By Xiao En, China

I was born in a remote and poor village, and because my family was poor, I was looked down upon by relatives from a young age. I resolved to myself, “I must study hard, and in the future, after making a lot of money, I can rise above, stand out, and bring honor to my family.” At school, I seized every moment to study, often studying by candlelight until two or three in the morning. One time, I was so tired that I fell asleep, and only woke up when my hair caught fire. Although life was hard, I firmly believed, “One must endure the greatest hardships in order to become the greatest of men.” But to my surprise during the college entrance exam, I only got into an ordinary university. I was ambitious and couldn’t accept this outcome. So I decided to repeat the exam year. That year, I studied even harder, but when the exam results were announced, I failed again. When I received my results, my heart shattered. Getting into a prestigious university was my only chance to change my destiny, and I hadn’t expected to flunk the exam. During that period, I spent my days in a daze and didn’t know what to do, so I went to work as a laborer on a construction site, moving bricks. My hands became worn until they were covered in cuts and bloody blisters, and at night, the pain would keep me awake, and I would silently cry under the covers. I thought to myself, “Am I going to live an ordinary life like this for the rest of my days? I can’t accept that!” I believed that destiny was in my own hands, so I wanted to try again to change my fate, and I studied even harder the next year. But no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t get into a top university. There was nothing I could do but accept my fate and attend an ordinary aviation college.

After graduating, I worked at a domestic aircraft maintenance company. At first, I was only able to do manual labor in the workshop. My clothes would get soaked with sweat in the scorching heat, and I’d think, “This life is so hard. I can’t be content with being just an ordinary worker. I need to study English and improve my technical skills, so I can gain my boss’ recognition and be promoted. Then I can get a higher position and a better salary.” Besides learning from skilled colleagues, I even used my commute to read work materials. Sometimes, when there were aircraft issues in the middle of the night, and others were asleep and unwilling to go, I’d volunteer to go troubleshoot, gaining skills and experience. I seized every opportunity for practice and training. A few months later, not only did I become a trainee engineer, but my salary also doubled, and I was assigned to work with teams of foreign experts on various projects. But although my status and pay had increased, I still wasn’t satisfied. To quickly buy a car and a house in the city and live a superior life, I’d work during the day and take on part-time jobs at night. I was often so busy that I didn’t even have time to eat, averaging only three or four hours of sleep each day, and sometimes working through the night. I was like a money-making machine, working tirelessly day and night. In just two short years, I earned over a million yuan, bought a car and a house in the city, and earned the admiration and envy of my friends and colleagues. Especially when I went back to my hometown for the Chinese New Year, the people who once looked down on my family came from afar to greet me, even inviting me to their homes for meals. Even the elders toasted me, asking if I could help their children find jobs. I felt an indescribable sense of achievement, thinking, “It’s great to have money and status. I’m finally able to hold my head high!” But working like this day and night, my hair started to fall out in handfuls, and my body began to swell. My legs became sore and numb, and walking became difficult. I really wanted to take a day or two off, but I thought about how taking sick leave would ruin my chances in next year’s evaluations and promotions, so I had to endure it. Every day was torment.

Every time I visited my mother-in-law in those years, she would show me Almighty God’s words and talk to me a lot about believing in God. She’d say, “The pursuit of money knows no end. You shouldn’t ruin your health and life for money. Humanity has been deeply corrupted by Satan, and everyone is fighting desperately for money, fame, and gain, and living in such misery! Almighty God has expressed the truth in the last days to save people from Satan’s harm, and only by truly repenting and following God can one be saved by Him, and survive the great catastrophe. God’s work is about to end soon, so you should stop focusing solely on making money and believe in God too!” I knew believing in God was a good thing, but I felt my career had just started, and I wanted to make a name for myself, so I refused my mother-in-law, and continued working tirelessly for money, sinking deeper into the whirlpool of wealth. My mother-in-law also said to me, “You really are willing to sacrifice your life for money.”

In the blink of an eye, it was already 2015. I had bought two houses, two cars, and opened two companies, but I still wasn’t satisfied. To make more money and buy a luxury car, I started a factory, often working day and night without rest. I went on to make even more money, and wherever I went, people would call me “boss.” I felt very satisfied, and I carried myself with pride. I thought, “Being rich really feels different.” But this high-pressure, fast-paced lifestyle was severely draining my health. I often nodded off while driving to work, and one time, I nearly drove off an overpass. To save costs, I didn’t want to hire more workers, so I’d do much of the workshop work myself. Once, while rushing an order, my finger was pierced by a nail gun. Blood flowed profusely, and the pain made me tear up, but to complete the order quickly, I just had the injury treated briefly and returned to the workshop to continue working. Since I didn’t have it treated promptly, my finger became severely swollen and developed lasting complications, and whenever it was cold or rainy, it hurt and itched badly. I was living in constant tension every day. I felt physically and mentally exhausted, and I was in great pain. I thought, “Why am I working so hard? Is this really the life I’ve been chasing? What am I living for in this world?”

In 2017, my wife accepted Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom, and she showed me a video of a hymn of God’s words. The lyrics of this song moved me deeply.

God Is Seeking Your Heart and Your Spirit

1  Humanity, having strayed from the Almighty’s provision of life, is ignorant of the purpose of existence, but fears death nonetheless. They are without help or reliance, yet still reluctant to close their eyes, and they steel themselves to prop up sacks of flesh, which lack any feeling in their souls, as they drag out an ignoble existence in this world. You live in this way, without hope, as do others, without aim. Only the Holy One of legend will save the people who, moaning in the midst of their suffering, long desperately for His arrival. So far, such belief has not been realized in those who lack consciousness. Nevertheless, the people still yearn for it so.

2  The Almighty has mercy on these people who have suffered deeply; at the same time, He feels averse toward these people who lack consciousness, as He has had to wait too long for an answer from humanity. He wishes to seek, to seek your heart and your spirit, to bring you water and food and to awaken you, that you may no longer be thirsty and hungry. When you are weary and when you begin to feel something of the bleak desolation of this world, do not be lost, do not cry. Almighty God, the Watcher, will embrace your arrival at any time.

…………

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Sighing of the Almighty

Reading Almighty God’s words, I felt a warmth I had never experienced before. Over the years, I had been struggling so hard to earn money and living in such pain and exhaustion. I was so tired and lost, but I didn’t know how to break free, and now I saw hope. Man was created by God. Only God can save people from this suffering. Accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days is the only way to receive God’s care and protection, and gain God’s salvation, so that one can live relaxed and liberated. In the past, I refused God’s salvation because I wanted to make money. I never thought that God would still have mercy on me and not give up on saving me. He was still waiting for me to turn back. I was deeply touched, so I accepted Almighty God’s salvation of the last days. Afterward, I often attended gatherings with the brothers and sisters to fellowship God’s words.

One time, I read a passage of Almighty God’s words: “When people do not know what fate is all about or understand God’s sovereignty, they are just struggling and stumbling through the fog based on their own will, and that journey is too arduous, too heartbreaking. So when people realize that God is sovereign over human fate, the clever ones choose to know and accept God’s sovereignty, and bid farewell to the painful days of ‘trying to build a good life with their own two hands,’ rather than continuing to struggle against fate and pursue their so-called life goals in their own way. When a person is without God, when they cannot see Him, when they cannot clearly know God’s sovereignty, every day is meaningless, worthless, and indescribably painful. No matter where a person is, and what their job is, their means of survival and the goals that they pursue bring them nothing but endless heartbreak and pain that is difficult to get over, such that they cannot bear to look back on their past. Only by accepting the Creator’s sovereignty, submitting to His orchestrations and arrangements, and pursuing the attainment of true human life, can a person gradually break free from all heartbreak and pain, and gradually rid themselves of all the emptiness of human life” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique III). God’s words are so clear. We live in such pain because we don’t know God’s sovereignty and lack the right life goals. I made money, fame, and gain my life goals, hoping to change my destiny through my own efforts. To earn more money, I put myself under great pressure every day, I was very tense, and my health deteriorated. I even almost accidentally drove off an overpass. Although I did earn some money and gain the admiration and envy of relatives and friends, that kind of life was really painful and bitter. Though money could buy nice houses and cars, and allow me to enjoy a good material life, and gaining the admiration of others could satisfy my vanity, it couldn’t give me peace or security. The money I had been pursuing didn’t bring me true happiness; instead, it made me a slave to money, and made me live in agony. Especially now, as the great catastrophe was already occurring and pandemics spreading worldwide, and even wealthy people had had their lives taken, I’d come to realize that no amount of money could buy life. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). So I decided to change my wrong pursuit in life, and start pursuing the truth, doing my duties well, and living out a meaningful life.

Later, I also wondered, “Why does the pursuit of wealth, fame, and gain always bring people pain?” During my devotionals, I read two passages of Almighty God’s words, and I gained some understanding of this issue. Almighty God says: “‘Money makes the world go round’ is a philosophy of Satan. It prevails among the whole of mankind, in every human society; you could say it is a trend. This is because it has been instilled in the heart of every single person, who at first did not accept this saying, but then gave it tacit acceptance when they came into contact with real life, and began to feel that these words were in fact true. Is this not a process of Satan corrupting man? … Satan uses money to tempt people, and corrupts them into worshiping money and venerating material things. And how is this worship of money manifested in people? Do you feel that you could not survive in this world without any money, that even one day without money would be impossible? People’s status is based on how much money they have, as is the respect they command. The backs of the poor are bent in shame, while the rich enjoy their high status. They stand tall and proud, speaking loudly and living arrogantly. What does this saying and trend bring to people? Is it not true that many people make any sacrifice in the pursuit of money? Do many people not lose their dignity and integrity in the pursuit of more money? Do many people not lose the opportunity to perform their duty and follow God for the sake of money? Is losing the chance to gain the truth and be saved not the greatest of all losses for people? Is Satan not sinister to use this method and this saying to corrupt man to such a degree? Is this not a malicious trick?” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique V). “Satan uses fame and gain to control man’s thoughts, until all people can think of is fame and gain. They struggle for fame and gain, suffer hardships for fame and gain, endure humiliation for fame and gain, sacrifice everything they have for fame and gain, and they will make any judgment or decision for the sake of fame and gain. In this way, Satan binds people with invisible shackles, and they have neither the strength nor the courage to throw them off. They unknowingly bear these shackles and trudge ever onward with great difficulty. For the sake of this fame and gain, mankind shuns God and betrays Him and becomes increasingly wicked. In this way, therefore, one generation after another is destroyed in the midst of Satan’s fame and gain” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VI). From God’s words, I understood that Satan uses the words of famous people and great figures, the indoctrinating influence of knowledge, and the education from schools to instill various fallacious survival rules and views on life into people, causing generation after generation to pursue and exert efforts for fame and gain, and ultimately be destroyed in the vortex of this pursuit. I had been educated in this way since childhood, with ideas such as “One must endure the greatest hardships in order to become the greatest of men,” and “Money makes the world go round,” and other such survival rules of Satan becoming deeply rooted in my heart. I believed that one couldn’t live without money, that having money was necessary for material enjoyment and to gain others’ admiration and envy, that only in this way could one live with dignity, and that without money, one was considered inferior and looked down upon, leading to a miserable and oppressive existence. To obtain fame and gain, I studied hard for more than a decade, and after starting work, I toiled day and night for promotions and salary increases. My desires grew larger and larger, and the more I obtained, the more I wanted, never feeling satisfied. Even when I exhausted my body to the point of illness, I still refused to rest. My mother-in-law testified to me about God’s salvation of the last days many times, and I knew that believing in God was good, but I still refused to stop pursuing money, dedicating all my time and energy to chasing fame and gain. In the end, although I obtained fame and gain, my soul never knew peace and ease; instead, I was left utterly exhausted and anguished. Now I saw clearly that all this pain had been caused by Satan’s corruption and harm. Fame and gain are traps set by Satan to lure people to hell, they are vicious means with which Satan corrupts and harms people, causing people to drift further away from God and live more painfully, ultimately leading to their death by Satan’s harm. If it hadn’t been for the exposure of God’s words, I wouldn’t have been able to see Satan’s sinister intentions of using fame and gain to corrupt and harm people, and I would have continued to be tormented by Satan, even risking my own life. Now I just wanted to sincerely believe in God and pursue the truth, and to no longer be tricked by Satan into pursuing money. Afterward, whenever we had time, our family would read God’s words together, listen to hymns, and watch experiential testimony videos. I no longer lived in those days of working myself to the bone for money, but instead, often fellowshipped the truth with brothers and sisters, and enjoyed the watering and provision of God’s words. I felt a sense of peace and ease I had never known before.

In the second half of 2021, due to the industry downturn, my factory closed due to lack of orders. Although I felt a bit upset, I wasn’t like I used to be, racking my brains to maintain the factory’s normal operation. Instead, I submitted and relied on God to experience it, feeling much more relieved without being constrained by money. At that time, I was hired for a part-time job somewhere, and although the pay wasn’t much, it was enough to cover our family’s living expenses, and most importantly, it gave me time to attend gatherings and do my duties properly.

Not long after, I was tempted by something. One day, the owner of a publicly listed company approached me, asking me to manage a newly acquired company of his, offering an annual salary of 500,000 yuan. I thought to myself, “This company is very well-funded. If I take this job, I’d be an executive, and my relatives and friends would certainly view me with high regard again.” But then I thought, “If I agree, I’ll have to travel frequently and go to all sorts of networking events; it would become a luxury to eat and drink God’s words and attend gatherings, let alone do my duty. I’ve finally escaped from the vortex of pursuing money, and I have time to eat and drink God’s words, attend gatherings, and do my duties. I can’t waste my time on these meaningless things anymore.” I thought of a passage of God’s words: “As someone who is normal, and who pursues the love for God, entry into the kingdom to become one of the people of God is your true future, and a life that is of the utmost value and significance; no one is more blessed than you. Why do I say this? Because those who do not believe in God live for the flesh, and they live for Satan, but today you live for God, and live to follow the will of God. That is why I say your lives are of the utmost significance” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Know God’s Newest Work and Follow His Footsteps). From God’s words, I understood that pursuing the truth to achieve a change in disposition and enter the kingdom as God’s people is the most meaningful way to live a life and the true future. Satan used this boss to tempt me with the position of “executive,” trying to make me fall back into the vortex of busying myself for fame and gain, and completely lose my chance at God’s salvation. I couldn’t fall for Satan’s scheme. Now was the critical time for God’s salvation and perfection of people, I had only believed in God for a short time and understood very little of the truth, so this was my last chance to pursue the truth and gain life. If this opportunity were lost, it would be too late to pursue when God’s work ends. So I turned him down, and I felt a great sense of ease.

Now I do my duties in the church and often fellowship God’s words with brothers and sisters. Gradually, I have come to understand some truths and see through many things, and I no longer have the pain and exhaustion I used to have. I feel a sense of ease and liberation in my heart that I’d never felt before, which can’t be bought with any amount of money. This truly is God’s love and salvation!