FROM POVERTY TO PLENTY! Maria #219 DO 2929 7/94
--How to Take Hold of God's Abundant Supply Today!--By Maria
Dear Family,
1. WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM--something that's making us very sad. Dad & I continue to get reports that many of you are still living on the fringes of God's abundance, living hand-to-mouth, barely able to pay your bills. Not only do you not have many of your wants, but you lack many of your needs as well. You can barely find the money for your rent at the end of the month. Often you don't have the funds to order a sufficient quantity or variety of witnessing tools, so your outreach is severely restricted! The dietary standard of some Homes is often below what it should be.
2. Many of your vehicles are in terrible shape, but you can't even afford to get them fixed. Some of your houses are cold because you don't have money for the heating bills. You don't have enough money to buy new glasses, pay for dental work, buy vitamins, etc., & everyone in your Home is under constant strain, wondering how you're going to pay your bills & get your daily needs. You're living more like paupers than princes, & in poverty rather than plenty! This lack makes us very sad!
3. If this situation burdens & concerns you, think how sad it must make us feel when we have done everything possible to teach you how you can live with all your needs provided, receiving gift upon gift from the Lord's never-ending supply. Dad & I have written Letter after Letter, year after year. Our WS Units have invested tremendous amounts of time, money & manpower to produce the tools you need so that you can effectively witness, present yourselves to the public & raise support.
4. You have innumerable promises in the Word of the Lord's unfailing provision, & you have all of Heaven at your command. Yet you live like orphans, instead of princes & princesses of the Great King of the Universe, Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, & the whole Earth & all that is therein! (Psa.50:10-12) One thing we know is that God has not failed! His promises never fail!
5. So what is wrong, dear Family? How much of a priority are you placing on your witnessing? If you are faithfully sowing spiritually, why aren't you reaping materially? Are you afraid to ask? Why don't you ask? Is it pride? Is it lack of faith? Is it lack of desperation? The reason for your refusal to ask in obedience to God's commands perplexes us greatly.
6. It saddens us deeply that our Family is suffering when every need could be abundantly supplied. We don't know what more to do to get you to obey God's commands, to launch out into the deep, cast forth your nets & pull in a wonderful, rich & abundant supply. All you have to do is obey & ask & you will receive!
7. In not obeying & not asking, not only are you not receiving your needs, but worse than that, you are hurting the faith of your little ones. You are stumbling them & making them think that God is failing!--That it's His fault that they don't have what they need; that here they are giving their lives in fulltime service for Jesus as His dedicated children, but He isn't interested enough or loving enough to give them what they need & what they want. What a terrible, terrible reflection upon the Lord!--Because of your failure!
8. The Lord is not willing that you live in poverty, brethren! You have a big job to do for Him, & He wants you to have what you need to do it. He wants you to have accommodations that are ample enough for you all to be comfortably housed, spacious grounds on your property or nearby where your children can have the get-out they need, & located close enough to major population centers so you & your teens can have access to good witnessing opportunities. He wants you to have good, safe, reliable cars, vans & buses to provide the needed transportation for your ministries.
9. He wants you to be well cared for physically & to have the medical attention you need, including proper eyeglasses & dental work, vitamins & healthful foods, so that you will be strong & healthy to do your work for Him. He wants each of you to have the means to be well-groomed & well-dressed to be a good sample & testimony to the World. He wants your Homes to be well heated & well lit so you can remain healthy to do His Work, & to be good witnesses to His Love & care. He wants your children to have the computers, textbooks & reference books, walkmans & guitars & other equipment they need, so that they can have top quality training as the future leaders of His Kingdom. He wants you to have money to buy what you cannot provision.
Why
Don't You
Ask
?!
10. You, brethren, are providing the World with a little bit of Heaven, like a rare & priceless gift, a little peek into God's storehouse of wisdom & knowledge, a little sample of His Love & peace, a little taste of Heavenly happiness, a balm & comfort to their aching hearts, encouragement that God still lives, because you're here & they can see Him through you.
11. I'm amazed at how our people are being sought after by the World now that more & more people are recognising that we have the answers.--Child protective services are asking for us to do seminars, centres for juvenile delinquents are asking us to teach their problematic young people, relief agencies are depending on our young people to help care for & comfort victims of disasters, churches are asking us to assist in teaching & inspiring their congregations & youth groups, refugee camp officials are depending on our young people's help, & our teen & YA singing groups are always in great demand.
12. The people we are ministering to see we have the answer & they want it. They love us, & they know they need us, & they welcome us with open arms. Don't you suppose they would help to support us if they knew we had a need? People are desperate for what you have to offer. People will pay for it!--But not if you don't ask! Few people will give unless they know there is a need. Why do you refuse to tell them? The folks funding the organisations we're helping have millions that they are prepared to spend; & if we need their help financially in order to help them spiritually & help them in their projects, don't you think they would give it? Why don't you ask?
13. After they have seen you in action & been thrilled with what you can offer, & they continue to invite you for the second & the third times, & you've amazed them with your love & wisdom & brilliance, what is stopping you from asking for their help? You're helping them, can't they now help you? The way it works in the World is that people don't do things for free, & when you do, they figure you must be well funded by other sources.
14. It just completely frustrates me when I hear that our teens & our kids have been invited to do performances & benefits to raise money for the poor in Bosnia or to raise money for poor disadvantaged children or something, & they do it for free, when they're the ones who need money as much as anybody! Somebody should be doing a benefit for them! But here they are, time after time, performing for some benefit that's supposed to raise money for disadvantaged people when they're disadvantaged too, as far as finances go! They that preach the Gospel are supposed to live of the Gospel, & the labourer is worthy of his reward. (1Cor.9:14; 1Tim.5:18.)
15. Now in such cases where you're performing for the poor or singing at events aimed to raise funds for a particular cause, it would not work so well to be appealing for "two causes" at the same time as far as asking the audience for help. This would be a bit out of place. However, in that case I think you should appeal to the organisers of the event for their help. Remember that most causes have rich benefactors who would be happy to help you to help their favourite charity. But I rarely hear anything about you speaking up & asking, "Well, could we have our little cut too?"
16. When you sing for events that are not fundraisers for other causes, you should say, "Could we just have a few minutes to give a little appeal for financial help after our performance?" Most people who organise those types of events wouldn't mind that, especially if they're not going to take an offering for you & they don't plan to pay you. They shouldn't mind you making your own appeal.
17. How many of you ask the coordinators of the program that you're participating in, or your hosts who have invited you to perform, if you can give a short appeal after your performance? How many of you tell your audience that you have thoroughly enjoyed being there & helping to cheer them up & make them happy, & that if they have benefitted from your help, could they please express their thanks by putting a donation in the box at the back of the auditorium as they leave at the end of the program, or by coming up to you personally with a donation to help cover your expenses?
18. If you need a vehicle or housing, how many of you appeal for it after your performances? How many of you display our Videos & Tapes at the back of the room & ask if anyone would like to sponsor sets of Videos for orphanages, schools, childcare centres, etc.? You could ask, "Did you enjoy our program? If so, we'd be so grateful if you would express your thanks by ..." (And request specifically whatever help you need.)
19. Or you could get up & say, "We do this fulltime & we love to make people happy, but we have quite a serious problem right now, & that is a lack of finances even to support our Work & our ministry. We want to continue with it & we want to do it fulltime. As you can see, it's a hit & it makes you happy & it makes other people happy, but we desperately need donations of everything from cash to clothes to food to transportation. So we just want to appeal to you, that if anyone can help us, there's a box at the back of the room. We need a car, if anybody has a car they'd be willing to give us. We need housing, etc." (You can make a specific request for whatever you need.)
20. We've written so much on the need to ask! Remember, we published the Letters on George Mueller & then we published "Ask & It Shall Be Given!" (See MLs #2813, 2814 & 2893.) We've said time & time again, "Get together, get desperate with the Lord, He won't fail you! Ask!" I know you're not doing that or the Lord would be providing for you. You're still in critical situations & suffering great lacks, so I know you're not asking!--But why not?
Have You Done All
You Can?
21. What does it take? You're already in such dire straits! What's going to have to happen to make you desperate? If you're desperate, you'll think of everything! You ask the Lord for ideas, you try new things, you go on the attack! You must not be desperate, but how can you not be desperate when some of you don't even have enough food on the table, you don't have milk for the baby, you don't have enough heating in the Winter & your kids are shivering in their beds? But still, I know you're not asking! Why not?!
22. How many of you have printed handbills that spell out your needs, & how many of you distribute them faithfully to everyone you meet? How many of you have put ads in the paper asking for folks to donate specific items to missionaries, where this approach would be well received? How many of you have asked your contacts to give you references of wealthy people who might be willing to help? How many of your friends are you depriving of the Lord's blessing because you haven't taught them to tithe?
23. When was the last time you studied the Letters on the subject of finances & support & austerity, to see what you're doing wrong & how you can improve your situation? How faithful have you been in witnessing & getting out the Tapes, Videos & Posters? Witnessing shouldn't just be the ministry of one or two people in your Home--witnessing is the duty of every Christian!
24. How long has it been since your Home members have pow-wowed ideas for raising finances? Have you called on the Lord with your whole heart, all of you together?--Desperately asking the Lord to give you sufficient financial support so you won't have to be living hand-to-mouth & thinking only about raising enough money to survive every day, so that all of your energies & your thoughts are so much on survival that you're not able to throw yourselves into your ministries to the spiritually poor & needy.
25. Have your children been making a list of what is needed in your Home so you can petition the Lord together? I know you parents won't want to hurt your children's faith, so doing this may make you more desperate to get down to business with the Lord & get answers to your prayers, by having appropriating faith & by asking & getting results!
26. Have you gotten the word around in wealthy communities that you're available to perform at parties in exchange for some payment for your services &/or the opportunity to promote the Videos? Have you teens tried getting the names of wealthy people, like other organisations do, & calling them or writing them for an appointment? You can tell them your ages & your goal in life, that you'd like to do something to help them with the charitable work they're involved in, & that you'd like to make a little presentation of some of your songs & material that you think could be a help to them. If the Lord opens the doors, you can show these wealthy people how you can help them & how they can help you.
27. When someone asks for your material or spiritual help, do you ask for their financial help? Are you ministering to the wealthy & helping them with their good works for the poor? They'll love you for it, & you will be a special attraction that others don't have. Maybe they will agree to sponsor your entire Home & pay your monthly budget as you offer to spiritually feed them, & encourage & comfort the poor they are trying to help. On the other hand, many wealthy folks need a cause & are looking around for one, & if you already have an appeal project, they may wish to sponsor it. That way, they are helping you & the folks you are ministering to.
Ask & Keep on Asking
!
28. We are not the only ones who have to ask for funds; practically every organisation in the World has to be funded by someone--church organisations, political organisations, social service organisations, colleges & universities--& they all have to scramble for finances & go "pounding the pavements" & knocking on doors. Fundraising is a major job in the World. Everyone needs funds & they usually have to do a lot of searching until they find people who will give. There is a lot of competition for the money out there. So we certainly are not alone in needing to ask for funds. That's perfectly acceptable & perfectly normal.
29. In fact, in the World people don't hesitate to ask for donations for everything under the sun!--And they get results! There are endless ridiculous causes that people raise millions of dollars for, like save the wolves, save the rats, save the alligators, etc. Then there's the "adopt a whale programme," in which for a few thousand dollars you can adopt your own whale.
30. One so-called artist was abundantly financed through private donations to construct an enormous "work of art" in the desert, which consisted of nothing more than hundreds of giant open umbrellas stuck in the sand! People raise millions of dollars of donations to remodel & refurbish ancient houses & train stations, or to construct & maintain buildings to house antiques or memorabilia of dead movie stars. People in the World raise donations for all kinds of very weird, crazy, ridiculous things!
31. We have the greatest cause in the Universe, & we shouldn't be ashamed to ask for support for it! Remember, the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. (Pro.13:22.) The Lord said it, & He has promised that if we will ask, He will give it. And He usually uses people to do so. So not only do we have to ask the Lord, but we have to ask people, no matter how much it hurts our pride. No matter how many of them say no, if you keep on asking, you know you are going to eventually receive.
32. You should ask the people you minister to: "We need to raise $_____ each month. Do you have any ideas?" Or, "We're feeling a financial crunch right now. Can you help us?--Or do you know someone who can?" Or, "We're offering you the opportunity for the investment of a lifetime--not only for this life but for the next one. Can you help support our Work?" Or, "We want to continue to be able to devote our full time to helping others in a spiritual way, but we desperately need finances to do so. Do you know anyone who could help us?"
33. Or, "There are millions of people who could be such an encouragement & comfort to others less fortunate than themselves, but they are tied to secular employment. We are some of the few people in the World who try to keep ourselves free from the entanglements of regular employment so we can be on hand at any time to help the folks who need us, & so we can devote our full time to helping others. But we desperately need finances in order to do this. We can help folks spiritually, but we need others to help us financially in order to do the job." These are just a few ideas of the many sincere approaches you could use to help make your needs known to those whom God wants to use to help you.
You Have a Worthy Cause
!
34. We need to be able to approach folks with appeals for funds without being on the defensive, or without being apologetic. What we have to give these people is so much greater than anything that they could give us, that we shouldn't be afraid to ask, & we shouldn't be embarrassed. And in fact, we should make clear the value of what we have to offer them & the World.
35. Instead of acting like we don't have anything to offer & we are no good & we don't look like much & we don't have any great ministries to show & our Homes are not really such a good standard so we're embarrassed to invite folks home, etc., we need to start looking at it the way the Lord sees it. Just in the hearts & minds of our members alone there is such spiritual wealth, such riches of counsel that it is almost unbelievable! If you'll just get out where others can see it, people will recognise that you have something special, something they don't have!--The priceless treasures of God's Truth & Love & Spirit! "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" (1Cor.9:11)
36. In some recent prophecies (see pg. 15) the Lord said: "If ye will look at the Words of David, the Words that I have given, & believe, ye shall have the faith that can move mountains. Ye shall know that ye are the worthy cause that I have raised up for these people to give to. If ye look at yourselves & your problems, the fires within & without, ye shall become discouraged, & afraid to ask, & doubtful, wondering, 'Who can give to us? Who are we?' Ye are nothing, I know ye are nothing!
37. "They are not giving to you. They are giving to the vision, they are giving to My Prophet. They are giving to the life that I have for you to live for Me, not to your frail, weak bodies, but to the wonderful life that I have for you to live for Me, to spread My Message & to do My job. Do not look within, but look up, & there ye shall find the faith to ask."
Everyone Is Responsible to Raise Support
!
38. You should always be conscious of finding an opportunity to mention your need for finances to the people you minister to. You don't have to be a fulltime fundraiser to do this, you can be anything--a provisioner, a witnesser, a performer, a teacher or housekeeper, etc. Just as it is the job of all of us to be witnesses, it should also be the job of all of us to be fundraisers.
39. All the adults in a Home should in some way bear the responsibility of the support of the Home. All adults should be aware of the financial state of the Home. And that means all the adults should know the specifics concerning how you're doing financially--how much money is on hand, how the money is being spent, how your Home budget & buffer are doing, what bills are owed, etc.--not just percentages, but actual amounts. All adults should feel responsible for the support of the Home, not just your outreach teams or your poor Business Teamworker!
40. And if you haven't been taking responsibility, if you've been thinking that the financial support of your Home is someone else's job, then you need to change your tune real quick! If your Home is failing financially & is in dire straits, you'd all better wake up & start taking responsibility & working & doing everything possible to pull yourselves out of the hole, which should generate more prayer power & more effort by more people!
41. If your Home doesn't have what it needs, you'd better all get desperate & get on the ball to do something about it! I've been shocked & disappointed that some of you have been willing to put up with such poor living conditions!--That you didn't stand up & say, "Hey, wait a minute! God has promised to supply all our needs! Something is wrong here! Our children don't have enough of the right kinds of food, our housing is terribly inadequate, we can't witness effectively for lack of funds to buy Tapes, Videos & Posters. We've gotta do something! We've gotta change!"
42. Have you become so dull in the spirit & so weak in faith & so accustomed to living hand-to-mouth that you don't even realise that your standard of living is a reproach to the cause of Christ & a horrible sample to your children?! Brethren, these things ought not so to be!
43. Everyone can work in some way to help support the Home. Everyone can & should witness! Everyone can ask! Everyone can pray & search the Word for direction! Of course, some people who are especially gifted in this ministry may spend more time out actually raising support than others, but everyone should help! The burden of support for a Home should not just fall on the shoulders of a few people, as now seems to be the case in many Homes.
44. It seems our outreach has greatly dwindled, to where only a few people go out witnessing daily & those few people are expected to raise all the support needed for the Home. That just won't work! Everyone needs to be going out witnessing & everyone needs to be asking! In order to be able to ask, you have to be out meeting & ministering to people! This includes the Home Teamworkers! It's a major part of your responsibilities as Shepherds to make sure the needs of your flock are well supplied!
Prayer & Prophecies about Why
the Lord Isn't Supplying!
45. When the Family read the Letter "Ask & It Shall Be Given" (ML#2893) at the time of the 1994 Birthday Fast, many of you received prophecies that indicated that the Lord was going to do a great thing, & we just had to ask & believe.
46. At that time the Lord promised: "For the treasures of Heaven are many, & I shall open the door & pour out even more of a blessing than ye have room to contain. ... Believe & receive of My goodness, for I am with you & My presence shall go with you, & of My presence shall I pour forth abundantly--not only of your wants & needs, but above & beyond that which ye could ask or think. ... Know ye not that I have created all these things? I have created the gold in every mine & the silver in the rocks & hills. Stand back & see Me supply, & I will pour it out upon you as never before!" (GN 587, "Prophecies for Financial Supply," paragraphs 5,18,19, published February, 1994.)
47. However, we are still in a very critical situation with our worldwide finances, so I recently asked some of our folks to pray & ask the Lord why He isn't bringing in the finances yet. Our desperate need for finances is hindering the Family in practically all areas of our life & witness, & I felt we needed to find out why the Lord isn't supplying as He promised He would. We have plenty of instruction in the Word on how to live by faith & serve the Lord, we should know by now what to do & how to do it. We have excellent witnessing tools. We have wonderful samples to show the World in our children & Homes. We're living for Jesus fulltime & He's promised to supply. So why are we still suffering such great lacks in many cases?
48. Is this crucial time just a test for the Family worldwide, or is the Lord delaying His blessings until our Homes get straightened out in the various areas in which they are delinquent? Do the financial difficulties we are now experiencing represent the darkest hour that is just before the dawn of His abundant provision, & do we just need to hold on? Or are we perhaps missing the mark in some areas, which is causing the Lord to withhold His blessing? In the past prophecies did the Lord tell us that He was going to bless us abundantly & pour it out as we asked because He knew in the future we were going to be making the necessary changes so that He could bless us?
49. When the members of one of our WS Units recently brought these questions before the Lord in prayer, He indicated very clearly that there are definite problems & weaknesses that we need to change before He can bless us financially as He would like. He said:
50. "I do know your state, & I am touched with the feelings of your infirmities. But for Me to supply, ye must follow & obey. Ye cannot reach your destination unless ye travel down the right road. If ye are travelling down the wrong road, then ye will not get to where ye need to be. I cannot help you unless ye are following Me. I long to help you, I long to pour out the blessings upon you. As a father pitieth his children, so I pity you, & I cry for you. But ye must stay close to Me, ye must follow the counsel that I have given in My Word, that I have given through My Servant David, for in this counsel ye shall find life, & life abundant. But if ye follow not, if ye go your own way, or put first that which ye should not, then I cannot work.
51. "He that goeth forth & weepeth, bearing precious seeds, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. If ye have not this broken heart for the sheep, if ye weep not for them, & bear not their burdens & carry not their sorrows, & heal not their wounds, how can I bless & pour out what I would like to pour upon you?
52. "There is so much good that ye can do, & that ye are doing, but ye must do more. Ye have allowed other things to come before your primary goal."
* * *
53. "If ye ask in doubt & are fearful & not trusting & not believing, I am unable, according to My laws, to supply your needs as much as I would like."
* * *
54. "I am more willing to give than ye are to receive. I am ready at this moment to give, if ye would but receive. But your minds & your hearts & your hands & your labours are distracted with many things that are not of Me. Ye must lay aside these weights & these sins that distract & burden you: Your laziness & lack of desperation, lack of faith, & procrastination; your lack of sowing & your lack of reaping; your lack of caring & your lack of love; your lack of reaching out to others & your self-satisfaction.
55. "All these things must be laid aside before I can pour out My blessings upon you in full abundance. I am willing to give, but your willingness to receive must be manifested by your obedience. As I have said, 'I do a new thing, I bring a day of abundance, a day of abounding,' but this abounding & this abundance depends upon you & your obedience, & your willingness to ask, & your willingness to receive. For I cannot do it for you. It is a two-way street. I have My hands outstretched to give unto you. Ye must reach out your hand, the hand of faith, to receive.
56. "For I have many people that I want to bless with the opportunity of giving. But ye are not finding these people & reaching these people, & asking these people. I cannot bless that. And it is because of this that the source of supply has been broken. It is in this that the river of My supply has been dammed, & the abundant water of provision that I would seek to pour out upon the land has been diverted & stopped.
57. "I will pour forth your needs in direct proportion to your obedience."
* * *
58. "The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, & He addeth no sorrow to it. But the opposite is also true, that as ye depart from My ways & persist in your own ways, I cannot bless you with the riches that I would like to.
59. "Your rust & your canker do witness against you. (I saw Tapes & Posters & Videos being unused, sitting in the storehouses.) As ye have not used what I have given you, so have I had to withdraw My blessings, even though I would not. Even though I would give you more, I cannot. I am bound by Mine Own principles."
* * *
60. "What can I do to open your mouths, to open your fists, to get you to ask, to get you to receive the blessings? What can I do? I cannot force you. ... Believe it's there! Reach for it, ask for it, put out the hand. Beg if ye must, but humble yourselves & it will be given you. Ask & ye shall receive.
61. "But ye are so proud, ye do not want to humble yourselves & ask. It is there, My children, ye just must ask Me!"
* * *
62. "Ask & it shall be given you. Seek not for yourselves, but seek for My children, seek for them that are without, that are lost. Ask as if your lives & their lives depended on it, because they do. Withhold not from them that are without. By not asking ye are withholding."
Problems that Could Cause the Lord to Withhold His Blessings
!
63. These prophecies highlighted many specific problems that could be causing the Lord to withhold His financial & material blessings, such as:
* Fear, doubt, lack of faith & trust.
* Not following the Lord's Word closely enough, getting off track.
* Not obeying the Word the Lord gives Dad for today.
* Having the wrong priorities.
* Having your hearts, hands & labours distracted with things that are not of the Lord.
* Not witnessing enough. Not seeking out the lost sheep & bearing their burdens with a broken heart.
* Lack of sowing & reaping.
* Not getting out enough witnessing tools (Posters, Tapes & Videos).
* Being too proud to ask.
* Not finding & reaching the people you could ask.
* Not going to the rich, the most spiritually destitute.
* Shortcomings such as laziness, lack of desperation, procrastination, self-satisfaction, lethargy, introspection, lack of faithfulness.
* Not investing your talents wisely.
(Note: The above list was compiled from the full prophecies found at the end of this GN, not only from the excerpts included in this Letter.)
64. You should ask yourself if you personally or your Home in general might need to overcome any of the weaknesses listed. It has become apparent, from the extensive reports we have recently received from our Area Shepherds around the World, that these problems do exist in many of our Homes to varying degrees. Of course, the financial state of our Homes around the World varies quite a bit. Some Homes are doing much better than others. Thank the Lord, some Homes are doing very well.
65. It's interesting to note that the financial state of our Homes does not seem to depend so much on the economic condition of the country where the Homes are located. For example, some Homes in rich Western countries, such as Europe or the U.S., are not doing as well financially as some Homes in poor countries, such as India. There are also cases where some Homes in a country are doing tremendously well, whereas other Homes in the same country that have been in operation for approximately the same amount of time are suffering financially.
66. This seems to be another confirmation that the financial condition of a Home is not so dependent on the worldly economics of the particular field where the Home is located, but rather on the degree of faith, desperation, obedience, hard work, & faithfulness that is manifested by the Home members themselves, as well as the Home keeping its priorities straight.
The Future Is as Bright as the Promises of God
!
67. On the bright side, when those at the WS Unit were seeking the Lord about our need for finances, He also indicated through the prophecies that if we would repent & obey, He would fulfil His Word & supply our needs abundantly. He said:
68. "But if ye would this day repent & have a metanoia, I would in that very moment supply your needs in abundance. For I am willing to give, I am willing to spoil you as My pets, if ye would but prove your worthiness through your obedience.
69. "Stir up the gifts that are within you. Stir up your faith. Exercise those muscles, & then ye shall please Me. I shall forgive, I shall look upon this as yesterday. I shall give you a new life with plenty of supply, if ye would but look up, stretch your faith muscles, pour out & live!"
* * *
70. As I mentioned earlier, Dad & I have written Letter upon Letter of counsel instructing you how to obtain the Lord's financial blessing. For years we've taught you lesson after lesson concerning every aspect of living by faith. The Lord said in the recent prophecies: "If ye would but seek the way in the many pages of wisdom & truth & guidance which I have already given you, ye would find the secret to the abundance which ye seek & which ye lack. But lo, My children ask, 'O Lord, which way shall we go? We seek a new solution.' But I say unto you, I have given you the solution, it is already there. What more can I say & what more can I do than that which I have already said & done? Now it is up to you to obey & to step out by faith & to do those things which I have taught you. Be ye doers of the Word & not hearers only."
71. There are many very definite, very specific principles & practices that have been explained in detail in the Letters, & which must be observed if you hope to bring the blessing of God's abundant provision on your Home. Living by faith & expecting to have God supply all your needs doesn't mean you can just do as you please. His promises of supply are often conditional, which means you must fulfil the many requirements necessary for receiving God's supply.
72. Being blessed financially doesn't "just happen." It's the result of obedience, hard work, & making a conscious, concerted effort to do the things the Lord has taught us to do in the Word--some of which are spiritual principles, such as desperate prayer & faithful witnessing, & others of which are just simple good business principles, such as not living beyond your means, tithing faithfully, not spending your seed corn money, paying your most urgent bills first, sharing the know & sharing the responsibility, etc.
73. Following is a checklist of some of the unfailing spiritual laws & Godly principles & practices which must be observed if you expect God to pour on the funds & supply your needs in abundance. How's your Home doing?
CHECKLIST OF WHAT IS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE THE LORD'S ABUNDANT SUPPLY
(For more {\ul \i details} on the Lord's requirements for receiving His financial blessing, please read "God's Financial Blessings!--How to Receive Them {\ul \i NOW}!" ML #2813. Also, don't miss the FSM on this subject that is coming soon, which will offer further explanation & examples of some of the following points.)
1. Pray desperately.
a. "Labour" in prayer, in a determined & believing spirit.
b. Claim promises of the Lord's supply in full faith, confessing & asking Him to remove any doubt or fear which may be blocking His blessing.
c. Hear from the Lord, follow the Lord's leading.
d. Don't cling to preconceived ideas or get stuck in a rut. Be new bottles.
e. Pray for boldness & conviction to ask for support. If you are fearful or doubting or have a hard time making your needs known, pray for faith & courage to be able to ask for the money you need!
f. Pray against fear: Fear of failure, fear of being turned down, or fear of what people might think when you ask them for financial help.
2. Be thankful for what God has already given you.
Be sure to regularly take time to count your blessings & thank the Lord for what He has already supplied. Praise is the voice of faith, & is an uplifting & good sample to your children & those around you.
3. Tithe fully.
4. Ask & it shall be given.
a. As much as possible, make your needs known to everyone you minister to.
b. Don't be too proud to ask.
c. Advertise your needs at every possible opportunity.
5. Faithfully witness.
a. Everyone should witness, not just a few "outreach people." This includes Home Teamworkers, childcare personnel, young people, etc.
b. Witnessing should be a top priority, not something that you do "if you have time." If it's not a priority, you won't find or make the time. Wining souls for the Kingdom is one of the main responsibilities of all Christians.
c. Establish a support base that is self-propagating (such as pledges, for example), instead of only using fundraising methods like restaurant singing which don't necessarily produce lasting fruit.
d. Get out the tools, the Tapes, Videos & Posters.
e. Invest time in witnessing & follow-up, have a "die daily" sacrificial spirit.
f. Organise your Home & schedule to enable you to get as many people as possible out witnessing for as many hours a day as possible.
g. Don't be afraid to minister to the most spiritually needy of all, the rich! Obey Dad's Letter, "Rags to Riches!"
h. One Home Teamworker should tune in to the witnessing, know the contacts, help plan the follow-up, organise & lead the witnessing meetings, etc.
i. Be diligent; work hard.
j. Pray for the sick. This is not only a testimony of your love & concern for their suffering, but also, those who receive the Lord's healing as a result of your prayers will probably be very grateful & may become solid converts, friends & supporters.
k. Live close to the city, so you have access to fruitful witnessing spots for adults & teens alike. (Remember the story of "Tommy.")
6. Follow up.
a. Make sure your follow-up is Word-based & you're not just socialising & wasting time.
b. Get people hooked on the Lord & the Word, not just on you personally.
c. Ask for regular pledges.
d. Teach your friends & supporters to tithe.
e. Ask for referrals.
f. Win kings & supporters, & invest time in ministering to them.
g. Solicit specific needs from your regular supporters when appropriate, over & above their usual gifts.
h. Show appreciation to supporters.
i. Open your Home to visitors, & encourage people to come over. A sample is better than a sermon!--But make sure your Home is a good sample. Your Home doesn't have to be fancy to be a good sample. Just make sure it's clean, well cared for, & spacious enough for the number of people living in it. Remember, the greatest sample to visitors will be your children, your unity, & your happy, loving spirits.
7. Win new disciples.
Pray in forsake-alls.
8. Diversify your channels of support.
a. Don't depend on only one means of support.
b. Try new ideas. Don't be afraid to pioneer.
9. Obey the Word.
a. Obey the general guidance & principles on outreach, follow-up, raising support & managing money.
b. Pray & ask the Lord what "Consider the Poor" ministry your Home should invest time in.
c. Obey the recent directions & revelations from Dad, as much as possible, such as "Go to the Churches" or the Muslim ministry, depending on your situation. You may not be able to go all-out on all of Dad's new revelations at the same time, but if the opportunity arises & the Lord opens the doors for you to move forward in any of these ministries, you should certainly take advantage of those open doors.
10. Take time to search the Word for direction, instruction, counsel, answers & faith.
a. Balance the Word, rightly dividing it. Don't go off on a tangent with a new Letter or "push" & forget the older Letters.
b. If you are held back by a lack of faith for finances, dive into the Word on the subject to build your faith. Drown your doubts with the Word!
11. Faithfully care for, train & educate your children.
a. Remember, "What is that in thy hand?" The children are His Kingdom!
b. Please try to provide your children with a well-balanced schedule, as much as possible, with proper emphasis on the Word, personal time, witnessing, schooling, etc.
c. The Lord has promised that if we take good care of our children, He'll take good care of us! (See "The Milk Dispenser Dream," ML #2638.)
12. Live Acts 2:44 & 45.
a. Family Members should be sharing what they have. From each according to his ability, unto each according to his need.
b. Take care that no one is withholding finances or an excess of personal belongings (unless for a needed, justifiable purpose, such as to move to another country, or to open a new Home).
13. Obey the standards laid down in the Letters.
a. Don't compromise on such things as health standards, avoiding worldly influences, etc.
b. Live in harmony & unity, showing a large measure of love to one another.
c. Don't allow sin in the camp, such as murmuring, division, etc.
14. Be good stewards.
a. Budget. Have a good workable budget that you stick to.
b. Don't waste things or money or manpower. Practice austerity.
c. Prove to your kings & supporters that you're a good investment & a worthy cause by being faithful with their gifts & good stewards of their properties, etc.
d. Find the best prices, bargain.
e. Provision all that you can so you don't have to spend cash for things that could be provisioned.
15. Don't live beyond your means. (Have no debts!)
16. Share the Know.
a. All Home members age 16 & over should be aware of the specifics of your Home's financial state, including what the upcoming bills are, where the money is going, & how much money is on hand.
b. Be sure to speak faith & be positive when sharing your financial situation so your Home members don't feel burdened or worried.
c. It's very important to share the victories of supply also, so that your whole Home can be encouraged & know that the Lord is answering your prayers! (Of course, you wouldn't want to burden the children with the details of your financial situation, but if they participate in praying for finances & different needs, it's important that they also hear about the answers to those prayers!)
17. Give unselfishly to others, over & above your tithe. As you pour out, He'll pour in!
Discuss & Pray about Your Financial Situation
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74. It is my understanding that because you are very busy, sometimes when you read the new Letters, you don't take time to act upon them or discuss them or pray about how to apply them to your particular situation. In order to bring about the changes that are urgently needed & to rectify our problem of lack of finances, it's essential that you prayerfully consider the counsel in this Letter & look at your present priorities & modus operandi to see if there are things that need to change in your Home. In order to help you do this, we've suggested a few specific activities for you. These activities were explained in LNF 211, which you received with this GN, but I'll repeat them here, for easy review & future reference.
75. You should be reading this GN on your special prayer day for finances, which you scheduled as per the request that was published in FUN 23. (Thank you for taking time for this extra day of prayer, in addition to your regular monthly prayer day, to seek the Lord for the finances that are desperately needed for both WS & our Homes worldwide.) After you finish hearing what the Lord has to say to you through your reading of this GN, you'll then be having a special prayer meeting to hear from the Lord in prophecy to see what specific counsel & direction He has for your Home. You will need to be sure to record the prophecies the Lord gives, so you can transcribe them in the next few days & have them available on paper to read & discuss at your upcoming Home Council meeting.
76. Within one week from today you should have a Home Council meeting with your Home members age 16 & above. The purpose of this Home Council meeting will be to discuss your Home's financial situation & your witnessing & fundraising activities. In order to be well prepared for your Home Council meeting, sometime during the next few days you Home Teamworkers should make sure your Home members are informed in detail concerning the financial state of your Home, so that everyone will be able to think & pray about this subject more knowledgeably. To better inform everyone at this time, you should prepare a "share the know" finance report, sharing actual cash amounts, not just percentages, in order to explain it to all Home Members age 16 & above. This "share the know" meeting should be held before the Home Council meeting. I also suggest that, in preparation for your Home Council meeting, you Home Teamworkers gather your Home's witnessing stats for the last six or nine months, if possible, so you can have them available during your meeting to help you honestly evaluate the fruitfulness of your witnessing, outreach & tool distribution.
77. During your Home Council meeting, please discuss the points on the checklist of what is required to receive the Lord's abundant supply (on pages 8-10 of this GN). Through prayerful discussion & by studying your Home's witnessing stats & the state of your finances, try to determine how your Home is doing in each category. Also, please discuss the various lacks or disobediences that the Lord brought out in the prophecies about the Family's financial situation, which are listed in paragraph 63 of this Letter. How is your Home doing in these areas? Are you disobeying in some way that might be causing the Lord to withhold His blessings? If so, please discuss what you plan to do about it! This Home Council meeting will be a good time to also discuss any specific instruction you receive from the Lord during the prayer & prophecy session you will be having after the reading of this GN.
78. So to summarise the activities suggested for today, the next few days, & your upcoming Home Council meeting:
a. After you finish reading this GN, please not only pray desperately for the Lord to supply the needed finances for WS & your Home, but also have a special prayer meeting to ask the Lord to speak to you in prophecy about any specific instruction He has concerning the financial situation of your particular Home. Please record the prophecies. (See tips on recording and transcribing prophecies in FUN 14.)
b. In the next few days, before your Home Council meeting, please do the following: 1) Have a "share the know" meeting with all Home Members age 16 & up, at which time you Home Teamworkers share the state of the Home finances, using actual cash figures. 2) Transcribe the prophecies the Lord gives when you have prayer after reading this GN, so you can have them to study & refer to during your upcoming Home Council meeting. 3) Home Teamworkers, gather the records of your Home's witnessing stats for the last 6 to 9 months (if available), to have them handy to refer to during your Home Council meeting.
c. Then within one week from the time you read this GN, please have a Home Council meeting with all Home Members age 16 & up to discuss the points listed in paragraph 77 of this Letter.
79. Thanks for taking the time to do this, & may God bless you with His wisdom, guidance & inspiration, which we know will result in His blessing, as you obey! Praise the Lord!
God Is Only Limited by Your Attitudes & Your Obedience
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80. So there you have it! Praise the Lord! Isn't it wonderful to have the Lord's direction & promises, & again be reassured that He is more willing to give than we are to receive? I know that as you get together to seek the Lord desperately & specifically for your situation & how you need to change & improve, He'll lead you & bring about great victories!
81. Pow-wow ideas! Claim the Word! Pray desperately! Get the Lord's confirmation on the best plan of attack, & go ahead in full faith that "what He has promised, He is able also to perform"--& will!--Because He cannot fail, as we obey. But it seems in some cases He is more concerned about your having what you need to do His Work than you are.
82. "The Lord's arm is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is His ear heavy that it cannot hear."--Isa.59:1. Your sins of lack of prayer, lack of desperation, lack of faith, lack of asking not only the Lord but others, & lack of attacking initiative have separated you from His blessings & His abundant supply. But He says, "If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, & pray, & seek My face, & turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, & will forgive their sin, & will heal their land."--2Chr.7:14.
83. Ask Him to forgive you for doubting Him & for stumbling your little ones & for being a poor testimony to others; & get up & determine to believe that He can pour you out a blessing more than you are able to contain--& that He wants to--if you will let Him! He's only limited by your attitudes & your obedience! God bless & help you! (--AMEN!--D.)
Copyright 1996 The Family