Regardless of how much truth one understands, how many duties one has fulfilled, how much one has experienced while fulfilling those duties, how great or small one’s stature is, or what sort of environment one is in, what one cannot do without is that one must look up to God and rely on Him in everything one does. This is the greatest sort of wisdom. Why do I say this is the greatest wisdom? Even if one has come to understand many truths, will it do if one does not rely on God? Some people, after having believed in God a little longer, have come to understand some truths and undergone a few trials. They might have gained a bit of practical experience, but they do not know to rely on God, nor do they understand how to look up to and rely on Him. Do such people possess wisdom? They are the most foolish of people, and are the sort who think themselves clever; they do not fear God and shun evil. Some people say, “I understand many truths and possess truth reality. It’s okay just to do things in a principled manner. I am loyal to God, and I know how to get close to Him. Isn’t it enough that I rely on the truth?” “Relying on the truth” works fine, doctrinally speaking. However, there are many times and situations wherein people do not know what the truth is or what the truth principles are. All those with practical experience know this. For example, when you encounter some issue, you might not know how the truth relevant to this issue should be practiced or applied. What should you do at times like these? No matter how much practical experience you have, you cannot be in possession of the truth in all situations. No matter how many years you have believed in God, how many things you have experienced, and how much pruning, dealing, or disciplining you have experienced, are you the source of the truth? Some people say, “I know by heart all those well-known utterances and passages in the book, The Word Appears in the Flesh; I don’t need to rely on God or look up to Him. When the time comes, I’ll do just fine by relying on these words of God.” The words you have memorized are static, yet the environments you encounter—as well as your states—are dynamic. Having a grasp of the literal words and talking about many spiritual doctrines does not amount to an understanding of the truth, much less does it amount to comprehending God’s will in every situation. Thus, there is a very important lesson to be learned here: It is that people need to look up to God in all things, and that by doing so, they can achieve a reliance on God. Only by relying on God will they have a path to follow. Otherwise, you can do something correctly and in conformity with the truth principles, but if you do not rely on God, then your actions are but deeds of man, and they will not necessarily satisfy God. Because people have such a shallow understanding of the truth, they are likely to follow rules and cling obstinately to letters and doctrines by using that same truth when facing various situations. It is possible that they may complete many matters in general conformity with the truth principles, but God’s guidance cannot be seen in this, nor can the work of the Holy Spirit. There is a serious problem here, which is that people do many things in dependence on their experience and the rules they have understood, and on certain human imaginings. They can barely achieve the very best result, which comes through clearly understanding God’s will by looking up to Him and praying to Him, and then relying on His work and guidance. For this reason, I say that the greatest wisdom is to look up to God and rely on Him in all things.
—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Belief in God Must Begin With Seeing Through the Evil Trends of the World