Will You Follow Jehovah’s Loving Guidance?

“Every false path I have hated.”​—PS. 119:128.

1, 2. (a) In seeking guidance to reach a destination, what kind of warning might you appreciate, and why? (b) What kinds of warnings does Jehovah offer those who serve him, and why?

IMAGINE this: You need to travel to a certain destination. For guidance, you turn to a trusted friend who knows the way. As he gives you thorough directions, he might say something like this: “Be careful about that next turn. The sign is misleading. A lot of people follow it and wind up getting lost.” Would you appreciate his concern and heed the warning? In some ways, Jehovah is like that friend. He gives us careful directions about how to reach our destination of everlasting life, but he also warns us about bad influences that could cause us to go the wrong way.​—Deut. 5:32; Isa. 30:21.

² In this and the following article, we will discuss some influences about which our Friend, Jehovah God, warns us. Let us keep in mind that Jehovah gives such warnings out of concern and love. He wants us to reach our destination. It pains him to see people giving in to bad influences and losing their way. (Ezek. 33:11) In this article, we will discuss three negative influences. The first is an external force, the second an internal one. The third is not even real; nonetheless, it is very dangerous. We need to know what these influences are and how our heavenly Father teaches us to resist them. One inspired psalmist said to Jehovah: “Every false path I have hated.” (Ps. 119:128) Do you feel the same way? Let us see how we can intensify such feelings and act on them.

Do Not Follow “After the Crowd”

3. (a) Why might it be dangerous to follow other travelers when we are unsure about which way to go? (b) What important principle do we find at Exodus 23:2?

³ In taking a long journey, what would you do if you felt unsure about which way to go? You might feel tempted to follow other travelers​—especially if you saw a great many making the same choice. Such a course is risky. After all, those travelers may not be heading toward your destination, or they too may be lost. In this connection, consider a principle that underlies one of the laws given to ancient Israel. Those who served as judges or as witnesses in judicial matters were warned of the danger of ‘following after the crowd.’ (Read Exodus 23:2.) Without doubt, it is all too easy for imperfect humans to bow to peer pressure, perverting justice. However, is the principle about not following the crowd restricted to judicial matters? Not at all.

4, 5. How were Joshua and Caleb pressured to follow the crowd, but what enabled them to resist?

⁴ In truth, the pressure to “follow after the crowd” can affect us at almost any time. It may arise suddenly, and it can be very difficult to resist. Think, for example, of the peer pressure that Joshua and Caleb once faced. They were part of a group of 12 men who went into the Promised Land to spy it out. Upon their return, ten of those men gave a very negative and discouraging report. They even claimed that some of the land’s inhabitants were giants descended from the Nephilim, the offspring of rebel angels and women. (Gen. 6:4) Now, that claim was absurd. Those wicked hybrids had been wiped out in the Deluge many centuries earlier, leaving not a single descendant behind. But even the most baseless ideas can exert power over those weak in faith. The negative reports from those ten spies quickly spread fear and panic among the people. Before long, most were sure that it would be a mistake to enter the Promised Land as Jehovah had directed. In that volatile situation, what did Joshua and Caleb do?​—Num. 13:25-33.

⁵ They did not go following after the crowd. Although the crowd hated to hear it, those two men told the truth and stuck to it​—even when threatened with death by stoning! Where did they get the courage? No doubt, a good part of it came from their faith. People with faith see clearly the difference between the baseless claims of men and the sacred promises of Jehovah God. Both men later expressed how they felt about Jehovah’s record in fulfilling his every promise. (Read Joshua 14:6, 8; 23:2, 14.) Joshua and Caleb were attached to their faithful God, and they could not imagine hurting him for the sake of following a faithless crowd. So they stood firm, setting a sterling example for us today.​—Num. 14:1-10.

6. In what ways might we feel pressured to follow the crowd?

⁶ Do you ever feel pressured to follow after the crowd? People who are alienated from Jehovah and who scoff at his moral standards certainly form a vast crowd today. When it comes to entertainment and recreation, that crowd often promote baseless ideas. They may insist that the immorality, violence, and spiritism so prevalent in television programs, movies, and video games are harmless. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) When you choose entertainment and recreation for yourself or your family, do you allow the lax consciences of others to influence your decisions and to mold your conscience? Would that not, in effect, amount to following after the crowd?

7, 8. (a) How are our “perceptive powers” trained, and why is such training more useful than following a host of rigid rules? (b) Why do you find the example of many Christian youths heartwarming?

⁷ Jehovah has given us a precious gift to help us make decisions​—our “perceptive powers.” However, these powers need to be trained “through use.” (Heb. 5:14) Following the crowd would not train our perceptive powers; nor, on the other hand, would a host of rigid rules in matters of conscience. That is why, for example, Jehovah’s people are not given a list of films, books, and Internet sites to avoid. Because this world changes so fast, such a list would be outdated soon after it was made. (1 Cor. 7:31) Worse, it would deprive us of the vital work of weighing Bible principles carefully and prayerfully and then making decisions on the basis of those principles.​—Eph. 5:10.

⁸ Of course, our Bible-based decisions may at times make us unpopular. Christian youths in school may face strong pressure from the crowd to see and do what everyone else is seeing and doing. (1 Pet. 4:4) Therefore, it is beautiful to see Christians young and old imitating the faith of Joshua and Caleb, refusing to follow after the crowd.

Do Not Follow “Your Hearts and Your Eyes”

9. (a) In the course of a journey, why might it be dangerous simply to follow our urges and impulses? (b) Why was the law found at Numbers 15:37-39 relevant to God’s ancient people?

⁹ The second dangerous influence we will discuss is an internal one. We might illustrate it this way: If you were taking a journey to a particular destination, can you imagine deciding to cast aside your map and simply follow your impulses​—perhaps turning onto every road that seemed to offer pretty views? Clearly, giving in to such impulses would keep you from reaching your goal. In this regard, consider another of Jehovah’s laws to ancient Israel. Many today might find a law about putting fringes and blue threads on their garments hard to understand. (Read Numbers 15:37-39.) Do you see the relevance, though? Obeying such a law helped God’s people to keep themselves distinct and separate from the pagan nations around them. That was vital if they were to gain and maintain Jehovah’s approval. (Lev. 18:24, 25) However, that law also reveals a dangerous internal influence that might lead us away from our destination of everlasting life. How so?

10. How has Jehovah shown insight into human nature?

¹⁰ Note what Jehovah gave his people as a reason behind this law: “You must not go about following your hearts and your eyes, which you are following in immoral intercourse.” Jehovah has profound insight into human nature. He well knows how easily our heart, or inner self, is seduced by what we take in through our eyes. The Bible thus warns us: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) Do you see, then, just how fitting was Jehovah’s warning to the Israelites? He well knew that they would be inclined to look at the pagan peoples around them and be seduced by what they saw. They might be tempted to look like those unbelievers and then to think, feel, and act like them.​—Prov. 13:20.

11. In what way might we be seduced by our physical senses?

¹¹ In our own day, it is even easier for our treacherous heart to be seduced by our physical senses. We live in a world that is geared toward appealing to fleshly inclinations. So how can we apply the principle behind Numbers 15:39? Consider: If those around you at school, at the workplace, or in your community are dressing more and more provocatively, might you be affected? Might you be tempted to ‘follow your heart and eyes’ and be seduced by what you see? Then might you be tempted to lower your own standards by dressing in a similar manner?​—Rom. 12:1, 2.

12, 13. (a) What should we do if our eyes tend to wander where they should not? (b) What can move us to avoid becoming a source of temptation to others?

¹² We urgently need to cultivate self-control. If our eyes tend to wander where they should not, let us recall the firm resolve of faithful Job, who made a formal agreement with his own eyes​—a firm decision not to give romantic attention to a woman not his own wife. (Job 31:1) Similarly, King David resolved: “I shall not set in front of my eyes any good-for-nothing thing.” (Ps. 101:3) Whatever might damage our clean conscience and our relationship with Jehovah is for us a “good-for-nothing thing.” That would include any temptation that appeals to our eyes and threatens to seduce our heart into wrongdoing.

¹³ On the other hand, we certainly would never want to become, in a sense, a “good-for-nothing thing” to others by tempting them to contemplate wrongdoing. We therefore take seriously the Bible’s inspired counsel to wear well-arranged and modest clothing. (1 Tim. 2:9) Modesty is not something we can simply define in a way that suits us. We need to take into account the consciences and sensitivities of those around us, putting their peace of mind and welfare ahead of our own preferences. (Rom. 15:1, 2) The Christian congregation is blessed with many thousands of young people who set sterling examples in this regard. How proud they make us as they refuse to ‘follow their hearts and their eyes,’ choosing instead to please Jehovah in all that they do​—even in the way they dress!

Do Not Follow “Unrealities”

14. What warning about pursuing “unrealities” did Samuel deliver?

¹⁴ Imagine that your journey took you across a vast desert. What would happen if you veered off the road to pursue a mirage? Pursuing that illusion could cost you your life! Jehovah well knows that danger. Consider an example. The Israelites wanted to be like the nations around them, who were ruled by human kings. That desire was, in fact, a grave sin, for it amounted to a rejection of Jehovah as their King. Although Jehovah allowed them to have a human king, he had his prophet Samuel deliver a pointed warning about pursuing “unrealities.”​—Read 1 Samuel 12:21.

15. In what ways did the Israelites pursue unrealities?

¹⁵ Did those people think that a human king would somehow be more real, more dependable, than Jehovah? If so, they were truly pursuing an unreality! And they were in danger of pursuing many other satanic illusions. Human kings would easily lead them into idolatry. Idolaters make the mistake of thinking that physical objects​—gods made of wood or stone—​are somehow more real, more reliable, than the invisible God, Jehovah, who created all things. But as the apostle Paul noted, idols are “nothing.” (1 Cor. 8:4) They cannot see, hear, speak, or act. You might be able to see them and touch them, but if you were to worship one, you would, indeed, be pursuing an unreality​—an empty illusion that would bring only disaster.​—Ps. 115:4-8.

16. (a) How does Satan lure many today into pursuing unrealities? (b) Why can we say that material things are unrealities, especially in comparison with Jehovah God?

¹⁶ Satan is still adept at convincing people to pursue unrealities. For instance, he has seduced innumerable people into looking to material things to provide security. Money, possessions, and high-paying jobs may seem to deliver advantages. What do material things deliver, though, when health fails, when the economy crumbles, or when a natural disaster strikes? What do they deliver when people feel empty inside, in need of purpose, direction, and answers to life’s deeper questions? What relief can they deliver in the face of death? If we look to material things to fill spiritual needs, we will be disappointed. Material possessions do not deliver; they are unrealities. In the long run, they cannot even provide physical security, for they have no lasting effect on the present brevity of human life or the likelihood of sickness and death. (Prov. 23:4, 5) How much more real, then, is our God, Jehovah! Only in a strong relationship with him can we find genuine security. What a precious blessing that is! Let us never forsake him in the pursuit of unrealities.

17. What is your resolve regarding the negative influences we have discussed?

¹⁷ Are we not blessed to have Jehovah as our Friend and Guide on life’s journey? If we continue to heed his loving warnings against three bad influences​—the crowd, our own hearts, and unrealities—​we will be much more likely to reach our destination of everlasting life. In the following article, let us consider three more warnings that Jehovah provides to help us hate and avoid the false paths that lead so many astray.​—Ps. 119:128.

Will You Heed Jehovah’s Clear Warnings?

“This is the way. Walk in it, you people.”​—ISA. 30:21.

1, 2. What is Satan bent on doing, and how does God’s Word help us?

A ROAD sign that is pointing in the wrong direction is not just misleading; it is potentially dangerous. Imagine that a friend warned you that an evil man had deliberately changed a sign in order to cause harm to unwary travelers. Would you not heed the warning?

² To be sure, Satan is an evil foe who is bent on misdirecting us. (Rev. 12:9) All the bad influences discussed in the preceding article originate with him and are aimed at causing us to veer off the road that leads to eternal life. (Matt. 7:13, 14) Thankfully, our benevolent God warns us not to follow Satan’s misleading ‘road signs.’ Let us now discuss three more of Satan’s negative influences. As we consider how God’s Word helps us to avoid being misled, we might imagine that Jehovah is walking behind us and is pointing us in the right direction, saying: “This is the way. Walk in it, you people.” (Isa. 30:21) Reflecting on Jehovah’s clear warnings will strengthen our resolve to heed them.

Do Not Follow “False Teachers”

3, 4. (a) How are false teachers like dried-up wells? (b) From where do false teachers often come, and what do they want?

³ Picture yourself on a journey in an arid land. You spot a well in the distance and head for it, hoping to get some water to quench your thirst. Upon arriving, however, you see that the well is dry. How disappointed you are! False teachers are like dried-up wells. Anyone coming to them for waters of truth will be bitterly disappointed. Jehovah through the apostles Paul and Peter warns us about false teachers. (Read Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Peter 2:1-3.) Who are such teachers? The inspired words of these two apostles help us to identify where false teachers come from and how they operate.

⁴ To elders of the Ephesus congregation, Paul said: “From among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things.” Addressing fellow Christians, Peter wrote: “There will also be false teachers among you.” So from where do false teachers come? They may arise from within the congregation. Such ones are apostates.a What do they want? They are not content just to leave the organization that they perhaps once loved. Their aim, Paul explained, is “to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Note the definite article in the expression “the disciples.” Rather than going out and making their own disciples, apostates seek to take Christ’s disciples with them. Like “ravenous wolves,” false teachers are out to devour trusting members of the congregation, destroying their faith and leading them away from the truth.​—Matt. 7:15; 2 Tim. 2:18.

5. What methods do false teachers use?

⁵ How do false teachers operate? Their methods reveal a cunning spirit. Apostates “quietly bring in” corruptive ideas. Like smugglers, they operate in a clandestine manner, subtly introducing apostate views. And just as a clever forger tries to pass phony documents, so apostates use “counterfeit words,” or false arguments, trying to pass their fabricated views as if they were true. They spread “deceptive teachings,” “twisting . . . the Scriptures” to fit their own ideas. (2 Pet. 2:1, 3, 13; 3:16) Clearly, apostates do not have our best interests at heart. Following them would only divert us from the road that leads to eternal life.

6. The Bible gives us what clear counsel regarding false teachers?

⁶ How can we protect ourselves against false teachers? The Bible’s counsel regarding how to deal with them is clear. (Read Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11.) “Avoid them,” says God’s Word. Other translations render that phrase “turn away from them,” “keep away from them,” and “stay away from them!” There is nothing ambiguous about that inspired counsel. Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are “mentally diseased,” and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4) Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects?

7, 8. (a) What is involved in avoiding false teachers? (b) Why are you determined to take a firm stand against false teachers?

⁷ What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes or greet them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch TV programs that feature them, examine their Web sites, or add our comments to their blogs. Why do we take such a firm stand? Because of love. We love “the God of truth,” so we are not interested in twisted teachings that contradict his Word of truth. (Ps. 31:5; John 17:17) We also love Jehovah’s organization, through which we have been taught thrilling truths​—including Jehovah’s name and its meaning, God’s purpose for the earth, the condition of the dead, and the hope of the resurrection. Can you recall how you felt when you first learned these and other precious truths? Why, then, allow yourself to be soured by anyone who would denigrate the organization through which you learned these truths?​—John 6:66-69.

⁸ No matter what false teachers may say, we will not follow them! Why go to such dried-up wells only to be deceived and disappointed? Instead, let us be determined to remain loyal to Jehovah and to the organization that has a long record of quenching our thirst with the pure and refreshing waters of truth from God’s inspired Word.​—Isa. 55:1-3; Matt. 24:45-47.

Do Not Follow “False Stories”

9, 10. What warning did Paul give Timothy regarding “false stories,” and what may Paul have had in mind? (See also footnote.)

⁹ At times, it may be easy to discern that a road sign has been tampered with and is pointing the wrong way. At other times, it may be difficult to detect the deception. It is similar with Satan’s negative influences; some are more obvious than others. The apostle Paul warns us about one of Satan’s insidious strategies​—“false stories.” (Read 1 Timothy 1:3, 4.) Lest we become sidetracked from the road leading to life, we need to know, What are false stories, and how can we avoid paying attention to them?

¹⁰ Paul’s warning about false stories is part of his first letter to Timothy, a Christian overseer who was charged with preserving the purity of the congregation and helping fellow believers to remain faithful. (1 Tim. 1:18, 19) Paul uses a Greek word that can refer to fiction, myth, or falsehood. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, this word refers to “a (religious) story that has no connection with reality.” Perhaps Paul had in mind religious lies promoted by sensational tales or fanciful legends.b Such stories only “furnish questions for research”​—that is, raise frivolous questions that lead to pointless research. False stories are a ploy of the archdeceiver, Satan, who uses religious lies and godless myths to sidetrack unsuspecting ones. Paul’s counsel is clear: Do not pay attention to false stories!

11. How has Satan made clever use of false religion in misleading people, and heeding what warning will help us to avoid being misled?

¹¹ What are some false stories that could lead astray the unwary? In principle, the expression “false stories” can apply to any religious lie or myth that could turn us “away from the truth.” (2 Tim. 4:3, 4) Satan, who pretends to be “an angel of light,” has made clever use of false religion in misleading people. (2 Cor. 11:14) Under the guise of Christianity, Christendom teaches doctrines​—including the Trinity, hellfire, and immortality of the soul—​that are awash in myths and falsehoods. Christendom also promotes holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, whose seemingly innocent customs are actually rooted in mythology and paganism. By heeding God’s warning to separate ourselves and “quit touching the unclean thing,” we will not be misled by false stories.​—2 Cor. 6:14-17.

12, 13. (a) What lies has Satan promoted, and what is the truth regarding each of those lies? (b) How can we avoid being misled by Satan’s false stories?

¹² Satan has promoted other lies that could mislead us if we are not careful. Consider some examples. Anything goes​—right or wrong. It is determined by how you feel. This idea is promoted in the media and in entertainment. Such a distorted view of God’s standards exerts pressure on us to cast aside all moral restraint. The truth is that we have a desperate need for moral guidance that only God can fill. (Jer. 10:23) God will not intervene in earth’s affairs. Being influenced by such a live-for-today spirit could cause us to become “inactive or unfruitful.” (2 Pet. 1:8) The truth is that Jehovah’s day is fast approaching, and we must keep in expectation of it. (Matt. 24:44) God does not care about you as an individual. Believing this satanic lie could cause us to give up, feeling that we could never be worthy of God’s love. The truth is that Jehovah loves and values his worshippers as individuals.​—Matt. 10:29-31.

¹³ We must keep up our guard, for the thinking and attitudes of Satan’s world may seem plausible on the surface. Remember, though, that Satan is a master of deception. Only by heeding the counsel and reminders of God’s Word can we avoid being misled by Satan’s “artfully contrived false stories [“cleverly concocted myths,” The New American Bible].”​—2 Pet. 1:16.

Do Not “Follow Satan”

14. What warning did Paul give to certain younger widows, and why do all of us need to take to heart his words?

¹⁴ Imagine a road sign that says “This Way to Follow Satan.” Who of us would heed such a sign? Yet, Paul warns us about several ways in which dedicated Christians might be “turned aside to follow Satan.” (Read 1 Timothy 5:11-15.) Paul’s words are directed to certain “younger widows,” but the principles he mentions apply to all of us. Those first-century Christian women may not have thought that they were following Satan, but their actions amounted to just that. How can we guard against even unwittingly following Satan? Let us examine Paul’s warning regarding harmful gossip.

15. What is Satan’s aim, and how does Paul identify Satan’s tactics?

¹⁵ Satan’s aim is to silence the voice of our faith​—to get us to stop preaching the good news. (Rev. 12:17) To that end, he tries to get us to pursue activities that waste time or that cause division among us. Notice how Paul identifies Satan’s tactics. “Unoccupied, gadding about.” In this age of technology, it is easy to waste our time and that of others by, for example, forwarding nonessential or even fallacious e-mails. “Gossipers.” Harmful gossip may lead to slander, which often causes contention. (Prov. 26:20) Whether they realize it or not, malicious slanderers imitate Satan the Devil.c “Meddlers in other people’s affairs.” It is not our right to tell others how to run their personal affairs. All such idle and troublesome behavior can distract us from the God-assigned work of Kingdom preaching. If we stop actively supporting Jehovah’s work, then we start following Satan. There is no middle ground.​—Matt. 12:30.

16. Heeding what advice can help us to avoid being “turned aside to follow Satan”?

¹⁶ Heeding the Bible’s advice can help us to avoid being “turned aside to follow Satan.” Consider some of Paul’s wise counsel. Have “plenty to do in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58) Keeping busy in Kingdom activities will protect us from the dangers of idleness and time-wasting pursuits. (Matt. 6:33) Speak what is “good for building up.” (Eph. 4:29) Be determined not to listen to harmful gossip and not to spread it.d Cultivate trust in and respect for fellow believers. We will thus be inclined to speak words that build up rather than tear down. “Make it your aim . . . to mind your own business.” (1 Thess. 4:11) Show personal interest in others, but do so in ways that respect their privacy and that do not take away their dignity. Remember, too, that we should not impose our own views on others regarding matters that they need to decide for themselves.​—Gal. 6:5.

17. (a) Why does Jehovah warn us about what not to follow? (b) What is your determination regarding the path that Jehovah wants us to take?

¹⁷ How grateful we are that Jehovah clearly tells us what not to follow! Never forget, though, that Jehovah’s warnings discussed in this and the preceding article are motivated by his great love for us. He wants to spare us the misery and pain that result from following Satan’s misleading ‘road signs.’ The path that Jehovah wants us to take may be cramped, but it leads to the best possible destination​—everlasting life. (Matt. 7:14) May we never waver in our determination to heed Jehovah’s admonition: “This is the way. Walk in it.”​—Isa. 30:21.

[Footnotes]