What exactly is “humiliation”? Do believers need to endure humiliation? Does this “humiliation” exist? (No, it does not exist.) It does not exist, so is this issue not resolved? The next time you hear someone say, “The first thing you must learn as a believer is to endure. No matter what happens, you must bear it and suppress it inside.” Should you say something to them when you hear them say these words? (Yes.) What should you say? You say: “What are you enduring for? If you are truly enduring indignity, then you are quite pitiful, and it shows that you do not understand the truth. If you understood the truth, this indignity would not exist, and you would willingly and gladly accept all of the circumstances that God orchestrates for you. This is hardship that people should be suffering, not some indignity. This is God elevating you. The fact we can suffer this hardship proves that God is still giving us a chance and making us able to be saved. If we did not even have the opportunity to suffer hardship or were not worthy of it, then we would have no chance of being saved. This is not indignity; you must become clear on that, and look at whether what you’re saying is actually right. This indignity does not exist—we are corrupt people and deserve to suffer this hardship. When you are sick, taking medicine and getting surgery involves suffering a bit of hardship. Does the hardship you suffer to heal your illness count as indignity? That is not indignity; it is done to heal you. Our belief in God and experience of judgment and chastisement is in order to cast off our corrupt dispositions, and to live out human likeness, live according to God’s requirements, submit to God, worship Him, and to live better and live with more dignity. We deserve to suffer this hardship on account of our corrupt dispositions. Suffering this hardship is for the sake of gaining the truth and life. We cannot interpret it as indignity. We should accept it as our responsibility and obligation to fulfill, and as the road we should take. This is God’s elevation, and we must praise God for elevating us, and praise Him for the chance He gives us. Based on all we have done and how we have acted, we are not worthy of suffering this hardship, and we should be destroyed like the people of the world. If we treat the hardship we should suffer and all this grace that God has bestowed upon us as indignity, then we are seriously lacking in conscience and hurting God’s heart! We are not worthy of God’s salvation.” Is this not the case? (Yes.) This bit of doctrine is very simple. Shouldn’t one be able to understand it without it being said? By being enlightened in this way and understanding these things, people’s hearts will be more at ease, and they will not act unreasonably when things happen to them. Some people know clearly in their hearts that this is the truth and that they must accept it, but when they speak, they still say it is really unjust, talking and talking until words of judgment against God come out. Do not do things like this. Whenever things happen to you, seek the truth. This is the first crucial thing; do not ever overlook it. If you acknowledge that God is the truth, the way, and the life, then you should not treat any circumstance that God brings about as the work of man. Rather, you should treat every circumstance that God brings about as a chance to transform your disposition and a chance to accept the truth.

I have finished fellowshipping on the meaning of “humiliation.” Next, I will fellowship on the next part, which is what it means to “bear a heavy burden.” Just now we talked about how the heavy burden people bear is a desire and an ambition deep in their hearts, a goal they hope to achieve. When it comes to believers in God being saved by God and accepting God’s leadership, do they need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden? Just now, I said that the phrase “enduring humiliation” does not hold water in God’s house. You do not need to endure humiliation; you do not need to feel that you are bearing so much hardship; your heart does not need to feel unfairly treated; and you do not need to endure all this indignity in order to satisfy God, as if you were so noble. You do not need to do these things. So what does it mean to bear a heavy burden? If one were to say that God makes people suffer all this hardship so that they are able to take on greater responsibilities and missions, and receive greater blessings and a better destination, would that statement be sound and reasonable? (No, it’s not sound.) It’s not sound. Then how should we define it? God allows people to be saved and attain fearing God and shunning evil, and makes them live better. Does God do this for people’s sake or for His own sake, exactly? (For people’s sake.) Of course it is for people’s sake. People are the biggest beneficiary. That’s why I say that this has nothing to do with what God gets out of it, let alone what magnitude of blessings people can receive by suffering this hardship. You do not need to endure, and you do not need to have these kinds of “great aspirations,” nor do you need to forgo things in this way. In actuality, you haven’t forgone anything, nor have you thrown anything away. On the contrary, people have ultimately gained the most. For one thing, people have understood all the various criteria for comporting themselves. Plus, people are able to comply with this entire order and all these laws that God has put in place, and live in an orderly manner. How does this way of living compare to the way people are living now? (It’s better.) It is better than how people are living now. Then, out of these two ways of living, which is more blessed, more greatly resembles that of a true created being, and even more so, is the life humankind should have? (The former.) Of course it is the former. After suffering this hardship, you understand God’s intentions, and at the same time understand many truths, and with an understanding of the truth as a foundation, you learn how to comport yourself, and there is truth which acts as life within your humanity. Does this give you worth? People do not originally have any truth whatsoever. They are just worthless wretches who are lower than ants and do not deserve to live, but now you have understood the truth, and speak and act according to the truth. No matter what God makes you do you are able to listen, and carry it out to the letter, and no matter what arrangements God makes for you, you are able to submit to them. So, will you still judge God? Will you proactively rebel against Him? If someone instigates you to rebel against God, will you do it? (No.) If someone spins lies about God to mislead you, will you believe it? (No.) No, you won’t. So you will not rebel against God, whether in a subjective or objective sense. Humans like this live completely under the dominion of God. So do humans like this still need to withstand the pain of people now? Is there still hate and pain in their hearts? Are there sad and painful things in their hearts? (No.) This pain is not there. In everything they do, people like this are principled and not indiscriminate. Also, when things happen, God has sovereign authority, and Satan cannot harm you; you live as a true person. Would God destroy humans like this? Would humans like this destroy themselves? (No.) No, they wouldn’t. They are a completely different type of people compared to the corrupt humans of today. The hearts of people today are full of hate and pain. They are capable of committing suicide at any time or place, fighting and killing people at any time or place, and doing bad things at any time or place, bringing disaster upon the human world. Whereas, the humans who are saved by God and who have gained the truth as life can coexist peacefully without fighting or hatred. They are able to submit to God’s arrangements, and submit with unified hearts and effort to every word God says. These people all live in the word of God, and work hard in the same direction. For the sake of making God’s will carried out—with you understanding the truth, him understanding the truth, her understanding the truth, and them understanding the truth—can they still have different views when they’re together? (No.) In this way, they can get to the point where everyone is living in God’s presence, living in His word, living according to the truth, and where people’s hearts are in compatibility. This way, can there still be slaughter and fighting between people? (No.) No. Do people still need to endure pain? There is no pain. Humans like this live a blessed life with no fighting or slaughter. Then how should people manage all things which God entrusted to them? (They should coexist peacefully.) Part of it is that they should coexist peacefully. The other part is that they should manage every thing in accordance with the order and laws God put in place. Which means that this entire order and all these laws and living things belong to humankind, are used by humankind, and create benefits for humankind. How wonderful humankind of this sort is! At that time, humankind’s living environment is given to humans to manage. God puts order and laws in place for this world for humans’ sake, and then God will not interfere in it. If one day you see a wolf eating a rabbit, what would you do? You must let the wolf eat it. You can’t stop a wolf from eating rabbits and make it eat grass. What mistake would you be making? (Going against the natural order of things.) You would be going against the natural order of things. Rabbits eat grass and wolves eat meat, so you must respect their inherent natures and let them develop freely. There is no need to interfere with their activities and lifestyle in an artificial, additional way. You don’t need to manage these things; God has already set these things the way they should be. If there are some places which get a lot of rain and the climate is not suitable, then animals must migrate. You say, “We must fix this place. How come it always rains so much? It must be so tiring for the animals to always migrate!” Isn’t this foolishness again? (Yes.) How is it foolish? Didn’t God put this climate in place? (Yes.) God put this climate in place and let these animals live in this area. Didn’t God put their migration in place? (Yes.) Then why do you want to get in the way? Why are you blindly acting on good intentions? What is good about migrating? When a large group of animals stays in an area for half a year, the grass is all eaten away. If it doesn’t rain and they are not willing to leave, what then? It will need to rain all the time. When the ground is wet, they cannot stay there and the grass will be soaked in rainwater, so they must leave. This migration makes their bodies fit and gives the grass a chance to regrow. Once they have eaten most of the grass in another place, it will be time for it to snow there and they will once again be kicked out, so to speak, and must quickly migrate. They make their way back to their original place again. It is not raining, the grass has grown, and they can eat it again. In this way, this ecosystem continually maintains balance in a natural way. Some people say, “Wildebeests are always eaten by lions—those poor things! Can’t we make wildebeests smarter?” Why are you blindly acting on good intentions? Are you trying to show that you are kind? Your goodness goes too far. If wildebeests were cunning, the lions would go hungry. Would you be able to stand watching lions go hungry? There are other people who say, “Lions are bad. They bite deer and zebras. It’s so gory and cruel!” If you obliterated the lions, there would be too many zebras and deer. What would the final result be? The grass would all be eaten up, and the grasslands would turn into a desert. Could you take that? Would you still act on these good intentions? So, what should you do? Let them develop freely. This is how it is with animals. God put this entire order in place long ago, and you must accept it whether you want to or not; everything must proceed as it is ordered. If you go against natural order, life cannot be sustained. Once you understand all these laws, you will respect the laws, and view these things according to the laws. Then you will see the wisdom of God’s sovereignty over everything. In addition, all these laws are inherent to life. How did this come about? (It was destined by God.) It was destined by God. This is how God arranged it. Humans research science, research biology, research all sorts of areas of study. They have conducted so many years of research, but only understand simple doctrine and order; no one sees God’s sovereignty or wisdom in this doctrine and phenomena. Why did this whole ecosystem and food chain emerge to be so intricate and wondrous? Humans just clarify a phenomenon or announce a fact to people in this world, but no one can summarize or see clearly that all of this came from God—it did not come about on its own. If we go along with saying that it came about on its own, then how come no one has ever seen an ape turn into a human in all these years? All of these laws were put in place by God. Do they have anything to do with apes turning into humans? (No.) There is no such thing. God put in place all of these laws and this entire order. If people are lucky enough to remain, then at that time they won’t just respect, maintain and manage this entire order and all these laws, more importantly, they will also become the biggest beneficiary of this entire order and all these laws. God prepared all of this for humanity, and put it in place for people—everything is ready-made for people’s enjoyment. Of everything, the created beings that are people are the most blessed. People have language, thinking, can hear God’s voice, can understand God’s words, have a language with which to communicate with God, and are the most adept at understanding God’s words. The way they are the most blessed is that God gave them the greatest capital with which they can obtain salvation and come before Him. Ultimately, everything God has done, and this entire order and all the laws God put in place will require people to manage, and require people to maintain. Those people who just research, wreck, are detrimental toward, and skew this entire order and all these laws must be wiped out. People have suffered so much hardship. Does the beautiful destination people believe in in their hearts, and which they pursue and long for actually exist? It doesn’t actually exist. It is just a desire and ambition of people’s, and is different from what God wants to give to people. They are two separate things and have nothing to do with each other. So the “bearing a heavy burden” part of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden does not exist in people. What do I mean it doesn’t exist? That the beautiful destination you believe in, and the things that you want to accomplish in the ambitions and desires deep in your heart, do not exist at all. No matter how much hardship you suffer or how much indignity you endure, ultimately the destination you long for, the things you desire to achieve, the person you wish to become, and the degree to which you want to be blessed do not hold any water. Those are not the things God wants to give you. What other problem is there here? Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is when people hide their real capabilities by enduring indignity, then suffer indignity in order to achieve their goals. What are these goals? They are the ideals and even desires deep in people’s hearts. Then when believers suffer hardship is it in order to satisfy a desire? (No.) Then what is it for? When believers suffer hardship, is the goal they want to pursue and achieve positive or negative? (Positive.) Is it connected to desire? (No.) Then what is this positive goal? (To cast off their corrupt disposition, become a true person, and be able to live better.) To cast off their corrupt disposition, become a true person, and be able to live better. What else? To become a person who is saved, and to not rebel against God again. Do you want to become someone like Job and Peter? (Yes.) Then isn’t this a goal? (Yes.) Is this goal connected to desire? (No.) This goal is a proper pursuit, and is the goal and path God has given to people. This is proper. That’s why I say that the hardship you suffer on account of this proper goal of pursuit is not enduring humiliation. Instead, it is what people should be pursuing, and it is the path people should be taking. Can those people who think deep in their hearts that they are someone who endures indignity get onto this path? They cannot, and nor can they achieve this goal.

Looking at it now, is the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” the truth? (No.) It’s not the truth, and it is not a criterion for how people should act, comport themselves, or worship God. Do people need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden in order to be saved by God? (No.) Is it right or wrong to say that a person achieved salvation by enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (Wrong.) How is it wrong? Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is not practicing the truth, so how can they achieve salvation? That is like saying a person killed people, set fire to things and did a lot of bad things, and eventually became a “leader loved by the people.” Isn’t it about the same as saying this? (Yes.) This is what it means. They are obviously on the path of wickedness, yet became a positive person. This is a contradiction. If one were to say that a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually achieved compatibility with God, or a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually stood firm during trials, or a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually completed God’s commission—which of these statements are correct? (None of them are.) None of them are correct. Is it correct to say someone endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden while spreading the gospel across an entire village? (No.) I see some people are unsure, thinking, “Is it correct? I think that statement’s correct, isn’t it? There are many times when people have to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden while spreading the gospel and testifying to God.” Using this phrase in this context is correct, isn’t it? (No, it’s not.) Why not? Tell Me. (Because the effect achieved by enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is not positive.) Is this the right application? Analyze how this phrase is wrong. Dissect it. “By enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden while sharing the gospel, they converted a lot of people, bore much fruit, and spread the name of God.” Do you not know whether this statement is correct? If we apply it in line with every statement we’ve fellowshipped on today, it would be incorrect to use this phrase in this situation, but if we think a step further about how when spreading the gospel some people get hit or yelled at by potential recipients and turned away from their doors, does this count as enduring humiliation? (No.) Then what is this? (Hardship believers must suffer while spreading the gospel.) That’s right. This is hardship that people must suffer. This is their responsibility, their obligation, and the commission God has given to people. It’s like how childbirth is painful—isn’t this hardship that must be suffered? (Yes.) If a woman says to her child, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden to bring you into the world,” would that be a correct thing to say? (No.) She suffered hardship, so why is it wrong to say? Because this is hardship she must suffer. For example, if a wolf hunted for many hours before catching a rabbit, and said, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden in order to eat a rabbit,” would that be correct? (No.) To eat a rabbit, the wolf must sacrifice something in return. The rabbit is not going to just sit there and wait for the wolf to eat it. What task is that easy? No matter what the task is, one always has to make a certain sacrifice. This is not enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. Right now, what have we thoroughly categorized the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” as? (Negative.) We have categorized it as a negative and pejorative phrase, and categorized it as Satan’s logic and Satan’s philosophy for worldly dealings. It has nothing to do with faith in God or positive things. If someone says, “I’ve spread the gospel for many years. I have really endured humiliation and borne a heavy burden!” this isn’t appropriate. Spreading the gospel is your responsibility, and is hardship you are supposed to suffer. Even if you don’t spread the gospel, won’t you suffer hardship just by living? This is hardship people are supposed to suffer; it is proper. The phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” has basically been eradicated from God’s house. If someone mentions this phrase again, how will you interpret it? If someone says, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden in prison in order to not be a Judas!” is this statement correct? (No.) Why not? “In order to not be a Judas” is a very just goal and just thing to say, so how could it not be enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (A believer should not be a Judas.) That’s right. How is it reasonable for a believer to be a Judas? Isn’t it ridiculous to say not being a Judas is enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? Testifying to God is your mission. This is the testimony in which created beings should stand firm, and the stance in which they should stand firm. Satan is not worthy of man’s praise. God is the One people should be worshiping, and it is perfectly natural and justified to worship God. When Satan tries to bend you to its will, you should stand firm in your testimony for God, forgo your life, and not be a Judas. This does not amount to enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. I have explained this phrase clearly now. If someone says again how they have endured humiliation and borne a heavy burden, how should you handle the matter? They will understand when you let them listen to the sermon I preached today. That is the easiest way.

C. A Never-Say-Die Will to Fight

The third manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is a never-say-die will to fight. What sort of disposition is it to never say die? An arrogant disposition. How can people never fail? How can people never do anything wrong, never say anything wrong, or never make any mistakes? You must admit, “I am a regular person, and I am a normal person. I have flaws and shortcomings. I have times when I do the wrong thing and times when I say the wrong thing. I am capable of doing the wrong thing and following the wrong path. I am a regular person.” So what does it mean to never say die? It is when someone fails, encounters setbacks, or strays onto the wrong path, but does not admit it. They just stubbornly keep on going. They fail but are not discouraged, fail but do not admit their mistakes. No matter how many people reprimand or condemn them, they do not turn back. They insist on fighting, working and pursuing in their own direction and toward their own goals, and think nothing of the cost. This is the sort of mentality it refers to. Isn’t this mentality quite good at rallying people? In what situations is “Never say die” usually used? Every sort of situation. Wherever corrupt humans exist, this phrase exists; this mentality exists. So what did humans of Satan’s ilk come up with this saying for? So that people never understand themselves, do not recognize their own mistakes, and do not accept their own mistakes. So that people do not just see the side of themselves that is fragile, feeble and inept, but rather see the side of themselves that is capable, and the side of themselves that is mighty and stouthearted, do not underestimate themselves, but think they are competent. So long as you think you are able, you’re able; so long as you think you can be successful, will not fail, and can become the cream of the crop, then you will. So long as you have that determination and resolve, that ambition and desire, then you can accomplish it all. People are not insignificant; they are mighty. Nonbelievers have a saying: “Your stage is as big as your heart.” Some people love this saying as soon as they hear it: “Wow, I want a ten-carat diamond, so that means I’ll get it? I want a Mercedes Benz, so that means I’ll get it?” Will what you get match the breadth of your heart’s desire? (No.) This saying is a fallacy. Speaking plainly, the arrogance of those who believe and acknowledge the phrase “Never say die” knows no bounds. Which of God’s words does these people’s way of thinking directly contradict? God requires people to understand themselves, and comport themselves in a down-to-earth way. People have corrupt dispositions; they have shortcomings and a disposition which resists God. There are no perfect people among man; no one is perfect; they are just regular people. How did God exhort people to comport themselves? (In a well-behaved manner.) To comport themselves in a well-behaved manner, and hold fast to their place as created beings in a down-to-earth way. Has God ever required people to never say die? (No.) No. Then what does God say about people following the wrong path, or revealing a corrupt disposition? (He says to acknowledge and accept it.) Acknowledge and accept it, then understand it, be able to turn themselves around, and attain practicing the truth. By contrast, never saying die is when people do not understand their own problems, do not understand their mistakes, do not accept their mistakes, do not turn themselves around in any case, and do not repent in any case, let alone accept God’s sovereignty or arrangements. Not only do they not seek out what exactly people’s fate is, or what God’s orchestrations and arrangements are—not only do they not seek these things out, but instead, they take their fate into their own hands; they want to have the final say. Also, God requires people to understand themselves, to accurately assess and rate themselves, and to do whatever they can do well in a down-to-earth and well-behaved manner, and with all their heart, mind, and soul, whereas Satan makes people make full use of their arrogant disposition, and give full rein to their arrogant disposition. It makes people be superhuman, be great, and even have super powers—it makes people be things they cannot be. Therefore, what is Satan’s philosophy? It’s that even if you’re wrong, you’re not wrong, and that so long as you have a mentality of not conceding defeat, and so long as you have a never-say-die mentality, sooner or later there will come a day when you become the cream of the crop, and sooner or later there will come a day when your wishes and goals will materialize. So, is there a sense in which never saying die means you will use any means to accomplish something? In order to achieve your goals, you must not acknowledge you are capable of failure, you must not believe that you are a regular person, and you must not believe you are capable of following the wrong path. In addition to this, you must unscrupulously use every sort of method or secret scheme to materialize your ambitions and desires. Is there anything about never saying die wherein people approach their fate with an attitude of waiting and submission? (No.) No. People insist on taking their fate completely into their own hands; they want to control their own fate. No matter whether it is which way they will go, whether they will be blessed or what kind of lifestyle they will have, they must have the final say in everything. Nonbelievers have a saying: “Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.” What kind of saying is this? There are many people who spend many years preparing, who spend their whole life preparing, but die without ever getting an opportunity. How does opportunity come about? (From God.) If God does not prepare an opportunity for you, is any amount of preparation on your part of any use? (No.) If God does not plan on giving you an opportunity and it is not fated, no matter how many years you spend preparing, what use is it? Will God take pity on you and give you an opportunity because you spent so many years preparing? Will God do this? (No.) An opportunity will come if God has prepared it for you, and if God has not prepared it for you, you will not get an opportunity. Is there any use in never saying die? (No.) Some people say, “I never say die. I take my fate into my own hands!” Their words are fierce, but whether or not they can achieve it is not up to them. For example, there is a woman who wants a son. She gives birth to several children, but it turns out they are all girls. Other people tell her not to have any more children, and say she is not fated to have a son, but she does not yield, and says, “I don’t believe it. I will never say die!” When her tenth child is also a girl, she finally yields: “It looks as though I am not fated to have a son.” Does she still never say die? Does she still have confidence? Does she still dare to have more children? No, she does not dare. When some other person does business, he plans to make five hundred thousand dollars in two years. At the beginning, when he does not make anything for the first half year, he says, “No matter. Not making money in the first half year is of no consequence. I will for sure make money in the latter half.” After more than a year has gone by and he has not made any money, he still does not give in: “I never say die. I believe everything is in man’s hands—I have plenty of opportunities!” When it has been two years, he has not made fifty thousand, let alone five hundred thousand. He thinks he did not have enough time and did not have enough experience, so he goes and studies for two more years. After four years have passed, not only has he not earned five hundred thousand dollars, but he has lost nearly all of his principal, but still he never says die: “I am fated to have money. How is it I am incapable of earning five hundred thousand dollars?” When it has been nearly ten years, will he still have this goal of earning five hundred thousand dollars? If you ask him again how much he plans to earn this year, he says, “Oh, it’s enough if I can live off of it.” Does he still never say die? He has failed, right? How has he failed? Did he fail because his target for earnings was too high? Is that what it’s about? No. Whether it is people’s assets, children, the hardship they suffer in their lives, or when and where they go, they can’t decide any of it. Some people want to go into public administration, but they never get the opportunity—is a lack of capability to blame for this? They are capable, are calculating, and know how to butter people up, so why is it so difficult for them to become public officials? There are many people who are not as capable as they are who have become officials, and many people they look down on who have become officials. These people are good at talking, they have true talent, and solid educations under their belts, so if they want to become public officials, why is it so hard? When they were young, they never said die, but when they got old and were still just average clerks, they finally gave in, and said, “Man’s fate is determined by Heaven. If it is fated, it will come. If it is not, then it can’t be obtained by striving.” They have resigned themselves to their fate, haven’t they? What happened to their never-say-die mentality? People are humiliated in the face of facts.

What does a never-say-die mentality bring people? It fertilizes their desires and ambitions. What it brings people is not positive influence or guidance; rather, it brings a sort of negative, adverse influence upon them. People themselves know nothing of their place in the universe, know nothing of the fate Heaven has planned for them, and know nothing of God’s sovereignty or arrangements. On top of that, they have acquired this so-called mental crutch. What ultimately happens when people are in a situation where they are only able to be misled? They do a whole lot of work for nothing, and do a lot of useless work. In order to achieve their goals, one thing is that people’s bodies and minds sustain no small amount of loss and trauma, and they also have certainly done much evil in order to accomplish their desires, ambitions and goals. What consequence will this evil bring upon people in their next life? It will bring only punishment. What a corrupt disposition brings people is ambition and desire. Of the things that people’s ambitions and desires make them do, are any of them legitimate? Are any of these things in line with the truth? (No.) What are these things? They are only acts of evil. What does this evil encompass? Being calculating toward others, duping others, harming others, and tricking others. People end up owing others too much, and could be reincarnated as an animal in their next life. Whoever they owe the most, whoever they trick the most, and whoever they dupe the most, that is whose house they will live in as an animal, unable to speak and ordered around by people. Even if they are reincarnated as a person, they will suffer a life of endless hardship; they must pay for what they have done. This is the negative consequence that will result. If they were not directed by the saying “Never say die,” their ambitions and desires would not be fertilized, and if their ambitions and desires did not materialize in two or three years’ time, people would likely abandon them, but as soon as Satan fans the flames, their desires grow more and more inflated. The inflation itself isn’t the problem, but it makes them step onto a wicked path. When someone is on a wicked path, can they do good things? Can they do humane things? No, they can’t. They will use any means to accomplish their objectives and goals, swear they will not rest until their goals are accomplished, and are capable of doing any sort of bad thing. Just look, are there cases where children kill their parents in order to acquire their assets? (Yes.) There are too many instances where people kill their friends and loved ones with their own hands for the sake of their own self-interest. When two people encounter the same advantageous opportunity and have to fight each other for it, they use any means they can to get it. What are their beliefs at the most crucial moment? “I never say die. I absolutely cannot fail this time. If I miss out on this opportunity, I may never encounter such a good opportunity again for the rest of my life. So, this time I have to win. I absolutely must get this opportunity. No matter who blocks my path, I will kill them without exception!” What ultimately happens? They kill the other person. They may have achieved and satisfied their goal and desire, but they have also done evil, and it has brewed disaster. Their heart may be unsettled for their whole life, it may feel accused, or it may be completely oblivious. However, the fact that they do not perceive it at all does not mean that God has not defined this matter. God has a way of handling it. This person may have accomplished their goal in this life, they may have pulled it off, but in the next life they will have to pay a terrible price for what they did in this life, which was probably an evil deed. They may have to pay for it in one life, or two lives, three lives, or even an eternity. This price is far too terrible! So how did this consequence come about? It was brought about by a single phrase, a single belief. This person wants to get that opportunity. They do not concede defeat, they do not give up, and they do not allow themselves to fail. They want to seize the opportunity firmly. As a result, it brews disaster. After disaster has brewed, one or two years will not be enough to pay for and make up for the consequences. Isn’t this too steep a price? People’s lives are eighty to ninety years long, and the shorter ones are fifty to sixty years. No matter whether you have acquired personal benefits, status, money, or other material things, you will consciously enjoy these things for twenty or thirty years. However, for these twenty or thirty years of enjoyment, you may have to pay a price in every one of your lives, for the rest of eternity. Isn’t this price too steep? (Yes.) People who do not believe in God do not understand the truth, nor do they know that God is sovereign over all these things. So they are capable of doing stupid things for the sake of their selfish desire, a momentary blinding desire for self-interest, under the domination of certain notions or satanic logic, leaving them with eternal regret. “Eternal” does not mean twenty or thirty years in this life, but rather that they must suffer in every life including this one. People who don’t believe in God will not understand these things, and if people who believe in God do not understand the truth or know God, they will not understand these things either. Some people do not do things which are obviously evil. When you look at them from the outside, they do not kill people or start fires, and do not openly set traps for other people, but they have many secret tactics. In God’s eyes, the character of this evil and the obvious evil is the same. What do I mean they have the same character? I mean that from where God stands, the principles He uses to condemn things like these are the same. He uses the same method and the same item of truth to condemn them. All these things that those people have done are condemned by God, no matter what their motivation was for doing them, and whether they did them in God’s house or out in the world. If you believe in God but still do these things, will the outcome God ultimately gives you be any different from that of nonbelievers? Tell Me, will God be lenient with you and change His righteous disposition on account of the fact that you believed in Him for many years and rendered service for the church for a couple of years? Do you think this is possible? It is absolutely not possible. What do I mean when I say this? If you don’t understand the truth, the evil that you do is evil, and when you understand the truth, the evil that you do is still evil. From where God stands, it is all evil. These two types of evil are equivalent to each other. There is no difference between the two. So long as something is not in line with the truth, it is evil. From where God stands, there is no difference in character between the two. As they are both evil, people must pay for the evil they did in both cases—they must pay a price. This is God’s righteous disposition. Whether you doubt it or believe it, this is what God does, and this is how He defines things. What do I mean by saying this? I mean to tell you all a fact: You should not assume, “God chose me, so I have found favor in His eyes. I understand many truths. If I do a little evil God will not define it or condemn it. I can do as I like. I can carry out the evil in my hand under the pretext of suffering hardship for practicing the truth. Then God won’t condemn it, will He?” You are wrong. God’s principles for condemning evil are the same. It doesn’t matter in what setting it takes place, or in which group of people it takes place. God does not differentiate between different races, nor between those He has chosen and those He has not. Whether they are a nonbeliever or a believer, God views them in the same light. Do you understand? (Yes, we understand.)