I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 13.03.1957 

6783   Misguided overzealousness ....

The size of field you shall cultivate will always correspond to your will to be active and your suitability .... It may be very large if you wholly support this cause, and it may only be a small area, depending on your will and your eagerness to serve, for I do not exert any pressure or coercion, I give as you desire .... But often My vineyard labourers expect too much of themselves insofar as that they take on tasks beyond their abilities for which I have not appointed them .... that they want to arbitrarily handle areas due to a certain ambition somewhat ambitiously, with the intention of distinguishing themselves. In that case they will cause more damage than blessing, for due to their ambition they leave My sphere and this signifies a welcome opportunity for My adversary to give his instructions, which are also frequently listened to. And this is a danger which threatens every vineyard labourer who does not strictly adhere to My instructions, who is impelled by overzealousness because he has lost his inner humility .... because he wants to achieve much but does not want to help many. It is just a fine difference but all My vineyards labourers should sincerely check what motives impel them to work in My vineyard. They should not fail to approach Me in silent prayer for My instructions and then always carry out what impels them from within. But they should not engage in tasks which I have not allocated to them and which therefore must be more described as worldly work although they apparently pursue spiritual goals .... You humans have no idea what methods My adversary works with and how easily he can draw you into his nets of lies; but you need not fall prey to him as long as you submit yourselves to Me with profound humility and desire only to be guided by Me. But I will not entrust you with work in an area as long as you are not proficient in this area. If, however, you enter it without My instruction then you will be influenced by the opposition, because he knows your weakness of wanting to distinguish yourselves. And then he will serve you according to your wishes ....

People have often taken this path before, they had been willing to serve Me but didn’t want to work in a small circle, instead they looked for an area of activity which enabled them to become more publicly known without, however, having received My instructions to do so .... And then they often carried out tasks without realising who had prompted them to do so .... And thus it was possible that initially good servants became unsuitable for the work in My vineyard because too many worldly instincts still laid dormant in them which came to the fore and justified their misguided overzealousness .... On the other hand, however, not everyone wanting to be of service to Me needs to fear this danger if they regard Me Myself as higher, if they also entrust their weaknesses and imperfections to Me and pray to Me for protection from their own failure and always wait for My instructions before they embark on a task. Temptations certainly approach all My servants as well, because each one still has weaknesses and imperfections to show which he knows and tries to take advantage of. But the human being’s close bond with Me protects him from falling prey to him .... whereas the bond with the world weakens a person’s resistance and puts him subsequently at risk of succumbing to him. Therefore you should always look within, do not pay too much attention to global affairs but more to the spiritual development in the world, in your surroundings and in yourselves .... Then you will also diligently render detailed work, you will work at improving yourselves, you will always helpfully stand by your fellow human beings’ side, you will provide them with the spiritual nourishment they are lacking .... And this field of activity will be as large as you are capable of working on. However, you should not venture further afield if you don’t want to work for the one who is My and your adversary ....

Amen