It has been said “He that follows to the end shall be saved,” but is this easy to put into practice? It is not, and many who are hunted down and persecuted by the great red dragon become too timid and afraid to follow God. Why did they fall down? Because they lack genuine faith. Some people can accept the truth, pray to God, rely on God, and they stand firm in trials and tribulations, while others cannot follow to the end. At some point during trials and tribulations, they will fall, lose their testimony, and be unable to pick themselves up and carry on. All the things that arise each day, big or small, that can shake your resolution, occupy your heart, or restrict your ability to do your duty and your forward progress require diligent treatment; you should examine them carefully and seek the truth. These are all problems that must be solved as you experience. Some people become negative, complain, and quit their duties when they run into difficulties, and they are unable to crawl back to their feet after each setback. All these people are fools who do not love the truth, and they would not gain it with even a lifetime of faith. How could such fools follow to the end? If the same thing happens to you ten times, but you gain nothing from it, then you are a mediocre, useless person. Astute people and those of true caliber who understand spiritual matters are seekers of the truth; should something happen to them ten times, then, in perhaps eight of those cases, they would be able to gain some enlightenment, learn some lesson, understand some truth, and make some progress. When things befall a fool ten times—one who does not understand spiritual matters—not once will it benefit their life, not once will it change them, and not once will it cause them to know their ugly face, in which case it is over for them. Each time something happens to them, they fall down, and each time they fall down, they need someone else to support them and coax them; without support and coaxing, they cannot rise. If, each time something happens, they are in danger of falling, and if, each time, they are in danger of being degraded, is this not the end for them? Are there any other grounds for such useless people to be saved? God’s salvation of mankind is a salvation of those who love the truth, a salvation of the part of them with will and resolve, and the part of them that is their yearning for truth and righteousness in their heart. A person’s resolve is the part of them in their heart that yearns for righteousness, goodness, and truth, and is possessed of conscience. God saves this part of people, and through it, He changes their corrupt disposition, so that they may understand and gain the truth, so that their corruption may be cleansed, and their life disposition may be transformed. If you do not have these things within you, you cannot be saved. If, within you, there is no love for the truth or aspiration for righteousness and light; if, whenever you encounter evil, you have neither the will to cast off evil things nor the resolve to suffer hardship; if, moreover, your conscience is numb; if your faculty for receiving truth is also benumbed, and you are unattuned to the truth and to events that arise; and if you are undiscerning in all matters, and in the face of whatever befalls you, you are unable to seek the truth to resolve problems and are constantly negative, then there is no way for you to be saved. Such a person has nothing to recommend them, nothing that is worth God working on. Their conscience is numb, their mind is muddied, and they do not love the truth, nor yearn for righteousness deep in their heart, and, no matter how clearly or transparently God speaks of the truth, they have not the slightest reaction; it is as if their heart is already dead. Are things not over for them? A person with a breath left in them may be saved by artificial respiration, but, if they have already died and their soul has left, artificial respiration will do nothing. If, when confronted with problems and difficulties, a person shrinks back and avoids them, they do not seek the truth at all, and they choose to be negative and slack in their work, then they are revealed for what they really are. Such people have no experience or testimony at all. They are just freeloaders, dead weight, they are useless in God’s house, and they are utterly doomed. Only those who can seek the truth to solve problems are people with stature, and only they can stand firm in testimony. When you encounter problems and difficulties, you must face them with a cool head, and react to them in the right way, and you must make a choice. You should learn to use the truth to solve problems. Whether the truths that you ordinarily understand are profound or shallow, you should make use of them. Truths are not merely words that come out of your mouth when something happens to you, nor are they used expressly to solve the problems of others; what’s more important is that they are used to solve the problems and difficulties you have. And only when you solve your own problems will you be able to solve those of others. Why is it said that Peter is a fruit? Because there are things of worth in him, things worth perfecting. He sought the truth in all things, had resolve, and was firm of will; he had reason, was willing to suffer hardship, and loved the truth in his heart; he did not let go of what came to pass, and he was able to learn lessons from all things. These are all strong points. If you have none of these strong points, it means trouble. It will not be easy for you to gain the truth and be saved. If you don’t know how to experience or don’t have experience, you won’t be able to solve other people’s difficulties. Because you are incapable of practicing and experiencing God’s words, and have no idea what to do when things happen to you, and get upset—burst into tears—when you encounter problems, and become negative and run away when you suffer some minor setback, and are forever incapable of reacting in the right way—because of all this, it is not possible for you to enter life. How can you provide for others without life entry? To provide for people’s lives, you must fellowship the truth clearly and be able to fellowship the principles of practice clearly in order to solve problems. For someone who has heart and spirit, you need only say a little, and they’ll get it. But only understanding a little of the truth will not do. They must also have the path and principles of practice. Only this will help them to practice the truth. Even when people understand spiritual things, and it only takes a few words for them to understand them, if they don’t practice the truth there will be no entry into life. If they can’t accept the truth, then it’s all over for them, and they will never be able to enter the realities of the truth. You can hold some people’s hand as you teach them, and they will seem to understand at the time, but as soon as you let go, they become confused again. This is not someone who understands spiritual matters. If, no matter what problems you encounter, you are negative and weak, you have no testimony at all, and you don’t cooperate with what you should do and what you should cooperate with, this proves that you do not have God in your heart, and you are not a person who loves the truth. Never mind how the work of the Holy Spirit moves people, merely by experiencing God’s work for many years, listening to so many truths, having a little conscience, and relying on self-restraint, people should at least be able to meet the minimum standards and not be rebuked by their consciences. People should not be as numb and weak as they now are, and it is simply unthinkable that they are in this state. Perhaps you have gone through the last few years in a daze, not pursuing the truth whatsoever or making any progress at all. If this isn’t the case, how could you still be so numb and dull? When you are this way, it is entirely due to your own foolishness and ignorance, and you cannot blame anyone else. The truth is not partial to certain people over others. If you don’t accept the truth, and you don’t seek the truth to solve problems, how can you change? Some people feel that their caliber is too low and that they lack the ability to receive, so they delimit themselves, and they feel that no matter how much they pursue, they will not be able to meet God’s requirements. They think that no matter how hard they try, it’s useless, and that’s all there is to it, so they are always negative, and as a result, even after years of believing in God, they haven’t gained any truth. If, without doing the hard work to pursue the truth, you say that your caliber is too poor, you give up on yourself, and you always live in a negative state, and as a result, you don’t understand the truth that you should understand or practice the truth within your ability, then aren’t you the one hindering yourself? If you always say that your caliber isn’t good enough, isn’t this evading and shirking responsibility? If you can suffer, pay a price, and gain the work of the Holy Spirit, then you will inevitably be able to understand some truths and enter into some realities. If you don’t look to or rely on God, and you give up on yourself without putting in any effort or paying a price, and simply surrender, then you are useless, and lack the slightest conscience and reason. No matter whether your caliber is poor or outstanding, if you have a bit of conscience and reason, you should properly complete what you ought to do and your mission; being a deserter is a terrible thing and a betrayal of God. This is irredeemable. Pursuing the truth requires a firm will, and people who are too negative or weak will accomplish nothing. They will not be able to believe in God unto the end, and, if they wish to obtain the truth and achieve a change of disposition, they have less hope still. Only those who are resolved and pursue the truth can obtain it and be perfected by God.

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