JW subtitle extractor

Welcome to JW Broadcasting®.
You know, at times,
we may face a situation
we don’t know how to handle.
How can we manage our feelings
when circumstances
feel out of our control?
We’ll take a deep dive
into the book of Jonah
and learn a lesson in loyal love.
The allure of fame and fortune
can be powerful.
We’ll hear from a sister who had to choose
between a life of celebrity
and a life with Jehovah.
And our music video will show us
how some of our brothers
are maintaining strong faith
even while incarcerated.
This is JW Broadcasting.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
Jesus said these words to his apostles
right after telling them
that he would not be
with them much longer.
Likely, he could see
the shock and grief on their faces.
And to help them, he said at John 14:1:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Exercise faith in God;
exercise faith also in me.”
The Bible often describes wicked people
as being like a restless sea.
And it kind of feels like that sometimes,
doesn’t it?
Just as we get past one wave of bad news,
there’s another wave coming.
Many world events and personal challenges
pull at us and demand our emotional energy.
And at the day’s end,
we often hear ourselves or others say,
“I’m emotionally spent.”
How can Jesus’ words to his apostles
help us today
to save and spend
our emotional energy wisely?
Let’s look at the two phrases Jesus said
and see how they can help us.
First, let’s start with “do not let
your hearts be troubled.”
Now, when Jesus
used the phrase “do not let,”
he was teaching his apostles
that they had some control.
They could either
let their hearts be troubled
or endeavor
not to let their hearts be troubled.
You see, emotions are often connected
to what we think about.
Emotions usually connect to someone,
something, or some event
that triggers our memories.
So Jesus’ words “do not let”
means we need to endeavor
to control our thinking.
Simply put, if we think about some sad event,
we’re going to feel sad.
If we think about doing something risky,
we’re going to feel anxious.
I like to think of our minds
like a very large house with many rooms.
Each room is like an event in our lives,
and when we spend time in that room,
we can feel all the emotions
associated with that event.
Now, Jesus’ apostles were in
the Jesus-is-going-to-leave-us room,
and all they felt was grief and anxiety.
But Jesus’ words assured them
that they had control of their emotions.
They could either spend
all of their emotional energy
on grief and sadness
or they could focus some of their emotions
on their faith in Jehovah and Jesus.
It’s a good reminder for us.
Often, we can affect our feelings
by what we choose to think about.
Now, sometimes we, like the apostles,
are thrust into a dark room
filled with anxiety or grief.
But just remember,
you are visiting that dark room;
you don’t want to live there.
Another way
to not let our hearts be troubled
is to spend our emotional energy wisely.
Isaiah 55:2 says:
“Why do you keep paying out money
for what is not bread,
and why spend your earnings
for what brings no satisfaction?”
Just like we would not pay money
for fake bread,
we don’t want to waste our energy
on things that don’t satisfy.
Think of it this way:
If you were given 10 dollars to spend
on your meals for the day
and you spent 8 dollars on breakfast,
that wouldn’t leave much
for lunch or dinner, would it?
Similarly, we only have
so much emotional energy each day,
and we need to be careful
where we spend it.
Where do you spend
your emotional energy?
Ask yourself, ‘Am I spending
emotional energy
on things that I don’t really need to?’
Imagine someone rudely cuts in front of you
while you’re driving
or you’re treated unfairly
or someone disappoints you.
Now, you can get very upset
about these kinds of things
and spend a lot of energy on them.
But think, though, is that a good use
of your reasoning ability?
‘Am I spending a lot
of my daily emotional energy
on things that don’t satisfy?’
Would you hand someone your wallet
full of cash and say, “Take what you want”?
Well, if it’s someone
you love and trust, maybe.
But if not, you wouldn’t let them
take whatever they want.
Similarly, we should save
our emotional energy
for those whom we love,
spending it wisely where it counts most:
on our family, on our brothers and sisters,
and especially on our worship
and love for Jehovah.
Social media, politics,
secular issues, movies
—you name it—
they’re happy to consume
our emotions for their cause.
So we don’t simply hand them
our emotional wallet and say,
“Here, take what you want”
because if you do, at the end of the day,
you won’t have anything left
for the people whom you love.
When we spend
our emotional energy wisely
on the people and things that really matter,
that’s the key to happiness.
You know, many people
try to make themselves happy
by spending money on themselves
or through selfish acts.
Selfishness does not make us happy.
Jesus said:
“There is more happiness in giving.”
Now, there’s a lot to learn
about how to spend our emotions wisely
from that profound statement of Jesus.
We could think of happiness this way:
Happiness is a by-product of loving others.
To illustrate: If you build a fire,
what’s the by-product?
Warmth and light.
You can’t say you want warmth and light
without first building a fire.
You have to put the work
into building the fire,
and the by-product you get back
is warmth and light.
When we put our emotions to work
by loving others,
one of the by-products we get back
is the warm feeling of happiness.
Yes, Jesus’ words “do not let
your hearts be troubled”
tell us we can make the choice
to positively influence our emotions
by what we think about
and to spend our emotions wisely
on our family,
on our brothers and sisters,
and especially on our worship
and love for Jehovah.
Now let’s look
at the second half of John 14:1.
Jesus says: “Exercise faith in God;
exercise faith also in me.”
Now, notice Jesus
didn’t just say “have faith,”
as if faith existed
in some emotional room by itself.
He specifically tied faith personally
to himself and Jehovah.
So when you get troubled or anxious,
remember that Jehovah and Jesus
are right with you
and that they’re working
to solve these problems permanently.
It’s as if they’re in another room
just down the hall.
You can run to that room anytime
by means of prayer and meditation.
Faith that Jehovah can and will fix
what’s wrong with the world
can help to calm our emotions.
Jesus knew our imperfect tendency
to think that we must fix
everything ourselves.
He said in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Stop being anxious.”
Why?
Because “your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.”
Do you have faith that Jehovah sees you,
that he knows what you need?
That faith will help your heart
not to be troubled.
We create more anxiety for ourselves
when we try to solve problems
that we should leave for Jehovah to handle.
For example, can you solve poverty?
Can you solve old age?
wars? crime? civil unrest?
When we think about it that way,
we realize that, of course,
we can’t solve those problems.
We know Jehovah and Jesus
will solve them through God’s Kingdom.
Yes, faith in Jehovah and Jesus
is the best way to balance our emotions,
especially when facing bad news or trials.
Now, there’ve been times
when I’ve felt anxious
about things happening to our brothers
in other parts of the world,
like in Eritrea or Russia.
And likely you’ve felt the same.
It really pulls on our emotions.
But how can we “not let [our] hearts
be troubled,” as Jesus said?
Well, one thing that’s helped me
is to ask myself:
‘Has the congregation done what they can?
‘Has the branch and world headquarters
done what they can?
Have I prayed for them?’
If the answers are yes, then I can say:
“Jehovah, we’ve done what we can.
Now it’s in your hands.”
Psalm 112:7 sums up well
how the righteous can deal with bad news.
It says: “He will not fear bad news.
His heart is steadfast, trusting in Jehovah.”
So, what helps us deal with bad news?
Trust that Jehovah will use
his holy spirit to help us.
When we feel emotionally
overwhelmed or exhausted,
remember that Jehovah promises
he can give us
“power beyond what is normal.”
Have faith that he’ll keep
that promise for you.
When we pray to Jehovah about how we feel,
he listens and can make us
equal to the emotional task ahead.
Now, this doesn’t mean
he necessarily removes the problem,
but he certainly can help us
get through it successfully.
Romans 12:11 says
we need to “be aglow with the spirit.”
Now, being aglow with the spirit
reminds me of a rock
with a very special property.
When you shine a black light on it, it glows.
Now, otherwise,
it looks like an ordinary rock,
but when you put the black light on it,
do you see how it glows?
That’s us when Jehovah’s spirit is on us.
In the same way,
Jehovah uses his holy spirit
to renew each of us daily,
helping us to kind of shine
from the inside, so to speak.
It’s like a small child
who gets scared in their room at night.
But where do they often run?
Mom and Dad’s room.
‘They’ll know what to do; they’ll help me.’
See, prayer is our way
of running into Jehovah’s room
and telling him how we feel.
He, in turn, comforts us with his spirit,
the Bible, and our brothers and sisters.
He shines his light on us, so to speak,
and gives us “power beyond what is normal.”
Yes, when we face events
that can trouble our hearts,
remember that it’s not
the only room in the house.
When you pray to Jehovah
and read the Bible,
imagine Jehovah taking you by the hand
and spending time with him
in the other rooms of the house.
You’re in the grief room;
he takes you to the resurrection room.
You’re sick?
To the perfect-health room.
The ashamed-of-what-you-have-done room?
To the forgiveness room.
Can you imagine how the apostles felt
to see Jesus resurrected?
What a difference from being
in the Jesus-is-going-to-leave-us room
to now being
in the Jesus-is-back-with-us room!
Their faith in Jehovah and Jesus
was rewarded.
In conclusion, let’s review
a few of the lessons we’ve learned
from Jesus’ words at John 14:1.
Jesus’ words, “do not let
your hearts be troubled,”
tell us that we can make the choice
to positively influence our emotions
by what we think about
and that we need to spend
our emotional energy wisely on our family,
on our brothers and sisters,
and especially on our worship
and love for Jehovah.
Jesus added: “Exercise faith in God;
exercise faith also in me.”
Trust in Jehovah and Jesus
to fix what we can’t.
For every emotional challenge we face today,
Jehovah has the permanent fix.
Until then, have faith
that Jehovah will give us
“the power beyond what is normal”
to deal with the abnormalities
faced in this present system of things.
So the next time you feel
emotionally spent or overwhelmed,
meditate on Jesus’ words at John 14:1:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
“Exercise faith in God;
exercise faith also in me.”
Jonah was a servant of Jehovah
who needed to learn to trust in God,
and when he did,
he was much better prepared
to control his emotions.
Let’s see what else we can learn
from his example
in the next episode
of Dig for Treasures.
Dad, this video is awesome:
The Story of Jonah
—A Lesson in Courage and Mercy.
Oh, the video is a great tool.
But the Bible helps us to go even deeper
when we ask one simple question,
and that’s,
What does this teach me about Jehovah?
OK, let me write that down.
Did anything jump out to you?
I definitely saw Jehovah’s forgiveness
and his patience.
I agree.
Jehovah was very patient with him
while he grew spiritually.
In chapter 3, verse 1,
Jehovah gave him a second chance.
He protected him
through the results of his mistakes
and later gently corrected him
when he showed a bad attitude.
The fact that He did not give up on Jonah
was a big one.
Yeah, and actually there’s another name
for that quality:
loyal love.
Do you remember what that means?
Kind of.
Here’s another great tip:
Define unfamiliar terms.
Why don’t we look up the definition
in the Glossary?
Start typing “loyal love”
into the search bar in your Bible.
Do you see how it brings up a link
to the Glossary definition?
Let’s see.
Oh, yeah.
Can you read what it says there?
It says: Loyal love
is “love motivated by commitment,
integrity, loyalty, and deep attachment.”
That’s totally what I see in Jonah.
Jehovah is committed
to helping his worshippers
because he loves them.
But for Jonah, it didn’t really click.
Even after the storm, three days in the fish,
and also seeing Nineveh repent,
Jonah still focuses on himself.
After Jehovah spares Nineveh,
Jonah becomes angry,
maybe feeling that he looks like a false prophet.
Even with all that Jonah had gone through,
he would rather see the people of Nineveh die
than for him to look bad.
That wasn’t exactly Jonah’s finest moment.
How did Jehovah handle it?
Better than I would’ve.
Now, Jonah’s reaction
did not make him a bad person.
So Jehovah used a bottle-gourd plant
to teach him a lesson.
What does it say there in chapter 4, verse 6?
It says that Jehovah gave Jonah
the plant to shade him
and make him feel better,
which was kind considering that Jonah
was acting pretty awful.
And the verse says: “Jonah was very pleased.”
So now we’re seeing that Jehovah’s loyal love
helped make a slight change in Jonah’s attitude.
Now Jehovah has Jonah right where He wants him.
He’s ready to learn another lesson.
Jehovah sends one little worm
to kill the plant
—not a person, just a plant.
And how does Jonah react?
He got mad all over again.
And that’s when Jehovah drives the point home.
In verses 10 and 11
—that was such an epic moment!
Jehovah asked Jonah,
‘If you feel sorry for this plant,
shouldn’t I feel sorry
for the people and animals of Nineveh?’
And the account ends right there.
Jonah puts down his pen
and gives Jehovah the last word.
He gets it.
Clearly, Jonah learned to see people
as Jehovah does.
Yeah, I mean,
Jehovah really stuck with Jonah.
He never stopped showing him loyal love,
no matter what.
Keep digging.
Who else in this account
benefited from Jehovah’s love?
Was it just Jonah?
Let’s try the suggestion
from the Imitate Their Faith book:
“Use your imagination;
get your senses involved.
“Try to feel
what those Bible characters felt,
“to see what they saw.
“Compare how they reacted
in a given situation
with the way you
would likely have responded.”
Can you imagine how Jonah would’ve felt
if he saw those sailors cry out
to their false gods,
knowing they weren’t going to get any help?
And even after Jonah admitted
it was his fault,
those innocent men did not want
to throw him overboard.
Yeah, they gave it everything they had
to save his life.
Jehovah showed Jonah
the good qualities in the unbelieving sailors
and how helpless and frightened they were.
Do you think Jonah started to see those men
the way Jehovah saw them?
Hmm.
Keep digging.
Why did Jehovah send Jonah
to a foreign, unbelieving nation
in the first place?
Maybe to give the Ninevites a chance,
to try to reach their hearts.
So who benefited from Jehovah’s love?
Well, I mean, I guess if I think about it,
Jehovah showed loyal love to Jonah.
But he also showed love
for the sailors and the Ninevites.
You’re right.
And think about this:
As imperfect as he was,
when Jonah is resurrected,
he’s going to find out
that Jehovah took his lowest moment
and used it to teach something
about His own Son.
How do you think Jonah will feel
when he learns
that Jesus himself mentioned him by name
and even compared himself to Jonah?
Wow!
We see Jehovah’s perfect example of love.
Now let’s bring it home.
How can we imitate him?
Well, the first thing I think of
is going door to door.
Honestly, it’s not always my favorite.
It can be pretty frustrating
when it feels like nobody wants to hear
what I have to say.
But then I remind myself
that it’s not really about me.
It’s about something way bigger.
If Jehovah doesn’t give up on people,
then how can I?
That’s beautiful, son.
I’m proud of you for thinking that way.
It shows real insight.
For me, I think about the times
I’ve felt overwhelmed by an assignment.
Sometimes my first reaction isn’t the best,
and I say things I regret.
Then I feel bad about my response
and start beating myself up about it.
But it is comforting to know
that Jehovah doesn’t hold
those moments against us.
He sees who we really are inside
and patiently helps us to grow.
Wow, all that from asking,
What does this teach me about Jehovah,
defining unfamiliar terms,
and using your imagination?
And there’s still so much more!
What could we learn by using our imagination
to put ourself into Jonah’s situation
—alone in the belly of the fish,
praying to Jehovah for help?
What can we learn from seeing
how preaching to the Ninevites wasn’t nearly
as bad as Jonah imagined it being?
For example,
let me have you take a look at . . .
What a great lesson!
Jonah’s reaction
did not make him a bad person.
No doubt you’ll uncover more treasures
as you read about Jehovah’s love
toward Jonah and the Ninevites.
Congregations around the world
regularly look forward to a very special week
—the visit of their circuit overseer
and, if married, his wife.
Let’s take a closer look at the history
of this encouraging arrangement.
It’s a special week for every congregation
of Jehovah’s Witnesses:
the visit of the circuit overseer
—a busy week of preaching,
encouraging talks, and good times.
But how did the circuit work get started?
And how has it changed?
Let’s find out in this episode
of Our History in Motion.
The work of traveling overseers
goes all the way back to the first century.
Men like Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy
were sent out to encourage congregations.
Following that pattern,
a similar work started in 1894
when Jehovah’s modern-day organization
began sending out representatives
to visit and encourage
groups of Bible Students.
These brothers were eventually
given the name pilgrims.
They traveled
from congregation to congregation,
spending one or two days with each group
to bring spiritual refreshment.
And that travel was anything but easy.
Imagine you’re an early pilgrim
like Edward Brenisen
setting off to visit brothers
in a remote village
in the western United States.
Your journey starts on a train,
then overnight by stagecoach,
and finally aboard a buckboard wagon
for a long and bone-jarring ride
into the mountains.
Pilgrims were expected
to be excellent teachers,
but they also had to be humble
like Alexander Graham.
Brother Graham was an enthusiastic speaker,
but sometimes his talks were,
well, a little long—stretching on for hours.
When this came
to the attention of C. T. Russell,
he wrote Brother Graham a letter
with some words of advice:
“I know well your love, dear brother,
and your enthusiasm,
“and that you probably forget the time
while talking
of the precious things
which fill your own heart.”
Brother Graham humbly applied the counsel
and went on to become a well-loved pilgrim
giving wonderful—and shorter—talks.
Back then, a pilgrim’s assignment
was primarily focused on public speaking.
But that changed in the 1920’s.
Traveling brothers were now
to take the lead in preaching
from house to house during their visits.
So they were renamed
regional service directors
and later regional servants
—highlighting that their role
was to serve and support the brothers.
Then came an even bigger change.
During preaching campaigns in the 1930’s,
some congregations in the United States
banded together
in the face of vicious opposition.
Working together like this
had a unifying effect on the brothers.
Then, in order to improve organization,
zones were established
of about 20 congregations each.
Zone servants were assigned
to visit each congregation.
And periodically, all the congregations
gathered for a zone assembly
—the forerunner
of today’s circuit assemblies.
In the 1940’s,
traveling overseers got another new name:
servants to the brethren.
One of them was Angelo Catanzaro.
He was just 19 years old
when he received his assignment.
Brother Catanzaro later described himself
as “a minister on the move.”
During his more than 60 years
in the traveling work,
he and his wife traveled
through most of the United States
encouraging the brothers and helping
thousands of new ones grow spiritually.
Traveling brothers
were eventually designated circuit servants
—and later, circuit overseers.
Over the years,
these brothers and their wives
have been willing to make many sacrifices
to serve their brothers,
trading a home of their own
for a life on the road
and traveling great distances.
Many are like Winston Payne
and his wife, Pam,
who were in their 20’s when they started
circuit work in the South Pacific.
Adjusting to island life
meant dealing with intense heat,
swarms of mosquitoes,
and times when food was scarce.
Yet, the Paynes
came to love their assignment,
deeply touched by the warmth
and appreciation
of their brothers and sisters.
Today, there are thousands of brothers
in the circuit work.
To equip them for their assignment,
they attend a training course
that was introduced in 1999.
The School for Circuit Overseers
and Their Wives
is now taught around the world.
Yes, how we refer to our traveling brothers
has changed a lot over the years.
But one thing hasn’t changed.
Just as in Paul’s day, these brothers
and their wives are more than willing
to “spend and be completely spent,”
training others in the ministry,
encouraging younger ones,
and strengthening congregations.
So the next time they visit
your congregation, think about what
you can do to show
your appreciation for their sacrifice.
We’ll see you next time,
when we’ll explore another aspect
of our theocratic heritage
on Our History in Motion.
We thank Jehovah
for our hardworking circuit overseers
and their self-sacrificing wives.
Do you have fond memories
of such a brother or couple
and the example they set in the ministry?
Perhaps a circuit overseer
encouraged you
to reach out and do more for Jehovah.
Now, not everyone
can serve as a circuit overseer,
but we can imitate their love of people.
Let’s see how some
have expanded their ministry
just by being adaptable.
Once we saw the need in the area,
Jehovah made it clear to us
how useful we could be if we moved.
We’ve been serving for four years
in the Quechua Boliviano Congregation.
My name is Fernando.
I’m Micaela.
We serve in the Quechua Boliviano Congregation
in Ingeniero Huergo, Argentina.
There are many parts of Bolivia
where making a living is very difficult.
Because of that, a lot of people
want to move here to work in the fields.
This type of work
is very physically demanding.
Sometimes they work until 11 or 12 at night.
Whatever their work demands, they do.
The best time to find them in the fields
is just before they start work
in the afternoon.
So preaching at that time of day
when it’s 40 degrees Celsius,
or 104 degrees Fahrenheit,
can be challenging.
Often, we have
to conduct the study with them
while they’re working.
So as they’re harvesting
or doing other tasks,
we follow along
and read a paragraph or a scripture.
For example, we might show them God’s name,
which they’ve never heard before.
When they hear it or something else
that catches their attention,
they stop what they’re doing.
You can tell they’re intrigued.
It shows that they’re paying attention,
even though they have to continue working.
On multiple occasions,
they asked us to wait for them to finish.
So we decided to help them
so that they could finish faster.
At first, they were taken aback.
They’d ask,
“What do you mean you’re going to help us?”
They would say,
“But your clothes will get all dirty.”
But we didn’t mind at all helping,
and it produced good results.
With time, we became friends.
And that’s the idea
—that we become friends with our students
in order to help them progress.
Then they can see that our personal interest
in them is genuine.
What I like most about preaching
is seeing the effect
it has on honesthearted ones.
I love preaching.
For me, it’s by no means a sacrifice.
My name is Toni Marrero.
And I’m Maryluz.
We are from Spain,
and we are currently serving in Paraguay.
During the pandemic,
we stayed as isolated as possible.
You could say we had to reinvent ourselves.
But talking on the phone
to someone I can’t see
—it gives me so much anxiety.
I offered one man a Bible study
using the direct approach.
And to my surprise, he accepted the study.
I asked if it would be all right
to send him a message
the next day with a question
for him to think about,
and he said yes.
At first, I thought he was ignoring me
because he didn’t respond right away.
But he answered me that night.
I came to find out that he
was an extremely busy person.
No matter what time it was,
he was always working.
But I got used to it; I understood.
Then one day, I asked him,
“Would your wife like to join the study?”
And he said yes.
For months, it was a waiting game.
Yes, we needed
to always be ready for his call.
Ready at all times . . .
. . . because he would always call.
It could be at 9, 10, or 11 o’clock at night.
But then he would text me,
“I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
Then we’d get a glimpse of him saying hi
as he’d run to get cleaned up,
and when he was ready,
he’d sit and we’d start to study.
At first, it was a sacrifice.
Yeah, it was.
But then it became something we enjoyed
because we would always finish feeling . . .
. . . always so happy . . .
. . . so happy.
We would finish, look at each other, and say,
“Is this really happening?”
Exactly.
And, “Are they really this interested?”
And yes, it was true.
They were interested.
They wanted it.
In no time at all,
they started applying
what they were learning,
and about a year later, they were baptized.
I am so happy.
I thank Jehovah every day because
it was worth it.
Every day I thank him.
Teaching interested ones
at a time or place that’s best for them
might require sacrifices.
But helping someone
to draw close to Jehovah
is a marvelous reward for being adaptable.
More than 20 years ago,
the story of Rosalía Phillips
appeared in the Awake! magazine.
How has her decision to serve Jehovah
benefited both her and those around her
in the years since?
I was born into a family
of famous singers and artists.
The most famous was probably my dad,
Germán Valdés,
better known as Tin Tán.
Music was a part of me.
Since I was a child,
I wanted to express myself,
so I picked up the guitar
and started composing songs in my own style.
I never aspired
to have a professional music career.
That wasn’t what I wanted.
But shortly after, my father died.
And for economic reasons,
I felt the pressure to find work.
I joined a musical group,
which paved the way for my success
as an actress and singer.
However, I began to realize
that the environment and the people around me
weren’t very wholesome.
I stopped trusting people.
When I learned the truth,
I found beautiful, sincere people
who really loved me.
And then I also began to transform
because I became a different person
—joyful, happy, and full of spark.
The concern we had as parents
when we returned to Mexico
was that our children would be drawn
toward the entertainment industry.
My husband and I did everything in our power
to make sure that didn’t happen.
My daughter, Gianna, was 17 years old
when I asked her to come with me
to an appointment in Mexico City
at one of the most important
television companies.
And there was a man, a talent scout,
who saw her and asked, “Do you sing too?”
She answered yes.
She sang, and he loved her voice
—so much so that he immediately invited her
to his office.
I heard him say to her:
“Look, you can have a career
at this television station.
“We are going to make you famous.
“I’m offering you a contract.
Come on Monday, and we’ll sign it.”
When Gianna came out of the office,
I was really afraid.
And I asked her, “Did you accept the offer?”
And Gianna said to me: “No, Mom.
“I love my service to Jehovah way too much.
“How could I accept?
I love being a regular pioneer.”
To her surprise,
a week later we received a call
inviting her to participate
in a music project at Bethel.
Now she happily uses her beautiful voice
for Jehovah,
something she is still doing.
Over the years,
we have been able
to be used by Jehovah together
for music projects at Bethel.
At times, I have seen
how Satan has put obstacles in my way.
I’ve been offered some contracts
related to my dad
that would require most of my time.
Of course,
this would affect my regular pioneering,
and so I turned them down.
Jehovah has rewarded me through the years.
Every time I was offered a contract
and turned it down,
Jehovah gave us something in return
—for instance,
the opportunity to help with arrangements
for the various theocratic schools.
All these challenges
have taught me to trust in Jehovah
and, as the apostle Paul said,
that “without faith
it is impossible to please God”
and that “he becomes the rewarder of those
[who are] earnestly seeking him.”
It gives me a lot of joy
to preach with my mom,
who is over 90 years old.
We enjoy
different avenues of service together.
Over the years,
several of my family members
have asked for a Bible study,
and some of them
have become Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I love it when my mom,
my daughter, and I can get together,
play the guitar, sing,
and see everyone having a good time.
I can’t wait for the day
to see my dad again in the new world.
I am going to give him a big welcome,
introduce him to my children,
and reunite him with my mom.
I hope it’s near the sea.
And then, what I really want
is to sing together as we did before.
My personal resolution
is to be loyal to Jehovah forever.
What a beautiful experience!
Sister Phillips relied on Jehovah,
and both she and her family have experienced
many blessings as a result.
Jehovah wants us to rely on him,
especially in the most difficult times.
In the following morning worship,
Brother Stephen Lett explains
how to rely on Jehovah during persecution.
Now, the theme for our discussion is
“Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Endure Persecution.”
And today’s Watchtower comments
talk about several forms of persecution
that have been used against God’s people.
But today’s Scripture text,
Zechariah 4:6,
assures us that no matter
what persecution comes our way,
if we have holy spirit,
we can successfully endure it.
But, now, what is the purpose
of satanic persecution?
Well, to cause Jehovah’s people
to give up, quit,
give in, or compromise.
Think about a literal lion.
Now, Satan is a figurative lion.
He wants to devour something.
Well, a lion when it devours something,
what happens to what is devoured?
It becomes part of the lion, doesn’t it?
It’s assimilated into the body of the lion.
Well, that’s what Satan wants to do to us.
He wants those who “are no part of the world”
to become part of his world,
part of his system, his arrangement
—in effect, part of him.
But we’re determined not to let that happen
with the help of holy spirit.
Well, what are some forms of persecution
that have been used against God’s people
and continue to be used?
Let’s briefly discuss five.
And before Armageddon comes,
who knows which of these
we will personally experience
or which ones our loved ones will experience?
So we’re going to be determined
that if this particular type of persecution
comes our way,
we’re going to keep our integrity,
and we’re going to help others do the same.
Now, the first is banning.
The work of Jehovah’s Witnesses
has been banned in over a hundred countries.
We’ve been banned in countries
from Albania to Zimbabwe.
That’s A to Z using the English alphabet.
As we know,
there were government bans in Bible times.
The rebuilding of the temple was banned
in 522 B.C.E.
In the first century,
the preaching work of Jesus’ disciples
was banned in various places.
And because of violating that ban,
they were “haled before kings and governors.”
But how did holy spirit help them
when they were haled
before these kings and governors?
How will it help us if it happens to us?
Well, let’s open up to Matthew chapter 10
and get the answer to that:
How the holy spirit will help us?
Beginning in verse number 19, chapter 10,
Jesus said:
“However, when they hand you over,
“do not become anxious
“about how or what you are to speak
“[don’t worry about how you speak
or what you speak, why?],
“for what you are to speak
“will be given you in that hour;
“for the ones speaking are not just you,
but it is the spirit of your Father
that speaks by you.”
So it’s not just us speaking.
Obviously, we have to do our part,
but the holy spirit
empowers us and our words,
as assured in that scripture.
Now, here’s the second form of persecution:
imprisonment.
First-century Christians
were very often imprisoned,
as Jesus forewarned.
He said at Luke 21:12:
“People will lay their hands on you . . .
and [hand] you over to the . . . prisons.”
Well, this certainly has happened.
Through the decades,
Jehovah’s people very often are imprisoned.
We know Russia and its allies
have profusely used this form of persecution,
but many other entities
have likewise done so.
But I love the thought about praying
for our imprisoned brothers.
We’ve often been encouraged
to pray for those in prison
in Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Russia,
and other places.
And I love the thought at Hebrews 13:3:
“Keep in mind those in prison,
as though you were imprisoned with them.”
Now, we might not be imprisoned
right now ourselves,
but it may happen in the future.
And how happy we’ll be
that our brothers are praying for us,
“as though [they] were imprisoned with [us]”!
Here’s the third form of persecution:
our children being expelled from school.
Now, Satan knows
that when he touches our children,
he touches the parents’ eyeball.
And he’s hoping the pain
will cause them to compromise.
This was a huge issue
in the United States in the 1940’s,
but we’ve been banned
and had children expelled from school
in many countries and through the decades.
And it makes you think of the young man
who was expelled from the synagogue
because he expressed faith in Jesus.
Our fourth form of persecution we can discern
by looking at Revelation 13:16, 17.
And it talks about how it
—the wild beast
Satan’s political governments—
puts under tremendous pressure, “compulsion,”
to get the mark on the hand or the forehead.
And if they don’t, they can’t buy or sell.
So, what is the form of persecution?
Economic pressure put on our brothers
to get them to compromise their neutrality.
And again, this is a big method
that Satan has regularly used.
Brothers have been fired from their jobs
because they wouldn’t violate
their neutrality.
Brothers have had their businesses boycotted.
A horrible example
is how our brothers were treated in Malawi,
economic but also all kinds of pressure
because they wouldn’t buy
a 25-cent political party card.
Now, they knew the physical cost of that card
was very cheap.
But the spiritual cost
would have been too costly.
They refused to do it.
Our fifth, our last
(that we’re going to discuss),
form of persecution
is at Matthew 5:11.
Jesus said:
“Happy are you when people reproach you
“and persecute you
“and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing
against you for my sake.”
So, what is it?
Slander.
We are regularly slandered in the media,
are we not?
Of course, Jesus was slandered.
He was called demonized, a blasphemer,
a glutton, a drunkard.
The first-century Christians
were certainly slandered.
The Jewish leaders told Paul,
as recorded at Acts 28:22:
“Truly as regards this sect
“it is known to us
that everywhere it is spoken against.”
They were truly slandered then.
But we can bear up
with the slander with holy spirit.
In fact, there we have
five examples of persecution.
We discussed banning, imprisonment,
our children being expelled from school,
economic pressure
to compromise our neutrality,
and slander.
Now, there are many others
that could be discussed.
But whatever form of persecution comes,
with holy spirit
we can successfully bear up under it.
But, now, here’s a very important question,
How do we receive and retain holy spirit?
Three ways we’ll mention quickly.
At Luke 11:13, Jesus says:
“The Father in heaven
[will] give holy spirit to those asking him!”
So we pray for it.
A second thing,
we try to work in harmony with holy spirit
—being at our meetings,
out in service, reading our Bible—
work along with holy spirit.
The third, Ephesians 4:30:
“Do not be grieving God’s . . . spirit.”
So we really try hard
not to do anything that would hinder
a full flow of holy spirit in our lives.
So we ask for it, work in harmony with it,
really try not to hinder
(or, grieve) the spirit.
And then this greatest force in the universe,
strongest force,
will empower us in four ways.
Now, what are the four ways?
Jesus identifies three at John 14:26:
The holy spirit will be a “helper” to us,
it will “teach [us]” (a second thing),
and it will “bring back to [our] minds”
things that Jesus taught.
So you can say that’s a remembrancer.
And remember that word “remembrancer.”
Pray to Jehovah to cause the holy spirit
to become a remembrancer to you
when you’re persecuted
—to bring back to your mind thoughts
that you need to think at that moment.
Now, one more way we’ll be empowered
is at John 16:13.
Jesus said that the holy spirit
“will guide you into all the truth.”
So if you got those four ways:
It will serve as a helper, a teacher,
a remembrancer, and a guide.
If you needed to cross a dangerous minefield,
how you would appreciate
a knowledgeable guide
to safely take you across!
And then what will be the ultimate outcome?
Well, whatever persecution comes,
we will not be devoured by the Devil,
assimilated into this world.
We’ll remain no part of this world,
and we’ll be able to echo Jehovah’s words
in today’s Scripture text:
“Not by a military force, nor by power,
but by [Jehovah’s holy] spirit”
we were able to endure persecution.
It never ceases to amaze me
that we can tap into the most powerful force
in the universe
to give us strength day by day.
In our music video this month,
watch for ways the holy spirit
empowers one young brother
to keep his hope bright during a dark time.
Jehovah, you are just,
And you are always fair.
Oppression of the innocent
Is hard for you to bear.
Resentment fills my heart at times
With all that I’ve been through.
It’s not my place to take revenge—
That belongs to you.
I’ll wait on you, Jehovah,
When trials are intense.
Trusting you for justice,
You’ll come to my defense.
Imprisonment or ridicule—
Whatever comes my way
From family, from governments,
Whatever form it takes—
Already I’ve prepared my heart
To face whatever test.
My Father, you will make me strong.
My heart can be at rest.
I’ll wait on you, Jehovah,
When trials are intense.
Trusting you for justice,
You’ll come to my defense.
Justice!
How will justice come?
Only by you, not by man.
Justice!
Let your justice come.
All suffering and pain
Will then be all undone.
I’ll wait on you, Jehovah,
When trials are intense.
Trusting you for justice,
You’ll come to my defense.
Even prison walls
couldn’t restrain our young brother’s hope.
With his mind’s eye,
he chose to leave the room of resentment
and instead sought the places
that could build him up:
the ministry, the Kingdom Hall,
the homes of his brothers and sisters.
Did you learn something from this episode
that will fortify you
in the days or weeks to come?
We’ve considered how important it is
to spend our emotional energy wisely.
And one of the best ways to do this
is by helping others.
We saw how some have found
more joy in the ministry
by adapting their schedule
to study the Bible with interested ones.
And we considered several lessons
we can learn by digging deeper
into the book of Jonah.
Our postcard this month
comes from Montenegro.
The name Montenegro means “Black Mountain”
in Venetian Italian,
and it’s likely a description
of the dark forests
that cover Montenegro’s mountains.
But despite this description,
Montenegro is a land of color and life
that sits like a lustrous gem
along the Adriatic Sea.
The Tara River Canyon
is one of the deepest canyons in Europe.
Scutari Lake is the largest in the Balkans
and has an impressive bird sanctuary,
boasting nearly 280 species.
Many visit the ancient town of Kotor
to see its impressive vistas,
to wander its beautiful alleyways,
or to cycle its famous serpentine road.
The modern history of Montenegro
has been marred by wars and suffering.
The Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes
annexed Montenegro in 1918.
In 1929, the name was changed
to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia,
which included the lands
now known as Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia,
Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.
After World War II,
it was re-formed as Socialist Yugoslavia,
which disintegrated
at the end of the 20th century.
In 2006, Montenegro
declared its independence from Serbia.
The many struggles of the Montenegrin people
have produced a culture
that highly esteems qualities
such as integrity,
humility, self-sacrifice,
and respect for others.
In the 1920’s,
a young man from Serbia, Franz Brand,
first heard the good news in Austria
at a talk that was soon disrupted
by hecklers.
Unable to forget what he heard,
Franz decided he must preach Bible truth.
He returned to his hometown
and started to study with a group there
and then later moved to Maribor, Slovenia.
There he found work as a barber
and preached to his customers,
who listened quietly
as they were being shaved.
Elsewhere, Alfred Tuček,
the conductor
of the Royal Guards Orchestra,
received Bible literature from a colleague.
He left his well-paying job
as a conductor of the military orchestra
and became one of the first pioneers
in the former Yugoslavia.
In the early 1930’s,
he traveled with other brothers
showing the “Photo-Drama of Creation.”
He and his wife, Frida,
preached across parts of what
are now known as Croatia, Macedonia,
Montenegro, and Serbia
by bicycle and motorbike.
Today, Montenegro’s 432 publishers,
a 4 percent increase over 2024,
continue with this zealous spirit.
Nearly one third of the publishers
are pioneering.
Now, just as the landscape
differs from the north to the south,
so do the preaching methods.
In Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro,
the Podgorica North Congregation
covers a huge territory.
Some of their publishers
live about 100 kilometers,
or 60 miles,
from the Kingdom Hall
and may travel nearly two hours
to attend meetings.
Once or twice a month,
publishers in Podgorica
organize trips to distant villages
to preach side-by-side
with their brothers and sisters there
and to contact as many as possible.
They might start their day
with a service meeting in a park and,
after a day in the ministry
and attending the meeting
via videoconference,
stay overnight
with the local brothers and sisters
before returning home the next day.
The south is known for
its beautiful beaches,
and tourists might outnumber locals 2 to 1
during certain times of the year.
So congregations
focus on the public ministry
in tourist areas
during these months
and then focus on the door-to-door ministry
or businesses in the offseason.
Their zeal is bearing fruit.
In 2024,
769 attended the Memorial of Christ’s death.
The 37 publishers
of the Herceg Novi Congregation
send warm love and greetings
to their brothers and sisters
around the world.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting.

JW Broadcasting—March 2026