Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3314

3314 Spiritual hunger.... short time of freedom of faith....

November 2, 1944: Book 43

Spiritual hunger will set in when people no longer consider earthly life worth living, and then the time will have come when God's servants will be able to work successfully. And then every opportunity must be used to bring people closer to the kingdom of God, to proclaim God’s word to them and to inform them of His will. Their faith in God has to be awakened or strengthened, and they have to be urged to pray, to make contact with God Who can only then distribute His strength which they need for their development. And God's servants will be willingly listened to at first, for the world appears transient to people and their desire is temporary for things which are permanent. And people will be of lively spirit and eagerly receive the word of God. But this willingness will only last a short time and therefore it is to be evaluated in every way. And everywhere the love of God is to be mentioned; everywhere men are to be pointed to their earth tasks; they are to be stimulated to love work, so that they soon feel the blessing and the power of it. They are to be made aware of the fact that they have to prove themselves in the coming faith struggle if they want to acquire eternal life. And thus they are to work diligently for the kingdom of God, for very soon this free state of faith will be put to an end by measures and decrees which will prevent or completely make impossible all spiritual courtship, all spiritual activity. And from this time on humanity will be in greatest danger, i.e. it can also avert this danger from itself if it complies with the desire of the worldly authorities. Then it has nothing to fear from them, but it sells its soul, and this is imperishable.... But the soul of man senses it and fears and dreads the coming time. And therefore it is also particularly open-minded because it unconsciously feels that the word of God secures its existence in happiness and that it is the only source of strength from which it can strengthen itself in times of adversity. And every endeavour which is not meant for the attainment of His sanctified word has thereby become invalid. For the divine word alone gives people the necessary strength to withstand all measures which are directed against faith and thus against God....

Man's desire for the food of heaven will be great, but only in those who recognize God in the divine intervention, in the unleashing of the forces of nature, who see this process as a visible sign from God that He condemns man's behaviour and wants to lead them onto a different path. They will raise their hearts to God and desire His word because it gives them comfort and strength, enlightenment and incentive, because only now will they recognize the connection between everything that is happening in the world and the spiritual state of people. And these shall be given the bread of heaven, even though it is a somewhat heavy fare at first for those who are still weak in faith. Nevertheless it helps them according to their will upwards. And so that this will is trained, that it keeps good and evil apart and decides in favour of what is right, the lord's labourers are to be constantly active, and they are not to let themselves be discouraged when they encounter resistance, and they are to walk on undeterred, offering the bread of heaven to their neighbour and handing out food and drink wherever the needy wait for nourishment. For the time of this free activity is short.... Satan works with great haste and spares no means to oust God.... Therefore the battle against this free activity begins shortly afterwards. And the measures are of drastic importance, after all, they are intended to stop all spiritual striving and to change people's thinking from the bottom up.... And now he who eagerly received the word of God will prove himself, for he will no longer want to miss the heavenly food, he will no longer be able to exist without God's comforts and strength; he will stand firm because he will desire ever more and also receive what will give him strength to resist everything hostile to his soul. The more diligently the labourers of the lord are active in the time of need, the more successful their work for the kingdom of God will be. For once they have been able to offer the word of God with conviction, it will also take root and can no longer be eradicated from the hearts of those who are willing to receive it. And once the seed has fallen on fertile soil it will also blossom, grow and flourish and bear good fruit.... And therefore God needs numerous labourers, He needs people on earth who voluntarily place themselves into His service, who allow themselves to be instructed by Him and are now constantly active in order to make use of every time and opportunity where they can successfully work for people's salvation of soul, where they give people what they urgently need through the supply of the divine word.... light and strength.... realisation and firm will to resist when the time of decision has come....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers