Many people have said this before: “I understand all the truth, it’s just that I cannot put it into practice.” This sentence reveals the root problem, which is also a problem within people’s natures. If someone’s nature detests the truth, they will never put it into practice. Those who detest the truth will most certainly harbor extravagant desires in their belief in God; no matter what they do, their own intentions are always present. For example, some who have suffered persecution and cannot return home yearn thus: “I cannot go home now. But one day, God will give me a better home. He will not make me suffer in vain.” Or they think, “God will give me food to eat no matter where I live. God will not lead me into a dead end. If He did, He would have done wrong.” Do people not have these thoughts within them? There are some who think, “I expend so much of myself for God, so He shouldn’t put me into the hands of the ruling authorities. I have abandoned much and I earnestly pursue the truth, so it is only right for God to bless me; we so look forward to the day of God to arrive, so the day of God should arrive soon, and He should make our wishes come true.” People are always making extravagant demands of God within themselves, and they think: We have done this, so it is only right for God to do such-and-such; we have made some achievements, so God should grant us some reward and give us some blessing or other. There are also some people who, when they see others leaving their families and expending themselves for God in a relaxed way, feel low and think: “Others have left their homes so long ago. How can they overcome it? Why can’t I ever overcome it? Why can’t I ever let my family and my children go? Why is God kind to them but not to me? Why does the Holy Spirit not bestow grace on me? Why is God not with me?” What state is this? People are so unreasonable. They do not put the truth into practice; instead, they complain about God. They have none of their subjective efforts nor anything they should subjectively achieve. They have given up on the choices they should subjectively make and the path they should walk. They always demand that God do this or that, and want God blindly to be kind to them, blindly to grace them, guide them, and give them enjoyment. They think, “I have left my home, I have abandoned so much, I perform my duty and I have suffered so much. God should therefore grace me, make me not miss home, give me the resolution to abandon my families, and make me stronger. Why am I so weak? Why are others so strong? God should make me strong.” “Other people can go home; why am I persecuted and unable to go home? God shows no grace to me.” What these people say is completely unreasonable, and less still does it have any truth. How do people’s complaints come about? They are things revealed from within man and they are entirely representative of man’s nature. If man does not cast out these things inside him, then no matter how great your stature, no matter how much truth you understand, you will never have any assurance that you will be able to remain standing. It will be possible for you to blaspheme against God and betray Him and abandon the true way at any time and in any place. This is something that can happen very easily. Do you see clearly now? People must understand and master what their natures can reveal at any time; they must approach this problem conscientiously. Those with a comparatively good understanding of the truth are, at times, conscious of a bit of this. When they discover a problem, they can engage in deep reflection and introspection. Sometimes, however, they are not aware of the problem, so there is nothing they can do. They can then only wait for God to make a disclosure to them or reveal the facts to them. Thoughtless people at times are aware of these things, but they go easy on themselves, saying, “All people are like this, so it doesn’t mean anything. God will forgive me; He won’t remember. This is normal.” What people should choose and what they should do they neither do nor achieve. They are all muddleheaded, severely inert, and they are very dependent, even indulging in wild thinking. “If God changes us utterly one day, we won’t be inert anymore. We can then walk forward properly. God won’t need to bother so much about us.” You must see clearly now. You should make your own choices regarding the path you are going to walk; the choices each person makes are crucial. You can detect it, so how strong are you when it comes to exercising self-restraint? How strong are you when it comes to forsaking yourself? This is the precondition to practicing the truth and the key element. Whenever you encounter a matter, if it is a situation in which you are aware of how to do it in conformity with the truth, you will know how to proceed only when you are clear about what choice you should make and what you should put into practice. If you can detect what is right and wrong in your own state but cannot yet be entirely clear about it, and just carry on in your muddleheaded way, then you will never make any progress or experience a breakthrough. If you are not serious about entry into life, then you are only holding yourself back, and this can prove only that you do not love the truth.

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