In their work, church leaders and workers must pay attention to two things: One is to do their work exactly according to the principles stipulated by the work arrangements, never violating those principles and not basing their work on anything that they might imagine or on any of their own ideas. In everything they do, they should show concern for the work of God’s house, and always put its interests first. Another thing—and this is most crucial—is that in all things, they must focus on following the Holy Spirit’s guidance and do everything in strict keeping with God’s words. If you are still capable of going against the Holy Spirit’s guidance, or if you stubbornly follow your own ideas and do things according to your own imagination, then your actions will constitute a most serious resistance against God. Frequently turning your back on the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit will only lead to a dead end. If you lose the work of the Holy Spirit, then you will not be able to work; and even if you do somehow manage to work, you will accomplish nothing. These are the two main principles to abide by while working: One is to perform your work in exact accordance with the arrangements from the Above, as well as to act according to the principles that have been set forth by the Above; and the other is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit within you. Once these two points are grasped, you will not be so liable to make mistakes. For you whose experience in this area is still limited, your own ideas adulterate your work a bit further. At times, you may not understand the enlightenment or guidance within you that comes from the Holy Spirit; at other times, you appear to understand it, but you are likely to ignore it. You always imagine or deduce in a human manner, acting as you think appropriate, with no concern at all for the Holy Spirit’s intentions. You go about your work solely according to your own ideas, setting aside any enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Such situations occur frequently. Inner guidance from the Holy Spirit is not at all transcendental; it is, in fact, very normal. That is, in the depths of your heart, you know this is an appropriate way to act, and that it is the best way. This thought is actually quite clear; it did not come of your pondering, but was a sort of feeling you gave rise to from deep down, and sometimes you do not fully understand what makes you act this way. This is often none other than enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, and this is how it occurs most commonly in the majority of people. One’s own ideas often come from thinking and considering, and are all adulterated by self-will, ideas of what areas there are in which one can find self-benefit, and what advantages something might have for oneself; every human decision has these things in it. Guidance from the Holy Spirit, however, in no way contains such adulterations. It is necessary to pay careful attention to the guidance or enlightenment from the Holy Spirit; particularly in key issues, you must be careful in order to grasp it. People who like to use their brains, and who like to act on their own ideas, are the most liable to miss such guidance or enlightenment. Adequate leaders and workers pay attention to the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who obey the Holy Spirit fear God and tirelessly pursue the truth. To satisfy God and bear witness for Him properly, one should investigate one’s work for elements of adulteration and intents, and then try to see how much of the work is motivated by human ideas, how much is born of enlightenment by the Holy Spirit, and how much is in keeping with God’s words. You must constantly, and in all circumstances, examine your words and deeds. To practice frequently in this manner will put you on the right track of serving God. It is necessary to possess many truths to achieve service to God in a way that is in line with His intentions. People have the ability to discern only after they have understood the truth and are able to recognize what emerges from their own ideas and the things that indicate what motivates them. They are able to recognize human impurities, as well as what it means to act according to the truth. Only then can they know how to submit more purely. Without truth, it is impossible for people to practice discernment. A muddleheaded person might believe in God his entire life without knowing what it means to have his own corruption revealed or what it means to resist God, because he does not understand the truth; that thought does not even exist in his mind. The truth is beyond reach for people of overly low caliber; no matter how you fellowship on it with them, they still do not understand. Such people are muddleheaded. In their faith, muddleheaded people cannot testify to God; they can merely do a bit of service. In order to fulfill the work that God entrusts, it is necessary to comprehend these two principles. One must strictly adhere to the work arrangements from the Above, and must pay attention to obeying any guidance from the Holy Spirit. Only when these two principles are grasped can one’s work be effective and God’s will be satisfied.

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