HomeARC ML 3135
Be a Missionary! Maria #394 DO/TS 3135 6/97
Dear Family,
1. I love you so very much! You're each dear to my heart, and daily in my prayers. I love to come before the Lord for you, as individuals and as a group, to ask for His blessing, anointing, strength and power on you as you go out into the highways and the byways, "compelling them to come in" to the Kingdom of God! God bless you for being faithful witnesses! The Lord is proud of you, and as the Scripture says, "He's not ashamed to be called your God," because you're fulfilling His will!
2. You're willing to go where others will not go and do what others will not do because of your love for Him and your love for the lost, and the Lord holds you in very high regard for that! As He recently said in prophecy, "The apostles, the missionaries, are tops on My list! They are in My Heavenly hall of fame, and I bestow great honor upon them. They are the ones who are called to go forth with the message, and they find great favor in My sight." He remembers every deed, every sacrifice made, and will reward you greatly. He's already rewarding you here and now through His love, peace, Word-kisses, and many blessings, but there's so much more to look forward to! I just love to look forward to the wonderful things that the Lord has in store for us, both here on Earth and in the life to come!
3. This GN is somewhat of a continuation of one you recently received called "Why Witness?" (GN 741). I'm happy to say that I have more inspiring and instructive Words from the Lord on the subject of witnessing to share with you, which I know will be a help, strength and encouragement to you. These prophecies were originally going to go along with the others in the "Why Witness?" GN, but it grew to be so long that I decided to make it into a GN of its own.
4. In the "Why Witness" GN I mainly addressed the question of why it is so important that we do all we can to win souls on Earth, even though folks may have a chance to receive the Lord in the next life if they didn't have sufficient opportunity in this life. In this Letter I'd like to focus more on what the Lord has recently said about His call to you to be missionaries for Him.
5. As I've said in other Letters, and as Dad has said many times before me and continues to repeat from Heaven, witnessing is our main job here on Earth! After all, if we didn't need to tell others about Jesus, then the Lord might as well take us to Heaven the minute we get saved! But He has us here because He has a job for us to do--reaching others. Plus, He has lots of lessons that He wants to teach us in the process that are going to be a help to us both now and in the next life, especially in the Millennium when we'll rule and reign with Jesus over the whole world!
What Makes a Missionary?
6. Before getting into the various prophecies that I'd like to share with you, I want to explain something about what the Lord means when He talks about missionaries in this GN. The general definition of a missionary is someone who is sent with a mission. In other words, anyone who is going forth with the mission of preaching the Gospel to every creature is a missionary for Jesus. It also usually indicates someone who has left their home country and gone to another mission field to witness there.
7. In a number of these prophecies, the Lord specifically encourages those who are in the more hardened fields of North America, Europe and Australia to move on to more fertile and Gospel-hungry Third World countries. He is calling many of you to be missionaries to those needy lands. However, you can be a missionary in your native land as well. If you're making witnessing your top priority and you're giving your life to reach the lost wherever you are, then you can be just as much of a missionary in the U.S. or another Western country as if you were in Burma or China or some other far-flung field.
8. It isn't the location of your body that's most important--although you should be seeking the Lord to make sure that you're where He wants you to be--but it's what you're doing where you are, and the attitude of your heart. You can be in the middle of the Congo and still not be a true missionary if you're not dedicating your time to witnessing to the sheep there. On the other hand, you could be in the middle of Chicago and be a missionary if your whole purpose and goal in life--what you think about and strive for when you get up in the morning --is to reach the lost of that city for the Lord, and you're giving everything you've got to reach that goal.
9. As Dad said way back in "World Conquest Through Love": "Just transporting you across the ocean is not going to make a missionary of you if you can't love the folks in your own back yard. And just sending you to some foreign country is not going to make a leader out of you if you had no concern for your neighbor at home, and no tender loving care for the sheep of your former fold! (1Jn.4:20). You're not going to make a missionary unless you love them enough to die for them" (ML #151:51,52).
10. Of course, while simply changing countries doesn't necessarily make a missionary out of you, often going to a Gospel-hungry mission field can renew your burden for the lost and rekindle the embers of the missionary spirit in your heart. Getting out of the lush lowlands to higher ground and more rugged terrain helps you re-evaluate your priorities and prods you into action for the Lord. Life isn't so comfortable any more, so the only reason you have for being there is to witness, because otherwise you're better off staying at home where things are easier. So you have to go with the right motives--to witness and tell people about Jesus. If you go with any other motive, you'll fail, and you won't last long.
11. I'd also like to clarify something for you who are nationals of these various mission fields. Maybe you sometimes feel that you're not a missionary because you're still in your home country. But you are a missionary if your main mission is to witness and preach the Gospel to your own people. You're a missionary to your own people! You're on a mission field, and you are just as much of a missionary as someone who is 10,000 miles away from their native land.
12. What matters is what your priorities are. The Lord has called the Family to reach your country and people (along with all the countries and peoples of the world) with the message. So if your main priority is to help make that happen, then you're a missionary! Of course, in some cases maybe the Lord is calling you to go to a country other than your own. But in other cases He wants you to stay right where you are, especially since you know the language and the customs and can usually reach your own people much better than foreign Family missionaries can. So while you may not be missionaries in the sense of having gone to a foreign mission field, you are a missionary in your own mission field! God bless you!
The Lord's Call to Missionary Service!
13. I recently received a letter from a senior teen girl in the States, in which she shared her heart with me about the different battles she has been going through and how she's been feeling lost, frustrated, and at the end of her rope. She had grown up on a pioneer mission field, but her family returned to the States a year or two ago. Though she and her family are still serving the Lord and witnessing, she's also been going to System school, which she said is taking a toll on her and draining her of everything she ever treasured. She explained that her family encourages her to witness to those in North America, but that she personally feels more of a burden for her former mission field, and that her heart is torn between returning there or staying in the U.S.
14. To compound the problem, some of her friends have left the Family. While deep in her heart she wants to serve the Lord, she is quite confused at times and is even wondering if the Lord is giving her other options and maybe the Family is not the best place for her. She is getting offers to go with boys who have lots of money, or to go to college, etc.
15. Maybe this scenario sounds familiar to some of you, or maybe some of you have a friend who is experiencing something similar. Perhaps you've had the same questions and heartcry yourself, wondering what it is that you should do, and what is the Lord's will in your life. We brought this dear girl's heartcry before the Lord and asked Him to give her the answers that she needed. The Lord and Dad both gave some beautiful messages which I felt not only applied to her, but to all of you who may be experiencing similar feelings.
16. In the message below, the Lord also gives us the privilege of sharing more of His Own experiences while on Earth and the temptations He was hit with as the Enemy tried his best to dissuade Him from His job as a missionary. Yes, Jesus was a missionary! He left His Home in Heaven with a mission from His Heavenly Father--to live, love and die for humankind. His was the greatest mission of all, and we follow in His footsteps when we become missionaries--whether missionaries to those on a foreign field or missionaries to those in our home country. "Because He laid down His life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren"--which includes not only our Family and friends, but those who are lost and dying without the Lord's love and the Words of David!
17. So if you're feeling unchallenged in your life or ministry, or if you're starting to wonder what the Family is all about or what your part in it is, or whether you should even be in the Family to start with, or if you're just discouraged with yourself and feel like you're not accomplishing that much for the Lord, then please carefully study the following messages from Heaven and let the Lord's voice speak to your heart. He has promised that His Spirit will guide you into all truth. As you open your heart and yield your will to Him, He will show you the path that He has for you, one where you will find fulfillment and joy and the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a difference in others' lives--which is what being a missionary is all about!
18. {\b \i (Jesus speaking [EDITED: "excerpts"]:)} Come away with Me, to the land beyond the sea. Come away with Me, to the land I've put within your heart. For this burden, this yearning, the deepest desire you feel in the depths of your heart is from Me. No other vocation will satisfy you completely, for I have put this within you--the heart of a missionary for the far-flung fields of My service.
19. Fear not because of this tug in your heart, for I have given you the heart of a true missionary. I have chosen you and called you to this task that I might place you at the top of My list of My most honored ones--My missionaries. I wish to honor you and shower you with My high calling--those who give all, live all, and forsake all--that in return I may give back to you My all in all.
20. Therefore think it not strange when you are not satisfied with serving 90 percent, 80 percent, 50 percent or less, for unto you it is given to serve 110 percent! For you are called; you are chosen, a royal priestess of My love. Many are called, but few are willing to be chosen.
21. Precious one, I see your fight and the many voices that surround you, but fear not this time of testing. I see the example of others that you are watching that confuses you and causes you to question. I see and I know and I understand the fierceness of your fight, for I, too, experienced the same when I walked the Earth. I was tempted with many voices--some obviously wrong, others seemingly sincere.
22. I had to decide which way it would be for Me. It had to be My Own decision to fight for truth and walk the missionary's way. The choice was Mine--and the choice is yours--as I give to each of My children this divine majesty of choice. No one could decide for Me, just as no one can decide for you. No one else could fulfill My Father's plan for Me; only I could do that. Just as no one else will be able to fulfill My will for you, for I have designed each of My children for a particular job and place of service.
23. Many are called, dear one, but few are chosen--not because I will not have them, but because they are not willing to be chosen or fulfill the high calling that I place before them, the high commission of missionary service. For My highest will, My intent for all those who know and love Me, is that they bury themselves in My service, as the corn of wheat falls to the ground and allows itself to be buried, to die, that others may live, as I did for you. My will is that you bring forth much fruit and that your fruit remain.
24. I put this burden for the far-flung mission field in your heart, for the harvest is plenteous. There is much fruit to be gathered and the fields are ripe already to harvest. My hungry ones are dying on the vine for lack of laborers to gather them in before the storm.
25. The choice is yours. I allow you to decide: Are you willing to give, like Pandita, who gave her life for those who had never heard? I am calling to those who are willing to go now, to gather them in while there is still time, for the night is fast approaching.
26. There are those whom I call to different fields that they may accomplish different purposes, and I put this in their hearts. My child, if you would choose the high office I have set before you, you must not look at those around you. Do not measure yourself by another, but follow Me. For this reason I came, that you might have the master example to follow. Therefore follow My footsteps, as I pioneered the way that I set before you now. Take up your cross daily and follow Me and I will open the heavens and pour out blessings in abundance.
27. {\b \i (Mama:)} Have you been seeking the Lord's will in your life? The Lord has an individual plan for each of us, and He calls us in many different ways. He calls us to different fields, with different ministries, and for different purposes. That's why it's so important for you to hear from the Lord personally to know what He wants you to do. However, there is one calling that the Lord has for all of us, in some form or another, and that is to be missionaries. As the Lord says in the above message, "My highest will, My intent for all those who know and love Me, is that they bury themselves in My service, as the corn of wheat falls to the ground and allows itself to be buried, to die, that others may live, as I did for you. My will is that you bring forth much fruit and that your fruit remain."
28. Those are pretty good criteria by which to judge whether or not you are in the center of the Lord's will: Are you burying yourself in His service? Are you bearing fruit, and is your fruit remaining? Are you giving your life so that others may live? If you're not, maybe you should stop and ask the Lord why and what He wants you to do.
29. Jesus explains that only He could decide to fulfill the plan that His Father had for Him. Likewise, only you can decide to follow where He leads and fulfill the plan that He has for you. First you have to come before the Lord and ask Him what His specific will is for you. You already know what His general will is, because He just spelled that out above. But being a missionary has many facets, and in order to know what He wants you to do specifically, you have to ask. The next step, once you ask, is to get still and listen, forsaking your own will in order to be able to hear His voice and receive His instructions.
30. Thirdly--and this is sometimes the hardest part--you have to decide to yield and obey Him in what He tells you, to lay aside your own plans and desires, and wholeheartedly embrace His will. But you know, it's not something to fear or dread, because it's in forsaking our own plans and joyfully accepting His plan that we find true fulfillment and happiness, more than we could ever experience otherwise! Yes, there are difficulties and hardships, and the road the Lord takes us along is not always easy, but each obstacle has a purpose and is carefully planned to make us stronger and to draw us closer to Him, so that we in turn can experience more of His love and feel His presence in our lives in greater measure. The benefits are countless and the rewards are priceless!
Key to Missionary Success: Live the Word!
31. {\b \i (Message from Jesus continues:)} It is given to you, the children of the children of David, who have been nurtured and fed from the cradle on My Words of light and truth and freedom, to fulfill My highest will. It is in living the doctrine that you will find the power and happiness and peace that you seek. No other vocation will satisfy the same, for I have designed you for this purpose. There are those who will not choose My highest, and they will go and learn other things. They will fill their time and their hearts with other loves, all to varying degrees, but in this they do not find full satisfaction.
32. When I walked on Earth as a man, as I lived the doctrine that had been given to Me from My Father, I was able to build a solid rock foundation and I was filled with wisdom from above. It was in living the doctrine that I became a wise man. My source of strength was in living the doctrine--the Word that had been given Me from above. Had I not lived the doctrine to the full, I might have been able to do some good to help a few of those who sought My help--perhaps a little here and a little there--but I would never have been able to finish the task set before Me. As I followed and obeyed, I discovered that only in living the doctrine to the full was I able to receive the strength, wisdom and power from My Father above in full measure.
33. The servant is not above his Lord, and as it was for Me, it is the same for you. If you want to receive My full power, then live My Words to the full. If you live My doctrine only in part, you will likewise only be able to avail yourselves of My strength and power in part. With what measure you follow My Words, by this measure is wisdom, happiness, joy, peace and fulfillment measured back to you again.
34. Following closely on My mission field was what kept Me going and gave Me the strength and power to witness, and this carried Me through. The thrill and the excitement of seeing one soul saved made it worth it all. The many problems and the burdens and pains and press of the people melted away every time I was able to see the mighty power of My Father's hand as I tapped in and wrought miracles.
35. I, too, heard the many voices--some through sincere loved ones who were close to Me. Yet I learned that My strength and power would only come in following My Father above. Had I followed the many other voices that attempted to sway Me, things would have been very different. My foundation would have been weakened through the multitude of other things that would have entered in. It was in living the doctrine, in following the truth and living it 100 percent that I was strengthened and able to stay pure in heart, and single in mind, heart and spirit.
36. I am not the author of confusion, therefore listen only to Me. My voice does not confuse. I do not twist facts, but My Word is true and steadfast. I see your dilemma, but you must not fret. Be not fooled by Satan's many voices. Be not fooled by the red herrings Satan would attempt to put in your way. There are many voices, even those who are well-meaning with the intentions of man who would offer grandiose plans; all these might seem good, yet would they not be of Me. Be not filled with good things to the neglect of the best thing which I offer.
37. I say to you, as My Father said to Me: "What is that to thee? Follow thou Me." In this, My precious love, as you follow in My footsteps, you will find the peace, happiness and fulfillment that you seek. Go, therefore, and be blessed, knowing that I go before you now to prepare the way. Will you follow? Will you walk with Me now? Will you live with Me now? Will you give your all to Me, as I gave My all for you?
38. Will you leave the burdens and voices and confusion behind you and walk on into the bright golden horizon of the harvest field that is waiting? Are you willing to drop everything and follow? Will you invest in eternal dividends, or only in that which will decay? Will you build your house upon the rock that will stand, or on the sand that will crumble and fall in the storm that is approaching?
39. If you would choose Me, I say, go! Go and bring forth much fruit, knowing that whatever you ask of Me, I will do for you. This is My promise. Live in My doctrine, continue in My Word, and you will know the truth and My truth will set you free. (End of message from Jesus.)
40. {\b \i (Mama:)} Here our sweet, wonderful Husband gives us some simple but very important and valuable instruction on how to succeed as missionaries for Him: by living the Word! That's the only way you can accomplish what the Lord wants you to do, and be what He wants you to be. If you try to go in your own strength or lean to your own understanding, you won't get very far. But by living the Word, following the instructions the Lord has given in the Letters and continues to give to you personally through His whispers of the Spirit as you seek Him, you are guaranteed success! How about that? God is the only employer in the world who can guarantee that you'll succeed, if you simply follow the Boss' instructions in the manual, and consult Him when you get stuck!
41. Maybe you're a little worried about whether you're going to make it on a difficult mission field where you don't speak the language, or support is harder to come by, and where you don't have the comforts and material advantages of the West. But God's promises are not limited by any circumstances. His power is more than able to overcome any obstacle or solve any dilemma. He is only limited by your faith and obedience to Him.
42. His blessings and anointing on us are directly linked to how much faith we have in His Words and how much we obey them. As the Lord reminds us: "If you want to receive My full power, then live My Words to the full. If you live My doctrine only in part, you will likewise only be able to avail yourselves of My strength and power in part. With what measure you follow My Words, by this measure is wisdom, happiness, joy, peace and fulfillment measured back to you again."
43. You don't have to be a spiritual giant of the faith or have a lot of gifts and talents in order to make it on the mission field. The Lord doesn't list those among the requirements. In fact, you don't have to have any talents at all! The only talent you have to have is availability --to make yourself fully available to the Lord. All you have to have is a willingness to study the Lord's instructions--the Word--and follow them to the best of your ability. The Lord will do the rest!
44. You also have to have a desire to reach the lost and share with them the wonderful treasures that the Lord has blessed you with. Though you may not feel like much at times in the natural, you have a wealth of spiritual riches that millions of people in the world only dream of ever having!
45. Dad now continues with another message for this teen girl, which I hope you will apply to yourselves personally, as Dad is also challenging you to be a revolutionary, dropped-out "fool for Christ." He also has some very good advice for you young people who get offers from the System or well-meaning friends as part of the Enemy's attempt to pull you off the wall of your service for the Lord. I know that as you read this you'll want to answer Dad's call--if you haven't already--and determine in your heart to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God, pushing aside the Enemy's roadblocks and sidetracks as you go. God bless you! I'm so proud of you!
Whose Fool Are You?
46. {\b \i (Dad speaking [EDITED: "excerpts"]:)} I love you and I feel for you and the struggles you are going through. Honey, if the Devil can't keep you from being a Christian, he'll try his darnedest to keep you from being a revolutionary Christian. And in this case he's trying to keep you from being a missionary Christian!
47. If God has called you to be a missionary on a foreign field of service, nothing will ever satisfy you until you yield to Him and get back to your field of service. That's really the long and the short of it. This is the crux of some of our folks' problems right now, plain and simple. No matter how much you try to serve Jesus on your home field, if He wants you out on the mission field, you can expect to pay the consequences.
48. Don't fall for this trick that just because you're getting all these offers of other things to do that these things are the Lord's will; or just because you see others going back on the Lord, maybe it's His will for you too! You can't let the decisions and choices of others affect you if God has called you to do otherwise! It's not the Family's problems that are causing some people's discontent and frustration, because the Lord is able to work the problems out. Just because folks make a decision to do a certain thing does not mean that thing is God's highest will for them.
49. If you're running into problems, it could be because you made the wrong choice. People's choices and decisions are what cause problems in many areas. People choose to be selfish. People choose to be unloving. People choose to hold back in some area of their life. When you make a decision to leave the Lord's highest will, you'd better be prepared to pay the consequences. It's playing with fire when you stop yielding to what God wants you to do! It's dangerous business!
50. The Enemy is fighting, Honey, and he's playing for keeps. He's trying his darnedest to offer you the world, in hopes that'll stop you from being a missionary! Of course he's tempting you with glitter and money and the things of the world. That's his job. That's what he's spending his time and effort on, in hopes of setting back the work of God.
51. But you need to choose whose fool you'd rather be: A fool for Christ, Who is offering you eternal security for an investment that will pay dividends in Heaven and saved souls for ever and ever? Or will you be a fool tricked by the Devil and all the world has to offer, temporal things that are here today and gone tomorrow? Don't let anybody kid you! The only real security in this world is in the Lord. Others will fail, but Jesus will never fail.
52. Don't be fooled! That bank account some guy is offering you could be robbed tomorrow! You call that a guarantee, that you don't have to worry about money? Ha! I don't care if he's offering you a million dollars! If it's without the Lord's blessing in your life, it's all gonna burn! It's here today and gone tomorrow, and God can blow on it any time He wants to! [EDITED: "Or the guy who says he's in love with you and wants to marry you could change his mind overnight and suddenly leave you by the wayside. His promised love and fidelity could go sour and you could find yourself alone and lonely. Or worse yet, the guy might turn out to be a rotter, but you find yourself legally married to him, with children, with little hope of release and relief. It happens!"] So what kind of a guarantee is that?
53. The Lord is bringing you to the point of making a solid decision. The question is: Are you gonna serve God or mammon? You can't effectively do both. If you try to divide your time and energy between your service for the Lord and these other pursuits that you're faced with, you'd better be prepared to pay the consequences. This is a little bit like what you're experiencing right now. You're torn between two worlds--the world of full-time service on the ripe mission field that is needy, and the world of the rich lowlands, where you are being tempted to pursue a more selfish lifestyle and where the fight is more difficult. It's difficult to stand up against all the many voices there and the sidetracks that would hold you down and hold you back from accomplishing God's highest and greatest purpose that He has in store for you.
The Devil's Sidetracks!
54. One of the Devil's greatest sidetracks is if he can get folks to not fully yield their all to Jesus. If he can just hold on to some small place in your heart, some Huddersfield, he will. He'll try to cause you to divide your time--go to school, pursue this hobby, take that job, etc. This is the danger of not yielding your all to the Lord, because if the Devil can get you to not yield to the Lord on one little thing, he knows that this can grow. Pretty soon, you start going farther and farther, until before long, if you don't do something about it, you will be capable of going all the way back. Pretty soon your life will be full of sidetracks, full of so many supposed good things that you'll not have time for the best thing--the thing that the Lord wants you to do.
55. Satan is smart! He knows most folks are not about to up and quit just at the drop of a pin, so he eats away inch by inch--a little here and a little there, with believable, attractive lures designed to distract you from the main goal of winning souls and preaching the Gospel on the ripe and needy mission field.
56. Don't forget he often mixes in some truth with the lie. He weaves in strands of truth, often in the form of good intentions amid his lies and bait. He doesn't always terrorize folks, you know. He'll often try to charm you into forsaking God's way. The safest place away from all the static and electrifying shocks the Devil is trying to throw at you is on the mission field where God intended for you to be.
57. Some folks might not think the foreign mission field is all that safe a place. All they see is the physical hardship and the so-called sacrifice involved, and they get cold feet. They're not able to see the forest for the trees and they overlook the dividends, the payoff. When Satan is tempting them with worldly lusts, they're quick to forget the spiritual blessings that come with obeying God's call--and that's what counts! They overlook the fact that you can never make a sacrifice for God!
58. Once you start down that road, Honey, once you begin looking for excuses, then the Devil is right there to pile'm on--all you want! When this happens, when things in their life begin to go awry, folks often don't understand. They can't understand why all of a sudden things seem confusing and they're unhappy, lacking in fire and conviction. They never stop to think that maybe the Lord is trying to get through to'm and show'm something about what they should do or where they should be. They will misinterpret, thinking that maybe the Lord doesn't want them on the mission field, instead of seeing that the Lord is trying to get through and speak to them that they need to get back to the mission field! Sometimes we have to find out where it ain't in order to find out where it's at!
59. Honey, don't let anybody fool you. The Lord's will for His children is to bury themselves in His service, to take up that cross daily and follow Jesus, and bear fruit--more Christians! Where do you think you can bear the most fruit? On the ripe mission field, of course! Where do you think the Lord wants His missionaries to concentrate their efforts? In the lands where the fruit is so ripe it's falling off the vines, where the need is greatest!
60. {\b \i (Mama:)} I'd like to interject here that as Jesus and Dad said in other prophecies which we published some time back (see "Will You Answer the Call?" ML #3082, GN 708), it is the Lord's will for some people to remain in the Western home fields in order to minister to His lost sheep there. If you have a fruitful ministry in the U.S., Western Europe or Australia, and the Lord has made it clear that it's His will for you to stay there to witness and support those on other fields, then don't get condemned about it--because you're just as much in the center of the Lord's will as another person whom the Lord is calling to reach India or some other mission field!
61. On the other hand, if you're just getting by, doing a little witnessing here and there, and maybe sending a few dollars to some Home on the mission field from time to time, but otherwise not accomplishing that much for the Lord, then you should probably pray and seek the Lord and find out quick what He wants you to do. He may be calling you to be a missionary in some shape or form, and you'd better get on the bus of His will soon, or you'll be left behind wishing you had! (See "Keep On Believing," ML #1268.)
Your
Best or
God's
Best?
62. {\b \i (Message from Dad continues:)} It's a matter of God's best and your best! If you choose God's best, He has promised to give you all that you need to do a job for Him. If you choose to do your best, the Lord will help you along the way, but it won't necessarily be easy because you're taking matters into your own hands. You might have to suffer a few consequences along the way, because you're not able to avail yourself of His full power that only comes when you yield your all to Him.
63. I think what you are experiencing is this: As you've left the mission field and gotten more and more involved in other things, what you're feeling is the absence of the power of God in your life. Only when you learn the full power of surrender to His will, will you come to know the full power of His love.
64. You must not be confused when the Lord says He allows many options within the range of His will. He often does this. The Lord will allow many options within the tunnel of His will to reach a certain goal, but the goal is the goal. God only has one best for you, and that's the bull's-eye of His will!
65. If you look at a target, there are several circles, several ranges you can hit. The closer to the bull's-eye, the better the score. But the bull's-eye is still the top score and wins the best prize! There's only one bull's-eye! Getting close to the bull's-eye might qualify you for certain things, but hitting the mark, hitting the bull's-eye takes the prize every time!
66. {\b \i (Mama:)} It helps to strengthen your convictions about being a true missionary when you realize that the obstacles that you face and the sideshow "attractions" that you are tempted with are attempts by the Devil's imps to foil the Lord's plan for you--which is to bury your life in His service by giving 100% of your heart and time to love Jesus and give His love to others. If we look at anything that distracts us from our goal of serving the Lord with our whole hearts as an attack of the Enemy, it will help us to be more single-minded and determined to stay on the straight and narrow path of His will--or get on the straight and narrow if we've strayed from it due to other involvements, preoccupations or misguided priorities.
What Have You Done with Your Life Today?
67. {\b \i (Message from Dad continues:)} Now, more than ever, is the time to make a missionary push into all the world, because time is gonna run out soon! With each passing day ask yourself, "What have I done with my life today? What have I done today that I will not have to do tomorrow? What did I do today to further the Kingdom of God? Did I live selfishly for myself, or did I live to help another? Did I build on my investment in the Kingdom of God, or did I waste my time on wood, hay and stubble that's gonna burn? Did I invest in eternity, or did I live for this day that will be forever gone tomorrow? What am I doing and for whom? Whose fool am I? Whose fool do I want to be?" Remind yourself that if God is worth serving at all, He's worth serving all the way.
68. The Lord is tugging on your heart, and the hearts of many others, too! Don't ever feel bad if you have more of a burden for a foreign field. This is the Lord putting that burden in your heart. He's brought you out that He might bring you in. In this case He's brought you out of the mission field, but He wants to bring you in again, closer than before. All things work together for good to them that serve Jesus.
69. Don't be discouraged during this time of testing and trial and decision-making, but allow Him to turn it around to your good by saying yes to Him. Choose God's way, and when you see the results you won't be disappointed! You'll never be sorry that you invested wisely in Heavenly dividends that are gonna last forever!
70. You want to never have to worry about support and security again? Follow God! You only have one life! Yesterday is gone forever--only what's done for Jesus will last! What will you do? Will you spend your valuable time for Him and His? Will you go and reach all the lost souls? He has no hands but yours and no feet but yours! Look out there on the fields that are ripe to harvest!
71. It's sometimes a steep, difficult climb, but life on the mountain is worth it! The thrill and the excitement of the mountain cannot be equaled! You'll have the thrill of knowing that you obeyed God. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're in His highest will, doing the thing that He created you for. Life on the mountain is worth every rocky step that it takes to get there!--A small price to pay for all He has in return!
72. Whose fool are you? He is no fool who gives a life he cannot keep for a love and life and happiness and joy that he'll never lose! It will be yours forever, along with all the precious souls you help win.
73. What will you do? Will you hurry up and get back to the field of His choice for you? Will you join God's forces in the foreign lands of the living that are in desperate need of you? If God wants you on the foreign mission field, you'd better go! And as you begin to do His will and obey Him, God will supply. He'll pour on the spiritual blessings and bless you beyond your wildest dreams, beyond your most far-out imagination, for your faithfulness in answering His call.
74. Only one life, 'twill soon be gone. What will you do with yours? It's better to live for something than to die for nothing. For inspiration, souls, satisfaction, peace of mind and God's abundant blessings in your life, try the foreign fields of the needy nations of the Earth! Will you go? (End of message from Dad.)
75. {\b \i (Mama:)} A Letter which I suggest you read if you're considering going to the mission field, or if you're already there, is "God's Guarantees" (ML #1027). The Lord's good guarantees of supply, fulfillment and satisfaction never fail! They only sometimes seem to fail when we've failed and haven't followed Him or obeyed like we should have. But if we're faithful to do our best for Him, He never fails us.
76. By contrast, as Dad points out, the Devil's guarantees may look{\b glamorous and pretty solid on the outside, but it's just a façade, a false front.} The Devil only has wood, hay and stubble to offer. And while he may paint it all gold so that it glitters and shines, when the fires of testing come, it ends up in ashes. Whereas you can depend on God's true good gold come hell or high water, praise the Lord! So don't be fooled by the Enemy. Hang on to God's golden promises that will never let you down!
77. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to repeat a paragraph from the above prophecy which I found very thought-provoking. The following is a very good reminder for all of us as we regularly reassess our priorities and standing with the Lord. Dad tells us that with each passing day we should ask ourselves: "What have I done with my life today? What have I done today that I will not have to do tomorrow? What did I do today to further the Kingdom of God? Did I live selfishly for myself, or did I live to help another? Did I build on my investment in the Kingdom of God, or did I waste my time on wood, hay and stubble that's gonna burn? Did I invest in eternity, or did I live for this day that will be forever gone tomorrow?"
78. These are weighty questions, but they're not meant to minister condemnation over our lacks and failures. There are always days when we could have done better, we could have loved more, we could have followed the Lord closer, we could have obeyed more, we could have witnessed more. So we shouldn't let the Enemy condemn us and tell us that we're washed-up failures when we sometimes fall short of our goals or we feel that we aren't accomplishing enough for the Lord. Instead, we should strive to learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them, by being desperate with the Lord, spending time with Him, tanking up on His Word and following it the best we can.
79. So these questions are not to discourage us about the ways in which we fall short--and we all do at times--but rather they should cause us to search our hearts as to whether we are truly giving our all for Jesus and are in the center of His will. They are meant to convict us and spur us into action so that we can be all that Jesus wants us to be. Only then will we have the full power and the fulfillment and satisfaction that He wants to give us.
Witnessing--A Cure for Problems!
80. Following is another short message from the Lord that I would like to share with you, somewhat along the lines of what He said above. The Lord gave this for a teen girl in Australia who wrote me a letter pouring out her heart about the heavy battles she was fighting with feeling bored, unchallenged, experiencing a lack of hunger for the Word and a lack of inspiration in her service for the Lord. The Lord gives some good solutions to these problems, which apply not only to this dear girl but to others of you who may be feeling the same way she was.
81. {\b \i (Jesus speaking [EDITED: "excerpts"]:)} Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Yes, I am calling you to leave your country and to be a missionary, to travel abroad and to take My love and light to those who sit in great darkness, those who have not so much as even heard of Me or heard My Name, those who worship idols and gods of stone and wood and clay and brass and metal--gods who have done nothing for them and never will. There are great masses, multitudes of people in many lands that are close to your homeland, millions and billions of lost souls who cry out in darkness, waiting for deliverance.
82. My child, you feel you have not much to give, but when you look at these who have nothing and know nothing, you will understand how rich you are, how truly wealthy you are in the spirit, and even in knowledge and understanding and maturity and light. You feel confused, you feel in darkness, you feel you know not what to do with yourself or what will become of your life. But consider this: Imagine how you would feel if you did not even know Me. What if you did not know that when you die you would come to My arms? What if you did not know that My unconditional love is there for you, even when you feel it not? What if you did not know that rewards await you for all that you have done for Me? What if you did not know that there was any purpose to life, that there was a higher Being, a power greater than yourself that could provide you with answers, healing, miracles, guidance, strength and love?
83. Imagine if you did not have any of these things! Then, after putting yourself in that position, take a look at your life again and realize how you are truly rich and increased in goods--the goods of My Spirit--My Words and the Words of David and Maria, and even in practical skills and know-how and knowledge. You are so blessed to have at your fingertips many ideas, tips, instructions and guidance in so many areas.
84. My little one, be not as the old woman who for many years had great wealth and riches, yet thought they were just pretty pictures, that they couldn't do anything for her, that they were just for decoration, or had maybe done someone else some good at some other time. My promises are for you! Reach out and take hold of them! Put Me to the test! Put My supply to the test! Put My ability to provide your needs to the test!
85. You have much to give, so say not that you are but a child. Even now around you there are opportunities to give out My love, My Words, My message. Every minute counts. Every day counts. So please don't let precious time slip by. Please use each day to the fullest to do all you can for Me, for there is much to do. I will be with you. I will instruct and lead and guide you. I will provide all your needs, and I will bring you into a new and fruitful field. I will bring you great happiness and fulfillment, and full reassurance of My love and care and My ability to do whatever you need and want Me to do. All this and more will I do for you if you will but take hold of My promises, stand on them, believe them and put them to work in your life. (End of message from Jesus.)
The Advantages of Being a Missionary!
86. {\b \i (Mama:)} We all know that being a missionary has its hardships and that it's not always easy. It's a rough and a rugged road sometimes, and the climb up the mountain of God's highest will isn't always easy going. But have you ever stopped to think of all the advantages of being a missionary? We experience so many of the benefits in our everyday lives that I think we become familiar with them and don't even realize that they're there. Of course we know the more obvious ones, like being assured of being in the center of the Lord's will and the rewards that He will give us in Heaven, as well as the joy and contentment that He rewards us with here on Earth, but there are many more! If you stopped for a few minutes and thought about it, I'm sure you could list quite a few advantages that perhaps you hadn't thought of before.
87. I wanted to include such a list in this GN, both to encourage you missionaries who are doing the job as well as to show those of you who aren't the many benefits that await you when you do. Most of you have served the Lord on a foreign mission field at one time or another, so you've no doubt experienced many or all of the following benefits. But perhaps you haven't thought about them in some time and would appreciate a little refresher for your encouragement and inspiration!
88. Rather than list them myself, I thought the Lord would be able to give a much better rundown, so I asked Him to explain why we should be missionaries and what the benefits and advantages are in practical terms. Please remember when reading this that while the Lord is specifically referring here to those missionaries who have left their home country to evangelize another part of the world, you can be just as much of a missionary in your home country if you're where the Lord wants you and you're truly laying down your life daily to reach the lost where you are.
89. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Missionaries are at the top of My list! Missionaries are apostles, just like the apostles of old--ones called with a mission. My first disciples were just normal men and women like you. What set them apart from the rest of the world was the fact that they answered My call. They heard My call in their heart and in their spirit, and they followed Me. And as they followed Me, they learned of Me. I was teaching them and training them, instructing them in the ways of Heaven, in the ways of faith, and even in practical ways of how to live their lives to the fullest, to gain the greatest pleasure, joy and happiness.
90. Then after I came to Heaven, I sent My Holy Spirit to lead them and guide them--just as I had done when I was there with them--and I commissioned them to go out as missionaries to win the world. They were continuing to follow Me, to learn of Me, to grow. It's not as if they learned everything there was to know. Their learning continued, but at the same time they fulfilled My commission to be missionaries.
91. Today I have many missionaries in many lands, of many cultures, of many nationalities, of many callings and many different ministries. They have left their homes, they have left all behind and have gone out to follow Me and to live according to their faith. You, My Family missionaries, have great faith because of the abundance of Word that has been poured out upon you. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and you have been mightily blessed with an ocean of the Word of God!
92. You have the Word spoken in olden times--the Bible. You have the Word spoken in modern times through the voice of your Father David. And you have the voice of prophecy through which My wonderful Words are being poured forth for today, and for the days to come. As you drink in this Word from all sources, it strengthens you and strengthens your faith. You, of all My children upon the Earth, drink in more of My Word than anyone else, and that is why you have such great faith. The faith that you have from reading My Word is magnified because you are yielded and believing and accepting the new Word, the New Wine from Heaven. This gives you new faith, strong faith, faith for modern times, faith for today, and faith for the things to come.
93. My missionaries have the best of all lives, for they have the best of all I have to offer. Those who yield themselves utterly to Me, who seek My perfect will in their lives, who answer My call to go and save the lost, those who are willing to forsake all and follow Me daily, taking up their cross--they are the ones who will benefit the most from a life lived for Me, for they are the ones upon whom I may pour My blessings with great abundance for their yieldedness and obedience.
94. My missionaries are pilgrims and strangers upon the Earth. And though they have no nation to call their own, and no certain dwelling place, yet this is their strength and this is their training for the world to come. For My missionaries will be leaders of the world one day. In their daily witnessing and ministering to others, they are learning to understand the hurts and the pain that the world suffers. They are learning of the troubles and the difficulties that the people of this world face. They see their hopelessness, their need for love, their struggles to survive, their battles within their families, the trials they face in their form of livelihood.
95. They walk among people of all strata of society and they learn about them so they will understand them and their needs. This helps My missionaries now, and will help them when one day they come into the position of being rulers of this world. This is something they could never learn by just living a normal life, as their experience would be limited to the small circumference of their life and their level of society.
96. My missionaries can transcend the strata of society. They can go from the bottom to the top, and from the top to the bottom. They can relate to all people, and they can learn and partake of the lives of people on all levels of society. This is a unique opportunity, a unique experience. My missionaries are not a part of society, and this gives them an advantage to peek in, to observe, to learn and to mingle with those of all walks of life. My missionaries have learned to set aside their own personal wants and wishes so that they may become one to all men, that they may learn to relate to them, to understand them.
97. This is cultural training. This is sociological training. This is training that they could never receive in a classroom, because this is interacting with the real thing, with real people. It's not theory; it's practice. They are meeting people from every level of society. They are speaking with them. They are being accepted into their homes and into their lives, and they are learning about their hopes, their wishes, their desires, their heartbreaks and their failures.
98. This is such wonderful preparation for being world rulers! So few of the rulers of this world know and understand the people they govern as well as you will understand your people. My missionaries learn to be broad-minded; they learn to understand and accept the culture, traditions and habits of other societies.
99. This teaches them an openness that few people in the world have--to meet people of other nations, of other cultures, of other tongues, without prejudice, without preconceived ideas, without judging them by outward appearance. This is something that nations are striving for, but they fall miserably short of. How can they ever have racial equality when they are already so boxed in by their own prejudices, thoughts and ideas?
100. But you, My missionaries, are there with the purpose of learning to bridge the gaps between the peoples of the world. You have open hearts and open minds. You look only at the creation of God, at the human being and his or her eternal soul. That is what you are most interested in, and that is the same in all of the people of the Earth. You see them in the purest way, as My creations, as My children, and you look beyond their race, their color, their traditions, their habits and modes of living.
101. My missionaries are some of the most educated people on Earth--not educated in the ways of man, but educated in My ways. They learn the deep things of the Spirit. They learn to hear the voice of God. They learn to understand the Word of God.
102. Because they give themselves wholly to Me and are seeking to do My will, I have more control in their lives. I can teach them yieldedness and bring them closer to Me through their desperation. It is these who are empty of themselves, empty of their own knowledge, empty of their own wisdom and empty of their own will that can avail themselves the most of My wisdom, My power and My anointing. In becoming seemingly weak and insignificant to the world, they have become strong, powerful and important in My Kingdom.
103. Their wisdom and knowledge is the opposite of that of the world. Their wisdom and knowledge comes from God; the wisdom and knowledge of the world comes from man. But My missionaries are educated and wise in the ways of the world, too, for I teach them these things as well. They learn the languages of many lands. They learn the geography and history of many countries firsthand, by living there, by visiting these places and experiencing life in those countries. They're not just tourists, but they live in every country they go to, whether their time there is long or short. They are pilgrims and strangers. Wherever they are is where they live, and they learn and they grow from these experiences.
104. Very few people in the world have the advantage of living in this way--forsaking their own country, upbringing, culture and personal traditions, to take on those of another land, another nation, another people. This is training and experience that can never be gained from a classroom in the same way as it can by living it.
105. My missionaries learn to live by faith. They learn to lean upon Me and to expect Me to supply their every need, and I do. This tests their faith. This causes them to use their muscles of faith, which strengthens them. Living by faith strengthens their faith and causes them to grow. Living by faith keeps them uncompromising and pure. In living by faith they stay true to My precepts and true to their convictions, for they know this will bring down My blessings. Living by faith keeps My missionaries unspotted from the world, for they are dependent upon Me and My supply, and not upon the world.
106. Through living by faith, My missionaries learn to be thankful, to be appreciative of the little things, and to give Me thanks and praise for all that I do in their lives. They learn the value of little things, of diligence and carefulness. They develop the gift of praise and thankfulness which helps them to shun murmuring and complaining, which would darken their soul and countenance. They learn to love Me and to praise Me and to thank Me for the smallest answers to prayer, for the smallest provision and gifts at My hand. And so they shine with such beautiful and radiant spirits of love and thankfulness. They learn to praise Me when things are good, and praise Me when things are not so good. This gives stamina to their spirits and endurance to their faith as they learn to praise Me through all seasons.
107. Living by faith polishes My missionaries and makes them shine! It gives them a special depth, a special worth that can only be found through prayer and praise and thanksgiving, through living a life of thankfulness. Through their hardships and difficulties I stretch out their spirits. I broaden them and deepen them so their spirituality grows and they are not shallow. How can this be learned within the safety and security of the System?
108. My missionaries learn to love like no others on Earth, for they see the power of God working in their lives and in other people's lives. Their hearts are broken for the poor and the destitute and the hungry in spirit of this world, and through their brokenness, through the tenderness of their heart, I pour forth My love. Their tenderness opens the channels of My love, and they receive My love in greater measure than those of the world. My love flows through in mighty waves, through mighty channels to fill them and to overflow onto others.
109. My missionaries are the salt of the Earth, and I sprinkle them freely across the nations that they may bring out the flavor of My love in all places where they go. I love My missionaries, for they are most blessed upon the face of the Earth. They are My children, and I love them for their obedience and yieldedness. They are learning to forsake the ways of the world. They are learning to lay aside the traditions of man and his wisdom, his values and his goals, that they may embrace the true riches, the true values, the values of Heaven and the richness of My Spirit.
110. This life is but a preparation for the world to come. It is but a school where the entrance exams are given to see who will make it into the next grade. This time on Earth is but a test to see who will choose the ways of the world and who will choose My ways. And these, My missionaries, who choose My ways, will find great reward in the next world and for all eternity to come! (End of message from Jesus.)
111. {\b \i (Mama:)} Isn't it neat how the Lord explains things? He covers so many more angles and sides of the issue than we could ever think up with our limited understanding and wisdom. You see, that's another advantage of going to the Lord for the answers to your questions instead of trying to figure them out yourself: If you just reason it out in your own mind, you may (or may not) come to the right conclusion. But if you ask the Lord, not only are you certain to get it right, but He often adds much more explanation and detail that you would have never gotten any other way. So it pays to ask!
112. One of the most exciting aspects of the above list from the Lord is the fact that being missionaries is part of our preparation for the job that the Lord has for us in the next life, in the Millennium, and beyond! When you think that the Millennium will last a thousand years, it puts into perspective just how short our time here on Earth is by comparison, and therefore how important it is that we adequately prepare for what the Lord has in store for us. We may think we have a big job now, but it's small compared to the job that we will have then.
113. So just as you have to study hard in school and learn to read and write and get the basics down pat if you're to succeed as an adult in society, by the same token we have to learn the basics that the Lord wants to teach us now in His "school of life" if we are to succeed as spiritual adults in the world to come. And one very important course or grade of this school, which the Lord says is a vital part of our training for our "adulthood," is the life of a missionary.
Being a Missionary Is Where It's At!
114. Following is a brief listing, taken from the above prophecy, of the various gifts and blessings that the Lord gives those who heed His call to be a missionary. This list should also serve as a reminder of the qualities that each of us, as missionaries, should strive for in our personal lives and Homes:
* Great faith through accepting, believing and obeying the Word.
* Blessings in great abundance for yieldedness and obedience.
* The ability to become one, and to understand and accept others.
* Preparation for becoming world rulers in the Millennium.
* The gift of not prejudging or labeling people, but being able to listen with a purpose.
* Open hearts and open minds, embracing those of different backgrounds and cultures as our brothers and sisters.
* The privilege of being the most educated people on Earth in the ways of the Lord, and wise in the ways of the world through our firsthand experience with other cultures, customs, peoples and nations.
* The blessing of being able to hear the voice of God and understand His Word more clearly.
* The blessing of availing ourselves of the Lord's wisdom, power and anointing through being empty of ourselves.
* The tests of our faith strengthen us.
* Living by faith keeps us uncompromising and pure.
* Being able to develop the gift of praise and thankfulness, and appreciation for the little things; which helps us shun murmuring and complaining and keeps us happy in spite of difficult circumstances.
* We have spiritual depth and maturity.
* In forsaking the ways of the world we can embrace the true riches of the Spirit.
115. So many blessings! So many advantages! And I'm sure you could add to this list from your own experiences and the blessings that the Lord has poured out on you personally in the course of being one of His missionaries.
116. The Lord says above that missionaries are the most educated people on the face of the Earth, not only in the ways of the Lord, but in the ways of the world too. You young folks want an education?--Being a missionary is the best education you can get! Even in society, the skills that really count, which employers look for even more than those that are learned in a classroom, are those that have to do with interacting with others, work ethic, diligence, faithfulness, etc. And there's no better way to learn those things than as a missionary. That's one reason, beside all the training in the Word that you have, that you young folks who are missionaries are miles ahead of your counterparts in the System! So don't ever feel inferior or ashamed of being "just" a missionary, because let me tell you, you're tops not only in the Lord's book but you're even tops when judged from a strictly worldly point of view.
117. When you're witnessing to your peers in the System, you should be proud of the fact that you're a missionary. They'll respect you for it, because they'll recognize that you have a lot more than they do--not just in the spiritual, but in the physical too, in terms of real-life experience, people-handling skills, language abilities, etc. So never be ashamed of your calling--it's the best there is in every way! Recently, when Dad was talking about our missionaries in Russia, he said:
118. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} Being a missionary is where it's at! As you all say today, it's the cool thing to do! Do you want to be not only cool, but in God's elite, God's top unit? Or do you want to be one of the masses, just another one of the crowd, enjoying the pleasures of the world for a season, sort of going the general direction, but kind of hanging out in the wings? Do you want to be right on-beam, right on target, right in with the in crowd on that straight and narrow road that not only leads to salvation, but also leads to happiness, contentment, and true enjoyment in life? Well, that's the road that I know you missionaries have taken, and I'm so very proud of you!
119. I know it's not easy to leave some of the pleasures of this life behind to dwell in this rather barren land. I know what a sacrifice it is for you physically. I know that it's also a sacrifice spiritually to be in this land, continually surrounded by such darkness and hopelessness. But God is going to bless you for it, and you can take pride in the fact that you're in His elite corps, His top-flight unit, His missionaries!
120. You're different! You're different from everybody else. You have different values. You have a different lifestyle. You have different faith. And believe me, you've got something that everybody wants--real love. You know where you're going, and you've got hope. That really sets you apart in that land where there's such a famine for the Word of God, such a famine for real spiritual input.
121. I am so very proud of each and every one of you who are on that field giving and sacrificing. Oh, I know some of you feel like you're not accomplishing much and you're just barely hanging in there, but you are doing the job! You are being a witness and a testimony! And if you'll keep at it, the Lord will bless you! You're going to be so satisfied and thankful that you didn't give up, but that you continued to follow Him and preach the Gospel to that love-starved, hope-starved nation.
122. What could be better than giving your life in service to God and others? What higher calling could you have? How much more cool could you possibly be than to be a member of God's Endtime army?--His apostles, taking His message of hope and salvation to a dying world in these last troublous days of this Earth as we know it! (End of message from Dad.)
What If You Feel You're Not Accomplishing Enough on Your Mission Field?
123. {\b \i (Mama:) }As Dad mentions above, sometimes you can be on the mission field and know you're in the center of the Lord's will, trying to do your best for Him, but you still don't feel like you're accomplishing as much as you would like to. Some fields are pretty tough, and while people are receptive, progress is sometimes slow. You may feel like you're giving it all you've got, but you're still not having the results you would like. What to do?
124. Not long ago a Home on a difficult pioneer field wrote me expressing these feelings, and when we prayed for them, the Lord gave a very encouraging message. I'd like to share this with all of you, as I believe it not only applies to that particular Home, but to all of you faithful missionaries wherever you are! You're truly God's heroes! I pray that this is an encouragement to you, and that it lifts any weights of discouragement or condemnation which the Enemy may be trying to burden you with.
{\b \i }125. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }These, My precious and faithful pioneers, are weak in their own sight, small in their own eyes, but so great in My eyes! For I look upon the heart. I look upon the desire. I look upon the willingness with which these ones serve Me. They have truly given of themselves and dedicated their lives and hearts and spirits unto Me for the purpose of getting out My Words, My message, to so great a people. And amidst their trials and difficulties, and even the setbacks which they have faced, they continue to persevere. Though at times they feel weakened and think they are not accomplishing much, just the fact that they have continued on is a great accomplishment in My sight.
126. They have been fruitful witnesses! They have been faithful newsboys and messengers, giving My Words to the lost, to the people of this land which sit in darkness, starved for the love and the truth of My Spirit, which these hold in their hands. Therefore say not, "We accomplish so little! Our efforts are so few among so many. So much is being left undone and we are barely able to keep our heads above water, much less be able to do all that we would like to do, to accomplish all our goals, to reach the ideal."
127. For what is My commandment? Is it not to love one another, as I have loved you? Is it not to love your neighbor as yourself, and to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature? Yes, those are My commissions of old, the never-changing goal and standard, My ultimate plan and purpose and design in each of your lives. These are things you strive for, and therefore I am pleased.
128. You do not have to be perfect to gain My love or My appreciation or My commendation. For I look upon the heart and I bless according to the motives of the heart, the sincerity of your desire, and this you have not lacked.
129. And what is the new commission which I have given to you in this new day? Is it not to draw close to Me? Is it not to sit at My feet and to absorb My Words? To soak in My seeds and to be filled to overflowing with My love, power, strength, anointing and blessings?
130. How are My blessings obtained? How does one draw close to Me? By loving Me intimately and personally. By becoming My bride. By giving yourself to Me--heart, soul, mind, body and spirit, without reservations, without fears, without cover-ups.
131. If these things are My goals and My plan and purpose for your lives, then why do you seek to judge yourselves according to your works? You may or may not see the fruit of your labors in this life, but you have only been called to deliver the message, to pour forth the waters of life, to give to the children of this world the message which your Father David has given to you from My hand.
132. Therefore go and preach the Gospel to every creature! Yes, this is your commission. But do not place upon yourself burdens or expectations which I have not required of you. For I wish you to enjoy yourselves in this life also, to experience the joys of My Spirit as you love Me, as you love one another, as you love those around you, and as you minister My love to the world.
133. Therefore rejoice that My yoke is easy and My burden is light! Cast all your care upon Me, for I care for you. I delight in your faithfulness and in your service to Me, and most of all, in your love. Love one another, care for one another, join hands tightly in unity with one another, and bear each other's burdens. For in these days you have need of close fellowship, of standing strong, shoulder to shoulder with your brethren. For as the battles intensify in these Last Days, you have a greater need for one another. I have made it thus, so you would stay joined close together in My Spirit, and so you would have the strength of the support of your loved ones to help encourage and support and carry you through.
134. Therefore, My dear beloved ones, My faithful soldiers and My precious brides, be not dismayed. Be not downcast. Look not upon yourself and upon your Home as though you do not accomplish much for Me. For you are precious in My sight and you are greatly loved. You are a team of My choosing, and I will pour down My anointing upon you, that you will be mighty witnesses unto Me, and that you will bear fruit which remains. Great is your reward in Heaven for your faithfulness to Me! I love you, My dear children! (End of message from Jesus.)
135. {\b \i (Mama:)} The Lord is so encouraging, isn't He? Just like a father with his little children, He takes us where we're at, and doesn't place greater burdens or expectations on us than we are able to bear. Though you may feel weak or feel that you're not accomplishing that much, just the fact that you're continuing on, day after day, loving the Lord and doing the best you can to preach the Gospel in every way you can, is a great accomplishment in His sight.
136. As Dad has so often said, your faithfulness is what counts to the Lord and what He considers success. Your determination to share the Lord's love and His message of salvation and faith with as many people as you can is what matters most in His sight. If you're doing that, then even if you don't feel like you're having that great of an effect, you're still accomplishing the Lord's highest will for you.
137. Who knows what effect you're having that you don't even see! Our witness often goes much further than we even realize, and the secondary effects are more far-reaching than the firsthand contact we have with those we witness to. Only when we get to Heaven will we understand the full impact that our witness had on each individual that we ministered to, and the lives that they in turn affected as a result of our witness. It will be so exciting to see that, won't it?
A Little Bit Goes a Long Way!
138. Along these lines, following is a beautiful message from the Lord that illustrates just how far each witness goes. The words we speak and the love we show has a much greater importance or significance than we may be aware of when first talking to someone or praying with them to receive the Lord. What may seem like small witnessing opportunities to us may be very important in the Lord's eyes, and may have a far-reaching effect.
139. By passing up those opportunities to pour out to someone the Lord brings across our path (no matter how unimportant it may seem to us), we could be missing a lot!--And the poor person that the Lord wants to reach would be missing even more. Who knows how many others may also miss a touch of the Lord in their lives because of our failure to take that one little opportunity to witness to that one person. Lord help us to be faithful in seizing every chance that He gives us to show His love to others, and not minimize or neglect them.
140. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} With such sacrifices I am well pleased--sacrifices of time and of love and of humility. Despise not the day of small things--small tests and small obediences and small doors and small opportunities--for it is through these small tests that I prepare you for the greater ones. It is through these small doors that you learn to walk through the greater ones. It is by taking advantage of small opportunities that I prepare you for greater ones.
141. Therefore despise not the day of small things, nor of small people, nor of small opportunities to give My love and My Words. For you know not what great things can be brought about by even just a few pages of My truth and just a few drops of My love and just a few moments of encouragement to those who have so little, to those who spend so much time alone and have so little opportunity to hear the truth.
142. With this sacrifice I am well pleased --that you make the effort, that you lay down your other priorities, the things that you think are so important, that you lay down your pride and your worries about what others will think of you, and that you think only of the needs of these little ones and what you might do to be able to lift their burdens and encourage their hearts.
143. You will be surprised in the day you are rewarded when you see the great distance that this love has gone, and the boundaries that it has passed, and the fruit that it has borne that you do not now see, but that I see. These little drops and these little moments and these few words of love and encouragement of My Spirit will grow and blossom, and they will bring forth fruit over and over again, that you will not see, but that I will see. Therefore don't hesitate to take the small steps and to go through the small doors, for it is through this that I will do great things. (End of message from Jesus.)
Promises and Encouragement for a Missionary Family!
144. {\b \i (Mama:) }Following is another beautiful message of encouragement the Lord gave for one of our faithful missionary families, Jonathan and Amor, as they were about to depart for China from the U.S. While this message was given for a particular couple, I know the Lord would say the same of all of you missionary families who have launched out to the mission field by faith, putting your hand into the hand of God and trusting that He was going to take care of you, lead and guide you--which He has!
145. He's already begun to fulfill some of the promises made to Jonathan and Amor in this prophecy, as you read in the recent testimony from them in {\b \i Grapevine 22}! The Lord gave this message before they set out for China, and as they obeyed by faith, "not knowing whither they went," the Lord did His part and miraculously supplied, even when it seemed like an impossible situation. And He can do the same for you!
146. Many of you already have wonderful testimonies of the incredible miracles that the Lord has done for you over the years as you "stepped out on the water"--or over the water in many cases--and into strange foreign lands where you didn't even know the language, had no contacts or friends, and no one to hold on to but the Lord! It would be wonderful if we could somehow compile all of those testimonies. What a tome that would make! At least we'll be able to hear about them in Heaven as we praise the Lord together for His wonderful works to the children of men! Hallelujah!
147. So as you read the following prophecy, please know that the Lord is speaking to all of you who are true missionaries, no matter where you are. I pray it will be an encouragement to you. You certainly deserve it!
148. {\b \i (Jesus speaking [EDITED: "excerpts"]:)} I have loved you with an everlasting love, and I will always love you. You are one of My Don Quixotes of faith who dares to venture out where none other has gone--or where others have longed to go but lacked in faith. I have always admired your faith to believe Me and take Me at My Word, and to go as I did bid you. As you know, I never failed to supply for you. I never failed to keep you and your family.
149. You are blessed with many children, for you are so giving. You have much that you can pour into these little ones to help them grow into a greater knowledge of Me, and to grow in the knowledge that serving Me pays in wonderful ways. As you step out by faith and venture into a new land, I will make you very fruitful, winning many new souls for My Kingdom.
150. You will be My hands reaching out to give a helping hand. You will be My eyes to see where the need is for you to go, to be, and to minister. You will be My eyes to weep for those who are weary and sad and in need of great help. You will be My feet to walk in places that others have not gone, to walk the extra mile to reach people with My message of love, hope, salvation and forgiveness. You will be My feet to tread down the Serpent's ugly head of lies and anti-God venom!
151. You will be My shoulders for the weak to lean on and be comforted. You will be My shoulders to help carry people's burdens. You will be My body of love to My precious children in China. As you are My body, My flesh, so will I provide for you; so will I keep you and strengthen you as My Own, for you are My Own. You are My precious bride--beautiful, radiant, vibrant and full of life, very giving and yielded to Me.
152. Your sample of love and dedication to go into a field that seems to many to not be hungry or worthy of My love will speak loudly, and will wake many people up to the needs there. This will in turn raise support for you. I will supply your every need. I will raise up funds, needs, housing, and the production of tools for your field in wonderful ways that will cause you to shout for joy!
153. You will also be a sample to many there of the simplicity of My love, especially now in these days when there is a wave of Western music, Western culture, Western politics, and Western falsehoods flooding into these lands. Your sample of love and dedication to Jesus, of simplicity and of helping others, will be a bright, beaming sample to these.
154. There will be tests along the way, for the Enemy will fight your work in your field. But fret not and worry not, for when the Enemy will come in like a flood--as he will, be forewarned--remember that I will raise up a standard so high that I will keep you safe in every way. You will have stories of miracles to share that will inspire your brethren. So forget not to communicate, and with your sacrifices I will be well pleased. Your stories will inspire faith in many.
155. {\b \i [EDITED: "To Amor:"]} I love you and will strengthen you and help you with wisdom--supernatural wisdom from on high in how to care for your children, how to carry on your ministering to them and raising them and training them and educating them in this new and different field. You will be looked up to by many mothers there who love their children too, but lack in education and spiritual training in how to care for their children. You will be a help to many, and thereby many will help you too.
156. Thank you for going forth by faith. For this stepping out by faith, I will bless you even more, for I love it when My children have faith in Me to do the impossible. That thrills Me, excites Me and challenges Me! Oh, how I love challenges in the Spirit! I love you, My challengers--My family of challenge, My family of faith. You're so precious to Me! I love you, and will make you fruitful in every good work. (End of message from Jesus.)
The World Needs You!
157. {\b \i (Mama:) }It's quite awesome when you think of the responsibility that the Lord has laid on us and the commission that He has entrusted us with to be missionaries for Him, to be the carriers of His love to the world. He has chosen you to be His hands and His feet, His face to the world. He has chosen you to represent Him to others, to be a physical manifestation of His love for them through your words, your prayers, and your deeds. What a privilege! What an honor!
158. Just think about it for a moment: The world needs you! Every single person out there in the world needs you, because they need Jesus in you. If they're not saved, they need your witness and manifestation of Jesus' love to help them believe. And if they're already saved, they need your encouragement and sample to help them touch others with the Lord's love too! Isn't that an awesome feeling, to know that when you walk down the street, every person you pass by needs you and needs what you have? Will you give it to them? Will you lay aside the weights and sins and run the race that is set before you--the race to save the world for Jesus? Will you win the prize of the high calling of God?
159. A few months ago, during Peter's and my daily time of hearing from the Lord, Dad gave the following beautiful message about how much the world needs each of you and how those in the spirit world are crying out to you for your help to feed their people on Earth, to give them the Lord's love and the Words of David.
160. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} All the peoples of all nations need you. They need the truth, they need Jesus, they need the Family in every nation, in every place. There are spirits and goddesses and helpers who cry out for help because the need is so great. They know that their people are so hungry and needy and that there are so few who feed them the truth and who don't deceive them.
161. So you can certainly understand why any of them would want you to stay and be there with them and their lands, because you represent such a light to them, a light to their people. That's why it's important that our children go into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature, that there's a presence everywhere, because it encourages those spirits, those who are responsible for the spiritual welfare of their people. It encourages them when the children of David are there, because it gives them hope that their nation will receive the Word and will receive the truth.
162. These spirits who intercede for their people cry out night and day to the Lord that their people will be reached with the truth, with the Gospel. I bring this before you and before the Family, and I say, listen to their cries! Listen to the calls of these nations. There are still many that need the children of David, so many that still need to hear the truth. Even a few children of David in these nations bring a new light there and the spirits rejoice, because they know that the light can grow.
163. The call is still the same--the call to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. This has not changed. This is still the focus, still the need, still the message to the Family--to preach the Gospel, to become missionaries, to go into all the nations of the world. And you know who you are. You know if the Lord is calling you. You know in your heart. So don't be afraid, just yield. Just accept the calling, and as you do He will anoint you and supply for you and make the way possible.
164. If you fight for it, you'll get it! If you pray desperately, He'll supply. He'll get you there. He'll open doors, because He wants you in all the nations of the world. He wants you everywhere because He wants to answer the prayers of those who cry out to Him night and day that the light and the truth of the Word will come into their country. You are that light, that truth, and that Word. You are the bearers of it. You are the embodiment of it. You are it!
165. So hear the cry! Hear the cries of the nations of the world that need the Gospel. Hear the cries of the hungry people and go to them, fill their needs, preach the Gospel, win them, and great will be your reward here in Heaven! Great will be your reward, and great will be the thankfulness that these will have for you. For you gave your life for them, and no greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are laying down your lives, giving your lives to reach these lost and hungry ones, and to answer the prayers of those who are responsible for the spiritual welfare of their people.
166. So don't fail in this. Don't fail in the job that the Lord has given you. Don't get so encumbered about with your own Home and your own self that you forget, or that you close off and cannot hear the cry from the foreign nations that call you and say, "Come! Come feed our people! Come feed us the truth! Come be the answer to our prayers." (End of message from Dad.)
167. {\b \i (Mama:)} As an example of the above, recently when praying, Peter and I were visited by a spirit representing a certain country we had traveled to. He said, in reference to the Family's witness: "Wherever are children of David, this make very special and honored place. For is great honor and privilege to serve and help children of David, for they are special ones from Jesus. You cannot see in the spirit, but if you could see from spirit world side, you could see that wherever the children of David are there is great power and angels that surround them. They great influence. Big bright light and force. Big upheaval in spirit world wherever children of David are. Everybody knows and everybody see. Cause big stir in spirit world!"
168. Isn't it encouraging to know the effect that your witness has? And how convicting! The Lord is calling you. He has promised the anointing and the supply, the guidance and the wisdom. He will give you all that you need. All you have to do is be willing, put your whole heart into it, and love Him and the sheep with all your heart. You have heard the Lord's call, Dad's call, as well as the cry for help from those representing their people in the spirit world. Can you hear the cry of the sheep from foreign shores, or even those close to home? Will you be the answer to their prayers?
169. God bless all of you faithful missionaries who are giving your lives daily in the field of the Lord's choice for you! I'm proud of you! Keep up the good fight of faith! Keep loving Him and others, and you can't fail.
Much love and admiration,
Mama
The Day of the Missionary!
170. PS: As this GN was about to go out, someone in our Home received a beautiful prophecy about you, my dear loved ones. After I heard it, I knew that it would encourage you very much, so I decided to slip it in this GN. The Lord gives a touching tribute to you, His faithful missionaries--you who die daily to yourselves, so that others may find eternal life. He reaffirms how proud He is of you, His devoted brides, and tells you that all Heaven stands and applauds for you! He also again pledges His unfailing love and support for you.
171. That reminds me of something the Lord said the other day when we were asking Him a question relating to this GN. In His reply, the Lord said, "My missionaries are at the top of the list and receive continual instruction and guidance from Heaven. They are assigned spirit helpers and protectors to keep them in each of their locations around the world.
172. "Much goes into the care and protection of My missionary children around the world. They are My hands and feet to reach the lost, so I tend to them very lovingly. They cannot see it all and don't even know it's happening, but they are continually watched over. Their ministry is taken very seriously by My helpers. They can expect the best of My care. They can call unto Me for all their needs and I will provide. As they preach the Gospel and bring My love to the lost, they can anticipate an abundance of My blessings in their lives. All they have to do is expect and receive and I will supply." Aren't these wonderful promises to hold on to? Praise the Lord for our Heavenly helpers and their never-ending care for us!
173. I'll close here with our precious Husband's words of love, admiration and acclaim for you, His called, chosen and faithful ones. God bless you every one!
174. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }This is the day of the missionary--that obscure personality who plods along day by day, toiling where no one else will toil; laboring and not seeing much return for his labors; loving and not getting much love in return; pouring out his soul, his life, his strength, his love, his compassion and his energy, simply because he loves and desires above all else to serve his Lord and King.
175. Oh, what honor I bestow upon My lowly missionaries, who receive no earthly applause, no lofty places in the annals of history. Each one is as a fine gem, who even now are in individual cases in My hall of fame, each glowing and scintillating with a unique and wondrous light! Each one glows with the light of his or her special place and special part in My great plan that spans the history of evangelizing the world!--Of reuniting each soul, each being, with its Creator, Who longs and pants and aches for each one.
176. This is the day of My missionaries--those lowly ones who hold themselves in no high esteem and count their life but dung, that they may win many for Me.
177. I stand up from My throne and I honor and applaud My precious missionary children! They are My heroes! They are My hands and My tongue and My eyes and My ears and My feet. I kiss each of these parts that so tirelessly, so sacrificially, so tenderly and so lovingly express and convey My love and My desire for My unborn children.
178. With such anticipation and such enthusiasm do I watch the movements of My precious missionaries! With such eagerness do I share with My counselors the progress each one is making, as we discuss how we shall aid their efforts. We pick the finest gifts and the most able spirit helpers to help My missionaries.
179. These are the ones who shall be dressed in gorgeous apparel, whose crowns will glow so brightly as to create a whole aura around their bodies! They shine with the joy and the gratitude and the wonderment of the reward I give them for their sacrifices, for the unseen and forgotten acts of love and unselfishness and giving and caring that they performed on Earth.
180. These are so precious to Me! For in each I see not a hundred, not a thousand, but hundreds of thousands of [EDITED: "spiritual"] children being born! These are My fruitful brides who not only ravish Me with their kisses and caresses, but who are strong to bear many children for Me. They bear and they bear, and they take pleasure in their children. They commit them to Me, they pray for them, they write to them. And with each one they say not, "Oh, it is enough, I have too many! It is enough, my body is too weak! It is enough, I can toil no more! I can bear no more! It is enough, I need not make the effort any more." No! They seek to bear more! They seek even to bear twins and triplets and sextuplets! As many children as they can bear, they do bear.
181. I am such a proud Father! I look with great joy and great delight upon My fruitful wives and their children--the way they are caring for them, growing them, nourishing them, and raising them up to be strong children for Me, who shall also in their turn bear many children.
182. So let there be a standing ovation for My missionaries! Indeed, as I stand, all in Heaven stand and applaud, and jump, and whoop, and laugh, and embrace, and weep tears of joy! They clasp their hands in prayer to Me that I will strengthen you, that I will continue to bless you and to pour upon you all the gifts that you need to finish this job in this last great era of mankind, this last era before the world is transformed and all must play by a different set of rules.
183. In that day when time stands still and I distribute the rewards to My faithful ones, all of Earth and all of Heaven, the stars and the planets, the sun and the Earth and the moon, shall stand still in honor to My faithful children, My faithful brides, My lowly missionaries! The silence will be so golden, so tangible. All will weep with joy and with gratitude and with awe at the toil and the sweat and the tears and the suffering of each of My children from the beginning of the world who decided to live their lives for Me--each of My children who made a resolution to be a statement for their Lord!
184. Oh, I prepare for that day of rewards with such care and such joy at the honor that I shall bestow upon you! You are the heroes of all time! (End of message from Jesus.)
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
