1-2. (a) According to Ephesians 6:16, why our faith need to be like “big shield”? (b) Which questions we go answer?

YOU get strong faith to protect you, like the “big shield” wey soldier de use for war? (Read Ephesians 6:16.) The truth be say, you get that kind faith. Just as big shield de cover almost the whole body, na so your faith de protect you from the bad things wey people de do, like things about sex wey God hate, fight, and many other things wey Bible no support.

² But, we de live for “last days,” and things go continue to test our faith. (2 Tim. 3:1) How you fit check your faith to make sure say e dey strong? And wetin you fit do to make sure say you continue to get strong faith? We go answer this questions for this topic.

3. Wetin soldiers de do to their shields, and why?

³ For Bible time, soldier de normally carry shield wey they cover with leather. Them de use oil rub the shield so that the leather go last long, and so that other parts for the shield no go rust. If soldier see say e shield get problem, e go make sure say e fix-am, so that e go always ready for the next fight. How this example concern our faith?

4. Why you need to check the condition of your faith, and how you suppose to check-am?

⁴ Like soldiers for Bible time, you must always check and care for your faith so that you go always ready when problem come. As Christians, we de fight against Satan and e demons. (Eph. 6:10-12) No other person fit care for your faith for you.  So how you fit dey sure say your faith dey strong to face problem? The first thing na for you to pray make God help you. Then, you need to use Bible check yourself make you fit see yourself the way God de see you. (Heb. 4:12) Bible talk say: “Trust Jehovah with all your heart, no trust the things wey you know.” (Prov. 3:5, 6) Now, think about something wey you don face for your life before and wetin you do about the situation. For example, you face serious problem about money? When you de try to solve the problem, you think about the promise wey Jehovah make for Hebrews 13:5? That Bible verse talk say: ‘I no go ever leave you, and I no go ever abandon you.’ When you de face the problem that time, the promise make you believe say Jehovah go help you? If na so, then that one show say you de care for your faith well.

5. Wetin you fit notice when you check your faith?

⁵ When you check your faith well, the thing wey you go see fit surprise you. You fit see say your faith don de weak and you never notice-am since. For example, you fit see say some things don de make you over worry, lie-lie from people don de affect you, and problems don de make you tire. If this one don happen to you, how you fit protect your faith make e no weak pass as e dey now?

6. Wetin be some normal things wey we fit de worry about?

⁶ Na good thing if some things de make us worry. For example, e dey fine make we worry about how to make Jehovah and Jesus happy. (1 Cor. 7:32) If we commit serious sin, our mind go worry us make we do wetin go make us dey tight with Jehovah again. (Ps. 38:18) Other things wey we de worry about na: how to do wetin go make our husband or wife happy, how to care for our family, and how to help brothers and sisters for congregation.​—1 Cor. 7:33; 2 Cor. 11:28.

7. According to Proverbs 29:25, why we no need to fear people?

⁷ But, we fit make our faith weak if we de over worry about things. For example, we fit de always worry say we no get enough food and cloth. (Matt. 6:31, 32) That one fit make us begin put our mind for how to get more property. We fit even begin over like money. If we allow that kind thing happen to us, our faith go weak and we no go be friend of Jehovah again. (Mark 4:19; 1 Tim. 6:10) Another thing wey we fit start to over worry about na how to make other people happy. We fit begin fear people pass the way we fear Jehovah. Maybe we de fear say they go laugh or suffer us if we no do wetin they want. If we no want enter that trap, make we pray to Jehovah make e give us the faith and strong heart wey we need to face that problem.​—Read Proverbs 29:25; Luke 17:5.

8. Wetin we go do about lie-lie wey people de talk?

⁸ Satan na “papa of lie.” E de use e people de spread lie-lie about Jehovah and our brothers and sisters. (John 8:44) For example, when some people leave Jehovah’s organization, them de talk different-different lie about the organization for Internet, for television, and other place like radio and newspaper. All this lie-lie from Satan dey among wetin Bible describe as “arrow with fire.” (Eph. 6:16) Wetin we go do if this kind people begin tell us this kind lie? We no go ever listen! Why? Na because we get faith for Jehovah and we trust our brothers. The truth be say, when person  leave Jehovah’s organization and e begin talk wicked lie about the organization, we no get anything to talk with that person at all. We no go ever allow any reason make us argue with them about anything, even if our body de push us to talk something.

9. How problem fit affect us?

⁹ Our faith fit weak when problem make us tire. E no make sense for us to feel say we no get problem, when we get problem and e de affect us. And sometimes, this problems fit make us tire. But make we no de think about our problem everytime. If we do like that, we fit forget all the good things wey Jehovah don promise us. (Rev. 21:3, 4) We fit tire sotey we stop to serve Jehovah. (Prov. 24:10) But that kind thing no need to happen to us.

10. Wetin you learn from the letter wey one sister write?

¹⁰ Think about how one sister for America de care for e faith and still de care for e husband because the man get serious sickness. For one letter wey the sister write to our headquarter for America, e talk say: “Sometimes, our condition de give us stress and e de make us tire. But we dey sure about our hope. I thank Jehovah for everything wey e don give us to make our faith strong and encourage us. We really need this advice and encouragement. E de help us continue to serve Jehovah and endure problems wey Satan want use to make us weak.” From the thing wey this sister talk, we learn say we go fit continue to serve Jehovah well even when our problem want make us tire. How? Make you remember say Satan de give us problem. Trust Jehovah say e go comfort you. And make the things wey Jehovah de teach us dey important to you.

11. For us to see whether our faith strong, which questions we need to ask ourself?

¹¹ You feel say you need to make your faith strong pass as e dey now? For past, when something want make you over worry, wetin you do? You control the situation make e no make you over worry? When people talk wicked lie about Jehovah’s organization, wetin you do? You control yourself make you no listen to them or argue with them? And when  problem want make you tire to serve God, you manage the situation well? If na so, then your faith strong. But we must always dey careful because Satan get other things wey e de try to use fight us. Make we talk about one of them.

12. Wetin fit happen if we over worry about money and property?

¹² If we over like money and property, this one go make our faith weak and we no go de do things for Jehovah as we suppose do. Apostle Paul talk for Bible say if soldier want make e master glad, e no go put hand for other business. (2 Tim. 2:4) The truth be say, they no de allow soldiers for Rome make they do any other business. Wetin fit happen if soldier no obey this thing wey they say make e no do?

13. Why soldier no suppose to put hand for another business?

¹³ Think about this situation. One group of soldiers de train together but one soldier no dey with them. Instead, the soldier dey busy de sell food for market. When evening reach, the other soldiers de spend time de check the things wey they go use go war and de sharp their sword. But that other soldier de spend time de prepare food wey e go sell the next day for market. When morning reach, their enemy attack them for time wey they no expect. Which soldier go dey ready to fight and make the commander happy? Remember say some of them prepare but one of them no prepare. If you dey for that war, which soldier you go like make e stand near you?

14. As soldiers of Christ, wetin dey important to us pass any other thing?

¹⁴ We be like those good soldiers, and Jehovah and Jesus na our Commander. So, the first important thing for us na to make them happy. That one dey important to us pass anything wey we fit get from this world wey Satan de control. We de make sure say we get the time and power wey we need to serve Jehovah and make our faith strong. And we go still make sure say we de care for the other  things wey God don give us to help us stand well.

15. Which warning Paul give us, and why?

¹⁵ We must always dey careful! Why? Apostle Paul warn for Bible say when person “want get money by all means,” the person go “leave the truth.” (1 Tim. 6:9, 10) The word wey they translate as “leave” show say, we fit stop to put mind for our worship when we try to gather plenty property wey we no need. Because of this one, “plenty useless things” go fit affect our heart and cause us pain. But make we remember say Satan de use this things to fight us so that our faith go weak. So make we protect our heart.

16. The story for Mark 10:17-22 suppose to make us think about which questions?

¹⁶ E fit be say we get money to buy plenty property. So if we decide to buy things wey we want but we no really need-am, na wrong thing we do? E fit no dey wrong. But think about this questions: Even if we get money to buy something, we really get the time and power to use the thing and care for-am? And what if we start to like our property too much? What if the way we like our property make us be like that young man for time of Jesus? When Jesus give the man chance to do more for the service of God, the man no gree follow Jesus. (Read Mark 10:17-22.) Na  good thing if we make our life simple and spend our time and power to do the things wey God want. Nothing better pass this one!

17. Wetin we no go ever forget?

¹⁷ Make we no ever forget say we dey for war and must ready to fight everyday. (Rev. 12:17) Our brothers and sisters no go fit make our faith strong for us. Na we go make our faith strong by ourself.

18. Why soldiers for Bible time de always hold their shield tight?

¹⁸ For Bible time, them de show soldier respect if e show say e get strong heart for war. But if the soldier no carry e shield come back from war, shame go really catch the soldier. One man wey e name na Tacitus, write something about this matter. This man study history. E talk say: ‘Na really big shame for soldier to run leave e shield for war.’ This one na one reason why soldiers de make sure say their shield de always dey with them.

19. How we fit make our faith strong?

¹⁹ We de make our faith strong when we de always go meeting and de tell people about the name of Jehovah and e Kingdom. (Heb. 10:23-25) Apart from that one, we go read Bible everyday and pray to Jehovah make e help us de use the things wey we read for our life. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) With that one, nothing wey Satan use fight us go fit do us anything wey Jehovah no fit remove or change. (Isa. 54:17) Just the way shield de protect soldier, our faith go protect us. We go stand strong and continue to work with our brothers and sisters. Everyday, we go de win the fight wey we get to make our faith strong. And the most important one be say, we go glad say we de support Jesus when E go fight and win Satan and e servants.​—Rev. 17:14; 20:10.