I

To escape from the influence of darkness,

you must first be loyal to God and eager at heart to pursue the truth;

only then can you have a correct state.

Living in a correct state is the premise

for escaping from the dark influence.

Not having a correct state is not being loyal to God,

and not being eager at heart to seek the truth;

and escaping from the influence of darkness is out of the question.

God’s words are the basis of man’s escape from dark influences;

people who cannot practice in accordance with God’s words

cannot escape from the bonds of the influence of darkness.

II

To live in a correct state

is to live under the guidance of the words of God,

to live in a state of loyalty to God,

to live in a state of seeking the truth,

to live in the reality of sincerely expending oneself for God’s sake,

and to live in a state of genuinely loving God,

to live in a state of genuinely loving God.

Those who live in these states and within this reality

will slowly transform as they enter into the depth of the truth,

and they will transform as the work goes deeper;

and in the end, they will certainly become people

who are gained by God and who love God genuinely.

III

Those who have escaped from the influence of darkness

can gradually grasp God’s will and gradually come to understand it,

eventually becoming confidants of God.

They not only harbor no notions about God

and do not rebel against Him,

but they also detest even more those notions

and rebellion that possessed them before,

and genuine love for God arises in their hearts.

People who are unable to escape from the influence of darkness

are all completely occupied with the flesh and full of rebellion;

their hearts are filled with human notions

and philosophies for worldly dealings,

as well as their own intentions and deliberations.

What God requires is a singular love from man;

what He requires is that man be occupied by His words

and by a heart full of love for Him.

To live within the words of God,

to search within His words for that which they should seek,

to love God for His words, to run for His words, to live for His words—

these are the goals man should strive to achieve.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Escape From the Influence of Darkness, and You Will Be Gained by God