in their place. They should serve you, not enslave you. Hence, watch your desires and keep control of them so that they do not get control of you. If you are now a Christian they can pull you away from spirituality if you permit them. They can drag you into the quicksand of materialism, and you will gradually sink from sight and will no longer be seen in the ranks of the New World society. They will thus have pulled you away from the narrow path that leads to eternal life. “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matt. 7:13, 14, NW) Some persons step onto that cramped or narrow road and perhaps stay on it for many years but then allow the magnetic pull of wrong desires to turn them off of it into the broad way along which this materialistic world is moving. Thus a Christian cannot allow himself to be ensnared by the love for material things. That would be cultivating wrong desires that could only bring him to grief. It would be as disastrous for him as the love of money was for Judas.

CONTROL SENSUAL DESIRES

20, 21. (a) How has this world failed to keep its sensual desires within Scriptural bounds, and what has been the result? (b) Why must a Christian get a strong hold on himself?

²⁰ Fleshly desires can be even more difficult to control than the craving for material things. When nurtured they become a consuming flame that devours a person so that moral laws have no meaning to him. The wide-spread immorality of this old world is clear testimony to that. Instead of obeying the Scriptural commands against immorality the world ignores them and permits sexual desire to get out of bounds. There is nothing wrong with sexual desire in itself, because it was put in man by the Creator, but the wrong is when it is allowed to become uncontrolled and to draw a person beyond the legal bounds set by God. The Christian, therefore, cannot follow the bad course the world is following but must keep control of his desires. This requires an exercising of will power. He must make a determined effort not to permit his mind to entertain bad sexual desires, as they will but lead him into sin.

²¹ Since the world has permitted its desires to go beyond Scriptural limits, it abounds with depraved, lustful people. Regarding them the Bible says: “Therefore God in keeping with the desires of their hearts gave them up to uncleanness, that their bodies might be dishonored among them, even those who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created, who is blessed forever. Amen. That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature, and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense which was due for their error.” (Rom. 1:24-27, NW) True to what these scriptures say, the world is corrupted by adulterers, fornicators, prostitutes and homosexuals. Therefore, since the Christian is surrounded by this wicked influence he must get a strong hold on himself so that he is not drawn by wrong desire into committing the same abominable deeds. He must recognize his fleshly weaknesses and not think he can follow sensual desires to the Scriptural boundary line and stop there. Even if he may succeed in doing that for awhile, he will eventually be drawn over that boundary line into sin. This is certain to happen, since lusts that are nourished grow in strength and get a tighter grip on a person. He then has greater difficulty getting his mind off them. His best defense is to resist them at the outset.

22. Why can we be certain that destruction awaits this world?

²² This modern world is like the world of Noah’s day. Those people gave no heed to the godly bounds set upon human desires. They did not control them but catered to them, and so cultivated their lusts. These bad desires led them to sin and that resulted in their destruction at God’s hand. “He did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people; and by reducing the cities Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly persons of things to come.” (2 Pet. 2:5, 6, NW) The fate of the depraved people of Noah’s day as well as of those in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was a pattern of what is due to come upon this present world for following the same course of catering to wrong desires.

23. Why is the Christian in a dangerous position, and what must he do?

²³ Since this old world is facing the adverse judgment of God, the Christian is in a very dangerous position. The world’s lustful desires, its love for money and its grasping for material possessions confront him on every side. He is constantly subject to its attractions, its temptations and its wrong thinking. By his being continually surrounded by such bad influence his walking of the narrow way to life is made very difficult. He will not be able to stay on it if he permits his mind to dwell upon these things and thus build up a desire for them. If he fails to recognize the power of wrong desire and to make every effort to resist it he will inevitably be caught by its bait and be led into sin and death. Therefore, let every dedicated Christian remember what the power of wrong desire did to Achan, what it did to Judas, what it did to the first human pair and what it did to the angels that sinned. Let each recognize that power and make every effort to resist it, for its way is the way to sin and to eternal death.

For Young and Old

● Speaking of the book Faith on the March, a reader writes: “Historically it speaks with authority and courage. Scripturally it confirms our hopes, past and future. It should be an inspiration for the younger and a comfort for the older brothers.”—D. F. J., Florida.

Jehovah Watches and Cares

● “The words in that book [Faith on the March] remind us that our great God and Father in heaven is watching the scene, knows those who belong to him and extends his tender mercy and loving care to them at all times without fail.”—A. K., Washington, D.C.

Half a Century of Joy

● A. H. Macmillan’s “Life of joyous service with Jehovah’s witnesses” will be multiplied a thousandfold through his book Faith on the March, according to a delighted reader who writes: “Your documented account going ‘way beyond the past half-century’ and recounted by one who has been in the front ranks of the battle these many years will bring great joy to untold thousands of people at this time.”—F. S. B., Oklahoma.