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By Guest Nicole
Sitting for hours without moving can slow the flow of blood to our brains, according to a cautionary new study of office workers, a finding that could have implications for long-term brain health. But getting up and strolling for just two minutes every half-hour seems to stave off this decline in brain blood flow and may even increase it.
Delivering blood to our brains is one of those automatic internal processes that most of us seldom consider, although it is essential for life and cognition. Brain cells need the oxygen and nutrients that blood contains, and several large arteries constantly shuttle blood up to our skulls.
Because this flow is so necessary, the brain tightly regulates it, tracking a variety of physiological signals, including the levels of carbon dioxide in our blood, to keep the flow rate within a very narrow range.
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By Jack Ryan
Groundbreaking occurrence at this weeks CLAM! Did you catch it??
This video segment on social media safety was, are you ready for this...
... NARRATED BY A WOMAN!!!!! *gasp*
correct me if I'm wrong but this may be the first time in WT history that information was disseminated by the voice of a lowly female. Can anyone think of this happening before...?
Apparently a women can teach digitally now but not from a platform?
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By Guest Nicole
Date:
April 5, 2018
Source:
Cell Press
Summary:
Researchers show for the first time that healthy older men and women can generate just as many new brain cells as younger people.
Researchers show for the first time that healthy older men and women can generate just as many new brain cells as younger people.
There has been controversy over whether adult humans grow new neurons, and some research has previously suggested that the adult brain was hard-wired and that adults did not grow new neurons. This study, to appear in the journal Cell Stem Cell on April 5, counters that notion. Lead author Maura Boldrini, associate professor of neurobiology at Columbia University, says the findings may suggest that many senior citizens remain more cognitively and emotionally intact than commonly believed.
"We found that older people have similar ability to make thousands of hippocampal new neurons from progenitor cells as younger people do," Boldrini says. "We also found equivalent volumes of the hippocampus (a brain structure used for emotion and cognition) across ages. Nevertheless, older individuals had less vascularization and maybe less ability of new neurons to make connections."
The researchers autopsied hippocampi from 28 previously healthy individuals aged 14-79 who had died suddenly. This is the first time researchers looked at newly formed neurons and the state of blood vessels within the entire human hippocampus soon after death. (The researchers had determined that study subjects were not cognitively impaired and had not suffered from depression or taken antidepressants, which Boldrini and colleagues had previously found could impact the production of new brain cells.)
In rodents and primates, the ability to generate new hippocampal cells declines with age. Waning production of neurons and an overall shrinking of the dentate gyrus, part of the hippocampus thought to help form new episodic memories, was believed to occur in aging humans as well.
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By Guest Nicole
A new study adds evidence to the argument that exercise can help preserve brain health, particularly in the aging brain.
What makes this study different than most is a wrinkle in its methodology. Unlike many studies that look for a connection between exercise and brain health, this one used a specific way of measuring physical fitness, by testing the participants’ maximum oxygen consumption during aerobic exercise (known as the V02 max test, it’s a method recognized by the American Heart Association as an objective way of analyzing cardiovascular fitness--more reliable than people just self-reporting on how fit they think they are).
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By Bible Speaks
Doing microphones as a sister in our English group in Slovenia! We just moved there because the need is great, so not enough brothers to cover all duties.”
Many Sisters rejoice to be used in this way to help out!Â
What are your thoughts? ??
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By Guest Kurt
 You know, when the first man awoke to meet his mate for the very first time, he was so overwhelmed with God’s gift that he spontaneously broke into poetry. Isn’t that romantic? As Jehovah guided Eve to her husband, the man said, in Genesis, “This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Isha”, that’s pretty isn’t it. “This one will be called women, because from man this one was taken”. Isha means literally, female man. It was to show how closely related man and woman were to be.
Well it’s been about six thousand years since that very tender romantic moment. What has happened to woman since then? Well, I think we would agree that we find woman in the 20th century with an identity crisis. There was a pole taken in this country and it said: “the underlying mood of women in America is one of conflict, frustration, deep division, and change.” Is that the way, sometimes, you sisters feel?
How does God view a woman? How does Jehovah want us to view you as brothers? How does Jehovah view you, as sisters? And how does Jehovah want you sisters to view yourself?
The bottom line that weÂ’ll probably emphasize a few times in our discussion is that there is only one kind of woman Jehovah can love. And thereÂ’s only one kind of woman that Jehovah can get close to. And that is a spiritual woman. ThatÂ’s the only kind of woman Jehovah can deeply be involved with.
Now the world would be happy to take your mind and mould your opinion of what you should be in a spiritual, emotional, physical or a mental status. Because as a matter of fact, in the late 60s and 70s, most of us are aware that women all over the world united and they had a women’s liberation movement. Why did women feel a need to be liberated? Well, in Denmark women wrote a manifesto and this is what they expressed. They said: “we’re considered breeders. We’re oppressed. We’re abused. We’re exploited as cheap labor. Our only purpose is to enhance another man’s life.” Have you ever given a woman a reason to feel that way?
Tens of thousands marched with a banner around a mockup statue of liberty and marched down New York City streets. And one of the reporters came over to this woman and said: “How come you have a statue of liberty with the banner around it ‘women of the world unite’? Why are you using the statue of liberty?” And she said: “Because of the irony.” She said: “The woman is used to represent liberty, and here we are, as women, not free or liberated at all.”
Well some of the arguments that women had put forth in that movement are valid arguments. One of the things that women really object to is being used or viewed as sexual objects. And you canÂ’t deny that thatÂ’s the case. When you look at the advertising on TV a womanÂ’s body can sell anything even if it has nothingÂ… you know, thatÂ’s the old joke, that they use it to sell any product from cars to whatever it is, they will use a womanÂ’s appearance to make the sale.
Even modest commercials sometimes exploit women. You know; commercials that would rarely cause maybe an offence in our conscience? But, you know,  I think of that one commercial that’s been on for years, and the hook line is: “Gentlemen prefer Hanes”, right? They’ve said it so many times you would think that men were the ones that wore the nylons. But what’s the message that they try to get across in that particular advertisement? Well they’re telling you that if you want to be acceptable you must be physically desirable. That’s the bottom line. You better look good if you want to be accepted, and a lot of women have really been put through the ringer. They say that certain, even mental problems that women have had just trying to look good, have caused them great emotional stress because of the pressure society has put on them to look just so.
Some feel the bible puts women down. If you ask some women whether God is dead, they will emphatically answer: No, SHE’S not! And that’s the way they feel. I guess a lot of anger comes from exploitation and oppression and prejudice and lack of respect. But was this God’s fault? What was God’s purpose in creating woman? Well let’s turn to Geneses chapter 2 verse 18 and notice what this account says: “Jehovah God went on to say, it is not good for the man to continue by himself. I am going to make a helper for him, as a compliment for him.” Do you see the two roles a woman was to play in being created? What were they? Just real briefly please. ---- Yes. To be a helper and a compliment. She wasn’t simply to be a child breeder or a child bearer.  She was to be a partner.
In Genesis 1:28 there’s a very interesting word used there. It says: “God blessed them and God said to, THEM, be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, and have in subjection” all the animals of the sea. Making this earth a paradise was not a one-man project. Adam and Eve were to do it together. He needed her and she needed him. Not just to fill the earth, but to make it a beautiful paradise, and to have all the animals in subjection.
We know that Eve was created from Adams rib. Of course a lot has been said about that. There was a poem that said that woman wasnÂ’t created from his head or from his feet, but from his side, so as to be his companion. But we donÂ’t know what significance there was for Adam to have lost a rib and to create eve from that. But I can tell you that the highest quality blood is produced in the marrow of the ribs. Maybe Jehovah was telling us that this is a high quality creation.
Of course when we look back at that account I think itÂ’s obvious to all of us that the first man and woman wanted something that could never be theirs. They wanted to supersede JehovahÂ’s power of determining what was right and wrong, and when they went that far to decide for themselves, they lost their spirituality. And do you get the point? They lost the only reason that Jehovah had for loving them, because the only kind of person Jehovah can love is a spiritual person. Â Of course the woman rebelled first didnÂ’t she? And some conclude that if it wasnÂ’t for women weÂ’d never be in this mess. WeÂ’d be in the garden.Â
But that’s not really accurate, after all man was the head. He should have steered in the right course. He had the greater responsibility. He has to share the greater guilt.  Romans 5:12 confirms that.  It says: “through one, MAN, sin entered into the world.”
Well as a result, both of them were cursed. In Genesis chapter 3 verse 16 it tells us the curse upon one woman. Â Some women; do you know what they think the curse is that they have to live with? Â They think its subjection, because itÂ’s one of the hardest things for them to do.
But I want you to notice what it says in verse 16: “To the woman he said “I shall greatly increase the pain for your pregnancy.  In birth pangs you will bring forth children, your craving will be for your husband and he will dominate you.”  See subjection wasnÂ’t the curse. If she remained in subjection sheÂ’d never get into trouble. The curse was domination; and some do suffer under that today. Â
Of course the curse on Adam was no less harmful to him. The bible says that heÂ’d have to scrape the dirt of ground to make a living. Â He had to work so hard to eke out a living that thatÂ’s all he did all day long. Â The ground was cursed and he could only get a little bit of food at a time for him and his children.
The bible says God cursed the ground to stall wickedness. He was so busy just trying to eat, to live; that they had no time to do anything that was bad. It was only after the flood that the groundÂ’s curse was lifted. Â They had a miserable life, both of them, due to being unfaithful and lacking spirituality.
Well I think we can be very happy that there are women that have exceeded their original mother, Eve.  We have excellent examples of women who are truly spiritual women.  We can think of the women who survived the flood. How many were there? How many women survived the flood? Pam ---[Pam from the audience answers:] “Four” --- That’s right. Can you picture them carrying signs lobbying to try and get on that ark? No, they were allowed on that ark because they were faithful.  Some complain that we don’t know the names of those women, but we know the names of the men. How come men are given better priority than women are?
Well, we didnÂ’t know the name of the son of God for 4,000 years. Â He didnÂ’t complain about that. When it was time for us to know who he was, we did. Well naturally, when those women come back in the resurrection, weÂ’ll know their names too, and what a privilege it well be to meet them.
The point that is important to establish here is that these women were not preserved simply to be breeders, to continue the human race. They were preserved because they were spiritual women, and Jehovah will never forget them, and he will bring them back. Â Maybe one day, if weÂ’re spiritual, we will have the privilege of being with them.Â
When we talk about spiritual women we canÂ’t leave out Sarah, because she is really a celebrated woman in the bible. Â She was strikingly beautiful. Â You havenÂ’t seen beauty as what Sarah had. I donÂ’t think you ever will until the new system. Â You know, Sarah, when men would see her, they would just long for her companionship. Â They craved her. Â They just couldnÂ’t get their eyes off of her. Â And these were prominent men.Â
When Abraham and Sarah left Ur they were going through Egypt. Pharaoh wanted her, and entertained her, courted her. Â Now hereÂ’s the man that had tens maybe millions of women at his disposal, and yet it was Sarah that he wanted. Â He just couldnÂ’t get her out of his mind until Jehovah struck him with the plague, and then he lost everything that he felt for her and told them to please get out because he didnÂ’t want to suffer anymore.Â
Do you know how old Sarah was at that time? Â 66. Â ThereÂ’s not many woman that age that really would pull that kind of attraction would they. Â And sometime later Abimelech, who was a king of an area, he too wanted her. Â He was very aggressive. Â Jehovah had to interfere again with the plague. You see Sarah, though she was very beautiful, never allowed men to make her an object of their sexual fantasies. And he just longed for her until Jehovah struck him with the plague. Â But do you know how old Sarah was at that time? About 89. Â So when I say you havenÂ’t seen beauty like Sarah, now you know why.
And even though Sarah was so beautiful, and obviously very strict in her discipline and the way she carried herself, what did she call her husband? Mary --- [Mary from the audience answers:] “Lord” --- That’s right. It doesn’t mean that she used that verbally. We don’t know if she called him lord verbally, but she did deeply respect him in her heart.
Does that mean that Sarah and Abraham always got along and she was like a little cocker spaniel always panting at his every breath? Â Well, we know that they had their ups and downs in their marriage just like anyone else does. Â ItÂ’s an interesting account recorded for us in the book of Genesis chapter 21, where Abraham and Sarah came into a deep conflict in their marriage.
Sarah kept noticing something that Abraham didnÂ’t notice. She noticed that HagarÂ’s son, (and Hagar was AbrahamÂ’s concubine, maid servant, or secondary wife,) was poking fun at Isaac, and this wasnÂ’t simply teasing because Paul, in Galatians, equates it with persecution. That means that IsaacÂ’s life may have been threatened, you see, by Ishmael.
So it was a very serious thing, and Sarah wanted Ishmael and Hagar dismissed from the house and to be sent off.  Well, Abraham was a loving man, and he just couldnÂ’t see doing this.  Well in verse 12 of that chapter it says God said to Abraham, “DonÂ’t let anything that Sarah keeps saying to you be displeasing to you about the boy and about your slave girl.  Listen to her voice, because it is by means of Isaac that what will be called your seed, will be.” Â
Well Jehovah told Abraham that he had to listen to Sarah, that she was right, that her perception was beyond AbrahamÂ’s at that point to appreciate that. Â You see, SarahÂ’s wasnÂ’t acting like a jealous woman who was in competition with this other woman and wanted her out of the house at this point. Â We have to remember that Sarah was a spiritual woman. Â She was especially concerned about the seed because the seed of promise was the means of deliverance for mankind, and it was extremely important that that seed be protected and guarded.Â
Sarah had the utmost concern for that seed.  She was the one that suggested that Abraham have relations with Hagar.  She was the one that suggested that with Hagar.  It wasn’t Hagar’s idea, it wasn’t even Abraham’s idea, but when she was barren for so long, she said: “Abraham, the seed comes through you, so please make sure that you find a woman who can bear a son, that will eventually make this line possible. “ So she was a spiritual person. Was not jealous. Was not a catty woman. But when she saw the seed was endangered, well she took action, and Jehovah told Abraham to listen to her.
Well I think itÂ’s obvious by this account that you can see that Sarah was not simply a child bearer, a housekeeper. She was a vital link in the outworking of Gods purpose. Â This woman, Sarah, is used to represent JehovahÂ’s entire heavenly organization. Now thatÂ’s an honor given to one solitary sister in the bible. Â Jehovah used her, and He loves her, and will forever remember her, because she was spiritual. Â A spiritual woman is the only kind of woman Jehovah can deeply love.
ThereÂ’s another interesting example in 2nd Kings, maybe youÂ’ll remember this. This too is an unnamed woman, though I think weÂ’re gonna really delight if we have the privilege to meet her. In 2nd Kings chapter 4. She lived in Shunem, and I want you to notice where her spirituality was reflected.Â
In verse 8 of chapter 4, it says: “It came about one day that Elisha, when passing along to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she began to constrain him to eat bread. It came about that as often as he would pass by he would turn aside there to eat bread. At length she said to her husband: “Here now I well know that it is a holy man of God that is passing by us constantly.  Please, let us make a little roof chamber on the wall and put there for him a couch and a table and a chair and lamp stand, and it must occur that whenever he comes into us, he can turn aside there.”Â
ThatÂ’s interesting isnÂ’t it? Â WhatÂ’d you learn from that account? Â Elisha was a profit who traveled in a circuit. Â Maybe any woman would be satisfied if she simply entertained this profit each time he passed by, but you see, she was really a spiritual woman, and she told her husband that she would appreciate it very much if they could build an addition on to their house and furnish that addition, so that when he came by he would have a place to stay.
Why did she suggest that? Â Because she recognized that this was a holy man of God. Â Now how many people, how many women, would be willing to sacrifice some good clothes, perhaps a little vacation, maybe a better car, just to build an addition onto their house for one solitary profit who was a man of God? Â
It took sacrifice. She was a spiritual woman, see, and her husband recognized that, so he built the addition onto his home. Â A lesson for our husbands is; do we listen to our wives, when we examine this woman of Shunem or Sarah, do we recognize that weÂ’re working for the same goals? Do we feel our wives arenÂ’t as mentally keen as we are? Â Or do we really recognize theyÂ’re GodÂ’s given gifts, just like Abraham did, and just like this husband of this woman of Shunem did?Â
When women were submissive to JehovahÂ’s arrangements, when they were submissive to them, and werenÂ’t running ahead of JehovahÂ’s arrangements, Jehovah used them gloriously. Â ItÂ’s so obvious in the bible. Women were used as prophets in the bible. Can you remember one prophetess in the bible? --- Yes, that was in the Christian Greek scriptures, thank you. --- Yes thatÂ’s true too, weÂ’re gonna talk about her. And another famous one in the Hebrew scriptures, Deborah, that comes to my mind too. Â In Judges 5:7 she is spoken of as mother of Israel. How do you like that? A very prominent position. But do you know why? Â Because she was submissive to JehovahÂ’s arrangements. Â She didnÂ’t run ahead. She cooperated, and as a result of that, Jehovah really was able to use her, and exult her, and not humble her and bring her down to size. ItÂ’s good for us to reflect on these spiritual women in the bible.
You know what else is important? Is for sisters to know how they should view themselves. Â And you know who can help us with that? ItÂ’s Jesus Christ. Â His view of you sisters can help any sister to know how to view herself. And believe me, when Jesus came to the earth he had a real hard time dealing with this because in the first century, woman, according to the bible, it was just a terrible thing to happen to be born a woman.
A woman, according to Talmud, was lower than a pig.  Imagine that. And you weren’t even allowed to have a pig in your yard. As a matter of fact there’s a prayer in the Talmud, it says: “Thank you God, that you didn’t create me a slave, an animal, a pig, or a woman.” Imagine that.
 Well how did Jesus treat women?  ThereÂ’s an interesting point mentioned. LetÂ’s reflect on it in the book of Luke chapter 11, see what we can learn from this together. In Luke Chapter 11 and verses 27 and 28 it says: “Now as he was saying these things a certain woman out of the crowd raised her voice and said to him “Happy is the womb that carried you and the breasts that you sucked.”  But he said “No, rather, happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it.”Â
Those are pretty strong words arenÂ’t they? Jesus was trying to get across a point to all women, including all Christian women today.  Because this woman was just saying that because she felt that Mary must have been really proud that she had the privilege of giving birth to the second most important person in the universe, who happens to turn out to be the Messiah.  Whose breasts he sucked and who she raised. [She] says: ‘Your mother must be so proud of you, must be so happyÂ’ and Jesus could have said ‘yeah mom is kind of happy with the way things turned outÂ’, but he didnÂ’t. He wouldnÂ’t give room for that thought.  He said “Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”Â
So the most important thing for women is not their children. It is not the most important thing to either have children, or to raise them. ItÂ’s your spirituality thatÂ’s the most important thing. Â ItÂ’s your relationship with God.Â
In Luke chapter 10 verse 39, Jesus gives another perspective to women to think about. Â You remember the story about Martha and Mary? Â And Martha was really running around. If Jesus was coming to your home I think you would make a fuss too. Â DonÂ’t tell me youÂ’d cook the same thing you would cook for your husband, because I wouldnÂ’t believe it. Â If the son of God was visiting your home, you would really be up in an uproar. Â Everyone would know what you were doing and where you were and you would be just flying around the kingdom hall, you know, just trying to figure out what you were going to prepare for the son of God, and you know it. Â So, you can be sympathetic with Martha at this point.
In verse 40 it says: “Martha, on the other hand, was distracted attending to many duties, so she came near and said: ‘Lord does it not matter to you that my sister has left me alone to attend to things?  Tell her therefore to join in helping me.’”  Martha was positive that Jesus would support her in her effort to illicit some help from her sister.  In answer the lord said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. A few things though are needed, or just one, for her part Mary chose the good portion and it will not be taken away from her.Â
Now Jesus wasnÂ’t belittling housework any more than he was belittling having children, but itÂ’s not the most important thing. And some sisters, they love their homes, and they love their children, and they center their lives around them, to the sacrifice of their spirituality, and it shows. Â And thatÂ’s what Jesus was telling us. Â That housework, our homes, the beauty of our homes, our childrenÂ…, itÂ’s important, but itÂ’s not [more] important than our relationship with God. Again, itsÂ’ what you are as a spiritual person. Please donÂ’t neglect that. Â DonÂ’t put yourself down by putting things ahead of your spirituality.
Jesus elevated women. He helped them to appreciate that they werenÂ’t simply breeders or housekeepers, or theyÂ’re simply to enhance another manÂ’s life. Â And we know that Jesus got this elevated view from Jehovah. Â We can be very thankful that in the Christian congregation we have sisters that really appreciate the role of a woman, as a sister and as a wife. Â In 1st Peter 3:5, it refers to women as being holy, and that expression is not to be taken lightly. Jehovah sees both men and women as dedicated, thinking individuals.Â
Now itÂ’sÂ’ true that men were given heavier responsibilities, but both were endowed with the four powerful attributes of love, justice, wisdom and power. Â In those qualities, women are in no way inferior to men, at least in their potential to develop those qualities, and I wanna prove that to you.Â
Turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18.  And I want you to notice the second word in that verse. It says: “and all of us, while we with unveiled faces reflect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, exactly as done by Jehovah the Spirit.”
Did you notice that second word? “ALL”. Men and women reflect, or can reflect, the glory of Jehovah.  And what proves that they can do it to his satisfaction is that Jehovah chooses women just as he chooses men to be part of the 144,000, which is the highest honor in the universe.
So never feel that you are just a housecleaner or child bearer, or that you are here simply to enhance another man’s life.  God has a high loving regard for a spiritual woman. That’s the only kind of woman he can really draw close to. The aid book made an interesting comment, it said: “your relationship to Jehovah as a woman is just as important as any man’s relationship is with him.”
Well I think thatÂ’s really encouraging to review some of those thoughts, and it helps us to appreciate the high position and the honor that Jehovah gives to our sisters, and that should make a sister really feel good, recognizing she has a long lineage of faithful sisters to copy in their spirituality and their example. When a sister recognizes how much credit Jehovah gives to her, donÂ’t you think that enables her to also absorb the counsel that Jehovah gives to sisters that he does.
As we mentioned, one of the most difficult challenges of the 20th century Christian woman is to be in subjection; to be in subjection to her husband, whether he is a believer or a un-believer. And most importantly, to show subjection right here to the congregation and to its arrangement.Â
Now do we do that, and what encouragement does Jehovah give to us?  LetsÂ’ talk about being in subjection to a husband. IÂ’d like you to turn to 1st Peter chapter 3.  See what you think about this. 1st Peter chapter 3 and verse 5. IÂ’ve read it so many times but I think I only noticed this point after the 100th reading. It says, “For so, too, formerly the holy women who were hoping in God, used to adorn themselves,” now notice how, “subjecting themselves to their own husbands.”Â
Now subjection isnÂ’t easy, but what does the bible call it? It said itÂ’s your adornment. ThatÂ’s what makes you feminine.  ThatÂ’s what makes a women look beautiful in JehovahÂ’s eyes  is her subjection, so when she loses her submissiveness sheÂ’s losing the garment that makes her look pretty in JehovahÂ’s eyes. Â
Now naturally itÂ’s gonna be a lot harder for a woman to be in subjection where the man does not take the lead. ThereÂ’s no question that a man who takes his responsibilities seriously, really draws out of a woman her most feminine qualities, doesnÂ’t he. Â But if a man is not masculine, does that give an excuse for a woman not to be feminine?Â
In 1st Corinthians 11 verse 3, it set out very clearly the order that God felt we would be the happiest.  We use this scripture to disprove the trinity but that’s not why it was written. It says: “I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ, in turn the head of the woman is the man, and in turn the head of the Christ is God.”
Now we know some women in the world feel itÂ’s disparaging for a women to be in subjection to her husband. Â But if itÂ’s disparaging for a women to be in subjection to her husband, then that means it would also be disparaging for a man to be in subjection to the Christ, and it would have to be disparaging for Christ to be in subjection to God.Â
Well we say thatÂ’s ridiculous. It only makes sense that Christ be in subjection to God. Â And it certainly makes sense to most women that men should be in subjection to Christ. Â Well if those two points make sense then doesnÂ’t it make sense that a woman really is going to be happiest when sheÂ’s in subjection to her husband?
In 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 4, Jehovah specifically defines the attitude of subjection. See what you think of it. ItÂ’s not easy, but Jehovah is painting a picture of what he would really like to see in a woman.  In verse 4 it says: “let it be the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes of God.”Â
Quiet and mild. ThatÂ’s hard sometimes isnÂ’t it? Â But you can see that thatÂ’s the feminine quality that some women are afraid to show, because they feel they are going to get hurt if they are. Â Well sometimes we do get hurt, and Jesus was hurt too. Â JehovahÂ’s been hurt too. Â And He has a very quiet and mild spirit also. If he was a real angry, nasty personality we know weÂ’d all be dead a long time ago. Probably wouldnÂ’t even be here. Â Quiet and mild. It doesnÂ’t prevent us from expressing ourselves, it just tells us how to do it in a feminine way and thatÂ’s our adornment. ThatÂ’s what makes a woman look beautiful in JehovahÂ’s eyes. ItÂ’s of great value in JehovahÂ’s eyes, even if it may not be in the eyes of your own mate.
You know sometimes we have single sisters that are looking for brothers in the truth, and you know that if you are looking for a spiritual brother, do you know what kind of sister he is looking for? A spiritual sister. And you know, generally, a brother whoÂ’s looking for a sister to marry in the truth, do you know what they ask themselves? Â They wonder if sheÂ’s a happy person. If sheÂ’s openhearted and generous. If sheÂ’s friendly, mild tempered, sympathetic, humble, grateful, kind and maybe most important: self forgetful. Very rarely does a brother ask what can she do. They just want to know, what can she BE.
Of course, to please does not mean an unconditional surrender of oneÂ’s self. Â ThatÂ’s not the definition of it. It means giving the good of ourselves to others. It means creating an atmosphere of cheerfulness in the home, which is, in part, the responsibility of a woman. Â And thatÂ’s not simply a talent, and itÂ’s not simply with those who have a lot of energy. ItÂ’s for any woman who wants to be a spiritual woman; a spiritual sister. Â And thatÂ’s the only kind of woman that Jehovah can deeply love and be close to.Â
Of course, some sisters are married to unbelieving mates, and that sure doesnÂ’t make it any easier. If thereÂ’s opposition to the truth, discouragement, even non support, if Jehovah loves a spiritual woman, how can she maintain her spirituality? Â Well in the AID book under woman, I donÂ’t know if you sisters have ever read that, but it might be a good idea. Â It applies to you and I think youÂ’d find the subject fascinating. Â I only read it recently and maybe youÂ’d enjoy reading it too.Â
ItÂ’s in the AID book under woman. So you can write that down along with all your scriptures. Â And they gave a very interesting example of a woman who was married to an unbelieving mate. Â And I never thought of it, it was Abigail. Â She was married to Nabal. The bible says he was a good for nothing man. Â If the bible says that, that means it was Gods opinion of him. That means he must have been really no good. He was a disgusting despicable character. Few people are spoken of with more contempt than Nabal was. Â
And the account that they reflect on is when David was asking Nabal for some provisions, and David was the anointed of Jehovah. The woman of Shunem recognized that she should build an apartment on her house to house a holy man of God. Nabal wouldnÂ’t even give him anything to eat. Believe me, David was angry. He deserved it.
Abigail was a spiritual woman. She recognized that he was the anointed of God. She would not follow her husband in this course. Sure it was his decision, but he was wrong. And so she took a stand on this spiritual course and she gave David lots of provisions, secretly, without her husband knowing.
The next day she did tell him, and when she told him, the bible says that his heart became as hard as stone. Â It seems that he was affected by some paralysis, and the bible goes on later to say that Jehovah killed him within the week, so you know he wasnÂ’t a very good person. But she remained in subjection to him until it came to JehovahÂ’s law, and then she took her stand. Â And she was rewarded wasnÂ’t she? Â She fell in love with a real spiritual person.Â
Let me read this to you. It was in the Aid book under woman, it says: “the primary duty in Israel of all women was to have children.” Does that make sense?  It shouldn’t.  “The primary duty in Israel of all women was to clean house? …to work? …to please her husband?”  No.  “The primary duty in Israel for all women was to please Jehovah in true worship.”  That’s what came first.
If that comes first in your life, whether you have a husband in the truth or out of the truth, that certainly will help each sister to remain spiritual so that she can remain in JehovahÂ’s love. Â Of course whether a sister is married to a believing or an unbelieving mate, she must show subjection to the congregation and to its arrangements. Â
Some of the strongest words in the bible directed to our sisters are in 1st Corinthians 14. Â I think it would be good for us to examine it. Â I tried to find the strongest expressions that were used and I thought itÂ’d be good for us to analyze it, just so we can understand it, because these words offend the ears of those who are not very spiritual. Â
1st Corinthians 14.  Notice what it says in verse 34. “As in all the congregations of the holy ones, let the women keep silent in the congregations, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but let them be in subjection, even as the law says.  If then, they want to learn something, let them question their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in a congregation.”Â
Now thatÂ’s strong isnÂ’t it?  What does it mean?  Does it mean that women canÂ’t say anything in the congregation?  It couldnÂ’t mean that.  In the first century women spoke in tongues, women prophesied, and they gave fine comments just like you sisters do here in the congregation.  Let me read to you what it says about this verse in the Qualified to be Ministers book.  It says: “Sisters should not try to give counsel to dedicated brothers. On this matter they have to be in silence.  They must not argue or contradict brothers in the congregation or give instruction.  If they want to learn something they may ask their husband at home. If unmarried ask a mature brother. But they should not be asking merely to bring out a point of correction to get the brothers or their husbands to correct the servant. No. Paul says, they may ask if they themselves want to learn something.” See, thatÂ’s what is said there.Â
Does that help to set the spirit of things in our mind right?  Or does it rule out asking questions.  It certainly doesn’t rule out trying to get a better understanding of a situation.  The thing that’s ruled out is the asking of questions in an argumentative way, challenging, or debating. That shows a lack of submission to Jehovah’s arrangements, and sometimes the way we say something, is where Jehovah feels we’ve lost our adornment, not the fact that we say something.  And then if we say something and we don’t get an answer that we like, what’s going to be our attitude after that?  Are we still gonna  complain about something, or murmur about it, or wonder when it’s going to be changed or fixed?  You see, if we go too far, then the bible says we’re acting disgracefully.
Now, it doesnÂ’t rule out commenting at meetings. Believe me; you sisters add depth, perception, warmth, and feeling to the truth, and we need you for that. Â And while a sister is not permitted to exercise that kind of authority in the congregation from the platform, a sister can teach. She can teach younger sisters. She can teach her own children. And our sisters do a tremendous job of teaching hundreds of people out in the field service.Â
You know, even Priscilla, with Aquila, helped Apollos out spiritually in Acts 18:26.  If you ever feel a little frustrated about the way things are going in the congregation, you can talk to a brother about it, and just try to understand as best you can whatÂ’s happening, and then leave it alone not to badger the point, belabor it, or make it an issue.  And if you feel sometimes that you have to make it an issue, ‘there has to be something done about thisÂ…Â’, ‘weÂ’ve gotta get this straightened outÂ…Â’.  A good example to think about, that might help to temper our approach, is the one of Miriam.Â
If you turn to the book of Numbers, this is an interesting account, Miriam was a prophetess.  I was impressed to read in Micah 6:4 that when Jehovah says he delivered the nation of Israel he says; “I used Moses, Aaron and Miriam.”  Imagine that, she got mentioned with the two men.  That she was used to deliver the nation of Israel.Â
Evidently she conveyed inspired messages to Israel. Jehovah spoke to her, as he spoke to Moses. She was older than Moses too you know.  She was his older sister. She was the one that diapered him after she got him back from Pharaoh’s daughter, so she really, in many ways, even suffered more than Moses did, because Moses was out in Median for 40 years, while she was trying to make bricks without straw.  She had a harder life and she felt since she was a prophetess, inspired by God, her words are written in the bible, that she should have more of a say about how things are run in Israel.  You see, she reasons in Numbers verse 2 of chapter 12: “They kept saying: “Is it by Moses alone that Jehovah has spoken?  Is it not by us also that he has spoken?”  And Jehovah was listening.”
What was JehovahÂ’s response to this? Well notice in verse 10, it says: “the cloud turned away from over the tent, and, look!  Miriam was struck with leprosy as white as snow.  Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and, look! She was struck with leprosy.”  Terrible. Her skin was falling off her body.  Do you know why Jehovah struck her with leprosy?  It was to show her how unattractive she looked out of place. Â
Moses and Aaron, they wanted Miriam to be made well. Jehovah said: “No. She’s offended me.”  Now some sisters sometime feel, “Oh I would never do what Miriam did. Boy. That was terrible. I would have recognized that Moses was the head. Oh I would have never run ahead of Moses, he was a good man.  I’m not that kind of person. I wouldn’t be caught in that situation.  Look brother, what I see is real. It needs to be said. Miriam was wrong. What she saw was inaccurate. What I see is accurate.”
What if you do see something that you feel is not right and you feel something needs to be done. Â What position should a sister take in the congregation? Â LetÂ’s reflect on one more spiritual sister that can help us. Â ItÂ’s in the book of Luke chapter 2. Â This is Anna, and you know something, like Miriam she too was a prophetess. Â In Luke chapter 2 verse 36, we read about Anna. It tells us that she was a widow. She was only married for 7 years, so she was a widow for most of her life because at this point she was 84 years old, but notice in verse 37, it says she was never missing from the temple, she rendering sacred service night and day, with fastings and supplications. And in that very hour she came near and began returning thanks to God and speaking about the child to all those waiting for JerusalemÂ’s deliverance.
Why was Anna supplicating and fasting? Â You know why? Because she was a smart sister. Â She was a spiritual woman, and she knew that temple was so corrupt, and so disgusting, and so far away from JehovahÂ’s worship, that she was at that temple every day praying that one day Jehovah would straighten out this mess.
It doesnÂ’t say she went around bad mouthing the elders or bad mouthing the religious leaders. It doesnÂ’t say that she stayed away from that temple, because it was obviously corrupt and no good. She was there, she supported JehovahÂ’s arrangement, and she prayed [and] supplicated to Jehovah that someday it would be right.  And you know what? She had the privilege of seeing the messiah, and when she saw that babe she said, “Now I know things will be right”Â
She had faith, and as we spoke about previously, faith helped her to be modest because she was no longer frustrated, she knew that Jehovah would straighten everything out in his own due time. Â She never lived to see it. She died before the messiah died himself. Â She was a spiritual woman though. Jehovah will never forget her. He deeply loved her. Â Maybe we will have a chance to meet her, and to really get to know her.
Jehovah loves a spiritual woman. Do you know what question we need to ask after that, is how lovable are you? How spiritual are you? Are you in subjection to the congregation and to its arrangements, and to your husband? Â Are you really putting spiritual things first in your life? ItÂ’s got top priority.
If you are, youÂ’re truly working toward being a good spiritual woman, and certainly a fine example for all of us as brothers. Â If your husband isnÂ’t in the truth. If your husband doesnÂ’t pray with you. If you are a spiritual woman; that will never stop you from praying fervently. Â If your husband doesnÂ’t go out in service that often; that wonÂ’t prevent you from being whole souled in service. Â If your husband doesnÂ’t go to meetings; that will never keep you home. Â If your husband doesnÂ’t study with you; that wonÂ’t keep you from being good students of the bible.
You see, that’s a spiritual woman. And you know something? We need spiritual women.  Really, the truth is, we need each other.  And to close our discussion I’d like you to turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 11. Paul wraps up our feelings and our thoughts so beautifully. All of us, let’s turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 11 and 12. Notice the wording.: ‘Besides, in connection with the Lord, neither is woman without man nor man without woman.  For just as the woman is out of the man, so also the man is through the woman: but all things are out of God.”
Well it was nice to be able to share that information with you and I hope that you really found it encouraging and helpful.
Â
Milovsky Robert - Jehovah Loves a Spiritual Woman - excellent talk.mp3
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By Jack Ryan
Regarding a change to a song title, the study article on page 7 paragraph 17 of November 2017 Watchtower explained, “The change of the title “Guard Your Heart” to “We Guard Our Hearts” was most considerate. Why? In the audience at our meetings, assemblies, and conventions are many new ones, interested ones, young ones, and sisters who by singing the words would be put in the awkward position of telling others what to do. So the title and the lyrics were modified.”
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By Guest Nicole
Children who eat fish tend to sleep better and score higher on IQ tests, a new study has found.
Using self-administered questionnaires, researchers collected information on fish consumption among 541 Chinese boys and girls ages 9 to 11. Parents reported their children’s sleep duration, how often they awoke at night, daytime sleepiness and other sleep patterns. At age 12, the children took IQ tests.
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By Guest Nicole
Both sugary, diet drinks correlated with accelerated brain aging
Date:
April 20, 2017
Source:
Boston University
Summary:
Excess sugar -- especially the fructose in sugary drinks -- might damage your brain, new research suggests. Researchers found that people who drink sugary beverages frequently are more likely to have poorer memory, smaller overall brain volume, and a significantly smaller hippocampus. A follow-up study found that people who drank diet soda daily were almost three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia when compared to those who did not.
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By Guest Nicole
Memory athletes like Sue Jin Yang — competing here in the 17th annual USA Memory Championship in New York City in 2014 — wear headphones to block out distractions as they memorize the order of decks of cards.
Carolyn Cole/LA Times via Getty Images
There is such a thing as a memory athlete. These are people who can memorize a truly insane amount of information really quickly, like the order of playing cards in a deck in under 20 seconds, or 200 new names and faces in a matter of minutes.
Neuroscientists writing Wednesday in the journal Neuron found these champs of memorization aren't that different from the rest of us.
"We were interested in what differentiates memory champions from normal people, like you and me," says Martin Dresler, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior at Radboud University in the Netherlands.
Were parts of their brains bigger, for example, or more dense with gray matter?
To find out, Dresler and Boris Nikolai Konrad — a doctoral student in Dresler's lab who happens to be a memory champion himself — rounded up nearly two dozen champs.
"We really took the world's best memorizers — 23 memory champions out of the top 50 of the world. You wouldn't find anywhere in the world people more capable of memorizing stuff than them," says Dresler.
They did MRI scans of their brains, to take a look at the anatomy.
Then they scanned the brains of 23 regular people who were matched in age, gender and even IQ to the memory athletes. When Dresler and his colleagues compared the brain scans, they found no difference. At least, no big, obvious difference.
"That was actually really a bit surprising," he says.
But, when Dresler and his colleagues did functional MRI scans, which measure brain activity by looking at how much blood is going to specific portions of it, they did see a subtle difference in brain activity.
When memory athletes were asked to recite a long list of memorized words, some portions of brain were activating in unison — making 25 connections that seemed particularly significant among different parts of the brain. The scientists didn't see that sort of unified activity in the brains of the regular subjects.
In particular, parts of the brain associated with memory and with spatial learning seemed to be interacting a lot.
That makes sense, when you consider the tricks these athletes had learned to use when they memorize.
They weren't born with extraordinary memorization skills. They had all learned and practiced the same kind of training to develop their seemingly superhuman abilities.
Konrad, the memorizing whiz in Dresler's lab who is also a co-author of the study, started using the memory strategy as a hobby in high school, after watching memory championships on TV. He holds the world record for memorizing faces and names — 201 people in 15 minutes.
"I use my visual memory," says Konrad. If he's trying to remember a person called Miller, he says, "I would picture this person looking at a mill, maybe during a vacation in the Netherlands."
For more abstract memory challenges, like memorizing the exact order of hundreds of digits, he'll build memory palaces. It's a method that's been around since the Greeks and is covered extensively in the book Moonwalking With Einstein by journalist Joshua Foer.
It works by recalling a building or place that is very familiar and charting a mental path through that building.
"The very first one I ever did was in the home of my parents, where I still lived back then when I was still in high school," says Konrad.
Then, he memorizes an order of walking through that house.
"It would start in my room," he says. The first location would be my bed, and the second one would be the shelf above my bed; then it's my desk, the computer on it, the window, the mirror and so on."
To memorize abstract information, like a list of numbers, he would translate numbers into images and then distribute them along the mental path through his house.
For example, to memorize my phone number, which starts with "1202," Konrad transforms pairs of numbers into images, using something called the Major System.
The combination "1-2," for example, brings to mind (for him) a dinosaur, Konrad says. "So I would then picture a dinosaur standing on my bed," says Konrad. "It's a weird image. That's why it sticks."
"And then, 0-2 would be a sun. So, I would picture the sun illuminating the shelf over my bed," he says. And so on.
In a second part of their study, Konrad and Dresler recruited 51 university students, and had one-third of them do memory palace training for six weeks — once a week in person with Konrad, and half an hour a day at home on the computer. (If you want to give it whirl, here you go.)
Another group did a different kind of memory training, and the last group did nothing special.
Then, they were brought into the lab and were asked to memorize a list of words, like "night, car, yardstick," and so on.
The researchers used functional MRI machines to scan the brains of subjects as they rested, and again as they recited the list of words.
In the group that did memory palace training, Konrad, Dresler and their colleagues found that the volunteers' brain activity had changed to become more like that of the champions of memorization. This was the case when they were reciting words, but also when they were at rest.
"We showed that, indeed, the brain is somehow driven into the patterns you see in memory champions," says Dresler.
The subjects came back into the lab four months after training and got a new list of words to memorize. The ones who had done memory palace training did really well compared to the others, and their brains were still connecting in that new way.
"Not only during a task, but even in the complete absence of any memory-related activity, we see this effect — that memory champions differ from matched controls, and that after memory training your brain shows similar patterns," says Dresler.
"There are very few actual studies of people with remarkably superior memory who compete in these memory contests. This is by far the largest," says Roddy Roediger, a psychologist with Washington University in St Louis.
Roediger has studied people with exceptional memory for a long time. He says people knew that something different had to be going on inside the brains of these people.
"These people are the first to really uncover what that something may be," he says.
But this method of memory training is not the key to unlocking intelligence. In fact, it doesn't even seem to be the key to unlocking overall memory capability.
For example, Roediger knows a man capable of playing dozens of games of chess at the same time, while blindfolded.
"He had never heard of memory palaces," says Roediger.
There are also people who have memorized the Bible in its entirety and can recite portions of it on demand. And there are others who have a condition known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, where they remember every day of their lives in sometimes excruciating detail.
"And yet, when you put them in memory tasks that memory competitors can do very easily, they can't do them any easier than you or I could," says Roediger. "So that's a real mystery."
The same limitations apply to people who have trained their memories.
If, for example, you ask the chess player or a Bible memorizer to remember a long list of words, says Roediger, "none of them can do that." Their techniques are specific to their tasks.
And, he says, intense memory training doesn't cure everyday forgetfulness.
"They forget the milk on the way home from work just like we do," says Roediger.
Boris Nikolai Konrad says it has been years since he forgot something on his grocery list. But every now and then he does slip up with someone's name — and that's a moment people don't let him forget.
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By Bible Speaks
11 "Jehovah gives the command;
The women proclaiming
the good news are a large army." (Psalm 68:11)
jw.org
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By Bible Speaks
11 "Jehovah gives the command;
The women proclaiming
the good news are a large army." (Psalm 68:11)
jw.org
IMG_2364.MOV
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By Guest Nicole
Using a sauna may be more than just relaxing and refreshing. It may also reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, a new study suggests.
Researchers in Finland analyzed medical records of 2,315 healthy men ages 42 to 60, tracking their health over an average of about 20 years. During that time, they diagnosed 204 cases of dementia and 123 cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, in Age and Ageing, controlled for alcohol intake, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes and other health and behavioral factors. It found that compared with men who used a sauna once a week, those who used a sauna four to seven times a week had a 66 percent lower risk for dementia and a 65 percent lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
The senior author, Jari Antero Laukkanen, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Eastern Finland, said that various physiological mechanisms may be involved. Sauna bathing may, for example, lead to reduced inflammation, better vascular function or lowered blood pressure.
“Overall relaxation and well-being can be another reason,” he added, though the findings were only an association. “We need more studies to clarify mechanisms and confirm our findings.”
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By Guest Kurt
The Guardian November 29, 2016
To all incredible women who strive for excellence,
When I was growing up, I had a dream. I’m sure you did, too. My dream wasn’t like that of an average kid, my dream was to be the best tennis player in the world. Not the best “female” tennis player in the world.
I was fortunate to have a family that supported my dream and encouraged me to follow it. I learned not to be afraid. I learned how important it is to fight for a dream and, most importantly, to dream big. My fight began when I was three and I haven’t taken a break since.
But as we know, too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that. For me, it was a question of resilience. What others marked as flaws or disadvantages about myself – my race, my gender – I embraced as fuel for my success. I never let anything or anyone define me or my potential. I controlled my future.
So when the subject of equal pay comes up, it frustrates me because I know firsthand that I, like you, have done the same work and made the same sacrifices as our male counterparts. I would never want my daughter to be paid less than my son for the same work. Nor would you.
As we know, women have to break down many barriers on the road to success. One of those barriers is the way we are constantly reminded we are not men, as if it is a flaw. People call me one of the “world’s greatest female athletes”. Do they say LeBron is one of the world’s best male athletes? Is Tiger? Federer? Why not? They are certainly not female. We should never let this go unchallenged. We should always be judged by our achievements, not by our gender.
For everything I’ve achieved in my life, I am profoundly grateful to have experienced the highs and lows that come with success. It is my hope that my story, and yours, will inspire all young women out there to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience. We must continue to dream big, and in doing so, we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits.
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. .(from an ex-witness) -
By Guest Nicole
It’s that time of year again. On November 6th, most of the United States will participate in that semi-annual ritual of changing the clocks by an hour. In the fall we gain an hour of sleep time, or an hour of loafing around on a Sunday morning…how bad could it be?
Our circadian clock is an elaborate system of chemical signals and hormonesreacting to all sorts of environmental inputs such as light, feeding, and even temperature. The system is quite elegant, with many interconnected parts that when working well keeps us healthy with brains and metabolism in tip top condition. We can compare the circadian system to an orchestra playing a symphony…if everyone is playing the same piece, well-timed and in tune, it sounds wonderful, but if one horn is off pitch, the whole experience can be ruined.
Sleep is necessary for the brain to wash away the build-up of toxic byproducts of cell metabolism accumulated over the day. Without sleep, we very quickly lose the ability to function. The effects of acute total sleep deprivation are very obvious. In folks with bipolar disorder it can cause a manic episode and seizures in those with epilepsy. Long term, even low level sleep deprivation can contribute to a myriad of bad health effects, such as obesity, depression, and dementia. It also increases risks of heart attacks and motor vehicle accidents. While one hour difference a couple times a year seems small, evidence shows us that the delicate human circadian clock doesn’t adjust well to the abrupt difference in time.
When looking at the acute affects of the one hour transition of daylight savings, there are a host of papers showing negative effects on workplace injuries, productivity, traffic accidents, and heart attacks. But what about mental health? Older papers remark on no changes in suicidal behaviors or increase in inpatient or outpatient admissions during DST changes, but large Scandinavian registries over decades give us the ability to get a bigger picture of daylight savings in spring and fall and mental health. Overall admissions could balance out if each transition (forward or backward) has different effects on major depressive disorder or mood disorders with more seasonal components.
It seems that the single hour change is not disruptive enough to lead to an increase hospitalization for bipolar manic episodes in this Finnish study (whereas there are cases of mania caused by bigger time shifts due to air travel). However, less dramatic but negative behavioral effects are seen in children during the days following daylight savings switches.
One hour of change in the timing of the day (that, in the fall, is often looked upon favorably as ‘that extra hour of sleep’) theoretically has it’s most debilitating consequences for those with depressive disorders. We don’t understand all the intricacies of circadian rhythm and mood problems, but we do know there are many therapies involving light, sleep deprivation, early awakening, and circadian advance to an “early to bed, early to rise” sleep schedule can effectively help treat depression. Sleeping later in the morning is associated with depression, particularly in women. It makes sense, then, that a government proscribed regimen of sleeping later could increase the risk of depression, and a recent large study seems to confirm this, with an 11% increase in hospitalizations for depression in the weeks after the daylight savings transition to standard time in Denmark. Autumn daylight savings in the high latitudes shortens the effective light in the working day, with biologic and psychological effects.
The one hour time change, even adding an hour of needed sleep, can be detrimental to the brain’s delicate circadian clock. It acts as one more stressor to the myriad of stress in our modern daily schedules. Given that daylight savings time may not even save energy, it’s a wonder that we subject ourselves to the disruption twice a year.
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By Guest Nicole
Telling small lies desensitizes our brains to the associated negative emotions and may encourage us to tell bigger lies in future
Date:
October 24, 2016
Source:
University College London
Summary:
Telling small lies desensitizes our brains to the associated negative emotions and may encourage us to tell bigger lies in future, reveals new research.
Researchers have shown that self-serving lies gradually escalate, and they have revealed how this happens in our brains.
Credit: © pathdoc / Fotolia
Telling small lies desensitises our brains to the associated negative emotions and may encourage us to tell bigger lies in future, reveals new UCL research funded by Wellcome and the Center for Advanced Hindsight.
The research, published in Nature Neuroscience, provides the first empirical evidence that self-serving lies gradually escalate and reveals how this happens in our brains.
The team scanned volunteers' brains while they took part in tasks where they could lie for personal gain. They found that the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with emotion, was most active when people first lied for personal gain. The amygdala's response to lying declined with every lie while the magnitude of the lies escalated. Crucially, the researchers found that larger drops in amygdala activity predicted bigger lies in future.
"When we lie for personal gain, our amygdala produces a negative feeling that limits the extent to which we are prepared to lie," explains senior author Dr Tali Sharot (UCL Experimental Psychology). "However, this response fades as we continue to lie, and the more it falls the bigger our lies become. This may lead to a 'slippery slope' where small acts of dishonesty escalate into more significant lies."
The study included 80 volunteers who took part in a team estimation task that involved guessing the number of pennies in a jar and sending their estimates to unseen partners using a computer. This took place in several different scenarios. In the baseline scenario, participants were told that aiming for the most accurate estimate would benefit them and their partner. In various other scenarios, over- or under-estimating the amount would either benefit them at their partner's expense, benefit both of them, benefit their partner at their own expense, or only benefit one of them with no effect on the other.
When over-estimating the amount would benefit the volunteer at their partner's expense, people started by slightly exaggerating their estimates which elicited strong amygdala responses. Their exaggerations escalated as the experiment went on while their amygdala responses declined.
"It is likely the brain's blunted response to repeated acts of dishonesty reflects a reduced emotional response to these acts," says lead author Dr Neil Garrett (UCL Experimental Psychology). "This is in line with suggestions that our amygdala signals aversion to acts that we consider wrong or immoral. We only tested dishonesty in this experiment, but the same principle may also apply to escalations in other actions such as risk taking or violent behaviour."
Dr Raliza Stoyanova, Senior Portfolio Developer, in the Neuroscience and Mental Health team at Wellcome, said: "This is a very interesting first look at the brain's response to repeated and increasing acts of dishonesty. Future work would be needed to tease out more precisely whether these acts of dishonesty are indeed linked to a blunted emotional response, and whether escalations in other types of behaviour would have the same effect."
Story Source:
Materials provided by University College London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Neil Garrett, Stephanie C Lazzaro, Dan Ariely, Tali Sharot. The brain adapts to dishonesty. Nature Neuroscience, 2016; DOI: 10.1038/nn.4426
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University College London. "How lying takes our brains down a 'slippery slope': Telling small lies desensitizes our brains to the associated negative emotions and may encourage us to tell bigger lies in future." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 October 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161024134012.htm>.
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By Guest Nicole
Do you see what I see? Not necessarily with these optical illusions! When you look at an image, your brain takes that information into perception. Sometimes, an image can trick the brain into perceiving it differently from what the picture actually is, creating an optical illusion.
Take a look at the following 10 images to find out if you can see the two images masking as one.
Is It a Man Playing a Horn or Woman’s Face?
When you stare at this black and white image, do you see woman’s face with hair on the right side of it or a man playing a horn? If you can’t see the man, look at the black shape. See him now?
Is It a Rabbit or a Duck?
If you look at this image one way, the two rectangular shapes on the left could be a duck’s bill. But if you look at it another way, those shapes might appear to you as a pair of rabbit ears.
Do You See One Face or Two?
When staring at this image, you might see two silhouettes facing each other. Look again and you may just see one face staring at a candlestick.
Do You See a Stream or People?
Some people may see a rushing stream going down a mountain in this picture, but if you take a closer look at that stream, you may see it as people wearing white robes. What do you see?
Is It a Frog or Horse?
At first glance, this image may just look like an illustration of a horse. However, if you tilt your head to the left you might see a frog sitting on a lily pad instead.
Is It a Vase or Two Faces?
In this popular optical illusion you might see a vase. Another person might look at it and see two silhouettes of faces. Do you see how the curves of the vase could form the shape of a face and vice versa?
Do You See an Old Man, an Old Woman, or a Girl?
Your eye might show you one, two or even three different images in this complex optical illusion. Do you see the large nose and mustache of a man who is wearing a hat? Perhaps you see the young girl wearing a hat who is looking away on her left. Or, you might see the old woman, also wearing a hat, who is facing to the left.
Are the Circles Intertwining or Concentric?
Do these circles look like they’re intertwining to you? Now, take another look and try to pinpoint the locations in which the circles meet. If you can’t find them, don’t worry. These circles are actual concentric and only have the illusion of intertwining with one another.
Are the Circles Moving?
Staring still at this image will show you two stationary circles with a black dot in the middle of the inner circle. Stare at the dot, but start moving your head closer to the image, and then pull it away. Did you see the circles move?
Do You See an Elderly Man and Woman or a Young Man and Woman?
When you look at this image do you see two elderly people gazing at each other? If not, you might see two people wearing sombreros while sitting down set against a larger scene. The man is playing the guitar. These people’s bodies make out the silhouettes of the elderly couple’s faces.
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By Guest Nicole
Manbij women have been ripping off their burqas and burning them, smoking cigarettes, while men cut off their beards, all while rejoicing at their newly obtained freedom after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) drove jihadists from the Syrian city.
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By Guest Nicole
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Could too much weight be bad for the brain as well as the belly?
New research suggests that being overweight or obese may trigger premature aging of the middle-aged brain.
The study centered on how carrying excess weight might affect the brain's white matter, which facilitates communication between different brain regions.
White matter tissue is known to shrink with age. But the new study found that the amount of white matter in the brain of a 50-year-old overweight/obese person was comparable to that of a 60-year-old lean person.
"Obesity is associated with a host of biological processes that are seen in normal aging," said study author Lisa Ronan, a research associate in the department of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge in England. "And therefore we hypothesized that obesity may in fact compound the effects of aging that we see in the brain. This is what we found."
Ronan stressed that it's "too early to tell" what this really means. "However, it is possible that being overweight may raise the risk of developing disorders related to neurodegeneration such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia," she said.
Still, the study didn't prove obesity causes premature brain aging. And, Ronan noted that "there were no differences in cognitive ability between overweight and obese people and their lean counterparts."
Ronan and her colleagues focused on nearly 500 men and women between the ages of 20 and 87. All were residents of the Cambridge region and in good mental health.
About half were "lean" (at a body mass index or BMI between 18.5 and 25). Nearly a third were "overweight" (BMI 25 to 30), and about 20 percent were "obese" (BMI over 30). Body mass index is a measure of body fat based on weight in relation to height.
Initial white matter measurements generally revealed that overweight/obese participants had notably reduced white matter volume compared with lean participants.
And an age breakdown revealed that a middle-aged participant who was either overweight or obese had a white matter volume comparable in size to that of a middle-aged lean participant a decade older.
The study authors stressed that the 10-year white matter difference was only seen among those middle-aged and older, not among participants in their 20s or 30s. This, they said, suggests that the brain may become increasingly vulnerable to the impact of excess weight as people grow older.
"At the moment, we really don't know what might be driving the correlation between an increased BMI and lower white matter volume," noted Ronan.
"Indeed, it is not yet clear whether being overweight/obese may cause brain changes, or whether brain changes may in some way cause an increase in adiposity (excess weight)," she added.
"Until we understand the mechanism that relates BMI to brain changes, it is not easy to say whether losing weight will in some way act to mitigate the effects we reported," she said. "This is something that we are currently investigating."
The findings were published recently in the Neurobiology of Aging journal.
Dr. Yvette Sheline is director of the Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. She described Ronan's study as "interesting from several perspectives."
But, Sheline noted that the study had a few "limitations," which might explain why the research team didn't observe any relationship between reduced white matter volume and poorer memory and thinking.
Sheline said Ronan's team "only looked at obesity as an overall measure and didn't take into account the distribution of fat." She also noted that some studies have suggested that obesity centered around the waist does tend to have a worse effect on thinking than other types of obesity.
"Also, this study didn't actually follow people over time, so their conclusions are limited by having measures from only one time point," Sheline added.
More information
There's more on obesity's impact on health at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
SOURCES: Lisa Ronan, Ph.D., research associate, department of psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England; Yvette Sheline, M.D., professor, psychiatry, radiology and neurology, and director, Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia; July 27, 2016, Neurobiology of Aging
Last Updated: Aug 10, 2016
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By Guest Nicole
MRI scans found infants who drank more of it had more brain tissue, study found.
TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Breast milk may help promote brain growth in premature infants, a new study found.
"The brains of babies born before their due dates usually are not fully developed," explained senior investigator Dr. Cynthia Rogers, an assistant professor of child psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis.
"But breast milk has been shown to be helpful in other areas of development, so we looked to see what effect it might have on the brain," Rogers said in a university news release.
"With MRI scans, we found that babies fed more breast milk had larger brain volumes. This is important because several other studies have shown a correlation between brain volume and cognitive development," she said.
The study included 77 infants born at least 10 weeks early, with the average being 14 weeks premature. Brain scans were conducted on the infants at about the time when they would have been born if delivered at full term.
The scans revealed that infants whose daily diets included at least 50 percent breast milk had more brain tissue and cortical-surface area than those who received much less breast milk.
The findings were to be presented Tuesday at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, in Baltimore. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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By Guest Nicole
Scientists report that diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reverse the damage
Date:
April 22, 2016
Source:
University of California - Los Angeles
Summary:
Consuming fructose, a sugar that's common in the Western diet, alters hundreds of genes that may be linked to many diseases, life scientists report. However, they discovered good news as well: an important omega-3 fatty acid known as DHA seems to reverse the harmful changes produced by fructose.
A range of diseases -- from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer's disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- are linked to changes to genes in the brain. A new study by UCLA life scientists has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that's common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.
However, the researchers discovered good news as well: An omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, seems to reverse the harmful changes produced by fructose.
"DHA changes not just one or two genes; it seems to push the entire gene pattern back to normal, which is remarkable," said Xia Yang, a senior author of the study and a UCLA assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology. "And we can see why it has such a powerful effect."
DHA occurs naturally in the membranes of our brain cells, but not in a large enough quantity to help fight diseases.
"The brain and the body are deficient in the machinery to make DHA; it has to come through our diet," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and of integrative biology and physiology, and co-senior author of the paper.
DHA strengthens synapses in the brain and enhances learning and memory. It is abundant in wild salmon (but not in farmed salmon) and, to a lesser extent, in other fish and fish oil, as well as walnuts, flaxseed, and fruits and vegetables, said Gomez-Pinilla, who also is a member of UCLA's Brain Injury Research Center.
Americans get most of their fructose in foods that are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid sweetener made from corn starch, and from sweetened drinks, syrups, honey and desserts. The Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans consumed an average of about 27 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup in 2014. Fructose is also found is in most baby food and in fruit, although the fiber in fruit substantially slows the body's absorption of the sugar -- and fruit contains other healthy components that protect the brain and body, Yang said.
To test the effects of fructose and DHA, the researchers trained rats to escape from a maze, and then randomly divided the animals into three groups. For the next six weeks, one group of rats drank water with an amount of fructose that would be roughly equivalent to a person drinking a liter of soda per day. The second group was given fructose water and a diet rich in DHA. The third received water without fructose and no DHA.
After the six weeks, the rats were put through the maze again. The animals that had been given only the fructose navigated the maze about half as fast than the rats that drank only water -- indicating that the fructose diet had impaired their memory. The rats that had been given fructose and DHA, however, showed very similar results to those that only drank water -- which strongly suggests that the DHA eliminated fructose's harmful effects.
Other tests on the rats revealed more major differences: The rats receiving a high-fructose diet had much higher blood glucose, triglycerides and insulin levels than the other two groups. Those results are significant because in humans, elevated glucose, triglycerides and insulin are linked to obesity, diabetes and many other diseases.
The research team sequenced more than 20,000 genes in the rats' brains, and identified more than 700 genes in the hypothalamus (the brain's major metabolic control center) and more than 200 genes in the hippocampus (which helps regulate learning and memory) that were altered by the fructose. The altered genes they identified, the vast majority of which are comparable to genes in humans, are among those that interact to regulate metabolism, cell communication and inflammation. Among the conditions that can be caused by alterations to those genes are Parkinson's disease, depression, bipolar disorder, and other brain diseases, said Yang, who also is a member of UCLA's Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences.
Of the 900 genes they identified, the researchers found that two in particular, called Bgn and Fmod, appear to be among the first genes in the brain that are affected by fructose. Once those genes are altered, they can set off a cascade effect that eventually alters hundreds of others, Yang said.
That could mean that Bgn and Fmod would be potential targets for new drugs to treat diseases that are caused by altered genes in the brain, she added.
The research also uncovered new details about the mechanism fructose uses to disrupt genes. The scientists found that fructose removes or adds a biochemical group to cytosine, one of the four nucleotides that make up DNA. (The others are adenine, thymine and guanine.) This type of modification plays a critical role in turning genes "on" or "off."
The research is published online in EBioMedicine, a journal published jointly by Cell and The Lancet. It is the first genomics study of all the genes, pathways and gene networks affected by fructose consumption in the regions of the brain that control metabolism and brain function.
Previous research led by Gomez-Pinilla found that fructose damages communication between brain cells and increases toxic molecules in the brain; and that a long-term high-fructose diet diminishes the brain's ability to learn and remember information.
"Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain," said Gomez-Pinilla. He recommends avoiding sugary soft drinks, cutting down on desserts and generally consuming less sugar and saturated fat.
Although DHA appears to be quite beneficial, Yang said it is not a magic bullet for curing diseases. Additional research will be needed to determine the extent of its ability to reverse damage to human genes.
The paper's lead author is Qingying Meng, a postdoctoral scholar in Yang's laboratory. Other co-authors are Zhe Ying, a staff research associate in Gomez-Pinilla's laboratory, and colleagues from UCLA, the National Institutes of Health and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Yang's research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant R01DK104363), as is Gomez-Pinilla's (R01DK104363 and R01NS050465).
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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Americans get most of their fructose in foods that are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid sweetener made from corn starch, and from sweetened drinks, syrups, honey and desserts. The Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans consumed an average of about 27 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup in 2014.
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By TrueTomHarley · Posted
Angel on the right shoulder: “Don’t say it, TrueTom. Just don’t. Everyone has heard it a million times. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?” Devil on the left shoulder: “Go for it, TrueTom. They’ll fall over themselves laughing and they’ll think you SO witty. Think of the great NAME you’ll be making for yourself!” Yes, but so far no one has answered the question: “What is H2O 4?” -
By JW Insider · Posted
OH! Some of what looks like water is actually "OH" not H2O, and this hydroxyl can be a real "OH-OH." The link you gave mentioned: But it was unclear whether that hydrogen was in the form of hydroxyl – the chemical that makes up drain cleaners – or in the form of H2O, or water. The NIH.gov site cites a biochemical journal about hydrogen peroxide (HOOH), which adds this: . . . to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH.) from H2O2 has been investigated . . . And all this, of c -
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/nasa-moon-announcement-today-news-water-lunar-surface-wet-b1346311.html looks like there's more water than we expected on the moon, and hopefully that'll be useful for future astronauts! -
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Another reason to suspect it was "designed":
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Que vos prières soit préparées comme une encens apaisante pour Jéhovah· 0 replies
Chez les Israélites, l’offrande d’encens était un symbole approprié pour désigner les prières que Dieu entend. C’est pourquoi le psalmiste David a chanté à Jéhovah :
“ Que ma prière soit préparée comme l’encens devant toi. ”
— Psaume 141 : 2
JÉHOVAH DIEU a chargé son prophète Moïse de préparer un encens sacré à l’usage du culte qui lui était rendu dans le tabernacle d’Israël. Il a donné lui-même la formule de ce mélange composé de quatre ingrédients aromatiques qui dégageaient une bonne odeur. — Exode 30:34-38.
L’alliance de la Loi dans laquelle la nation d’Israël avait été admise prévoyait de faire brûler quotidiennement de l’encens (Exode 30:7, 8). Ce geste avait-il une signification particulière ? Oui. En témoignent ces paroles du psalmiste : “ Que ma prière soit préparée comme l’encens devant toi [Jéhovah Dieu], l’élévation de mes paumes comme l’offrande de grain du soir. ” (Psaume 141:2). De plus, dans le livre de la Révélation, l’apôtre Jean dit de ceux qui se tiennent autour du trône céleste de Dieu qu’ils ont des bols d’or pleins d’encens. “ Et, précise le récit inspiré, l’encens représente les prières des saints. ” (Révélation 5:8). Il apparaît donc que la combustion d’encens odorant symbolise les prières agréées que les serviteurs de Jéhovah offrent jour et nuit. — 1 Thessaloniciens 3:10 ; Hébreux 5:7
Pour que Dieu agrée nos prières, nous devons le prier au nom de Jésus Christ (Jean 16:23, 24). Au demeurant, comment pouvons-nous améliorer la qualité de nos prières ? L’examen de quelques exemples pris dans les Écritures devrait nous aider à préparer nos prières comme l’encens devant Jéhovah. — Proverbes 15:8.
Prions avec foi
Si nous voulons que nos prières montent vers Dieu comme un encens de bonne odeur, il nous faut les lui offrir avec foi (Hébreux 11:6). Lorsque des anciens ont affaire à une personne spirituellement malade qui réagit bien à leurs conseils bibliques, ‘ leur prière de foi rétablit celui qui est souffrant ’. (Jacques 5:15.) Notre Père céleste prend plaisir à voir quelqu’un le prier avec foi et étudier consciencieusement sa Parole. Un psalmiste qui manifestait cet excellent état d’esprit a écrit : “ Je lèverai mes paumes vers tes commandements que j’ai aimés, et je veux m’intéresser à tes prescriptions. Enseigne-moi la bonté, le bon sens et la connaissance, car j’ai exercé la foi en tes commandements. ” (Psaume 119:48, 66). ‘ Étendons nos paumes ’ en priant avec humilité et exerçons la foi en observant les commandements de Dieu.
La prière un lien véritable à la sagesse divine
Supposons que nous manquions de sagesse pour surmonter une épreuve ; par exemple, nous pourrions ne pas être convaincus qu’une certaine prophétie soit déjà en train de se réaliser. Plutôt que de laisser cette incertitude nous déstabiliser spirituellement, prions pour recevoir de la sagesse (Galates 5:7, 8 ; Jacques 1:5-8). N’escomptons pas cependant que Dieu nous réponde d’une manière spectaculaire, mais démontrons la sincérité de nos prières en faisant ce qu’il attend de tous ses serviteurs : qu’ils bâtissent leur foi en étudiant les Écritures à l’aide des publications fournies par l’intermédiaire de “ l’esclave fidèle et avisé ”. (Matthieu 24:45-47 ; Josué 1:7, 8.) Nous avons besoin également d’augmenter notre connaissance en prenant part régulièrement aux réunions du peuple de Dieu. — Hébreux 10:24, 25.
Certains chrétiens semblent avoir perdu de vue que nous sommes à un stade avancé du “ temps de la fin ”. (Daniel 12:4.) C’est ce que révèlent l’orientation qu’ils donnent à leur vie et leurs centres d’intérêt. Il convient de prier pour que ces chrétiens ravivent ou affermissent leur foi dans les preuves que fournit la Bible que la présence du Christ a commencé en 1914 et que, ayant été intronisé au ciel par Jéhovah cette année-là, il règne depuis lors au milieu de ses ennemis (Psaume 110:1, 2 ; Matthieu 24:3). Nous devrions tous être bien conscients du fait que des événements annoncés, tels que la destruction de la fausse religion (“ Babylone la Grande ”), l’attaque satanique de Gog de Magog contre les serviteurs de Jéhovah et l’intervention salvatrice de Dieu le Tout-Puissant lors de la guerre d’Har-Maguédôn, peuvent survenir avec une rapidité saisissante et s’enchaîner sur une période relativement courte (Révélation 16:14, 16 ; 18:1-5 ; Ézékiel 38:18-23). Aussi, prions Dieu de nous aider à rester spirituellement éveillés. Puissions-nous tous prier avec conviction pour que le nom de Jéhovah soit sanctifié, pour que son Royaume vienne et pour que sa volonté se fasse sur la terre comme elle est faite au ciel ! Puissions-nous aussi continuer à exercer la foi et à démontrer par des actes la sincérité de nos prières (Matthieu 6:9, 10) ! Que tous ceux qui aiment Jéhovah puissent vraiment chercher d’abord le Royaume et Sa justice, et participer le plus possible à la prédication de la bonne nouvelle avant que vienne la fin ! — Matthieu 6:33 ; 24:14.
Louons et remercions Jéhovah
Une manière importante de ‘ préparer nos prières comme l’encens ’ consiste à louer et à remercier Dieu du fond de notre cœur. Le roi David a prononcé une prière de ce genre quand lui et le peuple d’Israël ont fait des contributions pour la construction du temple de Jéhovah. Il s’est exprimé ainsi : “ Béni sois-tu, ô Jéhovah le Dieu d’Israël notre père, depuis des temps indéfinis et pour des temps indéfinis. À toi, ô Jéhovah, sont la grandeur, la puissance, la beauté, la supériorité et la dignité ; car tout, dans les cieux et sur la terre, est à toi. À toi est le royaume, ô Jéhovah, Celui qui t’élève aussi en chef au-dessus de tout. La richesse et la gloire sont grâce à toi, et tu domines tout ; dans ta main il y a force et puissance, et dans ta main est le pouvoir de rendre grand et de donner de la vigueur à tous. Et maintenant, ô notre Dieu, nous te remercions et nous louons ton nom magnifique. ” — 1 Chroniques 29:10-13.
Quelles splendides expressions de louange et de reconnaissance ! Même si nos prières ne sont pas aussi éloquentes, elles peuvent témoigner de la même sincérité. Les actions de grâces et les louanges abondent dans le livre des Psaumes. Les Psaumes 148, 149 et 150, en particulier, louent Dieu en des termes particulièrement choisis. La gratitude envers Dieu imprègne également de nombreux psaumes. “ J’ai demandé une chose à Jéhovah, a chanté David, — c’est ce que je chercherai : Que j’habite dans la maison de Jéhovah tous les jours de ma vie, pour contempler le charme de Jéhovah et pour regarder avec admiration son temple. ” (Psaume 27:4). Agissons en harmonie avec de telles prières en participant avec zèle à toutes les activités des “ foules rassemblées ” par Jéhovah (Psaume 26:12). Ajoutons à cela la méditation quotidienne de sa Parole, et nous aurons quantité de raisons de louer et de remercier sincèrement Jéhovah.
Recherchons humblement l’aide de Jéhovah
Nous avons l’assurance que Jéhovah entend les appels à l’aide de ses Témoins qui le servent d’un cœur entier (Isaïe 43:10-12). C’est ce qu’illustre un épisode de la vie d’Asa, qui a été roi de Juda pendant 41 ans (977-937 av. n. è.). Après dix premières années de règne marquées par la paix, le pays a été envahi par une armée de un million d’hommes conduite par Zérah l’Éthiopien. Bien qu’infiniment moins nombreux, Asa et ses hommes sont sortis à la rencontre de l’ennemi. Cependant, avant de livrer bataille, Asa a prononcé une prière fervente, dans laquelle il a exprimé sa confiance dans le pouvoir salvateur de Jéhovah. Implorant son aide, il a dit : “ Sur toi nous nous appuyons et c’est en ton nom que nous sommes venus contre cette foule. Ô Jéhovah, tu es notre Dieu. Que le mortel ne conserve pas de vigueur contre toi. ” En conséquence, Jéhovah a sauvé Juda à cause de son grand nom ; il a donné aux Israélites une victoire totale (2 Chroniques 14:1-15). Qu’il nous délivre de l’épreuve ou qu’il nous donne la force de l’endurer, il est hors de doute que Dieu entend nos appels à l’aide.
Soyons certains que Jéhovah entend tout autant nos requêtes lorsque nous ne savons pas comment agir dans une certaine situation critique. C’est ce qu’a pu vérifier le roi de Juda Yehoshaphat, dont les 25 ans de règne ont commencé en 936 avant notre ère. Quand Juda s’est trouvé menacé par les armées coalisées de Moab, d’Ammôn et de la région montagneuse de Séïr, Yehoshaphat a fait cette supplication : “ Ô notre Dieu, n’exécuteras-tu pas le jugement sur eux ? Car en nous il n’y a pas de force devant cette foule nombreuse qui vient contre nous ; et nous, nous ne savons que faire, mais nos yeux sont tournés vers toi. ” Jéhovah a répondu à cette prière humble : il a combattu en faveur de Juda en semant la confusion dans les rangs des ennemis de sorte que ceux-ci se sont entretués. À la suite de cela, la crainte a saisi les nations d’alentour, et Juda a connu la paix (2 Chroniques 20:1-30). Lorsque nous manquons de la sagesse nécessaire pour résoudre une grave difficulté, reconnaissons, comme Yehoshaphat : ‘ Nous ne savons que faire, mais nos yeux sont tournés vers toi, Jéhovah. ’ L’esprit saint peut nous rappeler alors à la mémoire des pensées bibliques qui nous donneront la solution, à moins que l’aide divine ne revête une forme qui dépasse l’entendement humain. — Romains 8:26, 27.
Avant de recevoir l’aide de Dieu, peut-être nous faudra-t-il persévérer dans la prière. Nehémia a mené deuil, a pleuré, jeûné et prié pendant des jours à propos de la muraille en ruine de Jérusalem et de la situation pitoyable des habitants de Juda (Nehémia 1:1-11). Ses prières sont manifestement montées vers Dieu comme un encens de bonne odeur. Devant la mine abattue de Nehémia, le roi perse Artaxerxès lui a un jour demandé : “ Que cherches-tu donc à obtenir ? ” “ Aussitôt, raconte Nehémia, je priai le Dieu des cieux. ” Cette requête courte et silencieuse a été exaucée : Nehémia a reçu l’autorisation d’accomplir ce qui lui tenait à cœur : se rendre à Jérusalem pour y rebâtir la muraille. — Nehémia 2:1-8.
Jésus nous apprend à prier
De toutes les prières qui ont été conservées dans les Écritures, il en est une particulièrement instructive ; c’est la prière modèle, que Jésus Christ a présentée comme un encens de bonne odeur. Voici ce que nous lisons dans l’Évangile de Luc : “ Un [des] disciples [de Jésus] lui dit : ‘ Seigneur, apprends-nous à prier, comme Jean aussi l’a appris à ses disciples. ’ Alors il leur dit : ‘ Quand vous priez, dites : “ Père, que ton nom soit sanctifié. Que ton royaume vienne. Donne-nous notre pain pour le jour selon les besoins du jour. Et pardonne-nous nos péchés, car nous-mêmes aussi nous pardonnons à tous ceux qui nous doivent ; et ne nous fais pas entrer en tentation. ” ’ ” (Luc 11:1-4 ; Matthieu 6:9-13). Cette prière n’était pas destinée à être récitée, mais plutôt à donner une indication de ce pour quoi il faut prier.
“ Père, que ton nom soit sanctifié. ” Jéhovah accorde à ceux qui le servent et lui sont voués le privilège spécial de l’appeler Père. Comme des enfants qui confient tout à un père qu’ils savent miséricordieux, nous devrions prendre régulièrement le temps d’adresser à Dieu des prières empreintes de dignité et de vénération (Psaume 103:13, 14). Nos prières devraient traduire l’intérêt que nous portons à la sanctification de son nom, que nous aspirons à voir lavé de tout l’opprobre dont il a été couvert. Oui, nous voulons que le nom de Jéhovah soit mis à part et tenu pour saint, ou sacré. — Psaumes 5:11 ; 63:3, 4 ; 148:12, 13 ; Ézékiel 38:23.
“ Que ton royaume vienne. ”
“ Que ton royaume vienne. ” Le Royaume représente la domination que Jéhovah exerce par l’intermédiaire du gouvernement céleste messianique qu’il a confié à son Fils, Jésus, et aux “ saints ” qui lui sont associés (Daniel 7:13, 14, 18, 27 ; Révélation 20:6). Bientôt, ce Royaume ‘ viendra ’ contre tous ceux sur la terre qui s’opposent à la souveraineté divine et il les fera disparaître (Daniel 2:44). Après cela, la volonté de Jéhovah sera faite sur la terre, comme elle l’est au ciel (Matthieu 6:10). Quelle joie ce sera pour toutes les créatures qui servent fidèlement le Souverain de l’univers !
“ Donne-nous notre pain pour le jour selon les besoins du jour. ” En demandant à Jéhovah la nourriture “ pour le jour ”, nous montrons que nous ne cherchons pas à avoir abondance de biens, mais seulement de quoi satisfaire nos besoins quotidiens. Tout en comptant sur Dieu, nous travaillons et mettons à profit les moyens à notre disposition pour nous procurer la nourriture et les autres choses nécessaires à la vie (2 Thessaloniciens 3:7-10). Nous devrions évidemment remercier notre Bienfaiteur céleste, car c’est grâce à son amour, à sa sagesse et à sa puissance que nous avons tout cela. — Actes 14:15-17
“ Pardonne-nous nos péchés, car nous-mêmes aussi nous pardonnons à tous ceux qui nous doivent. ” Étant donné que nous sommes imparfaits et pécheurs, il nous est impossible de nous conformer absolument aux normes parfaites de Jéhovah. Nous avons donc besoin de le prier de nous accorder son pardon en vertu du sacrifice rédempteur de Jésus. Mais pour que ‘ Celui qui entend la prière ’ applique le mérite de ce sacrifice à nos péchés, il nous faut également nous repentir et accepter toute discipline qu’il juge bon de nous administrer (Psaume 65:2 ; Romains 5:8 ; 6:23 ; Hébreux 12:4-11). Enfin, nous ne pouvons nous attendre à ce que Dieu nous pardonne que si nous “ avons remis à nos débiteurs ”, c’est-à-dire à ceux qui ont péché contre nous. — Matthieu 6:12, 14, 15.
“ Ne nous fais pas entrer en tentation. ” Quand la Bible dit que Jéhovah fait telle ou telle chose, c’est parfois simplement pour dire qu’il permet qu’elle se produise (Ruth 1:20, 21). Ce n’est pas lui qui nous tente pour nous faire pécher (Jacques 1:13). Les tentations de commettre le mal viennent du Diable, de notre chair imparfaite et du monde. Satan est le Tentateur qui essaie par ses manœuvres de nous faire pécher contre Dieu (Matthieu 4:3 ; 1 Thessaloniciens 3:5). Lorsque nous prions Dieu de ‘ ne pas nous faire entrer en tentation ’, nous lui demandons en fait de ne pas permettre que nous cédions si nous sommes tentés de lui désobéir. Il peut nous indiquer la voie à suivre pour ne pas succomber ni nous laisser vaincre par Satan, le “ méchant ”. — Matthieu 6:13 ; 1 Corinthiens 10:13.
Agissons en harmonie avec nos prières
Comment pouvons-nous agir en harmonie avec les prières dans lesquelles nous demandons à être heureux en mariage et dans notre vie de famille?
La prière modèle de Jésus aborde les points principaux, mais il y a toutes sortes de choses qui peuvent faire l’objet de nos prières. Ce peut être, par exemple, le désir d’être heureux en mariage ; ou bien celui de rester pur jusqu’au jour des noces. Dans ce cas, prions pour avoir de la maîtrise de soi. Mais soyons également conséquents avec nos prières en rejetant les lectures et les divertissements impurs. Soyons déterminés aussi à ‘ nous marier seulement dans le Seigneur ’. (1 Corinthiens 7:39 ; Deutéronome 7:3, 4.) Une fois mariés, ne nous contentons pas de prier pour être heureux : appliquons les conseils venant de Dieu. Si nous avons des enfants, aspirons-nous à les voir devenir de fidèles serviteurs de Jéhovah ? Alors, tout en priant dans ce sens, faisons tout notre possible pour leur inculquer les vérités divines en étudiant la Bible avec eux et en les emmenant régulièrement aux réunions chrétiennes. — Deutéronome 6:5-9 ; 31:12 ; Proverbes 22:6.
Prions-nous pour que Dieu bénisse notre ministère ? Agissons en harmonie avec ces prières en participant de façon significative à la prédication du Royaume. Si nous prions pour avoir des occasions d’aider les autres à emprunter le chemin de la vie éternelle, ayons soin de bien prendre note des personnes qui manifestent de l’intérêt et soyons prêts à adapter notre programme pour y inclure des études bibliques. Enfin, si nous poursuivons l’objectif de devenir pionniers afin de prendre part à l’œuvre d’évangélisation à plein temps, allons dans le sens de nos prières en augmentant notre participation au ministère et en prêchant avec des pionniers. Nous montrerons ainsi que nous agissons en harmonie avec nos prières.
Si nous servons Jéhovah fidèlement, nous pouvons être certains qu’il répondra aux prières conformes à sa volonté que nous lui adresserons (1 Jean 5:14, 15).. Faisant une comparaison avec l’odeur agréable de l’encens que les prêtres offraient dans le temple, la Parole de Dieu nous donne cette assurance : “ La prière des hommes droits est pour lui un plaisir. ” — Proverbes 15:8.
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Hello Eric, as tu déjà préparé le sujet des joyaux du 10 novembre concernant le but des sacrifices et offrandes, sachant que nous devons d'abord présenter le livre du Lévitique. Comment être concis?· 1 reply
Le but des sacrifices et des offrandes.dot la Mer Morte.pps
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HI TWYLA...DEE GORDON HERE. WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE MY EMAIL ADDRESS YOU SEND MY MEETING WORKBOOK TO. I DON'T USE FACEBOOK BUT WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE WORKBOOK INFO AND WATCHTOWER NOTES PLEASE . THIS ONE STILL RUNNING YOU HAVE ME SIGNED UP FOR...JUST THAT IT WOULD BE MORE CONVENIENT AT THIS TIME.· 3 replies
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Apprenons à craindre Jéhovah· 3 replies
“ La crainte de Jéhovah est le début de la sagesse. ” — PROVERBES 9:10.
IL FUT un temps où dire de quelqu’un craignait Dieu était un compliment. Beaucoup jugent aujourd’hui désuète et illogique l’idée de craindre Dieu. " Pourquoi craindre Dieu s’il est amour?" s’étonnent-ils. C’est que la crainte est à leurs yeux un sentiment forcément négatif, voire paralysant. Or, la crainte de Dieu, la vraie, est bien autre chose que de la peur et, comme nous allons le voir, elle ne se résume pas à un sentiment.
La Bible présente la crainte de Dieu sous un jour positif (Isaïe 11:3). Craindre Dieu, c’est éprouver envers lui un profond respect et désirer vivement ne pas lui déplaire (Psaume 115:11). C’est aussi accepter ses normes morales et s’y conformer strictement, appliquer dans notre vie ses critères du bien et du mal. Un ouvrage de référence indique que cette crainte salutaire exprime “ un rapport à Dieu, une disposition d’esprit dominante, qui incite à se conduire avec sagesse et à rejeter le mal sous toutes ses formes ”. La Bible dit d’ailleurs que “ la crainte de Jéhovah est le début de la sagesse ”. — Proverbes 9:10.
La crainte de Dieu influe sur de nombreux domaines de l’existence. Outre la sagesse, elle favorise la joie, la paix, la prospérité, la longévité, l’espoir, la confiance (Psaume 2:11 ; Proverbes 1:7 ; 10:27 ; 14:26 ; 22:4 ; 23:17, 18 ; Actes 9:31). Elle est étroitement liée à la foi et à l’amour. Pour tout dire, elle touche tous les aspects de nos relations avec Dieu et avec les humains (Deutéronome 10:12 ; Job 6:14 ; Hébreux 11:7). Craindre Dieu, enfin, c’est avoir la ferme conviction que notre Père céleste se soucie de nous personnellement et qu’il est disposé à pardonner nos transgressions (Psaume 130:4). Il n’y a donc qu’aux pécheurs non repentants que Dieu devrait inspirer de la terreur. — Hébreux 10:26-31.
APPRENONS À CRAINDRE DIEU
Puisqu’il est indispensable de le craindre pour prendre de sages décisions et recevoir ses bénédictions, comment "apprendre à craindre Jéhovah"
dans le bon sens du terme (Deutéronome 17:19) ? De nombreux exemples d’hommes et de femmes qui craignaient Dieu ont été consignés dans les Écritures “ pour notre instruction ”. (Romains 15:4.) Intéressons-nous à la vie de l’un de ces personnages, le roi David.
Saül, le premier roi d’Israël, avait la crainte du peuple, mais pas la crainte de Dieu. Cela lui a valu d’être rejeté par Jéhovah (1 Samuel 15:24-26). David, lui, était un homme qui craignait vraiment Dieu ; sa vie et son intimité avec Jéhovah en témoignent. Les nombreuses nuits à la belle étoile qu’il avait passées dans sa jeunesse à faire paître les moutons de son père l’avaient certainement aidé à comprendre ce qu’est la crainte de Jéhovah (1 Samuel 16:11). De l’immense univers, il n’avait contemplé qu’une infime partie, mais cela lui avait suffi pour saisir l’essentiel : Dieu mérite respect et adoration. “ Quand je vois tes cieux, les œuvres de tes doigts, la lune et les étoiles que tu as préparées, écrira-t-il plus tard, qu’est-ce que le mortel pour que tu penses à lui, et le fils de l’homme tiré du sol pour que tu t’occupes de lui ? ” — Psaume 8:3, 4.
Il était normal que David soit impressionné quand il comparait sa petitesse à l’immensité des cieux étoilés. Mais, loin de l’effrayer, cette connaissance le portait à louer Jéhovah. “ Les cieux proclament la gloire de Dieu, a-t-il écrit ; et l’œuvre de ses mains, l’étendue l’annonce. ” (Psaume 19:1). Ce profond respect le rapprochait de Jéhovah ; il lui donnait envie d’apprendre ses voies parfaites et de les suivre. Percevez-vous les sentiments qui l’habitaient quand il chantait ce psaume : “ Tu es grand et tu fais des choses prodigieuses ; tu es Dieu, toi seul. Instruis-moi de ta voie, ô Jéhovah ! Je marcherai dans ta vérité. Unifie mon cœur pour craindre ton nom. ” — Psaume 86:10, 11.
Quand les Philistins ont envahi le pays d’Israël, leur champion, Goliath, a provoqué les Israélites du haut de ses trois mètres. " Envoyez donc quelqu’un m’affronter en combat singulier ! les narguait-il. S’il me bat, nous serons vos serviteurs. " (1 Samuel 17:4-10). Saül et toute son armée étaient terrifiés. Mais pas David. S’il devait craindre quelqu’un, c’était Jéhovah, et non un homme, si fort soit-il. “ Je viens vers toi avec le nom de Jéhovah des armées, a-t-il lancé à Goliath. [...] Et toute cette assemblée saura que ce n’est ni par l’épée ni par la lance que Jéhovah sauve réellement, car à Jéhovah appartient la bataille. ” Grâce à Jéhovah, une fronde et une pierre ont suffi à David pour abattre le géant. — 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
Il peut arriver que nous nous trouvions devant des obstacles ou des ennemis aussi intimidants que ceux qu’a dû affronter David. Que faire alors ? Imiter David et d’autres fidèles du passé en s’armant de la crainte de Dieu. La crainte de Dieu l’emporte sur la crainte de l’homme. À ses compatriotes en butte à l’opposition, le fidèle Nehémia a adressé cette exhortation : “ N’ayez pas peur à cause d’eux. Souvenez-vous de Jéhovah le Grand et le Redoutable. ” (Nehémia 4:14). C’est parce qu’ils avaient son soutien que David, Nehémia et d’autres ont réussi à faire ce que Jéhovah attendait d’eux. Nous le pourrons également si nous craignons Dieu.
Après celle sur Goliath, Jéhovah a accordé d’autres victoires à David. Jaloux, Saül a tenté de tuer le jeune homme, d’abord dans un geste de colère, puis par des moyens détournés, enfin en mobilisant toute une armée contre lui. Même si David avait reçu l’assurance qu’il serait roi, pendant des années il a dû fuir, se battre, et attendre le moment fixé par Jéhovah. Dans toutes ces situations, il ne s’est jamais départi de sa crainte du vrai Dieu. — 1 Samuel 18:9, 11, 17 ; 24:2.
À un moment donné, David s’est réfugié auprès d’Akish, le roi de Gath, ville philistine d’où était originaire Goliath (1 Samuel 21:10-15). Les serviteurs d’Akish l’ont dénoncé comme ennemi. Comment a-t-il réagi à cette situation périlleuse ? Il s’est confié à Jéhovah de tout son cœur (Psaume 56:1-4, 11-13). Il s’est finalement sorti du guêpier en simulant la démence, mais il était bien conscient de devoir son salut à Jéhovah, qui avait béni son stratagème. David a prouvé qu’il craignait vraiment Dieu en plaçant toute sa confiance en lui. — Psaume 34:4-6, 9-11.
À l’exemple de David, nous montrerons que nous craignons Dieu en ayant confiance en sa promesse de nous aider dans les épreuves. “ Roule ta voie sur Jéhovah, compte sur lui, et c’est lui qui agira ”, a affirmé David (Psaume 37:5). Cela ne veut pas dire qu’il faut mettre nos problèmes entre les mains de Jéhovah sans rien faire d’autre qu’attendre son intervention. David ne s’est pas contenté de prier et de voir venir. Il a cherché une solution à son problème en utilisant les capacités physiques et intellectuelles dont Jéhovah l’avait doté. Pour autant, il ne pensait pas que ses efforts d’humain suffiraient. Cette façon de voir devrait aussi être la nôtre. Faisons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir, puis laissons Jéhovah se charger du reste. Cela étant, il est fréquent que nous ne puissions rien faire d’autre que compter sur Jéhovah. C’est là que la crainte de Dieu revêt un caractère très personnel. Combien est réconfortante cette réflexion de David : “ L’intimité avec Jéhovah appartient à ceux qui le craignent. ” — Psaume 25:14.
Il s’agit donc de ne pas banaliser nos prières et nos relations avec Dieu. Lorsque nous nous ‘ avançons ’ vers Jéhovah, nous devons “ croire qu’il est, et qu’il devient celui qui récompense ceux qui le cherchent réellement ”. (Hébreux 11:6 ; Jacques 1:5-8.) Et quand il vient à notre aide, il nous faut, conformément au conseil de l’apôtre Paul, ‘ nous montrer reconnaissants ’. (Colossiens 3:15, 17.) Ne ressemblons jamais à ceux dont un chrétien oint expérimenté a dit : “ Ils prennent Dieu pour une sorte de garçon de café. Ils aimeraient qu’il réponde à un claquement de doigts dès qu’ils ont besoin de quelque chose, et qu’il disparaisse dès qu’ils ont eu ce qu’ils voulaient. ” Où est leur crainte de Dieu ?
Le fait que Jéhovah l’ait secouru a augmenté la confiance et la crainte que David éprouvait envers lui (Psaume 31:22-24). Trois fois, cependant, David a mis notablement sa crainte de Dieu entre parenthèses, ce qui a eu des conséquences tragiques. La première fois, c’est quand il a décidé de faire transporter l’arche de l’alliance à Jérusalem sur un chariot, et non sur les épaules des Lévites comme le prescrivait la Loi. Ouzza, qui conduisait le chariot, a saisi l’Arche pour l’empêcher de tomber. Dieu l’a fait mourir sur le champ pour cet “ acte d’irrévérence ”. Certes, Ouzza avait commis un péché grave, mais c’est bien David qui, pour n’avoir pas respecté la Loi divine, était responsable de ce drame. Craindre Dieu suppose que l’on fasse les choses comme lui l’entend. — 2 Samuel 6:2-9 ; Nombres 4:15 ; 7:9.
Une autre fois, sous l’impulsion de Satan, David a procédé au dénombrement des hommes de guerre en Israël (1 Chroniques 21:1). Là encore, il a cessé momentanément de craindre Dieu, ce qui a coûté la vie à 70 000 de ses compatriotes. Bien qu’il se soit repenti devant Jéhovah, lui et le peuple ont beaucoup souffert en la circonstance. — 2 Samuel 24:1-16
C’est aussi parce qu’il avait oublié sa crainte de Dieu que David a couché avec Bath-Shéba, la femme d’Ouriya. David savait qu’il était mal, non seulement de commettre l’adultère, mais aussi de désirer la femme d’un autre (Exode 20:14, 17). Tout a commencé quand il a aperçu Bath-Shéba qui se baignait. La crainte de Dieu lui commandait de détourner son regard immédiatement et de maîtriser ses pensées. Mais il a manifestement ‘ continué à regarder ’, si bien que la passion l’a emporté sur sa crainte de Dieu (Matthieu 5:28 ; 2 Samuel 11:1-4). David a oublié que Jéhovah devait être présent dans tous les domaines de sa vie. — Psaume 139:1-7.
De son adultère avec Bath-Shéba est né un fils. Peu après, Jéhovah a envoyé le prophète Nathân dénoncer le péché de David. Retrouvant la crainte de Dieu en même temps que la raison, celui-ci s’est repenti. Il a supplié Jéhovah de ne pas le rejeter et de ne pas lui retirer son esprit saint (Psaume 51:7, 11). Jéhovah lui a pardonné et a atténué le châtiment, mais il ne lui a pas épargné toutes les conséquences de ses actes. Le fils de David est mort ; les malheurs se sont succédé dans sa famille. Quel prix à payer pour avoir momentanément fait abstraction de la crainte de Dieu ! — 2 Samuel 12:10-14 ; 13:10-14 ; 15:14.
Aujourd’hui de même, ne pas craindre Dieu dans le domaine de la moralité peut avoir des conséquences graves et durables. Imaginez la douleur de cette jeune femme qui découvre que son mari chrétien l’a trompée lors d’un déplacement professionnel à l’étranger. Choquée, anéantie par le chagrin, elle enfouit son visage dans ses mains et pleure toutes les larmes de son corps. Combien de temps faudra-t-il au mari infidèle pour regagner la confiance et le respect de sa femme ? Des situations aussi pénibles peuvent être évitées grâce à la crainte de Dieu. — 1 Corinthiens 6:18.
Satan détruit les valeurs morales de la société humaine les unes après les autres, et il cherche particulièrement à corrompre les vrais chrétiens. Pour ce faire, il exploite le chemin le plus direct vers le cœur et l’esprit : nos sens, avec une prédilection pour l’ouïe et la vue (Éphésiens 4:17-19). Comment réagissez-vous quand, involontairement, vous vous trouvez exposé à des images ou à des paroles obscènes, ou encore en présence d’individus immoraux ?
Voyez le cas d’André. Cet ancien et père de famille est médecin dans un pays d’Europe. Quand il était de garde de nuit à l’hôpital, des collègues féminines avaient pris l’habitude d’épingler sur son oreiller des mots doux ornés de petits cœurs pour l’inviter à coucher avec elles. André s’interdisait résolument d’accorder la moindre pensée à ces avances. Mieux, pour se soustraire à cet environnement malsain, il a changé d’établissement. Sa crainte de Dieu s’est révélée sage et lui a valu des bénédictions, puisqu’il effectue aujourd’hui une partie de ses activités au siège des Témoins de Jéhovah de son pays.
Troquer nos précieuses relations avec Jéhovah contre quelque chose auquel nous n’avons pas droit : voilà où nous risquons d’en arriver en cultivant de mauvaises pensées (Jacques 1:14, 15). Si nous craignons Jéhovah, en revanche, nous nous tiendrons éloignés — et même nous nous écarterons délibérément — des gens, des lieux, des activités ou des divertissements qui pourraient nous faire baisser notre garde (Proverbes 22:3). Quel que soit l’inconvénient ou le sacrifice que cela implique, il n’est rien à côté de la perte de la faveur divine (Matthieu 5:29, 30). La crainte de Dieu nous commande de ne jamais nous exposer intentionnellement à quoi que ce soit d’immoral — à commencer par la pornographie sous toutes ses formes —, mais aussi de faire en sorte que nos yeux “ passent sans s’arrêter à la vue de ce qui n’est que néant ”. Soyons convaincus que Jéhovah, alors, nous ‘ gardera en vie ’ et nous donnera tout ce dont nous avons réellement besoin. — Psaume 84:11 ; 119:37.
Assurément, c’est toujours faire preuve de sagesse que de laisser la crainte de Dieu dicter nos actions. C’est aussi la source du vrai bonheur (Psaume 34:9)
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