Umphostoli uPawulu wayeyiqaphile le ngozi yamanga kaSathane, kodwa akuwona wonke amaKristu ayeqaphe njengaye. Ngokwesibonelo, amanye amaKristu eKorinte ayesezithemba ngokweqile. Ecabanga ukuthi abambelele ngokuqinile eqinisweni kangangokuthi ngeke awe. (1 Kor. 10:12) Yingakho uPawulu axwayisa: “Ngiyesaba ukuthi ngandlela-thile, njengoba inyoka yayenga u-Eva ngobuqili bayo, izingqondo zenu zingase zonakaliswe zisuke ebuqothweni nasebumsulweni obufanele uKristu.”—2 Kor. 11:3.

Isixwayiso sikaPawulu sisenza sibone ukuthi akumelwe sizithembe ngokweqile. Ukuze ungakhohliseki kumelwe uqaphele ingozi yezinkulumo ezingamanga bese umelana nazo.

Isho ukuthini inkulumo ethi izinkulumo ezingamanga? Kule ndaba, isho ulwazi olungamanga oluhloselwe ukushintsha indlela abantu abacabanga nabenza ngayo. Abanye bafanisa lezi zinkulumo ezingamanga ‘namanga, ukukhohlisa, ukulawula ingqondo yomuntu [nempi esengqondweni]’ baphinde bayihlobanise ‘namaqhinga amabi, ayingozi, nangalungile.’—Lokhu kuthathwe encwadini ethi, Propaganda and Persuasion.

Ziyingozi kangakanani izinkulumo ezingamanga? Zifana nomoya ongenaphunga kodwa onobuthi, ongena ezingqondweni zethu kancane kancane. Ngenxa yokuthi singase singaziboni izinkulumo ezingamanga, isazi  semikhuba yokuziphatha uVance Packard sathi: “Abantu abaningi bathonywa futhi bayengwa ngendlela abangayiqapheli.” Esinye isazi sathi amadoda nabesifazane bebe lokhu “benza izinto eziyingozi nezingasile benganakile.” Lezo zinto zingaba ‘ukubulawa kwabantu bohlanga oluthile, izimpi, ukushisekela ubuzwe, ukuphikiswa kwezenkolo nezinye izinto.’—Lokhu kuthathwe encwadini ethi, Easily Led—A History of Propaganda.

Ngakho-ke uma abantu nje bekwazi ukusikhohlisa ngezinkulumo ezingamanga, kangakanani-ke ngoSathane? Ubelokhu etadisha imikhuba yabantu kusukela bedalwa. Manje “lonke izwe” lilawulwa uSathane. Angasebenzisa noma yini ukuze asakaze amanga akhe. (1 Joh. 5:19; Joh. 8:44) USathane uye waphumelela ‘ukukhohlisa abantu’ kangangokuba manje ‘usedukisa umhlaba wonke.’ (2 Kor. 4:4; IsAm. 12:9) Ungenzani ukuze ungakhohliseki?

UJesu washo lo mthetho olula osisiza singakhohliseki: ‘Lazi iqiniso, futhi iqiniso liyokukhulula.’ (Joh. 8:31, 32) Kodwa njengoba iqiniso livame ukuhlaselwa kuqala empini, wena—njenganoma yiliphi isosha elisempini eshubile—udinga umthombo othembekile, ulwazi ongalethemba ukuze isitha singakukhohlisi. UJehova ukunikile ulwazi ongalethemba. EBhayibhelini uzothola konke okudingayo okuzokusiza ungakhohliswa izinkulumo ezingamanga zikaSathane.—2 Thim. 3:16, 17.

Yiqiniso, uSathane, umpetha wokuqamba amanga uyakwazi lokho. Ngakho usebenzisa leli zwe ukuze abantu bangalifundi iBhayibheli. Ungabanjwa yila maqhinga akhe! (Efe. 6:11) ‘Waqonde ngokuphelele’ wonke amaqiniso. (Efe. 3:18) Ukuze wenze kanjalo kuzodingeka uzikhandle. Kodwa khumbula leli qiniso elibalulekile elashiwo umbhali uNoam Chomsky: “Akekho umuntu ozofaka iqiniso engqondweni yakho. Nguwe okumelwe uzitholele lona.” Ngakho, “zitholele lona” ngokukhuthalela ‘ukuhlola ngokucophelela imiBhalo nsuku zonke.’—IzE. 17:11.

Khumbula ukuthi uSathane akafuni ukuthi ucabangisise kahle noma ube nombono onembile ngezinto. Kungani? Omunye umthombo uthi yingoba izinkulumo ezingamanga  ‘cishe yizona ezivame ukwamukeleka kalula kubantu . . . uma bengazicabangisisi kahle izinto.’ (Lokhu kuthathwe encwadini ethi, Media and Society in the Twentieth Century) Ngakho ungamane ukholelwe yikho konke okuzwayo. (IzAga 14:15) Sebenzisa ingqondo yakho nokuqonda ukuze wamukele iqiniso.—IzAga 2:10-15; Roma 12:1, 2.

Osomaqhinga bezempi bangasebenzisa izinkulumo ezingamanga ukuze baqede ukuzimisela nomdlandla wamasosha. Bangase benze izitha zabo zilwe zodwa noma bazikhohlise ukuze zizihlukanise nabaziphethe. Kuthiwa ujenene waseJalimane, uthi isizathu esenza kwanqotshwa iMpi Yezwe I ukuthi abantu “baluthwa isitha njengoba nje nonogwaja uyaye uluthwe inyoka.” USathane usebenzisa amaqhinga afanayo ukuze asixabanise futhi asihlukanise nebandla. Ngokwesibonelo uzama ukuxabanisa amaKristu noma awenze azihlukanise nenhlangano kaJehova ngenxa yezinto ezithile ezibonakala zingenabulungisa.

Ungakhohliswa! Vumela iZwi likaNkulunkulu likuqondise. Ngokwesibonelo, mayelana nokuhlala sinobunye nabafowethu nodadewethu, iBhayibheli lisikhuthaza ukuba siqhubeke ‘sithethelelana ngokukhululekile’ futhi sisheshe ukulungisa izingxabano. (Kol. 3:13, 14; Math. 5:23, 24) Lisixwayisa ngokuzihlukanisa nebandla. (IzAga 18:1) Hlola indlela ozivikela ngayo ezinkulumweni ezingamanga ezivela kuSathane. Zibuze le mibuzo: ‘Yini eyangisiza ngabona okuyiqiniso ngesikhathi ngizwa izinkulumo ezingamanga? Ngaqondiswa umoya wezwe noma umoya kaNkulunkulu?’—Gal. 5:16-26; Efe. 2:2, 3.

Isosha elingamethembi umholi walo ngeke lilwe ngokuphumelelayo. Ngenxa yalokho, abasakaza izinkulumo ezingamanga bazama ukuqeda ukwethembana phakathi kwamasosha nabaholi bawo. Bangase basho izinto ezinjengalezi: “Abaholi benu abathembekile!” nokuthi “Ningabavumeli banihole!” Ukuze basekele abakushoyo, ngokuhlakanipha bangase basho abaphutha angase enziwe abaholi bawo. USathane uyakwenza  lokhu. Uhlale ezama ukukwenza ungabethembi abaholayo ababekwe uJehova.

Ungazivikela kanjani? Zimisele ukunamathela enhlanganweni kaJehova futhi ubasekele ngokungazenzisi abaholayo—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi banabuphi ubuthakathaka. (1 Thes. 5:12, 13) ‘Unganyakaziswa masinyane engqondweni yakho’ lapho uzwa izinkulumo ezilimazayo zezihlubuki noma ezinye izinkulumo ezingamanga—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi zizwakala zinengqondo kanganani. (2 Thes. 2:2; Thithu 1:10) Lalela iseluleko esasibhekiselwe kosemusha uThimothewu. Namathela emaqinisweni owawafunda futhi ukhumbule ukuthi uwafunde kuphi. (2 Thim. 3:14, 15) Ngokuqinisekile, kunobufakazi obuqanda ikhanda obubonisa ukuthi singawethemba umzila uJehova asewusebenzise cishe iminyaka eyikhulu ukuze asiholele endleleni yeqiniso.—Math. 24:45-47; Heb. 13:7, 17.

Khumbula nokuthi izinkulumo ezingamanga zikaSathane akulula ukuzibona. Ngezinye izikhathi uyasisabisa, “okuyindlela endala yokukhohlisa abantu.” (Lokhu kuthathwe encwadini ethi, Easily Led—A History of Propaganda) Ngokwesibonelo uProfesa waseBrithani uPhilip M. Taylor, uthi ama-Asiriya ayebusa izitha zawo “ngokuwasabisa ngamanga.” USathane angasebenzisa ukwesaba abantu, ukwesaba ukushushiswa, ukwesaba ukufa nanoma yini oyisabayo ukuze uyeke ukukhonza uJehova.—Isaya 8:12; Jer. 42:11; Heb. 2:15.

Ungamvumeli uSathane akusabise ukuze udikibale noma uyeke ukuba qotho. UJesu wathi: “Ningabesabi labo ababulala umzimba kuthi ngemva kwalokhu bangakwazi ukwenza lutho olungaphezu kwalokho.” (Luka 12:4) Thembela kuJehova ukuthi uzosifeza isithembiso sakhe sokukusekela, akunike “amandla angaphezu kwavamile,” futhi akusize umelane nanoma imiphi imizamo kaSathane yokukusabisa.—2 Kor. 4:7-9; 1 Pet. 3:14.

Yiqiniso, ngezinye izikhathi ungase ubhekane nezinto ezithusayo nezingakudikibalisa. Kodwa khumbula amazwi uJehova awasho kuJoshuwa: “Yiba nesibindi uqine. Ungethuki noma wesabe, ngoba uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho unawe nomaphi lapho uya khona.” (Josh. 1:9) Lapho unezinkinga, ngokushesha thandaza kuJehova umtshele konke okukukhathazayo. Qiniseka ngokuthi ‘ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu  . . . kuyolinda inhliziyo yakho namandla akho engqondo’ ukuze ukwazi ukumelana nezinkulumo zikaSathane ezingamanga.—Fil. 4:6, 7, 13.

Uyawakhumbula amanga ashiwo isithunywa sase-Asiriya, uRabishake, ukuze asabise abantu bakaNkulunkulu? Wathi, ‘Akekho ongakwazi ukunivikela kuma-Asiriya. Ngisho noNkulunkulu wenu uJehova ngeke anivikele.’ Ngesibindi waqhubeka wathi: ‘Empeleni uJehova osithume ukuba sibhubhise leli zwe.’ UJehova waphendula wathini? Wathi: “Ungesabi ngenxa yamazwi owazwile izikhonzi zenkosi yase-Asiriya ezingithuke ngawo.” (2 AmaKh. 18:22-25; 19:6) Ngemva kwalokho, wathuma ingelosi eyabulala amasosha angu-185 000 ama-Asiriya ngobusuku obubodwa!—2 AmaKh. 19:35.

Wake wathi ubuka imuvi kwakucacela ukuthi kunomuntu okhohliswayo kuyo? Ingabe wathuka usuthi: ‘Ungabakholwa! Baqamba amanga!’ Nawe cabanga ngezingelosi zisho into efanayo kuwe: “Ungakhohliswa amanga kaSathane!”

Ngakho, ungawalaleli amanga kaSathane. (IzAga 26:24, 25) Lalela uJehova futhi uthembele kuye kukho konke okwenzayo. (IzAga 3:5-7) Wenze ngokuvumelana nesicelo sakhe esithi: “Hlakanipha, ndodana yami wenze inhliziyo yami ijabule.” (IzAga 27:11) Uma wenza njalo, uzokwazi ukumelana nezinkulumo ezingamanga!