Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7107

7107 Acquiring spiritual power through love work....

April 30, 1958: Book 76

You are still wearing your earthly garment, and this means that you possess vitality which you can use for the salvation of your soul, which gives you the opportunity to carry out works of love. But once you have taken off this earthly garment it also means a lack of strength if you have not already acquired spiritual strength on earth which alone is of value in the kingdom of the beyond. Therefore you can no longer be active according to your will because you lack the strength for it. And therefore you are in a state of death, although your soul cannot pass away. The strength given to you for earthly life is a grace which all of you humans do not make enough use of or which you use wrongly, i.e. you only use it for the benefit of your body which, however, is transient. Every day is a gift of grace for you of which you should be aware, for the very next day can put an end to your life, and then it will become apparent how you have used the gift of grace, how much your soul has gained and whether you are in possession of spiritual strength when you enter the kingdom of the beyond. The human being certainly appreciates earthly life and does everything to make it pleasant for himself. And it would be easy for him to acquire spiritual strength if he would only carry out deeds of unselfish love. He himself can choose between life and death.... he can create eternal life for himself, and he also knows that he fears the death of the body.... so he prefers 'life' to himself.... And life means being able to be constantly active in light and strength. And so the state of death must consist in the opposite: in darkness and powerlessness, to be powerless to create and work.... But there is no passing away, and thus the soul will be aware of its dead state and it will cause it unspeakable agony. But the human being can avert this agonizing state from himself or his soul during earthly life if only he listens to what he is taught through the word of God.... if he fulfils God's commandments of love.... He is not without knowledge of God's will, he is pointed to it by His servants and he is also driven by inner feelings to work in selfless love.... But he is not forced to do so. And thus it is up to him how he uses his vitality, but his will will also have an irrevocable effect in the kingdom of the beyond, whether it was right or wrongly directed in earthly life. But as long as you humans are still on earth you will also be offered the opportunity to be active in selfless love, and now you will also understand why there is adversity amongst people, physical and spiritual adversity, for you can always intervene to help, and every work of love will be doubly blessed.... Your fellow human beings will thank you for it and you yourselves will truly benefit even more. For your soul derives a profit from every labour of love.... But anyone who passes by his fellow human being's adversity, who does not help even though he can, will remain doubly burdened, for one day he will bitterly regret every sin of omission, even if times can pass before he comes to the realization that he lived his earthly life in vain and will never be able to make up for what he missed on this earth. With gratitude you should regard every day as a gift, for as long as you live you can also practic

e love and acquire spiritual goods for your soul. As long as you live you can still change your way of life, and you should always remember that one day you will have to give account of whether and how you use the gift of grace, how you have used your life energy, whether you ignite love within you and only ever carry out unselfish works of love or whether only self-love has determined your earthly existence.... For then you will not enter into life but your soul will still have to remain in the state of death for endless times.... but through your own fault....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers