Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/8424

8424 Condition for receiving truth: to give up knowledge of mind....

February 28, 1963: Book 88

The will to know the real truth is the only decisive factor as to whether the human being comes into possession of it. But as long as he resists it himself, as long as he is not willing to give up his existing knowledge, of which it is not proven to him whether it is pure truth, he makes himself unfit to receive pure truth, for this requires a completely empty vessel, because truth cannot exist next to error. It is therefore difficult to convey knowledge to a person whose heart is already filled with spiritual knowledge which he has gained intellectually or which he accepted without examining its origin. Nevertheless, the attempt can and should be made to also convey the pure truth to those who can also appeal to the intellect if the person is of good will. For I want to help everyone to become free from error, which, however, cannot happen compulsorily but requires the human being's free will insofar as that he takes notice of the spiritual knowledge offered to him without resistance. Then it is up to him what he wants to accept or reject from it.... Time and again I emphasize that the earth is a dark area which is only illuminated by weak rays of light, and that people themselves have to move into the area of these rays of light in order to feel them beneficially.... Yet how many people believe themselves to be in right thinking, and they now represent their own thought system to fellow human beings and thus carry ever more error amongst people.... Yet every human being can err, and this certainty should therefore also always give rise to doubts about one's own intellectual acuity, for every such doubt has a beneficial effect, because then there is still the possibility of being able to be enlightened, which is no longer possible towards a fully convinced person, for he closes himself off to the pure truth. This alone should make people think about the fact that there are so many different schools of thought which deviate from each other that no representative of these can provide evidence for the correctness of them.... but that there must be one truth.... and that this can only be received from the eternal truth itself..... And whoever takes the path directly to it is also guaranteed to arrive at the truth. If a person receives knowledge directly from above.... i.e. that it is imparted to the spiritual spark in the human being by the eternal father-spirit.... then no counter-evidence can be produced for this knowledge, and the truth-desiring person's intellect will not be able to oppose it either, because everything is justified in such a way that it gives light and no longer allows darkness to exist. However, the correct recognition of truth always requires 'freeing oneself' from intellectually gained spiritual knowledge, because God's adversary can work as long as God Himself has not been approached for the truth, and the former's activity always consists of confusing the human being's thinking because he fights against all truth, since he only remains unrecognized in darkness.... And thus it is up to you humans yourselves how far you move in truth. Everything is offered to you and you yourselves have to decide what you want to accept or reject.... And the right decision can only be made when you no longer think and judge on your own authority but entrust your thinking to God so that He will guide you into the right realization. And this request must be made in spirit and in truth, you may not pretend to be truth-loving or truth-desiring as long as you are not willing to surrender what you have acquired in spiritual knowledge..... For only the eternal truth itself lets you receive spiritual knowledge which completely corresponds to the truth, and if you already possess a few grains of truth beforehand, these will certainly remain with you or be returned to you.... But your willingness to empty your hearts to receive divine-spiritual thought material will be rewarded by the eternal truth itself letting the spirit flow into you, which can convey nothing but pure truth to you.... But who also accepts those teachings?.... Who does what he is asked to do?.... Each one thinks himself wise and prudent and sometimes represents the greatest error as truth.... And he tries to transfer this to his fellow human beings who gullibly accept his knowledge again. And the darkness grows ever stronger and even the flashing sparks of light are not noticed, for anyone who desires light must strive towards the light.... Anyone who desires truth must strive towards the eternal truth, then it will not be denied to him, then the eternal light itself will shine down to earth and illuminate the human being's heart who has established the bond with Him, who acknowledges God as the being Which alone can distribute the truth and Who will also do so, so that light will shine on earth and people will recognize the right path in the light of truth which leads to Him, from Whom the human being Himself once originated....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers