STUDY ARTICLE 10
You Go Fit “Remove the Old Character”
“Remove the old character with all the things wey wuna be de do.”—COL. 3:9.
SONG 29 Make We De Do Wetin Go Praise Your Name
WETIN WE GO LEARN? *
1. How your life be before you start to study Bible?
HOW your life be before you start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people? Many of us no de like to think about-am. The things wey the world de see as good and bad, fit don affect the way we de think and the kind person wey we be. If na so, then we be “no get hope” and we be “no get God for the world.” (Eph. 2:12) But after we start to study Bible, our life change!
2. Wetin be some things wey you learn after you start to study Bible?
2 After you start to study Bible, you learn say you get Papa for heaven wey really love you. You come know say if you want make Jehovah glad and join e organization as part of e family, you go need to make big change for the way you de live your life, the way you de see things, and the way you de think. You go need to learn to do the things wey Jehovah talk say dey good, and no do the things wey e talk say dey bad.—Eph. 5:3-5.
3. As e dey for Colossians 3:9, 10, wetin Jehovah want make we do, and wetin we go talk about for this article?
3 Na Jehovah make us and e be our Papa for heaven. So e get the right to decide how e servants wey be part of e family, suppose de do things. And before we baptize, e want make we do everything wey we fit do to ‘remove the old character with all the things wey we be de do.’ * (Read Colossians 3:9, 10.) This article go help people wey want baptize to answer this three questions: (1) Wetin be “the old character”? (2) Why Jehovah command us make we remove-am? (3) How we fit do that one? For we wey don already baptize, this topic go help us make we no de think or de do things the way we de do, before we remove the old character.
WETIN BE “THE OLD CHARACTER”?
4. When “the old character” de control person, how person de do things?
4 If “the old character” de control person, this one mean say the person de think and de do things for way wey no good. This kind person fit de think only about e self, de quick vex, no sabi talk thank you, and dey proud. E fit de like to watch naked people film or picture, and de watch things wey no clean, or film wey fight-fight dey inside. True-true, this kind person fit get some fine-fine character and e mind fit de tell-am say the things wey e de talk and do, no good. But e heart never fit move-am to change the way e de think and do things.—Gal. 5:19-21; 2 Tim. 3:2-5.
When we remove “the old character,” our body no go fit control us again to think and do things for way wey no good (Check paragraph 5) *
5. We fit remove the old character finish? Explain. (Acts 3:19)
5 Because they born us with sin, we no go fit remove all the bad things wey we de think and wey we want from our heart and mind. Sometimes, we go do or talk something wey we go regret. (Jer. 17:9; Jas. 3:2) But when we remove the old character, our body no go fit control us again to think and do things for way wey no good. We no go be the kind person wey we be before.—Isa. 55:7; read Acts 3:19.
6. Why Jehovah tell us make we remove any bad thing from our mind and any bad character wey be part of the old character?
6 Jehovah tell us make we remove bad things from our mind and stop bad character, because e really love us and e want make we enjoy life. (Isa. 48:17, 18) E know say people wey de do the bad things wey de hungry them, de bring pain for theirself and for people around them. Jehovah de feel pain when e see say we de bring pain for ourself and other people.
7. With wetin dey Romans 12:1, 2, which decision we get?
7 Sometimes, some of our friends and family members fit de laugh us because we de try to change the kind person wey we be. (1 Pet. 4:3, 4) They fit talk say make we no allow other people to tell us wetin to do and say we get the right to do anything wey we want do. But even if people reject the laws from Jehovah, this one no really mean say na them de control theirself. The truth na say, them de allow the world wey Satan de control to control them. (Read Romans 12:1, 2.) Na all of us go need to decide this one: We go continue to get the old character wey sin and this wicked world de control, or we go allow Jehovah to change us make we get the best character wey we fit get now?—Isa. 64:8.
HOW YOU FIT “REMOVE” THE OLD CHARACTER?
8. Wetin go help us to run from bad things wey we de think and do?
8 Jehovah know say we go take time and hard work before we fit run from bad things wey we de think and do. (Ps. 103:13, 14) But Jehovah de use e Word, e spirit, and e organization to give us the sense, power, and support wey we need to change the kind person wey we be. True-true, Jehovah don already help you. Now, make we talk about some things wey you fit do wey go help you more-more to remove the old character and grow reach to baptize.
9. Wetin Bible fit help you do?
9 Use Bible check yourself well. Bible be like mirror. E fit help you check the way you de think, de talk, and de do things. (Jas. 1:22-25) Your Bible teacher and other mature Christians fit advice you. For example, they fit use Bible help you see the things wey you de do well and the things wey you no de do well. They fit teach you how to find better advice for our publications wey go help you stop bad character. And Jehovah always dey ready to help you. Jehovah na the best Person to help you, because e know wetin dey your heart. (Prov. 14:10; 15:11) So, make e be part of your character to pray to Jehovah and study e Word everyday.
10. Wetin you learn from the example of Elie?
10 Make you really believe say the laws from Jehovah na the best. We go gain from everything wey Jehovah tell us make we do. People wey de follow e laws no de feel say them dey useless, their life de get direction, and them de really dey happy. (Ps. 19:7-11) But people wey de reject the laws from Jehovah, de suffer the things wey people de suffer when they continue to do the things wey their body want. One man wey e name na Elie, talk about to reject laws from God. E grow for family wey love Jehovah. But when Elie don de grow, e choose bad friends. E start to use hard drugs, de do things about sex wey God hate, and de thief. Elie talk say e notice say e come de vex and de like fight-fight more-more. E talk say: “The truth be say, I do everything wey they don teach me make I no do as Christian.” But Elie no forget the things wey e learn when e dey young. As time de go, e begin study Bible again. E do everything to stop the bad things wey e de do, and e baptize for the year 2000. How Elie don gain as e de follow the laws from Jehovah? E talk say: “Now, I get peace of mind and clean conscience.” * This example show say people wey de reject the laws from Jehovah de wound theirself. Even with that one, Jehovah dey ready to help them change.
11. Which things Jehovah hate?
11 Learn to hate the thing wey Jehovah hate. (Ps. 97:10) Bible show us say Jehovah hate “proud eyes, lie-lie tongue, and hand wey de kill innocent person.” (Prov. 6:16, 17) And e “no ever like people wey like so-so trouble and de deceive other people.” (Ps. 5:6) Jehovah hate this kind way wey people de think and this things wey them de do sotey e destroy all the wicked people for time of Noah, because they make the earth full with bad things and fight-fight. (Gen. 6:13) See another example. Jehovah use prophet Malachi talk say e hate people wey get wicked plan to end their marriage. God no de accept their worship and e go judge them for the things wey they do.—Mal. 2:13-16; Heb. 13:4.
We suppose over hate to do something wey Jehovah no like (Check paragraph 11-12)
12. Wetin e mean to “really hate bad thing”?
12 Jehovah want make we “really hate bad thing.” (Rom. 12:9) The word wey they translate as “really hate” for here, de show strong feeling about something. E mean to over hate something. How you go feel if they tell you make you chop food wey don spoil? To even think about that kind thing fit make you want vomit. For the same way, we no suppose even think of to do something wey Jehovah no like. We suppose over hate this kind thing.
13. Why we need to protect the way we de think?
13 Protect the way you de think. The things wey we de think de affect the things wey we de do. Because of this one, Jesus teach us say make we no de think about things wey fit make us put hand for serious sin. (Matt. 5:21, 22, 28, 29) We want do wetin go make our Papa for heaven dey happy, no be so? So e really dey important say anytime wey bad thing come our mind, make we reject-am quick-quick!
14. Wetin the things wey we de talk de show about us, and which questions we suppose answer?
14 Control wetin you de talk. Jesus talk say: “Anything wey comot from the mouth come from the heart.” (Matt. 15:18) The truth na say, the things wey we de talk de really show the kind person wey we be for inside. So ask yourself this questions: ‘I de make sure say I no lie, even if e be say to talk truth go bring trouble for me? As person wey don marry, I de make sure say I dey careful make I no de do things wey go show say I get interest for person wey no be my husband or wife? I de make sure say things about sex wey God hate no dey for the things wey I de talk at all? I de answer person for calm way when e do wetin make me vex?’ You go gain if you take your time think about this questions. The things wey we de talk fit be like small-small thread wey they use sew cloth together. If you try your best to remove insult, lie-lie, and things about sex from the things wey you de talk, e go dey more easy for you to remove the old character.
15. Wetin e mean to nail our old character “ontop the pole”?
15 Dey ready to do anything wey you need to do. Apostle Paul use one example to teach us say, na really important thing for us to change the way we de live our life. E write say we must nail our old character ontop “the pole.” (Rom. 6:6) So, we want do like Jesus. If we de think bad things and de do things wey Jehovah hate, we need to dey ready to kill this kind thinking and character. Na only if we do this things we go get clean conscience and the hope to enjoy life forever. (John 17:3; 1 Pet. 3:21) Remember say, Jehovah no go change e laws to make us dey happy. Instead, na we go need to change the kind person wey we be and obey e laws.—Isa. 1:16-18; 55:9.
16. Why you suppose make up your mind to continue to reject the bad things wey de hungry you?
16 Continue to reject the bad things wey de hungry you. Even after you don baptize, you go still need to continue to reject the bad things wey de hungry you. See the experience of one man wey e name na Maurício. When e dey young, e start to do things about sex with men. After, e meet Jehovah Witness people and e start to study Bible. After e don change the way e de live e life, e baptize for 2002. Even though say e don de serve Jehovah for many years, e talk say: “The truth be say, sometimes I de struggle with the bad things wey my body want make I do.” But e no tire because of this one. Instead, e talk say: “Wetin de cool my heart na say, I know say when I no gree do this things wey de hungry me, I de make Jehovah happy.” *
17. Wetin encourage you for the example of Nabiha?
17 Pray make Jehovah help you, and trust e spirit instead of your own power. (Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:6) We must work hard if we want remove the old character and no wear-am again. Make we talk about the example of one woman wey e name na Nabiha. E papa abandon-am when e dey six years. E talk say: “This one really pain me reach bone, no be small.” When e grow, e get hot temper and e de over vex. Nabiha start to sell hard drugs, they arrest-am, and e dey prison for some years. Jehovah Witness people visit the prison and they start to study Bible with Nabiha. E start to really change things for e life. E talk say: “Some bad things wey I be de do no hard me to stop. But, e really hard me before I fit stop to smoke.” Nabiha struggle for more than one year, and at last, e stop to smoke. How e do-am? E talk say: “The number one thing wey help me to stop na say, I de always pray to Jehovah.” Now, e de tell other people say: “I dey sure say if I fit change the way I de live my life to make Jehovah glad, then anybody go fit change!” *
YOU FIT GROW REACH TO BAPTIZE!
18. As e dey for 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, wetin plenty servants of God don fit do?
18 For time of the apostles, some of the men and women wey Jehovah choose make they rule with Jesus Christ, don do things wey really bad before. For example, some of them don sleep with people wey no be their husband or wife, men don sleep with men and women with women, and some de thief before. But God use e holy spirit help them change the kind person wey they be. (Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.) Na so e still be today. Bible don help plenty-plenty people to change the way them de live their life. * They don stop to do bad things wey really hard them to stop. Their example show say you too go fit change the kind person wey you be, and run from different-different bad character so that you go fit grow reach to baptize.
19. Wetin we go talk about for the next article?
19 Apart from say we must work hard to remove the old character, people wey want baptize must try to wear the new character. The next article go talk about how we fit do this one and how other people fit help us.
SONG 41 Abeg Jehovah, Hear My Prayer
^ par. 5 Before we grow reach to baptize, we must dey ready to change the kind person wey we be. This article go help us see wetin the old character be, why we need to troway the different-different things wey show say person get the old character, and how we fit do this one. The next article go talk about how we fit continue to wear the new character, even after we don baptize.
^ par. 3 WORD WEY WE EXPLAIN: To “remove the old character” mean say we go stop to think for way wey Jehovah no like, and the things wey e no like no go de hungry us. This one suppose start before we baptize.—Eph. 4:22.
^ par. 10 If you want learn more, check the topic wey be “The Bible Changes Lives—‘I Needed to Return to Jehovah.’ ” E dey for April 1, 2012 Watchtower.
^ par. 16 If you want learn more, check the topic wey be “The Bible Changes Lives—‘They Were Very Kind to Me,’ ” for May 1, 2012, Watchtower.
^ par. 17 If you want learn more, check the topic wey be “The Bible Changes Lives—‘I Became an Angry, Aggressive Young Woman,’ ” for October 1, 2012, Watchtower.
^ par. 18 Check the box “ Bible De Help People Change Their Life.”
^ par. 64 OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE PICTURE: To stop the bad things wey de come our mind and wey we de do, be like person wey de remove old cloth from body.
