Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/5160

5160 Fight with the sword of the mouth....

June 29, 1951: Book 58

In a world of the worst unbelief, the most blatant lack of love and the most complete ignorance the pure word of God, which you receive as a special grace, will not be recognized as a divine gift, because the ability to recognize depends on a person's faith and love and intellectual acuity alone does not replace the ability to recognize. And yet, people who are spiritually blind must be influenced, an attempt must be made to awaken faith and love in them so that knowledge will come as a result. An influence must be exerted insofar as people are reminded of the consequences of their wrong life, without faith and love, and they are made aware of the dreadful fate which awaits them if they don't change. Without faith and love no understanding for spiritual teachings can be expected, yet if it is presented to people that they create an unbearable or a blissful fate for themselves they will acquaint themselves with the possibility of such and accordingly be receptive for further instructions or else completely reject and deny a continuation of life, if they have already completely fallen prey to the one who gave them this line of thought, who influences them in such a way that they neither believe nor love and are therefore spiritually darkened until their final physical and spiritual death. In the time of spiritual darkness it is not possible to influence people's will in any way so that it decides in a certain direction. Only through speeches and ideas can the one thing be achieved that they think, and then the desire for truth is decisive which direction the thoughts take. And that is why it is a battle with the sword of the mouth, which can only be waged by the one who is able to refute everything that is held up to him by the opposing side or raised as a counter objection. People who confront them must be of sound mind, they must be under divine guidance themselves, they must only be the instrument through which God expresses Himself, Who nevertheless does not touch the human being's free will if he wants to remain His adversary and cannot be convinced by divine words either. Nevertheless, the work of a person who tries to bring light into the spiritual darkness is an extremely beneficial one, after all, the thoughts of those who cross his path are stimulated as soon as he sets out to fight for the kingdom of God, as soon as he speaks out of innermost impulse to instruct his erring fellow human beings and to help them reach the light of day. He will certainly find much unbelief, he will be exposed to hostility, God's adversary will confront him with worldly wisdom and he will have to refute ever new objections, yet he will also have supernatural strength which can be recognized from his unrefutable speeches and his conviction.... one will not be able to prove to him the opposite of what he advocates, on the other hand, with an earnest will and desire for truth he will be able to convince himself that his words deserve to be believed, that the promises will be fulfilled if the conditions attached to them are met. Only the will has to be there to let love arise within oneself, then faith will also be awakened and recognition will be easy.... Yet God's adversary also constantly works to confuse people's thinking, and therefore he impels them into unkindness and destroys all faith as long as the human being does not defend himself. It is a battle that must be waged with all ruthlessness if it is to bring victory. But the ruthlessness of God's servants on earth consists of the fact that they mercilessly expose the intrigues which God's adversary engages in, that they do not shy away from exposing him, that they present their faults and vices to people with the indication that they are under the influence of him who pulls them down into the abyss. For then they speak the truth, while the adversary seeks to win his followers with lies and glosses over everything people do in their unkindness. It is not spiritual arrogance if the fellow human being is made aware of his faults, for anyone who recognizes the causes of spiritual blindness also has the right, like a doctor, to draw attention to the causes of illness, and thus he must relentlessly expose the faults so that action can be taken against them and a recovery achieved which does not affect the body but the soul and secures it a life in eternity. Anyone who has faith himself knows about the disaster of faithlessness and should control it; anyone who has matured in knowledge through love also knows about the state of souls which are devoid of all love, and if he seriously wants to help them then he must test the power of the divine word on them and try everything to save them from greatest spiritual hardship.... he must fight with the sword of his mouth, and his spirit will guide him correctly, he will always find the right words, and his battle for the kingdom of God will be successful....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers