Knowing oneself is the most crucial aspect of life entry. But for most people, because they do not love the truth or pursue it, knowing themselves becomes their greatest difficulty. Therefore, it is certain that those who do not love the truth cannot genuinely know themselves. What aspects are there to self-knowledge? The first is knowing what corrupt dispositions are revealed in one’s speech and actions. Sometimes, it is arrogance, other times it is deceitfulness, or perhaps wickedness, intransigence, or betrayal, and so on. Beyond that, when something befalls a person, they should examine themselves to see if they have any intentions or motives that are not in accordance with the truth. They should also examine whether there is anything in their speech or actions that resists or rebels against God. In particular, they should examine if they have a sense of burden and are loyal when it comes to their duty, if they are sincerely expending themselves for God, and if they are being transactional or perfunctory. Self-knowledge also means knowing whether one has notions and imaginings, extravagant demands, or misunderstandings and grievances regarding God, and if one has a mind to submit. It means knowing whether one can seek the truth, accept from God and have a heart of submission to God when approaching the situations, people, events, and things that He orchestrates. It means knowing if one has conscience and reason and whether one is a lover of the truth. It means knowing whether one submits or tries to argue when things befall them, and if one relies on notions and imaginings or on seeking the truth in their approach to these matters. All of this is the scope of self-knowledge. One should reflect on whether they love the truth and have true faith in God in light of their attitude toward various situations and people, events, and things. If one can come to know their corrupt disposition and see how great their rebellion is against God, then they will have grown. Furthermore, when it comes to affairs that involve their treatment of God, one should reflect on whether they have notions, fear, or submission in their treatment of God’s name and incarnation, and especially what their attitude is in regard to the truth. A person should also know their deficiencies, their stature, and whether they have the truth reality, as well as whether their pursuit and the path they walk are correct and in accordance with God’s intentions. These are all things that people should know. In summary, the various aspects of self-knowledge essentially consist of the following: knowledge of whether one’s caliber is high or low, knowledge of one’s character, knowledge of the intents and motives one has in their actions, knowledge of the corrupt disposition and nature essence that one reveals, knowledge of one’s preferences and pursuit, knowledge of the path one walks, knowledge of one’s views on things, knowledge of one’s outlook on life and values, and knowledge of one’s attitude toward God and the truth. Self-knowledge is mainly comprised of these aspects.

The next bit of content about life entry concerns the various manifestations with which people treat God. For example, there’s having notions about God, developing misunderstandings about Him and becoming guarded toward Him, making unreasonable demands of Him, always wanting to avoid Him, disliking the words that He speaks, and constantly seeking to scrutinize Him. There’s also being unable to see through to or recognize God’s almightiness, as well as always harboring an attitude of doubt toward God’s sovereignty, arrangements, and authority, and completely lacking knowledge of these things. Furthermore, there’s not only failing to avoid or deny the slander and blasphemy that nonbelievers and the world bring against God, but on the contrary, wanting to ask whether it is true or factual. Is this not doubting God? Apart from these manifestations, what others are there? (Being suspicious of God and testing God.) (Trying to ingratiate oneself with God.) (Not wanting to accept God’s scrutiny.) There’s not wanting to accept God’s scrutiny while simultaneously doubting that God can scrutinize people’s innermost hearts. (There is also opposing God.) This is also a manifestation—opposing God and clamoring against Him. There’s using a disdainful and contemptuous attitude to approach God, to talk to Him and associate with Him. Anything else? (Being perfunctory with God and tricking Him.) (Complaining about God.) There’s never submitting or seeking the truth when faced with matters, and always arguing on one’s own behalf and complaining. (There’s also passing judgment on and blaspheming God.) (Vying with God for status.) (Bargaining with and exploiting God.) (Denying God, rejecting God, and betraying God.) These are all essential issues; they are the various states and corrupt dispositions that arise in people’s treatment of God. These are basically the various manifestations of how people treat God.

Another aspect of the content on life entry is how people treat the truth. What manifestations are there in this aspect? There’s treating the truth as a theory or a slogan, as a regulation, or as capital for living off the church and enjoying the benefits of status. Please add to this. (Treating the truth as a spiritual sustenance.) There’s treating the truth as a spiritual sustenance to satisfy one’s spiritual needs. (Not accepting the truth and being averse to it.) This is an attitude toward the truth. (Thinking that God’s words are meant to expose others, that they are unrelated to oneself, and considering oneself as the master of the truth.) You have described this manifestation quite fittingly. People with this manifestation believe that they understand all of the truths spoken by God, and that the corrupt dispositions and essences of man which He exposes refer to others, and not to them. They see themselves as masters of the truth, often using God’s words to lecture others, as if they themselves lack corrupt dispositions, are already the embodiment of the truth and spokespersons of the truth. What kind of rubbish are they? They want to be the embodiment of the truth—aren’t they just like Paul? Paul denied that the Lord Jesus was Christ and God; he himself wanted to be Christ and the Son of God. These people are like Paul, they are of the same kind as him, they are antichrists. Anything else? (Treating God’s words as those of an ordinary person, not as the truth to be practiced, and having a dismissive and cursory attitude toward God’s words.) Not treating God’s words as the truth to be accepted and practiced, but treating them as human words—this is one. (Connecting God’s words to the philosophies and theories of nonbelievers.) There’s connecting God’s words to philosophies, treating God’s words as decorations or empty words while considering the well-known sayings of famous and great people as the truth, and treating knowledge, traditional culture, and customs as the truth and supplanting God’s words with them. People who display this manifestation talk incessantly about wanting to practice the truth and bear witness to and spread God’s words when faced with situations, but in their hearts, they admire those famous and great people from the secular world, and even adulate Bao Gong of the ancient Song Dynasty, saying, “He really was a strict and impartial judge. He never made an unjust ruling, there were never any miscarriages of justice by his hand, or any souls wronged by his executioner’s blade!” Isn’t this adulating and admiring a famous person and a sage? Trying to pass off the words and deeds of famous people as the truth is slandering and blaspheming the truth! In the church, people like this talk a lot about wanting to practice the truth and spread God’s words, but what they think in their minds and usually say are just folk sayings and proverbs, which they express in a very practiced and fluent manner. These things are always on their lips and roll easily off their tongues. They have never spoken a word of their experience and understanding of God’s words, and less still have they ever said which of God’s words are the criterion or basis for their actions and conduct. All they utter are fallacies, like, “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” “Execution does nothing but make heads roll,” “There is always something despicable about pitiful people,” “Always leave yourself some wiggle room,” “I might not have earned any credit, but I’ve tried and toiled nonetheless,” “Don’t burn the bridge after crossing the river; don’t kill the donkey after unloading the grindstone,” “Punish one severely to set an example to others, make of them a warning to others,” and “New officials are eager to impress,” among others—none of what they say is the truth. Some people will memorize the words of contemporary poets and even post them in the comments section of the videos of God’s house. Is this not a manifestation of a lack of spiritual understanding? Are those words the truth? Are they related to the truth? Some people often say things like “There is a god three feet above you,” and “Good and evil will be repaid in the end; it’s just a matter of time.” Are these statements the truth? (No.) Where do they come from? Are they found in God’s words? They come from Buddhist culture and have nothing to do with believing in God. Despite this, people often try to drag them to the level of the truth; this is a manifestation of a lack of spiritual understanding. Some people have a bit of resolve to expend themselves for God, and they say, “God’s house has promoted me, God has lifted me up, so I must live up to the saying, ‘A gentleman will sacrifice his life for those who understand him.’” You are not a gentleman, and God has not asked you to sacrifice your life. Is it necessary to have such a high sense of valor when doing duties? You can’t even fulfill your duties now that you’re alive, is there any hope of you doing so in death? How will you do your duties then? Others say, “I am naturally loyal, I’m a brave and passionate person. I like to put everything on the line for my friends. It’s the same with God: Since God has chosen, promoted, and lifted me up, I must repay God’s grace. I will definitely put everything on the line for God, even to my death!” Is this the truth? (No.) God has spoken so many words, why haven’t they remembered a single one of them? At all times, what they fellowship is just: “There’s no need to say anything else. A gentleman will sacrifice his life for those who understand him, and one must put everything on the line for one’s friends and be loyal.” They can’t even utter the phrase “repay God’s love.” After listening to sermons and reading God’s words for so many years, they don’t know a single truth, and they can’t even say a couple of spiritual terms—this is their inner understanding and definition of the truth. Tell Me, isn’t this pitiful? Isn’t it laughable? Isn’t this a manifestation of lacking spiritual understanding? After listening to so many sermons, they don’t understand the truth and don’t know what the truth is, yet they brazenly use those devilish, ridiculous, absurd, and extremely laughable words to replace the truth. Not only is their inner thinking and comprehension like this, they also constantly spread and teach this to others, making others have the same comprehension as them. Doesn’t this somewhat carry with it a nature of causing a disruption and disturbance? It seems that these people who don’t understand the truth and lack spiritual understanding are dangerous, they are capable of causing disruptions and disturbances and of doing ridiculous and absurd things at any time and in any place. What are some other manifestations of how people treat the truth? (Despising the truth, accepting only what aligns with one’s own notions, and rejecting and refusing to practice what doesn’t.) Accepting and practicing only what aligns with one’s own notions and uniformly resisting and condemning that which doesn’t—this is an attitude. (Not believing that the truth can resolve one’s corrupt dispositions or change oneself.) Not acknowledging or believing in the truth is also an attitude. Another manifestation is that one’s attitude and viewpoint toward the truth change according to one’s mood, environment, and emotions. For these people, when they feel good and in high spirits one day, they think, “The truth is excellent! The truth is the reality of all positive things, the worthiest thing for humans to practice and spread.” When their mood is bad, they think, “What is the truth? What benefits are there to practicing truth? Can it make you money? What can the truth change? What can happen if you practice the truth? I won’t practice it—what difference does it make?” Their demonic nature emerges. These manifestations are the dispositions and various states that people reveal in how they treat the truth. What are some other specific manifestations? (Not treating God’s words as the truth or life but analyzing and scrutinizing them.) There’s approaching God’s words with an academic attitude, always analyzing and scrutinizing the truth based on one’s knowledge, without any attitude of acceptance and submission. These are more or less the difficulties in people’s treatment of the truth that can be defined and made into summary headings.

There are eight aspects in total to our content on the difficulties of life entry, and they are the main difficulties associated with life entry and achieving salvation. The states and dispositions revealed by people within these eight aspects are all exposed in God’s words; God has set requirements for people and pointed out the path of practice to them. If people can put effort into God’s words, adopt a serious attitude, an attitude of yearning, and bear a burden for their own life entry, then in God’s words, they can find relevant truths to resolve these eight kinds of problems, and there are paths of practice for each of them. None of them are unsolvable challenges or any kind of mystery. However, if you bear no burden at all for your own life entry, and are not at all interested in the truth or in changing your disposition, then no matter how clear and accurate God’s words are, they will remain mere texts and doctrines to you. If you do not pursue or practice the truth, then no matter what issues you have, you will not be able to find a solution, which will make it very difficult for you to attain salvation. Perhaps you will remain forever at the stage of being a laborer; maybe you will remain forever at the stage of being unable to attain salvation and being spurned and eliminated by God.

When it comes to all the difficulties people encounter in their life entry, what do false leaders do? When people face any kind of state that falls within one of these eight categories of difficulties, can false leaders identify this, and use God’s words and their own experiences and knowledge to resolve these people’s problems? Unfortunately, when people encounter difficulties, these false leaders only engage in superficial efforts, just offering some shallow, wide-of-the-mark, and irrelevant remarks that have nothing to do with their dispositions and real difficulties to address their issues. For example, false leaders often say, “You just don’t love the truth!” This is how they attempt to resolve people’s real difficulties and classify their essences. They cannot help people find answers in God’s words for even a minor issue or state, nor can they resolve it by fellowshipping on the truth. Instead, they make some doctrinal and unrelated remarks, or they seize on the problem and make a mountain out of a molehill to completely write people off without providing them an opportunity to repent. In reality, if someone has the ability to comprehend God’s words and possesses spiritual understanding, they will be able to find God’s exposure of these eight aspects of states in His words, it isn’t difficult. However, because false leaders lack spiritual understanding, have poor caliber, and lack comprehension ability, coupled with the fact that some of them are simply enthusiastic, eager to act, hypocritical, and posing as spiritual people, they cannot resolve other people’s issues at all. When it comes to the various issues that people encounter, false leaders will advise them, saying, “God’s work has progressed this far; why are you still getting jealous and disputing with others? Do you have the time for that? What’s the use of fighting over that? Can’t you get by without fighting over it?” “God’s work has come this far, but you are still so sentimental, and you can’t let go. Sooner or later, these feelings will be the death of you!” “God’s work has come this far, so why are you still so concerned about food and clothing? Can’t you do without wearing one dress? Can’t you get by without buying a pair of leather shoes? You should put more thought into God’s words and your duty!” “When something befalls you, pray more to God. Regardless of what befalls you, there is one lesson: learn to submit to God and understand His sovereignty and arrangement.” Can this advice resolve real problems? It can’t at all. Otherwise they say, “People have been deeply corrupted by Satan. By being sentimental, aren’t you rebelling against God? By not knowing yourself, aren’t you rebelling against God?” Regardless of the problem at hand, false leaders do not know how to fellowship the truth in order to dissect a person’s essence or state, they cannot see through to how people’s states arise, and then, based on their states, fellowship the truth to resolve their issues, offering appropriate assistance and provision. Instead, they always say the same things: “Love God! Work hard to do your duties, you must be loyal to God, and pray more when you encounter problems!” “Everything is within God’s sovereignty and arrangement. Everything is in God’s hands!” “If you don’t seek the truth, that won’t do. You must read more of God’s words. God’s words make everything clear, but people just don’t love the truth!” “The disasters are imminent, the outcome of all things is near, and God’s work is coming to an end, but you’re not anxious. How many days does man have left? The kingdom of God has arrived!” False leaders just utter these wide-of-the-mark sayings, never specifically analyzing and dissecting various problems, or offering real provision or assistance to people. Either they find people a couple of passages from God’s words to read, or they offer irrelevant advice to deal with them. What happens in the end? Under the harm of the false leaders, people not only do not know their own corrupt dispositions, they also don’t know what their own character is like, what kind of person they are, and what nature essence they possess; they aren’t clear about what their own caliber is like, whether or not they have comprehension ability, or what path they are on. They still hold onto the worldly and trendy things they love and value in their hearts, and nobody helps them understand, dissect, and analyze these things. These are the consequences of the work of false leaders. When problems arise, they either tear into people, arbitrarily condemning and wrongly accusing them, or they give people wide-of-the-mark advice and lessons, or they use God’s words to make forced, inaccurate comparisons. Those who hear them think, “I feel like I understand, but also like I don’t—it’s like I might have grasped what they said, but I also might have not. Why is that? Everything the leader says is correct, but why can’t I get rid of this issue in my heart? Why can’t I find a resolution to this difficulty? Why do I still think this way and want to do these things? Why can’t I understand where the essence and root of the issue lie? The leader says I don’t love the truth, and I admit that I don’t, but why can’t I get out of this state?” Have these leaders had any effect? Although they have spoken and worked, it’s all a great big muddle, and it hasn’t had the effect that it’s supposed to. They haven’t enabled people to understand God’s intentions, compare themselves to God’s words, accurately understand their states, or resolve their own difficulties. As for those incorrigible, shameless people who do not accept the truth at all, when they hear these leaders earnestly and patiently admonishing them, they feel extremely turned off. At the same time, they parrot the words that these leaders say—after the leaders finish the first part, these people can follow up with the next one, and they quickly grow impatient, saying, “Don’t keep going. I’ve already got a grasp on everything you’re saying. If you continue, I’ll feel nauseous and want to vomit!” The leaders continue saying, “You just don’t love the truth. If you loved the truth, you would understand everything I’m saying.” They retort, “Regardless of whether I love the truth or not, you’ve repeated these words so many times, there’s nothing new in them, and I’m tired of hearing them!” False leaders work in this way, rigidly sticking to regulations and fixating on certain phrases, totally failing to resolve people’s real difficulties. If someone has notions about God, false leaders say that person does not know themselves. If someone has a poor humanity, isn’t able to get along with people, and lacks normal interpersonal relationships, false leaders say that both they and the other person involved are at fault, lecture both of them, putting the blame on both of them, saying, “Alright, you two are even now. We need to be fair and reasonable in our actions, treating everyone equally without any biases. Whoever speaks with reason loves the truth, while those who speak without it should shut their mouths, speak less and do more in the future. Whoever says something correct should be listened to more.” Is this resolving the problem? Is this doing work? Isn’t this just like appeasing children and fooling people? False leaders may look like they’re keeping busy, but they can’t resolve anyone’s problems. How effective is their work? It’s worthless and absurd! These are the actions of nonbelievers.