The work of the Holy Spirit is proactive progress, while the work of Satan is regression and passivity, disobedience toward God, opposition to God, loss of faith in God, and unwillingness to even sing songs or get up and dance. That which comes from the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit is not forced upon you, but is especially natural. If you follow it, you will have the truth, and if you don’t, then afterward there will be reproach. If it is the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, then nothing you do will be interfered with or constrained, you will be set free, there will be a path to practice in your actions, and you will not be subject to any restraints, and be able to act upon the will of God. The work of Satan brings many things that cause interference to you, it makes you unwilling to pray, too lazy to eat and drink the words of God, and undisposed to live the life of the church, and it estranges you from the spiritual life. The work of the Holy Spirit does not interfere with your daily life, and does not interfere with your entry into a normal spiritual life. In many things that happen to you, you are unable to differentiate at the time. After a few days, however, you live out a little, and manifest a little, and there are some reactions within you, and through these manifestations you are able to tell that whether the thoughts within you come from God or from Satan. Some things clearly make you oppose God and rebel against God, or stop you from putting the words of God into practice, and these things all come from Satan. Some things are not apparent, and you can’t tell what they are at the time; afterward, when you have seen their manifestations, you can tell which come from Satan and which are directed by the Holy Spirit. Having clearly discerned such things, you won’t easily be led astray in your experiences. Sometimes, when your circumstances are not good, you have certain thoughts that take you out of your passive state—which shows that when your circumstances are unfavorable, some of your thoughts can also come from the Holy Spirit. It is not the case that when you are passive, all your thoughts are sent by Satan; if that were true, then when would you be able to turn to a positive state? Having been passive for a period of time, the Holy Spirit gives you an opportunity to be made perfect, He touches you, and brings you out of your passive state.

Knowing what the work of the Holy Spirit is, and what the work of Satan is, you can compare these to your own state during your experiences, and to your own experiences, and in this way there will be many more truths relating to principle in your experiences. Having understood these things, you will be able to control your actual state, and will be able to have discernment in people and things that happen to you, and you won’t have to spend so much effort in gaining the work of the Holy Spirit. Of course, that’s as long as your motivations are right, and as long as you are willing to seek, and to practice. Language such as this—language which relates to principles—should feature in your experiences. Without it, your experiences will be full of the interference of Satan, and full of foolish knowledge. If you don’t understand how the Holy Spirit works, then you don’t understand how you are to enter, and if you don’t understand how Satan works, then you don’t understand how you are to be cautious in your footsteps. People should understand both how the Holy Spirit works and how Satan works; they are an indispensable part of people’s experiences.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Satan