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CRISIS OF FAITH!--MORE ON DOUBTS!--Part 2 Maria #362 DO/TS 3089 10/96
--How to Recognize, Fight, and Be Delivered from the Enemy's Doubts!
--By Maria
Dear Family,
1. I love you! In the first part of this series you read about Jesus' battles with the temptation to doubt, and how He overcame the Enemy's attacks by crying out to His Father, refusing to accept the doubts, and fighting with the Word. Our wonderful Husband and gentle, loving Shepherd gave very clear instruction about how to find deliverance and freedom from the Enemy's lies, which I'm sure has been a great blessing to many of you. However, you may be having a hard time appropriating the counsel in part one of this series if you have been skeptical and have been entertaining, believing or spreading doubts and criticisms. You might feel that the Lord's personal testimony doesn't apply to you or that you're not eligible for or worthy of the Lord's help, because you didn't resist the temptation to doubt, as He did, but instead gave way to it. If that's the case, cheer up! This GN has some very helpful and encouraging counsel for you, as well as for many others who may be struggling in their service for the Lord for a variety of reasons! Please read on, and find the answers you need!
Inside and Outside Attacks!
2. We learned from Jesus' personal testimony that, though the Enemy attacked Him with the temptation to doubt, He rejected it. Jesus didn't receive the doubts, and when He called out to His Father for deliverance and went to the Word, He experienced renewed strength and power for the battle. But after hearing this message, I wondered, what about people who have let their doubts become habits, like an addiction?
3. It seemed to me that there are two definite categories of people who battle with doubts: The first category is those who, like Jesus, are attacked with the temptation to doubt, but resist the attacks and fight them and don't accept them. The second category is the people who have accepted the doubts, believed them, and in many cases those doubts have become a part of the way they think, react and judge things.
4. I asked the Lord to clarify further the differences and similarities between when you've accepted the doubts or when you're still fighting them; when the doubts have gained a stronghold on the inside, and when they're outside attacks. I wondered if the way to get delivered is the same in both cases.
5. I also felt the need to have the Lord speak to those of you who might feel like you're in pretty bad shape because you've been doubting for quite a long time. I was concerned that you might be hit with a feeling of hopelessness and the Enemy's condemnation, so I very much wanted you to be able to see that the gulf between you and the Lord is not too wide to be bridged. You can get back to Him, even if you feel very distant and you hardly have any faith left in the Word. When we came before the Lord with these questions and concerns, He gave the following message:
6. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Unto you, My children, who have battled long and hard with the doubts of the Enemy, I say be not weary in well doing. Think it not strange concerning this fiery trial which is trying you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. For your adversary the Devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour through his doubts.
7. But do not despair nor condemn yourself, for regardless of the intensity of the battle, regardless of how long you have been in the arena fighting the Evil One, regardless of how you have weakened and fallen prey to his attacks--where there is life, there is hope! If you have even a tiny seed of faith, I can bring the victory! If there is a desire to know the truth, if there is a desperation to be set free, if there is a calling out to Me for deliverance, I can bring the victory! For I am greater than the Enemy, and My truth is greater than his doubts!
8. {\b \i (Mama:)} How sweet of the Lord to comfort those of you who are battling with doubts, letting you know right from the start that you're not too far gone, you're not a hopeless case or past the point of no return, regardless of how long you've entertained the doubts of the Enemy, or how weakened you are because of it. The Lord is not going to toss you out or turn His back on you. He wants to help you get the victory and be set free! Remember, He understands the struggle and He's not condemning you. But you have to want to change with all your heart, and keep fighting and not give up, no matter how difficult the battle!
9. {\b \i (Prophecy continues:)} The Devil is attacking all of My children with doubts, and the formula for victory is the same for everyone: recognizing his attacks, knowing the seriousness of them, being desperate to be set free from them; crying out to Me for deliverance and clinging to My Word for strength, knowing that in yourself you do not have the strength or power needed to overcome the Evil One. The formula for victory is the same for all those who are attacked with doubts.
10. The intensity of the battle, the length of the battle and how much you are weakened through the battle depends on your reaction to the attacks of the Enemy. For all of My children are attacked at one time or another by the Enemy through doubts. I am not talking about legitimate questions where you just don't understand and you need an explanation, you need to be taught, you're hungry to learn, and you're open and respectful and receptive to the Word and counsel and explanation. But I'm talking about doubts where the Enemy comes in to strike a deadly blow at the foundation of your faith.
11. With such attacks of doubt, the Enemy tries to get you to close yourself to counsel, to My living Word, and to help and explanation from others. He tries to get you to resist asking for prayer, confessing your need, and showing yourself weak. He ministers to your pride with intellectual thoughts so that you resist the simplicity of My truth and you are no longer a little child before Me. You are no longer a little babe before Me, receiving truth at My hand, but you become smart in yourself, great and mighty and full of your own answers, your own explanations, your own solutions.
12. It is not enough for the Devil to just speak to your mind with doubts about My Word, but he must also work in your spirit if these doubts are to take hold in your mind and heart. He works in your spirit to cause you to become proud, resistant, unyielded, strong in your own mind and your own flesh, independent, worldly, unyielded, stubborn. It is through this hardening of your heart and spirit that doubts are able to take hold on your mind without your realizing that you are yielding to the voice of the Enemy.
13. So it is not enough to just rebuke the voice of the Enemy and his doubts, but you must also seek to stay yielded and soft and malleable in My hands by constantly confessing your need for Me and for others, by staying deeply immersed in My Word, and by feeding deeply from the cool waters of My living Word that I speak to you personally through My still small voice in your heart, and through the channels which I have provided for you.
14. Those who stay yielded and soft before Me are better able to resist the doubts of the Enemy because they are already practiced at calling out to Me, at showing themselves weak, at keeping their hearts clean through confessing. They are already practiced at going to My Word for strength and answers, and baring their souls before Me and others in desperation and humility. Therefore those who stay soft and close and humble are better prepared to fight the Enemy's doubts. Because though they look weak in themselves and their own minds, they have greater strength in Me and in the power of My Word.
15. But those who are accustomed to leaning on the arm of the flesh, their own strength and their own ways; those who are independent and stubborn, who are not used to working in teamwork and showing themselves weak and in need of others; those who have not formed the good habit of going to My Word daily, lose their sensitivity to My Spirit and My voice. They do not hear My whispers nor the checks that I would give them to lead and guide them and protect them. So when they are attacked by the doubts of the Enemy, they are not able to recognize his evil wiles.
16. They are not able to discern so easily that it is a trick and stumblingblock of the Enemy. Therefore they accept his thoughts and they consider them and look at them from all sides. They weigh them in the balance of their carnal mind, seeking for value. They toy with them until these doubts become part of them --part of their way of thinking and looking at things. The doubts look valid and feasible, and because they are not measured against the yardstick of My Word, the doubts can even take on a false value, to where they begin to look like light instead of darkness. They begin to look like goodness instead of evil. They begin to look like the path to progress instead of destruction.
17. So you see, all My children are attacked by doubts, by the vicious attacks of the Enemy on the foundation of their faith, but the effect of these attacks varies with the individual. Those who have stayed close to Me through consistent study of My Word, yieldedness, confession of sin, and the desperation to follow closely no matter what the cost, those who possess a yieldedness of will, who are willing to go anywhere and do anything and be anybody for My cause, whether great or small, leader or follower, these are they who are well prepared and well fit for the battle with the Enemy's doubts. Their yieldedness, humility and desperation make them fit for the battle. They are well able to hear My voice and recognize the difference between truth and lies, and they are able to resist the Enemy and raise a standard against him.
18. But those who follow afar off, those who are skeptical, those who have not a hunger for My Word, those who do not humble themselves before Me and others, those who are not willing to show themselves weak, those who refuse to become as children in My sight, those who long for strength in themselves, and honor and praise before the people, those who worry about the opinions of men, those who entertain bitternesses, those who blame others and refuse to take responsibility for their own actions, those who lack love for Me and My Word and others, those who do not pity the weak nor consider the plight of the underdog, but instead look upon others with disdain and contempt--these are they who are open to the attacks of the Enemy. They have not the shield of My Spirit about their heart and mind, which is raised through humility, desperation, and yieldedness. These are they whose sins have blinded them to the truth, and their hearts and minds are insulated so they do not see My ways clearly. They are not wise judges of that which is true and that which is false.
19. {\b \i (Mama:) }The Lord says that all of His children are attacked by the Enemy at one time or another through doubts! So if you're battling doubts right now, that should help you to not feel condemned or like you're so terrible. Also, it should give any of the rest of you who aren't battling right now some compassion for those who are, as well as the fear of the Lord and a burden to take heed to His instruction, knowing that you may need it sometime in the future. To be forewarned is to be forearmed!
20. We learn from the message above that your general spiritual condition, how close you are to the Lord and the Word, and how obedient and yielded you are overall, makes a big difference in how the Enemy's attacks affect you. Good habits and attitudes help insulate you against the lies of the Devil, whereas bad ones make you open prey for the Devil's attacks of doubts, because you become blinded to the truth and unable to discern the attacks of the Enemy or wisely judge what is true and false.
21. In the above prophecy the Lord lists some of the things you need to watch out for--symptoms that can help you to recognize when you're not doing well spiritually and you're in danger of getting seriously off track. Why not take a moment to pray and honestly evaluate what's been going on in your mind and spirit, and see if you have any of the following tendencies in your habits or attitudes.
22. If you're guilty of many of the points on the following list, please realize the seriousness of it and seek help and prayer! The Devil is playing for keeps. As Jesus said in His personal testimony, this is a day of adversity and sifting! We are the Devil's main target, and he's hitting hard! He's seeking to strike that deadly blow at the foundation of your faith. So don't be naïve! Don't think, "Oh, Mama's overreacting. What's the big deal?!" I'll tell you what the big deal is--your future service for the Lord may be at stake! So please read the following list carefully, ponder it prayerfully, and see where you stand. Are you habitually or regularly doing any of the following?
Have you closed yourself off to the fresh new Word from Heaven, the prophecies in the new GNs? Do you doubt, criticize, mock or just plain ignore the New Wine? Are you skeptical of the new GNs or the overall direction the Lord is leading the Family?
Are you resistant to help, counsel and explanations from others? Are you set in your ways, usually thinking you know better than others?
Have you been resisting asking for prayer? Is your pride getting in the way of you asking for or receiving the spiritual help you know you need?
Is it extremely difficult for you to be weak? Do you want to look strong in yourself, like you have all the answers, which as a result makes it difficult for you to confess your need for the Lord, others, the Word, etc.?
Do you resist or have trouble working in teamwork with others?
Do you resist the simplicity of the Word, and instead prefer doctrines that seem to you to be more intellectual or sophisticated?
Are you into analyzing, scrutinizing, or debating negatively about the Word?
Are you full of your own answers, explanations and solutions that are not Word-based, but which seem pretty great to you? Do you promote these ideas with others, and thereby inadvertently minimize, downplay or even negate the counsel given in the Word?
Have you become proud?
Have you become resistant?
Have you become unyielded?
Have you become strong-willed or stubborn?
Have you become independent?
Have you become worldly?
Do you feel your love for the Lord, the Word and others is seriously waning?
Do you doubt the Lord's unconditional love for you?
Do you neglect going to the Word for your answers, but instead depend on your own ideas and ways?
Are you disobedient to the Word and the Charter?
Do you desire the praise of man?
Do you worry excessively about the opinions of man?
Are you bitter?
Do you blame others for your problems, difficulties or disappointments, and refuse to take responsibility for your own actions or decisions?
23. That's quite a thought-provoking list, isn't it? If you feel you're guilty of many or most of the above points, then you're probably in serious need of help, and your service to the Lord is in jeopardy! Chances are, if you continue in the way you're going, you'll be a prime target for the lies and doubts of the Enemy, if you're not already. When you have weaknesses such as the ones listed above, doubts are more likely to take hold on your mind without your even realizing that you're yielding to the voice of the Enemy.
24. Of course, everyone is guilty of some of the above weaknesses once in a while, and we all need to recognize our problems and try to keep fighting them and make progress. But the point I'm making, and that the Lord is making in the above prophecy, is that if you are regularly guilty of the above sins and weaknesses, if you have developed those habits, then your defenses against the attacks of the Enemy will be weakened. You will become dull to the checks of the Spirit that the Lord wants to give you, so He will not be able to lead, guide and protect you as much as He would like.
25. Then when you're attacked by the Enemy, you won't recognize his tricks so easily. So instead of rejecting the Devil's lies and doubts, you will accept them. You will start to seriously think about his doubts; you will check them out, ponder them, and start to weigh them up in the balance of your carnal mind, looking to see what they're worth. You will toy with these doubts and negative thoughts until they become part of you, part of your way of thinking or looking at things.
26. Eventually the Enemy's thoughts, doubts and lies will start looking pretty good to you--pretty practical and feasible. This happens because you're not measuring those doubts against the Word, so they take on false value. That's why people who have entertained doubts to the point that they believe them are convinced that what they're thinking is right. Their vision gets blurry, so they don't see the Lord's ways clearly. They think they're right, and that others or the Word or the Family and their shepherds are wrong. When that happens, you're really in trouble!
27. In the above paragraphs the Lord also explains the attitudes or actions that can help you stand strong against attacks of doubts. If you're faithful to do the following things as much as possible, you may not look as strong in the natural, but you'll have more of the Lord's strength and more power from the Word. This won't necessarily keep you from being tempted by the Devil's doubts, because as the Lord has brought out several times, the Enemy is determined to hit everyone. But by staying close to the Lord in the ways listed below, you'll be able to hear the Lord's voice more clearly, and recognize the difference between the truth and the lies, and thereby resist the Enemy and raise a standard against him when he attacks you.
Stay humble and soft, like malleable clay in the hands of the Potter.
Go to the Word consistently and faithfully for your strength and answers. Drink deeply of the Word every day.
Admit and show your weakness and your need for the Lord. Depend on Him for everything, which includes hearing fresh from Him regularly, coming before Him in prayer and getting His personalized Heavenly counsel for your decisions, problems, needs, encouragement, etc.
Keep your heart clean through confessing your sins, mistakes, weaknesses, battles, etc., and getting the prayer and help you need.
Be desperate and willing to follow closely, no matter what the cost.
Be yielded--willing to go anywhere, do anything and be anybody (whether great or small, leader or follower) for the Lord.
28. {\b \i (Prophecy continues:)} You approach this day unto battle against your enemy, the Evil One, who goes about as a lion seeking to sow lies, doubt and division. No one is exempt or immune to the attacks of the Evil One, for it is given unto each of My children to be tried and tested, and it is given unto the Enemy to be the tester. The intensity and consequences of these attacks vary from individual to individual, and there are many factors that come into play.
29. Those who are well prepared for the battle, because they have remained yielded, soft, malleable and desperate, are in a much better position to raise a standard against attacks of doubts, for they can more easily recognize the voice of doubt and the voice of the Enemy. They therefore give no place to the Evil One, but they resist him right from the beginning. Therefore the Devil is not able to gain a stronghold in their heart and mind. He is not able to influence the habits of their thoughts and their reactions, their way of looking at things and the conclusions they draw. Because they are able to recognize these outside attacks, they can rebuke and resist them from the beginning, and the victory comes much more easily and quickly. Still, they must recognize the attacks of the Evil One, be desperate for the victory, call out to Me for deliverance, and look to My Word for strength. But that victory and deliverance comes much more easily because they have strength of spirit and faith to raise a standard against the Enemy.
30. But those who have followed at a distance, those who have allowed their faith to weaken through sin and disobedience, those who have ongoing problems with independence, lack of receiving counsel, being analytical and desiring the ways of the world, will not so easily be able to recognize the lies of the Evil One nor his words and thoughts and doubts. Therefore they will give place to them more easily, and entertain them and mull them over in their mind. With each moment these things will gain a stronger foothold in their heart and mind and thoughts.
31. The longer the doubts are entertained, the longer the doubts are allowed to remain in your heart and mind before resisting and rebuking them and calling out to Me for deliverance, the harder and more difficult will come the victory. Those who have developed habits of thinking skeptically, of analyzing and doubting the Word and looking critically on the Word and the Word-bearers, those who have developed the habit of actively seeking fault and asking themselves why this cannot be so and this cannot be true; those who have allowed the opinions of men to influence their reaction to the Word, will have a much more difficult time fighting the doubts of the Evil One.
32. Still, the victory will come in the same way: recognizing the dangers of the Devil's doubts; fearing Me and calling out to Me desperately for deliverance; admitting that you have not the strength yourself, that you are needy and weak and incapable in yourself; then grabbing ahold of My Word and wielding it for as long as it takes to defeat the Evil One!
33. But when the doubts and lies of the Devil have gained a stronghold, a foothold in your mind, when his doubts and thoughts and outlook have become your habit, then it is more than a mere outside attack; then it becomes an inside attack. The battle is hotter and more difficult and more bloody, because the Devil is more desperate to hold on to the ground that he has gained in those who have given much place to him and his thoughts and his way of looking at things, who have gone beyond questioning and trying to understand and seek answers with an honest heart. Those who through pride and disbelief have sought to lift themselves up and show themselves strong, and have even tried to actively recruit others to their way of thinking, will have to suffer for their sins. Their battle and quest for deliverance will be much longer and harder and more difficult.
34. {\b \i (Mama:)} Again, the Lord says that we will all be tested with doubts. You may be surprised to hear that I am often hit with temptations to doubt things the Lord says to me personally. Some of His Words of commendation for the present, or some of the ways He says He is going to use me in the future are so great that if I don't take them in the spirit, and instead start thinking about them in the flesh, they don't make sense. But I have to immediately rebuke that carnal way of looking at things and realize that the way the Lord sees things, even if I don't understand it, is the right way. And I can be confident that what He says is right, even if I may not be able to understand it with my natural mind.
35. So whenever I'm tempted to think, "Lord, how can this be true? I'm not that way! I'm not all these wonderful things You say about me! Sorry, Lord, but You got it wrong here!"--I right away get that check from the Lord that I need to resist these thoughts of the Enemy. I have to tell the Lord I'm sorry. Here He's trying to love me and thank me, and it's like I'm telling Him He's a liar. What a horrible, horrible thing to do!
36. Sometimes when I've been with Peter and we've been reading something that the Lord has said to me and these thoughts have entered my mind, I've had to right away confess it, telling Peter, "Please pray for me!" I have to resist these doubts! I can't receive them! I can't entertain them for a minute, because if I allow myself to doubt in one thing, it will lead to other doubts! Because of my willingness to fight this attack and call out for deliverance and ask Peter to pray for me, I've been able to resist those thoughts, and not allow them to take hold. This militant attitude and rebuking the Enemy as soon as he tempts me to doubt in any way has kept him at bay and prohibited him from being able to attack me with other, more serious doubts.
37. So we all get tempted from time to time to doubt. We all go through those moments when we're tempted to listen to the Enemy instead of the Lord. The Lord allows it, even if it's only a test to see if we can tell the difference and see if we'll receive it or reject it. The Devil's been given that "ministry," you might say, of trying to get us to doubt. As Dad said in "Nehemiah": "The Devil was ordained to see if he could get you not to believe God" (ML #D:18). So if you're being hit with doubts, don't get under condemnation. But remember, don't dwell on them or receive them. You must choose to fight them and rebuke the Enemy!
38. If you recognize the Enemy's doubts and rebuke and resist them right from the beginning, then the victory comes much more easily and quickly. But the longer you entertain the doubts, the harder it will be for you to overcome them. When the doubts and lies of the Devil have gained a stronghold, a foothold in your mind, and you've developed a habit of thinking the Enemy's thoughts or seeing things his way, then it's no longer an outside attack. It becomes an inside attack. Then the battle for deliverance is much hotter, because the Devil wants to hold on to the ground that he has gained. Now that he's got you thinking his thoughts he's real happy about it, so when you want to be delivered, he says, "Hey, wait a minute! I'm not letting you go! Nothing doin'!"
39. If you've developed habits of thinking skeptically, analyzing and doubting the Word, and looking critically at the prophecies and at Peter and me; if you've developed the habit of actively seeking fault and asking yourself why this cannot be so and this cannot be true; if you've allowed the opinions of men to influence your reaction to the Word; then you'll have a much more difficult time fighting the doubts of the Devil. If through pride and disbelief you've sought to lift yourself up and look strong, and if you've even tried to actively recruit others to your way of thinking, the Lord says you'll have to suffer for your sins, and your battle and quest for deliverance will be much longer and more difficult.
40. {\b \i (Prophecy continues:)} Your mind and heart are as a garden that needs to be tended well and protected against the evil seeds of the Enemy. If you are diligent and strong in faith and in the fear of Me, the moment you see the seeds of the Enemy spring up in your heart and mind, you will run over as a faithful gardener to pluck up the evil weed, while it is small and weak and its roots are shallow.
41. But if you are a lazy, foolish gardener who thinks he knows better than the Creator Himself, you will not recognize the danger of those little weeds, and instead of running over and rooting them out immediately and casting them out of the garden, you will let them grow and take hold and flourish. Then when you go to purge and cleanse your garden, it will be a much greater and more difficult task, for you will have to dig so much more deeply to uproot the weeds, as they will have grown deep and strong through neglect.
42. The moral of this story is to follow Me--to follow in your Big Brother's footsteps. When I was tempted and attacked by the Evil One's doubts, I immediately raised a standard against him through desperately calling out to My Father and wielding the sword of the Word. Though the battle was hot and heavy, I fought through to victory and I stood strong, refusing to yield or lower My shield or compromise My convictions. It was then that the Enemy's attacks vanished, because I had stayed close to My Father. My love for Him was great, so My first immediate reaction was to call out to Him, trust Him and obey His still small voice in My heart.
43. But to those of you who have drifted from the path of your Big Brother, those of you who find yourselves wrapped in the chains of the Enemy's doubts and in his bondage, I say, fear not and be not dismayed, for I am greater than the Enemy! I am greater than the Tempter! My Truth is greater than his doubts! No matter how weak or hopeless you feel, no matter how confused you are, no matter how jumbled your thoughts are--even if you're at the point that you cannot see what is right and what is wrong, what is doubt and what is truth, if you feel you cannot distinguish between My voice and the voice of the Enemy--if you feel so weak, so incapable, to the point that all seems hopeless and lost, do not despair nor give up hope nor faint in your minds. For I am able to bring the victory, to break the chains of the Enemy, to set you free and put you on a path to healing, to full recovery and restoration. If you will but call out to Me in desperation, I will bring deliverance from the lies and doubts of the Evil One.
44. As you continue by faith to look to My Word, to wash your heart and mind with My Word, slowly but surely you will regain your sense of right and wrong, and your ability to recognize My still, small voice and to resist the lies of the Evil One. With time, My Word will cleanse you from the ways of the world and the ways of the flesh, and your thoughts will no longer be polluted with the lies and doubts of the Enemy and his way of looking at things, for you will have the truth of My Word running freely and richly through your heart and mind.
45. If you have allowed the Enemy to gain a strong foothold in your heart and mind through doubts, if you are sick and weak and being buffeted on all sides, if you feel confused and bewildered and are no longer able to discern between right and wrong, do not fear. Call out to Me! Reach out to Me, and know that it is not too late! I can deliver you from your backsliding, from your insanity, from the madness the Enemy has tried to put upon you, and I can restore you in heart and mind and spirit. I am the Great Physician. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I am your Husband, your Lover. Do not doubt that, no matter how bad a shape you have gotten yourself into through listening to the lies and doubts of the Enemy, I am able to deliver and restore and heal.
46. The battle will be longer and more difficult, because the Enemy will be more persistent than if they were mere fleeting outside attacks, but I can break the addiction. I can break the chains and the stronghold of the Enemy and bring freedom from doubt through faith. But you must call out to Me in desperation. You must above all things desire a deliverance from the doubts of the Enemy. You must above all things have a hunger for My Truth and want to be right with Me, and be willing to yield and obey and do My will. Then I will be able to remove from your eyes the blinders that have kept you from seeing My truth. I will be able to unstop your ears so that you can hear My Word. I will be able to remove the callus of unyieldedness and disobedience from your heart so that you will be able to receive My Word and My instruction.
47. Only through such desperation, which brings deliverance, will you be able to experience My healing and once again receive faith from My Word. For if you do not immediately resist the doubts of the Enemy and raise a standard against him, if you entertain his doubts until they become habits and part of your own thought processes, with time, what once looked to you as freedom, as liberation, as free thinking, as being your own person, will become bondage. The Enemy will wrap his chains around your heart and mind and spirit, and you will no longer be able to receive My Word and the truth therein, because you will have made the wrong choices in your thoughts for so long that now your thoughts will no longer be your own. You no longer have the free will to make a choice to think the truth or to think lies, for the Devil will have gained control. His attacks will have moved from the outside to the inside. When that happens, you no longer have power to receive faith from My Word.
48. Therefore you must break the bonds of the Enemy by crying out to Me desperately and calling on Me for deliverance. You must ask Me to do what you cannot do--to break the power of the Enemy in your heart and mind and spirit. By doing so, you will once again be free to receive strength and power from My Word. It will minister unto you faith. Then you must continue the long, hard struggle toward total healing by faithful, diligent, regular study of My Word. Then you must make daily choices to cleanse your mind with My Word, to rewire your mind with My Word, to strengthen your faith with My Word in all your battles against doubts, whether they be outside attacks or inside attacks.
49. Remind yourself continually that I am greater than the Devil, and that I will never fail you! I have delivered, I do deliver, and I will yet deliver all My children who call out to Me in desperation. I will break the bonds of the Evil One, and you shall find great freedom, forgiveness and restoration.
50. So do not fear, and do not be condemned, but reach out to Me by faith, knowing that I love you with an unconditional love, and it is not My desire that any of My children be lost to the attacks of the Enemy. I endured the attacks of the Evil One because I love you, and so that through My power you would have the power to overcome the Devourer. You are the overcomers, you are the victors if you look to Me in desperation. I will not fail you, for I love you with an everlasting love! (End of prophecy.)
51. {\b \i (Mama:)} If reading this explanation from the Lord has opened your eyes and you see that you've been off track, and you've even influenced others negatively or led others astray, don't despair. No matter how terrible you feel about your mistakes, no matter how embarrassed or ashamed you are of your bad sample, no matter how icky and dirty you feel inside, don't throw in the towel! Even if you're fighting condemnation and feel like a hopeless failure, don't give up. Even if you feel you're not worthy of the Lord's forgiveness, mercy and continued love, don't cast away your confidence! Don't let the Enemy condemn you, or steal away your power, which comes through faith. Remember what the Lord said in the beginning of this message--where there's life there's hope! There's hope for you, so hang on!
52. Jesus said: "No matter how weak or hopeless you feel, no matter how confused you are, no matter how jumbled your thoughts are --even if you're at the point that you cannot see what is right and what is wrong, what is doubt and what is truth, if you feel you cannot distinguish between My voice and the voice of the Enemy--if you feel so weak, so incapable, to the point that all seems hopeless and lost, do not despair nor give up hope nor faint in your minds. For I am able to bring the victory, to break the chains of the Enemy, to set you free and put you on a path to healing, to full recovery and restoration. If you will but call out to Me in desperation, I will bring deliverance from the lies and doubts of the Evil One."
53. Jesus can do it! Even if you don't know what's right anymore, or if you feel you've made a big mess of things, or if you're confused, bewildered, sick, frustrated, and completely disgusted with yourself--don't quit or give up the fight! The victory is there for you. Even if you feel backslidden, feebleminded, or like you're nearly insane, it's not too late!
54. The formula for victory is still the same, no matter how far off track you are or how weakened you are from having listened to the Enemy. You just have to recognize the dangers of the Devil's doubts, desperately call out to the Lord for deliverance, admit that you don't have the strength in yourself to overcome, and then grab ahold of the Word, drink it in deeply and faithfully, and use it to fight the Enemy for as long as it takes to defeat him.
55. If you want deliverance, if you want a lasting change, if you want to break out of the vicious, downhill negative cycle that the Enemy has you in, you're going to have to be willing to fight! The victory won't necessarily come easily or quickly, because it's like breaking an addiction. The longer you have listened to, accepted and believed the Enemy's lies, the more difficult it will be for you. When you entertain the Devil's doubts, with time it becomes a habit and part of your automatic thought process to think that way. When you make the wrong choices in your thoughts over a period of time, eventually your thoughts are not your own, and you lose your ability to choose whether you want to think the truth or lies. When that happens, the Enemy's attacks on your thoughts have gone from being outside attacks to being inside attacks. If that's the case with you, then you're in a very perilous position, because your repeated bad choices and resultant bad habits have caused you to lose the power to receive the truth of the Word.
56. But if you cry out to the Lord, He can break the chains of the Enemy, so you can once again receive strength and faith from the Word. This is what happened with David. As you may remember from reading "The Road to Commitment" (ML #3064, GN 692), David got to the point where he couldn't believe the Word any more. He couldn't receive it or be fed from it, until he called out to the Lord. But when he uttered the most desperate prayer he could muster up at the time, when he cried out to the Lord, which broke the stronghold of the Enemy, then he was able to read the Word and be fed, and the Lord began the healing process. The same thing happened with Solly. He cried out to the Lord for help, he whispered just a faint cry, and that is all it took for the Lord to begin to pull him out of his doubts! (See "Problems and Solutions!--Part 2!" ML #3070, GN 698).
57. Please, if you're battling with doubts, criticisms, or negative thoughts about the Word, your leadership or the Family, call out to the Lord! Reach out to Him desperately! Even if you feel your efforts are puny and weak and almost hopeless, He will hear your faintest cry, and He will immediately be by your side to help and deliver you!
58. But remember, even though your deliverance begins immediately when you cry out to the Lord, your recovery will take time. It's a healing process, which means it continues. It doesn't happen overnight. It's similar to an addiction in the physical--like being addicted to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. An addict doesn't just decide that he wants to kick the habit, so he checks into a rehabilitation center and then everything is all of a sudden cool from one day to the next. Addicts usually have to work for their healing. They have to undergo therapy. There are some unpleasant physical symptoms of withdrawal, and they need help, support and counseling. The same will be true of you if you're a "doubts addict." Even after you make the initial decision to be delivered, it will take time, effort, and some blood, sweat and tears! It's not easy! Remember, the Enemy won't be very eager to give up the territory he's gained, so you'll have to fight!
59. The Word is the key. Jesus used the Word to fight back, and so must we all! That's where the power is! Once the Lord has broken the stronghold of the Enemy in your life, then it's up to you to keep up the fight against his evil wiles by faithfully, diligently studying the Word every day! If you do your part, the Lord won't fail to do His part. Slowly but surely you'll regain your sense of right and wrong, you'll be able to recognize the difference between the still, small voice of the Lord and the Enemy's evil, subtle lies, and you'll have more power to resist the temptation to doubt.
60. Jesus loves you and is waiting to help and deliver you! Call out to Him today! Don't delay! The answer is there for you! Peace of mind, happiness, fruitfulness, unity with others, and a hunger for the Word is all right there for you. You just have to call out to the Lord, to want it desperately, and be willing to yield, fight, obey and do His will!
Spreading Doubts Will Not Be Tolerated!
61. I'd like to draw your attention to a portion of a prophecy that was included in part one of this series, which says: "When you ask a question over and over and over, and you refuse to receive and believe the answer given in My written Word, or My living Word, or the word of counsel and wisdom from your shepherds, then your question is no longer legitimate. It has lost its legitimacy, because you have not shown yourself open and hungry and full of faith to receive the answer."
62. In the Letter "Prophecies on Doubts," the Lord instructed us to be patient and exercise longsuffering with those who are truly seeking, because the answers, when accepted, will dispel their doubts. But we are to give no place to those who spread their questions with the intent to damage. The Lord said, "These must be challenged and confronted, for those doubts are insidious. They are as a disease that spreads from heart to heart, from spirit to spirit, for these are the workings of Satan." (See ML #3041:22,23, GN 670).
'63.' 'So the point to understand here is that it's fine to ask your questions--any question, in fact. And you deserve a good Word-based answer, not just a supposition, theory or lame answer. You are free to seek the counsel of others who will be able to help you discern the Lord's will and truth by studying the Word or seeking Him in prayer. In fact, you may feel the need to ask several people, until you feel the different aspects of your question have been answered, at least to the extent that even if you don't understand every detail, you can trust the Lord and take by faith those things that you can't fully grasp with your mind. You can also go back to the Word for further study and to the Lord again in prayer, if you feel it's needed. But after you receive a well-rounded Word-based answer, if you refuse that answer and you keep asking the same questions over and over, and spreading your doubts around, talking to the wrong people, sowing division and stumbling others, then that will not be tolerated! That is contravening the Charter, which outlines one of the excommunicable offenses as follows:
64. The continual voicing of doubts, criticisms or skepticism of Dad, Maria, the Word or the Family, in a destructive manner designed to foster strife and schism. Criticism or inquiries of a legitimate nature for the purpose of seeking clarification or counsel, or voicing an objection, may be made, either in person or in writing, to the appropriate over-shepherds, Home Officer or higher officers. Such criticisms are acceptable only if made for the purpose of seeking clarification or counsel, or voicing an objection.
65. It is understandable that from time to time we have questions or even doubts that we may need to have resolved by discussing them with someone. When such an occasion arises, you should feel free to openly and honestly share your heart with your shepherds so you can get the needed answers and prayer. Such matters are legitimate and need to be expressed, so it's perfectly acceptable to talk about your doubts or your criticisms with an appropriate shepherd when trying to get clarification or counsel, or express an objection to something that you're having a difficult time understanding or following. If you're doing it with the right attitude, and with the right people, those whose job it is to try to answer and help you resolve your questions, as well as shepherd you through these things and help you overcome any misconceptions, then there's nothing wrong with it.
66. However, if you are speaking to members who are not the appropriate shepherds, and if after having been warned against it, you continue airing matters which result in the spreading of doubts or bringing about contention or division, then this is unacceptable behavior and will warrant excommunication.
{\b \i }67.{\b \i }"If you JETTs and teens [EDITED: "and adults"] have questions and doubts or misunderstandings or misconceptions, please feel free to ask! And you will most likely be handled very gently, even repeatedly over a period of time--unless you start voicing your questions or problems to your peers and thus start to contaminate them and cause doubt, confusion, division and dissension within the ranks! This is where your shepherds would have to really draw the line fast and stop it. You see, there is a delicate balance in this, because murmuring and complaining is like 'sowing discord among brethren' (Proverbs 6:19), which is an abomination to God and can have very poisonous effects, and therefore cannot be tolerated. But on the other hand, when you have questions and doubts or even complaints, you need to voice them to your shepherds because they can help you overcome them" (ML #2715:11). (Offenses Warranting Excommunication, point H, pages 120 and 121).
68. Recently Dad gave the following advice to Peter and me when we asked the Lord how to handle someone who has been repeatedly voicing his doubts, in spite of having had an opportunity to get things off his heart and receive the answers he needed from his shepherds, the Lord and the Word:
69. {\b \i (Dad speaking:) }Doubters, doubts, skeptics, pessimists, negative criticism, analysts, negative thinkers and negative questions are very dangerous. They spread their poison, their pollution, their contamination, their negativity, their disunity, disharmony, disruption and destructive seeds to everyone and anyone. They're one of the Enemy's favorite tools to destroy the Lord's work and stop the Lord's mouthpiece and His Words.
70. He's been doing it for so long, Honey, as have some others, that it would be a real miracle of God if he could change and learn to recognize [EDITED: "the Enemy's voice"], because it's a deeply ingrained habit. He's been doing it for so long that he thinks it's right and he doesn't even recognize the lies of the Enemy. But to let any of these people continue to voice their doubts freely without anyone stopping them or raising up the standard or letting it be known that it is not approved of, not scriptural, and not Godly, is very dangerous to the Lord's work. I'm really sorry for this one because he has a kind heart, and he's a lovable man. I'm really sorry for him and his precious wife, but someone can be kind and sweet, and still be very used by the Enemy.
71. So, Honey, it needs to be presented to him and his wife as diplomatically as you possibly can, but at the same time we need to just tell him flat-out that he has to put a stop to verbalizing his doubts! He has to stop saying anything that would cause anyone else to complain or murmur or stumble. He has to stop saying anything that speaks against or criticizes you or me or the Word or the Family. That's a pretty tall order in his case, and I'd be surprised if he'd be willing to do it!
72. You have to be prepared to just give him the facts, according to the Charter and the Statement on TRF Supporters, which outline the guidelines that the DO and TS Family have to live by. The others who have been used to listening to his criticisms and negative attitude, and who have seen him feeling so free to shoot his mouth off in any way he wants to, to anybody he wants to, need to see that there is a standard to be kept; there is right and wrong, and there are rules of the Charter and the Statement on TRF Supporters that need to be upheld." (End of prophecy excerpt.)
'73.' {\b \i (Mama:)} Those who insist on spreading the Enemy's doubts, even after they've had a chance to receive the answers, counsel and help they need, will be disciplined according to the various options listed in the Charter. We cannot allow those who are resisting the truth to continue to pollute, weaken and stumble others!
More Insight on the Dangers of Doubts!
74. I want to share a message the Lord gave not too long ago when we prayed about a couple in the U.S. who had written to Peter and me, honestly sharing their views with us. They expressed very candidly the ways they feel the Family is failing, including commenting on such things as the lack of care for some of the single mothers; what they called the "bureaucracy" of the leadership structure in the Family; the lack of finances at the grassroots level and the poor physical state of some of the Homes; the bickering between Homes and the need for more practical counsel to give solutions for the needs and problems that the Homes are presently facing. They wrote how from their standpoint things are not getting better, but are getting worse.
75. Of course, their analysis of the situation was from their point of view, based on their experience of visiting a few Homes on their particular field, but nonetheless, we took their opinions seriously. Peter, Gary and I and the rest of our teamworkers read their letter and prayed about it. We also sent their letter to other CROs to see if they felt the problems this couple brought up were reflective of what was happening in their areas. We read and prayed about what the other CROs had to say in response, which, by the way, was considerably more positive than this couple's analysis.
76. The complaints this couple brought up were similar to those mentioned by others in the U.S. who had written around the same time and had shared concerns about the problems the Family is currently facing. These letters were of benefit to us, because as I said, we took them seriously and prayed about them and recognized that there was certainly merit to some of the suggestions put forth. We appreciate it when people are open with us and are willing to say what they feel, even if they think what they have to say will be unwelcome or received as bad news.
77. We don't mind facing "the good, the bad, and the ugly" when it comes to evaluating how the Family is progressing and what needs to be done to make it a happier place for each Family member. We recently made some changes in the mode of operation of the Family, some of which have already been implemented. Others will take more time, but are now in the works.
78. As I said in "Problems and Solutions! --Part 1!": "Some of the changes that we and others feel are needed, and which we hope to bring to pass as soon as possible, are: Reorganizing our pubs units and personnel, in order to place more emphasis on the production of GP tools and get out more Word for the training of our children; more up-to-date news getting to the Family quickly; more visitation from leadership and VSs; quicker response by the CRO offices to the questions and requests from their Homes; streamlining communications, clearance requests, and the procedures for TRF Supporters becoming DO members.
79. "Some of these changes had already been in the works for a while, such as Charter amendments, more streamlined procedures for clearances and TRF Supporters rejoining the DO Family, the appointment and training of VSs, and the establishment of a new WS unit to work exclusively on producing GP books and other GP publications, but such major changes take time. Other changes are much simpler and thus quicker, such as the production of the new pub, The Grapevine, to process news and information more rapidly and efficiently" (ML #3069:51,52).
80. Some of the above-mentioned changes are the direct result of letters we have received from the field, from those of you who cared enough to write in and share with us your views, burdens, concerns, etc. Thank you for opening your hearts and for being honest, even though I know it was not easy. I'm sure there will be more changes in the future, as the winds of change continue to blow!
81. Back to the letter we received from the couple in the U.S: When we prayed about the points they brought up, we also asked for instruction and encouragement for them personally, as the husband in particular was obviously very burdened and possibly even bitter about the problems he had either encountered personally or had heard about from others. Along with bringing up valid points that did need to be considered, his letter reflected a lack of faith and a rather skeptical, doubting, shallow way of analyzing the situations in question. While we appreciated his ideas, we were concerned for him personally, so we asked the Lord to help us see more clearly where he stood.
82. The Lord gave a very interesting message for him, which confirmed that he had spoken up out of sincerity and love for the sheep. Both he and his wife received commendation from the Lord for having been faithful, believing bellwethers and shepherds in the past. But the Lord also explained that they were not seeing the whole picture, and instructed them, saying:
83. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Do not let the Enemy into your lives. He is very sly, and he will use a little bit of truth to take you down the wrong path if you are not careful, if you are not close to Me and in My Word and praying desperately and trusting--not only trusting Me, but trusting My anointed and appointed leadership, your king and queen, your overseers. For they indeed have the care of all the church. They must bear the weight and the responsibility.
84. Do not let these things eat away at your heart, My son, and take away the love and the joy and the fulfillment and the happiness that I have given you in your service for Me. For this is My Family, and I will complete that which I have begun.
85. Your faith is what you must guard. You must not let the problems and the weaknesses and the faults of others get your heart and mind off the end of the road, off the goal, or take away your vision. For these doubts and the Devil's insidious lies will tear your heart to pieces if it is not protected by My Word and My Spirit. [DELETED]
86. It is good that you talk about the things you see that are wrong. But beware that these things do not eat away at your heart and your spirit and your faith. Take not these things upon your shoulders, but commit them unto Me in faith, and believe, and be assured that I will care for My Own and that I love My sheep, and that your king and queen love the sheep and are doing all they can as well to care for them. Your king has gone out on arduous journeys to care for the sheep. Your queen has sent her king and her knights and her strong soldiers out into the field to do battle for the sheep, and they are doing what they can.
87. Your prayers can do mighty things. Believe this and you will do well, for every sincere prayer is heard and answered. This you know, for you have learned it over many years.
88. So forget not these simple things. Lose not your first love, but call unto Me and I will help you and strengthen you. I will give you wisdom. I will give you faith and trust, and through that, insight into many things. Then you will be a blessing to others, not simply in painting their walls or fixing their toilets.* These are good things, but do not leave behind faith and courage and determination, for these are the greatest things that you can have and give to others. Give enthusiasm. (*Note: This brother had done some handyman work to help some of the nearby Homes.)
89. So be not deceived and let not these doubts enter into your heart. Stay simple and loving, and I will be unto you more than a light and better than a known way. Believe My Word, for it shall all come to pass. Believe and trust in your Family, for it is a safe fold. It is the true fold of David. It is a true fold of the Realm. You have chosen a good work and a good thing to give your lives to, so turn not back. Look not back. Listen not to the doubts of the Enemy, no matter where they come from, but listen to My Word. Listen to My still, small voice. Listen to your king and your queen. Follow hard after them, for they follow hard after Me. If you would pray as they pray, you will do a great work and you will accomplish much good.
90. Lift up your heads. Lift up your eyes unto Heaven, for your redemption draws nigh. Stay faithful, stay loyal, stay trusting. Keep on believing. And be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap, if you faint not.
91. Thank you for sharing your hearts. Your queen and your king are grateful. Now trust that they will do all that is humanly possible and within their power to do, to help these situations. (End of prophecy excerpts.)
92. {\b \i (Mama:) }After this brother received the above counsel, he continued doubting, criticizing and sharing his negative ideas with others, even with younger, weaker brethren. He had a mocking attitude toward the Word, spoke against Peter and me, and didn't want some of the GNs to be read in his Home. Since he was in a position of responsibility in an important Service Home, his actions were very divisive and counterproductive, to say the least. You see, to share your views with Peter and me, or your shepherds, no matter how negative they may be, is one thing. But after your ideas have been heard and considered by your shepherds, for you to continue to spread your criticisms, complaints, negative reactions and doubts with others, especially with those who are weaker, is wrong!
93. Of course, I'm talking here about your doubting, questioning and criticizing the New Wine or Family policy that is established by Peter and me and WS leadership, which is a lot different than you questioning a local Home policy which may not seem to you to be Word-based, and therefore is in need of questioning. If something is going wrong in your Home, it is your duty to bring it up to your shepherds. And if that same problem persists and is not rectified even after you've taken it to your shepherds, then if it's a serious matter you should take it higher and report it to your VS or CRO. So in a situation like that, if it's a serious problem or a violation of the Charter or the Word, you shouldn't just mention it once to your shepherds and then be quiet about it, but you should follow through until some action is taken.
94. But in this particular case, the brother involved continued to affect others negatively as he kept on voicing his doubts, complaints, and murmurs about the Word, the Family, and Peter and me, to others. In light of this, we felt led to again come before the Lord for this brother. Following are excerpts of the message we received:
95. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} He must determine in his heart to take a stand against the darkness and to shut the door. He must determine to take a stand for Me and for the truth, and allow Me and My Words to restore his health and to wash him clean of all darkness, doubts and lies. This will I do, and this can be done, if he will spend that time with Me in concentrated Word study, in sincere searching of My Words and of the Scriptures.
96. If he will faithfully and continually and diligently feed his soul and feed his spirit, even though he may not feel like eating, I will strengthen and I will restore his health. For just as you feed a child the food that you know he needs to restore his health, so must he feed his spirit. And though a child may not want to eat because of the sickness, and he wants to reject the food, you in faith cook it and nourish the child, one spoonful at a time, back to health.
97. So must he realize that he has desperate need of My Word, for it is the nourishment he needs to restore his spiritual health. He is now sick and injured and in ill health, because of the lies and deceits and doubts that the Enemy has pumped into him and he has fed upon, and now his spirit is sick. He must now take the stand to fight for his own survival. The solution is there and the answer is there in My Word; the cure is there. Within My Word is the pure medicine of My Spirit that will heal and restore his soul. He must now drink it in continually, hourly, daily, and set his eyes upon it and fight for his life. He must just believe by faith, though he feels he has only a tiny grain of faith. All he has to do is bring that before Me and I will honor it.
98. He is ill in the spirit. And just as one who is ill physically would need to be in intensive care--in a room on their own where they can get the care of the nurses and doctors and loved ones who will nurse them back to health, and cannot be around too much excitement or activity because of their ill health --so must he be alone with Me in the intensive care of My Spirit, alone and quiet with My Words, that they may nurse him back to health. He must not be around the pull outside of the room, the activities and excitement that draw his mind away from Me, for he is weak.
99. It is a decision that will be difficult for him. He may not see the need, because his mind has been clouded and confused by the lies of the Enemy. So this is where he must take the stand and proceed by faith. But as he takes one step for Me, I will more than repay. I will strengthen and help and guide. But he must stick with it and be determined. For this battle will be won with much determination and prayer.
100. As he enters into his closet, have those in the Home pray desperately and fervently for him. And continue in prayer for him, doing regular, daily prayer vigils. Fight for his soul and his spirit, that he be not drawn away in the darkness. Fight for his mind and his eyes and his ears of the spirit to be enlightened. Pray for him and fight for him that he will be truly broken in My sight, truly humble, that he may be truly delivered from the power of darkness. Pray for him and beseech Me on his behalf.
101. Fight [EDITED: "in prayer"] for your brethren. You who are strong and healthy must fight for your brethren who are sick and weakly. You must be as their intensive care [EDITED: "prayer"] nurses who wait on them hand and foot and care for their every need, because they are fighting for their lives. They cannot eat on their own or move on their own or do anything on their own. So you must petition Me for him with your prayers and bring him constantly before Me. Keep him in your prayers throughout the day and minister unto him with your prayers, that I may restore his health and that he may be delivered from the grasp of the Enemy's doubts.
102. But the decision to fight is his. The decision to take that step of faith is his, and the decision to come into the room of light alone with Me, with nothing there but My Word, is totally his. He must take that step of faith and make that decision of yieldedness. As he takes that step to be yielded and receptive and open to My Spirit and to allow My Word to cleanse his mind, as he takes that step to believe by faith, the miracle of health can begin. Great miracles will happen and great victories will be won. (End of excerpts of prophecy.)
103. {\b \i (Mama:)} The point of sharing the above prophecy is not to single out or highlight one person's problems. I'm not trying to embarrass anyone. I just want to use this example to emphasize how dangerous it is to listen to the doubts of the Enemy, and how urgent it is to turn to the Lord and His Word if you want to be strengthened! The main points to grasp from this message are:
1) Concentrated daily Word study is necessary to be cleansed of the Enemy's doubts.
2) When you're not doing well spiritually, you may not have a burden to go to the Word, just like a very sick child often doesn't want to eat. If you wish to be restored to full health, you have to determine to eat (read the Word), whether you feel like it or not.
3) It is up to you to take the stand to fight for your own survival. You personally must take that step of faith and make the decision to yield. No one can make that decision for you.
4) You who are strong and healthy must fight in prayer for your brethren who are battling. Your attitude shouldn't be critical, nor should you look down on anyone who is battling against doubts or any other serious attacks of the Enemy. You have an important responsibility to intercede and help them through your prayers!
5) If someone is very sick, due to entertaining the Enemy's doubts, he won't be healed from one moment to the next. It takes time, determination, and a period of convalescence.
104. As this prophecy and the ones earlier in this series explain, it may take a while for you to recover completely from a serious, long-term battle with doubts. You may not get an instant victory, and that's okay. Don't worry if your progress seems slow. The victory will come, as long as you're doing your part to go to the Lord and the Word, and you're fighting the Enemy with the Lord's strength! You don't need to fear that you're in danger of losing your DO (or TRF Supporter) status because of your battles with doubts, as long as you are doing your best to fight the temptation to doubt, and you're not fostering division or spreading doubts with the intent to weaken others and broadcast the Enemy's evil propaganda.
105. After battling doubts, but then receiving good, Word-based, complete answers to your questions, you may still go through a period of recovery, during which you'll need to get strengthened from the Word. That is acceptable. But when someone refuses to accept the truth and continues to be used as a voice of the Enemy, deliberately spreading doubts and division to others, then that won't be tolerated. Such cases will be disciplined according to the options available under the Charter and the Statement on TRF Supporters.
Explanation About "Intensive Care"
106. I asked the Lord if He would like to explain further about what He meant by the term "intensive care" in the above message. The picture is of someone who is very sick, who is having a time of recovery away from the action and busyness of the Home. He seems to be almost helpless, with people waiting on him and caring for his every need. In our Homes, especially small Homes, it seems it would be quite difficult for someone to be in this type of "intensive care" situation, at least for an extended amount of time, because every Home member's contribution is vital to the running of the Home. I asked the Lord how someone in a very busy Home could be in "intensive care" if they weren't able to stop everything to get away from the action and spend lots of extra concentrated time in the Word.
107. The Lord explained that this word picture is not meant as a physical illustration, but a spiritual one, which shows how you should care for someone who is battling with serious doubts or any other intense spiritual battle. When someone is experiencing intense battles and attacks of the Enemy, your care for them should be equally as intense--thus the term "intensive care." But the care you give is not intended to be so much in the physical. The idea is not to be waiting on the person hand and foot, while they lie around getting in the Word all day. Instead, you should care for them spiritually, through prayer and by fighting for them in spirit. The intensive care nurses are to be prayer nurses.
108. This illustration is also intended to help those of you who are battling with doubts and other attacks of the Enemy to grasp the seriousness of these attacks, and to understand what a dangerous position you're in. I think it's accurate to say that any of us would be very concerned about someone's physical health if they were in the hospital in intensive care. We would view that as a very desperate situation, worthy of much fervent prayer. That's why the Lord used this illustration--to help those of you who are "sick" spiritually, due to heavy battles with doubts, to realize that you're in a very serious condition and you need help! You are weak in the spirit and your life for the Lord is in jeopardy, just like those hospital patients who are in the ICU (intensive care unit) are weak or dying physically; and you will grow weaker and sicker still if you don't spend the time with the Lord and in the Word that you need.
109. Of course, the big question that comes to mind is how can you spend this time with the Lord and the Word? Where do you find time for it when you can hardly manage to take care of your regular responsibilities and the unexpected changes, problems or emergencies that come up each day? I asked the Lord this very question and He gave the following answer:
110. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Perhaps instead of watching a movie, or going on an outing, or spending extra time fellowshipping with others, those who are battling may need to make the decision to channel as much time as they can to spend with Me and in My Word, and allow it to strengthen them, wash them, and heal them. But this is a personal decision for the individual to make.
111. I do not mean that the Home members must feel that they must give the person that time, or that they owe the person extra time off from the schedule in every situation or in every case. It depends on each situation and the person's choices and the seriousness of the battle.
112. Of course, when it is feasible for someone who is fighting for victory to have extra Word time, and when it can be worked out with the Home members as a united decision, then of course this is very good and will bear much fruit. But it does not mean and is not intended to mean that anyone who experiences battles with doubts or any other attacks of the Enemy can now feel free to demand time off from the Home schedule. And neither should the Home members feel that they are obligated to do so. Each situation must be prayerfully weighed and brought before Me, and I will lead and guide and show what will work best. My counsel and direction must be sought for each person.
113. Much depends on the intensity of the battles as to the solutions. Those who are experiencing constant, intense doubts over a long period of time will need to fight harder to turn the tide of battle and replace the doubts with the truth. Their battle may be harder, and they may need more help.
114. But those who experience doubts and seek help immediately, availing themselves of My Word and the prayer that they need, will find the help that they need more quickly. As they do this on a regular basis, their fight will not be as intense. (End of excerpt of prophecy.)
115. The Lord made it clear that the particular kind of "intensive care" situation that you work out in your Home to help someone overcome battles with doubts must be established through prayer and counsel. In many cases, due to circumstances, a person who is battling with doubts won't have the opportunity to have much extra time off. In that case, it's up to the individual to choose to make the sacrifices involved to find the time he or she needs to soak in the Word.
116. The Lord indicates above that if you know you desperately need a megadose of the Word, then the only solution may be to forgo some of your normal recreational activities or extra fellowship times for a while, and instead spend that time with Him. This will require some pretty hefty self-discipline, of course. But the Lord can give you the grace and determination, if you ask Him. (When I talk about forgoing "extra fellowship times," I don't necessarily mean united Home activities such as fellowships or birthday parties or dances, etc., but more so those minutes or hours that are spent chit-chatting or goofing around with others.)
117. If you're trying to find more time for the Word, along with possibly skipping movies, outings or extra fellowship times for a while, you can also re-evaluate your to-do list and see if there are things you had planned to do that can wait, that aren't that urgent. For example, maybe you can postpone doing a major overhaul on the garage or revamping the lit closet and Home library or reorganizing your computer, especially if you've been procrastinating on it for a while anyway. It can probably wait a little longer. Also, when you're having big spiritual battles, it would not be the best time to take on a time-consuming free-time project, like landscaping the yard or sewing new costumes for the kids' singing team, if these things aren't needed right away.
118. I understand that sometimes when you're battling spiritually, it's somewhat of a relief to sink your teeth into some creative physical project. It's sort of like work therapy, as you feel you can just forget your problems during that time. But while this may bring temporary relaxation, it won't supply you with the long-term solution you need. So I recommend that instead, you spend that time with the Lord, in the Word and prayer. (By the way, I hope all of you other Home members will show support and respect when someone makes these sacrifices in order to get the Word time they need.)
119. Of course, as the Lord brought out in the above message, if your Home can afford to give you some extra time off from your regular duties so you can spend more time with the Lord, that's great! But the Lord also cautions you that even if your Home unitedly agrees to provide the means within the schedule for you to have extra time in the Word, if you're not yielding or desperate with the Lord, if you're not sucking in the Spirit for the help and answers and strength you need, it won't bear the good fruit or have the good results that are possible. So, the onus is on you to not only make the time you need with the Lord but also to use that time to the full and really make a connection with the Lord and find the faith, strength and healing touch that you need. Also consider that the rest of the Home, in giving you extra time for the Word, is making a sacrifice, as others are having to carry more of the load during that time. So you should show your appreciation, and not only make the best use of that time for your sake, but for their sakes too.
120. One last point on the above prophecy. This is a little off the subject, but I want to mention it anyway because this is something Francis brought up when reading this GN. He said, "'Intensive Care' was a term that was used in the past for problem people or teens who needed extra attention, and it strikes a negative response in my mind. It may do the same for other people who lived in big Combos." He suggested I just delete that term and other references to the intensive care word picture. (Note: There was not as much explanation given on this point at the time that Francis was commenting on this prophecy, which is probably why he had that reaction.) But I'm extremely cautious and hesitant about making any changes or deletions in prophecies without first asking the Lord. Usually, as in this case, the Lord has a very good reason why He chooses particular words or word pictures. So more often than not, He indicates that He wants the message left as is, but with an explanation given. There are times when He indicates that it's okay with Him to change a word or words to something that would be more easily understood, and in such cases, if we ask Him, He often suggests an alternative wording. In the case of the term "intensive care," as the Lord suggested, instead of deleting it or changing it, we asked the Lord what He meant by that term, and then I added the above paragraphs explaining what He had told us about the significance of that word picture and how it is intended to be a spiritual illustration, not a physical one.
121. The Lord clarified that His use of this illustration has nothing at all to do with the past. This message was given in answer to a specific prayer request for a present-day situation. It was given for one individual, but has a much broader application and is helpful counsel concerning the battles that many are facing today. So if any of you have a problem with this, please try to disassociate this word picture from any past experiences, teen training programs, or Victor programs. Ask the Lord to help you forget the past!
122. Jesus said: "I could have chosen the illustration of a soldier fighting in battle and having incurred wounds. He would need to be carried away from the front lines on a stretcher to a place where he could rest and where his wounds could be tended to by the medical officer. The point is, when you're in the midst of a serious, intense, critical, life-and-death battle, you will need help and support and the prayers of your brethren." The Lord wanted to make a point about the need for the Word and prayer when you're battling today's intense spiritual battles, and He chose the word picture of intensive care to make it easier for you to understand this.
123. I'd like to ask you to please try not to be bound or sensitive when you read the Lord's New Wine. His new Heavenly counsel is fresh for today! He said: "You have to allow yourself to drink the fresh New Wine of My Spirit for today. For this is a new day, and you can benefit greatly and make the changes and learn the lessons and bear the fruit and win the blessing by drinking in the spirit that I am pouring out for today. What I say for today must be received in the newness of spirit which is meant for today."
124. My dear Family, please avail yourselves of the power and strength that is yours for the taking through these Words. If you'll just reach out to Jesus through desperate prayer, take hold of His promises by believing they're for you, and fight with everything that's within you, the victory is there for you! No matter how bad you feel, no matter how far away you have strayed, Jesus can heal and deliver you! Peter and I and your CROs, VSs and shepherds love you and want to help you. Your Family loves you and wants to help you! But won't you please take the first step to help yourself by believing and receiving these marvelous Words from the One Who loves you and wants to help you more than anyone--Jesus! He's your faithful, caring Husband and Shepherd, and He'll never turn you away or let you down. We're praying for you! God bless and strengthen each of you.
Love, Mama
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
