—By MariaDO 30522/96

Maria #333

—Lessons on rewards, comparing, Endtime leadership training, middle-age crisis, and the Lord's Love for you as an individual!

My dear Family,

1. I love you very much and have some exciting information to share with you! This Heavenly counsel will probably affect you young people more than you adults, although I'm sure it will inspire and encourage you older ones in a very big way also.

2. In these wonderful messages from the Lord and Dad, you young people will find the answers to some of the questions which many of you have asked. Because you had these questions and because we knew the Lord would want to answer you and clear up any confusion and turmoil that may be bothering you and making you unhappy and less fruitful for Him, we asked Him to give us the answers for you. He is always more ready to give than we are to receive, and He delights in making us happy. When we delight to do His will, He delights to give us the desires of our hearts!

3. I'll explain now the questions that we have heard from many of you, which caused us to go to the Lord for His solutions. Many of you young people have gotten discouraged after not having seen a fulfillment of the wonderful and glorious things that Dad repeatedly said about you in the Letters over the years. Dad spoke a lot about the leadership roles that you would play in the Endtime, and how you were going to do great exploits. You might still have the faith that this will come to pass some time in the future‚ except for the fact that now‚ in the Family, there doesn't seem to be much available to many of you in the way of leadership positions. You may wonder how you can become the great leaders that the Lord and Dad have promised if you are not being further trained in leadership.

4. This is a big question that some of you have. And I'm not just theorizing or guessing—I've heard it from some of you! You've said that you've been told many times that you are going to be leaders in the Endtime and have big responsibilities and big positions leading the Family. At least this is the conclusion you have drawn from the Word and from what you've heard during your years of growing up. So of course you feel that leadership or some sort of position of great responsibility should be your goal and what you are destined for.

5. Many of you older teens and YAs have taken the challenge to become leaders very seriously. You have applied yourselves diligently and faithfully, and tried to take maximum advantage of the leadership training that you've received. However, many of you now find yourselves doing what you consider "little" jobs, in places of service that seem quite inconsequential compared to what you expected. Therefore you feel like you have failed and that your training is not being put to use. Some of you have been very disappointed, and this has caused you to have serious doubts.

6. You wonder if perhaps you are in the wrong Home or ministry, or if you have made some big mistake that has displeased the Lord and caused Him to lift His blessing and anointing from your life. You really want to do something great for the Lord and you desire to feel needed and to be used to the utmost. This is the desire of your heart, but you may be very discouraged because you feel like you are not doing anything that is of real value to the Family as a whole. You don't want to fail the Lord. You feel, "Surely there must be something more that I am supposed to do—but what is it?" And you look around‚ wondering when or how you will find that place of great usefulness and challenge that you are waiting for, that you have been prepared for all these years.

7. You may feel that in order to make full use of the training that the Lord and the Family have given you‚ and in order to fulfill the wonderful promises that the Lord has given you in the Word, you have to eventually be in a position of authority and leadership over others, where you can really make a difference in a big way—not just in one small Home, in one small place. You may feel that if you are on the field witnessing or in a small Home doing provisioning or childcare, or if you are doing what you consider some "little" job somewhere, or even if you're on a Home teamwork, that you are not living up to your full potential and you're failing to fulfill what the Lord has for you. It's a common tendency for many of us to equate having a big position and special place of service with being greatly used of the Lord.

8. With the implementation of the Love Charter and the abolishment of most of the leadership positions in the Family above the Home level, the only positions that are left that you can aspire to‚ besides Home teamworker‚ are the VS or CRO positions, or some job in WS. But realizing that there are very few of those positions, you may feel that you are left without the great things for God that you feel you should be able to do. You may feel a little cheated, or at least frustrated and confused and somewhat without a challenge, or lacking in what you consider a feasible way to exercise your gifts and training.

9. Many of you may also feel that a person who fills a place of service that is very privileged or a high calling, either in top leadership or in a WS unit, is more important and valuable to God. You figure that those are the people who are tops in their field, and they must be tops with the Lord, too. You conclude that with such a special place of service also comes more credit and commendation from the Lord, and when it comes right down to it, that God loves the people in those positions more than He does the little people on the field. You may even feel that even if God, who is perfect, all-seeing and all-understanding, doesn't give more commendation to those who seem to have more exalted places of service on Earth, that perhaps we do‚ or your leaders do.

10. You may figure that not only here on this Earth are those who have these high positions of authority going to be more favored and looked up to and receive more attention and credit, but also in the world to come. Some of you may even figure that if you don't have the chance to be trained in a position of authority here in the Family, then you are going to miss out not only on this Earth, but also in the world to come. You fear that you are going to be doing what you consider to be unimportant jobs in the Millennium‚ because that's what you spent your time doing here.

11. Many of you may not be particularly interested in having a leadership position, that of CRO or VS, or some job in WS, or being a shepherd on a Home teamwork. In fact, some of you young people are "burned out" after having been in some positions of leadership before the Charter. You experienced the heavy weight of leadership, and now that's the last thing you're looking for! You don't want to have to bear the responsibility and carry the burden of having to try to solve problems, counsel people, be a good sample, exert positive peer pressure, etc. Some have commented that this is possibly a backlash or a reaction from the days of large combos when there were so many difficulties and problems in our Homes‚ and being a shepherd was really a pretty tough job.

12. But even if you're not interested in being in a position of leadership‚ you may feel very frustrated or envious when you see other young people who are involved in ministries that seem to be a lot more exciting than yours. For example, you might wish you could be in a show group that gets to travel and perform in interesting places and meet important people. You might look at the long hours they have to practice and the unpredictable schedules they keep not as something arduous, but as something very desirable. You figure, "At least it's different from the day-to-day, humdrum, boring routine that I endure!"

13. Or possibly you wish you could be involved in a music studio, or work with computers‚ or manage an important "consider the poor" ministry, or be a secretary for one of the CROs and get to be around the leaders and visit different Homes. Even outside of leadership positions, there are other ministries that seem to be on the "most wanted" list for young people—and they're often the ones that offer the most change and appear the most glorious‚ important, exciting and different. But as you know‚ the openings in such ministries are also quite limited in number.

14. On the other hand, I would like to encourage you with the news that more young people now hold positions of leadership or responsibility in important ministries in our Family than ever before! Some YAs are being trained as VSs, more young folks have been joining our WS pubs units and CRO offices, and many key positions in our music and video production units are held by teens and YAs as well! You may feel that comparatively speaking‚ considering the number of teens and YAs that we now have in the Family, these positions of leadership and responsibility are still relatively few. But I also want to encourage you that many of our Home teamworks include a senior teen or a YA, or two, on the team. We presently have over 550 DO Homes, so the need for good teamworks for all those Homes opens up many possibilities for you senior teens and YAs to be trained and used in leadership.

15. Actually, being a Home shepherd is probably one of the most important and sacrificial leadership positions in this Family! As a Home teamworker, you share the responsibility of making your Home a happy, heavenly environment, with a fruitful ministry, following the Word closely, and fulfilling your mission to reach the lost! If you're looking for leadership training, being on the Home teamwork is a good place to receive it‚ as you'll have the opportunity to learn lessons about working with others, decision-making, planning and organization, people-handling‚ etc. It's a very key and important post, so if you have this responsibility, don't belittle it!

16. Nevertheless, I understand that many of you have the thoughts I've listed above weighing heavily on your hearts, and I felt it was important to bring them before the Lord in prayer to ask Him to speak and explain to us how He sees these matters. So I prayed, pretty much outlining to the Lord what I have told you above‚ asking Him to show us the answers to these questions.

17. I concluded my prayer by telling the Lord, "Thank You, Jesus‚ that You are so ready and willing to answer our questions! When things seem so difficult and complicated to us, You give such clear, simple explanations and solutions. We thank You that You are the Answer Man, and we can come to You and You can resolve the problems so easily.

18. "Lord, our young people have these legitimate questions and we don't know all the answers, so we need You to explain these things to us. Please show us Your views on these points. These young people need direction in how You expect them to invest the training You've given them, and they need reassurance that they are indeed needed and valuable to the Family, even if their ministry or place of service is not what they expected, at least not right now.

19. "We need to know, Lord, if the leaders and those with specialized ministries are going to be more rewarded in Heaven because of the position or ministry they have on this Earth. Do You love them more? Do You bless them more? That's the conclusion that many of our young people have drawn. So if they don't have what they consider a very important ministry, if they're not where the action is, if they aren't a leader at this time‚ it's sometimes very difficult for them to accept it cheerfully and be content and at peace. So we need Your counsel on this‚ Lord. We need Your Words of guidance and instruction.

20. "Many of our young people desperately want to do more for You! They sincerely desire to do their best for You and the Family‚ but they feel that the windows of opportunity for leadership and special ministries are now so few. This causes discontentment, frustration, and discouragement for many of our older teens and YAs, most of whom probably could carry quite a bit of responsibility‚ and even have in the past when they lived in bigger Homes.

21. "You will probably clarify this with time, and they will understand as they see how You'll use them in the future. But, Lord, they need to be encouraged now so they won't just give up because of not seeing any possibility of leadership, which is a thing that they think they are supposed to be trained for. Even our adults feel like there is now no possibility of them ever having positions of great authority, especially if they've been provisioners and cooks or even Home teamworkers for years. We know You'll honor them, Lord, and we know You look at them with great respect and love, much differently than man looks at them. But this can be very hard to see and remember when you're caught up in the same work, trials and situation day after day.

22. "We need Your answers, Lord, so please speak to us now. Thank You Jesus! We love You so much and are so grateful for the priceless privilege of hearing Your wonderful Words of wisdom!"

I See Just You, I Judge Just You, I Love Just You!

23. (Prophecy‚ Jesus speaking:) Those Here in My Heavenly Kingdom in the realm of the Spirit are all happy and fulfilled, because they understand that they have a role to play, a job to do, and they understand My Love for them more fully. They do not question My Love, for they have experienced the depth of My Love for them. They have great peace and great joy and great contentment in being used in the position wherein I have placed them, knowing that those things which I give them to do are My will for them.

24. There is no competition or feeling that this one is greater or that one is greater‚ because they have contentment as they do My will. And oh, what joy they have in this contentment, in this knowledge that I love each of them for themselves. They understand that each one is precious to Me, each one is special to Me. They understand that I died for each one, that I have redeemed each one, and thus each one is very special to Me.

25. And so it is with you—each one of you is special to Me! Each one of you is called to Me, and I died for each one of you. And you must learn what this means, that man looks on the outward appearance‚ but that I look upon the heart. I measure the faithfulness and yieldedness and love of the heart—not the position and power given to the man. And though some men must have positions and power, I nevertheless judge by the heart, by the spirit. I judge Heavenly judgment‚ not earthly judgment.

26. I weigh each person's love, yieldedness and faithfulness in a balance that is counterbalanced with the weights that I choose—the weights of the gifts and the talents that I have given them. To him that is given much is much required. For if much is given, the counterbalance weight is heavy. He that is given much is expected to give much in return, and he is balanced against those things which I have given. And he whose talents are less has less of a counterbalance on the scale.

27. I do not judge all men equally by counterbalance, but I judge each one as one‚ as an individual. I do not compare. I bring each one through their own lessons‚ their own testings, their own trials‚ and I judge them accordingly. I do not judge one according to the tests and the trials of another. I judge this one according to the tests and trials of this one alone, and I reward accordingly; each one according to their own tests, each one weighed according to their own counterbalance.

28. I judge not according to the manner of the law, but according to the manner of love. For each one is an individual. Each one is individually loved by Me. Each one is individually judged and rewarded according to My Love‚ according to My wisdom, and according to My justice—the justice of love, the justice of understanding.

29. And so I said to those of old that followed Me, "What is that to thee?—Follow thou Me." For it doesn't matter what this one does or what that one does. What matters is that you follow Me, that you do those things that I say to do, that you perform those jobs that I give you to do, that you are faithful in all that I have given to you, and that you are yielded to Me and My Spirit, to My calling and to those things that I bring across your path.

30. And so I said in My Word‚ "Seek not to be many masters, for unto you is the greater condemnation." To you is the greater judgment. To you is the greater counterbalance. Much is given to you, and thus much is required. When I put one in a position, I give them the grace and the anointing for the job. I give the power, the spirit helpers and the wisdom that is needed. But this is not their doing, this is My doing. But with these extra gifts‚ I add to their counterbalance and I expect them to yield to Me in an even greater way. And because I have given them these many gifts and these extra spirit helpers, those that counsel and guide and give them wisdom, so do I require of them great yieldedness, and so do I judge them accordingly.

31. So do not look at the things of others. Do not look at the positions of others. Do not seek a place of position or a place of honor, because with such honor comes much responsibility—responsibility to Me.

32. Though I give those in positions gifts and talents, helpers and anointing more than others so they may do their particular job, it does not mean that I love them more. For I love you all individually, one on one, with a love that is between Me and you. In the eyes of man it looks like these have a greater measure of My Love. But the measure of My Love is not judged by the job, it is judged by the heart.

33. As I have said, if you draw nigh to Me, I will draw nigh to you. If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. In the matter of love between you and Me, a judgment is made according to your heart.

34. In every man's life there are testings, there are trials, there are provings, there are periods of purging, of squeezing, of melting, of molding. But I do not withdraw My Love during that time. I am there and I am faithful to love you, for I have purchased you and you are Mine. But I allow these things to cause you to grow and to make you strong.

35. When one man goes through these periods of testing‚ and yet another man seems to be greatly blessed, it is not a sign that I love one over the other. Do not judge My Love according to outward appearance. I judge each one as one. I love each one as one. If I have called you to a lowly task, to a humble task, to a tedious task, you should not look at another who has a seemingly glorious task and say, "This one is more loved of God than I‚" for it is not so. I love you, and I judge you according to that which I have brought across your path. I judge you according to your faithfulness, to your yieldedness, to your willingness.

36. So do not look at another man's position or another man's blessings, for you do not see as God sees. You do not even see blessings as God sees blessings. For the purgings and the testings, the desert times that seem to you to be a curse, that seem to be the time when I have lifted My hands from you, these are also blessings in My eyes. For they mold you and they strengthen you‚ and they make you into what I would have you to be.—Not what you think you should be, but what I would have you to be.

37. And why are these Here in My Heavenly realm contented and happy and praiseful and joyful?—Because they understand these things! They understand that not all can be called to this one task or to that one task. They understand that I love them for what they are. I love them for what they do, whether big or small in the eyes of man. I love them because they love Me, and they love Me because I love them.

38. So do not look at what another has. Look to Me, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Look to Me, for I see just you. I judge just you. I love just you. So be faithful in the calling in which I have placed you. Serve Me‚ trust Me, obey Me. Yield to Me in the position I have placed you, whether it be a high position or a lowly position, whether you be on top of the mountain or whether you be in the depths of the desert. For in all these places I love you, for you are Mine.

39. He of great position is Mine‚ and he of lowly position is Mine. He that seems to be mightily blessed is Mine. He that is in the midst of storms and trials and testing is Mine. For you are Mine‚ and I love you for who you are, and I love you for what you are doing, for being faithful with that which I have given you. (End of prophecy.)

Great Will Be Your Reward!

40. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) Well, kids, things certainly are different Here than they are there! And like I said before, we're all busy Here and it's wonderful! There's such a good balance between doing the things that we have to do, and enjoying all that there is Here for us. It's really wonderful! It's marvelous!

41. Everyone Here is so special‚ we're so special to the Lord. Everyone doesn't have exactly the same reward, that's true. For some were more faithful, some were more obedient, some were more yielded. Some served the Lord‚ some didn't; they just knew the Lord. But each one is truly content and happy. They see the Lord's mercy and love for them. They also know that He is so just and so true, and that the reward which they received is just what it should be.

42. But we keep growing Here, we keep progressing! So even those who didn't always make the grade there have great opportunities Here—opportunities to grow and to keep going forward! But, oh, you wouldn't believe how content everyone is—such great contentment and happiness!

43. You'd be surprised to see how much importance the Lord places on your yieldedness and your faithfulness. He doesn't judge you by your great accomplishments, because He knows that those accomplishments occurred because He was working through you anyway! He judges you by your love for Him and others, and your obedience and faithfulness to Him and His Word. And like He said, He judges you by what you did‚ by you, not by what someone else did. As He said‚ "He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much." When you are faithful to those things which are least, to Him it is much.

44. When you let Him have full sway in your life, it is worth great honor Here! And when He has full sway, He doesn't always bring you to some great height, He just brings you to where He wants to bring you. Then He sees if you will be obedient and faithful there. That's why He says, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" And, oh, the joy that you enter into Here!—The joy of knowing His Love in fullness and completeness! The joy you have in seeing that all that faithfulness, all those yieldings pay off in His reward and in the glory that He gives!

45. And, oh‚ there is great glory for some Here who seemed to do nothing there! They were unknown and unsung, but they were judged righteous and faithful because they did His bidding. So be faithful. Be diligent. Be yielded. But above all, be loving‚ and great will be your reward when you get Here. Great will be your reward. I'll say it again, great will be your reward! (End of prophecy.)

46. (Mama:) Thank You, Jesus and Dad‚ for such a beautiful and clear answer! It's so comforting to know that the Lord doesn't compare us with others‚ but that He loves each of us individually and judges us individually as well. It's so encouraging to see how He sees things: that the important things are our faithfulness, obedience and yieldedness, which result in our loving Him and loving others.

Don't Fall into the Comparison Trap!

47. There are some key points in these prophecies that can change your whole outlook and cause you to be happier and more fulfilled. One of the major ones is that the Lord doesn't judge us by our accomplishments. He can't, because they're not our accomplishments!—They're His! Instead, He judges us by our faithfulness and the love in our hearts!—Our love for Him, our love for each other, our love for the lost! The Lord has said so much recently about faithfulness and yieldedness and love. He's been emphasizing these qualities over and over again. He's trying to get these points implanted in our hearts so that we will have the right spiritual priorities in our lives.

48. The Lord also comes out very strongly against comparison, one of the activities most devastating to our spiritual lives and one which drastically saps our spiritual strength. The Lord does not compare. He is not judging you by your job or your position. He doesn't love one person more because they have a "glorious" ministry, and love another less because they have a "little" job! His love for you doesn't have anything to do with what ministry you have. He loves you because you are you, and it doesn't have anything to do with your accomplishments, your ministry, or the way other people look at you. He loves you because you're you, because He created you to be a pleasure to Him, and He looks at your love and faithfulness, not your accomplishments. He doesn't compare you with others.—And for the record, neither do I, nor Peter, nor your WS leadership!

49. So if the Lord doesn't compare us with each other, then why should we do it? Why keep falling into this trap of the Devil? Take a stand against it! Now that you know that the Lord doesn't compare you with anyone else, you have no legitimate reason for comparing! Now that you know you don't have to compete with others for the Lord's Love or favor, and now that you know that someone who seems to accomplish more than you isn't going to get rewarded more because of it, you can stop comparing!

50. So many of you have these trials—and it really is a deadly tool of the Devil to weaken you and make you ineffective! You feel others are more talented than you are, more used, more handsome or beautiful, better shepherds, better witnessers, better teachers, stronger, exercise their gifts better.—The list goes on and on! I hope what the Lord said here will help you to get a lasting victory in this area. I hope you will believe Him, that all of that doesn't matter.

51. Perhaps someone is more talented, more used, more everything, but to God it doesn't matter! He judges you by what you do with the talents He's given you, not the talents that He's given to someone else! He loves you!—And if you love Him and others and you're doing your best to yield to Him and be faithful in what He's asked you to do, that's all that counts. So stop comparing yourself to others!—Because He isn't! Stop being jealous or envious! It'll get you nowhere—except into the pit of self-pity where the Devil is trying to drag you!

52. Of course, we realize that you're not just concerned about the Lord's opinion and whether He's comparing you with others. You're also concerned about the opinions of your peers. You worry about how you'll fare if they compare you with others. Or else you compare yourself with others, which often leads to discontentment and even serious discouragement. That's why the Lord warns us not to look at what another has in the way of blessings, position, talents, etc.—In other words, not to be jealous of them. It's really a dead–end street which will just drag you down.

53. The only way out of comparing—or envy—battles is to be thankful for what the Lord has given you‚ trying to be content in whatever state you're in, knowing that He is doing all He can to make you happy and use you to the full. The only way you'll find lasting joy and true satisfaction is to put your whole heart into what He wants you to do, and not spend your time wishing you were somebody else, somewhere else, doing something else.

54. When Dad was with us on Earth he repeatedly emphasized the point—which he again brought out in the above prophecy—that the Lord will reward us for our love for others, our obedience and our faithfulness, and that all our faithfulness in whatever sphere He places us will pay off with great rewards! The following quotes from the Letters are very applicable:

55. "When the day of rewards comes around at the great Judgment Seat of Christ in Heaven, and we get our crowns and our stars, we're going to see some of the littlest people that we never heard of and never saw and never even realized existed, come up to get some of the greatest crowns!—Because they were little folks who were behind the scenes, almost unseen and unknown, who did the humblest jobs‚ the humblest ministrations to make the ministry of the others possible.

56. "A lot of those nobodies who are slaving away behind the scenes scrubbing floors and doing dishes and cooking and having babies and teaching the children and helping financially‚ litnessing and provisioning and all the rest, the mechanics who take care of the cars, and the technicians who run the machines, a lot of them are not getting much reward now. ... But I'll tell you, God knows, God sees, and 'thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly‚' and great shall be thy reward! (Mat.6:4,18). One of these days the whole world and all Heaven and all Earth and all Hell are going to know who you are, and what you did‚ and how much you sacrificed, and how hard you worked, and how little thanks you got and how little appreciation, and then the Lord's going to show'm and tell'm!" ("Little People‚" ML #974:2‚13,14.)

57. "I think some of the little people who do the most unseen jobs are perhaps going to get rewarded the most one of these days. They're the ones who are going to step out and get the medals and the rewards and the crowns, and for the first time really get what is coming to them, and the whole universe is going to know!

58. "'Well, who is that? Never heard of them!' 'Don't you know? This is one of the typists who made the ministry possible!' 'Typist?' Dum-ta-dum-ta-dum! Out step some others: 'Who are they? Never heard of them!’ 'Why, these are the cooks!' Dum-ta–dum-ta-dum. 'Who in the world are those, that motley crew?' 'Those are the ones who washed the dishes, swept the floor, mowed the lawn, raked the leaves and kept the books!' Praise the Lord?" ("Run the Race!" ML #1374:10-11.)

The Everlasting Reward of The Children of David!

59. When I was thinking and praying about what Dad said in the above prophecy about how everyone is so happy and content in Heaven, I realized that some of you may wonder how that can be true. You might think, "Well, what about the people whom the Bible says will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt? How can they eventually be so happy and content? What about the people who knew the Lord but never served Him, those who weren't obedient‚ faithful or yielded? Won't they be quite ashamed? What's the advantage of serving the Lord in this life and struggling and fighting so hard and sacrificing‚ if everybody is going to be content and happy in Heaven, whether you do or don't?"

60. Those are good questions! I have to admit that some of those questions crossed my mind too when I heard Dad's prophecy. I wasn't worried or concerned about these points, though, as I had faith that Dad was right and that he had a good reason for saying what he said, even if we don't understand it all. But after praying about it further, I felt it would be good to ask the Lord for a little more information in order to clarify this point in this GN. Following is what the Lord said in response when we came before Him in prayer, asking the above questions.

61. (Prophecy:) I am a God of Love and mercy and righteousness and tenderness and forgiveness and sympathy. My judgments are true and righteous altogether. My rewards are absolutely fair. My judgment is totally honest. My recompense is absolutely true.

62. I give unto each one as he has given unto Me of his life and his labor, his tears and his prayers and his concern. Everything that you do for Me in this life is greatly rewarded in the life that is to come—much more than you could ever imagine! You will be given an hundredfold for every bit of love and concern and labor that is given to My Kingdom.

63. There is no sacrifice that will go unrewarded or unseen or unnoticed by Me, for I watch your every move and I know your every thought. I see your tears and I hear your prayers. I feel your concern, and when you struggle, I am moved with compassion upon you. When you are tempted and when you are weary and weak, I am moved with compassion upon you. When you are victorious, I rejoice with you. When you are strengthened and you go forth to battle to fight against the Enemy, I see, I hear, I understand‚ and I record these acts of valor, courage and dedication. And you will be rewarded far beyond your wildest dreams! For I am a just God and I give unto each one his just reward.

64. For those children of David who serve Me faithfully with all their hearts‚ who are My warriors of the Endtime‚ it is noted in the annals of Heaven. There is an everlasting record of your service for Me and the sacrifices you have made, and this record will bring you much glory and much praise in the Heavenly Kingdom.

65. And so it is with those who fail to serve Me, even those who know Me and love Me but fail to give their lives for Me, but instead serve themselves or serve the worldly kingdom, or serve their own desires or their quest for fame or power or riches. Their lack of service and their lack of sacrifice and their lack of love is also recorded in the annals of Heaven, and there is an everlasting record of their failures and their lack of dedication and service for Me.

66. So what is everlasting is not their shame‚ but the record of their shame. For I am a just and loving and tender and compassionate and forgiving God, and even those who are ashamed because they did not serve Me as they should have in their life on Earth, will, with time, be delivered from the shame. They will be restored to a place of happiness and contentment, for they will find forgiveness, and they will be able to learn the lessons that they failed to learn in that life. They will be able to progress, they will be able to serve Me in the life to come, and they will be able to grow and mature and become strong in My Spirit.

67. But you, My children of David, are already strong in the Spirit and strong in your knowledge of My Word. You are already My warriors of the Endtime. The great sacrifices that you make, your lives of service to Me, and your willingness to lay down your lives and resist the temptations of the world and the sirens of the System who beckon you to come and partake of her riches and her pollution and her corruption and wickedness‚ shall be recorded!

68. You who resist these temptations because of your great love for Me and your desire to serve Me shall be raised to receive a great crown of reward‚ and your faithful service on Earth shall be remembered. It shall be an everlasting glory to you. It shall be an everlasting honor that you gave your life and you believed and you served Me, having not seen. This shall be counted unto you as great faith, and for this, you shall receive a great reward, and with it, tremendous happiness and contentment. Everywhere you travel in My Heavenly Kingdom, you shall be known as My faithful children, those who gave their lives for Me in the Endtime, those who were My final witnesses of the End!

69. This is a crown of reward that shall never be taken from you! It shall be remembered and revered and heralded for all time. This is the everlasting reward of the children of David. (End of prophecy.)

70. (Mama:) Wow, doesn't that make you want to fight for your Heavenly reward?! Just think, your faithfulness and perseverance now, in spite of the hardships and difficulties you face, will be remembered in Heaven forever. That's a terrific motivation, if you ask me! Praise the Lord! Thank You‚ precious Jesus, for the great Love You have that has put this wonderful plan into effect for us. Thank You for Your Love in not only creating such a wonderful life for us There, but for giving us a chance to see glimpses of it now, and be encouraged and given hope for the future. You're so wonderful, Jesus‚ and You do everything to make us happy.

It Will Be Worth It All When We See Jesus!

71. In the same prayer session, Dad commented on his message about how everyone in Heaven continues to make progress and is so content and happy. First he encouraged me, saying, "I love you, Honey! You know me, I like to just give what the Lord gives me and let the chips fall where they may! That's why the Lord made you and me a team, because you're so good at seeing not the other side, but another side, and having a heart and mind for the children and their questions that will come up. So that's good, Honey! You were right to ask the Lord for more insight and for further information, and the Lord just said it all so beautifully. His mercy truly is from everlasting to everlasting!"

72. Then Dad went on to explain that he in no way meant for us to take what he said to mean that we didn't need to keep trying, progressing and moving ahead while here on Earth. He said, "Learning, learning, learning, it never ends! I said that before and I still say it! Life Here and there would be boring without challenges—things to look forward to, things to work towards, goals to strive to reach!

73. "It pays to serve Jesus! It pays every day in every way. It pays because you know you're pleasing the Lord. It pays because He gives you blessings—blessings of heart‚ blessings of happiness, blessings of contentment‚ blessings of your every need supplied, and virtually your every want and desire, too.

74. "I just want to encourage you‚ my dear children, that it is worth it all! It will be worth it all when you see Jesus. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows and trials and tribulation and suffering and hard work will erase. And victory does belong to the most persevering! So I want to encourage you to keep fighting! Keep persevering! Keep plugging along and plodding along in whatever way you can, wherever you are.

75. "Don't be weary in well-doing, for in due season you will reap, because you didn't faint and you didn't give up the fight! You didn't give up and say, 'Oh well‚ what's the use! I can't make it. I can't go any further.' But you just hung on and you kept going. It will be more than music to your ears to hear the Lord's 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant!' Even if you don't feel faithful, even if you don't feel good, just serve Him and you'll be glad you did."

76. (Mama:) So, dear ones, if you're going through a particularly difficult time right now, remember these words from the Lord and Dad. If you feel confused or weak, or like you just can't take any more and you're tempted to give up, don't lose hope. The Lord knows and has planned every detail of your life, and even if it's hard for you to understand what He's doing or why, you can know by faith that He will use every experience to help prepare you to be His Endtime soldier. You're now being trained as one of His special elite troops! So don't give up that high calling! It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

Trust Him in the Desert Places!

77. Related to the question of position, which the Lord answered above, is another question which some of you have, and that is about your training. You have the training, but how can you put it to use? Right now it may seem like all those things you have learned and all that training that has been invested in you is just going to waste. Some of you feel like some of those college graduates who have gone through school and gotten their training and now can't find a job.

78. Many of you gained a tremendous amount of practical and spiritual training while living in other Homes. At that time you carried a lot of responsibility, which helped you feel needed, as you knew people depended on you. Now you feel you have learned so much and experienced so much‚ so you should be able to use that knowledge and experience somehow. You should be able to make use of the skills that you've acquired. You're bursting with all this potential‚ but you just don't see any outlet for it, there doesn't seem to be any opportunity on the horizon for you to use it.

79. I can understand that that is difficult for you. I really do sympathize; I know this is a very real battle. So I asked the Lord to explain what He's doing in the lives of you young people during this time of transition from our previous era of big Homes to our present lifestyle under the Love Charter. I understand that many of you feel rather unsettled or unchallenged or unneeded, so I asked the Lord what He is trying to teach you or show you. What can you do to continue to prepare for the future, so you will fulfill His promises for you?

80. I knew the Lord was interested in giving you all the help that He could right now, because some of you senior teens and YAs are really being buffeted and attacked. The Enemy is trying to destroy your usefulness and get you to give up. Each of you is extremely valuable to the Lord, so the Devil certainly has an interest in attacking you vehemently and viciously, trying to get you discouraged and even get you completely out of the Family, out of the Lord's will, and out of His work. So I asked the Lord to give you more encouragement! It's wonderful to hear from Him!—And He gave an answer which I believe will be a great help to you.

81. (Prophecy, Jesus speaking:) Consider My great men who have walked the face of the Earth, and the great and mighty things that they have done. You look at their greatness and the way they were so mightily used of Me, that they were My mouthpieces, they were My Word, they wrought miracles, they brought forth great wonders, they delivered great messages and they accomplished My will greatly. Why could they do these things? Because they were faithful in that which was least. Because I tested them and I tried them and I proved them, and they came through as faithful men, as obedient men, as yielded men.

82. Consider the breakings that these went through to become the men that I wanted them to be. You read of their exploits and glories, but there was not space in My Book to write of all that they went through. The things you read about them were the outcroppings, the peaks, the highlights. They had these because day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, they obeyed Me, they followed Me, they served Me. They learned in the little things so that they would be faithful in the big things.

83. Consider Moses‚ who grew up in the palace of the king 40 years, and who grew up in My palace another 40 years—a palace of breaking, a palace of humility, the palace where he learned of the true King and the ways of the true King.

84. Consider Samuel, who though as a young child was in My house and in My care and grew up with My Word, was of age before fully used by Me.

85. Consider My servant Paul‚ who was called by My hand and My voice and healed, and who after his conversion was involved in great things, exciting things. Yet he too spent much time in the desert, the spiritual desert, learning, being fed of Me, being tested. And having proven himself true and faithful, he was then able to be greatly used.

86. Even when I walked upon the face of the Earth, I had many things to learn and wisdom to gain before I came into the greatness of My ministry.

87. Consider your David, who also labored in the desert, and who was tested and tried and proven; a man faithful to Me, a man who loved Me, a man who served Me, even though at that time his hopes and dreams and aspirations were not fulfilled. And then I fulfilled them beyond his wildest imagination!

88. Year upon year upon year‚ I have poured out to you My Words, My training, My Truth, My light‚ My wisdom and My Love—so much so that these have become a part of you. They are one with you. They are part of your innermost being. I have poured out to you young ones in greater abundance, in more fullness, in more understanding and with more truth than I have poured upon any children throughout the ages! For it is necessary because of the Tribulation that you will undergo‚ and I even now prepare you.

89. You say, "I have all of this, I need to use it, I must use it. Where is it that I can use it? When is it that I can use it? I have it and I want to use it!" I say to you, you are as the clay in the hands of the Potter. The substance is there, the potential is there, and you are being formed into the vessels that I will make you to be. But have patience, have faith, for all that you go through—the testings‚ the trials, the purgings—these are the things that turn you into the vessel that I would make you to be. For you are in My hands and I am molding you.

90. Do not be discouraged or dismayed. Be patient, for I have given you much training. Yet it is as those who have received great knowledge, but who now must learn to translate the knowledge into action, that that which they learned and has become a part of them will ooze out of their spirits and out of their lives. Thus have I set you free to operate more according to My Words and according to the training that I have poured into you. These days are your testing ground to see if you can learn to use the knowledge, to use all that I have poured into you, in a wise and loving manner.

91. Some have grasped this and they grow abundantly! But many have yet to learn how to truly take My Word, that which has been poured into them, and use it in their own lives, unbridled by overseers, unbridled by those who tell them, "You must do this and you must do that." These must learn to use My Words‚ to use the training, to use My Spirit in their lives, that they may become even more prepared for that which is ahead. I say to you‚ the days ahead shall be days of your usefulness, days of your fulfillment, days in which you shall see within yourselves the might and power of God!

92. But to be fully used in those days, you must in these days learn to use My power, My Spirit, My Love, My Words, and the training that I have poured into you. These are not easy days, for they are days of testing, of purging‚ of trying—the days of the making of a man or a woman, the days where I mold you. The final product of My molding depends greatly upon the malleability of the clay, upon the water that has been poured onto it, upon how it yields within My hands as I mold and make it.

93. Do not judge your usefulness by your title or your position‚ for I do not judge this way. Do not desire these positions of great leadership, for if you desire them and don't receive them, you will be disappointed. Desire My will for your life and seek this: Seek to learn and to grow. Seek to draw nigh to Me. Seek to pass through the desert places, that you may come out as a man or woman of understanding, as a man or woman of depth, as a man or woman anointed of My Spirit. For I too spent time alone in the desert places, and I too went through the testings and purgings.

94. When you find yourself in the desert place, do not fear, do not give up, for it is there that I am able to mold you and to form you. It is there that the decisions are made as to the kind of vessel you will become. It is there you come to know Me, to trust Me, and to love Me. It is there I come to know your fiber, what you are made of, and thus I can mold you into the vessel that I have chosen.

95. So in the times of despair and the times of deep discouragement and the times when you look about you and say, "What is happening? How could this be?"—When you feel like saying, "My God, My God‚ why hast Thou forsaken me?"—Know that in those times I am not only there with you, but that I am watching, I am waiting. It is in those times that you make the decision of how greatly I can use all that has been poured into you.

96. Trust Me in the desert places. Just trust Me. Just hang on. Just lay down your own ways, your own desires, and say‚ "Not my will, but Thine be done." At that point, I know that I can trust you with the blessings, with the anointing and with the power of My Spirit that I will pour out to you in the days to come.

97. So be patient‚ and know that I am He that forms you. I am the Potter, you are the vessel. Give Me the moldable clay of your life that I may make you into the useful vessel of My choosing, of our choosing. For the vessel you become is a vessel of My choice and of your choice together. (End of prophecy.)

98. (Mama: ) This is a very important message for you young people—and for all of us, really. The Lord is saying that He has given you much training in His Word—and of course in practical matters as well—and now He is testing you to see what you are going to do with it. Now that the Love Charter is in effect and you are responsible for your own decisions and actions, He is testing you to see if you will keep close to Him, if you will apply all that you have been given, if you can translate the knowledge that you have received into action without someone constantly having to stand over you, making sure you do the right thing.

99. Some of you have been going through major tests and trials, you've been crossing your particular "Jordan." Some have given up and gone back because they didn't want to keep fighting. Others of you have kept going even when you felt you had no more strength, no more faith; yet you kept going, trusting that Jesus would carry you through. It's the decisions that you make in those times of testing, when you feel you have been pushed to the edge and feel like giving up, that show what you're made of.

100. When you find yourself in the desert place of hardship, of discouragement, of affliction—any desert place—that's the time when the Lord finds out just what you can take, just what your faith is made of, just how much you believe and hang on to His Word, His promises. And once He knows that you will trust Him in both sunny and stormy weather, then He knows He can count on you, that He can trust you‚ and thus He can use you more fully. (For more on this subject‚ please see "Personal Letters!—No.6, Trusting Brings Triumph!" ML #3004, GN 644; and "A Year of Growth!—A New Year's Message," ML #3026, GN 660.)

Keep the Vision!

101. The Lord didn't stop with the wonderful counsel given in the messages above, but He kept pouring it out!—In another message from Dad! I think you'll be very encouraged with this prophecy, as Dad again reassures you that the vision put forth in the Word will become reality! The promises that the Lord gave you young people will come to pass! So don't lose hope! Keep the faith, and follow Dad's wonderful counsel in the following message.

102. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) My job while there was to give you the vision‚ because if you had the vision, then you had the faith, the courage, the initiative and the drive to go forward toward the vision!—Because you did believe and do believe those things that I said, and they're true! Because of this, you have the faith to keep marching forward.

103. If I didn't tell you what you could become or what the Lord's plan for you was‚ you definitely would lose the vision. For why else would anybody want to go through the fires of testing and purging? Why would anybody want to march through the desert, the heat, or the cold, if they didn't know what was ahead? They wouldn't do it! It's like those who go mining for gold, having to go deep into the mountains, laboring; they wouldn't do it if they didn't believe that they would find the gold‚ the blessings‚ and that which they search for.—And neither would you!

104. Why do you think the Lord told us so much about Heaven? Why do you think He tells you of the blessings, the things of the Spirit? Because He gives you the vision! He lets you know of the rewards. He lets you know what you are going to become and how He is going to use you.

105. He gives you the vision, the vision, the vision! His Message, His Words‚ give you the vision. The things that He gave me to tell you gave you the vision, and you have the vision. Also, I told you the other side, of the fight, the battles‚ and what it costs. But I always put before you the vision, because that's what gives you the courage. His Word is the vision. And as you look to the vision, to the blessings that He has promised, it gives you the faith and the courage to walk through the desert, to climb to the heights of the mountains, to pass through the depths of the waters, because you see what's ahead.

106. I have given the Words that He gave me to give you, that vision, so that you would have the faith to pass through the difficulties. So don't feel that it hasn't happened and you're not being used, because it's going to happen and you're going to be used. It's coming! Keep the vision, keep looking ahead, look to His Words, believe the vision and go forward in faith and courage!

107. It's like one who goes on a long hike and sees in the distance the mountains that he wishes to reach. As long as he sees them and he knows they're there, he keeps walking. He keeps hiking because he sees where he's going. So keep the vision‚ believe the Words, and keep marching forward! And believe me, you will reach the goal and He will use you just as He has promised!

108. When you're tempted to look around at the conditions, the situation, and it doesn't seem like things are going the way they should, look up! Look to the vision‚ look to the Word and believe it. Focus on what He has said, because He will perform it all, and He will perform it in your life just as He has promised.

109. Above all, keep the vision of Heaven, the vision of being Here with Him! Because when you arrive Here, the vision becomes true, it becomes reality, and it becomes far more glorious than you have imagined! For though you've been told much about this wonderful, wonderful life beyond, and though I told you as much as I could tell you, you're still just seeing through a glass darkly‚ for there are not words to express the wonders of being Here, the glories that await you‚ and the immense Love that He has for you!

110. The vision that I gave you through the Words while I was there, though sufficient to keep you looking upward, ever upward, is truly nothing compared to the reality of what is Here! So keep the vision, keep marching forward‚ keep looking ahead, upward, ever upward‚ and great will be your reward Here, in the reality of the vision! (End of prophecy.)

111. (Mama: ) I just love these new MO Letters, don't you? They're still changing our lives, with each one we read. And I never cease to marvel at the Lord's wonderful, loving plan for us in having Dad continue to be able to speak to us just as clearly as before. What a miracle! What a privilege! What a gift from the Lord!

112. This prophecy from Dad is a very good reminder of the importance of keeping the vision‚ as that's what gives you the faith, determination and strength to keep fighting, even in the face of obstacles. If things aren't going as you had hoped, if you find you're having to work extra hard to get something done or make desired progress, if you're wavering somewhat on a goal you've set, or you're getting weary in well–doing, just look to the vision!

113. Look upward, look forward and remind yourself of the rewards ahead! The Lord knew you'd sometimes get discouraged or be tempted to quit, and that's why He has given so much insight about what is to come and how He will use you and reward you in the future. And like Dad said in the above prophecy, what the Lord has promised will come to pass!

114. If you are lacking in inspiration, take some time to renew your vision in the Word! Remember what Dad said in "Old Bottles":

115. "The reason some people sit down and quit and begin to sit back and fall out is simply because they have lost their vision. And when they lose the vision, they lose faith. And when they lose faith, they no longer have any initiative to do anything. Backsliding is the reverse of pioneering, and when you stop pioneering you start backsliding. So people who stop pioneering because they no longer have faith to take the initiative, to do something different or pioneer a new field‚ it's because they have lost the vision, and without a vision the people perish. They backslide and sink back into oblivion.

116. "What are the four things that make a pioneer?—First of all, vision! Because of the vision you have the faith. Because you have the faith, that gives you the courage, and therefore with the courage you take the initiative, and you pioneer and make progress! If you stop pioneering, it shows you have lost all these things. Why have you lost the faith and the courage?—Because you've lost the vision! Without a vision the people perish! So if you're defeated, and your surrender and your backsliding can be traced all the way down the line to your loss of vision‚ where did you lose the vision? How did you lose the vision?

117. "Here's a simple illustration: We've just been sitting here watching the news on television, and when it was all over‚ we flipped a little switch which cut off the contact to the power, the source of power, and the vision faded and disappeared, down to a little tiny pinpoint of light, and finally that faded out to total darkness! How do you lose the vision?—Somewhere there's been a break in the contact with the source of power" (ML #242:5,10,11).

118. (Mama:) In that Letter, Dad goes on to say that you can keep your vision and your connection with the source of power by keeping that intimate contact with God‚ that direct personal hotline to God! This means your own personal hotline through prayer and hearing from Him fresh daily, and your connection through the written Word. So seek Him daily! Keep your connection strong! Keep the vision!

You Are All Leaders of God's Sheep!

119. In all our discussion about leadership and how to put into practice the training you've received, let's not forget an important avenue of leadership, and that's your witnessing and follow–up. You may not feel like much of a leader or shepherd in the Family. You may feel like your gifts aren't that great or dynamic. But as you have probably already experienced‚ when you get involved with people outside the Family through your witnessing, follow-up and ministering spiritually, very quickly you find people looking up to you, admiring you, following you, and feeding from the wisdom the Lord's given you through your years of training in the Word‚ and even in practical matters. Each one of you is a leader, a shepherd of the Lord's sheep, regardless of whether you hold a position of leadership within the Family.

120. In "Go Ye into All the World," when the Lord was encouraging our young people to go to Russia to help reap the harvest and train the nationals, He gave a very important message which can also apply to this question. He said:

121. "My fold is full of shepherds. The folds of David are all shepherds. They are all leaders, for they have been called to lead the world. Therefore, My fold is overflowing with shepherds!

122. "Let My shepherds go, that they may shepherd the sheep! … Let My shepherds go, that they may learn that they are shepherds, for some know not that they are shepherds, but think they are still sheep. Therefore, let My shepherds go, that they may go forth and feed and care for and nurture the sheep, and use that which they have been taught and shown of Me these many years.

123. "The folds of David are full of shepherds. Have I not hand-picked them, each and every one? Is it not written that I have chosen you?—Ye have not chosen Me. And have I not chosen the best for the folds of David? Have I not chosen the shepherds for the folds of David? For ye are sheep, but ye are shepherds also.

124. "Many within the folds of David now are sheep, but when they go into the folds of the world … then they shall be shepherds. For they know how to feed the sheep and they know how to lead them, and they hear My voice and they obey it" (ML #2990:62-65, GN 631).

125. Our Family is like a leadership training school, and the Lord's investment in you will not be wasted. He has called you young people to be His leaders of the Endtime, and much of that calling will be fulfilled as you lead non-Family members through your witnessing, follow-up, "consider the poor" ministries, etc. You may be experiencing that to some degree already, but you will see it come to pass on a greater scale in the days to come.

126. If you want a job with leadership potential and great rewards, then try witnessing! Dad said‚ "The toughest and the greatest of all are our bold‚ brave [witnessers], the ones who are out there at the battlefront beating the pavements every day and facing the enemy face-to-face! You are our greatest soldiers!—You [witnessers] out there face-to-face with the enemy! You're our frontline troops, you're in the forefront of the war! You'll have the greatest rewards and the greatest honors from God!—Not us back–behind-the–desk generals who are merely directing you! You're going to get the greatest reward! I believe it!" (ML #597:49,50).

Doorkeepers, Training and Middle-age Crisis!

127. I was planning to end this GN here, but just a few days ago we received another message from Dad that was amazingly related to what has already been said, which fills in some of the gaps and rounds out the picture a little more. The following message came as a result of our asking the Lord for encouragement for several folks who have written in, pouring out their hearts about how they feel that they missed out on the training programs of the pre-Charter days—the delegates' meetings, training centers‚ etc. They felt that they had been passed by for various reasons, and now they had missed their opportunities and it didn't seem that there would be other ones in the future. Some of you younger teens may feel the same way.

128. Some of you older teens and YAs are worried because you got so much training and now you don't feel you have ample opportunity to use it. These folks didn't get the training, and now they feel they've lost the opportunity. This is a concern that not only some of you young people have, but especially you older ones‚ as the young people were often given top priority when it came to training programs, and you adults sacrificed so that they could get the training. I think you'll see things much more positively after hearing Dad tell us how the Lord looks at it.

129. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) Dear ones, I'm sure you've all felt Mama's love and my love through the Letters. And even though you haven't met Mama personally, you can feel her love, which is the Lord's Love through her words. I said when I was there‚ that when I'm gone the sheep would look to her and eat out of her hand, and they would know her as their gentle shepherdess‚ Maria the compassionate; they would know she understands how they feel and would be close to them. It certainly has come to pass, as you feel that Mama understands you and wants to listen to you and hear about your problems, knowing that she will love you anyway, and will be open to you and want to take you in her arms and hold you and pray for you and accept you as you are.

130. Any of you who feel left out, or misunderstood, or that you haven't been able to find your place, or you don't have anyone to pour out to, you must believe in the Lord's Love for you, and do not doubt, thinking you have been passed by. You must have faith and trust that the Lord is in control of your life no matter what happens. Everyone has their share of blessings, heartaches and hardships; that's part of the Lord's training for you. The Lord doesn't make life harder for some than others, just to be mean or cruel or to punish people! You must trust in His Love. Do you think that the Lord blesses some people more than others out of favoritism, or to give some more training than others, and leave others out? This would be to say that the Lord is partial and selective in His Love, and He is not.

131. Great planning, detail, and care goes into each of your lives. There is nothing about you that is not known to Him. There is no detail in your life that is not seen by Him. There is no thought that is not heard, no action that goes unsurveyed. Nothing happens to you by accident. So you must trust and believe that the Lord is watching over you and that He loves you.

132. Those of you who have been in the Family many years, faithfully plugging along day in and day out with little recognition, doing the little things, the menial things, the same things over and over, year after year, you are just as much chosen and hand–picked by the Lord for your job as a CRO, or a performer, or those in Mama's house! You'll not be rewarded by your position, but by your faithfulness. Even if you've been teaching children for 10 or 15 years and in your eyes it is not a very important job, in the Lord's eyes it is just as important as a leadership position. The "lofty" leader will get no greater a reward for his job than the "lowly" housekeeper, or those who witness day after day.

133. You're rewarded by how faithful you are with the talents and ministry you have received. So if you are just a doorkeeper, be thankful! You are important! There are many doorkeepers, because not everybody can be a leader. The Family is made of mainly doorkeepers. What does the verse say? "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord." Where are the doorkeepers?—In the Lord's house! That's a pretty great reward! It doesn't mention the great evangelists being in the Lord's house. It doesn't say, "I would rather be a great evangelist in the house of the Lord." It is the doorkeepers on Earth, who were just faithful with what the Lord had appointed them to do, who get some of the greatest rewards! So don't minimize being a doorkeeper with your humble jobs.

134. And if you haven't had the training that you think you need, trust that the Lord is giving you what is best for you. Trust Him with your life, trust Him with your training, trust Him that He knows best. If He knew you needed more training‚ He would have given it to you. Trust that God is in control. You have to believe that, "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Do you believe that? It's His Word! Do you think God would fail you? He has promised that Heaven and Earth would pass away before He and His Word would fail you.

135. If you haven't received more training, then perhaps He knew you didn't need any more, but you were already very qualified for what He had chosen you to do, and that's a compliment! Only those who are not qualified for the job that they are chosen for need training so that they will be qualified. If you were going to be a junior high teacher, you wouldn't be studying for a diploma in nuclear physics. It would be useless knowledge for the job you needed to do.

136. Many of you are coming to, or are of the age in your life—middle-aged—where things can become a little undefined, or you feel a little bit useless, or you feel the need for more challenge. Sometimes they call this "middle–age crisis," where you feel you've been doing the same thing for a long time with little to show for it, or you feel you're being passed by or "put out to pasture." Or the new people coming in seem to far surpass you, or get jobs and places that you seem to be even better qualified for. I understand your feelings—a feeling of confusion and rejection and‚ "What am I here for? Where am I going? What's the use?"

137. There are many others who have had to pass through this trial, even dear missionaries in foreign lands who worked year after year among the natives with little to show for it. Well, it's like the Letter "Shtick!"—The Lord will reward you for shticking and for being a doorkeeper. I was the first doorkeeper in the Family, and I had to go through the mid-life crisis when I came to my mid–40s. I only had my four children—no church, no ministry‚ and nothing to show for my life. But look what the Lord did! So hang on! If you keep being faithful‚ the Lord will use you and reward you greatly!

138. The best training you have is the Letters. They are the Word of God, which never fails. It is always faithful, always a good sample. You couldn't ask for better training than all the thousands upon thousands of Words I have written, and other pubs on subjects from handyman to childcare. There is no better training since the beginning of time than the Words that have been written for you. It's all there. The Letters are the leaders, as I said many years ago—the best leaders‚ the most loving leaders, the most faithful, unchanging, always dependable. It's all there for you.

139. You're also getting trained by your spirit helpers and those from this side if you seek their help and are yielded. They can speak to your mind and heart and give you even better training than some of your earthly leaders who have fallen short at times. So continue fighting, continue following, continue shticking, continue learning. There are lots of worlds yet to conquer! Don't be like poor old Alexander the Great who died crying, saying there were no more worlds to conquer. There are exciting worlds in the Spirit if you keep your connection open and fresh and hear from Him every day, and you'll get plenty of training, lots of training.—More training than you can even handle!

140. So pray! Seek the Lord and hear from Him! I'm still getting training! Your training has only begun! You've got the best training you could ever get—me, the Lord, and the Letters. Praise God! And now you've got Mama and the gift of prophecy, where the Lord can train you Himself.

141. So get the vision and get with it! Ask the Lord for whatever training you want, but most of all, sign a blank sheet of paper. And if you're called to be a doorkeeper, be the best doorkeeper you can be! Love, Dad. (End of prophecy.)

142. (Mama:) This wonderful message from Dad is so full of encouragement! There are so many jewels in there!—Lessons on

(1) trusting that the Lord loves you as an individual and is watching over you;

(2) the benefits of faithfulness, even if you get little recognition‚ variety or opportunity for promotion;

(3) how to cope with some of the battles that come with middle age; and

(4) where you can get the best and most reliable training, and lots of it!

Please take time to reread this Letter from Dad so you won't miss any of the precious counsel he has to offer.

143. The Lord has blessed us so richly‚ more than words can describe. And as you continue to follow closely, you will feel more and more of His blessing. God bless you, dear Family. Keep going for Jesus! I love you!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family