In Your Experience, How Much Practical Understanding Do You Have of God’s Salvation?

Nannan

　　Since I was small, I had always had a strong desire to be better than others. No matter what group of people I was in, I always sought to be the best. While I was still at school, though I had an average mind and my grades weren’t outstanding, I studied very hard so that I wouldn’t fall behind the other students. Teachers praised me for my desire to make progress, and relatives also praised me for being such a diligent student and taking my studies so seriously. I would often feel proud of myself for receiving their praise and getting favorable comments from them, and I considered myself top of my age group. After I’d accepted God’s work in the last days, I came to understand some truths by reading God’s words and living the church life, and I saw that, no matter what disposition God expresses, whether it be mercy, lovingkindness or righteous judgment and chastisement, they are all God’s true love for man. My heart was moved and inspired by God’s love, and I felt that the only right path in life was to believe in God and seek to be perfected by God. I therefore made a resolution to pursue the truth in earnest, to give up everything and expend myself for God to repay His love. But because my deeply-rooted corrupt disposition and satanic nature had not yet been resolved, I still sought to distinguish myself and to make others look highly upon me when performing my duties. I remember one time when I was given the choice of two duties, and without any hesitation whatsoever I chose the duty that I thought would cause others to look highly upon me. Once I’d started this duty, a sense of superiority arose in my heart, so much so that I looked down on other brothers and sisters, thinking that they were only doing common duties, whereas I was performing an important duty, and that I was a person of talent in God’s family.

　　

　　In June 2016, I started performing a duty that required me to use English. This was something I’d never dared to even dream of, and my heart was totally elated. I hadn’t expected to see a day when I could distinguish myself, and I had always used to feel distressed about not being smart enough, thinking that I’d be like this the rest of my life and that I had no great future prospects. Little did I realize that even lilies of the field have a spring too, and my spring had come at last. This was a turning point in my life and it was the beginning of the realization of my dreams—I would show my skills to the best of my ability. Thinking this, I felt so elated. How I wished I could immediately tell this news to my brothers and sisters in the church at home, letting them know what duty I was doing. I was even beginning to imagine how envious my brothers and sisters would feel once they came to know that I was doing this duty…. While I was so immersed in happiness and joy that I had forgotten myself completely, God’s judgment and chastisement came upon me again and again …

Every Word of God Is an Expression of His Disposition

By Hu Ke, Shandong Province

　　Whenever I saw these words spoken by God, I felt anxious: “Every sentence I have spoken contains within it the disposition of God. You would do well to ponder My words carefully, and you will surely profit greatly from them” (“It Is Very Important to Understand God’s Disposition” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I felt anxious because understanding God’s disposition is so important both to man’s understanding of God and their seeking to love and satisfy Him. But when reading the words of God, I always felt like God’s disposition was too abstract, and I didn’t know how to understand it. Afterward, through fellowship from my church leader, I came to know that I should understand what God likes and what He hates from His words, and thereby come to understand God’s disposition. I subsequently tried for a while to put this into practice and I saw some results. But I still felt at a loss regarding God’s words, “Every sentence I have spoken contains within it the disposition of God,” and had no idea how exactly to understand it.

Christian Experience Articles | Do You Possess the “Immunity” Needed to Defeat Temptation? (Audio Essay)

One day, I came across a story. This story mainly told about a mouse that came out of its hole and found that people had intentionally placed a piece of meat in a mousetrap in order to lure it in. The mouse knew that if it touched that piece of meat, then it would be killed by the trap, so it initially thought to refuse the lure, and that it would absolutely not touch that piece of meat. But when the smell of the meat reached its nose, it just couldn’t overcome the temptation, and against its own will it crept closer and closer to the trap. In the end, it couldn’t resist the enticement, and so when it went to eat the piece of meat, it was killed by the trap.

There Is a Way to Resolve the Generation Gap (Audio Essay)

　　
　　Brothers and sisters,

　　Good day!

　　Recently my relationship with my son has been particularly strained. As he has grown older, the generation gap between us has got deeper and deeper. My son is now in junior high school and I am worried that he will play games online and put off studying. I am also worried about him experiencing puppy love and learning bad ways and so I often watch him. To prevent him picking up bad habits, I check whether there is anything bad on his cell phone. Unexpectedly, he was particularly angry and disgusted after he found out and even asked why I controlled him. My son’s words made me extremely sad. I am his mother. If I do not care for him who will? Isn’t my so-doing for his own good? How come he cannot understand me. He has not spoken to me for several days because of this. I feel so distressed that I can only pray to the Lord. But no matter how much I pray I cannot feel the Lord’s presence. Now I do not know what to do. A sister told me that brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God often help her overcome difficulties, so I am sending you this letter in the hope that you can help me.

Distressed XX

English Christian Song | The Love of God Is Great | "Only God Loves Man Most"

God becomes flesh in the last days to save man for He loves man.

Driven by His love, He carries out today’s work.

It’s under the foundation of love.

God takes on flesh and suffers disgrace to save the tainted and broken ones.

He endures such pain.  

For again and again, He shows His immeasurable love.

God doesn’t want any soul to be lost.

Man doesn’t care what his future will be.

Man doesn’t know how to cherish his own life.

But God does. Only He loves man. Oh … oh … 

The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven(3)

3. In my view, any of the religions teach mankind to be good. Does that mean that no matter which religion mankind follows, as long as they are sincere and commit no evil deeds they will achieve salvation?

The Answer from God’s Word:

He who is incapable of creating the world will be incapable of bringing it to an end, whereas He who created the world will surely bring it to an end, and so if one is unable to bring the age to an end and is merely able to help man cultivate his mind, then he will surely not be God, and will surely not be the Lord of mankind. He will be incapable of doing such great work; there is only one who can carry out such work, and all that are unable to do this work are surely the enemies other than God. If they are cults, then they are incompatible with God, and if they are incompatible with God, then they are the enemies of God. All work is done by this one true God, and the entire universe is commanded by this one God.

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Principles of Practice for Church Life

1. Church Meetings Must Always Be for Eating, Drinking and Enjoying God’s Words

All people who accept the judgment and chastisement work of Almighty God should eat, drink, and enjoy all of Almighty God’s words. This is the unalterable duty of God’s created beings, something no one can interfere with. One can only be saved by eating, drinking, and enjoying Almighty God’s words, obeying all of God’s work, and accepting all truths expressed by God. That’s why church life only permits eating, drinking and enjoying God’s words, and prohibits reading texts outside of God’s words. This is the first principle of church life, and it must not be altered by anyone. If any church leader at different levels violates this principle in their work and insists on reading texts outside of God’s words, then they have betrayed God’s will and are someone who resists and forsakes God. Regardless of the local circumstances of the church, meetings must always be for eating, drinking and enjoying God’s words. Eating and drinking the words of Almighty God must always be the heart of meetings at any time. That is, the main focus must be on eating and drinking God’s words that are in The Word Appears in the Flesh. Man’s preachings should only be spare-time reading, and learning hymns at meetings also shouldn’t take up the time of enjoying God’s words. If, during meetings, a person reads the Bible or any texts that analyze the Bible, or other spiritual books, then that is completely deviating from the current work of the Holy Spirit. If someone leads others to fellowship about man’s preachings and communications, that is also betraying God’s will. Anyone in the church has the right to restrict this from happening. The Bible and other spiritual texts of religion are already outdated and should only be regarded as spare-time reading. Bringing them into meetings to read is disrupting God’s work, is resisting and betraying God, and must be strictly restricted. If someone insists on reading the Bible or spiritual texts at meetings, then that proves they resist God and disrupt God’s work, and are surely antichrists. God’s chosen people must reject such a person and remove them. All meetings of Almighty God’s believers must be for eating, drinking and enjoying the words of Almighty God—this is an administrative decree of the church that can’t be changed by anyone.

Questions and Answers on God’s Work of Judgment in the Last Days(1)

Question 1: You say that God becomes flesh in the last days to do the work of judgment. Does this have any basis in the Bible, or fulfill any biblical prophecies? Without a biblical basis, we shouldn’t be so quick to believe it.

Answer: Any major incidents of God’s work are prophesied in the Bible, and there are quite a few prophecies relating to the second coming of the Lord Jesus and God’s work of judgment in the last days. But what we should understand is that prophecies only tell people what will happen. They are reminders for people to be watchful and to seek and investigate carefully in the last days, so they won’t be abandoned or eliminated by God. That’s all the prophecies can do. The prophecies can’t help us know God’s work, nor understand the truth, or help us obey God, or increase our love for God. So, our best course is to directly investigate the words expressed by Almighty God, and the work done by Him, and from these determine whether they are truly God’s voice and expression. That is the most important, and wisest, course of action. This is much more realistic and useful than searching for a basis in biblical prophecies. We all know that when the Lord Jesus came to do work, the apostles and believers who followed Him only recognized gradually, through His work and words, that the Lord Jesus was Christ, the Messiah prophesied to come. The chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees who knew the laws and studied the Bible knew very well that the Lord Jesus’ words were the truth, had authority, and had power, but because they hated the truth, they not only refused to follow the Lord Jesus, they used the letters and rules in the Bible to oppose and condemn the Lord Jesus, and finally nailed Him to the cross. This shows us that the Bible can’t lead or guide us to accept the return of the Lord. For those of us who await the Lord’s return, the Bible only serves as corroboration. The clever virgins don’t welcome the Groom using the Bible. When they hear the Groom’s voice, they ascertain it is God’s voice and go to meet the Lord. Those who rely on biblical prophecy, rather than seeking God’s voice, and who reject and condemn Almighty God’s work in the last days— they are the most foolish virgins, those who God will abandon and eliminate.

A Letter From a Recovered Cancer Patient to Her Sister

Little Sister:

Hello! I got your letter a few days ago and it made me really happy. We haven’t been in contact for a long time, so now that I know you’re all well and that you’re living the proper church life, my mind can rest easy. You asked why I hadn’t been in touch with you for such a long time; you must surely have been worried that something had happened to me, right? Actually, I’ve been going through a trial of illness during this time, and the doctor gave me a death sentence. But I miraculously survived under the guidance of God’s words, and now I’m completely fine. You probably want to know how God guided me through this trial of illness, don’t you? Let me take you through everything that’s happened.

A Christian’s Diary: The Misunderstanding Between My Mother and Me Has Finally Been Resolved(2)

January 19, 2018 Friday Clear Skies

When I thought about my interactions with my mother during this time, I realized that because of my corrupt disposition, I had suffered quite a lot and also made her feel restrained in all respects. I felt it was time to resolve this situation. Today, I went up to my mother’s side and finally had the courage to tell her something straight from my heart, “Mother, these days I have not properly communicated God’s words with you. I have relied on my corrupt disposition to interact with you. I have not treated you as a sister. I have always treated you as my mother. I thought no matter what tone of voice I used to tell you things, you would not take it to heart, you would not become angry at me, you would not hold a grudge against me and you would not turn your back on me. I was not considerate of your feelings when speaking to you. I have hurt you. Only after I had read God’s words did I realize that I was lacking in humanity. I know I was wrong. From now on, I will not demand that you listen to me. I must forsake my flesh, put the truth into practice and live out a normal humanity. Let us treat each other as if we were sisters. When we encounter a situation, we should seek the truth and principles. We should point out each other’s problems and help each other …” The more I said, the more my heart felt guilt. I could see that I was really lacking the rationality of a normal humanity. My mother also said some things that were from her heart, “I’m also corrupt. I stubbornly maintained my own perspective and ways of doing things. Even if I knew what you said was correct, I would not do it. I thought that I had been like this almost my entire life. You always requested that I pay a little more attention to hygiene, yet I did not take it seriously. That was not correct. We are mother and daughter in terms of our flesh. But, in terms of our spirit, we are siblings. I should accept your suggestions when they are right.” When I heard my mother say these heartfelt things to me, I could feel that our relationship had gotten a little better. My heart felt peaceful and happy. I could not help but be grateful, “Thank You God! O God, it’s so wonderful to have Your guidance!”

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven(6)

Question 6: We forsake everything else, spread the Lord’s gospel, and shepherd the church. This kind of labor is the way to implement the heavenly Father’s will. Is there anything wrong with our practice this way?

Answer: Spreading the Lord’s gospel and working for Him doesn’t necessarily mean you’re implementing His will. To truly implement the heavenly father’s will, you must implement the Lord’s doctrine and keep His commandments. You must do as the Lord demands. “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. And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:37-39). As far as implementing the heavenly father’s will is concerned, the most important requirement is practicing Lord Jesus’s current words. This is the most basic principle. If you do not focus on following Lord Jesus’s words and instead follow those biblical figures, you are not implementing the heavenly father’s will. To implement the heavenly father’s will is to follow God’s words. People always exalt the words of the apostles contained in the Bible instead of exalting those of Lord Jesus Himself. By doing so, they are not implementing God’s will; Instead, they are resisting Him. In order to implement God’s will, you must obey Him, accept His trust and bear witness to God regardless of what He says or does. Those people, the ones that no longer rebel against God or resist Him, are the ones that He praises. Take Abraham, for example, he was able to follow God’s words. He dutifully gave his beloved only child to God. God rewarded Abraham for his loyal servitude. He blessed one of Abraham’s other children, allowing him to eventually become a great nation. Another example is Job; He revered God and stayed away from evil things. During his trials, when his wealth and children were taken away, he cursed himself instead of blaming God; he continued to bless the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, he was a perfect man in God’s eyes. Peter is yet another example. He followed Lord Jesus all his life, longing to pursue the truth. After accepting the Lord’s trust, he shepherded the church, in strict accordance with God’s requirements. Eventually he was able to serve God until death and love Him above everything else. All of these people obeyed and revered God. People like this are the ones who truly implement the heavenly father’s will. If you say that laboring for the Lord means you are implementing the heavenly father's will, then why, after the Pharisees traveled to the ends of the earth to spread the gospel and work for the Lord, were they eventually condemned and cursed by the Lord Jesus? That’s because they believed in God but did not implement His doctrines. When Lord Jesus came to do His works, not only did the Pharisees not accept it, they lead the entire Jewish faith in fanatically condemning and resisting Lord Jesus. They even beared false witness to Him in an attempt to hurt Lord Jesus. Everything they did was a betrayal of the Lord’s path; they took Lord Jesus as their enemy. Although these people looked as if they were enduring much suffering and laboring hard for the Lord, how can we say they were implementing the heavenly father’s will?

from the movie script of Stinging Memories

The Word of Christ in the Last Days | "God's Work, God's Disposition, and God Himself II" (Part Six)

God's words in this video are from the book "Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh".

The content of this video:

Job's Testimony Brings Comfort to God   

Although God Has Not Revealed Himself to Job, Job Believes in the Sovereignty of God     

Job's Faith in God Is Not Shaken Because God Is Hidden From Him 

Job Blesses the Name of God and Does Not Think of Blessings or Disaster     

Although God Is Hidden From Man, His Deeds Among All Things Are Sufficient for Man to Know Him 

If Man's Heart Is in Enmity to God, How Can He Fear God and Shun Evil  

Recommended reading：  

The Mystery of the “Resurrection of a Dead Man”

Testimony of a Christian: How She Overcame the Temptation to Have an Affair (Part 1)

By Xiyue, Henan Province

      One evening, Jingru was tidying her place.

“Ring, ring.” The phone began to ring. She answered it and a strange yet familiar voice sounded in her ear: “Hello! It’s Wang Wei. You’re home!”

      “Wang Wei?” Jingru was somewhat astonished: Why was he calling her now after so many years?

      “Yes … I’m home. What’s up?” asked Jingru in surprise.

      “Long time no see. I’d like to take you for a ride. I’m on my way to your place and will arrive soon. Wait outside your door for me!” said Wang Wei.

      After she’d hung up, Jingru’s heart began to race, and her thoughts immediately returned to those days at school …

     Jingru had not only grown to be pretty, but she also got good grades, and many boys in the school, including Wang Wei, pursued her. In order to get himself into Jingru’s world, Wang Wei employed all kinds of ways to get closer to her, like passing messages, writing letters and giving her presents to express his feelings for her. But Jingru was an obedient, sensible girl, and she didn’t want her studies to be affected or to disappoint her parent’s expectations of her because of some emotional distraction, and so she always adopted an indifferent attitude in the face of Wang Wei’s persistent pursuit. But Wang Wei didn’t give up just because Jingru gave him the cold shoulder, and several years later Wang Wei was still pursuing her just as he’d always done. His persistence began ever so slightly to move Jingru’s heart, but she was only slightly moved. Later, a few female classmates began to appear around Wang Wei, and they would follow him around all day long. Jingru’s tranquil heart began to surge, and she thought she could use this circumstance to test Wang Wei for a semester; if he remained unmoved by these girls and kept pursuing her, then she would relent to his pursuit …

Questions and Answers on the Name of God

Question 1: It is clearly written in the Bible: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). So the name of the Lord does not change, but you say that the name of the Lord Jesus will change in the last days. How can you explain that?

Answer: Brothers and sisters, the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). This refers to the fact that God’s disposition and His essence are eternal and unchanging. It does not mean that His name will not change. Let’s take a look at the words of Almighty God.

Questions and Answers on the Way of the Lord’s Arrival (Secret and Open)

Question 2: I’ve believed in the Lord for over half my life. I’ve worked tirelessly for the Lord and have been on constant lookout for His second coming. If the Lord came, why didn’t I receive His revelation? Has He cast me aside? This has left me very confused. How do you explain this?

Answer: Man thinks that if he believes in the Lord for half his life, works hard for the Lord, and vigilantly awaits His second coming, when the Lord comes again He will give revelation to them. This is man’s conception and imagination and is not in keeping with the fact of God’s work. The Jewish Pharisees compassed land and sea spreading the way of God. Did the Lord Jesus ever give them any revelation when He came? As for the disciples that followed the Lord Jesus, which among them followed the Lord Jesus because they had been given revelation? Not one of them! You might argue that Peter received God’s revelation and recognized that the Lord Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, but that was after Peter had been following the Lord Jesus for some time and had heard Him preach for some time and had some knowledge of Him in his heart. Only then did he receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit and was able to recognize the Lord Jesus’ true identity. Certainly Peter did not receive any revelations prior to following the Lord Jesus, this is fact. Those that followed the Lord Jesus were only able to recognize that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah after hearing Him preach for some time. They didn’t follow Him because they had received a revelation in advance that allowed them to recognize who the Lord Jesus was. In the last days, Almighty God has descended secretly among man to do the work of judgment. Millions of people have accepted and followed Almighty God, but not one of them does so because they received a revelation from the Holy Spirit. We follow Almighty God because we recognized God’s voice in our reading of Almighty God’s word and communing on the truth. These facts prove that when God is incarnated to do His work, He certainly does not give revelations to any man to believe in and follow Him. Not to mention, in the last days God expresses truth to do the work of judgment. God’s utterance of His word to the whole universe is His work of the last days. All can hear God’s voice. God’s speech in the last days represents the first time since God’s creation of the world that God has proclaimed His word to all of humanity and to the entire universe. In Revelation, God said many times “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” In the last days, God works through utterance of His word and expression of the truth to find His sheep. God’s sheep can hear God’s voice. All those that hear and understand God’s voice are God’s sheep, are the wise virgins. Those that do not understand God’s voice must be the foolish virgins. In this all men are distinguished each unto his own kind. This shows how wise and righteous God is!

Praise and Worship Song "God's Love Brings Us Close Together" (Male Solo)

Impression after watching:

Seeing that brothers and sisters sang the hymns of praising God and played with different instruments. The big smile on their faces reminds me the happy life in God's house. There are lyrics sing like this "Only with God there is love, only with love there is family. All who love God one family." My brothers and sisters all come from different countries. We are not from the same family. It is God's words' calling and election, which let us come to His home from all over the world. It also gives us opportunity to experience the purifying and judgement of God's words, which help us start to mature in life and transform disposition gradually. We are worshiping God together in a family full of love.

Though separated by countless seas and mountains,

we are one people, with no boundaries between us,

with different colored skin and speaking different tongues.

Because Almighty God’s words call to us,

we are raised up before God’s throne.

I

Though separated by countless seas and mountains,

we are one people, with no boundaries between us,

with different colored skin and speaking different tongues.

Because Almighty God’s words call to us,

we are raised up before God’s throne.

There is the elderly, with hair all white,

and the young, bright and radiant.

Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder,

we walk on together through wind and rain, encouraging each other in adversity.

With one mind we fulfill our duty.

Our hearts are connected, we become confidants in life.

God’s love brings us closer together.

What Is Incarnation? What Is the Essence of Incarnation?

Bible Verses for Reference:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jhn 1:1).

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (Jhn 1:14).

Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father? Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake (Jhn 14:9-11).

I and my Father are one (Jhn 10:30).

Relevant Words of God:

The meaning of incarnation is that God appears in the flesh, and He comes to work among man of His creation in the image of a flesh. So, for God to be incarnated, He must first be flesh, flesh with normal humanity; this, at the very least, must be true. In fact, the implication of God’s incarnation is that God lives and works in the flesh, God in His very essence becomes flesh, becomes a man.

from “The Essence of the Flesh Inhabited by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Gospel Music 2018 - God Ruling Over the Beginning and the Future of Mankind

My impression:

Today I watched the documentary “The One Who Holds Sovereignty Over Everything” - God Ruling Over the Beginning and the Future of Mankind, I just found that whether one is wealthy or poor, or how many ups and downs we have to go through, they are not controlled in our own hands. Thinking back I was fighting for a better life, dreaming I could buy an apartment in downtown when I had enough money. But, changes always go beyond plans. No matter how much money I had, it was spent out because of my husband’s sick. I was always thinking why my life was so hard… When I was still fighting for my plan of life, God arranged me to listen to His word. From His word I understand that no matter how much wealth we have is actually arranged by God. If we want to be free from these troubles and pains, we can only come before God and live by the God’s word can our lives be easy. 

From when we come wailing into the world, we begin playing different roles in life. We move from birth to old age to illness to death, we go between joy and sorrow…. Where does mankind really come from, and where will we really go? Who controlled man's beginnings, and who commands his future? Today, all will be revealed …

More details :

What is knowing God exactly? Can an understanding of Bible knowledge and theological theory be considered as knowing God?

How to Pray in Accordance With God’s Will

The Outcomes and the Content of Prayer

What can be effected through prayer? We have to be clear on this. First of all, prayer can enable man to understand God’s word, to understand the truth of His word. This is the first outcome. Secondly, prayer can enable us to understand God’s will, to understand what He requires of us. Thirdly, prayer can increase our faith; in times of trial and tribulation, in particular, prayer enables us to confidently walk the road ahead. Fourthly, prayer enables us to feel God as dear and beloved, and to grow a heart that loves God and satisfies Him. Finally, prayer enables us to truly know God, especially His disposition, His loveliness, and His wondrous works. The more we pray, the more we sense the wonder of God, the more we touch Him. Hence, the more we pray, the more we come to know God. Prayer is the only way for man to come into contact with God’s Spirit. Without prayer, you have no means to contact God’s Spirit. God sees into man’s heart, yet man cannot see Him. But through prayer we touch the work of the Holy Spirit, we understand the work of the Holy Spirit and know what the Holy Spirit does upon us and with what effects. This produces real knowledge of God. Prayer can effect so many outcomes upon us, and has then an immeasurable effect on our salvation through belief in God, on our entering the truth to our final perfection by God. A heart that truly loves God is won through prayer. When man does not pray or prays little, he does not know God, and even should he wish to love God he will fail. Through prayer we are able to know something of how God’s Spirit acts, what it is to be moved by God’s Spirit; we are able to know something of God. In this way, we can see His wondrousness, and a heart is born within us that loves Him. Thus, contacting God’s Spirit through prayer results in a genuine knowledge of God. Now, many people know how to pray, and have some experience of it. It is through this experience that they have learned how to have their prayers heard, and what kind of prayers God will not answer. I believe all of us have some experience and knowledge of this. What is the nature of prayers that God hears? It must be a prayer that accords with His will. If we pray to God to understand the truth, do you think this accords with His will? If we pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit, does this accord with His will? Such prayers are all in accordance with His will. Praying to seek out God’s will, to seek out what He requires of us, accords too with His will. Praying for God to deal with real difficulties within our family accords with His will: When we seek to entrust the unbelievers in our family to God for Him to save them, that accords too with His will. When we pray for our brothers and sisters, when we pray for those religious people to return to God, this all accords with God’s will. When we meet with persecution, with adversity or are faced with all kinds of disasters and we pray for God’s deliverance, this too accords with His will. You can say that all prayers that accord with His will, will be heard. Then what might you pray for that does not accord with His will? Some pray to be rich; do you think that accords with God’s will? Some pray for their children to get into university; does that accord with His will? Some pray for God to find them a good job with more money; does that accord with His will? Or some pray for God to find them a suitable spouse; does that accord with His will? None of these prayers accord with God’s will. It is clear now too what kind of prayers do not accord with His will, isn’t it? How should we then distinguish between those things we pray for that are in accordance with God’s will and those that are not? We must be able to distinguish. We have to figure out in our own hearts the things we encounter that can be brought before God in prayer. Since the work of God is to save man, if what we pray for is in contradiction to our seeking salvation from God, if it conflicts with that, and is not beneficial to our salvation, then we need not pray for such a thing. For example, if you wish to go among the unbelievers to get rich, is this not rebellion? Does praying for this accord with God’s will? For certain, it does not. Do not pray or ask for anything that betrays God, or that offends Him. So, we have to distinguish which things accord with God’s will and should be put in our prayers, and which things do not. Furthermore, there are times we encounter something, and we are faced with a choice: Do we choose to care for God’s will or care for and submit to the flesh? These are times when man is tested, and we see which road man will take; this is temptation coming upon us. Therefore, in praying we must make distinction; we should pray for whatever things we ought to. How do we judge which things we should pray for, according to what do we ascertain them? We discern them on the basis of God’s work, on the basis of His word. Judging from what the work is that God does, do the things we pray for conflict with God’s work? Do they interrupt His work, are they beneficial to our seeking salvation? We ascertain the things we should pray for on these grounds. And what problem does this touch upon? In praying before God man must possess conscience and reason, he must possess a pure and open, an honest heart; you cannot be deceitful with God, you must be pure and open. You must possess a heart that seeks the truth, a heart that thirsts for the truth. Most importantly, you must possess a heart that genuinely loves God, a heart obedient to God. Only in this way, when coming before Him to pray, are we pleasing to God. If the heart you bear within does not love God, is not obedient to Him, and yet you pray, saying “God, what am I to do in this matter?”, and you are not willing to obey, then you are seeking God’s agreement to your rebelling against Him, to contravening Him. Is this not an expression of blasphemy? Such prayer will not be pleasing to God, and He will say, “When you pray you still are disobeying Me, you still are going against Me, you are not seeking the truth at all, you have not an iota of obedience in you.” So, there are prayers that do not accord with God’s will, that go against God, that disobey Him, prayers that you must not pray to Him. If you pray thus, you are going against God; to put it seriously, this is blasphemy. What we bring before God to pray for must accord with His will; we must be genuinely seeking truth, and not testing God. There are some whose prayers are testing in nature; they are only too eager for God to fulfill their wishes, to satisfy their needs of the flesh, to satisfy their extravagant desires. If man comes before God to pray with such a heart, this is utterly unacceptable to Him for this is an expression of going against Him, of opposing Him. In addition, there are some meaningless things we need not pray for. What are the meaningless things? Some will pray to God as to whether they should read His word, or whether they should meet together; there are even some who will pray to Him as to whether they should eat, or whether they should go shopping. They ask God whether He agrees, whether He permits. I ask you, does such prayer have any meaning? Such people appear a little crazy; they’re not too normal. I have observed that some people who are afflicted by evil spirits pray much this way: They even pray to God about going to the restroom, about whether they’re allowed; when they go to eat, they ask Him whether they’re allowed. Even more absurd are those who when they go to do any little thing, have God do it for them: When they go out the door, they have God watch over their home, protect their property and keep thieves away. Don’t you think praying for these kinds of things is absurd? What kind of prayers a person puts before God proves what kind of person they are. What someone absurd prays for is also absurd.

From Classic Selections From Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life

How to Eat and Drink the Words of God to Achieve Good Results

How to Eat and Drink and Experience the Words of God

Today we are communicating about how to eat and drink the words of God. First we need to be clear on the significance of eating and drinking the words of God. Our belief in God is mainly a pursuit of the truth, and only by pursuing the truth are we able to be saved. Pursuing the truth involves the issue of eating and drinking the words of God, because only God’s word is the truth, and all the truth that God expresses is concealed within God’s words. If we truly understand the significance of eating and drinking the words of God, we will be willing to put in a great amount of effort into eating and drinking God’s words, and we will be willing to do our utmost to pursue and obtain the truth in God’s words. Pursuing the truth is mainly done by eating and drinking the words of God, experiencing the words of God, and understanding the words of God. This must be clearly understood. If eating and drinking God’s words did not achieve results, then people would not be able to understand the truth. If you did not get good results in eating and drinking God’s words, and you didn’t understand the truth, then how could you put God’s words into practice? There are many people who only understand a little of the doctrine in some of the passages of God’s words. They are only able to say some general, shallow things about God’s words and they are unable to clearly understand the reality of the words. Afterward, they merely practice that particular aspect of the doctrine and only follow the letter of God’s words mechanically. They put it into practice for a period of time and then feel that their spirit is willing but their flesh is weak, and that they aren’t getting results. Consequently, they don’t put it all into practice and they give up. So, you see that if there are no results attained in eating and drinking the words of God, it’s not possible to produce results in putting God’s words into practice and experiencing God’s words. Therefore, it is crucial to attain results in eating and drinking the words of God. God’s words are mostly words of judging and chastising corrupt mankind and are mainly to reveal mankind’s corrupt substance. Most of His words are regarding this aspect. Regardless of what aspect God speaks about, it is all done for the purpose of obtaining a result. So, in eating and drinking the words of God, one must first be clear on what results are to be achieved through God’s words. How does one become clear about the results God’s words are to achieve? When you have read a sentence of God’s words, you must first think about the purpose for God speaking these words and what results God is trying to achieve. You must first ponder this question. This sentence certainly contains truth. Where is the truth in this sentence? Why does God want us to understand this aspect of the truth? What results does He want to attain through letting us understand this aspect of truth? Only by contemplating in this way can you deeply enter into the substance of God’s words, grasp the intentions in God’s words, and understand the purpose of God speaking them and the results to be achieved. Every sentence of God’s words contains the will of God and in it is hidden the truth that all people need to obtain. If people truly understand the truth from God’s words, understand the will of God, and see God’s requirements, then it will be easy for this sentence of God’s words to obtain results in people. Therefore, reading the words of God is key! The first step in believing in God is reading His words. The key to whether or not a person who believes in God is able to get on the right track, obtain the truth, and be saved lies in how this person reads God’s words and whether or not this person knows the proper way to read God’s words. If this person has good inner qualities, has the ability to comprehend the word of God, knows how to pursue the illumination of the Holy Spirit while pondering God’s words, is serious with God’s words, pursues the truth, and frequently fellowships with experienced people, then this kind of person is able to attain an understanding of the truth in God’s words. If a person understands the truth through God’s words, then when they experience and practice God’s words, they will have a path forward, and will not merely mechanically follow the rules. If they are unable to understand the truth from God’s words, then they will be unable to experience God’s words. Do you think they could experience them and put them into practice? … If you do not know how to eat and drink the words of God, you will not be able to write a true understanding, experience or testimony. You must learn to eat and drink the words of God; true experiences and testimonies about believing in God are the results obtained through eating and drinking the words of God. Only if you are able to understand the truth through eating and drinking the words of God will you be able to obtain the truth. If you are never able to understand the truth through eating and drinking the words of God, then you will be unable to obtain the truth.