(1) That which comes from the Holy Spirit most certainly aligns with God’s word the truth. It never contradicts it, and it is distinctly not a part of man’s notions and imaginings;

(2) That which comes from the Holy Spirit leads people to understand the truth and God’s will. It can light up their hearts and give them a path on which to practice;

(3) That which comes from the Holy Spirit can bring light to people and deliver them from darkness, giving them practical knowledge of God and a clear vantage onto the path of life entry;

(4) That which comes from the Holy Spirit can benefit people’s life entry and lead them to set foot upon the right track in their belief in God, enabling them to practice the truth.

Relevant Words of God:

The work of the Holy Spirit is a form of proactive guidance and positive enlightenment. It does not allow people to be passive. It brings them solace, gives them faith and resolve, and enables them to pursue being made perfect by God. When the Holy Spirit works, people are able to enter actively; they are not passive or forced, but act at their own initiative. When the Holy Spirit works, people are glad and willing, willing to obey and happy to humble themselves. Even though they are pained and fragile inside, they have the resolve to cooperate; they suffer gladly, they are able to obey, and they are untainted by human will, untainted by the thinking of man, and certainly they are untainted by human desires and motivations. When people experience the work of the Holy Spirit, they are especially holy inside. Those who are possessed of the work of the Holy Spirit live out the love of God and the love of their brothers and sisters; they delight in the things that delight God and loathe the things that God loathes. People who are touched by the work of the Holy Spirit have normal humanity, and they constantly pursue the truth and are possessed of humanity. When the Holy Spirit works within people, their condition becomes better and better, and their humanity becomes more and more normal, and though some of their cooperation may be foolish, their motivations are right, their entry is positive, they do not try to cause disruption, and there is no malevolence within them. The work of the Holy Spirit is normal and real, the Holy Spirit works in man according to the rules of the normal life of man, and He carries out enlightenment and guidance within people according to the actual pursuit of normal people. When the Holy Spirit works in people, He guides and enlightens them according to the needs of normal people. He provides for them according to their needs, and He positively guides and enlightens them according to what they lack, and according to their deficiencies. The Holy Spirit’s work is to enlighten and guide people in real life; only if they experience God’s words in their actual lives are they able to see the work of the Holy Spirit. If, in their everyday lives, people are in a positive state and have a normal spiritual life, then they are possessed of the work of the Holy Spirit. In such a state, when they eat and drink the words of God, they have faith; when they pray, they are inspired; when they come up against something, they are not passive; and as things happen, they are able to see the lessons within those things that God requires them to learn. They are not passive or weak, and although they have real difficulties, they are willing to obey all the arrangements of God.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Satan

There are many situations in which you simply do not know how to practice, and you know even less of how the Holy Spirit works. Sometimes you do something that is clearly disobedient to the Holy Spirit. Through your eating and drinking of God’s words, you already have a grasp of the principle at hand in the matter, so you have an inner feeling of reproach and disquiet; of course this is a feeling that one will feel only under the premise of knowing some truth. If people do not cooperate or practice in accordance with God’s word of today, then they are obstructing the Holy Spirit’s work and they will surely feel disquiet within. Say you understand the principle of a certain aspect but you do not practice accordingly, you would therefore suffer a feeling of reproach within. If you do not understand the principle and do not know this aspect of the truth at all, then you will not necessarily feel a sense of reproach on this matter. The Holy Spirit’s reproach is always in context. You think that because you have not prayed and have not cooperated with the Holy Spirit’s work that you have delayed the work. In actual fact, it cannot be delayed. The Holy Spirit will move someone else; the Holy Spirit’s work is constrained by no one. You feel you have let God down, and this is a feeling you should have in your conscience. Whether you can gain the truth or not is your own business and is unrelated to God. Sometimes it is your own conscience that feels accused, but this is not the enlightenment or illumination of the Holy Spirit, nor is it the reproach of the Holy Spirit. Instead it is a feeling within the human conscience. If you act wantonly in matters that involve the name of God, the testimony of God or the work of God, then God will not let you off. But there is a limit—God will not bother with you in common, small matters. He will ignore you. If you violate principles, and you disrupt and disturb God’s work, He will unleash His wrath upon you and absolutely will not let you off. Some of the mistakes you make are unavoidable in the course of human life. For example, you do not steam your buns the right way and say it is God disciplining you—this is an utterly unreasonable thing to say. Before you came to believe in God, did this kind of thing not often happen? You feel that it seems to be the Holy Spirit’s discipline, but in fact this is not the case (some exceptional circumstances aside), because this work does not come entirely from the Holy Spirit, but rather from human feelings. However, it is normal for people of faith to think along these lines. You could not have thought like this when you did not believe in God. Once you came to believe in God, you began to spend more time contemplating these things and so you naturally came to think along these lines. This arises from normal people’s thinking and has to do with their mentality. But let Me tell you, such thinking is not within the scope of the work of the Holy Spirit. This is an example of the Holy Spirit giving people a normal reaction through their thoughts; but you must understand that this reaction is not the work of the Holy Spirit. Having this kind of “knowledge” does not prove that you have the work of the Holy Spirit. Your knowledge does not arise from the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, much less is it the work of the Holy Spirit. It is merely the product of normal human thought and it has absolutely no link to the enlightenment or illumination of the Holy Spirit—these are categorically distinct phenomena. Such normal human thought does not derive entirely from the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit works to enlighten people, He generally gives them knowledge of God’s work, and of their true entry and true state. He also allows them to understand God’s urgent intentions and His requirements for man today, so that they have the resolve to sacrifice everything to satisfy God, love God even if they meet with persecution and adversity, and stand witness for God even if it means shedding their blood or giving their life, and do so without regret. If you have this kind of resolve, it means you have the stirrings and work of the Holy Spirit—but know that you are not possessed of such stirrings at every passing moment. Sometimes at meetings when you pray and eat and drink God’s words, you can feel extremely moved and inspired. It feels so new and fresh when others share some fellowship on their experience and understanding of God’s words, and your heart is perfectly clear and bright. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit. If you are a leader and the Holy Spirit gives you exceptional enlightenment and illumination when you go down to the church to work, gives you insight into the problems that exist within the church, allows you to know how to share fellowship on the truth to resolve them, makes you incredibly earnest, responsible and serious in your work, all of this is the work of the Holy Spirit.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Practice (1)

When people’s conditions are normal, then their spiritual lives and their lives in the flesh are normal and their reason is normal and orderly. When they are in this condition, what they experience and come to know within themselves can generally be said to come from being touched by the Holy Spirit (having insights or possessing some simple knowledge when they eat and drink the words of God, or being faithful in some things, or having the strength to love God in some things—this all comes from the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit’s work in man is especially normal; man is incapable of feeling it, and it seems to come through man himself, although it is in fact the work of the Holy Spirit. In daily life, the Holy Spirit does work both great and small in everyone, and it is just the extent of this work that varies. Some people are of good caliber, and they understand things quickly, and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit is especially great within them. Meanwhile, some people are of poor caliber, and it takes them longer to understand things, but the Holy Spirit touches them inside and they, too, are able to achieve faithfulness to God—the Holy Spirit works in all those who pursue God. When, in daily life, people do not oppose or rebel against God, do not do things that are at odds with the management of God and do not interfere with the work of God, then in each one of them the Spirit of God works to a greater or lesser extent; He touches them, enlightens them, gives them faith, gives them strength, and moves them to enter proactively, not being lazy or coveting the enjoyments of the flesh, willing to practice the truth, and longing for the words of God. All of this is work that comes from the Holy Spirit.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Satan

The way in which the work of the Holy Spirit helps people the most is by allowing them to understand many truths, and to understand some of God’s will, stopping them from acting against the will of God, and enabling them to work in the right direction, and not stray from the right path. What is the aim of the Holy Spirit’s work of enlightening people? Sometimes, it plays the role of guiding people; sometimes, it serves to remind you. When you are about to go astray, He supports and assists you like a walking cane, leading you onto the right path and guiding you. Regardless of the light and understanding with which the Holy Spirit enlightens people, or whether it varies because of their personal background, there is never any violation of, or conflict with, the truth. If each person experiences thus, genuinely seeking and praying, truly obeying, if the Holy Spirit continually works thus, if people are of keen and subtle intellect, and if the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment is not lost on them, then their stature will grow very quickly. They will have seized the opportunity. One characteristic of the work of the Holy Spirit is that it is very fast—it is over in a flash. It is not like the work of evil spirits, when you are always being pushed, and you cannot act in any other way. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit works by giving you a feeling when you are on the verge of danger, making you feel uneasy and anxious inside. This happens under special circumstances. Most of the time, during the course of people’s normal experience, they are given a slight feeling, or a subtle thought or idea; you are made to understand the meaning, and then this meaning is wrought into human words through the human mind. In fact, if people always experience in this way, if they have these truths as the foundation, if they have the work of the Holy Spirit and are always able to seize it, then there is no possibility of them deviating from the true way. Even if, throughout, no one fellowships with you, no one guides you, and you are not given any work arrangements, if you carry on in this direction, then you will definitely not take the wrong path.

—“See All Things Through the Eyes of Truth” in Records of Talks of Christ of the Last Days

The enlightenment that the Holy Spirit works in man takes place when they are in a normal state; at such times, people often mistake the enlightenment they receive as their own actual stature, because the way in which the Holy Spirit enlightens is exceptionally normal, and He makes use of what is inherent within man. When people work and speak, or when they are praying and making their spiritual devotions, a truth will suddenly become clear to them. In reality, however, what man sees is only enlightenment by the Holy Spirit (naturally, this enlightenment is connected to man’s cooperation) and does not represent man’s true stature. After a period of experience in which man encounters some difficulties and trials, the true stature of man becomes apparent under such circumstances. Only then will man discover that his stature is not so great, and the selfishness, personal considerations, and greed of man all emerge. Only after several cycles of experiences like this will many of those who are awakened within their spirits realize that what they had experienced in the past was not their own individual reality, but a momentary illumination from the Holy Spirit, and that man had but received this light. When the Holy Spirit enlightens man to understand the truth, it is often in a clear and distinct manner, without explaining how things came about or where they are going. That is, rather than incorporating the difficulties of man into this revelation, He directly reveals the truth. When man encounters difficulties in the process of entering, and then incorporates the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, this becomes the actual experience of man.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Work and Entry (2)

The work of the Holy Spirit is positive progress, whereas the work of Satan is retreat, negativity, rebelliousness, resistance against God, loss of faith in God, unwillingness even to sing hymns, and being too weak to perform one’s duty. Everything that stems from the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit is quite natural; it is not forced upon you. If you follow it, then you will have peace; if you do not, then you will afterward be rebuked. With the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, nothing you do will be interfered with or constrained; you will be set free, there will be a path to practice in your actions, and you will not be subject to any restraints, but be able to act upon the will of God. The work of Satan causes you interference in many things; it makes you unwilling to pray, too lazy to eat and drink the words of God, and indisposed to live the life of the church, and it estranges you from the spiritual life. The work of the Holy Spirit does not interfere with your daily life and does not interfere with your normal spiritual life.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Satan

Inner guidance from the Holy Spirit is not at all transcendental; it is, in fact, very normal. That is, in the depths of your heart, you know this is an appropriate way to act, and that it is the best way. This thought is actually quite clear; it did not come of your pondering, but was a sort of feeling you gave rise to from deep down, and sometimes you do not fully understand what makes you act this way. This is often none other than enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, and this is how it occurs most commonly in the majority of people. One’s own ideas often come from thinking and considering, and are all adulterated by self-will, ideas of what areas there are in which one can find self-benefit, and what advantages something might have for oneself; every human decision has these things in it. Guidance from the Holy Spirit, however, in no way contains such adulterations. It is necessary to pay careful attention to the guidance or enlightenment from the Holy Spirit; particularly in key issues, you must be careful in order to grasp it. People who like to use their brains, and who like to act on their own ideas, are the most liable to miss such guidance or enlightenment.

—“The Main Principles of Work for Leaders and Workers” in Records of Talks of Christ of the Last Days

What kind of person does the Holy Spirit enlighten? Those who are of keen and subtle intellect. When they are given a feeling or an enlightenment, they can sense that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and that it is God doing it. Sometimes, they can tell as soon as they are being reproached by the Holy Spirit, and so they rein themselves in. These are the people whom the Holy Spirit enlightens. If someone is careless and does not understand spiritual things, they will not realize when they are being given a feeling. They are heedless of the work of the Holy Spirit, and so the Holy Spirit will not try to enlighten them again. If they remain unreceptive even after three or four attempts, the Holy Spirit will no longer work on them. Why is it that some people feel dark, depressed, deflated, bereft of the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit within themselves the further they go? There is nothing but lifeless things, lifeless doctrines, within them, so how could they possibly feel energized? People do not last for long by only relying on their enthusiasm. You must understand the truth to have strength. Therefore, in your faith in God, you must be of subtle intellect, you must take God’s words seriously, and focus on knowing yourself. You must understand the will of God through understanding the truth, through knowing and experiencing; only then will you gain the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is extraordinarily practical. Some people have the capability to understand the truth, yet they have no personal experience of the work of the Holy Spirit. Going forward, you must focus on the subtlest of feelings, and the subtlest of light. Each time something happens to you, you should observe it and approach it from the perspective of the truth, and in so doing, you will gradually set foot upon the right track.

—“See All Things Through the Eyes of Truth” in Records of Talks of Christ of the Last Days