By Clara, USA

Some time ago, I read a passage of God’s words, which said: “Fawning, flattery, and fair-sounding words—on the surface, everyone should know what these terms mean, and individuals who embody them are commonplace. Engaging in fawning, flattery, and speaking fair-sounding words are most often ways of speaking adopted to gain favor, praise, or some kind of benefit from others. This is the most common mode of speech for those who engage in flattery and sycophancy. It can be said that all corrupt humans, to some degree, exhibit this manifestation, which is a manner of speaking that belongs to satanic philosophy” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Two)). At that time, when I read God’s words that expose such people, I didn’t apply them to myself. Such people disgusted me, and I didn’t like them or want to spend time with them, so I thought I was better than such people. Unexpectedly, when the facts revealed me, I saw that for my own interests I would do the same, trying to please people, curry favor, and say pleasant things, and I would also act in a very cunning and deceitful way.

A few days ago, I attended a group gathering. After the gathering, my leader sent a message, asking me how Brother Caleb’s fellowship was. Looking at the message, I was a little nervous, “Why is the leader suddenly asking me this question? How should I answer it? If I answer incorrectly, what will he think of me? Will he think I can’t even discern how well other people fellowship, that I have poor caliber, and no real experience? If so, will he ever trust me and use me in important roles in the future? I might even lose my position as group leader before long.” To maintain my image and status in the leader’s mind and make him think I could discern things, I started to guess what he meant by it. Since he asked, he must have felt there was a problem with Caleb’s fellowship, so what could I say to get his approval? In fact, I felt that although some of what Caleb fellowshipped was words and doctrines, in some places it was practical. But I worried I didn’t see things correctly, so I didn’t tell the leader my true thoughts. Instead, I said, “Caleb fellowshipped a lot of doctrines.” My leader replied, “A lot of what he said was indeed words and doctrines. Be sure to remind and help him more in the future.” After reading the leader’s reply, I thought, “Fortunately, I didn’t express my true thoughts. Wouldn’t I have made myself look bad otherwise? Then my leader would have seen through me!”

Immediately after that, I attended another group gathering. After the gathering, the leader sent me a message again, asking, “What did you think of Sister Jemma’s fellowship?” When I saw the message, I was a little dumbfounded. My mind had wandered at the gathering, so I hadn’t listened attentively to her fellowship at all. How was I supposed to answer? If I was honest, what would the leader think of me? I remembered I heard the leader say before that Jemma often spoke of words and doctrines, so was he asking me to confirm this issue? Last time, he asked me because he thought Caleb spoke a lot of doctrines. I thought it might be the same reason this time. So, I answered, “From Jemma’s fellowship, I didn’t hear what self-knowledge she possessed, or which of her views had changed.” After reading my reply, the leader said nothing. Then I couldn’t calm myself, and I began to guess, “Was the leader dissatisfied with my answer? Did I answer incorrectly? If I did, would he think I have poor caliber?” During those days, this disturbed my thoughts from time to time.

A few days later, during a gathering, I read a passage of God’s words that made me feel like my heart had been pierced. God’s words say: “Those deceitful people who act one way in front of others and another way behind their backs are not willing to be perfected. They are all sons of perdition and destruction; they belong not to God but to Satan. They are not the kind of people chosen by God!” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Submit to God With a True Heart Shall Surely Be Gained by God). I couldn’t help but think of what happened the other day. When the leader asked me what I thought of the brother’s and sister’s fellowship, I didn’t dare express my real opinion because I worried an incorrect answer would affect my image and status in the leader’s heart, so I answered in a deceitful way. I guessed what my leader thought, then tried to answer in a way that matched his thoughts. I thought I would be less prone to errors doing this, that he wouldn’t see through me, and my position would be secured. I thought I was clever by fooling my leader and concealing my thoughts, but God is righteous, and scrutinizes everything. God saw my deceitful intentions and tricks clearly, and God condemned them. The more I contemplated God’s words, the more afraid I was. I wondered how my thoughts could be so wicked, despicable, and shameful. I also remembered how God exposed the antichrists’ manifestations of engaging in fawning, flattery, and speaking fair-sounding words, so I looked up some of God’s words.

Almighty God says: “The antichrists are blind to God, He has no place in their hearts. When they encounter Christ, they treat Him no different from an ordinary person, constantly taking their cues from His expression and tone, changing their tune as befits the situation, never saying what’s really going on, never saying anything sincere, only speaking empty words and doctrine, trying to deceive and hoodwink the practical God standing before their eyes. They don’t have a God-fearing heart at all. They aren’t even capable of speaking to God from the heart, of saying anything real. They talk as a snake slithers, the course sinuous and indirect. The manner and direction of their words are like a melon vine climbing its way up a pole. For example, when you say someone is of good caliber and could be promoted, they immediately talk about how good they are, and what is manifested and revealed in them; and if you say someone is bad, they are quick to talk about how bad and evil they are, about how they cause disturbances and disruptions in the church. When you inquire about some actual situations, they have nothing to say; they prevaricate, waiting for you to make a conclusion, listening out for the meaning in your words, so as to align their words with your thoughts. Everything they say is pleasant-sounding words, flattery, and obsequiousness; not a sincere word comes out of their mouths” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Two)).

“God loves honest people, but hates deceitful and slippery people. If you are a treacherous person and attempt to play tricks, will God not loathe you? Will God’s house simply let you off the hook? Sooner or later, you will be held accountable. God likes honest people and dislikes treacherous people. Everyone should understand this clearly, and stop being confused and doing foolish things. Momentary ignorance is excusable, but refusing to accept the truth at all is just obstinacy. Honest people can take responsibility. They do not consider their own gains and losses, they just safeguard the work and interests of God’s house. They have kind and honest hearts that are like bowls of clear water that one can see the bottom of at a glance. There is also transparency in their actions. A deceitful person always plays tricks, always disguises things, covers up, and wraps themselves up so tightly that no one can see through them. People can’t see through to their inner thoughts, but God can scrutinize the deepest things in their heart. If God sees that they are not an honest person, and that they are slippery—never accepting the truth, always engaging in deceit against God, and never handing their heart over to Him—then God will not like them, He will loathe and abandon them. Those who prosper among the nonbelievers, who are silver-tongued and quick-witted, what kind of people are they? Is this clear to you? What is their essence? It can be said that they are all extraordinarily shrewd, they are all extremely deceitful and treacherous, they are the genuine devils and Satans. Could God save someone such as this? God loathes nothing more than devils—people who are deceitful and treacherous. God definitely will not save such people, so you absolutely must not be this kind of person. Those who are quick-witted and consider all the angles when they speak, who are smooth and slick and look to see which way the wind blows when they deal with matters—I tell you, God loathes these people the most, people like this are beyond saving. When people are deceitful and treacherous, no matter how nice their words may sound, they are still devilish words that deceive people. The nicer their words sound, the more they are devils and Satans. These are exactly the kind of people that God despises most. What do you say: Can people who are deceitful and smooth-tongued, and often lie, receive the work of the Holy Spirit? Can they receive the illumination and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not. What is God’s attitude toward people who are deceitful and treacherous? He spurns them, He sets them aside and pays them no heed, He regards them as of the same class as animals. In God’s eyes, such people are merely wearing human skin; in their essence, they are of the same kind as the devils and Satan, they are walking corpses, and God will never save them” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers (8)).

From the words of God, I saw that antichrists have a particularly evil disposition. To achieve their own goals, they flatter Christ and watch which way the wind blows, and they even believe Christ won’t see through their tricks, that they can deceive Him. Therefore, they dare to blatantly deceive God and treat God like a human being. This attitude toward God is extremely disgusting and detestable to God. Although I wasn’t in direct contact with Christ, the disposition I revealed was the same as that of the antichrist. My leader asked me what I thought about the fellowship of my brother and sister, which was a very normal question, and I could just say whatever I really thought, but I had complicated thoughts, and my mind made many twists and turns. I even guessed if the leader was testing my ability to discern, and I feared if I made a mistake, he would look down on me and no longer value or cultivate me. To maintain my image and position in his heart, I concealed my true thoughts and deliberately tried to match his meaning. My behavior was just as God’s words expose, like a slithering snake and a climbing melon vine, twisting and turning. By treating people and getting along with people in this manner, I was deceiving and toying with them. I was especially cunning and crafty. And when I said these words, it wasn’t that I didn’t know. I spoke after thinking and calculating. I did it deliberately. I even thought that God didn’t know about my tricks, so I dared to blatantly lie and deceive. I had no God-fearing heart at all. I dared to lie and deceive other people when interacting with them, so if I ever came into contact with Christ, I would definitely blatantly deceive God, and offend God’s disposition. Particularly when I read God’s words: “In God’s eyes, such people are merely wearing human skin; in their essence, they are of the same kind as the devils and Satan, they are walking corpses, and God will never save them,” I suddenly felt paralyzed. God was exposing my nature and characterizing my actions. I recalled that when I interacted with others, I typically had my own motives, and observed their words and expressions. Especially with leaders and workers, I tried to guess their thoughts and match their meaning even more so, saying things that were pleasing to hear. I thought living this way was clever because no one could see through me. But God had already seen through me. At this time, I finally understood why God says He likes honest people and loathes deceitful people. It is because the hearts of honest people are simple, pure like clear water, they treat people and God honestly, and they never intentionally conceal their shortcomings or disguise themselves. Such people don’t live exhausting lives, others enjoy getting along with them, and God likes them. But deceitful people’s minds are complex, they scheme and have their motives for everything, and very simple matters and words become very complicated for them. Deceitful people’s words and actions are all to mislead and deceive others to achieve their own goals. They reveal demonic likeness, and God never saves such people. Thinking of this, I was a little scared. I saw that my own nature was as deceitful and evil as Satan’s, and if I still didn’t repent, I would be eliminated and punished by God. God is holy and righteous, and those who will live in God’s kingdom are all honest people who are willing to practice the truth. A deceitful person will never enter God’s kingdom. Thinking of these things, I felt deep remorse, and I no longer wanted to live by my deceitful and evil dispositions. I prayed to God, saying I wanted to practice being an honest person by opening up and speaking honestly to everyone, no matter who. After that, at a gathering, I opened up about my despicable intentions and the corruption I revealed in these two matters. After I did this, I felt much more relieved and at ease.

After that, I also wondered why I always cared what the leader thought about me, and why I could lie and be deceptive to earn his good opinion of me. One day, in God’s words, I read: “No matter the level of a leader or worker, if you worship them for understanding a bit of the truth and for having a few gifts, and believe that they possess the truth reality and can help you, and if you look up to and depend on them in all things, and through this, you try to attain salvation, then this is foolish and ignorant of you. In the end, it will all come to nothing, because your starting point is inherently wrong. No matter how many truths someone understands, they cannot stand in the stead of Christ, and no matter how gifted someone is, this does not mean they possess the truth—so anyone who worships, looks up to, and follows other people will ultimately all be eliminated and condemned. Believers in God can only look up to and follow God. Leaders and workers, whatever their rank, are still common people. If you see them as your immediate superiors, if you feel that they are superior to you, that they are more competent than you, and that they should lead you, that they are in all ways a cut above anyone else, then you are wrong—that is a delusion. … If you believe in God and follow God, you should heed His word, and if someone speaks and acts correctly, and it accords with the truth principles, just submit to the truth—isn’t it as simple as that? Why are you so base? Why do you insist on finding someone whom you worship to follow? Why do you like to be Satan’s slave? Why not be a servant of the truth instead? In this, it is seen whether a person has reason and dignity. You should start with yourself: Equip yourself with truths of all sorts, be able to identify the various ways in which different matters and people manifest, know what the nature is of various people’s behavior and what dispositions they pour forth, learn to distinguish the essences of various kinds of people, be clear about what kinds of people are around you, what kind of person you are, and what kind of person your leader is. Once you see all this clearly, you will be capable of approaching people in the right way, according to the truth principles: If they are brothers and sisters, you will treat them with love; if they are not brothers and sisters but evil people, antichrists, or disbelievers, you will keep your distance and forsake them. And if they are people who possess the truth reality, though you might admire them, you will not worship them. No one can take the place of Christ; only Christ is the practical God. Only Christ can save people, and only by following Christ can you obtain the truth and life. If you can see these things clearly, then you are possessed of stature and not likely to be misled by the antichrists, nor do you need to fear being misled by the antichrists” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Six). What God’s words exposed was my state. Although I believed in God for many years, I didn’t have a place for God in my heart. What I focused on was people’s power and status, and what I upheld was Satan’s philosophy of “Local officials have more control than state officials.” I always felt that God’s sovereignty was distant to me; in my eyes, the leader was the one who decided everything for me, and whether I could be valued, cultivated, and could do my duty at all depended on the words of the leader. Isn’t this the view of nonbelievers? To gain the appreciation of their leaders and keep their positions and jobs, nonbelievers please their leaders in all things and flatter them everywhere, like lapdogs with no character or dignity. What was the difference between them and me? To get my leader’s appreciation and retain my status, I always wanted to please him, and I speculated and catered to his preferences. I was really mean and good at trimming my sails to the wind. For my own interests, I totally lost my human dignity and lacked all human likeness. In fact, God’s house has principles in selecting and cultivating people, unlike in the world of nonbelievers. The nonbelievers practice “One accomplishes nothing without fawning and flattery.” As long as they can lick their superior’s boots, even without real talent and knowledge, they can win favor and get promoted and become rich. But the truth rules in God’s house. People are selected and cultivated based on the truth principles. If we have good humanity, can accept the truth, our heart is turned to God’s house, and we can protect the work of God’s house, then it doesn’t matter if our caliber is a little poor. The church will still arrange a suitable duty for us. If we have bad character, don’t pursue the truth, and only play tricks and scheme, even if we flatter and curry favor with the leader, we will never have an important role. Once our brothers and sisters discern and see through us, we will be despised and rejected. Even if some false leaders and antichrists go against principles and promote those who fawn and lick their boots, sooner or later, they will be revealed, so they can never gain a foothold in God’s house. Once I understood this, I no longer worried about how the leader saw me. It doesn’t matter what people think of me. Whether I can continue in my duty depends on whether I pursue the truth and do my duty well. What I should focus on now is doing my duty well and seeking the truth in my duty to resolve my problems and difficulties. This is attending to my proper work.

After that, I searched for a path of practice in God’s words and found these two passages: “Being an honest person is a requirement God has of man. It is a truth that man must practice. What, then, are the principles man should observe in their dealings with God? Be sincere: This is the principle that should be followed when interacting with God. Do not engage in the nonbelievers’ practice of fawning or flattery; God has no need of man’s fawning and flattery. It’s enough to be sincere. And what does it mean to be sincere? How should this be put into practice? (Simply opening up to God, without putting up a front or hiding anything or keeping any secrets, interacting with God with an honest heart, and being straightforward, without any ill intentions or trickery.) That’s right. To be sincere, you must first put aside your personal desires. Instead of focusing on how God treats you, you should bare yourself to God and say whatever is in your heart. Do not ponder or consider what the consequences of your words will be; say whatever you are thinking, put aside your motivations, and do not say things just to achieve some objective. You have too many personal intentions and adulterations; you are always calculated in the way you speak, considering, ‘I should talk about this, and not that, I must be careful about what I say. I will put it in a way that benefits me, and which covers up my shortcomings, and will leave a good impression on god.’ Isn’t this harboring motives? Before you open your mouth, your mind is filled with devious thoughts, you emend what you want to say several times, so that when the words come out of your mouth, they are no longer so pure, and are not in the slightest bit genuine, and contain your own motives and the schemes of Satan. This is not what it is to be sincere; this is having sinister motives and ill intentions. What’s more, when you talk, you always take your cues from people’s facial expressions and the look in their eyes: If they have a positive expression on their face, you keep talking; if not, you hold it in and say nothing; if the look in their eyes is bad, and it seems as if they don’t like what they are hearing, you think it over and say to yourself, ‘Well, I’ll say something that interests you, that makes you happy, that you will like, and which makes you well-disposed toward me.’ Is this being sincere? It is not” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Two)). “God does not like people who fawn, flatter, or speak fair-sounding words. So, what kind of person does God like? How does God like people to interact and fellowship with Him? God likes honest people, people who are sincere with Him. You don’t need to consider His tone of voice and expression or ingratiate yourself with Him; you just need to be sincere, have a sincere heart, have a heart with no concealment, screen, or disguise, and let your external appearance match your heart” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Two)). God’s words make the path of practice very clear. In interacting with both God and people, you must be frank and honest, you must not have personal motives, and you must accept God’s scrutiny and be an honest person. God’s words reminded me of the Lord Jesus’ question to Peter, “Simon Barjona, have you ever loved Me?” Peter answered honestly, “Lord! I once loved the Father in heaven, but I admit I have never loved You.” Peter was pure and honest. He didn’t think about how to fawn the Lord Jesus, he simply said exactly what he thought. Peter’s heart was pure and transparent, and he could be honest with the Lord Jesus, so he gained God’s approval. Once I understood these things, I saw the path of practice more clearly, and I began to consciously practice being an honest person in my life.

One day, after a gathering, my leader asked two group leaders and me to evaluate a sister. I was a little nervous when I heard this, and started to speculate again, “My leader wants an evaluation of the sister, so does he think that this sister has a problem? Is he asking us because he wants to test our ability to discern? The leader said last time that these two group leaders had good caliber, and that he wanted to cultivate them, so if I don’t see people and things as well as them, will I still be valued and cultivated in the future?” That was when I realized I was about to engage in deceit and speculate about his thoughts again. I thought of God’s words: “God does not like people who fawn, flatter, or speak fair-sounding words. So, what kind of person does God like? How does God like people to interact and fellowship with Him? God likes honest people, people who are sincere with Him. You don’t need to consider His tone of voice and expression or ingratiate yourself with Him; you just need to be sincere, have a sincere heart, have a heart with no concealment, screen, or disguise, and let your external appearance match your heart” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Two)). God watches what I think and what I plan to do. God hopes for me to be honest and say what I actually think without any disguise, concealment, or inconsistency with my inner thoughts. I had to practice according to God’s words and be honest with others. So, I told the leader my views. When I finished, I felt very relaxed, and I felt practicing being an honest person put me at ease, and it also made me feel very calm and secure. This was something I had never experienced. This is how people should conduct themselves. Thank God!