HomeARC ML 2903
PERSECUTION JEWELS!--No.8! DO 2903 Comp.11/93
Prayers for Deliverance!
(The following prayers, separated by asterisks, were each prayed at different times:)
1. (10/93) We do ask Thee, Lord, to give our Family in prison some surcease now, & deliver them! The Message has gotten out, they have declared it & been examples of it & witnesses & testified against their persecutors, so let them go now. They've suffered enough for awhile. Now encourage them that You still live & love them & are able to deliver them!
2. You said, "Resist Satan & he shall flee from thee!"--So we resist & fight him & are waiting for him to flee! Thank You for our folks who are so courageous & willing to spend time in prison for Thee, for Thy Gospel, for Thy Word, for Thy Truth! Rebuke our evil enemies, Lord! Destroy them, even as David prayed in these chapters from Psalms that we've been reading each morning. David had so many enemies & so much trouble, but You delivered him, Lord, & he lived to be an old king still writing beautiful Psalms to encourage Thy people.
3. Even so let it be with us, Lord. We ask Thee to deliver Thy children that they may continue to go on living for Thee!--Perhaps not in these countries which no longer want them & only persecute them, but elsewhere, Lord, where there is still some freedom & liberty & rights.--Perhaps even back in their own countries where they can be a testimony & witness to others, and even a witness against those who persecuted them and drove them out.
4. Have Thy way, Lord. It's all in Thy hands. You said, "All things work together for good to them that love You." You allowed it, Lord, & now You have to get them out of it when You're through with what You're trying to do. We're sure You're going to be successful, & so will we, & it will accomplish Thy purpose, the one whereto it was sent.--Isa.55:11. Thank You Lord!
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5. (10/93) Bless the Family around the World, Lord, & especially encourage those in bonds & release them soon. Deliver them & judge their oppressors! Rebuke the Enemy, in Jesus' name! You said, "Resist the Enemy & he will flee from thee!" Help them to resist, Lord! Bless all those who are defending us, & bless our people most of all. Strengthen them, comfort them & keep them. Provide for them & protect them & make them a real testimony.
6. Bless our dear lawyers who are laying down their lives for us. Help them, Lord. Show them how to defend us. Show them what approaches to take & what angles to use. Show the judges the truth, Lord, & give them mercy!
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7. (10/93) Bless our Family around the World, especially those being persecuted. Deliver them as soon as it's Thy Will. Let them rejoice & be exceeding glad, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before them.--And great is their reward in Heaven!--Mat. 5:11,12. Thank You Lord! Bless & keep them & strengthen them! Give them courage & make them a blessing. Curse our enemies, Lord!--Or let them get saved, one or the other. And if they refuse to be saved, then damn them! "Let all my enemies be ashamed & sore vexed, let them return & be ashamed suddenly."--Psalm 6:10.
8. Thank You for another day to serve You & be a blessing. Help us to guide Thy children aright. Thank You for all the victories.
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9. (10/93) Bless our loved ones in prison & deliver them soon, Jesus! Make them strong & a good testimony. Bless them & strengthen them. Help them to accomplish Thy purpose & then release them!
10. Lord, do have it turn out Your way, whatever it is, for Thy glory & the salvation & witness of Thy children. Bless those who are sticking up for us & fighting for us & sympathising with us. I'm sorry there isn't much reward in it for them, except from You, but that will be the greatest reward. Thank You Lord! The time will come when they'll be glad they did.
The 7th Psalm & the Koran!--Blasts at Our Enemies!
11. I read the 7th Psalm this morning & it's all a blast against our enemies! I'm reading a page or two of the Koran every day to see what it really says, & the passage I read from the Koran was also all a blast against the enemies. Mohammed was blasting his enemies, & David in the Psalms was blasting his enemies. So there's nothing new about it--God's men have always had enemies, the Devil's always been fighting them. Enemies & persecution are a test the Lord promised the Godly. (2Tim.3:12.)
12. Let me read you what I got this morning in Psalm 7: "O Lord, my God, in Thee do I put my trust. Save me from all them that persecute me, & deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there's none to deliver. O Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me, (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) Let the enemy persecute my soul & take it. Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, & lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger!" He's saying, "Well, if I am to blame, let him punish me." But then he goes on,
13. "Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger, lift up Thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: & awake for me to the judgment that Thou hast commanded." (Maria: In other words, it means to fulfil it, right?) Yes, that the Lord will bring about whatever judgement He wants them to make. "So shall the congregation of the people compass Thee about: for their sakes therefore return Thou on high." The people are standing by the Lord.
14. "The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, & according to mine integrity"--honesty--"that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just." You can apply this to our situation right now! "For the righteous God trieth the hearts & reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, & God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, He (the Lord) will whet His sword; He hath bent His bow, & made it ready." Just think, God's aiming at the wicked right now! If they turn not, He'll whet His sword!
15. "He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors." Wheeeeee! He calls them persecutors, by name! I think it is significant that David used the word "persecutors" several times. "Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, & hath conceived mischief, & brought forth falsehood." Boy, oh boy! Is that ever true! The truth is hard enough for some people to swallow, but then our enemies lie & exaggerate on top of it, & that's where they go a little too far.
16. "He made a pit & digged it, & is fallen into the ditch which he made." Hallelujah! That's happened a few times already. "His mischief shall return upon his own head, & his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate." Wow! The violent way in which they've attacked us physically is all going to come down on their own heads. This is certainly an encouraging Psalm!
17. "I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness: & will sing praise to the Name of the Lord Most High." Isn't that a good one? (Maria: Yes, wonderful!) I've just been reading a Psalm a day & a page or so of the Koran, & it was amazing how the Koran said almost the same things today as the Psalms! Listen to this, I'll just read you the one page that I read today. (Reads from the Koran:)
18. "Allah (Himself) doth mock them, leaving them to wander blindly in their contumacy [EDITED: "stubborn rebelliousness"]. These are they who purchase error at the price of guidance, so their commerce doth not prosper, neither are they guided. Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, & when it sheddeth its light around him, Allah taketh away their light & leaveth them in darkness where they cannot see. Deaf, dumb & blind; & they return not." Isn't this good? (Maria: Yes, very good.)
19. "Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder & the flash of lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears by reason of the thunderclaps, for fear of death. Allah encompasseth the disbelievers in His guidance. The lightning almost snatcheth away their sight from them."--In other words, God's giving them flashes of lightning of the Truth, but it almost snatches their sight away from them, it blinds them.
20. "As often as it flasheth forth for them they walk therein, & when it darkeneth against them they stand still. If Allah willed, He could destroy their hearing & their sight. Lo! Allah is able to do all things. O Mankind! Worship your Lord, Who hath created you & those before you, so that ye may ward off evil. Who hath appointed the earth a resting-place for you, & the sky a canopy." These are encouraging verses for us. "And causeth water to pour down from the sky"--thank God for the rain--"thereby producing fruits as food for you. And do not set up rivals to Allah when ye know better."--He's even speaking to the wicked here, Mankind in general, telling them, "Look how good Allah's been to you."
21. "And if ye are in doubt concerning that which we reveal unto our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah [EDITED: "section of text from the Koran"] of the like thereof, & call your witnesses beside Allah if ye are truthful."--In other words, if you've got the truth, then okay. If you have Scripture, let's hear it! Get it?
22. (Maria: Did it call Mohammed a slave?) Yes. And the footnote to that is: "To be the slave of Allah is the proudest boast of the Muslim, bondage to Allah liberating from all other servitudes." That's certainly Scriptural. Slavery to the Lord gives us freedom from slavery to the Devil. The footnote continues: "In the Koran, Mankind are often called God's slaves or bondmen, a stronger & more just expression than the word 'servants' generally substituted in translations." They've done that in the Bible too. "Servants" in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "servus" which literally means "slave." (Maria: It's not "politically correct" to use such words any more. Even "servants" is getting to be pretty bad too.) (Political correctness is a modern expression which means to go along with the generally accepted majority position on issues and controversies. For example, it is politically correct nowadays to support homosexual rights, and those who express a contrary opinion, even if based on religious principles, are often regarded as bigots.)
23. "Lo! Allah disdaineth not to coin the similitude even of a gnat." I wonder what that means? I must say the Koran is a little difficult to understand sometimes! (Maria: Yes, it's definitely harder than the Bible.) "Those who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord; but those who disbelieve say: What doth Allah wish to teach by such a similitude?" "Similitude" means likeness, so He's teaching something by using a gnat as an illustration, like the Bible uses the ant, telling people to be like the ant. (Pro.6:6-8.)
24. "He misleadeth many thereby, & He guideth many thereby. And he misleadeth thereby only miscreants. Those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, & sever that which Allah ordered to be joined, & who make mischief in the Earth. Those are they who are the losers.
25. "How disbelieve ye in Allah when ye were dead & He gave life to you! Then He will give you death"--we die unto self and so on--"then life again, & then unto Him ye will return." We were dead in trespasses & sins & He gave us life--salvation. "He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the Heaven, & fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is Knower of all things.
26. "And when thy Lord said unto the Angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the Earth, they said: Wilt Thou place therein one who will do harm therein & will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise & sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not. And He taught Adam all the names. Then showed them to the Angels, saying: Inform me of the names of these, if ye are truthful. They said: Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast taught us."--The Angels are talking back. "Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise.
27. "He said, O Adam! Inform them of their names." You know, Adam named the animals. "And when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not tell you that I know the secret of the Heavens & the Earth? And I know that which ye disclose & which ye hide. And when We said unto the Angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He demurred through pride, & so became a disbeliever." Maybe Iblis is Lucifer.
28. "And We said: O Adam! Dwell thou & thy wife in the Garden, & eat ye freely of the fruits thereof where ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrongdoers. But Satan caused them to deflect therefrom & expelled them from the happy state in which they were; & We said, Fall down, one of you a foe unto the other! There shall be for you on Earth a habitation & provision for a time. Then Adam received from his Lord words of revelation, & He relented toward him. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful. We said: Go down, all of you, from hence; but verily there cometh unto you from Me a guidance; & whoso followeth My guidance, there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve. But they who disbelieve, & decry Our revelations, such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein."--Sounds like Hell.
29. "O Children of Israel! Remember My favour wherewith I favoured you."--He's talking about the Jews now. "And fulfil your part of the covenant, I shall fulfil My part of the covenant, & fear Me." In the introduction it gives the history of the Muslims, from the birth of Mohammed on up, & shows how even in the earliest days the Jews started fighting him & trying to call him a false prophet & draw people away from him. They lied about him & did lots of mean things.
30. That 7th Psalm was perfect for us today. And it seems to me that the Bible & David's words, the Lord's Words, have a more personal touch than the Koran. It's almost as though Mohammed was getting it second hand. (Maria: David's talking right to God.) Yes, & God is talking right to him! You're hearing the voice of God & not just a relay. (Maria: Yes, that really makes a difference. It's much less confusing, too.) Well, at least Mohammed was trying, & it did pull all those pagans out of idol worship & back to worshipping the One True God.
31. From the very beginning Mohammed fought with the Jews--or rather the Jews fought with him. He didn't go out of his way to pick a fight with them, they picked a fight with him. At first they tried to use him, but when he refused to be used, then they came out against him. Later in some of the traditions & other writings, I think his commentators said words against the Christians; but I don't think you'll find a word against the Christians in the whole Koran.--I remember we never did when we studied it. [DELETED] In fact, we even found words of praise for Mary & Jesus! (Maria: Apparently later on the Muslims had some very harsh things to say in their teachings.) Oh yes, in their teachings & in their traditions, etc., but not in the Koran itself. I don't recall anything.
Persecution in France!
32. Just think, with our persecution, great Christian history is being made in France, and the Christians there probably don't even know it. Even the mention of God is forbidden in French schools, but we hear that the French young people are coming to the Lord. That's probably what they're trying to prevent us from doing there, is win over any of their young people.
Everybody Is Undergoing Persecution!
33. How could I ever complain? I feel guilty that we are being so well treated, when others in the Family are being so mistreated & persecuted. (Maria: I have a theory that everybody's undergoing some type of persecution.--If it's not physical, then it's in the Spirit. Look at how discouraged & almost depressed & guilty you feel sometimes when the Devil tempts you with thoughts that you're to blame for the persecutions the Family is experiencing, just because you have been faithful to give us the Lord's Message. It's just the Devil making you feel that way. It's mental & spiritual torture--that's certainly persecution. And look at the pressure our people are under here & everywhere, & the increased battles they are having to fight.) Yes, everybody's suffering in their own way, it's just a sign of the times. But I'm not suffering myself--I'm just suffering for them.
34. I have to have something to give my mind a rest from all the sorrow. Even watching the news is nothing but sorrow, the injustice against the Bosnians & the poor & so many others. (Maria: Yes, that's why it's so nice that you can watch nature documentaries & even travelogues, because they try to be positive & show the good side.)
35. In some ways you're stronger than me, Honey. I think you can take defeat better than I can. (Maria: Where's the defeat? I'm not taking any defeat! I'm just glorying in the victories!)
Those Who Kill the Prophets!
36. I don't think God's going to let the U.S. off the hook for what they did to David Koresh & his people. They are going to get it if He has to revive Communism & the atom bombs to do it! Meanwhile we're doing all we can to get the Message out & be a witness against them. Praise God! We're standing up & fighting & witnessing & warning them & telling the Truth, & they're going to be without excuse. We've been warning the United States of its sins & impending judgement for 30 years--at least I have--& the Family has for the last 25. And we've been warning the World for at least the last 15 or 20 years, so they're without excuse! The Lord is fair, God is giving them their chance to make the right choices, & instead they're persecuting us.
37. That's what the Lord said they'd do to the prophets: They'd stone some, beat some, kill others. He said to the Jews, "Thou that killest the prophets!"--Mat.23:29-37. Think of it!--The Jews, of all people, who should have honoured the prophets. And that's what [EDITED: "our enemies are"] trying to do to me now. They'd kill me if they could find me. But thank God He hasn't let them find me yet, & won't, as long as we're careful & prayerful.
Sympathy for the Davidians!
38. Boy, what the U.S. government & Clinton are going to have to be judged for. They're going to be held responsible by God for the death of every one of those poor people! The average opinion today is that all cults are wrong, they're evil & should be destroyed. The whole World is attacking cults, slaughtering them, & then excusing themselves for doing it & blaming it on the cults themselves. I guess France & Argentina consider they were merciful to us compared to what the U.S. did to the Branch Davidians.
39. The remaining Davidians are expecting another David to arise to lead them. Maybe they'll come over to us. I wouldn't be ashamed to be associated with the Davidians. I'm proud of them as martyrs. I'm sure they love the Lord, & they certainly died for Him as persecuted Christians by an obviously evil, anti-Christ government.
40. I think the authorities are putting off their trials as long as they can, because there are bound to be stories from the witnesses who escaped which contradict the government reports. The government is purposely getting out its reports first, of course, before the stories of the witnesses come out in the courts. (Maria: Also, the longer they leave the witnesses in there, the more time they have to try to deprogram them & bribe them or blackmail them.) Yes, try to make deals: "If you'll plead guilty & tell your story our way, we'll let you out sooner."
41. The whole U.S. government is putrid, full of corruption & Satanic spirits. It's anti-Christ, let's face it. It started going down when they kicked God & the Bible & prayer out of the schools. Then they went on to take religion & faith out of other departments of the government. They've cut down on chaplains & have eliminated prayer at the opening of Congress. They're becoming more & more anti-Christ because the ACs are willing to go to court to stop any Christian practice.
Our Lit in the Hands of Our Enemies!
42. There were times when I was hesitant about publishing some of our beliefs in the lit, because I knew if our enemies got ahold of them they would only twist them & deliberately misinterpret them & try to use them against us. But apparently the Lord wants the public to know for some reason. Many of them will agree & believe secretly in their hearts. And others will be condemned because they don't believe the truth. (Maria: We're getting to the point now where we're having to really fight for the Scriptural principles behind our beliefs & explain what they are & what we really mean--which will not only get the Message out further, but also strengthen our own convictions.)
The Stolen Videos!
43. Imagine Priebe saying that he was going to start his own religion! (Maria: Actually, he wanted to take over ours! He wanted you to move over & let him be the head of the Family. And when he couldn't do that, he decided maybe he could start his own.)
44. The Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He allowed our people to be so careless as to not have destroyed those dance videos, & when He allowed Priebe to so easily steal all those trunks that had been in storage for years. The Lord knew all about what was in those trunks, & He knew it when He allowed Priebe to steal them. He apparently wanted those things to get out to the World, just like He wanted our lit to get out to the World when He allowed our Homes to be raided.
45. Apparently it's going to take some strong evidence to keep some of these court cases going, so the Lord's allowed some pretty strong evidence to get out in order to make sure the cases keep going & they keep charging us!--To make sure we keep being a witness to the World & get the Message out! You did it, Lord! It's all Your doing. You allowed it to come to the fore, so it's Your fault, Lord, & it's up to You to solve these situations in whatever way You want to do it.
The "Larry King Live" Show!
46. I was sure praying for our spokesmen on the "Larry King Live" show, that the Lord would uphold them & strengthen them, & that they'd make a good impression on Larry King, too. (Maria: The story of Daniel in the lion's den was such a beautiful comparison, because it was just like the Lord shut our enemies' mouths! They told a few lies about us, of course, but they could've said so much worse. None of our backsliders called in with their horrendous accusations. It was wonderful!) Yes, & Dupuy really failed in making his case.
47. Thank You, Lord, that You're having Your way. Thy Will be done. Lord, You brought this all out, You've got to make it accomplish what Your purpose is. You said "all things work together for good to them that love Thee," so we believe it's all going to work out for good because You did it.
48. It's all Your doing, Lord! We never dreamed we'd have such an effect just quietly going about Your business, witnessing & winning souls & showing love. We had nothing to do with all this publicity--our enemies have been the ones who have publicised us! But You let it happen & it's having good results. Thank You Lord!
The World Is Held Accountable!
49. It looks like the Lord holds the people responsible in a lot of these countries where we're persecuted, not just the authorities. When they hear about us, they all take some kind of a position, & I think God is judging them accordingly. They forced us out of our jobs in Barcelona, & now they're losing theirs, with thousands of layoffs from the biggest car manufacturer there. Some people would probably be surprised to know that God is judging their country for what they have done to us, even by their attitude toward us.--Even the attitude they took when they read about us in the paper.
Power of Judges!
50. It's amazing how one person can have so much power & do so much!--That a judge can throw people in prison without any proof whatsoever!
Media Twists the News!
51. That article about us in the {\ul \i New York Times} really shows how the media can twist the news! They said about me, "He forsook his wife & four children to run away with a 23-year-old girl!" Of course, they didn't mention the fact that the children were all grown & married & had children of their own, that the wife forsook him, & that the 23-year-old girl was his secretary! It shows you how they can phrase things to make them sound bad, when they're really not bad at all. Upon reading that, immediately the picture in people's minds is, "Those four little pitiful children, the deserted wife, & this cruel, sex-crazy old man running off with another little girl!" It just shows you how the media can really twist the news to make it sound bad.
Sex Scandals
!
52. They sure never showed Jimmy Bakker a bit of sympathy the way they took him to court & to prison. They bound him with chains just to humiliate him. Boy, that judge & his enemies really hated him. It had nothing to do with money!--Well, it might have had a little something to do with it, but not much. They hated him because he was winning too many souls & having too much success.
53. Jimmy Swaggart is the one that dug up all the dirt on Jimmy Bakker, but then Swaggart turned right around & did much worse & it has wrecked his ministry too. I'm sure, of course, it's the Devil trying to wreck them both. Now the Devil & his cohorts are out to try to wreck us, but I don't think the Lord's going to let them!
54. I'd seen so many Gospel preachers destroyed by scandals & sex, do you know what I decided to do? ([EDITED: "Fam."]: Just don't hide it.) Right! I decided to be just as sexy as I could be & let it be known publicly! So how could revelations about sex scandalise me when I'd already scandalised myself? ([EDITED: "Fam."]: That's true, that's a good idea.) I figured my people were never going to leave me because of some sexy scandal, or if they heard that I'd run off with my secretary, because I'd already told them about it!
55. I didn't desert Mother Eve--she ran off & left me! And in spite of that, I've supported her ever since, think of that! That's one reason our enemies haven't been able to turn her against us, because she knows I was true to her & have supported her faithfully ever since. God bless her!
56. So I was just determined to be open! I saw that it was the secrecy & the hypocrisy of these preachers that had destroyed them, so I just decided to come out with it all & tell the whole truth, everything, nothing but the truth--my position on sex & wives & the works!--So that nobody could say I hid it or deceived them. Why should we hide it?--There's nothing wrong with it!
57. Let's put it this way: The Lord let sex become one of our chief doctrines, & let the whole World know about it! So how could our enemies scandalise me? Well, they chose to falsely accuse us of the one thing that they figured would really turn the public against us & make them think we were terrible, vile, evil people, & that was child abuse.--And they prepared the public with 10 years of propaganda.
58. [DELETED] I can honestly say before God--You know it, Lord--not one child has ever been abused by me! (Maria: Absolutely! That's right!)
"
Power & Protection" Mag
!
59. (Maria:) The latest "Power & Protection" Mag was so beautiful! (See "Power & Protection"--Part 5.) I did the thing that hurts my eyes almost the worst--I cried at every story I heard! And there were more stories than usual this time since for the most part they seemed to be shorter, so that meant I cried more times! Oh my!--I'm just so thankful for these, especially as we are going to be having more & more of our own power & protection stories, & the more our Family can read of these, the more they will have these experiences of others to hang on to when similar things happen to them.
60. To have this kind of miraculous protection, of course, requires a very dangerous life-threatening situation, & most of us have had it pretty easy & haven't had to go through very much trauma of this kind in the Family; but more & more as time goes on we will, & we will have our own experiences to write about. So after we've used up all of the System's stories, we'll probably have plenty of our own. The girls in the Argentina prison certainly have one to tell that is every bit as powerful as any of the ones that we have published so far.
61. I'm very satisfied to use the System's stories as long as possible & I'm not looking for many from the Family; in fact, I'm hoping that we won't have to have very many for a while! But I'm sure they'll come in time. This is just a beautiful, beautiful magazine showing vividly the hand of God at work. It was just thrilling, & every story is so faith-building!
Our Special Prayer Warriors!
62. (From Maria, to the brethren in bonds in Argentina:) Dearest Loved Ones, God bless you! Dad & I love you very much & are so proud of you, that the Lord would consider you worthy to suffer for His Name! Although you may be tempted to feel useless & as though you're not able to do anything to help His Work while you are incarcerated, the greatest thing you could accomplish is if you could be our prayer warriors & fight in the Spirit for the many desperate needs of the Family. You would be doing a greater service for the Lord than almost anyone else, as there is no greater thing that you can do than to beseech the Lord for His Family & children worldwide.
63. The Lord has said repeatedly that these battles are only going to be won through prayer, & you are some of the few who have sufficient time to spend at His Throne. So can we count on you? You men especially may be able to do the most on this since apparently you are all together in one group with no outsiders present. You women may have a more difficult time since you have others in the same small room with you. However, your ministry is just as important, as you can pray silently, & the Lord must know it is very important also to win the women with you. However, I will give this message mainly to the men because I don't want you women to feel bad if you can't do that much united praying.
64. Hopefully someone will be able to get the prayer lists to you, but if not, below are a few things that we'd like to have you pray specifically & desperately for:
1) Your situation (which we're sure we don't have to tell you to pray desperately for!)
2) The British Isles case.
3) The Australian case.
4) The Barcelona case. (which has been appealed to the Supreme Court)
5) For our JETTs, Teens & YAs--that they will be strengthened & find real fulfillment & happiness in their lives of service for the Lord.
6) For the strength & security of our pubs people.
7) That the Lord will provide more labourers to help in the hundreds of needed projects that are on the list with no one to do them.
8) Financial support for our individual Homes & our worldwide Work.
9) For more folks of influence to be raised up to speak on behalf of the Family.
65. We can't thank you enough for being willing to be our special prayer warriors & for filling this great need for the Family at this time. Please be assured that we are also continuing to pray desperately for you & your situation, & for the Lord to strengthen, encourage, comfort, uplift & protect you, as well as completely deliver you from bonds as soon as possible. The Family worldwide is doing all they can & the Lord is raising up many folks to fight on your behalf. So hold on! The Lord & we love you dearly. Love, Mama.
The Lengths God Will Go to Win a Soul!
66. (From Mama to the women in prison in Argentina:) Dear precious Claire, Charity, Consuelo, Paloma & Flor: We love you very much & pray fervently for you during this very difficult time. We know that you have no strength of your own, but we marvel at how the Lord's strength has been so evident in you & has made you so powerful in the Spirit--giants of faith! How much we admire you, & how proud we are of you for standing your ground & staying true to your convictions & holding on with your last ounce of strength.--And each time the Lord gives you more, just enough to keep going a little longer!
67. More & more we're seeing why the Lord has allowed you to be in that particular situation--to win some of those girls to the Lord, & perhaps in winning them, to win the entire prison eventually.
68. To what lengths will God go to win a soul?--As far as He has to go. Look how far He went when He died on the Cross to save all of us. Wasn't that enough? Maybe it was for some, but not for all. Look how much further He went for the first Burmese disciples when He sent Adoniram Judson to rescue them. Look how far He has gone for those poor girls in the prison where you women are suffering & being tortured mentally & emotionally & spiritually, & enduring all kinds of difficulties physically.
69. Apparently Jesus' death on the Cross for some people--like those poor unloved & embittered girls--wasn't enough, & in a sense now His children (you!) have to be offered on the cross of sacrifice to win them. That's how far He is willing to go!--To not only give His Own life, but also to give the lives of you, His precious children, that they might be saved & that they might know His Love & peace, which can conquer all the darkness & cruelty & hate & bitterness & turmoil of the Hell they live in.
70. Claire, we want you to know how much your logs mean to us & how very precious the letters & logs from all of you are. What an inspiration & lasting memorial they are going to be to the things you have suffered for Jesus' sake. What a wonderful example they are going to be to the Family of being able to rise victoriously above anything that the Enemy brings along. They show great victories in the midst of seeming defeats. Praise the Lord!
71. The other night I was praying for you women, & also for our men in prison. I had just recently heard your log, Claire, of you girls' harrowing experiences with the two hardened AIDS-infected criminals being put into your cell. I was crying out to the Lord for you, talking to the Lord out loud, & I was just about to say, "Lord, please release them now!"--But instead what came out of my mouth was, "Lord, please turn that whole prison to You & reach those poor women!"
72. It was like the Lord was saying, "Why do you think I put them there? Why do you want Me to release them before they've accomplished their mission? Which would be the greater victory?--To have them released?--Or to have My Love & Light shone abroad in all the dark corners of that awful Hell? How are they going to hear & see & feel My Love unless those who know Me best, follow My sample & lay down their lives for these despised, forgotten, unlovely outcasts of society? How else could they reach them so deeply & give them hope?"
73. So, dear girls, what honour & great reward is going to be yours when we all stand before the Lord together! You'll never know what a great impact & influence your sacrifices & your willingness to suffer for Jesus have had on those women, who have never seen such love. Now they can understand Jesus' Love for the first time in their lives. Keep going, dear ones, & He will certainly bring you through. All over the World there are more folks speaking up in your defence, many who have finally been awakened to the great battle that is being waged between good & evil. Your witness is being heard far & wide, & your faith has made us all stronger. We love you dearly & pray daily for you.
--Yours, Mama for Dad & Mama.
Troubled on Every Side, Yet Not Distressed!--2Cor.4
74. (Dad gets the verses 2Cor.4:7-17 for the persecution & court cases & shares them with the Family:) (Verse 7:) "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, & not of us."--You've got to do it, Lord. We can't do it. We can just convey Thy Word. (Verse 8:) "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair."--That's sure the case!
75. (Verse 9:) "Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." It may look like we're defeated but we're not, thank the Lord! It's all a part of our testing. We're tested so we'll come through the fire as pure gold. Thank You Lord! He wants to see how we'll stand it & He likes to watch us be good soldiers, just as we're proud of a little child when he does well. Christians down through history have had worse troubles than we have. I was reading Adoniram Judson's life story yesterday, & boy, we haven't even begun to suffer yet!
76. (Verse 10:) "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." Paul said he died daily.--1Cor.15:31. In a sense we die daily to self & to these things, but it is the Lord that lives in us.
77. (Verse 11:) "For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." That's a strange verse, "We which live are always delivered unto death."--In other words, the more we die to self & personal desires & things like that, the more we live for the Lord. And sometimes we're delivered even to a physical death, & that's the best deliverance of all, because then we're out of it all!
78. (Verses 12-15:) "So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, & therefore have I spoken; we also believe, & therefore speak. Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, & shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
79. (Verse 16:) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."--We're dying on the outside, but we're going to be stronger on the inside!
80. (Verse 17:) "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of glory."--It may not look very light sometimes. And I don't see how Adoniram Judson could've said that, because his affliction was pretty heavy. But compared to his glorious reward, his afflictions were light! Anyhow, whatever it is, it "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," a weight of glory! It's heavy, man! We will receive a weight of glory. (Verse 18:) "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
81. Amen, praise the Lord! Shall we close in a little word of prayer? Praise the Lord! (Fam: Thank You so much, Lord, for speaking through Dad & for giving us this passage of Your Words that are more alive all the time. We thank You we can stand on them & claim them for these serious situations where Your children are being persecuted & brought to court. We ask You to continue to strengthen the ones who are in prison & those who have to go to court & stand up for You. Prepare the way, open the doors that no man can close. We expect You to bring victories! Help us to be faithful & to fight with them in prayer! Thank You Jesus!) (Prays the Lord's Prayer.)
82. Amen, Thine is the Kingdom & the power & the glory! Whatever happens, You can do it, & You know what You want to do. Thy Will be done, have Thy way. You know best! Give them the strength & protection & skill, & most of all, Thy Word.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
