To be continue

Afterward, the sisters often came to communicate to me the words of God. Gradually, I became more and more convinced of God’s work of the last days, I was able to differentiate a little Satan’s ways and methods of harming men, and I understood that the most important thing is to believe in God, read the word of God, seek the truth, and submit to God’s rule and arrangements. Only by living in this way would I receive God’s praise, and only then would my life have most meaning, and be most happy! Soon after, I noticed the situation of one of my female colleagues. In order to earn money, she and her husband came to Japan to work. Even though they had both earned some money, her husband started to have some physical difficulties. He had no choice but to return home for treatment. The result was that he was found to have late-stage cancer. After learning this result, they no longer wanted to come to Japan again to earn money. The whole family was living in fear and sorrow. My colleague’s misfortune made me feel deeply the fragility and preciousness of man’s life. If man did not have life, what was the use in having more money? Can money buy life? One day, I saw the words of Almighty God, which say: “People spend their lives chasing after money and fame; they clutch at these straws, thinking they are their only means of support, as if by having them they could keep on living, could exempt themselves from death. But only when they are close to dying do they realize how distant these things are from them, how weak they are in the face of death, how easily they shatter, how lonely and helpless they are, with nowhere to turn. They realize that life cannot be bought with money or fame, that no matter how wealthy a person is, no matter how lofty his or her position is, all people are equally poor and inconsequential in the face of death. They realize that money cannot buy life, that fame cannot erase death, that neither money nor fame can lengthen a person’s life by a single minute, a single second” (“God Himself, the Unique III” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words allowed me to see even more clearly that Satan uses money and fame to bind, harm and destroy many people’s lives. But we cannot see through Satan’s schemes, and we cannot see that money and fame are Satan’s methods for harming people, for this reason we are sucked into this whirlpool from which we cannot extricate ourselves, in spite of ourselves we are fooled and harmed by Satan. At that moment, I considered how lucky I had been to be able to receive the last days’ work of Almighty God. Had I not read the words of Almighty God, I would never have seen through to the truth of Satan’s use of money and fame to harm people, and sooner or later I would also have been swallowed up by Satan.

While I was unwell, the sisters of the church often called on me. Since I could not move my hips, those sisters would help massage me and do some cupping on me. One of the sisters who was medically trained told me that if I pressed a specific acupuncture point, it would bring relief to my condition. They would also take the initiative and help me with my household chores. They took care of me as if they were my family relatives. As an expatriate in a foreign country, I was without a friend in the world. Today I truly felt moved that these sisters took care of me better than my own relatives would. I thanked them again and again. However, my sisters said to me, “Thousands of years ago, God predestined and selected us. Now, He has arranged for us to be born in the last days and to accept God’s work of the last days. Together, we walk this path. This is the rule of God. We were actually a family a long time ago already. It’s just that we got separated and it wasn’t until now that we found each other.” Once my sisters said this, I could no longer control my emotions and I hugged them with tears running down my face. At this moment, I felt a closeness with my sisters that I cannot describe. My heart was even more grateful to Almighty God.

Unconsciously, I was getting better and better. After experiencing the torment of this instance of sickness, I reflected on how I had been under the control of Satan’s incorrect life perspective. All along, I sought to stand out among my peers and lead an abundant life so that others would admire and envy me. However, I never thought what I would obtain instead was pain and sadness. I did not get even a bit of peace and happiness. Now that I have read the word of God and understood God’s will, I am no longer willing to fight against destiny nor am I willing to seek fame and gain. This is not the life I want. Now, aside from going to work, I frequently attend meetings, read God’s word and share my own experiences and understanding with my brothers and sisters. I also learn to sing hymns and live happily. I have gained a kind of assuredness and peace that I never tasted before in my heart.

One day, during my devotions I saw these words of God: “When one looks back upon the road one has walked, when one recollects every phase of one’s journey, one sees that at every step, whether one’s road was arduous or smooth, God was guiding one’s path, planning it out. It was God’s meticulous arrangements, His careful planning, that led one, unknowingly, to today. To be able to accept the Creator’s sovereignty, to receive His salvation—what great fortune that is! … If one’s attitude toward God’s sovereignty over human fate is active, then when one looks back upon one’s journey, when one truly comes to grips with God’s sovereignty, one will more earnestly desire to submit to everything that God has arranged, will have more of the determination and confidence to let God orchestrate one’s fate, to stop rebelling against God. For one sees that when one does not comprehend fate, when one does not understand God’s sovereignty, when one gropes forward willfully, staggering and tottering, through the fog, the journey is too difficult, too heartbreaking. So when people recognize God’s sovereignty over human fate, the smart ones choose to know it and accept it, to bid farewell to the painful days when they tried to build a good life with their own two hands, instead of continuing to struggle against fate and pursue their so-called life goals in their own manner. When one has no God, when one cannot see Him, when one cannot clearly recognize God’s sovereignty, every day is meaningless, worthless, miserable. Wherever one is, whatever one’s job is, one’s means of living and the pursuit of one’s goals bring one nothing but endless heartbreak and irrelievable suffering, such that one cannot bear to look back. Only when one accepts the Creator’s sovereignty, submits to His orchestrations and arrangements, and seeks true human life, will one gradually break free from all heartbreak and suffering, shake off all the emptiness of life” (“God Himself, the Unique III” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God is the Creator, and men are His creatures. The life of every person is in the hands of God, under His control and arrangement. All that man obtains in life lies in God’s control, and is preordained by God, man’s rushing about here and there is certainly not a deciding factor. However much God bestows on man, that is how much he can obtain. If God does not bestow it on man, no matter how much he works it will be in vain. It is just like the sayings “Man plants the seed, but Heaven decides the harvest,” and “Man proposes, God disposes.” Therefore, in our lives we should obey the Creator’s control and arrangements. This is the secret to happiness in life, and it is the real life! At the same time, I also understood, that regardless of how much wealth a person has, or how high a position he holds, these are all worldly possessions of a person. He did not bring them with him when he was born and he cannot take them with him after he dies. In devoting himself to the pursuit of fame and gain what he obtains in the end is completely empty, and full of pain, and the final outcome is that he is consumed by Satan. After I had this understanding, I resolved to take on a different way of life, to start anew. I wished only to obey God’s control and arrangements, to hand over to God utterly the second half of my life for God to arrange. I would no longer pursue wealth and status to make others look highly upon me, but instead I would seek to be someone who obeys God, I would live truly for God and live to repay God’s love. Now, I work for three to four hours each day. My boss is Japanese. Although we have language difficulties, my boss takes good care of me. Whenever she tells me to do something she always uses simple words that I can understand, she never gives me any pressure. I know that this is God’s pity on me, and His blessing. I feel very grateful. At the same time I have understood even better that if man listens to God’s word, and submits to God’s control and arrangements, only then will he have a relaxed and joyful life.

Whenever I am alone, I often think back on my own course to come before God. If it were not due to illness I would not have halted my pursuit of money and fame, I would still have been a complete money-making machine, right up until I was cruelly killed off by Satan without even being aware. Satan used fame and gain to harm me, and to cause me to become ill, while Almighty God through my illness led me before Him, enabling me through the word of God to see through Satan as the chief culprit in the corruption of man, and to see clearly the schemes and truth of Satan using money and fame to corrupt man, and to consume man, which led me to see through some of the things of man. I knew from where man had come, and where he was going, I also knew the source of man’s sinning and depravity, and I understood how man should live a meaningful life. God’s words said, “When some people have just begun to believe in God, it is because of illness. This illness is God’s grace for you; without it, you would not believe in God, and if you did not believe in God then you wouldn’t have come this far—and thus even this grace is the love of God” (“Only by Experiencing Painful Trials Can You Know the Loveliness of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words are spoken so practically. I have precisely because of disaster acquired blessings! Nowadays, under the supply and guidance of God’s words, I have thrown off the bonds of Satan, and have a correct outlook on life. I have walked onto the right path of life, and my heart has been greatly released. God truly is so wise, so omnipotent! I thank Almighty God for loving me and saving me!

Source From: Fortune and Misfortune（2）

 Read more:

1. How to Overcome Temptation in Spiritual Warfare

2. The Eastern Lightning website is testimony that the Lord Jesus has returned in the flesh and appeared in China, that He is Almighty God, Christ of the last days, has expressed truths to do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God, and brings true light down upon mankind.