How to Seek God’s Will as Christians When Choosing a Spouse?

Hello, Brothers and Sisters of Find the Shepherd!

I’m old enough now to look for a partner in life. My parents are anxious about my marriage prospects, and my relatives and friends also often ask me about this, which makes me feel I’m under much pressure. When it comes to looking for a spouse, my unbelieving friends all want to choose those who are “tall, rich and handsome” or “fair-skinned, rich and beautiful,” yet I have no idea what kind of people we Christians should choose. Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

Xiangzhi

How Do You Have a Relationship With God? 4 Ways

By Jin Qiu

Brothers and Sisters of Find the Shepherd:

I’m a Christian. Since I believed in the Lord, I have been enjoying the Lord’s grace and blessings, but recently I couldn’t feel the Lord’s presence. I didn’t feel enlightened when reading the Bible nor moved through prayer.

3 Biblical Stories Teach You How to Pray According to God’s Will

By Xuesong

Praying is a way for Christians to commune with God and obtain enlightenment from Him, and is an essential practice in our daily life. Since praying is so important to us Christians, how should we pray in accordance with the Lord’s will so that He will hear? This is an issue that every Christian is concerned about. Now let’s find out the answer from three biblical stories.

How Great Is the Power of Prayer? How Can We Gain It?

By Cindy, United States

First, the power of prayer is so great.

Jehovah God said, “Then shall you call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12). God straightforwardly told us that as long as we genuinely call out and pray to Him, He will accomplish everything we ask for. Indeed, the Bible records many stories in which situations take a turn for the better and problems are solved through the power of prayer. For example, when God gave a revelation to Noah and let him make an ark, though he had never seen what an ark looked like, through sincerely praying to God, he miraculously built a big ark under God’s guidance and enlightenment, and when the world was destroyed by flood his family of eight survived. When Joshua led the people of Israel to attack Jericho, it was through praying that they finally won the victory. It was also through praying that the people of Nineveh gained God’s mercy and weren’t destroyed by God, able to go on living. When Esther and her Israeli compatriots fasted and prayed for three days and nights, Jehovah God heard their prayers and helped them be spared a catastrophe. From all this, we can see how great the power of prayer is. When we sincerely offer up prayers to God and look up to Him with our hearts, something marvelous and unexpected will happen—the power of prayer is indeed that great and prayer is extremely important. All this gives us a message: As Christians, regardless of whether it is in our life or work or when we encounter other things, as long as we sincerely pray to God and learn to rely on God, God will surely listen to our prayers and solve the difficulties we face, thus allowing us to feel His real existence.

Second, how can we gain the power of prayer?

Now we know that the power of prayer is so great and that God is a help to us at all times. So, how should we pray to God to obtain the power of prayer?

God’s words say, “Prayer is one of the ways in which man cooperates with God, it is a means by which man calls upon God, and it is the process by which man is touched by God’s Spirit. … Being someone who believes in God, the more you pray, the more you are touched by God. Such people have greater resolution and are more able to receive the latest enlightenment from God.” “But the effect to be achieved by prayer is no simple matter. Prayer is not a case of going through the formalities, or following procedure, or reciting the words of God, which is to say, prayer does not mean parroting words and copying others. In prayer, you must give your heart to God, sharing the words in your heart with God so that you may be touched by God. If your prayers are to be effective, then they must be based on your reading of God’s words. Only by praying amid God’s words will you be able to receive more enlightenment and illumination. A true prayer is shown by having a heart that yearns for the requirements made by God, and being willing to fulfill these requirements; you will be able to hate all that God hates, upon the basis of which you will have knowledge, and will know and be clear about the truths explained by God. Having the resolution, and faith, and knowledge, and a path by which to practice after praying—only this is truly praying, and only prayer such as this can be effective.”

God’s words tell us that prayer is a kind of exchange between us humans and God, and that it is one of the ways for us to be touched by God’s Spirit. First, we must pray with a true heart and speak to God from the heart. Only in this way will God listen to us and will we be able to obtain the power of prayer. Second, prayers must be based on the foundation of God’s words. Only by seeking God’s will according to His words can we receive His enlightenment and see His wondrous deeds. What’s more, we should have true faith in God, and believe that God rules over everything and that nothing is impossible for God. Only by meeting these three conditions can our prayers be heard by God, and only then can we gain the enlightenment and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and have faith, strength, and a way of practice in facing everything. However, if we treat praying as rules to be followed, just moving our lips without a true heart, if we, feeling that praying is holding us up, say a few prayers carelessly or sometimes simply don’t pray but rely on our minds to work or live or deal with other things, if we do this for a while, then because of lacking true communion with God, our connections to God will be severed, we will have no relationship with God, and we will live under Satan’s domain. As a result, whenever things crop up, we will become muddled; we will feel empty every day. All of this is the consequence of not gaining God’s guidance. Actually, God is always beside us, caring for us. He has unreservedly told us how to pray to attain His approval. As long as we act according to God’s instructions, we will be able to build a normal relationship with God and earn His guidance.

For instance, when Joshua met difficulties, God used words to personally tell him how to cooperate with Him to get through the difficulties. Joshua acted according to the requirements of God’s words, and he genuinely prayed to and relied on God, believing that God could accomplish everything. Finally, God saw the faith and obedience of him and the other Israelites, and allowed them to conquer Jericho without losing a solider and defeat the enemy easily. We can see from this that as long as we sincerely pray to God with an honest attitude, telling God of our deficiencies and difficulties, God will grant us faith and strength, and guide us forward. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Third, what should we pray about to attain God’s praise?

Prayer is really so important for us Christians. So, what should we pray about to gain God’s approval? Let’s read a passage from God’s words, “And what about the content of prayers? You should pray, step-by-step, in accordance with your true state and that which is to be done by the Holy Spirit, and you should commune with God in keeping with God’s will and His requirements of man. … You should say: ‘O God! I wish to fulfill my duty. In order that You may be glorified in us, and may enjoy the testimony in us, this group of people, I can but devote my entire being to You. I beg You to work within us, so that I can truly love and satisfy You, and make You the objective that I pursue.’ When you are possessed of this burden, God will surely make you perfect; you should not only pray for the sake of yourself, but also for the sake of doing the will of God, and for the sake of loving Him. Such is the truest kind of prayer.”

We realize from God’s words that not all of our prayers will be heard by God, and that if their content is after God’s will and is something to be made perfect by God, then God will fulfill our prayers. For example, if we have the prayers for God’s gospel to spread to the entire universe, the prayers for more people to return before God, the prayers for us to have a true knowledge of God through His words, the prayers for us to cast off the bonds of our corrupt dispositions soon, and the prayers for our shortcomings and deficiencies, all these prayers will be approved by God. If we often pray about such things, we will obtain faith and power from God so that we will develop hearts of obedience and love for God, and be willing to dedicate our whole being to God’s work. This is the result gained from prayer. Take when we spread the gospel for example. If we have no idea how to discern whether someone can be preached, we can pray like this: “O God! When spreading the gospel, I see that I lack so much of the truth. I don’t know how to discern people, not knowing who meets the conditions for being preached to. I wish to entrust my difficulty to You and I’m willing to seek You. May You enlighten and guide me, so that I can understand this aspect of the truth and bring more people who conform with Your intentions before You.” When we practice saying such prayers of seeking and of longing and God sees that we have an attitude of seeking, God will enlighten us in what we ask, and meanwhile the Holy Spirit will work on us, guide us into the relevant truth and to find the root of this problem and the path to resolve it. Thus, it will be solved and we will have more faith and strength to spread God’s gospel.

However, if our prayers are making demands of God and unreasonably asking God for His grace and blessings, or if in our hearts we are reluctant to pray to God but follow the rules and give some empty praises, such prayers are not in accordance with God’s will. Therefore, God won’t listen to us and our faith and strength won’t increase after praying. It can be seen that what we should pray and supplicate to God for is extremely crucial and important.

How to Get Closer to God in Our Busy Life

By Qingxin

The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). As believers in God, we all know that building a normal relationship with God in order to get closer to God and receive more of the Holy Spirit’s work is crucial.

Know in 3 Minutes How to Get Your Prayers Listened by God

Hello brothers and sisters of Find the Shepherd ,

Good day! Not long ago my elder sister preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to me. After joining the church, I was told by my elder sister that every day, we need to pray to the Lord. At that time I was confused: Why do we need to pray to God every day? Does God listen to my prayers? Could you please fellowship those questions with me?

A Christian Child’s Testimony: How Great It Is to Be Honest

By Bao’ai, South Korea

The words “It’s so hard to be a good person who speaks the truth” give voice to the thoughts of many of us, and views like “Nothing great can be accomplished without lies,” “Think before you speak and then talk with reservation,” and “As swift legs make a good horse, a slick tongue makes a good man” have become our codes of conduct, and we’ve gradually forgotten how to be honest.

How Can We Exalt God? Here Are 3 Best Ways

By Xiaocao

As Christians, it is very important for us to exalt God as great in our belief in Him. As for how to exalt God as great, my co-workers and I, after communicating and discussing with each other, summarized three principles, which I’d like to share with you.

3 Steps for Learning to Rely on God at All Times

By Qiaohui, China

As Christians, if we rely on God and look to God in everything with a God-fearing heart, not only will our difficulties be resolved, but we will also yield twice the result with half the effort in doing things. Even more importantly, we’ll be able to see many wondrous deeds of God and have more faith in Him. But how should we practice relying on God and looking to God? Some time ago, I read some spiritual books and found the path to practice. Here, I’d like to share with you three principles of practice.

1. Have Absolute Confidence in God’s Omnipotence and Sovereignty Over All Things

It is recorded in the Bible, “Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1). “My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: for as much as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found on him, because he believed in his God” (Daniel 6:22-23). From these verses, we could see that God is almighty and that all things are in His hands. Only if we absolutely believe in God’s omnipotence and dominion are we able to truly depend on Him. Take Daniel for example. In danger, he believed that God is almighty, that He holds sovereignty over all things, including his own destiny and animals’ mind, and that without His permission disasters wouldn’t befall him. Because he truly relied on and looked to God, he received God’s protection and didn’t get hurt in the lions’ den. This tells us that if we want to truly depend on God in everything, we should first believe that God is almighty and omniscient. He is the One who created the universe and all things, dominates and controls all things; all things, be they the stars in the universe or the microorganisms, living or dead, are in God’s hands and shift and change according to His thoughts. With Him there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. Hence, when encountering some difficulties, as long as we truly depend on God and look to Him, He will resolve our problems and settle our concerns, and we will see that His power is everywhere, and that His deed is everywhere.

2. Honor God as Great in Heart and Only Rely on and Look to Him Without Worshiping Any Person

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said Jehovah of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah” (Jeremiah 17:5). In these two verses, God admonished us to have God’s place in our hearts and honor Him as great and never have a place for men or look to them. As we know, Saul, the first king of Israel, got scared and dared not fight when facing the Philistine giant, Goliath; he announced he would give his daughter to the man who killed Goliath, and enrich him with great riches. All this suggests that Saul did not have a place for God in heart, and that he didn’t believe God is almighty while man is powerless; in his eyes, Goliath was more powerful than God, so he thought it impossible that the small Israelites could defeat Goliath even if having the help of God. As a result, he chose to rely on man’s force and abilities rather than Jehovah’s power and failed to see His deeds or obtain His approval. By contrast, David had a place for God in heart and believed that God is almighty and that every person, no matter how giant he is, is in God’s hands. Having such faith, David could truly look to Jehovah of hosts. Finally, young and short as David was, he defeated Goliath with the help of God and saw God’s might. From this story, we can see that God is our support.

3. Have a Genuine Fellowship With God in Everything, and Rely on His Words to Stand Firm in Testimony

We should have a genuine fellowship with God in everything; especially, when trials befall us, we ought to constantly pray to Him and look to Him without planning for our own flesh or future, and never deny Him or leave Him; besides, we should put our heart in front of God to satisfy Him, and stand witness for Him. These are what a created being is supposed to do and also an aspect of practice in relying on God and looking to God. When Job was deprived of his children and property, he spoke cautiously lest he offend God, and prayed to Him to seek His will. Afterward, he understood God’s will and then prostrated himself before Him to pray submissively, saying, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). From Job’s experience, we can see that it is important for us to come before God and pray as soon as the trial comes. In this way, we will receive His guidance and know His will, and thus could stand witness for Him. Otherwise, if we merely live in agony, considering our own interests, or rely on our abilities to analyze and examine rather than pray to God and rely on Him, or look to Him just to ask Him to satisfy us, then God will not work and we will fail in trials and become Satan’s laughingstock.

As long as we act according to these three principles above, we will know how to truly rely on God and look to God, and He will lead us to experience His omnipotence and sovereignty in real life. In this way, we will have knowledge of His deeds and produce genuine faith in Him. Thank God! All glory be to God.

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Worship God in Spirit and in Truth | "The Heart's Voice of a Created Being" Christian Music Video

In Pursuit of Dispositional Change One Must Primarily Resolve Three Issues

So which issues must be resolved before one’s disposition is changed? Firstly, the issue of obedience to God must be resolved. When one can be obedient, when one can obey God’s work, obey God’s words and obey the truth, then this issue is resolved, and one’s disposition will have begun to change. Secondly, the issue of being an honest person must be resolved. Because being an honest person is slow work, you must first learn how to obey the truth and obey God’s work. Resolve this first, and then the issue of being an honest person will gradually be resolved. After the issue of being an honest person is resolved, we then come to issue number three, which is to resolve the issue of being devoted to God in our duty. It is not that only when people are departing from God are they betraying God. When they are not devoted in their duties, they are irresponsible in their duties, they frequently become negative and weak in their duties, or they throw their hands up and walk away, this is a betrayal of God that is even more real. Where does the greatest difficulty lie for the majority of people whose dispositions have not changed? It is that they are irresponsible and not devoted to God in their duties. This is the best proof that their life dispositions have not changed. Therefore, as far as God is concerned, people like this are not to be trusted, not to be counted on and they are faithless people. “A man cannot stand without faith” means that if you are faithless, other people cannot trust you. If other people do not believe you, then are you an honest person? If other people do not believe you, then are you successful in conducting yourself as a person? Other people not believing you is enough to show that you have failed at being a person, and when other people don’t trust you any more, then you have failed utterly, and it proves that you have no humanity whatsoever, that you are not a person and that you are not worthy to be called human. The greatest failure in being a person is that other people do not believe you. Any duty you are given, you do badly. What are you anyway? You are really not worth trusting. It is appropriate to use the phrase “a man cannot stand without faith” here. It means that you cannot stand firm, that you are not worthy to be called human. This is what this phrase means. The way you do your duty makes no one trust you and no one believe you. So where is your humanity? Where is your integrity and where is your dignity? Some people have believed in God for over 10 years, and how do they perform their duties? There is nothing good about the way they perform their duties. Someone has to watch them and supervise them at all times, and they have to be pruned and dealt with. Do people like this possess humanity? When they need to do their duties, they always take care of their own business and they put aside and ignore the work of God’s family and the commissions of God. After a few days, when they’ve been finished with their own business, they then carry on with their duties in a slipshod manner. Do people like this have any conscience? Do they have any devotion toward God? Sometimes, after I’ve given someone an important job to do, a long time then passes without any news, and I wonder: Where have they got to? How come they’ve disappeared? Why haven’t they reported back to me? What stage are they at with this job? The problems pile up there, and I get letters asking about it. Where have they gotten to? Have they just evaporated into thin air? Can someone like this be trusted? Since you are irresponsible then you should resign your position. Why do you keep your title when you don’t deserve it? Are you not causing delays? If you think you can’t do this job, because you’re just messing around and you enjoy taking care of your own business, and if you are afraid that you will delay the work of God’s family by taking on such an important job, then say this to God’s family as soon as possible. Why take the job on and then cause delays? Are you kidding? If you’re doing this job badly then give it up so that someone else may do it. Don’t cause delays. Just have some sense, OK? Have people who do not take responsibility for their duties changed in their life dispositions? When someone is not devoted to God in their duties, then this means they have no testimony.

Rely on God to Revise the Design Plan Successfully

Speaking of cactus, I cannot help but think of the environment where it grows. After experiencing the attack of the sweltering summer heat and the sandstorms, it can still stand straight in dry deserts; even when desperately short of water, it can still grow upward unaffectedly. Its firm and tenacious spirit wins my deep admiration. On second thought, it reminds me that in the past, I used to be fragile and incapable, always complaining about and even wanting to flinch from the hardship and suffering I encountered. But eventually, through the environment God arranged for me and the guidance of God’s words, I overcame the difficulty. Only after that did I have the resolve and perseverance to brave difficulties by relying on God, and the true experience of the word in the Bible, “I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 9:33).

Do You Know the 4 Key Elements of Christian Prayer?

By Yang Yang, China

Brothers and sisters, we all know that praying to God is the most direct way for Christians to communicate with God. This is why, aside from morning and evening prayers, we pray at many other times such as when reading the Bible, when in gatherings, observing the Sabbath, or when we encounter difficulties. But are our prayers in line with the Lord’s will and will He lend us an ear? This is something that is important for every brother and sister to understand; otherwise, no matter how many times we pray or for how long, these prayers will not gain God’s approval. In fact, the Lord Jesus gave us these answers long ago. Let’s seek together on this aspect of the truth!

Christian Marriage: Marital Harmony Is No Longer an Issue

By Wang Ran, Singapore

A Beautiful Dream

When she was single, Wang Ran always held on to a beautiful dream—the hope that after getting married, she and her husband would get along harmoniously, show mutual tolerance, be by each other’s sides for life, and grow old together. At that time Wang Ran had a great deal of confidence in herself; she felt that she was a person of good character who got along well with others. But reality did not play out as Wang Ran wished—after getting married, the myriad conflicts that cropped up in her life with her husband slowly ate away at her dream …

The Power of Prayer—Witnessing a Miracle Amidst Despair

                                                By Zhao Zhihan, China

As we journey through life, every one of us will experience some extraordinary events which become inscribed on our memory and will never be forgotten. The experience that has left me with the deepest impression was the time my husband was involved in a car accident, when no one knew whether he would pull through or not, and the days that followed, during which I felt at a complete loss and was at the end of my tether. But what was different for me was that, because God was with me and I had His guidance, I thus had a support, and through praying to God and relying on Him, I witnessed a miracle in the midst of my despair. During that disastrous time, what I gained more was understanding of God’s authority and sovereignty, and a true appreciation of God’s love …

How to Achieve a Change in Life Disposition

The Path to a Change in Life Disposition

To achieve a change in life disposition, one must experience God’s judgment and chastisement, pruning and dealing, and trials of many kinds. This is the path to a change in life disposition. God’s judgment and chastisement is mostly about experiencing and receiving God’s judgment and chastisement from God’s words, this is the most crucial experience in submitting to the work of God. The experience of God’s judgment and chastisement is a result which must be achieved through the work of the Holy Spirit. We have seen most people read the word of God, eat and drink the word of God, but they have not experienced God’s judgment and chastisement. They have only seen in the word of God the revelation and the judgment of people’s rebelliousness and corruption. They have not personally felt the individual judgment and chastisement of themselves by God, this illustrates that these people have not experienced the judgment and chastisement of God. When some people see that the words of God’s judgment and chastisement are quite strict, they avoid and get out of them. When some people see the words of God’s judgment and chastisement, they think that they are talking about other people, that these words are not directed toward themselves, so they think nothing of it. Anyone who is in this state has not experienced God’s judgment and chastisement. So, God’s work does not have much of an effect on those people who have not experienced God’s judgment and chastisement in eating and drinking the word of God. We have seen that people in the Age of Grace all read the Bible and understood much of the writing contained within it. However, they did not feel the judgment and chastisement of God in their hearts and, at that time, God did not express words of the judgment and chastisement, so no matter how long people believed, they were not seen to have a change in life disposition. If people do not feel that God’s judgment and chastisement is directed toward themselves when they eat and drink the word of God in the Age of Kingdom or if they feel even less that God’s judgment and chastisement has a real effect on their hearts, then their experience of God’s work will not have much meaning. So, the entry into experiencing God’s judgment and chastisement is a crucial issue. So, how does one enter? You must do so through prayer. You pray before God: “God, I am willing to accept Your judgment and chastisement. May Your judgment and chastisement have an effect on my heart.” Afterward you will probably have the work of the Holy Spirit. When you read the words of the judgment and chastisement, you will feel that they are judgment and chastisement of you, that they are directed toward you. It will feel as if your heart has been stabbed and you will feel that “these words are so true, they are judging me, these words chastise me.” You will only truly experience God’s judgment and chastisement when you have this feeling. Most people, when seeing that the words of God are too strict, just like a two-edged sword, do not dare to face them but choose to avoid them. The result is that God’s judgment and chastisement seems to have nothing to do with them and, because of this, their corruption and nature will not change. Therefore, the experience of God’s judgment and chastisement lies in a person’s pursuit and acceptance. If you do not choose acceptance there is no way for this judgment and chastisement to happen to you. That is to say, a person must personally experience God’s judgment and chastisement—in your heart you truly feel that you have received God’s judgment and chastisement and you experience much suffering and refinement from the words of judgment and chastisement, and in the end, this makes you recognize your satanic nature, recognize the hatefulness of your satanic nature and recognize that Satan is the essence of your corruption. If you have no experience of God’s judgment and chastisement, then you must have not suffered too much from God’s words. If you have not suffered very much, then you definitely will not recognize your nature and the essence of your corruption and if you do not recognize this, how can you bring about change? So it can be said that experiencing God’s judgment and chastisement is dependent on a person’s pursuit. If people do not have this experience and do not suffer much from God’s words, changes in life disposition are not possible, this is a key experience. The most important thing in the submission to God’s work is to experience God’s judgment and chastisement and this depends on a person’s pursuit. If people do not pursue, they will not be able to receive the judgment and chastisement. After people are corrupted by Satan, they all think that they are good people, that they are much better than others, that they are after God’s heart, that they can be saved by God and they even consider themselves loved by God and to be God’s favorite.

Two Secrets to Overcoming Temptations

First, Always Pray to God and Live Before God, Thus Actively Staying Away From Temptations

Every corner of this materialistic and money-centered society—particularly fancy hotels, expensive restaurants, KTVs and other entertainment places—is full of Satan’s temptations. Without the capability to overcome sin, we are so envious of those with wealth and power that our desires to make big money and be one of them are stirred up when we see them enjoying their wealth in these places. As a result, money—and the material enjoyment it can bring—fully possesses our hearts and thus our hearts stray farther and farther from God. So as Christians, we should always pray to God and ask Him to protect us so we can live before Him and can actively stay away from people, events and things that might tempt us. This is especially necessary for those who have small statures spiritually. Just as the Bible says, “A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Pro 22:3). And God’s words also say, “Do not come into contact with things that can draw your heart away to the outside, and do not come into contact with people who can draw your heart away from God. Drop whatever it is that can distract your heart from being close to God, or stay away from it. That way is more beneficial to your life.” From these words we can see that actively staying away from temptations is a wise choice.

Take Job for example. As we all know, he feared God and shunned evil. Though he possessed untold masses of wealth, and sheep and oxen that covered a mountain, in order to live before God at all times he kept himself in check. He had a reverent heart, and he often offered sacrifices for fear that he would offend God. Besides, he didn’t take advantage of his wealth to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, and he never even joined his sons and daughters in feasting. All he did was just insist on walking the way of fearing God and shunning evil. So, Job set a good example for us to follow.

Second, View Things According to God’s Words and Seek God’s Will to See Through Satan’s Tricks and Thus Refuse Temptations

Question: God’s two incarnate fleshes bore witness that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. How should we understand Christ being the truth, the way, and the life?

Answer:

If people who believe in God can truly understand that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life, then this is valuable and shows that people have a true understanding of Christ’s essence. Only such people can be said to truly know God. Christ is the practical God incarnate. All those who know Christ and can obey Christ truly know God. Because all the truth, the way, and the life come from God and come from the expression of Christ incarnate. No one besides Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. This truth can be understood by very few. The standard by which God inspects all those who believe in God is based on whether or not people can know the incarnation of God. This is the only standard by which people can get God’s approval for believing in God. All those who can receive and obey the incarnation of God are overcomers who have been brought before God and first perfected, whereas those who do not receive and obey Christ will be placed in disasters to be afflicted because they do not know the incarnation of God and are all classed as foolish virgins. Just as when the Lord Jesus came and brought those people who loved the truth, could accept His words and truly followed Him to the mountain and personally taught and trained them and ignored those religious people and those people who just believed in the Lord for bread because they just believed in a vague God and did not accept God incarnate. They were all blind people who did not know God. So only those who believe in God and can accept and obey Christ incarnate are approved and perfected by God. Why say that only Christ is the truth, the way, and the life? Let’s look at the word of Almighty God. Almighty God said: “The way of life is not something that can be possessed by just anyone, nor is it easily obtainable by all. That is because life can only come from God, which is to say, only God Himself possesses the substance of life, there is no way of life without God Himself, and so only God is the source of life, and the ever-flowing wellspring of living water of life. From when He created the world, God has done much work involving the vitality of life, has done much work that brings life to man, and has paid a great price so that man might gain life, for God Himself is eternal life, and God Himself is the way by which man is resurrected. …

Establishing a Proper Relationship With God | As a Christian, Regularly Attending Gatherings Cannot Be Neglected!

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A,

I get very tired from working during the day, and I do not sleep very well at night. As a result, I am not willing to make it to gatherings on time. I do not like to be restricted. I feel that if I have spiritual needs, as long as I look for my brothers and sisters to chat during those times, it should be fine. I wonder what the cause of this issue is. How should I resolve this?

An Jing

Hello Sister An Jing,

You said that you are not willing to attend gatherings on time and that when you feel you have spiritual needs, that is the only time you will actively look for your brothers and sisters to chat. We can think like this because we do not understand what truly believing in God and the importance of gatherings are. Thank the Lord. I will talk a little bit about my understanding about this aspect. I hope it will be useful to you.
What It Means to Truly Believe in God

We all know that the reason why God originally created man was so that man would honor and worship God on earth. The Lord Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mat 22:37-38). As believers in the Lord, we should all prioritize faith and worshiping God and have normal relationships with God. Gatherings, prayer, communicating the truth, singing hymns and praising God are ways to establish a normal relationship with God. As Christians, these are things that we must do at the very least. God’s words say: “‘Belief in God’ means believing that there is a God; this is the simplest concept of faith in God. What’s more, believing that there is a God is not the same as truly believing in God; rather, it is a kind of simple faith with strong religious overtones. True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh). “There are some people whose belief has never been acknowledged in God’s heart. In other words, God does not recognize that these people are His followers, because God does not praise their belief. … They regard believing in God as some kind of amateur hobby, treating God merely as spiritual sustenance…. How does God look upon these people? He views them as non-believers” (“How to Know God’s Disposition and the Result of His Work” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From here we can see, if our faith in God merely consists of verbal acknowledgement and believing within our hearts, yet we do not pursue the truth, do not experience and practice God’s words but regard faith as spiritual sustenance or a hobby, this is not truly believing in God. God does not praise this sort of faith. True believers in God should frequently come before God, pray to God often, read God’s words often, attend gatherings often and understand more of the truth from God. At the same time, they must bring God’s words into real life. They believe that what happens every day is presided and arranged by God. This is especially the case when they encounter something that is not in accordance with their notions and when they reveal their own corruption and are unable to let go of it. They are able to come before God and reflect upon themselves in accordance with God’s words. They are able to seek in the environment arranged by God the lessons they should learn and the truths they should enter and put into practice. Afterward, they actually put them into practice in accordance with God’s demands, cast off satanic corrupt disposition, live out a normal humanity and in the end, achieve a true understanding of God, obedience to God and love for God. Only this way of experiencing God’s work and words constitutes truly believing in God. We can only obtain God’s approval if we believe in God in this manner. If we do this, in the end, we will be brought into God’s kingdom. Contrarily, if our faith does not involve a normal relationship with God, regular participation in gatherings, prayer, communicating the truth and putting God’s words into practice; if it is just a spare-time faith, if we believe in God a few years yet our corrupt disposition has not changed whatsoever and if we do not have a true understanding of God, God does not acknowledge this sort of faith. There is no difference between this and the faith of unbelievers. If our faith is like this, even though we believe until the very end, we will not be able to obtain God’s approval and salvation.

Church Life Is Essential

If we are unwilling to attend gatherings on time, this indicates that we do not understand the importance of church life. In fact, church life is our life of communicating God’s word and entering into the truth, and it is also the life of experiencing the Holy Spirit’s work and enjoying God’s love. Understanding the truth, entering into the truth and attaining God’s salvation are completely a result that is achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work. Only through our lives in the church where we serve and provide for one another, fulfill our duties and bear witness to God would we be able to easily obtain the Holy Spirit’s work and God’s perfection. In other words, winning God’s approval in regard to our faith and attaining His salvation are inextricably tied to a normal church life. In the Bible, it says: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching” (Heb 10:25). The Lord Jesus said: “Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middle of them” (Mat 18:19-20). From this, we can see, living a church life is one of God’s demands for us as Christians. Since our caliber itself is limited and we do not have the organ to receive the truth, it is very difficult to understand the truths and mysteries within God’s words. Even though we understand a lot of the literal meaning, we understand very little of God’s intentions and the demands that God has for man. But if we consistently participate in church life, pray together with our brothers and sisters, read God’s words and communicate our own understanding, experience and acceptance of God’s words, we will be able to obtain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and illumination. We will obtain even more light and rewards, we will understand more clearly God’s intentions and requests, and the path of practice will be even clearer. This is especially the case when we do not understand God’s words or encounter various difficulties. If we cooperate with our brothers and sisters to seek God, pray to God and have the Holy Spirit work amongst us, we will be able to understand the esoteric meaning of God’s words and all our problems and difficulties will be resolved because we understand the truth. The more problems we solve in our church life, the more truth we will understand and obtain. This way, we will no longer be annoyed with worldly affairs. Our lives will be effortless and liberating. Afterward, we will be able to tackle the situations we encounter in accordance with God’s intentions and demands. Gradually, God’s words will become the principles and directions with which we handle situations. Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we will walk upon the path of God’s salvation.

If we do not participate in church life, if we occasionally pray to God ourselves and read God’s words, our attainment of the Holy Spirit’s work will be very limited. Without the Holy Spirit’s work, we will not be able to understand the truth, nor will we be able to enter into the reality of the truth. When we encounter difficulties or problems, since we do not understand God’s intentions, we will frequently not know what to do nor how to put the truth into practice. If we occasionally rely on our own notions and imaginations to do things, we will do things that violate God’s intentions and even offend God’s disposition. We will lose the Holy Spirit’s presence, not to mention God’s salvation. God’s words say: “If your spiritual life is not normal, you cannot understand God’s current work; you always feel that it is completely incompatible with your own notions, and you are willing to follow Him, but you lack internal drive. So no matter what God is currently doing, people must cooperate. If people don’t cooperate the Holy Spirit can’t do His work, and if people do not have a heart of cooperation, they cannot attain the work of the Holy Spirit. … If people do not cooperate with God and do not pursue deeper entry, God will take away what they once had. Inside, people are always greedy for ease and would rather enjoy what is already available. They want to gain God’s promises without paying any price at all. These are the extravagant thoughts within mankind. Gaining life itself without paying a price—what has ever been so easy? When someone believes in God and seeks to enter into life and seeks a change in their disposition, they must pay a price and achieve a state where they will always follow God no matter what He does. This is something that people must do. Even if you follow all of this as a rule, you must stick to it, and no matter how great the trials, you cannot let go of your normal relationship with God. You should be able to pray, maintain your church life, and stay with brothers and sisters. When God tries you, you should still seek the truth. This is the minimum for a spiritual life” (“You Ought to Maintain Your Devotion to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words, we can see that a normal spiritual life is very important to us. Praying, reading God’s words and attending gatherings are all a part of a spiritual life. If we are unable to adhere to these, we will be unable to attain the Holy Spirit’s work. Even though our hearts want to follow God, we will not have faith. Therefore, regardless of how busy our work lives are and how tired our physical bodies are, we must not lose our normal relationship with God. At the minimum, we must maintain a normal spiritual life. We must live before God and seek the truth and put the truth into practice when we encounter situations. Only if we do this will our spiritual life become unyielding. Only then will we have a path that we can take when we encounter situations.

Additionally, since we have been corrupted very deeply by Satan, inside, we are filled with Satan’s poison. We love wealth, fame, status and fleshly enjoyment, etc. We do not like positive things. If we do not frequently become intimate with God, it is very easy for us to get caught in Satan’s net, follow the world’s evil trends and become wantonly unrestrained to the point where we do somethings that violate God’s intentions and cause God to detest us. Gatherings are our opportunity to become intimate with God. They close the distance between us and God and allow us to frequently live before God, accept God’s examination and receive God’s care and protection. Once our relationship with God has become normal, our spirits will become sharp, and we will be able to distinguish the matters that God hates and God likes. When we encounter situations, we will be able to stand on God’s side, and we will not follow our fleshly preferences and do something that contradicts or resists God. As a result of this, we will receive even more of God’s blessings. Therefore, a church life is very important in regard to whether we can obtain God’s approval and salvation.

Living Before God and Receiving God’s Protection

The Lord Jesus said: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mat 11:30). The Lord hopes that we can live effortlessly and freely. He does not want to see us being wrapped up with the secular world and suffer. So why is it that we are not willing to attend gatherings due to feeling too tired from working? Actually, such ideas originate from Satan. They contain Satan’s evil schemes within. God says: “What God wants to do in man is just what Satan wants to destroy, and what Satan wants to destroy is expressed through man without being hidden at all. … Satan’s destruction in mankind is also clearly represented—they are more and more depraved and their conditions are sinking lower and lower. If it’s dire enough, they could be captured by Satan” (“Interpretation of the Fifteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Satan is God’s enemy. It opposes God in all respects and it frequently targets and attacks our weak points. It causes us to become engrossed in the flesh and trapped in our fleshly entanglements. It disturbs our normal relationship with God and makes us distance ourselves from God, betray God and in the end, its objective is to swallow us whole. If we always yield to ourselves and satisfy our fleshly desires, we will grow further and further from God. At that moment, Satan’s plot will have prevailed. Therefore, when our faith is weak and our state is abnormal, we must come before God more, pray more to God and rely on God. We must not leave the church life. At the same time, we must set our resolve before God to satisfy Him. When we cooperate with God in this way, Satan’s schemes will not have any effect upon us and in a panic, it will flee. Once our relationship with God is normal, we will not feel that attending gatherings is constraining. On the contrary, we will feel that attending gatherings is a way for us to become intimate with God and enjoy God’s love.

Thank God for His guidance! Sister An Jing, this is where we will end our fellowship today. I hope the understanding that was shared today is of benefit to you. If you have any questions, let’s discuss them together.

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