God’s Word Is My Strength

By Jingnian, Canada

I have followed my family’s belief in the Lord since I was a child, often reading the Bible and attending services. I shared the gospel of the Lord Jesus with my mother-in-law after getting married, and from then on she no longer lost her temper when things happened or acted entirely on her own whims as she had in the past. Relationships in our family began to improve overall. Seeing the changes in his mother, my husband also began believing in the Lord in 2015, and went to church with me every week. My family was at peace after accepting the Lord’s gospel, and when I saw this I knew that this was the Lord’s grace—I thanked the Lord from the bottom of my heart.

What is meant by “leave everything behind and follow God”?

Relevant Words of God:

You can devote your heart and body and all of your genuine love to God, place them before Him, be completely obedient toward Him, and be absolutely considerate to His will. Not for the flesh, not for family, and not for your personal desires, but for the interests of God’s household. In everything you can take God’s word as the principle, as the foundation. That way, your intentions and your perspectives will all be in the right place, and you will be someone who gains God’s praise before Him.

from “People Who Can Be Absolutely Obedient Toward God’s Practicality Are Those Who Truly Love God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You believe in God and follow God, and so in your heart you must love God. You must cast aside your corrupt disposition, must seek to fulfill God’s desire, and must perform the duty of a creature of God. Since you believe in and follow God, you should offer everything to Him, and should not make personal choices or demands, and you should achieve the fulfillment of God’s desire. Since you were created, you should obey the Lord that created you, for you are inherently without dominion over yourself, and have no ability to control your destiny. Since you are a person that believes in God, you should seek holiness and change. Since you are a creature of God, you should adhere to your duty, and keep your place, and must not overstep your duty. This is not to constrain you, or to suppress you through doctrine, but is the path through which you can perform your duty, and can be achieved—and should be achieved—by all those who do righteousness.

from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

9. Your thoughts ought to be of the work of the church. You should put aside the prospects of your own flesh, be decisive about family matters, wholeheartedly devote yourself to the work of God, and put God’s work first and your own life second. This is the decency of a saint.

from “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You must suffer hardship for the truth, you must give yourself to the truth, you must endure humiliation for the truth, and to gain more of the truth you must undergo more suffering. This is what you should do. You must not throw away the truth for the sake of a peaceful family life, and you must not lose your life’s dignity and integrity for the sake of momentary enjoyment. You should pursue all that is beautiful and good, and should pursue a path in life that is more meaningful. If you lead such a vulgar life, and do not pursue any objectives, do you not waste your life? What can you gain from such a life? You should forsake all enjoyments of the flesh for the sake of one truth, and should not throw away all truths for the sake of a little enjoyment. People like this have no integrity or dignity; there is no meaning to their existence!

from “The Experiences of Peter: His Knowledge of Chastisement and Judgment” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

God requires this of all those who believe in Him: abandon everything to follow God. From the Age of Grace to the Age of Kingdom, there have been so many people who abandoned everything to follow God. Only these people are worthy of being called saints, who are the people of God in the Age of Kingdom. What does it mean to abandon everything and follow God? It is to offer up your whole heart, your entire being to God, and to fully immerse yourself in God’s work and expend yourself for Him. This is the true meaning of abandoning everything to follow God. There are people who believe that only those who haven’t started their own family and have nothing to worry about can abandon everything, while those who have a family, who have parents, a spouse, or children cannot do so. This perspective is incorrect. First, people must know that God’s demands on people are fair and reasonable. He does not demand that people forsake their parents, spouse, or children. Rather, He requests that people offer up their hearts and perform their duty to the fullest without being constrained by any person, event, or thing. This is tantamount to abandoning everything and following God. God does not force people to do things they are not willing to do. It is enough for a person to exert all his effort to satisfy God. It is only natural that one must cast aside some things which should be cast aside. If for the time being one cannot abandon something, all that is required is to not be constrained by that thing. If his heart is still constrained and he cannot fully perform his duty, then this does not count as abandoning everything. The issue of devotion to God lies within the practice of abandoning everything. If you truly are someone who is devoted to God, within your heart you’ll be able to avoid being constrained by your family, spouse, or children. Many brothers and sisters have family ties, but their hearts are not constrained by their families; they perform their duties very well. Though they go away occasionally to care for their families, they do not allow this to interfere with their duties at all. Can you say that they have not abandoned everything to follow God? Having a family truly is a difficulty—no one can deny this. However, if their heart can be loyal to God, they will be able to shake off all family entanglements. Though the flesh undergoes some hardship, there are great blessings from God for their growth in life. And what do those people who cling to the enjoyments of the flesh gain? Ultimately they gain nothing. And how should one deal with the hardships of the flesh? It can be said that any amount of fleshly hardship is a good thing. As long as God is satisfied, then a person’s spirit can rejoice. The greatest pain of all would be to offend God because of clinging to pleasures of the flesh. All those who abandon everything to expend themselves for God will be gratified because they have properly performed the duty of a human being and have satisfied God. Moreover, they will be commended by God, because God gives great blessings to all those who sincerely expend themselves for Him. Those who cling to the enjoyments of family and flesh and cannot abandon everything to follow God are all ones who are devoted to the devil Satan. They certainly cannot be saved by God, and particularly will not have God’s blessing.

from The Fellowship From the Above

Testimony of Faith: How to Overcome the Temptations of Satan (Part 2)

By Geng Xin

Though when I was tempted this time, I had understood God’s will and not been caught out by Satan’s deceitful scheme, Satan was not quite done yet. Not long after, Satan began to attack me once again.

Competing in This Way, I Benefit Tremendously

By Ma Xin, China

Since my husband was not engaged in honest work, frequently drank alcohol and showed no concern for family matters, I would often sink into bitterness and pain. At a time when I did not have the strength to struggle on, a relative delivered Almighty God’s kingdom gospel to me. Through reading God’s word, I understood: God expresses the truth and does the judgment work of the last days in order to save the human race from the hands of Satan. He instructs man to understand, obey and return to Him so that he can receive His protection and care. As a result, I gladly accepted the work of Almighty God of the last days and quickly started my church life. However, right as I found something I could depend my life upon and felt a sense of joy and cheer, Satan’s temptations pounced on me like a wild beast rushed after its prey and a spiritual war erupted …

Spiritual Warfare | The Word of God Guides Me Through the Snares

By Tian’na, Hong Kong

Paging through the article of God’s words, “Did You Know? God Has Done a Great Thing Among Men,” I cannot help but recall my experience two years ago of breaking free from the binds of rumors and returning before God.

What is a deceitful person? Why can’t deceitful people attain salvation?

Relevant Words of God:

If you are deceitful, then you will be guarded and suspicious toward all people and matters, and thus your faith in Me will be built upon a foundation of suspicion. I could never acknowledge such faith. Lacking true faith, you are even more devoid of true love. And if you are liable to doubt God and speculate about Him at will, then you are, without question, the most deceitful of all people. You speculate whether God can be like man: unpardonably sinful, of petty character, devoid of fairness and reason, lacking a sense of justice, given to vicious tactics, treacherous and cunning, pleased by evil and darkness, and so on. Is not the reason that people have such thoughts because they lack the slightest knowledge of God? Such faith is nothing short of sin! There are even some who believe that the ones who please Me are precisely those who flatter and bootlick, and that those lacking in such skills will be unwelcome in the house of God and will lose their place there. Is this the only knowledge you have acquired after all these years? Is this what you have gained? And your knowledge of Me does not stop at these misunderstandings; even worse is your blasphemy against God’s Spirit and vilification of Heaven. This is why I say that such faith as yours will only cause you to stray further from Me and be in greater opposition against Me.

A Small Blade of Grass That Grew Among the Brambles

By Yixin, Singapore

In November 2016 I became acquainted, through Facebook, with Brother Lin and Sisters Zhang and Xiaoxiao of The Church of Almighty God. They integrated some of the prophecies from the Bible into the fellowships they gave me and bore testimony to God’s work of the last days. Their fellowshiping and testimonies made me understand that Almighty God is performing the work of judging and cleansing people through words upon the foundation of the work of redemption that was done by the Lord Jesus. Almighty God performs this work to thoroughly save mankind from Satan’s domain and rid us of our corrupt dispositions so that we will no longer rebel against and resist God, but instead will become people who truly obey and worship Him. From the words of Almighty God I came to understand that God’s work of judgment in the last days will reveal the wheat and the tares, the sheep and the goats, and the wise virgins and foolish virgins, ultimately separating each according to their own kind and rewarding the good and punishing the wicked. I realized that Almighty God was the return of the Lord Jesus I’d been longing for and I joyously accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days.

Why is it that believers must pursue the truth to achieve salvation and be perfected?

The Answer from God’s Word:

Many people say: “I believe in God and I follow in this way, so I’m bound to obtain something. I do not seek the truth but I follow until the end, and I use all my strength to expend effort and to abandon things in the course of my duties. Even if I commit some transgressions, I can still obtain something.” They do not know what they are saying.

Fleeing From the “Tiger’s Den” (Part 2)

Xiaoyou

I never expected that after just two days of peace, I would encounter Satan’s disturbance and coercion once again. One night, my mother, a few of my uncles and aunties as well as my third grandaunt came over in order to obstruct me from believing in Almighty God. When I saw this situation, I became extremely angry. I thought, “What have I done? I just believe in true God; is this a mistake? Why are they going on and on about this?” At this time, my third grandaunt peculiarly said, “Nier, let’s go! Let’s go home to see your grandma.” When I heard my third grandaunt say this, I was surprised, “They are here to take me to my mother’s place. They want to lock me up with my grandma, who is clinically insane! How can they be my relatives? How can they be so heartless!” At this moment, my mother grabbed a rope and rushed toward me. She kneeled on the floor and tied my feet together. I became very anxious. I pushed at her hands at the same time as I yelled, “What are you doing? Why do you tie me up?” Upon seeing this, two of my uncles walked over and one of them pressed down on my shoulder so that I would not resist. At that moment, I was sitting on the sofa and I was unable to stand up. Seeing them like this, I urgently cried out to God in my heart, “God! They are trying to trap me.

Presently, I believe that God’s work of the last days is real. However, I do not know when God’s work will finish. I just want to earn some money and support my family until God’s work nearly concludes. At that point, I will believe in God once more and pursue the truth. Is my perspective on seeking is correct?

Relevant Bible Verses:

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat 24:37-39).

“And woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Mat 24:19).

“Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).

Spiritual Warfare: Two Months Spent “Imprisoned” by My Husband

By Baituo, South Korea

“My wife, you’d better keep the bank cards. It’s my fault for having blindly believed the CCP’s rumors and for trying to obstruct your belief in God, and even taking the bank cards away from you. Oh, let’s not talk about it anymore. Belief in God is a good thing. You keep on believing in God, and I won’t bother you anymore.” Hearing my husband say this, I kept offering up my thanks and praise to God in my heart. Thinking back over these past two months, if it hadn’t been for God’s guidance, I’d still be living “imprisoned” by my husband …

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies: I Rely on God to Defeat Satan (Part 2)

By Wang Lin, China

I Encounter Satan’s Deceitful Schemes Once Again

When the day of our next meeting came, more than 10 brothers and sisters had just arrived at my home when six leaders and co-workers from my old church turned up on motorcycles. Their faces were grave, and they had a haughty look about them. When I saw them, I couldn’t help but feel a little timid and afraid, and I thought to myself: “I wonder what they will do to threaten and intimidate me today. I understand too few truths and I’m not able to refute their fallacies. What if I end up deceived by them?” And so, I hurriedly said a prayer to God: “O Almighty God! Faced with these religious co-workers, I feel a little timid and I don’t know how to handle it.

Walking Down the Bright Path of Life

Xieli, America

I used to be someone who would chase after the trends of the world, I wanted to abandon myself to a life of pleasure, and I just cared about the pleasures of the flesh. I would often go with my friends to KTV all night long, I would go for joyrides in the middle of the night, would go fishing out on the ocean, and travel all around in search of fine foods. I’d see others around me, and they too were all striving to eat well, wear nice things, and enjoy good things. I felt that these were the things that a man must work for in his life, that this is why a man must work hard to earn money, that this is the goal in life that everyone should have.

We have determined that Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Then may we ask, can those religious believers who died before Almighty God does the judgment work of the last days be able to enter the kingdom of heaven and have eternal life?

Relevant Words of God:

Mankind’s existence is predicated upon the incarnation of soul in turn. In other words, each person gains a human life of the flesh upon the incarnation of their soul. After a person’s body is born, that life continues until the greatest limit of the flesh, that is, the final moment when the soul leaves its shell. This process repeats again and again with a person’s soul coming and going, and coming and going, thus maintaining the existence of all mankind. The life of flesh is also the life of man’s soul, and man’s soul supports the existence of man’s flesh. That is to say, each person’s life comes from their soul; it is not their flesh that originally had life. Therefore, man’s nature comes from their soul, not from their flesh.

Through Understanding the Mystery of the Names of God, I Keep Pace With the Footsteps of the Lamb

By Mu Zhen, Taiwan

When I was little, I was a smart and sensible kid and so I always received the loving care of my parents, relatives and friends. Because I always got good grades at school and was kind and easygoing, I was well liked by teachers and classmates. During that time, I was full of hope for the future. Much to my surprise, however, when it came time to test for high school, I missed qualifying for the top girls’ school by half a point and was admitted instead to a second-grade school. I was so unable to accept what had happened that I locked myself in my room for two days and refused to eat or drink. That was the first time I had experienced failure in my life—I felt as if I had fallen into an abyss and I was wracked with torment and pain.

I Have Found True Happiness

Zhang Hua, Cambodia

I was born into an ordinary farming family. Even though my family was not wealthy, my father and mother loved each other and treated me very well. Our family life was quite abundant and blessed. After I grew up, I told myself: I must find a husband that will treat me well and I must establish a blissful and happy family. This is what is most important. I do not seek riches, I only need to have a loving relationship with my husband and a peaceful family life.

Almighty God Led Me Onto the Path of Obtaining Cleansing

By Gangqiang, United States

I came to Singapore on my own in 2007 to try to make a living. Singapore is really hot year-round, so I was sweating buckets every day at work. It was utterly miserable, and on top of that I was in a completely unfamiliar place without any family or friends—life felt so dull and tedious. One day in August, I received a gospel leaflet on my way home from work which read: “But the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). I felt warmth in my heart upon reading these words. After that, I went to church with a brother, where the enthusiastic reception from the brothers and sisters, who asked after my well-being, made me feel the warmth of family which I hadn’t had in a long time. My eyes suddenly welled up with tears—I felt just like I had come home. From then on, every Sunday going to church was a must for me.

The Years I Put Myself Out on Behalf of My Daughter

Yang Yuqing, Japan

I was born in a small village in China, and grew up there living an ordinary, simple life. Because my family was poor, I had to go to work in a big city after finishing junior high school at the age of 16. At the age of 17, I met my ex-husband, who is 12 years older than me. At the time, the concern and care he showed for me was like the sheltering protection I got from my father and the fraternal love that my older brother showed me. I felt that I was very lucky to have met him, and I was very happy.

Why will some people who have just accepted God’s work of the last days be disturbed by Satan and evil spirits?

The Answer from God’s Word:

Because God has become flesh, Satan has employed all sorts of methods of accusation, wanting to attack God this way. However, God does not retreat because of this—He just speaks and works among mankind and allows people to know Him through His incarnate flesh. Satan is red-eyed with fury and has put forth a great deal of effort on God’s people to make them negative, retreat, and even lose their way.

I’m a new believer; I’ve just accepted God’s new work. Since I usually have to work and I’m also busy with housework, I don’t have much time to read God’s words. I’m concerned that the time I have for my faith is too short and that I’m not equipped with the truth. Once God’s work comes to an end, if I still haven’t achieved dispositional change, will God cast me aside?

Relevant Bible Verses:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said to them; Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.