Maria
May 5, 2003
By MariaMaria #519 CM 3277 11/99
Dear Family,
1. I love you, and I'm proud of each of you who are doing your best to grow and change as the Lord is asking! After the Shakeup, I don't doubt that you've personally felt the need to improve in some area, and possibly in many areas. Then with the Feast, and the Lord's promise of a new anointing as we enter a new era, it's obvious that He has yet more in store for us to grow into.
2. It can be very daunting and discouraging to be at the bottom of a mountain spiritually‚ looking up at the goal of what the Lord is asking of you, and knowing that it's going to take some real climbing and sacrificing to make it to the top. There are risks involved and a lot of forsaking—forsaking your pride, your own ways of doing things—as well as being honest and confessing you need help‚ asking for prayer, etc. It takes real effort and is strenuous in the spirit to put forth the consistent effort that is required to fight, to hang on tightly to the Lord, to make a conscious effort to change bad habits, to almost force yourself to do the humble thing time and time again, etc. Most of the time I'd venture to say you don't feel the strength to make it when you're looking up at what the Lord has asked of you or pointed out to you. You probably feel pretty weak and incapable and even hopeless.
3. In light of the Shakeup, you probably feel that way about a lot of areas in your life. Perhaps you've been weakened through System influences or compromise, and you don't know if you have the strength or the willpower to make the lasting changes you know are needed. Or maybe you're lazy spiritually and don't feel like stirring yourself up to fight. Maybe the Enemy is trying to bury you with condemnation and reminders of all the other times you've tried to get the victory in some area, and the fact that you still have some of those problems—maybe to a lesser degree, but nonetheless you still have them. "So it's probably not worth it to try and fight to overcome them," he says. I'm sure the Enemy will try to scare you out—make you feel like you'll never possibly keep up, that it's just going to be too much, that the Lord will ask too much of you.
4. Or maybe you're young and are wondering if the CM Family really is the place for you, because you're unfulfilled and unsatisfied, and you don't see how you could be any happier by becoming even more dedicated and working hard on the areas of your life that it seems the Lord wants you to grow in. You might feel that if you cut out the ungodly influences and went all the way for Jesus, you'd have even less fun than you do now, your life would become too sober and "restricted‚" and you just don't see how you could ever be happy. The Enemy might try to convince you that these things aren't really something you should try to overcome—they're just a part of "you" and your unique personality.
5. Let me tell you, the Enemy will do anything he can to keep you from putting one foot in front of the other to climb the mountain of spiritual progress! He'll try every trick in the book. He'll try to convince you that the changes that the Lord is asking you to make are too difficult, will not make you happy, and you'll wind up a failure. If he can get you to resign yourself to fate, or to feel that hope is beyond you, or get you to give up before you even get started, then he's won the victory! So don't let him! Determine that you will give the Lord a chance by going all the way for Him, and then watch Him do the miracle in your life that you can't do.
6. In this GN I want to share with you some of the beautiful counsel that the Lord has given us along the lines of spiritual growth. There are beautiful promises of victory, tips and pointers on how to make a lot of progress quickly, and messages of specific counsel to individuals on how to progress in various areas—which I thought would be encouraging for you, and good samples of how to go to the Lord and receive personal counsel and instruction on the progress that He wants you to make.
Anybody Can Change!
7. First is a beautiful message of encouragement from Jesus on the basics—you can change! If you want to make it‚ you can make it! Later on in the GN we'll get into more of the steps to victory and how to make progress, but I want you to first of all be encouraged that change is possible! It doesn't matter what you want to get the victory over, it doesn't matter how long you've had the problem‚ or how many times you've tried and failed to overcome it. It doesn't matter at all to Jesus! If you can get that basic lie of the Enemy that "change is impossible for you" out of the way, you're on the road to victory! If you want to change, the Enemy cannot stop you! He might try to make it difficult, but if you don't give up, you have the victory promised to you! It was already won 2000 years ago when our precious Lover died on the cross to save us, and won the victory over the Enemy forever! Remember, anyone who wants to make it can make it! Our wonderful Husband, Strength, Provider and Defender has promised it! Amen?
8. (Jesus speaking:) Anybody can change, and the change that you desire in your life is possible too. It doesn't matter how you feel or don't feel. It doesn't matter what you've been like for years or how long you've been the way you are today. It doesn't matter if something you're trying to change is even a part of your personality, your nature, or something that you feel is inborn or unchangeable. Even if you don't think you can change, you must believe that you can, because I promise that you can.
9. I know that many of the feelings and thoughts of your heart have been the same for many years now. Some things about the way that you are have been the same for a long time‚ and you were almost convinced that you would stay the way you are forever. But haven't I been working in your life? I've been slowly but surely speaking to your heart, and now there is a spark of faith, a spark of belief—belief that I want to change you and that I can change you‚ even though in the natural it seems like such a change is impossible.
10. It takes that first step of faith, that step of believing—even if the belief is smaller than a mustard seed—for Me to begin to work in your life. But this is a miracle that I need your help to perform. I need you to give Me your full cooperation, and only then will it come to its full fruition. The complete miracle of all the changes that you desire will not be an overnight change, but certain aspects of this miracle can happen in an instant, as you believe and yield.
11. For a miracle in your life, you have to have a believing heart. You also have to have a yielded heart. The last ingredient is a willing heart—willing to do the things that I'm asking of you, willing to do your part, what is necessary in order for this miracle to become a reality in your life. You ask‚ "What is this miracle?" It's the miracle of a new life, a new heart‚ a new spirit—a complete and total change, through which I will be able to bless you with the happiness you seek.
12. No, you were not destined to be forever miserable‚ forever sad. You're not just one of the "unlucky" ones that got the "leftovers." You can be anything that you want to be—as happy as you want, as fulfilled as you want‚ as challenged as you want, as content as you want, as positive as you want—because these things are within My power to give! If I made the world and every living thing that surrounds you, don't you see that it's a small thing for Me to change a heart and a life, to transform it into something new, something even better?
13. I know that it's easier for you to believe that I can change a caterpillar into a butterfly than it is for you to believe that I can change your life and give you all of the beautiful and wonderful things you desire. You've seen the course of nature, how a caterpillar goes into a cocoon and then comes out as a dazzling butterfly—totally different, totally beautiful, totally changed, a completely different creature. But then you think about yourself, and since you've never seen such a drastic change in your life and it would go completely against your nature, you wonder if it's really possible.
14. But think back on the first caterpillar in the Garden of Eden. I'll go back in time and tell you the story of what happened. In the Garden of Eden the animals could talk to Adam and Eve‚ and the caterpillar was very sad, because he thought that he was destined to be ugly and worthless forever. If you had told him then that he would go into a cocoon and then emerge transformed into a beautiful creature with colored, patterned wings‚ a creature that could fly in the air rather than just crawl along the ground, do you think he would have believed you?
15. Well, let Me let you in on a secret: The first caterpillar that I created didn't believe it when I told him that he would be a beautiful flying creature—they weren't yet called butterflies, because Adam hadn't seen one and named it yet. But I told the caterpillar to give Me a chance and see if he wouldn't be pleasantly surprised. He agreed, and so I instructed him to spin the cocoon. He had to do his part. He had to put his faith into action by spinning the cocoon. He had to do his part so that I could do the miracle and transform him.
16. It wasn't long before he emerged from that cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. How surprised he was to see the drastic, complete, total change that had taken place—and how happy he was too! He could then fly in the air, his wings were beautiful, and he was no longer destined to scoot along the ground. Adam named him "butterfly," and from that day until this, it's been natural and normal for caterpillars to turn into butterflies. So if I can perform this miracle, this total transformation, for one of the least of My little creatures, doesn't it seem logical that I could do the same for you?
17. I can do just as big a miracle in your life and spirit, for you are worth much more to Me than all of My other creatures combined. I can't even compare you with them because you are a living soul. You have a heart. You're My wife, a special part of Me. And so, My love, if you're willing, I am able. If you're willing to do your part, as the caterpillar must spin the cocoon, then I'll do what you can't do.
18. Everything is possible, My love! It doesn't matter how long you've been the way you are or how bad you think you are. It doesn't matter how you feel or what you think about yourself‚ because I am able. If you give your whole life to Me—your heart, your mind, your soul, your body—then I can do a miracle in your life. It's possible‚ because all things are possible with Me—even what may seem impossible. I'll say it again: All things are possible if you believe. (End of message from Jesus.)
19. (Mama:) What a beautiful message and encouraging promise! Even if you don't have faith for yourself, the Lord has faith that you can change! And Peter and I do as well, because the Lord has promised it! Granted, sometimes spinning that cocoon is a fair bit of work in the spirit. It's often a sacrifice to obey and do what the Lord is telling you to do in order to get the victory and make the necessary changes, but it's well worth it.
Change Starts in the Heart—
How to Recognize and
Overcome Pride
20. If the Lord has shown you that you need to make some changes in your life, or you feel that you need to grow in some areas‚ you might wonder where to start.
21. In order to have a lasting change‚ the change has to begin in your heart. It's not enough to alter the circumstances surrounding the problem—although that sometimes helps. It's not enough to just put forth willpower to change the habit—although sometimes that's necessary too. You have to start with your heart. And for those of us in the Lord's Endtime army, all change begins at the root of the tree of our spiritual life—with our relationship with Jesus, drawing closer to Him, asking Him to help us yield and overcome.
22. In this new day, the Lord requires us to use the new weapons that He's given us if we really want to change, progress and grow spiritually. Here's a message from Jesus which makes it real clear where to start.
23. (Jesus speaking: ) In this new day, pride is the great enemy. The way to progress spiritually is to cry out to Me for deliverance from pride, and then proceed to use My new weapons of the spirit‚ which are humbling. That's why pride is such an enemy, because it hinders you from using the new weapons.
24. The new weapons are not only for you to fight battles with, they are also to help you grow spiritually, to keep you in touch with Me, to spiritually prepare and strengthen you for what lies ahead. And yes, when you are hit with a battle, the new weapons will fight for you, if you use them. But pride keeps you from using them. If you're praising Me, loving Me intimately, living My Law of Love, hearing from Me in prophecy, and asking Me about everything, you'll grow spiritually. It's one of My laws of the spirit. If you're doing what you can, I do what you can't. If you're asking Me about everything‚ and doing your best to obey what I tell you, then I'll tell you to do things which will help you to grow and make progress. But if you're holding back from using these new weapons through pride, then you won't grow.
25. So the first step in making spiritual progress in this new day is to ask Me to deliver you from pride. If you feel that you are stunted in your growth, or an area is pointed out to you that you need to grow and change in, ask yourself these questions:
mAm I using the new weapons fully?
mIs it difficult for me to use the new weapons in front of others, and do I hold back?
mAm I sensitive to correction?
mAm I having a hard time getting along with someone?
mAm I having critical thoughts about people, or am I resentful towards the correction I receive, feeling it's unjustified?
mAm I having a hard time seeing how the New Wine applies to me?
26. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then pride is probably hindering you in your spiritual life. Don't leave it at that, but take it a step further and ask Me to show you how your pride is manifested. Make a detailed list, and then come before the body and ask for prayer. Ask Me to deliver you‚ and I will. That humbling of yourself and the manifestation of your faith in asking for prayer is the beginning of the victory!
27. Once I've delivered you from pride, you must go on the attack to use the new weapons at every opportunity, to do the humble thing at every opportunity, to follow through on what I tell you to do at every opportunity. That, My love, will complete the process, and you will grow spiritually and will make the progress that you need. Go down the list of "do the humble thing" suggestions and see how many you can apply. [See ML #3251:97, GN 853.] Come to Me daily for personal counsel and instruction. Fight to be open to suggestions and correction from others. Apply the Word and the New Wine to your life, and share your lessons, confess your faults‚ and ask for prayer whenever you need it. Those are the things that you can do. Then the miracle of growth and progress is up to Me, and I will do it for you! (End of message from Jesus.)
28. (Mama: ) The Lord has told us over and over again that this new day is the day of learning to be weak and humble—not weak in the Lord, but weak in ourselves. Pride holds us back from that. Pride argues that you have a reputation to maintain, so you can't possibly do these humbling things that the Lord shows you to do. Unfortunately‚ if you're not on guard and desperate in the spirit to move forward with the Lord‚ it's easier to follow your pride than it is to follow Jesus. But you have to realize that pride is the great enemy of this new day. Pride is the enemy of your spiritual growth. Pride is the enemy of the new weapons. In order to change as the Lord is asking you to, you have to ask the Lord to help free you from your pride‚ and the best way to do that is by asking for prayer from others—because it's humbling‚ and that's the first step to becoming more humble, and because the Lord will honor your faith and obedience in doing so.
29. It's a step of faith to ask for prayer from others, but the Lord will bless and honor it, and I know you'll find that it'll be well worth it! Of course, the battle doesn't end there; that's just the first step. But once you've put your will on the Lord's side and shown Him that you're serious about making the needed changes, He'll take two steps for you and will begin the miracle of the spirit. Praise the Lord!
30. When the Lord put forth the Shakeup, He made it clear that He's expecting each Charter Member to uphold a certain standard. In order to maintain that standard, you're going to have to grow spiritually. It's just a matter of whether you want to grow quickly or whether you want to prolong the process and thus the battle.
31. Of course, we'll always need to continue growing and changing. But right now is a time of concentrated growth in the spirit. The Lord has said that right now He's pouring out all you need to make the needed progress, if you'll just open yourself up to it. He's expecting it of each of us. If you don't take this opportunity now, you'll fall behind in the spirit and it'll be much more work to catch up later.
32. Growing closer to the Lord is not something that we can work up in the flesh—and yet our spiritual lives depend on it. The Lord has given us new weapons of the spirit, which are not only for fighting battles, but also for our own personal benefit, because they draw us closer to our wonderful Husband. Loving Jesus, praising Him, using the gift of prophecy‚ living His Law of Love, are all humbling.
33. Some of you might feel that you missed some classes or even "failed a grade" in the spirit, so to speak, by not jumping in with both feet when those revelations were presented. Now you're behind and don't know if you'll be able to catch up. You hesitated because you weren't sure, you didn't understand, you wanted to "give it time." The Lord was merciful to give us quite a while to learn to use those new weapons, but I have a feeling that some of you are still inexperienced in your use of them because as time went on, to jump in wholeheartedly would have been more and more of a humbling for your pride.
34. But now is the time, folks! If you haven't yet, you still can! The more pride you have, the more you need to jump in with both feet and ask the Lord to deliver you from it!
Trade in Your Toys
For the Tools of the Spirit!
35. This next message is about trading in your "toys" for the "tools" of the spirit, and the Lord gave it specifically for someone, like some of you, who hadn't really made an effort to excel in learning to use the new weapons and needed to make some progress in the spirit. I pray it will encourage those of you who are in a similar situation to apply these words and go for it all the way! You can do it!
36. (Jesus speaking:) I have many great things in store for you. I hold out to you gifts, high-end, high-tech tools. Those who are more mature in the spirit, wiser and more experienced, can see that they're top of the line‚ the best there is, and they reach out and grab them instantly. But those who are children cannot see the value and the quality of these tools, and they pass over them, content to play with their current toys and their little games. I give you a parallel that is relatable to you. These gifts—the gifts of prophecy, of loving Me, of praise, of living My Law of Love—these are the high-tech, top of the line gifts that I would give you, but you must trade in your toys and reach out and receive the gifts. Then you must put forth the effort to learn how to use them. Just as you take the time to learn a new program or operating system, you must take the time and put forth the effort to learn to use these gifts. For the more time that you spend, the better practiced you will be.
37. But this requires a yielding, a forsaking of the toys, the trinkets, the attitudes that are not of Me, and the desires of the flesh. You must ask Me to change your mind, to change your thinking, so that you don't look at these things of the spirit as strange or as something too high for you. You must look at them as something that you desperately need. It's a choice you make, an attitude of heart and mind.
38. If you point yourself in the right direction, but then hold back in other matters‚ I often put you in positions where you are more or less forced into doing My will. But this is not always so pleasant for you. The choice is yours: I can bring hardship or sickness or great trials into your life to draw you close to Me and to push you into exercising these gifts I have given you‚ or you can step out yourself and make the consistent effort needed on your own.
39. Things do not continue as they were. I'm requiring a higher level of commitment, and for this I am requiring a higher level of prayerfulness and of hearing from Me in all matters of your life and your work. If you do not make the effort, things will go wrong, you'll have accidents and difficulties, and I will blow upon your efforts to force you into situations where you are humbled, where you see the need for Me. These will be times where you realize that you can do nothing without hearing from Me, where you see that you are nothing without Me, where you come to the point that you see that My will and My love are all that matter. But this is a hard road to walk down, and the easier way is to accept it by faith and begin to put these things into practice.
40. Be as Jacob, who wrestled with the angel and did not give up until he had received the blessing. Fight for it, desire the things of the spirit and make the effort to receive them! Clean your channel, forsake the desires of the flesh and the things that hinder your channel and make it more difficult to receive My Words, and give yourself fully to Me. This is My challenge to you. This is what I am asking of you. Will you do it? It's your choice, your decision. (End of message from Jesus.)
41. (Mama: ) As the Lord says clearly in the above message, it's your decision—He doesn't force you. But He is asking us all to make progress now‚ or else move to a lower level of discipleship. He will wait for your decision, but once you decide that you want to serve the Lord‚ or you want to remain in a certain ministry or field, or whatever the case may be, then He has license to begin working in your life to make you what you need to be in that particular place, ministry, or position of responsibility.
42. Those of you who've made the commitment to be part of the CM Family can expect that the Lord will be working in your life to help you raise the standard in your personal lives. He's serious about the need to get on board with the tools of the spirit‚ and says that if you don't voluntarily throw yourself into using them, He'll bring about circumstances to make you desperate and feel the need to use them.
43. The Lord wants us to get on board and make progress in other areas, too, as He explained in the Shakeup GN. He wants us to be diligent to read, believe, obey and practice the Word. He asks us to live the Law of Love in all its aspects, showing outgoing love and concern for others, bearing one another's burdens, and putting the needs of others before our own. And of course He wants us to maintain a close connection with Him and to resist anything that would draw us away from Him and His wonderful work of winning others to the Kingdom.
44. Of course‚ it's still your choice as to whether you want to progress in these different areas or not. The Lord won't force you. But if He sees that you genuinely do want to make progress, you decide that the CM Family is the place for you, and you want to live the standard that is required‚ then there are two ways to go about it:
45. Like the old saying goes, how much easier to fall upon the Rock than to have the Rock fall upon you! How much easier to voluntarily ask the Lord to change you, to do all you can to grow in the spirit and make the progress that's needed, rather than waiting for the Lord to precipitate a crisis which brings about desperation, change, and spiritual growth.
Take Advantage of Each Situation
To Learn and Grow
46. You might wonder how this ties in with the Shakeup and the ultimatum that the Lord put forth therein, that if you don't start moving forward and uphold the Charter Member standard in your personal life, you'll be reclassified. In there the Lord didn't give a lot of time for you to decide whether or not you want to make progress. He basically laid down the law, saying that we need to move forward now or else He will have to cleanse the Family through persecution. This next message is very interesting, and He explains how He works in your life to bring about opportunities for you to grow, but at the same time you have to make the decision to take those opportunities and move forward. The responsibility is in your court. He's always trying to help you, but you still have to make the effort—and the time is now!
47. (Jesus speaking:) My dear children, it is the day of choices. I leave the decision with you as to whether you want to grow and move forward or whether you want to remain where you are—in which case‚ as the Family moves forward‚ you'll be left behind. I don't force anyone. But I do answer the prayers of your heart to progress, to be happier and more yielded in My service. You know you need to change, as I've pointed out to the entire Family that it is time to move forward and lift the standard. When you cry out to Me to help you to change and you desire to be yielded to Me, but you don't have the strength in yourself to make the needed changes‚ then I will work in your life in ways small and large to help bring you closer to Me. It is easiest for you if you push yourself to take advantage of each small situation to learn and grow. Then I don't have to work in your life in the larger ways. I will continue to be a faithful Father to you and bring things into your life‚ which I give you as opportunities to grow‚ as long as you have the desire to change and you benefit from those opportunities.
48. If you take those opportunities that I place in front of you and grow from them‚ then I continue to teach and train you. If you won't move ahead with My Spirit as I nudge you, then you will be left behind. I work in your life to bring about circumstances that have the potential to help you grow—and some of them will be uncomfortable for you. But even then, it's your decision as to whether you'll take them and grow from them, or whether you'll harden yourself against them and remain stagnated.
49. Time waits for no man, and I have waited long for your obedience in many areas. Now I am moving forward, and those who wish to follow may come. Those who do not wish to follow will be left behind. So take those opportunities that I bring into your life, both the small ones and the big ones. If you take the small ones, then I do not have to work in your life in bigger ways, bringing about circumstances which make you more desperate. It works like this:
50. If you later realize that you should have progressed, you'll have a greater struggle, and it's likely that you will have to fight to return to your place of service in the CM Family. For those who aren't progressing are being left behind, in the very real sense that they'll be asked to find a place of lesser commitment—although not a place of lesser love in My heart, for you are forever My child, forever the one that I love and gave My life for. So you needn't worry about My love for you, because that is always the same. But the standard of dedication that I require from you and the amount I work in your life to help you grow and progress, that's up to you and how much you take those nudges and those opportunities which I give you.
51. The easiest way is to seek Me desperately and do all you can to obey what I tell you—for then you will move forward easily. It is also highly recommended that you take the opportunities I give you for growth‚ even if they're difficult. If you don't take those opportunities, then you'll find yourself being left behind. I take the pressure off‚ because you don't wish to grow and move forward. The choice is yours, My precious loves. (End of message from Jesus.)
Can We Make
The Necessary Changes,
Or Will the Lord Have to Do It for Us?
52. (Mama:) This next message is somewhat along the same line. The Lord asks the question: "Do you have what it takes to make the progress that's needed right where you are, or do I have to stir things up for you to get you to make progress?" It's very much like what the Lord told Peter and me about the cleansing of the Family. He said that we as a Family could either cleanse ourselves through raising the standard, tightening up in the spirit, and encouraging those who want to live a lesser standard to move on‚ or else He would bring persecution to cleanse us. It's sobering to think about. This is reality, folks. The Lord has told us we need to make progress. The question is‚ do we want to stir ourselves up and get desperate with Him and learn the easy way, or do we want Him to stir us up—which will undoubtedly be much more difficult to go through! The choice is with each of you personally.
53. (Jesus speaking:) One way or another, changes must be made. It is very similar to the messages that I have given through your queen and king, shaking up the Family now. Much depends on you. It is very difficult—not impossible‚ but very difficult nonetheless—to maintain the desperation and the right sense of priorities in a comfortable situation. That is why through the ages I have almost always placed My children in situations that challenge their spiritual life, that strengthen them. You've heard the quote that the most uncomfortable place for a Christian is a comfortable place; conversely, the most comfortable place for a Christian is an uncomfortable place. It is very difficult to maintain your own level of desperation with Me without outer circumstances to help.
54. So I ask you: Can you make the radical changes necessary to move forward in the spirit and to be where I want you to be? Can you, of your own accord, forsake the things that hold you back? Rather than push the limits or do the least you can, will you take initiative, take action, and implement My Word without My putting pressure on from other sources by a drastic change? This is true discipline of the highest kind. If you can do this, then I can bless you in your present situation, for it is not where you are that matters so much as where your heart is.
55. You know in your heart what I am asking of you, what I am moving you to change in. But‚ if your present situation makes it difficult for you to change, to pull in the right direction, to make the right decisions, to move forward in the spirit, then I will expedite the process. I will give you a catalyst because much change is needed, and this change will be made one way or another, whether you effect it or I effect it.
56. Do you have it within you to not only stop and reassess your life and your priorities, but to bring your assessment to Me and get My help to make the necessary changes without outside catalysts? It's so easy to take the path of least resistance. I was once encased in frail human flesh, and I know how easy and simple it is to float along, to do as you desire. It's tiring to discipline yourself. It's so difficult to see the areas you are behind in and take the big steps forward. There's uncertainty, there's fear of what others think‚ there's the question of whether you have it in you to make the changes fully. Oh, there are so many things that stop you at the point of change!
57. But this is where you must remember that I'm beside you. I'm taking every step with you. You know where you need to go‚ and the path ahead might seem daunting—or you might not be able to see anything at all except for the step right in front of you, and that uncertainty might terrify you. But I see the path ahead. I see every step in between, and I honor you for each one. If you trip or fall, I'm there to help you up. Others are also there to help you up. This is where your unity and your love will strengthen you.
58. It takes strength of character to love, to reach out, to do the humble things—whether it's apologizing for something you said or did; appreciating someone you don't normally appreciate; suppressing a proud or negative comment; simply trusting Me when things don't go the way you'd like them to; trusting Me when you feel you should have gotten a better deal, knowing that I know and see all and will reward you even when you feel unappreciated by others; taking things patiently; making it your priority to live My Word and show My Spirit; and being Me to others to the best of your ability. This all takes strength, and that strength will come from making a strong threefold cord between Me and others and yourself. And the closer you draw to Me, the closer you will draw to others. This will be your strength.
59. So back to the question: Do you have it within you to make these changes and any others that I show you personally, without the extra push of some big change? Can you make radical changes without there being any changes in the circumstances just yet? Some day I will make such changes in your life, but how soon they come and why they come depends greatly on you. While My work is important, My worker is more important. And if uprooting you and changing things greatly is what it will take‚ even to the temporary slowing down or halting of the work, then so be it. I will make those changes, for they are necessary‚ and I make them out of love. I love you and wish to help you, and through helping you, help My work. So I take the necessary action in your life for your sake.
60. It is in your power to change your heart, to take the steps forward. I can aid you, if need be, but the final decision lies with you. And so I leave you with that question: Can you go forward in your present situation, or must I effect change to help you (and My work which I have entrusted to you) to go forward? At the moment, it is very much up to you. This is the last call! (End of message from Jesus.)
Now Is the Time!
61. (Mama:) While we're talking about it being the time for change and progress in the Family and in each of our lives, I want to share a very encouraging and stirring message from Jesus, in which He explains clearly that there's no better time than now to open yourself up and receive His cleansing. It's not just because you need it now, but because the Spirit is moving now, He's pouring it out in great abundance, and it's a golden opportunity to partake of the needed changes with the least effort possible. I pray that it motivates you to seize this opportunity the Lord has laid before us and open yourself up 100%, with no reservations, to the flood of cleansing and strengthening which the Lord is pouring out!
62. (Jesus speaking: ) My dear one, you don't have to cleanse yourself—you just have to open yourself up to Me. Just like I've given the example of the waterfall (See "More on the Shakeup 2000")‚ I'm pouring out a great and powerful stream of cleansing, and those who want to be cleansed and made anew and strengthened only have to open themselves up to it. There will be those who cling to their old garments and coverings, and those who refuse to open up to it will not receive the cleansing. Those who are hesitant or reluctant will receive some, but not all. But it's all there for whoever wants it.
63. I've spoken to your heart‚ and through the words of your queen have pointed out that you need to be cleansed. Maybe you didn't realize how much you needed the cleansing‚ but now you see more clearly, and I want to comfort your heart that you don't have to cleanse yourself. It's too big a job, and it's a dirty job. But right now I'm sending a cleansing in the spirit, and it will never be easier to be cleansed and made new than right now. I'm pouring out the New Wine in abundance, which is exactly what those who desire to be strengthened must take in. In the spiritual realm there are great troops fighting on your behalf, keeping the Enemy at bay, and enabling those who want to make the right decisions to do so. It is the time to be cleansed, and I am doing all in My power to pour out the healing waters in great abundance. But those who desire to partake of them must open up to them.
64. Those who hesitate‚ who act but do so slowly or reluctantly, will not benefit as greatly. Those who hold back completely will lose the opportunity. Later on, if they decide they did need the cleansing after all, it will be much harder to partake of it, and it will never be with the same force and as easy as it would be if they decided to partake when I was pouring it out and moving on their behalf in the spirit. I am always there for My children, but it is one of the principles of yieldedness and obedience that there is never a better or an easier time to yield and obey than right when I call the first time. Each time after that it gets harder. In the spirit, each time you resist‚ you go further down the wrong road. Many times the opportunity passes, the best time or perfect moment is missed, and it is a much greater struggle to make it back to the place of obedience.
65. Now is the time of cleansing! Now is the time when the forces of Heaven are moving in great power on the behalf of all those who are making the right decisions. Even those who feel very far behind are being propelled forward and enabled to catch up and progress quickly because of their obedience now, when I have called.
66. Open yourself up now, My precious one. Open yourself up through your willingness to accept the counsel of others, through seeking Me daily for My personal Words of instruction and counsel in prophecy, through loving Me intimately—taking steps to obey, even if you still don't understand fully. Open yourself up through actively obeying My Words and putting that which you read into practice as best you can, even if it's humbling and kills your pride. You will make very great progress very quickly if you do these things. For now is the time of great progress! Now is the time of soothing cleansing and strengthening. Now is the time to open yourself up and partake of it—for it is easy and free! (End of message from Jesus)
67. (Mama: ) Thank You Jesus! What wonderful, encouraging Words! Now is the time, dear Family! The Lord is pouring out the waters of cleansing. He's moving in the spirit. He's doing everything possible right now to make it easy for you. Of course, you have to do your part—you have to yield, you have to obey what the Lord shows you, and in order to yield and obey, you often have to forsake all in the spirit and fight your old man, your pride, your old ways of doing things, and everything else that the Enemy will try to stop you with.
68. When the Lord shows you an area that you need to overcome or make progress in, you can sometimes feel pretty hopeless. The Enemy will try to make you feel that the last thing you want to do is fight in the spirit to yield and obey—he'll try to convince you that after all, you've had the problem for so long already, there's probably not much hope of ever overcoming it.
69. It's true that it can be pretty hard and a lot of work, but like the Lord brings out in that message, remind yourself that there's no better time to do it than right now, when the Lord is sending out the call. It might be difficult; in fact, I can guarantee that it will be. Old habits die hard, and the Enemy will fight you. But you have lots of reinforcements in the spiritual realm who are also fighting for you, many more than the Enemy who is fighting against you, and the Lord is granting a certain measure of grace to make it easier than usual to overcome and make tremendous strides of progress right now—for all those who want to progress.
70. So when you're hit with discouragement over how far you need to come, or what a fight it's going to be, or how difficult it will be, just remind yourself that it's the easiest right now! Putting it off will only make it more difficult. And if you just take one step for Jesus, you'll find that He will never fail to take two for you. He'll fulfill His promise, and as you open yourself up to His Spirit and fight to yield and obey‚ you'll partake of the wonderful cleansing of the spirit which is taking place. Praise the Lord! Don't get left behind!
Give Him Everything,
And He Guarantees Victory!
71. Here's a stirring message from Jesus, with some beautiful encouragement and a promise of victory—if you fight!
72. (Jesus speaking: ) There really is no other way to effectively fight the Enemy than to just fight him with all you've got. I know you don't feel like you've got anything to fight with‚ that you're just barely hanging on, and you don't even know if it's worth it to fight. You feel like you're just a disappointment, a problem‚ nobody wants you around, you're not needed. "What's the use? Why should I fight and do all these things the Lord and everybody says I should do? It's not going to work anyway."
73. You should fight because it will work! You should give it all you've got. Even though you feel like you're at the bottom and you can't possibly climb one step up, you should fight to take that one step. You have to put Me to the test, because when you're at the bottom, that's exactly when you'll see miracles, and you'll see Me do it through you.
74. The Enemy is really, really fighting you hard. He's on his last legs right now and that's why you're going through such a battle with discouragement. He's the one who's attacking you and trying to get you to quit; nobody else wants you to quit! You think, "Well, maybe I should just quit, maybe I should just get out of the way and forget it. I can't do this anyway. It's not going to make any difference even if I try to fight and do what the Lord says." But I tell you that it will make a difference if you hang on and fight with all you've got. That's the point of this whole battle that you're going through—it's going to be a big victory if you give it all you've got. There's a purpose for this battle, and it's not to punish you and make you feel terrible and unloved and unwanted; it's to restore your service to Me in an even more powerful, wonderful way than ever before!
75. I know that sounds impossible to you right now. You figure you don't have anything to give and nothing to fight with. But you've got to see that that's just the Enemy's voice trying to discourage you, because you do have something to fight with—your willpower and My willpower. I want you to make it, and I'll help you to make it all the way if you give Me everything and give it your whole heart.
76. Right now you think it's not going to work, but I'm telling you that it is going to work. It's simply going to take a big fight and yielding on your part. You have to give everything‚ sacrifice everything‚ and go one hundred percent forward and hold nothing back. You have to be willing to be made willing, even if you can't figure out how you're going to do it. Just put your will on My side and I'll take over.
77. You might be thinking, "Why should I bother?" Because it's going to bring a complete transformation in your life! It's going to make you a new person—the person that I'm trying to make you into for My future service. You have to believe that I will not fail you. I won't fail you one step of the way, one minute. I'll pull you through and do the miracle that you need as soon as you yield one hundred percent.
78. It might seem like a very tall order to you, and it is, but the truth is that you have much more to gain than to lose. You have everything to gain—your happiness, your place of service to Me in the Family, your children's happiness, your relationship, your friends, a closer connection with Me, a more yielded and happy heart, freedom from the attacks of the Enemy‚ freedom from discouragement and fear and loneliness and jealousy‚ great freedom in My Spirit. You have everything to gain by giving it your all and putting Me to the test. And if you don't give it your all, you're going to lose everything and be miserable. You don't have any idea how miserable you will be.
79. So I beg you, please don't let your pride or anything stand in your way of giving your one hundred percent to getting on board. Throw everything else out the door and be here for Me! Put your whole heart into the Word and into serving Me, and I'll deliver you completely from the chains of the Enemy and bless you mightily with great victory and a great testimony.
80. You have no reason to hold back and not prove Me, for I am a great God, One Who is able to do anything! If you ask Me and give Me your one hundred percent and put Me to the test, I'll come through for you. Please give Me a fair try. Let Me prove My power to you—that I can and will give you great victory, progress and happiness if you'll give Me your whole heart, forsaking anything that holds you back and being willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of My Kingdom.
81. If you'll give Me your all, then I will give you My all, and you will see a tremendous change in your life, in your work, in your attitude, in your relationships, in every way. Prove Me and see if I will not fulfill My promises to you. Set deadlines for the changes you would like to make, and give it all you've got, and see how I work. If you are willing to fulfill all I ask of you, then I guarantee rewards‚ fulfillment and joy, because I love you and I want you to make it. I'm fighting for you, praying for you‚ desperately trying to help you, and I'll make it as easy as possible for you to progress. But the key is that you have to give Me your all. You have to give everything to Me today, right now, and be willing to go forward. Then the door will open to great victory. (End of message from Jesus)
Be Like a Babe!
82. (Mama:) This next message was received when we asked the Lord to explain the difference in the spirit between the progress that a new babe in the Family is able to make—immediate‚ monumental strides of spiritual progress and growth—compared to the difficulty that some established Family members face when they need to make spiritual progress. The Lord's answer is very interesting and should make you want to pray desperately to continually be as a babe in the spirit—hungry for the Lord's Spirit, truth and Words, and desirous of change and progress, knowing that without Him we know nothing. Lord help us all!
83. (Jesus speaking:) Those who join the Family make a commitment to forsake all. They forsake all in the spirit and they manifest that commitment in the physical by joining the Family and serving Me full-time. It's an act of dedication and of leaving the old behind and going forward with My will. They actually sever all ties with the old; they forsake all and put themselves in a position to do My will. Even bad habits from the world can be miraculously overcome quickly because of their decision to forsake everything, to yield completely to My will for their lives.
84. Many have been delivered from bad attitudes and bad habits, because their desire is toward Me, their will is on My side, and I can deliver them speedily. They hunger and thirst after My Spirit, and desire the peace and fulfillment of being in My perfect will. It's easier in some ways for a new disciple who joins the Family to overcome bad attitudes or habits quickly than it is for an unyielded Family member who's been in the Family for some time.
85. The new disciple has no preconceived ideas, no plans of his own‚ but is open to Me, open to My will‚ and wants to progress and move forward, not regarding the sacrifice it will be or how much it will cost. They're willing to give up everything, to give up even their own desires in order to please Me. They have battles and struggles, but they're willing to learn and overcome.
86. For the Family member who has become unyielded in some area of their life and has developed bad habits or attitudes and is somewhat backslidden in heart, it's more difficult to get back on board without a complete forsaking and renewal of their dedication to Me. Those bad attitudes, those things that hold them back from getting on board one hundred percent, are because of their unyieldedness. The more unyielded you are‚ the more difficult it becomes to yield. The new disciple usually thrives on learning to be yielded; it's a thrill and excitement in the spirit to them. They love to please Me‚ to do anything for Me, to give and give and sacrifice. They have faith that I love them and will take care of them and that I know best.
87. The established Family member who has allowed himself to get to the point that he's having difficulty yielding and getting on board one hundred percent has a much greater battle because he has to overcome months or years of being unyielded. Unlike the new babe, he has known My will and My Word and has chosen not to do it or to obey it in some way, whether great or small, and the resistance has built up a spiritual callus to My voice. It's taken time to get to the point of being so unyielded in spirit, and all that unyieldedness has taken a toll on his spiritual life, and it's a much greater struggle for him to overcome and give his all once again.
88. The easier road is to keep yielding in the little and big things along the way, to continue yielding, forsaking, giving your all to Me. Once you hold back and resist and let yourself become unyielded in this thing and that thing, you can get to the point that you have a very big struggle to overcome bad attitudes. This is why some people backslide completely and leave the Family, because they just can't yield and do things My way. They're so hardened in their own ways and desires that they're no longer able to yield to the new moves of My Spirit.
89. If you as an established Family member feel the need for some spiritual progress in your life, think of how the new babe is when he joins, and make an effort to be like that in the spirit. Yield yourself to Me completely. Make the decision that you'll leave all your old trips behind. Be open to whatever I might tell you through the Word, through your shepherds, through prophecy. Pray for that desperation in the spirit to learn. Ask Me to restore the joy of your salvation, and the great thankfulness for your Family‚ for the love I've blessed you with, for a life of meaningful service!
90. Getting back to the basics in the spirit will help you to make progress like nothing else can—because getting back to the basics means stripping away all the frills and remembering why you're in the Family, what your purpose and goal is in living for Me. Reminding yourself that you're here just for Me—not for a position or a title‚ not for a favored ministry, not for the comforts of life, not for any other reason than that you love Me‚ you heard My call in your heart and want to serve Me—will open you up spiritually to all that I have for you to learn. It will renew your desire to be close to Me. It will give you more faith to obey, because you won't be so concerned about what you stand to lose. You'll remember that with Me, you have gained all things, and that anything else on top of that is in My hands—to give or take as I will. Getting back to the basics in the spirit is the healthiest thing you can do for your spirit and your spiritual growth.
91. So pray that I will keep you soft and flowing with the power of My Spirit‚ like a new babe. Fight to remain excited about the moves of My Spirit, the way I'm leading. You must let Me keep you fresh and flexible in spirit by yielding to Me and doing things My way, and not having any preconceived ideas of your own about the way things should be. Fight to be humble, to be little in your own eyes, and continue to give Me the credit and glory for everything. Just like the babe who first joins the Family and feels he knows nothing and is nothing can overcome great obstacles in his spiritual life and make quick progress, so will you if you put yourself in that position spiritually.
92. If you're an established Family member who's having trouble yielding to the moves of My Spirit, if you'll just become little in your own eyes, humble, and willing to be made yielded‚ you can make quick progress. I will move through you and help you to be what you need to be, but you must give Me all the pieces to work with, all of your heart, your mind, your body. Lay your will on the altar and let Me lead the way. (End of message from Jesus.)
Yieldedness Is a
Lifelong Commitment!
93. (Mama: ) Following is another beautiful message about the power of yieldedness and the process of continuing to yield from our dear Dad. When the Lord has asked you to change in a certain area, or you're struggling or battling about something, usually the last thing you want to do is yield. You feel that you couldn't possibly be happy doing what the Lord has asked of you. That's a complete lie of the Enemy, who's trying to keep you from yielding—because yieldedness is exactly what brings sweet relief, peace and happiness, and brings forth progress and spiritual growth! Praise the Lord!
94. (Dad speaking:) Yieldedness is such a wonderful thing! It's such a relief, because as soon as you yield to the things the Lord wants you to yield in, you reap the blessings of your obedience. It's much easier to go about things in a yielded manner than it is to buck against the Lord's will. The Lord wants to have His way in your life, and either way, He's going to teach you the things He wants you to learn. It's really up to you how you decide to learn—the hard way of being unyielded, which just prolongs the lessons and makes life much more difficult‚ or the easy way of yielding and reaping the blessings.
95. That doesn't mean that the second you yield and say yes to something‚ the next minute life will be all roses and sunshine and not a single battle will come up. It's not going to be that easy! There'll still be some battles and some hurdles to overcome. It takes time to learn, but at least while you're learning you can have the peace of heart and spirit that yieldedness brings.
96. I think some of our folks, especially those who are more impatient, think that just because the Lord says He's going to bless yieldedness—and He does—that He's supposed to give you all the blessings immediately, the minute you decide to yield in one thing. Well, He might do that for you, but on the other hand, you need to realize and be prepared to have faith and keep yielding for as long as it takes to get the victory. It shouldn't discourage you to learn that you might have to keep yielding‚ because while you're continuing to yield you will receive some blessings. It's just that you might not get the total victory dropped in your lap the second you yield in one thing.
97. Yieldedness is a lifelong commitment. It's not something you just do once and then you've arrived and you'll never have to yield again. It's something that people need to realize—that yielding is a way of life for God's children. You older Family members need to remember this and you younger Family members need to learn it, if you haven't already. You simply keep yielding over and over again. You don't stop yielding just because you did it once, but you keep on yielding until it gets so easy that it's no longer a huge trial for you to decide to yield—you just do it almost automatically.
98. That's one of the biggest rewards and victories for people who've really learned the beautiful art of yielding—they're so used to trying to stay yielded, giving, sacrificial and putting the Lord's will first, that that's the first thing they try to do. It's not that it's super easy for them and they don't have any battles in yielding, but they do it because that's what the Lord wants. They really want to please the Lord and do it, simply because they know it's His will.
99. So if for some reason you're having battles about this or that and life just seems like a long string of battles for you, maybe the Lord is trying to help you to learn to yield more. Look around you at people who you personally consider to be quite yielded to the Lord‚ and see what their state of mind is. They're probably pretty happy people. They're probably easy to get along with‚ cheerful, sweet people. That's because they're yielded. It's not because they don't have any battles and they just get off scot-free, but they're happy in spite of the battles because they're yielding.
100. Yieldedness is a very wonderful thing, and is really worth striving for. You'll not only make the Lord happy‚ but you'll be much happier too! (End of message from Dad.)
When You Give the Most to Me,
I Give the Most to You
101. (Mama:) There are probably lots of areas in your life and heart that you feel the need for change in. It's good to feel the need to change in many areas, because that keeps you desperate with Jesus, remembering that He's the One Who gets all the credit for anything good, and it keeps you humble and yielded to Him, His Word, and others around you. In this next message the Lord tells us what He considers the priority to work on. Don't let the need for change in many areas discourage you or keep you from doing anything at all simply because there's so much to do! Just follow the Lord's instructions in this next message and let Him lead as to which areas are the most important for you personally.
102. (Jesus speaking:) It's impossible to maintain a good strong standard in each and every area at every moment‚ for you are weak and fallible humans. But the most important things are that you keep your heart right and yield to Me. I want you each to maintain first and foremost your connection with Me, and then in turn I lead you to progress in the various areas that you need to progress in. This is the surest way to go about effecting change‚ coming to Me first and foremost, letting Me mold and remake you, in accordance to the Word I have poured out and continue to pour out. Then the change that is made is more of a lasting kind, and brings far better fruit in your life.
103. So when you see the need for change in your life, the first step is to come to Me. Begin by loving Me, praising Me, reading My Word, and showing your need for Me. Work on our relationship and ask Me what I would have you start with. Then you'll be sure to hit the mark, and the change will come from the inside. I will show you how best to bring it about.
104. It's all a matter of your personal connection with Me. I can punch through the clouds that surround you, even when you're battling. I can change your very nature, if you're willing to have Me do so. When you give your heart to Me, I take it and use it to the best of My ability. But when you take something back and say it's for you alone, then I'm unable to change and remake you, and thus you begin to go back in these things. If you choose to let Me keep working in your life, in whatever things you let Me, then I keep working on you and you keep gaining strength and making progress.
105. So you're able to gain strength and learn and grow in whatever you allow to be placed in My hands, whether it's the important things of life or even the smaller things—like giving loving affection to someone. As long as you strive to keep your heart open to Me, you'll learn and make the progress that I can help you to make.
106. When you give the most to Me, I give the most to you, in ways grand and joyful, and with many benefits as well. It's like the difference between taking a part-time job or being a hundred-percenter who often works overtime to complete the job. If you give only part of yourself to Me, or a very minimal amount, then the work or the progress that is made within and with your life is only at a partial rate. But if you give all the way, then full benefits are yours, through your effectiveness, your joy in living, your faith in seeing My hand work and do miracles for you, and on and on! (End of message from Jesus.)
Confess Your Faults and
Ask for Prayer
107. (Mama: ) This next beautiful message from Jesus is about the importance of confessing your faults and asking for prayer. United prayer is probably one of the most effective weapons against the Enemy when you're trying to overcome something—whether it's a physical bad habit or a spiritual weakness or problem. There's just something about it—the Lord honors your humility in asking others to help you and pray for you‚ and He honors your public declaration of faith. For more on this subject, please review the Lord's counsel and encouragement and promises of victory in "Freedom Through United Prayer," ML #3171, GN 776.
108. (Jesus speaking:) Continue to humble yourself under My hand and I'll continue to prosper you and lead you in My ways. It pleases Me when you come not only to Me with your faults and shortcomings, but before others so that they may pray for you and uphold you before My throne of grace—that you may obtain the victories‚ and that you may receive the anointing and the strength to overcome your sins, shortcomings and bad habits.
109. So I ask that you be more open about your faults—that you humbly confess your sins and shortcomings and make them known to your shepherds and to your co-workers, so that they can help you through their prayers and their counsel, and so that they can bring these things before Me. For in the multitude of prayer warriors there is strength. As I have said‚ there is great power in united prayer and in confessing your faults one before another, that you may be healed and strengthened.
110. To be fully used of Me‚ to fully avail yourself of My peace, My power‚ and the ability to [help you overcome your weakness], you must continue to obey what I show you; and most of all, you must ask for prayer. Humble yourself before others, before your co-workers and your shepherds, and ask for prayer. Acknowledge that you have fallen in this area and that you need My help, that you need their prayers, their counsel. This will be the first step in having a complete victory in your life in this area.
111. Beware of the fear of man. Beware of covering up things in your personal life for fear of what others may think. Get everything out in the open. Even if you have a change, even though you change from night to day, continue to confess your faults. For I say that now even as you are praying and seeking Me, I have given you the victory over these things and you have taken the challenge to grow.
112. A lot of times when My children make mistakes and fall short and sin, but then make some progress and start changing‚ they feel there is no need to confess their faults‚ there is no need to bring things to the light of My truth and to their shepherds. They feel that they are already changing and that they don't need help anymore. But I like the humble way, the way of confession, the way of openly bringing out your faults so that others may benefit from the comfort and the training that I give you. So remember that "fact" next time you do something that you know is not of Me, that you know is a manifestation of a shortcoming and of one of your besetting sins, and not the sample of My Word. Remember it's healthy to confess it even if the next day you do wonderfully. Confess it nevertheless and ask for prayer.
113. I want you to learn that you have nothing to fear—that I am not going to run around with a hammer to bang you over the head when you make a mistake. Neither should your shepherds and co-workers, for that is not the way I work. I want you to understand that there is no need to fear or worry. If you learn the importance of confessing every fault, then you will have learned wisely and you will be a wiser man. For he that is weak in himself is wise and strong in Me.
114. Keep going, keep progressing, keep fighting and keep obeying, and great will be your reward in every way. I will empower you and I will use you with the might and fullness of My Spirit as you do these things. (End of message from Jesus)
How to Change Bad Habits
And Attitudes
115. (Mama:) When you've had a weakness with something for a long time, a bad habit, or even a spiritual problem, you can begin to wonder if you'll ever be able to change—because you've been that way for so long. It's easy to just consider it part of your character—just "the way you are," and feel that you shouldn't be expected to change. Granted, long-standing problems are very difficult to overcome‚ because the habits, reactions and thought patterns are so deeply engrained. But it is possible to change! Here are a few messages the Lord gave about changing long-standing problem areas and old habits in your life. I pray they're encouraging and motivating for you!
116. (Jesus speaking: ) Yes, a person's background, their training even in early years, can affect them today. But I have promised that if any man be in Christ, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. It is possible to change and to become new. It very much depends on the attacking initiative, the desire, the awareness of the need, the willingness to be reminded and corrected again and again.
117. It is possible to change even long–standing bad habits provided there is enough incentive and desire, and the person is willing to invest the time and prayer needed, and provided the person is willing to receive instruction. Because more often than not, people are not aware of their bad habits, and that's why especially in the beginning when people are trying to improve in certain areas they need reminders; they need things pointed out‚ because they just don't see it. Then little by little they become more aware and they start to be able to receive the checks more easily themselves and to see the error of their ways and to be self-correcting and self–shepherding.
118. But that's why there must be a great desire for change‚ because with that desire comes receptivity and openness to reminders and to correction from others. Otherwise, there's too much sensitivity and pride. Because if the reminders are met with resistance, then those doing the reminding eventually get weary. It takes too much time, too much work, and they figure that the person they're reminding doesn't want it anyway.
119. The most important factor to change long-standing bad habits is prayer. It's not enough just to pray yourself, but you need to ask for prayer from the body. There's great power in united prayer! Also, after you've had united prayer, then your loved ones and your mates are aware of your struggle. They know of the challenge that is ahead of you and they're able to pray for you during their private times of prayer and meditation. They're also able to encourage you in your fight.
120. Pray also for the desire to change, and that you will not become weary in well doing. Ask Me to show you the goal to strive for‚ and pray that you can keep your eyes on that goal. Overcoming a bad habit or a long-standing weakness is possible‚ with My help—but it takes fight, receptivity, and openness to suggestions and reminders and correction. It takes a desire to persevere and a genuine desire for change. Above all, it takes My love and humility. But it is possible! (End of message from Jesus.)
121. (Jesus speaking:) O beloved ones who suffer in heart, thinking that I cannot change you or help you to change in spite of long–standing NWOs—those which have become almost like a part of your personality. And who do I speak to that does not have an NWO that fits this category? No‚ not one. Neither do I condemn you. I say, "Go and sin no more." You say, "But, Lord, that's the trouble. I keep sinning. I keep falling. I keep failing." Man sees not as God sees. For as the Heavens are above the Earth, so are My ways above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts.
122. So many struggle, so many feel condemned, so many lose faith. But this is not My plan. It is not My plan that you feel condemned and lose faith. I know it is a struggle, yes, but it is not a struggle without an end. The caterpillar will burst forth into a beautiful butterfly. I will do what I have promised. I will fulfill My Word. My Word will not fail. Be not faithless but believing. Simply believe. Be faithful, even if it means being faithful unto death. For many believed on Me, having never seen. It's all a matter of faith, My dear ones—faith in Me, in My Word.
123. Remember Hebrews chapter 11? Let Me remind you about a verse from it: "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise" (Heb.11:39). They went through a lot. I commended them for their faith, but they didn't receive the promise on Earth. Why? Because I had planned something better—a better reward. Those folks died in faith, but do you think they lost out? No! And don't think you will lose out for remaining faithful to fight and do your best to let Me change you and help you in all the areas that you have to grow in.
124. It can't be a work of the flesh. You can't do it. Only I can as you give yourself to Me, as you cry out to Me, as you pray. You pray for your illnesses. You pray for your day-to-day situations. You pray for deliverance from your weaknesses‚ and I am thankful for this. But‚ My loves, do you pray for Me to change you? Yes, I know you do in the privacy of your room or in your beds, but I'm talking about before your other mates—the ones in your Home who you live and work with, the ones who are affected by your actions and you by theirs.
125. Humble yourself in My sight and I will lift you up and give you all the help you need. When you're gathered together during prayer, don't feel ashamed to ask for your needs. It doesn't have to be elaborate or detailed or long. It can be a simple‚ "I'm battling today with negative thinking. Could you please pray for me?" Or "I'm feeling out of it today, and I don't even know why. Could you please pray for me?" Or "I'm having trouble with my menopause symptoms and I'm feeling depressed. Could you please pray for me?" Or "I'm battling my old NWO of whatever-it–is. Could you please pray for me?"
126. Prayer is powerful, beloved! Prayer moves mountains—mountains of obstacles, mountains of lack of faith, mountains of obstructions that hinder My Spirit from moving and changing you! Prayer is the key. It is a mighty weapon and holds great power. When you pray, things change and things will be different! There is great, and I mean great power in united prayer. That is why the Enemy fights it so. Stir yourselves up and rebuke the Enemy, who hinders the use of this great weapon.
127. I prayed many times to My Father‚ and not once did He fail to give Me what I needed. But if you look at My life through the eyes of the flesh, to many who do not know Me, it looks like I failed. But I arose from the dead that man might have eternal life and that you may know that faith is the victory. It is the victory that overcomes the world. It is the victory that overcomes your NWOs, even if you never see in this life the changes you expect or think should happen. Remember, I see not as you do, I think not as you do, and My ways are not your ways. What you may think is a weakness that is practically part of your personality and that there is no hope of changing, when given to Me in prayer and committed to Me does change. You will make progress if you believe My Word and do all you can, being faithful to follow My instructions and admonitions, then trusting Me for the rest. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man has, and not according to that he has not.
128. So‚ My dear loves, be assured of My love for you, and that I can change you and will help you. Read Hebrews chapter 11, ponder it, and be encouraged by it! I love you! Keep the faith! Keep fighting! Keep on keeping on, and keep praying! (End of message from Jesus)
129. (Jesus speaking: ) With God, nothing shall be impossible. When I ask you to change in an area, rest assured that I have the strength and the power and the fight needed to overcome it. I don't expect you to do it by yourself. I don't expect you to pull out your own weapons and try to fight the battles on your own. All I expect you to do is yield to Me and let Me fight through you. Look to Me and take up My weapons of the spirit, which are mighty. I have the strength, the power and the Words you'll need along this journey. I will provide for you at every turn. I will strengthen you when you feel down and helpless. I will come to your aid when the battles are too fierce for you.
130. It doesn't matter how long you've had this problem or how long you've been fighting, I never give up hope in you. I never quit believing that you will pull through, and you shouldn't give up either. No matter how long it has been‚ don't give in. No matter how tough the fight may seem, hold on. No matter how little progress you may see, keep at it. Don't give in to the battle. Don't sit down and mope that "it's no use," because that's when the Devil wins. He can't win as long as you're fighting. As long as you're doing your best to fight and as long as you are yielded to Me‚ he can't win. It's only when you give him the victory that he can win anything. The victory belongs to you, and you can either claim it and hold on to it or you can give it away. The only way he can win a victory over you is if you give in.
131. So as long as you keep fighting and you refuse to quit, he's doomed. Some battles in history have been fought for years. Look at the Hundred Years' War [a long series of armed conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between England and France]. That's a good example of those who refused to quit. The reasons they were fighting may not have been right, but they refused to quit. Unfortunately for them, they were fighting for the wrong thing, the wrong goals. But you're fighting for something that is worth fighting for‚ so don't quit. If they could keep fighting for that long for the wrong reasons, surely you can keep fighting for the right ones. And with My help you'll win the victory, and it won't take 100 years!
132. So don't quit‚ okay? You won't, will you? Remember that the only time you start going backwards is when you stop pressing forward. So as long as you're still fighting, you're making progress—even if it seems slow progress, it's still progress. And you can overcome by My power if you keep fighting. Amen? (End of message from Jesus.)
Being a Spiritual Mate!
133. (Mama:) In one of those messages about overcoming long-standing NWOs‚ the Lord said that a real key was to be willing to be reminded by others and corrected by others when you do those things‚ as many times it's simply become a habit and you're not aware of it when you do it. Those who know us well can be a very big help to us by reminding us and pointing things out to us when we're fighting to overcome something, if they're willing to do so and if we do our best to be open and receptive to their suggestions. If they're around us or work or live closely with us, they know our reactions, they often understand why we do things, and are able to point things out.
134. Unfortunately, when you know someone well, there's also the tendency to familiarity—on both sides. One person doesn't want to point things out because they figure that's just the way the other person is, and they'd often rather overlook it than cause a confrontation. Or maybe they nag all the time, so reminders aren't well received, and they feel that it doesn't do any good. Maybe it's hard for them to imagine the other person being any other way, or maybe they feel that they have so many problems themselves that they don't want to start "finding fault," nor do they want to risk receiving more correction themselves.
135. On the other side, the person who has the problem often manifests familiarity by not receiving correction from someone they know well—either excusing themselves that they're just being picked on, or that the other person doesn't notice the change that they're making because they know them so well, or maybe justifying themselves because they know the other person isn't perfect either, "so who are they to tell me that?"
136. I want to share with you a very convicting message from Jesus about being a spiritual mate—helping and supporting your mate spiritually. This message can also be applied to friendships and other people you're close to. You have to realize that no matter how close you are to someone and how much you love them, your first responsibility is to the Lord—our Lover and Husband. Part of that responsibility to the Lord is to be a spiritual support to your mate or friend, including being willing to correct them or pull them up when the standard starts to slide.
137. It's a sign of maturity in a relationship when you're on board in the spirit and living the New Wine together. That's not easy to do, because as a couple or as close friends, it's easy to fall into patterns in your relationship. Then‚ when something new comes out in the New Wine or the Lord shows you something that you need to do in your personal life, it's hard to make those changes and adjustments. It's very hard on your pride‚ it's very humbling.
138. But I'll tell you one precious fact, and that is that the Lord will bless your relationship much more if you're doing your best to put Him first and stay on track together—by following the New Wine closely, hearing from Him together, loving Him together, etc. He can pour out His blessings abundantly, and you'll find your love increasing, your times together sweeter, and everything working out better in every way. It's well worth the small sacrifice of your pride!
139. There's a balance, of course‚ and you have to make any suggestions in love‚ humility and prayerfulness—or I guarantee you that they won't be well received‚ and will do your relationship more harm than good. But often the tendency is to go to the other extreme and just let things pass. While that can be good when it involves pet peeves or personal preferences‚ it's not good when it means letting the standard of the Word slip, or not helping your mate with something that one or both of you are fighting to make progress in. I'm not talking about self-righteously getting on each other's case. I'm just talking about being faithful to uphold the standard of the Word and fighting to progress spiritually, even when with your mate on your "own time"—which is often the hardest time to do so.
140. This message was received for someone who was fighting to make progress and whose mate also needed to make progress in certain areas. I pray that each of you will apply it to your life and situation, and that you'll be strengthened by it.
141. (Dad speaking:) No one's perfect, Honey, and even though you have battles and problems, I know that you can be a support and help to your mate. You might feel that you're fighting some of the same weaknesses that he is right now because you have some of the same desires for System music and movies, and you don't feel you spend as much time in the Word or prayer as you should. Even though that's true and you are fighting these battles‚ you need to fight them together and be a strength and support to each other.
142. This will be a real key in helping him, if he can see you going forward and doing the right things and setting an example for him. It will encourage him and convict him if he sees you wanting to have Word time together, encouraging him to pray together and hear from the Lord together. You can play a big part in helping him to progress in his spiritual life by being his spiritual mate. You do very well in taking care of his physical needs and this is good, but now the Lord wants you to help him with his spiritual needs. And you can do this by just being more enthusiastic about spiritual things, like reading the Word‚ prayer, and praise time. If you show more of an interest in these things, it will set a good example to him and your spirit will influence him for good.
143. You might not think you can do much, that you're not very spiritual, but you don't have to be "spiritual" or have all the answers. Just step out by faith and do things that will help him to look more to the spirit and away from some of the bad habits that you've formed together. For example, instead of talking about movies, talk about something that you read in the Word. Instead of listening to a System tape, listen to Family tapes. When you're together and you don't know what to talk about or what to do‚ ask him if he wants to do prayer vigil for someone, and pray for a few minutes for some timely prayer request or someone who needs prayer. Or when you talk about someone, remember to pray out loud for them.
144. Your mate loves you, and if he sees you doing things like this, things that he knows don't come naturally for you to do right now, it will give him faith that he can change and that he can develop more of an appetite for the things of the spirit. It'll be very beautiful to do these things together‚ and you'll find your relationship will be even better. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't flow very well at first; just keep at it and keep trying, because it will have an effect on him and help him to pull through this difficult time.
145. You don't have to be perfect or strong; you just have to be willing to do the little things along the way that will help him to focus more on the spirit. And as you do it for him, it'll also help you and help your relationship to be strengthened. Just ask the Lord and He'll show you what things you can do and how you can be a help. He wants you to set an example, to get away from the worldly things that you've been interested in and used to doing together, and focus more on the spirit. Think about the movies you watch and ask the Lord about what you watch so that you're not watching things that are obviously not good for you. Try to be in unity when the Home does things together and enter in, even if it's not your preference. Do it for the sake of unity and the sample that it will be to him. Enter in when it's time to pray‚ or praise‚ or do other activities. Be there and act enthusiastic about what's happening, and ask him to join in too.
146. You need to be his spiritual mate and support by doing more things that relate to the spirit, such as reading out loud together‚ or reading to him‚ playing Word tapes, praying out loud first thing when you wake up and telling the Lord how much you love Him and need Him and asking for His blessing; praising during united praise times and other times. Put a quote on the bathroom mirror, or choose a verse and share it with him. The Lord will show you what things you can do, but the main thing is that you try to bring more of the Lord's Spirit into your interactions, and He'll bless this and cause it to bear good fruit.
147. The Lord will give you the anointing and faith because He trusts you and He has faith in you to be able to do it. He wants to give you this responsibility of being a support to your mate during this time. I know you can do it because the Lord wouldn't ask it of you otherwise.
148. Thank you for being willing to try. You've come this far, so don't give up now. The Lord will help you each step of the way. Just look to Him and draw on His strength; He'll give you the strength you need and help you to do His will. (End of message from Dad.)
Keep Hanging On!
149. (Mama:) When you're fighting a spiritual battle, it can sometimes go on for a period of time during which you have good days and bad days. Some days you're making tremendous progress, and other days you'll feel like you're right back where you started. That's not something to be discouraged about. You just have to keep fighting, keep going to the Lord for His personal Words of instruction, counsel and encouragement, keep asking for prayer, keep hanging on, and trust that as long as you're doing what you can, you are making progress—whether you feel like it or not. These next few messages are further counsel and encouragement along those lines. Please claim them for yourselves personally, dear ones, and hang on to them as you fight for victories. Remember that Jesus is right there beside you, that He knows the way that you take‚ and when He has tried you‚ you will come forth as gold! So don't quit! He's proud of you for hanging on! There will be a reward for your patience and perseverance—He's promised it, and He never fails!
150. (Dad speaking:) Everyone needs the Word, but when you're going through times of testing or battles, you need it all the more, because it's the Word that you stand on and that gives you faith for the battle. You have to keep going back to the Word and absorbing it as many times as you need to, for as long as you need to. You can't give up and just think, "Oh well, I guess I'll never get the victory, so why bother." You have to keep standing on the Word for as long as it takes, and simply trust that the Lord knows how long to keep you under the fires of His testings and purgings, and that He knows when to give you complete victory.
151. If you give up too soon and think, "Forget this fighting business. I'm tired of fighting with the Word. I'm tired of having to hang on to the Word so hard. I'll just forget it," then you go down into the pit a little further and it gets to be harder to keep the ground you've fought hard for and gained. It's a bigger fight for some people than others‚ and you can't really compare how you're doing with the other guy‚ because the Lord works differently in people's lives.
152. You have faith as long as you hold on to the Word.—Maybe not as much faith as you would like to have, but if you keep hanging on, the Lord will honor it and bless you with a miracle, a real breakthrough. But some people give up too soon, get weary with the fight and throw it all away, all the progress that they've made, all the faith that they've had.
153. You only need a mustard seed of faith. That's all the Lord said you need, and that's enough for the battle. All you need is a little faith. Maybe some people think they have to have a big manifestation of faith in their lives, a big surge of faith for themselves in order to keep going, but the Lord just wants you to have enough faith for one day at a time. That keeps you coming back to Him, clinging to Him, needing Him and His Word for the next day. It's healthy to need the Word and to keep coming back to it over and over again for your strength and faith–building.
154. It's only when you lose the faith to cling to the Word and you cast it aside and figure it's not doing its job that you get in trouble--because it is doing its job‚ and the Lord uses His Word to strengthen His children. You just have to trust it and believe it and let it work in your life.
155. Sometimes the Lord will allow you to have a weakness which He means to be a strength to you. It's meant to keep you very close to His Word, clinging to it for your very life. But if you give up the fight and figure, "I can't get the victory over this‚ so why keep fighting? Why keep going to the Word about it if I don't seem to be making progress?" then you won't get the victory. You've lost the victory in that area because you've lost the will to fight. Whereas the Lord might mean for the victory to be simply fighting and clinging to His Word. Maybe that's the victory He wants you to have in that area. He'll keep you through His Word if you'll just hang on.
156. The Lord will keep all of His children through His Word, right through the Endtime and into the Rapture‚ if they'll just hang on in spite of their weaknesses and tests. He'll pull you through and bless you with a great victory and a life of service and usefulness, and He'll be very proud of you when He welcomes you Home into His arms. So just hang on! Hang on to His Word and hang on to the victory by faith. (End of message from Dad.)
157. (Jesus speaking:) You have heard of the saying‚ "where there is life there is hope," and this is true of your spiritual life. The life is My Word, because that is what gives you hope for any situation. If you have lost hope, then you need more Word. It gives you faith, and as long as you have faith, anything can happen. If you don't have faith that you can change, just begin reading up on whatever subject you'd like to change in. If it's something that there isn't a whole lot of Word on, then come to Me for My fresh Words and I will give them to you. Changes can only come by the power of My Spirit, and the best way to have My Spirit is by feeding on My Word and letting it enter you, fill you, feed you, and give you faith‚ hope and power—power for whatever you need, including strength to overcome your weak areas.
158. The more you read, the more strength you'll have, and the more the Word will give you the power to overcome and to get over the obstacles with less self-effort. It will give you the conviction to put into action the things you want to do, the things you know you should do, to be obedient and to have all the fruits of the Spirit that you so desire. But you must really soak in the Word and absorb My truths on whatever topic it is you want to grow in. You have to do the "wenting," but reading the Word will give you the supernatural strength to do the "wenting." You can of yourself do nothing and you are nothing, but as you read the Word, it will begin to give you the strength and the inspiration to live in My Spirit and do things the way I would do them, which is loving and helpful and full of life and joy.
159. My Word can make you into anything you want to be. It's really so simple. You become what you read because the Word‚ if you read enough of it‚ will fill your mind and heart so much that you will become one with it, and its strength and power will help you to be whatever you need to be. If you want more faith, then read, memorize, quote verses on faith, sing songs on the topic of faith, receive fresh wine from Me daily on specific incidents that you need faith for, and you will grow by leaps and bounds.
160. I have said that My Word does not return void. You cannot read My Word and remain void and empty and hopeless and helpless; it will accomplish the purpose whereunto it's sent and it will fill you and change you. If you eat My Word, you will be filled and have the nourishment and strength to do whatever you need to do. If you look to Me and receive My Word, you'll reflect Me and take on My nature, which is greater than any of the problems of man. (End of message from Jesus.)
If Jesus Asks It of You,
He Knows You Can Do It!
161. (Mama:) Finally, here's an encouraging little message from Dad about taking the plunge! You can do it, Family! The Lord's given you His promise‚ His Word of honor, that He'll be there to help you and see you through, and you have all of Heaven rooting for you! Go for it! Praise the Lord!
162. (Dad speaking: ) The Enemy always attacked me just before I was about to start something the Lord wanted me to do. That's when the Enemy really comes in with fears and doubts‚ because he wants to stop you before you even take the first step. But you really have to fight and you have to take the first step—that's the victory—fighting and following Jesus.
163. Don't worry about where the Lord is leading or what He's asking of you‚ because He'll never ask you to do anything that you're not able to do in His strength. You might not feel like you can do it, but it doesn't matter, because if Jesus asks it of you, then He knows you can. You have to go to Him, you have to trust in Him and have the faith that He's going to help you, and He will.
164. You just have to do it‚ to yield, and if you yield right away at the beginning, it'll make it much easier. You have to trust the Lord; you have to trust the prophecies that He's given and the Words that He's spoken. Just believe it and receive it.
165. I know you don't know how you're going to fight or how you're going to make it‚ but you will as long as you just keep going. Many times I didn't know how I would make it when the Lord asked me to do things; I didn't know if I had the strength, but the Lord always gave me the grace and the anointing. He's happy when you feel like you can't do it, because then He knows you'll trust in Him and lean on Him. (End of message from Dad.)
166. (Mama:) Our wonderful Husband has given His promise that it can be done! You can change! You can become what the Lord wants and needs you to be! So don't give up, dear ones! We're praying for you and rooting for you. We need you! And as you make the progress that is needed, you'll become even more valuable to the Lord, more of a useful tool in His hand, as you're able to comfort others and encourage others with the comfort that you've been given. As you hang on to Jesus and let Him work in your life‚ you'll begin to feel the rewards of yieldedness.
167. The fruits of victory are sweet, and the blessings the Lord has promised for your obedience are immeasurable! So don't let the Enemy scare you out. Hang on to the Word‚ and praise your way through. Amen? Read Part 2 of this GN for more encouragement and promises to hang on to, and don't hesitate to go to our precious Lover personally to receive His special Words just for you. The Word will bring you through! Jesus never fails! I love you!
Love, Mama