When it comes to your faith in God, in addition to performing your duty properly, what is key is to understand the truth, enter the truth reality, and make more effort with life entry. No matter what happens, there are lessons to be learned, so do not let it lightly pass you by. You should fellowship about it with each other, and then you will be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, and you will be able to understand the truth. Through fellowship, you will have a path of practice and know how to experience God’s work, and without you realizing it, some of your problems will be resolved, there will be fewer and fewer things you cannot see clearly, and you will understand more and more of the truth. In this way, your stature will grow without you realizing it. You must take the initiative to strive for the truth and put your heart into the truth. Some people say, “I have believed in God for several years and understood much doctrine. I now have a foundation. Now, life in our church overseas is good, the brothers and sisters gather to fellowship matters of faith in God all day long, and I am thus influenced by what I see and hear, and am nourished by it—and that’s enough. I don’t need to put effort into solving the problems of my own life entry, or problems of my own rebelliousness. If each day, I abide by my schedule to pray, eat and drink the words of God, sing hymns, perform my duty, and fulfill the duty I am supposed to, I will naturally grow in life.” This is what those confused believers think. These people do not accept the truth at all. They merely engage in religious rituals, speak eloquently, shout empty slogans, speak words and doctrines and feel that they have done well. As a result, while other people can practice some truth and achieve some change, these confused believers have no experiential testimony at all. They can’t even speak about any knowledge of themselves. They end up empty-handed and gaining nothing. Aren’t they impoverished and pitiful? No path to achieving salvation is more real or practical than accepting and pursuing the truth. If you cannot gain the truth, your belief in God is empty. Those who speak empty words and doctrines, who always parrot slogans, say high-sounding things, follow regulations, and never focus on practicing the truth gain nothing, no matter how many years they believe. Who are the people who gain something? Those who perform their duty sincerely and are willing to practice the truth, who treat what God has entrusted to them as their mission, who gladly spend their whole lives expending for God and do not scheme for their own sakes, whose feet are firmly on the ground and who obey God’s orchestrations. They are able to grasp the truth principles while performing their duty and try hard to do everything properly, allowing them to achieve the effect of testimony to God, and satisfy God’s intentions. When they encounter difficulties while performing their duty, they pray to God and try to fathom God’s intentions, they are able to obey the orchestrations and arrangements that come from God, and in all they do, they seek and practice the truth. They do not parrot slogans or say high-sounding things, but focus only on doing things with their feet firmly on the ground, and on meticulously following principles. They put their heart in everything they do, and learn to appreciate everything with their whole heart, and in many matters, they are able to practice the truth, after which they acquire knowledge and understanding, and they are able to learn lessons and truly gain something. And when they have incorrect thoughts or mistaken states, they pray to God and seek the truth to resolve them; no matter what truths they understand, they have an appreciation of them in their hearts, and are able to speak of their experiential testimony. Such people ultimately gain the truth. Those who are careless and shallow never think about how to practice the truth. They only focus on exerting effort and doing things, and on exhibiting themselves and showing off, but they never seek how to practice the truth, which makes it difficult for them to obtain the truth. Think about it, what kind of people can enter into the truth realities? (Those with their feet on the ground, who are pragmatic and put their heart into things.) People with their feet on the ground, who put their heart into things, and have a heart: such people pay more attention to reality and to the usage of the truth principles when they act. Also, in all things they pay attention to practicalities, they are pragmatic, and they like positive things, the truth, and practical things. It is people like this who ultimately understand and gain the truth. Which type of person are you? (Not practical, one who always wants to do things for the sake of appearances, and relies on guile.) Can anything be gained by doing this? (No.) Have you found a way to solve your problems? If you can realize it and start to turn things around, will you know if your notions, imaginings and perspective on things have changed? (I feel they have changed somewhat.) As long as there are results and progress, you should fellowship on it and let others be edified. Although your experience is limited, it is still an experience of growth in life. The process of growth in life is your experience of believing in God, of your life growing through experiencing the word of God. These experiences are the most precious.

Since they all believe in God, read the words of God, and do their duties, why is it that after a few years people become different from one another, highs and lows emerge, and people’s true colors are revealed? Truly, each becomes sorted according to their kind. Some people can talk about their experiential testimony, while others have no experiential testimony at all. Some people are able to understand many truths and enter into reality, while others have not obtained any of the truth or changed their disposition in the slightest. Some people get results in their duties, they are able to seek the truth to solve problems, and they gradually perform their duties adequately. Some people are slippery and slack off while performing their duties, merely going through the motions, and do not put the truth into practice even if they understand it. Since they all attend gatherings, read the words of God, and do their duties, why are the results different? Why are some people able to embark on the path of pursuing the truth while others go their own way? Why are some people able to accept the truth while others cannot? How can this be? Why are some people able to be accepting and obedient when faced with being pruned, while others feel resistant, argue, rebel, and even make a scene? They all eat and drink God’s words at gatherings, listen to sermons and fellowship, live church life, and perform their duties, so why is there such a large difference between them? Can you see through to this problem? This is the difference between good and bad humanity, and it is directly related to whether or not people love the truth. In fact, regardless of how a person’s caliber is, so long as they can accept the truth, do their duty diligently, and reflect and know themselves, they will have life entry, experience true change, and be able to perform their duty adequately. If you are not assiduous in reading God’s words, and you do not understand the truth, then you cannot reflect on yourself; you will merely be satisfied with making a token effort and committing no evils or transgressions, and use this as capital. You will pass each day in a muddle, live in a state of confusion, merely do things on schedule, never use your heart to examine yourself or put effort into knowing yourself; you will always be perfunctory. In this way, you will never perform your duty to an acceptable standard. To put all your effort into something, you must first put all your heart into it; only when you first put all your heart into something can you put all your effort into it, and do your best. Today, there are those who have begun to be assiduous in performing their duty, they have begun to think about how to properly perform the duty of a created being in order to satisfy God’s heart. They are not negative and lazy, they do not passively wait for the Above to issue orders, but take some initiative. Judging by your performance of your duty, you are a little more effective than before, and although it is still below standard, there has been a little growth—which is good. But you must not be satisfied with the status quo, you must keep searching, keep growing—only then will you perform your duty better, and reach an acceptable standard. However, when some people perform their duty, they never pull out all the stops and give it their all, they only give 50 to 60 percent of their effort, and just make do until what they are doing is done. They can never maintain a state of normalcy: When there’s no one to keep an eye on them or offer support, they slacken off and lose heart; when there’s someone to fellowship the truth, they perk up, but if the truth isn’t fellowshipped to them for a while, they become indifferent. What is the problem when they always go back and forth like this? This is how people are when they haven’t gained the truth, they all live by passion, which is incredibly difficult to maintain: They must have someone preach and fellowship to them every day; once there is no one to water and provide for them, and no one to support them, their hearts go cold again, they slacken once more. And when their hearts slacken, they become less effective in their duty; if they work harder, effectiveness increases, their results in performing their duties are better, and they gain more. Is this your experience? You might say, “Why do we always have trouble performing our duty? When these problems are solved, we are invigorated; when they aren’t, we grow indifferent. When there is some outcome when we perform our duty, when God approves of us for our growth, we are delighted, and we feel that we have finally grown up, but before long, when we encounter a difficulty, we become negative again—why is our state always inconsistent?” In fact, the main reasons are that you understand too few truths, lack depth in experiences and entry, you still do not understand many truths, you lack will, and are satisfied with just being able to perform your duty. If you do not understand the truth, how can you perform your duty adequately? In fact, what God asks of people is all attainable by people; as long as you engage your conscience, and are able to follow your conscience in performing your duty, then it will be easy to accept the truth—and if you can accept the truth, you can perform your duty adequately. You must think in this way: “Believing in God during these years, eating and drinking God’s words during these years, I have gained a huge amount, and God has bestowed great graces and blessings upon me. I live in God’s hands, I live under His dominion and sovereignty, and He has given me this breath, so I should engage my mind, and strive to fulfill my duty with all my strength—this is what’s key.” People must have a will; only those who have a will can truly strive for the truth, and only once they have understood the truth can they perform their duty properly, and satisfy God, and bring shame upon Satan. If you have this kind of sincerity, and do not plan for your own sake, but only to gain the truth and perform your duty properly, then your performance of your duty will become normal, and will remain constant throughout; no matter what circumstances you encounter, you will be able to persist in performing your duty. Regardless of who may come to mislead or disturb you, and no matter whether your mood is good or bad, you will still be able to perform your duty normally. In this way, God can set His mind at rest about you, and the Holy Spirit will be able to enlighten you in understanding the truth principles, and guide you in entering the truth reality, and as a result, your performance of your duty will be sure to be up to standard. As long as you sincerely expend for God, do your duty in a down-to-earth way, and not act in a slippery way or play tricks, you will pass muster with God. God scrutinizes people’s minds, thoughts, intentions and motives. If your heart longs for the truth and you can seek the truth, God will enlighten and illuminate you. In any matter, God will enlighten you so long as you seek the truth. He will make your heart open to the light and allow you a path of practice, and your performance of your duty will then bear fruit. God’s enlightenment is His grace and His blessing. Even for trivial matters, if God does not enlighten, people will never have inspiration. Without inspiration it is difficult for people to solve their problems, and they will not achieve results in their duty. With only human intellect, wisdom, and caliber, there are many things that people cannot surmount, even after many years of study. Why not? Because it is not yet the time appointed by God. If God does not act, no matter how capable a person is, it is useless. This must be clearly understood. You must believe that everything is in God’s hands, and that people are just cooperating. If you are sincere, God will see, and He will open up a way out for you in every situation. No difficulty is insurmountable; you must have this faith. Therefore, when you perform your duties, there is no need to have any misgivings. As long as you give it your all, with all your heart, God will not give you difficulties, nor will He give you more than you can handle. You should only worry if you say things without meaning it, are all talk and no action, and say things which are pleasing to the ears but do not properly perform your duties—then it’s over. If this is the attitude you have toward your duties and God, will you receive God’s blessings? Absolutely not. If you deal with God perfunctorily and deceive Him, God will not pay you any heed, and will eliminate you; that will be the outcome. If you deceive God, you deceive yourself. God will say, “This person’s heart is too deceitful, and has no trace of honesty. They cannot be trusted or entrusted with anything. Let them be put aside.” What does that mean? It means you will be left alone and ignored. If there is no repentance, you will be completely abandoned. You will be handed over to Satan, evil spirits, and unclean spirits for punishment. What sort of state is one in when they are left alone and ignored? It means that the Holy Spirit is no longer working in you. You will not see anything clearly, and while others will always be enlightened and illuminated, you will not; you will remain numb. You will always feel sleepy and doze off when someone fellowships on the truth and life entry. What kind of phenomenon is this? One where God is not working. If God is not working, won’t a person become a walking corpse? It is very frightening to believe in God but not feel His presence. Such a person loses their confidence to live, their motivation. They lose all their capital for living. What value does such a life have? Are you not worse off than pigs and dogs? Because of your actions and behavior, God sees that you are unreliable and untrustworthy. God loathes you from the bottom of His heart, and thus abandons you or temporarily sets you aside. I wonder, why doesn’t such a person know the pain and discomfort in their heart? What is wrong with their heart? Is there a sense of conscience? No matter how many years you have believed in God, or whether your faith is genuine or false, you have already understood some doctrines of conduct, and can live and survive without relying on anyone, but if you know that you have been revealed, that God has already abandoned you, can you still go on living? Does your life still have meaning? At that time, you will weep and gnash your teeth in the darkness. In the church, we often see people who, having been revealed and eliminated, with the church about to send them away, cry their eyes red and even have a mind to die, without a will to go on living. Crying, they swear that they will repent, but by then, it is too late. This is a case of not shedding a tear until you see the coffin. So, if you wish to repent, you must do so now. Hurry to reflect on what problems remain in your performance of your duty, on whether you are perfunctory, on whether there is any area in which you are irresponsible. Reflect on whether you have actually achieved results in performing your duty—if you have, reflect on why it is you achieved them, and if you have not, reflect on why it is you have not. Gain clarity on these things through reflection, and if problems do remain, seek the truth to resolve them. In doing so, there will be no difficulties in performing your duty. For all who are able to seek the truth to resolve problems when they have them, there will not only be increasingly fewer difficulties in performing their duties, but they will also grow more effective in performing them, gaining life entry in the meantime. By way of example, some people begin to understand the truth when they have been through several rounds of pruning. They are able to reflect on themselves often, and whenever they find they have done something wrong, they know they have violated the truth principles, and they pray to God, and they feel particularly regretful. At times, they even hate themselves, and slap themselves across the face, saying: “How could I have done something wrong again and caused God pain? I’m so heartless! God has said so much—why don’t I remember it for long? Why can’t I achieve submission to God and satisfy Him? I really have been so deeply corrupted by Satan. There’s no place for God in my heart, and I don’t treasure the truth. I’m always living by satanic philosophies, and I’m inconsiderate of God’s intentions. I really don’t have a conscience or reason. I’m so rebellious against God!” Thus, they set their will on repenting and are determined to put the truth into practice, perform their duty well, and satisfy God. They do indeed have a repentant heart, but casting off a corrupt disposition is no easy thing to do—one must undergo some trials and refinement before they are able to change a bit. There are now many people who have begun to put their focus on the truth, who are willing to enter the truth reality and become people who submit to God. How, then, should one with a truly repentant heart practice? Part of it is that they must pray to God and seek the truth more, resolving the problems they have and finding a path of practice in the performance of their duty. The other part is that they must find someone who understands the truth and fellowship with them, dissecting their own rebelliousness, their nature essence, and the areas in which they resist God. They must know about these problems clearly, then thoroughly consider God’s words and see how they apply to themselves; once and again, they must consider those words of God’s that are crucial, and aim their self-reflection at their own problems and their own nature essence, until they attain true knowledge. In this way, they can achieve true remorse and hate themselves. Then they should go on to disclose their difficulties in performing their duty and use the truth to resolve them. Thus, their difficulties in performing their duty grow fewer, and an effect has been achieved. If one wishes to repent truly, this is how they must practice. This is the only path to true repentance.

What effect will come of pursuing the truth? Part of it is that pursuing the truth is meant to cast off one’s corrupt disposition; another part is that doing so is meant to allow one to put the truth into practice as they perform their duty and to become a person who truly submits to God. This is the testimony of true repentance. To repent truly, one must understand the truth and practice it before an effect is achieved. If you do not seek the truth to resolve the problem, and your repentance is merely something you say, then it cannot achieve an effect. You will not feel at peace or grounded in this way. If all you do is say in prayer that you want to repent truly, but in performing your duty, you do not seek the truth to resolve your problems and achieve the satisfactory performance of duty, you are trying to cheat God. True repentance mainly manifests as loyalty, as acting according to the principles, as practicing the truth, and as bearing true testimony in the performance of one’s duty. These are the signs of true repentance, and they are the testimony of true repentance, as well. If all one does is speak to God of repentance in prayer, without doing their duty well, are they not then trying to cheat God? If something cannot at least make it past one’s own conscience, how then could it make it past God? Whatever your present circumstances, so long as you cannot sincerely perform your duty for God, and so long as many problems remain in your performance of your duty, which you do not seek the truth to resolve, you have a big problem, and you should earnestly pray about it and reflect on yourself. If you cannot truly repent and are always performing your duty poorly, you assuredly face the danger of being eliminated. It does not matter how many years you have believed in God—so long as you are always perfunctory in performing your duty, always after benefits for yourself, always taking advantage of God’s house, without accepting or practicing the truth in the least, then you are not a true believer in God. You are one who is averse to the truth, a disbeliever who means only to eat his fill of loaves. You may yet be living in God’s house, and you may yet say that you are a believer in God, but the fact is that you no longer have a relationship with God. God has long since put you off to one side, and you have become a soulless husk, a walking corpse. What is the point of living, then? Anyone who has reached this stage already has no destination to speak of. Their only way out is to quickly come before God to confess. If you are truly sincere and genuinely repent, God will forget your transgressions. However, there is one thing you must remember: No matter when, and regardless of whether you have knowledge of God, or have notions or misconceptions about Him, you should never fight or defy Him. Otherwise, you will absolutely suffer retribution. If you find your heart has hardened, and are in a state where you say, “I am going to do it this way, let’s see what God can do to me. I’m not afraid of anyone. I’ve always done it this way before,” then you are in trouble. This is an eruption of a satanic nature; this is intransigence. You already know perfectly well that what you’re doing is wrong, which is already dangerous, but you don’t take it seriously. Your heart is not afraid, it acknowledges no accusation or blame, and is not worried or sorrowful—you don’t even know to repent. This is a state of intransigence, and it will cause you trouble. It makes it easy for you to be set aside by God. If a person reaches this point and is still so numb, and does not know they should turn back, can their relationship with God be restored? It will not be restored easily. Then how can you restore a normal relationship with God that makes you feel that it is perfectly natural and justified for you to approach Him? Where you can submit, bow down, and offer everything you have to Him, fear Him and accept His words as truth regardless of whether you understand them or not, and then seek the truth and practice submission? When can you be restored to this state? How far do you have to go to restore this state? I’m afraid it will certainly be difficult because it’s not a question of time, or the length of the journey or distance you travel. It’s a question of the state of your life, and whether you have truly entered into the truth reality. If you have believed in God for many years, yet are not at all able to use the truth to solve the problems that exist within you, and you are unaware of the seriousness of these problems, often joyfully living in a rebellious state without any awareness, doing the wrong things, saying the wrong words, opposing, resisting, and rebelling against God with a hardened heart, and stubbornly holding onto your own notions, imaginings, thoughts, and views, without being aware of it at all, then you don’t have any truth reality, are not a person who submits to God, and are still far from meeting God’s requirements. You should be clear about this in your heart. If you can’t see your true state clearly, and always assume the way you believe is fine, that you are capable of expending yourself for God, that you have suffered and paid a price, and believe you are guaranteed entry into the kingdom of heaven, then you have no reason whatsoever. You don’t possess any truth reality, but you don’t even know it. This means that you have an unclear mind, that you are confused, that you are a muddleheaded person, and that you are not of a caliber sufficient to understand the truth or know yourself, and thus you cannot be saved by God.

Do you know what kind of people God ultimately gives up on? (Those who are continuously intransigent and do not repent before God.) What is the specific state of these kinds of people? (When performing their duties they are always perfunctory, and when faced with problems they do not seek the truth to find a resolution. They are not earnest about how they should practice the truth, and handle everything in a sloppy manner. They are merely satisfied with not doing evil or bad things, and they do not strive for the truth.) Perfunctory behavior depends on the situation. Some people do it because they do not understand the truth, and they even think that it is normal to be perfunctory. Some people are intentionally perfunctory, deliberately choosing to act in such a way. They act this way when they don’t understand the truth, and even after they do understand, they do not improve their behavior. They do not practice the truth, consistently acting this way without the slightest amount of change. They do not listen when anyone criticizes them, nor accept being pruned. Instead, they obstinately stand their ground to the end. What is this called? This is called intransigence. Everyone knows that “intransigence” is a negative term, a derogatory term. It is not a good word. So what would you say someone’s outcome would be if the term “intransigent” is applied to them, and they fit the description? (They are spurned and set aside by God.) Let Me tell you, what God despises the most and wants to give up on are these kinds of intransigent people. They are fully aware of their wrongdoings but do not repent, they never admit their faults and always make excuses and arguments to justify themselves and deflect blame, and they try to find smooth and evasive ways around the issue, shielding their actions from others’ eyes, and making continuous mistakes without the slightest degree of repentance or confession in their hearts. Such a person is very troublesome, and it is not easy for them to achieve salvation. They are the very people that God wants to abandon. Why would God abandon such people? (Because they do not accept the truth at all, and their conscience has become numb.) Such people cannot be saved. God does not save these people; He does not do such useless work. Outwardly it looks like God does not save them, and does not want them, but in fact there is a practical reason, which is that these people do not accept God’s salvation; they reject and resist God’s salvation. They think, “What do I gain from submitting to You, accepting the truth, and practicing the truth? What advantage is there? I will only do it if there is a benefit for me. If there is no benefit then I won’t.” What kind of people are these? They are people driven by self-interest, and those who do not love the truth are all driven by self-interest. People driven by self-interest cannot accept the truth. If you try to fellowship on the truth with someone driven by self-interest, and ask them to know themselves and admit their wrongs, how will they respond? “What benefit do I gain from admitting my wrongs? If you make me admit I did something wrong, and make me confess my sins and repent, what blessings will I receive? My reputation and interests will be damaged. I will suffer losses. Who will compensate me?” This is their mentality. They only seek personal gain, and feel that acting in a certain way in order to receive God’s blessings is very vague. They simply don’t believe it’s possible; they only believe what they see with their own eyes. Such people are driven by self-interest, and they live by the satanic philosophy that “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.” That is their nature essence. In their hearts, acknowledging God and acknowledging the truth means they believe in God. Not doing evil is acceptable to them, but they must receive benefits and absolutely not suffer loss. Only when their interests are not affected will they talk about practicing the truth and submitting to God. If their interests are damaged, they cannot practice the truth or submit to God. Asking them to expend themselves, suffer, or pay a price for God is even more impossible. People like this are not true believers. They live for their own interests, merely seeking blessings and benefits, and are unwilling to endure suffering or pay a price, yet they still want a place in God’s house to escape the outcome of death. Such people do not accept the least bit of truth and cannot be saved by God. Can God still save them? God will certainly spurn and eliminate them. Does that mean God does not save them? They have abandoned themselves. They do not strive toward the truth, pray to God, or rely on God, so how can God save them? The only course is to give up on them, put them aside, and let them reflect on themselves. If people want to be saved, the only way is for them to accept the truth, know themselves, practice repentance, and live out the truth reality. In this way, they can obtain God’s approval. They must practice the truth so that they are able to submit to and fear God, which is the ultimate goal of salvation. Submission to and fear of God must be embodied in people and lived out by them. If you do not walk the path of pursuing the truth, there is no second path you can choose. If a person does not walk this path, it can only be said that they do not believe the truth can save them. They do not believe that all of the words God spoke can transform them and make them become a genuine person. Furthermore, they fundamentally do not believe that God is the truth, nor do they believe in the fact that the truth can change and save people. Therefore, no matter how you dissect it, such a person’s heart is too intransigent. They refuse to accept the truth no matter what, they are beyond hope of salvation, and it is impossible to save them.

Do any of you have an intransigent state? (Yes.) Then are you all intransigent people? What is the difference between having an intransigent state and being an intransigent person? The two should be distinguished as they are different matters. Having an intransigent state means having this kind of corrupt disposition. If you can accept the truth you can achieve salvation, but if you are an intransigent person, you will have trouble. Intransigent people do not accept the truth at all; they will be unable to achieve salvation. That is the difference between these two types of people. Those with an intransigent state show some rebellious behavior, and reveal some corruption in themselves. However, during the process of revealing corruption, they continually confess their sins and repent before God, and continuously accept God’s judgment, chastisement and chastening. No matter how many times they experience failure or stumble, they can reflect on themselves, solve problems, get back up, and continue to follow God. Through this journey, they gain a true understanding of their corrupt disposition and realize that experiencing God’s judgment and chastisement is indeed a form of salvation, and that they cannot do without God’s judgment and chastisement. Through constant repentance, unceasing confession, and continuously accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, their lives progressively grow, and their spiritual state continuously changes. In this process, the corrupt disposition of a person can gradually be cast off, and they experience growth and transformation. Judging from their rebellious behavior, it may seem that such people are also quite intransigent, and they sometimes have an intransigent state, but they are not that kind of person. Since they are not that kind of person, then they certainly show positive behaviors and progress. Such people can be saved. Which kind of person are you? (We recognize when we have done wrong, and are willing to repent to God and correct our mistakes.) If you are conscious of your wrongdoings, your rebelliousness, and the corrupt dispositions you reveal, and you feel remorse and regret in your heart, then this is good and there is hope for salvation. However, if you subjectively do not have the slightest awareness of your rebelliousness or corruption, and when someone points it out, you remain obstinate and unaccepting, even resorting to sophistry and self-justification, then you will be in trouble, and it will not be easy for you to be saved. If you have believed in God for a short time, say, within three to five years, and you still don’t understand much about faith, it is because your stature is too small. However, if you have been a believer for over ten years and still do not know yourself, or accept being pruned, then you are in trouble. This is a person with an intransigent disposition who refuses to accept the truth. When it comes to those who do not understand the truth and lack reality, you have to look at what point of time they are at. Some people have good caliber, enter into truth quickly, and after only one or two years of believing, already understand what life entry is about. It is also possible that they have contact with people who have done well with life entry, have the truth reality, and understand many truths. The new believers also yearn for these things, so they listen a lot, and receive much, thus entering into life quickly. Some people are of poor caliber, and even if they are in contact with those who are of good caliber, their progress is slow. Some people have an inherent dislike for the truth, and no matter how many years they believe, they will not practice the truth, nor will they make progress in their life. Some people just like to be doing things and are very enthusiastic, but are not willing to strive toward the truth. They are busy every day, but they do not make progress in life. People who believe in God can be in all kinds of situations. However, only those who love the truth can practice the truth, obtain the truth, and achieve salvation. The biggest concerns for believers are having an intransigent disposition and not accepting the truth. Such people are the most troublesome and it is a problem with their nature. They may accept doctrine, but they refuse to accept the truth. These are the people who are the least likely to achieve salvation. The only thing that can be done with people who do not love the truth and are averse to the truth, is to abandon them.

Let Me give two examples of lying. There are two types of people who are capable of lying. You need to distinguish which people are intransigent and irredeemable. You also need to distinguish which can be saved. Although those that can be saved often reveal corruption, as long as they can accept the truth and reflect on and know themselves, there is still hope. In the first example, there is a person who frequently told lies. However, after understanding the truth, their reaction was different the next time they told a lie. They felt deep pain and torment, and they pondered, “I lied again. Why can’t I change? This time, no matter what, I must expose this matter, casting myself wide open to reveal and dissect my true self. I need to clearly articulate the fact that I was lying for the sake of saving face.” After opening up and fellowshipping, they felt at ease and realized, “It turns out lying is so painful, while being an honest person is so relaxing and wonderful! God requires people be honest; this is the likeness people should have.” After experiencing this bit of well-being, from then on, they were mindful about lying less, not telling lies as much as possible, speaking when they had something to say, speaking honestly, doing honest deeds, and being an honest person. However, when faced with a situation that involved their own pride, they naturally lied and later regretted it. Then, when they found themselves in a situation where they could make themselves look good, they lied again. They hated themselves inside, thinking, “Why can’t I control my mouth? Could this be a problem with my nature? Am I too deceitful?” They realized that this problem must be resolved; otherwise, God would spurn and eliminate them. They prayed to God, asking to be disciplined if they lied again, and were willing to accept punishment. They gathered the courage to dissect themselves in gatherings, and said, “When I told lies in these situations, it was because I had selfish motives and was controlled by my intent. As I reflected on myself, I realized that every time I lie, it is for the sake of vanity or for my own personal gain. I see it clearly now: I live for my pride and personal interests, which is what led me to lie all the time about everything.” While dissecting their own lies, they also exposed their intent and discovered the problem of their corrupt disposition. It’s a win-win situation; they can practice being an honest person and at the same time obtain enlightenment and recognize their corrupt disposition. Afterward, they contemplated, “I need to change! I just discovered I have this problem. It’s true enlightenment from God. People who practice the truth are blessed by God!” They also experienced a bit of the sweet taste of practicing the truth. However, one day the person unwittingly told a lie again. They once again prayed to God, seeking His discipline. Moreover, they reflected on why they always have hidden intent when speaking, and why they always consider their own vanity and pride instead of God’s intentions. After reflecting, they gained some understanding of their corrupt disposition and began to detest themselves. They continued in this way to seek and strive toward the truth. After three to five years, their lies indeed became fewer and fewer, and the number of times they said what they thought and conducted themselves honestly increased. Their heart gradually became purer and contained increasingly more peace and joy. They spent more and more time living in the presence of God and their state became more and more normal. This is the real state of a person who often lied when they experience being an honest person. So, does this person still lie now? Are they still capable of lying? Are they truly an honest person? It cannot be said that they are an honest person. It can only be said that they can practice the truth of being an honest person, and are in the process of practicing being an honest person, but they have not yet completely transformed into an honest person. In other words, this is a person who is willing to practice the truth. Can a person who is willing to practice the truth be said to be a person who loves the truth? They have practiced the truth and the facts have been revealed, so isn’t it natural to define them as a person who loves the truth? Of course, while they were practicing being an honest person, they were not immediately able to practice pure and open fellowship, or expose everything hidden within themselves without reservation. They still kept some things back and cautiously tried to move forward. However, through their attempts and experiences, they realized that the more they live honestly, the better they feel, the more peace of mind they have, the easier it becomes to practice the truth, without any major difficulties. It is only then that they tasted the sweetness of being an honest person, and their faith in God increased. By experiencing what it is to be an honest person, they not only become able to practice the truth, but also experience peace and joy in their heart. At the same time, they gain a clearer understanding of the path of practicing honesty. They feel that being an honest person is not too difficult. They see that God’s requirements for people are reasonable and attainable, and they gain some understanding of God’s work. All of this is not an extra benefit, but rather, it is what a person should gain in their journey of life entry, and they are capable of gaining it.

The second example is about a person who loves to lie—it’s in their nature. It’s alright when they don’t speak, but as soon as they open their mouth their speech is filled with many adulterations. Whether they do this intentionally or not, in short, the majority of what they say cannot be trusted. One day, after telling a lie, they pondered, “It’s wrong to tell a lie and it displeases god. If people were to find out that I lied I would be disgraced! But it seems as though someone has noticed that I lied. Well, I can easily manage that. I’ll find another subject, and use different wording to lower their guard, mislead them, and make them unable to see through my lies. Now isn’t that even more clever?” They then told an even bigger lie to cover up their previous lie and patch up the holes, which successfully misled people. They felt smug and self-satisfied, thinking, “Look at how smart I am! I told a lie without any holes, and even if there are some holes, I can just lie again to cover them up. Most people can’t see through me. Telling lies takes skill!” Some people say, “It’s hard work telling lies. After telling one lie you have to tell many more to cover it up. It takes a lot of thought and effort.” However, this master liar didn’t feel that way. In this instance, their lies weren’t exposed. They successfully told a lie to deceive others, then when they were afraid of being exposed, they lied again to cover up the previous lie. They felt proud, and there was no guilt or self-reproach in their heart. Their conscience was completely unaffected. How is this possible? They are unaware of how harmful lying is for them. They believe that using lies to cover up previous lies allowed them to improve their image and gain benefits. Despite the hardship and fatigue, they think it’s worth it. They believe it’s more valuable than understanding the truth, and practicing the truth. Why do they often lie without feeling guilty? Because they don’t have love for the truth in their heart. They value their vanity, reputation, and status. They never open up their heart in fellowship to others; instead, they use false appearances and guises to conceal their lies. That’s how they interact and engage with people. No matter how many lies they tell, how many lies they cover up, or how many selfish and base intentions they hide, they feel no guilt or discomfort in their heart. Generally speaking, people with some conscience and some humanity would feel uneasy after telling a lie, and would have a hard time reconciling themselves with it. They would have a sense of shame; but this person doesn’t think this way. After telling a lie they feel self-satisfied, saying, “I told another lie today and fooled that idiot. I was sweating bullets, but they somehow didn’t even notice!” Aren’t they tired of this life of constantly lying and covering lies up? What kind of nature is this? It is the nature of a devil. Devils lie every day. They live a life of lies without any feeling of discomfort or pain. If they did feel discomfort or pain they would change, but they cannot feel pain because lying is their life—it’s in their nature. When they express themselves naturally, they show no restraint and do not engage in any self-reflection. No matter how many lies they tell or deceptions they commit they feel no guilt in their heart, and no nagging in their conscience. They are unaware that God scrutinizes the depths of people’s hearts; they fail to realize the responsibility they bear and the retribution they will receive after telling lies and acting deceitfully. Their greatest fear is that someone will expose their deceitful schemes, so they resort to telling even more lies to cover their schemes up, and at the same time exhaust themselves trying to find some way, some means to conceal their lies and the truth about who they are. Has such a person repented at all during the entire process? Do they feel any blame or sadness? Do they have any desire to turn themselves around? No. They think it’s not a sin to tell lies or cover lies up, that most people live like this, and they have no intention to change. As for being an honest person, in their heart they think, “Why should I be an honest person, speak from the heart, and tell the truth? I don’t do that. That’s for fools and I’m not that foolish. If I lie and am afraid of being exposed, I’ll just find other reasons and excuses to cover it up. I’m not the sort of person who can speak honestly. If I did I’d be a complete idiot!” They do not accept or acknowledge the truth. People who do not acknowledge the truth cannot love the truth. What is the state of such a person from the beginning to the end? (They are unwilling to turn themselves around.) Their unwillingness to turn things around is evident from an objective standpoint, but what is their true state? They fundamentally deny that being an honest person is the right path in life. They also deny the existence of truth, God’s judgment of mankind in the last days, and that God determines the final outcome of man and the individual retribution for one’s deeds. This is undiscerning, foolish and stubborn. Such thinking gives rise to their intransigent state, actions and behaviors. These things arise from one’s nature essence. That is the kind of person they are—a genuinely deceitful person—and they cannot change. Some people may find it inconceivable when they see such people refuse to accept the truth, and cannot understand it. In reality, people like this lack normal humanity and their conscience is not functioning. Moreover, they lack the reason of normal humanity. Upon hearing the truth and the words of judgment, a person with normal humanity and reason would at least reflect upon themselves and genuinely repent, but this person shows no response after hearing the true way. They still insist on living according to the philosophy of Satan, without the slightest change in their faith in God over the years. Such a person lacks the reason of normal humanity, and it is difficult for such a person to be saved.

Which of these two types of people do you think God saves? (The first type, because although they lie, they can accept the truth and become honest.) People may see this and ask, “How can the people whom God saves still always lie and do wrong? Aren’t they still corrupt people? They are not perfect people!” They used the word “perfect” here. What do you think about that? These are the words of a person who does not understand the normal process of life’s growth. God saves people who have been corrupted by Satan and have corrupt dispositions, not perfect people without flaws or those who live in a vacuum. Some people, upon revealing a little corruption, think, “I have resisted God again. I have believed in God for many years and still haven’t changed. Surely God doesn’t want me anymore!” They then resign themselves to hopelessness and become unwilling to pursue the truth. What do you think of this attitude? They themselves have given up on the truth, and believe that God no longer wants them. Isn’t this a misunderstanding of God? Such negativity is the easiest way to be exploited by Satan. Satan mocks them, saying, “You fool! God wants to save you, but you are still suffering like this! So, just give up! If you give up, God will eliminate you, which is just like Him handing you over to me. I will torment you to death!” Once Satan succeeds, the consequences will be unthinkable. Consequently, no matter what difficulties or negativity a person faces, they must not give up. They should seek the truth for solutions, and they must not passively wait. During the process of life’s growth and the course of human salvation, people may sometimes take the wrong path, deviate, or have times where they exhibit states and behaviors of immaturity in life. They may have times of weakness and negativity, times when they say the wrong things, stumble, or experience failure. All of this is normal in the eyes of God. He does not hold it against them. Some people think their corruption is too deep, and that they can never satisfy God, so they feel sorrowful and despise themselves. Those who have a repentant heart like this are precisely the ones that God saves. On the other hand, those who believe they do not need God’s salvation, who think they are good people and there is nothing wrong with them, usually are not the ones God saves. What is it that I’m conveying to you here? Whoever understands, speak up. (We have to properly handle our revelations of corruption and focus on practicing the truth, and then we will receive God’s salvation. If we consistently misunderstand God, we will easily resign ourselves to hopelessness.) You must have faith and say, “Though I am weak now, and I have stumbled and failed. I will grow, and one day I will understand the truth, satisfy God, and achieve salvation.” You must have this resolve. No matter what setbacks, difficulties, failures, or trip-ups you encounter, you must not be negative. You must know what kind of people God saves. Moreover, if you feel that you are not yet qualified to be saved by God, or if there are occasions where you are in states which God loathes or is displeased with, or there are times you behave poorly, and God doesn’t accept you, or God spurns you, it doesn’t matter. Now you know, and it is not too late. As long as you repent, God will give you a chance.

What is most important when believing in God? (Understanding the truth and having life entry.) That’s right, life entry is the most important thing—it comes first. No matter what duties you do, no matter how old you are, how long you have believed in God, and no matter how much truth you understand, life entry comes first. Don’t think, “Some people have believed in God for twenty years, but I’ve only believed for five years. I’m so far behind them. Is there still hope for me to be saved? Am I lagging too far behind?” It’s not a big problem to believe a few years late. If you are someone who pursues the truth, you can still catch up to those who believed in God earlier. Doesn’t the Bible say, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matthew 19:30)? If a person always finds reasons and excuses for not pursuing the truth, then even if they believe their whole life, it will be in vain, and they will gain nothing. In God’s house, there are many people who believed in God for twenty or thirty years, but did not do their duties up to standard, and were eliminated. There are many people who always pursue fame, gain, and status, and become false leaders and antichrists, and are eliminated. There are many disbelievers who stubbornly refuse to accept the truth and have all been eliminated. Is this a fact? (Yes.) Furthermore, there are some who can speak about their experiential testimonies after believing for only three to five years. Their testimonies and faith far surpass those who have believed in God for many years. These people have received God’s blessings. There are many people who have believed in God for many years who did not pursue the truth at all and have been eliminated. This makes one fact clear to people: that God is righteous and fair to everyone. God doesn’t look at how you were before or at your current stature, He looks at whether you pursue the truth and whether you walk the path of pursuing the truth. You must never misunderstand God and say, “Why can those who can be saved by God still lie and reveal corruption? God should save those who don’t lie.” Isn’t this a fallacy? Are there any among corrupt mankind who do not lie? Do people who do not lie still need God’s salvation? Mankind, who has been corrupted by Satan, is who God saves. If you can’t even understand this fact clearly, then you are ignorant and foolish. Just as God said, “There are no righteous upon this earth, the righteous are not in this world.” It is precisely because mankind has been corrupted by Satan that God became incarnate on earth to save these corrupted humans. Why doesn’t God say anything about saving angels? It’s because angels are in heaven, and have not been corrupted by Satan. God has always said from the beginning, that “The mankind that I save is the mankind that has been corrupted by Satan, the mankind that has been taken back from the hands of Satan, the mankind that possesses Satan’s corrupt disposition, the mankind that opposes Me, that resists Me and rebels against Me.” Then why don’t people face this fact? Do they not misunderstand God? Misunderstanding God is the easiest path to resistance against Him and must be resolved immediately. Failing to resolve this issue is very dangerous as it could easily result in you being set aside by God. People’s misunderstandings are rooted in their notions and imaginings. If they always cling to their notions and imaginings, then they are most likely to refuse to accept the truth. When you misunderstand God, if you don’t seek the truth for resolution, you know the consequences. God allows you to stumble, to fail, and to make mistakes. God will give you opportunities and time to understand the truth, practice the truth, gradually understand His intentions, do everything in accordance with His intentions, truly submit to God, and achieve the truth reality that God requires people to possess. However, who is the person that God loathes the most? It is the one who, despite knowing the truth in their heart, refuses to accept it, let alone put it into practice. Instead, they still live by Satan’s philosophies, yet consider themselves to be pretty good and submissive to God while also seeking to mislead others and gain a position in God’s house. God loathes this kind of person the most, they are antichrists. Although everyone has a corrupt disposition, these actions are of a different nature. It is no ordinary corrupt disposition nor a normal revelation of corruption; rather, you consciously and stubbornly resist God to the end. You know that God exists, you believe in God, yet you deliberately choose to resist Him. This is not having notions about God and a problem of misunderstanding; instead you deliberately resist God to the end. Can God save someone like this? God does not save you. You are an enemy of God, therefore you are a devil and a Satan. Can God still save devils and Satans?

How do you feel about My fellowship today? Did you understand it? (Yes, we understand.) If you understand something you will gain something, and you will gain some entry into the truth. If you enter into truth your life will grow, but if you do not enter into truth your life will not grow. It’s like a sprouting seed that needs to be watered, fertilized, and exposed to sunlight. If you don’t cultivate it carefully, it won’t grow and eventually it will wither and die. What does it mean when I say this? That just verbally confessing and believing in your hearts in the incarnation of God is not enough to know God and be qualified to enter His kingdom. It is not assured; it’s only an elementary step. You have not yet achieved salvation, you have not been transformed, and you still have a long way to go. In the last days, God expresses the truth to save mankind completely. When you embark on the path of believing in God, you already have the opportunity to be saved by God from the very beginning. This is a tremendous blessing! This cannot be given up. God saving and perfecting humanity in the last days is an extremely rare opportunity. Mankind has lived for thousands of generations, but no one has had this opportunity before. It is a huge thing to be saved; you must not miss this opportunity. Your generation has encountered God incarnate; this is a blessing! This blessing is invisible to the secular world, but you have seen it and enjoyed it, and this is God’s blessing. Perhaps some people are still unclear about the visions; they only understand some doctrines, but they don’t have genuine faith. They just feel that believing in God is good, and reading God’s words brightens their hearts, so they believe it is the right path in life and their hearts have strength. They are determined not to follow the path of destruction of nonbelievers, nor the path of religious people who resist God. They are determined to only follow God, pursue the truth, attain purity, achieve salvation, and only walk the path of following God. It is good for people to have such resolution, and it means there is hope. Following God comes with God’s protection. At least now, in this life, they will be happy. They will no longer be harmed by Satan, society, or mankind, and they will live completely and genuinely under God’s dominion. This is an honorable thing and a happiness that can be felt in this lifetime. Now, what about the world to come? God has made a promise. Besides granting you salvation and providing you with truth and life, He also promises to give you a hundredfold in this life and grant you eternal life in the world to come. Therefore, do not underestimate this matter. The price you pay and the suffering you endure to obtain the truth and receive salvation are temporary. In the future, when people understand the truth and possess it, the happiness, joy, and blessings they enjoy may be indescribable. That is to say, only when you understand and obtain the truth will you be qualified to receive God’s promise. God freely grants you all the truth and provisions of life. It is true that God can save you, but whether you ultimately attain the truth and life depends on whether you choose the path of pursuing truth. Is the decision to make this choice in your own hands? (Yes.) In other words, whether you can attain the truth and life, whether you qualify to receive God’s promise, and whether you can receive the blessing, this benediction of “a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the world to come,” is an opportunity which rests in your hands. No one else can influence you, help you, or restrict you. You have this right; God has already granted it to you. It depends on whether you ultimately choose to walk the path of pursuing truth. This is the most crucial matter.

November 9, 2016