People living in normal humanity are also restricted by many bodily instincts and bodily needs. For example, sometimes people may delay doing their duties for a couple of days because they are too tired or ill and need to rest; sometimes, due to a tense environment, they may feel scared and be unable to settle down to do their duties; or they may often feel a sense of indebtedness and sadness in their hearts because, due to their limited caliber and abilities, they cannot be competent in a certain kind of work or duty—these are all normal manifestations that fall within the scope of normal humanity. Sometimes people may be constrained by feelings and bodily needs, and sometimes they may be subject to the restrictions of bodily instincts, or to the restrictions of time and personality—this is normal and natural. For example, some people have been quite introverted since childhood; they are not fond of talking and struggle to associate with others. Even as adults in their thirties or forties, they still can’t overcome this personality: They are still not adept at speech or good with words, nor are they good at associating with others. After they become a leader, this personality trait limits and hinders their work to a certain degree, and this often causes them distress and frustration, making them feel very constrained. Introversion and not being fond of talking are manifestations of normal humanity. Since they are manifestations of normal humanity, are they considered transgressions to God? No, they are not transgressions, and God will treat them correctly. Regardless of your problems, defects, or flaws, none of these are issues in God’s eyes. God only looks at how you seek the truth, practice the truth, act according to the truth principles, and follow God’s way under the inherent conditions of normal humanity—these are what God looks at. Therefore, in matters that relate to the truth principles, do not let the basic conditions, such as the caliber, instincts, personality, habits, and living patterns of normal humanity, restrict you. Of course, do not invest your energy and time in trying to overcome these basic conditions either, nor attempt to change them. For instance, if you have an introverted personality, and you aren’t fond of talking, and you aren’t good with words, and you aren’t adept at associating and interacting with people, none of these things are problems. Although extroverts love to talk, not everything they say is useful or accords with the truth, so being introverted is not a problem and you don’t need to try and change it. You may say, “If I were an ordinary follower, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to have an introverted personality; but now I am a leader, so don’t I have to change my introverted personality?” If you really want to change it, you can try learning how to associate with others, or make a rule for how much you say, how many matters you handle, and how many types of people you have dealings with in one day. If you really have the ability to change your inherent personality, then of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing in terms of you doing the work of the church. However, if you were born with an introverted personality and you are not good with words, and not adept at socializing, and don’t know how to converse or interact with others, then no one can change this. Some people have an introverted personality, they aren’t willing to interact or converse with others, and furthermore, they don’t have that much to say. They always feel that it’s only right to say something useful, and that there’s no need to say unnecessary things, so they aren’t willing to say much. For some people, it may be because they are too young and have no life experience and lack the words; for other people, it may be that they are not young anymore and already have life experience, but still have this introverted personality. If you try to change this kind of personality and adopt all sorts of approaches to change it, then let Me tell you, you will never be able to change it in your entire life, because God does not do this kind of work. No matter whether your face or appearance resembles that of your father, your mother or any other relative, this appearance will not change, and even more so, your personality in particular will not change. Some people say, “It’s hard to change an introverted personality, so is it easy to change an extroverted one?” It is just as difficult to change an extroverted personality. Extroverts love to talk and have a lot that they want to say; if you ask them not to talk or to talk less, they can’t control themselves, and if anyone restricts them from speaking, it’s like stripping them of their life. If an introvert is made to associate with an extrovert, will they influence each other? They might influence each other somewhat at the beginning; for the sake of face, the two people will be accommodating and tolerant toward each other, or be forbearing and understanding with each other. But over time, they will get to know each other and obtain a clear idea of each other’s personality, and there will be no need to act so forbearing and considerate toward each other, so they will quickly return to their original states. If you originally had an introverted personality, you are still introverted now; when you talk and converse, you only utter a few words or sentences, and have nothing else to say. If someone asks, “Did you go out?” you reply, “I did.” Then if they ask, “When did you come back?” you reply, “Just now.” You don’t say what happened, and you don’t say what that person wants to hear. By contrast, extroverts shoot out words incessantly, like a machine gun, and even if you interrupt them, after a while they will carry on talking. Is it easy for a person’s personality to change? (No, it isn’t.) This is something that every created human being is born with. It has nothing to do with corrupt dispositions or the essence of one’s humanity; it is simply a state of being that people can see from the outside, and a way by which a person approaches people, events, and things. Some people are good at expressing themselves, whereas others are not; some like to describe things, while others do not; some like to keep their thoughts to themselves, while others don’t like to keep their thoughts inside, but want to express them out loud so that everyone can hear them, and only then do they feel happy. These are the different ways in which people deal with life and people, events, and things; these are people’s personalities. Your personality is something you were born with. If you have failed to change it even after many attempts, then let Me tell you, you can take a break now; there’s no need to tire yourself out so much. It can’t be changed, so don’t try to change it. Whatever your original personality has been, that remains your personality. Do not try to change your personality for the sake of attaining salvation; this is a fallacious idea—whatever personality you have, that is an objective fact, and you cannot change it. In terms of objective reasons for this, the result that God wants to achieve in His work has nothing to do with your personality. Whether you can attain salvation is also unrelated to your personality. In addition, whether you are a person who practices the truth and has the truth reality has nothing to do with your personality. Therefore, do not try to change your personality because you are doing certain duties or serving as a supervisor of a certain item of work—this is an erroneous idea. What should you do then? Regardless of your personality or innate conditions, you should adhere to and practice the truth principles. Ultimately, God does not measure whether you follow His way or can attain salvation based on your personality, or on what inherent caliber, skills, abilities, gifts, or talents you possess, and of course He does not look at how much you have restrained your bodily instincts and needs either. Instead, God looks at whether, while following God and doing your duties, you are practicing and experiencing His words, whether you have the willingness and resolve to pursue the truth, and ultimately, whether you have achieved practicing the truth and following God’s way. This is what God looks at. Do you understand this? (Yes, we understand.)

When some women act, they blaze through things, they are as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and they make prompt and firm decisions; their personality is just like that of a man. What is the popular term used to describe them nowadays? Masculine women. “Masculine women” are no longer the stupid, great, hulking oafs that people used to refer to with this term. It is not a derogatory term; rather, it is a commendatory one. But how does God regard this commendatory term? You are as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and boldly and resolutely decisive in your actions, but what are the principles of your practice and the basis for your actions? Is it the truth? Is it the words of God? This is key. If a man is slow and meticulous in his actions, then in the words of nonbelievers, he is like a woman with bound feet—some even use a derogatory term, saying that he is “a bit girly”—but how does God view him? Regardless of whether a person is as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt and boldly and resolutely decisive in doing things, or acts like a woman with bound feet and is a bit girly in their actions, are either of these things problems? (No.) Is being as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and boldly and resolutely decisive a strong point? (No, not necessarily.) So is it a weakness to act like a woman with bound feet? (Likewise no, not necessarily.) Though one of the two terms “masculine women” and “a bit girly” is commendatory and the other is derogatory, the essence of these two types of behaviors or ways of doing things should not be judged based on their literal meanings. What should be used to judge this? (Whether what someone practices is the word of God or not.) The basis of their actions, and also the effect that they intend to achieve, should be used to judge this. If the basis of their actions is the word of God and the truth principles, then it is basically 90 percent certain that they are doing no wrong. If they not only do things according to the truth principles, but furthermore, the effect they intend to achieve is that of defending God’s testimony and the interests of God’s house, and of edifying more brothers and sisters, then we can be 100 percent sure that they are doing no wrong. Never mind whether they are boldly and resolutely decisive or like a woman with bound feet—never mind the way they outwardly act—that isn’t important. What is important is whether or not the truth principles are the basis of their actions, and whether or not the goal of their actions and the effect they intend to achieve through their actions is that of safeguarding the interests of God’s house and the work of the church, and of edifying more people. So is the form that their actions take important? (No, it isn’t.) Regardless of whether you are a masculine woman or like a woman with bound feet, this is not what God looks at; this is not the standard God uses to evaluate people. So, if a woman seems like a masculine woman, and in her actions, she is as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and boldly and resolutely decisive, is this worthy of praise and esteem? (No, it is not.) Is being as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and boldly and resolutely decisive a principle for doing things? (No.) Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, being boldly and resolutely decisive and as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt is not a principle for doing things. So, what is a principle for doing things? (One must do things according to the truth principles, and the effect that one intends to achieve must be to safeguard the interests of God’s house and edify more people—this is a principle.) This is a concrete principle. If you act according to this principle, then you are practicing the truth; if you do not act according to this principle, then in My eyes, the expression that best defines you being boldly and resolutely decisive, as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt is “running riot doing bad things.” It is obvious that running riot doing bad things is not acting based on the truth principles; although you appear to be decisive and unhesitating in your actions, and to have the air of a leader or king, in reality you are running riot doing bad things. What are the consequences of running riot doing bad things? It causes disruptions and disturbances, and sabotages the church’s work. So, will God remember this? (No.) Not only will God not remember this, but He will also condemn it. So, you say that you are a masculine woman, and that in your actions you are as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt, and boldly and resolutely decisive, but is that useful? (No, it isn’t.) Only seeking the truth and acting according to the truth principles can be called a true ability; only this is practicing the truth and pursuing the truth, and only this is what people with normal humanity should do. Suppose you say, “This is just my personality and it can’t change, so what am I supposed to do?” There’s an easy solution. Whether you are a brisk person or have a slow temperament is not a problem; don’t be constrained by this. There is also no need for you to try hard to change your method of doing things because you want to act according to the principles. Regardless of your method, if the basis of your actions is the truth principles, and the effect you achieve is that of defending God’s testimony, God’s interests, and the work of God’s house, then these are good deeds, and they will be remembered by God. By contrast, regardless of whether you are outwardly timid and hesitant like a woman with bound feet, or are as quick and as vigorous as a lightning bolt like a leader or a king—regardless of the outward form of your actions—if you do not act according to the truth principles, then you are causing disruptions and disturbances, and these are evil deeds, and they will be condemned by God, and not remembered by God. This is the principle for judging whether a person is good or evil. Do you get it? (Yes.) So, now that we’ve finished fellowshipping on these things, do you have some understanding of what notions and imaginings people have regarding God’s work? (Yes.) Now that you understand them, do you know some of the deviations that people have in their process of believing in God and pursuing the truth? Are you also clear on how you should practice? (Yes, we are.)

The purpose of understanding people’s notions and imaginings, in one respect, is to stop people from living according to these notions and imaginings and walking the wrong life path. In another respect, it is to enable people—while they let go of these notions and imaginings—to live within normal humanity and fulfill their responsibilities and duties with ease and joy, and to not force themselves to do things they are unable to. If there is something you can achieve and ought to do, then put your very best effort into doing it; if something is beyond your caliber and ability, then find someone to cooperate on it with you or ask other brothers and sisters for help, and do it to the best of your ability—these are the principles. In summary, what people should understand about this matter is that, during the period in which God works, everyone’s humanity is gradually developing in a good direction in the process of accepting God’s words, and within the scope of the inherent basic conditions of their humanity, rather than becoming twisted, supernatural, or abnormal. Therefore, if the duty you do involves a technical or professional skill, then to do that duty well, you should put in the effort to diligently learn and delve into that technical or professional skill. You should not blindly wait for God to act based on thoughts and views such as “God is omnipotent, and whatever is impossible for people to do can be accomplished by God if we just pray to Him” and imaginings about supernatural things, without expending the effort to learn the skill yourself. You should put all your heart, all your strength, and all your mind into doing that which is within the scope of what your caliber can achieve, and when it comes to what is beyond your caliber and abilities, don’t make things hard for yourself, don’t encumber, burden, or pressure yourself in any way, instead go easy on yourself. Take learning computer skills, for example. Let’s say that you are getting on in years, and based on your age, your caliber, and your present conditions, just learning to type is already quite an achievement for you. If you can also learn to contact the brothers and sisters and do work online, that’s already pretty good going. However, you are never satisfied and still have a desire for more—you want to learn how to write programs and keep the network secure, doing some work that only network engineers and high-tech personnel can do. Isn’t that foolish? (Yes.) You can’t get the hang of these things, so you become negative and complain about God: “Oh God, why can’t I get the hang of these things? Why did You give me this kind of caliber? I’m so old—why can’t You make me young again? Isn’t God omnipotent?” It is wrong for you to have such thoughts and make such demands. What is meant by “doing whatever is within one’s power, and not exceeding one’s caliber, abilities, and instincts”? Whatever your caliber and abilities allow you to achieve, that is what God requires of you. Whatever is beyond you, God does not require that of you, and you don’t have to demand it of yourself either. If you cannot do something, there are others who can; God doesn’t demand that you be the one to do it. You say, “I’m old—I don’t know how to upload videos, I don’t know how to keep the network secure either, and even less do I know how to write programs,” and yet you insist on learning these things—have you asked whether God’s house needs you to do this work? Have you done your own work properly? Have you done the work that your caliber allows you to achieve properly? If you haven’t done it properly, and you still insist on trying to do things that are out of your reach and beyond your grasp, and that you will even never manage to learn in your whole lifetime, do you think you are struggling against yourself, or against God? Isn’t this very troublesome? (Yes.) You always want to surpass yourself and become superhuman, but God hasn’t required you to do that. There can only be one reason why you want to be superhuman, which is that you want to show off and you won’t admit defeat or give in to old age. It’s not for the sake of doing your duty well that you endure hardship and pay a price; you are not doing your duty according to the principle of conducting yourself in a well-behaved manner and holding firmly to your proper place. You want to prove that you are not old by challenging your own caliber and abilities. “I’ve still got it,” you think. “I’m just as good as the rest, I can do whatever other people can!” Is this meaningful? (No.) It is not meaningful. All this effort you are putting in is futile and worthless. If you put all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength into properly doing that which your own conditions allow you to achieve, then God will be satisfied. Do not challenge yourself, nor seek to push your limits. God knows what your caliber and abilities are like. What caliber and abilities God has given you have long been predetermined by Him. Always wanting to surpass these is to be arrogant and to overestimate oneself; it is asking for trouble and will inevitably end in failure. Are such people not neglecting their proper tasks? (Yes.) They are not conducting themselves in a rule-abiding manner, and not holding fast to their proper positions to fulfill the duties of a created being—they are not following these principles in their actions, but rather always trying to show off. There’s a two-part saying: “An old lady puts on lipstick—to give you something to look at.” For what purpose would the “old lady” do this? (To show herself off.) The old lady wants to show you: “I, as an old lady, am not ordinary—I’ll show you something special.” She does not want to be looked down upon, but instead wants to be highly regarded and revered; she wants to challenge her limits and surpass herself. Is this not having an arrogant nature? (Yes.) If you have an arrogant nature, then you do not stay within your bounds, you do not want to conduct yourself in a manner befitting your station. You always want to challenge yourself. Whatever others can do, you want to be able to do as well. When others do things that make them stand out, achieve results, or make contributions, and receive everyone’s praise, you feel uncomfortable, jealous, and discontented. You then want to abandon your current tasks to undertake work that allows you to shine, desiring to be highly regarded too. But you are not capable of doing work that allows you to stand out, so isn’t this a waste of time? Isn’t this neglecting your proper tasks? (Yes.) Do not neglect proper tasks, for neglecting them is not going to end well. Not only does it delay things and waste time, making others look down on you, but it also makes God loathe you, and in the end, you torment yourself to become quite negative. Regardless of a person’s age—whether they be young, middle-aged or elderly—they have limits in terms of their caliber and talents; nobody is perfect. Forget about being a perfect person, forget about knowing how to do everything, being able to do everything, and understanding everything—it is troublesome if you have this kind of disposition.

Within God’s work, why is it that when He speaks to all kinds of people about any topic or any kind of issue, He talks over and over again about the same thing addressing different states and situations? Those who lack spiritual understanding think, “Speaking in this way is too detailed and long-winded; we already understand.” You may already understand, but others may not; and even if you understand, can you resolve the problems of various states? If you can’t, it means that you still don’t fully understand, so don’t pretend that you do. People’s states are all different. Only once all the states of each type of person have been spoken about, and all the various states have been covered—that is, once the states of all types of people within a certain major issue have all been discussed, and everyone understands this aspect of the truth—only then has this issue been explained clearly. What do I mean by this? It is that everyone develops different problems while living under their own conditions; everyone’s problems are different, and everyone’s personalities, strong points, and the things that they’re good at, are also different. Therefore, everyone has their own personal conditions, their own difficulties, and their own different thoughts and views. However, no matter how different people’s own conditions are, and no matter how different their abilities, calibers, height of vision, personalities, and habits are, human beings’ corrupt dispositions and nature essence are the same. That is, no matter how different the various conditions of people’s humanity are, people possess the same common traits. Why do human beings have the same common traits? Because the disposition essence which human beings depend on for survival is the same. Therefore, after the states and problems of all kinds of people have been exposed, what human beings need to do is to practice according to the truths and principles required by God, and then the common problems of humankind will be resolved. No matter your personality or caliber, no matter how capable you are, and no matter whether you are male or female, or whether you were born in the West or the East, or whether you are from the South or the North, as long as your corrupt dispositions are resolved through accepting the truth, accepting the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, and through practicing the truth, your difficulties will be resolved. This means that all the various states that arise in people in the context of the common problems of human beings can also be resolved. Why do various states arise in people? It is because the inherent conditions of humanity that each person possesses are different. For example, if you live in the South, and you have some living habits and patterns of southerners, and you also develop some personality and lifestyle traits that are specific to southerners, then with this kind of background, you will develop some particular notions and imaginings, particular thoughts and views, and particular states. If you were born in the North, you would have the personality and living habits of northerners, or some states that arise out of the customs, cultural background, education methods, and other such things which are intrinsic to northerners. In this way, the states that arise in people who live in the South and the North are different. However, the root cause and essence of states that arise from a single problem are the same, so they can all be resolved with the same truths. This being the case, it doesn’t matter whether you are from the North or the South, or from the East or the West; as long as you are a created human being, your problems can all be solved with truths. Have you understood? Is this issue complicated? (Now that I’ve heard it explained, I feel that it isn’t complicated anymore.) Why do you say that this issue isn’t complicated? (Although people’s own conditions, backgrounds, and personalities are different, and this naturally gives rise to different states, the root cause of these different states is the same, and people’s corrupt essence is the same. No matter how much corrupt disposition people reveal, it can be resolved with the same truths; therefore, truths can resolve the problems of every person.) Regardless of whether people are from the South, the North, the East, or the West, regardless of whether they are male or female, young or old, and regardless of what their own conditions are, their corrupt dispositions are the same, and the various states, thoughts and views, and attitudes toward the truth that these corrupt dispositions give rise to have a common trait. What is this common trait? Everything that arises out of these corrupt dispositions is of Satan and does not accord with the truth; of course, to be more specific, it could be said that it is contrary to the truth. Therefore, no matter what differences there are between the races, religions, or cultures of corrupt humankind, and no matter whether people have yellow, white, brown, or black skin, they are all corrupt human beings, and human beings all have the same essence of resisting God. This is something they have in common. Therefore, regardless of which country people are from or what race they are, they are collectively referred to as corrupt human beings. That is, regardless of whether these races of people are superior or humble, poor or rich in terms of their skin color, appearance, life habits, or racial culture, and regardless of what education they have received, in any case, the rules which they rely on for their survival come from Satan, are inconsistent with the truth, and are resistant to God. Even if people belong to an affluent, noble race with a lofty religious background, their essence is still that of corrupt human beings, they are still of Satan’s ilk that resists God, they are still corrupt humans, they are all resistant to God, they are all those who are judged and chastised within God’s work, and the ones among them who can accept the truth are those whom God intends to save. What is the implication of this? It is that before you are saved, no matter how lofty your cultural background, educational background, and religious background are, your essence is still resistant to God and hostile to God. As such, the essence of human beings will not change because of their skin color, religion, country of birth, or their educational background or cultural background. Similarly, no matter what race a person is, they will not become noble or lowly in the eyes of God because of their own conditions. So in the eyes of God, what is the standard for evaluating whether people are noble or lowly? There is only one standard, and that is whether or not you accept the truth. If you accept the truth, then no matter your race or the color of your skin, you are noble. If you do not accept the truth, then even if you say, “I have white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, and my family has been royalty for generations,” there is no use in that! Even if you are noble among humankind, if you do not accept the truth, then in God’s eyes you are still a corrupt human being, you are the same as any other corrupt human being—there is no difference. No matter how many members of the human race look up to you, revere you, and present offerings to you, it serves no use and will not change your status, identity, and essence in God’s eyes. God’s standard for evaluating humankind—which of course is also God’s fixed high benchmark and standard for evaluating humankind—is to evaluate them by the truth. If you love the truth and practice the truth, then you are noble; if you do not practice the truth, then this old flesh of yours is a corrupt human being; it is not worth a penny, and is not even as valuable as an ant on the ground. With the exception of microorganisms that people cannot see, ants are relatively small among all living things. Their living patterns, survival rules, and instincts fully adhere to the laws set by God. Their work-and-rest schedule changes according to the climate and fluctuating temperatures of the four seasons, and they will never proactively change these patterns and rules. But humans are different. Humans always want to change the status quo and the world, they always have ambitions, and they constantly engage in betrayal and rebellion. Although ants don’t have the faculty to accept the truth, nor the capability to comprehend the truth, at the very least they do not resist God. Humans are different; they will actively come forward to attack and resist God. Therefore, in God’s eyes, human beings who have not gained the truth and have not been saved are worth nothing. Isn’t this a fact? (It is.) Evaluating and characterizing people based on this fact completely accords with the truth principles. Through fellowshipping on these issues, people should have a correct view and understanding of the essence of humankind and the effect that God’s work intends to achieve. After you understand this aspect of the truth, won’t you be less constrained when you preach the gospel to people or when you associate and fellowship with them, no matter what type of person they are—regardless of whether they have a religious background or not, whether they have standing and status in society or low social status, and whether they are white or a person of color? (Yes.) If you don’t understand these truths, you’ll always tend to view people of other races highly, or feel that you can’t fathom them, and don’t know how to fellowship or interact with them. Doesn’t understanding these truths assist you in associating with those people? It will help you to view the entire human race from the right stance and from the right viewpoint. This is the benefit of understanding the truth. When you understand the truth, your perspective on things will be right and it will also be relatively broad-minded, and not so narrow-minded. Otherwise, you will always lack confidence as a leader or worker. Firstly, you will feel that you lack life experience. Secondly, you will feel that you haven’t had enough experiences. Thirdly, you will feel that you aren’t good at speaking and cannot see through the states of most people; in particular, when you see older people, you will be afraid and nervous, and you won’t dare to speak. Some people say, “Especially when I see that longtime religious believers have some knowledge of the Bible, I don’t know how to preach the gospel to them, and I get scared and feel inferior to them.” You understand so many truths, so what is it that you are scared of? Isn’t this not being able to see through matters? Once people understand the truth, they should be able to resolve these matters and problems, and they will no longer be constrained by these things.

What aspects of truth have you understood through the topics that we’ve fellowshipped on today? Are you clear on God’s work, and on how God saves people, God’s methods for saving people, and the aspects of people that God changes? (Yes.) Now that you are clear on these things, don’t you feel even more the importance of practicing the truth and of evaluating everything by the truth? (Yes.) Don’t you think even more that it is extremely important to pursue and understand the truth? If someone doesn’t understand the truth, then they cannot see through any matter, they cannot see through all types of people, and they cannot see through people from all countries and ethnicities, and so they are a fool, a moron. When some individuals see people that wear glasses, they assume that they are professors or intellectuals, and so they feel constrained and do not dare speak, and whenever they see tall and good-looking people, they feel inferior to them. After understanding the truth, won’t people basically not be affected by these things? In one respect, they will not constrain themselves; in another respect, they will—to a certain extent—improve their attitude and viewpoint with regard to dealing with people and things, and they will also have some insight into it. This will be beneficial for the performance of their duty, especially when it comes to the performance of work by leaders and workers at all levels.