INTRODUCTION TO THE "TECHI'S BATTLES & VICTORIES" SERIES! Maria #126 DO 2633 6/90
--By Maria
1. (Editor's note: As anyone who truly loves & serves the Lord can testify, "Our adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour."--1Pet.5:8. In his attempts to hinder the great Work that our Family is doing for Jesus, our spiritual Enemy tries to attack & get in his dirty blows whenever & wherever he can.
2. (Recently he has attempted to hinder & cause trouble in the King's house, by viciously attacking dear Techi. Although the spiritual warfare over her has raged hot & heavy in recent weeks, the Lord even causes the Enemy's wrath to praise & glorify Himself [EDITED: "Psa.76:10"], & many wonderful victories have been won, PTL!
3. (As a result of these battles, the Lord has been transforming Techi from a previously rather passive & spiritually easygoing little girl into an aggressive fighter for the Lord! She now realises that the Enemy is playing for keeps, & must therefore be militantly resisted with every ounce of strength & determination that can be mustered!
4. (And though the personal victories in Techi's life have been a great blessing, perhaps the greatest blessing to come out of these battles is the volume of priceless lessons that Grandpa & Mama have shared with & about Techi, & that Techi herself has shared in her reports, reactions & times of pouring out her heart to Mama.
5. (Because "there hath no temptation taken any one of us, but such as is common to all," Mama wants you JETTs & Teens to know that this GN--as well as many of the following issues--is especially for you! Seeing how Techi has won different battles should encourage & help you with any similar battles that you may be going through.
6. (The following brief summary will give you an idea of the kind of spiritual battles this series will be dealing with: Although Techi previously had her fair share of "normal" preteen problems such as pride, sensitivity, daydreaming & resistance to correction, shortly before her 11th birthday her problems became significantly worse. She became noticeably more critical of others, & began having an increasingly difficult time receiving correction. She also began having recurring problems with unyieldedness, lying & negative thinking.
7. (So prior to her first major prayer of deliverance from these outstanding problems, she went on a new schedule that allowed her extra time for Word study & classes. In spite of some tough tests, relapses & rough spots, Techi was determined to really go on the attack against the different long-standing weak areas in her life. As a result of yielding to the Lord & beginning to fight against her personal problems, she began to make great progress & began changing dramatically. She also began taking some major steps in honesty & in sharing her trials, thoughts & feelings with her Shepherds, not letting her fear of negative consequences or punishment hinder or hold her back as it had before.
8. (When the Enemy saw that he was losing ground & that Techi was really gaining some solid victories over many of her longstanding problems & weaknesses, he then pulled something new out of his bag of dirty tricks!--He began hitting her with serious doubts, evil pictures & violent thoughts!
9. (The following excerpts from Mama explain some of the reasons why we're now publishing this series, & what benefits you will derive from it:)
DAYDREAMING DANGERS!
10. I believe that one of the main points this series will emphasise to all of you--JETTs, Teens & Adults--is the great difficulty that Techi's having in trying to stop her daydreaming. Techi's story will show you how very serious daydreaming is once it gets started, & what a strong hold it can have on you & how terribly difficult it is to break this bad habit once it's been formed!
11. Of course, we've already published a couple of Letters against daydreaming, but I don't think we even realised just how serious it was then. (See "Daydreaming," ML #1915, & "Mama's Talk to David & Techi on Daydreaming," BTH.) As you read through Techi's reactions & her report times with me, you'll see how very concerned she is about it now. She continually brings it up, & she desperately wants & needs to get the victory over it, but is having a very hard time with it.
VICTORIES WON & LESSONS LEARNED FROM TECHI'S TRIALS!
12. The Enemy didn't come in & attack Techi with a heavy flood of continual bad & violent thoughts about people & serious doubts until after she became determined, with the Lord's help, to put a real push on fighting & overcoming some of her longstanding weaknesses & problems. Because she was making marked progress in these weak areas, the Devil saw that he wasn't able to conquer her or defeat & discourage her through these things any more. So he changed his tactics & began to bring these bad thoughts & big doubts into her mind, even while she was reading the Word or praying.
13. But despite the fact that these attacks have been very heavy & vicious & frequent, & something that we are praying urgently about, I'm very happy about the tremendous lessons that Techi is learning through it all. She is learning to really fight in the Spirit & desperately lean on the Lord for His help & strength. She also realises that these attacks are from the outside, & that they aren't her thoughts. She has learned to do all that she can to fight & resist & rebuke them each time they come to her mind. Although the Enemy intended to defeat her with these attacks, the Lord has turned these attacks into a great victory, & Techi has become much more of a fighter & spiritual warrior because of them! PTL!
14. I'm especially encouraged that all of you JETTs & Teens throughout the Family will be helped by this material. In fact, going through this situation with Techi has shown me how urgent it is that we get this counsel & these explanations out to you quickly, since I suspect that many of you may perhaps go through similar battles at one time or another.
DEMONIC ATTACKS ON OUR TEENS & CHILDREN--ALL ARE NOT "MENE CASES"!
15. One of the most important things that this series will help you to realise is that if you are ever tempted or attacked with any violent or weird thoughts or pictures, it does not necessarily mean that you are seriously spiritually sick & as bad off as dear Mene was. If you think that such an attack or temptation automatically makes you a "Mene case," you'll probably get so discouraged that you may feel (or be made to feel by others) that you're almost beyond help, & that you might as well give up!
16. Before Mene ever got herself into such a terrible "Last State" condition, she had been patiently & lovingly counselled, prayed over, pow-wowed, etc., many many times. She had been put on a special schedule that allowed a maximum amount of time for Word study & reading & classes & Scripture memorisation.--And the Lord answered our prayers & the Devil was defeated & she was delivered many times!
17. But because she wouldn't continue to fight & resist the Enemy & his temptations, but instead surrendered to him & even wilfully invited the Devil & his violent pictures to return--because she wanted to "partake of the table of devils" (1Cor.10:21)--she grew worse & worse despite all that we & the Lord did to try to help her! Another major reason that she was unable to get a lasting victory over those outside attacks of evil thoughts & pictures was because she was unwilling to work on & go on the attack against her very serious personal problems. Mene's extreme pride, self-exaltation & self-glorification kept her out of tune with the Lord, & thus made her much more susceptible to the Devil & his attacks!
18. But if you ever have attacks of violent or weird thoughts or pictures, this does not automatically mean that you are bad, wicked & completely unyielded & evil! These kinds of attacks can happen to anyone! The important lesson we're learning with Techi is that if you're willing to let go of your sins & problems, & yield your all to Jesus, He will deliver you!--And give you the spiritual strength you need to resist & fight such attacks, & to keep fighting them! If you're yielded to the Lord & willing to really "fight the good fight of faith," that's a winning combination, & you will defeat the Devil & win great victories with the Lord's help! PTL! (Jam.4:7; Eph.4:27; 1Tim.6:12.)
19. We're also seeing how vitally important it is for you to honestly & openly share what you're going through with your Shepherds or other spiritually mature people, thus exposing the Devil's devices & having someone pray with you.--"One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight!"--Deut.32:30.
20. The only detailed counsel on handling demonic attacks on teens & children that we've given the Family so far was in the Letters about Mene.--And that was counsel given for a child who was very far gone, sad to say, who'd had very serious problems with pride, self-exaltation, a critical spirit & self-glorification etc. for years & years.--As well as a problem with habitually living in a fantasy world of spiritual beings she'd imagined & continually daydreamed about, so much so that they actually became real to her.
21. Up until now, the Letters about Mene have been the only side of the picture that the Family has had. Mene was such a severe & extreme case, extreme measures had to be used to try to snap her out of her terrible "Last State" condition. But because hers is the only example we've published of someone who's had a serious problem with bad thoughts & pictures, it's probably made a lot of you very hesitant to confess if you've ever had any similar battles. You've probably been afraid that you might be labelled a "Mene case," & that such extreme measures might be used on you.
22. So it should be very beneficial & helpful for you to take part in the detailed counsel that we're giving Techi. It will assure you to see that such battles can be won, & that no one has to become nearly as far-gone as dear Mene. If you don't want the Devil's evil thoughts & pictures, & you're willing to confess & go on the attack against your problems, the Lord will deliver you! PTL!
MAMA'S PRAYER FOR THIS SERIES
23. So Lord, we ask You to bless & make all of this material that we're about to publish a great help & blessing to Thy children around the World. We have a feeling that all of these little details are going to be very important, & are going to bring about a new awareness in the Family to needs & problems that were perhaps previously unknown or misunderstood.
24. We know, Lord, that You don't allow anything to happen without a good reason, & that everything You allow has a very good purpose to it.--And we believe that these things that Techi has been going through are undoubtedly not only for her sake, but also for the sake of all of Your children throughout the World. We thank You for all that You are showing us through this situation on how to fight the Enemy & how to win victories & how to see beyond the surface; how to understand what our children really go through.
25. Above all, Lord, You're teaching us how to have compassion on them and how to help them! Thank You, Lord, for all You're teaching us through this.--In Jesus' name, amen.
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TO ALL!: EXPLANATION OF POW-WOW QUESTIONS ON THE "TECHI SERIES"! (See pg. 4.)
1. Many of the Letters & articles in this series are followed by questions. We hope that these questions will encourage honest heartfelt discussion of the many valuable spiritual lessons contained in these GNs. The majority of these are Discussion Questions, & are meant to be read aloud by those who are leading the pow-wows with the Teens & JETTs.
2. How much time you spend on each question will depend on how thoroughly you wish to discuss the point it covers. For example, if a question is about daydreaming, & many of those in your group are striving for victories in this area, then that question could possibly serve as a springboard to help you dive into a very helpful & inspiring discussion.
3. However, if a question is dealing with an issue or topic that you have already thoroughly pow-wowed or discussed recently, you may not feel the same need to spend quite so much time on it.--In other words, please spend as much time on these discussion questions as you feel led, & don't feel bound to place the same emphasis on every single question. Although some discussion questions may seem to be very simple & obvious, the T or F statements in particular, they can easily be used for Pow-Wows, lively explanations, dramatisations, skits, etc., to bring out the principles they cover.
4. Along with these open Discussion Questions are other questions of a more personal nature that can be answered in writing. Each question requiring a written response is preceded with a (hand) symbol. Although written responses will take more time than verbal responses, we feel it will be easier for you Teens & JETTs to honestly answer these questions on paper, instead of verbally in front of everyone else. These may be matters that you would prefer to keep between just you & your Shepherds, & not share with your peers.
5. It's up to each Shepherd & teacher to decide exactly how to best gather these written responses: Perhaps all of the Teens & JETTs could bring pen & paper to the meeting in which you read these Letters, & could answer each question on the spot after it is read to them. (If you feel you need to add to, subtract from or adapt these questions to your own individual situations, please feel free to do so.) Or perhaps you'd prefer to have them simply write down the question, & allow some extra quiet time later on in which each Teen & JETT can prayerfully write their answers. In a few cases, it might be easier to let them dictate their responses into a tape recorder or dictaphone.
6. But regardless of exactly how the answers to these "written" questions are gathered, we hope that they will be a blessing to all of you Teens & JETTs, enabling you to openly share from your hearts your answers & feelings.--And we hope they will be a blessing to all of you Shepherds & teachers as well, enabling you to better "know the state of your flocks," & thus be able to be more of a strength, encouragement & help to them. PTL!
7. We pray that you will all find these questions helpful & a blessing, & that your discussions will be heartfelt, fun & inspiring, & great lesson-learning experiences! PTL! GBY! WLY!
QUESTIONS
Daydreaming Dangers (parags. 10-11)
1 Everyone daydreams to some extent, but when does it become a problem or even dangerous? Is a daydreaming habit hard to break? What are some good ways to fight it?
2 Do you feel that daydreaming is a problem in your life? How much do you daydream?
Victories Won & Lessons Learned (12-14)
3 Techi started getting attacked with bad thoughts & big doubts after she made a commitment to overcome her NWOs. Why do you think the Lord sometimes allows the Enemy to attack us just after we've had prayer & decided to do the right thing? Has that ever happened to you? Does Rom. 8:28 still apply at times like this? How?
4 Should we hesitate to work on our NWOs because we're afraid the Enemy might attack us with other problems or battles? Should we ever fear the Devil & his attacks? (See Isa.41:10; 2Tim.1:7 & Eph.4:27!)
Demonic Attacks on Teens/Children! (15-22)
5 If you are ever attacked or tempted with violent or weird thoughts or pictures, does it mean that you are wicked, evil & a "Mene case" who's totally out of God's Will?--Why or why not?
6 Why didn't Mene win a lasting victory over her problems with evil thoughts & pictures after she was prayed for?
a. She wouldn't continue to fight & resist the Devil.
b. She wilfully invited the Enemy & violent pictures to return.
c. She refused to attack her serious problems of extreme pride, self-exaltation & self-glorification.
d. All of the above.
7 What do you think would happen to you (or someone else) if you confessed to your Shepherds you were having bad thoughts or pictures? Would you be afraid of what people would think of you? Please explain.
8 What would you think of someone who was having these kind of battles?
9 What should you do if you or someone you know is having bad thoughts or pictures?
10 Has the Enemy ever attacked you in your thoughts & put you through battles similar to Techi's? Please explain.
11 Have you ever worried that you were like Mene?--Or that if you confessed the battles you were going through, others would think you were a severe problem case?
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family