Finding the Salvation of the Last Days on Facebook II

Finding the Salvation of the Last Days on Facebook II

Later, when I fellowshiped with Chen Xin and Sister Lin, I told them my worries, which were caused by my FB friend’s negative reminder, to see how they would explain. With smile, Sister Lin said confidently, “God’s sheep can hear God’s voice and God will surely recognize His sheep. Almighty God says, ‘What I desire is not man’s conceptions and thoughts, much less your money and belongings, but your heart. Do you understand? This is My will, and even more what I set out to gain’ (“The Sixty-first Utterance” of Christ’s Initial Expressions and Testimonies in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words allow us to understand that what God desires is man’s sincerity, not man’s money and belongings. The Lord Jesus also taught us to worship Him in spirit and in truth, not by our wrong notions and thought. The whole world was created by God. No person or no thing does not belong to Him. God doesn’t need our worship of money and belongings, because our whole being is from God and everything we have is bestowed by Him. The website of the Church of Almighty God is open. The words expressed by Almighty God and the films and videos produced by the Church of Almighty God are all concerned with the truth fellowship, God’s work, how God saves mankind and how man can live out a meaningful life. There is not a single place mentioning that one has to offer money to be admitted to the Church. Furthermore, a great many people have accepted Almighty God’s work across the world, but none of them are said to have been charged when joining the Church of Almighty God. This is because the water of the river of life is freely bestowed to those who are thirsty. God’s words are freely bestowed to those who thirst for the truth. Not only the Church of Almighty God does not demand money from people, but on the contrary sends all kinds of books to them freely. In God, all is open, all is clear, and nothing is hidden. So, that allegation is all the more unfounded that people have to swear not to leak any secrets of the Church before their admission. Obviously, anyone with normal conscience and sense can never spread such messages on the Internet to slander and defame the Church of Almighty God, but only those with ulterior motives could do that. This carries Satan’s schemes. Satan tries to find every possible way to disturb and impair God’s work, and hinder people from accepting the true way. Don’t be confused by merely a rumor, a lie and thus afraid to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days. In that case, you may easily miss God’s salvation of the last days. By then, it will be too late to regret. God does all He can to save man, and He gives everyone the opportunity to be saved. We should follow God’s footsteps and listen to God’s voice. Whether Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus is not decided by man, but is answered by God Himself. Almighty God has expressed millions of words. As long as we have a seeking heart to read Almighty God’s words, we can ascertain that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus.”

After hearing her fellowship, I became much more grounded. As a believer in the Lord for several decades, haven’t I been expecting the return of the Lord? Both Xinyi and I considered what they said reasonable. Then we dropped our worries to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days.

In the following day, Sister Lin fellowshiped with us about the truth concerning the way of the Lord’s coming. Sister Lin said, “Apart from the verses concerning the Lord’s descending upon a cloud in public, there are still those mentioning the Lord will come in secret. For example, ‘I come as a thief’ (Revelation 16:15), ‘… for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes’ (Matthew 24:44), and ‘But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father’ (Mark 13:32). Apparently, the Lord’s return will be in two different ways. One way will be in secret. The other will be in public: Just as what you said, the Lord will arrive on a cloud and every single eye shall witness Him. However, before God publicly descends on a cloud, He will come in a hidden way through incarnation to do the work of judging, purifying, and saving man. Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days through incarnation, which we testify today, is the Lord’s work when He comes in secret. Because the incarnate God comes to the world as a man, looking ordinary and normal. It is secret for all humanity. No one recognizes Him as God, nor does anyone know His true identity. So,  “come as a thief” is a very appropriate metaphor for the appearing of the Son of man.  After the Son of man works and speaks, only those capable of recognizing His voice start to know Him. Yet those who can’t discern His voice will treat Him as just an ordinary man so as to deny and reject Him. For example, when the Lord Jesus did His work in the flesh, He was like an ordinary man outwardly. So people denied, resisted, and condemned Him. But some people, through the Lord Jesus’ work and word, recognized Him as the Christ in the flesh, the appearance of God. Now is when Almighty God is working in secret to save man. He is expressing His words to judge, purify, and perfect us. During this time, people can’t see the scene of the Lord coming on a cloud in public. Not until He has made a group of overcomers will His hidden work of incarnation come to an end. And then the great disasters fall down. The good is rewarded, and the evil is punished. He will openly appear to all nations. At that point, it is the scene of the Lord’s descending upon a cloud as we think. Just as what Almighty God says, ‘Many people may not care what I say, but I still want to tell every so-called saint who follows Jesus that, when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth. Those who accept the truth and do not seek signs, and thus have been purified, shall have returned before the throne of God and entered the Creator’s embrace. Only those who persist in the belief that “The Jesus who does not ride upon a white cloud is a false Christ” shall be subjected to everlasting punishment, for they only believe in the Jesus who exhibits signs, but do not acknowledge the Jesus who proclaims severe judgment and releases the true way of life. And so it can only be that Jesus deals with them when He openly returns upon a white cloud. … The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit’ (“When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Today, God becomes flesh and expresses the words to judge, chastise and purify man. Only by accepting God’s hidden work of judgment and achieving purity at last can we enter His kingdom. If we live in our own imagined notion—the Jesus who does not ride upon a white cloud is a false Christ, and reject God’s work of judgment, we will lose God’s salvation of the last days and in the end we will only be subjected to God’s punishment because our sinful nature has not been purified and changed.”

Their fellowship was in complete accord with the Bible. I suddenly came to my senses and understood how these biblical verses fulfilled. “…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven” (Act 1:11), “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Revelation 16:15), and “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). Actually, the ways of the Lord’s coming are in a hidden way and in a public way. These are the signs concerning the two different ways of the Lord’s appearance. I had asked so many pastors from seminaries and read so many spiritual books but failed to understand them. I only knew that the Lord would come upon a white cloud but didn’t know the Lord would come in different ways. Now I have understood it. It’s so great! Has the Lord Jesus really come to unlock the mysteries? If not, how could they know so much and speak so clearly? Thank the Lord for His leadership. Today, I have gained a lot.

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What Kind of People Are Considered God’s Followers?

What Kind of People Are Considered God’s Followers?

Yang Min

I believe that like me, all the brothers and sisters in the Lord have received lots of peace and blessings from the Lord, and that we all have ever been resolved to follow the Lord all our life. I remember, at that time I was fervent within. In order to repay the Lord’s great love, I actively spread the gospel for Him and supported the church, and I had confidence about holding on to His way. Moreover, I constantly contemplated His grace, and I was frequently moved to tears when I prayed, feeling so close to the Lord. I prided myself on being a follower of the Lord.

But unknowingly, that feeling was gone. I grew cold in love as well as in faith; and I had no enjoyment in praying, for I received no response from the Lord, feeling like being talking to thin air. I no longer prided myself on being a follower of the Lord; instead, I frequently distressed myself about failing to keep the Lord’s teaching. I committed sins and confessed sins every day, totally shackled without release by sins. In result, I lost my motivation for preaching the gospel, and I even dreaded to have it known that I’m a Christian, for fear that my behaviors couldn’t glorify the Lord, but rather shamed His name. I sometimes felt my belief in the Lord consisted only in paying empty tribute to the name of the Lord Jesus.

At times, I would ask myself: Can I, who vainly grasp to the name of the Lord Jesus, count as a follower of the Lord? Can it be that the Lord has forsaken me? If not, why can’t I feel His presence? And why do I feel that I have lost the lamp to my feet and the light to my path, and sunk into the darkness?

I often studied the Bible, hoping to get the answer in the Scriptures. Later, from the accounts of the Bible, I found that not all the believers in God could be considered as God’s followers. The standard by which God judges whether a person is His follower differs across periods of time. Here, I’d like to share my gain with brothers and sisters, and discuss with you about what kind of people are approved by God and what kind of people are His followers.

In Exodus 6, Jehovah God spoke to Moses, “Why say to the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, which brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Exodus 6:6-7). The scriptures show us that in the Old Testament Age of Law, God chose the Israelites as His people and became their God. He raised up Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, used him to issue the laws to the Israelites, and guided their life on earth. The early Israelites accepted Jehovah God’s leadership, and acted strictly according to the laws. If anyone violated the law, those who committed slight sins would have to offer sacrifices as Jehovah God required, while those who sinned grievously would be put to death. All of them were restricted by the laws. And as they had seen the majesty and wrath of Jehovah’s disposition, they were loyal to Him. Thus they received great grace and protection from God, and were allowed to serve Him in the temple for generations. So, they were followers of God in that age.

However, as mankind had been so corrupted by Satan that they became ever more evil and degenerate, the Jews later were not able to observe the law. They often committed sins and violated the law, which put them in danger of being executed by the law at any time. But, as God cared for mankind, He carried out a new stage of work outside the temple in steps and according to His plan. So, the incarnate Lord Jesus came and brought the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to mankind. He hoped that everyone could come to the light and depart from the temple so as to follow the footsteps of God. The Bible records that, when the Lord Jesus spread the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, He said, “Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Besides, He healed the sick and cast out demons, and performed many signs and wonders. Then which people are followers of the Lord Jesus?

At that time, the Lord Jesus called to Peter and his brother Andrew on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Bible records, “And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Likewise, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother too were called by the Lord. And He also called upon the other disciples in this way. For example, He said to Philip, “Follow me” (John 1:43). The Lord said so because He looked deep into man’s hearts, and knew that Peter and the rest of them longed for and sought the truth. And indeed, through His words, Peter and the others recognized that the Lord Jesus had come from God. So, when the Lord Jesus called upon them, they all followed Him without hesitation. Eventually, they obtained the supply of the living water of life from the words of the Lord, took His words as a guideline in all things, and enjoyed the work of the Holy Spirit at that time. Thus, they became genuine followers of God in that age.

But during that time, most of the religious leaders headed by the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees slavishly abided by the law, refused to come out of the temple to seek the truth that the Lord Jesus spoke, and even blasphemed and condemned Him. They said that the Lord Jesus spoke words of blasphemy, blasphemed that He cast out devils by the prince of the devils, and condemned Him for His not keeping the Sabbath. In the end, these religious leaders joined hands with the Roman government and crucified the Lord Jesus. They were stubborn and arrogant and kept to old ways, and in substance they hated the truth and God. They not only did not at all have a heart of seeking the Lord Jesus’ work, but did their utmost in condemning and blaspheming it. Although they acknowledged Jehovah God’s name as holy, never did they accept the Lord Jesus’ work. They could not be considered as God’s followers anymore. This can be obviously seen from the Lord Jesus’ attitude toward them. Just as it is recorded in the Bible, the Lord Jesus said, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:13), and “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). Here, the Lord Jesus condemned them, saying that they would have misfortune, and branding them as evil-doers. So it is clear that when God begins His new work, if we don’t have a seeking heart but rather condemn and blaspheme it and refuse to follow His footsteps, then we will become ones who resist God.

From this we can see that the work of God does not remain unchanging but is always moving forward. He will perform new work according to the needs of us mankind. Therefore, the measure of whether we are God’s followers is based on whether we keep pace with His work. When God does a new work and releases a new light, only those who can put aside their old conceptions, listen and obey, and closely follow the work of the Holy Spirit are God’s followers and approved by Him. This exactly fulfills what the Bible says, “These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). On the contrary, those who hold onto their old means of belief and fail to follow God’s actual work cannot obtain the work of the Holy Spirit, neither can they be regarded as ones who follow God’s work.

Looking at myself, I have fallen into darkness now, at a loss what to do. I feel like I have been forsaken by the Lord, like I’m no longer His follower, and this causes me a sudden pang of sadness. Nevertheless, I’m still yearning for the return of the Lord Jesus day and night, hoping to follow His footsteps. Well, brothers and sisters in the Lord, do you have such desperate hope as I do? Let us pray to the Lord fervently and ask Him to lead us on the path ahead. Many verses in Revelation say, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches” (Revelation 2:17). The prophecies covered in Revelation all concern the future work of God. These words indicate that the Lord will once again speak to the churches and His believers when He comes back. So, we should at all times be careful, pay attention to where there is the preaching about the word of the returned Lord. Like Peter and the other disciples, who recognized God’s voice from the Lord’s word, we should seek so as to recognize God’s voice and keep pace with the Lamb’s footsteps and become God’s followers.

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The Transformation of a Teacher

The Transformation of a Teacher

Fan Lin

Introduction: Fan Lin is a teacher. Since the first day she set foot in the classroom, she has made a resolution inwardly to be a paragon of virtue and learning, to devote her entire life to education, to expend all of her painstaking efforts on children selflessly. However, when she really assumed her own post, she was powerless to prevail over the assaults of social trends. She broke her promises under the temptation of interests. …

Setting up My Mind to Be a Good Teacher

When I began to teach in the school, in order to be a good teacher who nurture students, I endeavored to enrich my professional knowledge, collected materials, prepared the lessons carefully and strived to give good lessons. And my efforts paid off. The score of my class finished in the top three every semester. Usually, I also cared for every student. At that time, there was a student who had epilepsy in my class. Once, while I was giving a lesson, he had an epileptic fit suddenly and fell to the ground in a faint. … I lay him down and pinched his philtrum, calling his name repeatedly. Gradually, he came around. After school, I carried him on my back to his home. His parents told me that he had suffered from the disease since childhood. So, I promised them that if he had an epileptic fit again, I would rescue him in time and take him home. They were grateful to me for what I said. Parents saw that I cared about students and did well in teaching, thus they were willing to send their children to my class. Winning their trust and recognition, I felt gratified and focused more energy on students. I also received favorable comments for my efforts from parents and teachers around.

Doing the Work Assiduously and Conscientiously

In the blink of an eye, two years passed. I saw some teachers around me, who were not as assiduous as me in teaching, were awarded advanced workers, or given a promotion, or given an increase in salary. Whereas, I did the work conscientiously, took the best care of every student and achieved remarkable results. But why didn’t these good things come upon me? I couldn’t figure it out. Later, I told my thoughts to my friend and she said to me, “You’re so silly. You only know to bow your head to do the work conscientiously as an old cow from dawn to dusk. In this age, it’s impracticable to exert all our strength like you. The contemporary society advocates ‘With money, you can make the devil push the millstone,’ and ‘Bureaucrats never discipline gift-givers.’ Do you see who works assiduously as you? But they can take the money, be granted both the professional titles and advanced titles, and awarded the bonus at the end of the year. Don’t be so stubborn. You’d better change quickly.” After hearing the words of my friend, I was suddenly enlightened: I believed the school was a pure land. It turns out that the school is the same with the society, advocating the principle of ‘Bureaucrats never discipline gift-givers and you can’t accomplish anything without licking their boots.’ Now I see it clearly that the honest are unpopular in the modern society. Working assiduously is less practicable than giving gifts. In the beginning, I felt that it was the conduct lacking moral quality for a teacher who imparted knowledge and educated people to give gifts. But when seeing the people around me all did this, I gave way to temptation and followed the crowd.

Following the Crowd

From then on, in order to be promoted and have my salary raised, I changed and began to follow the crowd to give gifts. During festivals, I prepared the gifts ahead and gave them to every leader in the school as well as the leaders of the Communist Youth League. Seeing the money spent on the gifts, I felt somewhat distressed. Then I thought, “In such a society, man can’t accomplish anything without giving gifts. Although I’ve given gifts to them today, when I’m promoted, I’ll be compensated by other gifts sooner or later.” Everything comes to him who waits. My desire finally came true. My husband became the leader of our school; I was promoted and my salary was raised too. Then, my status was exalted immediately and the teachers all greeted me with a smile. I wouldn’t need to give gifts to them, but instead they needed to send gifts to me. On holidays, I waited for their gifts at home.  Moreover, I learned how to treat them in accordance with the value of their gifts. For instance, facing those giving me expensive gifts, I would greet them with a smile; facing those giving me cheap gifts, I would have a lukewarm attitude toward them. In one Spring Festival, I made the list recording the gifts sent by the teachers and found most of the teachers had given us gifts except three or four teachers. I thought, “Hum! I’m no longer the one who was very honest before.” Thus, I said to my husband, “Three or four teachers did not send gifts to us. If they come to ask you for help later, you shall make them embarrassed.”

Accepting Gifts Beyond My Responsibility

Once, a student’s parent sent me a bag of rice and six quilt net covers for me to take care of his child. Seeing so many things, I thought, “It’s normal for teachers to give gifts to their leaders, for the whole society is like this. But I’ve never seen students’ parents give gifts to teachers. Imparting knowledge and educating students is my responsibility. I shouldn’t accept the gifts of the student’s parents.” Then, I told him, “You needn’t do so. Educating children is the responsibility of us teachers. I can’t accept your gifts. …” But the student’s parent said that these things were the tokens of his appreciation and asked me to accept them. At the same time, he unloaded these gifts from his car and moved them to my home. Thinking that my son would get married and need these quilt net covers, I was somewhat tempted. I thought, “Since he gives me these things sincerely, I’d better take them.” But I felt that it was improper for me to accept them, for he didn’t owe me anything. Although I refused to accept them once more, the student’s parent insisted on leaving them to me and then drove away. Seeing these things, I felt uneasy as if I were a thief.

I Became Greedy as a Wolf

As time went by, before or after every semester, children’s parents would carry big or small bags to send gifts to teachers. Some sent gifts to teachers’ home, some did so at the appointed meeting place by the phone call…. At that moment, gifts in the teachers’ home were as abundant as those in the Spring Festival. The gifts included cigarettes, wines, rice, oil, chicken, duck, fish, meat and various health supplements, etc. Seeing the crowd behave like this, I became inured to this kind of matter. I put the bottom line for conducting myself as a person behind me and adapted the social trends soon. Gradually, I felt that teaching children was laborious and it was normal and reasonable for them to give me some gifts. Moreover, such was the social trend. If you didn’t follow it, you would be defeated by it. At that time, I had already lost the original simplicity of being a teacher. The children before me were no longer the students I should educate and take care of, but the chess pieces I could use to make profits. I began to treat the children in the way that I treated the teachers. I carried out favorable policies to those children whose parents gave me gifts, such as arranging for them to sit in the front row, to be the class leaders and the excellent all-round students. If they made mistakes, I would turn a blind eye. To those children whose parents never gave me gifts, I would give them special treatments, such as arranging for them to sit in the last row, letting them clean the classroom. If they made mistakes, I would punish them by having them stand in class or rebuke them. When these children saw me, they acted just like the mouse saw the cat. Sometimes, it weighed on my conscience. When I recalled that my son’s ears were twisted by his teacher for failing to complete the homework in his childhood, I would hate that teacher. When I began my teaching career, I exhorted myself not to treat the children as she did. However, facing the interests nowadays, I became greedy as a wolf in my conscience.

The condemnation and Uneasiness in My Conscience

Every time when I did these things, I would be a little uneasy. Then I thought, “The modern society advocates ‘Bureaucrats never discipline gift-givers and you can’t accomplish anything without licking their boots.’ Not only the teachers and leaders in the school, but people from every walk of life all advocate this principle. If I don’t do this, others will say I’m sick.” Therefore, I felt at ease to enjoy the gifts from teachers in the Spring Festival and from the children’s parents in normal times. However, I didn’t feel happy later, because I felt that I had taken advantage of others and had enjoyed the hard-earned things from others. Besides, I felt uneasy as if I were a thief because I felt that I enjoyed the ill-gotten gains. Seeing that some corrupt officials were reported, I was also in a state of anxiety and always had nightmares at night. Sometimes, I was so scared that I cried and woke up in the middle of the night and my heart was strongly condemned. I thought, “If I don’t turn around, I would endure the mental pressure forever and would never be free from the inexplicable fear in my heart.” I didn’t want to be like this, but I couldn’t extricate myself from the days when I was haunted by the nightmares. …

God’s Words Judged and Revealed Man’s Corruption

In a fortuitous opportunity, I was lucky enough to accept the kingdom gospel of Almighty God. Through the gathering and fellowshiping with the brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God, I gradually understood some truths. I saw the words of Almighty God, “Born into such a filthy land, man has been severely blighted by society, he has been influenced by feudal ethics, and he has been taught at ‘institutes of higher learning.’ The backward thinking, corrupt morality, mean view on life, despicable philosophy, utterly worthless existence, and depraved lifestyle and customs—all of these things have severely intruded upon man’s heart, and severely undermined and attacked his conscience. As a result, man is ever more distant from God, and ever more opposed to Him. Man’s disposition becomes more vicious by the day, and there is not a single person who will willingly give up anything for God, not a single person who will willingly obey God, nor, moreover, a single person who will willingly seek the appearance of God. Instead, under the domain of Satan, man does nothing but pursue pleasure, giving himself over to the corruption of the flesh in the land of mud. … Before he was corrupted by Satan, man naturally followed God and obeyed His words. He was naturally of sound sense and conscience, and of normal humanity. After being corrupted by Satan, his original sense, conscience, and humanity grew dull and were impaired by Satan” (“To Have an Unchanged Disposition Is to Be in Enmity to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I was suddenly enlightened by God’s words: Before man was corrupted by Satan, man naturally followed and obeyed God’s words. He was naturally of sound sense and conscience, and of normal humanity. After being corrupted by Satan, man was severely blighted by society and influenced by feudal ethics. Gradually, man’s conscience grew dull, his sense became unsound, and he lost his humanity. His mindset became backward, his morality was corrupt, and he lacked the bottom line and principle of being a man. He took Satan’s philosophy of life as the truth, plundering one from another and giving free rein to the spread of sin. Originally, I just desired to be a good teacher, who could impart knowledge and educate people. However, under the influence of the social trends, I began to live by Satan’s laws of survival ‘Bureaucrats never discipline gift-givers and you can’t accomplish anything without licking their boots.’ In order to get a promotion and an increase in salary, I began to give gifts to the leaders. Once my goals were achieved, I began to enjoy the gifts from teachers and students’ parents. My attitudes toward these teachers and students varied with the amount of their gifts. I saw that Satan used these poisons to lure and corrupt me, so that I lost conscience, morality and humanity, and I outstretched my greedy hands farther and farther, and thus I couldn’t extricate myself from sins. Without God’s care and protection, I couldn’t see the light under the domain of Satan, felt strongly condemned and had nightmares frequently. This was the source of my miserable life.

God’s Words Roused My Heart and Spirit

One day, when I returned home from work, I opened the book of God’s word and saw the following words, “For example, some people especially love to take advantage at others’ expense and seek after their own interest in everything. Whatever they do must benefit them or they won’t do it. They don’t bother with anything unless it provides advantage, and they have their own ulterior motives for everything. They speak well of whoever benefits them and exalt whoever flatters them. Even when their favorites have problems, they will say their favorites are right and try hard to cover for and defend them. What nature does this sort of person have? Can you see their nature clearly according to these behaviors? They strive to take unfair advantage through their actions and engage in transactional behavior all the time and everywhere, so you can be certain that their nature is one of wholehearted covetousness for profits. They are for themselves in everything. They will not rise early unless there is an associated benefit. They are the most selfish people, insatiable, so their nature is to love money and not love truth. Does that not represent their nature? … So, if you seek to change your disposition then you must recognize your nature. ‘The rivers and mountains may change, but not one’s essential nature.’ If one’s nature is too bad and will never change, God will not save him. Don’t think that nature can be changed” (“How to Know Man’s Nature” in Records of Christ’s Talks With Leaders and Workers of the Church). God’s words pierced my heart like a sharp sword, and my satanic ugliness was so thoroughly exposed. It turned out that I was mercenary and loved to take advantage at others’ expense and enjoyed being supplied by others, which was selfish and greedy by nature and was influenced by Satan’s poison “Every man for himself and the devil takes the hindmost.” My living out was evilness before God, was a negative thing and was loathed by God most. God observed the hearts of all men, and saw clearly what evil things men do behind others though nobody knew about them. I felt these words were the warnings from God. I shouldn’t live in sin anymore. I should wake up immediately and repent to God, otherwise I won’t be saved by God. Thinking of this, I felt scared and knelt down to pray to God hurriedly, “Oh God! I’m wrong. Previously, I lived by Satan’s poisons and was loathed by You. Now, I’m willing to repent to You, set aside my greedy desires and become a new person in accordance with Your words’ requirements.”

The pictrue is from Internet.

One afternoon in the winter, all the children except one were picked up by their family members after school. Seeing the child in flimsy pants huddle up and walk back home, a wave of sadness and grief pulsed through me. I felt the child very pitiful and assumed his family must live in poverty. After I went home, I sewed a pair of cotton-padded trousers for him that night and gave it to him the next day. As a result, on Sunday, his parents got a gigot of lamb somewhere and asked him to send it to me. Seeing the gigot, I thought, “The mutton is expensive and I can’t bear to buy it for a long time. I’m itching to take it and nobody will know it. Just this once. I bet it won’t happen again.” Then, I had a second thought: This student’s family is in rather difficult condition. This gigot may be given by others. They don’t bear to eat it, but ask the child to give it to me. How can I take it? I feel uneasy to take it, but I’m reluctant to refuse it. I don’t really know what to do. Then, I prayed to God silently, “Oh, God! You know my flesh is weak at this moment and I’m incapable of overcoming sin. May You lead me to forsake my own greedy desires and carry out Your will in accordance with Your requirements.” After prayer, God’s words rang in my ears, “Today, most people are too afraid to bring their actions before God, and while you may deceive God’s flesh, you cannot deceive God’s Spirit. All that cannot withstand God’s observation is not in accord with truth and should be cast aside, or you sin against God” (“God Perfects Those After His Heart” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). At that moment, I felt God, by my side, was observing every word and action of me, as well as the change of my thoughts, and was waiting for me to turn back to Him. God’s words showed me the way to practice. Since I was a believer in God, I couldn’t live by Satan’s corrupt dispositions, taking advantage at others’ expense, and I should forsake Satan and stand testimony for God. So I gave the gigot back to the child’s parents. When I practiced God’s words, I felt assured in my heart. I knew this wasn’t my actual stature. It was Almighty God’s words that led me to triumph over the temptation of Satan. Thank God for His protection to me!

Conducting Myself Uprightly and Honorably

The Spring Festival was getting near before I knew it. The teachers took high-grade cigarettes and wines and other gifts to my home. Seeing the gifts they sent, I was not as joyful as before. Because after I believed in God, I understood from God’s words that in accepting other people’s gifts in the past, I lived by Satan’s philosophies of life. It was the corrupt disposition of Satan and was loathed by God. As I understood God’s requirements, I couldn’t do it as before, otherwise I was following Satan to bring shame upon God’s name. Then, I said to my husband, “Every family has its difficulties. We haven’t done much for them, so we shouldn’t accept their gifts. We’d better send them back. Moreover, when we were in a difficult situation and had to give gifts to the leaders before, we hated them from our inner hearts. Now we accept their gifts; won’t they hate us? It is unfair to them.” But my husband said, “You’re so stupid! Don’t you know ‘Power is gained to be used before it’s gone’? We should enjoy when we are in office. There is nothing fair. Such is the modern society. Who will care about us once we are retired?” After hearing my husband’s words, I hesitated slightly and thought them reasonable. I decided to take the gifts. At that moment, God’s words guided me from within: “you must not … do anything reprehensible; all that you do must be bright and honest, and able to be brought before God. Although there will be times when your flesh is weak, you must be able to put the interests of the house of God first, you must not seek personal profit, and you must be able to act with righteousness. If you are able to practice in this way, then your relationship with God will be normal” (“How Is Your Relationship With God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words helped me any time I needed and allowed me to understand: I was a person who believed in God, so I should put God’s words into practice when faced with a matter and should place everything in front of God to satisfy Him. I could not seek my personal interests and do those reprehensible things. Thinking of this, I said to my husband, “We believers in God all know God is observing man’s deeds. Taking ill-gotten gains is loathed by God. I fear offending God. Let’s find ways to give back to them.” After hearing my words, my husband had to follow me and then we bought some things to return to them. Previously, in the Spring Festival, I didn’t spend one penny, but my home was piled high with the purchases for the Spring Festival. Although there were few purchases this year, I felt assured and peaceful in living like this, without the former guilty conscience.

Feeling Sweet After Standing Testimony

In a trice, a new semester began. I went to school to do some cleaning and to await the students to register. After a busy day, I was very tired and had a sore back. When arriving at the gate of my home with a waddle, I saw a student’s parent waiting for me. Beside him, there was a four-wheeler, in which many big watermelons were loaded. He saw me back and said, “Teacher Fan, these are the watermelons I grew. They’re very sweet. These are for you.” While saying it, he moved them to my home in bags. At that moment, I ignored my backache and said hypocritically, “You needn’t do that. Thank you!” I began to carry the watermelons involuntarily. When I put down the watermelons, I felt the pain of my back became intense. I realized immediately that it was not pleasing to God and that as a believer in God, I shouldn’t take advantage at others’ expense. I hastened to repent to God silently, “Dear Almighty God! I know I’m wrong. I’m willing to repent. May You continue to lead and enlighten me!” After my prayer, I thought of Almighty God’s words, “In every step of work that God does within people, externally it appears to be interactions between people, as if born of human arrangements, or from human interference. But behind the scenes, every step of work, and everything that happens, is a wager made by Satan before God, and requires people to stand firm in their testimony to God” (“Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words aroused my numb heart and let me know the will of God. I should stand testimony. I should neither have Satan’s schemes succeeded nor live by Satan’s poisons any longer. I should live by God’s words. Thinking of this, I saw that the student’s parent had unloaded the watermelons and was ready to go. He said, “Please help arrange the seat of my child in the front row.” I said, “Take it easy. I’ll arrange the seat for your child. Today, I accept the watermelons you give, but I need to pay you money. You shall take the money.” He said, “The watermelons are for you. No charge.” I said, “Absolutely not. The heaven is watching what man is doing. I can’t take advantage at your expense. You’d better get the money.” As I made it clear, he had to get the money and went away. At that moment, my back didn’t ache, and I feel relaxed and happy. I knew I couldn’t stand firm by myself. It was God’s words that gave me strength continually, helping me triumph over the greedy desires of the flesh. God was the One I could depend on at any time.

Feeling Assured and Peaceful by Living in Accordance With God’s Words

Ever since I believed in God and was guided by God’s words, I haven’t been so greedy for money and haven’t taken advantage of others as before. I ever arranged the children, whose parents didn’t give gifts to me, to sit in the last row and usually rebuked them. Now I treat every child equally. In order to protect their eyes from harm, I get their seats exchanged once a week, so that each of them has the opportunity to sit in the front row. I treat them as my own children: playing games with them after class and telling them stories surrounded by them. I pass every single day with them happily.

Through my step-by-step experiences, I feel that only Almighty God can save man from sin’s deep abyss, free man from Satan’s bondage. Only if man comes before Almighty God, behaves himself in accordance with the requirements of God’s words, can he enjoy true peace and joy and his conscience and reason can be restored. Now I have the right life goals and directions and live in the blessings of God! Thank Almighty God!

The End.

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