Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/8444

8444 Attitude to the world determines spiritual progress....

March 21, 1963: Book 89

It is extremely important that you think correctly, and therefore you should always ask Me to enlighten your thinking, for then you will recognize and judge everything in the most enlightened way and not get caught in satan's nets, whose endeavour is and will always be to confuse your thinking. If you have little sense of justice then you will not offer him inner resistance either, you will unhesitatingly accept everything wrong and not recognize it as wrong because the urge to think and act righteously does not prevail in you. This is why all children are pleasant to Me who only ever want what is right to prevail, that what is wrong is branded and rejected as My adversary's work. And I always want to open the eyes of those who carry this inner desire for right and justice, I want to give them a clear view and good judgement so that they will always recognize the activity of the one who wants to ruin you. The path you should take is a straight one, and even if it leads steeply upwards, thus requiring strength to ascend, it will nevertheless always be clearly recognisable to you who want to travel it.... And therefore you need not fear that the adversary will block your path upwards, for he does not have the power to do so.... But he will try to lure you onto byways which are easier to take.... So temptations will come upon you to deviate from the right path, which you will only resist when you no longer desire the comforts that the world.... the easily passable path.... offers you. Therefore, as long as you still seek comforts for yourselves, for your physical well-being, you will not offer My adversary the resistance you have to offer him if you want to reach the goal.... I can also shape the arduous path upwards for you in such a way that you will nevertheless cover it and enjoy the ascent.... but I will not offer you any goods of the world which you still desire with all your heart and which still prove how much you are still attached to the world.... Only when your desire has died down, when you are willingly willing to give up everything earthly, can I send you what you need for body and soul, for I, Who knows about all your needs, will also provide for them as soon as I recognize that you have overcome matter.... And thus you should also learn to think correctly and take care that you don't fall prey to the tempter who will still nurture many desires in you but the fulfilment of which will push you away from the straight path to Me, for this path requires renunciation and relinquishment of earthly goods and pleasures of the world. And it can nevertheless be beautiful if you start on it full of love for Me and desire nothing more than to soon be united with Me.... The love within you will make everything easy for you, it will let you overcome all difficulties because it is also strength and because love pushes towards Me with all its might and will also certainly reach the goal.... But where this love is there is no more room in a person's heart for earthly things.... And thus you can also recognize every serious striver by his attitude towards the world.... As long as he has not yet completely overcome the latter he does not yet walk the straight path which leads upwards, and he will still often succumb to the tempter and have to struggle greatly until he has killed all desire within himself, providing he seriously strives towards Me and seeks to reach the goal.... otherwise the world will take him completely captive again and also hardly release him again.... Time and again you will be able to observe that spiritual progress can only be achieved with surrender of the world and its matter.... For anyone who earnestly seeks the spiritual kingdom turns away from the world, and then he will also reach his goal.... But anyone who is also willing to serve the lord of the world at the same time is not yet spiritually minded, otherwise he would have to recognize the difference, the opposition of both kingdoms and openly decide for one or the other.... No one can serve two masters.... And thus you will also judge rightly and justly if you apply this as the standard for the individual's attitude, and you need not fear to judge wrongly if you want to judge justly.... if you ask Me for enlightened thinking, for clarity, where you yourselves still hesitate to pronounce the final judgment. You will always be able to say: 'By their fruits you will know.... "And you should also check whose spirit controls people, for My spirit will truly help all people to detach themselves from My adversary if only everyone is willing to do so himself....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers