Maria #418CM 316412/97

By Maria

To my dear precious Family,

1. We are nearing the close of the Family birthday celebration for 1998. I pray that this has been a time of inspiration, refilling and reflection for each of you. No doubt the Lord has spoken to your hearts in many ways, and I believe that each person sincerely wants to begin anew and make the changes that the Lord wants you to make. I trust that by now many of you have had the opportunity or will take time in the near future to read, think about and commit to the Lord your own open heart prayer that the Lord gave for you personally, which was printed in GN 769. I believe that your praying that prayer will result in many tremendous miracles and mighty victories.

2. Your time of personal fellowship with the Lord—the one to one, heart to heart communion between you and your wonderful Husband and Lover—is very precious and necessary. It's crucial to your walk with Him and it's a very important step toward the progress that I know you want to make, but I felt that it would also be good to have a time when you unitedly come before the Lord and each other to renew your commitment to live the standard of the Word, the Law of Love, the guidelines of the Charter, and the New Wine that the Lord is pouring forth and will continue to pour forth abundantly. So I asked the Lord for a closing message, a type of commitment ceremony that you could share together, and He gave the following messages and vision which I believe will be a boost of encouragement and inspiration for you.

A Fresh New Start!

3. In this first message the Lord gives some very important practical advice about how you can find the fresh start and new beginning that you desire. I understand how daunting it can be when you want to have a radical change in your life, yet you find yourself in the same circumstances‚ living and working with the same people. It's much easier if you can have a complete change‚ including a change of your surroundings, your working relationships and even your ministry. But that's hardly practical or possible in most situations, so the Lord has given us the following wonderful counsel which offers the keys to overcoming, changing and progressing, even if the relationships and physical circumstances that you find yourself in remain the same.

4. I know how difficult it is to change, to become the new creature that you want to be, when you have a lot of preconceived ideas about the people that you live and work with, or when you feel that they have labeled you negatively, or when you feel that you've had a lot of unpleasant experiences in the past which have created rifts in the spirit that seem almost impossible to heal.

5. But the Lord knows that it is possible to change, to begin again, to forgive and forget, to learn lessons and become a new creature. With Him all things are possible! He can give you a fresh start if you'll just follow the simple loving counsel He gives below.

6. (Jesus speaking:) If you really want a fresh, new start with someone, in the way you interact with them and how you look at them, if you really want to break out of your old habits and ways of doing things, your old way of looking at a person, then all you need to do is the humble thing. You need to be humble and realize that I love that person very much, and I've been working in their life‚ too.

7. They feel your interaction. They feel the way you look at them, what you think about them, and how you treat them. They feel it in the spirit. So if you want to change anything about the way you work with someone, the way you relate to them and communicate and talk with them, then you just need to ask Me for new eyes.

8. Just be desperate and ask Me to change things, and I will. Fight for it and work for it in all that you say and do. Ask Me to give you a brand–new spirit, a fresh, new outlook on the people around you, a good, new way of thinking about them and talking to them. The only thing that will hold you back is the past and the old dead habits, the old dried-up interactions, the same old stale habits that you don't like anyway. You want the fresh! You want the new! You want to be able to express the new creature that you are. You want to be able to interact with the love, understanding and joy of My Spirit—and you can!

9. You are a new creature if you want to be, for I have made you new! I've given you new ways of thinking, new ways of behaving, new ways of loving, new ways of seeing Me, new ways of seeing others, new ways of looking at yourself. It's only the Enemy that tells you, "It won't work; you're not new. You're not able; you'll never change. You'll never be able to treat this person or that person any differently. They're not new. They haven't changed; they'll never change. It's just the same old uninspired relationship, and nothing's ever going to be able to help." But I don't tell you that‚ because it's not true!

10. Anyone who wants it—who wants a fresh new start, a fresh new approach to life‚ or to people, or to their work, or to their ministry‚ or to their husband or wife or children, or to someone that they don't get along with—can have it! You can be what I want you to be! You can give the love that I have inside of you, that's just waiting to burst out! You can give good, Spirit–filled reactions. You can give inspiring, encouraging words. You can give love and affection without partiality. You can think positive, uplifting thoughts. You can resist the attacks of the Enemy. You can let My Spirit flow through you and make you different!

11. You don't have to live in the past or let the past dictate how you live today. You don't have to be what you were yesterday, and you don't have to look at others and think about them the way they used to be. They want to change and have changed just as much as you want to change and have changed. You can be part of the changes that they desperately seek by treating them as new creatures. And you can treat them as new creatures by asking Me to give you the faith for new eyes for them.

12. It's humbling to step out by faith and make a fresh new start with someone who you have old habits with. It can be very humbling, and the Enemy will use your pride to persuade you not to do it. He will really try to get you to never take that first step, and keep you in the same old treadmill of the old mindsets. But look beyond all that, and grab My hand that is reaching out to help you.

13. If you take the first step to react with new eyes and a new spirit, then every other step after that will be much easier. But the first step is very important, the first reactions of the day, because they set the standard and the spirit for every other step. When you start off on the right foot, with the right spirit and the right outlook, you make it much easier for yourself, and you make it much easier for Me to pour through you, because you're doing the right thing. But if you start off on the wrong foot, with the wrong reactions and the wrong way of looking at things, I can't give you the new, because you're working with the old ways.

14. So let Me pour the new through you—all that is new and beautiful and wonderful in your life! Let Me use it to the full! Let Me shine through you! Let your new ways be a testimony to others of the power of My Spirit and of your yieldedness. Let Me give you a clean slate so you may write new things on it. All you have to do is erase all the old that is written on it and draw on My Spirit to write it afresh. It will be so beautiful!

15. But you say, "How can I do this? I just can't! It's so hard. I've tried so many times to change and make a fresh start, and it just doesn't work. I keep doing the same old things that I hate and that I don't want to do‚ and I just can't seem to get out of these old habits. I desperately want to be new and different in my interactions with people."

16. If you're desperately seeking Me for a change‚ that's all you need, and that will be the key to open the doors that you can't open by yourself. You don't have the love in yourself to do it. You don't have the humility or the grace or the strength or the understanding, but I do! You just need to draw on My strength and ask Me for help each step of the way.

17. It takes time to break old habits, and you must not get discouraged if you sometimes revert to your old ways. You have to keep the vision and believe that what I tell you is the truth, and you will have great victory. The greater your desperation, the greater the victory. The bigger the step of faith you take, the closer you are to bigger victories. The tighter you hang on to My Word, the more it will work for you. The harder you fight, the less the Enemy wants to fight the power of My Spirit in you.

18. You have great power of My Spirit at your disposal! All you have to do is believe and receive and live in it, and it will be so beautiful! (End of message from Jesus.)

19. When you have a chance, I suggest you discuss the practical things you can do to help bring about the changes you desire personally and as a Home. The above message has quite a few good tips, which I want to list briefly here‚ but there are probably others, some that are more specific, that the Lord will give you for your unique situation if you'll just take the time to think and pray about it.

Tips to Help You Change the Way You Are and How You Relate to Others

20. Be desperate and ask the Lord to change things‚ to change you!

21. Do the humble thing. Even if it kills your pride and makes you feel uncomfortable, do whatever the Lord is leading you to do to reach out, show love and take the first step.

22. Realize that the Lord loves the other person and He has been working in his or her life, too.

23. Ask the Lord to help you let go of the way you used to see someone so you can see them with new eyes—eyes of love, understanding, faith and forgiveness.

24. Work for the changes you want by praying about the way you relate to others and talk to them. Consider whether you need to do things differently. If you do, then take the time to go a step further and make some specific concrete decisions about how you would like to change.

25. Make a conscious effort to let go of the past and your old habits.

26. Don't listen to the Enemy when he tries to tell you that you and the people around you will never change. Recognize that that's a lie!

27. Don't live in the past. Don't look at others or think about them the way they used to be. Realize that they want to change, just as you want to change.

28. Treat those around you as new creatures by asking the Lord to give you the faith to see them with new eyes.

29. Take the first step to communicate, make things right, ask for forgiveness, spend time with someone, listen, share your heart, ask for a date, etc.

30. Try to begin each day in a positive spirit with a new outlook.

31. Realize that it takes time to break old habits. Don't get discouraged if you fall into your old ways sometimes. Just get up and try again.

32. Fight! Don't give up!

33. Realize that you are a new creature if you want to be. The Word says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2Cor.5:17). This includes new ways of thinking, behaving, loving and looking at yourself and others.

34. It's humbling to treat people differently than you have in the past. Remember that the Enemy will try to use your pride to persuade you not to do it.

35. You can help others make the changes they need to by employing the principle Dad taught us of, "Tell her she's beautiful and she'll be beautiful." Treat others like they are changed, like they are different, like they are making progress in their weak areas, and it will help give them the faith that they can be that way.

36. Let it be your goal to be a vessel for the Lord's Spirit and love, and a testimony to others of the power of yieldedness.

37. Don't just forget the old, but replace it with the new.

38. Ask for prayer.

39. Drink deeply of the New Wine. Accept it‚ believe it and live it!

40. Hear from the Lord personally in prophecy‚ and try with all your heart to do what He says.

41. Remember‚ "The greater your desperation, the greater the victory. The bigger the step of faith you take, the closer you are to bigger victories. The tighter you hang on to the Word, the more it will work for you. The harder you fight, the less the Enemy wants to fight the power of the Lord's Spirit in you."

42. Don't label people negatively‚ and if you have already done so, get rid of those labels! On this subject, the Lord gave the following message:

43. (Jesus speaking:) It's difficult to wisely judge others' feelings, motives or desires. It takes supernatural insight—and you gain that insight by looking at others through the eyes of love, hoping for the best, looking for the good.

44. One of the things that most effectively hinders people making progress is their being labeled negatively by their shepherds, parents or peers. I want to erase those labels, to knock them off from around the necks of those who are burdened with them. And if there are people who don't want to change, who haven't changed at least in spirit through receiving the Word given during the Feast‚ then that's their problem. They will have to bear that responsibility. But at least their lack of change will not be the fault of others and the negative, unloving‚ lacking-in-hope way they are viewed by others.

45. Oh, if you could just realize the power there is to hold people back, to squelch their desire and motivation to change and improve when they are looked upon by others negatively and as if "they'll never change." It's a tool of the Enemy. It's a weight that I want people to get rid of—both those who carry those negative labels and those who have placed them there. Love has creative power. Look on others with love and hope! (End of message from Jesus)

Shed the Weights and Be Renewed!

46. In the following vision and message from the Lord, He's challenging each of us to lay aside our besetting sins or any weights or cares of this life that hold us back from being what He wants us to be or doing what He wants us to do. As you prayerfully read this message‚ please take the time to evaluate your life, your walk with the Lord, your relationship with others, your obedience to the Word and the Charter, and to see what the Lord may be asking you to do to put aside any weights, so that you can be strong, free and well prepared to be fitted for your armor, which you will need for the battles ahead.

47. (Vision: ) I see the town square of a village. It's in days of old‚ in the days of castles, knights and ladies. Some men who look like heralds are standing on the little balconies of some of the houses that are overlooking the town square, blowing trumpets that are calling the people to gather in the square. Everybody is very excited‚ and they're all running to the town square‚ where a great event is taking place! In the middle of the square there are more heralds with trumpets blowing, and banners are flying high above the crowds. Someone's coming! I see a figure riding in on a gorgeous white horse. He's awesome, a powerful angel, and I get the impression it's Michael the Archangel!

48. (Jesus speaking:) Behold, this day I send Michael to light the fuse of My Spirit to ignite your fire—that the white-hot heat of My Spirit may consume the garments of unnecessary apparel, the weights that hold My children down, so that My ardent passion may burn brightly in your hearts to carry you on and up to higher ground and greater victories day by day as you yield to Me! (End of message from Jesus)

49. (Vision continues:) The queen and king, Mama and Peter‚ are there among the people in the middle of the town square. The Archangel Michael approaches on his horse. He rides to the middle of the square where there is a huge space cleared away. He gets off his horse and then nods to Mama and Peter.

50. Mama steps forward and takes something off. It seems she has extra clothes on, like extra belts and accessories that aren't necessary. She takes one item off, then another and another, and tosses all the unnecessary clothing in the middle of the square where the space is cleared. Peter is right next to her and he follows suit, taking off his unnecessary belts and things.

51. All the things they're taking off seem to be extra weight that's bogging them down, garments or accessories that are heavy and aren't needed. They're taking them off and throwing them in the middle of the square. Now they're turning to the crowds and bidding them all to shed their extra weight, too. They're signaling everyone and asking them to come along‚ explaining that it's so nice to shed the things that bog them down—that if they will only shed the extra weights‚ they will feel much better and thus be able to perform the tasks and duties that are ahead.

52. (Jesus speaking:) Shedding the unnecessary apparel signifies the utmost in yielding to Me. It is symbolic of shedding anything that would hold My children back from doing My highest will, be it besetting sins or other weights—your own desires, your own thoughts, your own ideas, your own ways, your own time, your own pleasure—all the weights, whatever they may be that would hold you back.

53. My queen and king are out in front and they lead the way. This picture symbolizes their own forsaking, their own shedding of weights, for they have proven through the years they are willing to do this. This has been passed on to them from your Father David‚ for was not David always ready and willing to change, to obey and to follow Me closely? This spirit of your Father David lives on in My queen and king. They are your role models‚ and in this picture they are now calling on the whole Family to join together in a united effort to shed the unnecessary weights, change, and follow ever more closely.

54. Many are the great sacrifices that both My queen and king make on a daily basis, as they lay down their lives daily for Me and for My children, as they set aside their own ideas and ways and seek Me continually to know My mind on a matter and to find My will, and as they seek fervently and diligently‚ forsaking their own thoughts in order to follow Me closely. They forsake their own way of thinking daily as they seek Me with all diligence to hear My counsel. They utterly yield to Me day after day, time after time.

55. In the past year, you have seen that My queen has taken additional steps forward in her personal life and lessons learned in gaining great victories over her jealousy. My King Peter has also made great strides, for he continues to walk close by My side at great personal sacrifice. It is his personal desire to stay by his queen's side‚ yet he goes out, trip after trip. This is a great forsaking as he goes out to personally tend to the needs of the sheep, listening to their cries, lifting up the downtrodden, tending to their wounds. This is a great sacrifice that requires utmost yieldedness to My will. This shedding of any extra apparel of the king can be likened to his great forsaking of his own desires and his own will for the good of the kingdom.

56. The king and queen keep on shedding the weights. They keep on making progress. They keep on forging ahead as they daily yield in not only big ways but in all the little ways as well. As they keep on praising, keep on seeking Me, keep on pulling down My seeds, keep on going forward, they are leading the Family to follow in their footsteps‚ to follow their sample.

57. My queen and king are acting out what I wish for all My Family to do—to unite to shed the things that would hold them back‚ any unnecessary apparel, anything that would keep them from forging ahead and making progress toward My highest will. My queen and king have been shedding the weights all along, each time they yield to Me, and now they call upon the Family to do the same. (End of message from Jesus.)

58. (Vision continues:) Those who are standing closest to Mama and Peter jump right in and do the same. Everyone's taking off their extra clothing, the unnecessary apparel, and tossing it in the middle‚ adding to the pile. They're happier, lighter and freer after doing so!

59. Now I hear another trumpet sound‚ louder and more piercing than the others. It seems to be coming from above, like it's thundering right out of the Heavenlies—almost as if it's the voice of the Lord, or a signal from the Lord Himself! Then, with one deep, piercing look from his eyes, Michael zeroes in on this big pile of extra things that everyone has added to. He looks at it with a deep, awesome look‚ like he's zapping it with his eyes, and he ignites it! In a mighty roar, it goes up in flames! All those unnecessary items are burning super brightly‚ like a huge bonfire right there in the middle of the town square!

60. It looks like the sort of bonfire you would see at a big rally, like a sports rally or a political rally. All those who tossed in their extra apparel are watching with a look of great satisfaction on their faces. Everyone's cheering as it burns‚ and the light of the fire is casting a bright glow on their faces.

61. As the fire keeps burning brighter and brighter, people are going up in a steady stream and adding to the fire by taking off all their unnecessary apparel and extra accessories and tossing them into the flames. Each time someone tosses something in, the crowds cheer and roar and sing and shout! Everyone's dancing and praising, all rallying around this big fire. It's a big celebration, and the more people toss things in the fire, the brighter it glows, until it seems to be lighting up the town! The fire is giving light and warmth and shedding a brilliant radiance on the townspeople. As everyone is yielding to casting off all their extra garments that aren't needed and they burn up in the fire, it's liberating everyone! The more they toss in and the brighter the fire burns, the freer everyone gets!

62. The gathering and the fire don't just seem to be for the purpose of being liberated from the extra weight, but it also seems to be in preparation for something. It seems there's something very, very important that everyone is going to do. It's a united effort that the whole village will partake in‚ and this gathering is to unite them before they begin. It seems the shedding of the weights is necessary, because if they're willing to do that, then whatever they are about to do will be possible! It is made possible by the forsaking of this extra weight that has been holding them back.

63. Now Mama and Peter stand up on a small platform to address the people. They're making a rallying speech, a call to arms, a call to greater commitment and dedication. Mama and Peter are leading the way by bowing their heads as they ask everyone to repeat in unison a vow of renewed commitment to the Lord's command to love one another and to live in love. It's a serious moment as everyone bows their heads and repeats their pledge of renewed dedication and commitment after the king and queen.

64. Then everyone breaks out into singing and dancing and praising the Lord, as the banners wave freely above! It's a big praise meeting! It's a shedding of the weights, the extra and unnecessary apparel, but it's also a rally, because everyone is now going off on a special mission—off to war‚ to battle, to spread the Kingdom of Love! Now they're all excited about it as they rally each other to march on and defeat the Enemy.

65. In the last scene‚ most folks are preparing to ride off to battle. I see now that the shedding of these extra garments was also so that each one could be fitted with their armor. The people that have shed their extra weight are now able to be fitted with their own beautiful, shining armor! The rally seems to have been in preparation for the battles ahead, the rededication and rallying of the troops, as they are about to march off to battle in the name of love, conquering new fields as they march on to brighter horizons and greater victories!

66. Some are riding off on their horses, and others are going back to their homes where they are all helping in the war in some way—either by making tools and armaments that will be used in the battle, or by refueling the wood stoves to keep the home fires burning brightly. Others are training the younger ones so that they will also be able to fight. Yet others are standing watch in strategic locations throughout the village to be sure no thieves, robbers and spies enter in. Everyone has their station, the place where they should be, and all are necessary to win the war. The battle cry is ringing out loudly with a clear sound of the trumpet as everyone's cheering and singing and marching off to their positions and posts. (End of vision.)

67. (Jesus speaking:) Hear the bugle call. Come one, come all! See the banners fly! Raise the standard high! Rally round! Sound the trumpet call! Let everyone who will come, come! Rally round My banner of love! Come and be renewed, for the day of march has come!

68. The children of David are on their way! See the banners wave! Hear the bugles blow! Let us sing and praise and dance‚ for the day of renewal has come‚ the day of greater victories! Rally round and shed the weights and be renewed in My Spirit of Love, that it may warm your hearts and fill your cups to overflowing! Come and lay aside the weights and the sins that so easily beset you.

69. Come one, come all, to the rally, where the clear note of the trumpet sounds, the banners wave, and the white-hot fire of My love burns brightly! Let it burn away the dross and the chaff and the things that hold you down, and let it light a torch that you might have light to see your way! Come join the call to arms—the call to greater victories, to greater days ahead, greater commitment, greater dedication and greater love!

70. Shed the weights! Cast them in the fire and let the white-hot heat of My love burn them away! Cast in the burdens, the weights, the things that have held you back. Throw them in, each one, and let the refining fires of My Spirit wipe them all away!

71. My children, fear not the refining fires‚ for the same radiant flames that burn away the dross will cleanse and make you whole. These same fires of My Spirit will warm your hearts and cause you to burn with the brilliance of the sun! Therefore let the fires of My love warm you, enlighten you‚ brighten you‚ purify you, and free you to burn as firebrands of My love in a dark‚ dying and desperate world!

72. Fear not the shedding of the weights and the burdens that would hold you down, for as you shed them, as you toss them into the fire, you will be renewed! You will mount up as the eagle! You will run and not be weary; you will walk and not faint. As you yield to Me, My miracle-working power will touch you and lift you higher and make you shine as a beacon of light in the black night, as you live in the light and power and glory of My love.

73. Therefore, come, My children. Hear the bugles blow! Hear the call to arms—the call to shed the weights and be renewed! It is My call for you to be renewed in commitment, in dedication, in vision, in desire for My Word, in connection with My Spirit, in convictions, in sharing and caring for one another‚ in harmony, in unity‚ and in love! As you take the stand today, as you pledge your greater commitment and dedication, I will be your strength, your strong tower, your help in time of need, your mighty fortress, and I will work the work in you that no man can do.

74. Therefore, fear not to take this step, for you must first shed the weights through making the commitment. Know that as you shed the weights by making the commitment, as you yield and put your trust in Me, it moves My hand to equip you and fit you with the bright, shining armor of My love. Therefore, fear not‚ for the armor of My love will protect and prosper you and cause you to fulfill all that I call you to do. As you take the step, as you shed the weights‚ My armor of love will empower you to love one another as I have loved you, that you may be one in Me, one in the Father, and one in each other—as I send you forth to conquer the world!

75. Therefore, come, My children, and shed the weights! Gird on your armor and be renewed to fight on! Let My banner of love fly high above you for all the world to see! Sound the trumpets‚ blow the bugles, for the day of renewal is come!

76. Therefore, let this be a time of praise, a time of rally, as you shed the weights that try to hold you down and as you rededicate your lives and hearts to the gospel of love. Be not afraid, neither fear the fiery darts of the Evil One who would try to stifle you, who would try to stop the flow of love with his ridiculous, puny attempts! How absurd are his futile attempts—like trying to stop the rain! He cannot stop the rain as long as you keep your eyes on Me, your hand in Mine, and your trust and faith firmly in Me. For My love reigns supreme! But you must take the stand and call on Heaven to fight on your behalf. Therefore, rally yourselves! Call on the forces of Heaven and be renewed this day!

77. Sound the battle cry! Let this be a call to arms! Let it be known that the children of David march on! Gird on your armor and take a stand of greater commitment‚ greater dedication‚ greater understanding and compassion for those in need, greater hunger for My Word, greater attentiveness to wise counsel, greater vigilance in prayer, and a greater and bolder stand against the wiles of Satan.

78. Stand strong, O children of David‚ wielding accurately the sword of My truth! Rally round My banner of love and boldly fight for the right! Stand strong in My power and see Me fight for you, for it is I Who go with you both to fight and to win the victories! Therefore, fear not, for I do not leave you comfortless. I will perform all that I promise. I will fight for you and I will be your strength. Only put your trust in Me and yield your all to Me. I am the Lord your God, and I will not forsake you. What I have begun in you, I will perform until the end!

79. I call you to shed the weights of disunity, of jealousy and selfish living, of discord and bitterness, of criticalness and self-righteousness‚ of unwillingness to forgive, of compromise, of indifference and lack of communication.

80. Rebuke the Destroyer! Cast down the Enemy of love! Declare war on the imps of Satan! Woe to the Hinderer! Be gone! Toss them in the fire and cast them down! Call the bluff of Satan! Cast down his evil imaginations and every vain thought and intent of his vile heart! Refuse him‚ defy him and fight back! Fire away! Rebuke him, resist him, raise the standard against him, and don't quit! Take each weight and toss it into the fire, that the dross and chaff may burn away!

81. Will you answer the call? Will you let Me fill you and renew you and empower you so that you may find strength to faint not, but fight on? Fight on in faith, dear children! It matters not how long or how hard the battle goes, for I am with you and I will fight on your behalf—if you will but yield to Me.

82. You cannot do it‚ this I know—but I am able! I am able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think! I am able to make all grace abound toward you‚ if you will call out to Me. I am able to keep you when you are tempted. I am able to hold up your arms in the face of battle. I am able to do the work in you, for I live to make intercession on your behalf. I am able to keep you and all things that you commit into My hand. I am able to do all things well toward you, My children of David. I am able to subdue all things under your feet, for I am your Strong Tower, your Fortress, your Defender, your King!

83. Therefore, come and shed the weights, and let the white-hot heat of My love melt away the darkness! Rally round and be renewed in My vibrant, fiery, ardent love‚ that I might warm you and fill you and cause you to shine! Come and be renewed in the power of love, that you might receive My seeds and bring forth fruit. For only I am able to warm your hearts and melt you together in My love. Only I am able to chase away the doubts, fears and hurts, the coldness and the lurking shadows of yesteryear. Therefore, come and rally round the white-hot burning fire of My love this day, and be warmed and filled and suited in your armor for the battles ahead.

84. As you take this step‚ as you yield your all to Me in renewed commitment and dedication, know that I will make you anew! I will put a new heart within you‚ new desires, a new mind. I will renew your very nature with the spark of My love. As you take this step of renewed commitment and dedication to Me, My Heavenly light will fill your soul and you will shine with the pure, bright light of My beauty. I will fill you and set your hearts ablaze, that you might go forth and set the world on fire with My unfailing power of love!

85. Come, My children‚ rally round this day, and shed the weights of darkness by letting the light in. In this you will find strength that you know not of. For it is in yielding, it is in this surrender to Me, that you will be renewed and faint not.

86. You will find strength to rise above the ashes of the weights and burdens that have sought so hard to hold you down. Like the phoenix, I will cause you to rise and fly high above the clouds by My miracle-working power for all the world to see, as you proclaim the power of love, as you march on in the power of love‚ conquering the giants of this day!

87. Let it be known on this day of renewal that the children of David are not divided but are one!—All one body—one in hope, one in doctrine, and one in love! Let the banners wave! Let the flags unfurl! Let your love be hurled far and wide‚ shed abroad in the hearts of all men—that in you, My beloved children of David, the world may find hope and know that there is love on the horizon; that there is a better way, a brighter day coming when love will reign. Rally round this day! Shout the triumph song! Faint not, and fight on, My children! Stand strong in the power of love! Tomorrow comes the victory song! (End of message from Jesus)

88. What a beautiful, challenging message! That certainly is motivating! Thank You Jesus! I really appreciate these detailed word pictures which make the message so easy to remember!

Rededication and Commitment Ceremony

89. Below you will find a short pledge of commitment that the Lord gave in prophecy for us to say unitedly. You can read it now, so that you'll be familiar with it, but please wait until a little later to say it unitedly. I want to ask that you first take some time to think and pray about the message in this GN and this pledge. You will receive your own copy of the commitment pledge after reading this GN so you can read over it privately. As you commune with the Lord‚ please consider what long-term problems, besetting sins, or areas of unyieldedness—the "extra clothing and accessories"—the Lord may want you personally to forsake, to toss into the fire.

90. Sometime before you have your Family birthday party, preferably later this afternoon or evening, after you've had some time to think and pray about this message, I'd like to ask that you please have a united time in which you rededicate yourself to the Lord and say this pledge together. This time of commitment does not need to be a long formal meeting. It can be short and simple, but very meaningful.

91. If you wish, you can also act out some kind of little skit before saying the pledge of commitment together. You can do something based on the above vision, which would represent the forsaking of any weights or besetting sins that are holding you back. You could possibly write down your list of "extra apparel"—what you want to forsake or yield to the Lord. Of course, if the circumstances and weather allow, if you have a fireplace in your Home or if you can build a bonfire in your back yard, then you can even toss into the fire your pieces of paper on which you've written the things you want to give up to the Lord. But, of course, having a fire is not at all necessary. You can accomplish the same thing by just tossing your papers into a trash can. What you write on the paper can be confidential or you can share it with others‚ if you wish. That's up to you.

92. You can think and pray about this and discuss it as a Home and see if you come up with other ideas. But I'd suggest, if possible, that you try to have some kind of little manifestation of your yieldedness in the form of a skit, something that you'll be able to remember and look back on as being the specific time when you made a conscious decision and yielded your all to the Lord. If you take the time to actually say or write down what it is that you are laying aside for the sake of having a closer walk with the Lord, this commitment ceremony will mean more to you.

93. I believe a simple little skit like this will help you apply these lessons to yourself‚ and will encourage you to take this step of forsaking all, which will help the Lord be able to work in your lives more fully and effectively. Otherwise, the Enemy will be right there trying to distract you and cause you to procrastinate or put it off. Also, without some kind of united activity such as this, you might not take the time to organize your thoughts as you should in order to be able to wholeheartedly take the steps, pray the prayers, and make the definite commitments that the Lord is asking of you.

94. Please take some time to pray about the changes the Lord wants you to make as a result of this challenge. The Lord said, "I call you to shed the weights of disunity, of jealousy and selfish living, of discord and bitterness, of criticalness and self-righteousness, of unwillingness to forgive, of compromise‚ of indifference and lack of communication." Please also pray specifically about how you personally need to change in order to overcome the roadblocks to unity and work toward the goals that were proposed for 1998.

Pledge of Commitment

95. Later today‚ after some time of prayer and reflection, and after you have gone through whatever kind of skit you choose to have to represent tossing your "extra apparel" into the fire—the forsaking of your besetting sins or anything that's holding you back—please say the following pledge together:

96. We, the children of David, take a stand this day. As we rally together, let His banner over us be love. Standing arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder, we commit ourselves to love. By the grace of God and with all Heaven's power behind us, we choose to shed the weights and the sins that attempt to hold us down.

97. This day, standing on the Word of God and in the power of prayer, we rededicate our lives to love one another as Jesus loves us. We are determined to fight the Enemy of love with all our might‚ and by the white-hot power of the Spirit of God, to overcome our weaknesses, our compromises, and all roadblocks to unity.

98. With the help of Jesus our King, we take a stand to shed the weights of disunity‚ jealousy and selfish living; of discord and bitterness, criticalness and self-righteousness; of unwillingness to forgive, of compromise, indifference, lack of communication, and all stumbling blocks that cross our paths.

99. Today we avail ourselves of the refreshing, renewing power of Heaven! With sword in hand we answer the call to greater commitment, greater dedication, greater understanding and compassion for those in need‚ greater hunger for the Word of truth‚ greater yieldedness to wise counsel, greater vigilance in prayer, and greater love.

100. On this we stand firm. By the grace of God we can do no other. United we march on in faith, believing, as we pledge from this day forward to no longer merely preach the message but to live our love. With our eyes firmly fixed on Heaven, we are determined in our hearts to overcome as we rest our cause on His Holy Word.

101. In the Name of Jesus, and by His saving grace, we make this pledge, as we call on our loving Lord to fill us, strengthen us, renew us, empower us, and set our hearts ablaze this day with His unfailing power of love! (End of pledge of commitment.)

102. God bless you, dear Family! Peter and I love you so very much. We're looking forward to the marvelous miracles the Lord is going to do for all of us this year. Thank you for your yieldedness to Him and for being such fighters. This is just the beginning of another tremendous year‚ which will undoubtedly be our best ever! We're so thankful that Jesus has called us to be the king and queen of such a great people‚ and we're very proud of each of you.

Much love and prayers always,

Mama

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family