Umpostile uPawulos wayebulumkele obu buxoki bukaSathana, kodwa amanye amaKristu ayengalumkanga. Ngokomzekelo, amanye amaKristu aseKorinte ayezithembe kakhulu, ecinga ukuba ayibambile inyaniso ibe akanakuze ayiphuncule. (1 Kor. 10:12) Kungenxa yoko le nto uPawulos walumkisa wathi: “Ndiyoyika ukuba ngandlel’ ithile, njengoko inyoka yamlukuhlayo uEva ngobuqhokolo bayo, iingqondo zenu zisenokonakaliswa zisuke ekunyanisekeni nakubunyulu obufanele uKristu.”​—2 Kor. 11:3.

Ukuxhalaba kukaPawulos kubonisa ukuba akufuneki ukuzithemba kakhulu. Ukuba uzimisele ukuphumelela idabi lengqondo yakho, kufuneka uqale ubazi ubuxoki olwa nabo uze uzikhusele.

Yintoni ubuxoki obucingisisiweyo? Kule imeko, kukusebenzisa ubuqhetseba ukuze kujikwe indlela umntu acinga nenza ngayo izinto. Abanye babufanisa “nokuqhatha, ukujij’ izinto, ukukhohlisa, ukudlala ngengqondo yomntu, ukulawula ingqondo yomntu, [kunye] nokwenza umntu azijongele phantsi.” Bayinxibelelanisa “nokusetyenziswa kweendlela ezinganyanisekanga, eziyingozi nezijijekileyo.”​—IPropaganda and Persuasion.

Buyingozi kangakanani obu buxoki? Abubonakali, bufana negesi engenavumba neyityhefu, yaye ngokuthe ngcembe bonakalisa iingqondo zethu. Ngenxa yokuba bungabonakali, ingcali yezimilo zabantu, uVance  Packard yathi: “Abaninzi kuthi bakhohliswa ngendlela abangenakuyiqonda.” Omnye umphengululi uthi, obu buxoki bubangela ukuba amadoda nabafazi “bakhohliseke lula baze benze izinto eziyingozi nezingenangqondo” ezifana ‘nokubulala abanye ngenkohlakalo, imfazwe, ubuhlanga, ukungafuni unqulo oluthile, nezinye izinto ezingekho ngqiqweni.’​—IEasily Led​—A History of Propaganda.

Ukuba umntu nje ofana nathi uyakwazi ukusikhohlisa ngale ndlela, kubeka phi ke ngoSathana? Wafunda indlela umntu azenza ngayo izinto esandul’ ukudalwa. Ngoku ulawula “ihlabathi liphela.” Unokulisebenzisa nangayiphi na indlela ukuze asasaze ubuxoki. (1 Yoh. 5:19; Yoh. 8:44) Uye waphumelela ‘ekumfamekiseni iingqondo zabantu,’ ibe ngoku “ulahlekisa umhlaba omiweyo uphela.” (2 Kor. 4:4; ISityhi. 12:9) Unokubuxhathisa njani ubuxoki bakhe?

UYesu wachaza indlela elula yokuxhathisa obu buxoki xa wathi: ‘Yazi inyaniso, yaye inyaniso iya kukukhulula.’ (Yoh. 8:31, 32) Inyaniso yinto yokuqala edla ngokuthi shwaka xa kusiliwa. Ngoko njengalo naliphi na ijoni elisedabini, kufuneka ufumane inkcazelo onokuyithemba yokuzikhusela kutshaba oluzama ukukhohlisa ingqondo yakho. UYehova ukunikile loo nkcazelo. IBhayibhile ikuxelela yonke into onokuyenza ukuze uxhathise ubuxoki bukaSathana.​—2 Tim. 3:16, 17.

Ixoki elinobuchule ngaphezu kwawo onke, uSathana, liyakwazi oku. Ngoko usebenzisa izinto zeli hlabathi ukuze asenze siphelelwe ngumdla wokufunda iBhayibhile. Ungamvumeli akuqhathe! (Efe. 6:11) Zimisele ‘ukucacelwa’ yiyo yonke inyaniso. (Efe. 3:18) Le nto iza kufuna ukuba wenze konke okusemandleni akho. Khumbula into eyathethwa ngumbhali uNoam Chomsky: “Akukho mntu uza kufaka inyaniso engqondweni yakho. Iza kufakwa nguwe.” Yifake ‘ngokuzincina ngenyameko iZibhalo mihla le.’​—IZe. 17:11.

Khumbula, uSathana akafuni ukuba ucinge kakuhle. Ngoba? Kuba omnye umphengululi uthi ubuxoki obucingisisiweyo “budla ngokuphumelela xa abantu . . . bengavunyelwa ukuba bacingisise kakuhle ngento.” (Media and Society in the Twentieth Century) Ngoko ungaze ukholelwe yonke into oyivayo.  (IMize. 14:15) Sebenzisa indlela yokucinga oyinikwe nguThixo namandla engqiqo ukuze uyenze eyakho inyaniso.​—IMize. 2:10-15; Roma 12:1, 2.

Iingcali zemfazwe zinokusebenzisa ubuxoki ezibucingisisileyo ukuze zityhafise iintshaba, zibangele nokuba zingazithembi. Zinokubangela ukuba iintshaba zilwe zodwa okanye zikhohlise amanye amajoni ukuze azahlule emkhosini. Kuthiwa inkumanda yomkhosi waseJamani yathi, esinye sezizathu zokoyiswa kwabo kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi I kukuba abantu “balaliswa uboya bubuxoki botshaba, okomvundla ukhohliswa yinyoka.” USathana usebenzisa amaqhinga afanayo ukuze asahlukanise nabazalwana noodade wethu. Ngokomzekelo uye azame ukwenza amaKristu axabane okanye azahlule kwintlangano kaYehova ngenxa yokuba ekhalaza okanye esithi akwenziwanga bulungisa.

Ungakhohliswa! Khokelwa liLizwi LikaThixo. Ngokomzekelo, xa ithetha ngokumanyana namanye amaKristu, iBhayibhile isikhuthaza ukuba ‘sixolelane ngesisa’ size sikhawuleze ukulungisa ukungavani. (Kol. 3:13, 14; Mat. 5:23, 24) Isilumkisa ukuba singazahluli ebandleni. (IMize. 18:1) Khawuzihlole ukuba usakwazi na ukumelana nobuxoki obukhatshwa yinkohlakalo. Zibuze: ‘Yintoni eyandenza ndacinga ngendlela endacinga ngayo xa ndandixokiswa? Ngaba yayingumoya wehlabathi okanye okaThixo?’​—Gal. 5:16-26; Efe. 2:2, 3.

Ukuba ijoni alisayithembi ncam inkumanda yalo, alisoze lilwe kakuhle. Ngoko abakhohlisi baye bazame ukwenza ijoni lingayithembi inkumanda yalo. Basenokuthi kulo: “Sukubathemba abantu abakukhokelayo, sukubavumela bakutshonise emgxobhozweni!” Basebenzisa naziphi na iimpazamo ezenziwa ngumntu okhokelayo ukuze bayenze ivakale kakuhle le nto. Wenza le nto ke noSathana. Akapheli mandla ekuzameni ukukwenza uyeke ukuyithemba indlela uYehova akukhokela ngayo.

Ungazikhusela njani? Nokuba yintoni na enokuvela ngenxa yokuba singafezekanga, zimisele ukunamathela kwintlangano  kaYehova uze uthobele naluphi na ukhokelo akunika lona. (1 Tes. 5:12, 13) Xa abawexuki okanye abanye abakhohlisi bengqondo bethetha izinto zobuxoki, ‘ungagungqiswa ngokukhawuleza kwingqiqo yakho,’ nokuba ezo zinto zinokubonakala ngathi ziyinyani. (2 Tes. 2:2; Tito 1:10) Sebenzisa icebiso elanikwa umfana onguTimoti. Hlala kwinyaniso owayifundayo, ukhumbule nalapho wayifunda khona. (2 Tim. 3:14, 15) Ngokuqinisekileyo buninzi ubungqina obubonisa ukuba unokulithemba ijelo elisetyenziswa nguYehova elisele lineminyaka ephantse ibe likhulu lisazisa inyaniso.​—Mat. 24:45-47; Heb. 13:7, 17.

Ungalibali ukuba uSathana akasoloko esebenzisa ubuxoki obufihlakeleyo. Ngamanye amaxesha, usebenzisa “enye yezona ndlela ekudala wazisebenzisa,” ukusoyikisa. (Easily Led​—A History of Propaganda) Uprofesa waseBritani uPhilip M. Taylor wabhala wathi ama-Asiriya azoyisa iintshaba zawo ngokusebenzisa “icebo lokuzoyikisa nokuzikhohlisa.” USathana uza kusenza soyike abantu, ukutshutshiswa, nokufa. Unokusoyikisa nangezinye iindlela ezinokusityhafisa ekukhonzeni uYehova.​—Isa. 8:12; Yer. 42:11; Heb. 2:15.

Sukumvumela uSathana akutyhafise ngokukwenza woyike okanye uyeke ukuthembeka kuYehova. UYesu wathi: “Musani ukuboyika abo babulala umzimba baze emva koku bangakwazi kwenza nantoni na engakumbi.” (Luka 12:4) Mthembe uYehova xa esithi uza kukukhusela, akunike “amandla angaphaya koko kuqhelekileyo,” aze akuncede ukwazi ukumelana nayo nantoni na enokukoyikisa ize ikwenze uyeke ukumthobela.​—2 Kor. 4:7-9; 1 Pet. 3:14.

Ewe kona, unokudibana nezinto ezoyikisayo, ezinokukwenza utyhafe. Kodwa hlala ukhumbula amazwi kaYehova akhuthazayo awawathetha kuYoshuwa: “Yiba nesibindi womelele. Musa ukothuka okanye unkwantye, kuba uYehova uThixo wakho unawe naphi na apho uya khona.” (Yosh. 1:9) Xa uziva unexhala, thandaza kuYehova umxelele zonke izinto ezikuxhalabisayo. Unokuqiniseka ukuba ‘uxolo lukaThixo. . . luya kuyilinda intliziyo yakho namandla akho engqondo’ ukuze ukwazi ukuxhathisa bonke ubuxoki bukaSathana.​—Fil. 4:6, 7, 13.

Usayikhumbula indlela obabucingisiswe ngayo ubuxoki obasetyenziswa ngumthunywa wama-Asiriya uRabheshake kubantu bakaThixo? Ngamany’ amazwi wayesithi, ‘Akukho nto inokunikhusela kuma-Asiriya. Naloo Thixo wenu, uYehova, akazuninceda.’ Wade wathi: ‘UYehova uthethe nathi esithi masilitshabalalise eli lizwe.’ Wathini uYehova? ‘Ningoyiki ngenxa yamazwi eniwevileyo, abalindi bakakumkani waseAsiriya abawathethe ngokutshabhisayo ngam.’ (2 Kum. 18:22-25; 19:6) Wathumela ingelosi eyabulala ama-Asiriya ayi-185 000 ngobusuku nje obunye!​—2 Kum. 19:35.

Ngaba wakha wathi ubukele imuvi wabona ukuba kukho umntu okhohliswayo? Ngaba ngaphakathi wawusithi: ‘Ungabakholelwa! Bayaxoka!’ Yiba nombono weengelosi zisithi kuwe: “Ungamyeki uSathana akuqhathe!”

Sukubumamela ubuxoki bukaSathana. (IMize. 26:24, 25) Mamela uYehova uze umthembe kuyo yonke into oyenzayo. (IMize. 3:5-7) Ngaba uza kumthobela xa esithi: “Yiba nobulumko, nyana wam, uze uyenze ibe nemihlali intliziyo yam”? (IMize. 27:11) Ukuba uyamthobela, uza kuliphumelela idabi lengqondo yakho!