What do we have to do for this process? … We must not fear suffering or pain, and we particularly must not fear that God’s words will pierce our hearts. We should read more of His words regarding judgment and chastisement, and exposure of our corrupt essences. We must read it and hold ourselves up to it more. Don’t compare others to it—compare yourself to it. We present every single one of these things—we all match up to these. If you don’t believe it, go experience it yourself. … for we simply cannot have this attitude toward God’s words. We must first know that it doesn’t matter if any of His words are easy on the ear, if they’re bitter, sweet, sour, or spicy—we must accept all of them. This should be our primary attitude. What kind of attitude is this? An attitude of godliness? Of devoutness? Or, what kind? Is it an attitude of forbearance, or of suffering? You seem a little puzzled. I’ll tell you, it’s none of those. We should see God’s words as the truth in how we treat Him. Since they are the truth, we should accept them with reason. Whether or not we are able to recognize or acknowledge it, our first attitude should be one of acceptance. We should accept God’s words without exception. If God’s words aren’t about you, or some other person, who are they about? If they weren’t about you, how would He have you accept them? Isn’t this contradictory? Isn’t it? (It’s not contradictory.) Your answers are all very accurate, it’s just that you don’t know what it’s all about. It’s not contradictory, but when I have you explain it, you can’t explain it clearly. Every single line of God’s words pertains to a state. Every part of His words is not about external appearances, and it’s particularly not about external rules or a simple type of behavior for people. It’s not like that. If you see everything in God’s words as being about a kind of behavior, a simple kind of human behavior or an external appearance, you do not have spiritual understanding and you do not understand the truth. God’s words are profound.
How are they profound? Everything that He says, that He reveals is people’s corrupt disposition, and substantial and deep-rooted things within their lives. They are essential things, not external appearances and particularly not external behaviors. From the outside, everyone is probably quite good, but why does God say that some people are evil spirits, and some people are unclean spirits? This is something that you cannot see. So, you cannot rely on appearances or what you see from the outside to hold up to God’s words.
How are they profound? Everything that He says, that He reveals is people’s corrupt disposition, and substantial and deep-rooted things within their lives. They are essential things, not external appearances and particularly not external behaviors. From the outside, everyone is probably quite good, but why does God say that some people are evil spirits, and some people are unclean spirits? This is something that you cannot see. So, you cannot rely on appearances or what you see from the outside to hold up to God’s words.
from “The Importance and the Path of Pursuing the Truth” in Records of Christ’s Talks
What is it to accept truth? It means that no matter which corrupt disposition you have or which venom of the great red dragon poisons your nature, you acknowledge it when it is revealed by God’s word and submit to God’s word with utter conviction. And, you know yourself according to God’s word. This is what it means to accept God’s word. No matter what God says, no matter how piercing to the heart, no matter what words He uses, you can accept it as long as it is truth, and you can acknowledge it as long as it conforms to reality. You can submit to God’s word regardless of how deeply you understand it, and you accept and submit to the light of enlightenment from the Holy Spirit that is communicated by the brothers and sisters. When such a person’s pursuit of truth has reached a certain point, he can obtain truth and achieve the transformation of his disposition.
from “How to Know Man’s Nature” in Records of Christ’s Talks
People cannot change their disposition themselves; they must undergo the judgment and chastisement and painful refinement of God’s words, or being dealt with, disciplined, and pruned by His words. Only after that can they achieve obedience and devotion to God, and not try to fool Him and deal with Him perfunctorily. It is under the refinement of God’s words that people have a change in disposition. Only those who undergo the exposure, judgment, disciplining, and dealing with of His words will no longer dare to do things recklessly, and will become calm and collected. The most important point is that they are able to obey God’s current words and obey God’s work, and even if it is not in line with human notions, they can put them aside and intentionally obey. …
People’s pursuit of entry into life is based on God’s words; it has been said before that everything is accomplished because of His words, but no one has seen the facts. If in this stage you enter into experience you will be completely clear—this is building a good foundation for future trials, and no matter what God says, you just need to enter into His words. When God says He starts to chastise people, you accept His chastisement. When God asks people to die, you accept that trial. If you are always living within His newest utterances, in the end God’s words will perfect you. The more you enter into God’s words, the more quickly you will be perfected. Why do I fellowship again and again and ask you to understand and enter into God’s words? It is only by focusing your pursuit toward God’s words and experiencing them and entering into the reality of them that the Holy Spirit will have the opportunity to work in you. So you are all contestants in every method of God’s work, and no matter whether your suffering has been great or mild in the end, you will all have a souvenir. In order to achieve your final perfection, you must enter into all of God’s words. For the Holy Spirit to perfect people, He does not work unilaterally. He requires people’s cooperation; He needs everyone to consciously cooperate with Him. No matter what God says, you simply enter into His words—this is more beneficial for your lives. Everything is for the sake of your change in disposition. When you enter into God’s words, your heart will be moved by God, and you will be able to understand everything that God wants to achieve in this step of work, and you will have the will to achieve it. In the times of chastisement, some people believed that it was the method of work and did not believe in God’s words. As a result, they did not undergo refinement and they came out of the times of chastisement having gained nothing and understood nothing. There were some who truly entered into these words without a shred of doubt; they said that God’s words are true and infallible and that people should be chastised. They struggled within this for a period of time and let go of their future and destiny, and once they came out from that their disposition changed significantly, and they had an even deeper understanding of God. Those who came out from the midst of chastisement all felt the loveliness of God, and they knew that that step of God’s work was His great love coming upon mankind, that it was the conquest and the salvation of God’s love. And they also said that God’s thoughts are always good, and everything that God does in man is love, not hate. Those who did not believe God’s words or place importance on them did not undergo refinement during the times of chastisement, and the result was that the Holy Spirit did not accompany them, and they gained nothing. For those who entered into the times of chastisement, although they did undergo refinement, the Holy Spirit was working inside of them in a hidden way, and the outcome was that they experienced a change in their life disposition. Some people seemed to be very positive from the outside. They were always happy, but they didn’t enter into that state of the refinement of God’s words and didn’t change at all, which was the consequence of not believing God’s words. If you don’t believe His words the Holy Spirit won’t work in you. God appears to all those who believe His words; those who believe and understand His words will gain His love!
from “Those Whose Disposition Has Changed Are Those Who Have Entered Into the Reality of God’s Words” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
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