In truth, based on what God has done in people, and on what He has given them, as well as that which people are possessed of, it can be said that His requirements of people are not excessive, that He does not ask much of them. How, then, could they not try to satisfy God? God gives one hundred percent to man, yet He only requires of people a fraction of a percent—is this asking too much? Is God making trouble out of nothing? Often, people do not know themselves; they do not examine themselves before God, and so there are often times when they become ensnared—how could this be considered cooperating with God? If there were ever a time when God did not place a heavy burden upon people, they would crumble like mud, and would not take it upon themselves to find things to do. That is how people are—either passive or negative, ever incapable of actively cooperating with God, always looking for a negative reason to give in to themselves. Are you truly someone who does everything not for yourself, but to satisfy God? Are you truly someone who does not rely upon your feelings, who does not have their own personal preferences, and who fulfills the needs of God’s work? “Why do people always try to bargain with Me? Am I the general manager of a trade center? Why is it that I wholeheartedly fulfill what people demand of Me, yet what I ask of man comes to nothing?” Why does God ask such things several times in succession? Why does He cry out in dismay thus? God has gained nothing in people; all He sees is the work that they pick and choose. Why does God say “yet what I ask of man comes to nothing”? Ask yourselves: From start to finish, who can do the work which is their duty to do, work over which they have absolutely no choice? Who does not act by virtue of the feelings within their hearts? People give free rein to their personality, never persevering in what they do, as if fishing for three days, and then abandoning their nets and spending the next two days idle. They blow hot and cold by turns: When they are hot, they are able to incinerate all things on earth, and when they are cold, they are capable of freezing all the waters upon the earth. This is not the function of man, yet this is the most appropriate analogy about man’s state. Is this not fact? Perhaps I have “notions” about people, perhaps I am vilifying them—but regardless, “with the truth you will walk the entire world; without the truth, you will get nowhere.” Though this is a human aphorism, I think it apt to use here. I am not deliberately dampening people’s spirits and negating their deeds. Let Me consult you on some questions: Who sees God’s work as the work of their own duty? Who can say, “As long as I am able to satisfy God, I will give my all”? Who is able to say, “Regardless of others, I will do all that God needs, and no matter whether the duration of God’s work is long or short, I shall do my duty; bringing His work to an end is God’s business, and it is not something I occupy myself thinking about”? Who is capable of such knowledge? It matters not what you think—maybe you have higher insights, in which case I acquiesce, I admit defeat—yet I must tell you that what God wants is a loyal heart, one that is sincere and passionate, not a wolf’s heart that is ungrateful. What do you know of this “bargaining”? From beginning to end, you have “traveled the world.” One moment you are in the city of “Kunming,” with its eternal spring, and in the blink of an eye you have arrived in the oppressively cold, snow-covered “South Pole.” Who has never gone back on themselves? What God asks for is a spirit of “No rest unto death”; what He wants is a spirit in which people “do not turn back until they hit the south wall.” Naturally, God’s intention is not for people to take the wrong path, but to adopt such a spirit. Just as God says, “When I compare the ‘gifts’ they have given to My things, people instantly recognize My preciousness, and only then do they see My immeasurability.” How can these words be explained? Perhaps, reading the words above gives you some knowledge, for God takes out the whole of man’s heart for dissection, at which time people come to know these words. But because of the profound inner meaning of God’s words, people remain unclear about the old flesh, for they have not studied at a medical university, and nor are they archaeologists, and so they feel that this new term is incomprehensible—and only then do they yield a little. For people are powerless before the old flesh; though it is not like a ferocious beast, nor capable of obliterating mankind like an atomic bomb, they do not know what to do with it, and it is as if they are powerless. But for Me, there are ways of pruning the old flesh. Man’s never making any effort to think of a countermeasure has led to the various peculiarities of man flashing constantly before My eyes; just as God said: “When I show My entirety to them, they look upon Me with wide eyes, standing before Me motionless, like a pillar of salt. And when I behold their oddness, I can hardly stop Myself from laughing. Because they are reaching out to ask for things from Me, I give them the things in My hand, and they hold them to their breast, cherishing them like a newborn baby, a motion they engage in but momentarily.” Are these not the actions of the old flesh? Given that people have understanding today, why do they not relinquish, and instead still keep on? In fact, part of God’s requirements is not unattainable by man, yet people pay it no heed, for “I do not chastise man lightly. It is for this reason that people have always given free rein to their flesh. They do not observe My intentions, but have ever wheedled Me before My seat of judgment.” Is this not the stature of man? It is not that God is deliberately nitpicking, but that this is reality—must God explain this? Just as God says, “It is because people’s ‘faith’ is so great that they are ‘admirable.’” For this reason, I submit to God’s arrangements, and so I do not say much of this; because of people’s “faith,” I seize on this, making use of their faith to cause them to perform their function without Me reminding them. Is it wrong to do this? Is this not precisely what God needs? Perhaps, upon hearing such words, some people might feel fed up—so I shall speak of something else, to cut them a little slack. When all of God’s chosen people throughout the universe pass through chastisement, and when the state within man is rectified, people will secretly rejoice in their hearts, as if they have escaped tribulation. At this moment, people will no longer choose for themselves, for this is exactly the effect achieved during God’s final work. With His steps having progressed unto today, God’s sons and people have all entered chastisement, and the Israelites, too, cannot escape this phase, for people are tainted by impurity within themselves, and so God leads all people to enter the great smelting furnace for refinement, which is a necessary path. Once this has passed, people will be resurrected from death, which is precisely what God foretold in “the utterances of the seven Spirits.” I shall speak no more of this, so as not to antagonize people. Because God’s work is wondrous, the prophecies spoken from God’s mouth must ultimately be achieved; when God asks that people speak of their notions once again, they are dumbfounded, and so no one should be worried or anxious. Just as I said, “Of all My work, was there ever a step carried out by the hands of man?” Do you understand the essence of these words?