If you wish to gain God’s approval, then you must first escape from Satan’s dark influence, opening your heart to God and turning it toward Him completely. Are the things you are doing now those that God approves of? Has your heart turned to God? Are the things you are doing those that God requires of you? Are they in line with the truth? Examine yourself at all times and concentrate on the eating and drinking of God’s words; lay out your heart before Him, love Him with sincerity, and devotedly expend yourself for God. People who do this will surely receive God’s approval. All those who believe in God, yet do not pursue the truth, have no way of escaping from Satan’s influence. All those who do not conduct themselves in a guileless manner, who behave one way in front of others but another way behind their backs, who give the appearance of humility, patience, and love though they are insidious and cunning in essence, and have no loyalty to God—such people are typical representatives of those who live under the influence of darkness; they are the ilk of the serpent. Those who only ever scheme for their own sake in their belief in God, who are self-righteous and self-important, who show off, and who protect their own status are people who love Satan and oppose the truth. These people resist God and are entirely of Satan. Those who are not considerate of God’s burdens, who do not serve God wholeheartedly, who are always concerned with their own interests and the interests of their families, who are unable to forsake everything to expend themselves for God, and who never live by His words are people outside of His words. Such people cannot receive God’s approval.

When God created people, it was so that they could enjoy His abundance and genuinely love Him; in this way, they would live in His light. Today, all those who cannot love God, cannot be considerate of His burdens, cannot give their hearts fully to Him, cannot take His heart as their own, and cannot shoulder His burdens as their own, do not have God’s light shining upon them, and therefore are all living under the influence of darkness. These people totally contradict God’s intentions, and there is not a shred of truth in anything they do. They are wallowing in the mire with Satan; they are people who live under the influence of darkness. If you can often eat and drink the words of God and be considerate of His intentions and put His words into practice, then you are chosen by God, and you are a person who lives within His words. Are you willing to escape from the power of Satan and live in the light of God? If you live within the words of God, then the Holy Spirit will have an opportunity to perform His work. If you live under Satan’s influence, then the Holy Spirit will have no such opportunity. The work that the Holy Spirit performs on people, the light that He shines on them, and the faith that He gives to them last for only a moment; if people are not mindful and do not pay attention, then the work of the Holy Spirit will pass them by. If people live within the words of God, then the Holy Spirit will be with them and perform work on them. If they do not live within the words of God, then they live in Satan’s bondage. If they live within corrupt dispositions, then they do not have the presence or the work of the Holy Spirit. If you live within the boundaries of the words of God, and in the state that God requires, then you are one who is chosen by Him, and His work will be performed on you. If you do not live within the boundaries of God’s requirements, but live instead under the power of Satan, then you are decidedly living within Satan’s corruption. Only by living within the words of God and giving your heart to Him can you meet His requirements. You must do as God says, making His words the foundation of your existence and the reality of your daily life; only then are you one who is chosen by God. If you actually practice in accordance with God’s intentions, He will perform work on you, and you will then live under His blessings, in the light of His countenance; you will grasp the work of the Holy Spirit and feel the joy of God’s presence.

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