Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3218

3218 Obedience to the worldly authorities....

August 12, 1944: Book 42

Whatever is demanded of you, you will be able to fulfil it if you entrust yourselves to God's guidance and only let Him rule. For whatever He allows will be a blessing for you as soon as you regard it as God's permission and tackle everything in God's name. And therefore you need not fear any measures, for they will only affect you if it is God's will, you will be in God's constant care, for His will determines your course of life and nothing can come upon you against His will. Just strive to strengthen your faith, to recognize the heavenly father's activity in everything that concerns you and to always submit yourselves to Him.... Always observe His word and live according to it, and always and constantly ask for strength of faith.... Do not fall away from God when trials come upon you which threaten to shake your faith.... He will truly not abandon you if you do not leave Him, and He will always reveal Himself to you if you are in distress of soul, and He will also help you in earthly adversity. He looks after you in all situations of life, even if it seems as if you are dependent on yourselves. For your call always draws Him close to you, He hears every sigh and every silent prayer you send to Him, and He fulfils it as it is good for you. And the more firmly you believe that God is love, the more trustingly you will place yourselves and your life into His hands and the more reassured you can go through earthly life. You certainly have to expect great changes which extend to your usual life, yet none comes upon you without God's permission, and thus you must always regard yourselves as guided by Him if you have to carry out something by force which does not suit you. No-one has more power over you than God if you trustingly hand yourselves over to Him, and this confidence must make everything easier for you to bear, for you are never alone if you call upon God for strength and grace. And then you will be able to master everything that is demanded of you....

And do not shrink from it if you are commanded to take part in the battle which means destruction, for you must submit to the laws of the worldly authorities. But your thinking, your inner attitude, is decisive as to how God views your actions. The will to act rightly before God evaluates all your thoughts and actions. If you are forced by the world to act contrary to God's will, then the world is also responsible for these actions. But you should strive for righteousness, you should give account to yourselves about your thinking, to what extent it corresponds to the commandments of God. You should comply with the demands of the authorities as soon as your freedom of action is taken away from you. For any opposition to the authority of the authorities is unwise and not wanted by God. And therefore you must be obedient, whatever is demanded of you, as long as it concerns earthly conduct, as long as the gagging of the spirit is not the basis of the demands, for you alone are responsible for your soul, thus your thinking must also remain pure and unadulterated, even though you will be forced into actions which God can never approve of because they contradict the commandment of neighbourly love. But always ask for strength, ask for the prevention of what is detestable to you, and God will help you in every adversity and danger to body and soul....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers