To Pursue to Be an Honest Person We Must First Know Our Crafty Nature

After reading the two fellowships from the above “The Four Indices One Has to Grasp in Pursuing the Truth to Attain the Transformation of His Disposition” and “Only Being an Honest Person Is True Repentance,” most brothers and sisters feel that they have become much clearer about the truth concerning being an honest person, and they also feel that they have had ways to practice and enter into it. So they all begin to practice being an honest person. However, while pursuing to be an honest person, we neglect an important matter, that is, we do not have true knowledge of our crafty nature. Thus, we often give up practicing being an honest person after doing it for a period of time, never being able to practice it with eagerness or perseverance. In the fellowship from the above, it says: “Men, after being corrupted by satan, have all become ones full of lies. Corrupt human beings lie about everything, and even none of their words is not mixed with a lie. They have all become experts in telling lies and master-hands in making up lies. As for the words spoken by corrupt human beings, it is very difficult to tell which of them is true and which is false. None of corrupt human beings is trustworthy.” “What is most unbelievable to them is that people lie not under compulsion but unconsciously and involuntarily, and those who lie seriously lie even to such a terrible extent that they lie everywhere, lie about everything, and lie the minute they open their mouth.” Most of us cannot relate these words to ourselves. Some think, “I only tell lies or cheat occasionally; how could I be said to be an expert in telling lies or to lie to the extent of lying everywhere and lying about everything? Perhaps what the above says is somewhat exaggerated.” And some, only out of their “sense,” admit that what the above says is definitely right, but they do not think these words are directed at them. As we have such understanding and knowledge, we have failed all along to achieve results in exercising to speak honest words and do honest things.

How Does One Pursue the Truth and Enter Into Its Reality so as to Be Made Perfect by God?

What is the key to entering the reality of the truth? Entry into the reality of the truth is not as people imagine, it is not a case of, “I’ll just practice the aspects of the truth that I can, I’ll just do that much, and nothing more.” Of chief importance is that you must be cooperative in performing your duty, that you must make every effort, and strive to make progress, so as to understand the truth and perform your duty properly; only this is the path of entry into the reality of the truth. Do not be satisfied just to follow certain rules, or abide by certain conceptions, and as a result believe that you have entered into the reality. This is wrong; this is acting according to human conceptions, and acting according to human conceptions and imaginings is not entry into the reality of the truth. What do some people believe? “Right now, I do not sin, I am basically attentive in performing my duty, I do the best I can, nor do I commit evil, or do things that oppose God, and I carry out whatever is arranged by the house of God. Do I not have the reality of the truth?” Could this be considered entry into the reality? Is living entirely according to one’s conceptions and imaginings entry into the reality of the truth? What is entry into the reality of the truth? It means that you are able to accept and accomplish God’s commission, that you can stand firm in your testimony, that you can do your duty properly, that you can bring brothers and sisters before God, that you can be someone who truly loves God, and are loyal to God when you perform your duty. Only when you have entered these truths, and put them into practice, and lived them out—only then will you have truly entered into the reality. What’s the point of abiding by conceptions? Ultimately, you will be neither rewarded, nor necessarily destroyed; but without the reality of the truth, you will not be recognized by God. No one who does not try to make progress in their pursuit of the truth, and who is satisfied with following rules and abiding by their conceptions in the belief in God, no one like this is possessed of the reality of the truth. Today, the house of God has given you a commission, a duty. Are you able to do it well? If you lack the truth, how can you resolve this? What do you do when a commission is given to you, and you feel that it is beyond you, that you lack the stature to carry it out? You should rack your brains in search of the truth, you should pray and fellowship with God in your heart day and night, you should put your heart and soul into practicing the love of God and satisfying God; in this way, you are guaranteed to receive the work of the Holy Spirit. After a period of hardship, after toiling hard for some time, you will see that the Holy Spirit has begun to work, that God is with you, that the Holy Spirit guides and upholds you, and causes your work to have an effect. Only this is true entry into the reality. If you are incapable of paying a price in your cooperation, then you will never enter the reality. For those who pursue the truth with resolution, the more difficulties they face, the more they will push onward. They do not shrink back. Only people such as this have the hope of entering into the reality of the truth. Mindfulness of God’s will is not just empty words, it is not just something you talk about and nothing more. When you encounter difficulties, you need to cooperate, search for the truth and ultimately resolve it; only this is true obedience to the work of God, and true cooperation. When people do not cooperate or pay a price, how could they still imagine that they can enter the reality of the truth? How could they still think of being trained and made complete by God? This is nothing more than fantasy. You understand when I put it like this, yes? So what about when you perform your duty? Do you give your all in performing your duty? Do you toil hard for it? If you do not give your all, if you do not work hard, then the price you pay is insufficient. You cooperate a little, but you are not loyal enough. You lack the spirit of obedience unto death. Cooperation is not just a matter of saying certain words, nor is it merely a case of simply doing what is within your power. It requires you to pay a price, and to suffer hardship. What do the unbelievers call this kind of spirit? They call it working your heart out, racking your brains. If you are capable of this, and if, on top of that, you are capable of loyalty unto death, when you do achieve loyalty unto death, that’ll be enough; you shall surely be made perfect by God. When you have accomplished the effect of obedience unto death, then after one or two years, in your heart you will enjoy the blessings and comfort of God; what’s more, you will have the sense of accomplishment in having entered into the reality of the truth, and ultimately, you will behold God’s chosen ones nodding their heads at you in satisfaction. They will be convinced, and will say, “We see the price you have paid, the hardship you have suffered, the effort you have made to carry out God’s will.” It will be clear to them. You might feel that you have carried out God’s will, but in their hearts, God’s chosen ones could be thinking, “He has not endured any great hardship. He does every kind of work, but he has not paid any great price, has not suffered much adversity.” Are you satisfied with this result? Is this victorious testimony? You should make God’s chosen ones say, “Wow, this person truly is loyal to God’s commission. We really admire him. He really has suffered much hardship. One time, he tried to solve a problem, and the first time he failed, and he didn’t fellowship the truth clearly, but afterward he returned home and prayed, and he sought this aspect of the truth, and prepared for two days; when he tried again his fellowship was effective. We were released, and we all clapped our hands in applause.” See—this is the effect of paying a price. Do you possess this aspect of reality? This is true testimony. When you have true testimony, and earn the heartfelt admiration of God’s chosen ones, is this not entry into the reality of the truth? Have you achieved this effect in your entry into the reality of the truth? This is clear to everybody in their heart. If you cause God’s chosen ones to nod their heads and say, “This person has been faithful to God’s commission, we see this, we see it clearly,” then this is great; how could you still be accused by Satan? God’s chosen ones are convinced, and God is satisfied, God is entirely satisfied with the price you have paid, with your cooperation, with the duty you have performed. What is the standard for God’s satisfaction? You have passed muster with God’s chosen ones. They approve of you, and say, “You have done all you can to guide us in entering the reality of the truth, in performing our duty properly and carrying out God’s will. You have put your heart into it.” Is this not the standard for carrying out God’s will? Only if you are capable of such loyalty and testimony in carrying out the will of God, will you truly enter the reality of the truth.

3 Great Masterstrokes for Overcoming Temptations in Spiritual Warfare

Jingxing, South Korea

Brothers and sisters,

I wish you peace in the Lord! Not infrequently, all sorts of spiritual warfare will occur throughout our time of faith in and following God. There are temptations regarding money, status and name, and temptations between men and women, as well as slander by unbelievers, obstruction and suppression from loved ones, as well as being hunted down and persecuted by a satanic regime. Sometimes completely unexpected calamities befall us. The Bible says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). God’s words say: “On earth, all manner of evil spirits are endlessly on the prowl for a place to rest, are ceaselessly searching for the corpses of men to eat up” (“The Tenth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). There isn’t a single moment that Satan is not by our side, racking its brains to use any person, event, or thing to tempt, test, and persecute us, trying to get us to sink into evil, into disaster and to distance ourselves from God, to betray Him so that in the end we may be swallowed whole by it.