Even while being persecuted, Jesus had inner peace because he knew that he was making his Father happy. He remained obedient when it was difficult for him to do so. He loved his Father and built his whole life around serving Jehovah. Before he came to earth, he was God’s “master worker.” (Prov. 8:30) And while on earth, he zealously taught others about his Father. (Matt. 6:9; John 5:17) That work brought Jesus great joy. (John 4:34-36) We can imitate Jesus by obeying Jehovah and “always having plenty to do in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58) When we are “intensely occupied” in the preaching work, we are better able to put our troubles into perspective. (Acts 18:5) For example, those we meet in our ministry often face worse problems than we do. Yet, when they learn to love Jehovah and apply his counsel, their lives improve and they become happier. Each time we see that happen, we feel more confident that Jehovah will care for us. w19.04 15:8-9

These individuals were serious about resisting wicked spirits. Their books about magic cost a lot of money. But instead of giving those books away or selling them to others, they destroyed them. They were more concerned about pleasing Jehovah than about how much money the books were worth. How can we imitate the example of those first-century Christians? It would be wise to get rid of anything we may have that is connected with the occult. This includes amulets, charms, or other objects that people wear or own to try to protect themselves from wicked spirits. (1 Cor. 10:21) Examine your entertainment carefully. Ask yourself, ‘Does any of my entertainment involve spiritism?’ Be determined to make choices that will help you stay far away from anything Jehovah hates. We want to do our best to “maintain a clear conscience” before our God.​—Acts 24:16. w19.04 17:10-12

The elders have a number of concerns when they receive a report of serious wrongdoing. They are primarily concerned with maintaining the sanctity of God’s name. (Lev. 22:31, 32; Matt. 6:9) They are also deeply concerned with the spiritual welfare of their brothers and sisters in the congregation and want to help any who have been victims of wrongdoing. In addition, if the wrongdoer is a part of the congregation, elders are concerned with trying to restore him if that is possible. (Jas. 5:14, 15) A Christian who gives in to wrong desire and commits a serious sin is spiritually sick. This means that he no longer has a healthy relationship with Jehovah. In a sense, the elders are spiritual physicians. They endeavor to make “the sick one [in this instance, the wrongdoer] well.” Their Scriptural counsel can help him to restore his relationship with God, but this is only possible if he is genuinely repentant.​—Acts 3:19; 2 Cor. 2:5-10. w19.05 19:10-11