Fellowship From the Brother Above – August 15, 2025 (Part Seven)

Question 14: How can one practice prayer to establish a normal relationship with God?

Answer: The topic of prayer is crucial. So how does prayer arise? Prayer arises based on the truths you understand and God’s requirements for people. When you understand the truth and see your state clearly, you will know what you lack, and you will have things to say to God. Or, if you know God’s requirements and see that you cannot meet them or act according to principles when something befalls you, you must pray to God and seek the truth to find the path by which to satisfy God’s requirements and act according to principles. In this way, does true prayer not arise? (It does.) The more you read God’s words, the more truths you will understand, and the more you seek the truth when things befall you, the more you will have to say to God in prayer. If you read God’s words very little, understand very few truths, and rarely seek the truth when you encounter things, then you will have very little to say in prayer. You see, the prayers of religious people are all the same. They pray for years and years, but their prayers just contain the same old platitudes, official words, and nice-sounding words. Some people even say the same prayers their whole lives without any change. What does this show? It shows that their spirits are utterly impoverished and pitiful and that they do not have many heartfelt words to say to God. Therefore, it is very difficult for people who do not understand the truth to establish a normal relationship with God through prayer. So why should people establish a normal relationship with God? The purpose of establishing a normal relationship with God is to achieve knowledge of God, and to achieve knowledge of God’s disposition and essence. Only when people come to know God’s disposition and essence can they have true faith in God, truly love and submit to God, expend themselves for God, and preach the gospel and bear witness to God. These things are all achieved by people establishing a normal relationship with God, so this matter is of the utmost importance. So, how can one establish a normal relationship with God? You must often have fellowship with God in your spirit. When you encounter things and do not understand the truth, pray to God. When you encounter difficulties and do not know how to practice, you must also pray to God. If your heart never leaves God, then you will always have a normal relationship with God, and you will gradually achieve knowledge of God. What is the bare minimum that people can gain by praying often? When you come before God more often, you will have peace and joy in your heart, and you will be able to gain the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps when you first start practicing prayer, you might not have much to say, but gradually, you will gain illumination, you will come to know how to pray, and you will come to feel like the words you pray are not what you thought of in advance, but from the Holy Spirit, and that they are the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is when you will feel God’s presence. The more you pray, the more you will feel that God is truly real and that God lives in your heart. The Holy Spirit enlightens and guides you when you pray, enabling you to feel God’s presence. Unconsciously, you will pray some practical words, and you will feel this to be inconceivable and wonderful, thinking, “Wow, how were the words I prayed today so new? I didn’t even think of them in advance; where did they come from? It turns out that God truly lives in people’s hearts. I must carry on praying to God often. I can no longer live a godless life. I must live a life with God’s presence. If I can finally come to understand the truth and walk with God, that would be the best.” Therefore, if people are able to pray more like this, their relationship with God will become closer, and they will have more opportunities to enjoy the work of the Holy Spirit. In this way, people will gradually gain knowledge of God and feel, “Every step I have taken has been led by God. God has set up all kinds of people, events, and things around me, and He is also secretly scrutinizing, enlightening, and guiding me. Although I cannot see God, I can feel Him working by my side. God is truly almighty! God is sovereign over all things!” You see, has people’s faith not gradually grown? (It has.) People’s faith will grow greater and greater, their heart of submission to God will grow stronger and stronger, and their heart of love for God will grow more and more true. Will their relationship with God not also become closer? (It will.) When people’s relationship with God becomes close, they come to treasure God’s presence, God’s work, and God’s words. They come to treasure all that God has bestowed. Can they still distance themselves from God and betray God? (No.) In the past, people treasured money and felt that they absolutely couldn’t live in the world without money. Now that their relationship with God is close, they feel that it is fine to be without money, and that it is fine to be without a family. As long as they have God, this is enough. Having God is better than having anything else. Having God is the best, and they absolutely cannot be without God. You see, they cannot leave God, and thus they can slowly come to submit to and love God, and in the end, they will be perfected by God. Therefore, establishing a normal relationship with God is the path to being perfected. The closer people’s relationship with God, the greater their faith in God, the more absolute their heart of submission to God, and the more true their heart of love for God will be. If people distance themselves from God, their lives will suffer losses. Not only will their faith grow smaller and smaller, but their resolve to submit to and love God will also gradually disappear, and it will not be possible for them to be perfected by God.

Question 15: I often reveal a perfunctory and lazy state in the course of my duty. I know that God detests this state, and I want to repent and change, but when I face my duty again, I follow my flesh and cannot practice the truth. Brother, could you please fellowship on how I can truly know this state of mine and do my duty with all my heart and mind?

Answer: Has the person who asked this question not already come to know their state? They know they are lazy and that they are always perfunctory and muddling through their duty, but have they recognized the root of this problem? (No.) So it is not easy for them to rebel against themselves and practice the truth. They must recognize the root of the problem to truly solve it. So how can one recognize the root of the problem? By accepting the judgment and chastisement of God’s words. You should find all the words of God that dissect and characterize this problem, and in God’s words, you should come to know this corrupt state. If you have gained knowledge of this state from God’s words, you should pray, “Oh God, I do not want to be lazy anymore. I do not want to be perfunctory and muddle through my duty anymore. I want to change this state of mine. Please help me cast off this corrupt disposition.” Perhaps after praying for a while, though you may not have changed much and you may still be unable to act according to God’s requirements and the truth principles in your duty, you may be able to recognize that your corrupt disposition is quite stubborn and not easy to overcome. At this time, you must pray more to God, rely more on God, and make more frequent resolutions to God to rebel against yourself. This is how you must practice in solving the problem of the laziness of the flesh. If making resolutions still does not achieve results, you should pray and ask God to discipline and punish you. This is a further step in practice, and it shows that you have begun to hate the flesh. Some people hate their own flesh to the point of praying, “Oh God, if I am perfunctory again, may Your punishment and curses come upon me, and may I die a miserable death!” After praying like this, they will have fear in their hearts, thinking, “If I don’t repent earnestly and am still perfunctory and deceive God, and the curses really come, won’t I be in trouble? No, this time I must be determined to change!” You see, this prayer involving God’s curses really works, and with this you can really rebel against the flesh and practice the truth. Gradually, you will feel, “How come I am much more conscientious in my duty than before? How did it become so easy to stop being perfunctory?” This is the result achieved by truly hating the flesh. If you always pray and rely on God in this matter, you will develop this kind of resolve and have the courage to curse yourself. Tell me, do people who have the courage to curse themselves not come to hate the flesh to a certain extent? Otherwise, how could they have the courage to pray and curse themselves? How did people in the Age of Grace pray? “Oh God, You may curse Satan, but You may not curse me. You must bless me and allow me to gain eternal life and enter the kingdom of heaven.” The prayers of people in the Age of Grace were all about asking God for grace and blessings in this way. They never cursed themselves for the sake of practicing the truth. They did not have a tremendous desire for God. So how do people who believe in God and pursue the truth in the Age of Kingdom pray? “Oh God, if I cannot cast off my corrupt disposition or satisfy You, may Your curses come upon me and have me die in any way You see fit! I am truly corrupt! I don’t deserve to live!” Tell me, do people who can pray like this have resolve? (They do.) So can you pray like this? If you can, then you are able to cast off your corruption, overcome the flesh, and overcome Satan. This matter tests a person’s resolve the most. It is no easy thing to rebel against the flesh and practice the truth. Sometimes, even after making resolutions time and again, people still cannot rebel against the flesh, and in the end, there is no other way but to pray and curse themselves. For example, some people always think about fornicating, and always want to get too close when they see members of the opposite sex. If they cannot control these thoughts, they pray and curse themselves, asking God to make them sick so they cannot fornicate. What do you think of this prayer? (It’s good. These people have resolve.) Some even say, “If I commit this sin again, let me go to hell and suffer eternal punishment.” Do you have the courage to pray like this? (Yes.) People with the courage to pray like this have resolve. Sometimes, the flesh must be treated this way. But people who do not pursue the truth do not have this resolve. They think, “If the flesh commits a little sin, then so be it. If the flesh can be a little more comfortable, then so be it. The life of the flesh is not easy, and one must treat the flesh well.” Is this view correct? (No.) “Treat the flesh well” is a nonbeliever philosophy for worldly dealings. It is from Satan the devil. So tell me, is it right or wrong for us to curse the flesh? (It’s right.) Why is it right? Is the flesh not yourself? Is cursing the flesh not the same as cursing yourself? (Yes, a person’s flesh is of Satan. Cursing the flesh is cursing oneself and cursing Satan.) That’s right. People must draw a clear line with the flesh and treat the flesh as Satan, as pig- and dog-like parents. But there are also principles here. If the flesh is not sick and you deliberately make it sick, is that good? (No, it will delay our duty.) That’s right. If the flesh is sick, a person cannot do their duty. Only when the flesh is healthy can a person do their duty well. For example, if you are limited in your mobility and you can’t walk, can you still go and preach the gospel? You cannot. Therefore, we must treat the flesh correctly. You can curse the flesh, but you cannot abuse it. If the flesh is sick, you must find a way to make it healthy. To do our duty well and complete God’s commission, we need the flesh to render this service. If this service can be rendered well and finally satisfy God, when we die, our souls will be taken by God, and this flesh will return to dust. Therefore, in order to do our duty well, bear witness to and glorify God, and follow God’s will, it is in accordance with God’s intention to keep our flesh somewhat healthy. Completing God’s commission, bearing witness to God, glorifying God, living a meaningful life, and following God’s will are the most important things. In the Age of Grace, a spiritual person said, “Personal gain and loss are not important. God’s will should be heeded.” These words are quite spiritual and right. This is what those who serve God should practice. I heard these words when I first found the Lord. At that time, I also read some spiritual writings, like Madame Guyon’s Sweet Smelling Myrrh, Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God, and Watchman Nee’s books. I felt very nourished in my heart when I read them, and I thought the experiences of these people were quite good. But now when I look at these spiritual books, I feel they are truly shallow. The truths expressed by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace were very limited. He did not tell people the specific principles and paths for practicing the truth, so people just groped around in vagueness in their practice. Their experiential knowledge was very shallow. Now, Almighty God has expressed all the truths and all the mysteries. The truths and paths of practice in all aspects are spoken of clearly and plainly. Our practice and entry are much higher than those of people in the Age of Grace. We have clear and accurate paths by which to do everything. As such we have come at a good time. As long as you read God’s words and seek the truth diligently, no matter what problems you have, they can be solved, and in the end, you will also be able to receive God’s blessings and grace.

Question 16: I focus so much on my pride during gatherings, and when brothers and sisters prune me, I become very negative. How can I experience being pruned without becoming so negative and so focused on my pride?

Answer: You must temper yourself in these painful situations until you can take in whatever words you hear, whether it’s opposition or condemnation, and accept it without being constrained by these things. So how can you practice to avoid being constrained by your pride when you are pruned? You must learn to approach it correctly and learn to pray to God. You can pray, “Oh God, his words have hurt my pride and left me unable to hold my head high in front of everyone. Please give me the faith to approach this correctly. Please protect my heart from being constrained, so that I can avoid being negative and weak and can do my duty normally.” If you pray like this, your heart will slowly be freed from constraint, and you will no longer feel bad. How does practicing this way sound? (Good.) In experiencing God’s work, one must be able to endure any humiliation and treat any words of judgment and condemnation correctly. If people who are seeking and investigating or new believers do not respect you, and if you say something that does not align with their notions, they will rebut you, and sometimes their words can be very hurtful. What should you do in this situation? They do not yet understand the truth, so you must see them as immature children and be tolerant and forbearing with them, and not be constrained by them. Tell me, are there not many people who judge and condemn me? (There are.) Do I refute them and condemn them? I do not. I know that these people are not necessarily all evil people, and that some of them only judge and condemn me because they do not understand the truth. If I spend some time with them and fellowship more truths with them, and they come to know me, they may stop judging and condemning me, and perhaps they will even come to form a good impression of me. If, after a few years, these people have experienced some things and have some experiential knowledge and changes, and I see that they have spiritual understanding, I will promote them to be leaders and workers. Or if I discover that someone has a certain strength and is talented in a certain area, I will arrange for them to do a duty that can make use of their strength. But if I hear someone condemn me and I condemn them in my anger and clear them out, am I not mishandling a talented person? Am I not delaying the work of God’s house? To do so would be petty and not in accordance with God’s intentions. Therefore, I must be tolerant and patient with such people. If, after a few years, these people who have prejudices against me are revealed to be antichrists and evil people, then we will handle them according to the principles. If they have repented and have the truth reality, then I will arrange for them to do whatever duty they are suited for. I cannot treat people based on personal grudges. Although they do not say it, some people in God’s house have great prejudices against me in their hearts. Some of these people can do a certain aspect of work, so I still utilize them, but if they do not do real work, I dismiss them. But after a period of time, if they have reflected on themselves and gained knowledge, I promote them again. What do you think is going on here? In one respect, it is because it’s not possible to find people who are particularly suited to do some tasks, and this person can still be utilized, so I utilize them for the time being. I do not look at their past transgressions, but based on their current performance, I cultivate them if they should be cultivated, and I promote them if they should be promoted. Is it good to do this? (Yes.) This way, no one is wronged, and the work of God’s house is not delayed. When I do my work, I often reflect on myself: “Have I ever tormented or harmed anyone? Have I ever retaliated against someone because of a personal grudge?” I ensure that I have not done these things, and only then is my conscience not accused, and my conscience is clear. This is how a person should conduct themselves. Everything should be done according to the truth principles. Do not become entangled in right and wrong, and do not, when you encounter some trivial matter, dwell on things like, “That one time you had a bad attitude toward me, that one time you said something bad about me behind my back, and that one time you judged me. I will remember these things for the rest of my life!” Tell me, can such a narrow-minded person gain the truth? (No.) Small-hearted people cannot accomplish things; only broad-hearted people can. Therefore, you must experience all kinds of things, including being judged, slandered, and condemned. When you have experienced much and understood some truths, you will no longer be affected when you encounter these things again, and you will no longer feel that these are such massive issues. Even if people judge and condemn you, you can correctly treat these things and not be constrained. Let them talk. We walk the right path and do the right thing, so what is there to fear from them? This is how I have walked this path. If one day you can even treat judgment and condemnation correctly, will it not be easy for you to accept being pruned by brothers and sisters? You will be able to overcome the constraint of your pride.

Question 17: I have cultivated many people in the church, but I am afraid of them surpassing me and that I’ll then lose my status. As such, I become very negative and feel that God has distanced Himself from me. How can I solve this problem?

Answer: You are afraid that others will surpass you. Is it a good thing for others to surpass us? (Yes.) Why is it a good thing? (Because God’s house will have more talented people, and there will be more people who can carry out work.) Tell me, when parents see their children grow up and outdo them, how do they feel? (They are happy and gratified.) No matter how much their children surpass them, parents are happy. It’s like a county head who wants his son to become a mayor. If his son becomes a mayor, he will be happy, and then he will want his son to become a governor. Parents are willing to let their children surpass them, so why are you not willing to let brothers and sisters surpass you? This is a very severe corrupt disposition! It is truly petty! You are only considering your own interests and not God’s intentions! Remember, if you see a brother or sister who is better than you, you should pray to God, “Oh God, I have found somebody much better than me. They fellowship on the truth clearly and lucidly, and their comprehension of things is deeper than mine. I am willing to promote them and cooperate with them.” How is praying like this? (It is good.) So when God scrutinizes your prayer, how will He see you? God will see that your heart is for the work of God’s house, and God will say that you are considerate of His intentions. The more generous you are in this way, the more God will remember you. I hope that there will be more people in God’s house who surpass me. Once I discover such people, I promote them all to do work. I also hope that there will be talented people in God’s house who can be directors, write scripts, sing, do talk shows, and do all kinds of programs. I will promote and cultivate them all. If it turns out that they have some shortcomings in the truth, it won’t matter, as I will often hold gatherings and fellowship with them, and I’ll enable them to understand the truth and know how to do the work. No matter what talented people I discover, I quickly promote them, and I cultivate them relentlessly, and I do my best to fellowship all that I have gained and understood with them. You see, there are some people in God’s house who are training to write scripts. I often fellowship with them on the truth and on how to write scripts. This is cultivating and training talented people. If there are talented people or people who yearn for the truth among God’s chosen people in any country, God is also very happy to find out about them. God treats these people with love and patience. No matter what questions they seek on, God will fellowship and answer them tirelessly. God is willing to suffer any hardship and pay any price in this regard. Therefore, every leader or worker must discover talented people. This is what it means to consider God’s intentions. If you cannot discover or promote a single talented person, it shows that you are not considering God’s intentions, that you are overly jealous, and that you are terrified of others surpassing you. God is not pleased with this kind of behavior of yours, and God’s house will not cultivate you. Such people will be dismissed sooner or later. In God’s house, whoever promotes more talented people shows that they are considerate of God’s intentions, and God’s house must give such people important roles. God’s house gives important roles to those who can promote talented people and does not cultivate or utilize those who do not do so. I want there to be more talented people in God’s house. I do not care about your ethnicity, skin color, or age. As long as you have a strength in a certain area and pursue the truth, then God’s house will promote and cultivate you. If I see that the experiential testimonies written by God’s chosen people from a certain country or ethnicity are good, or if I discover that some people have a good comprehension of the truth, I must also promote them. It doesn’t matter if you’re average looking or not tall; as long as you are talented, God’s house will promote and cultivate you. So moving forward, will you be able to recommend talented people? (Yes.) Is this not a behavior of someone who is considerate of God’s intentions? (It is.) God’s intention is to have more people rise up to cooperate with His work, and to have more people be able to pursue the truth and bear witness to God. If we can be considerate of God’s heart, then we must quickly discover talented people and quickly promote and cultivate them. Especially for those with special talents, if they have transgressed but are willing to repent, we will let bygones be bygones and promote them. Such promotions are exceptional. The nature of the problem of being jealous of the talented and able is very serious. This is not being considerate of God’s intentions. You must quickly pray to God and solve this aspect of your corrupt state. If you can pray in this regard often, and if God sees that you sincerely want to cast off your corruption and that you love the truth, the Holy Spirit will move you and enlighten you to understand the truth. Gradually, you will become broad-minded, and you will come to enjoy promoting and cultivating talented people. In this way, you will become more and more fit for God’s use. The more you promote and utilize talented people, the more God will like you and the more He will bless your work.

And so all of these questions have been answered. Let’s conclude today’s gathering here. Goodbye! (Goodbye, brother!)