Bible Speaks

We cannot have Jehovah's protection while being a "part of the world".
Every Jehovah's WItness knows from early youth on the dangers of attending worldly concerts and that it is a no-no for true witnesses of Jehovah.
Still sad though to see her pay such a dear price. 
The shooter was demon possessed and under the influence of Satan.
 

This is what she lived through:
 

The family and community of a Massachusetts woman killed in Sunday's shooting rampage in Las Vegas is mourning her death.
Rhonda LeRocque, 42, of Tewksbury, was among the dozens killed in the gunfire that broke out at the Route 91 Harvest Festival at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas strip. 
LeRocque had traveled to Las Vegas with her husband Jason and their 6-year-old daughter to attend the country music festival. Her husband was not injured, and the child had left the concert with her grandfather shortly before the shooting. 
"Jason was right next to her when she fell, he thought she was ducking, he thought she was ducking, but she didn't get up," LeRocque's mother, Priscilla Champagne, told NBC Boston.

Source: http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Community-Mourns-Massachusetts-Resident-Killed-in-Las-Vegas-Shooting-449277193.html#ixzz4uVN4F1yN 
 

Overview of the Aftermath of Hurricane Irma - ??????
Barbados branch territories affected—Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Maarten (Dutch side). Severe damage has been reported on Barbuda and St. Maarten.
Barbuda is a small island with a total population of about 1,800 people. Since most utility services and an estimated 95 percent of all the homes there were damaged, it has been declared a disaster area and a state of emergency has been imposed. Reports confirm that all 11 publishers have been safely evacuated to the nearby island of Antigua, where a Disaster Relief Committee (DRC) is caring for their needs. There are no injuries reported.
Approximately 700 publishers live on the island of St. Martin (both the Dutch and the French sides). One sister was injured. A delegation, including members of the Barbados and France branch offices as well as medical professionals, was sent to St. Martin to assist the brothers.
France branch territories affected—Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin (French side). No deaths or injuries were reported in either Guadeloupe or Martinique.
The island of St. Barthelemy (the French name for St. Barts) was devastated, and it is nearly impossible to communicate with publishers on the island. However, the branch office has received a report from the circuit overseer for the island indicating that all of the 30 publishers have been accounted for and the Kingdom Hall sustained minor damage. A DRC was formed to coordinate shipments of water, food, and other relief supplies from the nearby islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique to the brothers on St. Barthelemy and St. Martin.
Relief supplies being prepared for shipment at an Assembly Hall in Guadeloupe.
Dominican Republic branch territory affected. The Branch Committee has established five permanent DRCs to care for the country’s 38,000 publishers. Days before the arrival of Irma, at the direction of the circuit overseers, congregation elders visited all of the publishers to ensure that each one was taking the necessary precautionary measures. In areas prone to flooding along the north coast, the elders evacuated 1,273 publishers to safer sites and 2,068 publishers with less secure housing were directed to take refuge in Kingdom Halls or with other Witness families in more secure dwellings.
A few recently constructed Kingdom Halls sustained minor damage. The homes of five Witness families were damaged. Repairs are being made by the local congregations or under the direction of the DRCs. There have been no deaths or injuries reported.
United States branch territories affected—the Bahamas, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and both the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. We previously reported the deaths of one brother and one sister. While no other deaths have been reported among the brothers, the branch has confirmed that another 6 of our brothers were injured and over 3,000 have been displaced. Hundreds of brothers from central Florida and Georgia have offered their homes to evacuees.
In Florida, those at the Remote Translation Office (RTO) in Fort Lauderdale were evacuated to the West Palm Beach Assembly Hall, where they stayed for several days. The RTO offices sustained some water damage, and the residence was without power and Internet access for several days. These are now restored, and operations are returning to normal.
At the school facility in Palm Coast, Florida, all students from an incoming class of the School for Circuit Overseers and Their Wives were evacuated, as well as three classes of the School for Kingdom Evangelizers. A small group of about 20 remained safely at the facility. The property did not sustain any extensive damage though it did lose power.
Relief supplies being collected in an Assembly Hall in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
The Disaster Relief Desk in the Service Department and the Local Design/Construction Department are coordinating the relief efforts to ensure that our brothers receive assistance in a safe and timely way.
Relief Centers have been set up in the U.S. to supply food and water to those affected on the mainland. Additionally, a DRC in Puerto Rico is providing humanitarian assistance to our brothers on the islands.
In the Caribbean, at least 61 homes received minor damage and 55 homes experienced major damage. Additionally, at least two Kingdom Halls sustained severe damage.
Flooding outside of a Kingdom Hall in Turks and Caicos.
Brothers from the branch office and world headquarters are traveling to Florida and the islands to provide assistance to the brothers. Assessments are ongoing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Irma and with all those involved in the relief efforts as they provide assistance and comfort.—Romans 15:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4, 7; 8:14.
https://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by-region/world/aftermath-hurricane-irma-2017/
 

How we all can experience JOY? ?
 
J - Jehovah comes first?
 
O - Others come second?
 
Y - Yourself, last ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Necessary if we are to PASS ? into the New World: 
P-prayer  ?
A-association  ?
S-study  ?
S-service ?
???????


 

Turkmenistan Continues to Harass Jehovah's Witnesses 
???????
Teachers and police intimidate Jehovah's witness children in schools, even for refusing to use the national flag.
Jehovah's witnesses have been dismissed from state jobs.
???????
The Police and education officials have brought muslim clerics appointed by the state to intimidate non-Muslim children. A woman was expelled from a university in ashgabat ashgabat for meeting Jehovah's witnesses.
???????
Teachers, school principals, local officials and Muslim clerics have publicly defamed non-Muslims.
???????
Jehovah's Witnesses are facing additional pressures due to their refusal, for religious reasons, to use the National Flag, to sing the national anthem or to recite the national oath.
???????
On April 3, a Jehovah's witness was summoned to his son's school in turkmenabad, the professor pressed the boy, who is in second year, to use a bolt with the national flag. The School Director asked the mother to write an explanatory note.
???????
The next day, the boy's sister, a student at the same school, was convened in a similar manner to the office of the director of studies.
???????
Later the girl's teacher told her that the documents about her had been handed over to the police inspector. When the girl's mother asked the director to provide the legal basis for the requirement to use a pin, the director began to threaten her. On 14 April, the director of studies summoned the girl to her office for the local police inspector to question her about her religious beliefs.
???????
On 30 January, the director of school studies in turkmenabad brought two students from Jehovah's witnesses from the tenth and eighth grades to his office. He demanded that they sign a promise that they will "no longer trust other religions", a reference to non-Muslim beliefs.
???????
The school then called the student s' mother. A police officer demanded that she explain why her children do not wear a pin in the form of National Flag, they do not sing the national anthem and do not recite the national oath. When he asked them to show him the law that forced them to do so, they threatened to find his house.
???????
On January 14, the National Institute of world languages in Ashgabat expelled a student because he is studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses. Before that, the university administration had repeatedly pressed to participate in events that contradicted their religious beliefs, Jehovah's witnesses complained to    forum 18.
???????
On 21 November 2016, a Jehovah's Witness was invited to visit the director's office in Dashoguz where his children were enrolled when he arrived found his children, several teachers already three law enforcement officers. The officers demanded that the mother explain why their children do not wear a pin in the form of the national flag; they demanded that their son recite the national oath.
???????
The teachers began to explain to the officers that the women's children behaved well, but the officers were very rude. They asked the Jehovah's witness to bring him his personal Bible. The next day, they made inquiries about her husband.
???????
On 18 October 2016, a Jehovah's witness in the tenth grade of a school in Turkmenabad was invited to visit the director's office. Two police officers were present at the office, along with Islamic clerics. They asked the student and asked him to write an explanatory note. The agents searched his cell phone.
???????
In March 2017, the local imam held a series of meetings in schools and kindergartens in the southern city of weaving. He warned about the " danger of the sect called Jehovah's witnesses " and " slandered the moral character of a local witness ", noted Jehovah's witnesses.
???????
http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2321

“Eye Has Not Seen” - What Does It Mean? 
???
1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”
???

“Eye Has Not Seen”
In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul quoted the book of Isaiah when he wrote: “Just as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.’” (1 Corinthians 2:9)* 
???
Neither Paul’s statement nor the expressions of Isaiah refer to the things Jehovah has prepared for his people in a heavenly inheritance or in a future earthly paradise. 
???
Paul is applying Isaiah’s words to the blessings that were already being enjoyed by Christians in the first century, such as understanding the deeper things of God and receiving spiritual enlightenment from Jehovah.
???
We can understand deep spiritual things only when it is Jehovah’s due time to reveal them—and even then, only if we are spiritual people with a close relationship with Jehovah. 
???
Paul’s words apply to those with little or no spirituality. Their eye cannot see, or discern, spiritual truths, and their ear cannot hear, or understand, such things. Knowledge of the things that God has prepared for those who love him does not even enter into the hearts of such men. But to those who are dedicated to God, as Paul was, God has revealed these things through his spirit.—1 Corinthians 2:1-16.
???
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102001045#h=54:0-59:154

Greenwood Village Medical company sued for religious discrimination American medical response, a provider of Greenwood and subsidiary of envision healthcare, based in Nashville, violated federal law by refusing to provide religious accommodation to an employee, the equal employment opportunity commission in a lawsuit filed Last week.
According to the lawsuit, an employee of the Memphis installation of the company, a Jehovah's Witness, asked for Sundays to worship. Amr initially welcomed the request, but after seven months informed the employee that he was not obliged to provide him with religious accommodation.
Amr finally fired the employee, apparently for receiving two "Non-call / Non-shows" in a period of 12 months, and for a safety belt violation. Eeoc contends that amr illegally downloaded the employee because of his religion and in retaliation.
Such conduct violates the Civil Rights Act 1964., the filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court after dealing first with an agreement. The requests an interim measure prohibiting amr from discriminating against employees on the basis of their religion, as well as late, compensatory and punitive payments.
"employers are obliged by law to provide their employees with reasonable religious accommodation", said Katharine w. Kores, District Director of the office in Memphis. " Moreover, only a bad situation worsens if an employee is punished for making such requests. Those who do not comply with these legal requirements, which are also simple common sense, are open to potential disputes and must be prepared to suffer the legal consequences of their illegal actions ".
http://www.villagerpublishing.com/90537/news/greenwood-village-medical-company-sued-for-religious-discrimination/

Every Mother Remembers Her Child's First Step! - ?????????
Basic Facts About Elephants
?????????
Habitat loss is one of the key threats facing elephants. Many climate change projections indicate that key portions of elephants’ habitat will become significantly hotter and drier, resulting in poorer foraging conditions and threatening calf survival. Increasing conflict with human populations taking over more and more elephant habitat and poaching for ivory are additional threats that are placing the elephant’s future at risk.
?????????
Defenders of Wildlife is working through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to maintain a ban on the sale of ivory as well as on regulations that govern worldwide elephant protection.
?????????
Of the two species, African elephants are divided into two subspecies (savannah and forest), while the Asian elephant is divided into four subspecies (Sri Lankan, Indian, Sumatran and Borneo). Asian elephants have been very important to Asian culture for thousands of years – they have been domesticated and are used for religious festivals, transportation and to move heavy objects.
?????????
Diet
?????????
Staples: Grasses, leaves, bamboo, bark, roots. Elephants are also known to eat crops like banana and sugarcane which are grown by farmers. Adult elephants eat 300-400 lbs of food per day.
?????????
Population
?????????
At the turn of the 20th century, there were a few million African elephants and about 100,000 Asian elephants. Today, there are an estimated 450,000 - 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 - 40,000 wild Asian elephants.
?????????
Range
?????????
African savannah elephants are found in savannah zones in 37 countries south of the Sahara Desert. African forest elephants inhabit the dense rainforests of west and central Africa. The Asian elephant is found in India, Sri Lanka, China and much of Southeast Asia.
?????????
Behavior
?????????
Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight matriarchal family groups of related females called a herd. The herd is led by the oldest and often largest female in the herd, called a matriarch. Herds consist of 8-100 individuals depending on terrain and family size. When a calf is born, it is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12-15 and may lead solitary lives or live temporarily with other males.
?????????
Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and have memories that span many years. It is this memory that serves matriarchs well during dry seasons when they need to guide their herds, sometimes for tens of miles, to watering holes that they remember from the past. They also display signs of grief, joy, anger and play.
?????????
Recent discoveries have shown that elephants can communicate over long distances by producing a sub-sonic rumble that can travel over the ground faster than sound through air. Other elephants receive the messages through the sensitive skin on their feet and trunks. It is believed that this is how potential mates and social groups communicate.
?????????
Reproduction
?????????
Mating Season: Mostly during the rainy season.
Gestation: 22 months.
Litter size: 1 calf (twins rare).
Calves weigh between 200-250 lbs at birth. At birth, a calf's trunk has no muscle tone, therefore it will suckle through its mouth. It takes several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk.
?????????
Oh Remember an Elephant Never Forgets! 
Tap on Video Link mp4 _____Enjoy! 
http://www.defenders.org/elephant/basic-facts
IMG_8275.MP4

A EPOCH-MAKING EVENT! A DATE TO REMEMBER- OCT.5, 2013. ANOTHER "GIFT" COMING THIS MONTH? 
?????????
There have been noteworthy events in the modern-day history of Jehovah's Witnesses. Going a bit down memory lane:
* On Oct. 2,1914 in the Bethel dining room at Brooklyn, C. T. Russell affirms, "The Gentile times have ended" *Sept. 5-13,1922 witnessed a Convention of Bible Students at Cedar Point Ohio, there,J. F. Rutherford made that historic appeal :"Advertise, Advertise,Advertise, the King and His Kingdom!!!" *Then on July 26,1931,the scriptural name JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES (Isaiah 43:10) is adopted by resolution at a convention in Columbus, Ohio,and thereafter at conventions around the earth. *Aha...! On August 2,1950, NEW WORLD TRANSLATION OF THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES is released in English at a convention in New York by Nathan. H. Knorr. 
Little did delegates to the 129th Annual Meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses held on OCTOBER 5th,2013 at the New Jersey Assembly Hall-The Stanley-with live transmission at 1,830 location in 7 branches, know what awaits them. 
Whetting our appetite was a Bible display by GB member Mark Sanderson entitled "The Bible and the Divine Name" it warms the heart and ignites excitement leading to the release of the best gift ever-The REVICED NEW WORLD TRANSLATION by GB member Jeffrey Jackson... !
It's purpose? 
To make us read God's world in a language that reaches our heart in 21st Century English! 
This remarkable, milestone event had as total attendance, a whopping 1.4 million delegates...! IT'S A YEAR TODAY ,what a life transforming gift it's been so far! "This LIVING TREASURE beckons all to read."
May we use it aright...! (Hebrews 4:12)
Visit www.jw.org to read and download the audio file- "A Bible that is made to Last" 
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/2015-yearbook/highlights/bible-made-to-last/#?insight[search_id]=9d8c26e0-e647-4d87-b198-c4bd6aa826eb&insight[search_result_index]=1

DID YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICINE TODAY? 
⏰?⏰
M- is for MEDITATE on Jehovah's word, 
E-  is for EXALT him, let his name be heard, 
D-  is for DEDICATION always keep this in mind, 
I-  is for IMIITATE Jesus because he is kind, 
C-  is for COURAGE this we all need, 
I-  is for INTEGRITY this we must heed, 
N- is for NOTHING can stop us from preaching, 
E- is for EVERLASTINGING life we are reaching,  If you take your medicine like you should,  You can be assured that you will feed good.
???⏰?⏰???
 

How to spell “ENCOURAGEMENT” 
E-  Stands for ENDURANCE in what is good  It encourages others to do the things they should. 
N-  Is for NEIGHBORS for whom grief disappears  When the marvelous comfort of God's Word they hear. 
C-  Is for COURAGE our dear brothers show  Regardless of hardships, to meetings they go. 
O-  Calls for OBEDIENCE to god rather than men  Even our youths for the true faith contend. 
U-  Stands for UPBUILDING conversation we employ  In bringing to others real happiness and joy. 
R-  Reminds us of the future REWARD we so highly prize  Which we need to keep constantly before our eyes. 
A-  Is for ATTENTIVE listeners which Christians want to be  To encourage others might just hold the key. 
G-  Stands for GOOD news we want to impart  At every opportunity to build up mind and heart. 
E-  Calls for EXPERIENCES that bring Jehovah praise  That motivate others to walk in His ways. 
M-  Is for God's MERCY of which we have received  It should move us to help others believe. 
E-  Calls for EMPATHY - defined as fellow feeling  As well as giving the Kingdom hope they're needing. 
N-  Is for not NEGLECTING the sick and the ill  Encouraging them to continue to do God's will. 
T-  Stands for TIME spent teaching the truth to others  That they will be encouraged to become our Brothers and Sisters 
???????

?????
Song 38 "He Will Make You Strong"
SONG 38
He Will Make You Strong!
(1 Peter 5:10)
        1. There was a reason why God brought the truth to you
And called you from the darkness to the light.
Within your heart, he saw the longing that you had
To search for him and practice what is right.
You promised him in prayer to do his will;
He helped you then, and he will help you still.
(CHORUS)
With Jesus’ blood He bought you,
to God you now belong.
So he will make you firm,
and he will make you strong.
He’ll guide you and protect you,
as he has all along.
Yes, he will make you firm,
and he will make you strong.         2. God gave his own beloved Son in your behalf;
On this account, He wants you to succeed.
If He did not withhold the gift of His dear Son,
Then never doubt He’ll give the strength you need.
He won’t forget the faith and love you’ve shown;
He will not fail to care for all His own.
(CHORUS)
With Jesus’ blood He bought you,
to God you now belong.
So he will make you firm,
and he will make you strong.
He’ll guide you and protect you,
as he has all along.
Yes, he will make you firm,
and he will make you strong. (See also Rom. 8:32; 14:8, 9; Heb. 6:10; 1 Pet. 2:9.
Tap for Video Link mp4 ______Enjoy!
IMG_8286.MP4

How powerful a figure is Satan in today’s world?
??⌛️??⌛️??
Jesus Christ referred to him as being “the ruler of the world,” the one whom mankind in general obeys by heeding his urgings to ignore God’s requirements. (John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) The Bible also calls him “the god of this system of things,” who is honored by the religious practices of people who adhere to this system of things.—2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 10:20.
☄️?⌛️??⌛️??
When endeavoring to tempt Jesus Christ, the Devil “brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; and the Devil said to him: ‘I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7) Revelation 13:1, 2 reveals that Satangives ‘power, throne and great authority’ to the global political system of rulership. Daniel 10:13, 20 discloses that Satan has had demonic princes over principal kingdoms of the earth. Ephesians 6:12 refers to these as constituting ‘governments, authorities, world rulers of this darkness, wicked spirit forces in heavenly places.’
??⌛️??⌛️??
No wonder that 1 John 5:19 says: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” But his power is only for a limited period of time and is only by the toleration of Jehovah, who is God Almighty.
??⌛️??⌛️??
How long will Satan be allowed to mislead mankind?
??⌛️??⌛️??
For evidence that we now live in the last days of Satan’s wicked system of things, see pages 95-98, under “Dates,” and the main heading “Last Days.”
??⌛️??⌛️??
The provision for relief from Satan’s wicked influence is symbolically described in this way: “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he hurled him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it overhim, that he might not mislead the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be let loose for a little while.” (Rev. 20:1-3) Then what? “The Devil who was misleading them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulphur.” (Rev. 20:10) 
??⌛️??⌛️??
What does that mean? Revelation 21:8answers: “This means the second death.” He will be gone forever!
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989267?q=satan++over&p=par

"Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day of your military force. In splendid holiness, from the womb of the dawn, You have your company of young men just like dewdrops."
(Ps.110:3)
???????
Jehovah also exerts power through his authority as Universal Sovereign. Can you imagine having millions upon millions of intelligent, able subjects eager to do your bidding? Jehovah wields such ruling power. He has human servants, in Scripture often likened to an army, just like dewdrops. Are you part of that army? –
???????
Thank you for liking my hand made pictures, I make for you to praise Jehovah! 

@Alexa
Jehovah gives us a Promise and His Son Nailed death to the stake. We can help others during these are hard times. 
The Sister was afraid to share her sadness,  when others are in pain we all can comfort others in the Hope!
 Thank you for your support!
Jehovah Bless,
???????

I am sorry to hear about your daughter

Regional Convention in Scotland... 
The Brothers say Hello from Scotland.. 
JW Scotland

This happened 2 months ago. I didn't have the strength to share it with others yet but after today's news about the sister that was shot I feel for the family and want them to know they are not alone. So many senseless tragedies happening right now. The one killed was my daughter. You can google her name Amanda Saldana Corpus Christi to see the rest of the news stories.
http://www.kiiitv.com/mobile/article/news/local/victim-in-southside-accident-identified-child-critical-but-stable/503-460119356
Also the above painting was made for my from my husband 2 yrs ago as a memory of my son who is in Jehovah's memory the one sitting down in red, who would have known 2 yrs later my daughter holding my grandson would be in his memory also. This is my paradise painting. -
Thank you
??????

Rhonda LeRocque of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was one of the victims in the shooting, her family said.
Her mother, Priscilla Champagne, told CNN that LeRocque was a "beautiful woman inside and out."
??????????
"A truly great mother, daughter, wife, aunt, sister, worker, and a good, kindhearted friend. She had a great faith in Jehovah God, and had a wonderful family life. She loved Hawaii, Disney, and country music." she said.
??????????
"She was the best of the best. She was the hostess with the mostess ... the glue who kept our family gatherings together. She will be greatly missed by us all."
Her sister, Korina Champagne, said in a Facebook post on Monday that her heart was broken.
??????????
"My Beautiful Sister Rhonda LeRocque lost her life in the Las Vegas mass shooting," Korina Champagne posted. "My heart is broken, I'm numb, I feel paralyzed. This doesn't seem real. All I can do is turn to God's Word for comfort, just as she would want me to. May she rest now until her name is called and she is awakened in paradise."
??????????
She added a Bible passage to the end of her Facebook post, "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/02/us/las-vegas-shooting-victims/index.html
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2017/10/02/reports-tewksbury-woman-killed-in-las-vegas-shooting

How amazing to know that the gadgets we're using now a days has long been foretold...believe it or not?
April 1922 issue of The Golden Age ...(now AWAKE magazine)
Thank you ???

Consequently let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.
???????
Do Not Look at “the Things Behind”
“No man that has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind is well fitted for the kingdom of God.”—LUKE 9:62.
“REMEMBER the wife of Lot.” (Luke 17:32) 
???????
Jesus Christ gave that strong warning almost 2,000 years ago. That warning is now more important than ever. What did Jesus mean? The Jews he was talking to knew exactly what had happened to Lot’s wife. While she was fleeing from Sodom with her family, she disobeyed Jehovah and looked back. Because of that, she was turned into a pillar of salt.—Read Genesis 19:17, 26.
???????
Why may Lot’s wife have looked back? What happened to her when she disobeyed?
??????
But why did Lot’s wife look back? Maybe she wanted to see what was happening. Or it is possible that she turned around because she could not believe that the city was being destroyed. Maybe her faith was weak. Or maybe she wanted to go back to the things she had left behind in Sodom. (Luke 17:31) Whatever the reason for her looking back, she died when she disobeyed. Just think of it! She died the same day as those wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah. That is why Jesus said: “Remember the wife of Lot.”
???????
How did Jesus emphasize that we should not look back?
???????
Lot’s wife should not have looked back at what was behind her. In the same way, we should not look back at, or keep thinking about, the things we left behind. Jesus emphasized this when talking to a man who had said that he wanted to be Jesus’ disciple. The man had said that he first wanted to return to his family to say good-bye. Jesus answered: “No man that has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind is well fitted for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) 
???????
Was Jesus’ answer to the man too strong or unkind? No. He knew that the man was just making excuses to avoid the responsibility of becoming a disciple. Jesus said that a person who avoids his obligations to God is looking at “the things behind.” 
???????
A person who is plowing a field may look back while he is plowing or put the plow down and turn to look back. Either way, he is distracted from what he should be doing, and he is not doing his work properly.
???????
What should we focus on?
???????
We must focus on the future and not on the past. The Bible clearly says this at Proverbs 4:25: “As for your eyes, straight ahead they should look, yes, your own beaming eyes should gaze straight in front of you.”
???????
SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED
?To look at the things behind: To keep thinking about the past in a way that could discourage us or make us stop serving Jehovah
?To look at the things ahead: To keep thinking about the future and about serving Jehovah forever
?To make sacrifices: To decide not to go after things or opportunities in the world or to leave them behind
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/402012206?q=wife+of+lot&p=par#h=31  

New Judicial front against Watchtower
In The Quebec Court, Canada, a lawsuit has been filed for 66 million Canadian dollars, against the organization of Jehovah's witnesses in Canada and the United States, on behalf of alleged victims of child abuse while they were Jehovah's Witnesses.
We do not hide that opponents, who are led by professional apostates, are being organized as a group, to attack the finances of the Watchtower, trying for all the means to sink it economically.
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1059175/demande-recours-collectif-temoins-de-jehovah-ontario?fromBeta=true

Divine Light Dispels Darkness
“It is Jehovah that makes my darknessshine.”—2 SAMUEL 22:29.
???
Jesus is closely identified with spiritual light. Indeed, he spoke of himself as “the light of the world” and said: “He that follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life.” (John 8:12) This expression helps us to understand the central role Jesus has in conveying Jehovah’s truth to mankind. If we are to avoid the darkness and walk in God’s light, we must listen to all that Jesus says and follow closely his example and teachings as recorded in the Bible.
???
What responsibility did Jesus’ followers have after his death?
???
A few days prior to his death, Jesus, again referring to himself as light, told his disciples: “The light will be among you a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overpower you; and he that walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, exercise faith in the light, in order to become sons of light.” (John 12:35, 36) Those who became sons of light learned the Bible’s “pattern of healthful words.” (2 Timothy 1:13, 14) They then used these healthful words to draw other honesthearted individuals out of the darkness into God’s light.
???
What basic truth about?light and darkness do we find at 1 John 1:5?
???
The apostle John wrote: “God is light and there is no darkness at all in union with him.” (1 John 1:5) Notice the contrast here between light and darkness. Spiritual light originates with Jehovah, and spiritual darknesscannot be associated with him. Who, then, is the source of the darkness?
???
Spiritual Darkness—The Source
????
Who is behind the world’s spiritual darkness, and what influence does he have?
????
The apostle Paul spoke of “the god of this system of things.” By that expression, he meant Satan the Devil. He went on to say that this one “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) 
????
Many profess belief in God; yet, a growing number of them do not believe in a Devil. Why? They are unwilling to accept that some evil, superhuman power could possibly exist and influence the way they think. Nevertheless, as Paul shows, the Devil does exist and does influence people so that they cannot see the light of truth. Satan’s power to influence human thinking is seen in the prophetic description of him as “the one . . . who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) 
????
As a consequence of Satan’s activities, the condition foretold by the prophet Isaiah now applies to all mankind except for those who serve Jehovah: “Look! darkness itself will cover the earth, and thick gloom the national groups.”—Isaiah 60:2.
????
In what ways do those in spiritual darkness show that they are disoriented?
????
In dense darkness it is impossible to see anything. One easily becomes lost or disoriented. Similarly, those in spiritual darkness lack perception and soon become disoriented in a spiritual sense. They can lose the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, good from bad. The prophet Isaiah spoke of those in such darkness when he wrote: “Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) 
????
Those who dwell in spiritual darkness are being influenced by the god of the darkness, Satan the Devil, and consequently they are alienated from the source of light and life.—Ephesians 4:17-19.
???
The psalmist wrote: “Your word is a lamp to my foot, and a light to my roadway.” (Psalm 119:105) Yes, the ‘cramped road leading off into life’ is clearly illuminated by our loving God, Jehovah, “whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (Matthew 7:14; 1 Timothy 2:4) 
???
Applying Bible precepts will safeguard us from wandering off that cramped road into the pathways of darkness. Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) 
???
As we grow spiritually, we are taught by God’s Word. We can, in the light of God’s Word, reprove ourselves or, if needed, be reproved by loving shepherds in the congregation. Likewise, we can set things straight and humbly accept discipline in righteousness to keep our feet on the road to life.
???
Tap on Video Link mp4 ____Enjoy! 
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002162?q=darkness&p=par
IMG_8214.MP4