What is it that man has received since he first believed in God? What have you known about God? How much have you changed because of your belief in God? Now you all know that belief in God is not solely for salvation of the soul and welfare of the flesh, nor is it to enrich your life through love of God, and so on. As it stands, if you love God for the sake of welfare of the flesh or momentary pleasure, then even if, in the end, your love for God reaches its peak and you ask for nothing, this love you seek is still an impure love and not pleasing to God.
Those who use love for God to enrich their dull lives and fill a void in their heart are those who seek to live in ease, not those who truly seek to love God. This kind of love is against one’s will, a pursuit of emotional pleasure, and God does not need this kind of love. What kind, then, is a love such as yours? For what do you love God? How much true love do you have for God now? The love of most among you is as previously mentioned. This kind of love can only maintain the status quo; it cannot attain eternal constancy, nor take root in man. This kind of love is that of a flower which bears no fruit after it has bloomed then withered. In other words, after you have loved God once in such a way and there is no one to lead you on the path ahead, then you will fall. If you can only love God in the times of loving God and you make no changes to your life disposition afterward, then you will continue to be shrouded by the influence of darkness, unable to escape, and still unable to break free from being manipulated and fooled by Satan. No such man can be fully gained by God; in the end, their spirit, soul, and body will still belong to Satan. This is unquestionable. All those who cannot be fully gained by God will return to their original place, that is, back to Satan, and they will go down to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone to accept the next step of punishment from God. Those gained by God are those who rebel against Satan and escape from its domain. Such men will be officially numbered among those of the kingdom. This is how the people of the kingdom come to be. Are you willing to be this kind of person? Are you willing to be gained by God? Are you willing to escape from the domain of Satan and return to God? Do you now belong to Satan or are you numbered among those of the kingdom? Such things should all be clear and require no further explanation.
In times past, many pursued with their ambition and notions and for the sake of their hopes. These matters will not be discussed now. The key is to find a way of practice that will enable each of you to maintain a normal condition before God and to gradually break free of the shackles of Satan’s influence, so that you may be gained by God, and live out on earth what God asks of you. Only this can fulfill the desire of God. Many believe in God, yet know neither what it is that God desires nor what it is that Satan desires. They foolishly believe and blindly follow others, and so have never had a normal Christian life; they have no normal personal relationships, much less a normal relationship with God. From this it can be seen that the troubles and faults of man, and other factors that can thwart the will of God are many. This is sufficient to prove that man has not set himself on the right track nor experienced real life. So what is it to set on the right track? To set on the right track means that you can quiet your heart before God at all times and commune naturally with God, gradually coming to know what is lacking in you and slowly gaining a deeper knowledge of God. Through this, you will daily gain new seeing and enlightenment in your spirit; your longing grows, and you seek to enter into the truth. Every day there is new light and new understanding. Through this path, you gradually break free of the influence of Satan, and your life grows greater. A man such as this has set on the right track. Evaluate your own actual experiences and examine the path you have taken in your belief of God against the above. Are you one who is set on the right track? In what matters have you broken free from the shackles of Satan and from the influence of Satan? If you have yet to set yourself on the right track, your ties with Satan have yet to be severed. As such, can this pursuit of love for God result in a love that is authentic, dedicated, and pure? You say that your love for God is unwavering and heartfelt, yet you have not broken free of the shackles of Satan. Are you not making a fool of God? If you wish to attain a pure love for God, be fully gained by God, and become numbered among those of the kingdom, then you must first set yourself on the right track.
from The Word Appears in the Flesh
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