THE VOICE OF JESUS YOU MUST READ THIS GOD BLESS ALL!!!

Kingdom of Glory

Drop yourself and come back to the Truth who created you

The Divine Voice of Jesus

Don’t dwell on the past—only on the present. Bury every fear of the future, of poverty for those dear to you, of suffering, and of loss. Bury all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness, all of your dislikes, your resentments, your sense of failure, your disappointment in others and disappointments in yourself, your gloom, and your despondency. Leave them all buried and go forward to a new and risen life. Remember that you must not see things as the world sees them. I hold all things in My Hands—in trust for you. But I shall only guide you one day at a time. Leave the rest with Me. And for each day only, I shall supply the wisdom and the strength you need.

You are to help save others. Never let one day pass without reaching out an arm of love to someone outside of your home—a kind word, a letter, a visit; always remember to help in some way. Be full of joy because joy saves and joy cures; joy in Me. Each day do something to lift another soul out of the sea of sin, or disease or doubt into which they may have fallen. Refuse to be downcast about anything. Refuse to be diverted in your upward climb. Love and laugh. I am with you. I bear your burdens. Cast your burdens upon Me and I will sustain you; and then, in very lightheartedness, you turn and help another with the burden that is pressing too heavily upon them.

You must be renewed and remade. Everything must rest on Me. Only love is a conquering force. Be not afraid; I will help you. Be a channel; My Spirit shall flow through you and My Spirit shall, in flowing through, sweep away all the bitter past. Take heart. I love, I help, and I win. You shall see and you shall know. The way will open. A child never questions plans; it gladly accepts.

All is well. Wonderful things are happening. Do not limit Me at all. I care and provide. Uproot self—the channel blocker. Do not plan ahead; the way will unfold step by step.

Love Me and do My Will. Resting in My Presence brings peace. I will help you. My Desire brings fulfillment. You shall be taught; continue your prayer times, even if they seem fruitless. The devil will try by any means to stop them. Do not let him stop you.

Do not be afraid of poverty. Let money flow freely. I will let it flow in but you must let it flow out. I never send money to stagnate—only to those who pass it on. Try to keep nothing for yourself. Hoard nothing. Only have and keep what you need and use. This is My Law of Discipleship.

You must pray. The way will open. I care for you and My Plans unfold. Just love and wait. Pray, read your Bible, train, and discipline yourself. That is your work—Mine to use you. But My instruments must be sharp and ready. Then I use them. Discipline and perfect yourself at all costs. Soon every fleeting thought will be answered, every wish gratified, and every deed used. It is a fearful power, a mighty power. Be careful that you ask nothing incorrect—nothing that is not according to My Spirit. All thoughts harmful must be turned out. See how necessary I have made the purity and goodness of your own life to you. Soon, you shall ask and at once it will come. Welcome the training. Without it, I dare not give you this power. Do not worry about others’ lives. You must first perfect yourself in My Strength.

Wait. Wonders are unfolding. Tremble with awe. No man can stand upon the threshold of eternity unshaken. I give unto you eternal life. A free gift, a wonderful gift—the life of the ages. Silently comes the kingdom. No man can judge when it enters the heart of man, only by results. Cultivate silence. “I speak in silences.”

Do not be too ready to do, just be. I said, “Be ye therefore perfect” not “do” perfect things. Try and grasp this. Individual efforts avail nothing. It is only the work of the universal spirit—My Spirit—that counts. Dwell in thought on this, more and more; saints have taken a lifetime to grasp it.

Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. My guidance is often by shut doors. Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My Will; when it seems not joyous. Paul, My servant, learned this lesson when he said “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Expect rejections until this is learned—it is the only way.

Be calm, no matter what may befall you. Rest in Me. Never think things overwhelming. How can you be overwhelmed when I am with you? Do not feel the strain of life. There is no strain for My children. The strain is only when you are serving another master; the world, fame, the good opinion of men—or carrying two days’ burden on the same day.

When you come to Me, and I give you that eternal life I give to all who believe in Me, it alters your whole existence; the words you speak, and the influences you have. These are all eternal. They must be. They spring from the life within you; My Life, eternal life, so that they too live forever. Now you see how vast, how stupendous, is the work of any soul that has eternal life. The words, the influences, go on down the ages forever. You must ponder on these truths I give you. They are not surface facts, but the secrets of My kingdom; the hidden pearls of rare price. Meditate upon them. Work at them in your mind and heart.

Use My unlimited stores for your needs and those of others. Seek My wonderful truths and you shall find. There may come times when you sit in silence, when it seems as if you were left alone. Then I command you to remember I have spoken to you. You will have the consciousness of My Presence when you hear no voice. Abide in My Presence. Not until heaven is reached, do souls sit and drink in the ecstasy of My Revelation to My own. At the moment you are pilgrims and need only your daily marching orders; and strength and guidance for the day. Listen to My Voice, eagerly and joyfully. Never crowd it out. If men seek the babble of the world, then I withdraw. The trust given to Me today, takes away the ache of rejection of My Love, that I suffered on earth, and have suffered through the ages. “I died for you, My children; how could you treat Me this way?”

You must say “thank you” for everything; even seeming trials and worries. Joy is the whole being’s attitude of “thank you” to Me. Be glad. Rejoice. A father loves to see his children happy. I am revealing so much to you. Pass it on. Each truth is a jewel. Seek to find a heart-home for each truth I have imparted to you. More truths will flow in. Use all I give you. Help others. I ache to find a way into each life and heart. Never despair, never despond. Be a channel of helpfulness for others. Have more sympathy. Feel more tenderness toward others.

No follower of Mine would ever go wrong or fall, if once the veil were withdrawn which prevents them from seeing how these slips delight the evil spirits, and the pain and disappointment of those who long for them to conquer in My Strength and Name, and the ecstasy of rejoicing when victory is won. My Strength is the same as it was when I conquered Satan in the wilderness—depression and sorrow in the garden, and even death on Calvary. Think of that.

Glad indeed are the souls with whom I walk. Walking with Me is security. The coming of My Spirit into a life and its workings are imperceptible, but the result is mighty. Learn of Me. Kill the “self.” Every blow to “self” is used to shape the real, eternal, and imperishable you. Be very candid and rigorous with yourself. “Did self prompt that?” and if it did, oust it at all costs. When I died on the Cross, I died embodying all of the human self. Once that was crucified, I could conquer even death. When I bore your sins in My own Body on the Tree, I bore the self-human nature of the world. As you too kill the self, you gain the overwhelming power I released for a weary world, and you too will be victorious. It is not life and its difficulties you have to conquer; only the “self” in you. As I said to My disciples, “I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” You could not understand them. But as you go on obeying Me and walking with Me, and listening to Me, you will see how glorious and marvelous My Revelations and teachings are.

Relax, do not get tense, have no fear. All is for the best. Claim My Power. The same power with which I cast out devils is yours today. Use it. If not, I withdraw it. Use it ceaselessly. You cannot ask too much. Never think you are too busy. As long as you get back to Me and replenish after each task, no work can be too much. My Joy I give to you. Live in it. Bathe your spirit in it. Reflect it.

It is the daily strivings that count; not the momentary heights. The obeying of My Will day in, day out, in the wilderness plains is what matters; rather than the occasional Mount of Transfiguration. I am the Lord of little things; the Divine Control of little happenings. Nothing in the day is too small to be a part of My Plan. The little stones in a mosaic play a big part. Joy in Me. Joy is the God-given cement that secures the harmony and beauty of My mosaic.

Abide in My Love, an atmosphere of loving understanding to all men. This is your part to carry out, and then I surround you with a protective screen that keeps all evil from you. It is fashioned by your own attitude of mind, words, and deeds toward others. I want to give you all things in good measure, pressed down, and running over. Be quick to learn. You know little yet of the Divine Impatience which longs to rush to give. Does one worrying or impatient thought enter your mind? Fight it at once. Love and trust are the solvents for the worries and cares and frets of life. Apply them at once. You are channels and though the channel may not be blocked altogether; trouble and impatience and worry corrode, and in time would become beyond your help. Never lose heart. All is well.

Pray daily for faith. It is My gift. It is your only requisite for the accomplishment of mighty deeds. Certainly you have to work, you have to pray; but upon faith alone depends the answer to your prayers and your works. I give faith in response to your prayers, because it is the necessary weapon for you to possess for the removal of evil—the overcoming of all adverse conditions, and the accomplishment of all good in your lives; and then you having faith, give it back to Me. It is the envelope in which every request to Me should be placed. And yet “Faith without works is dead.” So you need works, too, to feed your faith in Me. As you seek to do; you feel your helplessness. You then turn to Me. In knowing Me, your faith grows—and that faith is all you need for My Power to work.

No one has ever sought Me in vain. I wait; wait with a hungry longing to be called upon; and I, who have already seen your hearts’ needs before you cried upon Me, before perhaps you were conscious of those needs yourself, am already preparing the answer. My anticipatory Love is a thing mortals seldom realize. Dwell on this thought. Dismiss from your mind the thought of a grudging God, who had to be petitioned with sighs and tears and much speaking before reluctantly giving the desired treasures. Try and see a Mother preparing birthday or Christmas delights for her child—her Mother-heart sings: “Will she not love that? How she will love this!” and anticipates the rapture of her child, her own heart full of the most tender joy. Where did the Mother learn all this preparation-joy? From Me—this is a faint echo of My Preparation-Joy.

One with Me. I and My Father are one. One with the Lord of the whole Universe! Could human aspiration reach higher? Could man’s demands transcend this? One with Me. If you realize your high privilege, you have only to think and immediately the object of your thought is called into being. Indeed, I have said, “Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth.” To dwell in thought on the material, when once you live in Me—is to call it into being. So you must be careful only to think of and desire that which will help; not hinder, your spiritual growth. The same law operates on the spiritual plane. Think love and love surrounds you, and all about whom you think. Think thoughts of ill-will and ill-will surrounds you and those about whom you think. Think health—health comes. The physical reflects the mental and the spiritual.

Believe that I am with you, and controlling all. When My Word has gone forth, all are powerless against it. Be glad all of the time. Rejoice exceedingly. Joy in Me. Rest in Me. Never be afraid. Pray more. Do not get worried. I am your Helper.

Never forget your “thank you.” Do you not see it is a lesson? You must say “thank you” on the grayest days. You must do it. All cannot be light unless you do. There is gray-day practice. It is absolutely necessary. My death upon the Cross was not only necessary to save a world, it was necessary if only to train My disciples. It was all a part of their training: My entering Jerusalem in triumph; My washing the disciples’ feet; My sorrow-time in Gethsemane; My being despised, judged, crucified, and buried. Every step was necessary to their development—and so with you. If a gray day is not one of thankfulness, the lesson has to be repeated until it is. It isn’t this way for everyone. But only for those who ask to serve me well, and to do much for Me. A great work requires a great and careful training.

All power is given unto Me. It is Mine to give and Mine to withhold, but even I have to acknowledge that I cannot withhold it from the soul that dwells near Me, because it is then not a gift; but passes insensibly from Me to My disciples. It is breathed in by the soul who lives in My Presence. Learn to shut yourself away in My Presence—and then, without speaking, you have those things you desire of Me, strength—power—joy—riches.

I am your Guide. You do not want to see the road ahead. Go just one step at a time. I very rarely grant the long vista to My disciples, especially in personal affairs; for one step at a time is the best way to cultivate faith. You have to learn that your vision and power, boundless as far as spiritual things are concerned, must in temporal affairs submit to limitations too. But I am with you. It was when the disciples gave up effort after a night of fruitless fishing, that I came, and the nets broke with the overabundance of supply.

Complete surrender of every moment to Me is the foundation of happiness; the superstructure is the joy of communion with Me. And that is the place and the mansion that I went to prepare for you. My followers have misunderstood that, and looked too often upon that promise as referring only to an after-life; and too often—far too often—upon this life as just something to be struggled through in order to get the reward and the joy of the next. Seek to carry out all I say, and such understanding, insight, vision, and joy will be yours. My Plans are very wonderful—beyond your highest hopes. Cling to the thoughts of protection, safety, and guidance.

Keep your spirit-life calm and unruffled. Nothing else matters. Leave all to Me. This is your great task; to get calm in My Presence and not to let one ruffled feeling stay for one moment. Years of blessing may be stopped in one moment by that anxiety. No matter who troubles you or what, yours is the task to stop all else until absolute calm comes. Any block means My Power diverted into other channels. Pour forth—pour forth—pour forth—I cannot bless life that does not act as a channel. My Spirit brooks no stagnation; not even rest. Its Power must flow on. Pass on everything; every blessing. Abide in Me. See how many you can bless each day. Dwell much in My Presence.

Health, strength, peace, happiness, and joy—they are all My gifts and are yours for the asking. In the spiritual (as in the material) world there is no empty space; and as “self” and fears and worries depart out of your life, it follows that the things of the Spirit, that you crave so, rush in to take their place. All things are yours, and you are Mine, and I am My Father’s. What a wonderful cycle, because you are My Father’s. Fear not. The Rescuer comes to the drowning man. To the brave swimmer who can fare well alone, He comes not. And no rush of joy can be like that of a man towards his Rescuer. It is part of My method to wait till the storm is at its full violence. I did this with My disciples on the lake. I could have bidden the first angry wave to be calm, the first gust of wind to be still; but what a lesson unlearned. Remember this—My disciples thought that in My sleep I had forgotten them. Remember how mistaken they were. Gain strength, confidence, joyful dependence and anticipation from that. Never fear. The radiant joy of the rescued shall be yours.

Service is the word of My disciples. I served indeed; the humblest and the lowliest. I was at their command. My highest Powers were at their service. Be used. Be used by all; by the lowest and the smallest. How best can you serve? Let that be your daily seeking; not how best you can be served. Look around you. Do the aims and ambitions that men strive for bring peace; do the world’s awards bring heart-rest and happiness? No! Man is at war with man. Those whom the world has most rewarded with name, fame, honor, and wealth are weary and disappointed. And the weary and disappointed who listen and turn to Me find that rest indeed. Joy to the weary I am, Music to the heart I am, Health to the sick, Wealth to the poor, Food to the hungry, Home to the wanderer, Rapture to the jaded, and Love to the lonely. There is not one want of the soul that I do not supply for the asking; and to you too, I long to be all.

I can see the future. I can read men’s hearts. I know better than you what you need. Trust Me absolutely. You are not at the mercy of fate, or buffeted about by others. You are being led in a very definite way, and others, who do not serve your purpose, are being moved out of your path by Me. Never fear, whatever may happen. You are being led. Do not try to plan. I have planned. You are the builder, not the Architect. Go very quietly, very gently. All is for the very best for you. You have to depend on Me for literally everything—everything.

No evil can befall you, if I am with you. Every time of rejection or disappointment is a time to retreat into the quiet place with Me. Never fear because in that place you shall find restoration, power, joy and healing. I will never give you a load greater than you can bear. Love, joy, and peace; welcome these. Singly, they are miracle-producing in a life, but together, they can command all that is needed on the physical, mental, and spiritual planes. It is in these wonder-realm attributes that all success lies. You have to see that your inner life is all it should be, and then your work is accomplished. Let no personal feelings or thoughts of “self” come in; banish these. Not in rushing and striving on the material plane, but on the battlefield of the soul are these things won.

All sacrifice and all suffering is redemptive: to teach the individual or to be used to raise and help others. Nothing is by chance. Divine Mind, and its wonder working, is beyond your finite mind to understand. No detail is forgotten in My Plans, already perfect.

Take courage. Do not fear. Start a new life tomorrow. Put the old mistakes away, and start anew. I give you a fresh start. Don’t be burdened or anxious. If My Forgiveness were only for the righteous and those who had not sinned, what would be its need? Remember as I said, “To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much.” I wait to give you all that is lovely, but your life is soiled with worry and trouble. You would crush My treasures. I can only bless glad, thankful hearts. You must be glad and joyful.

Lack of love will block the way. You must love all; those that trouble you and those who do not. Practice love. It is a great lesson, and you have a great Teacher. You must love; how otherwise can you dwell in Me, where nothing unloving can come? Practice this and I will bless you exceedingly, above all you can ask for and imagine. There is no limit to My Power. Do all you can and leave the rest to Me. Peace and trust will come.

The walls of Jericho fell down. Was it axes and human implements that brought them down? It was the songs of praise of the people and My Thought carried out in action. All walls shall fall before you, too. There is no earth-power. It falls like a house of paper at My miracle-working Touch. Your faith and My Power—the only two essentials. Nothing else is needed. So, if man’s petty opposition still holds good it is only because I choose to let it stand between you and what would be a mistake for you. If not—a word—a thought—from Me; and its gone. All men can be moved at My Wish. Rest in this certainty. Rely on Me.

Just go step by step. My Will shall be revealed as you go. When human support or material help of any kind is removed, then My Power can become operative. I cannot teach a man to walk who trusts a crutch. Away with your crutch, and My Power shall invigorate you so much that you shall indeed walk on to victory. Never limit My Power as it is limitless.

Walk with Me; I will teach you. Listen to Me and I will speak. Continue to meet Me, in spite of all opposition and every obstacle, in spite of days when you may hear no voice, and there may come an intimate heart-to-heart telling. As you persist in this, and make a life-habit of it, in many marvelous ways I will reveal My Will to you. You shall have greater knowledge of both the present and the future. But that will only be the reward of the regular coming to meet Me. Life is a school. I don’t come personally to everyone. Believe that the problems and difficulties of your life can be explained by Me more clearly and effectually than by any other.

To the listening ear I speak; to the waiting heart I come. Sometimes, I may not speak. I may ask you merely to wait in My Presence; to know that I am with you. Think of the multitudes that thronged Me when I was on earth; all eager for something. Eager to be healed or taught or fed. Think as I supplied their many wants, and granted their manifold requests; what it meant to Me, to find amid the crowd, some one or two, who followed Me just to be near Me and just to dwell in My Presence. Comfort Me by letting Me know that you would seek Me just to dwell in My Presence; to be near Me, not for teaching, not for material gain, not even for a message—but for Me. The longing of the human heart to be loved for itself is something caught from the Great Divine Heart. I bless you. Bow your head. END (1)

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Open child-trusting eyes to all I am doing for you. Fear not. Only a few steps more and then My Power shall be seen and known. You are now walking in the tunnel of darkness. Soon, you shall be a light to guide feet that are afraid. The cries of your sufferings have even pierced the ears of God Himself—My Father in Heaven; your Father in Heaven. To hear, with God, is to answer. For only a cry from the heart, a cry to Divine Power to help human weakness, a trusting cry; ever reaches the Ear Divine. Remember, trembling heart, that with My Father, to hear is to answer. Your prayers, and they have been many, are answered.

I am your Lord; your Supply. You must rely on Me. Trust to the uppermost limit. Trust and be not afraid. You must depend on Divine Power only. I have not forgotten you. Your help is coming. You shall know and realize My Power. Endurance is faith tried almost to the breaking point. You must wait, and trust, and hope, and joy in Me. You must not depend on man but on Me—on Me; your Strength, your Help, your Supply. This is the great test. Am I your supply or not? Every great work for Me has had to have this intense time-test. Possess your souls in patience and rejoice. You must wait until I show the way. Heaven itself cannot contain more joy than that soul knows, when, after the waiting-test, I crown it victor; but no disciple of Mine can be victorious, who does not wait until I give the order to start. You cannot be anxious if you know that I am your supply.

I am your Savior; your Savior from sins’ thralls, your Savior from all the cares and troubles of life, and your Savior from disease. Look to Me for salvation. Trust in Me for your help. The lifeline, the line of rescue; is the line from the soul to God, faith and power. It is a strong line, and no soul can be overwhelmed who is linked to Me by it. Trust, trust, trust. Never be afraid. Think of My trees stripped of their beauty; pruned, cut, disfigured, and bare. But through the dark, seemingly dead branches flows silently, secretly, the spirit-life-sap, till, lo, with the sun of Spring comes a new life; leaves, bud, blossom, and fruit, but oh, fruit a thousand times better because of the pruning. Remember that you are in the hands of a Master-Gardener. I make no mistakes about My pruning. Rejoice. Joy is the Spirit’s reaching out to say its thanks to Me. It is the new life—sap of the tree, reaching out to Me to find such beautiful expression later.

Your path is difficult. There is no work in life as hard as waiting, and yet I say wait. Wait until I show you My Will. It is proof of My Love and of My certainty of your true discipleship, that I give you hard tasks. All motion is easier than calm waiting. So many of My followers have marred their work and hindered the progress of My kingdom by activity.

Life is really consciousness of Me. Have no fear. A very beautiful future lies before you. Let it be a new life and a new existence, in which in every single happening, event, and plan, you are conscious of Me. Get this ever-consciousness and you have eternal life—the life of the ages. Be in all things led by the Spirit of God and trust Me in everything. And the consciousness of Me must bring joy. Give Me not only trust but gladness.

Courage, courage, courage. Heed My Voice of encouragement. Remember that I am by your side; spurring you on to victory. In the annals of heaven, the saddest records are those that tell of the many who ran well, with brave stout hearts, until in sight of the goal, of victory, and then their courage failed. The whole host of heaven longed to cry out how near the end was, to implore the last spurt, but they fell out; never to know until the last day of revealing, how near they were to victory. If only they had listened to Me in the silence; just as you meet with Me. They would have known. There must be the listening ear, as well as the small still voice.

You do not realize that you would have broken down under the weight of your cares but for the renewing time with Me. It is not what I say; it is I, Myself. It is not the hearing Me so much as the being in My Presence. You cannot realize the strengthening and curative powers of My Presence. Such knowledge is beyond your human reckoning. This would cure the poor sick world, if every day, each soul, or group of souls, waited before Me. Remember that you must never fail to keep this time with Me. Gradually you will be transformed; physically, mentally, and spiritually into My likeness. All who see you, or have contact with you will be brought near to Me, and gradually the influence will spread. You are making one spot of earth a Holy Place, and though you must work and expend yourself ceaselessly because that is for the present your appointed task, yet the greatest work you can do, and are doing, is done in this time with Me. Are you understanding that? Do you know that every thought, every activity, every prayer, and every longing of the day is gathered up and offered to Me, now? Oh! Joy that I am with you. For this I came to earth, to lead man back to spirit-converse with his God.

You shall be used. The Divine Force is never less. It is sufficient for all the work in the world. I only need the instruments for Me to use. To know that, would remake the world. The world does not need supermen, but supernatural men. Men who will persistently turn the “self” out of their lives and let Divine Power work through them. Let inspiration take the place of aspiration. All unemployment would cease. I always have plenty of work to be done and always pay My workpeople well, as you will see; as more and more of you get the right attitude of thought about the work being Mine only.

Even if I never speak to you, you would be well rewarded for setting apart this time with Me; if you only sat still and longed for Me, if you just drew hungering breaths for Me, as you do for the fresh pure air of the open. Be still and be calm. Wait before Me. Learn of Me; patience, humility and peace. When will you be absolutely unruffled no matter what happens? You are slow to learn your lesson. In the rush and work and worry, the very seeking of silence must help. In bustle, so little is accomplished. You must learn to take the calm with you in the most hurried days.

Seek this time as a time of communion with Me—not as a time to ask questions, and have them answered. Meet Me in communion. It is soul-food that I have provided. Grasp the truth and find Me—the true Bread of Life.

Never miss these times. It is not what I reveal to you so much as the linking up of your frail nature with the limitless Divine Powers. Already, forces are set in motion. Only My Will is coming to pass. And now My Father is blessing you very richly. You think that there is much to do in a crisis. There is only one thing to do. Link your life with the Divine Force, and then, it is as much My Work to see your life and your affairs run in an orderly right manner, as to see that tomorrow’s sun rises. It is not passionate appeal that gains the Divine Ear so much as the quiet placing of the difficulty and worry in the Divine Hands. So trust and be no more afraid than a child would be, who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving mother, and runs out to play; pleasing the mother more by its unquestioning confidence than if it went down on its knees and implored her help, which would pain her, as it would imply she was not eager to help when help was needed.

Do not forget to meet all your difficulties with love and laughter. Be assured that I am with you. Remember, it is the last few yards that tell. Do not fail Me because I cannot fail you. Rest in My Love. How many of the world’s prayers have gone unanswered because My children who prayed did not endure to the end? They thought it was too late, and that they must act for themselves, that I was not going to act for them. Remember My Words: “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Can you endure to the end? If so, you shall be saved. Is My training too hard? For you, I will unlock the secret treasures hidden from so many. Not one of your cries is unheard. I am with you indeed; to aid you. Go through all I have said to you, and live in every detail as I have enjoined you. As you follow implicitly all I say, success—spiritual, mental, and physical—shall be yours.

Let your requests be made known unto My Father by prayer and supplication. But do not beg. Rather come just as a business manager bringing the owner the needs, checks to be signed, etc., and knowing that to lay the matter before him means immediate supply. I long to supply for you, but the asking—or the faith-assurance from you, is necessary, because your contact with Me is vital.

You do not need to see far ahead. Just one step at a time with Me. Only “self” can cast a shadow on the way. Be more afraid of spirit-unrest, of soul-disturbance, or of any ruffling of the spirit, than of earthquake or fire or any outside forces. When you feel the absolute calm has been broken—be alone with Me until your heart sings, and all is strong and calm. These are the only times when evil can find an entrance. Remember all that you have to do is to keep calm and be happy. I do the rest. No evil force can hinder My Power—only you yourself have power to do that. Think when all of My Father’s mighty forces are arrayed to aid you—and your poor, puny “self” impedes their onward march.

You must trust Me wholly. This lesson has to be learned. You shall be helped; you shall be led and guided continually. The children of Israel would long before have entered the Promised Land—only their doubts and fears continually drove them back into the wilderness. Remember always, doubts delay. Are you trusting all to Me or not? I have told you how to live and you must do it. My children, I love you. Trust My tender Love. It will never fail you, but you must learn not to fail it. Oh! If you could see, you would understand. You have much to learn in turning out fear and being at peace. All your doubts block My Work. You must not doubt. I died to save you from sin and doubt and worry.

Live outside whenever possible. Sun and air are My great healing Forces. That inward joy that I provide changes poisoned blood to a pure healthy life-giving flow. Never forget that real healing of body, mind, and spirit comes from within; from the close loving contact of your spirit with My Spirit.

The work of My Spirit is done silently. Already love is drawing others to you. Take all who come as sent by Me, and give them a royal welcome. It will surprise you, all that I have planned for you. Welcome all who come with the love of your heart. You may not see the work. Today they may not need you but tomorrow they might. I may send you strange visitors. Make each desire to return. Nobody must come and feel unwanted. Share your love, your joy, your happiness, your time, and your food; gladly with all. Such wonders will unfold. Give out love and all you can with a glad, free heart and hand. Use all you can for others, and back will come such countless stores and blessings.

Joy is the sovereign balm for all the troubles of the world; the spirit-cure for every ailment. There is nothing that joy and love cannot do. Set your standard very high. Aim at conquering a world; the world all around you. Just say, “Jesus conquers”—“Jesus saves”—in the face of every doubt, every sin, every evil and every fear. No evil can stand against that, for there is “no other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby men can be saved.” To every thought of want or lack, say “Jesus saves from poverty,” or to every fear, “Jesus saves from fear.” Do this to every trouble and it will vanish, just as night does when the sun rises.

There is nothing lacking in your life because really all is yours; only you lack the faith to know it. You are like the king’s daughter who sits in rags, and yet around her are stores filled with all she could desire. Pray for more faith, as a thirsty man in a desert prays for rain or for water. Swift comes My help; swift and strong. Do you know what it is to feel sure that I can never fail you? As sure as you are that you still breathe? Do you trust Me as much as you would a friend if that friend came and said he would send you help? Pray daily and most diligently that your faith may increase.

Take time for prayer. Take more time to be alone with Me. Seek sometimes to not even hear Me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding with Me. Be not afraid. All is well. Dwell much on what I did, as well as what I said. Remember, I “touched her hand, and the fever left her.” Not many words, just a moment’s contact, and all fever left her. She was well, whole, calm, and able to rise. My Touch is still a potent healer. Just feel that touch. Sense My Presence, and the fever of work and care and fear just melts into nothingness—and health, joy, and peace take its place.

Spend more time alone with Me. Times of prayer are times of growth. Cut those times short and many well-filled hours of work may be profitless. Heaven’s values are so different from the values of earth. One poor tool, working all the time, but doing bad work, is of small value compared with the sharp, keen, perfect instrument, used only a short time but which turns out perfect work.

How little man knows and senses My need! My need of love and companionship. I came “to draw men unto Me,” and it is sweet to feel hearts drawing near in love; not for help, as much as for tender comradeship. Many know the need of man; few know the need of Christ.

Just carry out My Wishes and leave Me to carry out yours. Treat Me as Savior and King, but also with the tender intimacy of One much beloved. Think of Me. Look at Me often, and unconsciously you will grow like Me. And remember, My Strength is made perfect in weakness.

Have much tender love and patience for all who do not see things as you do. The elimination of “self” is the key to holiness and happiness, and can only be accomplished with My help. Study My life more. Live in My Presence. Love Me.

Have no fear. Fear is evil and “perfect love casts out fear.” There is no room for fear in the heart in which I dwell. Fear destroys hope. Fear cannot exist where love is, or where faith is. Fear is the curse of the world. Man is afraid—afraid of poverty, afraid of loneliness, afraid of unemployment, and afraid of sickness. Fight fear as you would a plague. Turn it out of your life and home. No work that employs this enemy of Mine is work for Me. Banish it.

Work for Me, with Me, and through Me. All work to last must be done in My Spirit. How gently and gradually souls are led into My kingdom. Love and laughter form the plow that prepares the ground for the seed. Remember this. If the ground is hard, seed will not grow there. Prepare the ground.

As you love to plan surprises for those who understand, and joy in them; so with Me. I love to plan them for those who see My Love and tender Joy in them. Dear to the Heart of My Father are those who see not only My Tears, the Tears of a Savior; but the Smile, the Joy-Smile of a Friend.

Nature is the embodied Spirit of My Thoughts of beauty for this world. Treat her as such—as truly My servant and messenger, as any saint who has ever lived. To realize this will bring to you new life-joy. Share her joys and travails, and great blessings will be yours. This is all-important, because it is not only believing certain things about Me that helps and heals, but knowing Me, sensing My Presence in a flower, and My message in its beauty and perfume. You can truly live a life not of earth—a heaven-life here and now.

Nothing is small to Me. In My Sight a sparrow is of greater value than a palace; one kindly word more important than a statesman’s speech. It is the life in all that has value, and the quality of the life that determines the value. I came to give eternal life.

You have to hush the heart and bid all of your senses to be still before you can be attuned to receive heaven’s music. Your five senses are your means of communication with the material world; the links between your real spirit-life and the material manifestations around you, but you must sever all connection with them, when you wish to hold spirit-communication. Your senses will hinder, not help. See the good in everybody. Love the good in them. See your unworthiness compared with their worth. Love, laugh; make the world your little world and be happy.

Draw beauty from every flower and joy from the song of the birds and the color of the flowers. I am with you. When I wanted to express a beautiful thought, I made a lovely flower. When I want to express to man what I am—what My Father is—I strive to make a very beautiful character. Think of yourself as My Expression of attributes, as a lovely flower is My Expression of thought, and you will strive in all; in spiritual beauty, in thought—power, in health, in clothing, to be as fit an expression for Me as you can. Look for beauty and joy in the world around. Look at a flower until its beauty becomes part of your very soul. It will be given back to the world again by you in the form of a smile or a loving word. Listen to a bird. Take the song as a message from My Father. Let it sink into your soul. Simplicity is the keynote of My Kingdom. Love and revere the humble and the simple.

Wait before Me; gently breathing in My Spirit. That Spirit which, if given a free entrance, and not barred out by the “self”, will enable you to do the same works as I did, and even greater works than I did when on earth—through you. The limit is set by your own spiritual development.

You do not know all that this time of talking with Me will mean to you. Did not My servant Isaiah say, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” Persevere in all I tell you to do. The persistent carrying out of My Commands and My Desires will unfailingly bring you, as far as spiritual, mental, and temporal things are concerned, to that place where you would be.

Remember, you are only an instrument. It is not yours to decide how or when or where you act. I plan all of that. Make yourself very fit to do My Work. All that hinders your activity must be cured. Mine is the Cross on which the burdens of the world are laid. How foolish are any of My disciples who seek to bear their own burdens, when there is only one place for them—My Cross. But, My children, you may think I did say, “Take up your cross daily and follow Me.” Yes, but the cross given to each one of you is only a cross provided on which you can crucify the “self” of yours that hinders progress and joy, and prevents the flow through your being of My invigorating Life and Spirit. Listen to Me; love Me; joy in Me.

My children, I am here beside you. Draw near in spirit to Me. Shut out the distractions of the world. I am your Life; the very Breath of your soul. Learn what it is to shut yourself into the secret place of your being, which is My secret place too. It is true that I wait in many a heart, but so few retire into that inner place of their being to commune with Me. Wherever the soul is, I am. Man has rarely understood this. I am actually at the center of every man’s being, but, distracted with the things of the sense-life, he does not find Me. Do you realize that I am telling you truths; revealing them, not repeating oft-told facts? Meditate on all I say. Ponder it. Not to draw your own conclusions, but to absorb Mine. All down the ages, men have been too eager to say what they thought about My Truth, and in so doing, they have grievously gotten it wrong. Hear Me. Talk to Me. Reflect Me. Do not say what you think about Me. My Words need none of man’s explanation. I can explain to each heart. Make Me real, and leave it to Me to do My own Work. To lead a soul to Me is one thing; to seek to stay with it to interpret, mars the first great act.

Withdraw into the calm of communion with Me. Rest—rest, rest in that calm and peace. Life knows no greater joy than you will find in talking with and companionship with Me. You are Mine. When the soul finds its home of rest in Me, that is when real life begins. Not in years, as man counts it, do we measure in My Kingdom. We count only from his second birth; that new birth of which I spoke to Nicodemus when I said, “You must be born again.” We know no life but eternal life and when a man enters into that, then he lives. And this is life eternal, to know God, My Father, and Me; the Son sent by Him. So immature, so childish, so empty is all the so-called living before that. I shower love on you. Pass love on.

The difficult way is nearly over, but you have learned lessons you could learn in no other way. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Wrest from Me, by firm and simple trust and persistent prayer, the treasures of My Kingdom. Such wonderful things are coming to you; joy—peace—assurance—security—health—happiness—laughter. Claim big, really big, things now. Remember, nothing is too big. Satisfy the longings of My Heart to give. Blessing, abundant blessing, on you now and always. Peace.

I am here. Fear not. Can you really trust Me? I am a God of Power, as well as a Man of Love; so human, yet so Divine. Just trust. I cannot, and I will not, fail you. All is well. Many are praying for you.

Your foolish little activities are valueless in themselves. Seemingly trivial or of seemingly great moments, all deeds are alike if directed by Me. Just cease to function except through Me. I am your Lord; just obey Me as you would expect a faithful willing secretary to carry out your directions. Just have no choice but Mine; no will but Mine. I am dependent on no one agency when I am your supply. Through many channels; My help and material items can come.

All is well. Say always, “All is well.” Though the way may seem long, there is not one inch too much. I, your Lord, am not only with you on the journey—I planned, and am planning, the journey. There are joys unspeakable in the way you go. Courage—courage—courage.

To Me, your intimate Friend, all power is given. It is given to Me from My Father. Don’t My intimate friends have a right to ask for it to be shared? You do not have a need that I cannot supply. A flower or one thousand dollars; one is no more difficult than the other. Your need is a spiritual need to carry on My Work. All spiritual supply is fashioned from love. The flower and the thousand dollars—both fashioned from love to those who need it. Do you not see this? I thought of you, a bud opened; you converted that into a cheer for one you love or a smile. That cheer meant increased health. Increased health means work for Me, and that means souls for Me. And so it goes on, a constant supply, but only if the need is a spiritual one.

I am beside you to bless and help you. Waver not in your prayers. They shall be heard. All power is Mine. Say that to yourself often and steadily. Say it until your heart sings with the joy of the safety and power it means to you. Say it until the very force of the utterance drives back, and puts to nothing, all the evils against you. Use it as a battle cry—“All power is given unto my Lord,” “All power is given unto my Friend,” “All power is given unto my Savior,” and then you pass on to victory.

I am here. Seek not to know the future. Mercifully, I veil it from you. Faith is too priceless a possession to be sacrificed in order to purchase knowledge. But faith itself is based on knowledge of Me. So remember that this evening time is not to learn the future, not to receive revelation of the unseen, but to gain an intimate knowledge of Me, which will teach you all things and be the very foundation of your faith.

Your heights of success will be won by the daily persistent doing of what I have said. Daily, steady persistence. Like the wearing away of a stone by steady drops of water, so will your daily persistence wear away all the difficulties and gain success for you, and secure your help for others. Say “All is well” to everything.

I am with you to guide you and help you. Unseen forces are controlling your destiny. Your petty fears are groundless. Leave your foolish fears, and follow Me; your Guide, and determinedly refuse to consider the problems of tomorrow. My message to you is trust and wait.

Rest in Me; quiet in My Love and strong in My Power. Think what it is to possess a power greater than any earthly force. No invention, no electricity, no magnetism, no gold, could achieve one millionth part of all that you can achieve by the power of My Spirit. Just think for one moment of all that means.

I reward your seeking with My Presence. Rejoice and be glad. I am your God. Courage and joy will conquer all troubles. Seek Me; love Me; joy in Me. I am your Guide. No perils can frighten you; no discipline can exhaust you. Persevere. Can you hold on in My Strength? I need you more than you need Me. Struggle through this time for My sake. Initiation precedes all real work and success for Me. Are you ready to live life? Life with Me? In the world and yet with Me? Going forth from your secret times of communion to rescue and save?

Be calm; be true; be quiet. I watch over you. Rest in My Love. There is joy in the very beauty of holiness. You are Mine. Deliverance is here for you, but thankfulness and joy open the gates. Try in all things to be very glad, very happy, and very thankful. It is not in quiet resignation that I give My Blessings, but to joyful acceptance and anticipation. Laughter is the outward expression of joy. That is why I urge upon you love and laughter.

I am your Lord, gracious and loving. Rest in My Love; walk in My Ways. Each week is a week of progress, steady progress upward. You may not see it, but I do. I judge not by outward appearances; I judge the heart, and I see in your heart one single desire: to do My Will. The simplest offering by a child brought or done with the one desire to give you pleasure, or to show you love; is it not more loved by you than the offerings of those who don’t love you? When climbing a steep hill, a man is often more conscious of the weakness of his stumbling feet than of the view, the grandeur, or even of his upward progress.

Soon, very soon, you will have mastered your lesson, and then you will truly be able to do all things through Me and My Strength. Did you not see it with My disciples? Timid, faithless followers, and then, so soon; themselves leaders, healers, and conquerors, through Me. Thousands of My servants have gone to their betrayal and death, and others, who knew Me not, with no agony before it.

I am here. Here as truly as I was with My disciples of old. Here to help and bless you. Here to company with you. Do you know, even yet, My children, that this is the priceless blessing of your life? I forgive you, as you have prayed for Me to, for all of the neglects of My Commands; but start anew from today. Study My Words and carry them out unflinchingly. As you do this, you will find that you are miracle-workers; workers together with Me—for Me. Remember this: not what you do, but what you are—that is the miracle-working power. Changed by My Spirit, shedding one garment of spirit for a better; in time throwing that aside for yet a finer one, and so on from character to character, gradually transformed into My Likeness.

My children, I am here, your waiting Lord, ready at your call. I am among you as One that serves, Meek and Holy, ready to be used and commanded. Remember that is the finest quality of greatness—service. I, who could command a universe—I await the commands of My children. Bring Me into everything. You will find such joy as the time goes on in speaking to each other of Me, and together climbing higher. Always humble, meek, and lowly in heart. Learn this—no position—just a servant.

I am All-Powerful and All-Knowing and I have all of your affairs in My Hands. Divine Efficiency as well as Divine Power is being brought to bear on you. All miracle-work is not the work of a moment, as so often men imagine. My servant Peter was not changed in a flash from a simple fisherman to a great leader and teacher, but through his very time of faithlessness—through his very time of denial—I was yet making him all that he should be. Peter could never have been the after power he was, had he not learned his weaknesses. No man can save, unless he understands the sinner. The Kingdom of Heaven can only be preached by those who have learned to prize the authority of its Kingdom. My apostles need a many-sided training. No one test too much will I lay on you.

Seek this evening time just to be with Me. Feel conscious of My Presence. Earth has no greater joy than that. I am the heart’s great Interpreter. Even souls who are the nearest together have much in their natures that remain a sealed book to each other, and only as I enter and control their lives, do I reveal to each the mysteries of the other. Each soul is so different—I alone understand perfectly the language of each, and can interpret between the two.

I lay My loving Hands on you in blessing. Loosen your hold on earth, its cares, its worries, and even its joys. Unclasp your hands; relax, and then the tide of Easter joy will come. Put aside all thought of the future; of the past. Relinquish all to get the Easter Sacrament of Spiritual Life. So often man, crying out for some blessing, has yet such a tight hold on some earth-treasure that he has no hand to receive Mine; as I hold it out in love.

From the death of My Body on the Cross, as from the shedding of husks in seed-life, springs that new life which is My Gift to every man who will accept it. Die with Me to self—to the human life, and then you will know the rapturous joy of Easter Resurrection. A risen life so glad and free can be yours. Search until you meet Me face-to-face, and My tender Uttering of your name awakes your glad “Messiah.”

No gift is poor if it expresses the true love of the giver. So to Me, your heart’s gifts are rich and precious. Rejoice in My glad acceptance as you bring your Easter offerings. Today in life and work, in love and service, My children must be outstanding. Be ready to stand aside and let the fashions and customs of the world go by, when My Glory and My Kingdom are thereby served. Be known by the marks that distinguish those of My Kingdom. Be ready to confess Me before men. To count all things as loss so that you may gain Me in your life.

The call comes on this My Day for all who love Me, to arise from earth-bonds, from sin, and sloth and depression, distrust, fear; all that hinders the risen life. To arise to beauty, to holiness, to joy, to peace, to work inspired by love and joy, and to rise from death to life. All that depresses you and all that you fear are powerless to harm you. They are but phantoms. The real forces I conquered in the wilderness, the garden of Gethsemane, on the Cross, and in the tomb. Let nothing hinder your risen life. “Risen with Christ,” said My servant Paul. Seek to know more and more of that risen life. That is the life of conquest. Of that risen life it was truly said: “I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” Rise from your fears and go out into the sunlight to meet Me, your Risen Lord.

Obedience is one of the keys unlocking the door into My Kingdom; so love and obey. No man can obey Me implicitly without in time realizing My Love; in his turn responding by love to that love, and then experiencing the joy of the Beloved, and the Lover. The rough stone steps of obedience lead up to the mosaic of joy and love that floor My Heaven. Heaven may be in a sordid slum or a palace, and I can make My Home in the humblest heart. I can only dwell with the humble. Pride stands sentinel at the door of the heart to shut out the lowly, humble Christ.

Remember that My followers are to be a peculiar people; separated from among others. My people have different ways, a different standard of living, and different customs; actuated by different motives. Pray for love. Pray for My Spirit of love to be showered on all you meet. Deal with yourself severely. Learn to love discipline. Never yield one point that you have already won. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Love it and rejoice—rejoice. Mountains can be removed by thought—by desire.

I am your Guide. Strength and help will come to you; just trust Me wholly. Walk in My ways, and know that help will come. Man’s need is My chance to help. I love to help and save. Man’s need is My golden opportunity for him to let his faith find expression. That expression of faith is all that I need to manifest My Power. Faith is the key that unlocks the storehouse of My Father’s resources. My faithful servants, you long for perfection and see your bitter failures. I see faithfulness, and as a mother takes the soiled, imperfect work of her child and invests it with perfection because of the sweet love, so I take your poor faithfulness and crown it with perfection.

Love and laugh. Make your world the happier for your being in it. Love and rejoice on the gray days. There are wilderness days for My disciples as well as Mountains of Transfiguration, but on both it is duty; persistently, faithfully done, that tells. Be gentle with all. Try to see the heart I see, to know the pain and difficulty of the other life; the life that I know. Try, before you interview anyone, or speak to anyone, to ask Me to act as Interpreter between you two. Simple tasks, faithfully done and persisted in, bring their own reward, and are mosaics being laid in the pavement of success.

To be a perfect gymnast you must learn balance. It is balance and poise, perfect balance and poise, I am teaching you now. This will give you power in dealing with the lives of others, and that power is already being marvelously manifested. The vision you have is the means of clearing the obstacles away. When My disciple sees My Purpose ahead, that very sight is the power that clears away every obstacle along that range of vision. People waste so much time in seeking to work out what they see. I declare to you that in the seeing of My Purpose, all is done. Truly I said to My disciples, “I have yet many things to say to unto you, but you cannot bear them now.” But to you, and those who gather to hear Me as you do, I can declare those things now; that I then left unsaid. Is not the message of My servant Paul now plain: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” because My Guidance is intensified immeasurably in power, when the two are one in desire to be with Me—but so few have understood.

Obey My Commands. They are steps in the ladder that lead to success. Above all, keep calm, unmoved. Go back into the silence to recover this calm when it is lost for even one moment. You accomplish more by this than by all the activities of a long day. At all cost keep calm; you can help nobody when you are agitated. Never feel inadequate for any task. All work here is accomplished by My Spirit, and My Spirit flows easily through the most humble and lowly. It simply needs an unblocked channel. Rid yourself of “self” and all is well. Pray about all, but concentrate on a few things until those are accomplished. I am watching over you. Strength for your daily, hourly task is provided. Yours is the fault, the sin, if it is unclaimed, and you fail for lack of claiming it.

Love, love, love. Tender love is the secret. Love those you are training, love those who work with you, and love those who serve you. Dwell on that thought—God is Love. Dwell on My Actions on earth. See the love in them in operation. If it was God who so acted, then it was Love, Perfect Love, that performed those actions, those wonders. Then you, too, must put Love, My Father, into action in your life. Perfect love means perfect forgiveness. My children, you see that where My Father is there can be no lack of forgiveness; for that is really lack of love.

God is Love…no judging.
God is Love…no resentment.
God is Love…all patience.
God is Love…all power.
God is Love…all supply.

All you need to have is love for God and man. Love for God ensures obedience to every wish and every command. Love is the fulfilling of all law. Pray much for love.

My children, I come. Hearts eager to do My Will; send out a call that I find irresistible. I know no barrier then. Resistance to My Will keeps Me barred out from more hearts than does unbelief. In all true discipleship, and in the true spiritual development of each disciple, there is first the wonder and the joy of first acquaintance; then comes the long plain stretch of lesson-learning and discipline. But the constant experience of Me, the constant persistent recognition of My Work in daily happenings, the numberless instances in which seeming chance or wonderful coincidence can be, must be, traced back to My loving Forethought—all these gradually engender a feeling of wonder, certainty, and gratitude; followed in time by joy.

Such light, such joy flows out from this house. It affects all who come here. Do not feel that you have to try and help them. Just love them, welcome them, and shower little courtesies and love-signs on them. Love is God. Give them love, and you give them God. Then leave Him to do His Work. Love all, even the beggars. Send no one away without a word of cheer; a feeling that you care. Besides, you have no choice. You told Me it was My Home. I shall use it. Remember this: There would be no dark winter days if there was love in the hearts of all My children.

You need Me. I need you. My broken world needs you. Many a weary troubled heart needs you. Many a troubled heart will be gladdened by you; drawn nearer to Me by you. Health—peace—joy—patience—endurance; they all come from contact with Me. Truly the Christian life—life with Me—is a love story. Leave all to Me. You cannot make too many demands upon Me—nor put too great a strain upon My Love and Forbearance. Claim—claim—claim; healing—power—joy—supply what you will.

Have you ever thought of the joy that the patient, gentle, and loving obedience of My disciples brings to My Heart? I know no joy such as the joy I feel at the loving trust of a dear one. The wounds in My Hands and Feet hurt little compared with the wounds in My Heart that are the wounds, not of My enemies, but of My friends. Little doubts, little fears, little misunderstandings. It is the tender trifles of a day that gladden My Heart. I that speak unto you, am He—your Master.

Breathing correctly, from being a matter of careful practice, becomes a habit, unconsciously, yet rightly performed. So if you regularly practice this getting back into My Presence, when the slightest feeling of unrest disturbs your perfect calm and harmony, so this, too, will become a habit, and you will grow to live in that perfect consciousness of My Presence; perfect calm and harmony will be yours. Life is a training school. Remember, only the pupil giving great promise of future good work would be so singled out by the Master for strenuous and unwearied discipline, teaching and training. You are asking to not be like hundreds of My followers, not as many, many thousands; but to be only as those who reflect Me in all they say and do and are. So, My dear child, take this training, not as harsh, but as the tender loving answer to your petition. Life can never be the same for you again. Once you have drunk of the wine of My Giving, life eternal; all earth’s attempts to quench your thirst will fail.

Trust in Me. Do as I say each moment and all indeed shall be well. Follow out My Commands: Divine control with unquestioning obedience—these are the only conditions for My Supply to be more than enough for your own needs and those of others. The tasks I give you may have seemingly no connection with supply. The Commands are Mine and the Supply is Mine and I make My own Conditions; differing in each case—but in the case of each disciple, adapted to the individual need. Have no fear, go forward. Joy—radiant joy must be yours. Change all disappointment, even if only momentary, into joy. Change each complaint into laughter. Rest—love—joy—peace—work, and the most powerful of these are love and joy.

You are bound to have My Guidance as you live more and more with Me. But these times are not times when you ask to be shown and led; they are times of feeling and realizing My Presence. Does the branch continually ask the Vine to supply it with sap, to show it in what direction to grow? No, that comes naturally from the very union with the Vine, and I said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.” So, My children, union with Me is the one great overwhelming necessity. All else follows so naturally, and union with Me is the result of just consciousness of My Presence. Don’t be too ready to speak to others. Pray always that the need may be apparent, if you are to do this, and the guidance very plain. Discourage too much talk. Deeds live, and reecho down the ages—words perish. Remember that rarely to the human heart do I speak in words. Man will see Me in My Works done through you.

You can never perish, My children, because within you is the Life of life. The Life that down the ages has kept My servants, in peril, in adversity, and in sorrow. Once you are born of the Spirit; that is your life’s breath. You must never doubt, never worry, but step by step, the way to freedom must be trodden. See that you walk it with Me. This means no worry and no anxiety; but it does not mean no effort. When My disciples told Me that they had toiled all night and taken nothing, I did not fill the boat with fishes without effort on their part. No! My Command stood. “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Their lives were endangered, the ship nearly sank, the help of their fellows had to be summoned, and there were broken nets to mend. Any one of these troubles might have made them feel My Help was not for them. And yet as they sat on the shore and mended those nets, they would see My Love and Care. The man who reaches the mountain height by the help of a train or car has not learned the climber’s lesson. But remember this does not mean there is not a Guide—this does not mean that My Spirit is not supplying wisdom and strength.

Say often, “God bless…” of any whom you find in disharmony with you, or whom you desire to help. Say it, willing that showers of blessings and joy and success may fall upon them. Leave to Me the necessary correcting or training; you must only desire joy and blessing for them. At present your prayers are that they should be taught and corrected. Oh! If My children would leave My Work to Me and occupy themselves with the task I give them. Love, love, love. Love will break down all your difficulties. Love will build up all your successes. God the Destroyer of evil, God the Creator of good—is Love. To love one another is to use My Father in your life. To use My Father in your life is to bring into manifestation all harmony, beauty, joy, and happiness.

Never doubt. Have no fear. Watch for the faintest tremor of fear, and stop all work, everything, and rest before Me until you are joyful and strong again. Deal in the same way with all tired feelings. I was weary too, when on earth, and I separated Myself from My disciples, and sat and rested on the well. Rested—and then the Samaritan woman was helped. I had to teach renewal of spirit—force rest of body to My disciples. When Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,” he did not mean that he was to do all things and then rely on Me to find strength. He meant that for all I told him to do, he could rely on My supplying the strength. My Work in the world has been hindered by work, work, and work. Many a tireless, nervous body has driven a spirit. The spirit should be the master always, and just simply and naturally use the body as need should arise. Rest in Me. Do not seek to work for Me. Never make opportunities. Live with Me and for Me. I do the work and I make the opportunities. I am inside you. Can you not feel My Presence? Contact with Me is not gained by the senses. Spirit-consciousness replaces sight.

We are seeking lost sheep—we are bringing the Kingdom into places where it has not been known before. So realize that you are joining Me on My Quest—My undying Quest, tracking down souls. You may not always see the soul we seek. I know.

Seek and you shall find. You shall find that inner knowledge that makes the problems of life plain. The difficulties of life are caused by disharmony in the individual. There is no discord in My Kingdom, only something that is still unconquered in My disciples. The rule of My Kingdom is perfect order, perfect harmony, perfect supply, perfect love, perfect honesty, perfect obedience—all power, all conquest, all success. But so often My servants lack power, conquest, success, supply, and harmony, and think I fail in My promises because these are not manifested in their lives. These are but the outward manifestations that result from the obedience, honesty, order, love—and they come, not in answer to urgent prayer, but naturally as light results from a lighted candle.

Read the lessons of Divine control in Nature’s laws. Nature is but the expression of Eternal Thought in time. Study the outward form—grasp the Eternal Thought, and if you can read the Thoughts of the Father, then indeed you know Him. Leave Me out of nothing. Love all My Ways with you. Know indeed that “All is well.” Delay is but the wonderful and all-loving restraint of your Father—not reluctance, not desire to deny—but the Divine control of a Father who can scarcely brook the delay. Delay has to be—sometimes. Your lives are so linked up with those of others, so bound by circumstances, that to let your desire have instant fulfillment might in many cases cause another’s earnest prayer, to go unanswered. But think for a moment of the love and thoughtful care that seeks to harmonize and reconcile all your desires and longings and prayers. Delay is not denial—not even withholding. Delay is the opportunity for My Father to work out your problems and accomplish your desires in the most wonderful way possible for you. Remember that your Master is also your Servant, quick to fulfill, quick to achieve, and faithful in accomplishment.

To conquer adverse circumstances, conquer yourself. To accomplish much, be much. In all cases, the doing, to be well-doing, must be the mere unconscious expression of the being. Let the day be full of little prayers to Me, little turnings toward Me. The smiles of the soul at the One it loves. Men call the Father the First Cause. Yes! See Him as the First Cause of every warm ray, every color in the sunset, every gleam on the water, every beautiful flower, and every planned pleasure.

“Self” dethroned—that is the lesson, but in its place put love for Me, knowledge of Me. “Self,” not only dethroned, but dead. A dead self is not an imprisoned self. An imprisoned self is more harmfully potent. In all training—(in Mine of you, and in yours of others)—let self die. But for each blow to the life of self, you must at the same time embrace and hold fast the new life; life with Me. It is one of My Commands that as you seek My Forgiveness, so you must forgive also. But what you do not see is that you, the “self” in you, can never forgive injuries. The very thought of your wounds and injuries means “self” is in the foreground; and then the injury, instead of appearing less, appears greater. No, My children, as all true love is of God, and is God, so all true forgiveness is of God and is God. The self cannot forgive. Kill self. Cease trying to forgive those who troubled or wronged you. It is a mistake to think about it. Aim at killing the “self” now—in your daily life, and then, and not until then, you will find there is nothing that even remembers the injury, because the only one injured, the “self”, is dead. As long as it recurs to your mind, you deceive yourself if you think it is forgiven.

Delight in My Love. Try to live in the rapture of the Kingdom. Claim big things. Claim great things. Claim joy and peace and freedom from care. Joy in Me. I am your Lord; your Creator. Remember too that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am your Creator; My Thought about the world called it into being—I am your Creator as much, too, today, by loving thought for you, and I call into being all you need on the material plane. Joy in Me, trust in Me, share all life with Me, see Me in everything, rejoice in Me. Share all with Me as a child shares its pains and cuts and griefs and newfound treasures and joys and little work with its Mother. And give Me the joy of sharing all with you.

My loved ones. Yes, with the heart, not the head, men should think of Me, and then devotion would be instinctive. Breathe in My very Spirit in pure air and fervent desire. Keep the eye of your spirit ever upon Me; the window of your soul open towards Me. You need to know that all things are yours—that what is lovely I delight to give you. Empty your mind of all that limits. Whatever is beautiful you can have. Leave more and more the choice to Me. You will have no regrets.

Poor world—teach it that there is only one cure for all its troubles—union with Me. Dare to suffer, dare to conquer; be filled with My sublime audacity. Remember that. Claim the unclaimable. Just what the world would think impossible can always be yours. Remember, My children, sublime audacity.

The oarsman, trusting in Me, does not lean on his oars and drift with the tide, trusting to the current. No, more often—once I have shown the way—it is against the tide you must direct all your effort. And even when difficulties come, it is by your effort that they will be surmounted. But always strength and the joy in the doing you can have through Me. My fishermen-disciples did not find the fishes ready on the shore in their nets. I take man’s effort and bless that. I need man’s effort—he needs My Blessing. It is this partnership that means success.

I lead you. The way is clear. Go forward unafraid. I am beside you. Listen, listen, listen to My Voice. My Hand is controlling all. Remember that I can work through you better when you are at rest. Go very slowly, very quietly from one duty to the next—taking time to rest and pray between. Do not be too busy. Take all in order as I say. The Rest of God is in a realm beyond all man’s activities. Venture there often, and you will indeed find peace and joy. All work that results from resting with God is miracle-work. Claim the power to work miracles. Know that you can do all things through Me who strengthens you. No, more; know that you can do all things through Me who rests you.

Follow My Guidance. Be afraid to venture on your own as a child fears to leave its mother’s side. Doubt of your own wisdom, and reliance on Mine, will teach you humility. Humility is not the belittling of the self. It is forgetting the self. No, more; forgetting the self because you are remembering Me. It is your task to maintain your own heart peace in adverse circumstances. Harmony is always yours when you strain your ear to catch Heaven’s music. Always doubt your power or wisdom to put things right; ask Me to right all as you leave it to Me, and go on your way loving and laughing. I am Wisdom. Only My Wisdom can correctly decide anything—settle any problem. So rely on Me. All is well.

All agitation is destructive of good. All calm is constructive of good, and at the same time destructive of evil. When man wants evil destroyed so often he rushes to action. It is wrong! First be still and know that I am God. Then act only as I tell you. Always calm with Me. Calm is trust in action. Only trust, perfect trust can keep one calm. Never be afraid of any circumstances or difficulties that help you to cultivate this calm. In the world, to attain, one has to learn speed; you, to attain, have to learn calm. All great work for Me is first done in the individual soul of the worker.

When I have led you through these storms there will be other words for you, other messages—other guidance. So deep is your friendship and so great is your desire to love and follow and serve Me that soon, when this time of difficulty is over, to be alone together will always mean to be shut in with Me. There are few friendships in the world like that and yet I taught, when on earth, as I have taught you, the power of the two together.

Turn out all thoughts of doubt and of trouble. Never tolerate them for one second. Bar the windows and doors of your soul against them as you would bar your home against a thief who would sneak in to steal your treasures. What greater treasures can you have than peace and rest and joy? And these are all stolen from you by doubt and fear and despair. Face each day with love and laughter. Face the storm. Joy, peace, and love; these are My greatest Gifts. Follow Me to find all three. I want you to feel the thrill of protection and safety now. Any soul can feel this in a harbor, but real joy and victory come to those alone who sense these when they ride a storm. Say, “All is well.” Say it not as a vain repetition. Use it as you use a healing balm for cut or wound, until the poison is drawn out; then, until the sore is healed; then, until the thrill of fresh life floods your being. All is well.

What joy follows self-conquest! Can you see yourself absolutely unmoved? Think of Me before the mocking soldiers, being struck, spat upon, and never answering a word—never a word. Try to see that as Divine Power. Remember by that power of perfect silence, perfect self-control, you alone can prove your right to govern. Never judge. The heart of man is so delicate, so complex, only its Maker can know it. Each heart is so different, actuated by different motives, controlled by different circumstances, influenced by different sufferings. How can one judge of another? Leave to Me the teaching of understanding. Bring each heart to Me, its Maker, and leave it with Me. Secure in the certainty of all that is wrong, I can set right.

Remember that a loving Master delights in the intimacy of demands made, as much as He desires His followers and friends to delight in the tender intimacy of His Demands. Only as the result of frequent conversations with Me, of much prayer to Me, of listening to and obedience to My Requests, comes that intimacy that makes My followers dare to approach Me as friend to Friend. Yield in all things to My tender insistence, but remember I yield to yours too. Ask not only the big things I have told you, but ask the little tender signs of love. Remember that I came as the world’s Great Lover. Never think of My Love as only a tender compassion and forgiveness. It is that, but it is also the Love of a Lover, who shows His Love by countless words and actions and by tender thought. In each of you too, remember there is My Father. It is always given to man to see in his fellowman those aspirations and qualities he himself possesses. So only I, being really God, can recognize the God in men. Remember this, too, in your relation to others. Your motives and aspirations can only be understood by those who have attained the same spiritual level. So do not vainly, foolishly, expect from others the same understanding. Do not misjudge them for not giving it. Yours is a foreign language to them.

What can I say to you? Your heart is torn. Then remember, “He binds up the broken hearts.” Just feel the tenderness of My Hands as I bind up your wounds. You are very privileged. I share My Plans and Secrets with you and make known to you My Purposes; while so many have to grope on. Try to rest on these words, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Then strive not for them (the material things you desire) but, untiringly, for the things of My Kingdom. It is so strange to you mortals, you would think the material things first and then grow into the knowledge of spiritual things. Not so in My Kingdom. It is spiritual things first and then material. So to attain the material redouble your efforts to acquire the spiritual.

I will be much entreated because I know that only in earnest supplication, and the calm trust that results, does man learn strength and gain peace. Therefore I have laid that incessant, persistent pleading as a duty upon My disciples. Never weary in prayer. When one day man sees how marvelously his prayer has been answered, then he will deeply, so deeply, regret that he prayed so little. Prayer changes all. Prayer re-creates. Prayer is irresistible. So pray, literally without ceasing. Pray until you almost cease to pray, because trust has become so rocklike, and then pray on because it has become so much a habit that you cannot resist it. And always pray until prayer merges into praise. That is the only note on which true prayer should end.

“Look unto Me, and ye be saved, all the ends of the earth.” Not for merit was salvation, the promise was to all who looked. To look is surely within the power of everyone. One look suffices. Salvation follows. Look and you are saved from despair. Look and you are saved from care. Look and you are saved from worry. Look, and into you there flows a peace beyond all understanding; a power new and vital, a wonderful joy indeed. Look and keep looking. Doubt flees, joy reigns, and hope conquers.

Rest knowing all is so safe in My Hands. Rest is Trust. Ceaseless activity is distrust. Without the knowledge that I am working for you, you do not rest. Welcome the knowledge, delight in it. Such a truth is as a hope flung to a drowning man. Every repetition of it is one pull nearer to shore and safety. Let that illustration teach you a great truth. Lay hold of the truth, pray it, affirm it, and hold on to the rope. How foolish are your attempts to save yourself; one hand on the rope, and one hand making the effort to swim ashore! The storms and tempests are not all of life. The Psalmist who said, “All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me” also wrote “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Meditate upon that wonder—truth, the three steps of safety, security, and guidance. (1) “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit”—Safety. (2) “He set my feet upon a rock”—Security. (3) “He established my goings” –Guidance. Number three is the final stage when the saved soul trusts Me so entirely it seeks no more its own way but leaves all future plans to Me; its Rescuer.

You will conquer. The conquering spirit is never crushed. Keep a brave and trusting heart. Face all of your difficulties in the spirit of conquest. Rise to greater heights than you have known before. Remember where I am, is Victory. Forces of evil, within and without you, flee at My Presence. Win Me and all is won. All.

To see Me you must bring Me your cares and show Me your heart of trust. Then, as you leave your cares, you become conscious of My Presence. This consciousness persisted in, brings its reward of Me. Through a mist of care no man may see My Face. Only when the burden is flung at My Feet do you pass on to consciousness and spiritual sight. Remember obedience, obedience, obedience—the straight and narrow way into the Kingdom. Character is chiseled into beauty by the daily discipline and daily duties done. For, in many ways, My disciples must work out their own salvation, though this is not possible without My Strength and Help, and without talking with Me. The training is different for different spirits. The man who would live a life of prayer and meditation is thrust into the busy ways of life, and the busy man is bidden to rest and wait patiently for Me.

Claim, and be constantly claiming. You are no longer servants but friends. A friend can command his friend—can know that all that the true friend has, is his by right. That does not mean an idle living at the expense of a friend, but claiming the friend’s means: name, time, and all that he has, when your supply is exhausted. Friendship—true friendship, implies the right to appropriate. And in God’s service is perfect freedom. Heirs of God—you are heirs with Me in the inheritance. We share the Father’s property. You have the same right to use and claim as I have. Use your right. A beggar supplicates. A son or a daughter appropriates. Small wonder when I see My children sitting before My House begging and waiting—that I leave them there until they realize how foolish they are; when they can just walk into their own Home and take what they need. This cannot be the attitude of all. There must be first a definite realization of Sonship.

Your lack of control is not due to the big burdens, but to your permitting the little troubles and cares and burdens to accumulate. If anything troubles you, deal with that and get that right with Me before you allow yourself to speak to or meet anybody, or to undertake any new duty. Look upon yourself more as performing My errands and coming back quickly to Me to tell Me that the message is delivered, that the task is done. Then with no feeling of responsibility as to the result (your responsibility was to see the duty done) go out again, rejoicing at still more to do for My Sake.

You must know that every troubled soul I tell you about is one for you to help. You must help all you can. You do not help enough. As you help, help will flow back and your circle of helpfulness will widen more and more. Just feel that you are My disciple, present at the feeding of the five thousand, and that to you I hand out the food, and you pass it on, and keep passing things on more and more. You can always say with so few loaves and fishes “We have only enough for our own needs.” It was not only My Blessing, but the passing-on of the disciples that worked the miracle. Get a feeling of bounteous giving into your being. They were “all filled.” There was an abundant supply. I give with a large Hand and Heart. Note the draught of fishes. The net broke; the boat began to sink with the lavishness of My Gift. Lose sight of all limitations. Abundance is God’s Supply. Turn out all limited thoughts. Receive showers and in your turn—shower others.

There will be no limit to what you can accomplish. Realize that. Never relinquish any task or give up the thought of any task because it seems beyond your power; only if you see it is not My Will for you. This I command you.

If you are doing your claiming as I have said, you soon will see the results. You cannot do this long without it being seen in the material. It is an undying law. You are at present children practicing a new lesson. Practice—practice—practice; soon you will be able to do it so readily. You see others manifesting so easily, so readily demonstrating My Power. But you have not seen the discipline that went before it. Discipline is absolutely necessary before this power is given to My disciples. It is a further initiation. You are feeling you have learned so much that life cannot be a failure. That is right, but others have to wait to see the outward manifestation in your life before they realize this spiritual truth.

Remember the lesson of the seed in its sending a shoot down so that it may be rooted and grounded, while at the same time it sends a shoot up to be the plant and flower that shall gladden the world. The two growths are necessary. Without the strong root it would soon wither; as much activity fails for lack of growth in Me. The higher the growth up, the deeper must be the rooting. Many forget this and thus their work ceases to be permanent for Me. Beware of the leaves and flowers without the strong root.

A great love knows that in every difficulty, every trial, and every failure, the presence of the loved one suffices. Test your love for Me by this. Just to be with Me, just to know I am inside you—does that bring you joy and peace? If not, then your love for Me, and your realization of My Love, are at fault. Then, if this be so, pray for more love.

Regret nothing. Not even the sins and failures. When a man views earth’s wonders from some mountain height, he does not spend his time dwelling on the stones and stumbles, the faints and failures, that marked his upward path. So be it with you. Breathe in the rich blessings of each new day—forget all that lies behind you. Man is only made that he can carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. Directly, if he’s weighed down with the years behind, and the days ahead, his back breaks. I have promised to help you with the burden of today only. The past I have taken from you and if you, foolish hearts, choose to gather again that burden and bear it, then, indeed, you mock Me by expecting Me to share it with you. A man on a march on earth carries only what he needs for that march. Would you pity him if you saw him bearing also the overwhelming weight of the worn-out shoes and uniforms of past marches and years? And yet, in the mental and spiritual life, man does these things. Small wonder My poor world is heartsick and weary. You must not act like this.

Praise is the devil’s death knell. Resignation, acceptance of My Will and obedience to it, do not have the power to vanquish evil that praise has. The joyful heart is My best weapon against all evil. Oh! Pray and praise. You are learning the lesson. You are being led out into a large place. Go with songs of rejoicing. Rejoice evermore. Happy indeed if each day has its thrill of joy. Talk to Me more during the day. Look up into My Face—a look of love, a feeling of security, a thrill of joy at the sense of the nearness of My Presence—these are your best prayers. Let these smooth the day’s work, then fear will vanish, and fear is the grim figure that turns aside success.

Hear and I answer. Spend much time in prayer. Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind and heart to God. So that if it is only a glance of faith, a look or word of love, or confidence, and no supplication is expressed, it yet follows that supply and all things necessary are secured. Because the soul, being linked to God, united to Him, receives in and through Him all things.

The way of the soul’s transformation is the way of Divine Companionship. Not so much the asking Me to make you this or that but the living with Me, thinking of Me, talking to Me—thus you grow like Me. Love Me. Rest in Me. Joy in Me.

You are willing to drink of the cup that I drink of—the wine of sorrow and disappointment. You are Mine and will grow more and more like Me, your Master. It is true today as it was in the days of Moses that no man can see My Face and live. The “self,” the original man, shrivels up and dies, and upon the soul becomes stamped My image.

Remember that love is the power which transforms the world. Love not only of Me, love not only of the few dear to you, but love of all—of the publicans, the sinners, the harlots—everyone. Love is the only weapon with which sin can be driven out. Drive out sin with love. Drive fear, depression, despair and a sense of failure out with praise. Praise is the acknowledgment of that which I have sent you. Few men would send a further gift of payment until they had received the acknowledgment of the previous one. So praise, acknowledging, as it does, that My Gift and Blessing has been received, leaves the way open for Me to shower yet more on the thankful heart. Do not expect for yourself feeling that you know others have or have had. Just go on along the arid way of obedience; and persistence will be rewarded as you come to the Spring, the glad Spring of Water. Oh, joy in Me, and, as far as in you lies, spread joy on all around.

Molding, My children, means cutting and chiseling. It means sacrifice of the personal to conform to type. It is not only My Work but yours. The swift recognition of the selfishness in your desires and motives, actions, words and thoughts, and then the instant appeal to Me for help to eradicate that. It is a work that requires cooperation—Mine and yours. It is a work that brings much sense of failure and discouragement too, at times, because, as the work proceeds, you see more and more clearly all that yet remains to be done. Shortcomings you had hardly recognized or at least for which you had had no sense of sorrow, now cause you trouble and dismay. Courage. That is in itself a sign of progress. As you see the slow progress upward made by you, in spite of your longing and struggle, you will gain a Divine Patience with others whose imperfections trouble you. So on and up. Forward. Patience—perseverance—struggle. Remember that I am beside you; your Captain and your Helper. So tender, so patient, so strong. Yes, we cooperate and as I share your troubles, failures, difficulties, heartaches, so, as My friends, you share My Patience, and My Strength—beloved.

Very quietly I speak. Listen to My Voice. Never heed the voices of the world—only the tender Divine Voice. Listen and you will never be disappointed. Listen, and anxious thoughts and tired nerves will become rested. The Voice Divine—not so much in strength as in tenderness. Not so much in power as in restfulness. But the tenderness and the restfulness will heal your scars and make you strong, and then it must be your task to let all your power be My Power. Man’s little power is as clay beside the granite rock of My Power. You are My great care. Never feel at the mercy of the world. My angels guard you day and night and nothing can harm you; you would indeed thank Me if you knew the darts of trouble and evil they turn from you. Thank Me indeed for dangers unknown—unseen—but averted.

I came to help a world. And according to the varying needs of each so does each man see Me. It is not necessary that you see Me as others see Me—the world, even the Church, My other disciples, My other followers; but it is necessary that you see Me as supplying all that you personally need. The weak need My Strength. The strong need My Tenderness. The tempted and fallen need My Salvation. The righteous need My Pity for sinners. The lonely need a Friend. The fighters need a Leader. No man could be all these to men—only a God could be. In each of these relations of Mine to man you must see the God. The God-Friend, the God-Leader, the God-Savior.

Not only live but grow in grace and power and beauty—the true beauty, the beauty of holiness. Always reach forward after the things of My Kingdom. In the animal world, the very form of an animal alters to enable it to reach that upon which it delights to feed. So reaching after the treasures of My Kingdom, your whole nature becomes changed; so that you can best enjoy and receive the wonders of that Kingdom. Dwell on these truths.

This life is not for the body, it is for the soul, and man too often chooses the way of life that best suits the body; not the way that best suits the soul. And I permit only what best suits the soul. Accept this and a wonderful molding is the result, reject it and My Purpose is frustrated, your best prayer unanswered, progress (spiritual progress) delayed, trouble and grief stored up. Try to picture your soul as a third entity being trained by us—by you and Me—and then you will share, and rejoice in sharing, in the discipline and training. Stand apart from your soul with Me and welcome training—rejoice at progress.

Your discipleship is an obstacle race. “So run that ye may obtain.” Obtain not only your hearts’ desires, but obtain Me—your souls’ Joy and Haven. What would you think of the runner who threw himself on the ground in despondency at his first hurdle? Over and on and up. I am your Leader and your goal.

To praise and thank and steadily fulfill your promises (vows) to Me are then, as it were, like the placing of small coins in My Bank, upon which, in your time of need, you can withdraw large amounts with confidence and certainty. Remember that. The world wonders when it sees the man who can so unexpectantly draw large and unsuspected sums from his bank for his own need, that of a friend or for some charity. But what the world has not seen are the countless small sums paid into that bank, earned by faithful work in so many ways. And so in My Kingdom. The world sees the man of faith make a sudden demand upon Me, upon My Stores, and lo, that demand is met. When you seem not able to do big things you can be storing your little acts and words of faithfulness in My Great Storehouse, ready for the day of your big demand.

My Peace is the peace that only I can give in the midst of a restless world and surrounded by trouble and difficulty. To know My Peace is to have received the stamp of the Kingdom—the mark of the Lord Jesus Christ. My Mark. When you have learned that peace you are fit to judge of true values, the values of the Kingdom, and the values of all the world has to offer. That peace is loving faith at rest.

Be watchful to hear My Voice and instantly obey. Obedience is your great sign of faith. “Why call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?” was My Word when on earth to the many who followed and heard, but did not do so. Do not feel that by this I mean only the keeping of My Commandments, even the living My Sermon on the Mount. I mean more than that to those who know Me intimately. I mean the following, in all, the Inner Guiding that I give, the little injunctions I speak to each individual soul, the wishes I express—and desires to have carried out. The secure, steadfast, immovable life of My disciples, the Rock Home, is not built at a wish, in a moment; but is laid, stone by stone, foundations, walls, and roof, by the acts of obedience, the daily following out of My Wishes, and the loving doing of My Will. And it is in that Rock Home, manmade but Divinely Inspired—the House of Obedience—the truest expression of a disciple’s adoration and devotion—it is there that I come to dwell with My loved one.

Looking to Me, all of your thoughts are God-inspired. Act on them and you will be led on. They are not your own impulses but the movement of My Spirit and, obeyed, will bring the answer to your prayers. Love and trust. Let no unkind thoughts dwell in your heart, then I can act with all My Spirit-Power, with nothing to hinder.

It is not circumstances that need altering first, but yourself, and then the conditions will naturally change. Spare no effort to become all I would have you be. Follow every leading. I am your only Guide. Endeavor to cast out from you every thought of trouble. Take each day, and with no backward look, face the day’s problem with Me, and seek My Help and guidance as to what you can do.

I am planning for you. Wonderful are My Ways beyond your knowledge. Oh, realize My Bounty and My Goodness more and more. The wonder of being led by Me! The beauty of a guided life! These will enter your consciousness more and more and bring you more and more joy. You are very nearly at the point when you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. You have entered upon a wonderful era—your life is planned and blessed by Me as never before. You are overcoming. You are counting all things but loss if you can win Me. And the promises to him that overcomes are truly wonderful, and will always be fulfilled.

Walk in My Way and trust Me. No evil can touch you. I am yours as truly as you are Mine. Rest in that truth. Rest, that is, cease all struggle. Gain a calm, strong confidence in that certainty. Do not only rest in Me when the world’s struggles prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone. Rest in Me when you need perfect understanding or when you need the consciousness of tender, loving friendship. The world, my poor world, flies to Me when its difficulties are too great to be surmounted any other way, forgetting, or never realizing, that if, with the same eagerness, those hearts sought Me merely for companionship and loving friendship, many of the difficulties would not arise. The circumstances, the life, the character would be so altered—so purified, that those same difficulties would not exist. Seek Me early; that is the way to find Me. Early, before I get crowded out by life’s troubles and difficulties and pleasures.

“Jesus.” Say My Name often. It was in My Name that Peter commanded the lame man to walk. “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth arise and walk.” “Jesus.” The very sounding of My Name, in love and tenderness, drives away all evil. It is the Word before which all the hosts of evil flee. “Jesus.” My Name is the call for a lifeline to rescue you from temptation. “Jesus.” The Name banishes loneliness—dispels gloom. “Jesus.” Summons help to conquer your faults. I will set you on high because you have known My Name. Yes! My Name—“Jesus.” Use it more. Use it tenderly. Use it prayerfully. Use it powerfully.

The world has always seen service for Me to be activity. Only those near to Me have seen that a life with Me, of prayer, may, and does so often, accomplish more than all the service man can offer Me. If man lived with Me and only went out to serve at My direct command, My Spirit could operate more effectively and accomplish truly mighty things.

Follow the path of obedience. It leads to the Throne of God. Your treasure, be it success necessary on the material plane, which will further the work of My Kingdom, or the hidden spiritual wonders revealed by Me to those only who diligently seek; this treasure lies at the end of the track. All of your work for the moment is in the material plane and the spiritual is only to help the material. When your material goal is reached, then the material will serve only to attain the spiritual.

Wait to hear My Will and then obey. At all costs obey. Do not fear. I am a wall of protection around you. See this. To see this with the eyes of faith is to cause it to manifest in the material. Remember I long to work miracles, but the same condition holds good. I cannot do many mighty works because of unbelief. So only in response to your belief can I do miracle-works now.

I bless you. I promise you release. Joy in Me. You shall be shielded from the storm. Wonders have unfolded. Just to come before Me and stay for a while in My Presence—this must strengthen and help you. Learn of Me. The only way for so many in My poor world to keep calm, sane, is to have the mind which is in your Lord. The mind which is in Me. That mind you can never obtain by reasoning, but only by living with Me and sharing My Life. Think much of Me. Speak much of Me. See others as I see them. Let nothing less satisfy you.

Cling to Me until the life from Me—the Divine Life, be that very contact, flows into your being and revives your fainting spirit. Become recharged. When weary, do as I did on earth—sit by the well. Rest. Rest and gain power and strength and the work too will come to you as it came to Me. Rest till every care-thought has gone, and then let the tide of love and joy flow in.

Have you ever realized the wonder of the friendship you can have with Me? Have you ever thought what it means to be able to summon at will the God of the World? Even with a privileged visitor to an earthly king there is the palace antechamber, and the time must be at the pleasure of the king. But to My subjects I have given the right to enter My Presence when they will, no, more; they can summon Me to bedside, to workshop—and I am there. When men seek to worship Me they think of the worlds I rule over, of creation, of mighty law and order—and then they feel the awe that precedes worship. To you I say feel awe, feel the desire to love Me in wondering amazement. But think too of the mighty, tender, humble condescension of My Friendship. Think of Me in the little things of everyday life.

Learn in the little daily things of life to delay action until you get My Guidance… So many lives lack poise. For in the momentous decisions and the big things of life, they ask My help but into the small things they rush alone. By what you do in the small things, those around you are most often antagonized or attracted.

The Eternal Arms shelter you. “Underneath are the Everlasting Arms.” This promise is to those who rise above the earth-life and seek to soar higher, to the Kingdom of Heaven. I had no words of reproach for any I healed. The man was whole and free who had wrecked his physical being by sin—whose palsy I healed. The woman at the well was not overwhelmed by My “Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” The woman taken in adultery was told “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” She was not told to bear the burden of the consciousness of her sin…Remember now abide these three; faith, hope, and charity. Faith is your attitude towards Me. Charity your attitude towards your fellowman but, as necessary, is hope, which is confidence in yourself to succeed.

It has not been in vain this training and teaching time. The time of suppression, repression, and depression is changed now into a time of glorious expression. Life is flooded through and through with joy and gladness. Indeed I have prepared a table of delights; a feast of all good things for you. Indeed your cup runs over and you can feel from the very depth of your heart. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

You can never go beyond My Love and Care. Remember that. No evil can befall you. Circumstances I bless and use must be the right ones for you. But know always that the first step is to lay your will before Me as an offering, ready that I shall do what is best, sure that, if you trust Me, what I do for you will be best. Your second step is to be sure, and to tell Me so, that I am Powerful enough to do everything (“The hearts of kings are in My rule and governance”), that no miracle is impossible with Me (“With God all things are possible” and “I and My Father are One”). Then leave all with Me. Glad to leave all your affairs in a Master Hand. Sure of safety and protection. Remember you cannot see the future. I can. You could not bear it. So only little by little can I reveal it to you. Accept My Will and it will bring you joy.

Take joy wherever you go. You have been much blessed. You are being much blessed. Such stories of blessing are awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass every blessing on. Love can and does go round the world, passed on the God-currents from one to the other. Spread a little sunshine in the heart of one; that one is cheered to pass it on, and so My vitalizing joy-giving Message goes. Be transmitters these days. Love and laugh. Cheer all. Love all. Always seek to understand others and you cannot fail to love them; see Me in the dull, the uninteresting, the sinful, the critical, and the miserable. See Me in the laughter of children and the sweetness of old age, in the courage of youth and the patience of man and womanhood.

I learn daily the uplifting lesson of trust and calm in the midst of storm. Whatever sorrow or difficulty the day may bring, My tender Command to you is still the same—love and laugh. Love and laughter, not a sorrowful resignation, mark real acceptances of My Will. Leave every soul the braver and happier for having met you. For children or youth, middle or old age, for sorrow, for sin, for all you may encounter in others, this should be your attitude. Love and laugh. Do not fear. Remember how I faced the devil in the wilderness, and how I conquered with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” You too have your quick answer for every fear that evil may present—an answer of faith and confidence in Me. Wherever possible say it aloud. The spoken word has power. Look on every fear, not as a weakness on your part due to illness or worry, but as a very real temptation to be attacked and overthrown.

Face the future, but face it only with a brave and happy heart. Do not seek to see it. You are robbing Faith of her inspiring sweetness if you do this. Just know that all is well and that faith, not seeing, but believing, is the barge that will bear you to safety; over the stormy waters. If for wonder-working, if for healing, if for salvation, faith was so necessary then the reason is clear why I urged that all who sought entrance to My Kingdom must become as little children. Faith is the child-attitude. Seek in every way to become childlike. Seek, seek, seek until you find, until the years have added to your nature that of the trusting child. Not only for its simple trust must you copy the child-spirit, but for its joy in life, its ready laughter, its lack of criticism, its desire to share all with all. Ask much that you may become as little children, friendly and loving towards all—not critical, not fearful. “Except ye…become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

My children, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” That is satisfaction. Only in that fullness of spiritual things can the heartsick and faint and weary be satisfied, healed, and rested. “Lord,” we cry, “To Whom shall we go but to Thee.” “Thou prepared a table before me.” Bread of Life, Food from Heaven. How few realize that the feeding of the four thousand and the five thousand was in each case but an illustration of the way in which I should one day be the Food of My people. Think of the wonder of revelation still to be seen by those who live with Me. All these hundreds of years, and much of what I said and did is still mystery, much of My Life on earth is still spiritually unexplored country. Only to the simple and the loving heart that walks with Me can these things be revealed. I have carefully hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them unto babes. Do not weigh your spirits down with the sins and sorrows of the world. Only a Christ can do that and live. Look for the loving, the true, the kindly, and the brave in the many all around you.

What man calls conversion is often only the discovery of the Great Friend. What man calls religion is the knowledge of the Great Friend. What man calls holiness is the imitation of the Great Friend. Perfection, that perfection I enjoined on all, the being perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect, is being like the Great Friend and in turn becoming to others a Great Friend, too. I am your Friend. Think again of all that means—Friend and Savior. A friend is ready to help, anticipating every want, hand outstretched to help and encourage, or to ward off danger; a voice of tenderness to soothe tired nerves and speak peace to restlessness and fear. Think of what, to you, your friend is and then from that, try to see a little of what the Perfect Friend, the tireless, selfless, all-conquering, all miracle-working Friend would be. That Friend, and even more than your heart can imagine; that Friend am I. Were I to read My Kingdom—My Kingdom of the child hearts—the doctrines of your churches, so often there would be no response. But the simple rules I gave My followers are known, loved, and lived by them all. In all things seek simplicity.

I am with you all the time controlling, blessing, and helping you. No man or woman can stand against My Will for you. A whole world of men and women cannot do this—if you trust Me and place your affairs in My Hands.

Never let yourself think, “We cannot afford this,” or “shall never be able to do that.” Simply say “The supply for it is not here yet, but it will come if we should have it. It will surely come.” Persevere in saying that and gradually a feeling of being plentifully supplied and of being surrounded by riches will possess you. That feeling is your faith claiming My Supply, and according to your faith it shall be unto you. But it is not the faith expressed in moments of prayer and exaltation I look for but the faith that lays immediately to rest the doubts of the day as they arise, that attacks and conquers the sense of limitation. “Ask and ye shall receive.”

Help and peace and joy are here. Your courage will be rewarded. Painful as this time is you will one day see the reason of it, and see too that it was not cruel testing, but tender preparation for the wonderful lifework you are to do. Try to realize that your own prayers are being most wonderfully answered. Answered in a way that seems painful to you, but that right now is the only way. Success in the temporal world would not satisfy you. Great success, in both temporal and spiritual worlds, awaits you. I know you will see this had to be.

You are being guided but remember that I said, “I will guide thee with Mine eye.” And My Eye is My set Purpose—My Will. To guide with My Will is to bring all your desires into oneness with My Will and My Desires. To make My Will your only will. Then My Will guides you.

Joy in Me. Joy is infectious. Trust and pray. It is not sin for one who knows Me only as God, as Creator, to doubt Me, to question My Love and Purposes. But for one who knows Me as you do, as Friend and Savior, and who knows the world’s God as Father—for that one to doubt My Purpose and saving Power and tender Love is wrong indeed.

Expect not one miracle but many. Each day’s happenings, if of My Working, and under My Control, are miracle-works.

You are Mine and once I have set on you My Stamp and Seal of ownership, all My Hosts throng to serve and protect you. Remember that you are a son of a King. Try to picture My bodyguard servants in the unseen waiting and longing to efficiently do all that is necessary for your well-being. Feel this as you go through the day. Feel this and all is well.

If you believe it is My Hand that has saved you, then you must believe that I am meaning to save you yet even more, and to keep you in the way that you should go. Even a human rescuer does not save a man from drowning only to place him in other deep and dangerous waters. But rather to place him on dry land—and more—there to restore him to animation and health, and to see him to his home. My cry on the Cross of “It is finished” is My Cry of salvation for a whole world. I complete every task committed to Me. So trust and be not afraid.

Can you get the expectant attitude of faith? Not waiting for the next evil to befall you but awaiting with a child’s joyful trust the next good in store?

Rejoice indeed that you see My Hand in all the happenings and the keepings of the day. Protected, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea; so are you protected in all things. Rely on this and go forward. You have now entered upon the stage of success. You must not doubt this. You must see this. Beyond all doubt you must know it. It is true. It is sure. There is no age in eternal life. Have no pity for yourself; nothing but joy and gratitude.

Know My Divine Power. Trust in Me. Dwell in My Love. Laugh and trust. Laughter is a child’s faith in God and goodness. Seek safety in My Secret Place. You cannot be touched or harmed there. That is sure. Really feel as if you were in a strong tower, strongly guarded, and against which nothing can prevail.

See yourself as those around you see you, not as you wish to be, and walk humbly with Me. I will set you on high because you have known My Name, but it must be a purified you to be so exalted.

I am beside you. Follow in all things My Guiding. Marvels beyond all your imaginings are unfolding. I am your Guide. Joy in that thought. Your Guide and your Friend. Remember that to Me a miracle is only a natural happening. To My disciples, to My chosen, a miracle is only a natural happening. But it is a natural happening operative through spiritual forces, and therefore the man who works and understands through the senses only regards it as something contrary to Nature. My children, the children of My Kingdom as a peculiar people, are set apart with different hopes, aspirations, motives and a sense of reward. My children, listen, as this has not happened easily and simply. It has been achieved by hours, days, and months of weariness and heartache battled against and overcome, by a steadfast, unflinching desire to conquer self; to do My Will and live My Teachings. The troubles, worries and the scorn patiently borne mean spiritual power acquired; operating marvelously.

Carry out My Commands and leave the result to Me. Do this as obediently and faithfully as you would expect a child to follow out a given rule in the working of a sum, with no question but that, if the working out is done according to command, the result will be right. Remember that the commands I have given you have been already worked out by Me in the spirit world to produce in your case, and in your circumstances, the required result. So follow My Rules faithfully. The knowledge of your individual life and character, capability, circumstances, and temptations must be, to some extent, lacking, but to follow My direct Guidance means to carry out instructions given with a full knowledge of you and the required result. Each individual was meant to walk with Me in this way, to act under Divine Control, strengthened by Divine Power.

The way to remove mountains is by praise. When a trouble comes think of all you have to be thankful for. Praise, praise, Praise. Say “thank you” all the time. This is the remover of mountains; your thankful hearts of praise.

Abide in Me. “The works that I do shall ye do also; and greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto My Father.” “Greater Works!” The blind received their sight, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the poor had the Gospel preached to them. “And greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto My Father.” Wonder of the world! Miracle of the ages! God’s Power manifest in believing man! God’s Power going out to bless, through the agency of the man actuated by the Holy Spirit. Arise from the grave of sickness, poverty, doubt, despondency, and limitation. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” A wonderful future is before you. A future of unlimited power to bless others. Just be a channel. Be used. Ask. Ask. “Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you,” and unto those for whom you pray.

My children, My Peace does truly pass all understanding. That peace no man takes from you. No man has the power to disturb that peace, but you yourself can let the world and its worries and distractions in. Set yourself this task to allow nothing to disturb your peace, your heart calm, with Me. Stop all work, stop all discussions with others—until this is restored. Do not let those about you spoil your peace of heart and mind. Do not let anyone without, any trouble, any irritation, and any adversity, disturb it for one moment. Look on each difficulty as training to enable you to acquire this peace. Every work, every interruption—set yourself to see that none of it touches the harmony of the real you, that is hid with Me in the secret place of the Father.

Keep close to Me and you shall know the way because, as I said to My disciples; I am the Way. That is the solution to all of earth’s problems. Keep close, very close to Me. Think, act, and live in My Presence. That is the secret of all power, all peace, all purity, all influence; the keeping very near to Me. Abide in Me. Live in My Presence. Rejoice in My Love. Thank and praise all the time. Wonders are unfolding.

I am your Lord. Lord of your life, Controller of your days, your present and your future. Leave all plans to Me. Only act as I bid you. You have entered now upon the God-guided life. Think what that means. God-taught and God-guided. Is anything too wonderful for such a life? Do you begin to see how wonderful life with Me can be? Do you see that no evil can befall you?

Forget, forgive, love and laugh. Treat all as you would treat Me; with love and consideration. Let nothing that others do to you alter your treatment of them.

I walk with you. Oh, think, My children, not only to guide and comfort you and strengthen and uphold, but for solace and comfort for Myself. When a loving child is by you, is it the nearness only, that you may provide protection and help for that little one? Rather, too, that in that little child you may find joy and cheer and comfort in its simplicity; its love, its trust. So, too, it is in your power to comfort and bring joy to My Heart.

I am your shield. Feel that between you and all scorn and indignity is a strong shield. Practice feeling this until nothing has the power to soil the inward peace. Then indeed a marvelous victory shall be won. You wonder sometimes why you are permitted to make mistakes in your choice when you sought so truly to do My Will in the matter; to that I say it was no mistake…All your lessons cannot be learned without difficulty, and this was needed to teach you a lesson. Not to him who walks on, with no obstacles in his way, but to him that overcomes is the promise given. So attain peace quickly in your surroundings, as well as in your heart, learn your lesson quickly. And the overcoming is never the overcoming of the one who troubled you, but the overcoming of the weaknesses and wrongs in your own nature, aroused by such a one. No lower standard than My Standard shall be yours. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Do not think that suffering is the only path into My Kingdom. There are sunlit glades, and ways amid the loveliest flowers, along which the steps and hearts of men are drawn to Me. There are birds and laughter and butterflies, and warm, life-giving summer air, and with these are tender companions and friends, the joy-way into the Kingdom can be taken. Even in the spirit-world appreciation results from contrary experience. Can the fireside of home be dearer than to the traveler who has forced his way over bleak moor and through blinding storm? The world is not the Kingdom. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Live with Me, the conquering Christ, and the joy and peace of conquest shall be yours too.

Think much of My servants of old. How Abraham believed the promise (when as yet he had no child) that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. How Moses led the children of Israel through the desert, sure that, at last, they would gain the Promised Land. Down through the ages there have always been those who obeyed, not seeing but believing, and their faith was rewarded. So shall it be even with you.

Give Me the gift of a brave and thankful heart. Man proves his greatness by his power to see causes for thankfulness in his life. When life seems hard, and troubles crowd, then very definitely look for causes for thankfulness. The sacrifice, the offering of thanksgiving, is indeed a sweet incense going up to Me through the busy day. Seek diligently for the something to be glad and thankful about in every happening, and soon no search will be required. The causes for joy and gratitude will spring to greet your loving heart.

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” There is no bond of union on earth to compare with the union between a soul that loves Me—and Me. Priceless beyond all earth’s imaginings is that friendship. In the merging of heart, mind and will a oneness results that only those who experience it can even dimly realize.

I love to pour My Blessings down in rich choicest measure. But like the seed-sowing—the ground must be prepared before the seed is dropped in. Your task is to prepare the soil—Mine is to drop the seed-blessing into the prepared soil. Together we share in, and joy in, the harvest. Spend more time in soil-preparing. Prayer fertilizes soil. There is much to do in preparation.

My children, how dear to My Heart is the cry of love that asks for all of Me; that wishes every action, thought, word, and moment to be Mine. How poor the understanding of the one who thinks that only money is to be used in this good work or that it is the great gift to offer. Above all I desire love; true, warm, childlike love, the trusting understanding love; and then the gift I prize next is the gift of the moments, of all the moments. I think even when love’s impetuous longing to serve Me has offered Me all life, every day, every hour; I think even then it is a long, and not an easy lesson, to learn, what it means to give Me the moments. The little things you planned to do, given up gladly at My Suggestion; the little services joyfully rendered. See Me in all and then it will be an easy task. This is a priceless time of initiation, but remember that the path of initiation is not for all; but only for those who have felt the sorrow-cry of the world that needs a Savior and the tender plea of a Savior who needs followers through whom He can accomplish His great work of salvation joyfully.

Draw into your being more and more this wonderful eternal life. It is the flow of the life eternal through spirit, mind, and body, that cleanses, heals, restores, renews youth, and passes on from you to others, with the same miracle-working power. Make Me the one abiding Presence of your day of which you are conscious all the time. Seek to do less and to accomplish more; to achieve more. Doing is action. Achievement is successful action. Remember that eternal life is the only lasting life, so that all that is done without being in the power of My Spirit, My Life, is passing. All done in that spirit-life is undying. Eternal life means security and safety. Dwell increasingly in the consciousness of that security; that safety.

I am your Healer, your Joy, your Lord. You bid Me, your Lord, to come. Did you not know that I am here? With noiseless footfall I draw near to you. Your hour of need is the moment of My Coming. Could you know My Love, could you measure My Longing to help, you would know that I need no agonizing pleading. Your need is My Call.

Rest more with Me. If I, the Son of God, needed those times of quiet communion with My Father, away, alone, from noise, from activity—then surely you need them too. Refilling with the Spirit is a need. That dwelling together, that shutting yourself away in the very secret place of your being—away alone with Me. From these times you come forth in power to bless and heal.

My keeping Power is never at fault, but only your realization of it; not whether I can provide a shelter from the storm, but your failure to be sure of the security of that shelter. Every fear, every doubt, is a crime against My Love. Practice daily, many times a day, saying “All is well.” Say it until you believe it, know it.

Rely on Me alone. Ask no other help. Pay all out in the Spirit of trust that more will come to meet your supply. Empty your vessels quickly to ensure a Divine Supply. So much retained by you, so much the less will be gained from Me. It is a Law of Divine Supply. To hold back, to retain, implies a fear of the future, a lack of trust in Me. When you ask Me to save you from the sea of poverty and difficulty you must trust everything to Me. If you do not, and your prayer and faith are genuine, then I must first answer your prayer for help as a rescuer does that of a drowning man who is struggling to save himself. He renders him still more helpless and powerless until he is totally at the will and mercy of the rescuer. So understand My leading. Trust wholly. Trust completely. Empty your vessel. I will fill it. You ask to understand Divine Supply; it is a most difficult lesson for My children to learn. They have become so dependent on material supply that they fail to understand. You must live as I tell you. Depend on Me.

Come to Me, talk to Me, dwell with Me, and then you will know My Way is a sure way, My Paths are safe paths. Come very near to Me. Dig deep down into the soil of the Kingdom. Effort and rest—a union of the two.

For straying, My children, there is no cure except to keep so close to Me that nothing; no interest, no temptation, no other—can come between us. Once sure that you can stay at My Side, knowing that, as I am the very Way itself; nothing can prevent you from being in the Way; nothing can cause you to stray. I have promised peace but not leisure, heart-rest and comfort, but not pleasure. I have said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation”; so do not feel when adverse things happen, that you have failed or are not being guided, but I have said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So learn of Me the overcoming power of One who, though spat upon, scourged, misunderstood, forsaken, and crucified; could yet see His Work had not been affected by these things, and cry triumphantly from His Cross, “It is finished.” Not the pain, the mocking, or the agony; but His Task. Let this thought comfort you. Amid failure, discord, and suffering; even now My friends and angels are prepared to sound the chorus, “It is finished.”

Yes! Remember always—that out of darkness I am leading you to light. Out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order. Out of faults and failure to perfection. So trust Me wholly. Fear nothing. Hope ever. Look ever up to Me and I will be your sure aid. I and the Father are One. So He who made the ordered, beautiful world out of chaos, and set the stars in their courses, and made each plant to know its season; can He not bring out of your little chaos, peace and order? And He and I are One, and you are Mine. Your affairs are Mine. It is My Divine Task to order My affairs—therefore yours will be ordered by Me.

Remember no prayer goes unanswered. Remember that the moment a thing seems wrong to you, or a person’s actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted, or that person to know Me. You will see lives you never touch altered, laws made at your request and evils banished. Yes! Live in a large sense. Live to serve and to save. You may never go beyond one room, and yet you may become one of the most powerful forces for good in your country or in the world. You may never see the mighty work you do, but I see it; evil sees it. It is a glorious life, the life of one who saves.

Ever your Helper through the dark to light, through weakness to power, through sin to salvation, through danger to security, through poverty to plenty, through indifference to love, and through resentment to perfect forgiveness. Never be satisfied with a comparison with those around you. Forever let My Words ring out. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Stop short at nothing less. Make it your practice to review your character—take it in relation to life, to your loved ones, your household, friends, acquaintances, your country, your work; then see where I, in the same relation or circumstances or situation, would act differently. Plan how best such and such a fault can be eradicated, or such and such sin, mistake, or omission, be avoided. A weekly review at least you must have.

Life—spiritual, mental, physical, abundant life—can be a joyous life, powerful life. Yes! These I came to give you. Do not think My Heart was not sad that so few would accept that gracious gift! Think! Earth’s richest, choicest gift held out—free to all, and no man cares to stretch out a hand to take it. Is that possible? My Gift, the richest Heaven has to offer, that precious gift of life, abundant life—man turns away from—rejects—will have none of. Let it not be true of you. Hasten to take—to use.

I will guide your efforts. You are not being punished for past sins. Take My Words, revealed to you each day from the beginning, and do all things as I say. I have been showing you the way. You have not obeyed Me in this. I have a plan that can only be revealed in this way. I have told you that I am longing to use you. Long ago My World would have been brought to Me, had I been served by many such souls.

I come, I come. You need Me. Live much out here. My Sunshine, My glorious Air, My Presence, My Teaching. Sunshine helps to make the heart of man glad. It is the laughter of Nature. Live much outside. My medicines are sun and air; trust and faith. Trust is the spirit sun, your being enwrapped by the Divine Spirit. Faith is the soul’s breathing in of the Divine Spirit.

I am here. No distance separates Me. In the Spirit-Kingdom we do not measure by earth’s miles. A false word, a fear-inspired failure, a harsh criticism; these are the distances between a soul and Me. Your training must be severe, so that your work for Me is unhindered. You seek My Presence and they who seek shall find. It is not a question of human searching, so much as human consciousness; unconditional surrender to My Will in the small, as well as the big things of life. This is what makes My Guidance possible. It is not the way; but the loving rejoicing in the way and the guidance, that matters with My disciples. You are ready for the guidance but you do not rejoice as you should, in the little daily stones of the way.

Bow low before Me. Worship is not supplication, though both express man’s varying needs of Me. Bow low in worship, conscious not only of My humanity but of My Divine Majesty. As you kneel in humble adoration, I will tell you that when I took upon Me your humanity, it was with the desire of raising that humanity to My Divinity. Earth gave Me her best—a human temple to enclose My Divinity, and I brought to her the possession of Divine Power, Divine Love, Divine Strength, to be forever expressed in her children who accepted Me and opened their hearts to Me and sought to live My Life. So, kneeling in a spirit of humility, turn your eyes Heaven-ward and realize the majesty, the power, and the beauty that may be yours. Remember there are no limits to My giving—there may be to your accepting. Rejoice at the wonders to which you are called and, seeing them in prayer, rise in My Strength, filled with the longing to attain them.

Peter could have never done My Work, but for the tender love with which I enwrapped him. Not from the anger of My Father, who is all love, did I need to protect him—not from the scorn of My enemies, nor from the resentment of My friends. No! But from the hatred of Peter himself. And so to My followers today, as then, there comes the shame and remorse and contempt of themselves; of the weak selves. They meant to be so strong and brave for Me. And then I have to protect them or they never could have the courage to fight and conquer. But this facing of the real self has to be—shame and remorse must come. So with you, and I lay it on you as a Command—no looking back! Give yourself, and all you have ever met a fresh start from today; remember no more their sins and failures, or your own. On life’s journey throw away all that is not important. Cast aside all the hindrances, the past imperfections of others, the failure-sense.

Every blessing I send you, every joy, and every freedom achieved from poverty and worry will loosen a strand that ties you to earth. It is only those strands that bind you. Therefore your freedom will mean your rising into the realm of joy and appreciation. Worn-out and tired as you may seem, and pain-weary, I say unto you, “Behold, I make all things new.” That promise shall be fulfilled.

Take your pains and sufferings, difficulties and hardships—each day, and offer them up for one troubled soul, or for some prayer specially needed to be answered. So the beauty of each day will live on after the trouble and distress, difficulty and pain of that day have passed. Learn from My Life of the suffering that saves others. So, you will sing in your pain. Across the grayest days there are the gleams of sunlight.

See not the small trials and tribulations of each hour of the day. See the one purpose and plan to which all are leading. If in climbing a mountain you keep your eyes on each stony or difficult place, as you ascend, seeing only that, how weary and profitless your climb! But if you think of each step as leading to the summit of achievement, from which glories and beauties will open out before you, then your climb will be so different.

I am your Deliverer. Trust in Me absolutely. Know that I will do the very best for you. Be ready and willing for My Will to be done. Know that with Me all things are possible. Cling joyfully to that truth. Say many times, “All things are possible with my Master, my Lord, and my Friend.” This truth, accepted and firmly believed in, is the ladder up which a soul can climb from the lowest of pits to the greatest of heights.

And seeking you shall find. None have ever sought My Presence in vain. None have ever sought My Help in vain. A breath of desire and My Spirit is there—to replenish and renew. Though My Way may seem a narrow way, it yet leads to life, abundant life. Follow it. It is not so narrow that I cannot tread it beside you. Never too lonely with such companionship. A Comrade infinitely tender, infinitely strong, will tread the way with you.

Trials and troubles may seem to overwhelm you. They cannot do more than work My Will, and that Will you have said is your Will. Do you not see that you cannot be destroyed? From now a new life is opening out before you. Yours to enter into the Kingdom I have prepared for you. The sunlight of My Presence is on your path. Trust and go forward unafraid. My Grace is sufficient for all your needs.

Remember that I am the Supreme Being who knows all and can control all. Directly when you put your affairs, their confusion, and their difficulties, into My Hands, I began to affect a cure for all the disharmony and disorder. You must know that I shall cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician, who plans and knows he can affect a cure, would cause his patient. I will do all as tenderly as possible. Tell Me that you trust Me in this.

Service is the Law of Heaven. My angels do always obey. “They serve Him continually” can be said of all who love Me. With love there is continuous service in every action, and also even with rest. Take this not as the end but as the beginning of a new life consecrated to My Service. A life of power and joy.

Just breathe My Name. It is like the pressure of a child’s hand that calls forth an answering pressure, strengthens the child’s confidence, and banishes fear.

Give abundantly. Feel that you are rich. Have no mean thought in your heart. Of love, of thought, of all you have, give, give, give. You are followers of the World’s Greatest Giver. Give of time, of personal ease and comfort, of rest, of fame, of healing, of power, of sympathy, of all these and many more. Learn this lesson, and you will become a great power to help others and to do mighty things.

You must live a life of communion and prayer if you are to save others. Take My Words as a command to you. “By prayer and fasting.” Pray and deny yourself, and you will be used marvelously to save and help others.

My Love will never leave you, My Understanding will never leave you, and My Strength will never leave you. Think of all that I am:
Love—then forever you are sure of Love.
Strength—then forever, in every difficulty and danger, you are sure of strength.
Patience—then always there is One who can never tire.
Understanding—then always you will be understood.
Can you fear the future when it holds so much for you? Beloved, “Set your affections on things above” (the higher, spiritual things), “and not on things on the earth” (the lower, temporal things), and you will see how rich you are.

I am your Lord. Enough. Then I can command your obedient service, your loyalty. But I am bound by My Lordship to give you protection; I am bound to fight for you, to plan for you, to secure you a sufficiency of everything within My Power to provide. Think how vast that provision can be. Never doubt. Such marvels are unfolding. Wonders beyond your dreams. They only need the watering of a grateful spirit and a loving heart to yield abundantly.

I am your Savior. Not only from the weight of sin, but from the weight of care, from misery, and depression, from want and woe, from faintness and heartache. Your Savior. Remember that you are living really in the unseen—that is the real life. Lift up your heads from earth’s troubles, and view the glories of the Kingdom. Higher and higher each day see more of Heaven. Speak to Me. Long for Me. Rest in Me. Abide in Me. No restless bringing Me your burdens, and then feverishly lifting them again and bearing them away. No! Abide in Me. Not for one moment losing the consciousness of My Strength and Protection. As a child in its mother’s arms, stay sheltered and at rest.

Look to Me for all…Rely on Me for all. Drop those burdens, and then, singing and free, you can go on your way rejoicing. Encumbered with them you will fall. Drop them at My Feet, knowing surely that I will lift them and deal with each one as is truly best.

Progress is the Law of Heaven. Higher, ever higher, rise to life and beauty, knowledge and power. Higher and higher. Tomorrow be stronger, braver, and more loving than you have been today. The Law of Progress gives a meaning, a purpose to life.

Your loved ones are very safe in My Keeping. Learning and loving and working, theirs is a life of happiness and progress. They live to serve, and serve they truly do. They serve Me and those they love. Ceaselessly they serve. How often mortals rush to earthly friends who can serve them in so limited a way, when the friends who are freed from the limitations of humanity can serve them so much better, understand better, protect better, plan better, and even plead better their cause with Me. You do well to remember your friends in the unseen. Learning to know Me draws that Kingdom very near, and in Me, and through knowledge of Me, the dear ones there become very near and dear.

Arms, sheltering Arms, express the loving tenderness of your Father (My Father) in Heaven. Man, in his trouble and difficulty, needs nothing so much as a refuge. A place to hide in. A place where none and nothing can touch him. Say to yourself, “He is my Refuge.” Say it until its truth sinks into your very soul. Say it until you know it—are so sure of it, that nothing can make you afraid. Feel this not only until fear goes, but until joy ripples through in its place. Refuge. Everlasting Arms so untiring, so safe—so sure.

When supply seems to have failed you must know it has not done so; but you must, at the same time, look around to see what you can give away. Give away something. There is always a stagnation, a blockage, when supply seems short. Your giving clears that away, and lets the spirit of My Supply flow clear. A consciousness of Me means the opening of your whole nature to Me, and that brings relief. Relief brings peace. Peace brings joy. The “Peace that passes all understanding” and the “Joy no man takes from you.” Beyond all words is My Love and Care for you. Be sure of it. Rejoice in it. Walk in My Love. These words mean much. There is a joy, a spring, a gladness in the walk of those who walk in My Love. That walk becomes a glad conquering and triumphant march. So walk.

Yes! Your conquering power you gain from Me. There can be no failure with Me. The secret of success then is life with Me. Do you want to make the best of life? Then live very near to Me, the Master and Giver of all life. Your reward will be sure. It will be perfect success; but My success. My success. The world may deem you a failure. The world judges not as I judge. Bend your knees in wonder before My Revelation. The joy of seeing spiritual truths is a great joy. When the Heavens are opened and the Voice speaks; the Voice speaks not to all hearts, but just to the faithful loving hearts. Remember your great field of labor is yourself. That is your first task, the weeding, the planting, digging, pruning, and bearing fruit. When that is done, I lead you out into other fields.

You must be ready to stand apart from the world. Do you want the full and complete satisfaction that you find in Me, and the satisfaction of the world too? Then you are trying to serve God and mammon, or if not trying to serve, then claiming the wages of both God and mammon. If you work for Me, you have your reward. But then you turn to the world, to human beings, and expect that reward too. This is not right. Do not expect love or gratitude or acknowledgment from any. All reward necessary I will give you.

Yes, I am your Master; I am a generous Giver. Abundant life, in overflowing measure, I give to you. For that I came. Life for souls. The life, eternal life, that pulses through your whole being, that animates your mind and body too. A generous Giver. A Kingly Giver. For this I came that man might live in Me. Life it was of which I spoke when I said, “I am the Vine and ye are the branches.” The life flow of the Vine is in the branches. Our lives are one—yours and Mine. All that is in My Nature must therefore pass into yours, where the contact is so close a one. I am Love and Joy and Peace and Strength and Power and Healing and Humility and Patience, and all else you see in Me, your Lord. Then these, too, you must have as My Life flows through you. So have courage. You do not make yourself loving and strong and patient and humble. You live with Me, and then My Life accomplishes the miracle-change.

The eye of the soul is the will. If your one desire is My Kingdom, to find that Kingdom, to serve that Kingdom, then truly shall your whole body be full of light. When you are told to seek first the Kingdom of God, the first step is to secure that your will is for that Kingdom. A single eye to God’s Glory. Desiring nothing less than His Kingdom come. Seeking in all things the advance of His Kingdom. Know no values but spiritual values. No profit but that of spiritual gain. Seek in all things His Kingdom first. Only seek material gain when that gain will mean a gain for My Kingdom. Get away from money values altogether. Walk with Me. Learn of Me. Talk to Me. Here lies your true happiness.

My Name is the power that turns evil aside; that summons all good to your aid. Spirits of evil flee at the sound of “Jesus.” Spoken in fear, in weakness, in sorrow, in pain; it is an appeal I never fail to answer. “Jesus.” Use My Name often. Think of the unending call of “Mother” made by her children. To help, to care, to decide, to appeal, “Mother.” Use My Name in that same way—simply, naturally, forcefully. “Jesus.” Use it not only when you need help but to express love. Uttered aloud, or in the silence of your heart, it will alter an atmosphere from one of discord to one of love. It will raise the standard of talk and thought. “Jesus.” “There is none other Name under Heaven whereby you can be saved.”

As a soul realizes Me and My Power, and knows Me as Helper and Savior; that soul believes in Me more and more. At the same time it is more conscious than before of its falling short of absolute trust in Me. “Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief.” The soul’s progress, an increased belief—then a cry for more faith—a plea to conquer all unbelief, all lack of trust. That cry heard. That prayer answered. More faith, and at the same time more power to see where trust is lacking.

Rest in Me. When tired nature rebels it is her call for rest. Rest then until My Life-Power flows through you. Have no fear for the future. Be quiet, be still, and in that very stillness your strength will come and will be maintained. The world sees strength in action. In My Kingdom it is known that strength lies in quiet. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Such a promise! Such glorious fulfillment! The strength of peace and the peace of strength. Rest in Me. Joy in Me.

My Peace gives quietness and assurance forever. My Peace flows as some calm river through the dry land of life. That causes the trees and flowers of life to spring forth and to yield abundantly. Success is the result of work done in peace. Only so can work yield its increase. Let there be no hurry in your plans. You live not in time but in eternity. It is in the unseen that your life-future is being planned. Abide in Me, and I in you, so shall you bring forth much fruit. Be calm, assured, at rest. Love, not rush. Peace, not unrest. Nothing fitful. All effectual. Sown in prayer, watered by trust, bearing flower and fruit in joy. I love you.

Put all fear of the future aside. Know that you will be led. Know that you will be shown. I have promised.

Hide in a sure place, known only to God and you. So secret that no power on earth can even find it. But, My beloved children, you must dwell therein. No fitful visit, a real abiding. Make it your home. Your dwelling-place. Over that home shall My Shadow rest, to make it doubly safe; doubly secret. Like brooding mother-bird wings that shadow rests. How safe, how sure, you must feel there. When fears assail you, and cares trouble you, then it is because you have ventured out of that protecting shadow. Then the one, the only thing, to do is to creep back into shelter again. So rest.

Remember that the truths I teach you have all been given to you (as to My disciples of old) with the idea of giving you that overflowing joy…Search for the joy in life. Hunt for it as for hidden treasure. Love and laugh. Delight yourself in the Lord. Joy in Me. Full joy it was that I wished My disciples to have. I intended them to have it. Had they lived My Teachings out in their daily lives they would have had fullness of joy.

He is good. Trust in Him. Know that all is well. Say “God is good. God is good.” Just leave in His Hands the present and the future, knowing only that He is good. He can bring order out of chaos, good out of evil, and peace out of turmoil. God is good. I and My Father are One. One in desire to do good. For God to do good for His children is for Him to share His goodness with them. God is good, anxious to share His goodness, and good things, with you, and He will do this. Trust and be not afraid.

Your Father is the God and Controller of a mighty universe. But He is as I am. All the love and the strength and beauty you have seen in Me are in My Father. If you see that, and know Him and Me as we really are, then that is sufficient for you—completes your life—satisfies you—is all you need. See the Father, see Me, and it is sufficient for you. This is love in abundance. Joy in abundance. All you need.

Sing unto Me from a glad heart. Sing and praise My Holy Name. Praise is man’s joy-tribute to Me, and as you praise with thrills of joy surge through your being, you learn something of the joy of the Heavenly Host.

This is a law in the spiritual life. You must turn to Me before you are conscious of My Nearness. It is that turning to Me you must cultivate in every circumstance. A glad turning of thankfulness, or a turning of weak appeal. It is so wonderful that nothing is needed but that mute appeal. You have no need to voice your longing. No need to plead, no need to bring gifts. How wonderful to feel you can simply claim help, and so promptly, so lovingly, it is there. Not only help but the comfort and joy of Divine Nearness and Companionship. A nearness that brings sweetness into life, and confidence, and peace. Never fear, never lose heart. Draw near to Me, and in that nearness is all you need. My Presence alone can transform conditions and lives—bring harmony and beauty, peace and love.

Learn of no one but Me. Teachers are to point the way to Me. After that you must accept Me; the Great Teacher. The words of eternal life are all the words controlling your being, even controlling your temporal life. Take these too from Me. Have no fear. Abide in Me and accept My Ruling. Be full of gratitude. Wing up your prayers on praise to Heaven. Take all that happens as My planning. All is well. I have all prepared in My Love. Let your heart sing.

Stop all feverish haste and be calm and untroubled. Come unto Me, not only for petitions to be granted but for nearness to Me. Be sure of My Help, be conscious of My Presence, and wait until My Rest fills your soul. Rest knows no fear. Rest knows no want. Rest is strong, sure. Rest, and all you need to gain this rest is to come to Me. So come.

Yes! Remember to serve all. Be ready to prove your sonship by service. Look on all you meet as guests in your Father’s House, to be treated with love, with all consideration, with gentleness. As a servant of all, think no work beneath you. Be ever ready to do all you can for others. Serve. Serve. Serve. There is a gladness in service, a joy in doing My Will for others, in being My Expression of all good for them. Remember that, when you serve others, you are acting for your Master and Lord who washed His disciple’s feet. So, in service for others you are expressing your love for Me.

My power to save increases as your power to understand My Salvation increases. So from strength to strength, from power to power, we go in union. Limitless is My Miracle-working Power in the universe, though it has limitations in each individual life, but only to the extent of the lack of vision of that individual. There is no limit to My Power to save. Also there is no limit to My Desire and longing to save. My Hand is not shortened and it is “stretched out still,” longing and waiting to be allowed to bless and help and save. Think how tenderly I respect the right of each individual soul. Never forcing upon it My Help. My Salvation. Perhaps in all My Suffering for humanity that is the hardest, the restraint of the Divine Impatience and longing to help, until the call of the soul gives Me My right to act. Think of love shown in this. Comfort My waiting, loving, longing Heart by claiming My Help, Guidances, and Miracle-working Power.

Upon this I founded My thirty three years’ Mission on earth on the acceptance of the difficulty and discipline of life so as to share that human life with My followers in all the ages. Much that you must accept in life is not to be accepted as being necessary for you personally, but accepted, as I accepted it; to set an example, to share in the sufferings and difficulties of mankind. In this “to share” means “to save.” The same must be true as was so true of Me, “He saved others. Himself He cannot save.” Beloved, you are called to save and share in a very special way. The way of sorrows if walked with Me, the Man of Sorrows, is a path kept sacred and secret for My nearest and dearest, those whose one desire is to do all for Me, to sacrifice all for Me, to count, as My servant Paul did, “All things but loss so that they might gain Me.” But, dreary as that path must look to those who view it only from afar, it has tender lights and restful shades that no other walk in life can give.

Yes! When you are quiet before Me, I lay My Hand upon each head, and Divine Spirit flows through that healing, powerful touch into your very being. Wait in silence before Me to feel that. When you look to Me for guidance, My Hand is laid upon your arm, a gentle touch to point the way. When in mental, physical, or spiritual weakness you cry to Me for healing, My Touch brings strength and healing, the renewal of your youth, the power to climb and strive. When you faint by the way, and stumbling footsteps show human strength is waning, My Touch of the strong and helping Hand supports you on your way. My Touch has still its ancient power, and that power is promised to you.

I have promised that for every day you live, strength shall be given you. Do not fear. Face each difficulty sure that the wisdom and strength will be given to you for it. Claim it. Rely on Me to keep My Promise about this. In My Universe, for every task I give one of my children, there is set aside all that is necessary for its performance. So why fear? So why doubt?

Regard Me as your only supply; that is the secret to prosperity for you, and you in turn shall save many from poverty and distress. Whatever danger threatens, look unto Me…Whatever you desire or need, or desire or need for others, look unto Me. Claim all from My Storehouse. Claim. Claim. Claim. Remember that I fed the children of Israel with Heaven-sent manna. I made a way through the Red Sea for them. I led them through the wilderness of privation, difficulty, discipline. I led them into a land flowing with milk and honey. So trust. So be led. Rejoice. These are your wilderness days. But surely and safely, you are being led to your Canaan of plenty.

How easy it is to lead and guide when you are responsive to My Wish! The hurts of life come only when you, or those about whom you care, endeavor to go your, or their, own way and resist the pressure of My Hand. But in willing My Will there must be a gladness; delight to do that Will. “The meek shall inherit the earth,” I said. That is, control others, and the material forces of the earth. But this exalted state of possession is the result of a yielded will. That was My meaning of the word meek. So live. So yield. So conquer.

The peace is the work of righteousness living the right life, living with Me. Quietness and assurance follow. Assurance is the calm born of a deep certainty in Me, in My Promises, in My Power to save and keep. Gain this calm, and at all costs keep this calm. Rest in Me. Live in Me. Calm, quiet, assured—at peace.

To those who don’t know Me, there is in Me nothing to appeal to them, or to attract them. To those who know Me, there is nothing more to be desired. “No beauty they could desire of Him.” Oh! My children, draw very near to Me. See Me as I really am that you may forever have the joy of finding in Me all you could desire. The fulfillment of all you could desire in Master, Lord, or Friend.

All your movements, your goings and comings; controlled be Me. Every visit, all blessed by Me. Every walk arranged by Me. A blessing on all you do, on every interview. Every meeting not a chance meeting, but planned by Me. All blessed. Not only now, in the hour of your difficulty, but from this time forth and for evermore. Led by the Spirit, a proof of sonship: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God,” and if children then heirs—heirs of God. What a heritage! Heirs—no prospect of being disinherited. “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: if so be that you suffer with Him that you may be also glorified together.” So your suffering has its purpose. It is a proof of sonship. It leads to perfection of character (the being glorified), and to union with Me; God, too. Think of, and dwell upon, the rapture of this.

Do you not know what it means to feel a little trusting hand in yours; to know a child’s confidence? Does that not draw out your love and desire to protect and to care? Think what My Heart feels, when in your helplessness you turn to Me, clinging, desiring My Love and Protection. Would you fail that child, faulty and weak as you are? Could I fail you? Just know it is not possible. Know all is well. You must not doubt. You must be sure. There is no miracle I cannot perform, nothing I cannot do.

Yes! I know all. Every cry for mercy. Every sigh of weariness. Every plea for help. Every sorrow over failure. Every weakness. I am with you through all. My tender sympathy is yours. My strength is yours. Rejoice at your weakness, My children. My Strength is made perfect in weakness. When you are weak then I am strong. Strong to help, to cure, to protect. Trust Me, My children. I know all. I am beside you. Strong, strong, strong to save. Lean on My Love, and know that all is well.

Yes. Love Me until just to think of Me means joy and rapture. Gladness at the thought of One very near and dear. Healing for all physical, mental, and spiritual troubles, you can always find in thinking of Me, and speaking to Me. Are doubts and fears in your heart? Then think of Me, speak to Me. Instead of those fears and doubts there will flow into your heart and being such sweet joy as is beyond any joy of earth.

Yes! I would draw you closer and closer to Me by bonds of love. The love of the sinner for the Savior, of the rescued for the Rescuer, of the sheep for the loving Shepherd, of the child for its Father. So many ties of love there are to bind you to Me. Each experience in your life of joy and sorrow, of difficulty or success, of hardship or ease, of danger or safety, each makes its own particular demand upon Me.

I am your Helper. At the end of your present path lie all these blessings. So trust and know that I am leading you. Step with a firm step of confidence in Me with each unknown day. Take every duty and every interruption as of My Appointment. You are My servant. Serve Me as simply, cheerfully, and readily as you expect others to serve you.

Even in distress, the first step is praise. Before you cry in your distress, bless the Lord; even when troubles seem to overwhelm you. That is My Divine Order of approach. Observe this always. In the greatest distress, search until you find cause for thankfulness. Then bless and thank. You have thus established a line of communication between yourself and Me. You will find I do My Part, and deliverance will be sure. Oh! The gladness of heart. Lightened you will be, the burden rolled away, as the result of looking to Me. The shame and distress will be lifted too. That is always the second step. First right with Me, and then you will be righted too in the eyes of men.

Remember, that just as you thank God for Me, so I thank God for His gift to Me of you. In that hour of My Agony on earth, one note of joy thrilled through the pain. The thought of the souls, given Me by My Father, who had kept My Word. They had not then done great deeds, as they did later, for, and in, My Name. They were simple doers of My Word, not hearers only. Just in their daily tasks and ways they kept My Word. You, too, can bring joy to My Heart by faithful service. Faithful service in the little things. Be faithful. Do your simple tasks for Me.

The beauty of My Kingdom is its growth. In that Kingdom there is always progress, a going on from strength to strength, from glory to glory. Be in My Kingdom, and of My Kingdom, and there can be no stagnation. Eternal life, abundant life is promised to all in it, and of it. No misspent time over failures and shortcomings. Count the lessons learned from them as rungs in the ladder. Step up, and then cast away all thought of the manner of the making of the rung. Fashioned of joy or sorrow, of failure or success, of wounds or healing balm, what does it matter, My children, so long as it served its purpose? Learn another lesson. The Sculptor who finds a faulty marble casts it aside. Because it has no fashioning, it may regard itself as perfect; and it may look with scorn upon the marble the Sculptor is cutting and shaping into perfection.

Lay upon Me your sins, your failures, your shortcomings. My Sacrifice has atoned for all. I am the Mediator between God and Man; the Man Christ Jesus. Do not dwell upon the past. You make My Sacrifice of no effect. No! Realize that in Me you have all; complete forgiveness, complete companionship, and complete healing.

Live in My Secret Place and there the feeling is one of full satisfaction; you are to feel plenty; the storehouses of God are full to overflowing, but you must see this in your mind. Be sure of this before you can realize it in material form. Think thoughts of plenty. See yourself as a son of a King. I have told you this. Wish plenty for yourself, and all you care for and long to help.

Yes! Praise. That moment, in the most difficult place, your sorrow is turned to joy, your fret to praise, the outward circumstances change from those of disorder to order, of chaos to calm. The beginning of all reform must be in yourself. As all reform is from within out, you will always find the outward has improved too. To do this is to release the imprisoned God—power within you. That power, once operative, will immediately perform miracles. Then indeed shall your mourning be turned to joy.

Turn your eyes to behold Me. Look away from sordid surroundings, from lack of beauty, from the imperfections in yourself and those around you. Then you who have faith-vision will see all you can do in Me. Looking at Me you will grow like Me, until men say to you, too, that you have been with Jesus. As you grow like Me you will be enabled to do the things I do, and greater works than these you shall do because I go unto My Father. From that place of abiding, limited by none of humanity’s limitations, I can endue you with the all-conquering, all miracle-working power of your Divine Brother and Ally.

Down through the ages all the simple acts of steadfast devotion, of obedience in difficulty, of loving service, have been taken by Me as an atonement for the loneliness My humanity suffered by the desertion of My disciples. Yet I, who had realized to the full, the longing of My Father to save, and His rejection by men, the misunderstanding of His Mind and Purpose, how could I think that I should not know that desertion, too? Learn first that I know what loneliness, desertion, and solitude mean. Learn that every act of yours of faithfulness is a comfort to My Heart. Learn too that it was to those deserters I gave the task of bringing My Message to mankind. To those deserters, those fearful ones, I gave My Power to heal and to raise life. Learn My tender Understanding and pardon of human frailty. Not until man has failed has he learned true humility. And it is only the humble who can inherit the earth.

It is never that God does not hear the cry, but that man fails to hear the response. Like parts of a machine, made to fit each into the other, and to work in perfect harmony, so is the human cry and the God-response.

Simple acceptance of My Will is the key to Divine Revelation. It will result in both holiness and happiness. The yoke of My Acceptance of My Father’s Will in all things is adjusted to My servant’s shoulders, and from that moment no burden irks or presses. But not only in the great decisions of life accept and welcome My Will. Try to see in each interruption, each task, however small, the same fulfillment of Divine Intent. Accept it; say your thanks for it. Do so until this becomes a habit, and the resulting joy will transfigure and transform your life.

You must trust to the end. You must be ready to go on trusting to the last hour. You must know even when you cannot see…You must be ready, like My servant Abraham, to climb the very hill of sacrifice, to go to the very last moment, before you see My Deliverance. This final test has to come to all who walk by faith. You must rely on Me alone. Look to no other for help. Trust in the Spirit Forces of the unseen, not in those you see.

Yes! “Kept by the Power of God” is a promise, and an assurance that holds joy and beauty for the believing soul. The keeping that means security and safety is wonderful. There is, too, the keeping that implies life, freshness, purity and the being “kept unspotted from the world.” Then there is the keeping that I ensure to those of whom I speak as the salt of the earth. Only in very close contact with Me is that keeping power realized. That keeping power which maintains the salt at its freshest and best, and also preserves from corruption that portion of the world in which I place it.

The way of conquest over the material, the temporal, which all My disciples should know, is learned by the conquest of the physical; the self-life, in each of you. So seek, in all things, to conquer. Take this as a very definite guidance. Circumstances are adverse. Temporal power, like money, needs to be forthcoming. Then seek daily more and more to obtain this self-conquest, and you are gaining surely, though you may not see it, conquest over the temporal forces and powers. Unemployment would cease if man realized this. If he has not the work, let him make himself a conquering force, beginning with the conquest of all evil in himself, then in his home, and then in all round him. He will have become a force that will be needed, and must be employed. There are no idle hours in My Kingdom. Waiting may seem a time of inactivity, but it can, and should, be a time of great activity in the inner life, and the surrounding material plane.

I am so often “wounded in the house of My friends.” Do you think the spitting and scorn of My enemies, the mocking and reviling hurt Me? No! “They all forsook Him and fled.” “I know not the Man.” These are the ones that left their scars. So now, it is not the unbelief of My enemies that hurts, but that of My friends, who love and know Me but cannot walk all the way with Me, and doubt My Power to do all that I have said.

I see the loving and striving; not the defects. I see the conquest of your particular battle. I count it as victory; a glad victory. I do not compare it with the strenuous campaigns of My great Saints. For you it is victory, and the angels rejoice, and your dear ones rejoice, as much as at any conquest noted, and rejoiced over, by Heaven.

Bow as a child bows, in anticipation of a glad surprise being prepared for it by one who loves it. Bow in such a way, just waiting to hear the loving word to raise your head, and see the glory and joy and wonder of your surprise.

Never count success by money gained. That is not the mind of My Kingdom. Your success is the measure of My Will and Mind that you have revealed to those around you. Your success is the measure of My Will that those around you have seen worked out in your life.

Wait and you shall realize the joy of the one who can be calm and wait, knowing that all is well. The last, and hardest lesson, is that of waiting. So wait. I would have you know this, that from the moment you placed all in My Hands, and sought no other aid; from that moment I have taken the quickest way possible to work out your salvation, and to free you. There is so much you have had to be taught—to avoid future disaster. But the Friend with whom you stand by the grave of failure, of dead ambitions, of relinquished desires, that Friend is a Friend for all time. Use this waiting time to cement the friendship with Me, and to increase your knowledge of Me.

Yes! My Word; the Scriptures. Read them, study them; store them in your heart, use them as you use a lamp to guide your footsteps. But remember, My children, My Word is even more than that. It is the Voice that speaks to your heart, that inner consciousness that tells of Me. It is the Voice that speaks to you intimately, personally, in this sacred evening time. It is even more than that. It is I, your Lord and Friend.

Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher, or it can be like a low earth-mist, clinging to the ground, never once soaring. The Eye that sees all, the Ear that hears all, knows every cry. But the prayer of real faith is the prayer of joy, that sees and knows the heart of love it rises to greet, and that is so sure of a glad response.

Give, give, give. Keep ever an empty vessel for Me to fill. In future use all for Me, and give all you cannot use. How poor do those die who leave wealth! Wealth is to use, to spend, for Me. Use as you go. Delight to use.

Unlimited supply; that is My Law. Oh! The unlimited supply, and oh, the poor, blocked channels! Will you feel this, that there is no limit to My Power? But man asks, and blasphemes in asking, such poor mean things. Do you not see how you wrong Me? I desire to give you a gift, and if you are content with the poor, and the mean, and the sordid, then you are insulting Me the Giver. “Ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” How can I fulfill this if you are blocking Me? The promise is My Work, not yours, to consider…Have a big faith, and expect big things, and you will get big things.

Do not seek to realize this fullness of joy as the result of effort. This cannot be, any more than joy in a human friend’s presence would come as the result of trying to force yourself to like to have that friend with you. Call often My Name, “Jesus.” The calling of My Name does not really summon Me because I am beside you. But it removes, as it were, the scales from your eyes, and you see Me. It is, as it were, the pressure of a loved one’s hand, that brings an answering pressure, and a thrill of joy follows, a real, and a joyful sense of nearness.

The world would be brought to Me so soon, so soon, if only all who acknowledge Me as Lord, as Christ, gave themselves unreservedly to be used by Me. I could use each human body as mightily as I used My own human body as a channel for Divine Love and Power. I do not delay My second coming. My followers delay it. If each lived for Me, by Me, and in Me, allowing Me to live in him, to use him to express the Divine through him, as I expressed it when on earth, then long ago the world would have been drawn to Me, and I should have come to claim My own. So seek, My children, to live, knowing no other desire but to express Me, and to show My Love to your world.

Power is not such an overwhelming force as it sounds; a something you call to your aid, to intervene in crises. No! Power is just God in action. Therefore whenever a servant of Mine, however weak he humanly may be, allows My Father to work through him, then all he does is powerful. Carry this thought with you through the days in which you seem to accomplish little. Try to see it is not you, but the Divine Spirit in you. All you have to do, as I have told you before, is to turn “self” out. Remember no day is lost on which some spiritual truth becomes clearer. No day is lost which you have given to Me to use. My use of it may not have been apparent to you. Leave that to Me. Dwell in Me, and I in you, so you shall bear much fruit. The fruit is not the work of the branches, though proudly the branches may bear it. It is the work of the Vine, that sends its life-giving sap through those branches.

Dwelling with Me, desiring only My Will and to do My Work; My Spirit cannot fail to pass through the channel of your life and into the lives of others. Many think it is humility to say they do little, and are of little value to My world. To think that is pride. What if a water pipe were to say, “I do so little; I wish I could be of more use.” The reply would be “It is not you, but the water that passes through you, that saves and blesses. All you have to do is to see there is nothing to block the way so that the water can flow through.” The only block that can be in your channel is “self.” Keep that out, and know that My Spirit is flowing through. Therefore all must be the better for coming in contact with you, because you are a channel. See this, and you will think it natural to know they are being helped, not by you, but by My Spirit flowing through you as a channel.

Forget the past. Remember only its glad days. Wipe the slate of your remembrance with love, which will erase all that is not confirmed in love. You must forget your failures; your failures and those of others. Wipe them out of the book of your remembrance. I did not die upon the Cross for man to bear the burdens of his sins himself. If you do not forget the sins of others, and I bear them, then you add to My sorrows.

Think of Me as a Friend, but realize, too, the wonder of the friendship. As soon as man gives Me, not only worship, honor, obedience, and allegiance, but loving understanding; then he becomes My friend, even as I am his. The wonderful things I can do for you. Yes! But also what we can do for each other. What you can do for Me. Your service becomes so different when you feel I count on your great friendship to do this or that for Me…Dwell more, dwell much, on this thought of you as My friend, and of the sweetness of My knowing where I can turn for love, for understanding, and for help.

Remember that life’s difficulties and troubles are not intended to block your progress, but to increase your efficiency. You must call new forces, new powers into action. Whatever it is must be surmounted, overcome. Remember this. It is like a race. Nothing must daunt you. Do not let a difficulty conquer you. You must conquer it. My Strength will be there awaiting you. Bring all your thought, all your power, into action. Nothing is too small to be faced and overcome. To push small difficulties aside is to be preparing for big troubles. Rise to conquer. It is the path of victory I would have you tread. There can be no failure with Me.

Looking back you will see that every step was planned. Leave all to Me. Each stone in the mosaic fits into the perfect pattern, designed by the Master Artist. But the colors are of Heaven’s hues, so that your eyes could not bear to gaze on the whole, until you are beyond the veil.

That voiceless cry, that comes from anguished hearts, is heard above all the music of Heaven. It is not the arguments of theologians that solve the problems of a questioning heart, but the cry of that heart to Me, and the certainty that I have heard.

The phrase “Come unto Me” holds in it a wealth of meaning far surpassing even that. “Come unto Me” for the solution of every problem, for the calming of every fear, for all you need—physical, mental, and spiritual. Sick, come to Me for health. Homeless, ask Me for a home. Friendless, claim a friend. Hopeless, a refuge. “Come unto Me” for everything.

Life is not easy, My children. Man has made of it not what My Father meant it to be. Ways that were meant to be straight paths have been made by man into ways devious and evil, filled with obstacles and stones of difficulty.

Wherever man trusts completely in Me, and leaves to Me the choosing of the very day and hour, then there is My miracle-working Power manifested, as marvelously manifested today, as ever it was when I was on earth, as ever it was to set My apostles free, or to work miracles of wonder and healing through them. Trust in Me. Have a boundless faith in Me, and you will see, and seeing, will give Me all the glory. Dwell much in thought upon all I accomplished on earth, and then say to yourself, “He, our Lord, our Friend, could accomplish this now in our lives.” Apply these miracles to your present-day need, and know that your help and salvation are sure.

Claim My Promise always. Know it true that when two of My lovers meet I am the Third. Never limit that promise. When two of you are together in My Name, united by one bond in My Spirit, I am there. Not only when you meet to greet Me, but to hear My Voice. Think what this means in power. It is again the lesson of the power that follows two united to serve Me.

Your hope is in the Lord. More and more set your hopes on Me. Know that whatever the future may hold it will hold more and more of Me. It cannot be but glad and full of joy. So in Heaven, or on earth, wherever you may be, your way must be truly one of delight. Do not try to find answers to the mysteries of the world. Learn to know Me more and more, and in that knowledge you will have all the answers you need here, and when you see Me face-to-face, in that purely spiritual world, you will find no need to ask. There again all your answers will be in Me. Remember, I was the answer in time to all of man’s questions about My Father and His Laws. Don’t know theology. Know Me. I am The Word of God. All you need to know about God you know in Me.

Men must see and know your joy, and seeing it, know, without any doubt, that it springs from trust in Me, from living with Me. When I entered Jerusalem, knowing well that scorn and reviling and death awaited Me, it was with cries of Hosanna, and with a triumphal procession. Not just a few “lost cause” followers creeping with Me into the city. There was no note of sadness in My Last Supper Talk with My disciples, and “when we had sung a hymn” we went out unto the Mount of Olives. So trust, so conquer, so joy. Love colors the way. Love takes the sting out of the wind of adversity.

Only what is done in love lasts, for God is Love, and only the work of God remains. The fame of the world, the applause given to the one who speaks with the tongues of men and of angels, who attracts admiration and compels attention, it is all given to what is passing, and is really worthless, if it lacks that God-quality; Love. Think how a smile, or word of love, goes winged on its way, a God-Power, simple though it may seem, while the mighty words of an orator can fall fruitless to the ground. The test of all true work and words is—are they inspired by love? So much work done in My Name is not acknowledged by Me. As for love: turn out from your heart and life all that is not loving, so you shall bear much fruit, and by this shall all men know you are My disciples, because you have love for one another.

My overcoming was never, you know, for Myself, but for you; for My children. Each temptation, each difficulty, I overcame as it presented itself. The powers of evil were strained to their utmost to devise means to break Me. They failed, but how they failed was known only to Me, and to My Father, who could read My undaunted Spirit. The world, even My own followers, would see a lost cause. Reviled, spat upon, scourged, they would deem Me conquered. How could they know My Spirit was free, unbroken, unharmed? And so, as I had come to show man God, I must show him God unconquered, unharmed, untouched by evil and its power. Man could not see My Spirit untouched, risen above these earth furies and hates, into the Secret Place of the Father. But man could see My Risen Body, and learn by that, that even the last attempt of man had been powerless to touch Me. Take heart from that, for you must share My tribulations. And in My conquering Power, you walk unharmed today.

Take each day’s happenings as work you can do for Me. In that spirit a blessing will attend all you do. Offering your day’s service to Me, you are sharing in My Life-Work, and therefore helping Me to save My world.

There is that gracious invitation, too, for those who yearn to realize a happiness, a rest, a satisfaction they have never found in the world and its pursuits. To them the pleading answer to their quest is, “Come to Me and I will give you rest.” But to those who do not feel their need of Me, who obstinately reject Me, who shut the doors of their hearts so that I may not enter, to these I go, in tender, humble longing. Even when I find all closed, all barred, I stand a Beggar, knocking, knocking. The Heavenly Beggar in His Great Humility.

The God who was to be born upon earth was not to be housed in a body so beautiful that men would follow and adore for the beauty of His Countenance. No! He was to be as One whom the world would despise, but, to the seeing eye, the Spirit that dwelt in that body should be so beautiful as to lack nothing. “Yet when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Pray for the seeing eye, to see the beauty of My Character, of My Spirit. Pray to have that faith to see the beauty of My Love in My Dealings with you, in My Actions. Know Me. Talk to Me. Let Me talk to you, so that I may make clear to your loving heart what seems mysterious now and purposeless.

Man has so misunderstood Me in this. I want no will laid grudgingly upon My Altar. I want you to desire and love My Will, because therein lies your happiness and spirit-rest. Whenever you feel that you cannot leave the choice to Me, then pray, not to be able to accept My Will, but to know and love Me more. With that knowledge and love, will come the certainty that I know best, and that I want only the best for you and yours. How little those know Me who think I wish to thwart them. How often I am answering their own prayers in the best and quickest way.

The joy of meeting Me should more and more fill your life. It will. Your life must first of all be narrowed down, more and more, into an inner circle life with Me, and then, as that friendship becomes more and more engrossing, more and more binding, then, gradually, the circle of your interests will widen. For the present do not think of it as a narrow life. I have My Purpose, My Loving Purpose, in cutting you away from other work and interests, for the time. To work from large interests and a desire for great activities and world movements, to the inner circle life with Me, is really the wrong way. That is why so often, when, through all these activities and interests, a soul finds Me, I have to begin our friendship by cutting away the ties that bind it to the outer and wider circle. When it has gained strength and learned its lesson in the inner circle, it can then widen its life, working this time from within out; taking then to each contact, each friendship, and the inner circle influence. And this is to be your way of life. This is the way of the Spirit. Man so often misunderstands this.

I am the Truth. Every word of Mine is true. Every promise of Mine shall be fulfilled. First, “gathered together in My Name,” bound by a common loyalty to Me, desirous only of doing My Will. Then, when this is so, I am present too, a self-invited Guest, and when I am there and one with you, voicing the same petition, making your demands Mine, then it follows the request is granted. For two to agree about the wisdom of a request, to be certain it should be granted, and will be granted (if it should be), is not the same as two agreeing to pray that request.

A place to flee to; a sanctuary. An escape from misunderstanding; from yourself. You can get away from others into the quiet of your own being, but from yourself, from the sense of your failure, your weakness, your sins and shortcomings, where can you flee? To the Eternal God your refuge. In His Immensity you forget your smallness, meanness, and limitations. The relief of safety merges into joy of appreciation of your refuge, and you absorb the Divine, and gain strength to conquer.

I am beside you. A very human Jesus, who understands all your weaknesses, and sees too your struggles and conquests. Remember, I was the Companion of the weak. Ready to supply their hunger. Teaching My followers their responsibility towards all; not only those near and dear to them, but to the multitude. I taught that pity, and without a remedy for the evil, or the need, is worthless. “Give ye them to eat.” Wherever your sympathy goes, you must go too, if possible. Remember that in thinking of your own needs. Claim from Me the same attitude now. The servant is not above his Master, certainly not in spiritual attainments, and what I taught My disciples, I do. So fainting and needy, by the lakeside of life, know that I will supply your need, not grudgingly, but in full measure.

Draw near, shoes off your feet, in silent awe and adoration. Draw near, as Moses drew near to the burning bush. I give you the loving intimacy of a Friend, but I am God too, and the wonder of our togetherness, the miracle of your intimacy with Me, will mean the more to you, if sometimes you see the majestic figure of the Son of God. Draw near. No far-off pleading, even to a God clothed with majesty of fire. Draw near, not as a suppliant, but as a listener. I am the Suppliant, as I make known to you My wishes. For this Majestic God is Brother, too, longing so intensely that you should serve your Brother-Man, and longing, even more intensely, that you should be true to that vision He has of you. You speak of your fellowman as disappointing you, as falling short of the ideal you had of him. But what of Me? For every man there is the ideal man I see in him; the man he could be, the man I would have him be. Judge of My Heart when he fails to fulfill that promise. The disappointments of man may be great and many, but they are nothing as compared with My Disappointments. Remember this, and strive to be the friend I see in My Vision of you.

Remember what I have so often told you, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.” Only step by step, and stage by stage, can you proceed, in your journey upward. The one thing to be sure of is that it is a journey with Me. There does come a joy known to those who suffer with Me. But that is not the result of the suffering. It is the result of the close intimacy with Me, to which suffering drove you.

One of the things My disciples must always seek to do is to set aside the valuation of the world, and judge only according to the values of Heaven. Do not seek the praise and the notice of men. You follow a despised Christ. See the mob is hooting, throwing stones, jeering, and yet in My quiet little throng there is a happiness and joy the reviling crowds could never know. In your dark hours, when human help fails, keep very close to the Man of Sorrows. Feel My Hand of love press yours in silent but complete understanding. I, too, was acquainted with grief. No heart can ache without My Heart aching too.

The first law of giving is of the spirit world. Give to all you meet, or whose lives touch yours, of your prayers, your time, yourself, your love, and your thought. You must practice this giving first. Then give of this world’s goods and money, as you have them given to you. To give money and material things, without having first made the habit daily, hourly, ever increasingly, of giving on the higher plane, is wrong. Give, give, and give all of your best to all who need it. Be great givers—great givers. Give as I said My Father in Heaven gives. He who makes His sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Remember, as I have told you before; give according to need, never according to what you think is deserved. In giving, with the thought of supplying a real need, you most closely resemble that Father in Heaven, the Great Giver. As you receive, you must supply the needs of those I bring to you. Not questioning, not limiting. Their nearness to you, their relationship, must never count. Only their need is to guide you. Pray to become great givers.

The very first step towards conquering temptation is to see it as temptation; to dissociate yourself from it. Not to think of temptation as something resulting from your tiredness or illness or poverty or nerve-strain, when you feel you might well excuse yourself for yielding, but first to realize very fully that when you have heard My Voice (‘the Heavens opened,” as it were) and are going to fulfill your mission to work for Me and to draw souls to Me, you must expect a mighty onslaught from the evil one, who will endeavor with all his might to frustrate you, and to prevent your good work. Expect that. Then when these little temptations or big ones come, you will recognize them as planned by evil to thwart Me. Then for very love of Me, you will conquer.

Meat is to sustain the body. To do the Will of God is the very strength and support of life. Feed on that food. Soul-starvation comes from the failing to do My Will. How busy the world is in talking of bodies that are undernourished! What of the souls that are undernourished? Make it indeed your meat to do My Will. Strength and power will indeed come to you from that.

While I was on the earth, to those with whom I came in contact, Mine was a lost cause. Even My disciples only believed, half-doubting, half-wondering. When they all abandoned Me and fled it was not so much fear of My enemies as the certainty that My Mission, however beautiful they thought it, had failed. In spite of all I had taught them, in spite of the revelation of the Last Supper, they had secretly felt sure that when the final moment came, and the hatred of the Pharisees was declared against Me, I should sound some call to action, and that I should lead My many followers, and establish My earthly Kingdom. Even the disciples who had eyes to see My Spiritual Kingdom had thought material forces had proved too strong for Me. But with My Resurrection came hope. Faith revived. They would remind each other of all I had said. They would have the assurance of My Divinity, Messiahship. And they would have all My Power in the unseen—the Holy Spirit—to help them. Those who lived in the Kingdom were to do the work—greater works than I was able to do. Not a greater power shown, not a greater life lived, but, as men recognized My Godhead, opportunities for works in My Name would increase.

All men seek for Me, but all men do not know what they want. They are seeking because they are dissatisfied without realizing that I am the Object of their quest. Count it your greatest joy to be the means, by your life, sufferings, words, and love, to prove to the questing ones you know that their search would end when they saw Me. Profit by My Example. I left My Work—seemingly the greatest work—that of saving souls; to seek communion with My Father. Did I know perhaps that with many it was idle curiosity? Did I know that there must be no rush into the Kingdom, that the still small voice, not the shoutings of a mob, would alone persuade men I was the Son of God? Why be surrounded by multitudes if the multitudes were not really desiring to learn from, and to follow, Me? Follow the Christ into the quiet places of prayer.

There may be many times when I reveal nothing, command nothing, give no guidance. But your path is clear, and your task, to grow daily more and more into the knowledge of Me. That this quiet time with Me will enable you to do everything. I may ask you to sit silent before Me, and I may speak no word that you could write. All the same that waiting with Me will bring comfort and peace. Only friends who understand and love each other can wait silently in each other’s presence. And it may be that I shall prove our friendship by asking you to wait in silence while I rest with you, assured of your love and understanding. So wait, so love, so joy.

Take each day now as a joyous sunrise gift from Me. Your simple daily tasks done in My Strength and Love will bring the consciousness of all your highest hopes. Expect great things.

Love and fear cannot dwell together. By their very natures they cannot exist side by side. Evil is powerful, and fear is one of evil’s most potent forces; therefore a weak vacillating love can be soon routed by fear. A perfect love, a trusting love, is immediately the conqueror, and fear, vanquished, flees in confusion. But I am Love because God is Love, and I and the Father are One. So the only way to obtain this perfect love, that dispels fear, is to have Me more and more in your life. You can only banish fear by My Presence and My Name. Fear of the future—Jesus will be with us. Fear of poverty—Jesus will provide. You must not allow fear to enter. Talk to Me. Think of Me. Talk of Me. Love Me. And that sense of My Power will so possess you that no fear can possess your mind. Be strong in this My Love.

Fullness of joy. The joy of perpetual guidance. The joy of knowing that every detail of your life is planned by Me and planned with a wealth of tenderness and love. Wait for guidance in every step. Wait to be shown My Way. The thought of this loving leading should give you great joy. All the responsibility of life taken off your shoulders. All its business worry taken off your shoulders. It is indeed a joy for you to feel so free and yet so planned for. Oh! The wonder of this a God-guided life. To think anything impossible in such circumstances is to say it cannot be done by Me. To say that is surely a denial of Me.

There is no miracle as wonderful as the miracle of a soul being kept by My Power. Forces of evil batter and storm, but are powerless. Tempests rage unavailingly. It is like a cool garden with sweet flowers and bees and butterflies and trees and flowing fountains set in the midst of a mighty roaring city. Try to see your life as that. Not only as calm and unmoved, but as breathing fragrance, expressing beauty. Expect storms. Know this—you cannot be united in your great friendship and bond to do My Work, and in your great love for Me, and not excite the envy, hatred, and malice of all whom you meet who are not on My side.

Learn that each day must be lived in My Power, and in the consciousness of My Presence, even if the thrill of joy seems to be absent. Remember that if sometimes there seems a shadow on your life it is not the withdrawal of My Presence. It is My shadow as I stand between you and your foes. Even with your nearest and dearest there are the quiet days. You do not doubt their love because you do not hear their laughter, and feel a thrill of joy at their nearness. The quiet gray days are the days for duty. Work in the calm certainty that I am with you.

You shall have My Joy. But life just now for you is a march—a toilsome march…The joy will come, but for the moment do not think of that; think simply of the march. Joy is the reward…Between My Promise of the gift of joy to My disciples and their realization of that joy came a sense of failure, disappointment, denial, desertion, hopelessness, then hope, waiting, and courage in the face of danger. Joy is the reward of patiently seeing Me in the dull dark days, of trusting when you cannot see…Joy is your heart’s response to My smile of recognition of your faithfulness. Stop thinking your life is all wrong if you do not feel it…Remember you may not yet be joyous, but you are brave. Courage and unselfish thought for others are as sure signs of true discipleship as joy.

Rejoice in the fact that you are Mine. The privileges of the members of My Kingdom are many. When I said of My Father, “He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust,” you will notice it was of temporal and material blessings I spoke. I did not mean that believer and unbeliever could be treated alike. That is not possible; I can send rain and sunshine and money and worldly blessings equally to both, but of the blessings of the Kingdom that would be impossible. There are conditions that control the bestowal of these. My followers do not always understand this, and it is necessary they should do so if they are remembering My Injunction which followed—“Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” To attempt to bestow on all alike of your love and understanding and interchange of thought would be impossible. But temporal blessings you too bestow, as does My Father. All must be done in love and in the spirit of true forgiveness.

Think your thought-way into the very heart of My Kingdom. See there the abundance of delights in My Storehouse, and lay eager hands on them. See wonders, ask wonders, and bear wonders away with you. Remember this beautiful earth on which you are on was once only a thought of Divine Mind. Think how from your thought one corner of it could grow and become a Garden of the Lord, a Bethany-Home for your Master, a place to which I have a right to bring My friends, My needy ones, for talk and rest with Me.

Never let yourself fear anybody or anything. No fear of My failing you. No fear that your faith will fail you. No fear of poverty or loneliness. No fear of not knowing the way. No fear of others. No fear of their misunderstanding. But, My children, this absolute casting out of fear is the result of a perfect love, a perfect love of Me and My Father. Speak to Me about everything. Listen to Me at all times. Feel My tender nearness, substituting at once some thought of Me for the fear. The powers of evil watch you as a besieging force would watch a guarded city—the object being always to find some weak spot, attack that, and so gain an entrance. So evil lurks around you, and seeks to surprise you in some fear. The fear may have been but a small one, but it affords evil a weak spot of attack and entrance, and then in comes rushing despondency, doubt of Me, and so many other sins. Pray, My beloved children, for that perfect love of Me that indeed casts out all fear.

Fight fear as you would fight a plague. Fight it in My Name…Fear, even the smallest fear, is the hacking at the cords of love that bind you to Me. However small the impression, in time those cords will wear thin, and then one disappointment, or shock, and they snap. But for the little fears the cords of love would have held. Fight fear. Depression is a state of fear. Fight that too. Fight. Fight. Depression is the impression left by fear. Fight and conquer, and for the love of Me, for the sake of My tender, never-failing Love for you, fight and love and win.

Remember your Master is the Lord of the day’s little happenings. In all the small things yield to My gentle pressure on your arm. Stay or go, as that pressure, Love’s pressure, indicates. The Lord of the moments is the Creator of the snowdrop and the mighty oak. More tender with the snowdrop than the oak. And when things do not fall out according to your plan, then smile at Me indulgently, a smile of love, and say, as you would to a human loved one, “Have Your Way then”—knowing that My loving Response will be to make that way as easy for your feet as it can be.

Fear no evil because I have conquered evil. It has power to hurt only those who do not place themselves under My Protection. This is not a question of feeling, it is an assured fact. All you have to do is to say with assurance that whatever it is cannot harm you, as I have conquered it. Children, in not only the big, but the little things of life, be sure of My conquering Power. Know that all is well. Be sure of it. Practice this. Learn it until it is unfailing and instinctive with you.

Walk with Me in the way of peace. Spread peace, not discord, wherever you go. Never a peace that is a truce with the power of evil. Never harmony if that means your life-music being adapted to the mood and music of the world. My disciples so often make the mistake of thinking all must be harmonious. No! Not when it means singing the song of the world.

So to the humble, the worship of humility—the Bethlehem Babe—must be the first hail. Then the worship of repentance. As earth’s sinner, you stand by Me in the Jordan, baptized of John, worshipping Me; the Friend and Servant of sinners. Dwell much on My Life. Step out beside Me. Share it with Me. Humility, service, worship, sacrifice, sanctification—steps in the Christian Life.

Kneel before the Babe of Bethlehem. Accept the truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is for the lowly, the simple. Bring to Me, the Christ-Child, your gifts, truly the gifts of earth’s wisest.
The Gold—your money.
Frankincense—the adoration of a consecrated life.
Myrrh—your sharing in My sorrows and those of the world.
“And they presented unto Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Be not afraid; health and wealth are coming to you. My Wealth which is sufficiency for your needs, and for My Work you long to do. Money, as some call wealth, to hoard, to display; you know is not for My disciples. Journey through this world simply seeking the means to do My Will and Work. Never keep anything you are not using. Remember all I give you is Mine, only given to you to use. Could you think of Me hoarding My Treasures? You must never do it. Rely on Me. To store for the future is to fear and to doubt me. Check every doubt of Me at once. Live in the joy of My constant Presence. Yield every moment to Me. Perform every task, however humble, as at My gentle Bidding, and for Me, for love of Me. So live, so love, so work. You are the apostle of the little services.

I have stripped you of much, that it should be truly a life of well-being. Build up stone by stone upon a firm foundation, and that Rock is your Master—that Rock is Christ. A life of discipline and of joyous fulfillment is to be yours…Never lose sight of the glorious work to which you have been called. Let no riches, no ease entice you from the path of miracle-working with Me upon which your feet are set. Love and laugh. Trust and pray. Ride on now in a loving humility to victory.

I am here. Do not need to feel too much. To ask for feeling too much is to ask for a sign, and then the answer is the same as that I gave when on earth. Veiled from sight to the unbeliever. To the believer the veiling is only temporary, to be followed by a glorious Resurrection…What does it matter what you feel? What matters is what I am, was, and ever shall be to you—upon a change of circumstances, upon a mere trifle. I am uninfluenced by circumstances…My Promise given is kept. I am here, one with you in tender loving friendship.

Work and prayer represent the two forces that will ensure your success. Your work and My Work. For prayer, believing prayer is based on the certainty that I am working for you and with you and in you. Go forward gladly and unafraid. I am with you. With men your task may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.

When you think of those whom you read about who are in anguish, do you ever think how My Heart must ache with the woe of it, with the anguish of it? If I beheld the city and wept over it, how much more should I weep over the agony of these troubled hearts, over the lives that seek to live without My sustaining Power? “They will not come unto Me that they might have life.” Live to bring others to Me, the only Source of Happiness and Heart-Peace.

Jesus. That is the Name by which you conquer. Jesus. Not as cringing suppliants but as those recognizing a Friend; say My Name—Jesus. “Thou shall call His Name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” And in that word ‘”sins” read not only vice and degradation, but doubts, fears, tempers, despondencies, impatience, lack of love in big and little things. Jesus. “He shall save his people from their sins.” The very uttering of the Name lifts the soul away from petty valley-irritations to mountain heights. “He shall save His people from their sins.” Savior and Friend, Joy-bringer and Rescuer, Leader and Guide—Jesus. Do you need delivering from cowardice, from adverse circumstances, from poverty, from failure, from weakness? “There is none other Name…whereby you can be saved”—Jesus. Say it often. Claim the power it brings.

My children, hear My Words, words of great sweetness surpassing all the knowledge of the philosophers and wise men of earth. My Words are spirit and life, and they are not to be weighed by man’s understanding. They are not to be invoked in vanity but are to be heard in silence, and accepted with all humility and with great affection.

I taught the prophets from the beginning, and even to this day I continue to speak to all men. But many are hardened. Many are deaf to My voice. Most men listen more willingly to the world than to Me. They are more ready to follow the appetite of their flesh than My good Pleasure. The world, which promises small and passing things, is served with great eagerness; I promise great and eternal things and the hearts of men grow dull. Is there anyone that will serve and obey Me in all things with as great care as that with which the world and its masters are served?

For a small gain many travel far; for eternal life they will scarcely lift a foot from the ground. They seek a petty reward, and sometimes fight shamefully in law courts for a single piece of money. They are not afraid to work day and night for a small prize or an empty promise. But, for an unchanging good, for a reward beyond estimate, for the greatest honor and for glory everlasting, it must be said to their shame that men begrudge even the least fatigue.

Sometimes indeed their expectations fail them, but My Promise never deceives, nor does it send away empty-handed anyone who trusts in Me. What I have promised I will give. What I have said I will fulfill, if only a man remain faithful in My Love to the end. I am the Rewarder of all the good, the strong Approver of all who are devoted to Me.

Write My Words in your heart and meditate on them earnestly, for in the time of temptation they will be very necessary. What you do not understand when you read, you will learn in the days of My Visitation. I will visit My elect in two ways — through temptation and through consolation. To them I read two lessons daily — one reproving their vices, the other exhorting them to progress in virtue.

My children, walk before Me in truth, and seek Me always in the simplicity of your heart. Those who walk before Me in truth shall be defended from the attacks of evil, and the truth shall free them from seducers and from the slanders of wicked men. For if the truth has made you free, then you shall be free indeed, and you shall not care for the vain words of men.

I shall teach you those things which are right and pleasing to Me. Consider your sins with great displeasure and sorrow, and never think of yourself as someone simply because of your good works. You are truly a sinner. You are subject to many passions and entangled in them. Of yourself you always tend to nothing. You fall quickly, are quickly overcome, quickly troubled, and quickly undone. You have nothing in which you can glorify, but you have many things for which you should think yourself vile, for you are much weaker than you can comprehend. Hence, let none of the things you do seem great to you. Let nothing seem important or precious or desirable except that which is everlasting. Let the eternal truth please you above all things, and let your extreme unworthiness always displease you.

Some walk before Me without sincerity. Led on by a certain curiosity and arrogance, they wish to know My Secrets and to understand the high things of God; only to the neglect of themselves and their own salvation. Through their own pride and curiosity such often fall into great temptations and sins.

Do not discuss the works of the Most High, but examine your sins — in what serious things you have offended and how many good things you have neglected.

Some carry their devotion only in books, some in pictures, some in outward signs and figures. Some have Me on their lips but there is little of Me in their hearts. Others, indeed, with enlightened understanding and purified affections, constantly long for everlasting things; they are unwilling to hear of earthly affairs and only with reluctance do they serve the necessities of nature. They sense what the Spirit of Truth speaks within them: for He teaches them to despise earthly things and to love those of heaven, to neglect the world, and each day and night to desire heaven.

My brave lovers stand firm in temptations and pay no heed to the crafty persuasions of the enemy. I please them in prosperity and in adversity. My wise lovers regard not so much the gift of Him Who loves as the love of Him Who gives. They regard the affection of the Giver rather than the value of the gift, and set their Beloved above all gifts. My noble lovers do not rest in the gift but in Me Who is above every gift.

All is not lost, then, if you sometimes feel less devout than you wish toward Me or My saints. That good and sweet feeling which you sometimes have is the effect of present grace and a certain foretaste of your heavenly home. You must not lean upon it too much, because it comes and goes. But to fight against evil thoughts which attack you is a sign of virtue and great merit. Do not, therefore, let strange fantasies disturb you, no matter what they concern. Hold strongly to your resolution and keep a right intention toward Me.

It is not an illusion that you are sometimes rapt in ecstasy and then quickly returned to the usual follies of your heart. For these are evils which you suffer rather than commit; and so long as they displease you and you struggle against them, it is a matter of merit and not a loss.

You must know that the old enemy tries by all means in his power to hinder your desire for good and to turn you from every devotional practice, especially from the adoration of the saints, from devout meditation on My Passion, and from your firm purpose of advancing in virtue. He suggests many evil thoughts that he may cause you weariness and horror, and thus draw you away from prayer and holy reading. A humble confession displeases him and, if he could, he would make you omit My Holy Communion.

Do not believe him or heed him, even though he often sets traps to deceive you. When he suggests evil, unclean things, accuse him. Say to him: “Away, unclean spirit! Shame, miserable creature! You are but filth to bring such things to my ears. Be gone, most wretched seducer! You shall have no part in me, for Jesus will be my Strength, and you shall be confounded. I would rather die and suffer all torments than consent to you. Be still! Be silent! Though you bring many troubles upon me I will have none of you. The Lord is my Light, my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? Though armies unite against me, my heart will not fear, for the Lord is my Helper, my Redeemer.”

Fight like a good soldier and if you sometimes fall through weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting in My most abundant Grace. But beware of vain complacency and pride. For many are led into error through these faults and sometimes fall into almost perpetual blindness. Let the fall of these, who proudly presume on self, be a warning to you and a constant incentive to humility.

It is better and safer for you to conceal the grace of devotion, not to be elated by it, not to speak or think much of it, and instead to humble yourself. Do not cling too closely to this affection, for it may quickly be changed to its opposite. When you are in grace, think how miserable and needy you are without it. Your progress in spiritual life does not consist in having the grace of consolation, but in enduring its withdrawal with humility, resignation, and patience, so that you neither become listless in prayer nor neglect your other duties in the least; but on the contrary do what you can do as well as you know how, and do not neglect yourself completely because of your dryness or anxiety of mind.

There are many, indeed, who immediately become impatient and lazy when things do not go well with them. The way of man, however, does not always lie in his own power. It is My Prerogative to give grace and to console when I wish, as much as I wish, and to whomever I wish, as it shall please Me and no more.

Some careless ones, misusing the grace of devotion, have destroyed themselves because they wished to do more than they were able. They failed to take account of their own weakness, and followed the desire of their heart rather than the judgment of their reason. Then, because they presumed to know great things that pleased Me, they quickly lost My Grace. They who had tried to build their own homes in heaven became helpless, vile outcasts, humbled and impoverished. They must learn not to fly with their own wings but to trust in Mine.

They who are still new and inexperienced in the way of the Lord may easily be deceived and overthrown unless they guide themselves by the advice of discreet persons. But if they wish to follow their own notions rather than to trust in others who are more experienced, they will be in danger of a sorry end, at least if they are unwilling to be drawn from their vanity. Seldom do they who are wise in their own conceits bear humbly the guidance of others. Yet a little knowledge humbly and meekly pursued is better than great treasures of learning sought in vain complacency. It is better for you to have little than to have much which may become the source of pride.

Those who live entirely for enjoyment act very unwisely, for they forget their former helplessness. Nor are they very brave or wise who become too despondent in times of adversity and difficulty and think less confidently of Me than they should. Those who wish to be too secure in time of peace will often become too dejected and fearful in times of trial.
If you were wise enough to remain always humble and small in your own eyes, and to restrain and rule your spirit well, you would not fall so quickly into danger and offense.

When a spirit of anxiety is enkindled within you, you may well meditate on how you will feel when the anxiety leaves. Then, when this happens, remember that the light which I have withdrawn for a time as a warning to you and for My own Glory, may again return. Such trials are often more beneficial than if you had things always as you wish. For your merits are not measured by many visions or consolations, or by knowledge of the Scriptures, or by your being in a higher position than others, but by the truth of your humility, by your capacity for Divine Charity, by your faithfulness in seeking purely and entirely My Honor, by your disregard and positive contempt of self, and more, by preferring to be despised and humiliated rather than honored by others.

My children, I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire to be blessed. With this intention your affections, which are too often perversely inclined to self and to creatures, will be purified. For if you seek yourself in anything, you immediately fail interiorly and become dry of heart.

Refer all things principally to Me; for it is I Who have given them all. Consider each thing as flowing from the Highest Good, and therefore to Me, as to their Highest Source, must all things be brought back.
From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. Those who wish to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as their own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in their heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but give all to Me without Whom man has nothing.

I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I strictly require a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vainglory is put to flight.

Where Heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have a place. Divine Love conquers all and expands the powers of the soul.

If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.

My children, it is necessary for you to learn many things which you have not yet learned well.

Conform your desires entirely according to My good Pleasure, and be not a lover of self but an earnest doer of My Will. Desires very often inflame you and drive you madly on, but consider whether you act for My Honor, or for your own advantage. If I am the cause, you will be well content with whatever I ordain. If, on the other hand, any self-seeking lurks in you, it troubles you and weighs you down. Take care, then, that you do not rely too much on preconceived desires that have no reference to Me, lest you repent later on and be displeased with what at first pleased you and which you desired as being for the best. Not every desire which seems good should be followed immediately, nor, on the other hand, should every contrary affection be at once rejected.

It is sometimes well to use a little restraint even in good desires and inclinations, lest through too much eagerness you bring upon yourself distraction of mind; lest through your lack of discipline you create scandal for others; or lest you be suddenly upset and fall because of resistance from others. You must violently resist your sensual appetite bravely. You must pay no attention to what the flesh does or does not desire, taking pains that it be subjected, even by force, to the spirit. And it should be chastised and forced to remain in subjection until it is prepared for anything and is taught to be satisfied with little, to take pleasure in simple things, and not to murmur against inconveniences.

My children, My Wish is not that you seek that peace which is free from temptations or meets with no opposition, but rather that you consider yourself as having found peace when you have been tormented with many tribulations and tried with many adversities.

If you say that you cannot suffer much, how will you endure the purifying fire of purgatory? Of two evils, the lesser is always to be chosen. Therefore, in order that you may overcome, try to bear present evils patiently for My Sake.

Do you think that men of the world have no suffering, or perhaps but little? Ask even those who enjoy the most delights and you will learn otherwise. “But,” you will say, “they enjoy many pleasures and follow their own wishes; therefore they do not feel their troubles very much.” Granted that they do have whatever they wish, how long do you think it will last? Behold, they who prosper in the world shall perish as smoke, and there shall be no memory of their past joys. Even in this life they do not find rest in these pleasures without bitterness, weariness, and fear. For they often receive the penalty of sorrow from the very thing that they believe their happiness comes from. And it is just. Since they seek and follow after pleasures without reason, they should not enjoy them without shame and bitterness.

How brief, how false, how unreasonable and shameful all these pleasures are! Yet in their drunken blindness they do not understand this, but like brute beasts they incur death of the soul for the miserly enjoyment of a corruptible life.

My children, do not pursue your lusts, but turn away from your own will. “Seek thy pleasure in the Lord and He will give thee thy heart’s desires.” If you wish to be truly delighted and more abundantly comforted by Me, behold, in contempt of all worldly things and in the cutting off of all base pleasures shall your blessing be, and great consolation shall be given you. Further, the more you withdraw yourself from any contentment from creatures, the sweeter and stronger comfort will you find in Me.

At first you will not gain these blessings without sadness and toil and conflict. Habit already formed will resist you, but it shall be overcome by a better habit. The flesh will murmur against you, but it will be bridled by fervor of spirit. The old serpent will sting and trouble you, but prayer will put him to flight and by steadfast, useful toil the way will be closed to him.

My children, those who attempt to escape obedience withdraw themselves from grace. Likewise those who seek private benefits for themselves lose those which are common to all. Those who do not submit themselves freely and willingly to their Superior, show that their flesh is not yet perfectly obedient but that it often rebels and murmurs against them.
Learn quickly, then, to submit yourself to your Superior if you wish to conquer your own flesh. The exterior enemy is more quickly overcome if the inner man is not laid to waste. There is no more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if you are not in harmony with the spirit. It is absolutely necessary that you conceive a true contempt for yourself if you wish to be victorious over flesh and blood.

Because you still love yourself too much, you are afraid to resign yourself wholly to other men and My will. Is it such a great matter if you, who are but dust and nothingness, subject yourself to man for the sake of God, when I, the All-Powerful, the Most High, Who created all things out of nothing, humbly subjected Myself to man for your sake? I became the most humble and the lowest of all men that you might overcome your pride with My Humility.

Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the foot of every man! Learn to break your own will, to submit to all subjection! Be zealous against yourself! Allow no pride to dwell in you, but prove yourself so humble and lowly that all may walk over you and trample upon you as dust in the streets!

What have you, vain man, to complain of? What answer can you make, vile sinner, to those who accuse you, you who have so often offended Me and so many times deserved hell? But My Eye has spared you because your soul was precious in My Sight, so that you might know My Love and always be thankful for My Benefits, so that you might give yourself continually to true subjection and humility, and might patiently endure contempt.

My children, this is the way you must speak on every occasion: “Lord, if it be pleasing to You, so be it. If it be to Your Honor, Lord, let be it done in Your Name. Lord, if You see that it is expedient and profitable for me, then grant that I may use it to Your Honor. But if You know that it will be harmful to me, and of no good benefit to the welfare of my soul, then take this desire away from me.”

Not every desire is from the Holy Spirit, even though it may seem right and good. It is difficult to be certain whether it is a good spirit or a bad one that prompts one to this or that, and even to know whether you are being moved by your own spirit. Many who seemed at first to be led by a good spirit have been deceived in the end.

Whatever the mind sees as good, ask and desire in humility of heart. Above all, commit the whole matter to Me with true resignation, and say: “Lord, You know what is better for me; let this be done or that be done as You please. Grant what You will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater Honor. Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in Your Hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I desire to live, but for You — would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!”

My children, allow me to do what I will with you. I know what is best for you. You think as a man; you feel in many things as human affection persuades.

My children, this is the disposition which you should have if you wish to walk with Me. You should be as ready to suffer as to enjoy. You should as willingly be destitute and poor as rich and satisfied.

My children, I came down from Heaven for your salvation and took upon Myself your miseries, not out of necessity but out of love, that you might learn to be patient and bear the sufferings of this life without discontent. From the moment of My Birth to My Death on the cross, suffering did not leave Me. I suffered great want of temporal goods. Often I heard many complaints against Me. Disgrace and reviling I bore with patience. For My Blessings I received ingratitude, for My Miracles blasphemies, and for My Teaching scorn.

Think of My Suffering and that of the saints, and cease complaining. You have not yet resisted to the shedding of blood. What you suffer is very little compared with the great things they suffered who were so strongly tempted, so severely troubled, so tried and tormented in many ways. Well may you remember, therefore, the very painful woes of others, that you may bear your own little ones the more easily. And if they do not seem so small to you, examine if perhaps your impatience is not the cause of their apparent greatness; and whether they are great or small, try to bear them all patiently. The better you dispose yourself to suffer, the more wisely you act and the greater is the reward promised you. Thus you will suffer more easily if your mind and habits are diligently trained to it.

Do not say: “I cannot bear this from such a man, nor should I suffer things of this kind, for he has done me a great wrong. He has accused me of many things of which I never thought. However, from someone else I will gladly suffer as much as I think I should.”

Such a thought is foolish, for it does not consider the virtue of patience or the One Who will reward it, but rather weighs the person and the offense committed. Those who will suffer only as much as seems good to them, who will accept suffering only from those from whom they are pleased to accept it, is not truly patient. For the truly patient person does not consider from whom the suffering comes, whether from a superior, an equal, or an inferior, whether from a good and holy person or from a perverse and unworthy one; but no matter how great an adversity befalls them, no matter how often it comes or from whom it comes, they accept it gratefully from My Hand, and count it a great gain. For with Me nothing that is suffered for My Sake, no matter how small, can pass without reward. Be prepared for the fight, then, if you wish to gain the victory. Without struggle you cannot obtain the crown of patience, and if you refuse to suffer you are refusing the crown. But if you desire to be crowned, fight bravely and bear up patiently. Without labor there is no rest, and without fighting, no victory.

My children, I will teach you now the way of peace and true liberty. Seek, children, to do the will of others rather than your own. Always choose to have less rather than more. Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others. Always wish and pray that the Will of God be fully carried out in you. Behold, such will enter into the realm of peace and rest.

My children, do not be curious. Do not trouble yourself with idle cares. What matters this or that to you? Follow Me. What is it to you if a man is such and such, if another does or says this or that? You will not have to answer for others, but you will have to give an account of yourself. Why, then, do you meddle in their affairs?

Behold, I know all men. I see everything that is done under the sun, and I know how matters stand with each — what is in their mind and what in their heart and the end to which their intention is directed. Commit all things to Me, therefore, and keep yourself in good peace. Let those who are disturbed be as restless as they will. Whatever they have said or done will fall upon them, for they cannot deceive Me.

Do not be anxious for the shadow of a great name, for the close friendship of many, or for the particular affection of men. These things cause distraction and cast great darkness about the heart. I would willingly speak My Word and reveal My Secrets to you, if you would watch diligently for My Coming and open your heart to Me. Be prudent, then. Watch in prayer, and in all things humble yourself.

My children, I have said: “Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, do I give unto you.” All men desire peace but all do not care for the things that go to make true peace. My Peace is with the humble and meek of heart: your peace will be in much patience. If you hear Me and follow My Voice, you will be able to enjoy much peace.
Watch yourself in all things, in what you do and what you say. Direct your every intention toward pleasing Me alone, and desire nothing outside of Me. Do not be rash in judging the deeds and words of others, and do not entangle yourself in affairs that are not your own. Thus, it will come about that you will be disturbed little and seldom.

Yet, never to experience any disturbance or to suffer any hurt in heart or body does not belong to this present life, but rather to the state of eternal rest. Do not think, therefore, that you have found true peace if you feel no depression, or that all is well because you suffer no opposition. Do not think that all is perfect if everything happens just as you wish. And do not imagine yourself great or consider yourself especially beloved if you are filled with great devotion and sweetness. For the true lover of virtue is not known by these things, nor do the progress and perfection of a man consist in them.

They consist in offering yourself with all your heart to the Divine Will, not seeking what is yours either in small matters or great ones, either in temporal or eternal things, so that you will preserve equanimity and give thanks in both prosperity and adversity, seeing all things in their proper light.

If you become so brave and long-suffering in hope that you can prepare your heart to suffer still more even when all inward consolation is withdrawn, and if you do not justify yourself as though you ought not be made to suffer such great things, but acknowledge Me to be just in all My Works and praise My Holy Name — then you will walk in the true and right path of peace, then you may have sure hope of seeing My Face again in joy. If you attain to complete contempt of self, then know that you will enjoy an abundance of peace, as much as is possible in this earthly life.

My children, you should give all for all, and in no way belong to yourself. You must know that self-love is more harmful to you than anything else in the world. In proportion to the love and affection you have for a thing, it will cling to you more or less. If your love is pure, simple, and well ordered, you will not be a slave to anything. Do not covet what you may not have. Do not possess anything that can hinder you or rob you of freedom.

It is strange that you do not commit yourself to Me with your whole heart, together with all that you can desire or possess. Why are you consumed with foolish sorrow? Why are you wearied with unnecessary care? Be resigned to My Will and you will suffer no loss.

If you seek this or that, if you wish to be in this place or that place, to have more ease and pleasure, you will never rest or be free from care, for some defect is found in everything and everywhere someone will vex you. To obtain and multiply earthly goods, then, will not assist you, but to despise them and root them out of your heart will help. This, understand, is true not only of money and wealth, but also of ambition for honor and desire for empty praise, all of which will pass away with this world.

Peace will not last if it is sought from the outside; if your heart has no true foundation, that is, if you are not founded in Me. You may change, but you will not better yourself. For when occasion arises and is accepted, you will find that from which you fled and worse.

My children, do not take it to heart if some people think badly of you and say unpleasant things about you. You ought to think worse things of yourself and to believe that no one is weaker than yourself. Moreover, if you walk in the spirit you will pay little heed to fleeting words. It is no small prudence to remain silent in evil times, to turn inwardly to Me, and not to be disturbed by human opinions. Do not let your peace depend on the words of men. Their thinking well or badly of you does not make you different from what you are. Where are true peace and glory? Are they not in Me? Those who neither care to please men nor fear to displease them will enjoy great peace, for all unrest and distraction of the senses arise out of disorderly love and vain fear.

My children, I am the Lord Who gives strength in the day of trouble. Come to Me when all is not well with you. Your tardiness in turning to prayer is the greatest obstacle to Heavenly consolation, for before you pray earnestly to Me you first seek many comforts and take pleasure in outward things. Thus, all things are of little profit to you until you realize that I am the One Who saves those who trust in Me, and that outside of Me there is no worth-while help, or any useful counsel or lasting remedy.

But now, after the tempest, take courage, grow strong once more in the light of My Mercies; for I am near, to restore all things not only to the full but with abundance and above measure. Is anything difficult for Me? Or shall I be as One who promises and does not act? Where is your faith? Stand firm and persevere. Be a man of endurance and courage, and consolation will come to you in due time. Wait for Me; wait — and I will come to heal you.

It is only a temptation that troubles you, a vain fear that terrifies you. Of what use is anxiety about the future? Does it bring you anything but trouble upon trouble? It is foolish and useless to be either grieved or happy about future things which perhaps may never happen. But it is human to be deluded by such imaginations, and the sign of a weak soul to be led on by suggestions of the enemy. For he does not care whether he overcomes you by love of the present or fear of the future.

Let not your heart be troubled, therefore, nor let it be afraid. Believe in Me and trust in My Mercy. When you think you are far from Me, then often I am very near you. When you judge that almost all is lost, then very often you are in the way of gaining great merit.

All is not lost when things go contrary to your wishes. You ought not judge according to present feelings, nor give in to any trouble whenever it comes, or take it as though all hope of escape were lost. And do not consider yourself forsaken if I send some temporary hardship, or withdraw the consolation you desire. For this is the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is better for you and the rest of My servants to be tried in adversities than to have all things as you wish. I know your secret thoughts, and I know that it is profitable for your salvation to be left sometimes in despondency lest perhaps you are puffed up by success and fancy yourself to be what you are not.

What I have given, I can take away and restore when it pleases Me. What I give remains Mine, and thus when I take it away I take nothing that is yours, for every good gift and every perfect gift is Mine.

If I send you trouble and adversity, do not be troubled or let your heart be downcast. I can raise you quickly up again and turn all your sorrow into joy. I am no less just and worthy of great praise when I deal with you in this way.

If you think right and view things in their true light, you should never be so dejected and saddened by adversity, but rather rejoice and give thanks, considering it a matter of special joy that I afflict you with sorrow and do not spare you. “As the Father hath loved Me, so also I love you,” I said to My disciples, and I certainly did not send them out to temporal joys but rather to great struggles, not to honors but to contempt, not to idleness, but to labors, not to rest but to bring forth much fruit in patience. Do you, My children, remember these words?

My children, you can never be perfectly free unless you completely renounce self, for all who seek their own interest and who love themselves are bound in chains. They are unsettled by covetousness and curiosity, always searching for ease and not for My Things, often devising and seeking that which will not last, for anything that is not of God will fail completely.

Hold to this short and perfect advice, therefore: give up your desires and you will find rest. Think upon it in your heart, and when you have put it into practice you will understand all things.

My children, you should not turn away or be downcast when you hear the way of the perfect. Rather you ought to be spurred on the more toward their sublime heights, or at least be moved to seek perfection.

I would hope this were the case with you — that you had progressed to the point where you no longer loved self but simply awaited My Bidding and theirs whom I have placed as father over you. Then you would please Me very much, and your whole life would pass in peace and joy. But you have yet many things which you must give up, and unless you resign them entirely to Me you will not obtain that which you ask.

I have said: exchange what is precious and valued among men for that which is considered contemptible. For true heavenly wisdom — not to think highly of self and not to seek glory on earth — does indeed seem mean and small and is nearly forgotten, as many men praise it with their mouths but shy far away from it in their lives. Yet this heavenly wisdom is a pearl of great price, which is hidden from many.

My children, do not trust in your present feeling, for it will soon give way to another. As long as you live you will be subject to changeableness in spite of yourself. You will become merry at one time and sad at another, now peaceful but again disturbed, at one moment devout and the next uncaring, sometimes diligent while at other times lazy, now grave and again flippant.

But the man who is wise and whose spirit is well instructed stands superior to these changes. They pay no attention to what they feel in themselves or from what quarter the wind of fickleness blows, so long as the whole intention of their mind is conducive to their proper and desired end. For thus they can stand undivided, unchanged, and unshaken, with the singleness of their intention directed unwaveringly toward Me, even in the midst of so many changing events. And the purer this singleness of intention is with constant diligence do they pass through many storms.

But in many ways the eye of pure intention grows dim, because it is attracted to any delightful thing that it meets. Indeed, it is rare to find one who is entirely free from all taint of self-seeking. The Jews of old, for example, came to Bethany to Martha and Mary, not for My Sake alone, but in order to see Lazarus.

The eye of your intention, therefore, must be cleansed so that it is single and right. It must be directed toward Me, despite all the objects which may interfere.

My children, in this life you are never safe, and as long as you live the weapons of the spirit will ever be necessary to you. You dwell among enemies. You are subject to attack from the right and the left. If, therefore, you do not guard yourself from every quarter with the shield of patience, you will not remain long unscathed.

Moreover, if you do not steadily set your heart on Me, with a firm will to suffer everything for My Sake, you will not be able to bear the heat of this battle or to win the crown of the blessed. You ought, therefore, to pass through all these things bravely and to oppose a strong hand to whatever stands in your way. For those who triumph, heavenly bread is given, while those who are too lazy to fight there remains much misery.

If you look for rest in this life, how will you attain to everlasting rest? Dispose yourself, then, not for much rest but for great patience. Seek true peace, not on earth but in Heaven; not in men or in other creatures but in Me alone. For My Love, you should undergo all things cheerfully, all labors and sorrows, temptations and trials, anxieties, weaknesses, necessities, injuries, slanders, rebukes, humiliations, confusions, corrections, and contempt. For these are the ways to virtue. These are the trials of My recruit. These form the heavenly crown. For a little brief labor I will give an everlasting crown, and for passing confusion, glory that is eternal.

Do you think that you will always have spiritual consolations as you desire? My saints did not always have them. Instead, they had many afflictions, temptations of various kinds, and great desolation. Yet they bore them all patiently. They placed their confidence in Me rather than in themselves, knowing that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come. And you — do you wish to have at once that which others have scarcely obtained after many tears and great labors?

Wait for Me, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly to My Glory. I will reward you most plentifully. I will be with you in every tribulation.

My children, trust firmly in Me, and do not fear the judgment of men when conscience tells you that you are upright and innocent. For it is good and blessed to suffer such things, and they will not weigh heavily on the humble heart that trusts in Me rather than in itself. Many men say many things, and therefore little faith is to be put in them.

Likewise, it is impossible to satisfy all men. Although Paul tried to please all in My Name, and became all things to all men, yet he made little of their opinions. He labored abundantly for the edification and salvation of others, as much as lay in him and as much as he could, but he could not escape being sometimes judged and despised by others. Therefore, he committed all to Me Who knows all things, and defended himself by his patience and humility against the tongues of those who spoke unjustly or thought foolish things and lies, or made accusations against him. Sometimes, indeed, he did answer them, but only lest his silence scandalize the weak.

Who are you, then, that you should be afraid of mortal man? Today he is here, tomorrow he is not seen. Love Me and you will not be afraid of the terrors of men. What can anyone do to you by word or injury? They hurt themselves rather than you, and no matter who they may be they cannot escape My Judgment. Keep Me before your eyes, therefore, and do not quarrel with peevish words.

If it seems, then, that you are defeated and that you suffer undeserved shame, do not be concerned over it and do not lessen your crown by impatience. Look instead to Heaven, to Me, Who has power to deliver you from all disgrace and injury, and to render to everyone according to his works.

My children, renounce self and you shall find Me. Give up your own self-will, your desire for possessions, and you shall always gain. For once you resign yourself irrevocably, greater grace will be given you.

Always, at every hour, in small matters as well as great — I accept nothing. In all things I wish you to be stripped of self. How otherwise can you be Mine or I yours unless you are despoiled of your own will both inwardly and outwardly? The sooner you do this the better it will be for you, and the more fully and sincerely you do it the more you will please Me and the greater gain you will merit.

There are some who resign themselves, but with certain reservation; they do not trust fully in Me and therefore they try to provide for themselves. Others, again, at first offer all, but afterward are assailed by temptation and return to what they have renounced, thereby making no progress in virtue. These will not reach the true liberty of a pure heart nor the grace of happy friendship with Me unless they first make a full resignation and a daily sacrifice of themselves. Without this no fruitful union lasts nor will last.

I have said to you very often, and now I say again: forsake yourself, renounce yourself and you shall enjoy great inward peace. Give all for all. Ask nothing, demand nothing in return. Trust purely and without hesitation in Me, and you shall possess Me. You will be free of heart and darkness will not overwhelm you.

Strive for this, pray for this, desire this — to be stripped of all selfishness and to be naked; to follow the naked Jesus, to die to self and live forever for Me. Then all vain imaginations, all wicked disturbances and superfluous cares will vanish. Then also immoderate fear will leave you and selfishness will die.

My children, you must strive diligently to be inwardly free, to have mastery over yourself everywhere, in every external act and occupation, that all things be subject to you and not you to them, that you be the master and director of your actions, not a slave or a mere hired servant. You should be rather a free man and a true Hebrew, arising to the status and freedom of the children of God who stand above present things to contemplate those which are eternal; who look upon passing affairs with the left eye and upon those of Heaven with the right; whom temporal things do not so attract that they cling to them, but who rather put these things to such proper service as is ordained and instituted by Me, the great Workmaster, Who leaves nothing unordered in His Creation.

If, likewise, in every happening you are not content simply with outward appearances, if you do not regard with carnal eyes things which you see and hear, but whatever be the affair, enter with Moses into the tabernacle to ask My Advice, you will sometimes hear the Divine Answer and return instructed in many things present and to come. For Moses always had recourse to the tabernacle for the solution of doubts and questions, and fled to prayer for support in dangers and the evil deeds of men. So you also should take refuge in the secret chamber of your heart, begging earnestly for divine aid.
For this reason, as we read, Joshua and the children of Israel were deceived by the Gibeonites because they did not first seek My Counsel, but trusted too much in fair words and hence were deceived by false piety.

My children, always commit your cause to Me. I will dispose of it rightly in good time. Await My Ordering of it and it will be to your advantage.

My children, it often happens that many seek ardently after something they desire and then when they have attained it they begin to think that it is not at all desirable; for affections do not remain fixed on the same thing, but rather flit from one to another. It is no very small matter, therefore, for a man to forsake himself even in things that are very small.
A man’s true progress consists in denying himself, and the man who has denied himself is truly free and secure. The old enemy, however, setting himself against all good, never ceases to tempt them, but day and night plots dangerous snares to cast the unwary into the net of deceit.

My children, do not take it to heart if you see others honored and advanced, while you yourself are despised and put down. Lift up your heart to Me in Heaven and the contempt of men on earth will not grieve you.

My children, if you place your peace in any creature because of your own feeling or for the sake of their company, you will be unsettled and entangled. But if you have recourse to the ever-living and abiding truth, you will not grieve if a friend should die or forsake you. Your love for your friend should be grounded in Me, and for My Sake you should love whoever seems to be good and is very dear to you in this life. Without Me, friendship has no strength and cannot endure. Love which I do not bind is neither true nor pure.

You ought, therefore, to be so dead to such human affections as to wish as far as lies within you to be without the fellowship of men. You draw nearer to Me in proportion as you withdraw farther from all earthly comfort. And you ascend higher to Me as you descend lower into yourself and grow more vile in your own eyes. Those who attribute any good to themselves hinder My Grace from coming into their heart, for the grace of the Holy Spirit seeks always the humble heart.
If you knew how to annihilate yourself completely and empty yourself of all created love, then I should overflow in you with great grace. When you look to creatures, the sight of the Creator is taken from you. Learn, therefore, to conquer yourself in all things for the sake of your Maker. Then will you be able to attain Divine Knowledge. But anything, no matter how small, that is loved and regarded exceedingly keeps you back from the highest good and corrupts the soul.

My children, do not let the fine-sounding and subtle words of men deceive you. For the Kingdom of Heaven consists not in talk but in virtue. Attend, rather, to My Words which enkindle the heart and enlighten the mind, which excite contrition and abound in manifold consolations. Never read them for the purpose of appearing more learned or more wise. Apply yourself to mortifying your vices, for this will benefit you more than your understanding of many difficult questions.
Though you shall have read and learned many things, it will always be necessary for you to return to this one principle: I am He who teaches man knowledge, and to the little ones I give a clearer understanding than can be taught by man. Those to whom I speak will soon be wise and their soul will profit. But woes to those who inquire of men about many curious things, and care very little about the way they serve Me.

The time will come when I, the Teacher of teachers, the Lord of angels, will appear to hear the lessons of all — that is, to examine the conscience of everyone. Then I will search Jerusalem with lamps and the hidden things of darkness will be brought to light and the arguings of men’s tongues will be silenced.

I am He Who in one moment so enlightens the humble mind that it comprehends more of eternal truth than could be learned by ten years in the schools. I teach without noise of words or clash of opinions, without ambition for honor or confusion of argument.

I am He Who teaches man to despise earthly possessions and to loathe present things, to ask after the eternal, to hunger for Heaven, to forego honors and to bear with scandals, to place all hope in Me, to desire nothing apart from Me, and to love Me ardently above all things. For a certain man by loving Me intimately learned Divine Truths and spoke wonders. He profited more by leaving all things than by studying subtle questions.

To some I speak of common things, to others of special matters. To some I appear with sweetness in signs and figures, and to others I appear in great light and reveal mysteries. The voice of books is but a single voice, yet it does not teach all men alike, because I within them am the Teacher and the Truth, the Examiner of hearts, the Understander of thoughts, the Promoter of acts, distributing to each as I see fit.

My children, there are many matters of which it is well for you to be ignorant, and to consider yourself as one who is dead upon the earth and to whom the whole world is crucified. There are many things, too, which it is well to pass by with a deaf ear, thinking, instead, of what is more to your peace. It is more profitable to turn away from things which displease you and to leave to every man his own opinion than to take part in quarrelsome talk. If you stand well with Me and look to My Judgment, you will more easily bear being abused.

My children, stand firm and trust in Me. For what are words but words? They fly through the air but hurt not a stone. If you are guilty, consider how you would gladly amend. If you are not conscious of any fault, think that you wish to bear this for My Sake. It is little enough for you occasionally to endure words, since you are not yet strong enough to bear hard blows.

And why do such small matters pierce you to the heart, unless because you are still carnal and pay more heed to men than to Me? You do not wish to be reproved for your faults and you seek shelter in excuses because you are afraid of being despised. But look into yourself more thoroughly and you will learn that the world is still alive in you, in a vain desire to please men. For when you shrink from being abased and confounded for your failings, it is plain indeed that you are not truly humble or truly dead to the world, and that the world is not crucified in you.

Listen to My Word, and you will not value ten thousand words of men. Behold, if every malicious thing that could possibly be invented were uttered against you, what harm could it do if you ignored it all and gave it no more thought than you would a blade of grass? Could it so much as pluck one hair from your head?

He who does not keep his heart within him, and who does not have Me before his eyes is easily moved by a word of disparagement. He who trusts in Me, on the other hand, and who has no desire to stand by his own judgment, will be free from the fear of men. For I am the Judge and Discerner of all secrets. I know how all things happen. I know who causes injury and who suffers it. From Me that word proceeded, and with My Permission it happened, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. I shall judge the guilty and the innocent; but I have wished beforehand to try them both by secret judgment.

The testimony of man is often deceiving, but My Judgment is true — it will stand and not be overthrown. It is hidden from many and made known to but a few. Yet it is never mistaken and cannot be mistaken even though it does not seem right in the eyes of the unwise.

To Me, therefore, you ought to come in every decision, not depending on your own judgment. For the just man will not be disturbed, no matter what may befall him. Even if an unjust charge be made against him he will not be much troubled. Neither will he exult vainly if through others he is justly acquitted. He considers that it is I Who search the hearts and inmost thoughts of men, that I do not judge according to the face of things or human appearances. For what the judgment of men considers praiseworthy is often worthy of blame in My Sight.

My children, do not let the labors which you have taken up for My Sake break you, and do not let troubles, from whatever source, cast you down; but in everything let My Promise strengthen and console you. I am able to reward you beyond all means and measure.

You will not labor here long, nor will you always be oppressed by sorrows. Wait a little while and you will see a speedy end of evils. The hour will come when all labor and trouble shall be no more. All that passes away with time is trivial.
What you do, do well. Work faithfully in My Vineyard. I will be your reward. Write, read, sing, mourn, keep silent, pray, and bear hardships like a man. Eternal life is worth all these and greater battles. Peace will come on a day which is known to My Father, and then there shall be no day or night as at present but perpetual light, infinite brightness, lasting peace, and safe repose. Then you will not say: “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” nor will you cry: “Woe is me, because my sojourn is prolonged.” For then death will be banished, and there will be health unfailing. There will be no anxiety then, but blessed joy and sweet, noble companionship.

If you could see the everlasting crowns of the saints in heaven, and the great glory wherein they now rejoice — they who were once considered contemptible in this world and, as it were, unworthy of life itself — you would certainly humble yourself at once to the very earth, and seek to be subject to all rather than to command even one. Nor would you desire the pleasant days of this life, but rather be glad to suffer for Me, considering it your greatest gain to be counted as nothing among men.

Oh, if these things appealed to you and penetrated deeply into your heart, how could you dare to complain even once? Ought not all trials be borne for the sake of everlasting life? In truth, the loss or gain of My Kingdom is no small matter.
Lift up your countenance to Heaven, then. Behold Me, and with Me all My saints. They had great trials in this life, but now they rejoice. They are consoled. Now they are safe and at rest. And they shall abide with Me for all eternity in the Kingdom of My Father.

My children, when you feel the desire for everlasting happiness poured out upon you from above, and when you long to depart out of the tabernacle of the body that you may contemplate My Glory without threat of change, open wide your heart and receive this holy inspiration with all eagerness. Give deepest thanks to the Heavenly Goodness which deals with you so understandingly, visits you so mercifully, stirs you so fervently, and sustains you so powerfully lest under your own weight you sink down to earthly things. For you obtain this not by your own thought or effort, but simply by the condescension of Heavenly Grace and Divine Regard. And the purpose of it is that you may advance in virtue and in greater humility, that you may prepare yourself for future trials, that you may strive to cling to Me with all the affection of your heart, and may serve Me with a fervent will.

My children, often, when the fire is burning the flame does not ascend without smoke. Likewise, the desires of some burn toward Heavenly things, and yet they are not free from temptations of carnal affection. Therefore, it is not altogether for My pure Honor that they act when they petition Me so earnestly. Such, too, is often your desire which you profess to be so strong. For that which is alloyed with self-interest is not pure and perfect.

Ask, therefore, not for what is pleasing and convenient to yourself, but for what is acceptable to Me and is for My Honor, because if you judge rightly, you ought to prefer and follow My Will, not your own desire or whatever things you wish.
I know your longings and I have heard your frequent sighs. Already you wish to be in the liberty of the glory of the sons of My Father. Already you desire the delights of the eternal home, the Heavenly Land that is full of joy. But that hour is not yet come. There remains yet another hour, a time of war, of labor, and of trial. You long to be filled with the Highest Good, but you cannot attain it now. I am that sovereign Good. Await Me, until the Kingdom of God shall come.

You must still be tried on earth, and exercised in many things. Consolation will sometimes be given you, but the complete fullness of it is not granted. Take courage, therefore, and be strong both to do and to suffer what is contrary to nature.
You must put on the new man. You must be changed into another man. You must often do the things you do not wish to do and forego those you do wish. What pleases others will succeed; what pleases you will not. The words of others will be heard; what you say will be accounted as nothing. Others will ask and receive; you will ask and not receive. Others will gain great fame among men; about you nothing will be said. To others the doing of this or that will be entrusted; you will be judged useless. At all this nature will sometimes be sad, and it will be a great thing if you bear this sadness in silence. For in these and many similar ways My faithful servants are wont to be tried, to see how far they can deny themselves and break themselves in all things.

There is scarcely anything in which you so need to die to self as in seeing and suffering things that are against your will, especially when things that are commanded seem inconvenient or useless. Then, because you are under authority, and dare not resist the Higher Power, it seems hard to submit to the will of another and give up your own opinion entirely.
But consider, my children, the fruit of these labors, how soon they will end and how greatly they will be rewarded, and you will not be saddened by them, but your patience will receive the strongest consolation. For instead of the little will that you now readily give up, you shall always have your will in Heaven. There, indeed, you shall find all that you could desire. There you shall have possession of every good without fear of losing it. There shall your will be forever one with Mine. It shall desire nothing outside of Me and nothing for itself. There no one shall oppose you, no one shall complain of you, no one hinder you, and nothing stand in your way. All that you desire will be present there, replenishing your affection and satisfying it to the full. There I shall render you glory for the reproach you have suffered here; for your sorrow I shall give you a garment of praise, and for the lowest place a seat of power forever. There the fruit of glory will appear, the labor of penance rejoice, and humble subjection be gloriously crowned.

Bow humbly, therefore, under the will of all, and do not heed who said this or commanded that. But let it be your special care when something is commanded, or even hinted at, whether by a superior or an inferior or an equal, that you take it in good part and try honestly to perform it. Let one person seek one thing and another something else. Let one glory in this, another in that, and both be praised a thousand times over. But as for you, rejoice neither in one or the other, but only in contempt of yourself and in My Pleasure and Honor. Let this be your wish: That whether in life or in death I may be glorified in you.

My children, you cannot always continue in the more fervent desire of virtue, or remain in the higher stage of contemplation, but because of humanity’s sin you must sometimes descend to lower things and bear the burden of this corruptible life, albeit unwillingly and wearily. As long as you wear a mortal body you will suffer weariness and heaviness of heart. You ought, therefore, to bewail in the flesh the burden of the flesh which keeps you from giving yourself unceasingly to spiritual exercises and Divine Contemplation.

In such condition, it is well for you to apply yourself to humble, outward works and to refresh yourself in good deeds, to await with unshaken confidence My Heavenly Visitation, patiently to bear your exile and dryness of mind until you are again visited by Me and freed of all anxieties. For I will cause you to forget your labors and to enjoy inward quiet. I will spread before you the open fields of the Scriptures, so that with an open heart you may begin to advance in the way of My Commandments. And you will say: the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory which shall be revealed to us.

My children, My Grace is precious. It does not allow itself to be mixed with external things or with earthly consolations. Cast away all obstacles to grace, therefore, if you wish to receive its infusion.

Seek to retire within yourself. Love to dwell alone with yourself. Seek no man’s conversation, but rather pour forth devout prayer to Me that you may keep your mind contrite and your heart pure.

Consider the whole world as nothing. Prefer attendance upon Me to all outward occupation, for you cannot attend upon Me and at the same time take delight in external things. You must remove yourself from acquaintances and from dear friends, and keep your mind free of all temporal consolation. Thus the blessed Apostle St. Peter begs My Faithful to keep themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the world.

What great confidence at the hour of death shall be theirs who is not attached to this world by any affection. But the sickly soul does not know what it is to have a heart thus separated from all things, nor does the natural man know the liberty of the spiritual man. Yet, if they truly wish to be spiritual, they must renounce both strangers and friends, and must beware of no one more than themselves.

If you completely conquer yourself, you will more easily subdue all other things. The perfect victory is to triumph over self. For those who hold themselves in such subjection that sensuality obeys reason and reason obeys Me in all matters, are truly their own conqueror and masters of the world.

Now, if you wish to climb to this high position you must begin like a man, and lay the ax to the root, in order to tear out and destroy any hidden unruly love of self or of earthly goods. From this vice of too much self-love comes almost every other vice that must be uprooted. And when this evil is vanquished, and brought under control, great peace and quiet will follow at once.

But because few labor to die entirely to self, or tend completely away from self, therefore they remain entangled in self, and cannot be lifted in spirit above themselves. But those who desire to walk freely with Me must mortify all their low and inordinate affections, and must not cling with selfish love or desire to any creature.

My children, pay careful attention to the movements of nature and of grace, for they move in very contrary and subtle ways, and can scarcely be distinguished by anyone except a man who is spiritual and inwardly enlightened. All men, indeed, desire what is good, and strive for what is good in their words and deeds. For this reason the appearance of good deceives many.

Nature is crafty and attracts many; ensnaring and deceiving them while ever seeking itself. But grace walks in simplicity, turns away from all appearance of evil, offers no deceits, and does all purely for Me in whom she rests as her last end.
Nature is not willing to die, or to be kept down, or to be overcome. Nor will it subdue itself or be made subject. Grace, on the contrary, strives for mortification of self. She resists sensuality, seeks to be in subjection, longs to be conquered, has no wish to use her own liberty, loves to be held under discipline, and does not desire to rule over anyone, but wishes rather to live, to stand, and to be always under Me for Whose sake she is willing to bow humbly to every human creature.
Nature works for its own interest and looks to the profit it can reap from another. Grace does not consider what is useful and advantageous to herself, but rather what is profitable to many. Nature likes to receive honor and reverence, but grace faithfully attributes all honor and glory to Me. Nature fears shame and contempt, but grace is happy to suffer reproach for My Name. Nature loves ease and physical inactivity. Grace, however, cannot bear to be idle and embraces labor willingly. Nature seeks to possess what is rare and beautiful, abhorring things that are cheap and coarse. Grace, on the contrary, delights in simple, humble things, not despising those that are rough, nor refusing to be clothed in old garments.

Nature has regard for temporal wealth and rejoices in earthly gains. It is sad over a loss and irritated by a slight, injurious word. But grace looks to eternal things and does not cling to those which are temporal, being neither disturbed at loss nor angered by hard words, because she has placed her treasure and joy in heaven where nothing is lost.
Nature is covetous, and receives more willingly than it gives. It loves to have its own private possessions. Grace, however, is kind and openhearted. Grace shuns private interest, is contented with little, and judges it more blessed to give than to receive.

Nature is inclined toward creatures, toward its own flesh, toward vanities, and toward running about. But grace draws near to Me and to virtue, renounces creatures, hates the desires of the flesh, restrains her wanderings and blushes at being seen in public.

Nature likes to have some external comfort in which it can take sensual delight, but grace seeks consolation only in Me, to find her delight in the Highest Good, above all visible things.

Nature does everything for its own gain and interest. It can do nothing without pay and hopes for its good deeds to receive their equal or better, or else praise and favor. It is very desirous of having its deeds and gifts highly regarded. Grace, however, seeks nothing temporal, nor does she ask any recompense but Me alone. Of temporal necessities she asks no more than will serve to obtain eternity.

Nature rejoices in many friends and kinsfolk, glories in noble position and birth, fawns on the powerful, flatters the rich, and applauds those who are like itself. But grace loves even her enemies and is not puffed up at having many friends. She does not think highly of either position or birth unless there is also virtue there. She favors the poor in preference to the rich. She sympathizes with the innocent rather than with the powerful. She rejoices with the true man rather than with the deceitful, and is always exhorting the good to strive for better gifts, to become like the Son of God by practicing the virtues.

Nature is quick to complain of need and trouble; grace is stanch in suffering want. Nature turns all things back to self. It fights and argues for self. Grace brings all things back to Me in Whom they have their source. To herself she ascribes no good, nor is she arrogant or presumptuous. She is not contentious. She does not prefer her own opinion to the opinion of others, but in every matter of sense and thought submits herself to eternal wisdom and the divine judgment.

Nature has a relish for knowing secrets and hearing news. It wishes to appear abroad and to have many sense experiences. It wishes to be known and to do things for which it will be praised and admired. But grace does not care to hear news or curious matters, because all this arises from the old corruption of man, since there is nothing new, nothing lasting on earth. Grace teaches, therefore, restraint of the senses, avoidance of vain self-satisfaction and show, the humble hiding of deeds worthy of praise and admiration, and the seeking in every thing and in every knowledge the fruit of usefulness, the praise and honor of Me. She will not have herself or hers exalted, but desires that I Who bestows all simply out of love should be blessed in My Gifts.

This grace is a supernatural light, a certain special gift of Mine, the proper mark of the elect and the pledge of everlasting salvation. It raises man up from earthly things to love the things of Heaven. It makes a spiritual man of a carnal one. The more, then, nature is held in check and conquered, the more grace is given. Every day the interior man is reformed by new visitations according to My Image.

My children, the more you depart from yourself, the more you will be able to enter into Me. As the giving up of exterior things brings interior peace, so the forsaking of self unites you to Me. I will have you learn perfect surrender to My Will, without contradiction or complaint.

Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you must follow, the Truth which you must believe, and the Life for which you must hope. I am the inviolable Way, the infallible Truth, and the unending Life. I am the Way that is straight, the supreme Truth, the Life that is true, the blessed, the uncreated Life. If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free, and you shall attain life everlasting.

If you wish to enter into life, keep My Commandments. If you will know the truth, believe in Me. If you will be perfect, renounce all. If you will be My disciple, deny yourself. If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life. If you will be exalted in Heaven, humble yourself on earth. If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me. For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.

My children, now that you know these things and have read them all, happy will you be if you do them. Those who have My Commandments and keep them, are the ones that love Me. And I will love them and will show Myself to them, and will bring it about that they will sit down with Me in My Father’s Kingdom.

My children, patience and humility in adversity are more pleasing to Me than much consolation and devotion when things are going well.

Why are you saddened by some little thing said against you? Even if it had been worse you ought not to have been affected. But now let it pass. It is not the first, nor is it anything new, and if you live long it will not be the last.
You are manly enough so long as you meet no opposition. You give good advice to others, and you know how to strengthen them with words, but when unexpected tribulation comes to your door, you fail both in counsel and in strength. Consider your great weakness, then, which you experience so often in small matters. Yet when these and like trials happen, they happen for your good.

Put it out of your heart as best you know how, and if it has touched you, still do not let it cast you down or confuse you for long. Bear it patiently at least, if you cannot bear it cheerfully. Even though you bear it unwillingly, and are indignant at it, restrain yourself and let no ill-ordered words pass your lips at which the weak might be scandalized. The storm that is now aroused will soon be quieted and your inward grief will be sweetened by returning grace. “I yet live,” says the Lord, “ready to help you and to console you more and more, if you trust in Me and call devoutly upon Me.”

Remain tranquil and prepare to bear still greater trials. All is not lost even though you are troubled often or tempted more grievously. You are a man, not God. You are flesh, not an angel. How can you possibly expect to remain always in the same state of virtue when the angels in heaven and the first man in paradise failed to do so? I am He Who rescues the afflicted and brings to My Divinity those who know their own weakness.

My children, beware of discussing high matters and My hidden Judgments — why this person is so forsaken and why that one is favored with so great a grace, or why one man is so afflicted and another so highly exalted. Such things are beyond all human understanding and no reason or disputation can fathom My Judgments.

When the enemy puts such suggestions in your mind, therefore, or when some curious person raises questions about them, answer with the prophet: “Thou art just, O Lord, and righteous are Thy Judgments”; and this: “The judgments of the Lord are true and wholly righteous.” My Judgments are not to be discussed, because they are incomprehensible to the understanding of men.

In like manner, do not inquire or dispute about the merits of the saints, as to which is more holy, or which shall be greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Such things often breed strife and useless contentions. They nourish pride and vainglory, whence arise envy and quarrels, when one proudly tries to exalt one saint and the other another. A desire to know and pry into such matters brings forth no fruit. On the contrary, it displeases the saints, because I am the God, not of dissension, but of peace — of that peace which consists in true humility rather than in self-exaltation.

Some are drawn by the ardor of their love with greater affection to these saints or to those, but this affection is human and not Divine. I am He who made all the saints. I gave them grace: I brought them to glory. I know the merits of each of them. I came before them in the blessings of My Sweetness. I knew My Beloved ones before the ages. I chose them out of the world — they did not choose Me. I called them by grace; I drew them on by mercy. I led them safely through various temptations. I poured into them glorious consolations. I gave them perseverance and I crowned their patience. I know the first and the last. I embrace them all with love inestimable. I am to be praised in all My saints. I am to be blessed above all things, and honored in each of those whom I have exalted and predestined so gloriously without any previous merits of their own.

Those who despise one of the least of mine, therefore, do no honor to the greatest, for both the small and the great I made. And those who disparage one of the saints disparage Me also and all others in the Kingdom of Heaven. They are all one through the bond of charity. They have the same thought and the same will, and they mutually love one another; but, what is a much greater thing, they love Me more than themselves or their own merits. Rapt above themselves, and drawn beyond love of self, they are entirely absorbed in love of Me, in Whom they rest. There is nothing that can draw them away or depress them, for they who are filled with eternal truth burn with the fire of unquenchable love.

Therefore, let carnal and sensual men, who know only how to love their own selfish joys, forbear to dispute about the state of My saints. Such men take away and add according to their own inclinations and not as it pleases the Eternal Truth. In many this is sheer ignorance, especially in those who are but little enlightened and can rarely love anyone with a purely spiritual love. They are still strongly drawn by natural affection and human friendship to one person or another, and on their behavior in such things here below are based their imaginings of Heavenly things. But there is an incomparable distance between the things which the imperfect imagine and those which enlightened men contemplate through revelation from above.

Be careful, then, My children, of treating matters beyond your knowledge out of curiosity. Let it rather be your business and aim to be found, even though the least, in the Kingdom of God. Even if you were to know who is more holy than another, or who is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven, of what value would this knowledge be to you unless out of it you should humble yourself before Me and should rise up in greater praise of My Name?

Those who think of the greatness of their own sins and the littleness of their virtues, and of the distance between themselves and the perfection of the saints, act much more acceptably to Me than those who argue about who is greater or who is less. It is better to invoke the saints with devout prayers and tears, and with a humble mind to beg their glorious aid, than to search with vain inquisitiveness into their secrets.
The saints are well and perfectly contented if men know how to content themselves and cease their useless discussions. They do not glory in their own merits, for they attribute no good to themselves but all to Me, because out of My infinite Charity I gave all to them. They are filled with such love of God and with such overflowing joy, that no glory is wanting to them and they can lack no happiness. All the saints are so much higher in glory as they are more humble in themselves; nearer to Me, and more beloved by Me. Therefore, you find it written that they cast their crowns before God, and fell down upon their faces before the Lamb, and adored Him Who lives forever.

Many ask who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven when they do not know whether they themselves shall be worthy of being numbered among its least. It is a great thing to be even the least in Heaven where all are great because all shall be called, and shall be, the children of God. The least shall be as a thousand, and the sinner of a hundred years shall die. For when the disciples asked who should be greater in the Kingdom of Heaven they heard this response: “Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Woe to those, therefore, who disdain to humble themselves willingly with the little children, for the low gate of the Heavenly Kingdom will not permit them to enter. Woe also to the rich who have their consolations here, for when the poor enter into God’s Kingdom, they will stand outside lamenting. Rejoice, you humble, and exult, you poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours, if only you walk in the truth.

Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. The bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world. Take and eat: this is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. Do this for the commemoration of Me. He that eats My Flesh, and drinks My Blood, abides in Me, and I in him. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Carefully examine your conscience. Cleanse and purify it to the best of your power by true contrition and humble confession, that you may have no burden, know of no remorse, and thus be free to come near. Let the memory of all your sins grieve you, and especially lament and bewail your daily transgressions. Then if time permits, confess to Me in the secret depths of your heart all the miseries your passions have caused.

Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the external senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to exterior things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and dejection, so covetous of abundance, so meager in giving and so tenacious in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so careless in words, so lukewarm in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making good resolutions and carrying so few of them into action.

When you have confessed and deplored these and other faults with sorrow and great displeasure because of your weakness, be firmly determined to amend your life day by day and to advance in goodness. Then, with complete resignation and with your entire will offer yourself upon the altar of your heart as an everlasting sacrifice to the honor of My Name, by entrusting with faith both body and soul to My Care, that thus you may be considered worthy to draw near and offer sacrifice to God and profitably receive the Sacrament of My Body. For there is no more worthy offering, no greater satisfaction for washing away sin than to offer yourself purely and entirely to God with the offering of My Body in Communion.

If a man does what he can and is truly penitent, however often he comes to Me for grace and pardon, I will no longer remember his sins, but all will be forgiven him.

As I offered Myself willingly to God the Father for your sins with hands outstretched and body naked on the Cross, so that nothing remained in Me that had not become a complete sacrifice to appease the Divine Wrath, so ought you to be willing to offer yourself to Me day by day as a pure and holy oblation, together with all your faculties and affections, with as much inward devotion as you can.

What more do I ask than that you give yourself entirely to Me? I care not for anything else you may give Me, for I seek not your gift but you. Just as it would not be enough for you to have everything if you did not have Me, so whatever you give cannot please Me if you do not give yourself.

Offer yourself to Me, therefore, and give yourself entirely for God — your offering will be accepted. Behold, I offered Myself wholly to the Father for you, I even gave My whole Body and Blood for food that I might be all yours, and you Mine forever.

But if you rely upon self, and do not offer your free will to Mine, your offering will be incomplete and the union between us imperfect. Hence, if you desire to attain grace and freedom of heart, let the free offering of yourself into the Hands of God precede your every action. This is why so few are inwardly free and enlightened — they know not how to renounce themselves entirely.

My Words stand: “Everyone of you that does not renounce all that he possesses, cannot be My disciple.” If, therefore, you wish to be My disciple, offer yourself to Me with all your heart.
You must often return to the Source of Grace and Divine Mercy, to the Fountain of Goodness and perfect Purity, if you wish to be free from passion and vice, if you desire to be made stronger and more watchful against all the temptations and deceits of the devil.

I am the Lover of purity, the Giver of all holiness. I seek a pure heart and there is the place of My Rest. Prepare for Me a large room furnished and I will stay with you. If you wish that I come to you and remain with you, purge out the old leaven and make clean the dwelling of your heart. Shut out the whole world with all the din of its vices. Sit as the sparrow lonely on the housetop, and think on your transgressions in bitterness of soul.
Everyone who loves prepares the best and most beautiful home for his beloved, because the love of the one receiving his lover is recognized thereby.

But understand that you cannot by any merit of your own make this preparation well enough, though you spend a year in doing it and think of nothing else. It is only by My Goodness and Grace that you are allowed to approach My table, as though a beggar were invited to dinner by a rich man and he had nothing to offer in return for the gift but to humble himself and give thanks.

Do what you can and do that carefully. Receive My Body; your beloved God Who deigns to come to you, not out of habit or necessity, but with awe, with reverence, and with love. I am He that called you. I ordered it done. I will supply what you lack. Come and receive Me.

When I grant the grace of devotion, give thanks to Me, not because you are worthy but because I have had mercy upon you. If you do not have it and feel rather dry instead, continue in prayer, sigh and knock, and do not give up until you receive some crumb of saving grace.

You have need of Me. I come to sanctify you and make you better. You come to be sanctified and united with Me, to receive new grace and to be aroused anew to amend. Do not neglect this grace, but prepare your heart with all care, and bring into it your Beloved.

Beware of much talking. Remain in seclusion and enjoy your God, for you have Him Whom all the world cannot take from you. I am He to Whom you should give yourself entirely, that from now on you may live, not in yourself, but in Me, with all cares cast away.

You must seek earnestly the grace of devotion, ask for it fervently, await it patiently and hopefully, receive it gratefully, guard it humbly, cooperate with it carefully and leave to Me, when it comes, the length and manner of the Heavenly visitation.

When you feel little or no inward devotion, you should especially humble yourself, but do not become too dejected or unreasonably sad. In one short moment I often give what I have long denied. At times I grant at the end what I have denied from the beginning of prayer. If grace were always given at once, or were present at your beck and call, it would not be well taken by weak humankind. Therefore, with good hope and humble patience await the grace of devotion.
When it is not given, or for some unknown reason is taken away, blame yourself and your sins. Sometimes it is a small matter that hinders grace and hides it, if, indeed, that which prevents so great a good may be called little rather than great. But if you remove this hindrance, be it great or small, and if you conquer it perfectly, you shall have what you ask. As soon as you have given yourself to Me with all your heart and seek neither this nor that for your own pleasure and purpose, but place yourself completely in My Charge, you shall find yourself at peace, united with Me, because nothing will be so sweet, nothing will please you so much as the good pleasure of My Will.

Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention to Me and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion. For where I find the vessel empty I pour down My Blessing.

So also the more perfectly a man renounces things of this world, and the more completely he dies to himself through contempt of self, the more quickly this great grace comes to him, the more plentifully it enters in, and the higher it uplifts the free heart.

Then shall he see and abound, then shall his heart marvel and be enlarged within him, because My Hand is with him and in the hollow of My Hand he has placed himself forever. Thus shall the man be blessed who seeks Me with all his heart and has not regarded his soul in vain.

I can do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search for truth I will allow, a search that is ever ready to learn and that seeks to walk with Me.

Blessed is the simplicity that leaves the difficult way of dispute and goes forward on the level, firm path of My Commandments. Many have lost devotion because they wished to search into things beyond them.

Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty intellect nor a delving into My Mysteries. If you neither know nor understand things beneath you, how can you comprehend what is above you? Submit yourself to Me and humble reason to faith, and the light of understanding will be given you so far as it is good and necessary for you.

Be not disturbed, dispute not in your mind, answer not the doubts sent by the devil, but believe My Words and the evil enemy will flee from you. It is often very profitable for My servant to suffer such things. For Satan does not tempt unbelievers and sinners whom he already holds securely, but in many ways he does tempt and trouble the faithful servant.
Whatever you cannot understand commit to the security of Me, Who does not deceive you. The man, however, who trusts in himself, is deceived. I walk with sincere men, reveal Myself to humble men, enlighten the understanding of pure minds, and hide My Grace from the curious and the proud.

Human reason is weak and can be deceived. True faith, however, cannot be deceived. All reason and natural science ought to come after faith, not go before it, nor oppose it. My Father, Eternal, Incomprehensible, and Infinitely Powerful, does great and inscrutable things in Heaven and on earth, and there is no searching into His marvelous works. If all the works of My Father were such that human reason could easily grasp them, they would not be called wonderful or beyond the power of words to tell.