You say that you acknowledge God incarnate, and that you acknowledge the Word’s appearance in the flesh, yet you do certain things behind His back, things that go against what He asks, and in your heart you have no fear of Him. Is this acknowledging God? You acknowledge what He says, but you do not practice what you are able to, nor do you abide by His way. Is this acknowledging God? And though you acknowledge Him, your mindset is only one of wariness toward Him, never of reverence. If you have seen and acknowledged His work and know that He is God, yet you remain tepid and completely unchanged, then you are the kind of person who still has not been conquered. Those who have been conquered must do all they can, and though they are not able to enter higher truths, and these truths may be beyond them, such people are willing in their hearts to attain to this. It is because there are limits to what they can accept that there are bounds and limits to what they are able to practice. At the very least, however, they must do all they can, and if you can achieve that, this is an effect that has been achieved because of the work of conquest. Suppose you say, “Given that He can put forth so many words that man cannot, if He is not God, who is?” Such thinking does not mean you acknowledge God. If you acknowledge God, you must demonstrate it through your actual actions. If you lead a church, yet do not practice righteousness, if you crave money and wealth, and always pocket the church’s funds for yourself, is this acknowledging that there is a God? God is almighty, and He is worthy of reverence. How can you not be afraid if you truly acknowledge that there is a God? If you are capable of committing such despicable acts, do you truly acknowledge Him? Is it God that you believe in? What you believe in is a vague God; that is why you are not afraid! Those who truly acknowledge and know God all fear Him and are afraid to do anything that opposes Him or which violates their consciences; they are especially afraid to do anything that they know is against God’s will. Only this can be considered acknowledging God’s existence. What should you do when your parents try to stop you from believing in God? How should you love God when your unbelieving husband is good to you? And how should you love God when the brothers and sisters loathe you? If you acknowledge Him, then in these matters you will act appropriately and live out reality. If you fail to take concrete actions but only say that you acknowledge God’s existence, then you are just a talker! You say you believe in Him and acknowledge Him, but in what way do you acknowledge Him? In what way do you believe in Him? Do you fear Him? Do you revere Him? Do you love Him deep down inside? When you are distressed and have no one to lean on, you sense the loveliness of God, but afterward you forget all about it. That is not loving God, and nor is it believing in God! What, ultimately, does God wish for man to achieve? All the states that I mentioned, such as feeling very impressed by your own importance, feeling you are quick to pick up and understand new things, controlling others, looking down on others, judging people by their appearance, bullying honest people, coveting church money, and so forth—only when all of these corrupt dispositions have been, in part, removed from you, will your conquest be made manifest.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Inside Truth of the Work of Conquest (4)