 11:16, 17) Why Jehovah warn them make they no worship lie-lie gods when e de talk about new ways to do farm work wey they go learn?

⁶ Jehovah know say Israel people go want learn some ways to do their farm work from people of the nations around them. Na true say this other people get experience pass  Israel people for farm work, and Israel people fit learn other better ways from them. But danger dey. The farmers for Canaan de worship Baal and their way of worship de affect the way them de think. This people believe say na Baal get the sky and na Baal de make rain fall. Jehovah no want make they deceive e people with all those kind lie-lie things. But Israel people decide to worship Baal again and again. (Num. 25:3, 5; Judg. 2:13; 1 Ki. 18:18) Make we see how Israel people come be prisoner to Satan.

7. Wetin test the faith wey Israel people get when they enter the Promise Land?

⁷ Number one, Satan deceive them with normal things wey they want. The people want make rain fall to water the land. Every year for the Promise Land, na very small amount of rain de fall from ending of April go reach September. For Israel people to survive and for their plant to grow fine, they go need another rain. This rain de normally fall from around October. Satan make Israel people believe say for them to survive, they go need to follow the tradition of other people around them and this people no de serve Jehovah. This people believe say they need to do some kind things wey their religion want so that their gods go make rain fall. Some Israel people no get faith for Jehovah. And so they believe say the only way to get rain for long dry season na to do like the other people. They come do things wey people for the lie-lie religion de do to worship Baal.

8. Wetin be the second thing wey Satan use? Explain.

⁸ Number two, Satan deceive Israel people with corrupt things about sex wey their body want. People of the nations de do corrupt things to worship their gods. One rotten thing wey them de do to worship their gods na prostitution for temple, and na woman and man be the prostitute. Them de allow make man sleep with man and woman sleep with woman. They still de allow other things about sex wey God hate. And they even see all this things as normal things! (Deut. 23:17, 18; 1 Ki. 14:24) The people of the nations believe say this things wey them de do de encourage their gods to make the land produce food. This corrupt things wey people of the nations de do draw many Israel people, and they decide to worship lie-lie gods. The truth be say, Satan take them comot as prisoner.

9. According to Hosea 2:16, 17, how Satan make Israel people forget Jehovah?

⁹ Number three, Satan make Israel people forget Jehovah. For the time of prophet Jeremiah, Jehovah talk say the lie-lie prophets make e people forget e name “because of Baal.” (Jer. 23:27) And e fit be say, God’s people that time stop to use the name of Jehovah. They replace-am with the name Baal, and Baal mean “Owner” or “Master.” So this one make-am hard for Israel people to know the difference between Jehovah and Baal. But this one make-am easy for them to mix the worship of Baal with worship of Jehovah.​—Read Hosea 2:16, 17 and footnote.

10. Which things Satan de use catch people today?

¹⁰ Na the same things Satan still de use today. E de catch people with the normal things wey they want, with things about sex wey God hate, and e de make them forget Jehovah. Make we first talk about how Satan de make people forget Jehovah.

11. How Satan don make people forget Jehovah?

 ¹¹ Satan de make people forget Jehovah. After the apostles of Jesus don die, some people begin teach lie-lie for every corner. This lie-lie people or apostates claim say they be Christians. (Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Thess. 2:3) They begin make other people forget the only true God. For example, they stop to use the name of God for their Bible and replace-am with “Lord” or other titles. Because of this one, when person de read Bible, e no de fit see how Jehovah dey different from other “lords” wey Bible talk about. (1 Cor. 8:5) They use the same word “Lord” for Jehovah and Jesus. And this one make-am hard for people to understand say Jehovah dey different from Jesus. (John 17:3) Na this confusion make people begin teach Trinity, and Bible no teach anything like that. The result of all this one be say, plenty people believe say people no go fit know God. That one na big lie!​—Acts 17:27.

12. Wetin lie-lie religion don make people see as normal thing, and wetin be the result as Romans 1:28-31 explain?

¹² Satan de fool people with corrupt things about sex wey their body want. For time of Israel people, Satan use lie-lie religion to make people do things about sex wey God hate. Satan de do the same thing today. Lie-lie religion de allow people to do things about sex wey God hate and try to make this corrupt things be like normal thing. Wetin be the result? Many people claim to serve God but they no de follow the things wey God talk say na good thing or bad thing. The truth be say, the things wey God de see as good and bad dey clear. For the letter wey apostle Paul write to brothers for Rome, e talk about the result when people abandon the right way to live as God talk. (Read Romans 1:28-31.) Different-different things about sex wey God hate dey among ‘the things wey people no suppose to do.’ Part of the things about sex wey God hate na when man de sleep with man and woman de sleep with woman. (Rom. 1:24-27, 32; Rev. 2:20) Na really important thing for us to follow the things wey Bible de teach!

13. Which other thing Satan de use deceive people?

¹³ Satan de deceive people with normal things wey they want. Na normal thing for  person to want learn some things so that e go fit provide for e self and e family. (1 Tim. 5:8) Many times, we fit learn this things when we go school and study hard. But we must dey careful. For many countries, students for school de learn things to help them survive. But for there, they still de learn the sense wey this world get. Schools de encourage students make they no believe say God dey and make they no de follow wetin Bible talk. Them de teach students say all wise people believe say life appear for this earth by e self. (Rom. 1:21-23) This kind things wey people de teach dey against the sense wey God de give.​—1 Cor. 1:19-21; 3:18-20.

14. Wetin the sense wey this world get de teach people?

¹⁴ The sense wey the world get dey against the things wey Jehovah talk say na good thing or bad thing, and the world no de follow this things wey God talk. That sense no de encourage people make they get the character wey God’s spirit de produce. Instead, e de make people do ‘wetin their body want.’ (Gal. 5:19-23) The sense for this world de teach people make them dey proud. The result be say people don “love theirself.” (2 Tim. 3:2-4) All those character no be the kind character wey God want make e servants get. God want make e servants dey humble. (2 Sam. 22:28) Some Christians don go university and some of them don begin think like the world instead of like God. Make we talk about one example of wetin this kind thing fit cause.

15-16. Wetin you learn from the thing wey one sister experience?

¹⁵ One sister don dey full-time service pass 15 years and e talk say: “I don baptize  as one of Jehovah Witness, and so I don read and hear say danger dey for university, but I no listen to all those warning. I think say the advice no concern me.” So which problems this sister face? The sister talk say: “I spend plenty time and energy de study my school books sotey I come dey too busy to spend time de pray to Jehovah as I de do before. Because my school work de really make me tire, I no come de enjoy preaching and prepare well for meeting. But when I notice-am, I happy because I don too put myself for university and this one de spoil my friendship with Jehovah. Na that time I see say I need to stop, and I stop.”

¹⁶ How university affect the way this sister de think? The sister talk say: “Na shame say I decide to go university because wetin I learn for there na to see only the mistakes of people, especially my brothers and sisters. University teach me to expect my brothers to do wetin pass their power, and to separate myself from them. Na long time e take me before I fit stop to think like that. This thing wey I experience show me the kind danger wey person de put e self if e reject the warning wey our Papa for heaven de use e organization give us. Jehovah know me pass the way I know myself. I regret say I no listen!”

17. (a) Wetin we really need to decide say we go do? (b) Wetin we go talk about for the next topic?

¹⁷ Make we decide say we no go ever allow this world wey Satan de control to “use wetin dey useless and the sense wey people get” take us comot as prisoner. Continue to protect yourself make Satan no deceive you. (1 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 2:11) Make you no ever allow Satan make you forget Jehovah. Follow the things wey Jehovah see as the right thing. And make you no allow Satan deceive you to reject advice from Jehovah. But wetin you go do if you notice say the way the world de think don affect you? The next topic go show us how Bible fit help us to remove “strong things” from our mind and character.​—2 Cor. 10:4, 5.