Saturday, February 1, 2020

What is dispositional change?

how to meditate on the word of god

Relevant Words of God:
What does a transformation in disposition refer to? It happens when a lover of truth, while experiencing God’s work, accepts the judgment and chastisement of God’s words and undergoes all manner of suffering and refinement. Such a person is cleansed of the satanic poisons within, and completely breaks free of his corrupt dispositions, so that he can obey God’s words and all of His orchestrations and arrangements, never again to rebel against Him or resist Him. This is a transformation in disposition. … A transformation in disposition means that a person, because he loves and can accept the truth, finally comes to know his disobedient nature that is in opposition to God; he understands that the human corruption is too deep and recognizes man’s absurdness and deceitfulness. He recognizes man’s poorness and pitifulness, and finally understands man’s nature and essence. Knowing all this, he can deny and forsake himself completely, live by God’s word, and practice the truth in everything. This is someone who knows God; this is someone whose disposition has transformed.
from “How to Know Man’s Nature” in Records of Christ’s Talks
A transformation in disposition mainly refers to a transformation in people’s nature. The things of a person’s nature cannot be seen from outside behaviors; they are directly related to the worth and significance of their existence. Which is to say, they directly involve a person’s outlooks on life and their values, the things deep within their soul, and their essence. Someone who is unable to accept the truth will have no transformation in these aspects. Only by experiencing God’s work, fully entering into the truth, changing their values and their outlooks on existence and life, aligning their views with God’s, and becoming capable of completely submitting and being devoted to God, can their dispositions be said to have changed.
from “What You Should Know About Transforming Your Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks
That is not to say that people who are mature and seasoned in their humanity will necessarily experience a change in disposition; it primarily refers to instances in which some of the satanic poisons within people’s nature change due to their knowledge of God and their understanding of the truth. That is to say, those satanic poisons are cleansed, and the truth expressed by God takes root within these people, becomes their life, and becomes the foundation of their existence. Only then do they become new people, and as such, their disposition changes. A change in disposition does not mean that people’s outer dispositions are meeker than before, that they used to be arrogant but now speak reasonably, or that they used to listen to no one but now can listen to others; such external changes cannot be said to be transformations in disposition. Of course, changes in disposition do include these states, but the most key thing is that their inner life has changed. The truth expressed by God becomes their very life, the satanic poisons within have been eliminated, their perspectives have completely changed, and none of them is in line with that of the world. They see the schemes and poisons of the great red dragon clearly; they have grasped the true essence of life. So their life values have changed—this is the most fundamental change and the essence of a change in disposition.
from “The Difference Between External Changes and Changes in Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks
What is nature? It is the substance of man. One’s disposition is the things that are revealed in one’s nature, and a changed disposition means that the corrupt things that were originally within you will never appear again, and that they have been replaced with the truth. It is not the things at the root of one’s nature that have changed, but it is the corrupt things that are revealed that have changed, and the things pertaining to one’s disposition that are revealed in one’s nature have changed. Satan corrupts man, and man has become the embodiment of Satan, become something that opposes God, and man is entirely capable of betraying God. Why is it required of people that their dispositions change? In people who are finally made complete, there is added much of the knowledge of God, and much that corresponds with God’s will. In the past, when people had a corrupt disposition, everything they did was wrong, and everything they did opposed God. Now they have the truth, they are able to do much that corresponds with God’s will. But that is not to say they do not betray God; they are still capable of betraying God. It is possible to change part of that which is revealed by people’s nature, and the part that is changed is the part of you that is capable of practicing according to the truth. But being able to put the truth into practice today does not mean that your nature has changed. … So what does this “changing” mean? It means that, when you understand God’s will, you will be able to obey. If you do not understand God’s will, you will still act according to your own wishes and you will still believe that your actions accord with God’s will; this is betrayal, and it is something within your nature. Of course, there are no limits to changes in disposition. The more truths you have gained—which is to say, the deeper your knowledge of God—the less you will oppose God and betray Him. Pursuit of changes in disposition is mainly resolved by pursuit of the truth. Knowledge of the substance of people’s nature is also achieved by understanding the truth. When people have truly gained the truth, all problems are then resolved.
from “People Make Too Many Demands of God” in Records of Christ’s Talks
Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:
To sum it up, a change in life disposition goes from opposing and betraying God to finally becoming obedient and loyal to God, and worshiping Him—that’s the process. At the point that people become able to obey and worship God they possess both the truth and humanity. This is the kind of person who has undergone a change in their life disposition. Therefore, the process of a change in life disposition is the process of entering into and obtaining the truth, the process of accepting the truth as life, and also the process of man knowing God. A person with true knowledge of God whose heart is completely held by God’s word, who can love and be loyal to God, do everything to satisfy God, and can be of one heart and mind with Him is the kind of person who is gained by God. If someone is currently unable to love and obey God from his heart, it shows that his heart is still held by Satan, and that it is still controlled by Satan’s poison and philosophy. When someone has obtained all the truth that they should possess and accepted it all in their heart, they will gain new life. With new life, a person’s obedience to God, love for God, and worship of God will follow; at this time a person’s life disposition will have completely transformed. The process of a change in life disposition is also the process of its renewal. That person’s heart was originally controlled by Satan, and Satan’s life and poisons became their nature. Now, these things are crumbling due to all of the truths they have accepted. Their heart is possessed by the truth, the truth has become the master of their heart, so their disposition expressed in life also changes; this is what a change of life disposition is like. When Satan originally held power within you, you were obedient to it and would satisfy it in all things; all was done according to Satan. Today it is the truth that holds power within you; you only comply with the truth and satisfy God. The process for God to gain a person is like this: Initially, it was very easy for you to love Satan but difficult to love God, but now there is the truth inside of you and you love the truth, so loving God has become easy. When asked to love Satan, whatever is said to persuade you, you will not do it. Thus, once the truth takes hold within a person, they thoroughly change and become a new person. So it can be said that a person’s life disposition is changed mainly by pursuing and gaining the truth.
from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life
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