Go for the Gold

Maria
May 26, 2003

—By MariaMaria #302DO 29619/95

(Note: In this Letter, when discussing sexual activity, it is only within the context of the age restrictions outlined in the Love Charter.)

1. About a year before Dad's Homegoing, he and I began to receive a number of letters regarding the use of birth control of one form or another. I have continued to receive such letters ever since. These letters have come from older parents with large families, young couples with small but growing families, single mothers‚ and unmarried YAs. They have expressed a variety of reasons why they felt the Family policy on birth control should either be changed or modified‚ usually in order to fit the situation they were writing about.

2. Sometimes medical reasons were cited. Sometimes they felt the mother had already had so many children that they needed a rest or cessation from childbirth. In the cases of young married couples, they often stated that they already had one or two children and they felt this was enough, that having more would either be too much for them or would hinder their work for the Lord. The single mothers feel they already carry such a heavy load and are less welcome in the Homes. The unmarried YAs who wrote usually commented that they didn't want to get pregnant unless it was with the one they planned on marrying. In some cases they wanted to share sexually, but they didn't feel they were ready to get pregnant and have a child.

3. Recently I've heard of situations where some of our married adults are using various forms of contraception and that some of our young couples are stating that they intend to do the same in order to limit the number of children they will have.

4. I've heard these letters with varying emotions. The letters from parents with large families usually make me cry, because I know theirs are such heartcries. They have truly sacrificed in the raising of their many children and I can sympathize with their desire for a break or rest. I can also understand the fear and uncertainty of the young married couples who see themselves with ever-increasing families‚ as they worry about the future and their ability to raise the children and support themselves‚ while at the same time being a blessing to the Home. They wonder if they will be wanted in Homes, or if because of the size of their family, they will be considered an unwanted commodity.

5. Hearing from the single moms is perhaps the hardest for me, as theirs is a difficult struggle trying to raise children without fathers and often without sufficient help and care from their Homes. Our unmarried teens and YA women fear becoming pregnant and not having a mate, meaning they would face life as a single mom, and they worry they will become stigmatized, talked about and unwelcome or unwanted by their peers or their Homes.

6. For the past two years I have thought and prayed a great deal about this matter. I have cried out desperately to the Lord for those who have written about their difficulties. I've been asking the Lord what we can do about our single moms, our young families, our young people. I have asked our WS prophets to pray and hear from the Lord about these matters. I have asked the worldwide leadership to bring these matters before the Lord in the Summit Meetings. When Dad was here, I discussed it with him‚ and Peter and I have prayed together about the matter.

7. You see, the question isn't just if the Family can use birth control or not, it's much broader than that. It has to do with our whole attitude towards children, love, sex, sharing, the Law of Love, faith, trust and belief in God's Word. When I read many of the letters sent in‚ or when leaders would report some of the things being said by adults and young people alike, I could feel that there was something in the spirit that didn't seem right to me.

A Word to You Young People

8. One of our young people wrote me and said, "Some YAs and teens feel that the reason the Family is having many of the battles we are faced with is simply that we have so many children. The fact that we were blobbed up in large Homes (before the Love Charter), the fact that we are struggling financially and that we don't have as many missionaries out on the field any more is because we have so many children. One girl said that after her first baby is born she will definitely take the pill so that she can be free to be a missionary and `learn from our past mistakes' of having too many children." Other girls have lamented that it's the end of their "careers" when they get pregnant, and some have even tried to induce natural abortions!

9. Oh my! It really saddens me that some of you younger ones could feel that way about children, especially after all Dad has said on the subject. Do you feel that way because our adults have inadvertently imparted this to you?—Or is it because you've been absorbing more of the ways and thoughts of the world than the Word of God?—Or is it both?

10. Have you read the beautiful things the Lord has said about children through Dad all these years? I'll include just a few quotes as a reminder to you:

© We believe in having children! We don't kill our babies in horrible abortions or try to keep from conceiving those precious children by using drugs and pills and various contraptions of the Devil to try to stop the birth of God's children! We believe in having those children for the glory of God and the Kingdom of God forever!

© The future is in your hands!—That tiny babe will be a king some day!—That little girl will be one of His queens!—Those happy, laughing, shouting children will be His princes and princesses and officers and governors and governesses who shall "rule the Earth with His iron rod" of love!

© (Prophecy:) And every little grain of dust shall shine before Me, and even the least of these thy children shall be mightier than the kings of this world! For that which I have breathed upon is mightier than even the greatest of all the kings of this world!

11. Haven't you young people read our Letters on the subject of children, motherhood, fatherhood, families and marriage, the classic Letters such as: "What Is That in Thy Hand?" (ML #315); "Real Mothers" (ML #389); "Jesus Babies" (ML #739); "God's Gift Is God's Work" (ML #744-746); "Frustrated" (ML #835:1-4); "One Wife" (ML #249); "Divorce" (ML #359); "Make It Work!" (ML #2433). Judging from the many wrong attitudes concerning these subjects that are now very prevalent amongst our younger generation, it seems something is hindering you from being able to take hold of these Words in faith and believe them and apply them to your own lives. We can be sure that the Enemy is attacking you and trying to do everything in his power to get you to doubt God's Word. Any exposure to the System brings with it a multitude of attitudes and ideas directly opposed to God's ways and God's Word‚ such as much that you absorb from movies, System music‚ newspapers and television.—So that instead of allowing the truth of the Word to guide your thoughts and formulate your attitudes, you're being deceived or tripped off by the ways of the world.

12. Of course, I don't entirely blame the attacks of the Enemy or the effects of outside System influences for this, as certainly the sample you have seen from some of the adults, especially if they have complained about pregnancies and large families, has echoed the message that children are a burden, pregnancy should be avoided and babies are too much work. You've seen our single moms struggling due to the selfish attitude that has been manifested by many, and have concluded that living "One Wife"—helping one another‚ and the principle that all of the children are "our" children—doesn't work. You've seen that some of the larger families are not sought out to be members of new Homes opening up and singles are, and thus you feel it's better to have either just a few children‚ or none at all. If you haven't seen "How to Have a Happy Home" (GN 616) being practiced, you may also feel that in large families the children don't get the time and attention that they would like, and that you feel they need. It seems many of you are fearful of the future and wonder how you'd care for and support a large family.

13. The sample you have witnessed within some of the Homes may have caused you to draw conclusions which seem very right to you, but which are contrary to the ways of God. Apparently you are letting the failures of some of those around you convince you that God's Word is not true and that it has failed. In your own mind your conclusions probably seem very logical, yet they aren't in accordance with God's Word.

Mama's Personal Decision to Say "Yes" to the Lord About Having a Child!

14. All of this is very complicated and I've been very desperate about it. See, it affects me as well. As you know, the Lord and Dad recently put Peter and me together as a married team‚ and there is a good possibility that I could get pregnant too. For years I've been unyielded to the Lord in this area. I did not even want to get pregnant with David, and I wanted even less to get pregnant the second time, with Techi, but Dad's prayers prevailed! I'm so glad they did! I dearly love my precious kids and I'm so thankful that the Lord gave me such wonderful gifts in spite of myself!

15. As I've told you recently‚ after Dad went to be with Jesus, I knew I had to yield to the Lord in every area of my life. This is just another test to see if I'll say "yes" and completely trust in Him. I am saying "yes," so I too have to face the possibility of pregnancy! It's a test for me‚ but I think the Lord wants me to be in that position so I will be touched more with the feeling of your tests, of the situations you are in, so that I will be more desperate for the answers the Lord has for us all.

16. In my past unyielded state I had all kinds of logical arguments for why I shouldn't have another baby. I could identify with many of you who wrote in, and I wondered myself if perhaps the Lord might want to make some exceptions to His standard on birth control. I didn't see that our young people had much excuse for using birth control, but I wondered if the Lord would allow it in the case of some of our older women who already have many children.

17. But see, while Dad was alive, he was the final authority on matters of doctrine. The final decisions on such questions lay with him. He was God's prophet‚ His mouthpiece, so I didn't bear the weight or responsibility of these doctrinal decisions. But with his Homegoing, these responsibilities now fall on my shoulders and I want to be very careful that the counsel I give is truly the Lord's will, His Word, His standard.

18. In the past, as I said, it was hard for me to simply trust the Lord for His will in my life, but after Dad went to be with the Lord, I knew that he and the Lord were counting on me to not leave any area unsurrendered, but to yield everything to Him, in full faith that He knew what was best. I knew for the Lord's sake and your sake that I had to make a total commitment and not hold anything back. I had to say "yes" in each thing‚ step by step, as each decision came along.

19. So recently, when I prayed about and pondered the matter‚ I couldn't help but feel that any form of taking things into our own hands to prevent pregnancy is contrary to God's Word. It is saying to the Lord that you know better than He does; that you want control of your life, instead of yielding and trusting that He knows what's best for you.

20. I can hear the groans now! "Oh‚ we thought Mama was going to relax things‚ we thought she'd understand!" As you'll see, I do understand and so does the Lord, so keep reading!

21. I think that of all the decisions I've had to make and all the yielding I've had to do lately, the hardest one was to say "yes" to the Lord in this area—that of having a child. "But, Lord, I am too weak and sick; Lord, I am too busy and I have too much responsibility already; Lord, it wouldn't be very good security to have a baby and have to take care of all the paperwork and everything; Lord, it would disturb all of our folks here who need their rest and have such important jobs to do; but, Lord, we would have to have someone extra to take care of the baby, and we don't have enough room‚" and on and on the list goes!

22. But if I am going to be totally yielded to the Lord‚ I can't be selective and decide what I am going to yield to and what I am not going to yield to. I've got to say "yes" to the Lord step by step as I am presented with the different situations. If I am going to really trust the Lord, I am not going to use the rhythm method* or condoms or whatever other preventative measures there might be. (*rhythm method: not fucking on the days when you're ovulating or most likely to get pregnant.)

23. If I am going to yield and I am going to trust the Lord, then certainly He knows what is best, even if I have all kinds of other contrary opinions. Does He know best or doesn't He? Is a baby a mistake? If the baby isn't a mistake, then that means if I get pregnant the Lord wants me to have it. If I do anything to prevent it, then I am denying what the Lord wants and I am going against His will.

24. I know this sounds awfully hard–line, but I don't see any way around it. It is the truth, and even if I don't like it and even if other people don't like it, it's still the truth. I may not be so enthusiastic about it either, but I can't change the way the Lord does things!

25. The Lord has been so good to me and has given me everything I've desired, and much, much more—exceeding abundantly above all that I can ask or think—and He continues to heap it on daily! If He also wants to give me the gift of another child—which He wouldn't give me unless He knew it was good for me—then I should certainly receive that gift, along with all the other gifts! How can I be selective?

26. How can I accept all His other gifts, but push His hand away if He wants to offer me a baby‚ and say, "I don't want this gift. I don't like it. It's not going to make me happy. You don't know what You're doing, Lord, so please withdraw Your offer. All Your other gifts are very nice, thank You very much, but this one is just not suitable. Sorry, Lord! Thank You anyway. I've already done my share. After all, don't You think I'm too old? And having a baby would put a strain on my already weak body. And besides, having a baby now would mean there would be 17 years between this baby and my youngest child, and I don't think that's very good. Furthermore, I just don't want to be bothered, I have too much to do. So why don't You try some other gift, Lord? I've liked all the other ones, but You just missed it on this one!"

27. Maybe you think I can preach such total acceptance of pregnancy because I probably wouldn't get pregnant anyway. Well‚ you're wrong. I have a pretty good chance of getting pregnant. I can see several good reasons why the Lord might allow me to get pregnant. For one thing‚ if the Lord has given the Family a queen and a king—a mother and a father—it might stand to reason that He might give them a baby to go along with it. Also, with Dad in the Heavenlies able to control things a lot more—Dad, who always wanted babies—I wouldn't be surprised if he would be pushing for it, too!

28. I don't have any excuse about my age, because if He could give dear Marianne and dear Dawn and even some of our other leaders and other older mothers babies at their age, there is no reason why He couldn't do the same with me! If they can take it, I should be able to as well. If they can have babies in the middle of their very great responsibilities, then why shouldn't I be able to have a baby in the midst of mine? I can't claim my weak health as a reason not to have children, since I know very well that the Lord is able to strengthen me. If some of our dear women, like Mary Mom, for example, can have babies one right after another, as weak and sick as she is throughout her entire pregnancy, why shouldn't I? So I really don't think I have any way to weasel out of it.

29. I could say, "Let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done"—which is what I do say—but I feel a little guilty even saying that, because I shouldn't even be looking at it as a "cup," or something bad or difficult. I believe the Lord gives us babies as a sign of His Love‚ and as a gift to us. Of course‚ it does take some work and involves some testing, but I don't think that we should look at having a baby as such a terrible thing.

30. Many of our older women have borne baby after baby, so if they can do it, why shouldn't I be able to? And if they can do it, why shouldn't our strong young people be able to bear babies and learn more responsibility, which apparently the Lord wants them to do. But we can hinder the Lord's important plan for our lives by not yielding, and insisting upon our own way.

31. This goes against my natural grain to preach this and to say this, but just the fact that I can shows that the Lord has done a great miracle in my life and really changed me and helped me to become yielded and accepting; whereas once I was very rebellious and stubborn and disobedient and unyielded. Thank the Lord for His miracles! The next step is not only to yield, but to learn to yield happily and eagerly!—And I'm working on that, Lord helping me!

32. Even though it is difficult for me to give this message, I must, because I am responsible to speak the Truth, just as Dad was. I can't water down what God has said just because you or I want things to be different. I'm very open to change, to progress, to freedom, as long as it's within God's will and is not contrary to His Word.

33. I have sought the Lord deeply on this matter and have asked Him to speak on a number of occasions about this, and He has‚ wonderfully! In fact, I think you'll be surprised at some of what He has said! I was! He has given guidance to those of you with large families‚ to you single moms, and to you young people, both married and unmarried. Throughout the rest of this Letter He will speak to each of you, showing you His feelings on the matter with great love and understanding.

34. The first thing I want to share is a beautiful prophecy that the Lord gave recently when Peter and I were praying about this matter. I'm going to include my prayer at the beginning as well, so you can see what I was asking the Lord. This is a very important prophecy‚ as it clearly explains the Lord's will and the choices you have in the matter. Please read it slowly and prayerfully.

Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!

35. (Mama prays:) Lord, there are a lot of people in the Family who either don't feel ready to have babies for one reason or another, or who don't want to have any more babies. There is an attitude that has crept in that babies are a burden and we've already had too many of them, and that we need to stop having so many.

36. The question I have is, what are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to trust You, or are we supposed to take matters into our own hands if we feel we have too many babies? Are we going to trust You that You are going to give us the number of children You want us to have, or are we going to try to do something about it ourselves? Do we leave it completely in Your hands, or is it okay with You if we decide ourselves when we've had enough children?

37. Personally‚ I feel that if we want to be in Your highest will, then what we need to do is trust You. That's what Dad always said and this is what is expressed throughout all the Letters. But on the other hand, I know You are merciful and don't tempt us above that we are able.

38. We know You have mercy on all of us and You don't come down hard on people who overall are doing Your will, but who don't feel that they can attain Your highest will. You really want them to choose Your highest, but You said if they don't, there is still a measure of joy and blessing with the other, lesser choices within Your will. Recently, Lord, when speaking concerning someone who didn't feel they had the strength to choose Your highest will in one area of their life‚ You said You wouldn't judge them harshly and that You would help them to be fruitful, although not quite as fruitful as they would be in Your first choice for them. So perhaps this applies to the birth control question also.

39. For me, You are requiring that I do Your highest will, that I trust You completely!—That as one of the earthly heads of Your Family I have to take the road of complete yieldedness to You. I can't get away with being selectively yielded, because if I do‚ it would be dangerous for Your work. But perhaps with others it is not such a big deal to You, Lord. Perhaps it's not such a problem and it is a smaller thing. Maybe this is a case where You don't require the same standard of everyone. We don't know, Lord‚ but we need You to show us.

40. I don't want to be so hard-line on people that it discourages them and they feel condemned or like they can't be happy living for You because they are missing the mark or they're disobeying and not trusting You. However, at this point I don't see any way around the fact that they have to trust You, and if we are going to trust You, it seems like we've got to trust You all the way; but I don't want people to be condemned if they feel they can't. So, Jesus, would You please resolve this seeming conflict, this dilemma of do we need to trust You or don't we need to trust You?—Or can we selectively trust You?—Or is it okay that some people have to trust You this way and others don't have to?

41. I feel I have to trust You completely‚ but I don't want to impose what I think I have to do on everybody else, if You don't impose it on them. We need Your help on this, and we need your answer to be clear because we're going to have to publish all of this material about birth control and Your will and trusting You, for the Family.

42. People are waiting eagerly to hear what Your will is in this matter, and we have got to have it right and properly balanced. You have to be clear and simple and show us how to apply Your principles to the different situations. We need it to be clear and tailored to the different situations so people will understand. Please show us the complete picture so that we don't have little pieces of the puzzle floating all around and people misunderstanding what You have said.

43. We're sorry we're so simple. Maybe we should be able to see how it all fits together and what Your will is, but we just don't, so we've got to ask You about it. Lord, please do show us simply‚ please tell us clearly so we can present it to the Family.

44. I know what I'm supposed to do, but we don't want to issue some proclamation based on what I feel is good for me‚ if that's not what You want for everyone!

45. Lord, this is so important! It's such a big point of controversy and a subject of discussion with many differing opinions and different views. People have all kinds of different viewpoints on it, Lord, so You've got to make this clear and we've got to get it right! So please speak to us clearly and completely, in Jesus' name.

46. (Prophecy:) Children are the heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Are they a burden? Or are they a blessing? Or are they both? Take a look around you at the range of your children—the babies‚ the toddlers, the YCs, the MCs, the OCs‚ the JETTs, the Juniors, the Seniors, the YAs. Look at them all. Are they a burden? Or are they a blessing? Are they not the fulfillment of that which your Father David has said?

47. Look at these older ones. Are they not the princes and princesses that your father has said they would be? Have they not stood in the gates and spoken with your enemies? Are they not the army that I have said they would be?

48. And you teens and YAs, you who doubt about children, do you not understand that you were the babies of your parents when they were your age? Do you not understand that you are the product of their sacrifice? Do you not understand that you are the fruit of their labors? And do you not understand that your fruit is their fruit?—That they are partakers of your labors, and that they will partake of your reward?

49. For they have invested in you. As he that takes his money and invests it in a project, and the project is successful and the project continues to make money and to prosper, so the original investor gains the dividends, has an increase and is rewarded for his investment. So are your parents receiving reward for that which you do, for they have invested their lives in you. And great is their reward in My Heavenly Kingdom, for they have done that which I have said shows the greatest love, they have laid down their lives for another.—For you! They have lived a life of sacrifice for you. They have been wise investors and have made good investments in you.

50. Judge ye: Should they have said, "Oh, I must prevent you from being born"? They could have said, "I can accomplish so much more if I did not have these young ones tugging at my skirts all the time. I could be out reaching more! Doing more! Accomplishing more! I could go to many places. I could be more useful. I could be more attractive if I did not have these children, or if I was not pregnant."

51. In the short term this may have been true, but it would have been as one who has money in his hand and says, "I have this money and if I invest it, I don't have it in my hand any more, for it is invested in something that I cannot see. So I must keep it and use it for myself." I say that these are the unwise investors. For those funds that they held on to and did not invest are gone. But he that invests wisely in My Kingdom reaps the rewards today, tomorrow and for eternity.

52. Look at your parents and ask yourself‚ "Did they invest wisely?" Look at yourself and say, "I am the fruit of their investment." And now I say unto you‚ what kind of investors will you be? "Oh," you say, "there is not enough time for our investments to come to fruition. For if we have our children now and the Time of the End comes‚ they won't be old enough that we can reap the rewards of our investment."

53. But you know not how the investment shall go. For some investments bring forth great reward speedily, and some are longer term. You cannot begin to think that you know what is ahead. For this only I know‚ and only I know what your investments will bring forth. For no investor knows exactly what the investment shall bring forth, or when it shall bear its fruit, but he invests by faith, trusting and believing that it will be a sound investment.

54. For I am not the author of confusion, but of peace. You seek to have a simple answer, you seek to know the simple word. The purest form of simplicity is this: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. If you would have simplicity, if you would have peace with no confusion, then trust Me explicitly, looking neither to the right nor to the left‚ considering no other options, but just trusting. In this lies perfect peace.

55. For when you trust Me with all of your heart, when you trust Me with your life and every aspect of it, you can know that you are in My will. So if you would have perfect peace, then trust. Trust Me. Trust Me with your life. Trust Me with your death. Trust Me for your health. Trust Me for your children. Trust Me for the number of your children. Trust Me for the timing of your children.

56. Those that do this know that each child I bring forth through them is My will, My blessing and My reward. They will not go through their life wondering‚ "Is there one that I should have had that I didn't? Is there one that I prevented? Have I allowed my God to have full sway with me and to accomplish within me that which He pleased to do?" For those that trust have faith that I have brought forth all that I wish to bring forth. They have no question, they have no doubt, for they trusted Me and thus they have peace. But he that takes a matter into his own hands knows this not. So if you would have the simple answer, then I say unto you, trust.

57. To you whose bodies are tired from the bearing of children‚ I say trust. For in trusting you have put your life into My hands, and this shows your faith, in which I am well pleased.

58. To you young ones who have child after child and think, "Oh dear God! My usefulness to the Lord is over. I must stop having them, for they are too much for me, they are too many. What shall I do?" Unto you I say, trust Me. For I am the all–wise God and I know that which I do.

59. To you younger ones who are just married with one or two or no children and are contemplating what to do, and you look about you and see the fruitfulness of others, and you see the difficulties of large families, and you look at the young couples with increasing families and you wonder what to do, I say unto you, trust Me.

60. To you very young ones, unmarried, fearful, I say unto you, trust Me.

61. And to you single mothers who struggle, I know your struggle, and I say unto you, trust Me.

62. For this is the simple answer. This is My highest. This is the best. Trust Me. Trust in Me with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.

63. Many of you look at the Words of David and the power and the strength of his Word and the forcefulness with which he brought forth the answer to this question, and you say, "Oh, but this is so hard! It is so unbending. It is even unmerciful!" I say that he spoke the Truth, for he said unto you‚ trust God. He delivered unto you the standard of God‚ the Truth of God. For his message was true, and his commission, as My voice, was to speak the Truth unto you. And thus he did in faithfulness and in truth.

64. And as with Moses and the children of Israel who came out of Egypt‚ it was necessary to lay down the law strongly and firmly, for they in their minds had been polluted with that which they had grown up with in the land of Egypt and the influences of the Egyptians. So were the hard Words of David for this‚ your first generation. They were strict, they were forceful. They left little room for choice! But this was to teach you and to purge you from the influence of the System that you had grown up with. This kept you following My will closely. For had his Words not been strong and forceful and hard, you would have strayed, for your upbringing was such that you understood not the ways of God nor the will of God. But now you have learned, lo, these many years. These things have been purged out of your system.

65. And to this, the second generation, who have grown up knowing the Words of God, who have grown up without being controlled and indoctrinated in their youth by the ways of man, I can speak in a different manner. For you, the second generation, are more accountable, because you have had the Word of God all the days of your life.

66. You say‚ "Oh, those Words of David spoken to our parents made it so difficult for them‚ for it said they must do this and they must do that!" But that definiteness and firmness made it not more difficult, but easier. It was very easy for them to obey because they were directed, they were ordered! Their attitude was one of‚ "I will do this because the Prophet has said so."

67. I honored them for this and I loved them for this!—For their obedience, for their loyalty and for their faith in the Words of David, yea, My Words, My Truth. I wish that you would also believe and obey these Words! But now you must obey and believe because of your choice.—Not because the Words of David say you must do this or you must do that, but because you say, "I believe. I have faith. I will trust."

68. For now I lay before each of My children—whether they be old, of the first generation, or whether they be young, of the second—the Word of God‚ the Words of David, the Words that I pour forth in these days, all of them together, and I say unto you, "Choose ye that which you will do. Choose ye the level of your obedience. Choose ye the level of your faith."

69. I lay forth the standard of My Word, the highest, the best‚ the Truth. I say unto you, this is the Truth of God, this is the way of God, this is the highest that I pour forth unto you. I have made it clear and I have poured it forth through the Words of David; and they are there for all to see, and they are there for all to obey, if they will but obey.

70. But I do not say that you must obey! For I place before you the majesty of choice. Each of you are as he that holds in his hand the funds which I have given unto you, and you must make the decision of how you will invest these funds, these gifts that I have put into your hand. He that invests wisely, he that invests in that which I say to invest in, reaps the greatest rewards. He that only invests a little here and a little there may reap reward, but not of the same measure. And he that invests not, reaps not the rewards.

71. For he that invests in the highest, in the path of trust‚ in the path of faith, in the path of complete yieldedness unto Me and unto My will, he that says, "Not my will but Thine be done," to him are the greatest blessings and the greatest rewards.

72. You may look at him and say, "Look at the hardships that this one goes through. Look at the difficulties. Look at the battles! He was not a wise investor." But I say unto you, I see things differently than the way man sees them. Man looks on the outward appearance, but I look upon the heart. I look upon the faith‚ the trust and the yieldedness of the heart. But judge not one another‚ for only God can judge.

73. If you have not the faith to trust Me explicitly, to trust Me with all your heart, if you have only the faith to trust Me with most of your heart, then acknowledge Me and I will direct your path. Bring these matters before Me desperately in prayer, seeking Me diligently. If you cannot trust Me fully, I will show you what you should do, I will speak unto your heart, I will commune with you, and I will have mercy on you. I understand. I will accept you and love you even though you lack full faith. But you are as those who do not fully invest‚ yet you reap the blessings of God, for you are My children and I love you.

74. You who take these matters into your own hands without seeking Me, without hearing My direction, you, too, are still My children and I love you. But you too must understand that I cannot bless you in full measure.

75. For I have set you all free to follow Me at the level of your faith‚ and I have said that you must live with the consequences of your decisions. You must live with the dividends of your investments. He that invests heavily in faith reaps heavily in reward. He that withholds some and invests much, reaps also reward. And he that invests only a little reaps a little in reward.

76. For there is good‚ there is better and there is best. The best is to trust Me fully, for in full trust and in full faith you can have full freedom and have full peace, and have full reward and full blessing.

77. The better is he that trusts Me, who gives his life to Me, but who has reservations here or there, or matters in which they feel they cannot fully trust Me. They feel they must take a little here and there into their own hands, and they must bear the weight of the matters that they take into their own hands themselves. Yet they still reap reward for their love for Me and for their faith in so many other matters, and I love them and I pour forth unto them My blessing and My anointing—maybe not in full measure, but in great love.

78. And the good? The good are those who love Me and serve Me, and who I am well pleased with, in that they have chosen to serve Me and that they have chosen to love Me. And though they have not given their whole hearts unto Me and do not fully trust Me, yet they have given their lives unto Me and I honor them and I reward them greatly. But they must carry much weight, for they keep many decisions unto themselves.

79. All of these, the good, the better and the best, are My children and I love them dearly and I accept them where they are, but I cannot reward them equally, nor can I bless them equally. So I lay before you the good, the better and the best‚ and I say, choose ye. Invest at whichever level you choose to invest in. And know this, that whether you choose the good, whether you choose the better, or whether you choose the best, that I love you and I understand. I have compassion and great love for you. But you must understand that he that invests all receives all. He that invests much receives much, and he that invests little receives little.

80. For I give you the choice. I let you decide, and in doing so, you choose your blessings, your rewards. This is true not only in the decisions regarding whether you will accept the children that I would give unto you or whether you will restrict them‚ but in all matters.—In all matters of choice, of faith, in all matters of belief in My Word‚ in the giving of love one to another, in the getting out of My Message, in the overcoming of your besetting sins and all of these matters. He that trusts Me, he that yields unto Me, and he that gives all, receives the greater blessings and rewards. He that gives most, receives much. And he that gives little receives little.

81. All are loved and all are cared for, and unto all I give the basics of My blessings. But as he that runs the race and runs the fastest receives the medal of gold, and the next the medal of silver, and the next the medal of bronze, so is it in My Kingdom, and so is it with My blessings. For he that loves Me most follows closest.

82. Lovest thou Me?—Trust Me. Follow closest. Lovest thou Me?—Trust Me. But if you can't trust Me all the way‚ trust Me as much as you can. Lovest thou Me? If you cannot trust so much, still, keep serving Me‚ keep loving Me. For all three are blessed and all three are crowned with crowns, and all three are given medals of honor, for they have run the race.

83. I wish for all to receive the medals of gold, but all will receive their medals because all have run the race and all can stand on the podium and receive the honor and the glory that they deserve for serving Me in great love, for giving their lives unto Me. For they have run the race. They are not sitting in the grandstands just observing, but they are there on the podium receiving the admiration and the applause. They deserve it, for they have run the race well. They all receive of My love, and they all receive the blessings, and I am proud of them all. (End of prophecy)

Summary of "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" Prophecy

84. (Mama:) The Lord certainly answered wonderfully and clearly, didn't He? Thank You Jesus! Let's review briefly the main points.

85. Number 1: Investing in children is a good, wise investment that brings God's blessings and rewards.—Rewards today, tomorrow and for eternity.

86. Number 2: The parents reap reward from the labor and fruit of their children. Now you may think, "What about those young people who leave the Family? That doesn't look like a very good investment. How can the parents reap the rewards of their kids if they leave the Lord's service?" We thought you might have that question, so we came before the Lord, and asked Him if He would like to clarify this for us.

87. The Lord and Dad reassured us that none of His children are lost, and that even if they leave the Family for a time‚ that eventually they'll be back in His service—if not in this life, then in the next—and at that time, they'll continue their training. So all the time‚ training and love you parents invested in your children who have backslidden will not be wasted, it will eventually bring forth fruit, and you parents will see the reward of your investment!—If not immediately in this life, then eventually in the Heavenly realm. Our lives on this Earth are just a moment in time, and if the Lord is not able to fulfill this promise completely now, then He will in His eternal Kingdom to come.

88. Of course, the Lord also brought out that those kids who turn their backs on Him won't receive the same reward or honor as those of you who remain faithful to the End. They won't lose their place as His children, but they will have lost valuable time and training, so they will be weaker and will need time to be cleansed and strengthened and to catch up. He commended those of you who stay faithful and loyal to Him, despite the trials and tests, and said you will be greatly rewarded.

89. The Lord touched on some of these same points in GN 608, "When Teens Leave the Family," but He has now filled in many more details and given us a clearer picture. Lord willing, we will publish more on this subject later, but I at least wanted to share some of the main points He recently brought out‚ so you will better understand how the Lord can and will fulfill this promise. Okay, back to the summary of the "Go for the Gold" prophecy.

90. Number 3: Our young people should also be wise investors, as their parents were, by being willing to have children.

91. Number 4: The simple answer for everyone who is having sexual intercourse and wondering about whether it is okay to use birth control is that it is best to trust the Lord explicitly, without using any form of birth control. This applies to older married couples, young couples with children, newly mated couples, single moms, YAs and senior teens. If you're going to have sex, trusting the Lord concerning pregnancy is His highest and best, and through trusting Him fully, you will find perfect peace and He will reward you or bless you fully.

92. Number 5: If you are having sex but you don't feel you can fully trust the Lord concerning pregnancy, then you should bring it before Him in desperate prayer and He will show you what to do. He will speak to your heart. He will commune with you. In such a case, it's between you and the Lord what you choose to do, whether you choose to use some kind of birth control or not. If you trust the Lord in almost all matters in your life, but you feel like you just can't trust Him in some particular thing‚ such as whether or not you will have a child, then He says you must bear the weight of this matter yourself. And because you're not trusting Him 100%, He will not be able to give you His full blessings nor His full rewards, but He will have mercy. He understands. He will accept you and love you even though you don't have full faith. However, when you don't trust the Lord completely, you sacrifice a little of the peace that comes with knowing you let the Lord have full sway in your life. He also is not able to fully bless or reward you.

93. Number 6: If you choose not to trust the Lord in this and other matters, and you do not bring the matter before Him in serious prayer, but choose to take matters into your own hands, mainly doing what you think is best, then you must carry much more weight on your own. If you don't seek Him about this decision and commune with Him and receive His instructions for you personally, you will receive even less rewards and blessings.

94. Number 7: Each one of us must live with the consequences of our decisions. The Lord makes it clear, with the gold-silver-bronze medal example, that there are different levels of reward‚ depending on how much we're trusting Him:

95. —Those who trust fully receive full freedom‚ full peace, full reward and full blessing.

96. —Those who trust in most matters, but who just can't trust in a few things here or there‚ if they really seek the Lord and commune with Him, they will still receive the Lord's blessing and anointing—not in full measure, but in great love. These will be rewarded for their love for the Lord and their faith in so many other matters.

97. —There are some who take many decisions into their own hands, who have many reservations‚ who don't seek the Lord in these matters and who have not given their whole hearts unto Him. They will be honored and rewarded because they have chosen to serve the Lord, but not as much as those who have more faith, more trust and who are more yielded to the Lord.

98. These reservations, this lack of faith, this taking matters into your own hands He likens to receiving silver or bronze medals, as opposed to gold medals, which are given to those who trust the Lord fully in all areas.

99. Number 8: The Lord reminds us not to see things with the eyes of man. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. He cautions us not to judge one another‚ for only He can judge.

100. Number 9: In the past, the Lord used Dad's insistence on such matters as a means to keep us, as a Family, within God's will. Dad's strictness, his firmness and definiteness helped to purge us of our System ways‚ because we had been polluted from growing up in the System. But now, all of us, old and young alike‚ are accountable to the Lord to obey because we choose to, out of faith, belief and trust, because we want to obey, not because we must obey. The Lord is laying before us all a choice, and we must each choose our level of faith and obedience. Our choices determine our blessings and rewards. This applies to all areas of our lives, not just the question of having children.

101. Number 10: Whatever medal we choose to go for—the gold‚ the silver or the bronze—we will be rewarded accordingly, both here and now, and for eternity. We will all stand on the podium and be rewarded because we have given our lives in service to the Lord. Those who invest in the highest, the path of complete trust and faith and yieldedness, those who give all for the Lord will be given the greatest blessings and rewards. Those who give almost all, but who hold back in a few areas, will receive much reward. And those who give little and who have many reservations and many unyielded areas will receive less reward. Yet in all this He will honor us all for our love and service for Him. We all have run the race. We will all be crowned and given medals of honor.

102. I'm thrilled with these answers! The Lord is now putting this decision on your shoulders instead of mine. Each of you is going to have to decide upon your own level of obedience, of yieldedness, of saying "yes" to Jesus. I know what I've decided, and that is to be completely yielded in this, and all other matters, by God's grace! That's what He says He wants from us all‚ our complete trust in Him. No matter how difficult this path may look‚ He's promised to give us the grace and strength for whatever He sends our way. All of us, no matter who we are and no matter what our circumstances, can say "yes" to Him. He doesn't ask anything of us that we can't do if we'll just yield. But if we choose not to‚ He will still love us and reward us for our love and service for Him.

103. I thought it was very interesting that He said you young people are even more accountable than we adults were at your age because you have grown up knowing His Word since you were born. I hope you clearly understand that the Lord is putting a very serious choice before you, a choice that will affect you for eternity. My prayer is that you will choose to trust Jesus for your children, for pregnancy‚ for everything. If you have been considering other options, I pray that you will now seriously consider what the Lord has said about it, realizing that your decisions today will affect the rest of your life on this Earth and in the world to come.

104. So as we can all see, the Lord is saying that His highest and best is to trust Him. That no matter what the situation‚ we should put Him and His will first in our lives.

More Questions About Sex and Sharing!

105. I was so thankful that the Lord spoke so clearly in answer to our questions. However, as I prayed about the matter further, and discussed it with Peter and others, I realized that some of you young people will still have further questions after reading the above prophecy. When I thought about all the Lord has been saying lately‚ especially to you young people about His desire for you to live the Law of Love, I wanted to make sure that everything fit in, that we give you a complete picture, and that we answer all your major questions.

106. Peter and I have studied over what the Lord has said in His various counsel to and about you young people. He has spoken abundantly in recent months on the subject of sexual freedom, sharing‚ loving others, pregnancy, trusting the Lord, acting according to your own faith, taking responsibility for your actions, etc. You YAs have been allowed the option of sexual freedom with those of your own age group for quite some time now, but the Love Charter and GN 649 ("Teen Sex Policies") brought quite a big change when the Lord clearly stated that He also wanted you senior teens to be able to participate in sexual activity with other young people within the age restrictions if you so desire.

107. In the prophecies received at Summit '95 on this subject‚ the Lord said He wanted your experience of living the Law of Love to be wonderful and beautiful. He indicated that you senior teens are inexperienced and some are rather fearful, so you should move at your own pace and not feel forced or pressured in any way. You can go however fast or slow you wish, but He also added that if you choose to have full sex, you should not fear pregnancy as a result, because He would use it to work in your lives and to teach you many lessons and mature you.

108. In the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold" prophecy it is clear that for those of any age—i.e., senior teens, YAs or older adults—who choose to have full sex, the Lord's highest is to trust Him regarding pregnancy rather than use any form of birth control. In some prophecies received at the Summit Meeting‚ He indicated that in many cases He would prefer that you marry if your lovemaking results in pregnancy. He promised that your marrying and raising children together would be a key factor in your maturing and becoming the men and women of faith that He desires. (Note: More on the subject of marriage is covered later in this GN, and excerpts of the above-mentioned prophecies will come out in a later pub, D.V.)

109. When Peter and I were reviewing these different messages from the Lord and looking at the different aspects of this counsel for you young people, we realized that you would be in a bit of a dilemma because the Lord is encouraging you to share more with others, even share sacrificially‚ but He's also saying that if the woman gets pregnant, in many cases you should get married. This is no doubt a hard saying for you, because many of you will want to follow the Lord's encouragement to share more, but you may be fearful of a pregnancy occurring, and as a result, your having to marry someone you're not in love with.

110. I know you're all very concerned about meeting and marrying the right person. You want to be in love when you get married, or at least be good friends, so you will have a happy, fruitful marriage. That's understandable and natural. Getting pregnant and then married is a major commitment on your part‚ so we understand that you'll wonder how you can put into practice what the Lord is asking of you, without feeling like you will be getting roped into a long-term relationship or marriage that you're not too happy about. So we understand that all this puts you young people in a difficult position. The three main problems as we see them are as follows:

111. The first problematic scenario: In order to not show partiality, you share with those who have a need or those whom the Lord is convicting your heart to share with, even though you may not be attracted to them‚ or they may not be your first choice of partner, and you feel you should trust the Lord about pregnancy as a result of your lovemaking. It's hard enough for you to share with someone you're not attracted to, but if a pregnancy occurs when you are with someone who you don't even care for, that's an even greater test! And then on top of that, if you feel you have to marry this person and live with them for the rest of your life‚ you might feel that is just too much!

112. So‚ if you young people are expected to get married if a pregnancy occurs as a result of your lovemaking, there's a good possibility that many of you will simply choose to not share at all with others, unless it's someone whom you are seriously considering marrying. Now you may think that's a simple enough solution, and a pretty good one at that. But the problem with this approach is, if you hold back, you will not be progressing in learning to love; you will not be learning to share more and take care of one another's needs, including each other's sexual needs.

113. The second problematic scenario: Some of you young people may decide that you will go ahead and share with someone whom you aren't considering marrying. You may decide to have full sex, but because you don't want to conceive a child and then be faced with having to get married, you may decide to use a condom. This again is not God's highest, because according to the Lord's counsel in the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold" prophecy, using condoms or other forms of birth control is obviously not His preferred choice.

114. The third problematic scenario: Because you so much want to please the Lord and be 100% "revolutionary," some of you young people will feel that you should go ahead and make love with someone who has a need, even if you don't have any special feelings for them, and perhaps it may even be someone that you don't really get along with, but out of sacrificial love you decide to go ahead. Let's say you have intercourse and because you want to trust the Lord fully, you don't use a condom. Then a pregnancy occurs‚ so you feel you should marry this person. Obviously, it would start a marriage off on a very difficult foot if the two people involved don't even get along, but you feel obligated to marry because the woman is pregnant.

115. Considering these difficulties that you young people would be facing, I felt the Lord must have more to say on the subject, as, when you look at all He is saying to you, it seems like He is asking a lot! We know the Lord wants you to share more, but we also know the Lord is merciful and loving and He wants you to be happy and fulfilled. He wants your sharing to be a source of joy and unity and love!

116. As the Lord has been saying over and over‚ when we need to know some answer that we can't find in the Word, we should ask Him. So Peter and I prayed, bringing this overall problem before the Lord, asking Him if He could explain things a bit more clearly and help us resolve these problems. The following is what He said:

Freedom to Live the Law of Love!

117. (Prophecy:) Behold the love that I have given unto the children of David, that they can share My love freely, one with another, to find great joy therein, great happiness, great fulfillment, that they may know the ecstasies of the flesh and the ecstasies of the Spirit. So have I used My David to free you from the bondage of the System, from the [religious] laws of those who stifle, who say that which I have made is bad, when I say unto you it is good. For it is of Me and I have made it and I have given you these sensations of the flesh that you may know joy, release, relief‚ happiness and closeness one to another. I do not mean this to be a burden‚ but a blessing, a strengthening, a unifying factor, a measure to draw you close one unto another, to unite you together as one, as one body, as one bride, as one marriage.

118. You bring before Me many questions‚ and I bring unto you the answers to your questions, that this will be clear and understandable and that all will understand, that they may be free to love and to share and to partake of this Heavenly blessing that I have poured forth unto the children of David, for their faith, for their belief and for their trust in the Words of David.

119. So unto you who are married I say‚ trust Me, for I am He that creates life, I am He that chooses to give unto you your children, and thus trust Me. And if this be too difficult for you, then seek Me, as I have said. [Here the Lord is referring to the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" prophecy.]

120. And for you unmarried who wish to become one with another, one in flesh in full union, in full intercourse, I say unto you, trust Me. But become one knowing that you put your life into My hands, that of your union I could see fit to bring forth one of My children into this world. And when I have given you this gift‚ this gift is yours and I would that you would be together, that you would help one another, that you would be one. If you can receive it, I would that you would marry‚ for two are better than one in the care of one of My little ones.

121. But that you would enjoy the freedoms and the love that I have given unto you, I say unto you unmarried that you may love one another. You may love with your hands and love with your mouths, you may kiss and caress and rub and go [have an orgasm] and enjoy the ecstasies of the flesh, but not fully becoming one, not having intercourse. For thus I free you from the burden of the responsibility of pregnancy so that you may learn to have the closeness and the love one with another, that you may fulfill My Law of Love, that you may share freely without worry, and that you may show My love in a tangible‚ touchable, feelable way one unto another, without partiality.

122. For I now take away the excuse for you unmarried, for you are now free to love, to kiss‚ to caress, to hold, to enjoy without fear. I say unto you, will you do this thing? Will you now live the Words that I have given unto your Father David? Will you now supply the need of love one unto another? For such love is of God, it is My Love and I wish to use it to draw you closer one unto another. So love and kiss and caress and enjoy and hold not back, for such love is of Me, for I am love.

123. And when you choose to have a full union [intercourse] with one, do so in prayer‚ do so in wisdom, and do so in My love‚ in full faith, knowing that there is responsibility there. Love one another and so fulfill the Law of Love, and so be My love one unto another, and do so in faith. But show love‚ give love‚ supply love, that you may be called the children of Love, the Family of Love, the children of David. (End of prophecy)

124. (Mama:) I was thrilled to hear what the Lord said here. For starters, He says He wants us to find joy, happiness, fulfillment, release, relief and closeness one to another through sharing love with one another; that it is a blessing‚ a strengthening and a unifying factor. He calls it a Heavenly blessing.

125. He goes on to reiterate that His best is for the married couples to trust Him‚ as He has said all along. He then says that those who are not married, who wish to have full intercourse, should also trust Him for the outcome. So if you are going to fuck, His highest is to trust Him rather than to use condoms or other methods of birth control. He also points out that if two singles do make love and it results in pregnancy, then the gift of that child is yours and it would be best, in most cases, if you marry.

126. The Lord then goes on to say that because He wants you to enjoy the freedoms He has given and to live the Law of Love, you who are not married can love one another sexually without full intercourse. He asks if you will now supply one another's need for love‚ without partiality, as there's now no excuse for not sharing.

127. I was very happy with this answer! I'm sure you unmarried young people and single moms will be as well! Isn't the Lord just wonderful to so beautifully and lovingly resolve this dilemma and these difficulties that you were facing, by making a way for you to obey Him, yet not making it too difficult for you?

128. I still had another question, however. If you, our unmarried ones, are having sexual activity together, but are not having full intercourse, are you then not fully trusting the Lord?

129. This seemed to contradict what the Lord said earlier in "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" He said, "And to you younger ones, unmarried, fearful, I say unto you, trust Me. And to you single mothers who struggle, I know your struggle, and I say unto you, trust Me." There seemed to be a contradiction because in one place the Lord said that the unmarried ones needed to trust Him about pregnancy, but then in another place—this last prophecy—He said that they could choose not to have full intercourse. But I knew that somehow this must not be a contradiction, even though it seems like it, because the Lord doesn't contradict Himself. It's just that with our finite understanding, sometimes it looks like that to us.

130. Knowing that He must have an answer to this seeming conflict, and that God's ways are far above our ways, once again we brought our question to the Lord. Here is what He said:

A Step–by-Step Journey of Love!

131. (Prophecy:) I wish for My children to love and show love one unto another, and I take them step by step. I take them where they are at, and I move them forward. I wish for them to trust Me and have faith in Me‚ full faith to know that I would control their lives in great love, that I would lead their steps, that I would give unto them of My hand and would show them which way they should go and that which they should do, that I would give unto them from My hand all good things.

132. But every journey must start somewhere, and this journey to greater love and greater understanding and greater trusting of Me must have its beginnings first in greater love. For as they learn to love one another and as they learn to love Me, I will then help them to learn to trust Me more.

133. For these young and unmarried have not the same trust in Me that their parents did when they were young, and I must nurture this trust in them. I must bring them along step by step. So I call them first to love, first to share‚ first to get to know one another, first to kiss, first to caress, and I will put in their hearts the desire to do more, and then I will ask them to trust Me. For first they will be pleased to know that they can be within My will just by loving, kissing and caressing, and then I will work in their lives and they will learn to trust Me and they will make decisions to marry. For by allowing them to love without responsibility, I will bring them into loves where they will want the responsibility, and I will make two as one‚ and they will trust Me.

134. So let Me lead them step by step, for I will guide them and I will shepherd them‚ and I will bring them unto Me, and I will bring forth the unions that I wish to bring forth, and I will bring forth the children that I wish to bring forth. But in this manner, I first bring them together, for I take them step by step.

135. So to My young ones, I do say‚ trust Me! But I say this to them when they are faced with the decision to have full intercourse or not; then I say unto them, trust Me. I must first bring them to the place of decision‚ and then I say unto them, trust Me for the outcome.

136. And for these, the husbandless mothers, I do the same. For I wish for them to have the fellowship and the supply of their needs and the love they need. In doing so, I will also bring them to the position where they will trust Me‚ and I will use this ease with which they can share their love and have love shared with them to bring forth those who will love them and who will want to be with them and who will want to father their children. So they too will be in the position, in My time, to say, "I will trust You!"

137. When a union brings forth a child, I wish for these to marry‚ but I do not demand it, for I seek the willing and the yielded heart. And when there is a question, bring it to Me and I will reveal My will and I will speak to the hearts of these that have brought forth this fruit from the seed of their union.

138. (Dad speaking:) When I was with you, I made it pretty clear that I was all for marriages. I hit pretty strong on that, but I also let up some too. I gave the ideal, but I left room for some movement in the Spirit. The plan is for the younger ones to marry, to get together, to have children, to learn from it‚ to grow from it, to be strengthened because of it. It will grow them up and it will strengthen them‚ because they will have responsibility. But when a baby results from a date, and it seems very questionable about whether the couple should get together, then bring it to the Lord, and He and we can show what is His will, for very little is black and white.

139. The Word is given, but it's not like the laws of Moses where "thou shalt do this" or "thou shalt not do that!" Like the Words I gave, I set down the standard, the truth, the direction, but seldom were things so hard and fast. There was always a little room to maneuver for certain situations that didn't fit exactly. So when something doesn't fit exactly‚ then seek the Lord and pray, and He can show you. You can rightly divide the Word of truth, you can judge righteous judgment if you seek the Lord and get His mind on the matter.

140. That's the key: To follow the Word, but to keep praying; to keep the general guidelines, to keep following closely, but praying each step of the way and being sensitive to the Spirit. So trust and pray‚ follow and pray, read the Word and pray. (End of prophecy)

141. (Mama:) It's marvelous, isn't it, how the Lord answers our questions when we desperately seek Him? Isn't that wonderful that He had Dad speak as well? I love it when Dad speaks like that. It's just like a brand new MO Letter! Praise the Lord!

142. I just marvel at the Lord's wisdom! He is so loving, caring and understanding. As He unfolds this mystery and explains all aspects of it to us‚ it's plain to see that He has not contradicted Himself in these different prophecies. Instead, with each prophecy He gives more instruction and explanation. He can't always give us every detail about a subject in one prayer session—at least not when He's speaking on such a complex subject as birth control—so He helps us to gradually understand the whole picture by giving us more details and answering our questions with each additional prophecy.

143. When He first told you young people that you were to trust Him‚ He was giving us the basic principle. He was giving us the simplest answer possible, saying, "It's best to trust Me." But then He went on to give more details of what this means when He explained that the final point of decision to trust Him comes when you decide to actually have sexual intercourse. And now in the prophecy that you just read, He explains why He is allowing you to be within His will even when you're having sexual contact without fucking. So the prophecies don't contradict one another, they build on one another.

144. In the above prophecy He reiterates that it is His desire (or goal) that people have full faith to trust Him completely, knowing that He will lead them and control their lives in love and give unto them all good things. But He's bringing you unmarried ones to this point of full trust by leading you step by step. He's taking you where you're at and slowly‚ lovingly and patiently teaching you to have more faith, by first teaching you to love, to share, and to be close to one another. He indicated that while this "journey of love" would begin with loving, kissing, caressing and mutual masturbation, that with time, those involved would learn to love each other and to trust Him more fully.

145. By allowing you unmarried people to enjoy one another sexually without expecting you to fuck, He is allowing you to lovingly supply each other's needs and to get to know one another better. The fruit will be that you will grow closer to each other and you will love one another. The Lord says that through this loving sexual fellowship He will lead you unmarried ones to people with whom you will desire to have full intercourse and take the responsibility of pregnancy and marriage. It is at that point, when you decide to have full intercourse, that you will need to make the choice as to whether you will fully trust the Lord concerning the responsibility of having children together, as is outlined in the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" prophecy.

146. When two people decide to have some sexual fellowship, they should discuss and agree together beforehand how far they want to go. If either person does not want to have full intercourse, then they should not go that far. Neither should the one who seems to have the stronger faith pressure the other one.

When Married Couples Share Outside Their Marriage!

147. If you are married you may wonder what happens if you decide to have sex outside of your marriage union. In other words, what if you decide to share with someone other than your mate? Some of those who read this GN before it was finalized asked whether a married person always falls under the category of "married" no matter who they are making love with, or if they are considered "single" or "unmarried" when they're with someone else other than their mate. This is an important question, because if a married person is considered "single" or "unmarried" when with someone besides his or her mate, in that case the married person has the option to choose some form of sexual activity other than full intercourse and still remain within God's highest will.

148. The Lord has made it clear that it is His highest will for married couples to trust Him concerning pregnancy and not to take matters into their own hands through any form of birth control. He said, "Unto you who are married I say, trust Me, for I am He that creates life, I am He that chooses to give unto you your children, and thus trust Me. And if this be too difficult for you, then seek Me, as I have said. [Here the Lord is referring to the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" prophecy.]"

149. The Lord also said that if unmarried people want to have full intercourse‚ then they too should trust Him. He said, "And for you unmarried who wish to become one with another, one in flesh in full union, in full intercourse, I say unto you, trust Me." Then He goes on to explain that if a child results from these unions, that He wishes for you to marry, in most cases, for the sake of the child. But there is a special dispensation of grace for those who are not married, when He says, "I say unto you unmarried that you may love one another. You may love with your hands and love with your mouths, you may kiss and caress and rub and go [have an orgasm] and enjoy the ecstasies of the flesh‚ but not fully becoming one‚ not having intercourse. For thus I free you from the burden of the responsibility of pregnancy so that you may learn to have the closeness and the love one with another, that you may fulfill My Law of Love, that you may share freely without worry, and that you may show My love in a tangible, touchable‚ feelable way one unto another‚ without partiality."

150. This particular portion of the prophecy is a little ambiguous. When the Lord refers to "you unmarried," it's not completely clear whether He's talking only to singles or if He could also be talking to married couples who are sharing with someone that they're not married to. In other words, when the Lord talks to "you unmarried," it could mean those who aren't married at all, or aren't married to the person they happen to be sharing with at the moment.

151. Now if married people were to be seen as "unmarried" when sharing with anyone other than their mates, then they would be able to apply the Lord's counsel to the unmarried to their situation, which means they could opt to not fuck, but love in other ways when with someone other than their mate. This seemed like a good possibility, a logical and reasonable interpretation of this prophecy, but since we were not 100% sure, we brought this question before the Lord. We asked Him if a married person wants to share sexually with someone besides their mate, can they in their relations with people outside their marriage fall under the same category as the unmarried, and therefore can they share sexually in ways other than fucking and still be within God's highest will. We needed to know for sure whether the Lord is giving married folks the same dispensation of grace that He gives the singles. The Lord gave the following prophecy:

152. (Prophecy:) The giving of love is the sharing of love. The showing of My love one to another is the most important. For love begets love. Kindness begets kindness. Mercy begets mercy. So does the giving of love one to another beget the giving of love to others. For it breaks down the walls of partition and brings forth unity and love and care and compassion one to another.

153. So do I wish to break down those walls so that there can be a free flow of My love one to another, with unity‚ a oneness‚ a bonding together in love.

154. I do not wish for those who would love to hold back in fear. For I wish My love to be given unto all, that all can benefit from My love, in the arms of another‚ with the kisses and caresses of another, that all can partake of My love one with another.

155. So I say unto you, he that is married is as a single when with a single, that My love may be spread and given freely without fear. As with the single and single together, when the decision is made to love fully, then I say, trust Me.

156. As with single and single together, you can give love in many forms and thus satisfy the desire for love, and satisfy My desire that you would love one another. For My greatest desire is that you would all love one another, that you would all be My love one for another. That in loving one another you would break down the walls of partition. So give love. Share love and so fulfill My will. (End of prophecy.)

157. Thank the Lord for such a clear answer on this! His greatest desire is that you share love one with another, that you show His love to each other. He doesn't want you married couples to hold back for fear of either the wife getting pregnant with someone else's baby or the husband getting another woman pregnant. He wants you married couples to feel free to love others. If you do decide to have full sex with someone outside your marriage, then He asks you to trust Him, but you can also freely choose to not have full sex, but to enjoy other forms of lovemaking.

158. Remember what He said to the unmarried: "You may love one another. You may love with your hands and love with your mouths, you may kiss and caress and rub and go [have an orgasm] and enjoy the ecstasies of the flesh, but not fully becoming one, not having intercourse. For thus I free you from the burden of the responsibility of pregnancy so that you may learn to have the closeness and the love one with another, that you may fulfill My Law of Love, that you may share freely without worry, and that you may show My love in a tangible, touchable, feelable way one unto another, without partiality."

159. It seems the thing the Lord is most interested in is our sharing love with each other‚ not necessarily in our having the faith to have babies with everyone we share with sexually. In this case, apparently any reservations or hesitancy to get pregnant with a child from someone other than the husband is canceled out by the love you're willing to show in sharing with others. The Lord will be much more pleased with your sharing love, even if you don't choose to have full sex, than if you hold back and don't share at all.

160. Of course, even though you would be as an "unmarried" person when you have sexual contact with others outside your marriage, you should still counsel with your mate about such relations. It would be advisable to come to a united decision with your mate concerning how far your sexual sharing with others outside your marriage would go, whether you would have full sexual intercourse with others or stay with other forms of sexual activity, excluding intercourse.

The Lord Is Providing Alternatives So You Can Live and Love According to Your Faith!

161. A question that may come to your mind is: "If the Lord is the one who creates the babies, then shouldn't we just trust the Lord completely and have as much full sex as we want? Because wouldn't He just not allow the woman to get pregnant if it weren't His will anyway?" You could choose to make love fully (have intercourse) as much as you want and to whomever you want, within the age restrictions, if you are also willing with the same enthusiasm to take responsibility for any pregnancy that may come about as a result of such loving.

162. There is nothing wrong with trusting the Lord completely, as long as both people involved are willing to give account for their actions and be responsible for the fruit of their love, the child that may result. But at this point in time, many young people don't want to get tied down; they want independence. They're not ready to get married. Also‚ most people prefer to have a little more choice about their future mate‚ they prefer to find "the right person." So the Lord is allowing you more leeway in molding your future, because as much as possible He wants two-parent families caring for the children that are conceived, and He wants you to be happy in your marriages.

163. The Lord is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to grow in love and obey Him and still have the freedom to choose who you want to marry. He is providing another alternative, so you can live and love according to your own faith. Different people will choose to apply this counsel differently. You might choose to not have sexual intercourse with anyone unless the two of you have made the decision that you want to get married. If you feel that way, you can still enjoy some sexual fellowship by sticking to other forms of sexual activity, excluding fucking‚ until you meet the person you want to marry.

164. Another option is that two people might prayerfully choose to go ahead and have sexual intercourse, without planning to marry unless the woman gets pregnant. In other words‚ they would not necessarily be committed to marry before they have sexual intercourse, but they determine in advance that if the woman gets pregnant, then they would look at that as a confirmation that it is the Lord's will for them to marry. What's right for you is what you have the faith for and how you feel the Lord is leading you.

165. The Lord said He also would use this sexual fellowship to supply the needs of you dear single mothers, and to lead you to people who will love you and want to be with you and help care for your children. He indicated that at that time, when you meet someone and decide together that you want to get mated, then you'll be in a position where you too will need to make a choice as to whether you'll fully trust the Lord for another child.

166. Both the Lord and Dad brought out that if a pregnancy occurs, then marriage is usually the ideal. This is true for not only single moms, but also for unmarried women of all ages. But the marriages shouldn't be forced. In some cases, there may be a question as to whether the couple should marry or not, and thus these matters should be brought before Him in prayer. In fact‚ as we have counseled previously, before a couple marries it is always wise to hear from the Lord about it‚ even if everyone is already totally convinced of the Lord's will.

167. The confirmations from the Lord can be a wonderful source of encouragement and instruction, not only for the present but in times to come when things may get rough. When that happens, it's a wonderful comfort to be able to go back to the Lord's confirmations that it was His will for you to be joined together as a team for Him. These promises from the Lord will keep you from thinking the whole thing was a mistake, when the Devil comes around whispering those thoughts in your ear.

168. In general, if unmarried people decide to fuck, the Lord expects them to be responsible for the outcome, and in most cases‚ though not all, to marry in the event of pregnancy.

169. You single mothers or you senior teens or YAs who are now pregnant may be tempted to feel a little resentful or discontent that you weren't able to have the counsel given in this GN earlier. You may think you could have avoided getting pregnant or having a child if you had known that other options were available. But thinking like this won't bring you happiness. It's much better to realize and accept that getting pregnant was the Lord's plan for you. He could have prevented it if He had wanted to, but He allowed it, and for a good reason. So it's much better to see your pregnancy for what it is—a blessing from the Lord—rather than wasting time wishing things had turned out differently for you.

170. Also, I pray that you married couples aren't feeling like, "Why is the Lord not insisting that the unmarried people have the faith for children when they have sexual fellowship, when He's expecting it of us?—At least He's expecting us to trust Him completely concerning the sex we have with each other." The Lord has said in the Letters over and over throughout the years and again in "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold," that He is‚ and will, honor and bless you abundantly for raising the precious children that He has given you. He knows your sacrifice and He will repay. He already has, through the love of your children! He even said that you are reaping rewards through the fruits of your children, in this life and in the life to come!

171. I want to share with you a talk that Dad gave a few months before his Homegoing. The tone of it is quite strong, but as the Lord said, He had His reasons for Dad delivering His messages with such force. I feel that it will be of benefit for us all to hear what Dad had to say, and that it will help you married couples to have the faith to fully trust the Lord in the matter of your children.

WHAT IF NOT?3/94

—Discussion on Whether or Not to Use Contraceptives—By Dad

172. We've had several of our people write in recently, asking about birth control. One said she's had seven children so far and she's getting tired of it. A number of teenage girls that do not seem to be too fond of our birth policies have also written me. In this last case, a man and his wife who wrote in have eight children and they were just wondering if that was enough and couldn't they possibly use some birth control.

173. I told him, "Why ask me? You already know what I think about it. I think the Lord must think you're wonderful parents or He wouldn't have given you so many children!" I know that having and raising children is difficult. It's hard work, I grant you that. I've been through that six times now—four times with my first family and twice with Maria. I also sympathize with the mothers‚ because I know it's taxing on their bodies to have so many children.

174. But take a look at all of our Family children‚ they're now some of our main witnessers! They're our main defenders! You should read the testimonies of some of those teens, how they have stood up and socked it to their accusers in court, in the media and on TV! The lawyers and courts and judges are practically shocked with how well they conduct themselves, what powerful witnesses they are!

175. Our children are wonderful! Sure they are a lot of work! Sure the parents have to sacrifice!—But look at the results! They're the best kids in the world today!—The most powerful witnesses! I'm proud of them!—And I'm proud of their parents who have given their lives to raise them. No wonder the Lord keeps giving you more, because He knows what good parents you are and He wants you to raise more children of light in this world of darkness.

176. We are a people who know and love the Lord and trust Him, right? Don't you think the Lord knows what He's doing? You're not going to have one child that isn't God's will. Do you believe that or not? I don't think He's going to give you any more children unless it's His will. Don't you think the Lord knows if you can stand any more children?

177. People are writing to me asking, "Can't you change the policy of the Family now? Can't we start using contraceptives?" Boy, as explicitly as I have written on the subject and with no punches pulled‚ now they're asking me if it isn't time to change Family policy. "Isn't it time that we can get a reprieve? Do we still have to have so many children?"

178. I'll tell you, some of these people wouldn't even have had one child if they could've helped it! But look what a help those children are now! My mother blew a fuse when she heard Eve and I were going to have a third child. She said‚ "That's it! That's enough! No more, I'm through. You're fired!"

179. But do you know what happened? That child, Hosea, became her favorite and was her biggest helper when my father had a stroke. He lived with them for two years and took care of my dad full time, and my mother found she could hardly do without him! When we started Teens for Christ, I told her she was going to have to get somebody else. Other people could take care of an invalid, but nobody could preach like Ho! Imagine, the one she complained the most about and murmured the most about us having, turned out to be the greatest blessing to her!

180. Eve got to the point where she said, "My God, is this all I'm going to do for the rest of my life, have babies and wash diapers? When am I ever going to get back to working for the Lord?" Now get the meaning of that complaint. She was complaining about having her fourth child, and two of them in diapers at one time.

181. How do you think the Lord felt about that?—Especially when He knew what those four babies were going to do! Can you imagine her saying that about the four children who were going to start Teens for Christ‚ which resulted in the Children of God and the Family?—Saying "My God! When am I going to stop having babies and get back to the Lord's work?"

182. What was she doing in having those babies? (Family: The Lord's work!) Exactly! That was the Lord's work! He was preparing the team that was going to start something worldwide that has won millions of souls! Having those babies and changing and washing their diapers as diligently as she did, and taking care of them as diligently as she did, training them up in the way they should go was the biggest work for the Lord she ever did! She was a stickler on them memorizing Scripture and references and being able to stand up before a whole crowd and quote those verses with conviction‚ to the astonishment of those church members! It was her work, her training of those children that actually started the Family.

183. So my answer to those who have been writing in about this is: Don't you think God knows His business? What do you think God thinks about it? What if Eve had taken things into her own hands, after the first one or two, and said, "I am going to quit having children. I don't want to have any more." Look what would have been missed!—Especially if she would have prevented the birth of Ho and Faithy, who were the most instrumental in beginning the Family. She could have said, "I only want two children." And if she would have insisted, she would have missed God's will. Are you going to use contraceptives to try to prevent the will of God? Who knows what you'll miss!

184. That's the way I feel about it, and if I hadn't taken a firm stand on that throughout our Family history, we wouldn't have so many children who are now becoming teens and our very best witnesses and defenders!—Just like I said they would way back there in the beginning. I said that one of these days they're going to be the best witnesses we've got‚ they're going to be the proof of the pudding! So why are you complaining about having children?

185. Look at all that would not have been accomplished had we allowed contraception in the Family, if our couples had taken the selfish stand to just have children when they wanted them and not have them if they didn't want them. I'm sure there have been many of our mothers who cried, wondering how they could stand having any more kids. But look what those kids are doing for the Lord now!

186. Who impresses people the most?—It's our children! All the investigators come and observe our kids, and the sociologists are just raving about our children, saying they're the best they've ever seen and more intelligent and more socialized and higher quality and everything. They're just raving about them! It's terrific! What the Lord led me to say has come to pass: That some day you'll be thankful because they'll become our best witnesses and our best fighters!

187. Even some of our teenage girls who haven't had any children yet are worrying about it. Some are writing me, saying, "Do you think it's wise for me to have a baby when I'm so young? Couldn't I wait a few years and use contraceptives in the meantime?" Well, I'll tell you, some of our girls in the early stages of the Family were young teens when they had their first babies. And now those very same babies are some of the biggest fighters we've got. They are you YAs of today! Those girls could've complained about having children so young, saying, "It's poor security. We shouldn't have babies because we're so young." If they had, then you older teens and YAs wouldn't be here!

188. I know raising kids is hard! I know it's hard on you precious women to have so many. I know it's hard on you husbands when your wife seems to be pregnant most of the time. But God says, "Endure hardness!" (2Tim.2:3).

189. When my father was faced with the hardship of having an invalid wife, he could have prayed‚ "Oh, God, please take her! What can I do with an invalid wife? Can't You take her and give me another one?" Didn't he have a right to feel like she would be a terrible burden, and was a terrible burden? "How could You stick me with this invalid, Lord, when I need a woman who can work with me and do things and help me, the poor preacher?—At least someone who can take care of her kids and the house!"

190. Is that what he did? Nope! He just insisted on praying for that woman, that God would heal her!—And God did it and performed one of the most marvelous miracles you ever heard of, which produced one of the most marvelous women you ever heard of‚ who evangelized the nation, won thousands of souls to the Lord, healed hundreds, and then she produced me, of all things!

191. She could've said‚ "Lord, I've already got two children! Here I'm now working with my husband in churches and giving my life story and becoming an evangelist, how can I handle another child?" She had these other two kids to take care of as well as her husband. What did she do? Did she complain? Did she murmur? Did she go around crying, "Oh Lord, why me? Why did You give me a third child now when I've got so many problems already?" Do you know what she did? She praised the Lord and she called his name David. (Dad bursts out in tongues:) Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! "This I have ordained and this have I designed and this have I planned.—For this was of My Spirit!" Thank You Jesus! That's not the first time the Lord's ever said that He named me.

192. She thanked the Lord, praised the Lord, named me David, and believed God that I was going to do something for the Lord! Later she was the one that helped it to come to pass with her prayers and some of her prophecies, which were such encouragements! Do you think she should have used contraceptives? She had enough kids! Having been a poor invalid, should she have used contraceptives so she wouldn't have had a third child?

193. What do you think about that? What if she hadn't had me? (Fam: There wouldn't have been a Family!) There would be millions of souls unsaved and thousands of young people still drifting around without any keels‚ with no direction, lost, unsaved and unwanted and doing nothing for the Lord‚ even doing themselves and their families damage. What if she hadn't wanted me and had said, "Two is enough, Lord!"

194. What if Eve hadn't had those four children that she complained about? What if my mother hadn't had me? Where would the world be now? Better off or worse off? (Family: Worse!) Because those women were willing to suffer and have those babies, the world is a very different place, and millions of souls will spend eternity in Heaven.—All because those two mothers—Grandmother and Eve—were willing to get pregnant and have the children the Lord wanted them to have!

195. Who's going to get the greater glory?—The women who bore the children and gave them to the Lord's work and suffered and nearly died for them?—Or the selfish women and men who are using contraceptives because they don't want to have any more children?

196. Let me just leave you with this question: What if not? What if Eve had not had those four children? What if my mother had refused to have me? Does God know what He's doing? Are you willing to leave it in the hands of God no matter what, and consider that God knows best?—That He knows what He's doing, and if you have another child, it's the will of God, even if you don't feel able to take care of it? Well, that's how I feel about it!

197. I want to ask you, who do you think you are to question the wisdom of God in letting you have children? Who do you think you are to tell God what He should do or not do? Why don't you look to the Lord and trust God and be yielded to His will, whatever it may be? Amen? And if God wants you to have any children or any more children or no more children, what are you going to say to the Lord? (Family: Thy will be done.) Amen! Praise God!

198. I hope I'm getting the message across to these people who are complaining about our rules! They're not our rules, they're God's rules! I didn't think up these things, God had made up His mind from the beginning! What did He say? What is the first commandment in the Bible? (Family: "Be fruitful and multiply" [Gen.1:28].) Yes, the first commandment in the Bible was to be fruitful and multiply, and He didn't set any limit on it! If you're unwilling to be fruitful and unwilling to multiply, then the trouble is not with God or me or my rules or Family policy, the problem is with you!

199. This is beginning to be a bone of contention in the Family, and some people are complaining and murmuring about it and they don't like it. Do you know what they're trying to do? They're trying to pass the buck to me! They know how I feel about it, so they want to ask me, "Isn't it time to change the policy of the Family? Won't you give us permission?" They want me to take the blame so they can say, "Oh, Dad said we could. Isn't that great?"

200. They want me to change my convictions and the Family policy to suit their convenience and their selfishness! "Can we change the rules, Dad?" You might as well ask me, "Can you change God's rules?" No‚ definitely not! And if you go ahead and do as you please, then the blame will be on you! I have delivered my soul!

201. I'm sorry for you. I'm sorry you don't want to have a child. I'm sorry you don't appreciate the blessing and the honor of God even giving more children than you think you need or can bear. I'm sorry for you.

202. Aren't you thankful that my mother had me? (Family: Amen.) And aren't you thankful that Mother Eve had our four? You don't know what God may be going to do through the children He wants to give you!—Whether it's the first or second or third, or the ninth or tenth or twelfth!

203. I appreciate your problem and I appreciate your being concerned about it. But why not just put it in God's hands and let Him worry about it? You're His! You're bought with a price! Trust Him with your life and with the life of your children‚ no matter how many He wants to give you! They are the Lord's heritage. They are His love gift to you. Amen?

204. (Mama:) One thing about Dad, he always spoke the truth with conviction! Do you remember what the Lord said earlier in the prophecy? "Many of you look at the Words of David and the power and the strength of his Word and the forcefulness with which he brought forth the answer to this question and you say, `Oh, but this is so hard! It is so unbending! It is even unmerciful!' I say that he spoke the Truth, for he said unto you, trust God! He delivered unto you the standard of God, the Truth of God!" Thank God for Dad who was unwavering in his willingness to follow and obey the Lord and to give His Message no matter what the consequences. Praise the Lord!

Review of the Main Points Concerning the Law of Love, Sex and Pregnancy!

205. Through all the Lord and Dad have said, I believe we now have the complete answers that we need. Perhaps it would help to review the overall "big picture," the things the Lord has been saying recently on the subject of the Law of Love‚ sex and pregnancy.

206. For starters, the "Love Charter" brought about some changes in the sexual rules of the Family, in that it allows our 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in sexual fellowship with those aged 16 through 20, if those involved mutually desire. The Lord gave us the faith to make these changes through the Word He spoke at Summit '95. (See GN 649.) In those prophecies He said that it was His desire to give you 16- and 17-year-olds the freedom to partake of His love one with another, and that such freedom would help to bring about the true freedom that He wants to give‚ the freedom of the Spirit!

207. The Lord indicated that those of this senior teen age group were at different levels and that some would partake of the sexual freedoms readily while others would progress more slowly; that they shouldn't be pressured by their peers to participate, but should proceed at a speed that is comfortable for them.

208. He also clearly stated that pregnancy would occur from their sexual sharing, just as it does in the older age groups, and that we should not fear it; that He ordains it so He can use it to teach and train, to mature and to shepherd the young people, and that pregnancy and marriage will be His tools to draw them closer to Him. (See an exciting message from Dad to Techi further on in this GN!)

209. In this GN, it seems quite evident to me, and I hope to you as well, that the Lord's preferred choice for married couples is that you trust Him for the number of children you have. For those who are not married, but choose to have sexual intercourse, His highest is that you trust Him concerning pregnancy as well, believing that if He wants to bring forth a child through your lovemaking‚ He will; and if He does, that the child is His gift of love to you. In such a case, He expects you to care for the child and in most cases to marry.

210. For married couples, and any others who choose to fuck, His highest will seems to be that you do not use any form of birth control. However, in His understanding, sympathetic love‚ He lovingly makes allowances for those who feel they can't fully trust Him in this matter. But in doing so, He clearly explains His terms, that He cannot fully bless you when you do not fully trust Him.

211. For those who are not married or are married to others, the Lord is allowing you to have sexual fellowship together other than full sexual intercourse. He wants you to enjoy the love and freedom of such fellowship without being concerned about pregnancy. This will allow you to share with others who are in need and those you are drawn to. However, once you decide to have full sex with someone, to have intercourse, then you must consider the counsel the Lord put forth in "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" (For more details on the choices you will face once you decide to fuck, please see the summary of the "Trust Me!—Go for the Gold!" prophecy in paragraphs 84 – 104 of this GN.)

212. Some of you may question, "Why can those who are not married participate in sexual activity with one another and just refrain from intercourse? Isn't that abstinence, and thus birth control? If so, then what is the difference between that and using a condom?"

213. The difference is that the Lord said He's allowing this blessing of limited sexual fellowship for our unmarried people for a reason. He wants our dear Family to have an avenue to share love and meet each other's needs without fear of pregnancy. He wants to take away any excuses people may now have for not sharing‚ so that by giving more love and affection through kisses, caresses and touches, you will be drawn together in greater unity and fulfill His Law of Love. But He makes it clear that once you make the decision to engage in full sexual fellowship, intercourse, He wants you to trust Him—if you are willing—and He will reward you accordingly. So once anyone makes the decision to have full sexual intercourse, the Lord puts before them the choice to trust Him completely, which is His highest will. You married folks have already made the choice to have full sex, thus you're already at the point of decision concerning how much you'll trust the Lord concerning pregnancy.

214. I believe the Lord has clearly stated His will, throughout this GN and in Letter after Letter. I feel that both Dad and I have been faithful to give you the full counsel of God, the truth according to His Word. Having done so, I am confident that you are in a position to make a personal decision in these matters, knowing full well what the Lord has said.

215. The decisions you make in regard to pregnancy are your personal decisions, no one else's. Married couples, and those who choose to engage in sexual intercourse, must decide together.

216. Page 140 of the "Love Charter" states: "Members must follow the rules on birth control as explained in ML #2961." As you have now read this Letter, you see that the decision on this matter is between the people involved and Jesus‚ thus whatever you decide regarding birth control is within the guidelines of the Charter. Married couples will need to decide together what they want to do. If two singles—people who are not married at all or not married to each other—are going to have sexual contact‚ they would need to discuss this issue, perhaps at length, and come to a decision together. If a married person is going to have sexual contact with someone other than his or her mate, then the mate of the person sharing would also need to be part of the discussion, or at least be in agreement with how far the sexual activity outside of the marriage would go.

217. When discussing these matters, you should not pressure anyone to think or act as you do, nor should you push your personal opinion on others or try to persuade others to act in a way that is not according to their personal faith.

218. If you need counsel or clarification, or you don't understand some point, or you need prayer, please feel free to talk to your shepherds. In fact‚ you should talk to your shepherds, and you shepherds should feel free to point people to the Word and explain what the Lord has said regarding birth control. You shepherds should explain what the options are and what is the Lord's highest according to the Word, but you are not to try to persuade someone to your particular point of view; you should offer God's counsel and give prayerful help. Presenting what the Word says is fine. Trying to convince someone of your particular viewpoint is not acceptable. Also, shepherds, please remember that after you have pointed people to the Word and answered their questions and prayed with them, the actual decision in the matter of sexual sharing and birth control should be left with the individuals involved, and there should be no pressure or negative repercussions from you (or others) no matter what decision is made.

219. I suggest you take time to prayerfully reread and study this GN. Because it is so long and there are many parts to it, you may still have some questions after having read it the first time. But I believe that when you go back over it and read it again carefully, you will understand it better and catch important points that you missed the first time around.

220. I love you, my dear children, and you are very precious to me. I am praying for you as you face the decisions which are before you. Not just this particular one, but all of them, the daily choices of whether you will yield, whether you will obey, whether you will do the humble thing, the loving thing, the caring thing. Sometimes you will make the wrong choices, usually you'll make the right ones, but please rest assured that our precious Lover, our Savior‚ our King, our Husband, our Friend‚ Jesus‚ loves and cares for you, and always will.

221. Following is some news concerning three different situations having to do with birth control and pregnancy. The first article is a letter from one of our most faithful secretaries and editors. She is in her 40's and has had 10 children. For quite some time she and her husband, who is also a wonderful, talented, long-time member of WS‚ have been using the rhythm method. She didn't want to get pregnant, so for the last three years they have refrained from fucking during the middle of the month‚ her most fertile time, when she would be ovulating. She sweetly shares her personal views and experiences and how the Lord led her after reading this GN. This is an example of how one couple worked out their decision personally with the Lord, but we understand that it may not always work out this way because not everyone lives in exactly the same circumstances or conditions, nor will everybody decide to do the same thing as this couple. We still felt, however, that you'd be interested in reading this testimony.

222. Next I have included a prophecy the Lord gave when we were praying for one of our dear mothers who is pregnant with number seven and who wrote asking about the possibility of using birth control in the future. She is feeling weak physically, as she has had her children very close together. She has six, soon to be seven children, with four of them under the age of six! God bless her! The Lord commends her for saying "yes" to the great ministry of raising children, and He speaks of the tremendous reward that shall soon be hers! These words of commendation are not just for her! They can also be applied to all of you dear women who are willing to bear children for the Lord's glory!

223. Next you will read a very special Letter from Dad, a recent prophecy, in which he talks to Techi. No doubt this will be very interesting to you because Dad is congratulating Techi for her pregnancy! Yes, you heard it right! Techi is pregnant! Praise the Lord! So don't miss Dad's wonderful counsel and encouragement to her on page 28. (Techi is due in early spring! Please keep her and all our young mothers in your prayers! Thanks!)

Thoughts on Birth Control from a Mother of Ten!

—Letter to Mama from a WS editor 8/95

Dearest Mama,

224. God bless you! I love you so very much! This is just a little update on how it's been going with me. As you know, I wrote you before about how the Lord had been convicting my heart about saying "yes" to Him about possibly having another baby. Reading the "Go for the Gold" GN was very encouraging, and after reading it, I decided to "go for the gold!" I felt a real peace about this decision and felt happy that I was doing the right thing.

225. After reading the GN‚ my husband and I had a little prayer time together where we presented our petitions to the Lord concerning all of this, and then also asked Him to speak and confirm it. I'm sorry to say we didn't record the little prophecy that we got, but in it the Lord was encouraging us to trust Him‚ and gave us a lot from Hebrews 11.—Especially the verses about how those of faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword‚ out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection! (Heb. 11:33–35).

226. These men and women were able to do all of this through faith, showing how important our faith is, and that that's how those people endured, that's how they were able to make that decision not to accept deliverance. They didn't want to take the easy way out. They "saw the promises afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them." In particular, the verse "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance" took on a new meaning for me! Not that having a baby is "torture" (although it is hard)!—But it was interesting that they were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection—kind of like "going for the gold!"

227. Anyway‚ Mama‚ we were all set to embark on our journey of faith and trust Him for the outcome. We'd had our prayer where we told the Lord that we were going to trust Him for whether I get pregnant or not and let Him take complete control, and we also presented our petition to Him that our own personal desire is that I don't really want to get pregnant, and asked that if possible, I wouldn't; nevertheless, not our will‚ but His be done!

228. Right after our prayer about this, I had my period‚ so we had a little more time to think and pray about it all. Then my period was over and the day came when we were faced with actually fucking at a time of the month that previously we would not have done so. That very day something happened that caused my faith to waver, I was really tested, and when the time came for us to make love, I chickened out! Can you believe it?! All the old doubts and fears and worries about getting pregnant again started flooding in, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it! Oh my, Lord help me!

229. Well‚ I got the verse then that "faith cometh by the Word," and I knew I needed to go back and reread the GN. Also‚ I felt I wanted to hear something more from the Lord for me personally about my situation to encourage me, and I got the idea to ask if someone here could get a prophecy for me. I don't have the gift of prophecy myself, so I thought of asking one of the brothers to pray, who has a beautiful gift of prophecy.

230. So the next day I wrote him a note and asked if he'd mind getting a prophecy for me. I told him that since you, Mama, have encouraged us to ask others to get prophecies for us if we don't have the gift ourselves, would he mind getting one for me? I suggested he just go in his room, ask the Lord to speak, and put it on tape. Well, it turns out he'd never done that before (gotten a prophecy for someone on his own), but he wrote back and said that he would give it a try, God bless him! So when he said yes, then I explained my prayer request, telling him very briefly how we'd been using the rhythm method for three years, but that now I was feeling the Lord wanted me to trust Him for whether I get pregnant or not, and that I just wanted to hear something straight from the Lord for me on this‚ some encouragement or confirmation or whatever He had to say about it. (This brother had not yet read the "Go for the Gold" prophecy.)

231. A few days later he had the time to do this, and received a beautiful prophecy for me. It was very encouraging and re-strengthened my faith to go ahead with trusting the Lord. Also, I reread portions of the "Go for the Gold" GN, which helped me too! I thought maybe you'd be interested in reading this prophecy, as it is quite a confirmation of what the Lord says in the GN, and also of the things I've received personally. I'll put excerpts of it at the end of this note.

232. So yesterday I took the plunge, and it was my first time of actually fucking on a day of the month when I could get pregnant! So Lord, please have Your perfect way with this! As I said above, I am praying that I won't get pregnant, as I don't really want to; nevertheless, not my will but His be done! The Lord does say that if we delight ourselves in Him He'll give us the desires of our heart, and if we please Him, He'll please us! Even in the prophecy that this brother received for me the Lord says‚ "For you do please Me, and I would seek to please you, and give you the desires of your heart." So maybe I won't get pregnant. But on the other hand, maybe I will, and if I do, I know He knows best! I know He's in control.

233. I received some real sweet encouragement from the Lord this morning in my personal prayer time. I had a little picture of me just peacefully relaxing at the back of a boat, and He was at the helm, steering the boat. He said something about how I can now have perfect peace and relax and leave it all up to Him to steer the boat, and that He'll take care of everything. I don't have to worry. He's the Captain of my ship and is in perfect control. Praise the Lord! What a nice peaceful feeling!

234. A funny thing happened yesterday on my first day of trusting the Lord for pregnancy! I had my normal weekly date with one of my sharing partners, whom I use a condom with because I have had herpes and he has not. But for the first time ever while using a condom, the condom came off inside of me! Oh my! Soon after this I had sex with my husband, so I ended up getting all those zillions of little sperms from two guys within my first few days of deciding to trust the Lord! So the Lord's will be done! (Three months later: I'm still not pregnant! The Lord again proved to me that He's in control! It pays to trust Him!)

I love you and appreciate you!

Love and prayers!

—Your Secretary

P.S. Here are some excerpts of the prophecy the Lord gave for me:

235. (Prophecy: ) Oh My little one‚ I am pleased that you would look unto Me during this time of questioning, and of searching, and of seeking. These thoughts have been of Me, which have arisen in your heart, to trust Me more fully and completely. I would say unto you, and to your dear one, if you will choose this thing, even so will I be with you, and I will bless you. For do I not seek to give the very best to you‚ if you leave the choice to Me? And if you feel in your heart that there is a tug of My Spirit for you to learn to trust Me more, this is good in My sight. For, behold‚ what great peace trust does bring!—An end to fretting and to feuding and fussing, an end to worry and sleepless nights and worrisome days. For trust, true trust, brings great peace, and in this I am well pleased. For I love you and I draw you close to My bosom and I kiss you and I embrace you and I hold you as one dear to My heart.

236. It does greatly please Me that you and your dear lover, your husband, have both felt in your heart the need to trust Me more. For you have learned many lessons along these lines of trusting and faith and believing and overcoming the doubts and the obstacles and the fears.—Even as My men of faith of old had to learn to not look at the waves‚ to not look at the size of the battle, but to look fully in My face‚ for the joy that was set before them, enduring as seeing Me, Who am invisible. Even so they could endure any trial, any obstacle. They did not limit Me with the littleness of their faith‚ but they sought to abandon themselves utterly unto My holy will.

237. And even so, as you seek to trust Me without reservation, shall I not reward such trust? Shall I not reward your faith? For great is the reward of faith, and great is the reward of your trust. Therefore, trust in Me and do good, and so will you dwell in the land, and verily I will feed you, and I will bless you, and I will bless your loving. For I would seek that your loving be free from worry and from fear, and I would seek that your loving could be a blessing unto you and unto your husband, to enjoy your love together in Me, that we can be a threefold cord. For I would embellish your love and enhance your lovemaking, and set you free from your fears and worries.

238. Therefore if you choose to trust Me, stand pat upon your will to trust Me, and upon the Word which I would give unto you. For as you trust Me, I will feed you with Words of faith, which will give you hope, and peace, and faith, and joy‚ and great love. All the fruits of the Spirit do I give unto you for your trusting and your loving Me, and for placing Me first in your life. And I will bless you.

239. Therefore worry not or fear not, for such trust shall bring nothing but peace, nothing but plenty, nothing but reward and joy and happiness. I love you! Trust in My Love. For My Love would do nothing that would hurt or harm you or do you ill. For you know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil; thoughts of love and of favor.

240. Believest thou this? Therefore to trust Me will not be such a difficult thing. Believest thou that I love thee? Therefore to have faith that I do all things well shall not be a difficult task. For I would not that this be a task of great pain and toil and sweat and laboring of your flesh, but I would that this be a work of My grace, a gift which I have paid for and I do give unto you freely. For I would give you joy in your labors, and with your children, and with the love which dwelleth by you. I would give unto you enjoyment! I would seek to relax you from your strivings and from your worryings. I would give unto you such peace—peace which passeth all understanding, and joy unspeakable! These things do I delight to give unto you, as you delight in Me.

241. Therefore worry not, fret not, for I will care for you as a lover cares for his bride. I will care for you as a husband gently cares for the one who dwelleth by him, for the mother of his children. For have you not mothered My children? Yea, not only your own children of the flesh‚ but you have mothered and cared for many children. On the right hand and on the left have you been fruitful and multiplied and filled the face of the Earth with the seeds of David! Therefore, trust that I would seek to please you as you seek to please Me. (End of prophecy.)

Motherhood: The Path to Secret Treasures!

—Precious Promises to One of the Lord's Faithful Mothers!

242. (Prophecy:) My dear mother of My children‚ My little ones, mother of precious little hearts, My little cherubs. Thank you for saying "yes," for being My mother of these little loves. Great is your reward and blessed is the fruit of your womb, and great shall be your blessings. For yours is a sacrifice of love. Has it not been said that there is no greater love than a mother's love? So there shall be no greater reward than that which I give to a mother, for she gives and sacrifices of her flesh and of her blood and of her heart.

243. For the things that man counts on Earth as the greatest sacrifices, I count as the greatest blessings and give the greatest rewards. Man now sees children and mothers as an extra weight and extra work, but I see them as extra reapers, extra workers who shall make your work lighter, not greater, and your rewards greater, not lesser. For he that cares for My little ones learns the most about giving, sacrificing, loving—the things I place the greatest values on.

244. Your children do not take you away from Me, but they draw you closer to My heart as I see you toil. As your labors increase, so does My grace grow toward you more abundantly, and I give you more helpers in the Spirit, and My heart and My hands reach out to help you more. For when you are in sickness, or when you are in pain, or your children are sick, do you not cry out to Me in greater desperation? Is your heart not more broken? Is your spirit not more humble? Do you not become weaker in yourself but stronger in Me? Do you not trust more? All of these are not burdens, but are secret treasures you have more abundantly than others as you care for My little ones.

245. For times have changed, but in the beginning it was not so. Women of old considered themselves more blessed, more favored by Me the more children they had‚ and it is true! For My children are My gifts, they are My honor upon you, they are My blessings. And the woman who had no children sought Me with tears and with weeping, for Me to open up her womb. Until she had children she considered herself cursed and not favored, that I did not look upon her. So she sought Me diligently and with great obedience, and I honored this and she conceived‚ for it is I who open or close the womb.

246. It is an open show of My blessing upon you if I have made you fruitful. My dear child, I consider you worthy, and I have looked upon you and found you pleasing in My sight. I have looked upon your heart and said, "Here is one that is worthy. Here is one that pleases Me. Here is one that will love My children and will be a good mother." And so I have blessed you, and I have looked upon you and I have made you fruitful. I know your children before they are conceived, for I have planned this and I have purposed it. There is a commission for each child, and a great work for each of your children, and a special calling for which they have been created and given to you to raise.

247. Fret not if you are not able to care for them as much as you would like. For I care for them, and their times away from you teach them even at an early age to look to Me, for I have placed it in their hearts; and I will fulfill their needs and be their comfort. I will give you the grace and strength, and though you know not from whence it shall come, worry not‚ it shall come. I will care for you, for you are My wife and I am your Husband, and I will provide for you and all your house. For you are Mine and I am well pleased with you, My little butterfly. (End of prophecy.)

Reaction from M., after receiving the above prophecy:

Dear Mama,

248. God bless you! I got your letter, and I can't express how thankful and touched and unworthy I feel! Those words of comfort were just what I needed to hear. The prophecy made me feel so loved. I honestly feel very unworthy that the Lord would give a little person‚ a sinner like me, such beautiful and encouraging Words from Heaven. They came just in time, as I was going through some heavy battles, fighting with the Lord, saying, "Why are You going to give me another baby‚ when I can't seem to look after the ones You've already given me?"

249. My husband and I opened a China Border Base Home several months ago. For three months it's just been me and my husband and our six children, with four of them five years and under, and I am pregnant. Every day is a miracle for us to make it—witnessing, provisioning, taking care of the children, keeping the house clean, etc. Often it is quite a struggle for both of us. When difficulties arise, I am tempted to think‚ "If we didn't have all these little ones, a baby and a toddler, if I wasn't pregnant now, we could accomplish more for the Lord and we could tune into the children more individually."

250. For the last five months I was battling whether I should have an operation to tie my tubes after I give birth to this baby. I wanted to close up my womb and have no more babies, and I had pretty much decided to go ahead with it. But down in my heart I had a fear of the Lord, "Was I really doing what God wanted me to do?" As I read the prophecy, where it says how He has chosen me and trusted me and counted me worthy to bear His precious little ones and how each one is planned, how there is a commission for each child and a great work for each of my children, and a special calling for which they have been created and given to me to raise—oh, I was very convicted and sobered about the calling the Lord has for me! I feel so ashamed that I wanted to close up my womb through an operation. I would have terribly displeased the Lord and might have failed His will. Lord forgive me. He said, "For it is I Who open or close the womb."

251. I am ever so thankful and will always treasure this prophecy, these life-changing words. I will read them over and over again‚ when I get tested or get sick or get pregnant again. They are my salvation, words I can claim to keep fighting. Thank You Jesus! Thank you‚ Mama, for sending them to me in such perfect timing.

252. One other point I would like to mention is how powerful and true this prophecy was. I know it is from the Lord, as in my last letter to you I didn't mention about when my children are sick, as they often have been in the past. I didn't mention the anguish and the desperation‚ the brokenheartedness I felt. Yes, just as the prophecy says, when my children are sick or I am sick or in pain, I often cry out to the Lord in greater desperation. My heart is broken each time, my spirit more humble, I become weaker in myself and stronger in the Lord. I do learn to trust the Lord more. Yes! I can truly testify that all of these are not burdens‚ but they are secret treasures that the Lord gave me in the making of a woman and a mother.

253. I love you, Mama. Words can't say how grateful I am for your letter to me. I will keep fighting!

Your repentant and grateful daughter, M.

254. (Mama:) God bless you, sweet M., for your positive reaction and your stand of faith. We're praying for you and your husband and your new Home. Thank you for making the choice to open that Border Base Home, even though you have had to endure difficulties and hardship for a time. I believe the Lord is in it, and He has led you. He is going to win the victory and supply the helpers you need and cause you to bring forth much fruit. You're sure fighters and I really admire you both! I love you!

Dad Encourages Techi About Her Pregnancy!

255. (Mama:) As you know, Techi recently moved to another Home where there are other young people her age. Since she is now 16, under the Charter she is free to have full sex with other young people, if she wants to. She personally chose to have intercourse and to trust the Lord concerning pregnancy. She had fairly regular dates with two young men, and after just a few months of her having full sex‚ He saw fit to bless her with a pregnancy! This was a bit of a surprise to her, and of course, she faced this new development with some mixed emotions.—But Dad was thrilled! When he spoke in prophecy to Techi, he talked about her pregnancy just as he had talked to me when I was pregnant with her!—And also with David, of course! I was hearing Dad give her the same kind of wise counsel and good advice, with the same enthusiasm and faith.

256. Dad always got so excited about a baby!—Another precious little life, the most wonderful thing that the Lord can create! When I was pregnant with David and Techi, Dad was the most caring, concerned father imaginable, always so attentive and considerate of my needs, and always encouraging and supportive and uplifting.—So thankful to the Lord for giving the baby and thankful to me for having it!—A wonderfully caring husband and marvelous, loving father!—The Lord's love for us in every way!

257. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) Hello, Honey! Hello, Sweetheart! God bless you! I love you! Congratulations on your pregnancy! Isn't this wonderful! Isn't this just great? Oh, Honey, I'm so excited about it! I'm so happy! I'm just thrilled about this! Just think, a baby! Just think‚ a little creation from God! What a wonderful love gift! Honey, I'm so happy about this!

258. I know it's hard for you to get used to. I know it's a shocking thing for you. You weren't expecting it. You probably thought, "Oh, it won't happen to me!" Well, it did! And I want you to know that I'm happy about it! I'm thrilled! I'm elated! I just think it's great! I think it's wonderful! Honey, I understand your battles. I know that it's an unexpected, very big change in your life and it will be a big change. It'll be like a whole new life for you. There'll be lots of wonderful lessons, there'll be lots of real blessings. There'll even be a lot of fun!

259. You can't see it now and probably can't understand how this could be fun‚ but it will be fun! It'll be one of the most fun and rewarding things that you've ever experienced. To you now it seems like kind of a drag, kind of a bummer and like it's really cramping your style so you're not able to have so much fun with the other kids. You think maybe it's going to make you less attractive to the boys because you're going to get this big ol' tummy. But, Honey, it's beautiful! It's really beautiful and they're going to love you for it. They're going to love you for your yieldedness. They're going to love you when they see that you have a cheerful spirit and a positive attitude—even though maybe it's not something that you would have chosen or what you would have asked for, especially not at this time and so quickly.

260. But, Honey, when they see you receive it with faith and that you're willing to take it positively and trust the Lord, it's going to be a wonderful testimony! And you're just going to look beautiful, you're going to look radiant! You're going to be more beautiful than you've ever been in your life! Honey, you're a woman! You've been making love, you've been receiving the seeds from these strong young men, and now you're a woman, you're going to be a mother! You're a full-fledged adult!

261. When you start having sex and you start taking that responsibility, and when the Lord gives you a baby, Honey, you're an adult, you're responsible. It's a wonderful thing, it's a privilege! The Lord is blessing you and honoring you. You see‚ this is a compliment from the Lord because He knows that you'll be able to take it. He knows that you're going to be faithful and you're going to take this seriously. Once you get used to the idea, you're even going to like it. You're going to be excited about it, even though it's a very big change. It's going to be a change in a good way, and once you get used to it, you're going to be happy about it! You're going to look forward to this.

262. Oh, Honey‚ if you could just see it as I see it! If you could see it the way we see Up Here, you would see what a marvelous, marvelous‚ wonderful blessing and gift of God this is! It's one of the most precious things the Lord could give you! What a token of His Love! What a reward, Honey, for your yieldedness, for saying "yes" to Jesus!

263. You've been saying "yes" to Jesus so often these days in big ways and in little ways, and I know you're going to say "yes" to Jesus and be happy about this too! Because this is a reward! This is a blessing for your saying "yes" to Jesus, for your yieldedness‚ for your stepping out by faith and trusting Him. Thank you, Honey! Thank you for saying "yes" to Jesus. Thank you for loving Him so much and for being willing to be what He wants you to be. It's wonderful, it's beautiful‚ it's glorious! I'm so proud of you!

264. My little girl! My little one! How you've grown up! Oh Honey, it's just beautiful! I'm so happy! I know you're going to be a wonderful mother. You're going to be diligent and loving and caring. And this little bundle of joy is going to bring you so much happiness! It's going to be more than you can even imagine! Right now it seems like a trial and a battle and you're unsettled and you don't know what to expect, and you think it's a real interruption in your life, it's a real distraction. But, Honey, it's just going to be a source of joy and happiness.

265. Before long you'll realize that it's a great blessing from the Lord and a special wonderful token of His Love. Honey, you can be a testimony to the other young people in the Family by taking this graciously and trusting the Lord and not getting bitter and not getting sad about it or feeling like you made some big mistake or the Lord has made a mistake, but by having an attitude of faith and even an attitude of thanksgiving.—Being willing to trust the Lord and praise the Lord even with this unexpected gift that He's given you.

266. Honey, in just a little while your whole attitude is going to change, when you get used to the idea that your tummy is going to grow, when you start feeling the baby move within you, and you start anticipating what it's going to be like, and you start getting together all the clothes that you're going to need, and talking with the other women 'round about you about what to expect. Honey, it's going to be a great blessing! You're going to be anticipating it and looking forward to it!

267. You know, I'm not going to tell you if it's a girl or a boy, because I want it to be a surprise to you. But Honey, you're just going to love it! It's going to be marvelous! It's going to be one of the most wonderful things that's ever happened to you! So don't worry. Don't think that anybody's going to be disappointed. Don't think it's just going to be a big problem and a big security breach, and now your life's going to get real complicated because you're going to have a baby and you're not going to be able to travel so easily and you're not going to have the freedom that you once had.

268. Don't worry, Honey, these things are not important. These things are nothing to be compared with this great blessing that the Lord has given you, this great gift of love‚ this wonderful bundle of joy‚ which will be such a source of happiness to you! You're going to have a whole new life. You're going to become a whole new creature, you're going to be a mother!

269. Honey, I'm so happy! I can't tell you how happy I am. I hope you don't mind if I had a little something to do with engineering this for you. I know you didn't expect it and you weren't even wanting it. But, Honey‚ I know what's best for you and I know that you won't be disappointed. I know what you need.

270. This is going to make you into the woman that you need to be for the Lord! You're going to learn so much about loving others and giving your life for others. You're going to learn so much about unselfishness. But it's not all sacrifice. It's not all just to learn lessons. Honey, it's because I know this will bring you happiness, it will bring you great, great joy and contentment, a feeling of real satisfaction. You'll see what I meant when I said that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. You'll see what I meant when I said that one of the greatest things to experience on this Earth is to have a child.

271. Not only will this be a source of lessons and a wonderful way that you'll grow and mature and become what the Lord wants you to be, but also it's such a wonderful gift of love!—So much happiness, so much joy! It's precious of the Lord to bless you in this way. He's reached down His Own hand and touched you and created a living soul within you!—A baby, a new person! Isn't it miraculous? Isn't it extraordinary?—Just think how the Lord is going to use you to bear one of His little creations, one of His little children. It's so special!

272. So don't let the Devil get you down! Don't let him tempt you to worry about things like your figure and that you're not going to be attractive to the boys, and how you're going to gain weight and you might get stretch marks and your breasts aren't going to be the same. Honey, these things really are not important. They're not important to me, they're not important to the Lord, and they're not important to the boys. The things that matter, Honey, are your yieldedness, your love, your willingness to receive this gracefully, to trust the Lord for it, to love the Lord for it, and thank the Lord.

273. Honey‚ I want you to be happy about this. I want you to be thankful. I want you to look at it as a gift from the Lord and a gift from me, that we're blessing you and honoring you and privileging you in one of the most special ways that a woman can experience. You're growing up, and what greater responsibility could the Lord give you than a child?

274. So don't look at this as a mistake. Don't think, "Oh, well, maybe I shouldn't have started fucking the boys so early. Maybe I should have waited." Don't think that if you had done things differently maybe things would be working out better for you—that you'd have more freedom‚ that you'd be more attractive‚ that you'd be able to have more sex, that the boys would look upon you as being sexier. Honey, this is not true. Being pregnant doesn't mean you can't enjoy sex. Being pregnant doesn't mean that you're not attractive to the boys. In fact, you can be even more attractive, and even sexier, especially if you can receive this by faith and be happy about it and be praising the Lord about it.

275. You'll look radiant, you'll look beautiful! You'll be sexier than you've ever been before, because you'll be full of the Lord, full of His Love, and you'll have a special aura 'round about you‚ this aura that I always spoke about. Pregnant women are so beautiful! They just shine with a special brightness, a special light of the Lord‚ a special glory.

276. Honey, I'm so happy! I'm so pleased! I'm happy the Lord made you so sexy, and He gave you a desire to fuck the boys and be with the boys. I think it's beautiful, I think it's wonderful! I'm glad you're free. I'm glad you're willing to give your love to others. And now I'm especially glad that you've been willing to receive their seed and to bear a beautiful baby!—A beautiful gift from the Lord, a beautiful bundle of joy.

277. This will transform your life, it will make you a new creature! As you give your life to this little one, you are going to be born again into a world that you never knew existed!—A world of love and joy, a world of unselfishness, a world of contentment, a world of satisfaction. You're going to be happier than you've ever been before. And you'll soon realize that this thing that you thought was a problem and was maybe even a mistake or certainly out of sync with your plan and your desires is one of the most wonderful things that's ever happened to you!

278. When you hold that little baby in your arms you're going to feel so, so grateful, so happy! You'll have such joy! Tears will stream down your face and you'll just praise the Lord. You'll be amazed when you look at that little face. When you touch those little tiny hands and you look at those little tiny feet and that soft, soft skin‚ and that soft hair and those little teeny weenie eyes and lips, your heart will be so full of love it will overflow! You'll have so much love to give. You will never experience such love until you feel the love that the Lord is going to put in your heart for that little one. Then you'll be so glad. You'll realize it's such a gift, it's such a blessing‚ a precious, precious jewel from the Lord's hand, a wonderful treasure of more value than anything else in this world!

279. So‚ Honey, take good care of yourself, please, for my sake and for the little one's sake. Get lots of sleep‚ be careful, be prayerful, eat the right kinds of food, and listen to the experienced women‚ the good shepherds 'round about you. Listen to their counsel and let them comfort you and encourage you and direct you, and be yielded to what they say. Honey, I don't want you to diet real big so that you try not to gain weight. I want you to eat the things that you need to eat‚ to drink the milk that you need to drink, and to get lots of sleep so you can stay healthy and you'll have the strength that you need to bear this baby for the Lord's glory.

280. You're starting on a new adventure! It's the beginning of a wonderful journey and there's a lot of excitement in store for you! Honey, I have said and you have known that it's a new day‚ and it certainly is! Look at all the changes in your life in the last few months. Look at how different things are. Look at how different you are! Well, it is a new day and there is a lot of change in store for you. There are a lot of unexpected blessings in store for you.

281. So just continue to trust the Lord! Know that He loves you, know that what He brings into your life is for your good. It's important, Honey, that you trust the Lord through these changes, that you trust His Love, and that you know that He's loving you and He's giving you what you need and what will make you happy.—Not just so you can learn lessons‚ not just so that you can grow, but so that you can be happy. He wants you to be happy! He wants you to have all that you want. He wants to answer your prayers and give you the desires of your heart.

282. So just keep on saying "yes" to Jesus, just keep trusting Him. Keep loving Him. Keep knowing that He loves you and He wants to give you everything that your heart desires that's good for you. Keep holding on to His hand during this new day and don't worry about anything. Don't worry about the future or what other changes He may have for you, because haven't the changes thus far been good? Haven't you been happy with them? Haven't you been encouraged, inspired and even surprised to see how happy He's made you as you've said "yes" to Him?

283. Well, continue down this path of saying "yes" to Jesus and you'll never be disappointed! The joy and the happiness and fulfillment and contentment that He has for you will be more than you ever expected. You'll just marvel as you see how the Lord wants to bless you. This gift of love is just the beginning of many, many blessings because of your faithfulness, and especially because of your love for Him. When He sees that you're willing to receive the blessings that He gives you and you're willing to thank Him for them and trust Him that they're the manifestation of His Love for you, that you're willing to say "yes" and you're willing to trust Him, then He'll pour it on you, Honey! He'll pour on His blessings more than you'll be able to receive, because He'll know that He'll be able to trust you, that you'll receive it in the right spirit, that you'll be mature and you'll be responsible and faithful.

284. So just keep saying "yes" to Jesus! Just keep trusting Him. Know that everything is in His control. He loves you and He wants to bless you. He wants to give you your heart's desire—though sometimes the greatest happiness from His hands comes in ways that you don't expect, because He sees things so differently than we see things sometimes. Like I know that you wouldn't have asked for a baby at this time‚ you wouldn't have asked the Lord to make you pregnant so quickly. You didn't expect it and it's not according to your plan. But He knows what's best! He knows how to give you what you want and what you need—sometimes even when you don't know what that is! But He knows!

285. That's why sometimes in this new day the changes that the Lord brings our way are so unexpected‚ because He knows what we need and what we want and what will bring us the greatest happiness. So that's why there are a lot of surprises in this new day, because the Lord is pouring out His happiness and pouring out His Love, pouring out His joy upon His children as they love Him more desperately and more intimately. So just love the Lord with all your heart, give your all to Him, love Him more intimately and more passionately and more deeply than ever before, and He will give you strength and anointing and power that you know not of!

286. In this time of need‚ Honey, just reach out to the Lord. Make yourself available to love the Lord. Let the Lord be your Husband. Let Him be your First Love. Fall in love with Jesus, and He'll bless this intimacy and this love relationship with great, great strength, power, anointing, happiness and contentment!—Wonderful, wonderful blessings as you love Him as your Lover. As You let Him be your Husband, He'll be everything to you. He'll be more than you ever dreamed. He'll be your very heart's desire!

287. So don't worry, Honey, just love the Lord. Love Him with all your heart‚ with all your mind, and with all your soul. Give Him everything you've got! Don't hold back anything, because He's your Lover, He's your Husband. He's the One who gave you this precious, precious child, this wonderful gift of love. So give Him your all, Honey! Love Him with everything you've got, and He will give you His all! He will be your all in all. He will be everything you need.

288. I promise you, Honey, that you're going to be happy, you're going to be thrilled, you're going to be overjoyed with what the Lord is doing in your life! Just keep trusting Him! I love you! I'm proud of you! And I'm so, so happy! Kiss, kiss, kiss! (End of prophecy)

289. (Mama:) Thank you, dear Dad, for encouraging Techi and helping her and all of us to look at this pregnancy as you and the Lord see it.—Not as a mistake or a major inconvenience, but as a wonderful blessing, privilege and gift from His hand! Dear Family, I hope hearing Dad's exuberant reaction to Techi's pregnancy will help you all to react more positively if the Lord chooses to bless your sexual unions with His special gift of love, a little child. I pray you will take to heart the promises in this message from Dad and the Lord, and find faith, comfort and peace in your hearts and minds concerning pregnancy.

290. Of course, my dear young people, I understand that your circumstances will not be exactly the same as Techi's, and therefore you must look to the Lord personally to see what He wants you to do in your situation. We aren't implying that you unmarried Family members—either young people or older folks—should feel obligated or pressured to have full sex if you don't feel led of the Lord to do so. Just because Techi chose to have intercourse doesn't make it the new "in thing" for senior teens. That was her choice. That's what she wanted to do and what she felt the Lord wanted her to do. But you may feel differently, which is perfectly all right‚ and I want you to be free to do so, knowing it's with the Lord's blessing.

291. By publishing Dad's message to Techi‚ which of course is very positive and encouraging to her concerning her pregnancy, we aren't saying that having sex and getting pregnant is what's best for all young people, or necessarily what you should be doing. As I said earlier, this is a personal decision, between you and the Lord and your date partners! What the Lord has for Techi may be different from what He has for you! So please just pray and do as the Lord leads you, and you'll be pleasing Him and He'll bless you and give you great happiness! I love you!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON "GO FOR THE GOLD!"11/95

292. (Introduction:) After reading this Letter, you may still have a few questions or there may be some parts that aren't real clear to you just yet. As I mentioned in paragraph 219‚ I suggest you reread this Letter when possible, as I believe you will find that most of your questions will be answered if you take the time to study what the Lord and Dad and I have said. But to make it easier for you, we will also include here brief answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. (Please be sure to read the paragraphs referred to in the answers below‚ as they contain important details which will give you a more well-rounded answer!)

293. Please don't just skip these questions and answers, because toward the end there is some important new information! When finalizing this GN, some questions came up from the proofreaders that had not yet been addressed, so they are covered below, along with the other questions and answers, including excerpts of new prophecies from the Lord.

294. Question 1: If I decide to use some kind of birth control, am I jeopardizing my DO status in the Family?

295. Answer: No. The decision of whether or not to use birth control (condoms or other contraceptive methods) is between you and your mate or sharing partner(s) and Jesus. There should be no pressure or negative repercussions from your shepherds or others no matter what decision you make. But you should understand that the Lord has said that receiving His full blessings is directly related to the decisions you make in this matter. (See paragraphs 214-218, 73-83, and 92–98.)

296. Question 2: What is "going for the gold"?

297. Answer: The principle of "going for the gold" can be applied to many areas of our lives and whether we're trusting the Lord 100% and yielding our lives to Him completely. (See paragraph 80.) The practical explanation of "going for the gold" as far as sex and birth control is concerned is as follows: For married couples, "going for the gold" means that concerning their sexual relationship with each other, they have chosen to trust the Lord completely, using no form of birth control. For unmarried people (either singles or married people who are making love to someone other than their mates), to "go for the gold" means that when they share with others‚ if they decide to have full intercourse, they trust the Lord and use no form of birth control, or they opt for mutual masturbation. (See paragraphs 91-98, 119-123, 125-126‚ 147-156.)

298. Question 3: What is the difference between the gold, silver and bronze medals?

299. Answer: The word picture about the gold, silver and bronze medals when related to sex and birth control is applicable only when a person decides to have full intercourse. This needs to be understood, because as the Lord brought out, singles (including married people when sharing with someone other than their mate) can be in the Lord's highest will (going for the gold) without having full intercourse. But if you choose to have full intercourse—whether you are married or single—the gold medal means you're trusting the Lord completely. You're not using any form of birth control, and as a result, the Lord promises to give you perfect peace, and bless and reward you fully.

300. The silver medal means you have chosen to have intercourse, but you don't feel you can trust the Lord fully concerning pregnancy. You bring it before the Lord in desperate prayer, and you do as you feel led by Him‚ which may mean you decide to use some form of birth control. Because you're not trusting the Lord fully, you must bear the weight of this decision yourself. The Lord said that in such a case He can't bless you fully or give you complete peace.

301. The bronze medal means you have chosen to have intercourse, but you do not feel you can trust the Lord concerning pregnancy. You don't seriously pray about it, but you just take matters into your own hands and do whatever you think is best, using some form of birth control. But because you don't seek the Lord about this and commune with Him and receive His instructions for you personally, you must carry much more weight on your own‚ and you will receive less reward and blessing. Yet because you are still giving your life to Him in His service‚ you still receive a medal.

302. Question 4: When married people, who have made a commitment in their marriage to "go for the gold" share with someone other than their mate, do they need to have full sexual intercourse with that person, if they want to "go for the gold"?

303. Answer: No. When married people share with someone other than their mate, they are considered "unmarried" or "single" in the Lord's eyes. Therefore, they can avail themselves of the same dispensation of grace that allows unmarried people to choose other forms of lovemaking besides intercourse (such as masturbation or oral sex) and still be within God's highest will. (In the "Go for the Gold" illustration, when the man of one married couple shares with the woman of another married couple, or vice versa, the man and the woman are both considered singles.) So married people would be going for the gold if they are trusting the Lord completely in their sexual relationship with each other or with others, or if they're refraining from having full intercourse when sharing with others. (See paragraphs 147-160.) (P.S. Men engaging in oral sex with women is not forbidden under the Charter, and is therefore permitted. However, men who wish to do so should remember Dad's cautions in ML #539:25, 1315:51, and 1566:93.)

304. Question 5: If unmarried people, either people who are single or who are not married to each other, choose not to have intercourse but instead to do something else when they share, are they being less obedient‚ or is the Lord less pleased with them than if they were to fuck? Is fucking the Lord's highest will when unmarried people share?

305. Answer: Unmarried people are within the Lord's highest will if they prefer not to fuck but engage in other forms of lovemaking instead. You singles are not being less obedient or pleasing the Lord less when you decide not to have full intercourse, since you're showing each other love and affection‚ and meeting each other's needs. (See paragraphs 121-123 and 131-133.)

306. Question 6: Why does the Lord expect married people to trust Him completely when they're making love with each other if they want to "go for the gold" and be within His highest will, while singles—which includes those who are married when sharing with someone who is not their mate—can choose other forms of lovemaking (not fucking) and still be within His highest will?

307. Answer: When people get married, they are in effect committing themselves to having full sexual intercourse. When you make a decision to get married, you are making a decision to become one, to have full sex as man and wife. You are no longer engaged or dating or courting, you're married. When anyone chooses to have full sex, the Lord's highest will is for them to trust Him, and not use birth control. Married couples essentially made that choice to have full sex when they got married. Of course, married couples are free to enjoy other forms of lovemaking besides intercourse (mutual masturbation or oral sex) when making love to each other, for the sake of pleasure and variety, or when the woman is on her period. But if they were to do that exclusively and if they were consciously avoiding having full sexual intercourse for the purpose of not getting pregnant, then it would be considered birth control. (See paragraphs 148, 170.)

308. Question 7: Is there any way that I can use condoms and still be "going for the gold"?

309. Answer: No. The use of condoms for the purpose of birth control is not "going for the gold." The Lord has made it clear that anyone who makes the decision to have sexual intercourse—whether it be a married couple when sharing with each other‚ a single with another single, or a married person with someone other than his or her mate—would need to trust the Lord regarding pregnancy and use no contraceptive measures if they wish to "go for the gold." Regardless of the marital status of those involved‚ if people choose to have sexual intercourse, then if they want to "go for the gold" the Lord asks them to trust Him. The key phrase here is "if people choose to have sexual intercourse." If and when you go all the way, the Lord prefers that you trust Him fully, which means not using condoms.

310. The exception to this would be if a couple were to use condoms for the sake of not passing on a sexually transmitted disease. A couple could still be "going for the gold" when using a condom during sexual intercourse if the purpose of the condom was for sanitary measures, rather than birth control. (See also question #25 for more on this.)

311. Question 8: In the prophecies in GN 649, the Lord said He is very slowly gentling the senior teens into greater sexual contact, letting them move according to their individual maturity‚ experience, desires, etc. In this "Go for the Gold" GN, the Lord says He's leading them step by step in a journey of greater love, greater understanding and greater trusting. Does this mean that the goal is for senior teens to get to the point where they're willing to go all the way and trust the Lord?

312. For example, a YA asked: Is the final goal for all senior teens to have sexual intercourse? For example, if a senior teen has mutual masturbation with his or her date partners, and both are happy with this arrangement, because the Lord said that He is "gentling them along," does that mean that at some point they should have sexual intercourse, rather than mutual masturbation, if they want to stay in the Lord's highest will? Or can they continue their sharing without actually fucking for an indefinite period of time, until they find the person that they would like to settle down with?

313. Answer: When the Lord says He is bringing you senior teens along gently, this does not mean He is pushing you or expecting you to have sexual intercourse. Some senior teens will want much less sexual contact than others—even going very slowly in experimenting with mild sexual contact, such as kissing, light petting, etc. For these who wish to move more slowly‚ He will gentle them and lead them step by step. There's nothing wrong with this!

314. The Lord is happy when you senior teens—like other unmarried people—share love in whatever way you desire, according to your own faith. For example, you can continue mutual masturbation dates for as long as you wish and stay within the Lord's highest will. Love is the ultimate goal, not sexual intercourse. (See paragraphs 131-135 and 143-145.)

315. Question 9: Two unmarried people are going to share. One wants to go all the way, the other doesn't. What should they do?

316. Answer: Two unmarried people should not go all the way unless both are in agreement. And if only one wants to go all the way, he or she should not pressure the other to do so, either before or during the date. To do so is unloving and contravenes the "Love Charter." (See paragraphs 146, 216 and 217. Also, pg.138 of the Charter, Point 11.H.)

317. Question 10: If an unmarried person doesn't want to go all the way, is it being less revolutionary?

318. Answer: There should be absolutely no condemnation if you are unmarried and you choose not to go all the way. The most important thing is sharing love. (See paragraphs 157-159.)

319. Question 11: When and how do you decide what you're going to do on a date?

320. Answer: You and your date partner should discuss it and come to an agreement beforehand. It's best not to just "let things happen" as your date is in progress‚ because you could easily get carried away and end up fucking when that's not really what you want to do. Honest communication and coming to an understanding before you start your lovemaking is advisable. (See paragraphs 146, 216, 217.)

321. Question 12: A married couple has a difference of opinion concerning birth control. One wants to trust the Lord completely, the other wants to use some form of birth control. What should they do?

322. Answer: In the case of a married couple, they are not obligated to automatically go the way of the one who has less faith to trust the Lord. When husband and wife don't agree, when one wants to use birth control and the other doesn't, they need to pray desperately and get instructions from the Lord, seeking Him desperately and hearing from Him for their personal situation. (See paragraphs 73-83, 85-101, 214-216. See also Dad's Letter, "What If Not‚" in paragraphs 172-203 of this GN.)

323. Question 13: If my mate is going to share outside of our marriage union, do I have some say in what happens on the date?

324. Answer: Yes. For example, if a married man is going to share with a single woman, the wife of the man should be consulted and give her consent as to whether or not her mate and the single woman will have full intercourse (thereby possibly resulting in pregnancy). The husband and single woman should not have sexual intercourse without the consent of the wife. Of course, the same counsel would apply if it were a married woman sharing with a single man. (See paragraphs 160 and 216.)

325. Question 14: Are people obligated to get married if a pregnancy results from their lovemaking?

326. Answer: No‚ it is not a hard and fast rule. But the Lord indicated that under most circumstances that is what He would want, for the sake of the child. (See paragraphs 120‚ 125, 137-140, 166.)

327. Question 15: Who decides whether a couple should get married if their lovemaking results in pregnancy?

328. Answer: The decision is up to the man and woman involved. Of course, they can feel free to seek counsel from their shepherds, parents, etc., but the final decision is theirs. (See paragraphs 161-168, 215. And see also the Marriage Rules in the Charter, pages 154–158.)

329. Question 16: In cases where a couple does not feel it is the Lord's will for them to marry‚ after reading the counsel in this GN, wouldn't they be tempted to feel they are choosing God's second best by not marrying, and thus be tempted to fulfill the letter of the law by getting married anyway?

330. Answer: Each couple should seek the Lord and get something specific from Him to base their decision on concerning marriage. They should not marry just because they feel they have to. If the Lord shows two people that it is not His will that they marry, then they should not feel pressured to do so or condemned if they don't. (See paragraphs 166 and 167.)

331. Question 17: Does the Lord want me to share with people I'm not attracted to personally?

332. Answer: In some cases He may. The Lord is trying to make it easier for you to share with others in need by allowing forms of sexual sharing other than fucking, without it being considered birth control or a lack of faith. This also releases you from the worry of pregnancy. You don't have to go all the way, but He is hoping that you'll be willing to share in some way with those who need His love through you. (See paragraphs 121-122, 126.)

333. Question 18: What if a married woman is willing to share with someone in need, but she doesn't want to get pregnant with another man's baby and thus have children from different fathers, or someone other than her husband?

334. Answer: This is a matter of personal choice. She does not need to go all the way if she prefers not to. She can share love in other ways‚ through mutual masturbation. (For more on this subject, see question 37 below.)

335. (Note: By putting this question in here, I am not insinuating that there is anything wrong with having children by more than one father. We have many wonderful "colorful" families, where children have been fathered by different men. They sometimes even look quite different. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this! I am just including this question because I anticipate that it might come up and I want our women to understand that they have the option to choose to not have full sexual intercourse if they prefer. But if women do have sexual intercourse with more than one man, and as a result have children from different fathers, there is absolutely nothing wrong or shameful about that! After all, David and Techi were from different fathers, and it never bothered Dad or me at all!)

336. Question 19: When unmarried people abstain from sexual intercourse, isn't that a form of birth control? What's the difference between abstaining from fucking and using a condom?

337. Answer: No. The Lord has made it clear that two singles abstaining from full sexual intercourse does not constitute birth control. He is graciously allowing the blessing of limited sexual fellowship (mutual masturbation or oral sex), without it being considered birth control, because He wants you to have an avenue to share love and meet each other's needs without the fear of pregnancy. However, the Lord has put a price tag of responsibility on full intercourse. If you decide to enjoy the full union and pleasure of intercourse with another, then He asks you to take on the responsibility of trusting Him for the outcome. (See paragraphs 212 and 213.)

338. Question 20: If I have the faith to use condoms but my girlfriend doesn't (she only wants to have mutual masturbation dates)‚ can't I try to persuade her or convince her to change to my way of thinking?

339. Answer: You should not pressure anyone to think or act as you do, or push your personal opinion on others. (See paragraphs 146 and 217.)

340. Question 21: According to this GN, each person has to make his or her own decision regarding trusting the Lord or using birth control. Different choices result in different blessings and rewards. If I choose to use some form of birth control, would I be contravening the Charter?

341. Answer: No, you would not be contravening the Charter if you were to choose some form of birth control. The Charter simply says, "Members must follow the rules on birth control as explained in ML #2961." (Sex and Affection Rules, point M.) You are free to make your own choices, based on the principles described in this GN. But you must also bear the responsibility for your choices. (See paragraphs 214-216.)

342. Question 22: If someone wants to use birth control (such as condoms or other contraceptives) but someone else, like their shepherd, tries to persuade them that it's not God's highest will, is that right?

343. Answer: No, each person has to make a personal decision in these matters according to their own faith. If someone were to ask their shepherd or another person about using birth control‚ they should direct that person to read this GN, which clearly indicates the Lord's will in the matter. No one should be attempting to persuade others to their personal point of view either for or against using birth control‚ as the Lord has made it quite clear that this decision is between each person and the Lord Himself. (See paragraphs 217-218.)

344. Question 23: If I'm single and I choose to only have limited sexual fellowship, will the Lord be angry with me, that I don't want to go all the way?

345. Answer: No‚ He will not be angry. You are within God's highest will under those circumstances, so you don't need to worry or feel like you're missing the mark at all, because this is not considered birth control. (See paragraphs 121, 131–137, 211.)

346. Question 24: If a single mom has several children already and doesn't feel she can handle any more without a mate, can she decide to abstain from full intercourse in her lovemaking with others until she is with someone who she would marry or who would marry her? Or would this be considered a lack of faith and not "going for the gold"?

347. Answer: The Lord is allowing sexual fellowship other than intercourse for singles without it being considered a lack of faith or less than His highest will. If a single mom would rather not have full intercourse in order to avoid having more children until she can find a father for the children that she already has, this is according to her faith and not something the Lord will look down on her for, nor should others.

348. Question 25: In the testimony from Mama's secretary, it mentions she used a condom with her sharing partner. If one person has had herpes and the person they're sharing with has not, should they use a condom? If so, how does this relate to the "go for the gold" message?

349. Answer: The Charter says, "If two people are sharing and one has had a herpes outbreak and the other hasn't, they may, if they choose, use a condom as a means of protection. If you have been completely healed of herpes—that is, you haven't had an outbreak of herpes in a number of years—it is still required that you inform your partner that you have previously had herpes, and it is still the prerogative of the other person to ask that you use a condom while sharing." (For more on this, see Sex and Affection Rules, J.1-3.)

350. If you use a condom for disease control, that is different from birth control. Dad said, "I've never forbidden condoms for sanitary purposes!" (ML #1458:20).

351. (Note: If someone has an active case of a sexually transmitted disease [STD], herpes or something else‚ it is possible for that person to have sexual intercourse using a condom and not transmit the disease to his or her partner. However‚ it is not recommended, as condoms are not 100% foolproof. They are not guaranteed to protect you. There is still a risk of passing on the disease. A news clip recently reported that a doctor asked for a show of hands at a medical convention on how many of the doctors attending would have sex, even though protected by a condom, with someone who they knew had an active viral STD. Not a single doctor raised his hand. Also, condoms are not always of good quality, they are sometimes defective; and they also sometimes come off, leak, tear or burst during intercourse. Also remember that if there is an active herpes outbreak on a part of the body which is not covered or shielded completely by the condom, then the condom would not prevent transmission.

352. (Of course, certain precautions must be followed when using condoms to ensure the greatest protection possible. The condom must be worn during the entire sexual encounter‚ rather than just slipping it on at the last minute. It also must fit properly, covering the whole penis. Also, there are different types of condoms. Latex is the most common, and is the most effective against STD. Some condoms are made from animal matter, which is popular because they apparently allow more sensation, but they do not protect against germs. So for disease protection, it is necessary to use latex condoms, taking into consideration the proper use of condoms as mentioned above.

353. (If you have had herpes but you do not have an outbreak at the time, then you would not have what is considered "an active case of a sexually transmitted disease." If you are sure that you do not have an outbreak at the time you are having sex, then it is usually unlikely that you would pass on the disease to your partner, especially if you were to use a condom! As ML #1254:5 says, "[Herpes] is extremely contagious and virulent when active!—As evidenced by sores‚ blisters and itching on genitals or mouth. However, when dormant and no symptoms are evident, it does not normally seem contagious. Matthew 9:29." But still, as is mentioned above, according to the counsel in the Charter, you are responsible to inform your partner if you have had herpes, even if you don't have an outbreak [an active case] at the moment. Then it is his or her choice as to whether they'd like to use a condom when sharing with you.

354. (You should also bear in mind that if a woman has some kind of affliction, although having intercourse with a condom may prevent the affliction from being passed on to the man, it can sometimes be quite irritating for the woman or make her sore. So that's a consideration as well.)

355. Question 26: Would people be sort of looked down upon if they were lacking in faith and decided to go for the silver or maybe even the bronze? In a case where some young people decided to still use condoms‚ would the shepherds have a responsibility to be checking on them and discussing it with them or possibly even penalizing them, or is it really just between the Lord and the sharing partners?

356. Answer: The decision whether to use some form of birth control is one which must be prayerfully made between those involved and the Lord, in accordance with this GN. Shepherds cannot penalize you for your choice, as you are given this choice by the Lord and it is incorporated into the Charter. You young people may want to counsel or pray with your parents or shepherds on some of these matters, which is perfectly okay to do‚ if you choose to.

357. Shepherds are available to answer questions, point you to the Word‚ explain what the Lord has said regarding birth control, and pray with you should you need it. But in the end, these are personal decisions, and once you've made your decision, no one should make you feel bad or condemned. (See paragraphs 215-218.)

358. Question 27: If someone makes a personal decision to use birth control, are condoms the only method they can use?

359. Answer: The type of birth control a person would use, should they make that decision‚ would be a personal decision. Of course, the more natural it is, the better.

360. Question 28: If a single mom, who already has kids, gets pregnant by someone, will it be suggested strongly that she get married to that person?

361. Answer: The decision whether to marry or not is up to the two people involved. However‚ they should take into account the fact that when they made the choice to have sexual intercourse, they did so knowing that if two people decide to fuck and a pregnancy results‚ the Lord usually prefers that the couple involved marry, for the sake of the child. The Lord indicated that He would use "the ease with which [the single mothers] can share love and have love shared with them" to bring men to them who will want to love them and be with them and father their children. But this does not mean that the men would be forced to marry the single mothers in the case of pregnancy. It is still a personal choice. (See paragraphs 120, 125, 136–140, 166.)

362. Question 29: Can married couples choose to have mutual masturbation dates as opposed to fucking? Is that okay, or is it a form of birth control?

363. Answer: Of course, there is nothing wrong with a married couple using mutual masturbation in their lovemaking as a source of variety. They are not obligated to always have sexual intercourse. But if they choose to always have some form of sex other than intercourse (such as masturbation or oral sex) for the sake of avoiding pregnancy, then they are not "going for the gold."

364. Question 30: If I have dates with a few different people, sometimes there are those that I feel closer to, but with others it's more of a "sacrifice." I'm doing it mainly for them and it's a matter of being sweet and loving. So am I supposed to go all the way with all of my sharing partners?

365. Answer: You should pray about each date and each person you share with. You may feel led to have full intercourse with one person, but you may feel led to limit your lovemaking to mutual masturbation with another person. Just because you go all the way with one person does not mean you are obligated to do so with anyone else. It's a personal choice, based on your feelings toward each person and how you feel led both personally and as partners.

366. Question 31: With all this talk about the joys of having children‚ how do I cope with the fact that I have never had a child? The Lord seems to have something else for me besides motherhood, another ministry and calling, which I'm happy with and I have learned to accept. But still, sometimes, especially when reading what the Lord says in this GN about the blessings of children, I feel bad that I haven't been blessed in that way.

367. Answer: I can understand this feeling. I'm proud of you for being willing to cheerfully accept the Lord's plan in your life. If you have occasional battles with feeling left out or dissatisfied because you've never had a child, don't get condemned or feel too bad about it, just go on the attack loving others' children. Thank the Lord for the "one wife" vision and our communal lifestyle, which enables you men and women who do not have your own to be a blessing to our many other children. Even if you have not borne them yourself, the children in your Home are still "your" children, and they need your love, prayer, affection and parenting.

(Note: The remaining questions and answers all contain new information not addressed before in this GN!)

368. Question 32: What if a single woman gets pregnant and she's been having full sex with more than one man; how do they handle the question of marriage, if they aren't sure who the father is? Is that a case where they'll just have to work it out according to their own faith? Or‚ as someone asked, should singles have only one "all the way" sex partner each month?

369. Answer: Exactly how you handle the possibility of pregnancy if you choose to have more than one full-sex partner is a matter of personal choice. It's something you'll have to work out on your own. There is no rule. Each situation must be judged on its own merits. The Lord confirmed again, however, when we prayed about this question‚ that it is His will that each child has a mother and a father, and that whether a woman has one or many sex partners, someone should be willing to take responsibility should she become pregnant. According to the prophecies the Lord gave, if only one man is willing to take responsibility for the pregnancy, then that would be the man the woman would choose‚ providing she's willing to do so. If several men are willing to take responsibility for the baby, then the woman would have more choices.

370. If you choose to have full sex with more than one partner, the Lord indicates that communication is a key—counseling, heart-sharing, pre-planning and counting the cost. He says that "if a woman is planning on having full sex with more than one man, then she should make this known to her partners so everyone can be well informed and all can operate according to their own faith." You should count the cost before having sexual intercourse, and talk openly and honestly, and seek the Lord in prayer, as He promises to lead and guide you.

371. The Lord says He will lay the burden on the hearts of those who He wants to assume responsibility for the baby. But the man must choose to accept that responsibility. He will not force him. He promises to make His will clear, and says that true maturity, manhood and adulthood in His Kingdom is to accept the responsibility He places upon you.

372. (Prophecy:) "As I have already stated‚ I wish for each child to have a father and a mother. In the case of the creation of a new soul for the Kingdom of God, I wish for the mother to have a husband to care for her, and for the child to have a father to cling to, and to find strength and guidance and support. Whether a woman becomes one with one man or with ten men, someone should be willing to take responsibility. This is a situation where each case must be judged on its own merits and according to the faith of those involved.

373. "If a woman has been with many men and only one man is willing to take responsibility in the end, then that is your man. If a woman has been with many men and they are all willing to take responsibility for the child, then you would take into consideration other factors, such as your personal love, your burdens, and other such factors which would weigh into the equation when choosing which one would be the husband and the father.

374. "But it is a case of communication. It is a case of counseling one with another and pre-planning and honest heart-sharing and counting the cost. If a woman plans to become one with more than one man‚ then she should make this known to her partners so that all can be well informed and all can operate according to their own faith. You should count the cost before entering into full union one with another‚ and you must share your hearts honestly and openly, and pray and seek My face, and I will lead and guide you.

375. "You must see where your faith lies, and you must act according to your own faith, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. But whatsoever is done in faith shall bring forth good fruit. So pray, counsel, share your hearts, count the cost, and realize that whether there be one man or whether there be many‚ someone should be willing to take responsibility."

376. "Responsibility is the key to adulthood, and I will place the responsibility in the hearts of those that I want to assume the responsibility. But the decision is theirs, whether to choose Me and the responsibility that I assign to them, or to go their own way. As in many other aspects of someone's walk with Me, there are choices to make, responsibilities to accept, love to give, preferring one another in love. There are many principles laid out in My Word of the responsibility that true disciples, My true followers, must accept and be willing to deny themselves in many ways and follow the path that I have chosen for them.

377. "So this becomes individual responsibility, and I will make My will clear to a man. But as always, a man must choose to do My highest will and to take up his cross and follow Me wherever I may lead him‚ even without understanding or knowing the reasons why many times. They must simply follow because they love Me, and because the Love of Christ constraineth them. This is true maturity in My Family and in My Kingdom. This is true manhood and adulthood, to accept the responsibility that I place on you, and I will make My will clear."

378. Question 33: Is the counsel in this GN retroactive concerning pregnancy and marriage? If a woman got pregnant before reading this GN, should she and the father of the baby now get married?—How much responsibility is a man expected to take for a child that was conceived before this GN was published?

379. Answer: Again, each case must be decided on by the individuals involved. The Lord says that it is His will for some of the single men and women whose lovemaking resulted in a child before reading this GN to be together. He says they should seek each other out and build a life together, for the sake of the child. But He also makes it clear that this is not His will in all cases. He releases some single men and women from the responsibility of marriage, even though their lovemaking resulted in a child, because He has another plan for them and He will supply the needs of the child in another way. He says that those of you whose lovemaking resulted in a child before reading this GN must seek the Lord, and then act according to your own faith and conviction and how you feel Him leading you.

380. The Lord says that from now on you singles who choose to have full sex are more accountable than you were in the past. Now that you've read this GN, you no doubt understand His will and His mind on these issues more completely. Now that you have heard what He calls this "clear sound of the trumpet," you must act responsibly and according to this greater accountability. Also, now that He has given you another clear alternative in your lovemaking—the choice of not going all the way without it being considered birth control—if you now choose to have sexual intercourse, the accountability and responsibility is greater.

381. The Lord will not force His will on anyone. He will not force a man to accept responsibility for a baby. But He reminds you that these are serious decisions that are not to be taken lightly. They require much love, understanding, counseling‚ and time. If some of you couples who have borne a child together don't feel that you're "meant for each other," He promises that in some cases, a loving relationship and bonds of affection, love and caring will develop with time‚ through seeing the need.

382. (Prophecy:) "Many are the Words of David which have spoken of the value of the child and the responsibility of the parents to the child. Many are the Words of David which have taught that God's gift is God's work. Many are the Words of David which have taught that every child needs a father and a mother. So even before this new counsel, My children have known of the responsibility, and they are accountable for that truth which they have known.

383. "I will bless them according to the love and responsibility that they show, and according to their willingness to lay down their lives for the gift which I have given them. It is their choice‚ and they must act according to their own conviction and faith and how they feel Me speaking to their hearts.

384. "For some who have borne a child‚ it is My will that they would be together, that they would search each other out and find one another and build a life together for the sake of that child. But for others, I have released them from the responsibility because I have another plan for them, and I will supply the need of that child in another way. So each must seek My face to know My will concerning their responsibility.

385. "But from this point on, those who choose to become one and bear a child for My glory are more accountable, because I have made My will clear‚ and My desire that those who bear a child also take responsibility to provide for that child the love and care and support of both a mother and a father. Now My children are more accountable, now they have more truth‚ now they have a clear sound of the trumpet, and now they must act responsibly and according to this greater accountability.

386. "For I have put forth a clear standard, and I have put forth the means for these, My children‚ to act according to their own faith and according to their own desires, that they might share love without the weight and responsibility of bearing children. I have given another option, another alternative. I have opened the door for the sharing of love freely and easily, and I have made this alternative very, very clear. So now if they choose to become one, the responsibility and accountability is much greater.

387. "But I do not place the same standard or responsibility or accountability on the past because they had not the clear sound of the trumpet by which to make their decisions. So in those cases, they must be led according to the still, small voice that I speak in their hearts, and according to how much love they are willing to show and how they feel I am leading, each case judged on its own merits according to the faith and love of those involved."

388. "Responsibility must be accepted, it is never forced. For even in such grave matters as parents for My children, I will not force My will on anyone. Love is the key to responsibility, to maturity‚ to a life of value and service and care and helping in ministering My Spirit to others. But these are major decisions that require much love and understanding and counseling, and time, in many cases.—Time to develop love relationships, bonds of affection, bonds of love, bonds of caring, bonds through seeing the need.

389. "The heart must be open and receptive and have no will of its own‚ but move according to My leading and the way I wish for it to go, and not according to its own desires, its own will‚ its own understanding, or even its own needs. So you must look to Me in these matters, you must desperately seek Me and My heart and My way. For My ways are above your ways, My thoughts above your thoughts, and only I see the road that I have planned for you. So you must seek Me on these important matters, and you must really pray and find My will, for that is the road to true happiness‚ true fulfillment, true satisfaction, true purpose and meaning to your life.

390. "So do not take these matters lightly, for when I make a new child, I make a time of decision in the lives of those involved, and they must desperately seek Me, for these decisions will affect their lives greatly and their walk with Me and their service to others. This is a time to be sober and to draw close to Me and find My will for you."

391. Question 34: If a married man has sexual intercourse with an unmarried woman and she gets pregnant, is he responsible to take the woman on as a second wife?

392. Answer: In the prophecies the Lord gave on this question, He again confirmed that a married man is as a single when he is sharing love with a single woman. Therefore, they have the option to share love in many ways besides full intercourse and still be within God's highest will in this. The Lord wants you to share love, comfort, encouragement, warmth and affection with one another, and He reiterated that you don't have to have full sex to do this. As you can choose how you want to love, so you can also choose how much responsibility you want to bear. So if a married man chooses to have full sex with a single woman‚ he must also recognize the responsibility that goes along with that choice, should a pregnancy result.

393. The Lord said there is great variety of relationships in His Kingdom and that some relationships are more long-lasting, while others are short-term. In some cases, when a single woman becomes pregnant by a married man, that woman could become like a second wife, providing all three parties are in full agreement, of course. But in other cases, the woman could be a friend, helper, and lover. In the latter case, the relationship of the single woman and the married couple could be more like a parenting teamwork‚ rather than an actual threesome. This is a case of personal choice, depending on how all involved feel led. Again, the Lord brings out that He will not legislate righteousness concerning these relationships, but that men and women of God must accept responsibility maturely and lovingly.—And voluntarily.

394. If you as a married couple decide that one of you will share sexually with a single person‚ the Lord instructs you to pray, counsel and share your hearts each step of the way. You should counsel with each other and count the cost together before having full sex. The mate of the person sharing should be in agreement with that person having full intercourse or not. A married man should not have full sex with a single woman if his wife is not in agreement that their lovemaking go that far, and vice versa. (See paragraphs 160 and 216 for more on the need for married couples to be in agreement concerning their sharing outside of their marriage union.)

395. (Prophecy:) "As I have given you freedom of choice in your lovemaking, so have I given you freedom of choice in your responsibility. As I have said, when a married man shares love with a single woman he becomes as a single, and they together therefore have the option to love in many ways and to be blessed of Me and to be within My highest will and to be pleasing Me. For My greatest desire is that you share love and comfort and encouragement and warmth and affection, and to accomplish this you can share love in many ways.

396. "But if you choose to become one in full union of sex, you must do so knowing the responsibility. For as I have spoken to those who are unmarried, you may love in many ways, but if you choose to become one, My desire is that you trust Me. And if your lovemaking brings forth a child, My desire is that you marry. All My mothers need fathers for their children. So this again is a case of counting the cost.

397. "You have freedom of choice to love as you will, and therefore you have freedom to choose how much responsibility you wish to bear. If you choose to love fully‚ you must do so knowing that you also choose to be responsible for the fruits of that love. Therefore love according to your own faith, love according to your choices, and live responsibly in My Love. For there will be those instances where it is My will to bring three together as one family, that all involved may be happy and fulfilled in My service and have all of their needs met—the man‚ the wife, the second wife, and the children.

398. "There will also be instances where I bring three together in friendship so that all will have their needs met and be happy and fulfilled in their service for Me—the man, the wife, and the other woman who is as a friend and a helper and a lover. There is great variety of relationships in My Kingdom. There is great variation of bonds, some more permanent than others. Some are only for a time, some are for a lifetime. So this too is a situation where those involved must pray and seek Me desperately to find My will. They must pray and counsel and share their hearts openly each step of the way; and if they do so, and if they act in love, then I will be able to lead and guide them and bring them to fruitful unions."

399. "My will is clear on this matter. I would that those that bring forth children assume the responsibility for their care, to meet their needs and to be what they need them to be. But I will not legislate righteousness, nor will I ask My Queen and My King to legislate righteousness on this matter. Men and women of God must accept responsibility maturely and lovingly. They must prefer the children above all else, for this indeed is also the will of My King and My Queen‚ that their flock be cared for, that their undershepherds care for the young, and nurture the weak, and protect their women.

400. "This responsibility must be taken by strong spiritual men, and I will bless you for how you accept responsibility and do the right and righteous thing. For if these things are done in love, all parties concerned will be truly blessed and happy and fulfilled in My service. If the right decisions are made and care is taken of My children, then there will be great happiness and peace and rest throughout My Kingdom, and all of My children will be cared for according to My plan and My purpose. For I purpose things and I bring them to pass, but choice and responsibility are the part of My children to play."

401. Question 35: If a married woman shares with a single man, and they fuck and she gets pregnant, what relationship does that single man have with the married couple and with the baby? Does that single man then become a second husband, or a permanent or semi–permanent friend, lover and co-worker? Is he expected to become a parenting teamworker with the husband and wife, for the sake of the child?

402. Answer: The single man is not obligated to the couple or to the baby, neither as a second husband nor as a permanent or semi-permanent co-worker, lover or father figure‚ because the baby already has a father. The married couple is not bound to establish a long–term relationship with the single man either, unless they personally choose to do so. In the prophecies about this question, the Lord said that even if the baby is from the seed of another man, he is still the child of the husband and wife, and part of their family, and he should be parented the same as their other children. The Lord said that if a married woman becomes pregnant when sharing with a single man, that the baby is a gift from the Lord, a reward for the married couple, because they were willing to share their love with another.

403. Dad counsels you single men who want to be fathers and husbands to seek out the single mothers and their children who really need you! All the children in the Family are "our children," so he encourages you to love these "ready-made families" as a husband and a father, even if they are not your own flesh and blood.

404. (Prophecy:) "As I have said, every child needs a father and a mother, and when a married woman receives seed and conceives a child outside of the marriage union, this is a blessing that I have bestowed upon her and her husband. I have blessed them for their giving, with the fruit of her womb. Even though the seed has come from another, this baby is still the child of the husband and wife. This baby is part of their happy family, to be loved and cared for and parented as the other children, so that they might be one and united and strongly bonded as a loving, happy family—all united to daddy, and all united to mommy, and all united to Me.

405. "If there is great love and friendship between the husband and the wife and the other man, the one who fathered the child, then I will not close the door to their love and their friendship and their working one with another, if it is their choice and if it is their preference; but it is not necessary for the sake of the child, because the child's needs can be met through the wife and the husband. This is a case of personal preference, of choice, of personal decision, based upon the desires and leadings of those who are involved.

406. "The husband and wife should not feel obligated, but they should realize that this child is a gift from Me, a blessing from Me. I am blessing their union. I am adding to their numbers because of their willingness to sacrifice their love and to give unto another.

407. "There is not a need for a second man to join this union, unless they [the married couple] feel such a need for his sake, to bring him in, to teach and train him in some way. But it is not necessary for the child, nor for the already-joined united couple. Each case can be judged on its own merit, its own situation."

408. (Dad speaking to Mama in prophecy:) "Well, Honey‚ we have such a great need for husbands for all of our single mothers‚ that it seems kind of silly to me and unnecessary for someone to have two husbands when other women with children don't have any! Just because a man has fathered a child with his own seed, just because the child is his flesh and blood, doesn't mean that that father needs to be completely obligated, or that he needs to see that child as his own any more than he sees the rest of the children in his Home or in the Family as his own. That's the whole principle of `One Wife,' that all of the children are `our children.' They don't need to be our flesh and blood to be our children and to be worthy of our love and care and devotion and supply.

409. "So these single men, instead of trying to hitch up with an already-married woman, should seek out some of these single mothers and those who really need them, and seek out children who really need them—their care and their protection and their strong arms as a father, instead of getting hung up on which one is theirs in the flesh!

410. "Let's spread these single boys around and help them to get where the need really is, so they can be the greatest blessing. There are so many single mothers out there who need husbands, who need fathers for their children. If these boys really want to be fathers, they should pick a woman who doesn't already have a husband, so they can really supply the need and be a great, great blessing!

411. "So what do you say, boys? You want to be a father? You want to be a husband? Well, look around!—Because there are a lot of ready–made families just waiting for you! There are a lot of children that need your love and need your care and need to call you daddy. So if you want to be a father that bad, find somebody who really needs you!"

412. Question 36: What about "withdrawal"—when two singles are making love and the man pulls out seconds before he climaxes? Is that birth control? Or is that part of the "other ways of sharing love" that singles can do and still be within God's highest will?

413. One of our YAs commented: "Withdrawal seems to be a very common thing amongst our young people. This is where two people fuck, but the man pulls out at the last minute. From what I've heard, this can be gotten down to a virtual science, where the guy will pull out at just the right time so that he doesn't go (climax) inside the girl, and just goes the second he comes out. Either that, or he just puts the penis in and they fuck for awhile, but then he takes it out and they do other things for the man (and sometimes the woman too) to achieve orgasm.

414. "I wanted to ask about this as I'm not sure where this fits. Would this be a form of birth control, or is it something that would fit in the prophecy where the Lord is talking about allowing other types of sexual fellowship?" (End of comments by the YA)

415. Answer: You'll see from the prophecy below that the Lord's answer on this is a surprising one. He says that pulling out at the last second is birth control, it's not within His highest will, it's not "going for the gold." He says if you're enjoying having full sex and the man climaxes that way, then He wants you to trust Him and allow the seeds to be planted in the woman. That's not the surprising part. You probably figured as much.

416. But He says that if you decide in advance that you don't want to have full sex, that you prefer to love each other through "other ways‚" mutual masturbation, etc., then the man can during the course of your lovemaking put his penis inside the woman, for the sake of pleasure, unity and the desire of the woman. As you know, sometimes a woman cannot reach an orgasm without the fucking movement and having the penis inside, and sometimes the man just can't resist putting it in, at least for awhile. The Lord has made a way for you to be able to do this, as long as the man doesn't withdraw at the last second, but instead has his orgasm some other way (through masturbation or sucking). This is within the Lord's highest. He does not consider this birth control‚ but instead it falls under the category of "other ways of lovemaking."

417. These two ways of making love may seem the same to you‚ but in the Lord's eyes there is a difference, and He says a lot of it depends on your motive.

418. (Note: For your information, there is a good chance of pregnancy occurring if the penis is inside the vagina, even if the man does not climax inside, because during the act of lovemaking there is a constant slight discharge of semen containing sperm. So if you decide to do this, you should be aware that a pregnancy could occur. Also, please realize‚ women, that sometimes when a man gets very excited‚ he can come unexpectedly, so there is also the possibility that even though he sincerely plans to not climax while inside you, and he plans to withdraw his penis well in advance of ejaculating [having an orgasm], he might not be able to control himself very well and may end up either climaxing inside you or pulling out when he realizes he's past the point of no return and ready to come within seconds. Also, men, just because this option of having your penis inside the woman without coming inside of her is allowed, it doesn't mean you can push for this or pressure the woman. This should only be done with mutual consent.)

419. (Prophecy:) "When a man and a woman are enjoying the pleasures of full intercourse and they are becoming one‚ but the man pulls out at the last moment and spills his seed on the ground, this is birth control. This is the prevention of the creation of new souls for the Kingdom of God. What else would it be but birth control? When the man's desire is so great, put within him by My Own hand to plant his seeds in the warm soft soil of the woman‚ yet he resists this desire and spills those seeds on the ground, what else is this but birth control or prevention of the creation of living souls?

420. "Those who choose to do this must know and understand that this is not one of the `other ways of lovemaking' which I have opened the door for. This is not loving with your hands and with your mouth. This is not `going for the gold.' This is not My highest. For if you would become one in full union‚ and if the man through fucking would come to orgasm, then it is My will that you trust Me and that you allow the seed to be planted in the soft warm flesh of the woman.

421. "But if two pray and discuss and decide ahead of time that they will not have full union, that they will not have full intercourse, but they will give and share love in other ways, and if in the course of their lovemaking he places his penis in her vagina for the pleasure, for the unity, for her desire‚ yet he comes to orgasm with her hands or with her mouth, this is within the alternative lovemaking which I have allowed. It depends on where your heart is. It depends on what your motive is. It depends on why you do what you do. It depends on what you decide ahead of time, and how you pray and counsel and what you hear from Me, and what you're willing to do and give and share, and what responsibility you're willing to take.

422. "You may think this is a strange thing and you may not see any difference between the spilling of the seed on the ground and the having of the orgasm with the hand or with the mouth if in both instances the penis has been inside the vagina. You may feel that they are one and the same‚ but I say they are not. For it depends on the motive and the position of your heart. For if the man gives the woman his penis for the sake of her pleasure or for the sake of their unity, then this is one thing. But if the man gives the woman his penis for the sake of his own satisfaction, that he might come to orgasm and then spill the seed on the ground‚ this is different in My eyes.

423. "So much depends on the motive, on the position of the heart, on the love involved, on the prayer and counseling and the decisions made together. But you can be sure that having full sexual intercourse and fucking and the man coming to an orgasm only seconds after pulling out, this truly is birth control‚ this is prevention, and this is not `going for the gold.'"

424. Question 37: The Lord has made it clear that if a married person wants to have sexual fellowship with someone who is not married‚ then He considers them both as singles. And in that case, the married person does not have to have full sex. In order to avoid pregnancy, he or she can enjoy other kinds of lovemaking and still be "going for the gold." But how can this be considered the Lord's highest, when it seems like a lack of faith for either the married woman to not want to get pregnant with somebody else's child, or for the married man to not want to get another woman pregnant? The Lord has indicated that the love that the married people show in sharing with others outweighs or cancels out the lack of faith, because the love that they're willing to show is so much more important to Him. But when the main message of the "Go for the Gold" prophecy is that it's best to trust the Lord, how can He view what seems like lack of trust as still going for the gold, because of the greater sacrifice?

425. Answer: The Lord has tried to make it as easy as possible for the married couples to share with those outside their marriage by giving them the option of not having to have full sex, because He doesn't want the cost to be too great or too heavy for them to bear. And since not having full sexual intercourse is a choice He has given them, He does not consider it a lack of faith. The Lord is pleased with the love given, even if a married person chooses not to go all the way when sharing with a single. The Lord says that the gold medals go by default to Family couples who share‚ whether they choose to have intercourse and trust the Lord or whether they choose to share love in other ways, because they are the only ones who have so much love that they're willing to give of their own love to satisfy another.

426. Because the need for love in the Family is so great, the Lord is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to share. He acknowledges that it takes faith to give love, even if you're not going all the way. And if you're willing to give in some way to meet the need of another, then in His eyes, that's righteousness‚ that's fulfilling the Law of Love. He says that He'll look upon that sharing of love as "perfect faith" because the need is so great and His desire for you to share love is so great.

427. He knows that this sharing of love, even though limited‚ will bear great fruit in the Kingdom, so He's allowing this dispensation of grace. He's winking at your unwillingness on one side (your not being willing to bear a child by someone other than your mate) because of your great willingness on another side (your being willing to show love).

428. He's allowed this dispensation of grace not only for the sake of the married ones, but also for the singles, because many singles don't want to get pregnant and then be "attached" to a married couple. Many singles are looking for the person they want to marry. So while they appreciate receiving love from a married person in the meantime, they apparently don't want that lovemaking to result in pregnancy or any kind of permanent or even semi-permanent relationship with the married person or couple, because they're more interested in finding their own mate.

429. (Prophecy:) "Gold medals in My Kingdom are not won through perfection but through love. For love is the key in My Kingdom. Love is the gold that Heaven is made of. If these couples are willing and agree together to give My Love to another in need, this is great in My Kingdom, and this is even greater on this Earth, for it is not done anywhere else. So the gold medal goes by default to My Family couples in this case, for they are the only ones with this much love, to take of their own love and give to others; and this is My Love, this is My Spirit, and this is the way of perfection in My Kingdom.

430. "So I will not penalize or make these people feel that they are not meeting My highest will, because in giving love, they are meeting My highest will. If this is given in pure love, with My Love, it will be enough to meet the needs of these individuals that they have agreed to help. And if these individuals that they are helping are truly in My Spirit and close to Me, they will be thankful and happy with this love. This is not a lack of faith on the part of these people who are giving‚ for this is a choice that I have given them. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light, and I will not put heavy burdens on them, or weights that are too hard to carry. But I am just asking them to give love and to meet the needs of others.

431. "I commend them for this, for giving this love, and they are highly esteemed in My Kingdom for sharing one another. For we are One Wife, but this love can be manifested in many ways and in many forms. Bringing others close and making them feel loved and needed and lovable is the most important thing in My Kingdom. For we must all build it together in love, loving and caring for one another as we go.

432. "So this is a beautiful thing in My sight, and I am well pleased with those that give this much, and I will reward them greatly for this love and giving of themselves, their love, their time, their energy, for caring and showing such outgoing concern for the needs of others. For by this shall all men know that you are My disciples‚ if you love one another. This is the great commandment that I have given you‚ to love one another as I have loved you.

433. "So stay close to Me and I will lead and guide in all of these situations, and I will show you My perfect will. But each individual must pray and follow Me closely to know in each individual circumstance what is best, what is My will for that situation. These couples must come to agreement in prayer with Me, having that perfect peace and faith and trust that what they do is done in faith‚ and knowing that it is My will and highest calling for them in that instance. So love Me and put Me first in your life‚ and I will lead and guide every step of the way."

434. "There is such a great, great need for love in My Kingdom. So many of My children are starving for love and affection, the touch of love of My Spirit, the feeling of My unconditional love. And as I have said‚ one of the easiest and best ways that I can show this to My children is through another, through the warmth of touching, and words of love, and comfort and encouragement, through caressing and kissing and touching and being close to another. So to fulfill this great, great need of love, I have opened a door that is easy to pass through. I have made it easy to obey, I have made it easy to give, I have made it easy to share love.

435. "At this point in time, because of the great need, it is more important to Me that you have the faith to give of yourself and show love in whatever form‚ rather than to hold back for fear that you would conceive a child. It takes faith to be willing to conceive a child under any circumstances, but it also takes faith to give love even if you're not willing to give of your body completely. If you're at least willing to give in some way to fill the need of another, then I will count this as righteousness, I will count this as fulfilling My Law of Love. I will count this as perfect faith, because the need is so great and because My desire for you to give love is so great.

436. "I know that the giving of love and sharing of love will cause many to blossom as they will feel once again the warmth of My Spirit and the security of My Love. It shall bear great fruit for My Kingdom, and for this reason I am giving this special dispensation of grace. For this reason I am winking at your unwillingness on one side because of your willingness on another side. So give freely of My Love. Give in faith without condemnation, without worry or fear, but give freely of your love to meet another's need, knowing that I am well pleased with this gift of love and I am well pleased with this step of faith.

437. "I have allowed this special dispensation of grace not only for the benefit of the married ones, but also for the benefit of the unmarried ones. For there are those [singles] who desire to receive love and to be comforted and to be close to another, but they do not desire to be beholden or attached to a married couple. They are seeking for their companion, their other half, their mate. In the meantime, they don't mind receiving comfort and love from another, but their desire is not to be in a threesome or to be attached to a married couple. They seek their own mate. And so I have allowed this dispensation of grace not only for the sake of the married ones, but also for the sake of the unmarried ones, that they might be able to receive the love and comfort and warmth that they need without fear."

438. Question 38: We are living in the Last Days. The Bible says, "Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days" (Mat.24:19). Why is the Lord saying to keep having babies when there is that verse right there in His Word? What does this verse mean and why does there seem to be a contradiction between this and what He's telling us in these prophecies?

439. A senior teen commented: "I always really wondered about that verse. I just sort of took that to be a warning from the Lord about not getting pregnant, because it will be very difficult to have children in the Last Days. I know that we've always believed that we are living in the Last Days, and I know that this is the Endtime; but of course our parents believed the same, and I'm glad that they didn't take this verse to mean not to have kids or else the Family would have missed out on a few generations! But anyway, maybe the End is soon and we should heed the Lord's warning. It always struck the fear of God into me whenever I thought about that verse‚ because maybe it is best not to be pregnant during the actual Last Days. How exactly should we take this verse?"

440. Answer: The Lord used this example in the Bible to warn us about how difficult the days of Tribulation would be for all of us. He does not want you to fear or take matters into your own hands, but to trust Him. The Last Days will be difficult for all, whether you have children or not, but He promises to care for His Own.

441. (Prophecy:) "I warned My people about how difficult the days of Tribulation would be by stating unto them the difficulties that those with young children, babes in arms, will have. For those days shall be difficult days and dark days, but will I not care for My Own?

442. "You know that some day you will die, but that does not keep you from doing My will. I did not say this thing to cause you fear of the future, but just as a warning of how difficult those days would be. It does not mean that you should take matters into your own hands, interpreting with the mind of man and deciding that you know best. It simply means that those days will be difficult.

443. "But do you know exactly when those days will be?—No‚ you don't. Do you know the day of your death?—No, you don't. So what do you do?—You trust Me. You have faith that I will care for you day by day. You have faith to seek Me and to do My will. And when the day of your death comes, you have fulfilled My will.

444. "So in this matter do not take things into your own hands, but just trust Me, for those days will be difficult. But they will be difficult whether you have children or whether you don't have children. But in all ways trust Me and you shall have peace."

445. Question 39: The Lord is encouraging us to have children, but as a young couple, won't that limit our usefulness to the Lord? Won't having a bunch of kids mean that we will be less used of the Lord and less help to the Family, with less opportunities to be a blessing?

446. Answer: No! The truth is just the opposite! Dad recently said in prophecy‚ when talking about the qualities needed for young leadership couples, that they should have children! Being married and having children are important qualifications for bellwethers. Dad said:

447. "One of the most important things for young leadership couples is to be happy serving Jesus!—Being married‚ having children and serving Jesus. ... For the young people worldwide are in great need, in every country, in every continent. The young people need much help! Not just the teens, but all of them! Even the children need help. That's why the Lord is seeking out young married couples with children to be leadership samples."

448. He said that young couples with children understand what it's like to raise children! They know the needs of children. They know from firsthand experience all the difficulties involved with raising children. So this is an important prerequisite for leadership these days, that the couples have children. Dad said:

449. "It's so important that these young leaders have children so that their peers can see that life and usefulness and challenge does not end when you get married and have children. That is not the end of a career, that just enhances your career and makes you more valuable for the Kingdom!—More gifted and more understanding. It will truly be a testimony to the Family that you do believe that God's gift is God's work‚ that the fruit of the womb is His reward, and that it doesn't hinder you in your service‚ but it is a blessing!"