I

“Fearing God and shunning evil”

and knowing God are indivisibly connected by a myriad threads,

and the connection between them is self-evident.

If one wishes to attain to shunning evil,

one must first have real fear of God;

if one wishes to attain to real fear of God,

one must first have real knowledge of God;

if one wishes to attain to knowledge of God,

one must first experience God’s words,

enter into the reality of God’s words,

experience God’s chastening and discipline, His chastisement and judgment;

II

if one wishes to experience God’s words,

one must first come face to face with God’s words,

come face to face with God,

and ask God to provide opportunities to experience God’s words

in the form of all sorts of environments

involving people, events, and things;

if one wishes to come face to face with God and with God’s words,

one must first possess a simple and honest heart;

one must possess readiness to accept the truth,

the will to endure suffering,

the resolution and the courage to shun evil,

and the aspiration to become a genuine created being….

In this way, going forward step by step,

you will draw ever closer to God, your heart will grow ever more pure,

your heart will grow ever more pure.

In the wake of your coming to know God,

your life and the value of being alive

will grow ever more meaningful and wax ever more radiant.

In the wake of your coming to know God,

your life and the value of being alive

will grow ever more meaningful and wax ever more radiant.

from The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. Preface