God says, “But to people, it seems like a world of gaiety and splendor, one that is becoming more and more so. When people look upon the world, their hearts are drawn to it, and many are unable to extricate themselves from it; great numbers will be beguiled by those who engage in trickery and sorcery. If you do not strive for progress, and are without ideals, you will be swept away by this sinful wave.” Just as God’s words say, the world is becoming more and more dazzling, and all kinds of temptations can be found everywhere, which are money, position, power, salacity, and so on. These temptations, like poppy flowers, are equal to beautiful traps, one after another, where most people can’t get rid of them. Thinking back to my own experiences, I would have sunk deep into these beautiful traps, hardly freeing myself from them, without the protection of God and the guidance of God’s words.
I am 27 years old, a clerk of a Building Sales Center before. Fortunately, I accepted the Gospel of God’s kingdom in 2013, so I was engaged in my job as I had a church life. At that time, our Sales Center consisted of 3 subsidiaries, namely Marketing Company, Property Management Company and Real Estate Company. The Real Estate Company was in charge of the other two companies. As for me, I was actually a customer service staff from Property Management Company though I belonged to Sales Center. What I did every day was serving tea and refreshments for customers, and sweeping up after they had left. It could be said that my position was the lowest among the members in Sales Center, without few inquiries. However, I owned an enriched life every day even though I employed myself for a common and insignificant job with a low income, for I had no need to, behaving like other girls in Sales Department, ingratiate myself with my boss and flatter him for getting a promotion. After work, I could spare time to live the church life, reading God’s words and fellowshiping the truth together with brothers and sisters, relaxed and free. Nevertheless, it was not long before my calm life was set up a gradual succession of events.
The General Manager of the Real Estate Company is Zhang, (family name) so he is usually called President Zhang, a leader supported by all the members in the whole company. He, at the age of 40, with a dignified appearance and a pair of glasses, looks genteel, and talks humorously. At that time, he got on well with our young people, and all the staffs admired and worshiped him very much. On one occasion, he took a seat in the area where I worked, so I served him a cup of tea, while he asked casually my name and education background. I answered him and continued working. Afterward, each time he came, I would serve him tea while he would have a chat with me. In my imagination, leaders are sitting up in high positions, so I, an ordinary staff, is nobody in the sight of them. Yet, to my surprise, President Zhang was so easy to approach that every time he had tea here, he would have a chat with me, a petty clerk, which made me consider he was very kind.
Later, he came to have tea more and more frequently. Once he asked me with a smile, “How do you think of the uniforms in Sales Department?” “Sales Department stands for the image of our company, so the uniforms certainly look nice!” I answered. He shook his head and said, “I don’t think so”. Then, he looked me up and down, and said, “Theirs are not as nice as yours. Due to your pretty figure, whatever you wear, you are beautiful …” Getting such praise from him, I thought that, he was kind and humorous, and under his leadership, I not only had no pressure when working, but felt relaxed.
As he came many times, little by little, we kind of “know” each other. My work place-bar counter also turned a significant position in his eyes. Whenever the bar counter had matters or something wrong, he would always show up to help me. It was hard to think that I, a lowest and pettiest clerk, was thought highly of by him that I felt flattered. Besides, I, the president-backed girl, had been originally looked down upon, but now got a rapid ascent in Sales Center. My colleagues complimenting me and even my manager was holding an modest attitude toward me. I could ask for a leave easily from my manager now rather than had met a mass of difficulties before. As for that reason, I was even more grateful to Mr. Zhang. In my heart, all these advantages were offered by him, and I thought: I am going to work harder later. I will spare no effort in my work, even though I just make tea and pour water. I will prove worthy of getting his regard. While his shining image was rising more and more highly in my mind, a series of matters came shortly, which made my opinion of him entirely reverse. …
One day, he came to bar counter as usual. Finding the flowers on bar counter need pruned, then he helped me do it actively. When I was sweeping the pruned branches and leaves, I asked him, “Mr. Zhang, do you like growing flowers?” He laughed and answered me, “I prefer females to flowers.” After hearing his evil-smell words, I, immediately, felt terrible and very embarrassed, so I did not respond to him. After that, not only did he come to bar counter to chat with me, but also sent short messages to show great concern for me, and he began to use some vague words in the messages later. Only then did I realize that he had treated me beyond a relationship between a leader and a clerk. I was aware that it was not after God’s will, for he was a married man, while I was a believer in God. I would not only bring disgrace to my character but dishonor God’s name if I got entangled with such a man. To testify God, I must make a clean break with him. But if so, it meant that I would lose his daily care in all respects of my work, so I put myself into a quandary.
For that reason, I came before God to pray to Him, begging God to give me a strength of overcoming sin and divesting myself of the flesh, and lead me to walk on a right way. After praying, I read His words, “So were you able to see Satan’s intentions? Were you able to see the purpose behind what it said? Were you able to see its plot and its cunning scheme? (No.) What kind of disposition is represented by Satan’s way of speaking? What kind of essence have you seen in Satan through these words? (Evil.) Evil. Is it insidious? Perhaps on the surface it smiles at you or reveals no expression whatsoever. But in its heart it is calculating how to reach its objective, and it is this objective that you are unable to see. You are then seduced by all the promises it gives you, all the advantages it talks about. You see them as good, and you feel that what it says is more useful, more substantial than what God says. When this happens, does man not then become a submissive prisoner? (Yes.) So is this means used by Satan not diabolical? You allow yourself to sink low. Without moving a finger, with these two sentences you are happy to follow along with it, to comply with it. Its objective has been reached. Is this not so? (Yes.) Is this intention not sinister? Is this not Satan’s most primal countenance? (Yes.)”
After reading God’s words, when thinking back to the scenes of contact with him, I was suddenly enlightened that there was Satan’s temptations. Since I came into contact with him, he has been seducing me bit by bit, by saying some good words on the surface, helping and supporting me, so as to win the favor of me. In fact, he had an evil intention within, while I was attracted by his “shiny” appearance and felt he was good. Eventually, his evil and filth were shown in his speeches and actions, such as boasting my figure, ingratiating me, caring for me, sending ambiguous messages. Actually, he was hatching a sinister plot. According to God’s words, I learned that his essence could be deceptive. All that he said and did were for the sake of his hidden intentions, but I was unable to discern his substance, yet, I was deceived by his falsehoods. Without the revelation of God’s words, I couldn’t distinguish and see clearly his ugly appearance, and I would have fallen into Satan’s tricks. Would I have lived with my dignity and been called a believer in God if I had sunk low for such an evil man, with enjoying his honeyed words, evil passions and lusts? After thinking of it, I got the ability of discriminate, and I made up my mind to break away from him and forsake the benefits of flesh in case of Satan’s tricks. Later on, when he ingratiated me again, I escaped him consciously. I did not reply to him after receiving his messages … It seemed that he found I meant to keep away from him, so he told me to do things for him with his intentions. I, however, just treated them as my job and did not chat with him but was engaged in working. Thanks God! As I made a conscious effort to keep away from him, his plot failed, so that he was ashamed of disturbing me. I thanked God for keeping my heart away from Satan’s temptations.
