When people take no responsibility toward their duties, do them in a perfunctory manner, act like people pleasers, and do not defend the interests of the house of God, what disposition is this? This is cunningness, it is the disposition of Satan. The most prominent aspect of man’s philosophies for worldly dealings is cunningness. People think that if they are not cunning, they will be liable to offend others and unable to protect themselves; they think that they must be cunning enough not to hurt or offend anyone, thereby keeping themselves safe, protecting their livelihoods, and gaining a firm foothold among other people. Unbelievers all live by Satan’s philosophies. They are all people pleasers and do not offend anyone. You have come to the house of God, read the word of God, and listened to the sermons of God’s house, so why are you unable to practice the truth, speak from the heart, and be an honest person? Why are you always a people pleaser? People pleasers only protect their own interests, and not the interests of the church. When they see someone do evil and harm the church’s interests, they ignore it. They like to be people pleasers, and do not offend anyone. This is irresponsible, and that kind of person is too cunning and untrustworthy. To protect their own vanity and pride, and to maintain their reputation and status, some people are happy to help others, and to sacrifice for their friends no matter the cost. But when they need to protect the interests of the house of God, the truth, and justice, their good intentions are gone, they have completely disappeared. When they should practice the truth, they do not practice it at all. What is going on? To protect their own dignity and pride, they will pay any price and endure any suffering. But when they need to do real work and handle practical affairs, to safeguard the church’s work and positive things, and to protect and provide for God’s chosen people, why do they no longer have the strength to pay any price and endure any suffering? That is inconceivable. Actually, they have a kind of disposition that is averse to the truth. Why do I say that their disposition is averse to the truth? Because whenever something involves bearing witness for God, practicing the truth, protecting God’s chosen people, fighting against Satan’s schemes, or protecting the work of the church, they flee and hide, and don’t attend to any proper matters. Where is their heroism and spirit to endure suffering? Where do they apply these things? This is easy to see. Even if someone reproves them, saying that they should not be so selfish and base, and protect themselves, and that they ought to protect the work of the church, they don’t really care. They say to themselves, “I don’t do those things, and they do not have anything to do with me. What good would acting like that be for my pursuit of fame, gain, and status?” They are not a person who pursues the truth. They only like to seek fame, gain, and status, and they do not do the work that God has entrusted to them at all. So, when they are needed to do the work of the church, they simply choose to flee. This means that, in their hearts, they do not like positive things, and are not interested in the truth. This is a clear manifestation of being averse to the truth. Only those who love the truth and possess the truth reality can come forward when required by the work of God’s house and by God’s chosen ones, only they can stand up, bravely and duty-bound, to testify to God and fellowship the truth, leading God’s chosen ones onto the right path, enabling them to attain submission to God’s work. Only this is an attitude of responsibility and a manifestation of caring about God’s will. If you do not have this attitude, and are nothing but careless in your handling of things, and you think, “I’ll do the things within the scope of my duty, but I don’t care about anything else. If you ask me something, I’ll answer you—if I’m in a good mood. Otherwise, I won’t. This is my attitude,” then this is a type of corrupt disposition, isn’t it? Only protecting one’s own status, reputation, and pride, and only protecting the things that relate to one’s own interests—is this protecting a just cause? Is it protecting the interests of God’s house? Behind these petty, selfish motives is the disposition of being averse to the truth. The majority of you frequently display these sorts of manifestations, and the moment you encounter something that relates to the interests of God’s house, you prevaricate by saying, “I didn’t see,” or “I don’t know,” or “I haven’t heard.” Regardless of whether you are truly unaware or just pretending to be, if you reveal this kind of corrupt disposition in crucial moments, then it is hard to say whether you are someone who truly believes in God; to Me, you’re either someone who is confused in their belief, or a nonbeliever. You are absolutely not someone who loves the truth.

You may understand what it means to be averse to the truth, but why do I say that being averse to the truth is a disposition? A disposition has nothing to do with occasional, temporary manifestations, and occasional, temporary manifestations don’t qualify as a dispositional problem. Regardless of what kind of corrupt disposition a person has, it will often or even constantly be revealed in them; it will be revealed whenever that person is in the right context. Therefore, you cannot arbitrarily characterize a dispositional problem on the basis of an occasional, temporary manifestation. So, what is a disposition? Dispositions are related to intentions and motivations, they’re related to a person’s thinking and point of view. You seem to be able to sense that they are dominating and swaying you, but dispositions can also be hidden and concealed, and obscured by superficial phenomena. In short, as long as there is a disposition within you, it will interfere with you, constrain and control you, and give rise to many behaviors and manifestations in you—that is a disposition. What behaviors, thoughts, viewpoints, and attitudes does the disposition of being averse to the truth often give rise to? One of the main characteristics of being averse to the truth that people display is a lack of interest in positive things and the truth, as well as being disinterested in, having a listlessness of the heart, a lack of desire to reach for the truth, and thinking that all this is just fine whenever it comes to anything involves practicing the truth. I’ll give a simple example. A piece of common sense that people often talk about regarding good health is to eat more fruit and vegetables, to eat more light foods and less meat, and especially less fried food; this is a positive guide for people’s health and wellness. Everyone can understand and accept what to eat more of and what to eat less of, so is this acceptance based on theory or in practice? (Theory.) How is theoretical acceptance manifested? In a kind of basic recognition. It is thinking that this statement is right, and that this statement is very good through discernment that is based in your judgment. But do you have any proof to demonstrate this statement? Do you have any grounds for believing it? Without experiencing it yourself, without any grounds or basis to substantiate whether this statement is right or wrong, and certainly without drawing lessons from previous mistakes, and without any real-life examples, you just accepted this view—this is theoretical acceptance. Regardless of whether you are accepting it theoretically or practically, you must first confirm that the statement “eat more vegetables and less meat” is correct and a positive thing. So, how can your disposition of being averse to the truth be seen? Based on how you approach and apply this statement in your life; this shows your attitude toward that statement, whether you’ve accepted it theoretically and in terms of doctrine, or whether you’ve applied it in real life and made it your reality. If you’ve just accepted the statement in terms of doctrine, but what you do in real life completely contradicts this statement, or you show no practical application at all of this statement, do you love this statement, or are you averse to it? For example, when you eat and see some green vegetables, and think, “Green vegetables are good for one’s health, but they don’t taste good, and meat tastes better, so I’ll eat some meat first,” and then you only eat meat and no green vegetables—what kind of disposition does this show? One of not accepting correct statements, being averse to positive things, and only being willing to eat according to fleshly preferences. This kind of person who is gluttonous and greedy for pleasure has already become very averse to, resistant to, and repulsed by positive things, and this is a kind of disposition. Someone might acknowledge that this statement is quite right, but they can’t do it themselves, and although they can’t, they still tell others to do so; after saying it a lot, that statement becomes a kind of theory to them, and it has no effect on them. That person knows very well in their heart that eating more vegetables is right and that eating more meat is not good, but they think, “No matter what, I haven’t lost out, eating meat is taking advantage, and I don’t feel that it’s unhealthy.” Their greed and desires have made them choose an incorrect lifestyle, and made them constantly go against correct common sense and the right lifestyle. They have the kind of corrupt disposition that craves advantages and fleshly enjoyment, so will it be easy for them to accept correct statements and positive things? It will not be easy at all. Is their lifestyle not then governed by their corrupt disposition? It is a revelation of their corrupt disposition, and it is a manifestation of their corrupt disposition. What is outwardly manifested is these behaviors and an attitude, but, in fact, it is a disposition that is governing them. What disposition is this? It is being averse to the truth. This disposition of being averse to the truth is hard to discover; no one feels that they’re averse to the truth, but the fact that they’ve believed in God for several years and still don’t know how to practice the truth is enough to show that they’re averse to the truth. People listen to so many sermons and read so much of God’s word, and God’s will is for them to accept His words in their hearts and to bring these words into their real lives to practice and use, so that they understand the truth and make the truth their lives. This requirement is difficult for most people to achieve, and that is why it is said that most people have the disposition of being averse to the truth.

When someone understands the truth, practicing the truth is not difficult for them, and once someone is able to practice the truth, they can enter into the truth reality. Is it really that difficult to turn the truths that one understands into the realities that one lives out? Let Me give you an example. Say that the weather is cold and you try to leave the house with sweat still on your brow, and your mom tells you to dry off your sweat before going out or you’ll catch a cold. You know that your mother wants the best for you, but you don’t take her advice seriously, and you ignore it even though you feel that her suggestion is right. You go out with sweat on your brow just the same, and sometimes you do catch a cold after going out like this, but you still continue to go against her advice the next time you leave the house. You obviously know that her advice is right and in your best interests, and that your mom’s motives and intentions are always for your own good, but you still turn a deaf ear to it and don’t listen—isn’t this a disposition? If you didn’t have this disposition, what would you choose to do? (Listen.) You would know the importance of this advice, and you would know the consequences and pain you might suffer from not listening to it, and you would comprehend and understand the meaning of this suggestion. You would be able to abide strictly by this advice and always carry it out, and then you wouldn’t be liable to catch a cold. This is just one example. It’s the same with believing in God, and reading and listening to God’s words, so how should people treat God’s words? This is the most crucial question. If a person speaks in accordance with the truth and is correct, people will benefit from accepting their words. God’s words are the truth, and if people are able to accept them, they will not only benefit, they will also gain the life. Many people cannot see this matter clearly, and are always disdainful of God’s words. No matter what God says, whether He is exhorting, rebuking, reminding, comforting, or earnestly entreating people, no matter how He speaks, He cannot awaken their hearts. They are unable to act according to His words, and after listening to them, they just turn a deaf ear. This is one of man’s dispositions—intransigence and being averse to the truth. If you can’t follow God’s words in how you approach the things that God tells you and commands you to do, then you will not be able to change this disposition. No matter how you acknowledge or say amen to every word that God says, no matter how you verbally praise God’s words as the truth, it is useless; you must be able to accept God’s words, and you must practice and experience God’s words, and make God’s words your life, and your reality, only that is useful. For example, if someone with a deceitful disposition resolves to be honest and speak truthfully, this is somewhat easy for them to achieve, but the most difficult thing to change is the disposition of being averse to the truth and intransigence. No matter what God says, people with this disposition don’t take it seriously in their hearts, and no matter what kind of attitude God takes, whether it is one of warning, reminding, exhorting, or earnestly entreating, presenting facts or reasoning things out, it does not move their hearts, and this is hard to deal with. It is hard for people to recognize the disposition of being averse to the truth, and they must frequently seek the truth and reflect on their own states, on why they cannot accept the truth, and on why they cannot practice the truths they understand. If they thoroughly understand this problem, they will know what it means to be averse to the truth.

There is something hidden within people’s disposition that manifests itself in the attitude of being neither overbearing nor servile. They have their own way of thinking and of expressing themselves, and think that this is the most appropriate way. No matter what others say or do, they are not influenced by them; they insist on doing whatever they feel will make people look up to them, believing that this is the right thing to do; they don’t accept the truth in the slightest, they cannot correctly face the facts, and they are devoid of any truth principles. What kind of disposition is this? This is the disposition of arrogance and self-righteousness and being averse to the truth. Those who belong to Satan and are averse to the truth are deaf and blind to God’s words and deeds, no matter how much God speaks or does. Satan never treats God’s words as the truth, it ignores them, it doesn’t let people accept God’s words and the truth, and it also misleads people so that they submit to it—this is how Satan resists God. God expresses the truth to save, awaken, and purify mankind, and Satan tries its utmost to disturb and destroy God’s work; Satan’s objective in misleading mankind is to corrupt and plague mankind, and ultimately to devour and obliterate mankind. For example, God gave mankind all kinds of food, and He also created all kinds of grains and vegetables, as well as land suitable for growing them. As long as people work hard, they will have enough to eat and use, and can ensure that they have a healthy diet. But people are insatiable and always want to get rich, and they insist on researching methods of genetic modification to increase crop yields, which destroys the actual nutrition of grains, and turns organic food into food that is not organic. After people eat these things, all kinds of illnesses emerge in their bodies—isn’t this an act of Satan? People have been corrupted by Satan to a certain point, and they have all become living Satans and living devils. In the past, it was only Satan and evil spirits that resisted God, but now the entirety of corrupt mankind resists God. So, are corrupted human beings not devils and Satans? Are they not descendants of Satan? (They are.) This is the consequence wrought by Satan corrupting mankind for millennia. How can you know and discern a satanic disposition? Based on the things that Satan likes doing, as well as the methods and tricks by which it does things, one can see that it never likes positive things, that it likes evil, and that it always thinks itself competent and capable of controlling everything. This is Satan’s arrogant nature. That’s why Satan unscrupulously denies, resists, and opposes God. Satan is the representative and source of all negative things and all evil things. If you can see this clearly, then you have discernment of satanic dispositions. It is not a simple matter for people to accept the truth and practice the truth, because they all have satanic dispositions, and they all are constrained and bound by their satanic dispositions. For example, some people recognize that it is good to be an honest person, and they feel envious and jealous when they see others being honest, telling the truth, and speaking in a simple and openhearted manner, yet if you ask them to be honest people themselves, they find it difficult. They are unwaveringly incapable of speaking honest words and of doing honest things. Isn’t this a satanic disposition? They say nice-sounding things, but they don’t practice them. This is being averse to the truth. Those who are averse to the truth have a hard time accepting the truth and have no way to enter into the truth realities. The most obvious state of people who are averse to the truth is that they are not interested in the truth and positive things, they are even repulsed by them and loathe them, and they especially like to follow trends. They do not accept in their hearts the things that God loves and what God requires people to do. Instead, they are dismissive and indifferent toward them, and some people even often despise the standards and principles that God requires of man. They are repulsed by positive things, and they always feel resistant, opposed, and full of contempt toward them in their hearts. This is the primary manifestation of being averse to the truth. In church life, reading God’s word, praying, fellowshipping on the truth, performing duties, and resolving problems with the truth are all positive things. They are pleasing to God, but some people are repulsed by these positive things, don’t care for them, and are indifferent to them. The most hateful part is that they adopt a contemptuous attitude toward positive people, such as honest people, those who pursue the truth, those who perform their duties loyally, and those who safeguard the work of God’s house. They always try to attack and exclude these people. If they discover that they have shortcomings or revelations of corruption, they seize upon this, making a big fuss about it, and constantly belittle them for it. What kind of disposition is this? Why do they hold hostility toward positive people so much? Why are they so fond of and accommodating toward evil people, nonbelievers, and antichrists, and why do they often fool around with such people? Where negative and evil things are concerned, they feel excitement and elation, but when it comes to positive things, resistance begins to appear in their attitude; in particular, when they hear people fellowshipping the truth or solving problems using the truth, they feel averse and dissatisfied in their hearts, and they vent their grievances. Isn’t this disposition being averse to the truth? Isn’t this the revelation of a corrupt disposition? There are many people who believe in God who like to do work for Him and run around enthusiastically for Him, and when it comes to putting their gifts and strengths to use, indulging their preferences and showing off, they have boundless energy. But if you ask them to practice the truth and act according to the truth principles, it takes the wind from their sails, and they lose their enthusiasm. If they are not allowed to show off, they grow listless and despondent. Why is it that they have energy for showing off? And why is it that they have no energy for practicing the truth? What is the problem here? People all like to distinguish themselves; they all covet empty glory. Everyone has inexhaustible energy when it comes to believing in God for the sake of gaining blessings and rewards, so why do they grow listless, why are they despondent when it comes to practicing the truth and rebelling against the flesh? Why does this happen? It proves that people’s hearts are adulterated. They believe in God entirely for the sake of gaining blessings—to put it plainly, they do so in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Without blessings or benefits to pursue, people grow listless and despondent, and have no enthusiasm. This is all caused by a corrupt disposition that is averse to the truth. When controlled by this disposition, people are unwilling to choose the path of pursuing the truth, they go their own way, and they choose the incorrect path—they know full well that it is wrong to pursue fame, gain, and status and yet still cannot bear to do without these things or to put them aside, and they still pursue them, walking the path of Satan. In this case, they are not following God, but following Satan. Everything they do is in service of Satan, and they are servants of Satan.

Is it easy to change the corrupt disposition of being averse to the truth? Being averse to the truth is a characteristic of humankind’s deep corruption, and it is the most difficult to change. Because a change of disposition can only be achieved by accepting the truth. Someone who is averse to the truth cannot easily accept the truth, just like how a terminally ill person rejects food. This is very dangerous, and a person who is averse to the truth cannot easily be saved, even if they believe in God. If someone has believed in God for a few years but doesn’t know what the truth is, and what positive things are, and is not even clear about the life goal of pursuing the truth to achieve salvation, isn’t this a blind man who has lost his way? Therefore, being averse to the truth makes it impossible to accept the truth, and this kind of corrupt disposition is not easy to change. People who are able to choose to accept the truth and to follow the right path are those who love the truth, and people like this can easily change their corrupt dispositions. If someone has the disposition of being averse to the truth, but still hopes in their heart to be saved by God, where should they begin? What starting point will make this easier? What is the fastest route? (After understanding what positive things are, and what principles are, they should use the principles and standards as their measure while performing their duty, and if something goes against the principles and is not in accordance with God’s will, they should hold to the principles and not do it.) They should first grasp the principles of each truth—this is very important. Then what? (When they reveal a state of being averse to the truth, and their duty and the principles are involved, they must rebel against the flesh and practice according to the principles.) That’s right, they must have a path, and that goal and path should be clear. Right now, the crucial thing is that most people don’t know which aspect of their disposition is revealed in what context and at what time, and in what way it is revealed. If they knew all that, wouldn’t it be easy for them to change? Looking now, people’s various types of thinking or attitudes actually involve their dispositions; without the dominance of various dispositions, without being challenged or hobbled by their corrupt dispositions, it would be easy for people to correct their mistaken thoughts. For example, say that your mother tells you to dry off your sweat before leaving the house. If you’re an obedient, filial child, while sensing your mother’s good intentions, you can also comprehend the correctness of this advice, and know the advantage of it, and can acknowledge and accept it. If you don’t have a corrupt disposition that is acting up and pulling you back, it will be easy for you to accept this suggestion. Although this advice is very simple and easy to carry out, and you know that it is right, because you have a disposition that is averse to the truth and intransigent, this can lead you to knowingly go against it, and this can hurt your mother’s feelings and make her worry about you and suffer, that is the consequence. In short, how one deals with things when they befall them—how one deals with positive things, and also how one constantly fights and battles with their corrupt dispositions—this represents their resolve to pursue the truth. If you have this resolve and are willing to cast off your corrupt disposition, accept the truth, make God’s word your life, and live with human likeness, then you can change. However great your resolve to pursue the truth is, that is how great your change will be.

What does salvation mainly refer to? It refers mainly to a change of disposition. Only when a person’s disposition has changed can they cast off Satan’s influence and be saved. Therefore, for those who believe in God, dispositional change is a major issue. When a person’s disposition is changed, they will live out human likeness and completely attain salvation. It is possible that someone may not be very good-looking, gifted, or talented, they may speak clumsily and not be very articulate, or good at dressing up, and they may outwardly appear very ordinary, but they are capable of seeking the truth when something happens to them, rather than acting according to their own will or scheming for their own sake, and when God commands them to perform a duty, they are able to submit to Him and accomplish what He entrusts to them. What do you think of this kind of person? Though outwardly, they are not attractive or prepossessing in appearance, they have a heart that fears and submits to God, and in this their strengths are revealed. When people see this, they will say, “This person has a stable disposition, and when things happen, they can seek quietly before God without being careless or doing something foolish or stupid. They have a serious and responsible attitude; they are dutiful and can fully dedicate themselves to faithfully fulfilling their duty.” This person is restrained in how they speak and act, they have normal rationality, and based on what they live out and the disposition that they display, they have a God-fearing heart. If they have a God-fearing heart, are there principles to their actions? They certainly seek the principles and don’t recklessly engage in wrongful acts. This is the ultimate result achieved by practicing the truth and pursuing a change of disposition. Their speech is measured and accurate, they don’t speak carelessly, they act in a way that is reassuring and trustworthy, and they possess the realities of submission to God and of shunning evil. All these manifestations can be seen in this person. This is a person who has entered into the truth reality, and whose disposition has changed. These things can’t be faked. A person’s disposition is their life; whatever disposition a person has, that will be their behavior. People’s behavior and manifestations are governed by their dispositions, and what people consistently express are the revelations of their disposition, not their character. Being able to recognize dispositional problems and the revelations of various corrupt dispositions, and to then solve them by seeking the truth, is the most fundamental thing that one must achieve in pursuing a change of disposition.