Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7363

7363 Overcoming the world.... spiritual work....

May 14, 1959: Book 78

You will hardly ever hear the voice of the spirit in the world's bustle unless you are so permeated by My spirit that it can also assert itself in the midst of the world, that you always pay attention to its voice, because the world is no longer able to captivate you such that it drowns out the voice of the spirit. But it is rare, for as soon as the human being is in the midst of the world, his senses are also captured by it, even if it is only temporarily. Therefore you should avoid the world to the best of your ability and only make it useful to you as far as it is necessary for your earthly life, for you are placed in the midst of the world and now also have to prove yourselves in it.... And this means that you should try to become its master but not become slaves to the world. Anyone who seriously strives spiritually also knows how obstructive the world is to his spiritual striving, how again and again he is held back and his thoughts stray from what alone is important in earthly life: spiritual further development. The worldly man will not ask for it, and the spiritually striving man also puts such questions aside as long as the world holds him captive, as long as it offers the body pleasures, which he now also seeks to fulfil because they are offered to him. Such indulgence of bodily desires need not be a sin, but it is certainly an impediment to spiritual development, for what is granted to the body is lost to the soul, because its need is of a spiritual nature and worldly enjoyment does not cover the soul's need at all. The more worldly a person's attitude is, the more his soul will suffer.... For the voice of the spirit does not penetrate either, the soul cannot assert its will and express its desire, for the body pushes it back and fulfils its own desire first. But this need not be a permanent state, the human being can satisfy his body's desire and then deal with his soul all the more eagerly again and give it what it desires: spiritual food from the kingdom of light, to which the human being now voluntarily gives himself again and finds greater satisfaction than in the goods of the world. But My spirit is already active in this human being, which did not withdraw even in the world's gear but had an effect on the human being so that he could quickly detach himself from the world again and turn to the kingdom which gave nourishment to his soul. This is why a spiritually striving person will only rarely find satisfaction in the world, it will no longer be able to completely captivate him, he has already become a stranger to it and his body only rarely desires its goods and pleasures because the spiritual gifts give him greater pleasure and he has already recognized the worthlessness of worldly goods. Then the spirit in him will also express itself in the midst of the world's hustle and bustle, it will direct and guide him and make him look at everything in view of his spiritual development, and again and again the desire will prevail to withdraw into silence again, because the soul's desire prevails and only approves for the body what it necessarily needs for its preservation. But then the world will no longer mean danger for a person, then he will have already achieved in earthly life that the soul will listen to the voice of the spirit within himself, and then the world will no longer be able to exert much influence because the spirit will be able to assert itself even if the person has to move in the world. And anyone who has once awakened the spirit within himself will no longer need to fear that it will withdraw completely. It will assert itself again and again because the human being's will is to mature spiritually, and because such a will also signifies an influx of strength, so that it will always be stronger and also take up the battle against the world and emerge victorious....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers