Apply Yourself to the Field Ministry for the week of October 26–November 1, 2026

Starting a Conversation

Publisher: Good afternoon. I’m one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We’re briefly talking with our neighbors about getting along with others. But I see that you’re taking out some boxes; is this a bad time?

Person: I’m getting some clothes ready to donate. I have two boxes left, but I can stop for a moment. Although I don’t like discussing religion; I already have enough arguments in my family.

Publisher: I wouldn’t want to add another one. We can talk without arguing. Do you mean that people in your family have different beliefs?

Person: Yes. My sister changed religions, and my father still holds it against her. I think all religions lead to the same God. What matters is helping, like with these clothes, not belonging to one group or another.

Publisher: Helping those in need is important. And from what you’re telling me, you’re concerned that religious differences are dividing your family.

Person: Exactly. My sister has always looked after my father. Now it seems that none of that matters. As soon as she says something about her religion, he interrupts her. She gets defensive too, and we all end up feeling uncomfortable.

Publisher: That makes it hard to understand one another. What bothers you most—is it that they think differently, or that they can’t finish explaining what they think?

Person: The second one. I don’t expect my father to change his religion. But he could listen to her. Of course, listening to something you disagree with isn’t easy either.

Publisher: That’s true. Sometimes we’re already preparing our response while the other person is still talking. I also have to work at avoiding that.

Person: Exactly. I tell them to listen to each other, but when they start doing the same thing, I end up cutting them off too. In the end, I do what I criticize them for doing.

Publisher: There’s a Bible principle about that first impulse to respond that fits this situation very well. May I read you a sentence?

Person: Yes, if it’s brief.

Publisher: It’s at James 1:19. Notice what we should do first and what we need to be slower to do.

James 1:19 — Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,

Publisher: It helps me to see that listening comes first. That doesn’t mean we have to accept everything we hear. But we can let the other person finish before responding.

Person: The advice is good. But if my father listens to my sister, she might think that he agrees with her. I think that’s why he cuts her off.

Publisher: He could calmly explain: “I want to understand why this is important to you, even though we think differently.” It’s like when someone explains a complaint: listening to him doesn’t automatically mean accepting his entire version of events.

Person: I understand it that way. Although I’m not going to get both of them to change just by saying one sentence.

Publisher: No, that doesn’t depend on you alone. But you could start by listening without interrupting when your sister tells you how she feels. At least that conversation would be different.

Person: I can try that. I still think the same about religions, but I see the value in listening. Now I have to finish the boxes.

Publisher: Of course, I’ll let you continue. Thank you for explaining your point of view. I hope the clothing delivery goes well.

Following Up

Publisher: Did they end up changing your Friday schedule?

Person: Yes, but I had to discuss it with them again. What upset me was that my coworker told the supervisor that I didn’t want to cooperate. That wasn’t it; I needed to leave on time.

Publisher: Of course, asking that your schedule be respected isn’t the same as refusing to help. Were you able to clarify it with him too?

Person: Not yet. And you know, this relates to what we talked about the other day from the Bible. He’s always talking about his religion, but then he does things like this. That’s why I asked you how to know whom to believe.

Publisher: Yes, I remember your question. You said that it wasn’t enough for someone to speak well of God. A Bible course can help you examine what Jesus taught and compare it with what you see, rather than relying only on what someone tells you.

Person: But studying doesn’t guarantee anything either. My coworker probably knows more about religion than I do. I want to see that it works when there’s a problem, not just when everything is going well.

Publisher: You’re right that knowing a lot isn’t enough. There’s a simple teaching that answers your question: love identifies Jesus’ true disciples. He didn’t say that we would recognize them only by their knowledge.

Person: Yes, but almost everyone says that we should love others. What makes that different?

Publisher: The difference is in the model of love that Jesus set. His words give us something specific to look for. Would you like to read them?

Person: Okay. You read them, since my glasses are in my locker.

Publisher: Notice how Jesus connects the way his disciples treat one another with how they would be recognized. It’s at John 13:34 and 35. This passage is very fitting. Shall we read John 13:34, 35?

John 13:34-35 — I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.”

Publisher: Jesus set himself as the model. So it’s not just a matter of saying that we have love. That love must be seen in how we treat others. This connects with what you expected from your coworker.

Person: Still, it wouldn’t be fair to judge his entire religion by what he did. I’ve also spoken badly at times when I was angry.

Publisher: I agree. We can’t draw that conclusion from one incident. But we can observe whether love characterizes a group, rather than focusing only on what it claims to believe. Jesus spoke of a quality that others could recognize.

Person: I would have to see that over time. When you’ve just met someone, he usually shows you his best side.

Publisher: Certainly. I wouldn’t ask you to decide based on a first impression. A Bible course would allow you to learn more about Jesus’ model and have a basis for evaluating what you hear and observe.

Person: Would it also help me with my coworker? Right now I feel like embarrassing him the next time he asks me for a favor.

Publisher: We can start by applying what we just read. If love must be seen in how we treat others, how could you clarify what happened without doing to him what hurt you?

Person: I suppose by talking to him privately. I’d tell him that I needed to leave, but that I didn’t appreciate his portraying me as someone who never helps.

Publisher: That way you could clearly explain what happened without embarrassing him in front of others. It would be a way to put that teaching into practice, not just learn it.

Person: Well, that would help me. Although he might still become defensive.

Publisher: That could happen; you can’t choose his reaction. But you can choose how you treat him. A Bible course can help you find answers to your questions and think about how to apply what you learn to situations like this.

Person: For now I’d rather keep talking like this. I don’t want to commit to starting a course.

Publisher: That’s fine. If you’d like, another day we can look at an example of how Jesus treated people. It would help us better understand the model of love he mentioned.

Person: I’d be interested in that. We’ll be on break together Monday. Now I’m going to get my things.

Publisher: All right, we’ll leave it for Monday.

Making Disciples

Publisher: Before we clean up, did you have any questions about what we discussed about prayer?

Person: One, although I’m a little embarrassed. Here, when we finish the study, praying feels natural. But then the days go by and I hardly do it. This week I prayed only once, when I had a problem.

Publisher: We can talk about it openly. When you say that you hardly pray, is it because you forget, or because something holds you back?

Person: A little of both. I let the day go by. And when I remember, I think that I don’t really have anything important to say. It seems strange to pray about small things.

Publisher: So it’s not that you don’t want to pray. Rather, it’s hard for you to find a reason if you don’t have a major concern. Have I understood you correctly?

Person: Yes. And I don’t want to repeat the same things just to fulfill a routine. For that reason, I’d rather wait until I really have something to say.

Publisher: It makes sense that you want to be sincere. To think about this, we can use a simple comparison. Jesus taught that way. Notice how Matthew 13:34, 35 describes it; I’ll read it.

Matthew 13:34-35 — All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds by illustrations. Indeed, without an illustration he would not speak to them, in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet who said: “I will open my mouth with illustrations; I will proclaim things hidden since the founding.”

Publisher: Jesus used illustrations to teach. This passage does not discuss how often we pray, but it does show us a way to understand an idea better. Let’s use something from everyday life: Are you still in contact with your brother who lives far away?

Person: Yes, I sent him a voice message this morning. Talking on the phone is harder because our schedules don’t match. But with messages we keep each other updated during the week.

Publisher: And this morning, had anything especially important happened, or did you simply want to tell him something?

Person: Nothing important. I made a recipe he had explained to me and told him that it finally turned out well. I also asked how work had gone.

Publisher: So you didn’t wait until you had a serious problem. You thought of him and wanted to share something from your day. What do you think those small conversations contribute to your relationship?

Person: They help us stay in touch. If we only talked when something serious happened, weeks would go by without knowing about each other. Although I don’t know if it’s the same with God. I’ve known my brother all my life.

Publisher: Of course, it isn’t exactly the same. The comparison highlights just one point: when someone matters to us, we don’t reserve communication only for emergencies. In your prayers to Jehovah, you don’t have to limit yourself to asking for help when a problem arises.

Person: I could thank him. I understand that. But some days are so ordinary that it’s hard to think of something specific. I work, come home, prepare dinner… There isn’t much more.

Publisher: Let’s think about this ordinary day, without looking for anything extraordinary. Was there a moment you enjoyed or something that made you feel grateful?

Person: Well, eating peacefully before the study. And hearing my brother’s message. He’s been very busy for several days, and I was glad to know he was all right. I hadn’t thought of relating that to prayer.

Publisher: There you have something personal you could express. You don’t have to turn it into a speech. You can use your own words to talk about what you’re grateful for, just as you explained it to me now.

Person: That seems easier to me. What concerns me is that tomorrow I’ll forget again. That has happened with other things I wanted to start doing.

Publisher: Would it help you to choose a quiet moment that is already part of your routine? Not to do it mechanically, but to have an opportunity to pause and think about what you want to say to Jehovah.

Person: At night might work. Although if I wait until I’m in bed, I fall asleep. Maybe after dinner, before I start looking at my phone. I usually have a few minutes then.

Publisher: That seems like a more realistic time for you. What would help you keep it from becoming an empty routine, which was your concern at first?

Person: Thinking first about what happened during the day. Something I’m grateful for or concerned about. That way I wouldn’t start talking without knowing what I want to say.

Publisher: Exactly. That moment can help you get started, without becoming the only time you pray. The important thing is not to follow a schedule, but to make that communication with Jehovah more habitual.

Person: I’ll try after dinner. I don’t want to promise you that I’ll do it perfectly. But I can start tonight and not wait until another problem comes up.

Publisher: You don’t have to promise me anything. It’s something personal between Jehovah and you. If you want to tell me next time how it went, we can talk about it. Would you like to say the prayer to conclude the study?

Publisher: Starting tonight is a concrete step. And thinking about what you said about not doing it perfectly, what would you do if your routine changed one night and you missed that moment after dinner?

Person: I’d probably get discouraged. Sometimes, when I set out to do something and fail at first, I think I won’t be consistent and I give up. I’m concerned that forgetting once could turn into several more days without praying.

Publisher: Think about your brother. If one day you wanted to send him a message and forgot, would you stop writing to him for the rest of the week? Of course not; you would resume contact. With prayer, one missed opportunity doesn’t have to make you abandon your goal either. As soon as you remember, you can find a moment to talk to Jehovah, without waiting until the next day.

Person: I understand. Instead of considering it lost, I can resume. I want to try, although I still find it hard to commit to being consistent.

Person: Yes, I’d like to do it today. It will be simple, but I already have something specific to thank Jehovah for.