How can one obtain the work of the Holy Spirit?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of the Holy Spirit changes from day to day, rising higher with each step; the revelation of tomorrow is even higher than today’s, step by step climbing ever higher. Such is the work by which God perfects man. If man cannot keep pace, then he may be left behind at any time. If man does not have an obedient heart, then he cannot follow to the end. The former age has passed; this is a new age. And in a new age, new work must be done. Particularly in the final age in which man will be perfected, God will perform new work ever more quickly. Therefore, without obedience in his heart, man will find it difficult to follow the footsteps of God.

God does not abide by any rules, nor does He treat any stage of His work as unchanging. Rather, the work He does is ever newer and ever higher. His work becomes more and more practical with each step, more and more in line with the actual needs of man. Only after man experiences this kind of work can he attain the final transformation of his disposition. … All those of a disobedient nature who willfully oppose shall be left behind by this stage of God’s swift and furiously advancing work; only those who willingly obey and who gladly humble themselves can progress to the end of the road. In this kind of work, all of you should learn how to submit and how to put aside your notions. You should be cautious in every step you take. If you are careless, you will surely become one who is spurned by the Holy Spirit, one who disrupts God in His work. … The work done by God differs from period to period. If you show great obedience in one phase, yet in the next phase show less or none at all, then God shall desert you. If you keep pace with God as He ascends this step, then you must continue to keep pace when He ascends the next. Only then are you one who is obedient to the Holy Spirit. Since you believe in God, you must remain constant in your obedience. You cannot simply obey when you please and disobey when you do not. This kind of obedience does not meet with God’s approval.

from “Those Who Obey God With a True Heart Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Taking the right track of God perfecting man is entering the right track of the Holy Spirit’s current work; it is also taking the path that the Holy Spirit walks. Right now, the path the Holy Spirit walks is God’s current words. So, for one to walk it, he must obey, and eat and drink of the current words of God incarnate. He is doing the work of words, and everything is spoken from His words, and everything is established on His words, His current words. Whether it’s being fully without doubts about God become flesh or knowing Him, one must put much effort into His words. Otherwise, he cannot accomplish anything at all, and he will be left with nothing. Only by coming to know God and satisfy Him on the foundation of eating and drinking His words can one gradually establish a proper relationship with Him. Eating and drinking His words and putting them into practice is the best cooperation with God, and it is the practice that best bears witness as one of His people. When one understands and is able to obey the essence of God’s current words, he is living on the path that is led by the Holy Spirit and he has entered the right track of God perfecting man.

from “Those Whose Disposition Has Changed Are Those Who Have Entered Into the Reality of God’s Words” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him.

from “Concerning the Practice of Prayer” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

People believe in God, love God, and satisfy God by touching the Spirit of God with their heart, thereby obtaining His satisfaction; when engaging with God’s words with their heart, they are therefore moved by the Spirit of God. If you wish to achieve a proper spiritual life and establish a proper relationship with God, you must first give your heart to Him, and quiet your heart before Him. Only after you have poured your whole heart into God can you gradually develop a proper spiritual life. … If your heart can be poured into God and keep quiet before Him, then you will have the opportunity and the qualifications to be used by the Holy Spirit, to receive the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, and even more, you will have the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to make up for your shortcomings. When you give your heart to God, you can enter more deeply into the positive aspect and be on a higher plane of insight; in the negative aspect, you will have more understanding of your own faults and shortcomings, you will be more eager to seek to satisfy God’s will, and you will not be passive, and will actively enter in. This will mean that you are a correct person.

from “Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Holy Spirit works by this principle: Through people’s cooperation, through them actively praying, searching and coming closer to God, results can be achieved and they can be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. It is not the case that the Holy Spirit acts unilaterally, or that man acts unilaterally. Both are indispensable, and the more that people cooperate, and the more they pursue the attainment of the standards of God’s requirements, the greater the work of the Holy Spirit. Only people’s real cooperation, added to the work of the Holy Spirit, can produce real experiences and the substantive knowledge of God’s words. Gradually, through experiencing in this way, a perfect person is ultimately produced. God does not do supernatural things; in people’s conceptions, God is almighty, and everything is done by God—with the result that people wait passively, do not read the words of God or pray, and merely await the touch of the Holy Spirit. Those with a correct understanding, however, believe this: God’s actions can only go as far as my cooperation, and the effect that God’s work has in me depends on how I cooperate. When God speaks, I should do all I can to seek and strive toward God’s words; this is what I should achieve.

from “How to Know Reality” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Because you come burdened before God and you always feel that you are lacking too much, that there are many truths that you need to know, much reality that you need to experience, and that you should give every care to God’s will—these things are always on your mind, and it is as if they are pressing down on you so hard that you can’t breathe, and thus you feel heavy of heart (but not in a negative state). Only people such as this are qualified to accept the enlightenment of God’s words and be moved by the Spirit of God. It is because of their burden, because they are heavy of heart, and, it can be said, because of the price they have paid and the torment they have suffered before God that they receive His enlightenment and illumination, for God does not give anyone special treatment. He is always fair in His treatment of people, but He is also not arbitrary in His provision to people, and does not give to them unconditionally. This is one aspect of His righteous disposition. … The criteria for God’s use of people are as follows: Their heart turns to God, they are burdened by the words of God, they have a heart of yearning, and they have the resolve to seek the truth. Only people such as this can gain the work of the Holy Spirit and frequently gain enlightenment and illumination.

from “Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You are artless and open, willing to know yourself, and willing to put truth into practice. God sees that you are willing to know yourself and are willing to put truth into practice, so when you are weak and negative, He enlightens you doubly, helping you know yourself more, be more willing to repent for yourself, and be more able to practice the things that you should practice. Only in this way is your heart peaceful and at ease. A person who ordinarily pays attention to knowing God, who pays attention to knowing himself, who pays attention to his own practice will be able to frequently receive God’s work, to frequently receive guidance and enlightenment from God.

from “Only Those Who Focus on Practice Can Be Perfected” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

In your daily life, you must grasp those words you say and those things you do that will cause your relationship with God to be abnormal, then rectify yourself and enter into the correct manner. Examine your words, your actions, your each and every move, and your thoughts and ideas at all times. Grasp your true state and enter into the way of the work of the Holy Spirit. Only in this way can you have a normal relationship with God. By weighing out whether your relationship with God is normal, you will be able to rectify your intentions, understand the essence of man, and understand yourself; through this, you will be able to enter into real experiences, truly forsake yourself, and achieve deliberate submission. In such matters as when you are experiencing whether your relationship with God is normal, you will be able to find opportunities to be perfected by God, you will be able to understand many situations under which the Holy Spirit is working, and you will be able to see through many of Satan’s tricks and conspiracies. Only through this way can you be perfected by God. You put right your relationship with God so that you will submit yourself to all the arrangements of God. It is so you will more deeply enter into real experiences, and obtain more work of the Holy Spirit. …

… For every utterance of God, after you have read it and you have gained an understanding, you shall put it into practice. Regardless of how you used to practice before—perhaps in the past your flesh was weak, you were rebellious, and you resisted—this is not a big deal, and it can’t obstruct your life from growing today. As long as you are able to have a normal relationship with God today, then there is hope. If for every time that you read God’s words, you have changes and allow other people to see that your life has transformed for the better, it shows that you have a normal relationship with God and that it is put right. God does not treat people based on their transgressions. As long as you are able to not rebel again and not resist again after you have understood and are aware, then God will still have mercy on you. When you have this understanding and the will to pursue being perfected by God, then your condition in God’s presence will be normal. No matter what you do, consider: What will God think if I do this? How will it affect the brothers and sisters? Examine your intentions in your prayer, fellowship, speech, work, and contact with people, and examine whether your relationship with God is normal or not. If you are unable to distinguish your intentions and thoughts, then you have no discrimination, which proves that you understand too little about truth. Have a clear understanding of everything that God does, see things according to God’s word and see things by standing on the side of God. This way your viewpoints will be correct. Therefore, to build a good relationship with God is a top priority for anyone believing in God; everyone should treat it as the most important task and as their major life event. Everything you do should be weighed against whether or not you have a normal relationship with God. If your relationship with God is normal and your intentions are correct, then do it. In order to maintain a normal relationship with God, you can’t be afraid of losing out on personal interests, you can’t allow Satan to prevail, you can’t allow Satan to find anything against you, and you can’t allow Satan to make you into a laughing stock. Such an intention is a manifestation that your relationship with God is normal. It is not for the flesh, but rather it is for peace of spirit, it is for obtaining the work of the Holy Spirit and for satisfying the will of God. If you are to enter into a correct state, you must build a good relationship with God, you must set right your viewpoint of belief in God. It is to allow God to obtain you, to allow God to reveal the fruits of His words in you, and to enlighten and illuminate you even more. This way you will enter into the correct manner.

from “How Is Your Relationship With God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Man’s Fellowship:

The Holy Spirit works according to the words of Christ, and works also according to people’s acceptance of and submission to Christ. Only if people accept Christ and submit to Christ can they receive the work of the Holy Spirit. If people resist Christ or rebel against Christ, then they will not have the work of the Holy Spirit. Whether someone’s belief in God can bring them salvation is decided by whether or not they can truly accept and submit to Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is based entirely on a person’s acceptance of and submission to Christ. In the Age of Grace, the work of the Holy Spirit was carried out according to people’s acceptance of the Lord Jesus, submission to Him, and worship of Him. In the Age of Kingdom, the work of the Holy Spirit is carried out according to people’s acceptance of Almighty God, submission to Almighty God, and worship of Almighty God. The Holy Spirit works also according to the words of Almighty God, in order to bring believers into the words of God and have them reach salvation and perfection. This is the basis and principle of the work of the Holy Spirit. Many religious leaders have died as punishment for resisting or condemning Christ. Many religious people have lost the work of the Holy Spirit, falling into darkness through their refusal to accept Christ of the last days. In the house of God, many people have withered in life and quit because of their persisting notions of Christ, and still many others have been excluded from the work of the Holy Spirit by believing only in God’s Spirit and not in Christ. These things are all caused by people not accepting or submitting to Christ. Whether or not a believer has the work of the Holy Spirit is completely decided by their attitude toward Christ. If a person believes only in the God in heaven, and does not submit to Christ, they will never receive the work of the Holy Spirit. Right now there are still many people in various different churches who only believe in the Spirit of God, but do not believe in Christ, and thereby lose the work of the Holy Spirit. There are many who only believe in the words of Christ, but do not submit to Christ, and are therefore loathed by God. Therefore, accepting Christ and submitting to Christ is the key to receiving the work of the Holy Spirit. Only if someone accepts Christ and submits to Christ will they reach salvation and be perfected. Clearly, the works of the Holy Spirit in each age each have their basis and principle. Who knows how many people still don’t see the importance of submitting to Christ. The Holy Spirit completely works according to the words of Christ. If people cannot accept Christ’s words, and continue to hold notions about them and resist them, then they absolutely cannot receive the work of the Holy Spirit. Many people only pray in the name of Almighty God, but do not submit to the work of Christ, and do not completely accept Christ’s words. People like this are antichrists, and absolutely cannot receive the work of the Holy Spirit.

from “Results That Can Be Achieved by a Genuine Understanding of the Truth” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life

How people can get the work of the Holy Spirit is also an important matter. You should not think that you can get the work of the Holy Spirit by reading God’s words carelessly. A person must have a heart which seeks the truth. A person’s heart must be right, they must sincerely and hungrily seek the truth, read God’s words, pray to God. Only then can they get the work of the Holy Spirit. A person cannot be momentarily excited or eager, or be temporarily enthusiastic to read God’s words and be able to get the work of the Holy Spirit. They must be the right person, a person who seeks the truth, and their intentions must be correct. According to God’s words, this kind of person hungers and thirsts for righteousness, and only this kind of person can receive the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit. People who do evil cannot receive the work of the Holy Spirit. People who live with notions about God, who live with a rebellious disposition, who live in a negative way, will not easily receive the work of the Holy Spirit if they do not seek the truth. What does living with a rebellious disposition toward God mean? It means that in the depths of their heart they are in a state of antagonism toward God. Their heart is not right, it is antagonistic toward God, it is in conflict with God, it is complaining about God, or it doesn’t love the truth. In these few abnormal states, a person cannot easily receive the work of the Holy Spirit, and this is quite a crucial point. That is, if you always live your life in a state of rebellion against God or live in a state of resistance against God, you will not easily receive the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit searches the bottom of a person’s heart. We used to say, “God searches the bottom of a person’s heart,” what does this mean? It means that the Spirit searches the bottom of a person’s heart, isn’t that right? So the Holy Spirit searches the innermost heart of any person in all situations, looking to see what their attitude is like and see if they are searching for the truth. God can see this most clearly. So, your attitude must be correct to pursue the truth. Your mind is searching for the truth, it is yearning for the truth and it is yearning for the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit. It is willing to practice the truth and it is yearning for the truth to solve problems. At this time, the Holy Spirit will enlighten you.

from “How One Should Pursue the Truth” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (I)

Now, we can see that the Holy Spirit does His work mainly to guide people into entering God’s word and understanding the truth. What aspects does entering God’s word involve? Entering God’s word does not mean that someone reads one particular sentence, ponders it a little and then has a bit of an understanding. This is not equivalent to entering God’s word. It is a completely different matter. The most important thing is to enter God’s word through experience. This “experience” covers a broad range of experiences. It is not just one aspect of experience. There are many aspects to this experience. Fulfilling one’s duty is also experiencing God’s word. Putting the truth into practice is experiencing God’s word. Particularly going through various kinds of trials and refinement is even more experiencing God’s word. Regardless of under what context or situation, as long as you experience God’s word, you will be able to obtain the Holy Spirit’s work. For example, when we encounter trials, we pray to God to seek out God’s intentions. As a result, the Holy Spirit enlightens us so that we can understand God’s intentions. This is so because it is related to entering God’s word. … Additionally, in the process of fulfilling our duties, and within the experience of our daily lives, regardless of what situation, as long as we seek the truth, seek out God’s intentions and pray to God, we will be able to obtain the Holy Spirit’s work. This is because the Holy Spirit is there to guide us into entering God’s word and the truth. There are some people who have a lot of experience when it comes to this aspect. Regardless of what situation they encounter, they pray to God. Regardless of what kind of people they meet, they pray to God and ask God to enlighten them and give them wisdom and intelligence. They ask God to guide them. As long as people experience God’s work in this way, they will understand a lot of God’s word. They will know how they should practice it in a concrete, specific situation. They will know how to put it into good use. This is the way to entering God’s word.

from “Knowing the Work of the Holy Spirit Is of the Utmost Importance to Man’s Salvation” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (II)