By Wu Xin, China

In 2021, when the church was undertaking the cleansing work, I discovered that when the district leader, Li Jing, noticed someone revealing a corrupt disposition—like being arrogant and self-righteous, selfish, showing consideration for their flesh, or being argumentative—she would not fellowship to help them, and would clear them out without getting the signed approval of over 80% of the church members. She also confiscated their books of God’s words. The brothers and sisters were all living in fear. I was worried about my own situation, too. I knew my disposition was quite arrogant, and that I lacked a burden in my duty. Sometimes I’d even show consideration for my flesh and be perfunctory. The way Li Jing was investigating people, I figured it was only a matter of time before it was my turn. Once, I opened up to Li Jing about my state, and she said, “This is a step in God’s work. Everyone has to experience being cleared out. There’s no use in being afraid!” When I heard her say that, I felt something wasn’t quite right. During the period in which God works and saves humankind, everyone will reveal some corrupt dispositions. But as long as someone can accept the truth and is able to repent and change, they’re salvageable. God doesn’t look at a person’s momentary revelations of corruption; He measures and characterizes them based on their consistent behavior and their nature essence. Those who consistently cause disruptions and disturbances in the church, who do much evil and refuse to repent—their essence is that of an evil person, and they should be cleared out and eliminated. It doesn’t align with the principles to clear someone out solely because of a momentary revelation of corruption! But then I had another thought: “After all, I’m not doing that kind of duty, so I don’t understand many of the principles. If I speak carelessly, I might be investigated next. What if I get cleared out? My journey of faith will come to an end then. ‘The less trouble, the better’; ‘Caution is the parent of safety.’ How Li Jing and the others handle it is their business; it has nothing to do with me. As long as I’m not investigated, that’s enough for me.” So, I didn’t say a word. From then on, whenever anyone talked about clearing people out, I’d avoid the topic, terrified that saying the wrong thing would make me a target for investigation.

One day, I received a letter from Li Jing asking me to write an evaluation of Wang Yu based on several manifestations of a person who was not pursuing the truth that she had summarized in the letter. I was pretty shocked when I read it. I’d cooperated with Wang Yu for over three years. She’d always been very proactive in her duty and did have a somewhat arrogant disposition, but she never constrained anyone or disturbed the church’s work. Why was she being investigated? I just couldn’t figure it out. The letter instructed me to write about Wang Yu’s manifestations of not pursuing the truth, including not accepting pruning, being argumentative, and protecting her own interests. It also said I couldn’t write about anything else. I thought to myself, “Everyone reveals these kinds of corruption to some extent. If I write an evaluation based only on this, it will be entirely negative. That’s not right! Isn’t an evaluation supposed to bsse based on what you’ve personally seen, an objective and fair account of someone’s strengths and weaknesses? Why are they only letting me write about her shortcomings and not her strengths? It looks like the leader doesn’t have a good impression of Wang Yu. She’s in real danger of being cleared out this time.” Thinking of this, I started to worry about Wang Yu. I read the letter over and over, thinking to myself, “Li Jing is the one who is primarily following up on this work. She’s the district leader, and I’m just an ordinary believer. I’m no match for her. I can’t afford to stir up trouble at a critical time like this. I’d better just write it.” But when I started writing, I got stuck. I thought about how when Wang Yu was pruned, she would sometimes be defensive and argue back, but afterward, she was able to seek the truth, reflect on herself, and gain some self-knowledge. She also had shown some change and entry, and she generally upheld the church’s interests. Weren’t these all manifestations of pursuing the truth? But Li Jing only wanted me to write about manifestations of her not pursuing the truth. How was I supposed to write that? Then I had another thought: “Li Jing knows Wang Yu well. Is she asking me for this information because she’s discovered some problem with her? Why else would she be looking into her? I understand so little of the truth, my discernment is poor, and my perspective isn’t necessarily accurate. I’d better not state my opinions carelessly. She’s a higher-level leader; she’s dealt with more issues and been around more people. Maybe she sees things from a different angle than I do. Besides, what if I say something inaccurate? Li Jing would say, ‘You’ve believed in God for so many years and still don’t understand the truth. You’ve cooperated with Wang Yu for so long and you don’t even have this little bit of discernment? You’re so muddleheaded!’ Right now, Li Jing is investigating anyone who reveals corruption. If she sees me as muddleheaded and lacking discernment, will she investigate me too? Wouldn’t I be in danger then? I could be cleared out at any moment, and my chance for salvation would be ruined. I have to be careful! The most urgent thing right now is to look out for myself and not spout my opinions. If I expose my own problems and get cleared out, I won’t have a good outcome.” So, I tried to figure out how to write about Wang Yu’s manifestations of not pursuing the truth, just as the letter required. But the more I wrote, the more I felt that Wang Yu was just revealing some corruption, and she reflected and came to know herself afterward. I stopped halfway through, thinking, “These things I’m writing about aren’t manifestations of her not pursuing the truth. Isn’t this just contradicting Li Jing?” So, I compromised and wrote a bit more about Wang Yu’s revelations of corruption. But when it came to the end, where I had to state my own view, I hesitated again. “If I say Wang Yu doesn’t pursue the truth, that would go against my conscience. Stifling my conscience and not speaking the truth would be a transgression before God! But if I say she does pursue the truth, that would be different from Li Jing’s view. If she forms an opinion of me and then investigates me, I’ll be in danger. I’d better watch out for myself and not get dragged into this.” And so, I wrote down the words: “I can’t see her clearly.” I thought, “Whether Wang Yu pursues the truth or not is up to Li Jing to analyze and decide. I’m not going to jump to conclusions.” At the time, I even thought I was being quite clever. And just like that, I submitted the evaluation. Soon after, Wang Yu was removed from her duty of preaching the gospel for unknown reasons. During that time, I saw that she was a bit negative and didn’t talk much. I felt a little uncomfortable, but then I thought, “It wasn’t my evaluation alone that caused this,” so I didn’t reflect on my own problem.

A while later, an upper-level leader came to investigate the situation with the cleansing work. They found that some brothers and sisters had been cleared out merely for revealing some corruption, and that this was the result of district leader Li Jing and those in charge of the cleansing work acting arbitrarily and willfully, not according to the principles. After verification, these brothers and sisters who had been wrongly cleared out were accepted back into the church. As for Li Jing, she showed no remorse for what she had done and even argued back and tried to justify her actions. In the end, she was characterized as an antichrist and expelled. Some of the staff responsible for the cleansing work were also dismissed. After Wang Yu returned to the church, she took on text-based duty. During a gathering, Wang Yu shared her experiential understanding from that period. She said that when she first noticed her brothers’ and sisters’ attitudes toward her had changed, she knew she was being investigated. The thought that after so many years of faith she was now facing being cleared out, that her journey of faith was about to end, made her feel utterly hopeless, pained, and tormented. She couldn’t eat or sleep. But she knew that encountering such a situation wasn’t an accident, and she was willing to submit, learn her lessons, and reflect on and know herself. Afterward, she reflected on some of her own manifestations of not accepting the truth and having an arrogant disposition. She said that she used to think she did more duties than others, understood more of the truth than they did, and had always felt she was pretty good. She would even look down on brothers and sisters when she spotted deviations in their duties. She said if she hadn’t been removed from her duty this time, she would never have truly reflected on herself. She felt that being so corrupt and rebellious, even if she had been cleared out, it would have been God’s righteousness, and she shouldn’t have any complaints…. Hearing her fellowship, I was deeply unsettled for a long time and felt deep self-reproach. I asked myself, “Am I not partly responsible for the suffering Wang Yu went through during this time? How did I act in this matter? Why didn’t I write down my real thoughts? Why did I write the words, ‘I can’t see her clearly?’ Why do I have no sense of justice? How does God characterize this kind of behavior?” The moment I thought of these things, it felt like a needle was pricking my heart. I prayed to God, “Oh God, I clearly knew that Wang Yu was not someone who doesn’t pursue the truth, yet I didn’t state my view clearly. What corrupt disposition is controlling me? Oh God, please guide me to know myself.”

One day, I read a passage of God’s words that moved me deeply. Almighty God says: “There are some people pleasers in every church. … These people do not pursue the truth; they only seek to live an easy life, coveting fleshly comfort. They are too selfish and too slick. Are there many such people in society? No matter which political party is in power, no matter who is in office, they are well liked, they can handle their social relations very successfully, and they live comfortably; no matter what political movement arises, they don’t get caught up in it. What kind of people are these? These are the most deceitful, the slickest people, known as ‘slippery eels’ and ‘old snakes.’ They live by Satan’s philosophies, without a shred of principle. Whoever is in power, they cater to them, flatter them, sing their merits. They do nothing but defend their superiors, and never offend them. However much evil their superiors do, they neither oppose nor support it, but keep their thoughts hidden deep inside. They are well liked no matter who is in power. Satan and the devil kings like this sort of person. Why do the devil kings like this sort of person? Because they do not spoil the devil kings’ affairs and do not pose any threat to them. This sort of person is unprincipled and has no baseline for their self-conduct, and lacks integrity and dignity; they just follow the trends of society and bow down before the devil kings, adapting to their tastes. Are there not also such people in the church? Can such people be overcomers? Are they good soldiers of Christ? Are they witnesses to God? When evil people and antichrists rear their heads and disturb the work of the church, can such people stand up and wage war against them, exposing, discerning, and renouncing them, putting an end to their evil deeds and bearing witness for God? They most certainly cannot. These slippery eels are not those whom God will perfect or those whom He will save. They never bear witness for God or uphold the interests of His house. As God sees them, these people are not those who follow or submit to Him, but those who blindly stir up trouble, members of Satan’s gang—it is they whom He will eliminate when His work is through. God does not treasure such wretches. They have neither the truth nor life; they are beasts and devils; they are unworthy of God’s salvation and of enjoying His love. So, God discards and eliminates such people with ease, and the church should promptly clear them out as disbelievers. … These types of people infiltrate God’s house just to watch the excitement and blindly stir up trouble. They have no sense of justice and no sense of responsibility; they don’t even have sympathy for good people harmed by evil people. Calling such people devils and Satans is most appropriate. If someone with a sense of justice exposes evil people, they won’t even cheer or support them. So, never trust these people; they are slippery eels, chameleons, old snakes. They are not sincere believers in God but are servants of Satan. These people can never be saved, and God does not want them; this is God’s clear desire” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (19)). God exposes that crafty people are not sincere with anyone; they are slick and deceitful, and they are experts at seeing which way the wind is blowing. They have no principles or minimum standard in their self-conduct and are untrustworthy. I read God’s words: “Never trust these people; they are slippery eels, chameleons, old snakes. They are not sincere believers in God but are servants of Satan. These people can never be saved, and God does not want them; this is God’s clear desire.” These words particularly pierced my heart. I felt I was exactly that kind of person. Reflecting on myself, I saw that after Li Jing cleared out those brothers and sisters who had only revealed some corruption, I became worried that I would be cleared out one day, too. So I started to look which way the wind was blowing. I clearly saw that Li Jing wasn’t following the principles in clearing people out, and I had doubts in my heart when I heard the fallacies she was spreading. Yet, I acted like a coward, hiding in my shell and not judging what was right or wrong. I would even avoid the topic and remain cautiously silent whenever I heard someone discussing the cleansing work. When Li Jing asked me to write the evaluation of Wang Yu, instead of writing out the facts of the situation as I understood them according to the principles, I tried to guess Li Jing’s opinion of her. I was afraid that if my view was different from hers, I would be investigated as well. So I took a middle path, writing some good things and some bad things, only describing the course of events without stating my own view. I knew perfectly well that Wang Yu shouldn’t be a target for being cleared out, and I knew that Li Jing wasn’t following the principles in investigating and clearing people out. But I fawned on the powerful, acting by satanic philosophies like “A wise man submits to circumstances” and “Sensible people are good at self-protection.” To protect myself, I took the middle road, trying not to harm or offend anyone, and just said I couldn’t see her clearly. That way, if it was wrong to clear Wang Yu out, it would be Li Jing’s responsibility, and it would have nothing to do with me. I was so slick! Wasn’t I just a slippery eel? In something as small as writing an evaluation, I racked my brains trying to please everyone. I was so slick and deceitful! To avoid any loss to my own interests, I played mind games and used tricks, never saying what I really thought, and instead saying vague and obscure things. How is that any different from how Satan speaks? I thought of how God asked Satan: “From where come you?” (Job 1:7). Satan then answered, “From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:7). Satan’s answer to God’s question was ambiguous, making it impossible to grasp the truth of it. I was just the same. I clearly knew Wang Yu did pursue the truth and I had even written about some of her manifestations of pursuing the truth, yet I still said ambiguous and vague things like “I can’t see her clearly.” I was so slick and deceitful! The more I reflected, the more I was disgusted with myself. I felt so ashamed and disgraced that I couldn’t bear to look at Wang Yu.

During my spiritual devotions, I read a passage of God’s words exposing false leaders that was especially relevant to my state. Almighty God says: “There are also some false leaders who have a bit of caliber and can do a bit of work, and who know a bit about the principles for handling each sort of person. However, they are afraid of offending people, so when they discover evil people and antichrists causing disruptions and disturbances, they do not dare to expose, stop, or restrict them. They live by satanic philosophies, and they turn a blind eye to matters that they feel have nothing to do with them. They don’t care at all about what the results of the church’s work are like, or how much the life entry of God’s chosen people is impacted; they think such things have nothing to do with them. So, during such a false leader’s tenure, the normal order of church life is not maintained, and the duties and life entry of God’s chosen people are not protected. What is the nature of this problem? It is not the case that these false leaders cannot do work because their caliber is poor; it is because their humanity is poor, and they lack conscience and reason, that they do not do real work. In what way are false leaders false? They lack the conscience and reason of humanity; therefore, during their time working as leaders, the issue of evil people and antichrists disrupting and disturbing the church’s work is not resolved at all. Some brothers and sisters are greatly harmed, and the work of the church also suffers tremendous losses. When this sort of false leader notices a problem, when they see an evil person or an antichrist causing a disruption or a disturbance, they know what their responsibility is, what they should do and how they should do it, yet they do nothing at all, and they even play dumb, completely ignore it, and do not report the matter to their superiors. They pretend that they know nothing and see nothing, allowing evil people and antichrists to disrupt and disturb the work of the church. Is there not a problem with their humanity? Are they not of the same camp as evil people and antichrists? What principle do they adopt as a leader? ‘I cause no disruptions or disturbances, but I won’t do anything that gives offense, or anything that hurts the dignity of others. Characterize me as a false leader, and I still won’t do anything that gives offense. I need to leave myself a way out.’ What sort of logic is this? It is the logic of Satan. And what sort of disposition is this? Is it not very sly and deceitful? Such a person is not the least bit sincere in their treatment of God’s commission; they are always wily and slippery in the performance of their duty, with so many nasty calculations, thinking of themselves in all things. They give not the least thought to the work of the church and have no conscience or reason at all. They are fundamentally unworthy of serving as a church leader. Such people do not have the slightest burden for the church’s work or the life entry of God’s chosen people. They only care about their own interests and enjoyment; they focus solely on indulging in the benefits of status, without any concern for what condition God’s chosen people are in. Isn’t this the most selfish and despicable person? Even when they discover evil people and antichrists disturbing the church’s work, they do not pay attention to it, as if these matters have nothing to do with them. … Finally, I defined this sort of person like so: They may not make any big mistakes, but they are very sly and deceitful; they do not take on any responsibility at all, nor do they uphold the work of the church at all—they have no humanity. I feel that they are like a sort of animal—in their cunning, they are a bit like the fox. People say that foxes are cunning, but in fact, these people are even more cunning than foxes” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (20)). By measuring myself against God’s words, I gained some knowledge of myself. Why did I write that I couldn’t see her clearly in the evaluation? Was it really because I couldn’t? No, it wasn’t. I had clearly seen that there were deviations in how Li Jing investigated people, and I also saw that Wang Yu was only revealing some corruption and shouldn’t have been a target for being cleansed. But I was afraid of being implicated and investigated myself, so I didn’t dare to speak the truth. I didn’t dare to say a word when faced with something that didn’t accord with the principles. I had no sense of justice. I saw that my nature was indeed selfish and despicable, slick and deceitful, and I was devoid of any conscience or reason. I thought about why God likes honest people. It’s because honest people are kind-hearted and upright. They are fair and just in their words and actions, they have a sense of justice, they don’t consider their own interests, and they don’t fear power or status. At critical moments, they can stand up to uphold the principles and defend what is right. Such people possess humanity and a God-fearing heart. But there was not the slightest likeness of an honest person in my actions and behavior. I only thought about protecting my own interests, without any regard for others. I saw Wang Yu being removed from her duty and living in pain, yet I remained indifferent, without a shred of kindness or sympathy. I thought of God’s words: “You should know that what I gain is pure, refined gold, not sand. How can the evil remain in My house? How can I allow foxes to live as parasites in My paradise?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Seven Thunders Peal—Prophesying That the Gospel of the Kingdom Shall Spread Throughout the Universe). God is holy, and He will absolutely not allow anyone with a crafty and deceitful disposition to remain in His house. In the past, I didn’t understand what “foxes” referred to in God’s words. But today, through the revelation of the facts, I saw that my own nature was treacherous and slick, and that I was exactly the type of person God exposes as a “fox.” Only then did I see my own ugly soul, lacking any human reason. I felt ashamed and mortified, and wanted the ground to swallow me up. I then prayed to God, “Oh God, I believe in You, but I fail to practice Your words. My actions have brought shame to Your name. Oh God, I am willing to repent and live out a true human likeness. Please guide me.”

Later, I read another passage of God’s words and understood how I should treat leaders and workers. Almighty God says: “What is the attitude that people should have in terms of how to treat a leader or worker? If what a leader or worker does is right and in line with the truth, then you can obey them; if what they do is wrong and not in line with the truth, then you should not obey them and you can expose them, oppose them and raise a different opinion. If they are unable to do actual work or do evil deeds that cause a disturbance to church work, and are revealed to be a false leader, a false worker, or an antichrist, then you can discern, expose and report them. However, some of God’s chosen people do not understand the truth and are particularly cowardly; they fear being suppressed and tormented by false leaders and antichrists, so they don’t dare uphold principles. They say, ‘If the leader kicks me out, I’m finished; if he has everyone expose or forsake me, then I will no longer be able to believe in God. If I’m expelled from the church, then God will not want me and will not save me. And won’t my faith have been for nothing?’ Is such thinking not ridiculous? Do such people have true faith in God? Would a false leader or antichrist be representing God when they expel you? When a false leader or antichrist torments and expels you, this is the work of Satan, and has nothing to do with God; when people are cleared out or expelled from the church, this is only in line with God’s intentions when there is a joint decision between the church and all of God’s chosen people, and when the clearing out or expulsion is wholly in line with the work arrangements of God’s house and the truth principles of God’s words. How could being expelled by a false leader or antichrist mean you cannot be saved? This is the persecution of Satan and the antichrist, and does not mean that you will not be saved by God. Whether or not you can be saved depends on God. No human being is qualified to decide whether you can be saved by God. You must be clear about this. And to treat your expulsion by a false leader or antichrist as being expelled by God—is this not misinterpreting God? It is. And this is not only misinterpreting God, but also rebelling against God. It is also kind of blasphemous against God. … This proves that you do not believe that the truth reigns supreme in the house of God, it shows that you do not have true faith in God, that you are not someone who truly believes in God. If you trust in the almightiness of God, why do you fear the retaliation of a false leader or antichrist? Can they determine your fate? If you are capable of discernment, and detect that their actions are at odds with the truth, why not fellowship with God’s chosen people who understand the truth? You have a mouth, so why do you dare not speak up? Why are you so afraid of a false leader or antichrist? This proves that you are a coward, a good-for-nothing, a lackey of Satan” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Three: They Exclude and Attack Those Who Pursue the Truth). God’s words say it so clearly! In God’s house, the truth reigns; it’s not up to any level of leader to have the final say. If a leader’s actions are in line with the truth principles, we should accept and submit. But if a leader doesn’t act according to the principles and instead violates the truth, we should uphold the truth principles, expose and stop them, and fulfill our own responsibility. I am a member of God’s house, and it is my responsibility and duty to protect its interests. When I see a leader acting against the principles, I shouldn’t be a bystander. I should uphold the truth and justice, have the courage to practice the truth, and fulfill my responsibility. Otherwise, I’m just a coward and a good-for-nothing. After believing in God for so many years, I still didn’t believe that truth reigns in God’s house. I had no true faith in God. When I saw brothers and sisters being cleared out because of a momentary transgression or revelation of corruption, I mistakenly believed that leaders could decide a person’s prospects, fate, outcome, and destination. I was terrified that if I were even slightly careless, Li Jing would seize on some revelation of my corruption and clear me out, destroying my hope of salvation. I paid lip service to believing in God, but I had no place for God in my heart. I wrongly treated a leader as the sovereign who decided my fate, and I saw power and status as being higher than anything else. I couldn’t bring myself to believe in God’s righteous disposition and His almightiness and sovereignty. I was so foolish and blind, such a muddleheaded person! In fact, no evildoer can stand firm in God’s house; sooner or later, they will be revealed and eliminated. The truth reigns in God’s house. God is righteous; He will not wrong a good person, nor will He spare an evil one. In God’s house, anyone who does much evil and refuses to accept the truth, whether they are a leader or an ordinary believer, will ultimately be revealed and eliminated. But as for those who pursue the truth, even if they are wrongly cleared out temporarily by false leaders and antichrists, it doesn’t mean their hope of salvation is lost. This is because people who genuinely believe in God and pursue the truth will never deny or go far from God, no matter their circumstances. Even if they are cleared out, they will continue to believe in God, perform their duties, and seek the truth to learn their lessons. In the end, they will still be accepted back into the church. Even if disasters befall them, they will have God’s protection. I saw that every person’s outcome and destination are in God’s hands and do not depend on any leader’s decision at all. This experience gave me a true understanding and appreciation of God’s righteous disposition. More than that, I saw how poor and pitiful I was, lacking any truth reality. One small incident had revealed my despicable humanity to the fullest extent, showing me just how low my character was, that I could do such a despicable thing for the sake of my own interests. I hated myself for not pursuing the truth, and for living by satanic poisons without any human likeness. I fervently prayed to God in repentance, resolving to seek the truth and conduct myself and act according to God’s requirements from then on.

Later, I read another passage of God’s words and gained some understanding of how God determines people’s outcomes. Almighty God says: “In God’s work of the last days, God determines people’s outcomes based on their manifestations. Do you know what ‘manifestations’ refers to here? You might think that it refers to the corrupt dispositions that people reveal while doing things, but that is not what it actually refers to. Manifestations here refers to whether or not you practice the truth; whether or not you are devoted while doing your duty; your perspective behind believing in God, your attitude toward God, your resolve to suffer hardships; your attitude toward accepting judgment, chastisement, and pruning; the number of serious transgressions that you have committed; and the extent to which you ultimately achieve repentance and transformation. All of these things combined make up your manifestations. Manifestations here does not refer to how many corrupt dispositions you have revealed or to how many bad things you have done, but to how many results you have gotten and to how much true change you have undergone in your faith. If people’s outcomes were determined by how much corruption in their nature is revealed, no one could attain salvation, because all human beings are deeply corrupt, have a satanic nature, and resist God. God wants to save people who can accept the truth and submit to His work. No matter how much corruption they reveal, as long as they can ultimately accept the truth, achieve true repentance, and undergo true change, they are people who are saved by God” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). God determines a person’s outcome and destination not by looking at how much corruption they reveal, but by looking at whether they have true repentance and change after revealing it. No matter how much corruption a person reveals, as long as they can accept the truth and truly repent, they will be saved. God saves man to the greatest extent possible. Every one of us will reveal a great deal of corruption as we follow God. If God were to determine our outcomes based on the amount of corruption we reveal, none of us could be saved. I didn’t seek the truth principles when I encountered things. When writing the evaluation, I knew that Wang Yu’s behavior was a revelation of corruption and that she shouldn’t have been a target for investigation. But I was afraid of offending the leader and didn’t dare to state my view. For the sake of my own good outcome and destination, I didn’t care if others lived or died, leaving a transgression and a stain before God. Thinking of these things, I resolved in my heart to no longer live by my deceitful nature.

During that time, I pondered how I could cast off my slick and deceitful corrupt disposition. I prayed to God, asking Him to guide me to find a path of practice. One day, I saw a passage of God’s words: “To believe in God and walk the right path in life, at the very least you must live with dignity and human likeness, you must be worthy of people’s trust and be regarded as valuable, people must feel that there is substance to your character and integrity, that you follow through with everything that you say, and keep to your word. … People with dignity all have a bit of personality, they sometimes don’t get along with others, but they are honest, and there is no falseness or trickery to them. Others ultimately hold them in high esteem, because they are able to practice the truth, they are honest, they have dignity, integrity, and character, they never take advantage of others, they help people when they’re in trouble, they treat people with conscience and reason, and never make snap judgments about them. When assessing or discussing other people, everything these individuals say is accurate, they say what they know and don’t run their mouths about what they don’t, they don’t embellish, and their words can serve as evidence or reference. When they speak and act, people who possess character are relatively practical and trustworthy. No one regards people who have no character as valuable, no one pays any attention to what they say and do, or treats their words and actions as important, and no one trusts them. This is because they tell too many lies and speak too few honest words, it is because they lack sincerity when they interact with people or do anything for them, they try to trick and fool everyone, and no one likes them. Have you found anyone who, in your eyes, is trustworthy? Do you think yourselves worthy of other people’s trust? Can other people trust you? If someone asks you about another person’s situation, you should not appraise and judge that person according to your own will, your words must be objective, accurate, and in line with the facts. You should speak about whatever you do understand, and not talk about things that you lack insight into. You must be just and fair toward that person. That is the responsible way to act” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Being an Honest Person Can One Live Out True Human Likeness). Pondering His words, I came to understand that the normal humanity God requires us to live out is one in which we have integrity, dignity, speak based on the facts, neither exaggerate nor diminish, and are responsible in our actions. Such people are honest and kind-hearted, they never play mind games or use tricks, they have a sincere attitude toward people and matters, and they can be trusted. From God’s words, I found a direction for how to conduct myself. I knew I should speak and act honestly according to God’s requirements, to be trustworthy to others and to put God’s mind at ease. When I needed to express my view, I should speak the truth and let others know my real opinions and thoughts.

After that, I began to focus on entering into the truth in the aspect of being an honest person in my duty. Once, the supervisor asked me about the situation with two of my team members, and said that if they weren’t suitable, they needed to be reassigned in a timely manner. I thought to myself, “The supervisor also has an idea of how these two have been doing in their duties recently. If my view is different from hers, won’t she say I lack discernment and don’t know how to view people or matters? Might she say I have poor caliber and am not suited to be a team leader? Forget it. I’d better not say anything. Or maybe I’ll just say I haven’t been able to tell yet.” At that moment, I realized I was trying to be deceitful again. I thought of God’s words: “Honesty means giving your heart to God, not being false toward God in anything, being open with Him in all things, never hiding the facts, not trying to deceive those above you and hide things from those below you, and not doing things that are merely attempts to curry favor with God. In short, to be honest is to be pure in your actions and words, and to deceive neither God nor man” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Three Admonitions). After reading, I prayed silently, “Oh God, I don’t want to be deceitful anymore. I must be an honest person, write down what I’ve seen truthfully, and state my own view.” After writing it, I sent it to the supervisor, and my heart was completely at peace. From then on, whenever I had to write an evaluation, I would speak the truth, faithfully writing down the issues I had seen and my own opinions. That I was able to have this little bit of change and gain is the result achieved by God’s words. Thanks be to God!