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The Voice of Christ
My child, renounce self and you shall find Me. Give
up your own self-will, your possessions, and you
shall always gain. For once you resign yourself
irrevocably, greater grace will be given you.
The Disciple
How often, Lord, shall I resign myself? And in what
shall I forsake myself?
The Voice of Christ
Always, at every hour, in small matters as well as
great -- I except nothing. In all things I wish you
to be stripped of self. How otherwise can you be mine
or I yours unless you be 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.Some there are who
resign themselves, but with certain reservation; they
do not trust fully in God 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 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 inordinate
love will die.
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The Voice of Christ
My child, 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 God, 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 advice of the Lord, 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
counsel of the Lord, but trusted too much in fair words and hence
were deceived by false piety.
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