Melana Nenkulumo-ze KaSathane

‘NINGAKHOHLISWA. UNkulunkulu wenu ngeke anisize. Uma ningazinikeli kithi nizovuna!’ Yilokhu uRabishake, isithunywa senkosi yase-Asiriya uSaneheribi, ayekusho ezakhamuzini zaseJerusalema. Amabutho ale nkosi ayehlasele izwe lakwaJuda. Amazwi alesi sithunywa ayehloselwe ukuthena amandla abantu baseJerusalema nokubesabisa ukuze bazinikele.—2 AmaKh. 18:28-35.

Abase-Asiriya babaziwa ngokuba nesihluku nonya. Babenza izitha zabo zesabe ngokwenza kwaziwe ukuthi baziphatha ngonya kanjani izithunjwa zabo. Ngokwesazi-mlando uPhilip Taylor, babesebenzisa “inqubo yokwethusa ehambisana nenkulumo-ze, ngenjongo yokugcina izizwe abazinqobile zithobekile nokwesabisa abangaba izitha zabo ngenkulumo-ze enyantisayo nokuzixhaphaza ngokwengqondo.” Inkulumo-ze iyisikhali esinamandla kakhulu. UTaylor uthi, “ihlasela umqondo womuntu.”

AmaKristu eqiniso ‘awabambene negazi nenyama kodwa abambene nebandla lomoya ababi,’ okungukuthi, izidalwa zomoya ezahlubuka kuNkulunkulu. (Efe. 6:12) Oyinhloko kuzo nguSathane uDeveli. Naye usebenzisa ukwesabisa nenkulumo-ze.

USathane uthi angasenza sonke sephule ubuqotho bethu. Ezinsukwini zenzalamizi uJobe, wathi kuJehova uNkulunkulu: “Umuntu uyokhipha konke anakho ngenxa yomphefumulo wakhe.” Ngamanye amazwi uthi uma umuntu engase acindezelwe kakhulu, angagcina ngokwephula ubuqotho bakhe kuNkulunkulu. (Jobe 2:4) Ingabe uSathane uqinisile? Ingabe sonke kunesikhathi lapho singeke sigcine khona ubuqotho—lapho siyoyeka khona izimiso zikaNkulunkulu ngoba singafuni ukufa? USathane angathanda ukuba sicabange kanjalo. Ngakho usebenzisa inkulumo-ze yomshoshaphansi ukuze afake lowo mcabango ezingqondweni zethu. Ake sihlole ezinye izindlela akwenza ngazo lokhu bese sicabangela ukuthi singamelana kanjani naye.

‘Isisekelo Sabo Sisothulini’

USathane wasebenzisa u-Elifazi, omunye wabangane abathathu bakaJobe ababemvakashele, ukuba aveze umqondo wokuthi abantu bangamachoboka. Ebiza abantu ngokuthi “labo bahlala ezindlini zobumba,” wathi kuJobe: “[Isisekelo] sabo sisothulini! Umuntu ubachoboza masinyane kakhulu kunenundu. Bachotshozwa babe yizicucwana kusukela ekuseni kuze kuhlwe; bashabalala kuze kube phakade kungekho muntu okufaka enhliziyweni.”—Jobe 4:19, 20.

Kwenye indawo emiBhalweni, sifaniswa ‘nezitsha zobumba,’ ezisheshe ziphuke. (2 Kor. 4:7) Sibuthakathaka ngenxa yesono nokungapheleli esikuzuze njengefa. (Roma 5:12) Ngamandla ethu, asinakukwazi ukumelana nokuhlasela kukaSathane. Kodwa njengamaKristu, ukhona umuntu ongasisiza. Naphezu kobuthakathaka bethu, siyigugu emehlweni kaNkulunkulu. (Isaya 43:4) Ngaphezu kwalokho, uJehova uyabanika umoya ongcwele labo abawucelayo. (Luka 11:13) Umoya wakhe ungasinika “amandla angaphezu kwavamile,” usenze sikwazi ukumelana nanoma ibuphi ubunzima uSathane abulethayo kithi. (2 Kor. 4:7; Fil. 4:13) Uma simelana noDeveli, ‘siqinile okholweni,’ uNkulunkulu uyosiqinisa futhi asenze sibe namandla. (1 Pet. 5:8-10) Ngakho-ke, akudingeki simesabe uSathane uDeveli.

Umuntu ‘Uphuza Ukungalungi’

U-Elifazi wabuza: “Uyini umuntu ofayo ukuba abe ohlanzekile, noma umuntu ozelwe owesifazane ukuba abe ongenaphutha?” Wabe eseziphendula: “Bheka! [UNkulunkulu] akanalo ukholo kwabangcwele bakhe, empeleni namazulu ngokwawo awahlanzekile emehlweni akhe. Kangakanani-ke lapho umuntu engonengekayo futhi onakele, umuntu ophuza ukungalungi njengokungathi amanzi nje!” (Jobe 15:14-16) U-Elifazi wayetshela uJobe ukuthi akekho umuntu uJehova ambheka njengolungile. UDeveli usizakala nangemicabango yethu engakhi. Ufuna sikhathazeke ngamaphutha esikhathi esedlule, sizigxeke ngokwedlulele, futhi sicabange ukuthi asinakuthethelelwa. Ufuna nokuba sicabange ukuthi uJehova ulindele okukhulu kakhulu kithi nokuthi ngeke abe nozwela, asithethelele futhi asisekele.

Yiqiniso, sonke ‘sonile futhi siyasilela enkazimulweni kaNkulunkulu.’ Akekho umuntu ongaphelele ongahlangabezana nezindinganiso zikaJehova eziphelele. (Roma 3:23; 7:21-23) Nokho, lokhu akusho ukuthi asilutho kuye. UJehova uyazi ukuthi yilowo ‘oyinyoka yokuqala, obizwa ngokuthi uDeveli noSathane,’ osizakala ngokuba kwethu nesono. (IsAm. 12:9, 10) Azi ukuthi “siluthuli,” uNkulunkulu uyasibonelela futhi ‘ngeke ahlale esicasukele.’—IHu. 103:8, 9, 14.

Uma siyeka inkambo embi futhi siya kuJehova ngenhliziyo eyaphukileyo nangomoya wokuphenduka, ‘uyosithethelela ngendlela enkulu.’ (Isaya 55:7; IHu. 51:17) IBhayibheli lithi ngisho noma izono zethu ‘zingaba bomvu klebhu, zizokwenziwa zibe mhlophe njengeqhwa.’ (Isaya 1:18) Ngakho-ke, masizimisele ukuba singalokothi siyeke ukuzama ukwenza intando kaNkulunkulu.

Njengoba singaphelele, asisoze nanini sikwazi ukuba nokuma okulungile phambi kukaNkulunkulu. U-Adamu no-Eva bazilahlekisela bona kanye nathi sonke ukuphelela nethemba lokuphila phakade. (Roma 6:23) Nokho, ngenxa yothando lwakhe olukhulu ngesintu, uJehova wenza ilungiselelo lokuba sithethelelwe izono uma sibonisa ukholo emhlatshelweni wesihlengo weNdodana yakhe, uJesu Kristu. (Math. 20:28; Joh. 3:16) Yeka ukubonakaliswa okumangalisayo ‘komusa ongafanelwe’ kaNkulunkulu! (Thithu 2:11) Izono zethu zingathethelelwa! Pho singavumelani ukuba uSathane asenze sicabange ukuthi asinakuthethelelwa?

‘Thinta Kuze Kufike Ethanjeni Lakhe Nasenyameni Yakhe’

USathane wathi uJobe wayeyolahla ukholo lwakhe uma ayengagula. Ebekela uJehova inselele, uDeveli wathi: ‘Thinta kuze kufike ethanjeni lakhe nasenyameni yakhe ubone ukuthi ngeke yini akuthuke khona kanye ebusweni bakho.’ (Jobe 2:5) Akungabazeki ukuthi iSitha sikaNkulunkulu siyojabula uma singasenza sizizwe singelutho ngenxa yobuthakathaka bethu bomzimba.

Nokho, uJehova akasilahli lapho singasakwazi ukwenza konke esasikwazi ukukwenza enkonzweni yakhe. Ake sithi umngane wethu wahlaselwa futhi walinyazwa. Ingabe ngeke sisamthanda njengasekuqaleni ngoba engasakwazi ukusenzela lokho ayesenzela kona ngaphambili? Lutho neze! Siyoqhubeka simthanda futhi simkhathalela—ikakhulu uma alimala ezama ukusenzela okuthile. Ingabe sicabanga ukuthi uthando lukaJehova ngathi luyoncipha? IBhayibheli lithi: “UNkulunkulu akayena ongalungile ukuba akhohlwe umsebenzi wenu nothando enalubonisa kulo igama lakhe.”—Heb. 6:10.

ImiBhalo ikhuluma ‘ngomfelokazi othile oswele’ okungenzeka ukuthi kwase kuyiminyaka eminingi esekela ukukhulekela kukaNkulunkulu. Lapho uJesu embona efaka “izinhlamvu zemali ezimbili ezincane ezinenani elincane kakhulu” ebhokisini lomnikelo ethempelini, ingabe wambheka yena nomnikelo wakhe njengento engelutho? Cha, empeleni wamncoma ngokwenza konke okwakuvunyelwa izimo zakhe ukuze asekele ukukhulekela kweqiniso.—Luka 21:1-4.

Uma sigcina ubuqotho bethu, singaqiniseka ukuthi ubuhlobo bethu noJehova buyohlala njalo, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ukungapheleli okuhambisana nokuguga nokugula kusikhahlameza kangakanani. UNkulunkulu akasoze abalahla abathembekile bakhe ngenxa nje yokuthi ukuguga nokugula kubenza bangakwazi ukumkhonza ngokugcwele.—IHu. 71:9, 17, 18.

Yamukela ‘Isigqoko Sensindiso’

Singazivikela kanjani kuyinkulumo-ze kaSathane? Umphostoli uPawulu waloba: “Qhubekani nizuza amandla eNkosini nasebukhulwini bamandla ayo. Gqokani zonke izembatho zempi ezivela kuNkulunkulu ukuze nikwazi ukumelana ngokuqinile namaqhinga kaDeveli.” Esinye salezo zembatho zempi ezingokomoya ‘yisigqoko sensindiso.’ (Efe. 6:10, 11, 17) Ukuze sizivikele kuyinkulumo-ze kaSathane, kufanele siqiniseke ukuthi siyasamukela leso sigqoko futhi sihlale sisigqokile. Isigqoko sesosha sivikela ikhanda lalo. ‘Ithemba lethu lensindiso’—ukuqiniseka ukuthi izithembiso zikaNkulunkulu zezwe elisha elikhazimulayo ziyogcwaliseka—liyovikela izingqondo zethu emangeni kaSathane. (1 Thes. 5:8) Kudingeka siligcine leli themba likhanya bha futhi liqinile ngokukhuthalela isifundo somuntu siqu seBhayibheli.

UJobe wakhuthazelela ukuhlasela kukaSathane okunonya nokunenzondo. Ukholo lwakhe ovukweni lwaluqine kangangokuthi ngisho nokufa okwakubonakala kuseduze akuzange kumenze adangale. Kunalokho, wathi kuJehova: “Uyobiza, futhi mina ngiyokuphendula. Uyolangazelela umsebenzi wezandla zakho.” (Jobe 14:15) Wayenethemba lokuthi ngisho noma ayengafa ngenxa yokugcina ubuqotho bakhe, uthando lukaNkulunkulu ngezinceku zakhe ezithembekile lwaluyomshukumisela ukuba azivuse ekufeni.

Kwangathi singaba nokuqiniseka okufanayo ngoNkulunkulu weqiniso. UJehova angalungisa noma yini uSathane namanxusa akhe abangasibangela yona. Khumbula nokuthi uPawulu uyasiqinisekisa: “UNkulunkulu uthembekile, futhi ngeke akuvumele ukuba nilingwe ngokungaphezu kwalokho eningakuthwala, kodwa kanye naleso silingo uyokwenza nendlela yokuphuma ukuze nikwazi ukusikhuthazelela.”—1 Kor. 10:13.

[Isithombe ekhasini 20]

UJehova uyayazisa inkonzo yakho yokwethembeka

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Yamukela isigqoko sensindiso, futhi uhlale usigqokile