Following his salvation, Watchman Nee first began bringing people to the Lord, and second he began learning to live in the Lord's presence. He discovered that anything between him and God was a hindrance to receiving answers to prayer. It was also a frustration to trusting God for his needs and kept him out of God's presence. At the same time he saw that he must make thorough confession of sins to God and fully rectify any wrongs regarding people. He was very strict in these two matters in order to maintain a good conscience without offense (1 Tim. 1:5; Acts 24:16). Whenever he was having a transaction with God regarding a certain matter, God would deal with him regarding the elimination of certain things to maintain his fellowship with God. He went on with God in this way through his entire life.
In order to stay in God's presence, he repeatedly wrote to the saints confessing his wrongs, offenses, and faults, asking for forgiveness. He dealt with sins both before people and before God. Many times at the Lord's table he was heard to confess in prayer that he was sinful and to ask the Lord to forgive him. This indicated a conscience sensitive to anything sinful before God. His conscience was so keen because he always kept it pure by dealing with sins before men and God, leaving nothing undealt with. By keeping his conscience free of offense, he was able to maintain an intimate fellowship with God.
In order to live in the presence of God, Watchman Nee eliminated everything worldly from his life. He was absolutely separated from the world. There was no sign of worldliness in his home, in his manner of dress, or in anything related to his living. Although he did not do it in a legal way, he lived in an unworldly manner throughout his entire life. He would not observe any festival or celebrate a birthday because to his enlightened understanding these things were worldly.
He kept himself from worldliness not only in his living but also in his work. The way all his publications were designed bore no impression of the world, nor did any of the practices he introduced into the church have any flavor of the world.
Because he dealt with worldliness in such a strict fashion, he was continually kept in the presence of God. His manner of life exercised a strong influence upon all of us who were close to him and upon all the churches in the Lord's recovery which were benefited from his ministry.