DO 2855Comp.1/93

Prayer to Be Faithful Witnesses!

1. THE LORD'S OBVIOUSLY USING THIS WAVE OF PERSECUTION to turn the hearts of the people toward His children & to be a witness! It's Your job to take care of it‚ Lord‚ just help us to be faithful witnesses! It's just amazing how our enemies try to get us in court, thinking they're going to smear us‚ but instead it turns out to be good for us & a testimony against them! That's what the Lord said it would be. (Mat.10:18.)

The System Is Jealous of Our Wonderful Children!

2. It's another case of what the lawyer in "Easy Rider" said to the hippies: "You don't dare demonstrate that there is such a thing as freedom! They've got to kill you to prove that nobody's free!" The same thing is true of the System regarding our children. They can't raise their own, they can't control their own, & when we come along & show how wonderful children can be, they've got to prove it's not possible. Because they can't do it, they don't want to have to admit that we can do it.

Fighting Back!

3. We'd love to have peace, we wish they'd quit fighting us, but when they fight us we have to take legal action and fight back in the media‚ & when necessary, even in the courts!—And as a result‚ the Lord gives us a great ministry in witnessing to governors & kings & magistrates, whom He said in the Bible He'd make us a witness against!—Mat.10:18. What are we going to do?—Lie down & make peace with our enemies?—No! They don't want peace and they'll never make peace, so we have to contend for the faith, expose their lies and stand up for our convictions and the Truth! (See Psa.120:7.)

Why the World Hates Us!

4. Why does the World media hate us so & carry on such a vicious propaganda campaign against us? Why do they smear us & give us such bad publicity? Why is it that the World hates us so?—Because we're not of the World! "If ye were of the World, the World would love his own: but because ye are not of the World, but I have chosen you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you!"—John 15:19. Jesus Himself said it!

The Lord Heaps Their Sins Upon Their Own Heads!

5. It's a big blow to our enemies to have these cases thrown out after they did their damnedest to make it a blow to us! The Scripture says of the wicked: "His mischief shall return upon his own head, & his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate [head]."—Psa.7:16. Thank You Lord! They'll reap what they sow! (Gal.6:7.) Like in all persecution‚ the Lord turns it around for His glory & vindication‚ & heaps the sins of our persecutors on their own heads!

Stand Up for the Truth!

6. Any time we have an opportunity, we should stick up for our side! Even though we're greatly outnumbered & know we're going to get attacked, if we have an opportunity to give the Truth & the true side of the story, we should do it!

7. I got a picture of a candle surrounded by darkness. Even though a candle is a very small light & totally outnumbered by the darkness, it still makes a very significant light in this great darkness. Even though it's a little light & everything else is darkness, the candle really helps. (Maria: And that's our job, to give the Message, whether they will hear or whether they will not hear.) Right! (Maria: Because if we leave the field entirely to the Devil, the Message isn't heard at all.) And then there's no light there.

8. That's why the Lord compared us to a candle. (See Mat.5:14-16.) Even in the darkness, if there's just one candle it can be seen for a long way. If we are given the opportunity, it's our responsibility to witness, no matter what the circumstances. That's why the Lord says He'll make us a witness against kings & magistrates, etc., because we'll be brought before them by our enemies. We're always outnumbered. (Maria: And even if we fumble it & don't think we do a very good job, at least we're giving some Truth.) The Lord will always come through.

9. He says not even to worry about what we will say, but if we just open our mouths‚ He'll fill them! (Mat.10:18-20.) Of course you still need to study the Word beforehand so that you'll "be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you," & you'll be able to be a good workman who won't be ashamed & will be able to "rightly divide the Word of Truth" (1Pet. 3:15; 2Tim.2:15). When He's saying "take no thought about what you're going to say" & that you can just open your mouth & He'll give you the words‚ He's talking about in that moment when you're brought before kings & magistrates; in other words, the System.

10. (Maria: A lot of people will feel sorry for you just because you're outnumbered & you're the underdog, & they might be at least willing to listen.) Yes‚ & a lot of people will see the Truth too. Even if it's just a little bit of Truth, they can tell the difference. They can certainly tell the difference between God's people & the Devil's people, & they can sense the Spirit.

11. Look at Daniel!—Praying even in the privacy of his own room was a testimony! (See Daniel 6.) (Maria: It wasn't very private after all.) Yes, & it made his enemies so furious that they brought him before the king & had him thrown to the lions. But look what happened, look what the Lord did! We're often in the den of lions, but God does miracles & saves us!

Our Victories Make the Enemy Mad!

12. The Devil's anger is great because he knows his time is short! (Rev.12:12.) Our enemies hate to lose a battle‚ it makes them furious, but so far the Lord has gotten victories.—Lots & lots of victories, which makes them all the madder! (Maria: Yes, they're furious!) The Lord did just what we asked in the Barcelona case, He removed that judge & gave us a better one.

Prayer for Japan Press Conference!

13. Amen, Lord, turn it into a real victory from seeming defeat! Expose our enemies! Humiliate them, defeat them, frustrate them! Confound their knavish tricks, confuse their politicks! God save Thy Kingdom! Praise the Lord! Thank You Lord! We know You will, You never fail. Their attacks always turn out to be their own defeat in the long run, Lord‚ & You turn their own curses upon their own heads! And may the public who are worthy hear it & receive it. Clear Thy Name‚ Lord!

14. The Devil sure hates the work we're doing in Japan. We must really be accomplishing something or the Devil wouldn't be so mad. Thank You Lord! But "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the World."—1John 4:4. Thank You Jesus!

The Lord Turns Bad Publicity into Good Publicity!

15. That's what's always convinced our disciples—when they came & lived with us! Nothing can convince people more of your sincerity than living right with you, & they really get the Message then too. That's what the Lord's interested in—in getting out the Message as well as vindicating us. It might even help to protect us from misguided police raids a little bit too. If you've got a filming crew staying at your Home & a lot of publicity, the police might not be so apt to decide to raid you. Often the best security in cases where you've already been attacked & publicised is openness, showing that you have nothing to hide. Once you've already been attacked & all that filth of our enemies has been aired in the press, then you've got to come out in the open & fight it! It looks like the days of running away are just about over.

16. You know what's best, Lord! Lead & guide & inspire them & make it a real witness & a testimony. You said You'd cause the wrath of Man to praise Thee.—Psa.76:10. So Lord, turn this on their own heads, expose them, & manifest Thy goodness & our goodness, & make it a testimony. Turn this bad publicity into good publicity. Thank You Jesus!

17. How are you going to get good publicity? Good news doesn't make news. But controversial news, this is news!—And if He turns it around to our favour, that's the best thing that could happen. It almost has to start off with bad news to get their attention‚ & then when the media & the public find out the truth, like they have in Australia, it turns to our good favour & acts as a witness! Amen‚ Lord, we believe You'll do it for Your glory & the sake of Your children & the Message.

18. It's a little like it was in the U.S. in our early days. When the good publicity was over & we didn't make news any more, then the Lord had to do something to continue the publicity, so He let the bad publicity arise.—But out of some of that came good publicity anyhow. It's made news, so now's the time to take advantage of it & turn it into good publicity.

19. Give our people strength & wisdom & faith, Lord‚ to be unafraid to go on the attack with Thy Truth, in Jesus' name! It's in Your hands. Prepare & turn the hearts of the people & bring it out all to Thy glory & the good of Thy children & the publication of the Message.—In Jesus' name, amen!

Thanksgiving Prayer for Victories!

20. Thank You for so many victories, Lord, how You've turned the cursings of our enemies into blessings & brought down their fire on their own heads. Thank You for victories that glorify Thy Name & vindicate Thy children & Thy Work! Bless all Thy children & keep them, make them strong!

Our Children—Valiant Soldiers of the Cross!

21. Thank You Lord for the children You've given—all our children worldwide! (Maria: You'd be so proud of Lamb's children‚ Virginia & Asher, who did so well on the witness stand in Australia!) What a laugh on the Devil! He's fallen into his own trap‚ caught in his own net! It didn't turn out the way they'd planned. (Maria: Yes, our enemies are pretty mad. They've really hung themselves.) It's just the Lord! Thank You Lord! (Maria: Amen! Our worldwide Family has been praying all week for the children & for the case.)

22. Those Community Services agencies seem to be absolutely possessed of the Devil, doing exactly the opposite of what they're supposed to be doing. The Devil is just using Community Services for an excuse. (Maria: They're picking on other good Christian children too, not just those in the Family.) How deceitful the System is! (Maria: Yes, they say they're so concerned about the children & then they put Lamb's 12-year–old on the witness stand for 18 hours.) Cruel! (Maria: Yes, & just mercilessly lit into her, twisted her words & everything, made her cry. But she did better every day, the last day especially!) She's got some fight, thank the Lord! We've got some real fighters!

23. Thank You Jesus for our children, our young fighters, valiant soldiers of the Cross! Thank You Jesus! Thank You for bringing great victory out of seeming defeat & blessing Thy children. Thank You for inspiring them & making them triumphant! You do all of it, Lord. Encourage Thy children & their mothers & fathers. Put the Devil to flight, Lord! You said, "Resist the Enemy & he shall flee from thee!"—Jam.4:7. Curse our enemies! Show what liars they are, in Jesus' name!

24. (Maria: The Lord said this is a new day, the time to stand up publicly & proclaim the Truth! Before this we were usually fleeing from our enemies, but now they're fleeing from us! Thank You Lord! They're going to be sorry they ever brought those cases up, they're going to be so defeated.) Amen! God bless our kids, they've certainly come through shining!

Prayer for the Family!

25. Lord, do bless our Family & those who are suffering trials & tribulations‚ & give them great victories, in Jesus' name! Thank You for how You've spared us so much & kept us going so we could feed Thy sheep. Thank You Jesus! Praise the Lord! Amen.

Statement Exposes Them Completely!

26. This Socialisation Statement is so true it's going to infuriate them, it's going to hit them right in the heart! The Devil & his cohorts are going to be infuriated by this Statement! (Maria: It exposes them‚ that they aren't just fighting us, they're fighting the Bible!) It really exposes them completely, & that's what they don't like. The Devil & his people never like to be exposed, because it confounds their dirty tricks & confuses their politicks! Thank You Lord! I think this Socialisation paper is the best yet!—More Scripture & more damaging to their cause.

Persecution of Christians by Other Christians!

27. Ever since I can remember, the major persecution of Christians was by other Christians. Some of the big Protestant denominations used to get out little pamphlets showing all the things wrong with the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Catholics, the Seventh-day Adventists, etc. (Maria: But now they're broadening it out to other small groups, independent groups, & the New Religious Movements, of course.) That really added fuel to the fire! They really had something to criticise once some of these groups & their crazy shenanigans came along. They can hardly do the subject justice, they've got so much to criticise now! Well‚ their judgement is sure. What they sow they're going to reap. They sow persecution of us & they're going to reap persecution—& they already are. Nearly all the television evangelists have been attacked.

28. Well, if I'm a stumblingblock I'll gladly resign. (Maria: No, Honey, it's because you're here & you've done what you've done that we're a Family & that we're such a great worldwide witness, so you've got to stick with us!) I'm sure I've made some mistakes. Well, You know me‚ Lord. You know my weaknesses & You chose me anyhow, & You even tolerated some of my weaknesses. Maybe they really weren't weaknesses, Lord, maybe they were strengths, just the opposite of what they're accusing me of.

29. I never wanted to be somebody anyhow, the Lord did it, it's His fault! He made me what I am, "just as I am without one plea." I think the Family should be congratulated on how well they've turned out in spite of me. (Maria: Honey‚ we've turned out well because of you!) Well, it's been in spite of my faults, which may not really be faults after all. The Lord doesn't seem to think they're wrong—it's just the World's Satanic judgement & their self-righteous hypocrisy! They're the ones who have made sex wrong and a sin, and they've even turned what used to be regarded as natural affection into grounds for child abuse.

30. Honey, I'm proud of you that you've stood up so well in fighting this battle! (Maria: It just takes a lot of time & prayer & work. It's a pretty big pressure on everybody because there's so much to do as a result of it—so much counsel to give & so much to write & so much to pray about. That's why it's a huge job.) Well‚ dear Gideon let all those go who didn't want to fight the battle, who were afraid & wanted to go home & weren't willing to sacrifice. And finally he did with only 300 what he couldn't do with 32,000. He & the Lord & the 300 were better fighters than the thousands!

31. Wait till Deb finds out one of these days that she's been backed by the anti–Christ forces, by those who hate Christ & will eventually devour her too! Look what happened to Judas when he realised what he'd done. (Mat.27:5.) I wouldn't be surprised if that were to happen to her one of these days‚ & to others who have turned against us & betrayed us & sold us out for a few pieces of silver. They're going to be called to account. Even if any of what they said was true, it was a sin for them to use it against us & hurt the Lord's Work & hurt others & hurt themselves.

32. That's why Judas couldn't stand to live with himself afterwards, when it really sank in what he'd done & they'd crucified Jesus! When his benefactors proved their true purposes by killing Christ, then he realised what he had done. He couldn't stand to stay alive.

33. I'm sure it's a worldwide attack undoubtedly being organised, energised & supported by the anti-Christ forces, & undoubtedly directed by some anti-Christ … leaders, our bitterest enemies, because we've exposed them. Of course, the churches don't like us too well either. We started off by exposing them. It's funny how people don't like to be exposed!

34. Well, they can have their fling now, but the Lord Who sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh! (Psa.2:4.) Their time will come & they will either be sorry & repent & be saved by the skin of their teeth, or being the Devil's own children, just be furious & never repent & go to Hell! Thank God we'll be rid of them when the Lord comes! We'll be rid of them when the Lord comes, & the whole World will be rid of them after that at the Battle of Armageddon when we purge the World of all the Lord's enemies. It'll be such a slaughter that the Lord even invites the vultures from all over the World to come & feast on their corpses! (Eze.39:17-22.)

Backsliders Stabbing Us in the Back!

35. Just think, after all we did for them, these backsliders are stabbing us in the back! That must be what hurt the Lord the most, when Judas turned against Him & sold Him out after all He'd done for him, & after all He'd put up with from him all those years, knowing he was a backslider in heart & was going to betray Him! But still He waited patiently & gave him mercy.

36. Those backsliders are their own worst enemies, they're just like Judas was. Just think of what a horror it's going to be when they wake up to what they've done like Judas did! How could they live with themselves? Of course, those who have left but have not turned against us seem to be surviving all right. Those former members who still appreciate us and what we've done have simply confessed they didn't have what it takes to be fulltime soldiers.

37. I'll be happy to get out of the way if that'll help any. I'd even be willing to die if that would be a help. (Maria: We're not going to compromise one bit with those damn devils! We won't give them an inch! God damn'm! They just want you to compromise, which never works anyway, you don't gain anything by it.)

38. I think [they] would've turned on me no matter what I did or didn't do. … If they're going to backslide, they're going to backslide no matter what, good or bad, because the problem is really in them, not us. They just weren't willing to go all the way. Well, I'll be willing to die if that'll help any. (Maria: That will not help any! Then we'd be in a bigger mess.) If this Work just depends on me, Honey, then it's of Man. (Maria: It doesn't just depend on you‚ but the Lord keeps saying you're the commander & you're pretty important, so you'd better stay around.) David was even guilty of indecent exposure & lying with the daughters of Israel, but the Lord still loved him & said he was a man after His Own heart & kept him going to the end. (2Sam.6:14-21; Acts 13:22.)

God's Weapon—the Sword of the Word!

39. God's going to turn cursing into blessing! It's a fight between God's Word & the Devil's word, between the Bible & the word of our enemies. (Maria: If people have never read their Bibles before‚ they're going to be hearing it now at least.) Thank You Lord! That's what the Lord wants to do, He wants to get out His Word. It's going to convict a lot of Christians. The Lord said they'd come to us & that we would instruct many. (Dan.11:33.) We've instructed a lot already, but apparently we're going to instruct more!

40. These backsliders have found that it pays to be rats, they can get paid for it! Well, the Word of God is powerful, more powerful than a two-edged sword that cuts into the heart. (Heb.4:12.) The Word is so powerful, it can stand on its own! God's Spirit convicts them & they know it's the Truth! So between the Word & the Spirit, our foes haven't got a chance!

Deborah's Devilish Spirit!

41. In some ways I feel sorry for our enemies, especially the Christians that are against us, & the backsliders. But in some ways, they deserve God's vengeance the most! No wonder Paul said that God was going to have to kill some of them to save their souls!—1Cor.5:5. For years now I've been expecting Him to take Deborah or do something to stop her mouth. It's amazing how she has the same kind of spirit my sister did. Both of them hated me because they were so full of the Devil!

42. Well, we're not perfect, we've made our mistakes‚ but the Lord's still with us, like He was with King David in spite of all his misdoings. The Lord said he was a man after His Own heart. (Acts 13:22.) And I know He still loves me or He wouldn't be so good to me to let me carry on. He could have taken me lots of times, but here I am‚ still going, & I feel good. Thank the Lord!

43. Maybe Deborah was a good name for her—like Deborah of old, she's marshalling the forces, except they're ungodly forces and they're against us! It's almost unbelievable that a child that I did so much for would turn against me like she did. But she has.

… Schizophrenia!

44. Now that [this one backslider] is playing the Devil's game, he may not attack her so much. The Lord really gave her a lot of time & mercy, a lot of chances, but I think this is about it. Her latest attack on us will probably finish her off. Of course, that's what I thought about Deborah too, but it hasn't yet. The Lord must still be getting some good out of it. It wouldn't make news if it wasn't something sexy. The World loves sex & they love sexy stories, especially about preachers!

45. It's amazing how the Devil has tried to cover his tracks by hiding behind schizophrenia. It's the most common mental disease there is‚ yet you never hear about it being demon-possession in any articles or documentaries or anything. He's really had them cover that up. (Maria: In fact, if you mention it‚ then you're considered a crackpot!) Yes, you're considered crazy. (Maria: They charged the head of that two million member Universal Church in Brazil with quackery, amongst many other things‚ because of his deliverances & exorcisms.) The Devil always accuses others of what he himself is guilty of. He really hates to be exposed. But praise the Lord, the Lord is faithful & is exposing him!

46. Just think how, in driving her crazy, the Devil was trying to get [her] to kill me and you, as well as a number of our staff‚ but the Lord wouldn't let her. But now He has let her try to betray us, so there must be something good that's going to come from that. The more gory the story, the better the newspapers like it, but then the Lord's getting His Word in too in spite of it all. Praise the Lord! "All things work together for good to them that love the Lord, who are called according to His purpose."—Rom.8:28. So somehow it's going to work out for good, & already is in some places. All the places where our enemies have come out in the open, it's worked out for good. It's driven us out in the open to fight against them, & we seem to be winning. Praise the Lord! The bad publicity has resulted in a lot of good publicity & publishing of the Message. Thank the Lord! "Great was the company of those that published it!"—Psa.68:11. That was almost an understatement! Great are a lot of companies that are publishing it!

Gruesome Picture of [One of Our Backsliders]!

47. I had a strange picture today, along with a Scripture: "When the wicked, even mine enemies & my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled & fell."—Psalm 27:2. And guess what I saw?—A gruesome sight! (Maria: What?) [One of our backsliders] with her mouth all red with blood like a vampire, like she'd been eating live flesh! It was almost like she was a dog, & Deborah finally sicced her on us! (Maria: It's interesting that the Lord pictured her as a dog. Dogs usually have an owner that's controlling them, & like you said, it was like Deborah sicced her on you.) She was worse than a dog, Honey!—Like a vampire, or someone totally insane! I was praying & I got the verse, "When the Enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him!"—Isa.59:19.

It's Time to Discredit Our Enemies!

48. One of the usual tactics in politics is to discredit your enemy by digging up all the dirt on him. (Maria: Yes‚ the Scientologists are really good at that.) Well, now that our enemies have come up slinging mud‚ we need to come back fighting too & expose the awful truth about them, things about Bill's insanity & testimonials of our own people about him & Deb & their drugs & their cruel treatment of their children & other people's children. Now's the time to dig up the dirt, to come out & smear them with the same mud they're trying to smear us with!—Except we'll be telling the truth!

49. I think it's time to start throwing the mud back at them & lay out the facts & the truth about their dirty deeds & dirty work & dirty tricks! That's one of the best ways to discredit people, to dig up dirt against them, & we've got plenty of dirt against them, I'm sure! I think we should publish it especially for our own people, to encourage their faith about how bad our enemies are & how they've been out of it for a long time. We owe them the truth!

50. It's time to fire back! The Lord didn't mind exposing the Devil & his dirty tricks! Boy oh boy, Matthew 23 is one of His worst tirades against His enemies, in which He called the scribes & Pharisees "hypocrites, whited sepulchres filled with dead men's bones, serpents, & a generation of vipers"! He really dug up the dirt & blasted them, & I think it's time for us to do a little more of that.

51. There are a lot of unbiased people in the World who just wonder & want to know the truth, & information like that would help to discredit our enemies with them. And of course it would certainly help to discredit them to our own people. We need to feed our people some of the previously unpublished facts & horrors about Deborah & others! It's time for us to start exposing them & not just leave the field to them. Let's fire back! (Maria: Yes‚ because they even use their lies in court & submit them as evidence‚ & we need to counter them.)

52. Lord, it's all in Your hands, You're the best One to do the fighting. You said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," "Stand back & see Me fight," "This is My battle!"—Rom.12:19; 2Chr.20:15-17. I know it's our battle too, Lord‚ but You're the only One Who can really do the job to discredit & destroy our enemies. I believe it's time to do it, before they do any more damage. I think we need to tell the full naked awful truth about [them]!

53. The Lord lets them do their dirty work first to really fill their cups of iniquity before He destroys them, & it looks like this is going to just about fill it! But we need to do our part in exposing them. It's time for the Family to come forth and take a stand and tell the untold about what our enemies are really like, the things that these backsliders haven't told and didn't want known.

54. It's time for us to come out in an all-out attack on these backsliders to really discredit them! Let's not pull any punches now, let's sock back! We've sort of pulled our punches on some of these people because we were sorry for them‚ & we've excused them & apologised for them & almost vindicated them. We've excused them due to the fact that they were already crazy & this sort of thing, & I think we've been almost a little too lenient & reserved. We need to come out with a few knock–out punches to really shoot holes in all of their lies!

55. [This one backslider] will probably land in the cuckoo nest again. The truth about [her] needs to be exposed—her insanity, her being in various institutions‚ etc. The Family already pretty much knows & is convinced by the past, but these shots need to be aimed at the public, things that will convince them. We need to get out legal affidavits as to some of our enemies' dirty work & dirty laundry.

56. That's what they're trying to do to us. They're trying to discredit us, me in particular, & we need to do the same now to them, to show what liars, what fakes, what wicked, evil people they are!—Some of those facts about how Bill threw babies up against the wall & into the swimming pool. That sort of thing needs to be exposed. Before Zondervan publishes any more of Deb's books, we need to let them know some of the facts about Bill & Deborah, & they may be hesitant to publish their book for fear that those things are going to be exposed. Let's get there first on some of these things before they do! I think the publishers at Zondervan are very concerned about their reputation & the people that they side with.

57. Lord‚ it's in Your hands. Give our people wisdom. Help us to know what's best. Help us to come out with exposure of them as You did to the scribes & the Pharisees in Your last days before they crucified You. You struck back! Help our people to remember to give our side of the story. Encourage them‚ help them to rise up & be strong & fight, & not be deluded by the lies of the Enemy, nor be discouraged or in any way weakened, but strengthened!—In Jesus' name, amen.

Lots of Heat in the Kitchen!

58. As someone once said, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" We're getting a lot of heat in the kitchen, but the kitchen is where the food is cooked, & it takes a lot of heat to cook it! I'm glad we're getting out good food! Praise the Lord! It's in Thy hands‚ Lord. Help us to do whatever You want us to do‚ You know what's best. Bless & keep Thy children today, here & everywhere.

Cast Thy Burden on the Lord!

59. I just have to cast all my burdens on the Lord & let Him take care of it. I know there's nothing I can do about our enemies. Those evil little devils are nothing to the Lord. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord & He shall sustain thee."—Psa.55:22. Also "Bear ye one another's burdens & so fulfil the law of Christ."—Gal.6:2. Don't try to bear it all by yourself.

Prayer for the Family Going Through Persecution!

60. Thank You, Lord, for Your protection & safety. Thank You for how You're still able to do a great work through us in spite of all our enemies. You've been using our enemies, Lord, to give us greater victories & to broadcast the Message to the World. Given enough rope, our enemies are hanging themselves! Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah! Amen.

61. Thank You for this wonderful Family You've given us, Lord‚ & Thy wonderful care in spite of all the Enemy can do. His attacks only strengthen us‚ make us stronger & better witnesses & a greater witness for You. Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord! Hallelujah! Thank You for how You've kept us, carried us through all of these storms & helped us to grow stronger, more diligent‚ wiser, & more secure. Continue to cast a hedge about us, Lord, protect us from our enemies & give us victories over them. Thank You for all your bountiful provisionment & protection & making us useful to others & to Thee. Praise You Lord! Hallelujah! Thank You Lord!

62. You promised‚ "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut.33:25), & so we thank Thee for strength for this day, Lord, to do whatever needs to be done. We know You'll be with us all the way, You never leave or forsake us, but You care for us constantly & forever. You care for Your Own as we endeavour to care for ours. Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus!

Devil's Tactic: Undermining the Message by Discrediting the Messenger!

63. Thank You, Lord, for all Thy goodness & mercy, that You have not rewarded us according to our iniquities or punished us according to our sins. The Lord certainly has been merciful & good to us‚ & we don't have some of the troubles that others have had. (Maria: The World really has far more troubles. Just like you've always said, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous—but many more are the afflictions of the unrighteous.") We're not even having the trouble that some of these other preachers are having—poor Jim Bakker in prison, & now the law is trying to get Jimmy Swaggart. Nearly all the televangelists have been scandalised & criticised & hurt or exposed.

64. It's a typical tactic of the Devil to try to undermine the message by discrediting the messenger‚ & that's exactly the tack he's taken with all of these men of God. He attacks their personal lives, & their enemies & opponents become gleeful & say, "Aha! It shows that their doctrine was wrong!"

65. And that's the whole programme of our enemies—trying to discredit me & the things that I've taught. Of course, they were a little surprised to find out that they were also trying to discredit the Bible, & it's become a super weapon in the hands of our lawyers! Thank the Lord! But that's why the Enemy is attacking us—to try to discredit our doctrines & our way of life, even trying to discredit our children. Boy, how low can that scum go? Those backsliders & enemies are not even scum, they're dregs, the lowest of the low! But the Lord's taking care of them, thank the Lord! He is discrediting them for their foolish attacks on us. They're the ones who really are being discredited & proven guilty.—God damn'm!—In Jesus' name, amen.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family