PRAYER FOR THE MARTYRS!  DFO 2815         7/92
--After Watching Video Clips of Media Persecution!

         1. Lord, You said that "all things work together for good to them that love You!" We know that You don't let anything happen unless it's Your will and for some purpose. These terrible attacks on us have certainly resulted in a very great victory out of a seeming defeat, by the publishing of the truth and Thy news and Thy message, and by showing how our happy children and grown teenagers have turned out to be the proof of the message and the method! Thank You Lord!
         2. Thank You for these precious Family members who have been made stronger by standing up and fighting the Enemy! Thank You, Lord, that our young people are so strong and have shown their happiness and their joy! While System teenagers are committing horrible crimes and are on drugs and are just a mess, ours are beautiful, happy and content and are real fighters for the truth and preachers of the Gospel! TYJ! TYL!
         3. Thank You for this tremendous testimony! It's been a terrible test, Lord, but it has resulted in great testimony! It's been a real rough trial, but it's resulted in genuine triumph in the end! Thank You Lord! We don't win victories without battles, so we thank You for even the battles that have resulted in such a victory and such a testimony, such a triumph over all the forces of the Enemy and all the fiery darts of the Devil that he's tried to let loose against us! We know we're right, Lord! We know it's Thy Word, and we're trying to do our best to follow Thee, and to teach all these people--Thy children, and their children, and even their grandchildren now--what is right.
         4. Lord, I know I haven't always done the wisest thing and sometimes I've made mistakes, but You know that like David of old, my heart was in the right place and I was trying to do the right thing. I have tried to teach them the right things, Lord, to help them to follow Thee and Thy Word and Thy truth, and it has resulted in a wonderful Family worldwide who have led millions of souls to Thee!--Souls that are now saved and in Thy Kingdom and whom we'll meet in Heaven! Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord! Help me to have the strength to endure these trials and tests and the things that we're going through. I know that You've let me live this long, Lord, and You could've let me go or wiped the Family out long ago if it hadn't been of Thee.
         5. I know that this work is of Thee, Lord, and Thy doing, not just mine, or it would have been long gone. But instead You've let me live to a ripe old age and kept my precious children around the world faithful and loyal and have increased them in numbers and in goods and in blessing and in prosperity and the supplying of every need and protection, and rewarded them with millions and millions of souls! We've passed out billions of pages of Gospel literature, Thy message that has been a blessing to the lost! We have millions of recorded Salvations, Lord, but You know that our effect and our message and influence have gone far beyond what we know about, and we'll meet countless thousands in Heaven one of these days because of the good work Thy children are doing, in spite of everything that the Enemy accuses us of.
         6. We thank Thee, Lord, for the truth, that it's shining through, and the people are getting the message and seeing the proof of the genuine tasting of the pudding by meeting our young people and their parents and seeing that they're not like our enemies have said in their lies about us. Thank You Jesus!
         7. Lord, You know I'm certainly not perfect and I have undoubtedly made lots of mistakes, but You know that my heart is in the right place. Even after King David's serious mistakes, You said he was a man after Your Own heart (Acts 13:22) and You blessed him and allowed him to live to a ripe old age and to be the leader of Thy people for many years, as You have me. Thank You Lord! It's a miracle I'm still alive, Lord! If I were evil, my tree would have had evil fruit (Mat.7:18). But obviously it's had very good fruit and there are many thousands of Thy children, Thy Family, serving Thee full-time around the world in many countries, winning millions more souls, whom we'll see in Heaven before long!
         8. So Lord, the good that we have done certainly far outweighs any mistakes that we have made. Anything which we have been unwise or foolish in, Lord, forgive us. If my resignation or my death would do the situation any good, You could just wipe me out at a moment's notice. I was almost gone a few times already, but You saved me and healed me and You've miraculously helped me to live on in spite of my afflictions, and I'm still here long after I expected to be. So if I were as evil as they say and have done so much evil, Lord, then surely I wouldn't have had such good fruit. Our message may be considered peculiar, radical and revolutionary, but it has done so much good and has helped millions of people! It's the truth and it's borne wonderful fruit in the lives of those who have received it!
         9. It's a real ordeal for me to have to go through these sufferings that Thy children are going through; it hurts me and I suffer with them. It was hard for me to see this video tonight and to see what they're having to suffer and what they're having to go through because of the lies of Thy enemies!--And because of some of our literature that was only written to our Family members to teach them about Your love and the freedom of Your Spirit. It was never intended for distribution to the general public, but was just advice to the Family. But the Devil has taken it and twisted it and misused it. Our enemies have put their lies to it and their perverted interpretations, contorting and twisting the truth.
         10. It's difficult to see this, Lord, and how Thy children are having to suffer, perhaps because of our being so open and so frank and so honest in our writings, which the world has taken and contorted and twisted and misinterpreted and lied about. But in spite of it all, Lord, You're getting tremendous victories!
         11. If we hadn't been controversial, if we hadn't been a sexy group, we wouldn't have made news!--And we admit to that, Lord, that we are sexy, and we're not ashamed to be sexy because You're sexy or You wouldn't have made sex! We're open and frank about it and thankful for it, and we enjoy it because You made it for us to enjoy. But, Lord, You know we're not guilty of any of the ridiculous lies our enemies accuse us of! We're not ashamed of being called a sexy cult, and we know You have apparently allowed that, Lord, to give us notoriety and publicity that would bring out the real message. You've allowed us to be very controversial, otherwise the news would never have taken any notice of us.
         12. So, Lord, You've allowed us to be the way we are so the world would take an interest, even in the things about us that are controversial and which our enemies claim are evil, and which the churches even fight us for. But we thank You, Lord, that You've protected us and kept us all these years in spite of it all. You've kept me going, Lord, in spite of our enemies. Thank You Jesus!
         13. It was hard to have to go through this with them, Lord, because as I see them having to suffer, I suffer. But, Lord, You've kept me alive this long and You can keep me alive as long as You need me or want me, or they need me and want me. If it would do the Family any good, I'd be happy to get out of the way, but it doesn't seem that is Thy will or plan. Some seem to think they still need me and they still love me and follow the teachings that You've given in Thy Word for all these many years. The Family's grown and lived and prospered and multiplied, and they've done tremendous mighty miracles in Thy Name, resulting in the salvation of multitudes of souls and all the rest!
         14. Lord, it's all in Your hands and it's up to You. It's Your business, so You take care of it, and we know You are. Bless and strengthen all those people who are having to go through these trials and suffer these persecutions. Give them Thy supernatural strength, protection and inspiration, the real joy that we've seen in these pictures tonight! In spite of all of the terrible trial and ordeal and persecution they've had to go through, it's so wonderful how they've stood up to it and have come out shining and victorious!
         15. This persecution is Your doing, Lord. You allowed it, so that we could be more publicized and our Homes and children could be examined and the world could see that we live in happy Homes and have happy children, and that our teenagers are not criminals and drug addicts like so many in the System are, but that they are shining lights and happy to be Thy children, preaching Thy love and Thy Gospel! Thank You Lord that You've made all this such a wonderful testimony, in Jesus' name!
         16. Now we put it all in Your hands, Lord! Take care of them and take care of us, as You've taken care of Thy work and made us an influence on the world. We know that we're not of the world, as You've said, for if we were of the world, the world would love its own.--But because we are not of them, therefore they hate us, and some even think they are doing You a service by persecuting us! (Jn.15:19; 16:2-3). You said the time would come when they would kill us thinking that they do You service, as they did to others in the Middle Ages and throughout history! Thy children have suffered horrible persecution and martyrdom throughout history, and here we're seeing it repeated again.
         17. So far we haven't suffered that much physically, Lord, and we thank Thee for that, but the time may come when we will. But we do ask Thee that Thou wouldst give us the grace and strength for that time when it comes. We may not have it now, Lord, but we know that if it has to happen, You will give us the power for the hour. You've even shown us in dreams that we don't have to fear, but that You'll give us the victory and the grace to endure when the time comes. (See ML #1775, "Dying Grace!") Thank You Jesus! Do encourage them, Lord, and strengthen them and help them to remain faithful and loyal.
         18. Thank You, Lord, that most of the Family have remained faithful and loyal. There are only a few weak, horrible backsliders, who have slipped mentally and spiritually and gone so far back they were even able to be used of our enemies! Lord, have mercy on them as long as there's any hope for them to turn to You again. We ask that You'll yet have mercy on those who are really truly saved.--But, Lord, stop their lying mouths!
         19. We ask You to rebuke them, Lord, and curse them--this 10:36 enemy, Dr. Richard of ADFI, plus some of these backsliders who have turned against us, Lord, and are now using the very tongues that used to glorify You and preach Thy Gospel and witness and win souls, to be a testimony against Thee and Thy children and Thy work!
         20. Lord, unless in this case You're letting them talk and letting them bring up controversy in order to stir up curiosity and interest and publicity for what is right and the people who are right and the right side, unless You still have more purpose in it, we ask Thee, if it be Thy will, to relieve us of this hard trial that Thy children are going through. Curse those who are fighting us, especially the evil and the wicked that are the Devil's own people! Their time is always ready, unless You have some use for them, like You even use the Devil.
         21. So we do ask Thee, Lord, to have mercy and relieve us of what You can. Yet if there are things we must go through in order to preach Thy Gospel and Thy message and to learn to stand strong and to fight and to go on the attack with the truth, then help us to be strong and to have the strength to do so.
         22. In Jesus' name, we ask Thee to bless and help all of these we have seen suffering tonight, which has made me to suffer with them and to endure with them. TYL! Give me the strength, Lord, to go through this, and particularly give them the strength who are on the battlefront battling the Enemy, as we have seen them do tonight in this video. You've been so merciful and so good to me by protecting me from having to confront the Enemy face to face any longer at my age, and also our loved ones here, Lord, who minister to me and who take care of me in my old age. Thank You, Lord, that You have made things easy for me in these Last Days. In spite of my afflictions, Lord, You have protected me and kept me and prospered me and given me the desires of my heart, because I delight myself in Thee (Psa.37:4). Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord!
         23. So I ask Thee to turn it all to Thy glory! Cause the wrath of man to praise Thee, Lord! (Psa.76:10). And help me to be able to stand strong and to survive, Lord, as long as You need me and want me to, in spite of these trials and testings and sufferings and ordeals. Bless all these whom we've seen fighting the battle right at the battlefront! I feel as if I've been there with them and am feeling it with them. I know what a stress and strain it is, as it used to be for me when I was at the battlefront and I was fighting personally. Thank You Lord that You have relieved me from that strain and stress and the terrible ordeals that I used to go through spiritually, physically and mentally when I was leading the warriors at the battlefront. Thank You, Lord, that they're now able to carry on without me. Even if You should take me, Lord, I'm sure they would carry on, because You're the One Who's leading.
         24. This work is of Thee, Lord! If it were of man it would have come to nought long ago, but because it's of Thee, Lord, they must beware lest they be found to fight against Thee! And because it is of Thee, Lord, no man will be able to stand against it (Acts 5:38,39). So bless and keep all Thy children. Thank You Lord! Bless and continue to keep us all safely and strengthen us and give us a good night's rest.
         25. It's like I've been taken to the battlefront tonight, Lord, and had to fight the battle myself in them, and I suffered as they have suffered. Now bring me back and strengthen me and help me to recover and survive, if it be Thy will, in Jesus' name. I understand now, Lord, why King David's men had him removed from the battlefront in his old age (2Sam.21:17). He just couldn't take it any more. I guess I'm getting a little too old and too weak to take this sort of thing, and it's even hard for me to witness it.
         26. Bless these, Lord, who have to bear the burdens and toils, like Mama, who have become so deeply involved in all of this. Help them to cast their burdens on You, Lord, and to just trust You and not worry. We thank You that Mama's been such a blessing and help to them and has given such wise counsel in all this. She and her helpers have been a real blessing and encouragement to these who are suffering real martyrdom! They have helped prepare the ammunition for salvos (rounds of artillery) at the Enemy! May they help prepare and inspire them and encourage them and guide them and lead them. Thank You Jesus!
         27. We have trained Thy Family for years now, and these who are fighting the battles in Japan and Australia, in England and in Argentina and all these places have years of training and Thy Word, Lord, and now they are grown and have become strong warriors, mighty men and women of Thee, able to carry on, with us in the background!
         28. Thank You, Lord, that You have made our children, the sheep of Thy pasture, able to pretty much take care of themselves. They wander about, but they seek wisely the best green grass and shade in the heat of the day, and water when they need it. We don't have to be out there caring for them in every move they make. We just provide what they need, Lord, and what they can't do for themselves, You do it.
         29. If it be Thy will, strengthen me and my heart now so that I can last a little longer in order to do what I can, in Jesus' name, amen. Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus!

News Watching!

         30. That video really strikes home--I was there, I was going through it with them! Watching the world news doesn't affect me nearly as much, in spite of the fact that nearly all the news is bad news, because I'm not involved, it's not part of me. We know where history's going and we know it's going to get worse, so we just have to make the best of it.--And besides, it doesn't personally involve me or the Family. Of course, it's not always very cheerful, and I think I suffer the most when watching the suffering of those poor people in East Europe and Yugoslavia, the Croats and Bosnians and those poor little children!
         31. I can hardly stand to watch the films of the little children suffering, blown up and dismembered by bombs hurled by the cruel Serbs!--Or people starving to death in Africa, I can hardly stand to watch that kind of thing, it really affects me! That sort of thing is the only part of the news that bothers me. That kind of stuff just makes me angry and disgusted, but I have to see it to know what's happening. It's not as bad as having to go through the sufferings of our own martyrs! God bless and keep you all! We're with you all in spirit and prayer! Keep going for Jesus!--In Jesus' name, amen!


Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family