Words of Almighty God of the Last Days

Being arrogant and self-righteous is man’s most conspicuous satanic disposition, and if people do not accept the truth, they will have no way of cleansing it. People all have arrogant and self-righteous dispositions, and they are always conceited. No matter what they think, or what they say, or how they see things, they always think that their own points of view and their own attitudes are correct, and that what others say is not as good or as right as what they say. They always cling to their own opinions, and no matter who speaks, they will not listen to them. Even if what someone else says is correct, or in line with the truth, they will not accept it; they will only appear to be listening but they will not really adopt the idea, and when it comes time to act, they will still do things their own way, always thinking that what they say is right and reasonable. It is possible that what you say is, indeed, right and reasonable, or that what you have done is right and faultless, but what kind of disposition have you revealed? Is it not one of arrogance and self-righteousness? If you do not cast off this arrogant and self-righteous disposition, will it not affect your performance of your duty? Will it not affect your practice of the truth? If you do not resolve your arrogant and self-righteous disposition, will it not cause you serious setbacks in the future? You will definitely experience setbacks, this is inevitable. Tell Me, can God see such behavior of man? God is more than able to see it! God not only scrutinizes the depths of people’s hearts, He also observes their every word and deed at all times and places. What will God say when He sees this behavior of yours? God will say: “You are intransigent! It’s understandable that you might cling to your own ideas when you do not know that you are mistaken, but when you clearly know that you are mistaken and you still cling to your ideas, and would die before repenting, you are just a stubborn fool, and you are in trouble. If, no matter who makes a suggestion, you always adopt a negative, resistant attitude toward it, and do not accept even a little bit of the truth, and if your heart is completely resistant, closed, and dismissive, then you are so ridiculous, you are an absurd person! You are too difficult to deal with!” In what way are you difficult to deal with? You are difficult to deal with because what you are displaying is not an erroneous approach, or an erroneous behavior, but a revelation of your disposition. A revelation of what disposition? A disposition in which you are averse to the truth, and hate the truth. Once you have been identified as a person who hates the truth, in God’s eyes you are in trouble, and He will spurn and ignore you. From people’s perspective, the most they will say is: “This person’s disposition is bad, they are incredibly obstinate, intransigent, and arrogant! This person is hard to get along with and does not love the truth. They have never accepted the truth and they do not put the truth into practice.” At the most, everyone will give you this appraisal, but can this appraisal decide your fate? The appraisal that people give you cannot decide your fate, but there is one thing that you must not forget: God scrutinizes people’s hearts, and at the same time God observes their every word and deed. If God defines you in this way, and says that you hate the truth, if He does not merely say that you have a bit of a corrupt disposition, or that you are a little disobedient, is this not a very serious problem? (It is serious.) This means trouble, and this trouble does not lie in the way that people see you, or how they appraise you, it lies in how God views your corrupt disposition of hating the truth. So, how does God view it? Has God merely determined that you hate and do not love the truth, and that is all? Is it that simple? Where does the truth come from? Who does the truth represent? (It represents God.) Ponder on this: If a person hates the truth, then from God’s perspective, how will He view them? (As His enemy.) Is this not a serious problem? When a person hates the truth, they hate God! Why do I say that they hate God? Did they curse God? Did they oppose God to His face? Did they judge or condemn Him behind His back? Not necessarily. So why do I say that revealing a disposition that hates the truth is to hate God? This is not making a mountain out of a molehill, it is the reality of the situation. It is like the hypocritical Pharisees who nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross because they hated the truth—the consequences that followed were terrible. What this means is that if a person has a disposition that is averse to the truth and hates the truth, they may reveal it anytime and anywhere, and if they live by it, will they not oppose God? When they are confronted with something that involves the truth or making a choice, if they cannot accept the truth, and they live by their corrupt disposition, they will naturally oppose God, and betray Him, because their corrupt disposition is one that hates God and hates the truth. If you have such a disposition, then even when it comes to words spoken by God, you will question them, and want to analyze and dissect them. Then you will be suspicious of God’s words, and say, “Are these really God’s words? They don’t look like the truth to me, they don’t necessarily all seem correct to me!” In this way, has your disposition of hating the truth not revealed itself? When you think in this way, can you submit to God? You definitely cannot. If you cannot submit to God, is He still your God? He is not. Then, what will God be to you? You will treat Him like a research subject, someone to be doubted, someone to condemn; you will treat Him like an ordinary and regular person, and condemn Him as such. In doing so, you will become someone who resists and blasphemes against God. What kind of disposition causes this? It is caused by an arrogant disposition that has become inflated to a certain degree; not only will your satanic disposition be revealed from you, your satanic face will also be completely laid bare. What happens to the relationship between God and a person who has reached the stage of resisting God, and whose rebelliousness against God has reached a certain degree? It becomes a hostile relationship where a person places God in opposition to themselves. If, in your belief in God, you cannot accept and submit to the truth, then God is not your God. If you refuse the truth and reject it, then you will have already become someone who resists God. Can God still save you, then? He definitely cannot.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Often Living Before God Can One Have a Normal Relationship With Him

Arrogance is the root of man’s corrupt disposition. The more arrogant people are, the more unreasonable they are, and the more unreasonable they are, the more liable they are to resist God. How serious is this problem? Not only do people with an arrogant disposition consider everyone else beneath them, but, worst of all, they are even condescending toward God, and they have no God-fearing hearts. Even though people might appear to believe in God and follow Him, they do not treat Him as God at all. They always feel that they possess the truth and think the world of themselves. This is the essence and root of the arrogant disposition, and it comes from Satan. Therefore, the problem of arrogance must be resolved. Feeling that one is better than others—that is a trivial matter. The critical issue is that one’s arrogant disposition prevents one from submitting to God, His sovereignty, and His arrangements; such a person always feels inclined to compete with God for power and control others. This sort of person does not have a God-fearing heart in the slightest, to say nothing of loving God or submitting to Him. People who are arrogant and conceited, especially those who are so arrogant as to have lost their reason, cannot submit to God in their belief in Him, and even exalt and bear testimony for themselves. Such people resist God the most and have absolutely no God-fearing hearts. If people wish to get to where they have God-fearing hearts, then they must first resolve their arrogant disposition. The more thoroughly you resolve your arrogant disposition, the more you will have a God-fearing heart, and only then can you submit to Him and obtain the truth and know Him. Only those who gain the truth are genuinely human.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

When you are cooperating with others to perform your duties, are you able to be open to differing opinions? Are you able to let others speak? (I am, a little. Before, a lot of the time I wouldn’t listen to the suggestions of the brothers and sisters and would insist on doing things my own way. Only later, when the facts proved I was wrong, did I see that most of their suggestions had been correct, that it was the resolution that everyone discussed that was actually suitable, and that by relying on my own views I was unable to see things clearly and that I was lacking. After experiencing this, I realized how important harmonious cooperation is.) And what can you see from this? After experiencing this, did you receive some benefit, and understand the truth? Do you think anyone is perfect? No matter how strong people are, or how capable and talented, they still are not perfect. People must recognize this, it is fact, and it is the attitude that people should have to correctly approach their own merits and strengths or faults; this is the rationality that people should possess. With such rationality, you can properly deal with your own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of others, and this will enable you to work alongside them harmoniously. If you have understood this aspect of the truth and can enter this aspect of the truth reality, then you can get along harmoniously with your brothers and sisters, drawing on their strong points to offset any weaknesses you have. In this way, no matter what duty you are performing or what you are doing, you will always get better at it and have God’s blessing. If you always think you are pretty good and that others are worse by comparison, and if you always want to have the final say, then this will be troublesome. This is a problem of disposition. Are such people not arrogant and self-righteous? Imagine someone gives you good advice, but you think that if you accept it they might look down on you, and think you are not as good as them. So, you just decide not to listen to them. Instead, you try to overshadow them with lofty and high-sounding words to make them hold you in high regard. If you always interact with people in this way, can you cooperate with them in harmony? Not only will you fail to achieve harmony, but there will also be negative consequences. Over time, everyone will perceive you as too deceitful and crafty, someone they can’t fathom. You don’t practice truth, and you’re not an honest person, so others are repelled by you. If everyone is repelled by you, doesn’t this mean you are rejected? Tell Me, how would God treat someone whom everyone rejects? God would also detest such a person. Why does God detest people like this? Although their intentions in performing their duty are genuine, their methods are what God detests. The disposition that they reveal and their every thought, idea and intent are wicked in God’s eyes, and are things that God detests and which disgust Him. When people always employ despicable tactics in their words and actions with the aim of making others hold them in high regard, this behavior is detested by God.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

People who are arrogant and self-righteous are apt to follow their own ideas, so do they have a God-fearing heart? People who have strong personal ideas forget God when the time comes to act, they forget submission to God; only when they have hit a wall and failed to accomplish anything, does it occur to them that they have not submitted to God, and have not prayed to God. What problem is this? This is them not having God in their hearts. Their actions indicate that God is absent from their hearts, and that they only rely on themselves. And so, whether you are doing church work, performing a duty, handling some external affairs, or dealing with matters in your personal life, there must be principles in your heart, there must be a state. What state? “No matter what it is, before something happens to me I must pray, I ought to submit to God, and I ought to submit to His sovereignty. Everything is arranged by God, and when that thing happens, I must seek God’s intentions, I must have this mindset, I must not make my own plans.” After experiencing thus for some time, people will find themselves seeing God’s sovereignty in many things. If you always have your own plans, considerations, wishes, selfish motives, and desires, then your heart will unwittingly stray from God, you will be blind to how God acts, and most of the time, God will be hidden from you. Do you not like doing things according to your own ideas? Do you not make your own plans? You think you have a mind, you are educated, knowledgeable, you have the means and methodology to do things, you can do them on your own, you’re good, you don’t need God, and so God says, “So go and do it by yourself, and take responsibility for whether it goes well or not, I do not care.” God pays you no heed. When people follow their own will in this way in their faith in God and believe however they want, what is the consequence? They are never able to experience God’s sovereignty, they can never see the hand of God, can never feel the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, they cannot feel God’s guidance. And what will happen as time goes on? Their hearts will grow ever further from God, and there will be knock-on effects. What effects? (Doubting and denying God.) This is not just a case of doubting and denying God. When God has no place in people’s hearts, and they do as they wish over the long term, a habit will set in: When something happens to them, the first thing they will do is to think of their own solution and act according to their own intentions, aims and plans; they will first consider whether this is of benefit to them; if it is, they will do it, and if it isn’t, they won’t. It will become their habit to go straight to taking this path. And how will God treat such people if they keep acting thus, without repentance? God will pay them no heed, and place them to one side. What does it mean to be placed to one side? God will neither discipline nor reproach them; they will grow increasingly self-indulgent, without judgment, chastisement, discipline, or reprimand, much less enlightenment, illumination, or guidance. This is what it means to be placed to one side. How does someone feel when God places them to one side? Their spirit feels darkened, God is not with them, they feel unclear about the visions, they have no path of action, and they deal only with foolish matters. As time passes in this way, they think that life has no meaning, and their spirits are empty, so they are the same as the nonbelievers, and they grow increasingly degenerate. This is a person spurned by God.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. The Principles of the Practice of Submitting to God

Being of poor caliber itself is fatal. If one also has a bad disposition, lacks morality, doesn’t listen to advice, can’t accept positive things, and is unwilling to learn and embrace new things, such a person is useless! Those who perform their duties must possess a conscience and reason, know their own measure and their own shortcomings, and understand what they lack and need to improve. They must always feel they are lacking so much, and that if they don’t study and accept new things, they may be eliminated. If they have a sense of impending crisis in their heart, it gives them motivation and a willingness to learn things. In one aspect, one should equip themselves with truths, and in another aspect, they should acquire professional knowledge related to performing their duties. By practicing this way, they can make progress, and performing their duties will yield good results. Only by doing one’s duties well and living out the semblance of humanity can one’s life have value, so performing one’s duties is the most meaningful thing. Some people have a bad disposition, and are not only ignorant but also arrogant. They always think that seeking in regard to all things and always listening to others will make others look down on them, and make them lose face, and that comporting oneself in this way lacks dignity. In reality, it’s the opposite. Being arrogant and self-righteous, not learning anything, lagging behind and being outdated in everything, and lacking knowledge, insight, and ideas is what’s truly embarrassing, and this is when one loses integrity and dignity. Some people can’t do anything well, have a rudimentary understanding of everything they learn, are satisfied with understanding just a few doctrines, and think they’re competent. But they still can’t accomplish anything, and they have no tangible results. If you tell them that they don’t understand anything and have accomplished nothing, they are unconvinced and persistently argue their point. But when they’re doing things, they do them poorly, and are half-baked. Is one not useless if one cannot handle any task well? Is one not good-for-nothing? People of excessively low caliber cannot handle even the simplest tasks. They are good-for-nothings and their lives have no value. Some people say, “I grew up in the countryside, without education or knowledge, and my caliber is poor, unlike you people who live in the city, and are educated and knowledgeable, so you can excel in everything.” Is this statement correct? (No.) What’s incorrect about it? (Whether a person can achieve things has nothing to do with their environment; it primarily depends on whether a person makes an effort to learn and improve themselves.) How God treats people does not hinge on how educated they are, or what kind of environment they were born in, or how talented they are. Rather, He treats people based on their attitude toward the truth. What is this attitude related to? It is related to their humanity, and also to their dispositions. If you believe in God you must be able to handle the truth correctly. If you have an attitude of humility and acceptance of the truth, then even if you are of slightly poor caliber, God will still enlighten you and allow you to gain something. If you are of good caliber but are always arrogant and self-righteous, thinking that whatever you say is right and whatever others say is wrong, refusing whatever suggestions others propose, and even unaccepting of the truth, however it is fellowshipped about, and always resisting it, then can such a person as you gain God’s approval? Will the Holy Spirit work on such a person as you? He will not. God will say that you have a bad disposition and are not worthy of receiving His enlightenment, and if you do not repent, He will even take away what you once had. This is what it is to be revealed. People like this lead pathetic lives. They are clearly nothing, and inept at everything, yet they still think they are pretty good, and are better than everyone else in all respects. They never discuss their flaws or shortcomings in front of others, nor their weaknesses and negativity. They are always feigning competence and giving others a false impression, making others think they are adept at everything, devoid of weaknesses, do not need any help, have no need to listen to others’ opinions, and do not need to learn from the strengths of others to make up for their own shortcomings, and that they will always be better than everyone else. What kind of disposition is this? (Arrogance.) Such arrogance. People like this lead pathetic lives! Are they actually capable? Can they actually accomplish things? They messed up many things in the past, and yet people like this still think they can do anything. Isn’t that so unreasonable? When people lack reason to such an extent, they are muddleheaded people. Such people don’t learn new things or accept new things. Inside they are dried up, narrow-minded, and impoverished, and regardless of the situation, they fail to figure out and grasp principles or understand God’s intentions, and only know to stick to regulations, speak words and doctrines, and show off in front of others. The upshot is that they have no understanding of any truth and haven’t the slightest bit of truth reality, yet they remain so arrogant. They are simply muddleheaded people, and are utterly impervious to reason, and they can only be eliminated.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

When facing a matter, if people are too willful and insist on their own ideas without seeking the truth, this is very dangerous. God will spurn these people and set them aside. What will the consequence of this be? It can certainly be said that there is the danger of them being eliminated. However, those who seek the truth can obtain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and guidance, and as a result, gain God’s blessing. The two different attitudes of seeking and not seeking the truth can bring about two different states in you and two different results. Which kind of result do you prefer? (I’d prefer to obtain God’s enlightenment.) If people wish to be enlightened and guided by God, and to receive God’s graces, what kind of attitude must they have? They must often have an attitude of seeking and submission before God. Whether you are performing your duty, interacting with others, or dealing with some particular issue that you are faced with, you must have an attitude of seeking and submission. With this kind of attitude, it can be said that you have something of a God-fearing heart. Being able to seek and submit to the truth is the path to fearing God and shunning evil. If you lack an attitude of seeking and submission, and you instead cling to yourself, are stubbornly antagonistic, and you refuse to accept the truth, and are averse to the truth, then you will naturally commit a great deal of evil. You won’t be able to help it! If people never seek the truth to resolve this, the ultimate consequence will be that no matter how much they experience, no matter how many situations they find themselves in, no matter how many lessons God sets out for them, they still won’t understand the truth, and they will ultimately remain incapable of entering into the truth reality. If people do not possess the truth reality, they will be incapable of following the way of God, and if they are never able to follow the way of God, then they are not people who fear God and shun evil. People go on and on about wanting to perform their duties and follow God. Are things that simple? Absolutely not. These things are enormously important in people’s lives! It isn’t easy to perform one’s duty well to satisfy God, and achieve fear of God and shunning of evil. But I will tell you a principle of practice: If you have an attitude of seeking and submission when something happens to you, this will protect you. The ultimate goal isn’t for you to be protected. It is to make you understand the truth, and be able to enter into the truth reality, and attain God’s salvation—this is the ultimate goal. If you have this attitude in all that you experience, you will no longer feel that performing your duty and satisfying the intentions of God are empty words and slogans; it will no longer feel so taxing. Instead, before you realize it, you will come to understand quite a few truths. If you try to experience in this way, you will be sure to reap rewards. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, how educated you are, how many years you have believed in God, or what duty you perform. As long as you have an attitude of seeking and submission, as long as you experience in this way, then ultimately, you will be sure to understand the truth and enter into the truth reality. However, if you do not have an attitude of seeking and submission in everything that happens to you, then you will not be able to understand the truth, nor will you be able to enter into the truth reality.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

Mankind is so deeply corrupted by Satan that all of them have a satanic nature and an arrogant disposition; even fools and idiots are arrogant, and think they’re better than other people and refuse to obey them. It is clear to see that mankind is so deeply corrupted and that it is very difficult for them to submit to God. Because of their arrogance and self-righteousness, people have become completely lacking in reason; they won’t obey anyone—even if what other people say is right and conforms to the truth, they won’t obey them. It is because of arrogance that people dare to judge God, condemn God, and resist God. So, how can an arrogant disposition be resolved? Can it be resolved by depending on human restraint? Can it be solved by merely recognizing and acknowledging it? Absolutely not. There is only one way to resolve an arrogant disposition, and that is to accept God’s judgment and chastisement. Only those who are able to accept the truth can gradually cast off their arrogant dispositions; those who do not accept the truth will never be able to resolve their arrogant dispositions. I see many people who let it go to their head when they show some talent in their duty. When they show some abilities, they think they are very impressive, and then they live off these abilities and do not push themselves further. They do not listen to others no matter what they say, thinking that these small things they possess are the truth, and that they are supreme. What disposition is this? This is an arrogant disposition. They are far too lacking in reason. Can a person perform their duty well when they have an arrogant disposition? Can they submit to God and follow God to the very end? This is even more difficult. To fix an arrogant disposition, they must learn how to experience God’s work, His judgment and chastisement while performing their duty. Only in this way can they truly know themselves. Only by seeing your corrupted essence clearly, seeing the root of your arrogance clearly, and then discerning and dissecting it can you truly know your nature essence. You must dig up all of the corrupt things inside of you, and hold them up against and come to know them based on the truth, then you will know what you are: Not only are you filled with a corrupt disposition, and not only do you lack reason and submission, but you will see that you are lacking in too many things, that you have no truth reality, and how pitiful you are. Then, you will be incapable of arrogance. If you do not dissect and know yourself in this way, then when you perform your duty you will not know your place in the universe. You will think you are great in every way, that everything about others is bad, and that only you are the best. Then, you will show off to everyone all the time, so that others look up to you and worship you. This is completely lacking in self-awareness. Some people are always showing off. When others find it distasteful, they criticize them as being arrogant. But they do not accept it; they still think they are talented and skilled. What disposition is this? They are too arrogant and self-righteous. Are people who are this arrogant and self-righteous capable of thirsting for the truth? Can they pursue the truth? If they are never able to know themselves, and do not cast off their corrupt disposition, then can they perform their duty well? Certainly not.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Knowing One’s Disposition Is the Foundation of Changing It

If, in your belief in God, you cannot accept and submit to the truth, then God is not your God. If you refuse the truth and reject it, then you will have already become someone who resists God. Can God still save you, then? He definitely cannot. God gives you an opportunity to receive His salvation and does not see you as an enemy, but you cannot accept the truth and you place God in opposition to you; your inability to accept God as your truth and as your path makes you a person who resists God. How should this problem be resolved? You must quickly repent and change course. For example, when you encounter a problem or a difficulty while performing your duty and you do not know how to resolve it, you must not blindly ponder on it, you must first quiet yourself before God, pray and seek from Him, and see what God’s words say about it. If, after reading God’s words, you still do not understand, and do not know what truths this issue pertains to, you must hold fast to one principle—that is, first submit, have no personal ideas or thoughts, wait with a peaceful heart, and see how God intends and wants to act. When you do not understand the truth, you should seek it, and you should wait for God, rather than acting blindly and carelessly. If someone gives you a suggestion when you do not understand the truth, and tells you how to act in accordance with the truth, you should first accept it and allow everyone to fellowship on it, and see if this path is correct or not, and whether it is in accordance with the truth principles or not. If you confirm that it is in accordance with the truth, then practice in that way; if you determine that it does not accord with the truth, then do not practice in that way. It is as simple as that. When you seek the truth, you should seek from many people. If anyone has something to say, you should listen to them, and treat all of their words seriously. Do not ignore or snub them, because this relates to matters within the scope of your duty and you must treat this seriously. This is the right attitude and the right state. When you are in the right state, and you do not reveal a disposition that is averse to the truth and hates the truth, then practicing in this way will supplant your corrupt disposition. This is practicing the truth. If you practice the truth in this way, what fruits will it bear? (We will be guided by the Holy Spirit.) Receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit is one aspect. Sometimes the matter will be very simple and can be achieved using your own mind; after others finish giving you their suggestions and you understand, you will be able to rectify things and act in accordance with the principles. People may think that this is a small matter, but to God it is a great matter. Why do I say this? Because, when you practice in this way, to God you are a person who can practice the truth, a person who loves the truth, and a person who is not averse to the truth—when God sees into your heart, He also sees your disposition, and this is a great matter. In other words, when you do your duty and act in the presence of God, what you live out and pour forth are all truth realities that people should possess. The attitudes, thoughts, and states that you possess in everything you do are the most important things for God, and they are what God scrutinizes.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Often Living Before God Can One Have a Normal Relationship With Him

When you encounter an issue, instead of arguing, you should first set aside your notions, imaginings and verdicts—this is the rationality that a person should have. If there is something that I do not understand, and it is not my area of expertise, I will consult someone who is familiar with the subject. After consulting them, I will have a basic conception of the matter. However, I must seek on how to handle the matter myself, I cannot completely listen to other people, nor should I approach the matter entirely based on my own imaginings. I must seek on how to act in a way that benefits the work of the church and accords with the truth principles. Is this not a rational way of dealing with things? Is it not the reason that a normal person should possess? Seeking and soliciting advice in this way is correct. Supposing you are knowledgeable in a certain area and I consult you about it, but afterward, you demand that I abide by what you have said and carry out your plan of action—what kind of disposition is that? It is an arrogant disposition. Now what would be a reasonable way for you to act? You should say: “I have a little knowledge in this field, but it is not related to the truth. You can just take this as a suggestion to consider, but for the specifics of how to act, you must seek more on God’s intentions.” If I seek advice from you and you really think you understand the matter, and you consider yourself extraordinary, then this is an arrogant disposition. An arrogant nature can bring about this kind of response and manifestation in you—when someone seeks advice from you, you immediately lose your rationality; you lose the reason of a normal person, and are unable to make correct judgments. When someone reveals a corrupt disposition, their reason is not normal. Therefore, no matter what befalls you, even if others seek your advice, you cannot be insolent and you must possess normal reason. What is the normal way to act? At this point, you must consider: “Although I understand this matter, I cannot be insolent. I must approach it with the reason of normal humanity.” Returning before God, you will possess the reason of normal humanity. Although, at times, you will reveal a certain sense of self-satisfaction, there will be restraint in your heart—the revelations of your corrupt disposition will be cut in half, and you will have much less of a negative influence on others. However, if you act according to your arrogant disposition, always believing you are right and consequently compelling others to listen to you, it shows an immense lack of reason. If the path that you point out to people is correct, things might be fine, but if it’s wrong, that will harm them. If someone seeks advice from you on a personal matter and you send them down the wrong road, you will only have harmed one person. However, if they ask you about a significant matter related to the work of the church and you steer them wrong, you will have harmed the church’s work, and the interests of God’s house will suffer losses. If the problem is of a severe nature and it offends God’s disposition, the consequences will be unimaginable.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. The Path of Resolving a Corrupt Disposition

No matter what you’re doing, you must learn how to seek and submit to the truth; no matter who is offering you advice, if it accords with the truth principles, then even if it comes from a small child, you must accept it and submit to it. No matter what problems a person has, if their words and advice completely accord with the truth principles, then you should accept them and submit to them. The results of acting in this way will be good and in accordance with God’s intentions. The key is to look at your motives, and the principles and methods by which you handle things. If your principles and methods for handling things stem from human will, from human thoughts and notions, or from satanic philosophies, then those principles and methods are impractical, and they are bound to be ineffective. This is because the source of your principles and methods is incorrect and does not accord with the truth principles. If your views are based upon the truth principles, and you handle things according to the truth principles, then you will undoubtedly handle them in the correct way. Even if some people do not accept the way that you handle things at the time, or they have notions about it, or they are resistant toward it, after some time, it will be validated. Things that are in accordance with the truth principles yield increasingly positive results, while things that are not in accordance with the truth principles lead to increasingly negative consequences, even if they fit with people’s notions at the time. People will all receive confirmation of this. You must not be subject to human constraints in anything you do, and you must not reach your own verdicts; you should first pray to God and seek the truth, and then explore and fellowship on the matter with everyone. What is the purpose of fellowshipping? It is so that you can do things in precise accordance with the intentions of God and act in line with God’s intentions. This is a somewhat grand way of putting it, and people will fall short of this. To put it in more concrete terms, it is so that you can do things in precise accordance with the truth principles. This is rather more tangible. When a person meets this standard, they are practicing the truth and following God’s will; they have the truth reality and there will be no objections from anyone.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. The Path of Resolving a Corrupt Disposition

When something befalls you, you must not be self-righteous. You must quiet yourself before God and learn a lesson. You must be able to let go of yourself in order to learn more. If you think, “I’m more of an expert at this than you, so I should be in charge, and you should all listen to me!”—what kind of disposition is that? It is arrogance and self-righteousness. It is a satanic, corrupt disposition and it is not something within the realm of normal humanity. So, what does it mean to not be self-righteous? (It means listening to everyone’s suggestions, and discussing things with everyone.) No matter what your personal thoughts and opinions are, if you blindly determine that they are correct and that they are the way that things should be done, that is arrogance and self-righteousness. If you have some ideas or opinions that you feel are correct, but you do not have complete faith in yourself, and you can confirm them through seeking and fellowship, that is what it means to not be self-righteous. Waiting to receive everyone’s support and approval before acting is the reasonable way of doing things. If someone disagrees with you, you should respond to it conscientiously, and be meticulous when it comes to the professional aspects of your work. You cannot turn a blind eye to it by saying, “Do you understand this better, or do I? I have been involved in this area of work for such a long time—should I not have a better understanding of it than you? What do you know about it? You don’t understand it!” That is not a good disposition, it is too arrogant and self-righteous. It is possible that the person who disagrees with you is an amateur, and that they do not have a good understanding of that area of work; you may be right and you may be doing things correctly, but it is your disposition that is the problem. What, then, is the right way to behave and act? How can you behave and act in accordance with the truth principles? You must put your ideas out on the table and let everyone see if there are any problems with them. If someone makes a suggestion, you must first accept it, and then let everyone confirm the correct path of practice. If nobody has any issues with it, you can then determine the most appropriate way of doing things and act in that way. If a problem is discovered, then you must solicit everyone’s opinions, and you should all seek the truth and fellowship on it together, and in that way, you will gain the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. When your hearts are illuminated, and you have a better path, the results that you achieve will be better than before. Is this not the guidance of God? It is a marvelous thing! If you can avoid being self-righteous, if you can let go of your imaginings and ideas, and if you can listen to others’ correct opinions, you will be able to obtain the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Your heart will be illuminated and you will be able to find the correct path. You will have a way forward, and when you put it into practice, it will definitely be in accordance with the truth. Through such practice and experience you will learn how to practice the truth, and at the same time you will learn something new about that area of work. Is this not a good thing? Through this you will realize that when things happen to you, you must not be self-righteous and you must seek the truth, and that if you are self-righteous and do not accept the truth, everyone will dislike you and God will certainly loathe you. Is this not a lesson learned? If you always pursue in this way and practice the truth, you will keep honing the professional skills that you use in your duty, you will get better and better results in your duty, and God will enlighten and bless you, and allow you to gain even more. In addition to that, you will have a path for practicing the truth, and when you know how to practice the truth, you will gradually grasp the principles. When you know which actions will lead to God’s enlightenment and guidance, which will lead to His loathing and dismissal, and which will lead to His approval and blessings, you will have a way forward. When people receive God’s blessings and enlightenment, their life progress will quicken. They will receive God’s enlightenment and guidance every day, and there will be peace and happiness in their hearts. Will this not bring them pleasure? When your actions can be presented before God, and accepted by God, you will feel pleasure in your heart, and inwardly, you will have peace and happiness. This peace and happiness are feelings that God has given you, they are a sensation bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Often Living Before God Can One Have a Normal Relationship With Him

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