—Never Give Up!DO 24356/88

1. Do bless & strengthen Techi & heal her, Lord. Give her a good day tomorrow if possible. … And no matter what happens, Lord, if she coughs or if there's anything the Devil uses to try to discourage her, Lord, don't let her give up! Help her just to remember that a real soldier, even if he loses the battle, tries again! If he gets knocked down, he doesn't just lie there, he gets up & fights again! So no matter what happens tomorrow, Lord, that doesn't mean the end of her trying to be a blessing & helping others. It might be just a test, Lord.

2. So don't let her get discouraged when things don't work out just perfectly, because, Lord, You've sometimes let a lot of things happen that we don't understand, but they're to test us & try us so that we come through the fire as pure gold.—To try our patience, to try our trust in Thee!—1Pet.1:7; Job 23:10. Some people, when you don't do things just the way they want them, Lord, they get impatient, they get bitter against You & angry because You didn't do just exactly what they wanted You to do. But Lord‚ help her to trust Thee no matter what happens, to love You & know that it's for the best, whatever happens! Even if she couldn't stop coughing, Lord, we know that You're testing her & trying her to show that she's fighting & trying not to give up!

3. So Lord help her to learn a good lesson whatever happens, to be thankful if the day goes smoothly & nothing bad happens, but still be thankful, Lord, even if the day doesn't go smoothly, to know that You still love her. You may be trying to give her more patience & test her to make her stronger to fight again, Lord. Even if she falls‚ she'll pick herself up & fight again, Jesus!

4. This cough has hung on so long, Lord, it's difficult to get over, just like mine did, Lord, for so long. I began to think I had TB & was never going to get over it‚ & it seemed like after I had that terrible attack at that hotel, I had terrible congestion in my lungs & they gurgled for months, & I nearly gave up, Lord! I got so discouraged & I thought, "I guess I've got TB & I'm just going to die!" Or "I'm going to die of this cough!" I used to go to sleep coughing & wake up coughing. But Lord, I've tried not to give up, I've just kept on going no matter what, cough or no cough, & thank You Lord‚ You finally healed me!

5. You really put me through the mill, You really put me through the test, You really put me through what has been months & months & almost years of testing‚ Lord, a couple of years that I have gone through that. But now, thank You Lord‚ You've really healed me & I don't have that trouble any more. I still cough once in awhile, but I don't have that awful cough I used to have that always woke me up every time I went to sleep & at night & in the middle of the night, it hung on for so long, Lord!

6. But I never gave up‚ Lord! I almost gave up, but I didn't, I kept fighting. Mama encouraged me to trust You, that You were going to heal it someday, & You did! And we certainly hope that Techi's cough doesn't hang on that long, Lord. I've often thought that maybe, Lord‚ she got it from me, whatever that was I had.

7. But whatever, Lord, "all things work together for good to them that love Thee & are called according to Thy purpose!"—Rom.8:28. Help us never to forget that, Lord! Sometimes I wonder why You let things happen, this or that or something else, Lord, "How come, Lord?" I got so angry the other day, Lord, I told You if You didn't heal Mama I was going to quit, I was going to go on strike & not do any more of Your work until You healed her! Well, at least I got desperate, Lord, & I prayed hard & You knew I really meant it, & though You didn't heal her right away as soon as I wanted You to, You did heal her within about a week or so.

8. So Lord, You sometimes wait until we really really get desperate! "In the day that you call upon me with a whole heart I will answer thee!" "No man stirreth himself to call upon Me!"—Jer.29:13; Isa.64:7. Lord, sometimes we need to get really desperate with You & really cry out to You with strong crying & tears & ask You to deliver us, which I did sometimes, Lord. But it took a long time, You tried my patience for many many months before You finally delivered me, TYJ! And now I believe‚ Lord, that I'm even stronger & healthier & better than ever!—When I thought maybe some day that cough was going to kill me‚ some day I might just die of it. But I didn't, Lord! TYJ! I'm all well now, I don't have it any more. I have coughs once in awhile‚ but not that bad one & that gurgling congestion in my lungs.

9. Thank You Jesus You've healed me completely now, I thank You, Jesus, for it, although I had to wait a long time, many months. Lord‚ we really hope & pray & beg You, Lord, that this cough that she has doesn't hang on as long as mine did & keep waking her up in the night. Jesus, do deliver her, Lord, have mercy on this little child who just wants to serve You & help others! Have mercy on her, Lord! Rebuke the Devil in Jesus' name! Deliver her, Lord! Don't let him keep tempting her & testing her & trying her & trying to discourage her for so long, Lord!

10. You promised, & we're going to claim that promise right now, Lord, together, that You'll not allow her to be tested above what she's able to bear, but with every temptation make a way of escape!—1Cor.10:13. In Jesus' name we claim it! He's not going to let you be tested above what you're able to bear, amen? But no matter how He tests you, no matter how He lets the Devil test you, you're going to be able to bear it, amen? Whatever happens, He's going to give you the strength to bear it & help you to trust Him & love Him!

11. As Job said‚ "Though He slay me‚ yet will I trust Him!"—Job 13:15. And when he finally said that, the Lord knew that no matter what happened, even if He killed him, Job wasn't going to stop loving & trusting the Lord. And right away He healed him! … "Lord, I'll love You even if I never get rid of this cough!" That's what I came to. I finally just had to tell the Lord, "Well, Lord, though You slay me, if I die of this, I still love & trust You!" But I finally got really desperate, Mama knows, & the Lord finally healed me. PTL! Thank the Lord!

12. And although you & Mama caught all these terrible colds‚ & I was sleeping right with you & living with you, & the boys had it & everything else, the Lord gave David & I the strength that we never got it! So that shows the Lord really healed me, He gave me real strength!

13. … I want to hear you say the one about testing & trying‚ "The trying of my faith is more precious than gold." (Techi: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise & honour & glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.")—1Pet.1:7. See, you really know these verses, the Lord is getting you to live up to them now! (Techi: I said, "till the appearing of Jesus Christ," even if I have the cough till Jesus comes back!) And what about the one‚ "He'll not suffer me..." (Techi: "The Lord will not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that I may be able to bear it.")—1Cor.10:13. Praise God!

14. Do you believe that? No matter what happens you're going to trust the Lord! Amen? Even if you were unable to be with others because of your coughing, would you still trust the Lord? (Techi: Yes.) Would you still thank the Lord? (Techi: Yes.) Would you still love the Lord? (Techi: Yes!)

15. (Techi: I need to pray for your tooth!) Don't pray for my tooth, pray for me! I want to get rid of that rascal! That tooth is the rascal that's giving me all the trouble! I want to get rid of him & he's going to be yanked out! He's my thorn in the flesh! But you could pray for me, OK? Put your hand on that spot.

16. (Techi: Amen‚ Lord, please help Grandpa & please help him not to have any bad after-effects, Lord. Really rebuke the Devil from bothering him with this tooth, Lord. We pray that it would go really easy‚ Lord, that he would have a really sweet nice dentist, Lord, that's really super helpful & does it just the way that Grandpa would like it to be done, & really gentle, Lord, & we pray that he would be someone real sweet. Please help it not to hurt at all, help him afterwards to just get a good sleep, Lord‚ & to be rested, Jesus, & not to have any problem at all like he did the last few times. We really rebuke the Devil. Help Grandpa to be completely free of pain, Lord, in any way‚ & just really help him & strengthen him!) (—And He did!)

17. Amen, do it quickly, Lord‚ so it doesn't hurt like it did last time. I was sick for two weeks last time, Lord. But if not, Lord, I'll still trust You! Even if it kills me, Lord, I'll still trust You, in Jesus' name! PYL! TYL!

DAD'S "70 YEARS"!

18. The Devil's been telling me, "Yeah, but what if you die now, wouldn't that be a terrible defeat? Wouldn't the children be disappointed? Wouldn't that prove you're a false prophet, you didn't live to be 70 after all!"

19. I was thinking, "That would be a terrible thing if I didn't live as long as I thought You meant You were going to let me live. Of course, I could have misinterpreted prophecy, that's an easy thing to do." And the funniest thing came to me, which was also comforting, & that was, I got to thinking, even before I was born I existed, the Lord knows I was in my Mother's womb 9 months before I got born. So, I have actually existed, I have lived one month past 70 years!

20. Right now, counting from my birthday, I'm supposedly 69 years & 4 months.—At least by the 18th of this month it will be 4 months. Well, if you add 9 more months to that, it's nearly a month over 70! (Maria: Techi's been hanging on to the fact that you're not 70 yet, Grandpa. She said she's going to stay up all night the night you're 70! Well look‚ he passed the 70 mark already, & you don't even have to worry!) The Lord never let me think about that or even figure that out until I was well past the 70 mark. So I'm already past the 70 mark!

21. (Techi: But actually 70 years old from the time you got into the oxygen.) No, the Lord didn't put any condition on it at all. My question to the Lord was, "How long am I going to live, Lord?" That was on my heart & mind because it didn't look like I was going to live very long at all then, in the early days of the Family at TSC. I was really going through it then with all the enemies we had & everything else, it looked like I wouldn't survive. (David: And another comforting thing is how you said in "What If" that you can still be 70 up until the last day when you turn 71.)—Yes!

22. So I was asking the Lord, "How long will I live?" I didn't say since the time I was born. I've been alive ever since I was conceived in my Mother's womb, right? I have lived! Wasn't I alive in my Mother's womb? (Techi: Not when you were a seed.) Of course I was! Even when I was a seed I was alive! Well, from the time she conceived & the little seed entered the egg, that was conception, & I was alive! That was the beginning of me! (Techi: So each little seed is a baby?) No, not until it gets to the egg. It's not a baby all by itself. The seed has to be planted in the egg to start a baby, so the baby is not alive until he is conceived in his mother's egg.

23. There are millions of sperm ejaculated every time a man has an erection & an ejaculation, but the baby is not in existence until one of those sperms enters the mother's egg & she has conceived. Conception is when the baby begins, when the mother gets pregnant. The baby does not begin until that seed enters the egg & then the baby begins, get it? But he does begin then! I started living from the moment my Father's seed entered my Mother's egg, & I became that little thing that got conceived, that fetus, they call it. So there!

24. One other thing, a Family member wrote me the other day & said that in Psalm 90 it says that the days of a man's life are three score & ten, & it says something about David in the Psalm right before it. He said, "That's another prophecy you're going to live to be 70!" I said‚ "Yeah, how do you know? In the same verse it says, 'And if by reason of great strength his days be fourscore'!—Psa.90:10. What if by reason of great strength the Lord decides to make my days fourscore?" Do you know how many that is? (Techi: 80!) (Maria: Because when it says Grandpa will live till 70, it doesn't say whether he'll live after that or not.) And it doesn't say that I'm going to die then. None of those prophecies say I'm going to die then, get it?

25. So I said to this Family member that wrote me‚ "I might surprise you! Maybe by reason of great strength I'll live to be 80!" Of course, by the signs of the times & the way things are happening, it doesn't look like the Lord's going to wait that long, but He could let me live to be 80! (Techi: But when you go to Heaven then you will be 99 & 100...) It doesn't matter then, Honey, because we'll live forever then!

26. So no matter what happens tomorrow, are you still going to trust the Lord? Still going to love Him? Still thank Him? (Techi: Yes!) And praise the Lord! "Nevertheless I will trust Him", Job said. And when he came to that big decision that he was going to trust the Lord no matter what happened, the Lord healed him! So maybe the Lord's just testing your faith & your patience!

27. So Lord bless her & strengthen her & help her to be happy & thankful for Your Will, Lord‚ no matter what happens, that she'll still love & trust You because You know best, in Jesus' name! Amen! So there you got a nice little talk!

28. Amen, the same goes for you‚ David. No matter what happens, will you still trust the Lord? (David: Yes, Sir.) Even if things don't go like you expect them to or want them to? (David: In fact they don't usually! All of life isn't easy!) (Maria: He just means he has a lot of changes.) Amen, well we love you‚ & we're proud of you because you're such good wonderful children & we're glad to get part of the credit for you. People look at you to judge us, & they can see you've had good training & that you really love the Lord. So that's a good testimony. (—And she was healed!)

WHY GOD DOESN'T ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY ANSWER PRAYER AGAINST OUR ENEMIES!

29. The Devil always tries to defeat your prayers‚ or what the Lord prophesies, & laugh at you that it didn't happen. Right after I prayed that … prayer (see No.2407), for the first time in a long time‚ [this false prophet] appeared in public & made a speech on some special holy day, & he turned right around & said the same thing about Reagan & Mrs. Thatcher! He told this great prayer meeting audience on this famous holy day, "The best prayer you could pray is that Reagan & Thatcher will die!" In other words, he was telling them to pray for Reagan & Thatcher's death while I was praying for his [judgement], & it looked like he was as strong or stronger than ever! He made a public speech, think of it! He appeared in public for the first time in many months & spoke & preached & told them to pray for the death of Reagan & Thatcher.

30. And the Devil just really laughed at me & said‚ "Aha, see? The Lord didn't answer your prayer at all! [He's] stronger than ever & he's appeared before everybody just to prove that your prayer didn't work! Everybody's going to get your prayer where you prayed … & then they're going to read the paper & see how He didn't [judge him]!" (Maria: You said, "Do it now, Lord! Do it today!" But the Lord doesn't always do things at exactly the same time as you want Him to!) No, I've prayed that for other things sometimes too. But a day in the mind of the Lord is a thousand years, & a thousand years is a day!—2Pet.3:8. It's all the great Eternal Now with God right now. So today is tomorrow & all Eternity for God!

31. So anyway, the Devil really laughed, "Ha‚ ha, ha! See, He didn't [judge him], he's better than ever!" And then the Lord began to work on me & I was thinking, "Well now why wouldn't You [judge him] then?" Well, right then they were being very victorious in their battle with [his neighboring enemies] & had had a lot of victories & he could have died cocky, "Oh, I may die but I've won the victory!", blah blah. And the Lord really spoke to my heart, "It would be too easy for him to die now while he's victorious.—Better for him to suffer & see all the damage he's caused & suffer some defeats, & instead of dying in pride & in victory‚ die in humiliation & defeat!" And that took a little time. But he's had three major defeats since then, & they say now he's definitely dying of cancer. (Maria: And it didn't take very long after your prayer.) So, praise the Lord, the Lord waited until he got some major defeats so he can die in defeat & humiliation instead of in victory. TYJ! PTL!

32. The Devil's always trying to discourage you & make you think God didn't hear your prayer, God doesn't love you, God didn't answer your prayer. Well, He did‚ & He is, thank the Lord! I've wondered for a good many years now why He didn't do something worse to that guy in that African country I prayed against. (Mobutu of Zaire) How come he's still king of that country, still president? But he was the hero at that time of all the West & he was pro-West, but now they're all getting sick & fed up with him. He's been exposed as being a rat & a horrible guy, a grafter & a thief, & he's robbed his people & wrecked their economy & everything else!

33. So if God had killed him or defeated him at that time, he would have died a martyr & a hero. But since then he's been exposed as to what a villain, what a bad guy he is, until the whole West is sick of him! He even came to the U.S. to try to persuade Reagan to do big things for his country‚ blah blah. Anyway, he's been exposed & vilified & proven to be a real rotter until now he stinks in the eyes of those who were praising him then! We knew what a rotter he was then & we were praying for his enemies. Well, he's getting worse & more rotten & stinks in the noses of even his friends now.

34. So God doesn't pay all of His accounts in the Fall, & sometimes the wheels of His justice grind exceeding slow, but eventually grind exceeding fine! So we should never be impatient about how God answers our prayers. He knows best how to answer. He lets us pray'm, we were right in praying them for the defeat of our enemies & for their judgement, etc., but we always want it to happen right now! But God has even better ways than having it happen right now! He's got ways to bring them down to gradual, tormenting, torturous defeat & shame & vilification & humiliation, which is worse!

35. If they died at the height of their villainy, the height of their pride & fame & all that, it would be the easier way to die‚ to go out a hero‚ victoriously. But to bring a person down to shame & defeat & humiliation & discreditation, that makes it harder to die, to die in defeat! So God has ways of making death even worse. There are things worse than death for some of those guys, to die exposed, discredited, shamed‚ humiliated, brought down to the dust before they're dead, which is even worse!

36. It's the country where we had to land, Kinshasa is the capital. It's where our plane stopped! I was praying like everything I could get out of there & they wouldn't discover I was on the plane, because I'd written some real blasts against Mobutu exposing him. (See No.574.) Since then he's robbed the country & the whole place has gone broke & the economy is wrecked! He was at the time somewhat of a shining example of the West's ability to have friends in Central Africa & how that decolonisation was working & here was a shining new African Republic doing well, blah blah. Well‚ the whole thing has collapsed since then & he's still president. So instead of the credit he's now getting the blame, & that's much worse!

37. So praise the Lord, right now [he] is going down in defeat & humiliation & discreditation. Instead of dying an idol to his people, he could just die a real villain, the villain that he really is, exposed‚ & that's worse! So PTL! God doesn't pay all of His accounts in the Fall, & His wheels of justice grind exceeding slow, but they grind exceeding fine!

38. We can call that, "Though He Slay Me, Yet Will I Trust Him!"—Or, "Don't Give Up!" Never give up, that's better!

DAD'S MIRACULOUS STRENGTH!

(The next day: )

39. Thank You for such a miracle, Lord! Do you realise what a miracle it is that I'm as strong as I am at 70? I'm as strong now as I was at 60 or 50! (Maria: Stronger than you were at 50!)—The strength of the Lord! (Maria: Stronger than you were at 60. You've been getting stronger.) Well, it's due to you, Honey, & your faithfulness & prayers. (Maria: It's prayer, the whole Family's prayers.) TYJ! PYL! I may live to be 80, by reason of great strength the Lord gives me!

40. It's important to prepare the people for a surprise. (Maria: It's a very good surprise!) I've already lived past the 70 years. I really believe that's the way the Lord judges time & age. I have been in existence now more than 70 years. Amen? And if the Lord should choose to let me live longer, by reason of the great strength that He's given me, PTL! Amen? Hallelujah! TYJ! PTL! So be it, amen? Who's to say? ILY‚ Sweetheart! Amen, PTL! TYJ! Thy Will be done, have Thy way, Lord, in Jesus' name! TYJ! PYL! In Jesus' name. You know what's best. Amen, amen, amen.

41. Now, Sweetheart, you put up your sword, I love you. Put up your sword, Honey, & go to sleep. ILY, Sweetheart! Bless her, Lord. You have blessed her‚ in Jesus' name. Now give her rest, Lord. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. TYJ! Hallelujah! (Maria: Yes, my flesh is a lot weaker than yours.) With the Spirit you can have limitless strength, don't limit the Lord. In the Name of Jesus, help her to seize Thy strength, Lord, in the Name of Jesus! Hallelujah! TYJ! You have unlimited strength, Sweetheart‚ in the Lord! In Jesus' name! Amen. Just like me. I'm infinitely strong in the Lord. Hallelujah! TYJ! PTL! In Jesus' name, let's go to sleep.

42. Trust the Lord‚ Honey! "Trust the Lord & do good‚ & thy days shall be long in the land & verily thou shalt be fed."—Psa.37:3. Hallelujah? (Maria: Amen. TYJ!) Amen, give her the faith & the grace, Lord. Help her to trust You, Jesus, & go to sleep, in Jesus' name.

43. I love you‚ Sweetheart, it's done, the miracle is done, & I'm saved by grace, His grace! You know, I thought maybe I could even die from this tooth‚ but instead I'm very much alive. The Lord has the victory by reason of great strength, & they might even be four score, the number of my years! Hallelujah! TYJ! The Lord's not limited by few nor if there be many. Are you game to maybe live another ten years if the Lord so wills? Hallelujah! TYL! Well, it may not be ten, but anyway, it could be more than 70. So you've got to tell the children that, Honey, not to limit the Lord. The Lord could have said 70, & He can add on a few just like He did with Hezekiah if He wants to‚ amen?—2Kng.20:1-8. The Lord is not limited by many or few. Hallelujah! TYJ! In Jesus' name, amen. Let's go to sleep now. PTL! Hallelujah! TYL! A yawn is limitless, you can't put a limit on a yawn.

44. It's wonderful, Sweetheart! Do you realise it's absolutely miraculous how I feel! My jaw's not even sore. It isn't bleeding any more. I'm not sick. I feel great! Isn't that wonderful? I thought when we made love yesterday morning‚ "My God, why are You letting me do this?" And it came to me, it's like pouring water on the sacrifice to show it's a miracle of God! I thought, "Lord, I shouldn't be doing this, right when I'm going to have a tooth pulled, I should be conserving my strength!" But the Lord let me to show it was the strength of the Lord, not mine but Thine be done! Hallelujah! TYJ!

45. Will you tell the children what a wonderful miracle it was in spite of everything? (Maria: Yes, Sir!) Hallelujah! TYL! Praise You Lord! What a miracle‚ Lord, You did such a wonderful work to show Thy mighty power, mighty strength, that it was You, Jesus! It couldn't have been me, Lord, but it was You. In Jesus' name, amen. Goodnight, Sweetheart.

"WHEN THE VICTORY IS WON!"

46. Hallelujah! TYJ! PYL! Amen, Lord, we will yet return, we will yet return in great victory over our enemies in that land that was ours, in Jesus' name. Hallelujah! (Maria: What land is that, Honey?) America, of course. (Maria: That's in the Millennium?) Yes, we will return as liberators & as victors, as rulers. It will come. It will come. Isn't that wonderful? PTL! TYL! There are lots of places I want to show you, Honey, I want to take you & show you. But we have the victory‚ TYJ!

47. (Sings: )

"And I'll give all the glory to Jesus‚

And tell of His Love, His Wonderful Love!

We'll give all the glory to Jesus

And tell of His Wonderful Love!"

(Sings:)

"In the Name of Jesus‚ in the Name of Jesus,

We have the victory!

In the Name of Jesus, in the Name of Jesus‚

We have the victory!"

Hallelujah! TYJ! We're celebrating our victory over the Devil! You gave me life, Jesus! You gave me life over his death.

48. I want to show you around California, Honey, it's going to be really wonderful! Hallelujah! TYJ! Victory over our enemies! Those God-damned ACs are going to be dust under our feet!—Rev.3:9.

49. I have many many things to show you, Sweetheart, but it's not yet time. All my favourite places. It's such a miracle. You're going to love it, Honey‚ when I take you on a tour. (Maria: Amen, I'm looking forward to it.) Hallelujah! When the victory is won. When the battle is done & the victory is won! (Maria: I won't be so tired then, Honey, I'll be much more fun.) Don't worry, Sweet Baby, don't worry. Amen, amen, amen, amen, TYJ! ILY!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family