The apostle Paul compares us to soldiers who are alert and dressed for battle. A soldier on active duty is expected to be prepared for battle at all times. It is similar with us. We remain ready for Jehovah’s day by wearing a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of hope. A breastplate protected a soldier’s heart. Faith and love protect our figurative heart. They will help us to keep serving God and following Jesus. Faith assures us that Jehovah will reward us for seeking him with all our heart. (Heb. 11:6) It will move us to remain loyal to our Leader, Jesus, even if we have to endure hardships. We can build the faith to face life’s challenges by noting modern-day examples of individuals who maintained integrity despite persecution or economic hardship. And we can avoid the snare of materialism by imitating ones who simplified their life to put Kingdom interests first. w23.06 26:8-9

Self-control is the ability to control one’s feelings and actions. It is required in order to move us to reach our goals, especially if a goal is difficult to reach or if we do not feel motivated. Remember, self-control is part of the fruitage of the spirit, so ask Jehovah for holy spirit to help you cultivate that important quality. (Luke 11:13; Gal. 5:22, 23) Do not wait for perfect circumstances. In this world, we will likely never have ideal circumstances. If we wait for them, we may never reach our goal. We may lack motivation because our goal seems very hard to achieve. If this is true in your case, could you break down your goal into smaller ones? If your goal is to cultivate a quality, why not first work on displaying it in small ways? If your goal is to read the entire Bible, could you start by scheduling shorter periods of reading time? w23.05 24:11-13

Throughout the last days, Jehovah has used his organization to provide a steady flow of spiritual food to help all of us to keep traveling on “the Way of Holiness.” (Isa. 35:8; 48:17; 60:17) We might say that whenever someone accepts a Bible study, he has an opportunity to step onto “the Way of Holiness.” Some travel only a short distance and then leave the highway. Others are determined to keep traveling on it until they reach their destination. What is that destination? For those with a heavenly hope, “the Way of Holiness” leads to “the paradise of God” in heaven. (Rev. 2:7) For those with an earthly hope, that highway leads to perfection at the end of the 1,000 years. If you are traveling on that highway today, do not look back. And do not leave it until you have completed your journey to the new world! w23.05 22:15-18