It is clear to those who truly experience the work of God, that obtaining salvation and perfection through faith in God is entirely dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the Holy Spirit’s work when it comes to your faith in God, then everything is just idle chit-chat. If you are not able to obtain the work of the Holy Spirit, then you are destined to be a target for elimination. Only those who obtain the Holy Spirit’s work can understand the truth and enter God’s word. In the end, they will obtain salvation and be perfected by God. Thus, understanding the Holy Spirit’s work is crucial when it comes to obtaining salvation through our faith in God. It is clear to us that in the entire religious world, there are untold numbers of people who have been confused by the work of evil spirits. They treat the work of evil spirits as if it were the work of the Holy Spirit. In the end, they are eliminated because they are possessed by demons. This is tragic. If you want to receive the Holy Spirit’s work, you must recognize the Holy Spirit’s work. If you are unable to recognize the Holy Spirit’s work, you would not know whether or not you have the Holy Spirit’s work and you would not know if you are able to obtain it. If this is the case, your faith in God will be in a chaotic and confused state. It could be said that you have a silly and confused faith. This is why knowing the Holy Spirit’s work is crucial. There are a few important aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work that must be understood. First, we must read some of God’s word, “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 it enables them to pursue being made perfect by God.” These couple of sentences are very important. They talk about one aspect of the principles of the Holy Spirit’s work. There are also the results that can be achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work, “When the Holy Spirit works, people are able to actively enter. They are not passive and they are not forced. Instead, they are proactive. When the Holy Spirit works, people are glad and willing to obey. They are happy to humble themselves and 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, the ideologies of man and they are certainly untainted by human desires and motivations.” How do you feel when you read these two quotes? Do you have an understanding based on experience? One quote speaks about the results that can achieved by the Holy Spirit’s work. The other talks about the principles of the Holy Spirit’s work. What are the principles of the Holy Spirit’s work? The most important principle is that it guides people to enter with a positive frame of mind. It gives people positive enlightenment and it does not allow people to become negative. It comforts people’s hearts so that they have faith and they have resolve. It enables them to seek the goal of being perfected by God. This is one aspect of the principles of the Holy Spirit’s work. It helps people start to enter proactively. It guides and enlightens in a proper manner. We all have had this experience. When we read God’s word and communicate the truth based on our prayers to God, we have a kind of feeling afterward. What kind of feeling is this? We feel that we have more faith in God and that we are more willing to seek the truth, pay the price and suffer. We are willing to seek salvation and perfection by God. How are these positive things produced? These are produced from the Holy Spirit’s work. Without the Holy Spirit’s work, we would not achieve these results. When we do not pray to God and when we are not close to God, inside our hearts, we do not have these feelings. We do not have these positive things. We lack an internal drive. We see that the majority of the time, a lot of new believers are numb in response. They do not have any proper desires. When you ask them, “Do you love the truth?” they do not respond. They feel that it is okay either way. They do not have any desires. Why is this? They do not have the Holy Spirit’s work. This is why, regardless if someone has a genuine faith or a false faith, without the Holy Spirit’s work, they seem numb as if they are a dead person. Presently, we can see that many people who believe in God are particularly devoted. Their hearts are particularly passionate. They are willing to seek the truth. As long as you show them clearly the way of faith and communicate the truth clearly to them, they will be full of energy and willing to pay any price. Where does this kind of faith and devotion come from? From the Holy Spirit’s work. From this point, we can see that if you want genuine faith in your belief in God, if you want to seek the truth and achieve God’s salvation, you must receive the Holy Spirit’s work. What signs indicate that someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work? Those who do not have the Holy Spirit’s work do not have any energy when it comes to seeking the truth. They have no true faith in God and they are not willing to suffer for God. They are always seeking ease and comfort. They are satisfied with a mediocre faith. A muddled faith is okay for them. This kind of person does not have the Holy Spirit’s work. Within the church, we can see that there are some people who do not have the Holy Spirit’s work. They do not seek the truth. They are not thirsty. They do not have any desire for the truth, the way and the life. They also do not want to pay the price. They think that this is something that will cause them to suffer a loss. They are even more unwilling to suffer. There are some people who can see into them, “It seems that these people do not have the Holy Spirit’s work. Even if they have believed for one or two years, you do not see any progress. They are not able to enter into the truth, nor is there any change in their life disposition.” These are signs that someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work. That is why if you want to achieve salvation and be perfected by God, you must obtain the Holy Spirit’s work. Right now, the majority of people have the following experience. They say, “Why is it that sometimes, when you believe in God, you do not have any internal energy at all? During the times when you do not have any energy, it seems that you are not able to enter at all. You are not able to enter any aspect of the truth. When you eat and drink God’s word, you do not have any enlightenment. During this period, there is no progress at all. Afterward, unknowingly you will have energy and passion again. Unknowingly you will be able to pay the price and make an effort in seeking the truth, eating and drinking God’s word and communicating the truth. What is going on here?” Presently, some people understand this situation in the following manner, “Oh, this is a period of time where I have the Holy Spirit’s work. These are the results that are achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work.” When you have the Holy Spirit’s work, you will have resolve. No matter what kind of difficulties you encounter, you will not be afraid and you will not retreat. No matter what the cost, you are perfectly happy to pay it without regret. These are the results that can be achieved when you have the Holy Spirit’s work. You can see that there are many people who have cast aside their homes and their businesses. They are being hunted down by the great red dragon. Though they have a home, it is difficult to go back. They do not have a place to rest. However, they do not complain. They are willing to suffer for God. They seek salvation and they want to be perfected. These are the results of the Holy Spirit’s work. If someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work, then they will not have this kind of devotion. They would have been paralyzed a long time ago. We can also notice that there are some people who complain when they have to fulfill some duties or go through some suffering. They complain that God does not bless them. They complain that God is unfair toward them. They even judge God and have their own notions about God. What is this all about? When someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work, their corrupt nature and their corrupt disposition inside are exposed outward. When they have to make an effort or pay a bit of a price, they complain afterward. They form their own notions. That is, when someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work, the corrupt aspect of themselves arises and is exposed. With the Holy Spirit’s work, positive things, things involved in normal humanity, such as conscience, sense and resolution will be activated. That is why, when it comes to your faith in God, if you are unable to obtain the Holy Spirit’s work, then all you are able to do is disobey, resist and rebel against God. Those who have the Holy Spirit’s work are able to seek the truth. They are able to make an effort for God, suffer for God and pay the price for God. They do not have any complaints in their hearts. Those who have the Holy Spirit’s work, the more they believe, the more they feel God is worthy of love. The more they believe in God, the more they know God. The more they believe, the more they feel that God is the truth, that God is righteous, that God is awesome and that God is the best. That is why the people who have the work of the Holy Spirit have more and more of an understanding of God. They are perfected by God more and more. This is especially the case during the period when you are seeking to enter into life. Those who have the work of the Holy Spirit are able to understand and distinguish their own corruption and satanic disposition. Regardless of the situation in which their corruption was revealed, they are able to understand and discern. Even if their ideas and thoughts are incorrect, or they are in an abnormal spiritual state, they can feel and see this. This is a situation that can occur when one has the work of the Holy Spirit. There are many people whose hearts want to seek a change in their disposition. They seek to live out God’s word and put the truth into practice. However, even though they themselves have done many things that resist and disobey God, they do not feel it. They still think that they have not committed any transgressions. They still think that their actions are in accordance with God’s intentions. What kind of situation is this? This is what happens when someone does not have the Holy Spirit’s work. They are not able to distinguish their own conducts and deeds at all. They do not have a clear picture of what their own condition is like. Even though they are clear about and acknowledge their own corruption, they do not think it is very serious. They are not afraid. They are not worried that they would be eliminated because they are like this. This kind of circumstance is abnormal. This is a circumstance where someone does not have the work of the Holy Spirit. When someone has the work of the Holy Spirit, they are able to discern their own condition very clearly. Their self-analysis is very clear. Regardless of what situation they encounter, they are able to take that situation and compare it to God’s word. They are able to analyze the essence of the situation and thus, they understand their own inherent nature. After a period of time of seeking, they have a genuine understanding of their own corrupt essence. This is a result that can be achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work. There are many people that try but are unable to understand themselves. When other people deal with and prune them, they seem to acknowledge it, but they do not have a clear understanding. You ask them, “Do you understand the essence of your own nature?” They reply, “The essence of my nature is Satan’s nature.” Notice how this kind of person provides a formulaic answer, which is theoretical reasoning. When you continue, “How can you say that the essence of your nature is a satanic nature?” they do not answer you clearly. You ask them again, “Do you have any corruption to expose?” They acknowledge that they do. But when you ask them what kind of corruption they have exposed, they do not tell you clearly. “During this time, how is your circumstance?” “My circumstance? It’s not very good.” “Why is it not good?” They do not tell you clearly. This is an example of someone who does not have the obvious work of the Holy Spirit. They are unable to understand even themselves and they are unable to discern their own true circumstance. They do not know whether or not their internal circumstance is abnormal or not. They are unable to articulate it clearly. Look, the people who do not have the work of the Holy Spirit are dark inside. Internally, they are very dark. They do not know themselves. There is no difference between them and dead people. When I communicate the truth with these types of people, there is not even a bit of a happy expression on their face. How do you not have a reaction? Why are you unable to simply open up and talk about your circumstance? How are you so numb? This is someone whose internal circumstance is abnormal. They do not have the work of the Holy Spirit. From these matters, we can see that there is an issue and it relates to entering into life. Regardless if it is related to the aspect of understanding yourself or knowing your own true circumstance, both of these require the illumination and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. In the end, when it comes to understanding God, putting the truth into practice and serving God, all of these things rely on the Holy Spirit’s work. If you do not have the Holy Spirit’s work, truly, you will not be able to move a single step in regard to entering into life. You will not be able to achieve any results. That is why the Holy Spirit’s work is extremely crucial!
The Scope of the Holy Spirit’s Work
If you want to receive the Holy Spirit’s work, you also have to be clear about the scope of the Holy Spirit’s work. There are many people who do not know what the main aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work are. This is why even though they seek, they do not know where the core of the matter is. The crucial point when it comes to achieving salvation through your faith in God is entering into God’s word and understanding the truth. The crucial point is to understand your own corrupt essence, to understand your own corruption that is revealed and to understand all the poisons of Satan. You must understand all the satanic fallacies, philosophies and perspectives that exist in your heart. In the end, you must understand the truth that man must be equipped with, and achieve an understanding of God’s disposition and all that God has and is. If you want to completely enter these truths, you must rely on the Holy Spirit’s work leading, guiding, illuminating and enlightening you each step at a time. If you do not have the Holy Spirit’s work, there is no way for you to enter into these truths. During the normal course of seeking, the primary work of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten us so that we can understand God’s word. This is the main task of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit enlightens and illuminates us, the main thing is that He allows us to understand God’s word and enter into the truth. This is the most foundational work of the Holy Spirit. Many people cannot see through this aspect. They keep on seeking for the Holy Spirit’s work in other aspects. They keep looking for a miracle from God. The result is that they waste their energy and they waste their time. In the end, they cannot obtain anything. The core of the Holy Spirit’s work is to guide us into entering God’s word and entering into the truth. When you read God’s word and when you seek the truth, if you faithfully pray to God, you will receive the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why all those who seek the truth and all those who love God’s word will find it easy to receive the work of the Holy Spirit. There are some people who indulge in fantasy. They pray to God about family matters and things of the flesh. They ask the Holy Spirit to perform a miracle for them, but the result in the end is that the Holy Spirit would not do it. Some people pray for their children to get into university. They ask God to perform a miracle. They ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten their children and to bless them with wisdom and intelligence so that they can attend university. Is it not improper to ask the Holy Spirit for these kinds of things? The Holy Spirit does the work of salvation, the work of leading people to enter into God’s word and to understand the truth. Is it correct for you to ask the Holy Spirit to help your children get into university? Is this in accordance with God’s intentions? This kind of person does not understand the Holy Spirit’s work, right? There are other people who pray to God for help when they encounter difficulties. They ask God to perform a miracle. After they finish praying, the Holy Spirit does not do what they ask and neither does He move them. The result is that these people obtain nothing. That is why we must understand what the primary work of the Holy Spirit is. The proper path to take which is in accordance with God’s intentions is to pray that the Holy Spirit enlightens and illuminates you in God’s word. When you encounter trials and tribulations, ask God to enlighten you and help you with understanding His intentions. This is also the proper path to take. This is in accordance with God’s intentions. Praying to God in regard to communicating the truth is also in accordance with God’s intentions. Let’s say you encounter a situation where you do not know what to do and you try to seek the truth and feel out God’s intentions. It is also in accordance with God’s intentions to pray to God to let the Holy Spirit enlighten you. Man must understand the work of the Holy Spirit. He must understand what the main work of the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit leads man toward. He must be clear as to what the Holy Spirit is helping man understand, enter and obtain. Do not rely on your own imagination and say that God is almighty and you only need to pray to God to allow Him to perfect you in whatever situation you encounter. During the period of time when God is saving man, He is only doing the work of saving and perfecting man. He would not do any other kind of work. You must be clear about this. This is something you must understand when it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit. Suppose you lose the Holy Spirit’s work. You no longer have any energy in your faith. Your spirit is plunged into darkness. You cannot read God’s word anymore and even if you read it, you do not understand it. You are unable to communicate the truth. You fall into the darkness of this predicament and you are unable to free yourself. At this time, what should you do? Pray to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten and illuminate you. Let God save you from the darkness and save you from the constraints of your flesh. It is completely appropriate to pray in this manner. If you pray like this for a period of time, if you open your heart to God, quiet yourself before God with all sincerity and you ask God to save you from the darkness and the constraints of your flesh, then God will do His work and He will enlighten you because this falls within the scope of the Holy Spirit’s work. The Holy Spirit’s work includes these tasks. If you pray to God and beseech God within the scope of the Holy Spirit’s work, it will be easy for you to obtain it. It is useless if you ask and pray to God for things that fall outside of the scope of the Holy Spirit’s work. You must understand these things clearly.
The Differences Between the Holy Spirit’s Work and the Work of Evil Spirits (1)
One can achieve a genuine understanding of God due to the work of the Holy Spirit. What are the differences between the Holy Spirit’s work and the work of evil spirits? The results that can be achieved through the Holy Spirit’s work are positive: People have faith and actively cooperate with God, they seek the truth, forsake their fleshly desires and betray Satan. Each and every person that enjoys the work of the Holy Spirit finds that, on the one hand, their faith becomes greater and greater and on the other hand, they see how worthy of love God is. They see God’s salvation. They are able to actively cooperate with God to the point where they are able to cast aside everything and make an effort for God. They are able to seek the truth in order to achieve salvation. These are the results of the Holy Spirit’s work. All those who have a strong faith in God, who are able to cast aside everything, make an effort for God and serve God, these kinds of people have the Holy Spirit working on them. They are guided by the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the results that are achieved through the work of evil spirits are completely the opposite. The work of evil spirits causes people to become negative. It causes them to cling to the enjoyments of the flesh. It causes people to become arrogant and it causes people’s hearts to grow distant from God. The more the evil spirits do their work on people, the more people become arrogant and conceited and the more they believe they have everything and are capable of everything. They think they are better than everyone else. As a result, they do not obey anyone. The work of evil spirits causes people to exalt themselves. It causes people to believe that they themselves are infallible. This leads them to forsake God and grow distant from God. That is why all those who have the work of evil spirits like to bear witness of themselves. They like it when other people listen to them and follow them. They like to trap and control people. These are the consequences of the work of evil spirits. The most serious consequence that the work of evil spirits brings to people is that it causes people to only want great blessings and to enter the kingdom of heaven when it comes to believing in God. They only want to reign as kings. They do not have a place in their hearts for God. Their hearts are unable to love God. They do not have God in their hearts. They seek understanding in theoretical knowledge in order to lift themselves up and trap and confuse other people. When you look at the consequences of the work of evil spirits, you can see that evil spirits are solely bent on confusing, corrupting and controlling people. They just want to disturb and dismantle God’s work. If you want to be able to distinguish the work of evil spirits, all you need to do is look at the behavior of someone and you will be able to differentiate. If they are very distant from God and are capable of betraying God, if they show off and confuse other people, this is sufficient evidence to confirm that this person has the work of evil spirits. For example, you notice a particularly arrogant person. He always uses overly theoretical reasoning when speaking to others, traps other people and makes other people listen to him. He is always looking to occupy a leadership position and stand out amongst his peers. He is also always saying that God’s Spirit is working on him or that there is a spirit giving him revelations in his heart. This is sufficient to indicate that there are evil spirits inside of him. The fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, the results that are achieved by the work of the Holy Spirit are positive. First, it causes people to understand themselves. The more the Holy Spirit does His work upon someone, the more they see that they are corrupt, that they have deficiencies and the more they see that they are utterly lacking. As a result, they grow closer to God, they want to seek the truth and they are willing to pay the price and cast aside everything. These are all completely positive results. When someone who seeks the truth communicates the truth with their brothers and sisters, they are able to acknowledge their own corruption, understand their own corruption and open up in a very pure and simple manner. These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit’s work. From these fruits, you can see that this person definitely has the Holy Spirit’s work. The work of evil spirits causes people to become arrogant and conceited. They are never able to understand themselves. They can only see the corruption of other people but they are unable to see their own. They think that other people are good for nothing and not equal to them and that they themselves are without faults. They think they are better than other people. Would you say that these kinds of people have the work of the Holy Spirit? They do not because the results and their behavior are enough to prove that they do not have the work of the Holy Spirit inside of them. They only have the work of evil spirits. If they do not say that they have the work of spirits inside of them, then all we can say is that they do not have the Holy Spirit’s work. If they say that they have the work of spirits within themselves, then this indicates that they have the work of evil spirits because they do not display any positive results. This is the work of evil spirits. … Additionally, everything that evil spirits do is highly supernatural, they directly instruct people to do this or that, they directly order them about, directly force them to do things—this is the manifestation of the work of evil spirits. The work of the Holy Spirit has never forced people to do this or that, it has never ordered people around, it has never been supernatural, has never used supernatural means to instruct people to do things, it is always hidden deep down in people, and touches them through their conscience to make them understand the truth and the words of God, after which it uses conscience to make them put the truth into practice. This is the means by which the Holy Spirit works. The Holy Spirit has never forced or coerced people, He has never done anything supernatural or manifest, and He does not openly direct people. What do we know from this? We know that the work of the Holy Spirit is humble and hidden, it is especially hidden, and none of it is disclosed. God is omnipotent and holds dominion over all things, but the Holy Spirit does not directly say to man “Hey, you should do this or that.” The Holy Spirit has never acted in this way; He touches you, using love to touch you, and He is very tender, such that you don’t feel as if anyone is touching you—but in the depths of your heart you sense that you should act in a certain way, and that it is right and proper to do so. See how lovely God is! Look again at the ugliness and pitiable appearance of those who are possessed by evil spirits, behold how, as soon as they meet people, they say, “Today the spirit instructed me to say this, it told me to do that, it made me do such as such,” see how they sometimes get up in the dead of night to spread the gospel, or to pray, or to say how they have been touched and must fulfill their duty. Look at how, as soon as people are bound by an evil spirit, it causes them terrible suffering, and rushes them off their feet, see how they don’t know when to eat or do things, how their lives are turned upside down. When evil spirits work in people, they wrest them back and forth, leaving them exhausted and weary. Ultimately, they gain nothing: There is no change in their life disposition, they are still just as corrupt as they used to be, those who used to be conceited and pompous are still conceited and pompous, and those who used to be crafty and conniving are still crafty and conniving. The work of evil spirits corrupts people, and leaves them mentally abnormal. From the modus operandi of evil spirits, we see just how contemptible, wicked, ignoble, and stupid they are. They do nothing but harass and corrupt people, and because of this they are loathed and cursed by people, who say they are vile. Thus, the work of evil spirits represents Satan—there is no error in this. Anyone who has seen people in whom evil spirits work, or who have been possessed by a demon, knows just how detestable, ignoble, wicked, and depraved evil spirits are. Do you see this? You see some of it, yes? Have you seen that evil spirits possess the truth? Do evil spirits have any love for man? From the work of evil spirits, it can be seen that they are without the slightest truth, and that their nature is truly wicked. Having seen how evil spirits corrupt people, you have seen how Satan corrupts people—this is completely correct. Because all evil spirits are in cahoots with Satan, because they all pursue Satan, and are the accomplices, friends, and associates of Satan, they have been with Satan since time immemorial. Satan led all these evil spirits in rebelling against God and it was struck down to earth. Could an evil spirit—an evil spirit which is without truth and utterly rebellious to God by nature—bring any truth to a person when it possesses them? Could it bring about changes in their disposition? Absolutely not. … The work of the Holy Spirit is representative of God’s work. It is actually the work of God Himself. All sorts of evil spirits do work in the name of Satan and their work is the work of Satan. That is why the essence of the disposition and the conduct that is revealed by those who have the work of evil spirits is equivalent to that of Satan. When the Holy Spirit does work on someone, the wisdom and the disposition that are revealed represent God. They are worthy of praise and worship. The work that evil spirits and Satan do causes people to despise and curse it because that work corrupts, devastates people and devours their souls. From the work of evil spirits, we can see how Satan corrupts mankind. From the work of the Holy Spirit, we can see how God saves mankind. In this way, we have developed a way to distinguish these matters.
The Differences Between the Work of the Holy Spirit and the Work of Evil Spirits (2)
Below, let us look at some other clear differences between the various work of evil spirits and the work of the Holy Spirit, and at how they are specifically manifested. The Holy Spirit chooses people who pursue the truth, who have conscience and sense, and who are possessed of integrity. These are the kind of people He works in. Evil spirits choose people who are crafty and absurd, who have no love for the truth, and who are without conscience or sense. Such are the people that evil spirits work in. What do we see when we compare those who are chosen for the work of the Holy Spirit, and those who are chosen for that of evil spirits? We can see that God is holy, and righteous, that those who are chosen by God pursue the truth, and are possessed of conscience and sense, that they have integrity, and love that which is just. Those who are chosen by evil spirits are crafty, they are selfish and contemptible, they have no love for the truth, they are without conscience and sense, and they do not pursue the truth. Evil spirits only choose negative things and those who are not true people, from which we see that evil spirits love wickedness and darkness, that they run a mile from those who pursue the truth, and are quick to possess those who are crooked and crafty, who are enamored of unrighteousness, and easily bewitched. Those in whom evil spirits choose to work cannot be saved, and are eliminated by God. When, and against what background, do evil spirits work? They work when people have strayed far from God and rebelled against God. The work of evil spirits bewitches people, and it does so by taking advantage of when they sin. When people are at their weakest, especially when they are in great pain in their hearts, when they are feeling bewildered and confused, the evil spirit takes this opportunity to slip in to bewitch and corrupt them, to sow discord between them and God. There is a time for the work of the Holy Spirit: When people call upon God, when their hearts turn to God, when they need God, when they repent to God, and when they seek the truth, then the Holy Spirit begins to work in them. See how every aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work is in order to save man, how He looks for opportunities to save man, whereas evil spirits look for chances to corrupt and beguile people. Evil spirits are contemptible and wicked, they are insidious and sinister, everything they do is meant to corrupt man, and harm man, and devour him. When people are in need, when they make urgent calls to God, when they require God’s salvation, and when they wish to draw near to God in their hearts, the Holy Spirit appears to them and does the work of salvation. God is love, and evil spirits are hate—this is clear to you, yes? All that evil spirits do is in order to devour and corrupt man, and all that the Holy Spirit does is for the love and salvation of man. The effects of the work of the Holy Spirit are to purify people, to save them from their corruption, to allow them to know themselves and to know Satan, to be able to rebel against Satan, to be able to pursue the truth, and to ultimately live out the likeness of man. Evil spirits corrupt, defile, and bind people, they plunge them ever deeper into sin, and bring ever greater pain to their lives, and so when evil spirits work in people, they’re finished; ultimately, they are devoured by Satan, which is the outcome of the work of evil spirits. The effect of the work of the Holy Spirit is to eventually save people, to make them live out a real life, be completely free and liberated, and receive God’s blessings. Look: Evil spirits bring man to darkness, they take him to the abyss; the Holy Spirit takes man from darkness, into the light, and into freedom. The work of the Holy Spirit enlightens and guides people, He gives them opportunities, and when they are weak and have transgressions He brings them solace. He allows people to know themselves, allows them to pursue the truth, and He does not force people to do things, but lets them choose their path themselves, and ultimately takes them into the light. Evil spirits force people to do things and order them about. Everything they say is false and bewitches people, deceives them, and binds them; evil spirits do not give people freedom, they do not allow them to choose, they force them on the road to ruin, and ultimately plunge them deeper and deeper into sin, leading them to death. Look at those evil people, those wicked types of people: They drag others into the gutter, they pull them into crimes, and wrench them into gambling dens. Ultimately, after they have ravaged the people’s families and taken their lives, they are happy, their work is done, and they have achieved their aim. Are they not demons? Whereas those who are truly good and fear God lead people closer to God, and lead them to the belief in God, to the understanding of the truth, to the pursuit of a real life, and ultimately make them live out the likeness of man. How clear the contrast between these positive and negative things! In comparing the principles, means, and ultimate effect of the work of the Holy Spirit with those of evil spirits, we see that God saves man, loves man, and gives man the truth, that He takes man into the light, and ultimately allows man to be blessed and become a real person and live out the true life. Satan corrupts mankind, it binds mankind, it tries to devour mankind, and ultimately leads mankind to perdition and destruction.
From Classic Selections From Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life
