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MAMA'S LOVE STORY!--PART 4 Maria #276 DO 2995 3/95
--The Lord's Great Love for Us All, and "the New Garment of Prophecy!"
--By Maria
1. Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus! How is everybody tonight? (Family: We're fine, thank You Lord!) David, honey, I heard you sprained your ankle during get-out today. Is it painful? (David: No, it doesn't hurt if I don't walk on it.) Well, maybe your strength is to sit still for awhile!--Not for too long, though. We really hope it gets healed quickly. Did you have prayer for it? (David: Yes.) Good, and we'll continue to pray for you. And Gary, how is your ankle? Is it all better now? (Gary: It's pretty much better, but I'm not going to jump on it any more.)
2. It's true that we do need the exercise, and if we only have limited options on certain types of exercise, then we just have to do it and trust the Lord. But if we don't have to do it and there's something else we can do that's safer and that will give us sufficient exercise, then maybe that's what we should do. So I guess you'll just have to pray about that and see whether the injuries caused by competitive sports are worth the benefits that you get from that particular kind of exercise. But I really hate to see you wounded and incapacitated, because when you get that way, then you can't get your continuing daily exercise that you need to keep up your strength, and it puts you out of action for quite awhile. Lord bless and have Your way and help them to figure out what You want them to do--to pray and get Your answers on it. Thank You Lord!
3. Well, David, I'm glad you can still sing and you can still use your hands to play your guitar! So let's sing to the Lord, okay? (Family sings:)
Open My Eyes that I May See
Verse 1
(G)Open my eyes, that I (D7)may see
Glimpses of truth Thou (G)hast for me;
(B7)Place in my (Em)hands
The (B7)wonderful key(Em)
(A)That shall unclasp,
And (A7)set me (D)free.
(G)Silently now I (D7)wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy (G)will to see;
Open my (G7)eyes, (Am)illumine (C)me, (D7)Spirit (G)Divine!
Verse 2
(G)Open my ears, that (D7)I may hear
Voices of truth Thou (G)sendest clear;
(B7)And while the (Em)wave-notes (B7)fall on my (Em)ear,
(A)Everything false will (A7)disap(D)pear.
(G)Silently now I (D7)wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy (G)will to see;
Open my (G7)ears, (Am)illumine (C)me, (D7)Spirit (G)Divine!
Verse 3
(G)Open my mouth, and (D7)let me bear
Tidings of mercy (G)everywhere;
(B7)Open my (Em)heart,
And (B7)let me (Em)prepare
(A)Love with Thy children (A7)thus to (D)share.
(G)Silently now I (D7)wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy (G)will to see;
Open my (G7)heart, (Am)illumine (C)me, (D7)Spirit (G)Divine!
(Family lifts up arms and praises and thanks the Lord!)
4. Thank You Jesus! Speak to us tonight, Lord, with Thy beautiful Words, telling us what You have for us. You know best. We're just open to receiving from You whatever will be a blessing to us and Your children everywhere. Thank You Lord! Thank You for that beautiful song that expresses our desires so well. Thank You for the scripts You prepare for us, these words that we can sing and that we can say that have been inspired by Your saints down through the ages. Thank You that we don't have to depend on our own poor, stumbling words, but we can look in Your Word for praises to You and for instruction, and we can also sing these beautiful songs of praise. Thank You Jesus! Thank You for how Your saints have shared these songs with us, and thus have blessed so many generations. Thank You Jesus! Thank You Lord! And thank You for this next beautiful song that expresses Your love so well in how You never stop loving us and You continue to give and pour out to us. (Family sings:)
You Give More Grace
You (C)give more grace
When the burdens grow (G7) greater,
You (Dm7)send more (G7)strength
When the (Dm7)la(G7)bors in(C)crease.
To added affliction
You (F)add Your sweet mer(C)cy,
To multiplied trials,
You (G)multiply (C)peace.
Chorus:
Your (G7)love has no limit,
Your (C)grace has no measure,
Your (F)power has no boundary
(C)Known unto (G7)men;
For (C)out of Your infinite (F)riches,
Oh Jesus;
You (C)give, and You give,
And (G7)You give once (C)again!
When (C)we have exhausted
Our store of en(G7)durance,
When (Dm7)our strength has (G7)failed
'Ere the (Dm7)day (G7)is half (C)done,
When we reach the end
Of our (F)hoarded resour(C)ces,
Your precious full giving
Is (G)only (C)begun.
Repeat Chorus two times.
5. ({\ul \i Everyone praises!) }Thank You for Your wonderful love, Lord! Thank You Jesus! You might notice we try to adapt as many of these songs as possible so that we're singing them to Jesus instead of singing about Him. For some reason, most of the songs of the church and of the Christian faith are sung about Jesus instead of directly to Him. Maybe that was because they were written during a time when there was much more soul-winning being done by the church as a whole, so it was more like a testimony to people instead of a prayer to Jesus. So we have to give them the benefit of the doubt and not be too critical.
6. But in our case, as we already have so many good soul-winning songs, it's really nice when we can change some of the songs to be sung as prayers to the Lord, and you've probably noticed that on quite a few of these songs we've taken the liberty of adapting them a little bit to sing them as prayers and praises to the Lord directly. Thank you, David, for playing that song so well, and thanks to everyone for attempting to learn the words and sing them. Thank You Lord! It's a beautiful song of the Lord's love.
The Lord's Love Manifested in His Forgiveness!
7. The Lord's love is sooo great! Did you all read those "I Love You--Just You!" prophecies about the love of the Lord? (GN 627) (Fam: Yes!) How many of you feel that those prophecies had an impact on you, that they did something to you and changed your life in some way? (Everyone puts their hands up.) You can be told over and over how much the Lord loves you, and you can feel it and you can know it, but the Lord saying it so beautifully with those illustrations so directly to you, just you personally, is a very beautiful experience!
8. Tonight I'd like to talk some more about love, and our love story. In each of our meetings we've been concentrating on the Lord's love for us and how He manifests it in so many different ways. We see examples of God's great love all the time, every day, but one particular illustration that has stood out to me lately is this one about how the Lord forgave me so freely and beautifully. On the second day of the Birthday Feast I confessed some of my sins and failings and told you how the Lord was so loving in accepting my repentance and in forgiving me so beautifully. The Lord's love is so greatly manifested in His forgiveness for us when we blow it and when we stumble and fall. It's a beautiful thing to see how loving He is in spite of our great sins.
9. I'm talking about my sins right now, which are much greater than anything you all have done, because they affect more people. The Lord said, "Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation" (Jam.3:1). In other words, He's saying that if you are a teacher or a leader, you are going to have a much greater responsibility before the Lord. And if your sins or mistakes result in stumbling people or leading them astray, you will be accountable not only for yourself, but also for them. It's not that your sins taken by themselves are necessarily so much worse than anyone else's, but it's because they affect a lot more people and therefore they're magnified and it makes them worse in that respect.
10. When you take on the job of being a shepherd and a leader, you're committing yourself to following the Lord and being His representative, so when you make mistakes and you sin and deliberately do things that you know you shouldn't, and when you're not yielded and when you're proud and when you commit all the sins that I did, there is a great responsibility. You greatly sin because it's not just you that you're hurting, but it's other people as well.--Many other people in this case.
11. The amazing thing is how the Lord mainly concentrates on our repentance and His forgiveness of us. He spoke beautifully and said, "Well, you've repented and I've forgiven you, so now just go on to the new day." And not only go on, but He said, "I'm proud of you for going on. I'm proud of you now for your acceptance." The way the Lord is with us is such a wonderful sample of the way we need to be with others.
12. If we can't get anything else, we need to get that point, that when people fail and make mistakes, even when they deliberately sin, when they repent, we need to love them as Jesus loves us, and forgive them as Jesus forgives us. That means to forget what they've done and to accept their repentance and their new start, and to love them and encourage them in what they're going to do now and the new start that they want to make. We all really need to learn this.
Negative Thoughts About Ourselves Are Weights that Drag Us Down!
13. Another way in which the Lord loves us is by overlooking our everyday faults, our NWOs, the things we try and try to get the victory over but find so difficult. He overlooks them. They're not a big problem to Him like they are to us. We say we can't make it, we've failed so many times, or we don't have any talents or we don't feel capable--all the things that bother us and take away our joy in the Lord, that weigh us down and make us feel like we can't accomplish anything for the Lord because we're too bad and we're too incapable and we're too weak. All of those things really weigh on us and drain us and keep us from being able to freely and joyfully serve the Lord.
14. But after reading those beautiful things the Lord said in "I Love You--Just You!", are you finally getting the point that the Lord doesn't look at you in the very negative way that most of you look at yourselves? How many of you don't look at yourselves negatively? (No one raises their hand.) See, we all do it.--And doing that is a real weight and drain on our spirits.
15. It seems most of us are constantly feeling bad about ourselves and comparing ourselves in some way or another. We're constantly thinking either we're not dedicated enough, or we're not close enough to the Lord, or we're lagging behind somebody else in our spiritual growth; or that we're just too weak to make it, and how can we ever get to where we're supposed to go if we can't even make this grade, this step?--All kinds of negative things!
16. How many of you went through this day without thinking one negative thought about yourself? Try to be honest, because I'm curious if maybe some of you have, and maybe it's not quite as bad as I think it is. I have negative thoughts about myself, too. Is there anybody that didn't have a negative thought about yourself today? (No one raises their hand.) (Fam: I can specifically remember two times today I thought negatively.) Who else can specifically remember some time today when you thought negatively about yourself? (Peter: Just about every hand is up.) It's sad, isn't it?
17. It's really sad that we should feel that way, when the Lord loves us so so much, and He constantly reassures us of His love. You've even read all of those beautiful things He said to you--each one of you, just you--and you are still feeling that way! So what are we going to do? What does the Lord have to do to help us to get out of these bad habits or these ruts of thinking so badly about ourselves?
18. (Fam: We may have negative thoughts, but we don't have to yield to them and carry it any further. Like the quote, "You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you don't have to let them build a nest in your hair.") Yes, that's true, that's a good point. Often these thoughts are occasional outside attacks of the Enemy. But on the other hand, I think with some people--and quite a lot of people--negative thinking is a habit. With a lot of us, it's not just a thought the Enemy put there; it's just the way we think about ourselves. It's an ingrained attitude of our heart and mind that is part of us and that we need to get rid of. Sometimes it's these outside thoughts that come, but for most of us I think it's just an attitude that we have, like an inferiority complex or something similar. The Lord wants us to get rid of that so we don't have that negative outlook on ourselves!
19. Of course, on the other hand, the Lord wants us to be humble, and we're not supposed to be thinking so highly of ourselves that we're proud about it, and that is a dilemma we face sometimes. But we must not equate thinking negative thoughts about ourselves with being humble. We have to find the balance in being humble and in not taking the glory or credit to ourselves, but making sure that when we're being that way, we're not being negative about ourselves.
20. The Lord is showing us time after time and day after day His great love for us, and we really need to seek to accept that love and not let our negative view of ourselves keep us from receiving His love. These negative things weigh us down and keep us from doing our best for the Lord and from launching out and accepting by faith all the things that the Lord has for us.
21. The Lord is trying every way He can to get through to us about His love for us, and if we could just realize how much He really loves us, I think it would change our whole outlook on life and our way of relating to others! Because when you feel confident and when you know you are loved, then you have more love to give to others. When you are secure in the Lord's love and you accept His unconditional love and You constantly know that He's pouring out to you and loving you, then you feel that you can go and love others more freely. You have more to give them. Isn't that true? (Family: Yes. Amen.)
The Lord's Loving Correction!
22. I was really impressed by something the Lord told one of our secretaries the other day, and I hope you don't mind my telling everyone. (Fam: No, that's okay.) It was such a beautiful thing. We prayed for her because she struggles a lot--we all do, I guess--but we had a real burden to pray for her. So we prayed for her and the Lord gave some really beautiful things, talking to her about one of her besetting sins--which is one of mine, too, and Peter's, and maybe one of yours as well--which is pride. I guess He's talked to a lot of us about pride. But the way in which He talked to her about it was such a beautiful presentation of His love, and the overwhelming thing in the Lord's message was His love for her. Didn't you feel that? (Fam: Yes, Ma'am.) All you see is the love, the beautiful love that He has. Here's what He said, and since I don't have the prophecy here, I'll paraphrase it:
23. "I don't condemn you. You have this problem and I want you to work to overcome it, and I'm going to help you. I'm going to do it with you, so don't worry about it. I don't even condemn you for it. I know your make-up and I know it's difficult for you, and I know it's against your natural feelings. But don't worry, I need to tell you about this because I love you and I want you to get close to Me and I want you to strip off those garments of pride, but I want you to do so because I love you and I want you to be able to lie with Me in our bed of love naked and let Me love you. That's why I'm having to tell you about this. And I need to tell you because I know that deep in your heart you want the jewels of humility and gentleness and love, and I'm going to help you do it. We can do it together. I'm not rebuking you, I'm not even condemning you for it, I just want to take you and love you and hold you in My arms and in My bed with Me."
24. What a beautiful, beautiful way for the Lord to present things to us about our shortcomings! This is the way He sees us! Who wouldn't want to be told about their faults and failings if it's told like that? What a beautiful thing to get from the Lord. You can take any correction if the Lord is going to do it like that! It's such a privilege and honor to hear the Lord saying those beautiful things to you as your lover. And when you know He loves you like that, you can do anything.--You can do anything for Him and anything for others. What a beautiful example of the compassion and love that the Lord wants us to show to others.
25. I think a lot of the Family has been condemned for so long. They've felt they weren't good enough or they were falling short of the mark, so they were out of favor with the Lord, and it's been real difficult for them to be assured of Jesus' love for them. But now He's trying to put a greater push on showing them His love in a real personal, special way--not only because He wants us closer to Him in a more intimate way, but because He wants us to reach out now more than we ever have before with love for others. And in order to love them, we have to know without a shadow of a doubt that He loves us unconditionally and deeply. In order to give love to others, we have to know that Jesus is giving His love to us. We have it, but we have to realize it and be able to accept it. We have to be so happy in it that this love can overflow on others, we can tell it to others and be a testimony of it to others.
26. If you're happy and you know you're loved and appreciated and secure, then you want to tell others about it and it spills out onto them. So in order to reach others in the way the Lord wants us to, we're going to have to know His love in a very great way, be conscious of it, really know it and know how He loves us. We need to feel secure in His love and be confident of it, and always be resting in it, knowing that it's unconditional love. No matter what mistakes we make or what big boo-boos we pull, that doesn't matter to the Lord. If we're repentant and we're sorry, He forgives us immediately and we don't have to worry about it.
Don't Get Condemned About Initial Wrong Reactions!
27. Also, if you make a mistake and initially you say "no" to the Lord when He asks you to do something, or you feel that you failed in some way because you had an initial wrong reaction to something, the Lord doesn't hold that against you, if you change. The Lord gives us leeway. Here's an example:
28. The other night Peter was having a battle about something and I said, "Well, let's pray about it and hear from the Lord." He said, "Oh no, I don't want to." He thought he was going to get rebuked by the Lord. So his immediate, initial reaction was, "Oh no. No, no, I don't want to pray." And then he felt really bad and he felt like he'd failed and he'd committed a big sin. But two minutes later he said, "Oh I'm so sorry, Lord, I repent. I'm really sorry, please forgive me." So I said, "You've changed your mind and yielded, so now there's no problem and you don't have to feel bad."
29. You don't have to get so upset and feel so condemned about an initial reaction if within a certain reasonable period of time you change your mind. The Lord doesn't just hit us over the head immediately when we have a wrong reaction to something, He lovingly gives us a period of grace to change our mind. Sometimes my initial reactions are wrong, too!
30. Now I'll tell one about me: I was in the bathroom washing up, and Peter was playing me some songs from the bedroom. He said, "Do you want me to come in there and sing to you?" I said, "No, I can hear you all right out there." I was so proud, that's why I didn't want him to come in. It doesn't seem like washing up is always one of those things you can do very gracefully. But then I started getting really convicted and I remembered what the Lord had said several times in prophecy, that when it comes to a choice between doing the humble thing and the proud thing, always strive to do the humble thing. Every time you have choices during the day of doing something that's humble or something that's more proud, then strive to do the humble thing.
31. So I got really convicted, and I said, "Okay, Lord!" And I said, "All right, Peter, please come in here and sing to me." I shouldn't have been proud about it, I don't know why I was! We can't always say why we're proud, but we just know we are, and we have to overcome it. So then I was extremely happy that I had made the right decision. I wasn't so worried that I'd made the wrong initial decision because within five minutes or less I changed it.
32. So we don't have to worry. The Lord loves us so much, He doesn't mind if we initially react the wrong way on the spur of the moment, and then we think about it and we make the right decision. That's what He's happy about! He doesn't get upset about the first one, and He gets very happy and proud of us for our good reaction. He doesn't hold the first one against us. So we shouldn't get so condemned that we've had a wrong initial reaction.
33. If I had just merrily said, "Oh yes, Peter, come on in," where would the victory have been? I wouldn't have had any battle, therefore I wouldn't have had a victory. If you don't have any battles, then you don't have any victories. So rejoice and be thankful if you have the wrong reaction and say the wrong thing, but you then change and get the victory! The Lord gives you that period of time where you can reflect on what you should do and what is the right thing to do. And if it takes you longer than 5 or 10 minutes--maybe even a day or two, or even a week--don't worry. As Dad has always said, the Lord usually isn't in a hurry. He has great patience and love, and He knows that sometimes it takes us a while to say "yes." He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust, and His mercy endures forever. And when you make the right decision, the Lord is really proud of you, and He's happy!
34. So please don't worry when your initial reaction is wrong. Of course, if it lasts past the point of the circumstance and you missed it, then you should be sorry and you should repent, and of course the Lord will forgive you. You may have failed that particular test, but the Lord will even use that failure to help you to be sorry and to help you want to do better the next time around. Of course, the Lord does want us to work on having a positive initial reaction; but if we don't, we don't need to worry or be condemned about it as long as we do make the right choice.
The Lord Loves Us Just the Way We Are!
35. The Lord loves us, folks! He really really loves us! He keeps saying that He loves us as a lover. How does a lover love? If you're in love with someone very deeply, don't you overlook a lot of their faults? (Fam: Yes.) You overlook things constantly. So try to get that in your mind, that that's the way the Lord is with us. He looks at us so lovingly and just wants to help us to make it. He does everything He can to make it easy for us and to help us to enjoy Him and enjoy the life He's given us.
36. I don't know if anyone here particularly needs this message as much as some of the rest of the Family might at this time, but I do think some people need it desperately. We all certainly need it to some extent, and the more the Lord says it, the more we believe it. He keeps saying it over and over. Dad told me for 25 years how much he loved me. He kept telling me over and over and over until I really believed it. His love was just so constant and so unconditional that no matter what failings or shortcomings I had, I knew that Dad loved me, and I knew that he would always love me, no matter what my faults were; therefore I knew the Lord loved me that way. I've always been very assured of the Lord's love because of Dad's love for me. I knew Dad's love was a reflection of the Lord's love--so deep, so constant and unconditional, no matter what I did.
37. That's the way I wish all of you could feel about the Lord's love, and not ever doubt it. I know that basically you don't doubt the Lord's love up to a certain point--you know He loves us all--but you need to be able to see the Lord as a lover who is going to love you no matter what!--Who will love you no matter what's wrong with you or what you do or how you act or what your faults are, or your shortcomings or your problems and incapabilities and weaknesses and pride or whatever it is! The Lord loves you and wants you and doesn't stop wanting you, no matter how bad and incapable you see yourself.
38. I never have a problem with doubting the Lord's love. I am assured of the Lord's love no matter what I do. I don't question the Lord. However, I do have the problem of understanding and accepting these beautiful things the Lord says about me. Every time He says them I think, "I really know You love me, but why do You love me? How can You say these things?" I never question the Lord's love, but sometimes I question.... (Gary: His judgment?) Yes, His judgment, ha! That's a good way to put it.
39. Sometimes I question His judgment, and I think, "Lord, I don't know how You can say all these things about how much I love You and how much I love Your Word and how much I love Your children and all of this." Every time I read one of those beautiful things He says about me, I say, "Lord, I know You love me and it's really wonderful, and I love these things You say, but I don't really see it, and I don't know how You can say all these things. I know how far short I fall of the mark, and I know that I'm not any more dedicated nor do I love You more than a lot of other people. Look at our wonderful, precious Family who have suffered so much for You, and who give their lives for You daily and who have given everything to You for years, and are sold out. I admire them so much! I just look at these people and I think, 'Oh Lord, I know I'm not like that. I'm so selfish and I'm so proud and I've got all of these problems. How can You say these things to me?'"
40. These are thoughts that cross my mind every time I hear the Lord say some of the beautiful things He says about me. And so it finally spewed out of my mouth, since I had Peter to talk to about it, and I made my lament about all of this for about 20 minutes! I said, "I feel like such a hypocrite, I really do. I know I'm just not that dedicated and I'm not this and that and another thing." So Peter said, "Okay, let's pray about it!" (Everyone bursts out laughing, and Mama is laughing!) (Peter: Touché, ha!) I said, "No, I don't think I want to. I'm going to get rebuked for doubting the Lord!" (Everyone laughs again.) But he said, "Well, I think we should if you're having a problem like that. I really think we should pray about it and hear from the Lord."
41. So I said, "Well, okay, because even the Lord's rebukes are so precious, and I would rather hear a rebuke from the Lord than not hear anything, so we might as well! I want to know, because I see this big discrepancy between what the Lord says about me and the way I see things. Of course, I've got to believe the Lord, but I still have this question and I would like to get the answer." So we prayed, and would you like to hear what the Lord said? (Fam: Yes!)
42. Remember, the theme of this meeting is how much the Lord loves us, and the great, great love He has for each one of us. So now I'm going to show you another example of that great love. I'm not just reading you this prophecy to show how much He loves me, but this is the way He sees all of us to some degree or another. Like the song goes, "He looked beyond my fault and saw my need." That's what the Lord does, He looks beyond our faults and our failings and our shortcomings and our blemishes and sees our need, and also sees His love for us. I said to Peter when I was lamenting, "I guess the Lord has some rose-colored glasses on for sure!" But you'll see what the Lord said; it's even more than that!--Ha! Thank You Lord!
The Lord Loves Us as a Lover, as a Blind Man Who Sees No Faults or Failings!
43. ({\ul \i Prophecy:)} "Behold, I have heard thy prayer and the lamentation of thy heart. I say unto thee, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and there is none righteous, no, not one. For as far as the east is from the west, so far do I remove thy transgressions from thee.
44. "For I have loved thee, and I have given thee two men (Dad and Peter) who have loved thee dearly and see not the blemishes and the faults and the failings. When thou lookest at thyself in the mirror, thou seest one thing. But when they gaze upon thee, they see something completely different. Where thou seest blemishes and faults and failings, and where thou seest improvement needs to be made, and where thou seest things that are a bit of an embarrassment to thee, they see only love, and they see beauty. For their eyes are clouded with love.
45. "And so it is with Me, for when I gaze upon thee, I see not the blemishes. I see not the faults and the failings. For I love thee; yea, I love thee as a lover. And when I speak unto thee these precious words, it is from the depths of the love of My heart for thee. As thy lover overlooketh the things that others may find fault with because of his love, so it is with Me.
46. "For I am even as a blind man who sees no faults or failings, but only sees with the hands and touches and feels the softness and smells the cleanliness and the perfume, and hears the words of love, and knows just from this that his wife is beautiful and lovely, having never even seen her. And though she may even see herself as homely, he seeth not this way. For he feels the love and he touches with his hands, and he feels the softness and the beauty. So it is with Me when I gaze upon thee.
47. "And as thy loved one speaks unto thee these words of love and adoration, and as he expresses the beauty he sees with his eyes, and he says it unto thee over and over, again and again and again, so it is with Me. And for this cause I speak unto thee these precious words, for these words are the words of My love unto thee, to express unto thee how I feel about thee. And these words humble thee.
48. "When thou lookest at thyself in the mirror and seest thy faults and thy failings, and thy husband cometh in and sayeth, 'Look at the beauty here,' it humbleth thee.--But it also makes thee feel loved. For as one who overlooks the faults and loves in spite of them, so am I. As one who overlooks the blemishes and loves anyway, so am I. Thou canst not understand the depth of My love for thee, but thou must understand that these words that I speak unto thee are true words. They are true words of My love for thee, an expression of how I feel about thee.
49. "Thou lookest at thyself differently, and My words humble thee and make thee feel inadequate, but this is part of the process to keep thee humble. But do not doubt these words, for I do speak them in truth and I speak them in love. I speak them in truth for My great love of thee.
50. "My dear one, thou art learning and thou art growing, as I am guiding thee day by day. So fret not, for I work a work in thee, and I work it in My time and in My way. So trust me. Just stop for a moment and look back. Look back just three months. Hast thou not changed? Has there not been a great deal of yieldedness in this time? Have I not spoken unto thee and hast thou not responded? Just compare the difference. For I say unto thee, the difference is as night and day.
51. "Thou sayest, 'Oh, I wish to love, I want to love.' But consider the difference. Just consider the love thou hast bestowed these last months. Is it not different than it was before? Is that not progress? Art thou not moving upward and forward? Do not try to run ahead, just go with Me. I am taking thee there, I am showing thee, I am leading thee, I am guiding thee with My hand.
52. "But there is only so much that thou canst do, and when I am doing one thing in thy life, then thou mayest not be able to do the other thing. And when I am doing the other thing, then thou mayest not be able to do this thing. Just flow with Me and trust Me, and I will help thee, and yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. I will lead thee and will guide thee and will direct thee. I will take thee to all the places that I wish for thee to go. I will do this in My time and in My way.
53. "And concerning thy love for Me, dearest one, I know thy heart, I know thy make-up and I accept thy love as it is. For I have made thee the way that I have made thee, and thou art a vessel of My making. I love thy love, and I desire thy love and I am well pleased with thy love.
54. "Again I say, look at the illustration that I have given thee in the love of this one that loveth thee. For does he not find pleasure in thy yieldedness? Does he not find love in the love that thou dost bestow upon him? And so it is with Me. Thy love is not perfect, for no love is perfect but My love. But you are you, and you are the one that I love, and I love you the way you are.
55. "So do not fear and do not fret, do not doubt, just love Me. Do not compare thyself to the others that thou feelest are so far ahead of thee and have so much more experience and can do things that thou canst not do. I have not called thee to do these things, I have called thee unto a special anointing and a special place in My Kingdom, as head, as the queen, and it is My anointing on thee. I did not choose a perfect one, lest the children should look and say, 'Oh, lo and behold, our queen is perfect and we cannot attain!' For I have chosen a weak and humble one and rested My love and anointing and power there.
56. "So why seekest thou to be so strong in dedication and powerful in might? I have not chosen thee because of this. I have chosen thee for thy love, thy lowliness and thy weakness, that the power and the excellency may be of Me, and that no man, not even thee, will think it is anything but Me. And lo, I love thee greatly, and I love all My children greatly, but I have placed upon thee a special love, for thou hast been chosen as My queen and thou hast been chosen to wear the mantle of David. And as thou didst love David especially, above all others, so do I love thee.
57. "It is not thy doing, it is My doing, so enjoy it! Revel in it! Enjoy the benefits of it, for it comes with a price. But thou truly art My beloved and I am well pleased in thee, and I am well pleased with thy dedication, well pleased with thy love for Me, and well pleased with thy love for thy children. I am well pleased with the love that thou bestowest upon others. And in all of these matters, of course thou canst improve and take steps, but know that I am well pleased with thee and I love thee, and I find no fault with thee in these things. For thou art My beloved in whom I am well pleased." (Family and Mama praise and thank the Lord!)
58. What love! It's so wonderful to see how the Lord loves us just the way we are, with all of our faults and failings and shortcomings. (To secretary:) He said the same thing to me as He said to you, ha! "I love you in spite of the faults I have made you with." In some cases, our make-up, the way we're made, is hard for us, and is contrary to the way the Lord wants us to be. But when we do the best we can and when we try to overcome some of our weaknesses, He takes us where we're at. He takes us the way we are and as much as we can do and He loves us for that.
59. This kind of love just overwhelms me! And it should be a sample. You should look at this as the way the Lord loves you too, as a blind man that doesn't see your faults and failings and blemishes and shortcomings because He loves you so much, as a lover, and just wants you, just you, the way you are. Thank You Jesus!
60. These are just a few illustrations of the Lord's love for us, for all of His children, to try to impress upon you how very, very great it is. And when you feel that loved, you really want to share it and reciprocate it, don't you? (Family: Yes!) When you know the Lord loves you so much, you want to love Him back and you want to share that love with others and help them to know His great love too. Thank You Jesus!
Don't Belittle the Lord's Use of Your Minds!
61. Can you give me another example of the way the Lord is loving us all right now in this new day and this new era in the Family? The Lord has talked about it in previous meetings. Does anyone want to venture a guess? (Secretary: Getting His love words through prophecy?) Yes, praise the Lord! The Lord's given that gift to you, too, and you've received some beautiful prophecies. Don't worry, some day she'll give them in public, but she doesn't have to do it right now. The Lord told her that He gave her this gift, and what is it doing for you? (Secretary: He's trying to humble me with it.) The Lord has different ways of showing His love to each of us, and this is one way He's showing it to her. He gave her the gift of prophecy because it's a gift, a priceless privilege, but also it's helping to humble her in the process, which is another gift, the gift of humility. So He's given her two gifts in one! And it does humble you, doesn't it? (Secretary: Yes.) For most people, giving prophecies is quite humbling.
62. The gift of prophecy is a beautiful gift the Lord is giving to His children in these Last Days, and He wants us all to hold out our hands and accept it by faith. I don't know that the Lord will give it to every single person, but He's giving it to most of you here who are asking for it. He's given it to another of you who mentioned the same thing I've heard others say: "Well, I don't know if what I got was from the Lord or not, I think maybe it was just in my own mind." Many of our teens say the same thing, "When I get things, it's probably just from my own mind. I know the verses already by memory, so I'm probably just thinking up appropriate verses."
63. One of our Family teens said, "I don't know about this prophecy business, because when I was about 12 years old, another boy and I got together and we decided to make up a prophecy to see if we could pull the wool over the eyes of our shepherd. So we made up a prophecy together." I guess they must have made it up beforehand, and then one of them gave it during the prophecy session. And the boy said, "Then Uncle so-and-so came up after the prophecy session and said, 'That was a beautiful prophecy that you got from the Lord.'" So the teen in question explained what he'd done, and said, "See? You can just make it up!" And the person he was talking to said, "Well, did you ever consider that the Lord might have pulled one over on you and put those things in your mind that He wanted you to say, and that they were of Him?" (Everyone laughs.)
64. Look at me. I don't have the gift of prophecy, but Dad said to me, "I'm going to whisper things in your ear." And the Lord said, "I'm going to give you things in your mind that are from Me." So what if I were to say, "I'm not getting it from the Lord because it's all just thoughts that come to me; so I guess it's not the Lord, it's not any good." For goodness sake, folks, the Lord doesn't only use direct prophecy as a means of speaking to us. When you pray and you get things from the Lord, it's not all in direct prophecy. Most of what we've all gotten from the Lord, for years and years, wasn't all in direct prophecy!--But haven't you gotten lots of things from the Lord? (Fam: Yes.) So the Lord uses your mind to receive the things He puts there, when you prayerfully seek Him for His answers and direction.
65. If you've prayed and asked the Lord for something, whether it comes through your mind or some other way, it's still from the Lord! You can't just say, "Well, it's not from the Lord, it's just my own mind." When some of our teens get verses they say, "I memorized them, so of course it's logical that they come up." Well, the Lord uses those things, and if He can, He'll use the beautiful verses that He has in His Word. But obviously when you're asking about something specific, sometimes He can't use the verses in His Word because they don't apply to the specific thing you're asking about.
66. But if the Lord puts beautiful verses in your mind, I believe the Lord is bringing them to mind as an answer, and you should take them as such. If you've prayed and you've asked Him for something specific for a situation and He brings to your mind a verse, what else are you supposed to think it is but from Him? So don't belittle your minds and the Lord's use of your minds, because the Lord does use our minds. The Lord has many ways of working--we just have to be open to what He wants for us and how He wants to give us things.
The Faucet Prophecy!
67. The Lord is trying to give us the gift of prophecy more and more in this Endtime, because we're going to need it for specific answers that are not already in the written Word, and as a beautiful, wonderful sign of His love. "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the Last Days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and ... see visions, and ... dream dreams'" (Acts 2:16,17). It's really a new day and the Lord wants to shower it upon the Family if they'll just reach out and accept it.
68. During the Family Birthday celebration, the Family prayed for my anointing and read the prayer that I prayed, and they prayed that the Lord would answer it. In that prayer I prayed for the gift of prophecy, and they prayed that the Lord would give it to me. Now the Lord has answered their prayers, and He gave some very beautiful things in prophecy from the Family worldwide which I would like to publish, really sweet answers from the Lord.
69. He said that He is going to give me the gift of prophecy, the direct voice of the Lord, but it's not His time because I don't need it yet. But something real sweet that He's done for me is that He has given me the gift of prophecy. I wrote one of our WS units, "You're my gift of prophecy! I can ask the Lord these questions and you all can pray and hear the answers from the Lord!" And that's a wonderful gift. Praise the Lord!
70. Actually, the reason I asked for the gift of prophecy personally was because I thought, "Dad is gone and I'm supposed to be a prophetess, but what's a prophetess without the gift of prophecy? So I really should have it, shouldn't I, Lord?" I've been doing pretty good without it for quite awhile, but I just thought I should ask because I must need it now if I'm going to be a prophetess! I knew, however, that if I wanted to hear from the Lord in direct prophecy, I could ask our units to pray.
71. On top of that, I'd been praying and asking the Lord different things, and Peter had been right there, so I said, "Let's ask the Lord to speak. You have the gift of prophecy, why don't you get something from the Lord." So that was working pretty good too, and I realized, "Lord, You're not giving it to me personally, but I've already got it, because I've got it in our units and I've got it here beside me in Peter"--or any of you, for that matter. So that made me real happy, because I'd just as soon have somebody else do the prophesying! (To secretary:) I'm proud too, and I would have the same battles as you!--Ha! So I was happy about that.
72. And the Lord told me something about my gift of prophecy. Would you like to hear it? (Family: Yes!) Peter and I were talking about how the Lord hadn't given me the gift of prophecy personally, but that with our units and you all here, and then Peter, I had lots of gifts of prophecy, and the Lord was giving me abundantly what I needed to know; and when I asked, He was answering. I was telling Peter, "If I need to ask the Lord anything, you have the gift of prophecy, so I don't need to have it myself, I'll just get it through you." Even though the Lord hasn't given me the gift of prophecy yet, I have it abundantly through others. And here's the prophecy the Lord gave, which we entitled "The Faucet":
73. ({\ul \i Prophecy:) }"Behold, the insatiable woman who loves and craves My Words, who has sought for My voice, who has longed to hear from Me, My Mary who hath chosen the good part, who hath chosen My Words, who hath chosen to listen instead of serve." Isn't that sweet? The Lord is giving me credit for what I'm doing now instead of blaming me for my past failures. Thank You Lord!
74. "Behold how she loves My Words, behold how she respects My Words, behold how she sucks for My Words and she creates a vacuum for Me to pour forth. And I do pour forth unto her, for I give her My thoughts, I speak unto her heart. I whisper into her ear and she hears and she does these things that I say. And in this she shows her great love for Me and for the Words that I speak. For she longs to hear My voice, and she wishes that she could speak My Words in a direct manner. But I have not chosen to do this thing at this time, for I want more of an intimacy, more of a listening.
75. "For she mines the jewels and she seeks them out and she chips away a little here and a little there. She glows when she finds My jewels, and she holds them up that others may see their radiant beauty. I have not made it easy for her, and you wonder why. It is because, if you must spend time deep in the mine with Me and you must slowly chip and search and hunt and work, then you are seeking Me and you are desperate and you are fellowshipping with Me. For if I just poured it forth out of your mouth with no effort, we would lose our intimacy and the close communication that we have.
76. "But now you have to work and you have to seek and you get a little rattled and you want to know. And as a child runneth to her father and says, 'Daddy, I want to know!' and the daddy can hold her in his arms and tell her and help her to find the answer, so it is with you. If I could just yell the answer down the hallway, you would never come to see Me. If I could speak to you on the phone, I would miss the intimate fellowship. But this way you must spend time in My arms. This way you seek Me diligently, and through your patient mining you come forth with precious jewels that would not have been found any other way.
77. "So be not concerned. When the time cometh that thou needest to hear from Me in a direct manner, that thou mayest speak My Words in a clear voice and with great authority and with great clarity, and thou needest My voice to speak directly through thee, it shall come. But the time is not for now, for now I want you in the bed of My love. I want you in the darkness of My cavern where we can embrace and where we can caress and where we can hunt My precious jewels together in sweet fellowship and in love.
78. "But because thou seekest to hear My voice directly and because of thy great love for My Words, and because of My great love for thee, I have answered thy prayer and I have given thee one to speak My voice unto thee, for I know that it comforteth thee. I love thee and I will give thee anything that thou askest, for My love for thee is so great, it is so immense, it is so all-encompassing. I will give thee thy heart's desires. And when thou sayest 'I wish to hear directly,' I give thee this, but I give it to thee in the manner in which I choose.
79. "And this way I can still have intimacy with thee, and therefore I am happy. But I can also give unto thee that which thou askest so that thou canst be happy, for this is My love for thee. Dost thou understand My love for thee, that I am giving thee thy heart's desire, and I am also fulfilling My heart's desire to have that intimacy and that loving fellowship with thee in the cavern of My mine?
80. "And unto this channel I say, thou art nothing but a channel, a pipeline through which water flows unto My Maria. I could choose any channel. I could choose a large and flowing pipe, I could choose a simple bamboo pipe, I could even choose a sewer pipe. But I have simply chosen thee because of My love for My Maria. And the faucet does not worry about the water, it does not worry if the water is green or blue or clear or muddy. The faucet is just there and the water is piped through the faucet, and the faucet cannot obstruct the water nor direct the water, for it is just there for the water to pour forth.
81. "And as one goes to the faucet and turns the handle and puts the glass therein and receives the water, so is this, My loved one. For when she is thirsty, when she seeks to hear My voice directly and the comfort of My Words, she can simply turn the handle. The faucet has nothing to do with it, it is just there. Therefore, fret not and worry not. Just be yielded, be open, and keep thy channel clear through a great love of Me and seeking Me in desperation, that thou mayest be a useful faucet and useful tool unto My queen. And in doing so, thou art a conduit for My love unto her. For as I have said, thy love for her is My love, and thy touches are My touches, and these Words are My Words that will comfort her and will rejoice her heart, for she loveth Me greatly. Therefore be not afraid to be the tool that I have ordained thee to be, and always remember that thou art nothing, just a faucet.
82. "Remember that which thy father taught thee when thou wast worried about leading meetings and wondered what thou wouldst say, what thou wouldst speak, and thou struggled and fretted. He said, 'Worry not, just open thy mouth wide and He will fill it.' And so I say unto thee, worry not, just open thy mouth and I will fill it. Thou must not worry or concern thyself about what will come, or if it will come, or when it will come. If thou in thy desperation calleth unto Me, I will pour forth the water through thee unto My queen at the time appointed, and it will be through no effort of thine and no glory of thine, for it will just be of Me. For they are My Words unto her and My kisses unto her, My caresses unto her." (End of prophecy.)
83. There we have another beautiful illustration of the Lord's love and how much He's willing to do for us, just out of love for us. So beautiful! And it's such a good, clear illustration of what a channel for the Lord's Words is, and what you all are when you speak the Lord's Words. You're just a channel, and you don't have to worry and you don't have to fret. If you really love Jesus and you're doing the best you can for Him, then all you have to do is stay real close to the Lord every day. Then when it comes time to be a channel and hear the Lord's Words, you just pray and ask the Lord to speak. You clear your channel, pray that you'll have the faith, and the Lord will do it.
84. You don't have to worry that you're going to get off the track or tripped off or that something bad is going to happen. It's a gift! It's the Lord's love! It's a gift to you that He can speak His Words through you. So don't be so fearful that somehow you're going to get a false prophecy. Just really pray, and He says if you ask for bread, He won't give you a stone. You're just a channel. Like the Lord said, whether the water seems green or blue or even if it's muddy, don't worry, it's the Lord's. And maybe sometimes it'll seem muddy, but that's not your business. You just need to speak the words that the Lord gives you. So prophecy is another beautiful example of the Lord's love for us.
The Solid Rock Foundation of the Word and the Unused Garment of Prophecy!
85. This is a new day and the Lord definitely is leading us into hearing from Him more directly. After awhile I thought, "Well, Lord, I don't want to misuse this gift. It's so wonderful to just ask You and hear it pour forth like this so directly and so easily, so effortlessly--certainly very effortlessly for me--and I love to hear from You this way. But You said You haven't given it to me personally because You want me to get Your Words another way, and I don't want to get so dependent upon just hearing from You in this one way that I neglect the other ways in which You want me to hear You, and the very reason for which You haven't given me this gift of prophecy personally."
86. So I got concerned about that, and I was praying desperately that I wouldn't get tripped off into just wanting to get my answers in this one way, which results in beautiful prophecies, of course, and it's so easy. I didn't want the Lord to have to take it away or take Peter away so that I wouldn't be so dependent on the gift of prophecy. So we prayed, and basically the Lord said, "I'm happy that you ask in this way, and you can keep asking. I'm glad you ask. Ask as much as you want, and if I don't want to tell you this way--through direct prophecy--I just won't! If I want you to get it another way, I'll indicate that, and I won't give it to you this way. But keep asking, and I'm happy you want to ask this way. I have many things to tell you this way. But if I don't want to show it to you this way, I just won't give it to you and I'll tell you I want you to get it another way." So wasn't that sweet of the Lord? (Family: Yes!) That was a nice, easy answer too, and then I didn't have to worry about it, praise the Lord!
87. Then for the past few days I've been thinking, "Lord, we're really promoting prophecy in talking so much about it. And if our worldwide Family starts using this gift and exercising their gifts and really hearing from You in this way, they will get quite turned on to it, and it will be a tool and a way of hearing from You that they will very much appreciate. It will be a great joy to them and instruction for them, and will just be a wonderful edification and comfort! Therefore they may be tempted to depend a little too much on it and strike a false balance."
88. Just like I was saying about myself, I wondered if the Family might be tempted to depend a little too much on prophecy to the exclusion or the crowding out of the printed Word, the Bible and the many Words of David that they've been given for years and years. If they start doing that, I don't think the Lord will bless it, because whatever they get has to be based on the Word. So they're going to have to know the Word and they're going to have to keep connected to the Word. They can't just all of a sudden put aside all of the Word that they've had for the last 25 years and say, "Okay, Lord, this is a new day and we're going to get our Word this way now."--Which could be a temptation, because you get such specific answers through prophecy. When you have questions and problems, you can get help with direct prophecy for specific questions that of course aren't in the Letters.
89. So since I was concerned about this, we decided to ask the Lord about it, and He gave a real sweet answer, which we titled "The Solid Rock Foundation of the Word and the Unused Garment of Prophecy." Would you like to hear it? (Fam: Yes!) This sort of ties up how we're supposed to look at the printed Word and the direct voice of the Word that we can get fresh every day. (Mama listens to the prophecy on her dictaphone and repeats it to the Family:)
90. ({\ul \i Prophecy:) }"The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. For, yea, I am the Word of God. I am the solid rock foundation. My Words are enduring and My Words are truth, and I exalt My Word even above My name. For My Word is spirit and life. And if ye build your house on anything but the solid rock foundation of My Word, it will be built on the sand and will collapse.
91. "I say unto you, the Words of David are My Words, for they are the Words of God, and they are part of this solid rock foundation. All that ye do, ye must do on the foundation. For your works and the raising of your children and the ministering unto your friends, and the feeding of the lost, I say that all that ye do, must be done on the solid rock foundation.
92. "And when ye seek Me and wish to hear My voice, it too must be done on the solid rock foundation. For without it, it would be as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. For have I not said that in the Last Days I would pour forth My Spirit upon your sons and daughters? And I say unto you, I am fulfilling this and I will pour forth My Spirit upon My children that they may hear from Me in a new and additional way. But it must be done on the solid rock foundation of My Word.
93. "For I am not replacing My Word with these gifts and with the hearing of My voice. I am simply adding to it. Have I not said through your David that there are seven ways to know the will of God, and is not the first way the Word of God? My children have not neglected this. Have I not said ye may also find My will through the voice of the Word, through Godly counsel, through burdens, through open and closed doors, and through fleeces? And My children have not neglected this. But have I not also said unto you that direct revelation is one of the ways? But this has been neglected because of fear and pride, and because the Enemy has snatched away the great joy that My children could feel if they would use this gift in full faith.
94. "But now is the time to overcome, and now is the time to use this gift from God, for I say unto you that Satan and his minions are not afraid to communicate together. And, yea, this giveth them power, and it giveth them instruction from the netherworld.
95. "I say unto you, there is a great cloud of witnesses that are present to help you, those that are ordained to give you strength and wisdom and direction and guidance. They would speak to you and through you, if ye would have the faith. And if ye will do this thing, ye shall also have power. It is a way to find the will of God. It does not take the place of My written Word, but it is a source of additional power and strength and instruction. This ye ought to do and not to leave the other undone; for a false balance is an abomination unto the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.
96. "For as ye cook a meal and must add in all the right ingredients to get the perfect blend, so is this. My written Word and the Words of David are the base of the stew, and the meat and the broth, and without it there would be no stew. But these other things, these other ways to know My will and the hearing of My voice, they are the additions, and together it makes a nourishing, full and well-rounded meal.
97. "My children have the basis, they have the Words and they are well-versed and they use them well, and they know they need them to survive. That does not change, and that should not change, but they must add this other gift in order to have the power that they need for the days ahead. For in the dark days they will have to depend greatly on the voice of the Lord, and they must learn to exercise it now together in unity to learn.
98. "But I say unto you, if they will stand on the solid rock foundation, they shall not stray in this. For if they abide in My Words and My Words abide in them, they shall ask what they will and it shall be done unto them. They will ask to hear My voice, and they shall hear.
99. "For this gift is as a beautiful garment hanging in the closet with all the other garments: the garment of My Word, the garment of counsel, the garment of open and closed doors. And these other garments are well worn as work clothes, and they are sturdy, and they are comfortable. But this other garment, the garment of My voice, has seemed to be out of fashion. When one weareth it, people look rather strangely and say, 'This is an odd garment.' And thus it is only worn infrequently.
100. "But I say unto you, it is now in fashion! This does not mean that one does not wear the sturdy work clothes and the others, for they have not gone out of fashion; it's just adding a new garment to the wardrobe. When one weareth the garment, people look and think this is odd. But when it becomes fashionable and all wear it, it is normal and no one looks oddly upon it.
101. "And as when new fashions come out on the market, they must be advertised and it must be shown that these are in vogue, so it is with this. So must ye promote the hearing of My voice, that My children will know and understand that this is the way My Spirit is moving. But ye would not wear a brand new beautiful garment to work or it would get soiled and dirtied; no, ye would wear the work clothes, the solid work clothes of My Word and of counsel. But this is an addition, and this will help in the decision-making, it will help in inspiration, it will help in encouragement, it will help in instruction. For in this way I can easily personalize the instruction and words that I have for you. But ye must call unto Me from the solid rock foundation.
102. "So use the gifts that I give unto you and be not ashamed, and wear this garment that I have given unto you and be not afraid. For this is not the only gift and this is not the only garment, but it is the neglected gift and the neglected garment. So read My Words, drink them in, for I have poured forth abundantly unto you, more so than any of My children before. And My Word is the solid rock foundation that I have given unto you, and that ye stand upon, and that which your work and the house of David is built upon. For that is what has made you strong, and this is not a call to change that.
103. "So abide in My Words. Let them abide in you, let them dwell in you richly. Drink them in, eat them, imbibe them; but do not neglect My voice, listen to it. For I speak unto you through My Word, and I speak unto you through the gift of prophecy, and I speak unto you in the whispers in your heart and in your mind when you commune with Me, and when you stop here and there and look up; in those times when your receptivity is highest and those that help you can whisper in your ears and place things in your heart and mind and can give you direction. So exercise these gifts.
104. "But know and understand that My Word is first and foremost, for I exalt it even above My name. But for further strength and help and guidance, listen to My voice and listen unto the whispers. And ye shall have strength that ye know not of. It shall make your task easier, for ye will be allowing us to direct you more from this side, and we will work together even better.
105. "So tune in! Fine-tune and hear the voice of the Lord your God, and of those that He has sent to help lead and guide and instruct you. For we are in it together, and together we will march forth to victory, and together we will win the world for Me! And we will do it so much more effectively if you will tune in, if you will get your radio signals from Heaven and your instructions through My Word, through My voice and through the whispers.
106. "As you exercise this gift, you will have a clearer understanding and greater faith. As you see those things work that I say unto you, and the fruit that it brings forth, and the joy and encouragement and instruction that it gives unto you and others, ye will see how much easier the job can be if ye let us participate.
107. "So come on! Let us work together.--You working together there and we working together here, all of us working together. For it is our work and it is your work and together it is all of our work. For we all seek the same goal, to bring forth My light and love to the lost, to bring great joy to the world, and to proclaim My truth unto the ends of the Earth." (End of prophecy.) Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! (Family praising and thanking the Lord.)
108. Thank You for the answers, Lord. Thank You for the balance. Thank You for showing us that Your written Word is still the foundation and we can't stray from it. We've got to connect with it, we've got to keep it in our hearts and continue to look to it daily for our instruction and our guidance, but these other means of hearing from You are additional gifts and we need them too. You're just pouring forth more than ever before because of the need and because of Your love for us, to help make the job easier. Thank You Jesus!
109. Thank You so much for Your wonderful Words and Your counsel and direction and instruction and explanations of things that make it easy for us to be good, and easy for us to do the things You want and to go in the right direction and not be misled or get off the track. You just explain things so beautifully and so simply because of Your love for us.
110. Thank You, Lord, so much for all of this wonderful love that we're just showered with and we're bathed in, that we are just overwhelmed by. Thank You for it. We feel so loved and so secure in You, and we know we're Your pets. As such we have so much and we need to share it with others, and we want to share it with others to help them be loved and help them to feel Your love in a greater way. So help us as You pour it on, that we'll pour it out and give it to others. And as we pour it out on them, You'll give us more. And together we can fill the world with Your love. Thank You Jesus!
111. Lord, if You have anything further to say to us, we're open to it and we love it and we want it. Just speak whatever You want, in Jesus' name. (Family praising and thanking the Lord.)
Confirming Prophecies
112. (Gary:) "Behold your queen of love! Behold your Queen Maria! For I have not called her My queen of love only for her love for her children, although this is great. And I have not called her My queen of love only for her love for Me, although this indeed is great. But I have also called her My queen of love that she may profess My love to the nations, that she might help all of you, and all those that lay beyond, all those who are called by My name, to know the great love that I have for them.
113. "For she is the queen of My Church, my ecclesia, My called-out ones whom I have called out of darkness into My glorious light. I have much light to shine forth on the nations. They have not the light of My Word and the light of My truth. I am using her to shine it unto many, and I will use you and your children to shine it unto many. For I have called you out of the darkness and into My marvelous light. This light shineth more and more unto that perfect day, and with the coming of that perfect day I am shining more and more light unto the nations and revealing more unto them with each passing day.
114. "For ye have seen through a glass darkly, but ye shall begin to see more clearly with the light of My Word and the light of My Spirit which I shall shine unto you. Therefore hearken unto these words and unto the voice of your Queen Maria, the queen of love! Is this not My greatest joy, that they might know the love that I have for them? Behold, this is the very spirit of prophecy, and she indeed doth prophesy unto the nations and she doth prophesy now before you, for she doth clarify to you what your role shall be with Me. There have been many who have said 'Lord, Lord,' and I am a Lord unto them, but I am more than a Lord. And there be many that have said unto Me, 'Thou art my friend, Thou hast not called me a servant but a friend,' and I am a friend unto thee, but I am more. For she hath spoken, and so has it been said, that I am also a lover unto you.
115. "I love you with a perfect love, a love that casts out all fear, if ye will only draw near to Me. Your fears shall diminish and shall vanish as ye draw near to Me, for My perfect love will cast out all fear. And this is the victory that will overcome the world, even your own world. Draw not back into the darkness, but come to the light that shines forth unto you now. For I have called you My ecclesia, My loved ones, My drawn-out ones, those who are drawn out of darkness. And I draw you more and more to that perfect day and that perfect light. Hearken now unto the voice of your queen of love, Maria."
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116. (Fam:) "There are many that are clamoring to help you, who wait excitedly, expectantly, hoping you will allow them to help you. For have they not waited through the ages for this time? There is a great cloud of witnesses, an army, a multitude who are waiting to help you! They surround you, they are pressing upon you in their excitement and anticipation! They would practically jump into you to be able to help you, to speak through you. When they follow you, please do not turn and ask them, 'Why followest thou me? Why speakest thou to me?' But yield unto them. Fear not, let them help you, let them speak through you, so that ye may help one another and ye may help others. For did not even your father David say that the prophets dreamed of this day?
117. "Ye have all Heaven at your command! The forces of the Enemy will be great, and ye need My forces on your side to help you, and they are with you. They are at your beck and call. They are waiting in eager anticipation. They are just waiting upon you. Don't hold them back through fear or doubt. Let them help you."
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118. (Fam:) "Have I not said unto you for hundreds, yea, thousands of years that in the Last Days I shall pour out My Spirit abundantly upon your sons and your daughters, and they shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams? Think it not strange that I would pour it out at this time, for great darkness, gross darkness covereth this world, and men will not come to the light because they love the darkness and they fear the light. And they would reach to pull you into their darkness, My beacons, My lights to this dying world.
119. "But I have given you many gifts to use, and I have given you My Holy Spirit and many ministering spirits that can see around the corner and can see their darkness and their perfidy and their lies and their treachery, and can guide you and speak to you.
120. "But ye must draw close to Me and be strong in My Word and in tune with My Spirit so they can flow freely through you to speak in volumes to My children and guide them in these last dark and treacherous days. So lift up your heart and love one another and love Me, and purify your heart so that I can pour through it in great abundance the many, many words of comfort and guidance and strength that I wish to give to My children, My army, to help lead and guide you in these dark and terrible days that are coming upon the world."
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121. (Fam:) "Some of you may wonder, 'Oh this gift, this beautiful gift! I do long for it, but there has already been so much said and so many others have this gift, why would I also need to speak forth?' Well, ye must exercise this gift. Like your David has taught you, faith is a muscle and ye must exercise it. This gift of speaking My Words, being My tool, being My channel, you need to launch out, step out, try it. Try the waters, so ye can have more faith and more confidence that I can use you. Think not, 'Oh, there are so many others, there are so many words,' for I have much in store for you.
122. "And in the days ahead, as I have said, I will pour out My Spirit in abundance upon you. I will pour forth many words unto you, for there is much to happen, much to come. Use this time now wisely to exercise this gift. Be not afraid to speak forth. I will help you. I will give you all the confidence and help that you need, because they are My Words. I have big things to say and I have little things to say. I have special things to say. I have something for each and every one of you. There are many right here with you that wish to say something to each of you, through each of you. So be not afraid and feel not unneeded or useless, for I need every single one of you.
123. "I love you and I wish to speak through you, and I wish to touch each of you in a special way with My Words. For I love you."
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124. (Fam:) "It is a special gift of My Endtime. For have I not written in My Word, that in the Last Days I shall pour out My Spirit upon My young men and women? And, yea, I said it twice in My Word, that on all flesh I shall pour out My Spirit and ye shall prophesy. (See Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17.) For this is a tool of the future and it is your preparation, for ye will need to be able to hear from Me to get your instruction.
125. "It is like a soldier that is going into boot camp, into training. He picks up his rifle and he learns how to shoot and he has target practice. That is what this time is for, for practicing how to use this gift, so when ye go to war, ye will know how to use it.
126. "And if ye think, 'Oh, Mama Maria wants another prophecy session,' it is not Mama Maria, it is this burden that I have laid upon her heart. I am leading and guiding her in this direction. This is important for the future, and ye must learn to hear from Me. Ye must practice.
127. "It is also a special gift of My lovemaking. For as a man takes wine into his mouth and comes to his lover and kisses her, and passes the wine from his mouth to hers, so is this gift as I pass the wine of My Word, this fresh and living wine, into your mouth. And as the little birds in the nest peep and squawk and the mother comes with a fresh worm in her mouth and puts it down their throat, this is what My gift is like. It is fresh meat that I have put in your throat, hearing fresh from Me. So do not despise this gift. Launch out by faith, open your ears and open your mouth, and I will pour in the wine."
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128. (Fam:) "This is the desire in the heart of your father David, to publish My Words unto the nations. This was his love, to get out the Words of the Lord, to speak the true, pure Words. And now he is marshaling forces for this Endtime, sending forth My ministering spirits into all the world to speak My Words.
129. "Ye must be yielded vessels and open to the truth, for the message shall come to your heart and to your mind and through your mouth, and there shall be great companies that shall publish the Word of the Lord, and it will go into all the world. But there have to be messengers. We have the message, it is being spread, it is being sent forth even now in the heavenlies, but we need receptive vessels to be willing to give the Word. And I will publish the Word in ways that ye know not. For My Word will be published by great publishing companies. And ye must also warn kings and nations of their soon end and their soon fall.
130. "For this is the desire of your father David, to speak the truth, to speak the Word, to publish the Word. And his will and his desire will be accomplished, not only through you, My children, but through publishing companies getting My Word distributed so that all that will hear it and all who receive it will find strength and joy and light. And some will reject and some will despise and some will mock, but they have always mocked the messengers of God and despised His prophets. But be not afraid of their faces; be not concerned with their reactions; just speak the Word, the truth.
131. "For ye are My chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a portion of My Church that has been given this special gift of prophecy, because ye do not care what men think or what people think. Ye just love Me and do what I tell you to do, and obey and give and speak. For ye have no reputation. I have made you of no reputation. I have made you to be despised by the world. For ye will not be honored in this world. Ye will not be praised by the men of this world. But in My eyes and in My world ye are My honored children and My praised children, and ye will go on to a beautiful heavenly reward for speaking the Words of truth to this dying generation!"
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132. (Gary:) "Have ye tasted of the waters of the mountain stream? Have ye felt it trickle down your lips, the coldness, the freshness, the pristine beauty, the taste like no other? Behold, how it has quenched your thirst. As ye made your way up the mountain ye were parched and your lips hurt for want of liquid, for want of nutrition; yea, your lips stuck together. But ye could see it in the distance, ye could hear the rushing of the waters, and ye had to reach out for it until it overflowed you, till ye tasted it. It was so beautiful and it so refreshed you!
133. "These are the waters that pour out from the mountain, and though they run down the sides and it wears away the rock and there are fragments and bits of lichen and all sorts of matter that flow with it, ye taste only the purity of the water. It is the most pure water, for it cometh from My hand. It flows from My heart.
134. "Ye have tasted the water of these mountain streams, but I desire that it should flow upon others. Do not be concerned if ye feel that ye are only a paint can or an old broken vessel or broken pottery, for this water of the mountain streams can flow through you. And question not in your heart if the flavor of the pot, of the paint of the can, of the remnants, will flow into this water and thereby besmirch others. For behold, My water is pure, and as it runs through you it shall not only purify you, but it shall run pure.
135. "For it is only those vessels which are not used that tend to rust. It is only when the fresh water is turned off that the sediment settles to the bottom of the water which remains. For this is the way not only to pour My waters to the nations, but it is also a way to purify your own heart, that ye may be an open channel unto Me, not only in this, but in many things that I wish to speak unto you.
136. "Therefore, fear not to open your channels, that ye may be a refreshing to the nations and to those that are around you. Those under your own roof desire also to taste of this mountain water, for there are many that are parched and thirst for it. And this thing is so great that companies abroad would even bottle this water, but ye can have it fresh. Ye can have it from the mountain stream, ye can have it that it may titillate your tastebuds, that it may be a refreshing, and I have given it unto you that ye may pour it unto others, that they too might be refreshed with the water of the Words of the End."
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137. (Fam:) "Doth not a warrior avail himself of all the weapons at his disposal? Yea, this is not a new weapon but an old weapon, but perhaps one ye have not used in years past. Therefore it is good that ye take this new weapon of prophecy and do your practicing now during these peaceful days. For the days of peace are numbered, and this gift of prophecy shall be a mighty help to you in the days to come. For there shall be gross darkness upon the Earth, great tribulation, as I have said, and I will lead you in ways which ye know not. Therefore use it now and practice with it, for it is a double-edged sword. Use it to rightly divide the Word of truth and to discern it, for it is My Word. Whether it is the written Word or the Word of prophecy, it is nonetheless from My mouth.
138. "Therefore use it wisely, that ye may be ready in the day of battle, for the days will wax worse and worse. For ye are My Endtime children upon whom the ends of the world are come, and ye must fight great battles ahead. But I will pour such an anointing upon you, such power, that ye shall overcome. For there are many troops in the heavenlies waiting to assist you, and they are assisting you even now in preparation for the days ahead. Therefore fear not, for I have chosen you as a powerful army to hinder and destroy the works of darkness, and to overcome, until we all will set up a kingdom of peace on the Earth. Therefore ye must keep the vision that we are here to save as many as we can until the End."
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139. (Fam:) "I would that ye be complete. I desire that ye would grow into the full stature that I would want you to be. For I have given you My recorded Word, and on this I would have you stand. Stand on the solid rock foundation of My Word. But also lift up your hearts, lift up your eyes to the heavenlies so that I may give you My heavenly Words. For this is what I long for, that communion with you, that union of heart with heart. I desire to speak to you and instruct you and to love you like a lover. Therefore lift up your hearts and open your hearts to Me, and I will fill you."
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140. (David:) "Be not afraid to use this gift, this wonderful gift of prophecy that I have given you, but only believe. Believe in Me, that I am the one who gives it, that I am the one who speaks these words to your heart and to your mind. Ye must reach out the hand of faith to receive what I have, for if ye do not reach out, how can I give it to you? And ye must believe in order to reach out that hand. Ye must believe that I have something there for you. Ye must make the effort. It is a small effort, but it is still an effort and ye must do it. I have many things to say unto you. Ye must continually ask Me. For I have given you this gift, I have given you My Words. I give you My Words, whenever you ask--for your wisdom, for your comfort, for your leading, for your guidance, for your protection, for your encouragement, for so many things. This is a wonderful gift that I have given you.
141. "Have I not said that ye must hear from Me fresh every day? And have I not said in My Word that if one of My children comes to Me and asks Me for fish, will I give him a snake or something else that is not good for him? No. For all ye have to do is ask and I will give it. I will give you what you need. I will give you the leading and the guidance, the direction, the answers to your questions, the things that are best for you. I will not lead you astray. Have faith.
142. "But remember, that though ye speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have the gift of prophecy, without love it profits you nothing. For this is My commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. This is a commandment. This is not an optional thing, this is not a suggestion, it is a commandment. And I would not have commanded you to do this if I thought that ye would not be able to. I know it does not always seem easy. Why is it important? Because love is the most important thing, because I am love, and I want you to share this same love with each other. For inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye are showing love to Me, ye are sharing love with Me, and ye are obeying My greatest commandment."
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143. (Fam:) "She calleth you to follow, to follow step by step in the steps of your father. Fear not to let it pour forth, for how can I give you My Words of love if ye do not ask Me? I want you to ask Me concerning things to come, ask Me concerning the works of My hands. Come to Me and ask Me so that I may pour forth My love and My encouragement, so that I can speak to you intimately, personally, lovingly, to show you the way which ye should go. But how can I show you if ye do not ask?
144. "Do not let anything block this. Do not let anything block My communication with you. For I long to talk to you, but ye must listen, and how can ye listen if ye do not come to Me? In your quietness shall come the confidence. In your quietness ye shall hear My whispers of love that I have for you. Ye shall hear the instruction. Simply come to Me and I will show you great and mighty things which ye know not."
Verses and Visions
145. (Fam:) The picture that I got was of the room filled with all kinds of people, and it seemed I could feel their feelings. They were so excited and I could feel their anticipation, and to deny them their chance to speak was to deny their participation in everything that is going to happen. It's like this was the beginning of a new thing and they were all so excited that they were going to be able to have a part. There were just throngs of them, and they were so excited that as soon as there was an opening they would virtually jump on you to be able to communicate and give what the Lord wanted to. The feeling I had was that we shouldn't deny them the opportunity. Like Mama brought out, the Enemy has his communication and all his minions, but the Lord is giving us lots of His ministering spirits and helpers. But we have to let them help us, they're so eager to help us.
146. (Mama:) That's one of their main jobs--to speak through us, to be able to give us instructions. And if we don't let them, then they're not able to do their jobs.
147. (Gary:) In the Word, where it talks about "the great cloud of witnesses" around us, it says that "they without us cannot be made perfect" (Heb.11:40). In other words, there's some symbiotic bond there and they have to work together with us.
148. (Mama:) Yes, the Lord has kept saying that, that we have to work together, we're a team. They working with us, we're working with them, and all of us are working together. He keeps repeating that, doesn't He? That's the theme throughout.
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149. (Peter:) I didn't get anything until the very end, and I was reminded of the importance of being able to hear from the Lord. I thought of Saul (Paul) when he was blinded and he was in the room in Damascus, and the Spirit of the Lord spoke to Ananias to go and see Saul. (See Acts 9.) Can you imagine? If you put it in today's terms, it would be like here you are seeking the Lord and praying, and all of a sudden the Lord says, "Hey, Gabe, go down to such-and-such a street, number so-and-so, and knock on the door, and there's a guy in there named Steve Hassan (one of the leaders of the anti-cult movement, and a persecutor of small religious groups). Go in there and tell him this message from the Lord." And didn't the Lord also tell Saul that somebody would be coming? (Family: Yes.) Look at the result of that!
150. What if Ananias had said, "I think that was just my own mind. Go talk to Saul? C'mon! I rebuke the Devil!" The whole of Christianity would have been different. The Lord probably would have done it some other way, but you can see the importance of hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord, and how in the future, as things get tighter and we may not be able to communicate as well, then we're going to have to depend on it more.
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151. (Mama:) Another wonderful thing about it is that when we have people worldwide get prophecies, like when they used to pray for Dad at the Fast or when they prayed for me or when they prayed for Pearl and her court case, it's all consistent; everybody speaks the same thing. So you know it's the Lord, you know it's from the spirit world, because it's so remarkably similar. You know everybody is getting the same signals. All the Lord's children can move simultaneously if they need to, and do the same things. When we can't tell them anything in print, if they'll pray, they'll all get the same message and will all be able to carry out whatever it is that they're supposed to do, everybody in sync and in harmony. Beautiful! Thank You Lord!
We Need to Exercise Our Gifts of Prophecy and Humility!
152. (Mama:) That was beautiful! Thank You Lord! This has been quite a feast! Thank You Jesus! We can just continue our Feast. February 18th didn't have to be the end, we can keep going! (Fam: Yes!) Thank You Lord! Thank You Jesus! Glory to God! That's beautiful! I guess the Lord is really promoting hearing from Him in prophecy! It feels a little strange, of course. Like the Lord said, it's this new garment that hasn't been worn, but He says it's a new day and this is a new way and this is what is His will. So no one should fear or be too proud. Pride is probably the worst hindrance, even worse than fear. (Fam: Yes.)
153. All the things that the Lord is saying He is going to be bringing require humility. It's the basis of our yielding. Giving prophecy is a humbling business for most of you, and the Lord wants us to practice not only for the future, but as a practice in humility now. The Lord said specifically to our dear secretary that He'd given her the gift as a humbling.
154. We need to do all we can to be humble whenever we can, and really work at it. Like He said, when there is a choice between the humble and the proud thing, strive to do the humble thing; and know that if we'll try to do these little tiny things that are humbling, each time we'll be strengthened in humility and the Lord will be able to get rid of our pride.--Which He's got to work on so we can take the things that are coming. So it's very important that we try not only to exercise our gifts of prophecy, but to exercise the gift of humility, and that we really do work at it!
155. We don't just pray, "Lord, please help me to be humble," but the Lord requires our cooperation, what we can do. And if there's a choice, we have a will and we can make that choice in the little things. So as we do that, the Lord will help us. Just say yes! That's very very important to be able to partake of the new things the Lord is bringing about. Thank You Jesus! Thank You Lord!
Closing and Prayer
156. Okay, does anybody have anything else? This has been fun, hasn't it? (Family: Yes!) Thank You Jesus! Well, I love you all! You're wonderful!--And I'm so glad we could participate and I'm so glad that you were open channels for our spirit helpers and spiritual teamworkers to participate too. It's wonderful when we're all working together as one big team! You feel so strengthened to know that they're really helping and they're actively participating, and we don't have to be struggling all alone. It's nice to know that they're right there helping, and Dad's there directing a lot of things, and the Lord is excited about what's going on. So we're all one great big team together. Thank You Jesus!
157. We thank You, Lord, for this wonderful time hearing from You and fellowshipping together, and with You, and with those wonderful helpers in the spirit world, and getting all of this wonderful counsel and instruction and guidance from You. Thank You for it. Thank You for the wonderful privilege that You've given us of partaking of Thy Words and Thy Spirit and Thy love, that we may be filled ourselves and that we may also pour it out on others that need it so desperately, that are so hungry for it.
158. Help us never to be secluded in our blessings, but to know that we have them not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of others, and to always try to share as much as we can. Help us, Lord, and show us ways to do it. Open it up to us so that we can do all that we can to share these precious things that You've given us with others.
159. Thank You, Lord, for our wonderful Family everywhere. Bless them and keep them and give them a good night or day, whichever it is, and keep them happy and humble and loving and participating and partaking of all the gifts that You've given, in Jesus' name. Amen! Thank You Jesus! Thank You Lord! Okay, you're free to go now, just give me a kiss before you leave!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
