Showing posts with label Testimony Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Testimony Articles. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Spiritual Warfare: A Septuagenarian Christian’s Joys and Sorrows Dealing With Her Family’s Resistance

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

By Jinbu, South Korea
A Septuagenarian Welcomes the Lord’s Return
I turned 74 this year. I used to be a member of the Three-Self Church in China, but after my husband passed away I came to South Korea to live with my daughter and her husband. I kept trying to find a church here that possessed the work of the Holy Spirit, but I discovered that the pastors and elders always preached on the same old things and I didn’t gain the least bit of spiritual sustenance. I was feeling really discouraged.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Testimony of Faith: How to Overcome the Temptations of Satan (Part 1)

Spiritual Warfare

By Geng Xin
Editor’s Note: The Bible records, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is incredibly insidious, evil and treacherous. It does not want us to attain God’s salvation and so it frequently enacts its deceitful schemes against us in an attempt to make us shun God and betray God, so it can then devour our souls. When we are attacked by Satan’s temptations, how should we deal with them? I trust that Brother Geng Xin’s experiences will allow you to reap some benefit.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

God’s Word Is My Strength

meditate on the word of god

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.

Monday, January 27, 2020

How I Nearly Became a Foolish Virgin

keys to spiritual growth

By Li Fang, China
In the fall of 2002, Sister Zhao from my denomination, the Church of Truth, brought her niece, Sister Wang, to my home to tell me the great news of the coming of the Lord. After a few days of reading the words of Almighty God and listening to Sister Wang’s detailed fellowship, I understood that, from the creation of the world until now, God has performed three stages of work in order to save mankind. Other truths that I also came to know were God’s adoption of a different name during each stage of His work, the significance of God’s name in each age, and the mystery of God’s incarnation, etc. These truths really came as big eye-openers for me, and I feasted my eyes upon them. I thought to myself: “This way sounds crystal clear, and Almighty God very probably is the returned Lord Jesus, so I’d better make sure I grasp this chance and read more of Almighty God’s words.” Before leaving, Sister Wang left some books of God’s words for me. Whenever I had time during the day, I read God’s words. The more I read them, the more I loved reading them and the more I felt that they were the words of God. After three days I became anxious. I thought: “My son, who is also a believer, and many brothers and sisters in my church still don’t know this great news about the return of the Lord. I’d better hurry up and tell them.”

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Opening the Door to My Heart and Welcoming the Lord’s Return

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

By Yongyuan, United States
In November of 1982, our whole family emigrated to the USA. We had all had faith in the Lord since my grandfather’s generation, so we found a Chinese church in New York’s Chinatown soon after arriving in the United States so we could attend mass. We never missed a single mass, and my mother and sister were especially good about reading the scriptures whenever they had time in order to seek God’s blessing and protection. The priest would often say: “When the Lord comes, He will judge people publicly and divide them into categories: Those who truly repent and confess and practice their faith will be able to go to heaven; those who commit minor sins but not grave ones will suffer the torment of purgatory, but they will still be able to be saved and ascend to heaven; those who do not believe in God or commit sins that are too grave will suffer the punishment of hell.” These words left a deep impression on my heart, just as if they had been branded there. They spurred me to believe in God enthusiastically, and no matter how busy I was, I never failed to go to mass.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

A Battle

Spiritual Warfare

By Zhang Hui, China
My name is Zhang Hui, and in 1993 my entire family came to believe in the Lord Jesus. I was an enthusiastic seeker, so I quickly became a preacher. I would often travel around to different churches to work and preach. After a few years, I quit my job and began to serve the Lord full time. However, for some unknown reason, my brothers’ and sisters’ faith and love gradually cooled, and jealousy and strife grew between co-workers. I also felt that my spirit was withering, and I had nothing left to preach on. In 2005, my wife got cancer, and she died soon after that. This was a huge blow for me and I became even weaker. One day, I went to stay at my cousin’s house and met two sisters there who preached Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom. Over several days of fellowship and debate, I came to truly believe that the Lord Jesus had returned and that He is Almighty God in the flesh. Through reading Almighty God’s words, my thirsty heart was watered and supplied, and I savored the sweetness of the Holy Spirit’s work, understanding many truths and mysteries I had never understood before. However, just as I was immersed in the joy of reunion with the Lord, the temptations and attacks of Satan came creeping ever closer to me …

One afternoon, I was practicing spiritual devotions when there was a sudden knock on the door. When I opened it, I found Pastor Li Yang and Co-worker Wang Jun from my old church standing outside. I startled with surprise, and wondered: “What are they doing here? Could it be that they have learned of my faith in Almighty God? Before, when the brothers and sisters who were good seekers began to believe in Almighty God, Pastor Li and Co-worker Wang frightened them with rumors and incited their families to coerce them into shunning The Church of Almighty God. They did everything in their power to block them from following Almighty God. Today, I don’t know what kind of tactics they’re going to use to disturb me.” I greeted them and sat them down. Soon after, my daughter Xiaoyan and my son Dayong came back too. I was puzzled: My kids had said they were really busy with work, so why would both of them come home today? Could it be that Pastor Li had them come? It seemed that Li Yang and Wang Jun had come prepared! I hurriedly prayed to God: “Almighty God! Today, they have definitely come to hinder and disrupt me. God, my stature is too small. I beg You to guide me and help me to deal with them. I am willing to stand witness for You!” After praying, my heart calmed down. At that moment, Li Yang flashed a disingenuous smile and said: “Brother Zhang, I’ve heard that you believe in Eastern Lightning now. Is that true? No matter how much truth there is in Eastern Lightning, we cannot accept it. Brother Zhang, we’ve all believed in the Lord for many years, and have preached and done work for Him. We are all clear on the fact that the Lord Jesus was crucified and became a sin offering, which has redeemed us from our sin. We have also enjoyed the rich grace, and the peace and joy bestowed on us by the Lord, so we must uphold the name and the way of the Lord at all times. We cannot believe in another God. Isn’t your departing from the Lord Jesus and believing in Almighty God a betrayal of the Lord?”
I calmly said: “Brother Li, when we speak, we ought to be objective and practical, support our contentions with evidence and not make arbitrary condemnations. Have you looked into the way of Eastern Lightning? Have you read Almighty God’s words? You’ve never investigated it, so how can you come to the conclusion that I’ve betrayed the Lord by accepting Eastern Lightning? Do you know where the truth comes from? Do you know who expresses the truth? The Lord Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). God is the truth! How can you say that no matter how much truth there is in Eastern Lightning, you won’t accept it? Isn’t that intentionally resisting the truth, and resisting God? If we were to do that, would we even count as believers in the Lord? To be honest, because the pastors and elders of the religious world openly resist and condemn Almighty God’s work of the last days, when I started believing in Almighty God I too was afraid that I might be wrong, and that I might have gone astray. But, later I read a lot of Almighty God’s words, and I’ve discovered that they are all the truth, that they reveal many mysteries, such as the mysteries of God’s 6,000-year management plan and the inside truth of the three stages of work, the mysteries of God becoming flesh, the true inside story of the Bible, and more. The confusion and difficulties I’ve faced in my many years of believing in the Lord have all been resolved through Almighty God’s words. The more I read God’s words, the more I feel that these are the utterances of the Holy Spirit, that they are God’s voice. I firmly believe that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned, and that the Lord is appearing to us! Brother Li, Brother Wang, Almighty God and the Lord Jesus are the same God. Believing in Almighty God is welcoming the Lord’s coming! Let’s think about it. When the Lord Jesus came to work, many people left the temple to follow Him. At the time, there were certainly many people who passed judgment on them saying that they had betrayed Jehovah God and were guilty of apostasy. Now we all know that although the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption was different from Jehovah God’s work of issuing the law, and God’s name changed as well, the Lord Jesus and Jehovah God are one and the same God. Believing in the Lord Jesus is not betraying Jehovah God, but is rather keeping pace with God’s footsteps and gaining His salvation. In fact, those who believed in Jehovah God but did not follow the Lord Jesus were the ones who were truly forsaking God and betraying Him. The same goes for today. Even though Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days is not the same as the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption, and God’s name has changed, Almighty God and the Lord Jesus are one and the same God. This is an undeniable fact. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption only forgave man’s sins, but did not absolve man of their satanic dispositions and sinful nature. Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days is to resolve man’s satanic dispositions and sinful nature, to fully save them, to have them cast off the influence of Satan and be gained by God. Clearly, these two stages of work are complementary, closely linked and deepen as they progress. This truly is done by one God. My belief in Almighty God is not a betrayal of the Lord Jesus. It is keeping pace with the footsteps of the Lamb. If we only believe in the Lord Jesus and refuse to follow Almighty God, not only will we be the same as the Pharisees who only believed in Jehovah God and rejected the Lord Jesus, losing God’s salvation, but we will also suffer God’s punishment. Only this is true resistance and betrayal of the Lord! Wouldn’t you say so?”

When Li Yang heard me say this, he looked very uncomfortable, and Wang Jun tried to ease the situation by saying: “Elder Zhang, Pastor Li is giving you this advice out of a sense of responsibility for your life, fearing you may take the wrong path. You have believed in the Lord for many years and you have served the Lord together. Over the years, getting through all these ups and downs has not been easy. You are an elder in our church and you have given a lot for the work of the church. All of our brothers and sisters respect you and trust you, but you leaving the church and believing in Almighty God has been so disappointing for them! Elder Zhang, please come back soon!”
Li Yang then took the lead, trying to cajole me, saying: “Brother Wang is right. You’ve worked hard all these years. How can you so cavalierly throw away the prestige and status you’ve built up in the church? It’s such a shame! Turn back now. Everyone is waiting for you to come back! Our church has set up a retirement home, we’ve made connections with churches abroad and they’re giving us financial support. If you come back, we’ll provide a car for you right away. If you’d like to manage the retirement home, or manage the church, or continue to take care of the church’s finances, that’s all up to you. Whatever you want to do is fine!” The more I listened to them, the more I felt something was off. What they were saying didn’t sound at all like things believers in the Lord would say. The devil Satan’s temptation of the Lord Jesus as told in the Bible came to mind: “Again, the devil takes Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8–9). Didn’t all those things they were saying have exactly the same feeling, the same tone as what Satan said? Wasn’t this Satan’s temptation? Their goal in enticing me with fame, status, and wealth was to have me turn my back on the true way and betray Almighty God. This was Satan’s trickery! I’d believed in God for over ten years and had finally welcomed the Lord’s return. I could not fall for Satan’s trickery now or else I’d regret it all my life. I realized then that God was leading me, guiding me, so that I could recognize their cunning scheme. Thinking of this, I sternly asserted, “Haven’t I believed in the Lord these years with the hope of welcoming His return? Now that He has returned, my only choice can be to go with God. Don’t try to persuade me anymore. I will not return to religion again.”

At this moment, my daughter said to me in tears, “Dad. Please listen to us! Mom passed away recently and we’re already suffering enough. If you continue to believe in Eastern Lightning, how will we face brothers and sisters from our church in the future? Our brothers and sisters will abandon us!” Seeing my children brimming with tears, I felt much pain and suffering in my heart. I thought of how sad they had been because they had just lost their mother, and how they would be laughed at and abandoned because of my faith in Almighty God. I really didn’t have the heart to allow them to undergo any more suffering. I felt deeply conflicted in my heart: If I agreed to the conditions set out by Li Yang and Wang Jun to return to religion, my family would be able to live harmoniously; if I didn’t follow God’s last incarnation who has come among men to save mankind, that would be a betrayal of God, and I would lose my chance at salvation. I was in a dilemma about how to choose. In the midst of this pain all I could do was silently cry out to God: “Oh God, I’m caught between a rock and a hard place and my heart is weak. I beg You to give me faith and strength so that I can be free of their disturbances and become resolute in my faith to follow You.” After praying, I thought of some of God’s words I had read a few days earlier: “You must be awake and waiting at every moment, and you must pray more before Me. You must recognize the various plots and cunning schemes of Satan, know the spirit, know people and be able to discern all kinds of people, matters and things…. Satan’s various hideous features are set before you; do you stop and backslide, or do you stand up and walk onward, relying on Me? Thoroughly expose Satan’s corrupt and ugly features, spare no feelings and show no mercy! Fight Satan to the death!” (“Chapter 17” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words gave me strength and served as a reminder that I must learn to have discernment. What I had encountered that day was full of Satan’s deceit and trickery. They used status, money, and my own emotions to tempt and attack me, causing a disturbance in my heart with the goal of having me betray God. I absolutely could not fall into Satan’s trap or fall prey to its tricks! So, I said to my children, “Xiaoyan, Dayong, I’ve looked into it and I have clarity. Almighty God is the true God, and His words and work are the truth and the true way. For so many years we have longed for the Lord’s return, and today we’ve found the footsteps of God and the true way. This is more precious than anything. We can’t give up the true way just because we’re afraid of being abandoned by others. If they abandon us, if they no longer want us, there’s nothing frightening about that. People can always go on living after others turn their backs on them, but if we believe in God, and do not seek or investigate the true way, if we lose our chance to be raptured by the Lord and are cast out and eliminated by God’s work in the last days, we will be ruined. We will definitely meet with disaster and be punished! What meaning would our lives have then? Xiaoyan, Dayong, you don’t understand. If you could investigate the work of Almighty God in earnest, you would recognize that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned.” When Li Yang and Wang Jun saw how resolute I was in my beliefs, all they could do was leave in helpless frustration.
A few days later, Li Yang and Wang Jun came to my house again. This time they did not urge me to return to the church, but instead they used marriage to tempt me. Li Yang said, “Brother Zhang! Your wife passed away, your daughter has gotten married, and your son is not at home. You are all alone. You really should have someone here to cook for you. Sister Wang from our church is single now too, and she’s fairly well-off. Our church can help the two of you make a match, and then you can serve the Lord together. What do you think? You should give it some more thought. Our brothers and sisters in the church are praying for you, hoping that you’ll come back soon. You mustn’t follow that road into darkness!” Sister Wang called me that evening, and during the call she continually urged me to return to the church. She also said that if I was short of money for my son’s marriage, 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, I need only say the word…. Hearing her say this, and thinking of how Sister Wang had always been good to my family and had often looked after my daughter, I felt a deep sense of gratitude to her. I became conflicted because I knew that Sister Wang had come to advise me out of the kindness of her heart and I really didn’t want to say anything that would hurt her, so with a heavy heart, I said, “Sister Wang, I know you’ve always looked out for my family, and I thank you for it.” After we’d ended our call, I felt a battle being waged in my heart. I had always respected Sister Wang, but today I’d hurt her feelings and I felt terrible about it! However, it was God’s protection that saved me from being enticed by her words and betraying Almighty God.
One day, I was working in the fields when Pastor Li found me and said: “Brother Zhang, even if you don’t think of yourself, you have to think of your children. Dayong just got engaged, and his fiancée’s entire family believes in the Lord. If they find out that you believe in Almighty God, would they still let her marry into your family? Wouldn’t that be disastrous for Dayong’s marriage plans? You should give it some more thought.” When I heard what Pastor Li had to say, I thought to myself: “In order to get me back into the church, they’re even using my son’s marriage to threaten me. What does my accepting God’s work in the last days have to do with my child’s marriage? What’s more, my son and his fiancée are so in love, why would they not marry just because I believe in Almighty God?” So, I very calmly told him: “Whether or not my son gets married is all in God’s hands, and it has nothing to do with my belief in Almighty God. Since I have determined that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, I will follow Him until the end. My children might still not be clear on this and we have our misunderstandings, but one day they will understand me.”
One day, I went to my son’s electric welding shop and saw that he’d been lying on his bed all day and not working, so I was puzzled and asked him what was up. He looked depressed and said in a low voice, “Dad, my fiancée called and said that if you have set your heart on believing in Eastern Lightning, then she won’t marry me.” Hearing this really shocked and angered me, and I thought: “Li Yang and the others hate that I believe in Almighty God and it’s enough that they attack me alone. How could they use something as important as my son’s marriage to threaten me?” Seeing my son so crestfallen, I felt terrible. Tears pooled up in my eyes. My son continued, “She also says that if you do not return to the church, then if I still wanted to get married, I would have to make three promises to her. First, I would have to terminate our father-son relationship. Second, I would not be able to take care of you in your old age. Third, I would have to cut off all family ties with you. Dad, please just return to the church for the sake of our family.” My son’s words pierced my heart like a knife. I thought to myself: “Just because I believe in the true way, they’ve forced my son to cut off ties with me. Why is it so hard to believe in the true way?” I forced back my tears and said to my son, “Son, I must believe in Almighty God and I agree to your fiancée’s demands. I won’t get you mixed up in this anymore from now on. Live a happy life together.” I then turned and walked out of the shop, but as I walked along the street, I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. Once I got home, I knelt down on the floor and cried out loudly: “O Almighty God! I’m in such pain! O God, I know this is the true way and that You have come, and I cannot not follow You. But ever since I accepted Your work of the last days, people have harassed me, and now my son even wants to terminate our father-son relationship. O God! My stature is too small, and I simply cannot get through this by myself. I ask You to guide me and to give me faith, so that I may stand firm….” After I’d prayed, I opened my book of hymns and read this hymn of God’s words: “When you face sufferings you must be able to not consider the flesh and not complain against God. When God hides Himself from you, you must be able to have the faith to follow Him, to maintain your previous love without allowing it to falter or disappear. No matter what God does, you must submit to His design, and be more willing to curse your own flesh than to complain against Him. When you are faced with trials you must satisfy God in spite of any reluctance to part with something you love, or bitter weeping. Only this can be called true love and faith” (“How to Be Perfected” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). As I read God’s words, I felt God comforting me and encouraging me, giving me faith and allowing me to understand His will: God expects me to rely on Him, to keep faith with Him and not to betray Him no matter what adverse environment or trial may befall me. I thought about the co-workers from my old church who had come again and again to harass and pressure me more and more, and yet every time when I was in the depths of suffering, so long as I prayed to God and relied on God sincerely, God’s words always enlightened and guided me, giving me strength and showing me the path to practice. I was not alone after all, for God was always beside me. At that moment, strength returned to my heart, and I became willing to endure the pain and part with the things I most treasured to satisfy God—I would absolutely not betray God and turn back.

The next day, Sister Gao and Sister Zhao from The Church of Almighty God came to my home, and I told them about what had happened over the past few days. “Brother, how do you feel about these things which have befallen?” asked Sister Gao. I thought for a moment, and said, “At first, I thought Pastor Li and the others were acting in my best interests, though they hadn’t investigated Almighty God’s work of the last days and they didn’t understand. But I never would have thought they would have used something as important as my son’s marriage to threaten me. This is really hard for me to get my head around.” Sister Zhao then said, “Brother, how about we read a passage of God’s words? Almighty God said, ‘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. Take when Job was tried, for example: Behind the scenes, Satan was making a bet with God, and what happened to Job was the deeds of men and the interference of men. Behind every step of work that God does in you is Satan’s wager with God—behind it all is a battle. … Everything people do requires them to pay a certain price in their efforts. Without actual hardship, they cannot satisfy God; they do not even come close to satisfying God, and they are just spouting empty slogans!’ (“Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words reveal the true nature of the battle being waged in the spiritual world. When we encounter such things, it appears on the outside as though religious leaders are harassing us, but in reality, a battle is being waged in the spiritual world, and Satan is vying with God over man. Actually, many leaders of religious denominations acknowledge in their hearts that the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth, but because the work of judgment through words that God performs in the last days is so far out of keeping with their own conceptions and imaginings, and it destroys their dream of simply being blessed and being raised up into heaven, they obstinately oppose and refuse to accept God’s new work. Moreover, they are afraid that if more people accept the work of Almighty God then they will lose their status and livelihoods, and so they do all they can to compel people and stop them from turning to Almighty God, making them give up the true way and betray God. In fact, they are the embodiment of Satan in the spiritual world and, in reality, their disrupting people from turning to God is Satan trying to devour people. So long as we can discern the intent and motivation behind their actions and behavior, then we will be able to thoroughly understand their essence. When Job was undergoing trials, people’s physical eyes told them that thieves were taking away Job’s property, but in the spiritual world Satan and God were making a wager. At the time, although Job was unaware that a battle was raging in the spiritual world, he chose to suffer all that pain and even curse the day he was born rather than blame God. Still he extolled the name of Jehovah and stood witness for God, thus shaming the devil Satan and winning God’s praise. Being now besieged by Satan, although we have suffered the pain of duress and abandonment and have lost the transient enjoyments of the flesh, we have kept to the true way, have stood witness for God and obtained God’s praise. The pain we’ve suffered has been so worthwhile!” Hearing Almighty God’s words and the sister’s fellowship, my heart was brightened, and I said, “Yes, I was ignorant before and I hadn’t thoroughly understood the essence of my co-workers from my old church. I thought they were acting in my best interests. Only today do I understand that they are the real-life Satan. Only through this fellowship do I now have some insight into the true situation of the battle in the spiritual world. Although I still don’t understand the truth and there are certain things I still don’t understand thoroughly, through this process I have personally experienced God guiding and protecting me, and this has all been God’s blessing upon me.” The two sisters then said happily, “Truly, thanks be to God! If they come again to harass you, pray more, and you can defeat Satan by relying on God!” Filled with faith, I nodded in agreement.
One morning, some co-workers from my old church came calling again, and I hurriedly prayed in my heart for God to give me faith, wisdom and courage. Pastor Li immediately threatened me, saying, “Brother Zhang, if you don’t leave Eastern Lightning, then our church will abandon you and will not permit you to have any more contact with our brothers and sisters.” I said to him, “You can abandon me if you like, but I hope that you can take responsibility for the lives of the more than one thousand brothers and sisters in the church. You may not accept that the Lord has returned, but don’t try to obstruct the brothers and sisters from investigating and accepting the true way. Look at the current situation in the church—brothers and sisters feel weak and dispirited. Some have gone to find work elsewhere and some have left the church and no longer believe in the Lord, and there are many instances of people being possessed by devils. The church has clearly lost the Lord’s care and protection. Then look at the situation with us preachers—there is not a shred of new light in our sermons, we always preach tired old things and brothers and sisters are simply not being supplied. Is this not worth reflecting on and pondering deeply about? Is it not worth us seeking to find the truth of the matter?” Having said this, my heart felt stirred and I said sincerely to them, “All of us here are the primary co-workers of the church, and we would do well to consider for a moment: We talk about shepherding the Lord’s flock all day long, but the Lord has returned to perform new work and to express new words, and yet we don’t seek or investigate it in the slightest, and we don’t lead our brothers and sisters to accept being watered and nourished by God’s words. Instead, we stop brothers and sisters from investigating the true way by any means possible—by doing this, are we not causing our brothers and sisters to die of thirst and weariness by keeping them bound to religion? Are the people who are capable of this good servants or wicked servants? Have you ever thought of what the consequences of these actions will be?” Just then, Pastor Li said in exasperation, “We’ve come to your home to say this to you today because we mean you well, and yet you lecture us instead!” Speaking with the force of justice, I said, “You have come again and again to harass me, knowing full well that The Church of Almighty God is possessed of the truth, and yet you won’t allow me to accept it and you won’t allow me to gain life. Is this your idea of ‘meaning well’? You have spread rumors about me, sowed discord between me and my children, and caused my son to end our father-son relationship. Is this the love you speak of? Have you really meant me well by cooking up all these schemes or have you some ulterior motives?” Hearing me speak like this, Li Yang’s expression changed at once, and he yelled angrily at me, “You don’t know what’s good for you!” I shouted back at him, “Let’s go our separate ways from now on. God takes responsibility for my life, and you need not concern yourselves with it!” Hearing me say this, Li Yang and the others left looking dejected. From that day on, no one came to harass me again.
Having experienced this spiritual battle, I came to have some discernment of Satan’s trickery and I also came to have a thorough understanding of the God-defying essence of leaders in the religious world. I was never again constrained by the evil forces of religion, and was at last free and liberated to follow Almighty God!

Thursday, January 16, 2020

The May 28 Zhaoyuan Case Gives Rise to a Family Crisis

Spiritual Warfare

By Enhui, China
I’m an ordinary country woman, and the heavy burdens of my household responsibilities used to weigh me down so much I could hardly catch my breath. As a result, I became really short-tempered, and my husband and I were at each other’s throats day in and day out. We simply couldn’t go on living like that. Whenever I was suffering, I would cry out, “Heavens! Please save me!” And then in 2013, the gospel of Almighty God in the last days came to me. Through reading the words of God and attending gatherings with brothers and sisters, I became certain that Almighty God was the One I had been crying out to in my suffering, and so I gladly accepted Almighty God’s work in the last days.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

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

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

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.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Competing in This Way, I Benefit Tremendously

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

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 …

Sunday, January 12, 2020

The Storm of Divorce Quelled

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

By Lu Xi, Japan
In 2015, a friend of mine got me to start believing in Almighty God. After receiving Almighty God’s work of the last days, I hungrily devoured the word of God, and through it came to understand many mysteries of the truth that I had not known before, such as: God’s work of saving mankind is divided into three stages, how God carries out His work in every stage, the connection between the three stages of work, what the incarnation is, and why God must become flesh. This made me even more certain that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned.

Friday, January 10, 2020

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

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

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.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Breaking Free From the Rumor Trap

Knowing God's Will

By Xiaoyun, China
I used to be a female army officer. One day in 1999, a Korean pastor preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to me. Because of my earnest pursuit, I soon became the focus of the pastor’s training and his primary assistant. In the summer of 2000, the pastor came to Yunnan on a short summer missionary trip with more than a dozen college students from the Korean Gospel Church. Unexpectedly, this alarmed the CCP government. We were arrested whilst having a meeting at the pastor’s home and then brought to Yunnan Province Public Security Department for questioning. The Korean university students were deported that same night and the Korean pastor was also expelled from the country. The church suffered persecution by the CCP government, and many believers became afraid and did not dare believe. A proportion of believers were also forced to go to the Three-Self Church, and this was how the church was broken up by the CCP government. I was the main co-worker in the church and the persecution by the CCP government this time also caused me to lose my job.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Who Is the Obstacle on the Road to the Heavenly Kingdom?

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

By Meng’ai, Malaysia
The year my husband died, I was deep in despair, and on top of that I had the added burden of raising my children. Hardship had suddenly befallen my life, but I had the love of the Lord with me all along and, with the help of my brothers and sisters, I got through this difficult time.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

A Small Blade of Grass That Grew Among the Brambles

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

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.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Disturbances From the “May 28” Rumor (Part 1)



Spiritual Warfare

Xingwu, France
My mother is a devout Christian. Ever since I was old enough to understand things, she would often tell me stories about the Lord Jesus, telling me that the Lord Jesus is the only true God. When I was 13 years old I went with my mom to church. At that time I really enjoyed listening to the pastors’ sermons, and I had a great deal of faith. I would actively participate in every fellowship. But I gradually discovered that there was no illumination in the sermons preached by the pastors. They always repeated some theories and knowledge of the Bible or some theological theories, and as time went on I didn’t receive the least bit of pleasure from listening to their sermons, nor did I feel I was being provided with life. Therefore, I started going to fellowships less and less frequently.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Lost and Found Again

spiritual growth and development

By Xieli, United States
I came to the U.S.A. to work as hard as I could in pursuit of a happy life with a high standard of living. Though I suffered no little over the first few years, with time I was able to start my own company, get my own car, my own house, etc. I was finally living the “happy” life that I’d dreamed of. During this period, I made a few friends; in our free time we’d go out to eat, drink, and have some fun. We all got on pretty well together, and I thought I’d met a good bunch of guys. But then I came to realize that they were all just drinking buddies who didn’t have a single substantial thing to say, and when I was worried or depressed there was not one of them I could go to share my troubles with. Not only that, but they schemed to rip me off: One of them lied to me about his mother in China being really ill and when I lent him some money he disappeared without a trace. Another, from my hometown, told a bunch of lies about needing financing for a project and cheated me out of some money. And even the person nearest and dearest to me—my girlfriend—betrayed me and cheated me out of a large sum of money that it had taken me years of blood, sweat, and tears to accumulate. The heartlessness of these people and the indifference of society left me depressed and disheartened. For a time I lost the confidence to keep on living; my heart was empty, and I was in pain and helpless. After that, I often turned to eating, drinking and having fun to fill the emptiness within me, but I knew that these temporary physical pleasures couldn’t resolve my spiritual suffering at all.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies: I Rely on God to Defeat Satan (Part 1)

Spiritual Growth


By Wang Lin, China

I Rejoice to Welcome the Lord’s Return

The year I turned 36, I developed bone hyperplasia, and despite going to many hospitals for treatment, nothing had any effect whatsoever. In the spring of 1996, I began to believe in the Lord Jesus and, by the mercy of the Lord, my illness was healed. From that time on, I began to pursue my faith in great earnestness and before long I became a co-worker in my church. In September 1998, two sisters came and testified to us of God’s work in the last days. By reading Almighty God’s words, I became certain that Almighty God is indeed the returned Lord Jesus for whom we have so desperately longed and I, along with over 130 brothers and sisters from my church, accepted God’s work of the last days. I was thrilled—never had I imagined that I would be able to welcome the return of the Redeemer in my lifetime, and I thanked the exaltation and grace of God from the bottom of my heart. Afterward, I avidly read Almighty God’s words and my spirit was nourished. Just as I was feeling immersed in the joy of being reunited with the Lord, however, the leaders and co-workers from my old church tried every possible way to obstruct me and harass me, and thus a spiritual war began …

Friday, December 27, 2019

God’s Word Leads Step by Step to Victory

Spiritual Growth

Yili, USA

God’s Word Leads Step by Step to Victory
I was born in a Chinese Christian family, and my grandmother always used to take me to the church for gatherings and to sing hymns in praise of God when I was young…. After I grew up I obtained some grace of the Lord and experienced some of the Lord’s deeds, and I felt even more that the Lord is trustworthy. The Lord’s love for people is the truest, and the Lord’s word has authority and power and can give people hope. Whenever I would sing hymns, pray to the Lord, and read the word of the Lord, I would feel especially steady and tranquil in my heart. I came to the USA in 2007, and was baptized at church in October of 2010, when I began my service. At that time, my heart was impassioned. Because my house was far away from the church, I had to get up at 5:00 to take the subway there. But I felt a sweetness in my heart and that as long as I could satisfy God then suffering these hardships would be worth it. I took part in everything in the church, big or small, and I gained a lot of enlightenment from reading the Bible. But after a few years, without knowing why, when I listened to pastors I would doze off. I didn’t get any clear enlightenment from reading the Bible, and my spirit often sank down into weakness.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Discerning Modern-Day Pharisees and Welcoming the Lord Jesus’ Return

Jesus Return

By Hanmei, Myanmar
The Wonderful Surprise of the Lord’s Return
 In June 2017, I got to know Sister Liu and Brother Duan, both in Germany on Facebook, and through my communication with them I saw that they were genuine and modest people. They had a very pure understanding of the scripture and the content they shared in fellowship really contained light and was very beneficial for me. After joining them for a few gatherings, I understood a number of truths I never had before. My heart was really brightened; I loved meeting with them. During one gathering, Brother Duan referenced this passage of scripture: “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27). In his fellowship, he said that God would once again appear and work in the flesh in the last days, and that He had already come to the East, to China. He said that this prophecy had already been fulfilled. Hearing this, I felt a bit shocked, thinking, “The Lord Jesus has already returned?” In this state, I thought of what I had heard the pastors and elders say, that only the people of Eastern Lightning bore witness that the Lord Jesus has already returned in the flesh. They told us we couldn’t believe in this, because only the Lord Jesus is Christ. I then felt really unsettled and no longer took heed of Brother Duan’s fellowship, thinking, “The pastors and elders are all people who serve God. They understand a lot about the Bible and they should have clarity on something as important as the Lord’s coming. I’ll ask them and then see!”

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 2)

Spiritual Warfare Testimonies

By Yuanzhi, Brazil
One day while browsing through Facebook, I read someone’s experience and testimony entitled “I Found Salvation of the Last Days on Facebook.” I opened it and saw that this sister had similar experiences to me. When she first got in touch with The Church of Almighty God, her online friends sent her some rumors about the church that really stood in her way. I read on impatiently, eager to know what happened in the end. I saw that after this sister prayed to the Lord and asked Him to guide her, she felt that she could not be selective in what she chose to listen and believe, but she had to investigate The Church of Almighty God in a practical way in order to discern whether it was true or false. Blindly listening to the rumors and refusing to investigate the second coming of the Lord would not be a very rational approach, so she felt that she had to find out the truth about the Lord’s return. These words really resonated with me. The return of the Lord is an important thing and one must treat it prudently. We can’t just follow the herd; we can’t just blindly reject and resist it.

Spiritual Warfare: A Septuagenarian Christian’s Joys and Sorrows Dealing With Her Family’s Resistance

By Jinbu, South Korea A Septuagenarian Welcomes the Lord’s Return I turned 74 this year. I used to be a member of the Three-Self Chu...