Loving Jesus--Part 7

Maria
April 3, 2003

—Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Loving Jesus!—By MariaDO 303312/95For Voting Members Only

Maria #314

1. (Introduction:) Because this Loving Jesus series is long and a bit complex, I felt it would be helpful to present to you some of the most frequently asked questions, with simplified or summarized answers. I pray this will make it easier for you to understand this revelation and put it into practice.

2. During the time that this series was being finalized, it was read by many members of WS and by the CROs. These dear ones shared their honest reactions, which were very helpful. Along with sharing how this revelation affected them personally, they also brought up various questions which needed to be answered. After hearing their questions, and compiling some questions which others might ask, I was able to make some additions and clarifications in Parts 3 through 6 of this series, which helped to make the presentation clearer.

3. However, at the time that some of the questions were brought up, the Lord had not yet shown us the answers, so Peter and I, as well as prayer teams from our Home and another WS unit‚ came before the Lord at various times to hear from Him in prophecy. Peter and I, and the WS prophets, prayed desperately and asked the Lord for additional information and confirmations and answers to the questions that had come up; and each time we'd come to Him in prayer, the Lord would explain more and more and fill in important details.

4. Rather than my trying to incorporate the answers to every single question that came up in Parts 3 through 6 of this series‚ which would have made them even longer, I opted to address some of the new points in this "Question and Answer" GN. So along with questions and answers that review and summarize some of the main points of Parts 3 through 6, in this GN you will also find questions and answers that provide new or additional information and excerpts from new prophecies that you have not heard before and that you would not want to miss. So please take time to read this GN thoroughly and prayerfully! Thanks!

General Explanation About the Loving Jesus Revelation

5. Question 1: What is the purpose of this Loving Jesus revelation?

6. Answer: Some of the main reasons for coming to the Lord in this new, intimate way are:

To love Jesus more. To draw nigh to Him so He can draw nigh to you.
To make Jesus happy, and to supply His need for love, as He says He needs us and desires us as His Bride, His lover. He wishes to be loved in a new, more intimate way. He desires a new relationship with us. He wants us to be in love with Him, like He is with us.
Because He has asked it of us.
To receive the blessings He has promised us if we step out by faith and love Him in this new way.
To be better prepared for the future, for the great battles and struggles in the dark days to come, by having a closer relationship with Jesus.
To bear more fruit by being filled to overflowing with His Love, which will result in our loving our Family more, feeding our sheep and contacts more‚ following up more, winning more souls, and witnessing more to the needy world.
To be much more powerful and more effective witnesses.
To become Jesus' beacons of love and light for the whole world!

(See Part 3‚ paragraphs 34-49, 134-142‚ 192-195; Part 4, paragraphs 31, 95-98‚ 103-120; Part 5‚ paragraphs 81, 89, 98, 152, 163, 190; Part 6, paragraphs 65-72‚ 171-176, 184-187.)

7. Question 2: If I don't believe or want to practice this Loving Jesus revelation, will I lose my place in the DO Family?

8. Answer: No. This is not a fundamental Family belief, so you are not required to believe, practice or teach it in order to retain your DO membership. If you find this too difficult to implement in your spiritual walk with the Lord, you will not be looked down upon or considered a second-class citizen. This is a personal matter that you can freely choose to act upon according to your own faith.

9. I want to mention, however‚ that the Lord has promised wonderful benefits and blessings in the lives of those who choose to believe and practice this new intimate way of loving Him. Please seriously consider the promises from the Lord when you're praying about this revelation and deciding how you will personally react to it. The Lord has asked you to love Him in a new way and He has made clear what the blessings will be if you will do so, and it stands to reason that conversely, if you choose not to love Him in this new way, then you will forfeit some of these promised blessings. This is the choice that is before you.

10. We will not require this of you by declaring it a fundamental Family belief, but we pray that you will do your best to believe, receive and practice this‚ at least as far as saying the love words to Jesus, so you will benefit from the wonderful rewards the Lord has promised. Peter and I know these promises are true because we have seen them fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of others, to varying degrees. We wholeheartedly believe this Loving Jesus revelation is of the Lord‚ and we believe you need this and that it will greatly enrich your personal relationship with the Lord; but we leave the decision with you as to whether you will personally choose to believe and act upon it.

11. If you personally decide not to practice this revelation, that is up to you. However, we ask that you please not discourage others from loving the Lord in this way. Please refrain from such things as negative comments, ridicule, voicing your doubts, etc. For you to do so repeatedly would be contravening the Charter. (See page 120 of the Charter, Offences Warranting Excommunication, point H.)

(See Part 3, paragraphs 8-13; Part 4‚ paragraphs 65‚ 96.)

12. Question 3: How do I know it's really worth all the humbling and having to get used to loving the Lord in this new way? You say there are lots of promises attached to the Lord's requests, but what exactly are they?

13. Answer: I have gone through Parts 3 through 6 and compiled a list of the wonderful promises from the Lord. I thought it was worth including these to help you better understand what the Lord says will be the fruit of practicing this new revelation. Reading this list is a reminder of what a special privilege it is that the Lord has revealed His secrets unto us.

© You'll be filled to overflowing with His Love‚ and that Love will flow out to fill the cups of each other and the needs of your friends, sheep and contacts. You'll pour forth the Message to a needy world.

© You will become beacons that will shine brightly with the Lord's Love and light throughout the whole world. Many will see and come to you. (More witnessing!) They too will be enlightened and will become fruitful witnesses.

14. Wow, that's a pretty impressive list of blessings and benefits! And this is not to mention all the wonderful fruit that He promised in our relations with one another. Some of the benefits along that line include: Your marriages would be renewed; new relationships would be more founded on Him and therefore stronger and more fruitful; you'll receive a whole new outlook on the Law of Love and sharing; it will enhance your lovemaking; it will break down the walls between you and bring a "great binding together" with each other and the Lord. Thank You Jesus!

15. If you've been battling and greatly needing blessings such as those listed above, then this is the answer to your prayers! What the Lord asks of us is so little when compared to all the rewards He has promised us!

(See Part 3, paragraphs 8-13, 95-103, 114, 121, 126, 130; Part 4, paragraphs 31, 91, 102; Part 5, paragraphs 5-7‚ 9, 88-92, 110, 137, 139; Part 6, paragraphs 65-67, 126, 151, 171-176, 178.)

16. Question 4: Wasn't our previous relationship with Jesus intimate enough? Couldn't we have just read Loving Jesus Parts 1 and 2 and left it at that?

17. Answer: This is a question you'll have to ask yourselves. I know for myself personally, and Peter feels the same, the answer is no, our previous relationship with the Lord was not intimate enough. He wanted more from us and He wanted to give more to us; and now we're very happy with the renewed‚ deeper, more intimate relationship we've gained with the Lord by loving Him this way. We may have thought we were doing pretty good and getting by all right in our relationship with the Lord‚ but He says it is not going to be enough for the future, and we need more!—We need a more intimate relationship with Him and to see Him as the Lover that He is!

18. Loving Jesus Parts 1 and 2 were very important and they laid the foundation for the subsequent parts of the series, but if we had stopped after Parts 1 and 2 and had not published Parts 3 through 6‚ then you would have missed most of the revelation, and a great deal of the information from the Lord. In order to find out how to love Jesus more intimately, you had to have the information the Lord gave in the rest of the Loving Jesus series.

19. Question 5: If this Loving Jesus revelation is so important and such a special blessing from the Lord, why didn't Dad tell us the details about it when he was with us?

20. Answer: Dad explained that he did not tell us about this revelation because the Lord didn't reveal it to him. He could only give us what the Lord gave him. But Dad did give us the concept, the idea of the love relationship between Jesus and His sexy Bride, and now I'm giving you the details. The Lord is building my ministry upon Dad's ministry. We learned about the theory, the concepts and the spiritual principles from Dad, but now the Lord is expanding or amplifying those concepts, and we're learning more about the practical application. Dad said that we didn't need to know the details of this revelation when he was with us‚ but we need to know them now.

21. Also, as you read the many specific graphic quotes from Dad's Letters in Part 5 about loving Jesus intimately, you probably were amazed at how much of this truth Dad had already given us through the years, but we just hadn't seen clearly then what it all meant. The Lord explained that that's because He was keeping it a mystery!—Until now! Now He's unfolding the Words of David to us and allowing the "scales" to fall from our eyes. He's doing all this so that in this new day He can pour out His Love and anointing on us in a greater way than ever before!

(See Part 3, paragraphs 169-180; Part 5, paragraphs 4-12, 25-50.)

22. Question 6: Weren't we Jesus' Bride all along? The Bible talks about us being the Bride of Christ. In the Letters, Dad often referred to us as the Bride. Even some of the prophecies in these Loving Jesus GNs refer to us as the Bride. But then there are other prophecies that indicate that we are going to become Jesus' Bride, that He's looking for a wife and a bride, that we've had a long engagement‚ or that we're virgins, but that now He wants to be married to us. Can you please explain this seeming contradiction?

23. Answer: When Peter and I prayed about this seeming conflict of terms and this varied use of the word "Bride," the Lord said: "Are you a virgin? Or are you married? Or have we been married for years? Or are we just engaged? In the Spirit, in the Spirit, there is no tide nor time. You can be all of these things, for in the Spirit we are not bound by the mind of man."

24. This means that in the Spirit we can be all these things: a virgin, His soon-to-be Bride, His new Bride, His long-time wife. There is no time in the Spirit‚ so apparently we can go back and forth between these different relationships with Him, and He can use any one of these terms interchangeably, depending on the point He wants to make in the particular message He's giving to us. Dad said, "There is no past‚ no present, no future to the Lord! In the spirit world there is no time, it's one great eternal now. In the Spirit, it's like the past, present and future are all one" (Mop 123:21,40,88).

25. Question 7: We're now supposed to be Jesus' lover, His Bride, but does that mean He is no longer our Friend? Now when I sing the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," I wonder if it's really lukewarm; whereas I used to like that song very much.

26. Answer: Jesus is still our wonderful‚ caring, ever-present Friend. Just as our earthly lovers can fill many different roles in our lives—that of mate, companion, lover and friend—so does Jesus. He is many things to us: King, Savior, Lover, Husband and best Friend. So of course you can still sing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and enjoy it as much as ever! I like that song very much and sing it often!

27. Question 8: I thought we were supposed to love Jesus for Himself and all He has done for us, not just for what we can get from Him, or what His seeds can do for us! When we're having intimate sex with Jesus, are we really loving Him? When we ask to become one with Him, to receive His seeds, for Him to fill us and come into us, is this really what He wants? What about just loving Jesus for Himself? I thought there was more to real love than just wanting to get the seeds, to just have sex.

28. Answer: I had this same question, so we prayed, asking the Lord to help us understand better what He meant when He said, "My goal is to give you the seeds, and yours is to receive them." As always, He was very happy to explain. The things that He said are very precious and very important, and a key to understanding this new revelation.

29. (Prophecy:) To love My seeds is to love Me. For all that I am is represented in My seeds. In giving you My seeds‚ I am giving you everything. I am giving you My life and My love and My power and My anointing and My strength; I am giving you joy and blessings. As a man feels that a woman receives him completely and wholly when she receives his seeds—as to a man his penis represents his very manhood, his very self—so it is with Me, so that when you receive My seeds, you receive Me! You receive all that I am! When you receive My seeds in lovemaking‚ you receive Me, you are loving Me!

30. Do not fear that in loving and desiring My seeds and My lovemaking that you are not loving Me for what I am, because My seeds are Me! They are everything I have to give you—My seeds of Love, My seeds of caresses and kisses‚ My seeds of Words, My seeds of fruitfulness, My seeds of childbearing, My seeds of contentment and fulfillment. All that I have to give, I can give through My seeds!

31. To love Me is to love My seeds. To desire Me is to desire My seeds. In receiving them‚ you are receiving Me! In loving them, you are loving Me! For My seeds and My penis do not just represent sex, they represent all that I am. They represent Me as your Husband, as your Lover, as your Savior‚ as your King, as your best Friend! So open your heart and receive Me, that we may become one again and again and again, and our love will be without end! (End of prophecy.)

32. The Lord made it clear why He said that His goal is to give us His seeds and our goal is to receive them. He and His seeds are one and the same. So if we love Him, we are loving His seeds. If we love His seeds, we are loving Him!

33. Question 9: When we're loving Jesus in this intimate way, saying love words to Him when having prayer and praise time‚ or when masturbating, or when having sex with a partner, how will He give us His seed? What is His seed in this case? Does it mean He will give us His Word by way of prophecy while we're loving Him in this way?

34. Answer: Sometimes the receiving of the Lord's seeds will be manifest through the Words you receive from Him in your heart or in prophecy either during or after your time of loving Him intimately. The Lord sometimes speaks to Peter and me in prophecy after we make love to Him. The same may happen to you. Other times the Lord doesn't speak right then, but Peter said that sometimes he has the distinct impression that the seeds he receives from the Lord during the time of loving Him come to fruition in prophecies that are given later.

35. But as is explained in the prophecy in the previous question, the Lord's seeds are not only His Words. His seeds represent everything He has to give us—His life, love‚ power, anointing, strength‚ joy and blessings. He and His seeds are one and the same. When we love Jesus in this intimate way, we aren't just loving His seeds or His Words, we're loving Him. When we are receiving His seeds, we're receiving Him—Jesus! He is the Word, He is the seeds! We can receive the Person, Jesus, and all that He has to offer us by receiving both the seeds of His Word as we read it and the seeds from His intimate lovemaking.

Men Loving Jesus Intimately

36. Question 10: Are we men in the Family now female in Spirit, and will we be female for eternity?

37. Answer: No‚ you men are not always women in the Spirit. You are only women in the Spirit during your times of intimate lovemaking with Jesus. In this one facet of your spiritual life, your intimate love relationship with the Lord, He wants you to be as a bride with her husband. In other words, He wants you to be a woman in Spirit, loving Him as your Husband. But in the other facets of your spiritual life, He will continue to see you as men—as strong, valiant‚ manly soldiers for Him, mighty men of David. So you don't need to think that you are now going to be a woman in the Spirit all the time, or that you'll be women when you get to Heaven. This is not a permanent spiritual transformation. This is just one of your many roles and one aspect of your spiritual life.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 88-103‚ 109-113, 181-183, 185.)

38. Question 11: How can men have this intimate, sexy relationship with Jesus and it not be a male-with-male homosexual relationship?

39. Answer: Because you men become female in Spirit during your times of intimate lovemaking with Jesus. In your lovemaking with Jesus you are not a man. You are making love to Him as His Bride, His spiritual wife. This has nothing to do with a male-to-male relationship. This is not a homosexual relationship. It is a spiritual female, you, making love to a male, Jesus. He is the Man‚ the Bridegroom, and you are the woman, His Bride, His wife.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 87-95, 109-122.)

40. Question 12: Does this new Loving Jesus revelation mean that man–with-man homosexual relationships or thoughts are now okay?

41. Answer: No. The Loving Jesus revelation does not change the Biblical laws, nor our present policy that forbids male-with-male homosexual relationships; and partaking of this intimate lovemaking with Jesus in no way condones homosexual thoughts. As I said previously, this has nothing to do with homosexuality. There is no male-with-male relationship. You must remember, and you must get firmly fixed in your mind and constantly remind yourself, that your intimate, loving relationship with Jesus is not a male-with–male relationship. There is only a woman (you) with her Husband (Jesus)!—Nothing else! The Lord is not asking you men to do anything that He has already told you not to do.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 115-122.)

42. Question 13: Why can't men just make love to the Holy Spirit? Dad talked about this in earlier Letters, and it would be much easier for the men.

43. Answer: The Holy Spirit Herself is calling us all to be Jesus' Bride. She loves Jesus so much that She wants Him to have many Brides. She tells us that Jesus is the picture, manifestation or embodiment of the Love of the Father and the Holy Spirit‚ and that by loving Him, we are loving Them. The Holy Spirit will still come to us and comfort us and strengthen us, but because Jesus gave His life for us, He purchased our Salvation, and we are His Bride. Being the Husband of the Bride (us) seems to be one of Jesus' roles or portfolios in the Heavenly Teamwork, the Trinity.

44. The Holy Spirit gently chided us in prophecy‚ saying that if we can believe that Jesus atoned for our sins, and we can give our lives to serve Him, then why can't we believe that God and the Holy Spirit have called us to love Him as His Bride and to manifest our intimate love for Him in this new, passionate, sexy way.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 152-159, 165-168.)

45. Question 14: As a man, when I say love words to Jesus, do I have to be able to visualize Him making love to me? Do I have to see it?

46. Answer: No, you men do not have to see or visualize Jesus making love to you. Many men are naturally inclined to visualize sexy pictures when they think sexy thoughts or say sexy things. A fairly common problem some of the men had when they first read this series was that they weren't visualizing themselves as women, so when they saw pictures of Jesus, a man‚ it was very difficult for them. This type of mental picture was a problem for some men‚ because they said it was a huge distraction for them during their intimate prayer time.

47. Different men coped with their tendency to see these mental pictures differently. Some decided to say the love words to Jesus out of obedience, to please Him‚ but they choose words that are less graphic, so as to avoid the words bringing up sexual pictures in their minds that turn them off.

48. I understand that other men, when they say love words to Jesus or masturbate with Him or have sex with a woman while loving Jesus, visualize a scene of Jesus making love to a woman. In such a case, the woman that is making love to Jesus, that the man visualizes in his fantasy‚ represents himself. In other words, the man sees himself as the woman making love to Jesus‚ but he sort of mentally observes the act from afar, as a third party bystander, instead of being the one who actually partakes firsthand of Jesus' touches, kisses, lovemaking, etc. This way some men have pleasant sexual experiences when loving Jesus.

49. Also, there are men who were able to become accustomed to seeing themselves as women in the Spirit. They've learned how to effectively visualize themselves as a woman. They can now see themselves as having a female spirit body‚ and as such can have very intimate, detailed, erotic, sexual experiences when loving Jesus either privately or with a partner.

50. So as you can see, we have come across a variety of reactions from the men, and they have come up with different ways to cope with the sexy pictures that naturally come to their minds when saying graphic love words to Jesus. Do whatever works for you.

(See Part 4, paragraphs 62-63.)

51. Question 15: Won't this be extremely embarrassing for the men? And won't their loving Jesus in this new way cause their wives or lovers to be turned off and to look down on them for being "effeminate" or "strange"?

52. Answer: This may be quite humbling or embarrassing for some of you men in the beginning. The Lord said, "Do you want to know the road to the Promised Land? It's the road of humility, the humble road. March on the humble road. This thing will humble you." But as He promised, the rewards are worth it. He said‚ "Unto all you men, I say, be not afraid to humble yourselves in My sight. For I love the humble, I love the weak, I love the meek. ... With all this strength and all this power and all this valiantness, you have need of more. You have need of great humility, great meekness and great weakness. So I ask you to lay down the armament of war and to play the role that I have asked you to play, of the meek and the weak, of the woman, of the Bride‚ of My darling. This humbles you, but it also empowers you. For it is this that will make you the strong soldiers that you need to be for the days ahead." Are you willing to be humbled, so that you can be empowered to be what the Lord wants you to be?

53. The attitude you women display—you who are wives and friends and lovers of the men—will make a very big difference. By being supportive and understanding, you can help make it much easier for your man! If you look upon the men with skepticism or disdain, or you get offended or turned off, this will make it very difficult or almost impossible for the men to venture out by faith. Please do your best, women, to encourage and support the men in this.

54. As I said, I'm so proud of Peter when I see him loving Jesus in total abandonment. It's a wonderful picture of yieldedness, surrender and love. I wouldn't want him to be any other way. I think it's beautiful and sexy! Loving Jesus in this way has now become a part of Peter, and I can see the Lord's blessing in his life. I want to do all I can to help him maintain that close, hot, intimate link with the Lord!

55. On this subject, another woman commented: "I have never felt the least bit turned off by my lover's love words to Jesus. It never felt as if he were doing something weird or feminine or bordering on homosexuality. I just look at him and marvel and think, `Wow, thank You Jesus for such a humble man who loves You so much, someone so wonderfully yielded and willing to do this for You.' His yieldedness and his willingness to humble himself before me and his desire to love the Lord, his desire for the seeds actually turns me on. I don't quite know why, but it does. It's great! The more he gets into his love talk to Jesus, and the freer he gets and the more turned on he gets with Jesus, the more I like it! Praise the Lord!"

Saying Love Words to Jesus

56. Question 16: Should I always say these sexy, intimate, loving words to Jesus when I pray?

57. Answer: No. There are many different types of prayer‚ and it would not be appropriate to say love words to Jesus during all of them. There is intercessory prayer‚ when you're praying desperately for others. There is petitional prayer, when you're asking the Lord to do something or to supply your needs. There is penitent prayer‚ when you're confessing sin or asking for forgiveness. There is fighting prayer, when you're fighting in the Spirit or battling the Enemy. And there are prayers of praise and adoration. You would say the love words to Jesus mainly during your praise and adoration prayers.

58. Loving Jesus in this intimate way is a private matter. To wisely judge when to say love words to the Lord, you'd have to consider the occasion, the subject of your prayer, those that are praying with you, etc. Different situations call for different words. Just as you and your mate or lover wouldn't say sexy and intimate things in public, or in front of your children, or when you're in the middle of discussing business‚ etc., neither would you say sexy love words to Jesus in public prayer or in front of your children.

59. When you're praying for healing, or you're praying against persecution‚ or you're laying hands on someone to pray against jealousy, or you're praying at morning devotions for the Lord to supply your needs at the market, you wouldn't begin such prayers by saying intimate, sexy love words to Jesus. Also, if there are children or outsiders in your prayer meeting, you would of course refrain from saying love words to Jesus. Coming before the Lord intimately should be reserved for when you're spending time in sweet communion with Him, loving Him, praising Him, reading His Word, communicating with Him in a very personal way.

60. Question 17: I feel very awkward saying things like, "Fuck me, Jesus!" Must I say those exact love words, or can I say other words that are less graphic or less sexual that I feel more comfortable with?

61. Answer: Yes, you can. In the prophecy entitled "Words of Love to the Lord" in Part 3, there are examples of words of love and endearment that we can say to the Lord. Some of those include: "I want You and I need You! Come in unto me—let us be one! Let us love! Let us lie in each other's arms. Love me, fill me to the full! Hold me! I love You! I want You! I desire You! Come lie with me! Come fill me! I love Your caresses, I want You in me. I want You, Jesus! Come into me, Jesus! Make me go‚ Jesus!"

62. It is very helpful to have specific examples of what Jesus would like to hear from us, His Bride, but you don't have to feel bound to using just those words. Basically you can say anything that a woman might say to a man. If you feel uncomfortable saying the erotic love words, then say something less erotic. You don't have to follow a script, and you're not obligated to say certain words. If you have a hard time saying, "Fuck me, Jesus!" then maybe try saying something less specific such as, "I want You, Jesus! I desire you! Come lie with me! Come fill me!"

63. All of us are different in how we make love and express the desire and passion we feel within our hearts for our earthly lovers, and so it is with speaking love words to Jesus. There is no set vocabulary‚ no standard ritual as to what to say to Him. We each relate to Jesus differently in our personal love relationship with Him, so you should feel free to choose the words of wooing, endearment and excitement that you feel will adequately express your love and desire for Him. This is not a competition to see who can say the most graphic, sexy, erotic things to Him. If certain love words are a distraction to you, then find other words that you like better.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 53-67.)

64. Question 18: What is the difference between the love words you would say to Jesus in private and those you would say publicly?

65. Answer: There is a big difference! When you're alone with Jesus‚ or you're in private with your mate, lover or sharing partners, you can be much more intimate in your love words to Jesus, you can say words that are much more sexually graphic. Only when you're in private would you say very sexy things like, "Fuck me, Jesus. I want to have You inside me, I want you to make me go," etc. You should reserve the graphic words for when you're in private with Jesus in the bed of love.

66. When you're in public, such as during prayer and praise meetings or before reading the Word unitedly as a Home, your words of love to Jesus should be toned way down so as to be appropriate for children and/or outsiders. The Lord explained in prophecy that when you're preparing to read the Word together, you can prepare your hearts by saying love words to Jesus, to let Him know that you want to receive His seeds. But those love words should be much more general than the things you'd say to Him in private. You can say, "We love You‚ Jesus! We are ready and open to receive Your seeds. We desire Your Love. We want to be united with You," etc. But it's very important that you use great wisdom so as to not stumble the children or expose them to the sexual side of this doctrine, which is only for those who are of age! We do not want our children saying sexually graphic love words to Jesus!

(See Part 4, paragraphs 27‚ 55–60.)

The Loving Jesus Revelation and Children

67. Question 19: How much should children know about the Loving Jesus revelation, and should they practice it?

68. Answer: The sexual aspects of the Loving Jesus series, including the sexy erotic love words, the revelation about men being women in the Spirit during their intimate times of loving Jesus‚ the idea of masturbating or having sex with another while loving Jesus, etc., should not be shared with children. They do not need to know nor should they know about these aspects of the Loving Jesus revelation. The sexual side of loving Jesus is not for children.

69. When the prayer teams from one of our WS units were praying about this revelation, the Lord spoke on this subject, saying: "As a husband and wife have a special and private and close relationship, so I would have this relationship be with My Bride. This is not for children. This is for those that are of age‚ those that are married [to Me]. Those of the outside [people outside the Family] can understand this—that a husband and wife have a private relationship that is not for their children, which they do not display in front of their children, nor speak of in front of their children." In other words, our intimate activities with Jesus should not be carried on in front of the children, just as a husband and wife do not display or talk about the details of their intimate love relationship in front of their children.

70. Please refer to the MLK of Loving Jesus 1 and 2 if you want to see how the general principles of Loving Jesus can be explained to the children.

(See Part 4‚ paragraphs 59-60.)

The Loving Jesus Series and TRF Supporters

71. Question 20: Will the TSers ever read the Loving Jesus series, Parts 3 through 7?

72. Answer: The TSers are not receiving Loving Jesus Parts 3 through 7 now. They will receive Loving Jesus Parts 1 and 2 for their Family Birthday Celebration. But‚ Lord willing, later they will receive the rest of the series.

73. When Peter and I prayed about this, the Lord confirmed what we had already been feeling, that it would be better for the DO Family to receive this revelation first and have a chance to get used to it and strengthened in it before the TSers receive it. It's not because the TSers wouldn't be able to handle this strong meat. It's because the security amongst our TSers is not as strong as in our DO Family, and there's a pretty good chance that when it goes to TSers it will spread to those not in the Family‚ who will either ask questions about it or criticize us for it. The Lord showed us that it would be best for the DO Family to have some time to experiment with loving the Lord in this new, intimate way and get grounded in their faith in it before having to answer questions from outsiders.

74. The Lord said in prophecy: "Behold, I say unto you, this is not the time to pour forth these strong and meaty Words unto these who dwell not within the inner fold. It is not because they cannot take it, but it is because My children in the inner fold must first hear it, absorb it and receive it, before they are faced with questions from the outside. Let them first be strengthened that they may have the strength and the faith to stand strong in this area. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Faith cometh by experience.

75. "When they have tried this method of loving, and when they have seen the fruit, when they have been drawn unto Me, when they feel close to Me‚ they will know that the Words through you are true. Then they will rejoice and be willing to stand up and say‚ `Yes‚ this is so, and it has brought forth this fruit in my life.' They will have a personal testimony on which they can stand, with which they can defend their belief in these Words that I poured forth. But first these things must be established in their own hearts, and then when they are strengthened can their brethren of the outer circle be given it. So feed these first‚ strengthen them that they may be strengthened, and then feed those of the outer flock." (End of prophecy.)

Will This Revelation Cause Persecution?

76. Question 21: Should this revelation be published? What kind of fire is this belief going to bring down on our heads from the System? Are we supplying our enemies with "fresh ammunition" to persecute us just when things have finally cooled down? Is it worth it?

77. Answer: Some of the people who read this series in advance raised these questions, so two different prayer teams of WS prophets came before the Lord to ask Him about this. He made it very clear that yes, this revelation should be published. There were many confirmations that you need this Word, that it's the Lord's will that the Family receive this, and that Peter and I should not hold back the message.

78. The Lord said that His children long for these Words, "For many have felt the loneliness and the heartache of being without a lover‚ and for many [this message] will be the thing that will keep them in the fold." He said, "Many will follow, and they will be thrilled by it and excited by it, as it is presented in love and wisdom. ... Have I not said that this is a new day and a new way? As you have managed to hurdle the revolutions of the past, the many things that back then seemed too hard to accept, even now I will give you the faith to carry on. ... They that have an ear shall hear and shall rejoice and shall understand, for they shall come to the fullness of the Kingdom, and the full stature of My Bride.

79. "Said I not that all that is required is to speak the words of love, and that shall be the starting point?—And many there be that shall receive it. Step by step lead them along, that they may be able to accept all this revelation, and they shall receive the Word with gladness, and it shall be a joy to their heart."

80. One prophecy said‚ "This Word is the very thing that will strengthen you, and will give you the power to withstand the Enemy and have the faith and the strength to save your children. Be not afraid. ... I tell you, this gift will give you the grace for whatever will come. Withhold it not from My children, for they need it."

81. Concerning whether this revelation would bring down the wrath of the System upon us, the Lord indicated that this would be another source of division between us and the world‚ but He also encouraged us not to fear and not to worry about the opinions of man. In the prophecies, the Lord reminded us of the many mighty miracles He has done in the past to protect us, and He reassured us that He will not abandon us now, but He will continue to be a mighty forcefield around us‚ a covering for us. He indicated that the greater power that will be given to our Family as a result of this revelation will be related in some way to His protection, as we will be following Him very closely and hearing His voice very clearly.

82. The Lord promised to protect us, saying, "As you keep My Words and fulfill My Words, so shall I keep you from the hour of tribulation, so shall I keep you from the ire of the System, so shall I protect you. For [this revelation] shall be misunderstood‚ as many of your doctrines have been misunderstood, but I will protect you and I will keep you and I shall not suffer the righteous to be moved. For in Me is a strong tower that the righteous run into and are safe."

83. The Lord indicated that He will keep our friends who have grown close to us who seek to understand our doctrines. Of course, some will not be able to understand this revelation and some may fall by the wayside, but the Lord said, "Fear not, for I will bring those along that I will bring along. I will not make you such an island that no bridge will be able to be reached between you and those who need to understand you. ... Yes, it is a step further, but it is not too far, for you have already given much. You have loved Me with an everlasting love. Therefore‚ fear not, for I can very well attend to the consequences. For if this work be of God‚ no man can stand against it."

84. The Lord instructed us several times to walk circumspectly, to walk in wisdom towards them that are without. He indicated that we should not flaunt this truth to outsiders. He said, "Use wisdom with those that are without, for the days are evil and many seek to ensnare you and trap you and destroy you, and to seek out your liberty and destroy it. But in private and in the privacy of your rooms and in your Home, without the peering eye of the outsiders, we will be ravished together in My Love, enveloped and embraced and as one, as we love each other to the full. So enjoy this fellowship with Me‚ but let it not be a stumblingblock, and you will be able to enjoy this with Me forever." This makes it clear that our most intimate times of loving the Lord are to be a private affair.

85. He goes on to say, "Use wisdom, as much wisdom as is possible, and as much as is possible live peaceably with those about you. But within the confines of your Home, and within the confines of your own heart, you must serve the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your mind and with all of your soul and with all that is within you, according to the life that is given unto you, according to My Truth that is given unto you. For I seek such to worship Me. I seek those who worship Me with all of their hearts, and if I seek those to worship Me, I will not abandon them in their time of need."

Masturbation While Loving Jesus

86. Question 22: Why can't our love relationship with Jesus continue to be in the Spirit only? Are we going too far by putting it into practice in the physical by saying love words, and even masturbating?

87. Answer: Some of those who read this series in advance had this question, so we prayed about it and the Lord answered wonderfully and specifically, confirming His desire for us to have this new relationship with Him. I'll share with you now a summary of what He said in these prophecies, which were not included in the previous parts of this GN series.

88. He explained that this revelation is the answer to your prayers to be closer to Him‚ and that this is the method He's chosen to accomplish it. We may think we're doing just fine in our relationship with Him, but judging from the message He keeps giving over and over again through many different channels, we can and will be much closer to Him, which is what He wants.

89. That's one of the major points of this revelation, to bring us closer to Jesus!—And who are we to argue with the way He decides to do it? If saying the love words to Jesus is what He knows will do the trick and bring us closer to Him, then so be it. If loving Him while enjoying some form of physical sex is what He wants, then I'm sure willing to give it to Him. He wants more of us. He wants to love us more deeply and for us to love Him more passionately and to feel the need for Him more desperately. He wants to be our Lover.

90. In the prophecies on this subject the Lord commended you for the many breakings, afflictions, moves, separations, and trials that you have experienced. He said that now He is coming to you in a new way, to heal many of the hurts that you have had, to comfort you as only a lover can. You've had parents, shepherds and teachers who have led you and taught or corrected you, but you've probably noticed that when you're in love with someone, you hear what they say more readily. You open your heart more easily. You don't resent their instruction and their sharing their thoughts with you. You long for it and love that closeness and that time together. That is what Jesus wants you to feel towards Him. He wants to be a lover to you‚ so He can love you more intimately, and teach you more, and draw you closer to Him.

91. The Lord explained in prophecy that this revelation is the next step in the progression of our learning about and growing in our relationship with Jesus, our Husband. He said that other Christians cannot receive this truth because they have not understood the blessing that sex can be in the Spirit, but that Dad prepared us step by step, so that now we're ready for this new, more intimate relationship with Him, which will be such a strength and comfort unto us.

92. It is easy to see how most Christians would not be able to receive the idea of having an intimate‚ sexy, love relationship with the Lord. If you were plagued with guilt complexes and didn't understand the beauties of Godly sex and the sexual freedom that is allowed under the Lord's Law of Love‚ how could you ever have the faith that you could enjoy such an intimate relationship with the Lord? You'd never be able to receive it or believe it was God-given. Thank the Lord for Dad, who prepared us for this revelation by faithfully giving us the truth, the wild radical truth of God!

93. The Lord also explained that we need this greater intimacy with Him not only for the future but for today. If you've felt at wit's end, not knowing if you have the strength or vision or stick-to-itiveness to carry on, then take heart‚ because the Lord has promised that you'll find renewed strength and comfort from Him, your Lover. He promises, "These are the End Days‚ and I will pour out My Spirit as never before. This is but one of the many ways that I will pour out My Spirit, and you shall be washed in My Love, and cleansed, and strengthened‚ and you shall rejoice, as one who finds great spoil!"

(See Part 3, paragraphs 34-49, 53-67; Part 4‚ paragraphs 29-31, 90, 95-102; Part 5, paragraphs 81-83‚ 87-94, 137.)

94. Question 23: I can understand Jesus wanting a more intimate relationship with us, as His Bride, and I can understand the idea of saying words of love to Him. But I have a hard time understanding how my masturbating or loving someone else sexually while saying the words of love to Jesus would make any difference to Him. What is the purpose of physical sex, either through masturbation or loving someone else, when loving Jesus? Why does Jesus suggest we do that? Is it for His benefit, or is it for our benefit? And if it's for our benefit‚ how is it supposed to help us?

95. Answer: The idea of masturbating or having sex with someone else while loving Jesus raised some questions when our proofreaders read these GNs, so Peter and I and some of our WS prophets asked the Lord for further explanation about this subject. As usual, the Lord spoke wonderfully, giving us very clear‚ helpful answers, including the two prophecies from Dad which I included in Part 5. (See "It Doesn't Matter What You're Doing, As Long As You're Doing Something" and "Enjoy Yourself!—Don't Try So Hard," paragraphs 137-158, 175-181.)

96. From the prophecies given‚ we can see that there are many very good reasons why He has given us the option, if we so desire, to masturbate or love someone else sexually while loving Him. To begin with, as Dad explained, this is a gift of love from the Lord and He wants to use it to make us happy. That's a pretty good reason—to make us happy. He loves us and He wants us to enjoy our time loving Him. If you're having big battles about this, it might be difficult for you to see how this could possibly be enjoyable or make anyone happy. But I can testify that it has made Peter and me very happy, as well as others who have chosen to love the Lord in this way, even some who initially had some battles with it, but who stepped out by faith and tried it.

97. Dad also said that the goal is to love Jesus, and including some kind of physical sex with your spiritual lovemaking with Jesus can help you to do just that‚ to love Jesus more!

98. The Lord also explained that another one of the main reasons He has given us this option of involving masturbation when making love to Him is because when you are masturbating and you near the time of orgasm, the desire you feel at that moment is a picture of how the Lord wants you to desire Him in the Spirit. Remember how you feel when you're close to having an orgasm? At that point your greatest desire is to reach the marvelous release of the orgasm that you want so desperately, right? Well‚ that's how the Lord wants us to want Him in the Spirit.

99. The Lord said in prophecy, "As you experience that passion and that desire before the moment of orgasm, this is an illustration of how I want you to desire Me, to long to become one with Me. That feeling that you have in the flesh that you cannot stop‚ that you must have it, that you must have that release—this is what I want you to see as an illustration of the love that I want you to have for Me. This desire is what I want you to feel, so that you will cast off your pride and your inhibitions, and you will yield to Me completely and we will become one."

100. In another prophecy in which the Lord talked about masturbation and loving others while loving Him, He brings out the important point that the purpose of these physical manifestations of our loving Jesus is to make it easier for us—easier to feel and understand His Love, and easier to say words of love to Him. The option to include some form of physical sex in your lovemaking with the Lord is not intended to be a test or a heavy burden; it's a gift, something that He wants to be helpful, pleasant, fruitful and pleasurable.

101. He said, "If you can do this‚ it makes it easier for you to feel and experience My Love, it makes it easier for you to express these words of love, it makes it easier for you to understand how much I want to love you, and how I want you to love Me, because you have there an illustration in the flesh, in the physical, something you can see and something you can feel."

102. So in summary, for those who choose to masturbate or love someone else while loving Jesus, there are many benefits:

(See Part 4, paragraph 29; Part 5, paragraphs 139, 154, 190.)

103. Question 24: Is masturbation required if I want to love Jesus in this new intimate way?

104. Answer: No, it's not required. You do not have to masturbate when having intimate time loving Jesus. It's your personal choice. It's up to you‚ and no one will be looking down on you if you don't masturbate.

105. The Lord said, "In the quietness of your chamber when you are alone, you can tell Me you love Me and you can show Me you love Me. For this is a very intimate and special way of loving Me. I do not require this and I do not demand it, for I will even be happy with the words and with your caresses, and with the symbolism of your love unto Me. But if you want a special time with Me‚ and if you want to feel My loving, you can touch yourself and you can make yourself go, and it will be Me loving you. This is intimate and this is between you and Me alone, as we kiss and caress in our bed of love together."

106. This is a private affair, between you and the Lord alone. As Dad explained, the Lord will speak to your heart, and you can follow Him and do as you personally feel led. As I explained, at first I went very much by faith and I did it because I knew the Lord wanted me to; He was speaking to my heart about it. In the beginning I did it out of duty, in obedience to what I knew the Lord was asking of me personally. But after I had learned those initial lessons of obedience and yieldedness‚ then the Lord and Dad showed me that I could act according to my desires, and I didn't need to masturbate unless I wanted to.

107. The Lord doesn't want this option to be a big works trip or to put you under pressure. Remember the personal lessons I shared about masturbation in Part 5, when Dad had to remind me to relax and "quit trying so hard"?

108. I can understand if you don't feel a desire to masturbate right now. Maybe you're busy trying to get used to the idea of saying intimate love words to Jesus, and the thought of masturbating might be just too much for you. If that's the case, don't worry, and don't get under a cloud about it or feel like you have to work up the desire to do so. Just do as you personally feel the Lord is leading you.

109. When our WS prophets prayed about masturbation, the Lord said: "I will not force you, I will not require it, and you do not need to feel sad or condemned if you cannot yet love Me in this way. For as I said, your words of love, your words of desire, these too are precious unto Me. I am happy with whatever love you give Me, for I love you with such love that anything you give to Me of your heart and your love is precious unto Me. I will only expect you to give as much as your own heart desires to give to Me."

(See Part 4, paragraphs 29, 36, 61; Part 5, paragraphs 137-158, 172-192.)

110. Question 25: I don't personally have a problem with the idea of masturbating or loving Jesus while having sex with others‚ but in my present circumstances‚ I rarely or almost never masturbate. I'm not in very good health so I don't have much sex drive; also I don't have much privacy, as I live in a room with other people. All this is not conducive to much masturbation. Also, I am very busy‚ so I don't have many dates. If I want to please Jesus, do I now have to start masturbating more with Him, and having more dates so I can love Him with others?

111. Answer: The Lord made it clear that this is not a requirement and you don't need to feel obligated. He is very considerate of each person's limitations and circumstances.

112. In prophecy He said: "It is not a requirement. It is not something that I would force upon every single person across the board without consideration of their limitations or their circumstances or their weaknesses. For those who never masturbate, I would not require that they start masturbating just to please Me. Or for those who have no one to have sex with, I would not want them to feel that they are failing Me because they cannot love Me while loving another. Because to love Me through masturbation or to love Me while loving another is a gift, it's not a requirement. It's not a burden, it's not a test, it's not some heavy load that I have put upon every single person. If a person can't do so for one reason or another, I will not look upon that person critically or condemningly."

113. I understand how if you live in fairly close quarters, like many of you unmarried people probably do, then you will likely not have much opportunity for love-ups with the Lord while masturbating. And if you aren't having many dates, or you're very shy on your dates, then you may not have much opportunity there either. So in some cases, how you practice this new way of loving Jesus will depend partly on your circumstances. Don't let the Enemy trouble you and get you to feeling condemned or frustrated. Just do the best you can, and don't worry.

114. Also, if you're a person who doesn't masturbate because you can't bring yourself to an orgasm or you just don't like to, then don't feel like you now have to invest a lot of time and energy trying to learn how to do it. The Lord said: "If you desire not to masturbate, do not fear, do not tremble, do not look down upon yourself. For you are My creation. I created you thus. And that is how I have created you. I am proud of you and happy with you and thrilled with you, and I have ecstasies with you as well. So be yourself. Be humble and yielded in My Spirit, and I shall take over and empower, and I shall wash away all your doubts and fears, and I shall bring to full fruition My Love in each of your lives."

115. You'll notice‚ however, that the Lord indicates that He would like to participate in your masturbation and other lovemaking, just as He wants to participate in every other area of your life. He doesn't expect you to go out of your way‚ but if you're already going to masturbate or make love, then He would like to at least be acknowledged and invited to join you in some way. He's not going to force Himself upon you, but it's only natural that someone who loves you as much as He does would remind you of His desire to love you and feel your love.

116. The Lord said: "But if you can and if you do already masturbate and have love times with others, then why not bring Me in? Why would you exclude Me when I so want to love you and I so want to be with you, I so want to be a part of every facet of your life? So if you are going to masturbate and you are going to have love-up, why not invite Me, why not call out to Me and let Me love you?

117. "In the normal times that you would masturbate, the regular schedule that you already keep, whether it be once a month or once a day, if you are going to give yourself pleasure in that way‚ why not invite Me? Why not call out to Me? Why not receive My Love and My seeds and My satisfaction? Why not humble yourself and call out to Me so that I can love you, and I can feel your love and you can feel My Love? If you are going to have a love time with someone else and share your love with them and receive their love, why not call out to Me and bring Me in, so that I too can receive your love and you can receive Mine?"

118. Now please don't take the Lord's little nudge here to the extreme. This doesn't mean that you need to feel that you must include the Lord every single time you masturbate or have love–up. As I mentioned earlier, Peter and I sometimes make love together with the Lord‚ and sometimes we just make love to each other.

(See Part 5, paragraphs 137-171.)

119. Question 26: Doesn't this masturbation idea border on a works religion, suggesting that we have to do certain things in the flesh in order to draw closer to Jesus?

120. Answer: Dad made it very clear that this is not a work of the flesh. He said, "It's not a matter of works. It's not something where you have to work and you've got to do this, or you've got to do that to attain some kind of self-perfection. It's by faith! It's according to each person's faith and each person's desire. ... It's not a matter of self-effort."

121. Please understand that your participation in this revelation is voluntary. The Lord is asking you to draw close to Him, and He's showing how you can do that. But you don't have to do anything. If you do, however, choose to believe and receive what the Lord is saying, the only thing He says is necessary to reap the benefits of this new, more intimate relationship with Him is that you express your love for Him with words of love.

122. He said that with those who He wants to do more, He will place it in their hearts to do so, and He will bless you for doing so. But what you do is up to you and dependent on how you personally feel led of the Lord. No one's pushing you. No one is expecting you to "perform" or to do anything that you don't want to do. So this is not a question of works. This new intimate relationship with the Lord is a gift of His grace.

123. Jesus said: "This is a gift of love, it is a gift of happiness. It is a gift intended to make your lives brighter‚ more joyous, to make your burdens lighter in the love relationship that we will share and the contact that we will have and the intimacy that we will discover. You will find great joy and you will see that this is a gift, it is not something that you can work for. It is not something that you earn by your self-effort, by trying so hard in the flesh, by working to meet this or that requirement, by laboring in your own strength to try so hard to be good and to be righteous, as if you were to earn this, when I have said it is a gift that I long to give unto each one."

(See Part 5, paragraphs 137-192.)

124. Question 27: I have tried masturbating when saying love words to Jesus‚ but I haven't been able to have an orgasm. Should I keep doing this, keep trying, or should I just forget it? It's very frustrating, and I end up feeling like I've failed the Lord.

125. Answer: If you choose to masturbate, don't worry and feel like you failed if you can't reach an orgasm. Just having a climax is not the goal when loving Jesus while masturbating. In a prophecy on the subject of masturbation‚ Dad explained that the climax is not the thing that matters; what matters is the humility you demonstrate by saying the love words to Jesus and touching yourself. The Lord understands that to masturbate while loving Him is humbling, it's a step of faith, to some it's embarrassing, but He will honor it and bless it by giving you His Spirit and power and anointing.

126. Of course, when you masturbate and say love words to Jesus, you will probably get turned on, as you usually do when masturbating, so not having an orgasm would probably be rather frustrating in the physical. But you don't have to let your lack of orgasm discourage you or make you feel like you're failing or not pleasing the Lord. He really doesn't care if you have an orgasm or not‚ what He wants is to see your humility and for you to experience that desire for Him.

127. He said, "Even your orgasm is not as important as the desire that you feel, as you go toward the orgasm." So just having an orgasm isn't the point. It's not a big deal to the Lord if you do or don't. But if you find that your not being able to go causes you to feel frustrated, then you don't have to go to all the trouble to masturbate when loving Him.

128. Question 28: Reading all this about masturbation is very embarrassing to me. Why do you have to get into all these embarrassing specific details and explanations?

129. Answer: The Lord explained in prophecy that as people say love words to Him, many will desire to masturbate‚ so He wanted it made clear that it is okay to do so. This is important, because He doesn't want the people who masturbate to feel bad or like they were doing anything wrong.

130. He said, "Many of you shall desire to feel the full ecstasy that you are experiencing in the Spirit, to feel it in the flesh as well, and this I shall honor. This is not a requirement, but I shall honor it. I do not want to withhold these Words from those who feel My ecstasy of Spirit and wish to masturbate. For if I withhold these Words from My flock, many shall masturbate when they feel this ecstasy of Spirit, and they shall question and wonder if they are on the wrong track and if they are belittling My Love. So I must let them know that it is a great and wonderful gift that I am giving unto them."

131. Question 29: One man commented, "I'm fine with saying the love words to Jesus, and loving Him with a partner goes well and is very inspiring, but I have a difficult time with the masturbation idea. For some reason it doesn't go as well for me and I end up feeling a little bit bad that it doesn't go better. Do I have to masturbate while loving the Lord?"

132. Answer: No one is obligated to masturbate while loving the Lord. If masturbating doesn't go well for you, but saying the words or loving Him with a partner goes well, then you can just skip the masturbation part and just do what is most rewarding for you.

Loving Jesus While Having Sex with a Partner

133. Question 30: Is loving Jesus in this more intimate way mostly beneficial for just our personal relationship with the Lord, or will it also improve our relations with others?

134. Answer: Loving Jesus more intimately will definitely improve your relations with others. As you draw closer to Jesus in this way, you will begin to reap the blessings listed in question number 3, which will inevitably improve your relations with others‚ though somewhat indirectly. But if you choose to love Jesus together with another person while having sex, the Lord has indicated that that will not only bear good fruit in your personal life, but it will have a big impact on your relations with others. In the prophecies called "Married to Jesus" and "Be Jesus" in Part 6, the Lord brought out the many wonderful benefits of loving Him with a partner, showing how it would improve your interaction with others, change the way you see others‚ cause more love to flow between you and others, etc.

135. Of course, it's not simply including physical sex when loving Jesus with someone else that makes the difference, but rather doing the many actions involved in loving Jesus more intimately and more ardently together, such as: singing, praising, praying, putting Jesus first, hearing from Him, seeking Him, praying for one another, and loving Him together as your Lover. If you do these things together, the Lord promises to richly bless you.

(See Part 6, paragraphs 8-75.)

(Note: The following question is from a married person, but my answer is for everyone. It provides important information not only for you mated couples, but also for you who are single or engaged! Please read it carefully.)

136. Question 31: I'm married, but I just don't know if I can love Jesus while having sex with my mate. We get along well enough together‚ I guess, but we don't have a close romantic relationship like you and Peter have. We don't say sexy things to each other, so I'm very self-conscious about saying love words to Jesus while we're making love. Do I have to do that? Will I be missing the mark if I don't?

137. Answer: As we were in the final stages of preparing this series for you, Peter and I came before the Lord and asked Him about this very question. We were wondering about how important it is to the Lord that all of us—both married and single people—love Jesus while having sex with a partner, either with our mates or with others. We had learned from earlier prophecies that saying the love words to Jesus when alone is the minimum that is necessary if any of us want to participate in this new intimate love relationship with Him. We understood that regardless of whether you are married or single, you are not required to say love words to Jesus while making love to your mate or partner. The Lord is not demanding that. He is giving everyone, married and single people, a choice. But on the other hand, judging from all that the Lord said in Part 6, it seemed that loving Jesus with others—being married to Jesus and being Jesus for one another—is very important to Him and something that He really wants us to do, regardless of whether we're married, single or engaged.

138. So Peter and I desperately prayed, asking the Lord to please clarify this and show us the right balance on this. His answer was tremendous! Speaking to Peter and me, He said: "Have I not said that these are the days of choices? For I am showing My children in these days that which I wish, that which I want, and wherein lie My blessings—for I am showing them My highest will. I am showing them where My blessings reside and where they can be reached; then I am making them make the choice as to how close to Me they will follow.

139. "Your job is to tell them the truth‚ to show them where My highest is, where the best is. Your job is to show them the blessings that are there, to deliver unto them My Words which show My highest and My best. You are the presenters‚ you present My will‚ you present My highest, you present the best. They are the choosers, they choose how much of those blessings they wish to receive, by choosing how closely they wish to follow. No longer is it someone else saying unto them, `You're not following closely, you are not obeying this, you are not doing that.' For now they themselves make these decisions, and it is I that judge them and reward them accordingly.

140. "So present to them My highest, My best‚ that which I wish for them to do, but then let them make their own choices. They will see in time, and they will learn that I bless those that follow closely. For they are growing and they are maturing, and they must learn these lessons‚ that he that follows closest is most blessed, and he that follows afar off struggles more and cannot receive the full abundance of the blessings that I would give unto him.

141. "So make it clear that which is My will for them to do. Present the best, but let them choose, so that they do the things that they do, not because you said they must do them, but because they have chosen to do them, and they are fully set in their hearts to do these things by their own choice, by their own desire, and out of their decision to obey, because they want to be close to Me, they want to please Me.

142. "So be faithful presenters, that the choosers may choose and then make their decisions according to their faith, according to their desire to please Me, according to their desire to yield and obey, that they may be blessed and rewarded accordingly. For it is in learning these things, it is in learning to make the right choices, it is in the learning to follow Me closely that they will be strengthened for the days ahead. Forced obedience is no obedience, but true obedience comes from the acceptance and the willingness to obey from the heart, from the decisions made in the mind and heart of man."

143. The Lord wouldn't have given this complete revelation if He didn't want us to apply it in our lives. He has made it clear that He's hoping we will love Him the way He's asking us to, and that if we do, there are many blessings awaiting us. When giving this revelation, the Lord has given the full story‚ He's told us everything that He wants us to do, which He calls His highest. However, He is not demanding it, He's not forcing it. He wants you to choose how much you want to participate—of course hoping that you will choose to fully participate. The choice is completely yours.

144. It's up to you to prayerfully consider the choice the Lord is presenting to you, and the wonderful promises He has given for those who will humble themselves to love Him and others in this way. When you see all that the Lord has in store for you, it seems that it's well worth the effort you'd have to put forth, or the humbling you'd experience‚ to make this change and step out by faith to do what He's asked of you.

145. Of course, it won't be easy to change and to start loving Jesus with your mate or sharing partner if your relationship is steeped in familiarity and old ruts, but if you and your mate or partner both make a commitment to try to do this together‚ the Lord will meet you and make it as easy for you as possible. But even if you don't find it to be that easy, if you keep trying and keep pluggin' along by faith, no matter how awkward or out of character it seems, I believe you will be thankful, as you'll reap the wonderful benefits the Lord has promised.

146. We know that just saying the words privately is all the Lord asks in order for you to be able to participate in this new intimate way of loving Him. We also know He would prefer that you do love Him intimately with your mate (or sharing partners), or else He would not have gone to such great lengths to try to woo you into it, by explaining in great detail all you have to gain by it and what choices you have before you. Why not take the time, when you are praying about this decision, to reread paragraphs 18-120 of Part 6, and ask yourself if you don't desperately need some of the benefits that are promised to those who love the Lord intimately together?

147. I'll list in brief point form His promises to you married couples here‚ so you can prayerfully consider them as you make your choices: (Please also see questions 33 and 34 below for more counsel, and blessings promised to those who are engaged or single.)

© Your children will be inspired when they see your renewed love for each other and the presence of God's Spirit in your lives. It will be a testimony of God's existence to them, for they will consider it a miracle, and it will make them feel secure. It will inspire them to love Jesus more.

148. In the prophecy "Be Jesus," there are promises to the older generation, and since many of you older ones are married, I'll include those promises here too:

© He will empower you‚ and give you the love you need to do the tasks that you have to do, some of which are: love, care for and teach your children; love, encourage and strengthen the teens‚ and be a loving witness.

149. That list is quite an incentive, isn't it? If you were to weigh up what it would cost you to do this, comparing it with what you stand to gain, I think you'd see that this is a great investment and well worth it. So while the Lord won't require that you say love words to Him while having sex with your mate‚ I believe He's eagerly awaiting His times of intimate lovemaking with you and your mate, and He's really looking forward to being able to bless you greatly. The choice is yours! Won't you give it a try? I know you won't be disappointed!

(See Part 5, paragraphs 137-158; Part 6‚ paragraphs 18-28.)

(Note: Although the following question is from a married person, my answer also provides important tips for people who are single or engaged who want to love Jesus when sharing with others. Please read it carefully.)

150. Question 32: Okay, I see your point. It really does seem to be pretty important to the Lord. I'll try to experiment with loving Jesus intimately with my mate. But can you give me any tips on how I can do it? I feel very unsure of myself. In fact, I feel embarrassed. Please help!

151. Answer: I know it will be difficult to get started. For one thing, you can be sure that the Devil will fight you! He will do everything in his power to dissuade you and discourage you and get you to procrastinate or give up. So my first bit of advice to you would be to keep trying!

152. You'll notice that the Lord gives you very specific counsel on what to do. Of course, what the Lord is asking isn't easy, but if you'll try your best to do the things He has pointed out, He will honor it; and I believe you'll have good success. He suggests you:

153. Begin strengthening your spiritual relationship by singing to the Lord together; praising‚ adoring and worshipping Him together; putting Him first; seeking Him and hearing from Him together; and praying for one another.

154. Renew your communion with the Lord together. The closer you are spiritually in your day-to-day life, the easier it will be to be open, honest and full of faith when loving the Lord together while having sex.

155. Make a commitment to change your ways, to seek the Lord together and to become one with Him together. Why not talk about this together and make a definite decision together that you want to love the Lord in this way, no matter how difficult it is or how awkward you feel. If you know the other person really wants to do it, that will eliminate a lot of the uncertainty, confusion and frustration that comes from not knowing how the other person feels.

156. Focus on the Lord, Who is Love. Remember, the more of the Lord you have, the more love you will automatically have‚ because He is Love!

157. Humble yourself and lay aside the old weights and old ways, the old ruts and familiarity. It's always humbling to try to break out of ruts‚ because to change you have to admit that you need to improve, you need to do better, you need help. But cheer up‚ because the answer is on the way, as you step out by faith to obey the Lord!

158. Be humble before one another. When you actually get ready to have a love-up with the Lord, you'll have to be humble before one another. Especially when you first start, you may be embarrassed, but don't let that stop you. Do the humble thing, and say those love words to Jesus. Even if you can only say a few to start with, do what you can, and it will get easier. Remember I told you that it was difficult at first for Peter and me too, because we weren't used to saying sexy things to each other either. But as we got more accustomed to it, it became easier, and now we really enjoy it. It now enhances our lovemaking, just like the Lord promised it would!

159. Set aside preconceived ideas and how you usually look at each other. If the Lord is going to make you new creatures and renew your marriage, you'll have to try to look at each other with new eyes of love and hope. Put on your glasses of faith and see your mate as the Lord sees him or her!

160. Make love to Jesus together. But don't criticize each other‚ don't look down in scorn when you hear your mate say love words to Jesus. Try to be very supportive and encouraging when your mate puts forth any effort whatsoever to love Jesus intimately during your love-ups together. Acknowledge the love words he or she says with an encouraging "yes" or "amen." It makes a world of difference when you know your mate is pleased with your efforts! So tell him or her that you admire them and it makes you love them more.

(See Part 6, paragraphs 18-28.)

161. Question 33: I'm thinking about getting married. My boyfriend and I will probably be entering our period of engagement soon. I really want to make this new intimate love relationship with Jesus a part of our lives. How can I do that?

162. Answer: Good for you! I know the Lord will bless you, because you are building your relationship on the right foundation—Him! In fact, the Lord cautions you that if you try to build your marriage on any other foundation‚ it will crumble and your love will grow cold. So if you want a strong, united, happy, fruitful marriage, which I know you do, you're beginning on the right foot by focusing on the Lord and tapping into His source.

163. The Lord sweetly gives lots of excellent specific advice for you who are thinking of getting married. I like lists, so I'll just list in point form the things He suggests you do even before you get married. Oh, by the way, that's a key point!—Don't wait until you're already married to do the things He asks of you; practice loving Jesus together now, while you're courting! The behavior patterns you set early on in your relationship will be lasting!

164. Humble yourselves before one another. Marriage is the most humbling relationship there is. So you'd do well to get used to humbling yourselves in every way possible right from the beginning. Humility brings love‚ unity, closeness, warmth, honesty and lots of other wonderful things that will help your marriage succeed. Being humble will also make it much easier for you to love Jesus together.

165. Learn to look at your relationship in a new way, as an amplification, or part of the relationship Jesus wants to have with you. Try to remember that the way you love and desire each other is how the Lord wants you to love and desire Him.

166. See Jesus in your potential mate. His or her love for you is Jesus' Love for you. Recognize that the love you feel for and receive from your loved one comes from the Lord, which should cause you to praise and thank Him. The Lord even gives you specific tips on what to say, like praising Him when you are wrapped in each other's arms, thanking Him for the love He's given you. He says you should thank and glorify Him for this wonderful and great blessing He's given, acknowledging that it comes from Him. When you look at the one you love, you should thank the Lord that he or she is Jesus' Love for you. And when you are in the heat of passion together, making love‚ you should again thank Jesus.

167. Forsake any "shallow, immature, gossipy‚ frothy and worldly" ways of looking at relationships. As you learn to look at your relationship the way the Lord wants you to, you'll naturally shed these other wrong attitudes. But it may take some work at first to see things the way the Lord does. Review His Word on the subject often.

168. Recognize that your relationship comes from the Lord. He gives the love. He put the love in your hearts in the first place, so don't you think He deserves to be thanked and praised for it?!

169. Don't worry about upholding your "image" and pleasing man. Be more concerned about pleasing God. The quicker you let go of your "image," the better your marriage will be!

170. Don't gossip. Keep your loving Jesus experiences private. Gossiping is very unloving and will quickly destroy the trust your loved one feels. So please be very discreet concerning your intimate lovemaking with Jesus together! Of course, you can counsel with others if necessary, but any such exchange of confidences should also be kept private.

171. Please also review the points listed in my answer to the previous question. You can also benefit from and put into practice the tips the Lord gave to those who are married.

172. If you will do the things listed above, the Lord promises to bestow upon you great love and joy. Praise the Lord!

(See Part 6, paragraphs 29-49.)

173. Question 34: I'm a single person and I feel a little left out. How does this Loving Jesus revelation relate to me?

174. Answer: This new, intimate way of loving the Lord is very much for you! The Lord gave wonderful promises for you, explaining that as you learned to draw nigh to Him intimately, He would be your Lover and Mate! He wants to alleviate your loneliness; He wants to kiss you, caress you, and make love to you. But He also says that a lot of the love you receive from Him will come via others! In other words, He wants to love you and meet all your needs, but He'll often use another person to do that.

175. You too can love Jesus together with another person, by doing the same things the married or engaged people do.—Praise, adore and worship the Lord together with someone else; seek Him and hear from Him together with someone else; pray for one another. And when you're having a love-up with someone—even if you don't have emotional feelings for that person—you can think of Jesus and thank Him for showing His Love to you through that person. You can share a very intimate, wonderful time together with another person, even if you're not in love‚ if you're willing to see Jesus in that person and love Him together.

176. If you are single, the Lord promises:

(See Part 6, paragraphs 50-63.)

177. Question 35: I find it very difficult to open up to people, so even though I live with many others, I feel alone. I feel like people don't really understand me. Do you think if I enter into this new love relationship with the Lord that He will help me in this respect?

178. Answer: As we begin to love Jesus in the way in which He desires, He is going to fill us with more love for one another. He also promises He will cause us to have better communication with each other. What a promise and a real need for us all!—That many walls will be broken down and we can share our heart with each other without fear, knowing that we are understood and accepted unconditionally.

179. Communing heart to heart with each other is a rich and satisfying experience that is almost nonexistent in today's world. But the Lord wants to give us a little touch of Heaven in helping us to open up our hearts and lives to each other through the deep love relationship that we will experience with Him. It reminds me of that little song that we sometimes sing: "Blest be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above."

Senior Teens and YAs and the Loving Jesus Revelation

180. Question 36: I'm 17 and I live in fairly close quarters with other teens and YAs, so I don't have a whole lot of privacy. How can I manage to put this Loving Jesus revelation into practice?

181. Answer: Just do what you can. You can say words of love to Jesus quietly whenever you have a chance, like before your personal prayer time or private Word time or individual affection times. If you're having Word time, prayer time or praise time with someone you feel comfortable with, you can say words of love to Jesus together, if you wish, and if you are in a fairly private location. Or you can even say words of love to Jesus in your heart silently, if you are in a room with others. Some people commented when they read this series that often during their private prayer time they don't vocalize their prayers or praises in an audible voice because their circumstances aren't conducive to it‚ especially if they share their bedroom with others, whether other singles or a mate. It's perfectly all right in such a case to say your love words to Jesus quietly in your heart. If you've begun having dates with others, that's also an excellent time to love Jesus together with your partner. That's one time when you have more privacy, and it's certainly conducive to loving the Lord. But you don't have to start having dates just to obey the "Loving Jesus" revelation.

182. Question 37: How important is it for senior teens and YAs to love Jesus intimately while making love either with their mates, lovers or sharing partners?

183. Answer: Judging from what the Lord said in the "Be Jesus" prophecy in Part 6, it appears to be quite important for you senior teens and YAs to learn to love Jesus while loving others. The Lord gave several very good reasons why He wants you to do this. Let me list them for you here:

© As preparation for the future. The Lord has a lot for you young people to do in the future, but you're not strong enough now. You're not ready. You need more of His Love and power. You must prepare now for what's ahead, and this is one of the ways He wants you to prepare.

184. Of course, there is some personal sacrifice involved as you young people learn to love Jesus and each other in this way, but the rewards are well worth it. In question number 3, you already read about many of the wonderful blessings that the Lord has promised to the people who are married, engaged or single who will humble themselves in this way, and He also gave specific promises for you young people.

185. Concerning both you YAs and you senior teens, He said: "I will reward you if you will do this. I promise you, I will reward you with power and with love. I will draw you nigh unto Me‚ for you will be drawing nigh and I will draw nigh unto you. I will greatly empower you, for you (YAs) and the young ones (senior teens), you are they which I will empower with the embodiment and spirit of David that you may reach the world with My Love and with My Message. You shall do great exploits, and you shall be great witnesses unto Me!" If you can learn to be empowered by the Spirit and the Word, and humbled through His Love, the Lord says, "You shall be an irresistible force. For with this Love and with these Words‚ you shall win many, and you shall fulfill My will."

186. What outstanding promises! Isn't this what you want?—To be full of God's Love and power; to do great exploits; and to be great witnesses who are reaching the world? He's promised that these blessings can be yours, if you will just humble yourselves before the Lord and each other and love the Lord together in this new intimate way.

(See Part 6, paragraphs 77-90, 93-95, 109–115, 118-120.)

187. Question 38: I'm a YA. In the prophecy called "Be Jesus" the Lord talks a lot about sharing with others‚ even sharing sacrificially. Am I expected to share with someone even if I don't find them personally attractive?

188. Answer: This question brings us back to the point the Lord was making earlier when He told us that this is a "day of choices." (See paragraphs 137-149 in question 31.) I have just enumerated some of the wonderful blessings and miracles the Lord will do in your lives if you will be vessels of His Love one to another, but it's up to you to choose to do so, and He will bless you according to the choices you make.

189. One of the most important things the Lord wants you to learn from the "Be Jesus" prophecy is that you can be Jesus and His Love for the people you share with, and they can be Jesus and His Love for you. You can be a channel that the Lord can use to show your brothers or sisters how much He loves them. If you're looking at sharing in this light—that you are Jesus loving one another—then it won't matter so much if the person that you are going to share with is someone you "click" with or is someone who is handsome or homely, beautiful or ordinary in the flesh, because it will become a matter of the Spirit. This attitude will give you a whole new outlook on the Law of Love, because you will be loving Jesus and giving His Love to another. The love, kisses and caresses you receive will be from Jesus, and this will cause you to praise and thank Him.

190. The Lord would like you to be willing to share even "sacrificially." When someone you're not too attracted to asks you for a date, instead of sharing begrudgingly or not at all, He would rather you say, "Oh, this person will be the Love of Jesus for me" and "I can be the Love of Jesus for him (or her)." I know it's not easy to do this, especially if you're used to being quite picky about who you share with, but the Lord would like you to learn to be more giving. He's already made it easier for you to do this by allowing you to share with others without having to have full sex, as was explained in "Go for the Gold." (See ML #2961:121-122, 126, 331-332; GN 657.)

191. The Lord wants to free you and help you break down the walls that surround you. You may not even realize that you have built up walls that divide you from your brethren. But those walls are there, and the Lord isn't happy about it. He acknowledges that it's already pretty humbling to be in bed with someone, but He says if you'll go ahead and humble yourselves a little more, and love Him together, then He'll rip down any walls between you and set you free. What a promise!

192. You may not see now that you're encumbered with what the Lord calls chains—chains of pride, gossip, System influences, peer pressure, being worried about what others think of you, and thinking you have to keep up appearances. Sometimes you don't even grasp how bound you've been until you're set free‚ and then you look back with astonishment!

193. I know it won't be easy to learn to love Jesus with others and to learn to share without partiality, even when it's somewhat of a sacrifice for you. In fact, the Lord says you'll "cringe." But when you see Jesus in your sharing partner, and when you try to be Jesus for him or her, you'll be surprised at how the Lord will bless your interactions with one another. In fact, I'd venture to say that you might find that a date that you thought was going to be very difficult and uninspiring will turn out to be very precious and sweet and loving, because the Lord will bless you and pour out His Spirit of Love. That makes all the difference in the world!

(See Part 6, paragraphs 77-90, 94-108, 110-115‚ 118-119.)

194. Question 39: The idea of making love to Jesus together on our dates is a really big change for us senior teens. I mean‚ it's not like we are so free sexually or spiritually; at least that's my opinion. I'm just now starting to have dates. But the thought of loving the Lord in that way with my dates really breaks my bottle! It almost kills me! I really want to do it, because I want to receive and live the New Wine‚ but I don't know if I can. I think I'd get completely tongue-tied! Do you have any advice?

195. Answer: The best thing I can tell you to do is just try it, and even if your efforts seem small, keep it up. The Lord says specifically that He is calling you senior teens to "be Jesus" to one another. This new way of loving Jesus and others isn't just for the YAs or older folks. This is for you too. In spite of the fact that you're inexperienced and young, the Lord promises to help you overcome your shyness. So even if loving Jesus in this way seems nearly impossible to you, even if it kills your pride, just trust the Lord and do whatever you can. If you'll take the littlest steps, He'll meet you and help you.

196. So step out by faith and try to do something to love Jesus intimately with your sharing partner.—Try to praise and thank the Lord together and say whatever love words you can. Even if you say just a few love words to Jesus during your prayer time together before your date‚ that will be a good start, and little by little it will become easier. If you just can't bring yourself to say the love words to Jesus with your partner yet, you can begin by praying and praising and thanking Him together. The rest will come with time.

(See Part 4, paragraphs 62-71; Part 6‚ paragraphs 3-4, 42, 75, 106, 120.)

197. Question 40: I'm a YA and I really like to share. I have had some very sexy dates. I'm worried that loving Jesus with my partners will be a turn-off. Won't it make our dates overly "spiritual"?

198. Answer: The Lord promises that if you will love Him together, He will enhance your lovemaking! Love in the flesh can only take you so far, but the Spirit has no limit! Jesus is Love, so naturally the more you have of Him, the more love you will have in your sex and the better it will be! This might sound far-fetched to you right now, but Peter and I have experienced this, as have others. We know it's true! Our sex is better and more exciting and thrilling than ever before since we started loving Jesus together.

(See Part 6, paragraphs 4, 81, 107.)

Practical Tips When Loving Jesus with a Partner

199. Question 41: If I'm making love with my mate or my partner, do we always have to have Jesus involved in our sex?

200. Answer: No. Peter and I don't always actively involve the Lord in our lovemaking, though we do always thank Him for it during and afterwards. Sometimes when Peter and I are praying and saying love words to the Lord we get excited and engage in sex. Though we are physically making love together, our thoughts and words are completely focused on the Lord. It's as if the Lord is using our bodies as a vehicle for His Love to us. Other times Peter and I begin to make love together‚ and during the activity our focus fully turns to the Lord. At other times we make love together and we're focused fully on each other, except when we're finished and we pray and thank the Lord together.

(See Part 4, paragraphs 62-71.)

201. Question 42: I feel comfortable enough with one of my sharing partners to try this new way of loving Jesus together. But am I obligated to do this with everyone I share with?—Even if it's our first time together?

202. Answer: This again is your choice. Naturally you may feel more free around some people than others, and you will probably be able to express yourself more openly with someone you feel very comfortable with, but the ideal would be if you could love Jesus intimately in some way with each person you share with, even those people you don't feel that close to. You don't have to love Jesus the same way or with the same intensity with everyone‚ but you could try to do something to love Jesus with each of your sharing partners. You don't have to do it every time you share, and it doesn't have to be on the first date, but eventually it would be nice to grow into loving Jesus together with each person you share with, if you can.

203. Question 43: I'm not in love with my sharing partners, so I never say intimate, sexy things to them when making love. There is not much "chemistry" or emotion between us; we mainly just have dates regularly to supply each other's need for sex. So under those circumstances, I feel bad saying love words to Jesus on our dates because I never say them to my partner. Do you have any suggestions about how I can learn to do this?

204. Answer: You can try priming the pump by singing and praying together, and then begin by saying a few love words to Jesus in your prayers. Start off slowly and just see what the Lord does. Possibly as you learn to see your partner as Jesus, it will be easier to say sweet and loving things to him or her also. You can at least thank him or her for being Jesus for you and for sharing His Love with you. When your partner kisses or caresses you, you can say, "Thank You Jesus for these kisses, which are Your kisses." Then you can thank your partner for being so sweet to love you with Jesus' kisses.

205. You wouldn't want to say lots of sexy‚ erotic things to your partner that you don't mean‚ which could cause him or her to misinterpret your feelings, but you can acknowledge their love as being from the Lord, and show them lots of appreciation. Also, it might help if you speak in the plural "we" form when saying love words to Jesus‚ saying things like, "We want to receive You, Jesus. We want to be Your Bride. We want Your seeds."

206. Question 44: When a man is making love with a woman and they're loving Jesus together, does the man go back and forth during the lovemaking session from being a man in the flesh to a woman in the Spirit?

207. Answer: From what Peter and others say, once you get the hang of it, it's quite easy to make the switch back and forth between being a man in the flesh and a woman in the Spirit. For example‚ when Peter and I are loving the Lord together while making love to each other, sometimes our love words are directed to the Lord, and then we'll switch for a while and say loving, sexy things to each other. When Peter is saying love words to the Lord and loving Him as His Bride, he is a woman in the Spirit. But when he begins to speak to me‚ he is a man speaking to a woman. The men who have been loving Jesus intimately with others say this changing back and forth comes quite naturally and virtually automatically.

208. Question 45: When loving Jesus with a partner or while masturbating, I find that I sometimes lose my erection or can't have an orgasm. Am I doing something wrong? What should I do to remedy this?

209. Answer: My advice to you is to just relax and don't worry about it or feel like you've failed. Give it time. Losing your erection or not being able to climax is not a sign that something is wrong. It may take some time for you to get used to loving Jesus in this way, either while masturbating or having sex with a partner, and since it's something so new and it's quite humbling, it's not surprising that some men have had difficulty maintaining an erection or coming to a climax, at least initially.

210. Apart from this‚ Peter explained to me that sometimes what happens, according to his experience, is that you start out loving the Lord intimately while masturbating or having sex with another, and in such cases the physical, the excitement of being turned on sexually‚ is the starting point. But sometimes the spiritual just sort of takes over, and then the physical isn't so important any more. When that happens, sometimes the man's penis gets soft or he isn't able to have a climax. So at times your love session with the Lord starts with the physical, through sexual stimulation‚ but it doesn't always end with the physical, the climax. If that is the case, don't worry about that either. Just relax and let things happen naturally. Don't try to force it. You and your partner can still have a wonderful time loving the Lord, even if you don't stay hard or come to a climax.

211. I can see, however, that it could be rather frustrating sexually if this were to happen often, as it's not easy on you to get turned on sexually and then not be able to enjoy the release of the climax. So if you find that you're feeling pent-up, please remember that you don't have to say sexy love words to Jesus every time you have sex or masturbate. If you're having difficulty staying hard or coming to a climax when loving the Lord, then to avoid getting frustrated you might prefer to have some sex that doesn't involve loving the Lord in this new intimate way. That's fine too‚ as you can still include the Lord in your sex through your prayers and giving thanks, even if you're not saying love words to Him. But whatever you choose to do, you shouldn't feel pressured. Just take it slow and easy.

212. Another thing that is helpful if a man is having trouble keeping his erection is for you women to encourage the men when you're loving Jesus together by "amening" their love words and responding positively in some way. Some men have commented that they feel embarrassed if they finally get up the nerve to make what seems to them like a feeble attempt to love the Lord with a partner but they don't get a positive response from the woman they're with. The embarrassment they experience makes them worry, which distracts them, which can cause them to lose their erection.

213. Another thing you men might try, if you're losing your erection while loving Jesus with a partner‚ is to turn your attention more to the woman for a while. You can exchange some sweet conversation and love words between the two of you‚ which might help to raise your level of sexual excitement again. Remember, there's nothing wrong with going back and forth between focusing your attention on the Lord and then on your partner. Of course, you can both agree to focus entirely on the Lord, in which case the physical plays a lesser role as you revel in the Spirit. Sometimes the Lord may even let you lose your erection to show you that the penis isn't so necessary, because the spiritual is more important than the physical when loving the Lord.—And you may be surprised at how satisfying this type of spiritual sex can be, even if you don't have a climax.

214. Question 46: What if someone is attracted to me, but I'm not to them, and they come on heavy in their interaction with me? Does that mean I should receive that as Jesus' Love and return it in like manner? Or what if someone that I share with has stronger feelings for me than I do for them; how can I react and still be a good sample of Jesus' Love for that person? I'm getting worried that I'm not going to be able to be the loving sample I should, and that I'm too selfish. But I just naturally feel closer to some people than to others.

215. Answer: Jesus does want you to be His Love for one another, and He promises to bless you greatly as you step out by faith to love others with His Love. But being Jesus for one another doesn't mean you should be false in your interactions with each other or lead one another on. You should be honest in your relationships and very prayerful so as to not give people the impression that you're in love with them when you're not, or that there is more to your relationship than there really is. Of course‚ it's not easy when relationships are rather "one-sided," with one of the two people involved having stronger emotional or "in love" type feelings than the other. But that just happens sometimes, and you can't always avoid it. But it is better in such cases for the person who has less emotional feelings to continue to be loving, kind, considerate and sweet, but not to lead the other person on in a false way‚ which can lead to much more hurt feelings and disappointment in the long run.

How the Loving Jesus Revelation Relates to Junior Teens and JETTs

216. Question 47: Can we expect our junior teens, especially the boys, and our youth in general to be able to relate to this radical message?—Saying love words to Jesus, spiritual sex involving masturbation, etc.? After all, some of the adults have had big battles with this New Wine‚ and you expect the junior teens to be able to take it? Isn't that going a bit far?

217. Answer: Peter and I, as well as two WS prayer teams‚ prayed desperately about whether the junior teens should read this material, and if so, in what format. The instruction we received was very clear. Both the Lord and Dad said that we should give the junior teens this message, but not all of it, only what they can understand and do and participate in.

218. The Lord brought out that the junior teens can understand their own sexuality, their own desires, but because they cannot yet have dates, due to the rules in the Charter, the part of the Loving Jesus revelation that talks about loving Him while having sex with a partner would not be appropriate for them, because that is the one aspect of the revelation that they wouldn't be able to practice. For this reason, we made two versions of the "Loving Jesus" series—one for the junior teens‚ and one for senior teens and up. Some edits and deletions have been made throughout the series for the junior teens, but the one that will probably be the most noticeable to you is that the junior teens' version of Part 6 does not include the prophecies and counsel about loving Jesus while having sex with a partner, but it does include the prophecies entitled "Strong Meat Belongs to Them that Are of Full Age," "Dropping the Veil," "As the Shepherdess Seeks, the Lord Gives the Answers" and "The Volcano of My Love," as well as the commentary on those prophecies. It also includes an edited version of the questions and answers, which excludes the questions related to loving Jesus while having sex with a partner.

219. You might be worried about how our junior teens will react to this message, as this is strong meat, but the Lord and Dad gave repeated confirmations that the junior teens would be able to receive this message, and that they would profit by it! When Peter and I came before the Lord in prayer‚ He said: "These younger ones know much more than you think they know. They are wise beyond their years in some matters‚ for they have grown up with the Words of David. Though they may not fully understand, they will be thrilled with the excitement, with the change‚ with moving ahead and hearing and learning new things. So do not be afraid for them."

220. You might be concerned that this message is too graphic, too sexual, and that it deals with subjects that are beyond the understanding of junior teens. When Peter and I prayed, Dad encouraged us not to worry about the junior teens, and he explained that the only reason a lot of them aren't making love already is not because they don't understand sexual matters or have a desire for sex‚ but because of the rules we've laid down in the Charter, which most of them are faithful to obey. Dad said: "Sure there is a diversity between [the junior teens], some being much more active and desirous, and others being more shy, but they know about sex, they have sexual feelings, and they are attracted to one another. Certainly they know about masturbation, certainly they know about sexual feelings.

221. "Remember‚ they are young, new, fresh bottles who can take the New Wine, and they are ready for it!—Ready for some excitement, ready for some change, ready for some renewal!

222. "Sure, there will be some who will scoff and mock, but in their hearts they will know that the Lord has been speaking to them, and in the privacy of their own hearts and their own minds and in their own bodies they will give to Him that which He asks; and it will draw them closer to the Lord, and they will be happier.

223. "Goodness‚ if the Lord made them so that they could have physical sex at that age, it certainly makes sense that they can have spiritual sex. So teach'm. It won't hurt'm. It'll help'm. It will strengthen them. It will draw them closer to the Lord, and it will make the Lord more real to them in so many ways.

224. "So don't withhold‚ but give! Don't be afraid! I know it's radical, but I took a bunch of radical young teens and changed the world! If I had worried about what their parents said and what the System said and what the authorities said, we would have never gotten started. And look at what a difference it has made! But I used wisdom, and I tried to keep out of trouble. So you need to do the same. So give them that which they can do, and leave the rest for later."

225. When the WS prophets prayed, the Lord again confirmed that He will work in their hearts, just as He's working in yours. They too will make a choice as to how closely they want to follow the Lord. The Lord said He would speak to their hearts, just like He has spoken to our hearts many times in the past about unusual, radical revelations or changes. Many times in the past we older ones followed Dad even though what he said was new and different and previously unheard of. Right? Why did we do that? Because our spirits bore witness of the truth. We knew that Dad was speaking the truth, and we followed‚ against all odds. The Lord said our young people will do the same.

226. The Lord said, "These are the Endtime Army that do whatsoever I want. For they are men and women of God in My sight, soldiers born and bred on the Word of God, raised in the Family, taught to fight spiritual warfare from their youth, learned in the Scriptures, strong in the Spirit, faithful and diligent to follow their Creator‚ born and bred in My household‚ nourished on the Word of God, filled with the Spirit, able to fight the warfare as David's mighty men. These are they who have been brought up as the calves of My stall. They have been bred as a stronger generation, able to take the New Wine‚ able to drink in the new and forsake the old more easily, more readily.

227. "According to their thirst it shall be unto them, according to how they thirst for Me, according to their desire. For each man and each woman shall purpose in his own heart which direction he shall go or stay. Decisions are now being made, and I say unto you that My sheep do hear My voice, and they know Me, and they will follow Me. For in the Spirit this is not an hard saying, this is merely the next step to shake you from the shackles that have bound you, and to lead you into My Kingdom."

228. The Lord also gave some instruction about how to shepherd the junior teens when they read this series. The Lord encouraged us, saying we have faithfully poured into the young people, and therefore their spirits are prepared and ready for the vast and mighty changes that He is about to bring forth. He acknowledged that we are concerned about the effect this will have on our kids, and He said that it is our responsibility to be concerned, because He has put the responsibility of their care into our hands. He has placed a great responsibility upon each one of us to seek Him and to know His ways when caring for and raising our children. He reminded us that when we have not sought Him or looked unto Him, and we have just toddled along and expected things simply to work out, there have been problems. So He instructed us to prayerfully care for and shepherd each one through this change, both those who wish to participate and those who don't.

229. Then He gave us very specific instructions. He said that we need to seek Him in prayer concerning each teen. Each one will have his or her own personal reaction, just as we adults have each had our own unique reactions. By seeking the Lord for each individual, He will be able to show you if someone needs help, counsel or encouragement, etc.

230. The Lord said, "Seek Me, you parents, you shepherds‚ you teachers of these who have come through puberty and are entering into adulthood. As you seek Me for them, I will lead and guide you. But you must pour out your heart for each one. You must come unto Me for each one." In order to provide the shepherding and understanding each teen will need, the Lord asks you to seek Him, to cry out to Him for each one. Please pray not only that the Lord will show you what you can do to help your teens understand and receive this New Wine, but also pray that He will work in their lives and hearts.

231. The Lord explained in the prophecies that the junior teens are going to need personal shepherding—individual counseling, personal talk times‚ someone to answer their questions, etc. He says you'll need to find out what's going on with each one, and don't think just because some or most are understanding everything and doing fine that all are. Get in there and find out how this truth is affecting each one's heart. Ask yourselves, "Lord, how is this affecting so-and-so? Is he receptive? Is he open? Is there a problem or question within his heart that he does not even understand himself that I should address?"

232. We anticipate that there will be a large variety of reactions from the junior teens, just as there will be amongst you adults, YAs and senior teens. Please remember that just as participation in this revelation is not required for you adults, YAs and senior teens, it's also not required for junior teens! They will need to make their own personal choices, and you will need to let them decide according to their own faith and leading from the Lord as to whether they will practice this new, intimate way of loving the Lord! The choice is theirs!

233. As the teens read and study this series, we know you'll do all you can to shepherd them, and keep them from attacks of the Enemy, and give them the guidance, help, counsel, and encouragement that they need. They have fed of the Word all their lives, and the Lord is now putting before them various choices, to help them grow, mature and learn to be better vessels of His Love. Please pray for our dear young people, and help them through this stage when the Lord is working in their lives and teaching them many precious lessons. He promised, "You shall see a mighty growth in each one. Each one shall grow stronger and taller and mightier in Me, through this wonderful thing that I am doing in their life."

234. I asked in prayer if we should give the JETTs the same message as the junior teens, and Dad said: "No‚ they're too young. There is too wide a spread in what they know at that age and what they do at that age. At that age some are ready, but some are way too young. So feed them the milk of the Word. There has to be a cut-off point some place, and that's it."

235. So it was clear that the JETTs were not to read the same GNs that the junior teens read. However‚ when praying about how to explain the "Loving Jesus" series to the JETTs, the Lord had Dad speak again and he told us that we need to give the JETTs a good explanation that's going to satisfy their curiosity, because otherwise they'll try to find out for themselves what it's all about, and they may be stumbled by someone giving them a word–of-mouth explanation. Dad said it's better for me to present these truths to the JETTs with love and wisdom and careful planning, instead of just letting them fend for themselves. The JETTs will be curious, so it's better that I explain it to them wisely and lovingly.

236. For this reason, I prepared a specially edited JETT version of some of the key prophecies and "word pictures" from Loving Jesus Parts 3 through 6. If you have not yet received this JETT version by the time you read this, you should be receiving it soon.

237. When we were praying about the JETTs, Dad gave some counsel about how to prepare the material for them, and I want to pass that counsel on to you so you can keep it in mind if the JETTs ask you questions, which they probably will.

238. You will see that the JETT version covers mostly the concept of our being Jesus' Bride and how He wants to have a more intimate relationship with us. Dad said, "The JETTs already understand about being Jesus' Bride. They already understand that He is their Husband. They already understand that the idea of Jesus and the Church is illustrated with a man and a woman, a husband and a wife. So you can build on this foundation.

239. "You can explain to them the beautiful word pictures that the Lord gave in prophecy, which will help them to understand the emotions that the Lord feels and the desire that He feels to love them more intimately and to know them more personally and to be closer to them.—Not as Someone Who is way far away, but Someone Who is always with them and Who knows their every thought and need and desire.

240. "So don't be afraid, Honey, to give the JETTs this message of the greater love and intimacy that the Lord wants to have with you‚ with all of His children. But present it in such a way that they won't be confused or stumbled or embarrassed, so they'll receive it with gladness‚ and they won't want to push it away because it embarrasses them‚ or it turns them off, or it grosses them out. Just present the sweetness of the Lord's Love and how close He wants to be with them and with all of us."

241. There was a very encouraging promise in the message from Dad about how receptive the JETTs will be to this message. He said, "Give them all you can, for they hunger and thirst after the Words of life; and the more you can give them, the stronger it will make them, for they have a desire to love the Lord. They have a desire to know Him more personally. They want to be close to the Lord, and as they hear that He wants to be close to them, this will inspire them and cause them to reach out and to draw nigh to Him. Then the Lord's promise will be fulfilled in them, that as they draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to them."

242. The Lord certainly is trying to strengthen all His children in preparation for what is to come. I was so glad that we took the time to pray about the JETTs, as otherwise, think of what we might have missed! Without this clear message from Dad, we might not have realized how important this message is even for the JETTs!

243. Dad also gave some very specific guidelines that were a help in the actual preparation of the JETT material. He said: "The JETTs don't need to know all the sexy details to draw nigh to the Lord. All they need to know is that He wants to be close to them, He wants to love them more than He's ever loved them before, and He wants them to love Him more than they've ever loved Him before. He wants to be in first place in their lives, the most important thing in their lives. He wants to be their best Friend. He wants to be as a husband is to the wife, as a lover is to the mistress. He wants that same intensity of emotion and passion and intimacy with them.

244. "Of course they don't need to know the details about the love words and masturbation and being Jesus for one another, because these aspects do not apply to their lives right now. But they can understand the Lord's desire to be close to them, and the Lord's desire for them to be close to Him."

245. I was happy to see that by following Dad's guidelines, there is quite a bit that is suitable for the JETTs to read. Please keep in mind the above counsel if you're talking about the Loving Jesus revelation with JETTs, so that you don't unwittingly make the mistake of telling them information that has not been included in the material for them, and which is not necessary or edifying for them.

246. As you will see, we have gone over the material for the JETTs very carefully to make sure it is age–appropriate. We want to give them as much Word as we can, without going too far or causing any legal problems for the Family. We need to try to stay within the law.

247. Dad confirmed that the JETTs should be the prayer warriors during the Birthday Feast, saying: "The Words that the Lord gave for them [about their ministry as prayer warriors] will give them encouragement and help them to feel important and to feel needed. That's the most important thing for the JETTs: They must feel important and needed, and that will take care of their feeling left out."

248. I wrote the JETTs a Letter in which I talked to them about the great importance of their ministry as the Family's Prayer Warriors during the Family Birthday Feast days. Please be sure to show them and the children appreciation for their labors in prayer. Their faithful praying for the needs of the Family and the lost is probably one of the most important things that takes place during the days of the Birthday Feast. Your commendation to the JETTs will go a long way toward helping them feel needed, which as Dad pointed out, means so much to them (like it does to all of us)!

Who Will Do Exploits?

249. Question 48: In Loving Jesus Part 6 the Lord says, "I will greatly empower you, for you (YAs) and the young ones (senior teens), you are they which I will empower with the embodiment and spirit of David that you may reach the world with My Love and with My Message. You shall do great exploits, and you shall be great witnesses unto Me!" (ML #3032:89). Does this mean that we adults won't do exploits? I am an adult and I feel like, "There's the confirmation that we adults are has-beens, and we won't have any power in the Endtime." Can you please clarify this?

250. Answer: Peter and I brought this question before the Lord in prayer, and He said: "Have I not said that the people who know their God shall be strong and shall do exploits? I did not put an age limit on it, but just said `the people that know their God.' Do you know Me? Do you love Me? Do you serve Me? Do you kiss Me? Do you caress Me? Then I say unto you, you shall do exploits.

251. "But I speak unto your young ones to encourage and to strengthen them, to envision them and to let them know the important role that they will play, that they do play. For I inspire them that they may have faith to hold on, faith to go through the testings and the trials, faith to take the steps that I ask them to take.

252. "But have I not said that they that love Me will be strengthened with new strength for the days ahead? I said this to all, for this is My promise to all—the blessings I pour upon all those that love Me‚ that draw nigh unto Me. All who love Me and serve Me and who give their lives to Me are My soldiers whom I will empower with the weapons of the Spirit to do the exploits that will need to be done. I have not made a dividing line, but I have drawn a circle around you all to pull you in, to strengthen you for the days ahead."

253. What wonderful encouragement! So you see, the Lord is going to empower all of us if we know, love and draw nigh to Him. He especially wanted to encourage you young people with the message He gave in the prophecy quotes above from Part 6 of this series, so you'd be sure to understand the great role He has for you in the future. But you are not the only ones who will do the exploits that need to be done. The Lord wants to anoint and strengthen all of us for the days ahead, and it's a good thing, too, because there is so much to do and so many people to reach that we all need to do our very best for Jesus and avail ourselves of all the strength and power that He has for us!

More Questions on Male-with-Male Homosexuality

254. (Note: The next four questions deal with the subject of male homosexuality. It's not that so many of the men in the Family were homosexuals before joining the Family, or have ever had homosexual tendencies. So covering this subject in detail does not signify that homosexuality is a big problem in the Family. But the few men who have had that problem need encouragement and answers to any questions they may have. Also, other people have raised questions concerning this subject, and since male homosexuality is ungodly and is an excommunicable offense, it naturally causes people concern. Therefore, any questions along these lines need to be answered clearly and in a straightforward fashion.)

255. Question 49: How will this role-playing affect the men who previously were homosexuals or had homosexual tendencies?

256. Answer: The Lord gave repeated confirmations that we don't need to fear or worry that this Loving Jesus revelation will have adverse effects on these men. He also gave some wonderful counsel, instruction and promises. It is understandable that the men in our Family who were homosexuals before joining, or who have had any problems with homosexual tendencies or thoughts since joining‚ would be leery of putting this revelation into practice. You men may feel it will tempt you to sin or to entertain ungodly thoughts. But the Lord says to you, "Fret not, worry not. Think not, `This is too much for me.’ Think not, `I am like an alcoholic going back into the bar.' But rather think, `I am a new creature in Jesus, My Lord. For He has betrothed Himself unto me. I am as one that is not of this world.’"

257. While the Lord repeatedly encouraged you men not to worry or fear, He also gave some instruction or guidelines. He said you must see this in the Spirit, realizing it's not a homosexual relationship. He wants you to continue to put off your old conversation and imaginings, your old images and thoughts and imaginations regarding homosexuality, because they were not of Him and they brought you into bondage. He doesn't want you to entertain homosexual thoughts or fantasies, and certainly not homosexual activities. That's what He means when He warns not to use this as an occasion to the flesh or as a stumblingblock.

258. He promises that as you continue to walk in newness of life, and put off the old things, and cling to Him, and yield your spirit, heart, mind‚ and body unto Him, He will give you discernment to know the difference between good and evil. He says right and wrong will become clearer to you than ever before. You'll be able to know by the fruit it bears in your life. He says the good fruit in your life of loving Him in this new way will be "newborn children unto Me‚ and great works, and mighty acts, and wonderful things."

259. He promises to thrill your mind and heart, as you obey Him‚ and He'll cleanse you and you'll "be transported as far as the East is from the West from your old sins and your old notions and your old imaginings and your old fantasies." So you don't have to worry or fear that you're going to get tripped off and fall prey to the temptation of the Enemy—as long as you're staying close to Jesus, and you study His Word and understand it, and practice this new way of loving Jesus according to the guidelines He has provided.

260. The Lord gives the following promises to those who have had inordinate affections or homosexual experiences in the past. He says, "Be not afraid to enter into My bedchamber because of your sins of the past, for I will still love you. For I have chosen you as My lover‚ My Bride. Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage, and do not let this stand in the way of coming into My bedchamber. But you have to leave all your dirty clothes at the door and come in naked and unadorned, naked unto Me, without these things of the past that would hinder you or distract from that beautiful liberty in the Spirit that we can have when I come in unto you and love you and you are Mine. Let all things become new, and I will give you the faith to overcome any battles of the mind, battles of the heart, battles of sins of the past."

261. To enter into this new, intimate love relationship with Jesus, you must leave the past behind, including any "dirty clothes" of unclean homosexual thoughts, attractions, practices, fantasies, etc.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 93‚ 115-119.)

262. Question 50: My husband had problems in the past with homosexual tendencies. He even had a few homosexual experiences many years ago. I'm worried that this new way of loving Jesus will cause him to fall back into those sins. Do you have any counsel about this? How can I find peace of mind about this?

263. Answer: I can understand why not only the men who have had these weaknesses in the past might worry about this, but some of you shepherds, wives and girlfriends might also be concerned. You might think, "Isn't this getting into pretty dangerous ground?" If you are close to someone who has battled these temptations in the past, you might be quite concerned about this new turn of events. The Lord gave some words of instruction and comfort to both the men concerned and their loved ones that I think will ease your minds.

264. To the men He said: "For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Think not that you are to walk in your old ways, for the former pull is of the Evil One. But this is a call from your Savior, from Jesus‚ to enter into a new and loving relationship. These two ways are completely separate. They are as far removed as the East is from the West. They are two different channels; they are two different sources. Therefore think not that one is like the other, for they could not be more different.

265. "While one is perverse, the other is holy. While one is black, the other is white. While one is filthy, the other is pure. Just as you cannot compare the clean, white clothes of the bride with filthy black rags of wickedness‚ so you cannot compare these two ways, for they are as different as night and day."

266. Then to these men's loved ones, He said: "Therefore fear not that they will be confused, for those who have dabbled in these impure, unclean and evil things will know the difference in spirit, the difference in approach, the difference in attitude. For the way of homosexuality is self-righteousness. It is man exalting himself against God‚ saying, `I have no need of You. I am content in myself. I am separate. I am holy. I am good. I have no need of You.' It is the utmost in self-righteousness.

267. "But in loving Me as My Bride, you submit yourself unto Me in abject desperation and humility. You say, `I have need of You. I cannot live without You. I need You even to breathe. I long for You, as a woman longs for her lover.'

268. "Therefore they are completely separate and they are completely different. One does not even touch or approach the other. And this difference is so vast and so wide that these men will see the difference. It is something that appears the same to you who have not experienced it, but those who have experienced it know the difference in spirit. They know the difference in attitude. They know that when they did indulge in this sin‚ they were so far from Me. They were not close to Me. They were not seeking Me. They were not yielding unto Me, but they were resisting Me.

269. "But this is a new way of loving Me that I have given unto you as a precious gift, and as you fall at My feet and adore Me‚ and as I fill you, then thoughts of evil and perverseness will flee from you‚ and you will not be worried or bothered about them. The tainting of this act in your mind will be dissipated. There will be no more fears of this ugly practice. But as you enter into love with Me, these questions will be answered and you will no longer fear this similarity, for you will see how it is so different, and how I have honored and blessed you with this precious gift of love."

270. Question 51: If a man has had homosexual tendencies in the past, he might say, "I'm fine with the concept of being the Lord's Bride and His desire for us to have an intimate love relationship with Him. That is not problem for me, but I still don't have the faith to say graphic, sexy, love words to Jesus. It makes me uncomfortable because it brings the wrong kinds of pictures to my mind. What can I do?"

271. Answer: If you have this problem, you can simply say less graphic love words to Jesus that do not bring to mind such pictures. Say whatever works best for you personally.

272. The Lord gave the following counsel concerning this: "If certain words are offensive to you, then you can find other words. For whatever bears good fruit in your heart and in your life, this is right and this is good.

273. "In time I will wash away all those preconceived notions and ideas and conceptions from the past. But it takes time and it takes washing and cleansing and renewing of your mind. Just take it one step at a time and go slow, and use the words that inspire you and feel good to you, and feel clean and pure unto you. For you must walk by faith, by your faith, not by someone else's faith. I give you these things that your joy may be full, and your heart may be full and pure and happy."

274. Question 52: A person who has had homosexual experiences or tendencies in the past could very well feel as follows: "I love this new revelation‚ but I feel like others are looking at me critically, and wondering if I've `gone off the deep end.’ I feel like people are worried that I'm going to get tripped off. If I'm enthusiastic about the Loving Jesus revelation, I feel like people are thinking, `Well, we know why he's so into it, it's because he was a homo in the past.' I know by faith, from what the Word says, that what I did in the past has no bearing on this revelation, but I can't help but wonder if people are thinking negatively about me, which makes me want to shy away from loving Jesus in this way. What should I do?"

275. Answer: I pray that none of our dear brothers will feel this way and that no one would look critically at those men who have had the weakness of homosexuality in the past. If you're looking down on these men and pooh-poohing their sincere enthusiasm about this revelation, then the problem is with you, not them. If you truly believe that our intimate relationship with Jesus as His Bride is not a male-with–male relationship, then you would realize that a person's past experiences with or attraction to homosexuality has nothing to do with it! Absolutely nothing!

276. Please, if you have someone in your Home or you have a relationship with someone who has had this weakness in the past, ask the Lord to help you to be fair, open-minded and loving in your thoughts and judgment of that person. The Lord gave a message to show how such a man might be feeling. He said:

277. "You ask me if I am able to take this new, strong meat. You ask me if it will stumble me, turn me back to my old patterns. I have drunk of its bitterness, and therefore I shun the [old] way. And I have tasted of this wonderful wine of the Lord's way, and His pattern for my life, and I will not turn away from this. For I, in a greater way than many others, know the bitter taste of going the wrong direction. So do not fear to give me this New Wine. For if I stumble and begin to turn the wrong way‚ I shall recognize the bitter taste immediately and turn back. For I have a safeguard of the bitterness of the past, the bitter taste it left in my mouth.

278. "Do not hesitate to give unto me this New Wine. Do not hold it back because of my past, because of my sins. For I, in a greater way than others, need this New Wine to liberate my soul to love the Lord in the fullness that He wishes me to love Him in. So please do not withhold this New Wine from me."

How to Judge Our Actions When Loving Jesus Intimately

279. Question 53: If someone is off track in their loving Jesus, how can you tell? I understand that our new intimate relationship with Jesus is a private matter, and people act according to their own faith, but aren't there some guidelines to tell if what someone is doing is right or wrong?

280. Answer: When experimenting with this new way of loving Jesus, some of the different folks in our WS units had questions about whether some people were going overboard. There were some hurt feelings as some people felt neglected or left out on their dates, or in their marriages or relationships. Others wondered if some of the men had taken it a little too far. So the question came up about how do you judge whether a person is in the right spirit or if there's something "off" about the way he or she practices this Loving Jesus revelation?

281. Now it's not that you'll all be "judging" one another and knowing the details about others' personal love relationship with Jesus, as this is a personal matter, generally not to be discussed. But you might have questions about your own mate or lover, and how things are going in your relationship; or if you're a shepherd, people might come to you with questions. I can understand your desire for some guidelines, because even though this is a private matter‚ it will sometimes be a shared experience, as in the case of married couples or date partners loving Jesus together. So there is the chance that some questions will come up, because under those circumstances you will see how other people choose to love Jesus intimately.

282. If you're real enthusiastic about this revelation, and it's easy for you to practice it, and you feel you've taken it quite far, there's a chance you might look down on others who are struggling. On the other hand‚ if you're one of the ones who is very timid and cautious and feeling quite uncomfortable about the whole thing, you might feel that those who are practicing it quite freely are getting a little too into it. Or if some man in your Home had homosexual or other related problems in the past, then you might be leery of his actions if he is now loving Jesus quite freely and wildly. You might feel that while the words he's saying and what he's actually doing is in line with the Word, the spirit of what he's doing is not right.

283. These are just a few possible scenarios that might come up that may raise questions. So Peter and I came before the Lord to ask Him to show us how to look at things in this respect‚ how to judge if something is not quite right, and if so, what to do about it. He gave wonderful counsel, saying:

284. "The fruit of My Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, temperance, but the greatest of these is love. My Spirit brings forth these things, and My Spirit brings forth love—love for Me and love for others. How are you to judge matters of the Spirit? I say judge them with the scale of love. Is the fruit loving? Is the spirit loving? Does it show love to Me and love to each other?

285. "For I am the Spirit of Love, I gave My life in love. For all matters are judged by love; and this love is not to only be uni-directional towards Me, but it must be loving unto others. The fruit of the love that I pour forth is love unto others, for My seeds bring forth the fruit of love.

286. "I say unto you‚ wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Do their words of love and actions of love bring forth love in their hearts and in their lives, and minister love one unto another? How else can you judge? For when one seems to do that which is right, but brings forth not the fruits of love, then you can know. One cannot simply judge by the words or by the actions, but by the spirit, by the fruit, by the love."

287. Isn't it interesting how the Lord instructs us to judge these matters with the scale of love to see what kind of fruit the person's actions are bearing? You can ask yourselves: "Do the actions bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and do they minister love to the Lord and to the people directly involved?" If the actions and spirit are loving, and they bear good loving fruit, then they are good. This holds true even if what someone is doing seems a little odd to you personally. Please remember‚ everyone is different, and no two people's loving Jesus experiences will be the same.

288. Notice the Lord says here that "this love is not to only be uni-directional towards Me but it must be loving unto others." What He means is that in your intimate love relationship with Jesus, you need to be aware of how it's affecting others. You may be greatly enjoying loving Jesus and giving Him your love, saying all kinds of love words to Him‚ which is good. But if, for example, your mate is battling a bit with it or is having a hard time saying the words, your exuberance may make him or her feel pressured or inadequate, in which case the loving thing would be for you to tone things down a bit. Your love needs to be not only towards the Lord, but also towards those around you.

289. Another example: If you're having a date with your mate, lover or sharing partner, you normally wouldn't direct all your attention and words of love to the Lord without also saying some sweet, encouraging things to your partner. Although sometimes you might both decide to focus all your attention on the Lord during a lovemaking session, normally you wouldn't want to exclude or ignore your earthly lover while you focus totally on the Lord. That could make your mate or partner feel hurt, offended, left out, or like he or she is just an instrument or a prop that you're using to facilitate your lovemaking with Jesus. To make someone feel that way is not loving, so it is not right.

290. Another example: If you're married, but you decide you only want to have loving Jesus masturbation dates, always excluding your mate, that would also not be loving. Or if you're so busy loving Jesus and masturbating that you don't have the time or desire to make love with your mate, that would be unloving and wrong. In all of these examples, what you are doing when loving the Lord might be technically in line with the instruction in the Loving Jesus series‚ but because your actions are not loving to others, they are not right.

291. The prophecy continues: "I open a new door, a door in the Spirit, a door of freedom in My Spirit‚ a door through which you will go that you may revel in My Spirit and in My Love and in My ecstasies, even as I opened a door, lo, those many years ago in the flesh to allow you to mix and to mingle and to love one with another. And in those days many got it right and they shared My Love in a loving manner one with another, and it brought forth good fruit. Others took it upon themselves as an occasion to the flesh and did not understand and were not loving‚ and did not bring forth good fruit. All had to learn and to grow.

292. "Now I have opened this door unto you and many pass through; and when they come to the other side, they know not what is there nor what to expect. They try and they experiment and they look and they listen, they feel and they do that which seems to be right. And how do you judge? You judge by the fruit, you judge by the love."

293. The Lord likens this dawning of new freedom in the Spirit to the time when He introduced the sexual freedoms of the Law of Love to the Family. In the beginning years, when we were experimenting with our new sexual freedoms, some acted in love and it brought forth good fruit; whereas others used those freedoms as an occasion to the flesh, which didn't bear good fruit. There were some mistakes made when we first were given sexual freedom and the Law of Love, because we all had to learn and grow.

294. With this new Loving Jesus revelation, the Lord says we are passing through a new door and we don't know what to expect on the other side, so we'll be looking around and experimenting and feeling our way, as we try to do the right thing. It is possible that some will make some mistakes here and there, as we did when we were learning about the Law of Love, but we can determine if we are doing the right thing by looking at the love and the fruit our actions bear.

295. The prophecy continues: "One will be timid and one will be brazen, and which is right? For the timid, the timid may be right, if it brings forth the fruit of love. And for the brazen, the brazen may be right‚ if it brings forth the fruit of love. But if the timid judges the brazen in harshness, then it is not love. And if the brazen flaunts himself in a way that causes others to feel uncomfortable or unloved‚ then this is not the fruit of love.

296. "It is a matter of the Spirit. Even as in lovemaking there are those who move cautiously and who are satisfied with cautious lovemaking, with one or two positions, with very much of a sameness, and they are comfortable and they find this to be loving. Then for them this is love. And there be those who are wild and passionate, who seek new adventure, who are diverse and are unsatisfied with just one or two positions but who seek further pleasures. For them, this is love, and they find fulfillment in the many facets of love. Is the one wrong and the other right? Nay, I say unto you, each one is different, each one loves differently, and I have made it so.

297. "The one that is timid should not judge the one that is wild by his timidness. Nor should the wild judge him that is timid by his wildness. But what one is judged by is the love that it brings forth in his life.

298. "Even as you do not go forth from the bedchamber of your lovemaking with your wife or your lover and boast of your activities, of your positions, of your erections, of your orgasms, neither should you boast of your interaction with Me. For these are intimate things and are to be shared only intimately one with another, but not in a boastful, unloving manner. In all that you do, do it in love, for love is the most important thing.

299. "So judge righteous judgment, the righteous judgment of love, and judge the fruit righteously on the scale of love. When you find one that acts not in love, or brings not forth the fruit of love, speak unto these ones and show them the error of their ways and the unloving fruit so that they may understand; for they know not that that which they do is unseemly or unloving, or brings not forth the fruit of love. For some do that which seems to them to be right, and seems to be following that which they have read, but they know not that it brings not forth the fruit of love unto others. Help them to see.

300. "I have set bounds which men must not cross, and I say again that these bounds are not to be crossed. For that which was abhorrent to Me is still abhorrent. Men must come unto Me in the spirit of truth, in a spirit of love, in the spirit that I have set forth here in My Words. When they do it properly, it brings forth a spirit of love. So judge according to the spirit of love."

301. In your lovemaking with Jesus, some of you will be more timid and others more brazen. Timid means "lacking self-confidence‚ shy, fearful and hesitant." Brazen means "bold, rash."

302. The Lord cautions you not to be narrow-minded when you look at the actions of others, because the timid ones can be right if their timid actions bring forth love. And the brazen ones can also be right if their brazen actions bring forth love. If you are reserved and shy and not so expressive concerning your loving the Lord, that's fine, but you shouldn't look negatively or harshly or self–righteously at those who are wild and unreserved. This means you shouldn't scrutinize the actions and reactions of others and think accusingly, "Oh, that person is really wild, I think he (or she) must be tripped off. He (or she) is a little too into this Loving Jesus stuff!" If people's actions are bearing good loving fruit in their personal lives and the lives of others‚ then you need to be careful about criticizing and saying or doing anything that would hinder their freedom.

303. Those of you who are wild shouldn't flaunt your freedom before others, or make others feel embarrassed, uncomfortable or unloved. Let's apply this practically: Say you're having a date with someone and you're loving Jesus together, you should be sensitive to your partner's feelings. If you sense that he or she is more timid than you are, then you should be willing to tailor your expressions of love to Jesus in order to help your partner feel relaxed and included and not on the spot. By taking it slowly, you'll gradually grow in your lovemaking to Jesus together, which will make it a much more pleasant experience for both of you.

304. If you are in a position where you need to prayerfully judge whether a person's actions are good and on track, you can't use your own feelings or experiences as the standard for others. In other words, you shouldn't be prejudiced, or easily offended, or have preconceived ideas about loving Jesus that are based on your own personal views, feelings or preferences‚ regardless of whether you are timid or brazen. You must realize and accept that a person's love relationship with the Lord is a private matter, and everyone is different. The only sure way to judge wisely is to look at the fruit.

305. The Lord brings out that there will be ones who are sincerely trying to follow the Letters and do what's right, but they won't realize that their actions are offensive to others. If there is a problem with people not acting in love, then the Lord instructs the shepherds to speak to those people and help them to see how their actions are not bringing forth good fruit in love. Please be very loving‚ kind, prayerful and gentle when you counsel others about such matters, so you can help them see what the problem is and how they can do better, without making them feel bad or terribly embarrassed.

Finding the Time to Love Jesus More

306. Question 54: I'm a mother with eight boys under the age of 12. Our Home has 13 children and four adults. We're all very busy caring for our kids, witnessing, raising support, ministering, etc. Most of the time we adults are so completely exhausted that by the end of the day about all we can do is collapse into bed and sleep. I want to spend more time with the Lord loving Him intimately, but how can I do it? Where will I find the time or strength?

307. Answer: Recently I received a letter from a mother like you. She was struggling with the care of her seven children and her husband, and she was loaded down with many burdens from the past. As I heard her letter I was so moved by it that I cried, and longed for the Lord to reach out to her. I asked some of the folks in our Home to pray for this dear mother, and I think what He gave in prophecy will be a great encouragement to you other dear mothers who also carry such a huge load! These loving Words from Jesus were originally given for one individual‚ but they can also be His Words to you personally, if you will receive them in your heart and find comfort in them. You will see that the Lord doesn't expect more from you than you're able to give. He is very understanding of your weaknesses, circumstances and limitations, and He loves you!

308. (Prophecy, Jesus speaking:) Oh, how your shepherdess loves you! Oh, how I love you too! I have heard your prayers, I have seen your tears, I have felt your longings, your desires and your burdens. My right hand is ever beneath your head to hold you up, to strengthen you, to comfort you, to draw you close to My bosom, that you might find solace, rest, renewing, refilling and comforting there.

309. I love you, dear one! You are near to My heart and I have placed you near to your shepherdess' heart, for she loves you. As she weeps for you and feels for you, she has asked for Me to speak, to encourage, inspire and comfort you. She, too, understands your feeling of wanting to care more for your children and for your husband‚ to somehow find more hours in the day to be able to finish all your labors. She, too, shares those same burdens‚ because she is a mother to many; so she understands, and I understand.

310. I see and I know all that you go through and have gone through‚ and I love your willingness and your thankfulness in spite of the times when things have seemed almost too much for you to bear. Yet I have always brought you through, and I will always bring you through. I know it is a test for you to take time with Me in the bed of love. I understand that. I understand that it will be so for all My busy‚ faithful servants of My Love around the world. I know the sacrifice.

311. I do not ask that you spend hours and hours and hours with Me, but that you stop to pause, reflect, praise and love Me whenever there is a moment. You can do it with your little ones. Praise and thank Me as you hold them and cuddle them. You will feel refreshed and so will they, and it will be a good sample to them of what it is to love Me—not only by your works, but by your words and your actions of love in stopping to acknowledge Me.

312. It is so difficult to stop and get away. I know. I can understand. Remember, I was in all points tempted like as you are when I was in the midst of the throngs of people clamoring for My attention—needing healing, needing help, needing a look of love. Sometimes it was so difficult for Me to get away. Often I would rise early in the morning just to get away from everyone and everything, so I could focus all of My attention on My Heavenly Father.

313. With your desire to find time with Me, I will make a way. Even if it is in an early hour, just for a little while with Me, I will bless it. I will bless whatever time you set aside for Me. It doesn't have to be a long time. I know the needs of your children, of your husband, of those you help care for, and I will honor any effort and any sacrifice you make for Me. This honor will come in the form of comfort and strength, and of a greater faith and trust.

314. Just a few minutes with Me on a regular basis will help renew your faith and trust, and soothe your nerves, and heal the wounds‚ and erase memories of the recent past events that have troubled you so. (Note: This mother was involved in one of the past persecutions, and her children were taken into custody in the raids.) For I long to hold you and caress you and love you and soothe you, to stroke your hair and assure you of My love for you. I know your faithfulness and your diligence and your love for Me and others, and with these things I am well pleased. You are so precious to Me, as are your precious ones you have willingly borne unto Me.

315. In learning to spend this time with Me, it will help mend and renew your communications and your friendship with your husband, who is also so dear to Me. I know his heart and his longings. In your times of praising Me together, I will unite you in a more intimate and special way than you have ever experienced together before, that will take away the familiarity and replace it with a spark and inspiration of new love for each other and for Me and for others.

316. My dear one‚ I encourage you to hold on. But even more than holding on, I encourage you to just collapse into My arms and let Me take over. Let Me give you the strength and the grace and the help that you need. I will strengthen your weary body and refresh your spirit and supply your every need.

317. Thank you for loving the precious ones I've given you. I am proud of you for being a good mother, a loving mother, and one who takes joy in her children.

I love you, dear one,

You're a darling to Me and I love you so.

As you rest in Me, I'll hold you,

And I'll never let go!

And with this renewed love,

To others you'll show,

That, lo, I am with you always,

Wherever you go!

I love you.

(End of prophecy.)

What to Do if You're Really Struggling with This New Wine

318. Question 55: I've read the GNs and I want to believe and receive this New Wine, but I'm really struggling. What should I do?

319. Answer: If you're battling, or you feel very uncomfortable, unsettled, shocked‚ or if you're even doubting this revelation, please don't panic or think you just can't make it in the Family. Take time to pray, reflect on the Word, and let the Lord speak to your heart. Remember and review the testimony from Gabe in Part 5, where he said: "Please do not overreact to these Letters, and don't try to apply them in the flesh, but see in the Spirit and hold on! The battles will cease. I firmly believe that if you make a rash decision that you just can't make it, based on the battles and tests you may initially encounter when trying to adjust to the `Loving Jesus' series, that is not going to be a very good and wise decision." (For more from Gabe, see GN 663, paragraphs 123-129.)

320. Soon we will be publishing various reactions and lessons from some of the CROs and members of WS, both adults and YAs. I believe these will help you, as you'll see that others also battled, but they have now come to grips with the difficulties they had, and with time‚ they have, to varying degrees, grown to understand and apply or at least accept this New Wine and are beginning to reap the benefits. So if you're battling, please hold on and don't get discouraged or give up!

321. As I brought out repeatedly in this series of GNs, the Lord is not pushing you or rushing you, and He is very understanding and patient about your timidity or reservations or unsure feelings. I recommend that you reread the portions of this series where the Lord or Dad or I talk about how to handle and react to the battles or difficulties that you might be experiencing. (See Letter references at the end of this answer.) But for a quick review, I'll list some of the main points you should do or keep in mind if you're having a difficult time:

—Take time to read and study these GNs. Faith cometh by hearing the Word.

—Pray for a believing spirit and for childlike faith.

—Don't get condemned or discouraged.

—Remember that the Lord loves you unconditionally.

—Know that you can move at your own pace. Don't feel pressured. The Lord is not in a hurry.

—Don't compare. This is a personal matter, and each person puts this revelation into practice according to his or her own faith.

—The Lord sees you as an individual, and He's happy with all the love you've given Him in the past and continue to give Him daily. He is not condemning or criticizing you, and He will not be angry with you or disregard all your past love, loyalty and devotion just because you're having a hard time receiving or acting upon this New Wine.

—Recognize that the Enemy will try to fight your receiving this wonderful gift from the Lord. He'll do everything in his power to get you to see this revelation as something wrong. He'll try to twist it and misinterpret it and do his best to get you to see it with the eyes of the flesh instead of the eyes of the Spirit.

—Understand that acting upon this New Wine is your personal choice. You will not be looked down upon or lose your place in the DO Family if you feel you cannot at this time or in the future say these love words to Jesus.

—Think of all the other things—spiritual principles, revelations, new moves and ministries, etc.—that you've had to take by faith in the past when serving the Lord in the Family.

—Try to step out by faith and take even little "baby steps." The Lord said, "The step of faith must come first, and then the understanding will be given as a reward for your faith, and as a reward for your obedience. Even if it is just a little bit of obedience, you will be greatly rewarded and you will be encouraged. Then you will be able to say, `Oh yes, now I see! Oh yes‚ now I understand!'" (ML #3031:68). And Dad said‚ "Sometimes‚ kids, the things that God says are hard to take! They're hard to believe sometimes! But you know, if you just believe it, if you drink it in and receive it, accept it by faith, He blesses you and it becomes easier, because you see the fruit‚ you gain the understanding. Faith doesn't always understand, faith just does it because it believes, and then comes understanding" (ML #3030:88).

—Remember that I have to take this by faith too.

—Understand that no one is forcing you to participate in this new, more intimate way of loving the Lord. However, as is presented in the "Day of Choices" prophecy in question number 31, if you decide to participate‚ it is your choice whether you want to do the minimum the Lord is asking, just saying the love words to Him, or whether you want to take it further with masturbation and/or loving Him with a partner. He has given you the freedom to choose how you wish to follow, and He promises to reward you accordingly.

—See in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Don't try to understand it with your mind, but receive it in your heart. Don't get into analyzing and trying to figure things out in your carnal mind. Remember, the Lord said, "There are glories to be revealed unto you‚ but you must walk by faith, and not by sight. For have I not convinced you in Spirit that these things are spiritually discerned? Do not try to understand them in your mind, for it is your heart that I seek. Your mind was created to be used by your heart—not for your heart to be led about by your mind" (ML #3031:87).

—Don't mull over in your mind your questions, doubts or skeptical thoughts. Go to the Word, which is what will give you faith.

—Listen to His still small voice. He wants to confirm these truths to you.

—Give it time. For some of the folks in WS it took quite a few months before they were able to understand and accept this New Wine. But because they didn't overreact and freak out, the Lord was able to speak to them, and with time they grew in faith and understanding. After a few months you'll be able to ask the Lord to show you how He's blessing you as a result of loving Him more, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

—Remember that just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's not true or that we shouldn't do it. Many things in our life for the Lord are difficult, like witnessing, praising, reading the Word‚ communicating honestly, living communally, and sharing‚ but we still obey the Lord.

—Understand that this is not a works trip. You're not gaining merit or trying to perfect yourself through self-effort. It's by faith.

—Constantly remind yourself that the Lord is right there with you, fighting for you and giving you all the support you need as you call out to Him!

—Hold on. Things will get easier.

—Remember that Jesus loves you and wants you to be happy, and He's trying to make it easier for you, not more difficult. Peter and I love you too and we're praying for you.

(See Part 3, paragraphs 123-133‚ 196-209; Part 4, paragraphs 1-20, 72-93; Part 5‚ paragraphs 1–24, 51-129, 137-192; Part 6, paragraphs 182-187.)

What to Do if You're Loving Jesus But You Don't Feel Different

322. Question 56: I've been loving the Lord intimately, but I don't see immediate results, at least not to the degree the Lord promised. Do I just need to wait patiently?

323. Answer: The results of our loving the Lord intimately and receiving His seeds are manifest in different ways. Some of the ways His seeds will bear good fruit in our lives are in our having more love, understanding, comfort, encouragement‚ joy, peace, satisfaction, power, anointing, fruitfulness‚ wisdom, strength, kindness, compassion, empathy and a closer connection with Him.

324. When we receive His seeds, just like in physical lovemaking, we don't always know immediately what the fruit will be. Sometimes we see His seeds bear fruit right away, but other times we have to wait a while.

325. One time when the Lord had spoken in prophecy answering our questions, He then said: "For these answers are the seeds of our lovemaking, and the seeds of our communion together. As you say `yes‚' and as you say `come,’ so I do come and so I do fill you, and so I do give you those answers that you need. And when the time comes‚ I speak unto you and these seeds bring forth fruit. As with all seeds, they bring forth fruit in their season. For some of the answers that I implant in your heart come forth immediately, and others linger, waiting for their time. But I say unto you, they shall bring forth fruit, and they shall bring forth the answers, and they shall bring forth words, and they shall bring forth wisdom. For these are the seeds of our lovemaking. This is the fruit of your love for Me, and this is the fruit of your yieldedness and your obedience." (End of prophecy.)

326. Question 57: I'm trying to practice this new Loving Jesus revelation and I'm saying the love words to Him, but I don't feel any different. I'm not feeling the blessings or the promises that He promised. Am I doing something wrong?

327. Answer: Just because you don't feel different doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. You don't need to worry. We've seen a variety of reactions from those who have been loving Jesus in this new way, as you will notice when you read the reactions. Some have experienced a lot of feelings, a major noticeable change in their lives, like a spiritual "high"; whereas others haven't felt much different at all, and still others have gotten discouraged and had some battles. So feelings certainly aren't very dependable‚ and I wouldn't suggest you gauge how you're doing with loving Jesus in this new intimate way by how you're feeling!

328. The important thing is not to compare your experiences or reactions or feelings with those of others. Comparing has caused some people major trials, so it's best not to do that! How much you feel or don't feel, or whether you see or feel an immediate difference in your walk with the Lord is not the point. Just continue by faith‚ knowing that you're pleasing the Lord by giving Him the love He asked for and needs‚ and giving others His Love as well.

329. As I explained in Part 4 of this series, I don't really feel anything either as far as any difference in my physical body when I say love words to Jesus and love Him intimately. And if I'm loving Jesus when masturbating or when making love to Peter‚ my orgasm doesn't feel any different than usual. I haven't experienced any great ecstasies like it seems some others have. But I just continue by faith!

330. But I have noticed a change in my spirit. Thinking of how much Jesus loves us touches me more deeply now. I'm more intimate with the Lord, more in love with Him. I feel I am more aware of Him and more conscious of His presence and His needs. I'm more eager to please Him and give Him what He desires. I have a sense of fulfillment, happiness, and well-being, knowing I'm close to Him and united with Him.

(See Part 4, paragraphs 2-3, 112-115; Part 5, paragraphs 18-19‚ 51-58, 102-110.)