Bible Speaks

@Alexa The website is up to date look there. Thank you ?????

Praise Jehovah for His Great Deeds!
11 "Sing praises to Jehovah, who is dwelling in Zion;
Make his deeds known among the peoples." (Psalms 9:11) NWT
The psalmist David praised God for His great deeds. For example, David sang: “Make melody, you people, to Jehovah, who is dwelling in Zion; tell among the peoples his deeds. Show me favor, O Jehovah; see my affliction by those hating me, O you who are lifting me up from the gates of death, in order that I may declare all your praiseworthy deeds in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” (Psalm 9:11, 13, 14) 
After giving his son Solomon the architectural plan for the temple, David blessed and praised God, saying: “Yours, O Jehovah, are the greatness and the mightiness and the beauty and the excellency and the dignity . . . Yours is the kingdom, O Jehovah, the One also lifting yourself up as head over all. . . . And now, O our God, we are thanking you and praising your beauteous name.”—1 Chronicles 29:10-13.
The Scriptures repeatedly invite—yes, urge—us to praise God, as David did. The book of Psalms contains many expressions of praise to God, and about half of these songs are attributed to David. He constantly praised and thanked Jehovah. (Psalm 69:30) Moreover, since early times, divinely inspired compositions of David and others have been used to praise Jehovah.  jw.org

"This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood."—1 Cor. 11:25. jw.org

“You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come." (Matt.6:9,10) jw.org
 

11 "I am coming quickly.
Keep holding fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown."
12 “‘The one who conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out from it anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven from my God, and my own new name." (Revelation 3:11-12)
3:12—What is the “new name” of Jesus? This name has to do with Jesus’ new office and privileges. (Phil. 2:9-11) While no one else gets to know that name in the way that Jesus does, Jesus writes it on his faithful brothers in the heavenly realm, bringing them into a close relationship with him. (Rev. 19:12) He even shares his privileges with them.
NEW JERUSALEM
An expression that occurs two times, and only in the highly symbolic book of Revelation. (Re 3:12; 21:2) Near the end of that series of visions, and after seeing Babylon the Great destroyed, the apostle John says: “I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”—Re 21:2.
The Bride of the Lamb. In the light of other scriptures, the identity of New Jerusalem is made certain. She is “as a bride.” Farther along, John writes: “One of the seven angels . . . spoke with me and said: ‘Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ So he carried me away in the power of the spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God and having the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious stone, as a jasper stone shining crystal-clear.”—Re 21:9-11.
New Jerusalem is the bride of whom? The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who shed his blood sacrificially for mankind. (Joh 1:29; Re 5:6, 12;7:14; 12:11; 21:14) What is her identity? She is composed of the members of the glorified Christian congregation. The congregation on earth was likened to “a chaste virgin” to be presented to the Christ. (2Co 11:2) Again, the apostle Paul likens the Christian congregation to a wife, with Christ as her Husband and Head.—Eph 5:23-25, 32.
Furthermore, Christ himself addresses the congregation at Revelation 3:12, promising the faithful conqueror that he would have written upon him “the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from my God, and that new name of mine.” A wife takes her husband’s name. Therefore those seen standing with the Lamb upon Mount Zion, numbering 144,000, having the Lamb’s name and that of his Father written in their foreheads, are evidently the same group, the bride.—Re 14:1.  jw.org
 

Praise Jehovah for His Great Deeds!
11 "Sing praises to Jehovah, who is dwelling in Zion;
Make his deeds known among the peoples." (Psalms 9:11) NWT
The psalmist David praised God for His great deeds. For example, David sang: “Make melody, you people, to Jehovah, who is dwelling in Zion; tell among the peoples his deeds. Show me favor, O Jehovah; see my affliction by those hating me, O you who are lifting me up from the gates of death, in order that I may declare all your praiseworthy deeds in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” (Psalm 9:11, 13, 14) 
After giving his son Solomon the architectural plan for the temple, David blessed and praised God, saying: “Yours, O Jehovah, are the greatness and the mightiness and the beauty and the excellency and the dignity . . . Yours is the kingdom, O Jehovah, the One also lifting yourself up as head over all. . . . And now, O our God, we are thanking you and praising your beauteous name.”—1 Chronicles 29:10-13.
The Scriptures repeatedly invite—yes, urge—us to praise God, as David did. The book of Psalms contains many expressions of praise to God, and about half of these songs are attributed to David. He constantly praised and thanked Jehovah. (Psalm 69:30) Moreover, since early times, divinely inspired compositions of David and others have been used to praise Jehovah.  jw.org

Two close friends are walking side by side in a beautiful valley, with tears in their eyes. Struggling to find the right words to describe this moment, they continue walking in silence and in awe. The sun is shining down on them like never before and the mountains are teeming with gorgeous waterfalls and trees. They go up on a rolling hill and flashbacks begin to run through their heads: Their trials, their endurance - Their life in the old system. Stunned by the scene surrounding them, they come to a halt when they reach the top and they witness so many animals roaming together, free at last. A little girl is walking down the road with a cute little monkey on her shoulder and the roar of a silverback gorilla from a nearby forest greets their ears, astonishing them. The smells of nature reaches their nose and not too far away from them, their friends and loved ones are gathering in a park, in the most beautiful nature scenery they have ever seen in their lives. They remain silent but you can hear them sniffling, with tears racing down their cheeks. Finally they embrace in a tearful hug and with so much emotion they exclaim the words they had been yearning to say for so long: "Remember when we used to talk about this! We made it home." To everyone who reads this: Don't give up, I hope we run into each other in paradise someday. I hope we laugh and cry and say that we finally made it after enduring for so long. I hope we have the most amazing bonfires and we share our own stories of what we went through in this system. I hope we hang out in a tree house by the ocean and we watch the dolphins and whales leap out of the water under the twinkling stars. I hope we meet Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Esther and we have the most thrilling, conversations with them! I hope we witness the long awaited resurrection and we cry so many happy tears until we run out of tears. And I hope.. We build a lasting bond, serving the true God for millions of years and all of eternity. Until then, let's continue to endure - And if we do - I hope to see you on the other side. We are almost home!
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Repost from my friend @memo8616
Click on link post below.
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Short illustration regarding the "Cowbird"
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Hello, CM We recently dedicated our remodeled Kingdom Hall here in Los Angeles , and our guest speaker was Bro. Javier Hernandez from Brooklyn Bethel.
Bro. Hernandez did a program in English and Spanish, which was outstanding. Then on Sunday he gave our Public Talk and then a service talk entitled "Imitate Their Faith." It highlighted the hard work of the governing body, and why we should imitate their example. Bro. Hernandez is very knowledgeable of the Governing Body, because he serves as Bro. Herd's personal secretary.
I have to relate the wonderful illustration he gave of the lazy cowbird. It is so good. Bro. Hernandez grew up in West Texas , and often saw cowbirds. These birds spend most of their time on the backs
of cows eating parasites. When they spot a bird building a nest they will wait for the bird to leave and then go and lay their eggs in someone else's nest. The cowbird is lazy, so it goes back to the cow.
The unsuspecting bird doesn't notice the extra eggs, and when they hatch, she begins flying off to feed them. This tires her out so that when her own eggs hatch she is too weak to feed them, and her babies
end up dying.
Today Satan is like the cowbird. He watches us and then tries to drop eggs into our nest. They may be work, school, entertainment, recreation, or whatever, and we begin to take more care of Satan's eggs than our own spiritual needs. If we are not careful, our spirituality will die because we are too busy feeding Satan's eggs.
So watch out for those deadly eggs and get them out of your nest! 
What a simple practical real life illustration! Maybe you have heard it before but it was so good I had to share. Bro.Hernandez also repeatedly said we are living in the last seconds of the last days.
No doubt working closely with the Governing Body, that phrase is common. It's a good reminder of our need to get and be ready.
 

@David Normand Yes, much joy now in being approved! Can you imagine life without end at last? Agape, ???

Also our website answers any questions you may have! Check it out!
 
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@Queen Esther Jehovah is first my life! He loved us before he knew us in the womb. His Son also loved us when he was with the Father, He was fond of the sons of men. Proverbs chapter 8. He has given much joy in raising my children. We must pray Day and night to show him appreciation!
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Queen Esther: Can you imagine sunsets ? in the New World ? with no pollution? We have so many Blessings coming! Thank you ?????

"Jehovah’s spirit enveloped Gideon."—(Judg. 6:34)
The book of Judges is replete with accounts of humans who “from a weak state were made powerful.” (Heb. 11:34) 
By means of holy spirit, God impelled Gideon to fight in behalf of His people. The army Gideon assembled, however, was outnumbered by the Midianite menace 4 to 1. 
Yet, Jehovah twice decreed that Gideon scale back the army until the enemy outnumbered Israelite fighters 450 to 1. (Judg. 7:2-8; 8:10)
If a stunning victory was to take place, who could brag that it was wrought by human effort or wisdom? Jehovah’s power to save is infinite. He can deliver his people from any predicament, even doing so by using those who appear weak or helpless. 
Sometimes we may feel outnumbered or in desperate straits. However, we can draw abundant guidance and reassurance from God’s Word and through his spirit-directed congregation. (Rom. 8:31, 32) 
Jehovah’s loving promises fortify our faith and convince us that he really is our Helper!    jw.org 

"The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
(1 Cor 3:19)
Trust in Jehovah as the End Draws Near
We cling to Jehovah when we heed his Word, which often runs contrary to human wisdom. (Ps. 73:23, 24) 
For instance, people influenced by human wisdom may say: ‘You have only one life; make the most of it.’ ‘Pursue a good career.’ ‘Make a lot of money.’ ‘Buy this, buy that.’ ‘Travel; enjoy the world.’ Godly wisdom, on the other hand, is in line with the advice: “[Let] those making use of the world [be] as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing.” (1 Cor. 7:31) 
Likewise, Jesus exhorts us always to put Kingdom interests first and thereby store up “treasures in heaven,” where they will be absolutely secure.—(Matt. 6:19, 20)
Does your attitude toward “the world” and “the things in the world” reflect your complete trust in God? (1 John 2:15-17) 
Are spiritual riches and privileges of Kingdom service more desirable and important to you than the things the world offers? (Phil. 3:8) Do you strive to maintain a ‘simple eye’? (Matt. 6:22) 
Of course, God does not want you to be imprudent or irresponsible, especially if you have a family to care for. (1 Tim. 5:8) 
But he does expect his servants to trust fully in him—not in Satan’s dying world.—Heb. 13:5
Holding to God’s standards leads to happiness
How can we trust in God
• when tempted to do wrong?
• when facing apathy or opposition?
• when dealing with anxieties? 
jw.org

"We . . . reflect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah."—2 Cor. 3:18.
Are you reflecting Jehovah’s glory by your godly conduct and by your activity as a regular Kingdom proclaimer? jw.org

“God . . . draws up the drops of water; they filter as rain for his mist, so that the clouds trickle, they drip upon mankind abundantly.” (Job 36:26-28)
Is that not a Miracle? We are truly blessed! 

"Jesus . . . loved them to the end."—(John 13:1)
Jesus trained his disciples by providing personal counsel tailored to their needs. For example, he rebuked James and John for wanting to call down fire from heaven on some Samaritans who had not received him. (Luke 9:52-55) 
When the mother of James and John approached Jesus on their behalf to ask that they be granted favored positions in the Kingdom, Jesus addressed the brothers directly, saying: “This sitting down at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Matt. 20:20-23) 
At all times, Jesus gave counsel that was clear, practical, and solidly based on godly principles. He taught his disciples to reason on such principles. (Matt. 17:24-27)
Jesus also recognized the limitations of his followers and did not expect perfection from them. His counsel was motivated by genuine love.  jw.org

Do You Feel a Pain of Heart?
Are You Depressed? Discouraged? Feel like Nobody Cares? It is Human to be Depressed in this world. What Can we do to Help? This was Very Encouraging to Me! -
Positive in Outlook
Reference to the word “heart” connects the next three proverbs of Solomon. Describing the effect of our emotions on our countenance, the wise king says: “A joyful heart has a good effect on the countenance, but because of the pain of the heart there is a stricken spirit.”—(Proverbs 15:13)
What can cause pain of heart? “Anxious care in the heart of a man is what will cause it to bow down [with sadness],” states the Bible. (Proverbs 12:25) 
How can we prevent negative aspects of life from crushing our spirit? Rather than constantly dwelling on circumstances over which we may have very little control, we can reflect on the rich spiritual blessings that Jehovah has bestowed upon us now and on what he will do for us in the future. This will bring us closer to him. Yes, drawing near to “the happy God” is bound to bring joy to our sad heart.—1 Timothy 1:11
Moreover, the message of the Bible is an excellent source of comfort and delight. The psalmist pronounced happy the man whose “delight is in the law of Jehovah, and in his law he reads in an undertone day and night.” (Psalm 1:1, 2) 
The next proverb states an excellent benefit of having a positive outlook. The king of Israel says: “All the days of the afflicted one are bad; but the one that is good at heart has a feast constantly.” (Proverbs 15:15) 
Life has its blessings and calamities, joys and tears. If we dwell only on the negative, sorrow will take over our thoughts, and all our days will be gloomy. 
However, if we allow personal blessings and our God-given hope to dominate our thinking, the affliction-causing aspects of life will fade into the background and we will experience inner joy. A positive outlook makes it possible for us to enjoy “a feast constantly.”
By all means, then, let us have high regard for discipline. May we let it affect not only our emotions, speech, and actions but also our outlook.
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We Are Free, No Longer in Darkness! - Remain Free! ? ? ?
(John 8:32)
"YOU will know the truth, and the truth will set YOU free.”
The Truth That Sets Us Free’
The light of Scriptural truth is wonderful because the Bible answers important questions that have perplexed mankind for millenniums. 
Among such questions are these: Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Why does evil exist? Is there life after death? 
Jehovah has enlightened us with wonderful doctrinal truths. Should we not be grateful at heart? May we never take for granted what we have learned!
Jesus’ ransom sacrifice has made possible freedom from sin and death. But these precious truths have also set us free from the ignorance and uncertainties of a world enveloped in darkness. Appreciatively meditating on what we have learned will help us to fortify our love for Jehovah and for his Word.
Just as a caterpillar looks in total darkness, not knowing anything about the light. We when becoming full grown ready to receive the light of God's Word, emerge into the light with beautiful love and want for Jehovah and the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, we grow out and blossom! We are anxious to learn the love if the Truth and share with others. 
When we leave a dark area if the cocoon and enter the light it may take a while before our eyes and body adjust.
Similarly, it takes time to study God’s Word and to see the light of the truth. It takes time to meditate on what we learn and to reflect on how precious the truth is. The cost, though, is not too great. Why? Because the light is wonderful!
We are FREE! Thank to Jehovah and His Precious Ransom of His Son! Come April 11, 2017 after sundown to a Kingdom Hall near you. jw.org
 

Did Joseph Practice Divination? 
There is no reason to believe that Joseph actually employed any form of divination.
The Bible reveals Joseph’s real understanding on the use of magical arts to learn the future. Earlier, when he was asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph repeatedly insisted that only God can “announce” upcoming events.
As a result, Pharaoh himself came to believe that the God whom Joseph worshipped—the true God, not occult powers—caused Joseph to know details about the future. (Genesis 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39)
In the Law given to Moses later on, Jehovah prohibited the use of magic or divination, thus confirming that He alone foretells the future.—Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
Why, then, did Joseph indicate through his servant that he used a silver cup to ‘read omens expertly’? (Genesis 44:5) We need to consider the circumstances under which this statement was made.
Because of a very severe famine, Joseph’s brothers had traveled to Egypt to obtain food. Years earlier, these same brothers had sold Joseph into slavery. Now, unbeknownst to them, they requested assistance from their own brother, who had become Egypt’s food administrator.
Joseph did not reveal himself to them. Instead, he decided to test them. Fittingly, Joseph wanted to determine the genuineness of their repentance. He also wanted to find out whether—and to what degree—they loved their brother Benjamin and their father, Jacob, who was especially fond of Benjamin. Thus, Joseph resorted to a ruse.—Genesis 41:55–44:3.
Joseph commanded one of his servants to fill his brothers’ bags with food supplies, return each one’s money in the mouth of his bag, and put Joseph’s silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s bag.
In all of this, Joseph was representing himself as an administrator of a pagan land. He adapted himself, his actions, and his language to the character of such an administrator, as it would appear in the eyes of his unsuspecting brothers.
When Joseph confronted his brothers, he continued with his subterfuge, asking them: “Did you not know that such a man as I am can expertly read omens?” (Genesis 44:15) Thus, the cup was evidently all part of the stratagem. Joseph’s use of the cup to read omens was no more real than Benjamin’s theft of it.

“God Is Love”
“He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.”—(1 JOHN 4:8)
ALL of Jehovah’s attributes are sterling, perfect, and appealing. But the most endearing of all of Jehovah’s qualities is love. 
Nothing else draws us so powerfully to Jehovah as his love. Happily, love is also his dominant quality. How do we know that?
The Bible says something about love that it never says about Jehovah’s other cardinal attributes. The Scriptures do not say that God is power or that God is justice or even that God is wisdom. 
He possesses those qualities and is the ultimate source of all three. About love, though, something more profound is said at 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” 
Yes, love runs very deep in Jehovah. It is his very essence, or nature. Generally speaking, we might think of it this way: Jehovah’s power enables him to act. His justice and his wisdom guide the way he acts. However, Jehovah’s love motivates him to act. And his love is always reflected in the way he uses his other attributes.
Since Jehovah has feelings, the pain he must have suffered over the death of his Son is beyond the power of our words to express. What can be expressed is Jehovah’s motive for having allowed it to happen. Why did the Father subject himself to such pain? 
Jehovah reveals something wonderful to us at John 3:16—a Bible verse so important that it has been called the Gospel in miniature. It says: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” So God’s motive amounted to this: love. No greater love has ever been shown.
How Jehovah Assures Us of His Love
However, an important question arises: Does God love us personally? Some may agree that God loves mankind in general, as John 3:16 says. But they feel, in effect, ‘God could never love me as an individual.’ The fact is that Satan the Devil is eager for us to believe that Jehovah neither loves us nor values us. 
On the other hand, no matter how unlovable or worthless we may think we are, Jehovah assures us that each of his faithful servants is of value to him. jw.org

"Jehovah’s spirit enveloped Gideon."—(Judg. 6:34)
The book of Judges is replete with accounts of humans who “from a weak state were made powerful.” (Heb. 11:34) 
By means of holy spirit, God impelled Gideon to fight in behalf of His people. The army Gideon assembled, however, was outnumbered by the Midianite menace 4 to 1. 
Yet, Jehovah twice decreed that Gideon scale back the army until the enemy outnumbered Israelite fighters 450 to 1. (Judg. 7:2-8; 8:10)
If a stunning victory was to take place, who could brag that it was wrought by human effort or wisdom? Jehovah’s power to save is infinite. He can deliver his people from any predicament, even doing so by using those who appear weak or helpless. 
Sometimes we may feel outnumbered or in desperate straits. However, we can draw abundant guidance and reassurance from God’s Word and through his spirit-directed congregation. (Rom. 8:31, 32) 
Jehovah’s loving promises fortify our faith and convince us that he really is our Helper!    jw.org 

JESUS DIDN'T JUST SAVE OUR LIFE - HE MADE OUR LIFE WORTH SAVING! 
To benefit from God’s promises, though, we must understand the role Jesus Christ plays in our salvation and exercise faith in him. Jesus himself said: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) 
Pointing to the central role of Jesus Christ in this matter, the apostle Peter said: “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” (Acts 4:12) 
The apostle Paul and his associate Silas urged a sincere inquirer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will get saved, you and your household.”—(Acts 16:30, 31)
Yes, Jesus Christ is “the Chief Agent of life,” and salvation is possible only through him. (Acts 3:15) But how can one man be such a key figure in saving us? Having a clear understanding of his role in this regard should strengthen our hope of salvation.
 
 

405 in prison for preaching the good news in South Korea ?? Pray for them!! Write letters!    ????????