Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/1465

1465 Resilience.... weakening of the will of the adversary....

June 10, 1940: Book 24

The constant battle with the adversary strengthens the power of resistance, insofar as resistance is offered to his temptations at all. He is always more eagerly at work to force the soul down, but all attempts fail because of the human being's right will. And this right will is the will turned towards God, which is the best weapon against all assaults by the enemy. The will turned towards God also paralyses the power of the adversary and he therefore tries to divert the will in another way towards his lures. He knows the weaknesses of mankind, he also knows how to utilize them in such a way that the temptations have a weakening effect on man and all power of resistance must be mustered in order to be able to master them. Yet those temptations are only a danger if they stifle the desire for God, but if this is predominant all attempts by the adversary will fail. For then God stands by the one who desires Him and helps him to free himself from the force that wants to bind him. And in such hours of temptation it is particularly important to take refuge in prayer, that is, to confess to the lord that the longing is for Him and that all earthly pleasures are willingly surrendered out of love for Him. This battle is certainly a difficult one, which the human being has to wage against his own feelings, but God knows why He sends such trials to His own, He knows the degree of love for Himself and now wants to strengthen it by making Himself more difficult to reach and thus stimulating the human being's will to increased activity. Man then proves his love for God, he proves that it stands up to earthly love. Man will rarely be able to free himself completely from the feeling of inner abandonment if divine help is not close to him. He will have to go through severe inner conflicts as long as there is still earthly desire in him. And he can only overcome this by utilizing divine strength and requesting it in prayer, but then he will victoriously overcome everything, he will turn ever more exclusively to God and strive for union with Him, for love always urges for union. This is the divine feeling which should be inherent in all beings so that only the right union.... the union with the good, should always be striven for. God stands by the earthly child struggling with itself and guides its thoughts correctly, and when these thoughts find each other again in heartfelt prayer to Him, all danger is overcome.... the cunning of the adversary has failed.... love for God has won the victory....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers