Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/5169

5169 Public confession.... living faith....

July 12, 1951: Book 58

Anyone who only confesses Me with his mouth will not stand firm if it applies to confessing Me before the world, for he does not belong to those who are inwardly firmly convinced of Me and My teaching. And there will be many who will not stand firm because they have only superficially dealt with the truth so far, with spiritual thought material which testifies to Me. They are merely idioms which they use lightly when they are moved to religious views, yet if they are to take a serious stand they fail because they lack all realization, because their faith is only a formal faith and their life on earth, as good as it seems, is just an illusory life. They have not yet awakened the divine spark within themselves, it is buried and therefore cannot bring itself to bear, and this means ignorance, spiritual blindness and thus also lack of strength when strength is required. People are unaware of the spiritual hardship they are in because they have no strength to resist when this is demanded of them, when it concerns the public confession of Me and My teaching, because they are not convinced of it. And they could so easily acquire this conviction if only they were willing to gain knowledge of what My will consists of and how it is to be fulfilled. For faith also depends on the fulfilment of My will, the inner conviction, which then the human being can and will firmly uphold. Anyone who lives correctly, thus in accordance with My will, also knows the truth, and his faith is a living one, and he will confess such faith before the world without hesitation, such faith cannot be taken away from him, it is deeply rooted and withstands every external threat.

At present there are countless people who call themselves believers and yet would not stand up to any test of faith, there are countless people who have not yet bothered to seriously think about what they claim to believe, who avoid every religious debate because they know nothing and do not want to admit their lack of knowledge; there are countless people who, if they were to think seriously, would reject everything as untenable because the intellect cannot cope with it and because the heart is not involved in the form of loving activity, the only means of understanding what seems incomprehensible.... Yet all of them pretend to be believers in their fellow human beings until they are forced to make a decision.... to speak out publicly for or against, until they are forced to make a decision of faith.... Then many will discard what they have been holding on to without thinking whether what they are doing is wrong. Others will reflect and come to wrong conclusions because they believe they can fathom intellectually what requires the working of the spirit. And only a few will have the courage to openly profess Me and My teaching; and these few have gained the knowledge through their spirit, which was able to take effect in them as a result of a right life of love. These stand firm in faith in Me and courageously and without fear confess My name, for their faith has become a living one through love and they are in possession of strength in the face of every onslaught. They will remain faithful to Me until the end, for anyone who confesses Me before the world will constantly draw strength from Me, and he will receive what he believes.... an eternal life in bliss....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers