Get Up and Get Over It--Letter Links

Mama's Letters of Counsel to Juan, Abi and Dust—Letter No.2, Part 1

(ML #2621:8-11, 33-35, DB 10.)

Don't Let Sensitivity Cause You To Withhold Things From Each Other!

8. Abi and Dust, you have to keep in mind that you must not fail Juan by withholding counsel or instruction from him that he desperately wants, just because you think it will hurt him or he might be sensitive. He has shown repeatedly that regardless of his sensitivity, he wants the help. So if you notice something, you must be faithful to share it with him. I think he's certainly proven that he can "take it," and thereby has earned the right to "have it." And I'm sure the more he continues to fight his sensitivity‚ the less sensitive he will be and the easier it will become for him to take it, and also for you to give it.

9. I'm glad to hear that you appreciate what you're receiving from Juan as well, and you're being helped by it. And that‚ Abi, you appreciate Juan's fighting spirit and encouragement to keep going, and that you admire his good sample of going to the Word for his answers and his comfort.

10. The other day Peter was asking me, "Mama, please tell me if I ever hurt your feelings, because I want to know so I won't do it again." I said‚ "NO‚ I don't WANT you to know when you hurt my feelings‚ because I want to learn to 'TAKE it' and I want to get toughened up! I don't want you to ever stop hurting me in that sense because how will I LEARN how to TAKE things if everybody always says nothing but sweet and soothing things to me, and never any correction or contrary opinions that make me have to fight sensitivity!"

11. I think‚ Juan, you probably feel the same. You don't want to tell people when they hurt your feelings because you don't want them to stop letting you "have it" because you know it's good for you and you're growing and learning from it. Of course, I want to make it clear here that Peter hardly ever does hurt my feelings, I couldn't even think of an example at the time. But I assured him that even if I could, I wouldn't want to tell him unless it was something that he really needed to learn to do or say differently. But if it was merely because of my sensitivity, there would be no good reason to tell him that my feelings were hurt, and in fact, there would be a good reason not to!

Honestly Explaining Things To Others, Even When It's Difficult!

33. ABI, HAVE YOU EXPLAINED TO JUAN THAT YOU SOMETIMES FEEL HURT WHEN HE FIRST RESISTS SOMETHING YOU SUGGEST BUT THEN LATER WILL GIVE IT AS HIS OWN SUGGESTION? Perhaps you haven't explained that but instead have just taken it as a lesson for YOURSELF in trying to not care who gets the credit‚ and in resisting your sensitivity. In a case like this, though, Juan WANTS to know and he NEEDS to be told.

34. So it's more important that you explain that to him than to just use it as an exercise in your own spiritual life, and overlook it. When I used my little example about Peter requesting that I tell him if he hurts my feelings, and how I had said‚ "No, I'd rather not because I want to learn not to be sensitive," maybe this is the sort of reasoning you had in mind, Abi, in not telling Juan. But if Peter needs to learn something from it, then I need to tell him. In other words, if Peter hurts my feelings because he is not acting the way he should, or not doing something he should do, then I am responsible to him to tell him so.

35. So in some cases it's not enough just to say to yourself, "Well‚ if I don't care who gets the credit, much more can get done," and pray, "Lord help me not to mind‚ help me not to say anything, help me not to be sensitive." Though, of course, you can still ask the Lord to help you not to mind and not to be sensitive, you should also explain things like this to Juan so you can teach him.

Bitterness

(ML #2672:60–66, 84–87, DB 10.)

Putting the blame on others!

60. IT'S HUMAN NATURE TO LOOK AROUND FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO BLAME OUR PROBLEMS ON. "Passing the buck" started in the Garden of Eden. It's sinful man's first line of defense when he's in trouble.—To blame others.

61. JUST LOOK WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN: When they got caught in their sin‚ the first thing Adam said to God was, "It was my WIFE‚ SHE did it!" Then Eve said, "It was the SERPENT'S fault, HE did it!" And the Serpent as good as said, "It was GOD, it's all HIS fault!" (Gen.3:12-13.) To "pass the buck" and try to blame things on others is an almost automatic reaction and self-defense mechanism with most people.

62. PEOPLE WHO ARE BITTER AND HAVE A BITTER SPIRIT ARE ESPECIALLY PRONE TO THIS SORT OF THING. They're always blaming everybody ELSE for all of their mistakes and all of their troubles and failings. It's always somebody ELSE'S fault.

63. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM OR WEAKNESS ALONG THESE LINES, YOU'D BE WISE TO REMEMBER THAT THE DEVIL IS THE "ACCUSER OF THE SAINTS" (Rev.12:10), and that's his own tactic to always try to get you to blame your problems on everybody ELSE! "Why me, Lord? I didn't do it, THEY did it TO me! It wasn't MY fault, it's HIS fault, HER fault! THEY'RE the ones to blame! They're the ones who MADE me do it!" Some people find it so easy and convenient to blame all their troubles on somebody ELSE!—"It's that awful Hell of a person I have to live with or that horrible leader I have to work under"—or this one or that one!

64. THIS IS SUCH A TYPICAL DEVICE OF THE DEVIL: He always accuses the Saints and always EXAGGERATES to you what others are doing, and will always try to take things that others have said or done and TWIST them and make things SOUND a lot WORSE to you than they really ARE.—He even does the same thing to GOD about YOU! He's an expert at picking on all the little flaws and all the little faults that he can find‚ and constantly tries to accuse others and get you to blame everything that goes wrong on someone else!

65. BUT IF YOU WON'T ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN PROBLEMS and YOU CONTINUALLY BLAME THEM ON OTHERS‚ you're just going to go through your entire life never getting the victory or making any PROGRESS! How can you ever GROW spiritually or learn any LESSONS from the Lord when you're self-righteously blaming other people for everything bad that ever happens to you?

66. EVEN IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GENUINELY MISTREATED OR MISJUDGED OR WHATEVER BY OTHERS, instead of sulking and pouting and licking your wounds, you might find it's very profitable to look a little DEEPER and see if the LORD is trying to get through to you on some other point or issue that's even more serious than whatever it is you feel so mistreated or misunderstood about! Don't be too quick to judge and blame others when you might need to work on the BEAM in your OWN eye, and not be so concerned about the MOTE in your BROTHER'S eye. Amen?

Love is the most important thing!

84. THE BIBLE TELLS US, "ABOVE ALL THINGS, HAVE FERVENT LOVE AMONG YOURSELVES; for love shall cover the MULTITUDE of sins."—1Pet.4:8. Love even loves the unlovely, and casts a veil over countless sins! It's hard for you to see anything good in someone you don't love. But if you really LOVE someone, it's much easier to overlook and forgive their faults.

85. IF YOU HAVE THE LORD'S LOVE and ARE LOVING TOWARDS OTHERS, YOU'LL TRY TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE‚ and try to be optimistic and bring out the GOOD things about people and see their GOOD points. If you're trying to be loving and kind to people, you won't be harsh or critical or resentful towards them. But if you DON'T love them‚ they won't even be able to walk across the floor without your finding fault with the way they do it!

86. WHEN YOU HAVE REAL LOVE FOR OTHERS, IT'S A LOT EASIER FOR YOU TO LET THINGS PASS. In school they call it PASSING when you graduate from one grade to the next. When you're traveling along in a car, you know you're moving because you're PASSING things! That's how you know you're making PROGRESS, because you're passing things.

87. WELL, THE SAME THING IS TRUE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. When you start letting things pass, when you don't worry so much about things, that shows that you're making PROGRESS. When you don't hold it against somebody for some idle remark or something foolish that they did, something they said, when you don't get hypersensitive and all upset about it and hold it against them, then you're passing things. "Love covereth a MULTITUDE of sins‚" and will give you the grace and power to just let things pass, to forgive others as you know that you yourself need to be forgiven. This portion of my mother's poem, "Let It Pass," brings this out very clearly:

Truly great folks never stoop

To answer petty things;

The unkind word, the bitter cut

That rankles deep and stings.

They are too big to notice them,

They simply pass them by,

And even with a smile sometimes

Or twinkle in the eye.

For they have found that after all

'Twas better in the end

To meet it with a smile‚ and then,

Just let it pass, my friend.

Misinterpretations and Misunderstandings

ML #2839, DB 11 9/90

—How to Overcome Them!—By Maria

—From a Talk with a Staff Member

1. There's a very big difference between someone doing something to deliberately hurt or wrong you‚ and someone doing something unintentionally that you merely interpret as an act against you. The reason you have stored up so many grudges and bitternesses and negative feelings against others is not because you have actually been deliberately wronged and mistreated, but because you have misinterpreted others' words and actions to be malicious and malevolent. You've imagined that others were intentionally trying to hurt you. However‚ the reality is that they never meant any harm or hurt to you at all.

2. Knowing that you have drawn some wrong conclusions along those lines should sort of relieve you and help you to realize that a lot of those times when you've thought people were purposely mistreating you or mishandling you, that was just the way you took it, and they weren't really meaning to hurt you or do anything wrong to you at all. So since you don't know now which incidents were intentional and which weren't, or which were real or which were imagined, then that should make it easier for you to just forget all those negative past experiences and forgive the people involved and start over again! You really don't need to worry about those things.

3. Even if you feel quite certain that someone has intentionally wronged or mistreated you, you should still forgive and "be not bitter against them!" (Col.3:19). Whether people intentionally hurt you or not, the best thing to do and the best habit to form is to give them the benefit of the doubt and look on the positive and the bright side, put things in the best light.—Look at things with love, which covers a multitude of sins (1Pet.4:8).

4. Just say to yourself‚ "Even if they did deliberately harm me, I'm going to refuse to harbor such thoughts, or let the poison of bitterness seep into my life over this! Either I'm wrong in thinking that they were deliberately harming me, or they were wrong in intentionally doing that to me. But whatever the case, I'm going to 'erase erase!’—Otherwise, I could be guilty of accusing them falsely. So even if they were wrong, I'm going to forgive them just as I would want them to forgive me if I had done something wrong to them."

5. In other words, if they wronged you by actually doing something deliberately against you, you should still forgive them. And if you've wronged them by accusing them falsely for something that they didn't intend or deliberately do, you would want them to forgive you. And since the fault probably lies much more on your part than others' part, you need to forgive them for their few sins so you'll be forgiven for your many. (See Mat. 6:14-15.)

Beware of the "Accuser" and His Devices!

6. We know that the Enemy is the "accuser of the saints" (Rev.12:10). That's his job, and he does it with a vengeance! If he knows you're an easy target, he'll accuse others to you all the time, and he'll throw all the lies and doubts and mistrust about your brothers and sisters at you that he can come up with! Since you know that's his job, that he's the accuser of the saints, you should be very wary and hesitant to ever accept anything that's negative about others. You need to remember that since he's also the "father of lies" and the "author of confusion" (Jn.8:44; 1Cor.14:33), his accusations are usually false and are designed to confuse, divide and trip you up!

7. But I'm afraid that all too often your first reaction has been to allow him to accuse others to you, charging them with all kinds of things of which they weren't even guilty. By just swallowing the Devil's lies and accusations against others without questioning or prayerfully inquiring to see if these things be so, you are "answering a matter before you really hear it, and it will be a folly and shame unto you" (Pro.18:13). If you harbor and hold on to the Enemy's accusations against others without even going to the accused parties, then you're not allowing them the possibility of clearing themselves of those false charges.

8. Now that you have already recognized and acknowledged that the Enemy has confused and hindered you in the past by causing you to question and doubt and misinterpret others' treatment of you, you should really be on your guard about those kinds of things. You should be especially on guard when you're being tempted to get on that negative track and you start thinking thoughts like, "How could so–and-so have possibly done that to me?"

9. Whenever you find yourself thinking thoughts like this, that should be an automatic warning to you that you're getting on the wrong channel. And if you find it surprising or hard to believe that someone would actually do to you what you're imagining or supposing that someone did, the very fact that you're finding it hard to believe should be a pretty good indication to you that they probably didn't deliberately do whatever it is you're imagining they did.

10. You are no longer "ignorant of the Devil's devices" (2Cor.2:11)‚ and you know that he will do anything he can to try to divide and set us at odds against each other; causing disunity and friction by his distortions, doubts, exaggerations, suppositions, half-truths and outright lies! So you should now be able to give others the benefit of the doubt when you're hit with such critical thoughts about them. Then just go to the person and try to talk it over‚ or write them a note. And if for some reason it's not possible or practical to talk with them‚ it's a lot safer to just figure that you're wrong in that negative outlook.—"Well, I've probably just gotten the wrong interpretation."

Putting the "Positive Construction" on Things!

11. Try to put the positive construction on things that happen between you and others, and look at them in a positive way instead of a negative way. If you don't know that they intentionally hurt you‚ it's much safer to give others the benefit of the doubt than it is to question or criticize their motives and possibly falsely accuse them. For example, if someone seems a little curt or grumpy towards you, you could give them the benefit of the doubt by figuring, "The reason they snapped at me is probably not because they're mad at me personally, but because they're just tired or not feeling well."

12. After all‚ it's not always easy for people to act bubbly and happy towards everyone if they've had a rough night or if they're afflicted with a headache, backache, or some other affliction that is causing them pain, discomfort or discouragement. So if someone doesn't give you a cheerful, enthusiastic welcome or response or greeting or whatever, try not to take it so personally; maybe they need encouragement from you! Or even if it seems like they abruptly cut off a conversation with you, you could give them the benefit of the doubt by saying to yourself, "It's not because they don't like talking with me; they probably just had something else that they had to do."

13. Whenever any of us are a little preoccupied or rushed or burdened about something or we don't have time for all the niceties, we should make an effort to explain our actions to others‚ and thus hopefully prevent any of these kinds of misunderstandings. We can say, "Please don't worry, I'm not upset with you. It's just that I'm tired," or "I don't feel well" or whatever.

14. But if something happens between you and someone, and you wonder about it and they don't remember to explain it to you, why don't you just try to be a little more charitable towards them and tell yourself, "Maybe he's just tired. It's not because he doesn't like me or because he's upset about something I did." Of course‚ in a case like that you can always ask them. But if you're unable to ask, try to take the positive view of it, not the negative.

15. So if you could learn to put the positive construction or interpretation on others' actions, then you wouldn't be so susceptible to holding grudges or feeling bitter against them. If you can say to yourself, "Well, it must be because they're tired or because they have so much on their mind," and let it go at that, you'll have a lot less problems with feeling badly towards others. Or, "I'm sure the reason they didn't smile at me must be because they just came out of a serious meeting about some problems and now they're a little burdened about it," or something.

16. Of course, it should go without saying that if you have problems with such negative and critical or doubtful thoughts about others, you should definitely pray every time you're hit with such divisive and potentially damaging "fiery darts!" Look to the Lord and resist and rebuke the Enemy and his accusations! And ask the Lord to help you think of the real reason, a good reason why the person did whatever it was that made you feel like you were being mistreated.

Insanity of Holding Grudges Against Others!

17. Maybe it will help you avoid just automatically jumping to the wrong conclusions about others if you remember that in our Family, most of our people do not deliberately do unkind or mean things to each other. In fact, they try very hard to do just the opposite!—To be kind to each other and to show love to one another and live by the Lord's Law of Love.

18. So if you find that you're holding things against a lot of people because you feel that everybody is intentionally wronging you or upset with you, it just doesn't make sense! In our Family, people are trying to live by love and be ruled by love and they're trying to do the right thing!

19. Of course, I can't guarantee that there are never any intentional hurts in the Family, but I can say that amongst Christians like ourselves who are trying to do the best we can, people usually do not deliberately wrong or hurt each other. When hurts happen, it's often because of impatience, irritability, or because someone feels overworked or under pressure, etc. It's usually because someone is having problems themselves that they wind up hurting others. But I wouldn't say that such hurts were deliberate. In other words, they aren't premeditated and they aren't done out of spite to really wrong someone, which is very often the case in the System.

20. In fact, I'd say that not only our leaders, but virtually everybody in the Family today should have learned sufficient lessons by now about the importance of loving one another and doing unto others as we would want them to do to us, so that no one would ever do anything to try to intentionally hurt someone else. We may have had some tyrants and hirelings in the past who treated people pretty badly, but we've hopefully either gotten rid of any such dictators, or they've outgrown any such petty and immature, unchristian‚ unloving behavior.

21. So it just doesn't make sense to think that everybody has it in for you or that everyone's wronging you or is fed up with you. It's just not logical. In fact‚ it's insane! It's just the Devil whispering in your ear telling you his accusations and lies!—Lies which he wants you to swallow and believe, which you probably will believe if you've developed a habit of tuning in to his negative, nagging accusations against others.

22. Even in the System‚ if someone starts having problems with thinking that everybody misunderstands or is mistreating them, it is looked on as a serious malady and mental disorder, which is known as "paranoia." The dictionary defines paranoia as "the tendency on the part of individuals toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others." Another dictionary uses even stronger terms: "A disease of the mind in which the sufferer believes that others are purposely mistreating and hating them."

23. So if you easily hold grudges and find yourself frequently critical of people for the way they are supposedly mistreating you or others‚ and you're distrusting and suspicious of others' intents towards you, you should question yourself and realize that you're the one who's probably misinterpreting things and in the wrong—and just being paranoid! If you think that a lot of people are doing unfair things to you, and you've got a long list of grievances and wrongs that you feel not only one person did to you‚ but that you think several people have done to you, then the chances are good that the problem isn't with others, but with you. After all, why would everybody have it in for you? Why would all these people be intentionally misusing you or mistreating you?

Some Examples of Negative Misinterpretations!

24. An incident happened recently here in our Home between our secretaries: One complained that the other had asked her to put all requests and instructions down on paper and not tell her things in person any more‚ but just write everything down. The girl who complained said that she felt that the reason for this was because the other girl just didn't want to talk to her. So when I heard this complaint, my initial reaction to this girl was, "Maybe she asked you to put everything on paper because she has a poor memory and she just wants to be sure she doesn't forget anything." And after looking into the situation, it turned out that was exactly the case. Again, someone was convinced that somebody else was mistreating them or doing a wrong to them, all because of a big misinterpretation of that person's motives and actions.

25. Another time when people frequently fall into negatively misinterpreting and doubting the motives or actions of others is when they are asked to make a change.—A change of ministry, a change of location, or sometimes even just a change in their daily chores, Home responsibilities or schedule. Even after it's been explained to them that the change is being made for some other very understandable reason, all too often some people will think, "The real reason they're asking me to make this change must be because they don't think I've been doing a good enough job!"—Or‚ "because they just don't like me, and they like so–and-so better," or "because they're just picking on me!" How sad!—And what a terribly doubtful and accusing way to judge your brothers and sisters!

Having United Prayer Against Negativity!

26. It only takes just a little bit of charitableness and open-mindedness to think of good reasons or motives for people acting a certain way towards you, or doing or saying something to you. But if you're so stuck in a rut of listening to the Devil's lies and of thinking so much about yourself that you feel that everything that everybody does is intended as a deliberate slight against you, then you're really on the wrong channel!—And I would say that you'd better ask for prayer!

27. If you have a problem with always thinking that people are mistreating you, if you find that you're frequently putting a negative interpretation on things that people say or do to you, then you should have a definite prayer of deliverance against this problem. You should not only pray each time such negative or critical thoughts come to you‚ but also have specific united prayer with your Home, asking the Lord to deliver you from this device of the Enemy.

28. It's very wrong for people in our Family to have that kind of a negative attitude towards their brothers and sisters! It just shows how self-centered they are, really.—And how they're just allowing the Devil to whisper in their ear constantly‚ lying about other people's intentions. Dad has said, "Sensitiveness is born of pride, and pride is of the Devil!" So if you have this problem, ask for united prayer from your Home and get delivered! You don't have to carry that horrible, nagging negativity around with you all the time! Fight it and resist it and call on the Lord for deliverance, and you will be delivered!

"Let Brotherly Love Continue!" (Heb.13:1).

29. I very much believe that in most cases in the Family—probably at least in 90% of the cases, if not more—these kinds of slights are imagined. And even if they result in real hurts and someone really does feel hurt, it's usually because the person who's hurt is so sensitive. It's not because it was an intentional or purposeful slight or offense. Usually, the only reason it became a hurt was because the person took it that way, because they allowed themselves to be hurt!

30. I know that's a pretty broad statement‚ but no matter what anyone does to us, no matter how hurt we may feel, the Word says, "None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself!" (Acts 20:24). If we're really looking to Jesus‚ regardless of what comes our way, we don't have to be so hurt by it. No matter how difficult or traumatic something may seem to be, it doesn't have to get to us—especially when we remember that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom.8:28). When we can see the good in something‚ then it doesn't hurt us so much.

31. We have the supernatural help of the Lord at our disposal, and we have "the love of Christ which passeth knowledge" of any real or supposed wrongdoings (Eph.3:19). He is more than willing to help us to let go of emotional hurts and pain, to "erase erase" and forget and cover things in love. You can always call out to the Lord, "Lord‚ I'm determined to really trust You about what's happened! So help me now to forgive; help me to forget."—And the Lord will hear you and help you and keep you from becoming hurt or bitter!

32. So let's try to give each other the benefit of the doubt and not accuse or judge others harshly or in a way that we would not want others to judge us! "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged! And with what measure ye mete to others, it shall be measured to you again! Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the prophets!" (Mat.7:2,12).

33. And let's be on guard against the Enemy and his dirty devices, and "neither give place to the Devil" and his lies, accusations and negative thoughts against others! Let's try to remember what the Lord and Dad showed us in the "Stand in the Gap" Letter (ML #70), and let's keep the spiritual walls of our unity and fellowship standing strong against the Wicked One and all of his fiery darts of dissension, discord and disunity! Amen? GBY! ILY!

34. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things! And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins" (Phil.4:8; Eph.4:32; 1Pet.4:8). (—Amen!—D.)

Leadership Lessons, Part 3

(ML #3386:158-190, GN 986.)

158. (Question: ) How can sensitivity, not only to correction in your personal life but also to sug­gestions regarding your work, hold you back and hinder you from making progress? And what should you do about this to get the victory over it?

159. (Jesus speaking: ) Sensitivity is really a device of the Devil to slow down progress, a trick of the Enemy to stop forward motion. He plays on people's pride to get them to be sensitive and to feel hurt. When someone becomes sensitive, they don't want to hear correction, suggestions, or criticism. They don't even want to hear about problems because they take it too personally, feeling like they're to blame. Then they start making excuses for the problems instead of being willing to listen and look to Me for solutions and make progress. When they stop listening, then they can't do anything to change things because they don't even know there is a problem, and so progress stops. And if we were to take that to the extreme, then My work would be defeated. Of course, I'm not going to let that happen, so I would have to find someone else to do the job who isn't so sensitive.

160. Everyone is sensitive in some aspect or to some degree—I understand that—but you all need to see that you don't have to be. You don't need to be and you shouldn't be. You need to change your mind­set. Change is good, and how are you going to know you need to change or that something needs to be corrected if you won't hear it? Everyone should want to know if he's wrong or if things are going wrong. How can you make progress if you don't?

161. The end result of sensitivity is useless­ness and lack of change, bitterness and resentment. And if you're not going forward and making progress‚ then, like your David told you, you're sliding back. And there's no standing still; you'll eventually slide all the way back.

162. You have to get out of the mindset that correction, criticism‚ or suggestions are some­thing bad and that you're being judged or punished when you're corrected or given some criticism or instruc­tion. It's good to know what needs to be changed so that you can ask Me about it and continue to make progress. You have to keep telling yourself that over and over.

163. You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to have all the ideas. I don't love you more if you make less mistakes or if you have more ideas. I love you in spite of your mistakes. In fact, probably the ones that are closest to Me are the ones that make the most mistakes and get corrected and take suggestions, because they're making progress and coming to Me for solutions. I know it's part of man's nature not to want to make mistakes, and that man wants to be looked on as perfect, but that just separates you from Me.

164. In light of the new board vision, it's imperative that you aren't sensitive. If you are, it could be a very big hindrance, because you won't want to hear about the problems. Instead of "taking it" and wanting to effect change, in your sensitivity you'll make excuses for why it's the way it is. And then progress and change is stifled.

165. People need to feel free to offer any suggestions they have. And for some of you it's going to be hard because you're going to see a lot of problems that maybe you never saw before, because you've been too busy with so many other things. You might feel pretty bad and sensitive about it. But I want you to know that it's not bad that the problems are being pointed out. What is bad is if you take it personally and get sensitive about it, because then you're not going to admit that there is a problem—and then a solution won't be found. So you can see how not being able to take suggestions‚ correction, or criticism can hinder you from making progress.

166. So how can you get the victory over being sensitive? Yieldedness has a lot to do with not being sensitive. You must be like the two mountain goats that met on a cliff path—one laid down and let the other walk over him. Now, don't you think that it must have hurt the goat that lay down? It will probably be the same with you. You may still feel a bit sensitive, but you have to yield in spite of that or there will be no forward progress. The two goats could not have continued making progress along the path if one of them had not yielded. You must determine in your mind that you're not going to allow yourself to react sensitively, that even if you feel sensitive, you're going to yield.

167. That brings Me to another aspect that can cause feelings of sensitivity‚ and that's in the realm of hearing from Me. After hearing from Me, you may feel like you have all the answers and that what you got is right. You've heard from Me on the matter‚ so there isn't room for any other ideas. When another idea is presented‚ you feel sensitive about it. Or there's the other side of the coin—when you've heard from Me and someone else builds on what you received, you may feel sensitive that your channel isn't good enough. When someone comes up with another suggestion or idea, you take it personally, that you can't hear from Me, and it shakes your faith.

168. But the way I've organized things is for you to work in teamwork. It's a lot like when you're in a group of people prophesying, and one gets a prophecy, and then another gets one. That doesn't mean that the first one didn't hear from Me; another person just added on to what the other received. I like giving a little through a lot of people, so that when you put it all together it makes a whole. But if you're too sensitive to receive it and think you're the one who has to be getting everything, then it's not going to work.

169. I'm going to be pouring out My anointing a lot more on all the Family. Some of the people I'm going to be pouring through have not had years of training in how to present the things I'm giving them. This might be rough for some of you‚ especially if you're sensitive. So you're going to need to pray for a lot of grace and against sensitivity.

170. My loves, you can see the need to fight against sensitivity if you want to be used in My new move of the Spirit. Now that you have the vision and motivation to get rid of sensitivity‚ the solution is the same as always: Get united prayer, read the Word, do the humble things that will reduce your pride, and fight against it. Pray for a yielded spirit.

171. I'm counting on you all to help pull this new vision off, and there's no place for sensitivity. There's a lot of work to be done and there are a lot of problems to find solutions to. You can't be spending time nursing your own hurt feelings when there's a war to fight. So put your armor on, My mighty warriors, and fight on! (End of message from Jesus.)

Do All You Can to Get the Victory

172. (Jesus speaking:) Sensitivity is one of the Enemy's greatest weapons against My children in these days. It holds you back. It keeps you from receiving the suggestions of others, because it's ultimately pride that you don't want to admit you were wrong or that there's a better‚ more efficient way to go about a task. This also keeps others from wanting to suggest anything to you or be honest with you, because they know that you won't receive it well. This is serious.

173. If you harbor sensitivity, it leads to resent­ment‚ and resentment to bitterness, and bitterness will destroy your usefulness for Me. That's another reason to fight sensitivity. When you allow yourself to hang on to the feeling of being wronged or misunder­stood or unjustly accused, it grows, and will eventually snuff out your happiness and your useful­ness, if you don't get to the bottom of it and root it out.

174. If you feel that you're prone to sensitivity in your life, ask for united prayer. This is not a small thing, to be taken lightly‚ because this can and will cause disunity in the ranks. It will slow down the progress that I wish for the Family to make in these Last Days, and it will cut you off from the wonderful, life–giving flow of help that you can receive from Me and your co-workers.

175. So do all you can to get the victory over this. Ask Me if you have this weakness and I will show you. Ask your co-workers how you can be more receptive to their help and ask them if you now show signs of sensitivity.

176. Remember to do all things in love‚ and if you do give a suggestion, make sure that you're looking to Me and following My checks on how you should give your suggestions. There certainly is a right way and a wrong way to give a suggestion, and although there are some gray areas, it's important for you to go about this the right way if you need to bring something up to someone. I will show you how to do this. (End of message from Jesus.)

Now Is the Time to Overcome!

177. (Note from channel: ) I originally got a vision of a big female spirit being who wanted to give a message. There was excitement in the spirit, and I got the impression this was going to be good news for those who battle sensitivity. When I asked who was speaking, the Lord spoke first, and afterwards I received the mess­age from the spirit being.

178. (Jesus speaking:) Sensitivity to correction and to suggestions about your work or personal life prevents you from growing spiritually, and if you're not growing spiritually you're not progress­ing. You're stagnant. It can also affect the physical aspect of your life, because if someone can't make a suggestion to you without you getting overly sensitive about it, you're not going to be able to learn much because people won't be eager to talk to you about anything. In fact, people will most likely not talk to you about whatever it is that could be of help to you.

179. The only way the board vision will work is if all involved are on board. I'm taking My children into the time when their lives will not be as they were. The world is changing. Times are waxing worse and worse; they will not get better. They will grow more evil, and more darkness will spread over the Earth.

180. My children are destined to shine as lights in the midst of gross darkness. I have given this plan of the boards as a means, as a vehicle to get you where you need to be. I want to help you. I want to answer your heartcries.

181. In order to harness the tremendous pool of talent and gifts of My people, those who I have blessed must commit to Me. They are no different than any other of My children. A man's gifts do make room for him. On the other hand‚ a man's gifts do not give him free rein to do as he pleases, nor to disregard My words of instruction‚ guidance, correction, or training.

182. My Word says, "Submit yourself to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." Many people fight to resist the Devil and then grow weary, eventually giving up. It's because they leave out the key ingredient to success—submitting themselves to Me. If people won't submit themselves to Me, the battle can't be won.

183. You have to surrender yourself to Me before you can begin winning the spiritual war. Once you surrender yourself to Me, then I will give you the battle plan that will bring the victory, blow by blow. And those blows will be the blows you will be giving the Enemy.

184. I have given a wealth of words, poured forth abundantly, and now is the time to let the miracles happen. If you will surrender to Me, I will do the miracles. I'm even now preparing the way. It won't be easy. Nothing worthwhile is usually easy to obtain. It will be a fight, but it will be worth fighting! I want to make fighters out of you, My children.

185. The key will be surrendering to Me‚ for when you surrender you will be endued with power that will enable you to fight as never before, and then that which wasn't easy will become easier than you thought. Such is the beauty of surrendering to Me. I love you! (End of message from Jesus.)

Help from the Spirit World to Fight Against Sensitivity!

186. (Spirit being speaking: ) I come to the children of David! I come on behalf of the prayers and at the behest of your Father David! I am to help his children who battle with sensitivity. I bring the spirit of sensitivity to the Lord's Spirit! I do battle with him who fights to defeat the children of David, the demon of sensitivity of self. I am commissioned to help you have a tough spirit but a tender heart—a tender heart to the words of Jesus, but a tough spirit that you may receive His words of reproof without being sensitive.

187. To reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long­suffering and doctrine is the way of a revolutionary disciple's life! I am here to help those who need to become soldiers of the cross. All of you are soldiers, and as your Father David has told you, soldiers need to be able to take a cussing out from their Commanding Officer and know that it's for their benefit and not to their detriment.

188. I am not alone, but I am part of a ­legion of specially trained spirit beings who have been commissioned to help you. Call on the name of the Lord, ask for our assistance, and you will receive it. You may have one of us as a permanent helper if you so desire! We are mighty and strong in spirit. We have been trained to toughen you up, if you will but ask.

189. If you're sensitive and desire to change, the thought can be frightening. You know it's your pride, you know it's something that works against your spiritual progress, but you can feel trapped, unable to break free of the bonds of sensitivity. We're here to free you! We're here to help you become what you desire to be‚ to give you the proper perspective when you receive correction or suggestions.

190. Jesus will not fail you! He has created us so that we may answer your desire to change. We'll make the change easier for you! We'll help it not hurt so much. We're fierce warriors, fighters for Jesus! We'll help you see beyond your hurt feelings and help you to fight! Simply call for us and we'll come. We love you! (End of message from spirit being)

How to Be on Guard Against the Selvegion

(ML #3403:4–10, Post-it Letter.)

Let Me Rewrite History For You

4. (Jesus speaking:) Those horrible pests [the Selvegion] don't wait for an open invitation. They are constantly pecking, biting, gnawing, and trying to find entrance. They live to pester My children‚ and they try to divide them and eat them up. So deliverance from them is not a one-time deal. It's something that you have to be continually on guard against and praying against, and doing your part to keep your spiritual defenses strong.

5. The way they entered your life was through sensitivity. When you feel hurt by someone, you often brush it off, but don't really forgive and forget. Then, the next time it comes up, it becomes a little bigger deal. With some of those that you've been living with for a long time and have quite a bit of history with, it's become more serious‚ to the point where it doesn't take much to make you feel sensitive, offended‚ unloved, or upset.

6. What you need to do is wipe the slate clean. With some of those that you have some "negative history" with, you've hurt them and they've hurt you, and even though things are pretty much okay most of the time, it doesn't take much for you to feel hurt or sensitive or upset about things, if even a small misunderstanding or something happens between you. The solution is not to delve into the past and try to rehash things, but to simply apologize and start again. As you pray against the evil Selvegion, I will deliver you, the wounds will heal, and you will have a clean start.

7. It's important to keep asking for My cleansing and not let things build up with anyone. I know that you feel it's sometimes hard to avoid, because so much that happened in the past is often unclear or easy to misunderstand, and it's even more painful to talk about it. So often everyone just tries to pretend that everything is okay. But that's not the solution.

8. If it's something that's not possible to talk about and sort out, then at least you have to bring it to Me, get My Words on the subject, and then stand on those Words every time the Enemy brings the subject up or it's brought to your mind for any reason. In so doing, you cleanse and renew your mind with My Words, constantly reminding yourself of what I've said, and you can actually "rewrite history" in your memories, choosing to instead remember things as I have said they were‚ rather than how you felt hurt or remembering it from your perspective‚ which is very often inaccurate.

9. As you hear from Me, let Me wash you clean. You can go on to have sweet, mature, unhindered friendships and working relationships if you will each let the past go and let Me give you a new start. Trust that your mates and co-workers want it also, proceed in faith, and watch Me do the miracle.

10. And from now on, don't let things build up. If you feel awkward or hurt by someone, ask Me about it, and let Me help you see things as I see them. Then go on to remember them as I have told you they were, and it will keep this from happening again. (End of message from Jesus)

FJWL

FJWL 2:554

You can turn what seems like a curse in your life into a blessing. You can turn what the Enemy uses as a hindrance and source of battles and condemnation into a channel to Me and a source of My Spirit. You can make your sensitivity a positive strength instead of a weakness. All things are possible with Me, and all things are available to you from My Spirit—all things good and beautiful. You do not have to live with sensitivity or the condemnation of the Enemy or the battles that result from being sensitive.

I am using these battles in your life to keep you humble, yielded and desperate with Me, so that you can remain a good, useful, flowing channel—one who is desperate with Me and not self-satisfied; one who is clinging to Me for victories and answers; one who can feel the infirmities of those you pray for; one who can weep with those who weep and be touched with the afflictions of those who suffer.

You pray for many people and many situations, and I need to keep you soft and humble and weak in yourself, needing Me and looking to Me, in order to use you. Your heart needs to stay broken for the brokenhearted. Your eyes need to be firmly fixed on Me in order to see in the spirit. Your mind needs to belong to Me in order to receive My thoughts, and your life needs to be open and hungry for Me in order to be touched with the needs of others. For when you are in need of Me and desperate for My help with your personal problems, then you are much more desperate in prayer for others‚ and you create a good strong vacuum to pull down My seeds for others.

So I use it to keep you humble, needy and yielded, but I do not want you to be unhappy or under condemnation or feel like a failure. I do not see you as a failure‚ My love. You are progressing and going forward. That is why the Enemy is fighting and trying to stop you by persuading you that you're failing and going backward. But you aren't; you're fighting and seeking Me and moving with My Spirit, and thus I'm able to give you the answers you seek.

FJWL 2:558

When you feel the spirit of sensitivity coming upon you, when you feel you're reacting out of sensitivity, that is a good opportunity for you to turn it into a blessing of My Spirit. You can do that by stopping and praying and asking Me how to react. Just stop yourself and ask Me what I think about the situation and how I want you to react. Tune in to Me instead of that sensitive spirit. Turn to Me for the reaction I want you to have; ask Me, and then just do what I say. What a great opportunity this is for you to learn and progress and become more and more like Me, flowing with My Spirit, moving with My Spirit in everything you say and do! What better situation could you possibly have to learn to be more prayerful and in My Spirit?

I have the perfect answer for you, the right answer, the right way to look at things, the right reaction and the right attitude. I promise that I will not fail to direct your steps and set your feet on a plain path, and give you the strength to walk it. You will do so well, My love. You will shine with My light and walk in My love and you will be so happy. It's not too hard; nothing is too hard with My Spirit behind you and all around you. You will find new strength that you know not of, new anointing that you haven't tapped into yet, a new mind that is Mine, and a new love that never stops flowing—My great‚ endless love. It's all yours‚ My darling. I have so much to give you‚ many waters of My love. Just reach out and receive.

FJWL 2:564

Be excited about this new adventure, this new challenge in your life. It is a challenge and you must determine in your mind and heart that you're going to go for it and not hold back. If you really want to be a new creature‚ one who isn't plagued with the Enemy's spirit of sensitivity, then you have to make the choice to accept My answer, follow through and obey. I've given you an answer and solution to your problem, My pure voice of prophecy, and now you must put Me to the test and show your belief and faith by obeying what I have said.

I know you think it will take so much time to ask Me continually, to come to Me in prayer so often when you have many other things to do. You wonder if you'll be able to take the time and really do it. But you will find that if you do, it will soon become more and more automatic in your personal life. You will soon be more and more on My wavelength, and it won't have to be a big deal; it will be just like talking to Me whenever you need an answer. Trust Me. You don't need to set aside a big slot of time; just ask and open your channel and I'll answer. You can do that anytime, anywhere, and I'll speak. When you ask Me for specific solutions‚ I'll show you.

Turning Weakness into Strength

(ML #3247:44-84, GN 848.)

His Compliment of Correction!

44. (Mama:) Next is a very sweet message from our dear Jesus about receiving His compliment of correction. He explains how much love is behind ­every loving, guiding tap of His shepherd's rod‚ and how much good it does us when we receive it as His love for us‚ rather than getting resentful or closed to it.

45. (Jesus speaking:) Without some form of correction, My people perish. They become old bottles—stale, stagnant, and lackadaisical in spirit, unable to keep pace with the movements of My Spirit. They become overly sensitive to any form of correction because they're not used to receiving it; they've closed their spirits to it. They become less sensitive to My Spirit and the compliment and benefits of correction in their lives.

46. But those who remain open to cor­rection, who want it, listen for it, think about it, pray about it, and act upon it, stay alive in spirit‚ moving with My Spirit, revolutionary and up-to-date with the new moves of My Spirit! They stay warm, loving, moldable‚ flexible, humble, and in tune with Me. And because these want the correction and instruction of My Spirit, I can continue to pour it out regularly and continue to help them to grow and to prosper in spirit and use them more mightily.

47. Correction is My personal loving care and compliment for you. Yet is difficult for My children to receive for various reasons. Many have a mis­conception about godly correction and instruction, thinking that it indicates some kind of backsliding or failure on their part. ­Others have a fear of correction and instruction, perhaps because they've experienced unloving correction in the past. For some it is difficult because of their pride. They are being told they are wrong or did something the wrong way, and that is almost always hard to receive. For others it is difficult because of the way correction was de­livered in the past, with stern looks, with shouting, with names and labels that hurt, and with forgiveness granted in word but not in deed.

48. When I speak of correction ­being My personal loving compliment to you, I speak of correction which is given in such a way as to help, not to hurt. When I or others correct you in a loving way and you have difficulty receiving it because of your pride, it is nevertheless My touch of love for you. Whom I love‚ I chasten and correct and instruct. If you go without these things‚ you stray, My children. I only instruct you because I wish to see you do better in the future, not as a punishment, and I always correct in perfect love.

49. Others may correct you with less than perfect love at times, because they are human and less than perfect themselves. Nevertheless, I would that they use as much love as possible‚ following My example in the Word and these messages from Heaven, My queen and king's example in the Letters‚ and other godly examples in your publications. Correction should not be given in anger, nor with yelling and the calling of names, nor with intent to hurt rather than help. It is by mercy and truth that any iniquity is corrected and purged.

50. Still, even when given in a less than perfect manner by others, correction can be My com­pliment and blessing to you if you focus on the instruction and the change needed rather than the way in which the message was delivered. Let it make you better rather than bitter or re­sent­ful at its tone. In the multitude of words there lacketh not sin, and all My children have sinned in this way at one time or another.

51. It's a compliment, not a punishment! It's love, not revenge. It's godly and is being given with love because I want to use you more mightily. I see your potential. I see the good work that you're already doing. I see your capability to do even ­better in My service, and I desire to instruct and teach you how to do even ­better because I delight to use you more fully.

52. This is a compliment from Me to you that I have faith in you. I trust you to do even more, to be even more, to fulfill My will even more fully in your life and the lives of those you touch. I invest My love, My time, My attention, My correction and instruction in those who I believe will bring forth more fruit, who will grow in spirit and become even more useful ­vessels in My Kingdom.

53. So you who are given some form of correction and instruction should feel honored and thankful that I'm selecting you for further training. It's not a negative thing to be instructed; it's a good and positive thing! It means that you're learning, growing, and maturing in spirit, and will be an even better disciple, shepherd, or leader.

54. Those who receive more correction are in a perfect situation for more growth. Those who are not touchy, sensitive, or easily offended by instruction, but want it and listen to it, are the ones who are moving forward with My Spirit and are way up in front. But if you're quick to take offense at correction and instruction from Me, your shepherds, or your peers, you're hurting yourself, because it blocks the flow of instruction. It blocks the flow of My spirit of instruction in your life, which will give you the truth‚ which will give you the power to progress and change.

55. The more open you are to correction from Me and others, the more you desire it and look for it and ask for it, the easier it becomes to receive, and the less touchy and sensitive you'll find yourself being toward correction. Therefore the more you will change when needed, the more you will grow in spirit‚ the more you will progress and gain in wisdom, love, understanding, and spiritual maturity; the more on track you'll be with the moves of My Spirit, and the closer you'll be able to follow Me.

56. The less sensitive you are to the correction in a negative way—such as feeling hurt, resentful, closed, or hardened in heart—the more in tune with My Spirit you will be, and the more easily you'll be able to discern the need to change in the areas being pointed out to you, and the easier it will be for you to change. It won't be such a big deal to hear correction if you're used to hearing it, because you're used to being open to it and inviting it into your life. It's only when people are not used to it and they're overly sensitive to instruction that it becomes a bigger deal‚ harder to receive‚ and harder for others to give to them.

57. Those who are being given instruction in some way should understand that it's a great blessing in their lives. It's a wonderful tool to help them to grow, to change, and to stay alive in spirit—soft and moldable, humble and loving, and all the things of My Spirit that are needed in their life.

58. They should be thankful, happy, excited and uplifted to know that I'm reaching out to them personally and taking the time with them to tune in to their spiritual needs. They should consider it a great compliment that I, the great God of the Universe, not only hear their prayers, but I work in their lives to answer those prayers and do something about their spiritual needs.

59. I love My children, and the ones that I love and want to continue to use mightily, I want to instruct and correct and guide in love. It's a touch of My love in your life when you're instructed. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to grow by leaps and bounds if you will open up to it and receive it in faith and love.

60. I will not give you that which is not good and true and needed. I don't give My children bad things, wrong things, lies, or things that they don't need in some way. Especially when it comes to instruction and correction‚ I'm very careful to give you just exactly what I want you to have, what I know you really need at the time.

61. I love you so much and I prove My love to you in many ways. I shower you with My blessings and gifts of the Spirit through faith, through healing, through My supply‚ through love in your life, through protection, through encourage­ment. And correction is another form of My love. It's another blessing to you. It's another touch of My love in your life, for without it you wouldn't grow, you wouldn't be able to change, and I wouldn't be able to work in your life to bring about that growth and change.

62. So fear not to receive correction and instruction, but open your life to it! Open your heart to it, and let My Spirit of love flood in and bring about the wonderful fruits of growth in your life that will bring you even more happiness, and make it possible for Me to use you even more mightily. (End of message from Jesus)

The Secret to Overcoming Sensitivity

63. (Mama: ) One of the greatest hindrances to receiving correction is sensitivity, which is born of pride. Sensitivity makes it very difficult and painful for the person who's receiving the correction, as well as for the person who has to give it. We asked the Lord for some good, well-rounded counsel on sensitivity—exactly what causes it and how to go about making progress toward getting a solid victory over it—and He sent dear Dad with a very clear and helpful message.

64. I pray this is a blessing to you, and that those of you who struggle with sensitivity can be strengthened as you apply this to your own lives. The fight to overcome sensitivity won't be easy, but it's sure a lot easier in the long run than just living with it and letting it hinder and discourage you. If you leave it alone, it will only get worse—but going on the attack brings victory and sweet relief in the long run! I love you!

65. (Dad speaking:) Resist the Devil and he will flee from you! The way to win any war is to go on the attack! Well, before you can really go on the attack with your whole heart, you have to be convinced that it's a battle worth fighting‚ that the pain is worth enduring for the glory of victory. If you're being sensitive and you feel the other person is wronging you by the correction they're giving you, by the way they're presenting it, by their pushy or seemingly unpleasant way of saying things‚ or if you're unhappy with what people are doing and you feel like they're hurting you because they're being inconsiderate—well, you're not going to be very convinced that you're the one who needs to go on the attack and get the victory!

66. So first of all you have to recognize that you need a victory. The way to see that is to believe what the Word says sensi­tivity is, and what it does to you. What does the Word say? David said, "Great peace have they which love Thy Law, and nothing shall offend them" (Psa.119:165). Paul said, "None of these things move me" (Acts 20:24). That's the goal that we're striving for, right?—That we won't be offended or moved. But some of us have a long way to go till we get there!

67. The secret to overcoming sensitivity—besides calling on the Lord for help, asking for prayer, and asking those around you to help you, all of which we'll talk about later—is a change of attitude. Really claim that the Lord will help you to believe and remember that when something happens that you start getting sensitive about‚ that He's the One Who allowed it to happen‚ and He's the One Who's in control. So no matter how you feel about it at the time, no matter how much it hurts you or makes you feel like giving up, He has a lesson in it for you, and He loves you and wants you to keep going!

68. He's the One Who knows your heart the best, and He knows that you needed this—be­cause He's the One Who allowed it! If you have that attitude and really believe it, some of these things will be a lot easier to take, because you can know that the Lord loves you, that He wants to continue to use you, and He allowed this to happen for your good, strength­en­ing, and betterment—not for your hurt!

69. Sensitivity is born of pride. So when we're being sensitive about something, our pride is actually the only thing that's being hurt. It's wincing and going, "Ouch, ouch! Don't touch me there. That's mine; that's not yours to touch. Oh, if you tell me that‚ I'm going to fall apart. I can't continue, knowing that I've been affecting people this way. It's too hard. I might as well quit. Who are you to tell me that, when you have so many faults of your own? Are you insinuating that I do such-and-such? Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

70. So can you see that when you get sensitive and try to protect yourself‚ all you're doing is protecting your pride?--Your horrible, stinking pride‚ the root of all sin and what we always pray against! If you're sensitive, you can thank the Lord for the opportunity to overcome it‚ and thus lose a bit more of your pride!

71. Oh, but it's easier said than done, I know. It doesn't go without feeling like it's ripping out a bit of your heart at the same time, because every time you feel sensitive, it's natural to feel that this time you're right. This time someone got it wrong somewhere‚ or they're being just a bit too hard or unjust‚ or they don't understand you. You see, that's where you have to desperately pray for the Lord to give you faith to believe that He is in control, He is the One Who allowed it, and He's going to use it in your life for good if you can simply ac­cept it and ask Him to help you to take it.

72. At the time, it never seems like the onus is on you, because you're being sensitive. The Enemy doesn't work that way. He makes you feel like it's the other person who's in the wrong, even if it's just that they should be a bit gentler with you because they know you're sensitive. But you see, the Lord doesn't want that, because He wants you to overcome it! He wants you to get the victory and be free of sensitivity, free to wear His magic green shirt of truth, honesty, openness and humility with others‚ the garment that makes them feel comfortable to tell you anything, to communicate, and thus defeat the ­Enemy who's trying to divide you.

73. Can you see how sensitivity is an integral part of the Devil's plan to ­divide, to cause disunity, and to seal you off in a little world of your own where no one has the faith to touch you‚ help you, or pull you up and out? You see, generally people aren't telling you things to purposely hurt you. They're not telling you things because they want to see you cry or feel hurt and discouraged. Usually it's because they love you and want to work better with you, or want to see you happier or more fulfilled, so they're pointing things out to try and set you free. But the Enemy turns it around in your mind and makes it seem exactly the opposite.

74. That's where faith in the Lord and His promises come in! Because, of course, humans are not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and undoubt­edly there will be times when people blow it and don't say things exactly the way they should, or don't have exactly the right attitude or motives when they say something, or maybe they don't really understand or see things clearly. But what you have to remember is that the Lord does!

75. The Lord never makes a mistake, and if He's allowed someone to talk to you‚ even with the wrong motives or the wrong facts, He allowed it for a reason! He's the One Who is in control, and He loves you dearly—you can't doubt that. He doesn't have it in for you, and He never does something just to hurt you. He always has a victory‚ and He has a good reason why He let it happen, based on His great love for you. If you can accept that and ask the Lord to remind you of it at those sensitive times, you've got a good start toward the victory.

76. One of the first things to do ­after you realize you have a problem with sensitivity is to ask for prayer. Not only do you need the power of Heaven which is set free to fight for you when you have united prayer, but it also makes a statement to your co–workers‚ shepherds, or whoever it is you're sensitive to, that you're going on the attack and you want to get the victory. You should also talk to them and explain that you're sorry you've been sensitive, but that you really want to make progress, and that if they really love you, they'll help you get the victory.

77. When you're sensitive, it makes people back away. They don't like to keep hurting you, so they try to stop as much as possible. But sensitivity is a vicious cycle. The more you're sensitive, the more people back away and avoid telling you things, and the more your sensitivity grows. The only way to overcome it is by experiencing situations that make you sensitive and go­ing through them, fighting your ­sensitivity. It dies a little more every time you're tempted to be sensitive and you resist it, when you remind yourself that the Lord loves you and is doing this for your good, and you fight to accept it and take it on the chin.

78. Every time you do that, you're breaking the bad habit of however you react when you're sensitive. After a while, a good habit will be formed, and it will be so much easier—not only for you, but for those around you as well.

79. You'd be amazed how much easier your communications can be when people aren't so afraid of hurting you! It opens up new channels, gives more openness and freedom of the spirit, and just generally lets the Lord's Spirit flow more. Sensitivity chokes off the Lord's Spirit and His love. Sensitivity is one of the enemies of honest and loving communication, and it really does hinder it in a big way. So over­coming your sensitivity opens you up to the Lord's Spirit and to receive more not only from Him‚ but from those around you.

80. Overcoming your sen­sitivity and trying to be more open also gets rid of some of your pride and ensures that it stays away. Because when you have more flowing communication, you're able to hear more about the ways you need to change. You're more sensitive in a good way to others' feelings and needs, and it helps to keep you reaching out to others rather than becoming secluded in your pride. More honest communication helps to keep you humble and knowing you need others—another benefit of overcoming.

81. So can you see how important it is to get the victory in this area? If you want to be fully used by the Lord, it's essen­tial that you work on your sensitivity and receptivity‚ because sensitivity affects your communication with the Lord as well. Open­ness and receptivity make for good communication all around, and the ­opposite is also true. If you're used to receiving and hearing things from your co-workers, friends, sheep and shepherds, then receiving things from the Lord is much easier as well. But if you're in the habit of justifying yourself or not receiving things from ­others, chances are your channel won't be as clear to ­receive things from the Lord either.

82. So shall we do it? Face it, ask for prayer, ask for help‚ ask the Lord to give you the right attitude, and then go on the attack and take it when it's given to you! The more you get it and receive it, the quicker you'll get the victory. You can look at it as a test when you get corrected and are tempted to be sensitive. Just look at it as an opportunity to lose a little more pride and become a little more receptive.

83. Of course, everyone could probably stand to work on their loving presentation skills, and that's in their court. But overcoming your sensitivity is in your court, and if you do, it'll do you a world of good. Okay? Are you convinced that it's worth it? If not, ask the Lord to help you see the areas of your life that sensitivity affects. That might help you to see it more clearly or better know how to attack it in your life.

84. I love you! We're rooting for you! You can overcome—the Lord has promised it!

Love‚ Dad (End of message from Dad.)

Issues, Part 4

(ML #3306:38-55, GN 909.)

Betrayal?

Q:

38. It's hard for me if I find out that one of my friends has said some­thing about me, and I've had people tell me that if I want to stay friends with them, I can't ever say anything. I want to do what's right‚ but I'm caught in the middle and I'm afraid if I do say something to my shepherds‚ I'll lose that friendship forever.

Jesus:

39. Friendship is many things‚ but real friendship will always do what's best. This can sometimes mean overlooking faults when they're minor‚ or if you ask your friend to tell you the truth about your NWOs or something personal, that they'll be upfront with you. Friendship is also forgiving. It's unconditional love. It's offering advice. When a friend knows a friend needs outside help for something that really is important for his spiritual or physical well-being or service for the Lord, then it includes seeking this help.

40. A lie that the Devil often tells you is, "They told on me because they're mad at me or have it in for me." Or he'll tell you that they've betrayed your confidence, they've mis­represented you, that you can't trust them anymore, and all sorts of other things. These are some of the Devil's classic lines he'll feed you, because his job is to divide friends and cause disunity. But even more than that, he'll try to put up a roadblock to your getting the help that you may need or that is crucial to your service to Me. If the Devil can get you to think that your friend is just "telling on you," then that, in your mind, will justify rejecting any counsel or advice that someone may try to give you, stunting your progress.

41. The Devil is the accuser of the saints—that's what he does all day long. He's the accuser of the brethren‚ just like it says; he stands before God to accuse you day and night. So don't believe the Devil's lies about your friends when they go to your shepherd expressing their concerns and trying to help you. They're doing the right thing, because they're not sure how to help you, or what to say or how to present it. So they're very wise in going to someone else to pray about it, or to get the help they need, and that you need too.

42. This is a true friend and the best kind of friend you could have—one who will try to help you even if they know you might get mad at them, which will hurt them too, but they're willing to bear that hurt in order to help you. Now that's real love. That's the kind of friend that will not only get outside help for you when you need it, but will also forgive you, help you out of a tight spot‚ sacrifice for you, and even die for you.

43. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. And that's what someone is doing if they ask a shepherd to help you. They have to lay down their life, because it's not an easy thing to do what some people may call "rat on their friend." That's why it really is a sacrifice for them, because reporting on a friend has such a bad connotation, it's like being labeled a traitor. So it takes them laying down their pride to go to a shepherd. It takes courage and humility. It takes love. They have to count the cost. They have to be willing to be hurt, thinking you won't like them anymore or won't trust them anymore, and it can be quite painful for them. Anyone who's willing to lose a friendship that is very dear to them, risk putting the friendship on the line in order to help you‚ well, you could hardly find a better friend than that.

44. It's all in how you look at it. Would you rather have friends who didn't have the courage to speak up if they saw something wasn't going to be good for you—or someone who would have the guts to stand up and say something even if they knew you might be mad at them? True friends will tell you the truth no matter what, and they're not really true friends if they don't. True friends speak the truth in love, because they love you and they love Me. (End of message from Jesus)

There for Him...

Q:

45. In the S2K Letters it talks a lot about being your brother's keeper. We have a problem with that in our Home, but in thinking about how we're going to get over it, I'm not sure what steps we should take. It's tricky when you want to do the right thing, but you also don't want to offend the others in your Home. Sometimes the truth can be pretty offensive! We need a balance, but how do we get that? I need it real simple—1-2-3 type steps.

Dad:

46. Good for you for asking! That's the first step right there—to want to improve, to see the need to do better, to recognize there's a problem. If everyone in your Home sees it, all the better! Unfortunately, that probably won't always be the case. Sometimes you have to try to make progress even when everyone doesn't see the need for it—because as an individual, the Lord expects you to keep growing and changing and making the steps that He's asked of you personally, whether everyone else is coming along or not. It makes it much easier, though, when you're all in unity about lifting the standard in an area like this one—being your brother's keeper.

47. What does "being your brother's keeper" entail, anyway? It means praying for one another, encouraging each other, being there as a friend to help share the load and the ups and downs of life. It means helping your brother when he needs help, pulling him up when he's down‚ and being willing to sacrifice what you want to do when he has a need. Being your brother's keeper also means correcting each other if you see something isn't right. It means pointing things out to your peers, which is never easy. It's not easy to give‚ and it's not easy to take. It means talking to your shepherds when you see one of your peers needs help. It means being honest and standing up to one another.

48. Overall it means being a lot more honest and open, which is just difficult, period. It's difficult because it's humbling. It's difficult because you find out things that can be hard to take, that can threaten to hurt your friendships, if you don't take them the right way. If you're sensitive, being honest and open or having someone be honest and open with you is very painful—it's a real fight to overcome your sensitivity and see things objectively.

49. At first, learning to be your brother's keeper in all aspects, including being more honest and open with one another and with your shepherds—can seem to be hurting your unity more than helping it. If your friend tells your shepherd something that you said in a casual conversation, and your shepherd comes and talks to you about it, it's easy to feel like you never want to speak honestly with your friend again. But recognize that for what it is—it's the Enemy trying to make you feel that way, and thus destroy your unity! I know that's hard to do at the moment, because you hurt, you feel that you've been betrayed‚ and you wonder what your friend's motive was for doing it.

50. But stop right now and remind yourself what you're in the Family for. It's for Jesus, right? It's to serve the Lord and to do the best job possible for Him. What's the purpose of the Word‚ living by the Charter, and abiding by the standard that the Lord has set down for us? It's to enable us to do a better job for Jesus. So take it right back to the basics and remind yourself where your first loyalty should be, and where your friend's first loyalty should be. That will help to put things into perspective. Then go to the Lord and ask Him what He wants you to learn from the situation.

51. It's not easy; it kills your pride to humble yourself like that, to accept things and learn from them. But it's good for you, and if you can believe it, it will strengthen your relationship not only with the Lord, but with your friend—because you'll be basing your friendship on the policy of "Jesus and His Family first," and the Lord will bless that. You'll learn to have more honest and open communication together, and that will also strengthen your friendship.

52. The same principles apply when you have to be the one to correct your friend, or go and mention something to your shepherd that you just don't feel is right. First of all, check your motives for doing so. Is it to lift yourself up, or to try and avoid getting in trouble yourself? If so, you'd better stop and pray and ask the Lord to help you have the right motives.

53. Your motive should be that you really love your friends and want to see them make it. You might not think that a little thing like reporting on them or correcting them will help them make it—in fact, it might seem quite the opposite. But you have to obey, because the Lord said that it's your duty of love‚ and trust that He will work it together for good. Then take it back to the basics—remind yourself of your loyalty to Jesus above all‚ and to His work next. Then ask the Lord to help you present things lovingly, fairly, objectively and wisely. Even if you're just reporting something to your shepherd, who you think should have a good view of the big picture and should take your report wisely and pray over it before doing anything about it, it's still your duty to pray and present it wisely.

54. Those are some of the basic ground rules. And then you just have to do it. Pray and ask the Lord for His love. Pray together, as a Home, and ask the Lord for His love and grace. And then be willing to talk about things together when they come up. If you have to mention something to someone and it doesn't go so well, go back and apologize. Or, if someone mentions something to you and you're hurt and offended by it, or you have a bad reaction, go back and apologize, and talk about it. Get things worked out. Get things out in the open. Really pray and ask the Lord to give you His love and help you see things as He sees them, and then ask the other person how they see it.

55. Open communication will solve so many problems. Granted, you've got to implement that with a lot of love and wisdom. And you might feel that you don't have that love and wisdom personally. But that's okay—you don't have to! Thank God for the new weapon of prophecy, by which you can have all the wisdom that you need—simply by asking the Lord what to do, what to say, and how to say it. He's more willing to pour out the love you need than you are to receive—literally! So try it! Okay? I love you! Love, Dad. (End of message from Dad.)

Communication Keys

(ML #3323:241-252, GN 928.)

Giving Correction to an FGA—How To Do It Tactfully and Maturely

241. (Mama:) There are plenty of ­situations where you young people are responsible for a project or area of responsibility‚ and there are times when you're responsible to oversee those of the first generation‚ and even at times mete out correction or give instruction. There are also situations when you get a check that some­thing's not right, and in those cases the Lord expects you to speak up, as your brother's keeper, even if you're not the one in charge, so to speak.

242. It's very important that you learn to handle those types of situations wisely and prayerfully. If you put yourself in the shoes of the FGAs, you'll understand that it's not easy to take correction from someone half your age, who‚ from the perspective of an FGA‚ doesn't have nearly as much experience in many areas. Our FGAs do very well‚ for the most part, which shows maturity and humility on their part, God bless them.

243. We asked the Lord for some tips for you young people who are learning to handle these types of situations, about how you can maturely and lovingly mention things to the FGAs when you notice something that isn't right or according to the Word—how you can do it in a way that makes it as easy as possible for an FGA to be corrected by someone much younger than themselves.

244. (Jesus speaking:) Love, humility‚ and prayer—and communication—solve all problems. The reason many FGAs have a hard time receiving correction from those younger than them is because of their pride, but there are many things that you can do to make correction easier to accept.

245. First, if you come across with a cocky, know-it-all attitude, that's a sure turnoff. That'll just put them off and they'll hardly even hear the rest of what you're saying. So to start with, come to Me and ask Me for a spirit of desperation and humility. Ask that this correction would hurt you to give it, rather than help you "put so-and-so in their place." If you feel like they really deserve to be corrected or that you're happy you get to tell them, it's the wrong time to approach someone. You'd better stop and pray for Me to change that attitude first before you even mention anything to that person.

246. Secondly, ask Me exactly what to say. You can always get My advice on something like this. If it's just a little thing, all you have to do is stop for one or two minutes before you go and talk to the person, and ask Me how you should present something. If it's a bigger deal, you should take even more time to hear from Me and get all the details and specifics that I can give you. I'm more than able to give you the right words and the humility you need to correctly present the problem and correct the situation.

247. Next, pray about the timing. Correcting someone at the end of the day when they're tired or worn out from a long day with the kids or on outreach is a bad time, because they're physically drained and this makes it difficult for their spirit to be open to what I want to show them. It also means they may go to bed on a negative note, giving them bad sleep or a difficult night. So be sure to ask Me what the best time is to approach someone, and be considerate of their physical needs as well. Remember that just because you feel young and energetic doesn't mean that they do too. Their bodies are tired and need more rest and care than yours, since you're young. Bearing this in mind will help you to be more considerate of their needs and it'll help greatly.

248. The spirit of humility is the best way to approach someone—be they FGA, SGA‚ or child. It really doesn't matter what age they are, if you come in all proud and like "I've really got things going here and you don't know anything," then it's going to go wrong from the first word. Instead‚ humbly bring out your point and say, "I know I'm probably guilty of much more, and I hesitate to tell you this because you've been doing such a good job," or "You're such a big blessing in the Home that I really don't want to have to tell you this, but I know that it's what the Lord is asking of me—that's the only reason I'm telling you this. I'm not any better and I've got tons of mistakes myself. I probably drive you crazy with all my quirks. Thanks for being willing to put up with me."

249. You can even get a prophecy to present them with before you actually bring out your point—a prophecy of encouragement or com­mend­­ation for how well they're doing, or what a big help they are in the Home with the kids or in the kitchen or whatever their ministry is. This will help to set the stage and help remind them that I love them and I'm proud of them, and the only reason I'm giving them this little bit of correction is because I want them to be able to do even better and be happier. I'm doing it in love, and you should too.

250. Then there's respect. Remember that even though you might be the Home shepherd‚ the deacon of some ministry, or the overseer of whatever area has been entrusted into your care‚ they're older and have lived much longer and have gathered a large amount of experience that you haven't. You should respect them for that, as well as for the years they've spent serving Me. You should remember that even though I've sent you to deliver this correction, it doesn't in any way discount the many, many things that they've done for Me—the years they've ­invested in My service, the sacrifices they've made, all the things they've had to give up in order to do My will. Remember that and remember your place, but don't let that stop you from delivering the message that I've asked you to give them.

251. I used many young people in times of old. Look at Jeremiah, Daniel, David‚ Timothy and others. But remember that they also respected their peers and their elders. I gave them much counsel in My Word on how to present My will in a way that would not be condescending or hurtful. Bear that counsel and their examples in mind when you go to correct someone. The spirit of humility and meekness is the key. Nothing will work better, I can assure you.

252. And be sure to tell the person‚ young or old, how much you appreciate them personally—what they mean to you‚ how you respect them for all they've been through, how they've offered good advice in meetings, etc. Remember that they've probably helped you in a tight spot, and you should tell them how you appreciate it. When they feel that you love them and that they're important to you, it'll be much easier to accept the correction that you have to give them. (End of message from Jesus)

Recognizing and Resisting Pan

(ML #3401:47-49, Post-it GN.)

Resenting Correction

47. (Jesus speaking:) Pan, as the demon that has dominion over the mind, can influence what you say and how you react to certain situations. For example, when you receive correction or something happens that makes you upset, Pan is the one that whispers in your ear to snap back with a nasty comment or to grow very angry.

48. He is the one that tells you to feel spite toward correction, to not receive it and to resent it. You must realize that it is the voice of Pan, and therefore the voice of the Devil. You must resist him. He has no power over those who openly claim My Word and command him to flee. He is puny. He only appears to make himself look big and powerful to those who yield to his mindsets.

49. But rebuke him and resist him! Call on the power of the keys to cast him back to where he came from! Pray desperately and ask Me to rid you of him completely and forever. Then you can begin to do better in those areas that Pan has inflicted damage upon. Remember‚ you have complete power over him through Me. (End of message from Jesus)

Leadership Lessons, Part 3

(ML #3386:1-157, GN 986.)

Dearest Family‚

1. In this era of greater works, the Lord is expecting more of us in just about every area. One area that the Enemy is constantly fighting, and that we have to constantly persevere to maintain‚ is our unity. In order to have good, strong unity, we must be honest with each other. Being lovingly honest is difficult. It's humbling to be honest‚ and it's humbling when others are honest with us. It can also be difficult to receive honest comments in the right spirit. In this GN are messages that we gave to the COs at the sum­mit regarding the importance of honesty, especially in leadership teamworks. If the ­Enemy can keep you from being honest, he can effectively destroy your unity.

2. Many of you are already in leadership—whether as a VS, Home teamworker, a shepherd of our young people, or a leader of our growing groups of Active members and friends. But I want to remind you that these leadership lessons are important for each of you, whether you're officially in leadership at this moment or not. Remember that the Lord has promised to bring many more into our folds if we'll open up to receive them. He's promised that He's going to need each Family member to give of the great resources you've been given. He's going to depend on you to be shepherds. So as you read these lessons, please apply them to yourselves. Some of them you can apply now; others you'll need later. Don't brush them aside thinking you don't need them just because you don't have a title. These are also very import­ant principles to apply with the implementation of the board structure. Honesty and good communication skills will be vital in making the boards work as ­effectively as they need to.

3. There are many reasons that it's difficult to be honest. For one thing, the Enemy just plain fights it! It's humbling, it takes time and prayer to do it right, and there are sometimes unpleasant reper­cussions. Well, we all know that it's good to do the humble thing—it's just a fight. As far as the time it takes, the Lord has made it very clear that "with such sacrifices, He is well pleased." And as far as the repercussions, which are very common and real, I want to share with you a message the Lord gave about how to see them in their proper perspective‚ as well as how to minimize them. That way we'll do away with the Enemy's excuses right from the beginning, so you can concentrate on fully absorbing the Lord's counsel with­out being hindered by those nagging fears.

4. As you read on, you'll see that the Lord clearly considers honest communication worth the risk of a few complications. Of course, there is a balance, and the responsibility lies with you to pray and ask the Lord to help you implement this counsel prayerfully and in the right spirit. But with all that the Lord has given us about hearing from Him and letting Him guide us and give us instruction on how to go about things, we really don't have any excuse for not obeying in a situation like this‚ even if it's touchy, because the Lord can safely guide us through it. Amen?

5. The following messages and excerpts are pretty self-explanatory, so I haven't added a lot of commentary. Some will apply to your situation more than others, but please take all you can from them and go on to greater victories in the area of honesty and good communication. It won't come easily, but it's worth it!

Is the Risk Worth It?

6. (Question:) One of the trials a person faces after being open and honest about their battles is that it will affect their relationship with the person they're telling, especially if those battles include any kind of complaints or offenses involving the other person. When you feel you have to be honest, and the Lord might even be testing you to see if you will be honest‚ afterwards you can be hit with some really big trials: that you'll be misunderstood; you won't be trusted; you'll be labeled; the things you say will be held against you; you won't be taken into their confidence again or given the same responsibility; what you said will permanently damage your relationship in the future; the other person will feel very uncomfortable and will therefore pull back from being close to you and things will actually turn out being worse, not better.

7. These aren't just fears, either. This doesn't happen when you pour out your bummers to Mama and Peter, but not everyone is like Mama and Peter‚ and sometimes the things listed above actually do happen. So that's one of the legitimate reasons people are fearful of communicating openly, especially when they know they're out of it and their presentation will likely be negative, accusatory, inaccurate, unbalanced, etc. It's when someone is getting hit by the Enemy and is confused that such communication is probably the most needed. But there are fears that prevent it, or if they do communicate, then there are often serious divisions as a result, and people are offended and deeply hurt‚ etc. This is probably especially true if they're communicating at a distance, via written communications. That's even more difficult, because there's no immediate feedback or reassurance.

8. So there must be some reason why the Lord wants people to be honest and get their feelings out there‚ even sometimes at the risk of problems. How can you be honest with your mate, co-workers, teamworkers or shepherds without it causing deep breaches in the spirit? What should the person who is the recipient of such communication do to help bring about the desired results, especially if the communi­cation is about personal issues involving that person—like someone feels that person is not being open, or they've been opinionated, or they've shown partiality, or they're not living the Law of Love in their sexual sharing, or whatever? (These are just examples of personal issues that can often come across as complaints or accusations.)

9. There are probably things the person who is communicating should do too. But sometimes when you're really out of it and under ­severe attack and possibly have spiritual problems too—like with pride, sensitivity, etc.—your communications are not going to come out good. But that's probably the time it's the most import­ant to communicate so those complaints, resentments or hurts don't take root and become bitter­ness. Lord‚ please speak to us about this.

10. In summary‚ the questions are:

11. • Why do You often tell us to be honest when You know that it will possibly have big reper­cussions?

12. • How can situations like this be handled without making things worse? It seems it's too much to expect that the person sharing their heart will always express what they want to in the perfect manner. Of course, this is the goal and they should be prayerful, but often when you're going through trials or battles of this sort, you don't present things in the best way. You tend to say things in a critical, self-righteous, one-sided manner. Are there any guidelines for people who want to be honest and get something off their heart? Are there any guidelines or counsel for the person to whom they're speaking? What can the recipient do to help things, or what reaction should he or she have?

13. (Jesus speaking:) There will always be some risks involved when someone honestly shares their heart with a co-worker, team­worker, mate, friend‚ and so forth. Often that person fears they'll be causing hurt feelings, they'll possibly be labeled‚ strained relations will result, and so forth. I know this can sometimes happen. However, the risks involved do not outweigh the desired benefits that can be brought about when people do share their hearts. The risk involved in good open and honest communi­cation is not necessarily graver than the risk of holding things in, letting things smolder and grow into hurt feelings, misconceptions, and bitterness.

14. There are risks on both sides, so you must consider where the greatest risks lie. This is the question to ask yourselves: Where does the greater risk lie?

15. At times it's easier to think that the "greater risk" lies in communicating, if that communication threatens to bring about ill feelings that can cause someone to get hit with big battles—thinking they'll be misunderstood, or that they'll lose someone's trust, be labeled, have things held against them, will no longer be taken into the other's confidence, possibly not be given the same responsibility, or if they think that by honestly communicating their feelings they'll permanently damage the relationship in the future, or if the recipient is sensitive. There are many things that can enter into this equation, causing one to think that honest communication isn't worth the risk that could be involved.

16. The reason it's sometimes easier to think the repercussions are "high risk" and more detrimental than the dangers of holding things in is because these possible reactions and results are more visibly outstanding than the negative repercussions of holding things in. These reactions from openly communicating tend to be more upfront and personal, and can dampen any relationship. You can often see and feel the immediate results. Whereas when you hold things in, the detrimental results are often a slow, grinding process. It's more often a subtle process, one that by outward appear­ances is more easily controlled in the beginning, and there­fore, to the carnal mind, more seemingly harmless, or the easier way. This is a false notion.

17. When people smolder inside, when they're holding things in‚ those things are festering and growing into bitterness. You can sometimes sense the bad fruits of this, yet because it's often unspoken and more undercover, it's less upfront and in your face. So for a time this seems the easier path, the path of least resistance or of less confrontation. This is not ­always so, however‚ for when bitterness and re­sent­­ment take hold, they're as giant ferocious monsters, and the end result of a grapple with these can be far more dangerous and deadly! By the time the fruit of these hidden growths becomes apparent, it's much worse, poses a greater threat, and can be far more lethal.

18. Again, the question you must ask your­selves is, which is the bigger risk?—The risk you take in sharing your heart and having to deal with the repercussions‚ or the risk you take when you hold things in and choose not to have open and honest communication, and thus let matters smolder and fester inside?

19. Sharing your heart is taking a risk that has consequences, and it can have very seri­ous reper­cussions. However‚ My hope and expectation is that My children, especially My intimate brides, can exercise the power to rise above when faced with these repercussions. I've given the children of David great light and truth. I've poured into you these many years‚ given great volumes of instruction‚ counsel, and shared much about the inner workings of the spirit. In this era of action, it's time for My intimate brides to mature and to walk in the truth that I have given. It's time to rise above the petty matters that threaten to hold you down. It's time to break loose from the ties that have you bound.

20. I could say simply and plainly that it's time to be like your queen and your king—simple as that. I could say it's a simple matter of taking on My divine nature, of showing the fruits of My righteousness in your lives. In reality, it is as simple as that. It's a simple matter of using the keys I have put in your hands, of exercising your power to rise above—to rise above your fears, to rise above feelings of sensitivity, and to rise above your pride.

21. The scenario you have brought before Me of the difficult repercussions from communicating honestly is a good example of how one can exercise the power of rising above. I have mercy on you, My loves, and I know this fights against your flesh that cries out‚ "That's easier said than done!" Yet I ask you to put away these leanings of the flesh, these cries of the carnal mind‚ and to put on My mind in these matters.

22. The bottom line is that this is the era of action, and these are fighting days. This is not peacetime but wartime. The Enemy is out to devour anyone and everyone he can. He's constantly looking for his next meal; those who don't follow My instructions will be seriously injured and risk being devoured altogether.

23. You must remember that you're fighting a war. It's a war of the worlds, a war over the hearts and minds and souls of men, a war over your fruitfulness and your service to Me. If you constantly remind yourselves of this, it will help you to see the need to do all you can to follow through on what I show you. I've instructed you to have open and honest communica­tion‚ for I know the benefits far outweigh the risks. I've instructed you to lay aside hurt feelings, sensitivity, and misconceptions, and to not let pride have dominion over you.

24. There are risks in every war; there are risks that must be taken on every field of battle. This is what war and fighting is all about. Therefore you must face the fact that you'll always be taking some risks, for this is the life I've called you to. However, keep in mind that I've also given you ample protection; that is, I've given you the keys to the Kingdom and the power to rise above, something far greater than the risks involved.

25. Remembering that you're fighting a war should help to encourage you that just because there are risks involved, that's no reason to back down. The only way to fight this war will be to fight it together. Closing up and not communicating is a roadblock to unity. Lack of unity is a greater risk in the big picture than the possible hurt feelings that communication can sometimes temporarily bring.

26. You are My vanguard, My top troops, those who I expect to withstand the winds, the heavy rains‚ and the fierce storms. In this era of action, My brides can't expect to be as hothouse plants. I've called you to be strong trees, mighty oaks, those which can withstand the wind and rain and fierce storms. I don't expect you to be as the sands of the seashore—that which is driven with every gust of the ocean winds. I need you to be as granite rocks, those who stand firm on My Word, on My promises, who use the keys to the Kingdom I have put in your hands, who exercise the power to rise above that I have given you. I call you to put aside foolishness; to stand on My Word instead of your feelings; to walk by faith and not by sight; to put aside pride and to put on My divine nature.

27. If My brides are putting all this counsel into effect in their lives, they will not be giving in to sensitivity, hurt feelings, worry, fear, and so on. Likewise, they should not be overreacting, allowing pride to have dominion, hardening their hearts through closed-minded­ness, or brushing off the thoughts and feelings of others. Yes, you will experience these things or be tempted with them, because you're human, but you don't have to give in to them! You don't have to back down or give up or quit! When you're hit with them, it should only serve to remind you once again that you're in a war, and make you fight all the harder for what I show you is the solution. To this end‚ here are some specific points and counsel regarding these questions you ask:

1. There are risks involved in sharing your heart and having open‚ honest communication with your co-workers, teamwork members, shepherds, mates and friends, but these risks do not outweigh the risks involved in holding things in. You're in a war—you're My Endtime soldiers, My vanguard troops fighting the battle of good over evil—and there will always be risks involved. Using the keys to the Kingdom I have put in your hands is your way of overcoming the risks.
2. The way to avoid problems that can arise when sharing your heart in open and honest communication with others is through love‚ humility‚ and prayer, and in hearing from Me both individually and together with those whom you communicate with. Love, humility, prayer, asking Me everything, and using the keys I've put in your hands, solve all problems. This is a sound principle of My Spirit, and it must apply to both sides. Communication is a two-way street; both sides must apply this principle.
3. Everyone should remember that they're on the same team. The reason I repeatedly emphasize the importance of good‚ honest communication is so the team can advance. It's import­ant to remember that everyone's in the same boat; everyone has faults and areas they need to improve in. Keeping this in mind should help the recipient as well as the one sharing their heart—the recipient, knowing that it's their turn to receive the communication or safeguarding that they need; and the one sharing their heart to remember that they too will likely have their turn at some point in time to hear from someone else and get the safeguarding they need.
4. If the one sharing their heart will come to Me for instruction before they share their heart, this will help everything run smoother. Applying the "ask Me everything" mode of operation will greatly help guard against problems, because I am able to guide them on what to say and how to share it—even if I tell the one to "blurt it out." I know what's needed at what time, so one important key is asking Me for help.
5. The person who is sharing their heart should try as much as possible to be in prayer and to speak in love and humility. The rule of thumb, how­ever, should be "better out than in." Even if the one sharing their heart comes across as critical and self-righteous‚ it's better to get it out. It's bound to happen at times that things don't come out in the most ideal way. This is when it's the turn of the recipient to demonstrate their power to rise above and the godly graces that I will give. If everyone realizes it's better to get things out rather than hold back, it should help everyone to be more tolerant.
6. If the nature of what's being shared is causing the one sharing it to be in the midst of battle, muddled, feeling confused and so on, this should be taken into account by the recipient, the one who is hearing what is being said. This is when the focus shifts and when it's the turn of the recipient to demonstrate their humility and understanding of the person who's having a hard time sharing their heart. This takes a large measure of love, yet that is no excuse to blow off or reject what the person is sharing. My love is large enough, and I can help you to exercise your humility and receive what is being shared in My spirit.

This is when the recipient must take the key I've put in their hand and use it. Use your keys to the Kingdom, turn that key, call out to Me for the power and grace to take it, and I will give it. The rule of thumb here should be—just take it. Listen and learn; listen and encourage the speaker to speak his heart. The recipient today may be the one who needs to share their heart tomorrow. Walking a mile in another's shoes‚ putting yourself in the other's place, will help you to be more understanding.

7) It's important for the recipient to then afterwards come to Me, ask Me about everything that was said, and let Me speak to you about it. Let Me give you explicit instructions on what to do about it.

8) Everyone should realize the two-fold purpose for open and honest communication. It is to help the one sharing their heart to be able to unload‚ to be able to say what they think and feel, get prayer if need be, and not give place for the Enemy or allow things to fester and smolder and cause problems later. And it's also for the pur­pose of helping the one on the receiving end, to provide safeguarding, and to help them see the areas that they can stand to change in or improve in.

Failure to communicate is not only a threat to the one who holds back from sharing their heart, but is a great threat to the one who is the recipient of the communication; because if they're denied hearing what others think and feel, they're not getting the safeguarding that they need. This is a tremendous handicap. They're denied an opportunity to rise above, to grow, progress, improve, and move forward.

It's a cycle‚ My loves. Lack of honest com­muni­ca­tion affects everyone; its repercussions are far–reaching for all parties. The one who fails to com­municate when I'm leading this way also fails their brother or sister‚ their fellow mate and co-worker. This thought should be an incentive to not want to fail the other.

9) The "love the sinner, hate the sin" principle can and should be applied here. If everyone remem­bers that the goal is to improve and move forward, that the goal is not to pick on anyone, it will be easier.

10) The recipient has an important position, in that they need to realize they might simply have to rise above. It's a golden opportunity to rise above sensitivity, hurt feelings, stubbornness and pride. It's pride that holds people back from humbly taking correction and safeguarding from others. Therefore they should view listening to another as an opportunity, even if it involves hearing about their own faults, failures‚ and weaknesses, even a few facts that are mixed up. Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to rise above their pride and should be viewed as such.

11) The recipient's attitude should be one of thankfulness for the opportunity to hear how others perceive him and his actions, if that is what is being shared, rather than being critical of the one who is sharing his heart. If the recipient has questions, he can come to Me later to get My mind on these matters. When someone is pouring out their heart to you, even if the subject matter reveals some of your own shortcomings, it is never the time to start zeroing in on someone else's lacks.

12) A key factor in making everything run smoother all around is that everyone must accept the fact that unity is something worth fighting for. I've spoken volumes on this subject, and now My brides are put to the test. United you stand, divided you fall. Keeping this thought ever-present should help everyone fight for unity. It's that simple—united you stand, divided you fall. You can't be united when bad feelings, sensitivity, and pride are present. Fighting for unity means safeguarding each other; it means give and take. Everyone has their times to give it (communicate honestly), and everyone has their times to take it (be the recipient of what's being shared).

13) COs, shepherds, teamworkers, and those in positions of responsibility should seek this kind of heart-sharing and go out of their way to ask for it and welcome it. They should even go so far as to take it as a sign that something is wrong if no one is pouring out their heart to them in this way. Everyone has shortcomings and areas to grow and improve in, and those in positions of responsibility, knowing that because of their position it's often hard for ­others to point things out to them, should seek such things.

14) Ask for prayer to be able to take it. Ask for prayer to have the right mindset and reactions when things are pointed out. Ask Me for the help and the power to be able to rise above.

15) The best way to avoid the risks involved is to use the weapons I've put in your hands. Use the weapons of love, prayer, praise, thankful­ness for safeguards‚ humility, asking Me every­thing, and getting My answers in prophecy. Use the weapon of unity; guard it and fight for it at all costs! (End of message from Jesus)

Text box:

Hot tip: Heavenly Counsel on Counseling

28. (Jesus speaking:) Sometimes when you have to communicate about something which is a sensitive subject or you have to give correction, it helps to pour out your heart to Me first, typing your prayer (or recording it on a Dicta­phone), and telling Me all the points which you feel need to be covered or which are on your heart. Then, after pouring out everything in your heart to Me, ask Me to cleanse you of your own spirit, opinions, feelings and emotions‚ and ask Me to give you a script of what to say to the person and what to cover and how it should be presented.

29. Receiving this from Me in prophecy will help to prepare you to present things lovingly in the spirit, and might even help to resolve much of the tension or problem right there—as you are able to see things more from My perspective and feel My love for the person.

30. After you've received this from Me‚ read over it and highlight the points you need to remem­ber. Share it with your team­workers or shepherds if necessary, and receive their input and prayers. Then you are going into the situation with a heart full of My love; you have gotten My perspective and My counsel on how to present it.

31. In some situations you might even feel led to read parts of it. But that is something you would have to seek Me about, as for some people that would make it easier, but for others it could make it much more difficult. The important part is pouring out your heart to Me in detail‚ and then receiving My perspective and counsel to cleanse your heart and mind and prepare you in spirit to handle things with My love, in a spirit of humility and openness. (End of message from Jesus)

End of text box.

(Note: The following messages were received before we fully understood how to use the keys to the Kingdom‚ how to call on them and make use of their power‚ so they don't mention the keys.)

Overcoming the Fear of Being Misjudged or Misunderstood

32. (Mama:) Recently, our sweet Husband gave us another message on the importance of good com­munication, and the important role it plays in our lives for Him. He gave this as counsel specifically for the COs, but as I brought out earlier, these are important lessons for everyone, whether you're in leadership now or not. With the implementation of the board structure, many more of you will be required to work in close teamwork and exercise your communica­tion skills, and with our increased Family membership, more of you will be called upon to shepherd.

33. This message is specifically talking about the aspect of sharing your hearts openly and honestly, and being upfront about your needs, weaknesses, lessons, etc. This is import­ant whether you're in leadership or not‚ so please take it to heart.

34. (Jesus speaking: ) Good, open, honest com­munication is a must if everyone is going to pro­gress in the era of action as I desire. I have spoken about communication and have given you important counsel and guidelines along this line during the time of the summit, but everyone must realize it is an ongoing process and you must constantly be aware of developing and moving forward in this area. There are several reasons why you must do this.

35. For one, the Enemy is constantly seeking ways to hinder, to slow down, and to stop the process of good communication; therefore My brides must stay a step ahead. Satan knows that if he can get people to stop communicating‚ or (and this is something that is just as dangerous) if he can get people to compromise in their communicating, then he has won the battle right there.

36. This is something I would like to address here: The danger of compromising in com­munica­tions. Most people do not fully re­alize or see how they're compromising in communicating‚ for this is part of human nature. The Enemy knows the weakness of the flesh, so he plays on the natural, inborn tendencies to tone down the quality of your communications, ­either through holding back or coloring them in a certain way. One of the main ways he does this is by tempting the individual with fear of what may result, with the temptation to hold back "just a little" or "some things" or "color it this way or that way," for fear of the conse­quences. The tendency to fear being completely upfront and honest is born of fear of being misjudged or misunderstood.

37. This fear of being misjudged is something My officers especially must learn to overcome. They must rise above this mindset and break this habit, for it will only work against them in this new day when I desire them to have a clear, open, honest and upfront communication with you‚ My queen and king, sans fear of being misjudged or misunderstood. When fear is present, faith can't grow as it should‚ and there need to be strong bonds of faith and trust amongst you in this era of action.

38. In unity there is strength, and in honest communication there is freedom and power, because through honest communication, My purposes are established‚ and through honest communication liberty is found.

39. I wish for all My children to be open and honest, and for all to feel like they can bare their hearts at any time to their shepherds. Even when some are found lacking in how they go about sharing what's on their hearts, even if what they share is not always delivered in a nice‚ neat, pretty package, nevertheless, it's better out than in. As officers, I need and expect the COs to en­courage this honest com­munica­tion and reporting among their flocks. Everyone should feel the freedom to speak up and say what is on their heart to the right person at the right time.

40. I have said many things about using wisdom in your speech, about being prayerful in what is said, and so on. And though it is always wise to be prayerful, again, the "better out than in" principle applies here. For though all should be prayerful, at the same time, they must not fear; they must trust that even if all is not perfect, I'm in control, and they must share their hearts with their shepherds.

41. Oftentimes when something is heavy upon someone's heart, they may not be able to express themselves in the best manner. I know this, My queen and king know this‚ and I have given them divine insight and wisdom to discern. I give a measure of this discernment to My officers as well, for it comes with the anointing for the job. Therefore honest communication and sharing what is on your heart is a very necessary part of your lives‚ and something that you must continue to cultivate.

42. You do well to exercise your power to rise above when it comes to overcoming the fear of being misjudged or misunderstood when com­muni­cating. You can do this by doing your best to be prayerful, yet trusting Me for the consequences. You must be prayerful in your communications, but trustful at the same time, for the two go hand in hand. I will never let anything happen that is not for your good and the good of all. There is no "get in trouble" with Me, neither with the king and queen; there is only get better, do better, progress, grow, and advance. (End of message from Jesus.)

How Honesty and Openness Affect Your Teamwork

43. (Mama: ) Here's another message from the Lord with more about the importance of honesty. Some people tend to hold things in rather than being open and honest about their burdens, problems, questions, trials, things they don't agree with, etc. As our Husband explained above‚ there are a variety of reasons why someone might do this, many of which could seem valid. However, often when you just hold things in and don't say anything, things fester.

44. Why is it important to be open and honest even if you feel you're risking some negative repercussions?

45. How do you go about such heart-sharing in order to accomplish the most good poss­ible and minimize any possible negative side effects?

46. What are the dangers of holding things in and not being open and honest?

47. How does holding things in affect your walk with the Lord, your relationships with ­others, your effectiveness as a teamwork?

48. (Jesus speaking:) Throughout history, the leaders who have truly been the greatest, the most effective and the most solid have been those who have been honest, open, and able to communicate. I'm not speaking here of politicians who connive for gain and popularity, but of true leaders of the past who were motivated to effect change. Of course, worldly leaders go about this in a different form than I've instructed you to, but the general principles are the same, and the benefits are largely the same. Those who are forthright and who don't hold things in get better results. The people who they work with (or rule over) know just where they stand, and consequently things get done in accordance with that. Everyone is aware of the score.

49. As a Family, I've taught you that your man­ner is very important when you're being honest, and that you shouldn't hurt others un­necess­arily through being honest or sharing your heart. That's because the natural tendency of man is to lack balance in this area of honesty. But many of you have had training in learning wisdom in communi­cating for many years, and now the time has come to swing the pendulum more to the other side—of being more open and forthright—and to achieve a godly balance.

50. Many often hold back and keep within their heart things that they feel or that are weighing on them. They do this for a variety of reasons: for fear of hurting others, not wanting to discourage them or put another burden on them, not wanting to make someone feel that you don't like them or that you have it in for them personally, not wanting to stumble someone‚ knowing that they're already going through big trials of their own. This is not good, and many lessons are lost this way. Not only are the lessons lost‚ but the closeness and unity that comes from heart sharing and honesty is lost.

51. I know that being honest is difficult. I had many encounters on Earth where I too was faced with the choice of whether to be honest or not. I knew that I should speak the truth in love to one of My disciples, a friend, or even a leader of the day, but it was hard. I knew the reception might not be the greatest. I knew it would hurt in some cases. I knew that they would rather have love and sweetness from Me, and I was tempted to not bring up such a matter many times. But I yielded to My Father‚ and I asked Him for counsel about exactly how to present My feelings and thoughts‚ and how to make it most acceptable. Once I had received that instruction, I prayed for courage and faith to deliver My heart and soul, and then I did.

52. Being honest and not withholding things that are on your heart—whether they're about your husband or wife, your teamworker, your shepherd, your friend, your sheep, or whoever—is part of the price of leadership. You won't be able to be a completely effective leader or one that people will feel comfortable with if you're not consistently honest. You will also be robbing those around you of one of the prime functions that you are supposed to be providing, and that is your honest and prayed-about counsel and direction. You will also be robbing yourself of the help‚ understanding, explanation and victories that you more easily receive when you're honest.

53. Holding things in hinders you from re­ceiving My full victory in an area. If you're battling with something that your teamworker has done and you're not in full agreement with it, or you think they're getting a little off track in some area but you're not willing to point it out to them and humbly share your heart for fear that they'll be unhappy with you, that you'll lose their trust or friendship, or that it will strain your working relationship, then you're hindering both your teamworker and yourself.

54. You may not know all the facts or details, or even know if what you feel is right or not, but you should pray and ask Me what you should do about it. If I give you the go-ahead to talk to your teamworker about it, then you should, lovingly and prayerfully. It's still difficult, I know, but you owe it to your teamworker, as a friend and as a fellow leader, to express what's on your heart, and to give both of you the chance to help set things right.

55. If you don't agree with something that's going on, that's often the hardest time to mention something. You wonder if everyone else is in agree­ment and if you're the only one out in left field. "Maybe I'm just sort of off track today," you might wonder. There are a host of decent-sounding reasons that the Enemy will load you down with, most of which, sad to say‚ effectively convince you to "let things be" for a while, and consequently you don't bring the matter up, or at least don't for a long while. And by that time, things have gotten much worse and have festered in your heart and life. Meanwhile, you've been at less than your best because you've been harboring these things in your heart and haven't been able to give your full attention to the job ahead of you. Or even if you think you have, it's been overshadowed somewhat because some­thing's building up between someone else and you, or between you and Me.

56. There can never be a full blessing on your life when you've got something in your heart that is unconfessed. By using the word "unconfessed," I don't mean that you've done something wrong that you haven't confessed. When you have something on your heart that is weighing on you or bothering you and you're not sharing it with others or your shepherds and getting prayer, that is something which is unconfessed; it's something the Enemy can use against you. I don't mean for you to hold things in; therefore when you do that and you don't make the effort to communicate, it is a sin.

57. It's a sin that is common to man, and one that even I was tempted with, so I do understand. But I also want you to understand how important it is to your spiritual life to make honesty and getting things off your heart a good habit, rather than making it a habit to leave things unconfessed in your life.

58. It's so easy to sweep something under the rug, and most of the time it's done with the excuse that‚ "I'll just let it pass." "I'll trust the Lord for that." "I'll just wrap that in a bundle of faith and put it on the shelf." Well, that's good to do, after you've given the matter to Me and been honest with the appropriate people. But I have not given you wisdom, strength, or under­standing to simply take these matters in your heart, mull over them, and figure them out yourself. These things, no matter how small you may feel they are‚ do affect you and do wear on you in a negative way.

59. Another very convincing line of reasoning that the Enemy has no doubt successfully used on you a time or two is this one: "But if you tell him/her, they'll be very offended and then you'll have more problems than when you began. It'll hurt them, and they'll be sensitive and won't understand!" In many cases that can be true. Situations can be very delicate, and many people are sensitive and don't respond to honesty very well.

60. That's where you have to seek Me des­per­ately, because it's not My will to remain silent in most of these cases. Sometimes there is a time to wait, or to pray further about your presentation, or to tailor your approach according to the situation. But in most cases, I still advocate honesty and truthfulness, because it will be the other person's lifesaver if they can only accept it. And in order to mend breaches and hurts, honesty is again needed.

61. Often the times when you fall short the most are when you have something you should be honest about with one of your close co-workers. That's when your honesty is put to the test the most‚ because you're going to have to get up the next morning and face him/her again, remedy whatever problems there are‚ trust him/her, counsel with him/her, etc. And that can be difficult.

62. But it's worth far more than not saying something. When you let something slide, it usually builds up in your heart; whereas if you humbly confess what you're thinking or feeling and are honest, then it clears the decks. There may be a bit of a rough go there for a while, but if you pray and love and en­courage each other afterwards, then you can start again on an even better foundation.

63. You who are leaders are responsible to help shepherd each other‚ and part of this is through your personal honesty with one another. It's nothing to be ashamed of; it's just part of life—kinks and knots arise that need to be worked out. The Enemy tries to come in daily and drive wedges between you, so it's vital that you keep pushing those wedges out through committed honesty and openness.

64. If you don't see the importance of it and you're not willing to make it a habit‚ even to your own hurt, then you'll run the risk of washing out, because over time you'll accumulate so many hurts and negativities, questions and wonders, that you'll find it hard to place your faith and trust in Me in others. And that will seriously jeopardize your ability to be one of My Endtime leaders.

65. It also affects our relationship‚ because I require an open and honest heart to fill and bless. I can't pour into you fully when you are so full of griev­ances‚ misunderstandings, or ques­tions that you haven't gotten ironed out with your co-workers or others. So you're really the main one who stands to lose from not being honest.

66. The true leaders and shepherds are the ones who do the job to their own hurt. They're the ones who take the correction; who bear it bravely; who take the flak from those under them who don't understand the whole picture and criticize them; who are loving and patient with those who rail against them and condemn them; who are weak enough to admit their failings and seek Me for help; who are humble enough to be honest with others and share their hearts, in order to create and maintain unity, and to help their brothers and sisters stay on the straight and narrow, without exuding a spirit of condescension, condem­nation, or judgment. They speak the truth in love, and do it as unto Me.

67. Those are the kind of people that are able to go the furthest and fulfill My perfect plan for them, because they're willing to go the distance and do the tough things. They aren't here for themselves; they're looking to the city that hath foundations, of which I am the Builder and Maker. They have their eyes set on Heavenly things, therefore they're willing to endure the grime and toil of daily living and the messes that can come along with it. They're not going to compromise and choose a smoother path over the one that will take them to the peak of the mountain, even though the rocks and thistles and brambles are a bit uncomfortable. They have a goal and they know where they're going, and because they have met the require­ments I've set before them, the climb and the eventual victory is glorious.

68. And more than anything, the rewards that await them here in Heaven for their faithful service are marvelous! I know the difficulties of honesty, and the hurt it can bring to ­others and to you as well. But as long as you're seeking Me and speaking in love‚ in line with what I've confirmed to you and instructed you in, then loving hurt is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's just what is needed to pull someone through‚ or what's needed to make you into the more effective leader that I'm calling you to be.

69. So think about it. Search your own heart to see how true a leader you've been in this sense, how honest and open and forthright you've been, in love. How much have you swept under the carpet or set on the shelf that has only ended up remaining in your heart and holding you back? I'm issuing a renewed call and commitment to honesty, and if you want to ride the new wave of Family leadership, then this is a key area to strengthen yourselves in.

70. I can help you, even if it's your weakness. I can turn it into your strength if you yield and determine to change. Anything is possible with Me, and with work, prayer, and effort on your part, I can help you to progress and grow in this area of your life. But you have to want to, because it requires sacrifice and humility, and I won't force that on you. But I will help you if you determine to make that change, and when you do, you'll feel My blessings and anointing all the stronger, as you'll be closer to Me, closer to others, and the true shepherd that I want you to be. (End of message from Jesus.)

71. (Mama: ) And here's more on the subject from our dear Dad—always a great one for honesty, God bless him! Because of his obedience and honesty, we have a Family and a revolution.

72. (Dad speaking:) Honey, honesty, as I have said, can be a mixed blessing. Some people know that it's good to be honest‚ yet when they've done so‚ when they've brought things out into the open‚ bared their heart, and tried to be honest, they find that their personal revelations are not greeted with such enthusiasm! If the recipient doesn't know how to respond, it may send the person attempting to be honest into a tailspin, or scare them, or make them feel rebuffed. Some people aren't used to being honest, and then when they are, they go too far, or dis­regard the consequences, or fear the results.

73. There are those who suffer in silence, some­times for years. Some know that their personal questions, revelations, or disclosures will cause others trials, so they refrain from speaking out, and then when they finally do, it may be in anger, hurt, or bitterness, because the thing they've hidden has festered and grown worse during the time it was not treated.

74. So I say that it's best to encourage people to be honest, to say what's on their heart, to have the faith in the Lord and in others to disclose personal or trying things that are hidden in their hearts. Some of these things are burdens from the Lord; some are fears that need to be dispelled; some are miscommuni­cations that need to be straightened out; some are just problems that no one knows about that can ­easily be resolved.

75. Although there are many risks in being honest, the good results outweigh the bad. It's much better to be honest when you can, to have the faith to be so, because it will produce a good result.

76. Of course, there are times when the most loving thing is to withhold your counsel or your advice or your disclosure of something you know may hurt the other person. This is not what we're addressing here. This is wisdom—the love that gives you the understanding of how to use the knowledge you may have without hurting anyone. That's one reason the Lord advises in His Word, "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." There are times when people know something that is better kept to them­selves. Or they may even know something that the Lord has revealed to them about a person or a situation that is better kept to themselves. This is not the type of honesty that we're talking about—the feeling that you have to blurt out everything the Lord shows you, or everything you know‚ or everything you've even heard about a person or a situation.

77. This can develop into gossip, too, where you feel that every personal thing you've heard should be public domain, known by everyone‚ and disclosed to the next person you see. This is not the type of honesty that we're talking about. In this case, it's good to hold things in, to be wise, to let the Lord show you when, if ever, you should mention or disclose a certain bit of information that you have about a person or a situation.

78. The type of honesty that is beneficial, and that people should be encouraged to have, is the type where you're not afraid to bare your heart about yourself—your burdens, leadings‚ desires‚ the direction the Lord is leading you in, or the ideas He's given you. All these things are necessary to share with others, and they'll be helpful in the long run for everyone, if you can share them.

79. So how do we encourage people who have a tendency to hold in these personal things to begin to open up and give them out? First of all, we should encourage an atmosphere of loving respect and consideration for each other. We should make people feel unconditional love, so that even if something shocking or odd (to us) is disclosed, we don't react in disgust, or fear, or go running the other way. We should also allow ourselves to be open to whatever the Lord wants, and not have preconceived ideas our­selves which will cause people to feel that there's no use in speaking up. And we should encourage that person, whenever they do begin to come out of their shell, that their contribution is valid and needed.

80. There are many ways to encourage people not to hold things in when they have a tendency to do so. The main way‚ of course, is to make that person feel love and acceptance‚ and to make them feel that they're understood and loved no matter what—uncon­ditional love. This is a terrific breeding ground for open­ness and honesty.

81. And the other thing you can do is tell the person what they will gain by opening up. Tell them that others want to know what they feel and think and want. They may think, "Oh‚ really? Okay, well, here it is." In other words, they need to be drawn out. And as they do so‚ they'll find unexpected and unparalleled rewards.

82. Of course, some people are quiet just because they don't have anything to say. They kind of go through life happily, without many trials, and are quite uncomplicated. But most people do have wants, dreams, ambitions, things they would like to accom­plish, desires they would like to fulfill. In drawing someone out, you're allowing the precious seed of the Lord's leading in that person to be nurtured. You see‚ the Lord puts many of these desires and leadings within each person‚ and in drawing them out, you are in effect watering the seed that has been planted by the Lord.

83. You have to take it from the point of view that it's the Lord Who's working in a person's life. If they have bitterness and hurts that need to be opened up and talked about, then the procedure of letting all this come out is much like a surgeon's gentle, tender, delicate removal of a cancerous tumor. It hurts, and there's a recuperation period, but sometimes the "operation" of getting it out is the only way that the person will get the victory. If the tumor is removed, then the wound, treated with love and prayer and under­standing and Word and faith‚ will heal and it will be gone.

84. But sometimes the hurt is deep and festered and infected, and in that case, removing it is much more painful, more difficult‚ and can hurt more. It can take longer to heal, and it can be a torturous process. But the Lord has the healing, the solution, the victory. So removing these deeper hurts that people are afraid to talk about takes very, very gentle care and lots of patience. But by applying the Word, prayer, faith‚ prophecy‚ nurturing, and care, there can be great victories won over things that people have never even talked about.

85. Remember, prayer can do wonderful things in these situations. When someone brings something up that seems so difficult‚ so ouchy and hurtful that you just cringe to hear about it‚ one thing that you can always do for them is pray with them. That's a wonderful response, and it will work wonders. It will make the person feel that they've been considered and not blown off or rejected. It will set the Lord to work cleaning up the problem, and it will give peace to the heart of the one you prayed for.

86. Bringing up past hurts which people are reticent about or reluctant to discuss is like opening a can of worms, you may feel. But the Lord has the victory, and He has healing, and He has good spiritual health for those who have been holding these things in. It simply has to be treated, handled, addressed, and prayed for. The Lord likes to do this type of healing. He's a specialist at it, in fact, and has healed many people of deep hurts.

87. So it's very good to encourage people to be open and honest—about the past, about things that worry them or irritate them or plague them—and then to trust the Lord for His healing of them. (End of message from Dad.)

Not Wanting to Rock the Boat?

88. (Mama:) This next message has points which are not only good right now, but which will be very important to take note of and apply as the boards take shape. Those of you who will be sitting on the boards will probably find a whole new opportunity for growth in your communication and team­working skills!

89. (Question:) Jesus, what about people in teamwork meetings or in everyday life who tend to just hold things in, not because they're overly personal matters, but because they just don't want to rock the boat, and want to go with the flow‚ and don't want to be the one to bring things up. Sometimes these people may have very good ideas and leadings from You. How can people like this be encouraged to speak up and not hold things in?

90. (Jesus speaking: ) It is as your Father David has said—you can ask. When there's a teamwork member who seems reticent, reserved, and like they're not contributing, then someone should keep on asking them if they have anything to say, any contribution, any ideas. This will encourage the person that their ideas are needed and wanted. Some people present their ideas more forcefully and plainly than ­others. Some have good ideas, but aren't practiced in sharing them. So all of this will take practice, and in the teamwork situation, the more experienced should work at drawing out the less experienced, so that there's input from all sides.

91. Those who are normally reticent‚ who don't want to rock the boat, who would rather just let things go the way the majority is going, need to take upon themselves the responsibility of hearing from Me to be sure there isn't something I would like to say to the group through them. They shouldn't abdicate their responsibility by holding back; they can ask Me if there's something they should say‚ and then also ask for the way to present it, so that they can present it in a well-balanced, wise way, still working in counsel and in teamwork with others.

92. Sometimes the shy ones, when they do begin to speak out, can be a little huffy if their ideas are not readily received, or if people don't see that this is something they received from Me, or that it's as important as they think it is. In other words, they may think, "Here I went to all the trouble of praying about this idea and how to present it‚ and now no one believes it's of the Lord." They can be a little more intense‚ because it cost them a lot in the first place to speak up.

93. In that case‚ they need to really ask Me for help in their presentation. Those who are less experienced may‚ in fact, be too overbearing in their presentation, whereas the more mature and wise ones may be more low-key, because they've learned more faith and trust in teamworking.

94. So encourage all to trust Me, to express their ideas and their leadings, and then to keep coming back to Me to break the tie when there's a difference of opinion. Pray that the more reticent ones will give what I give them, and that all will learn to speak in respect and love for each other, and I will give the victory and use these teamworks to produce much that is fruitful, rewarding, and helpful to the Family. I love you. (End of message from Jesus.)

More on Communicating In Teamwork

95. (Mama: ) Again‚ this is not only good for you who are presently on teamworks of any kind, but those of you who will be sitting on the boards should also take special note of this next message! These are very important principles to apply and start working on today, so that when the time comes, you can be a good board member. Of course, these are principles and ­lessons which you SHOULD be applying every day, in all your interaction with others, whether you sit on a board or a Home teamwork or not. But the fruitfulness and effectiveness of the board structure will depend on everyone applying these principles person­ally.

96. (Dad speaking: ) I really admire our team­­works—anyone in a shepherding ministry—because they have to have the wisdom of Solomon‚ the patience of Job, the listening skills of little Samuel, the love of God, and the people-handling skills of Noah. Noah was an expert at managing his crew of people, his sons and daugh­ters. They were stuck together as a team, there was no way out, and they had to learn to get along and do the job God called them to. Can you imagine what a terrible situation it would have been if they hadn't been able to get along?

97. Our shepherding team­workers are saints, in my opinion, because they have to learn to work with different personalities—maybe some of whom they don't particularly like. But they're desperate to do the Lord's will and they learn to work together, to humble themselves before each other, to do whatever it takes to be a good, strong team. And it takes a lot to be a good teamwork‚ so you've really got to hand it to our shepherds for the unseen sacrifices they make in order to serve you. It takes humility and yieldedness. Noah couldn't have run the Ark and his crew of helpers if he hadn't been pretty humble and yielded.

98. Now Noah knew things some of them didn't know, because he had heard straight from God about the whole project. He had a direct hotline to Heaven and personally received instructions, person­ally had a very good handle on things‚ knew what was right and how to go about it. God talked to him daily and told him what to do and how to do it. Have you ever wondered how Noah got his family to follow God's instructions, how he ever managed to enlist their help to build the Ark and get the animals in? It was a pretty insane-looking project and plenty of people were scoffing, so how did he get his kin to agree and work together with him?

99. His family had questions, disagreements about the project, different opinions. They had a lot to talk about and hash out, and they weren't all meek and mild personalities. Believe me, one of his sons was pretty strong-willed about what he thought should be done and how to go about things. Another of his sons was the meek type that didn't like confrontations, and when anything got a little too difficult to handle‚ he'd withdraw. Even if he disagreed with the direction things were going, if he felt his opinion wasn't being received, he'd pull out of the conversation and look to Noah for help.

100. There has to be a people handler. There has to be someone who can see the whole picture, who isn't set on one way of thinking, who can put their personal opinions aside in order to see the situation clearly and make a wise de­cision. I asked Noah how he did it‚ and he said, "No one's perfect, and in order to work with imperfect people, you have to give them room to operate according to their faith." You have to give, even when you don't think it's right. You sometimes have to allow things even when you think they're a little off track. You have to agree, even if you think you have a better way. You just have to bend to other people's ways of ­doing things sometimes, their way of seeing things, even their preferences; otherwise you isolate yourself from the talents and anointing of others.

101. If the situation is such that people are usually giving in to your preferences, the way you want things done, then eventually people will feel they can't count on you to be open-minded. They'll hesitate to counsel. They won't seek out your counsel or look forward to your counsel if they feel your norm of operation is to control each situation to your way of thinking. Noah's family had to feel his support in the spirit, his encouragement toward their communications, his openness of mind to their questions or ideas in order to get the job done and to do it in harmony and unity.

102. Your teamworkers have to feel listened to‚ no matter how zany or wacky you feel their ideas are. You co–workers can let them know that you disagree, but the important thing is that you do it in a way that leaves them feeling encouraged. People will feel encouraged even if you disagree with their point of view if they feel your support in the spirit. And they'll feel that support if they feel you're open-minded, open to listening, open to receiving an opposing point of view.

103. Sometimes when you have to hit your point again and again in order for it to be received, it could be because it's not meant to be. If it's a struggle to get people to see things your way, maybe it's a square peg that you're trying to fit into a round hole. There's more than one way to do things, and even if you'd prefer to do things a certain way, it doesn't mean it's the best way.

104. Teamworking is an art; it's a very delicate, sensitive thing at times, because people are sensitive. That's why I admire our teamworks for being willing to make the sacrifices necess­ary to work together in unity, because it really requires a lot of give and take, a lot of getting to know each other and each other's personalities and faith. Everyone on a team­work is needed. The Lord puts you together because He knows that each one brings gifts and talents to the table that are very needed for the job. Some are more talented than others in certain areas, and if you're one of those people who are very talented in one or many areas, then it can be difficult to set your ideas aside and let others present theirs. If you're someone who is capable‚ in control, has years of experience, and knows how to handle situations‚ then it can be difficult to trust your teamworkers and not lean on your own experience and capability.

105. Sometimes it's a matter of feeling respon­sible, of not wanting to blow it, of not wanting things to go amiss, of wanting to do the very best job or to give the very best service possible in a situation. That feeling of responsibility can be very great—sometimes so great that it can cause you to close your mind off to some options‚ afraid that they won't work. You can be afraid to try someone's idea or to accept someone's opinion out of fear that it's not the best. But if you close your mind off, it can stop the flow of counsel. If you're too set in your opinions, it can hinder communications, cause a feeling of disunity, a lack of openness, and a lack of desire to counsel.

106. Not everyone is easy to talk to. Some people are strong in their presentation and it can be difficult to communicate with them. But you must give people room to operate according to their faith, and even if you don't personally have the faith for it‚ support their faith as best you can.

107. You're all saints in my book. Team­working and shepherding are some of the most difficult‚ sacrificial, dying-to-self jobs there are. Anyone who's willing to serve and shepherd deserves a great reward, and one day you'll be rewarded in the way you really deserve. You might not get all the rewards and appreciation you truly deserve on Earth‚ but just keep your eyes on Heaven, when He'll give you the rewards you really deserve.

108. So don't let this discourage you. If you feel you're one of those people who has a little polishing to do in your communication with your teammates, don't be discouraged. It's a small thing in comparison with all the good you do, the wonderful help you are, the work you're accomplishing, the progress you're helping to make, the sheep you're sacrificially loving and tending to. The work couldn't go on without you, and the sheep wouldn't be as happy without your loving care, so don't lose sight of the big picture and the good fruit that's being borne because of your love and loyalty to Him. (End of message from Dad.)

How Much Honesty Is Beneficial?

109. (Question:) How much honesty is ap­pro­­­priate and beneficial among team­work­ers? How important is honesty? What kind of honesty should there be? How can you know when to let something pass that bothered you, and when to bring it up and be honest?

110. (Dad speaking:) By and large, I'm in favor of honesty. I'm in favor of speaking your mind and encouraging people to do so‚ because most people (when they're not with their familiars, with their closest loved ones) do tend to be a little reticent. Most people are not overbearing‚ and particularly people who have exhibited a great deal of humility, who are not known to be overbearing and pushy, can tend to hold things in that would be beneficial for others. So by and large, I've always advocated honesty and being able to speak your mind freely and without restraint in a setting where you're working closely together with others in team­work.

111. This teamwork relationship is a very special one. If you agree to be honest among your­­selves, it's with the understanding that it will be with great love, respect, and deference for the other person's opinion. The reason for speaking out honestly is to be sure that you'll find the Lord's will, to be sure that one idea doesn't get pushed through without other ideas and options being considered.

112. For example, Mama was quite honest with me through the years. Often I would have an idea and be gung ho about it, and she would, in her meek and loving way‚ bring up the other side. She knew that I needed her to do that and expected her to do that. But even in her case, she had to ask Peter to remind her not to be too argumentative. She had an enormous amount of respect for me as God's prophet, and she would never have done anything to undermine my faith in the Lord's ability to use me. So she never did it in a disrespectful, unloving, condescending, or unprayerful way. She just had the job of bringing up the other side at times‚ and in that way the Lord was able to fully cover an issue without just one person's idea or enthusiasm blowing away any opposing questions that would have made the treatment of the problem or the situation more well-rounded.

113. It's a very weak leader who only wants man-pleasers around, who only wants to hear people speak their opinions if they will cater to his own. It's not the godly way for the leader to only want to hear ideas that are in line with what he already thinks, or for people to want to curry favor by suppressing their own ideas so that they can be loved or accepted. This is man-pleasing, selfishness, and doesn't have the Lord's best interests behind it.

114. However, if the motive for opposing ideas is finding out God's best, this can then make for healthy discussion. You have to be a little bit thick-skinned sometimes to have a hearty round of discussion where many opposing ideas are discussed and varying points of view come up. And then you have to have a lot of humility to bow to someone else's idea if it's better than your own and seems that it will produce a more fruitful and Lord-pleasing outcome.

115. There must be a good climate of love and respect if honesty is to flourish; there must be a great deal of humility on all sides; and there must be, above all, a sincere desire to do the Lord's will, and to seek it and find it. If you have that as your motive—not pushing your own ideas, not thinking in pride that of course your own ideas are right—then you'll do well.

116. Honesty is a blessing, because if people speak what's on their heart, freely and without shame, and if you've all been praying and asking the Lord to reveal His will, then you'll have a much better chance of finding His solutions and not getting stuck in unfruitful ruts. Just be sure it's done in love and understanding and appreciation for everyone, so that no one feels cut down or blamed or is made to look ridiculous. This is unloving behavior masquerading under the guise of honesty. But if you're all sincerely seeking the Lord's best and you have a loving ex­change where each one can honestly express the leadings‚ burdens‚ or even personal desires that he or she feels are of the Lord, then you'll have fruitful discussion.

117. I love you! And I will pray that the Lord helps you all to be honest and loving and have fruitful teamworking in this new and important plan from the Lord of the board structure. (End of message from Dad)

Persevering as a Teamwork to Be Lovingly Honest

118. (Dad speaking): Every teamwork has prob­lems; none are perfect and without problems of some kind. Just because you have tests and battles on your teamwork doesn't mean you're not a good teamwork. The fact that you're still a teamwork, that the Lord is still using you‚ that you're still working together and striving to overcome proves you're a good teamwork.

119. You're a marriage; you have to work closely together, to communicate closely in ­order to get the job done, and this takes honesty and openness to one another. You can't do the job well without good communication with one another, without being open and honest about the things that require it. It's not an easy thing to do with the ones you live and work with on a regular basis, but if you can establish a good foundation of honesty with your teammates, it will become easier and easier. It's just more difficult if you're not used to it and if you haven't formed the good habit of being honest about your thoughts and feelings, about your battles.

120. It's worth it to work on regular honest com­munication. If you can't say what you really think and feel for fear of the reaction or repercussions, then the work could be hindered. The Lord might be trying to speak through you, and if for some reason you don't feel at liberty to be open and honest, then His voice won't be heard.

121. The Lord has put each of you on your team­work. He has a reason for you being there. He wants each of you to play the role He's asking of you. You're handpicked by Him for this job in spite of what you feel are your incapability and weaknesses. These things don't mean anything to the Lord; all He looks at is your desire to serve Him, your willingness to obey. You might feel like your voice isn't really needed, that what you have to say isn't really worth it in the big picture, but that's not how He sees it. He's counting on each of you being willing to be open and honest about the matters that you feel are important, to share your thoughts so that your team can bring each question to the Lord and hear from Him. This goes for the work as well as personal matters—you need to be able to talk about both openly and without fear of disapproval.

122. If you have something on your heart that's bothering you and you don't know if it's important enough to talk about, ask the Lord and He'll show you. Most likely He'll either give you the answer you need or He'll tell you to talk to someone about it. A lot of times He tells people to talk to someone‚ to counsel with someone‚ and it's through this counseling and sharing of hearts that He gives the solution. Of course, you should be prayerful in your presentation if it's something personal that you feel might be difficult for the other to hear. But if you're prayer­ful and wise, it's much better to share too much than too little, to really be honest about things than to hold back.

123. As a teamwork you have to know how each other feels, how each other thinks, so that you can bring your questions to the Lord for His counsel and so that He can continue to lead you on the path of His will. If things aren't in the open and you don't have honest communication with one another, you can't pray wisely and with understanding about situations. You'll only be able to pray with your limited knowledge of situations and the Lord won't be able to give you His full, well-rounded counsel.

124. Knowing all sides to the situation, knowing each other's feelings, and even each other's battles about situations really helps you to pull down the Lord's full counsel and to receive counsel about all the details needed. This is what helps to keep you in the center of His will, going in the direction that He wants you to go. (End of message from Dad.)

Handling Criticism

125. (Dad speaking:) When you know that someone's been critical of you or the way you work or do things, or even critical of your personal life, it can be difficult to overlook. You need to pray for a supernatural gift from God to look beyond the negative words and actions and keep His love and work in the right perspective. It may really bother you, irk you‚ and hurt you that someone is being critical of you behind your back, or even openly to your face.

126. It's a very harmful thing in the spirit for people to criticize their teammates, to show a lack of faith and respect for the Lord's anointing on them. I hope that anyone who is guilty of being critical or speaking negatively about your co-workers will have a change of heart. If it's you and you've been guilty of discouraging and hindering your teammates because of your negative‚ critical attitude toward them, I hope you'll get things straightened out. It not only hurts their faith and happiness and is a poor sample of His love, but it weakens your effectiveness and your service to the Family.

127. If you're someone who's been hurt by some­one's negative attitude and you've been hold­ing a grudge in your heart toward that person, it's time to make your peace with them. If you feel you can't make peace with them by going to them and asking for their forgiveness and for a fresh start, or perhaps you've already tried this and it didn't work out so well, then make your peace between you and the Lord. If another person's criticisms about you or their negative words cause you to be spiteful in your interactions with them, then you need a fresh start. If it causes you to hold a grudge, to pull in the opposite direction in your working relationship, or to be resistant to their ideas, then you need a fresh start.

128. No matter how justified you might feel you are and how wrong you feel they are‚ you can't let those feelings dictate how you react toward them. You can't allow past hurt feelings or present resent­ment—even if you are being unjustly criticized—to influence you negatively or cause you to lower the standard of the Lord's Word. For His sake‚ for His Family's sake, for the sake of the lost sheep, for the sake of being a sample of His love and Word, you have to put all of that behind you and go on into a new day.

129. It's a very difficult thing to do‚ because our pride doesn't want to yield and do the humble thing. Our pride doesn't want to say "uncle" and let the other guy have his way, especially when we think they're in the wrong. But if you want to move forward into the future and everything the Lord has in store for the Family with the board vision, you have to start with a clean slate.

130. Not everyone has this problem to over­come, but even if one or two people have this prob­lem, it can be a big hindrance to the effective­­ness of the boards. You can't work well with your board mates if you're harboring negative feelings. You can't receive the full counsel of the Lord if your channel is blocked by grudges. It'll get in the way of you hearing clearly from the Lord on the important matters that He'll bring to your board. For that matter‚ the same principle applies to Home teamworks, to witnessing partners, to wives and husbands, or anyone who has to work together.

131. I know it's hard on your pride to ask for forgiveness if you've been guilty of being criti­cal and negative to your co-worker, but it's sure worth it. Your effectiveness as a good board member and counselor depends on it. The ­Family is moving forward and needs you to be fully here in mind, heart and spirit without any personality clashes or past hurts holding you back. The work needs you, and Mama and ­Peter need you, so if it's time for a little heart-washing, please take the time you need to make things right so you can move forward without any weights. The Lord will bless it, probably more than you realize.

132. The Enemy is really going to fight this, but if you go for it, the windows of Heaven will open onto your life and you'll receive a new anointing. It's going to be something very special, something that you can't understand right now, but an anointing that you'll be very thankful for. (End of message from Dad.)

A Sign of Good Leadership Is Being Open

133. (Jesus speaking: ) A leader's sensitivity to correction or criticism from others is a sign of a weak leader. If a leader is sensitive to correction or criticism to the point that others cannot point things out to him‚ and he's unwilling to admit his lacks and receive counsel and even opposing opinions from others, he's a weak leader. If a leader is unable to see himself as others see him, and have the humility to admit his mistakes and welcome help and advice and counsel on his style and shepherding and administration methods and personal sample, he can never be a truly great leader.

134. The greatest leaders in My Kingdom have been (and continue to be) those lacking in con­fidence in themselves, those who know what great sinners they are, and that without Me they can do nothing good. Good leaders value the views, observa­tions, and even criticisms of those they work and interact with. It's one of the best ways to grow spiritually.

135. Your king and queen are such wonder­ful samples of being meek and dependent on and open to advice, correction, and even criticism—not only from Me, but from all they work with or anyone in the Family.

136. Those leaders who get resentful or even vengeful toward those who correct or criticize them are depending too much on themselves and their good works. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In fact, no one has even come close to God's glory. There simply is no one righteous. Those who feel they are should not be in positions of leader­ship.

137. Leaders should know they need correction and help from others to see how others see them. One of the surest ways of correcting a poor sample is by seeing it through the eyes of another. But unless you show yourself open to be corrected, criticized, and to see the negative effects you've had on another, you will be unable to fully develop into the leaders I desire.

138. Sensitivity is something the Devil loves to use to stop leaders from growing and progressing. The Enemy knows that if he can convince My leaders to become proud and sensitive in refusing to do the humble thing and acknowledge their sins and mistakes, but instead grow resistant‚ it will force God to begin resisting the leader and He will then not be able to help them as much as He could if they keep a contrite spirit. My Father dwells with them that are of a humble and contrite spirit. Contrite means to know what a sinner you are, how nothing you are, and be determined not to continue to exhibit the behavior that caused those sins. That's what a leader must know and be, among other things. (End of message from Jesus)

How to Take Criticism

139. (Question:) How can we take criticism and make it work for us and not discourage us?

140. (Jesus speaking:) Words are real things—they lift up or they knock down. Criticism is a tool of words, in that it can lift up, build, and repair; or it can tear down and destroy. It's all in how it's used.

141. The key attitude for the person receiving criticism is trust. Ultimately your trust must be in Me. For if you can trust Me, that I love you and that I will use all things to work together for your good, then you can learn from criticism. You must trust. If you can trust in Me, if you can look to Me, then you can take these words‚ whether they're meant for good or for bad. You can bring them to Me‚ and I'll help you to sort them out. I'll show you what's good and what's bad. I'll help you to choose the good and to eschew the evil.

142. This trust can go even further. If you can trust the person who is delivering the criticism‚ then you can receive it more easily. But no matter what, you must have faith and trust that I know, I love, I care; that you can learn from any experience; that you can learn from any words of criticism; and that you can learn from any situation that comes into your life, whether good or bad.

143. Some things are easier than others to receive, and some things are not easy at all to receive. You must be careful that the Enemy of your soul does not make you focus on any one par­ticular thing too much. In focusing on one particular criticism, you will completely lose perspective on the rest of what I'm trying to show you.

144. Your life is made up of many things and many parts. Everyone has good qualities and every­one has weak points. Everyone has things they excel in, and everyone has things that they need to work on and improve in. No one single thing defines a person and makes them any particular way.

145. So when things are pointed out—­areas where you need to be more mindful, more faithful, or areas that you have neglected or just didn't see—pray for humility, pray for trust, and pray for faith to believe that I, your loving Husband, your Best Friend, know and love and care. I'm allowing this for a reason, to make you a better person, to patch up a weak area in your life, to help you remedy something that is possibly hurting you or others.

146. It's difficult to always remember that you're just human and that you're bound to make many mistakes. This is how you learn; this is how you grow. For your spirit‚ your heart, your mind, will go on living long after your body is dead. It's your spirit, your heart, and your mind all together that are in training and that are learning and growing. The potential is endless, but you have to learn.

147. When you shut yourself off to criticism, you cease to learn. The word "criticism" is a very loose term and is used in a very loose way. Not all words of correction, guidance, or help are criticisms, but they can be perceived as such. Criticisms are usually perceived as negative things aimed at you, and this makes them hard to receive.

148. Criticisms are often about things that you didn't know you did, and that in many cases you may not do, but they're often just how ­others perceive and interpret you and what you do.

149. You can pray and ask Me to help you receive every criticism as a learning opportunity. It's not easy. Human nature and the pride of man wells up within you and is hurt. But regardless of how you receive criticisms, whether they're painful and you receive them in a sensitive way or you receive them openly, you must be faithful to bring them to Me.

150. Put them on the table and let us look at them together, and I'll show you. There's no fault nor failing nor mistake that I condemn. All of these things are learning opportunities, and that's what you are being presented with.

151. Yes‚ they may be hard to take at first‚ but that's why you must bring them to Me. We must talk about them and counsel together, and I'll explain them to you and encourage you. That's how you'll have faith. That's how you'll be able to receive these wounds from a friend, and this is how you'll be able to grow from criticism of any type from any source, friend or "foe." I will allow nothing to enter your life that you can't learn from and grow from in some way.

152. Yes, all things do work together for good to them that love Me, because I will help you with each thing that enters your life, to see how to take it, where it goes, what part it plays in your life, and where it fits. The key to receiving criticism and learning from it is bringing it to Me and letting Me teach you. (End of message from Jesus.)

Let Me Use It for Good

153. (Jesus speaking:) Criticism is sometimes hard to take, depending on the manner in which it was given, on how you're feeling at the moment, and what you're being "criticized" for. In most cases, a little comment or suggestion could be taken as criticism if you're looking at it through the eyes of pride and sensitivity. The main thing to realize is that you do make mistakes and I have made you this way so that you can learn—not only through your striving to do better, but in seeing your mistakes and learning from them.

154. If someone does need to point something out to you, take it, receive it, and be sure that you thank that dear one for humbling themselves to speak to you. For some this is easier than others. You know in your heart whether this is a sore spot for you, and I can speak to you with suggestions on how you can grow in this area. But for now‚ realize this: I love you, and all I put before you is for your good so that you can learn and grow, so that every spiritual muscle is being used and none are being left to wither away.

155. Maybe you feel that this will just make you feel pricked on all sides and you'll never have a moment's peace from the battle. Well, that's the Enemy trying to make you look down at the waves. Keep your eyes on Me, the ­Author and Finisher of your faith, and I will sustain you. I will help you to make each and every criticism, suggestion‚ or comment that you receive be used for your good in some way, if you can bring it to Me.

156. Pray for My help after you receive a criti­cism or a comment. Even if it seems to be a minor thing, pray that I can help you to learn the most from it, to grow from it, to become a better, more useful vessel from it.

157. I will help you. I will keep your heart and mind from the discouragement and condemnation that the Enemy will try to put upon you because of some mistake. That's his job, to try to discourage you enough to make you give up the fight—that's his final goal. Keep your heart close to Me so that I can continually cover you with My peace that passes all understanding, My love that will cover a multitude of sins, and My comfort that will help you through ­every trying time. (End of message from Jesus.)

New Year's Challenge for 2004

ML #3468:56–66, 90-96, GN 1054.)

Lack of Shepherding

56. The Charter brought freedoms that were not present in the pre-Charter era, and while these had many positive effects, there were negative ones as well. Learning to not depend so heavily on leadership for personal direction was a positive effect, yet for some, that independence led to an unwillingness to listen to others at all or to receive shepherding‚ which was a negative effect.

57. Because of pre-Charter heavy–handedness on the part of some leadership, the Charter set boundaries for leadership, especially in the area of disciplining errant members. The intent was to ensure that leadership did not make arbitrary judgments, but rather based their judgments and punishments on the Charter, thus hopefully eliminating the overly strict climate that previously existed. The Charter also attempted to ensure that the standard of discipline was uniform throughout the Family.

58. While there were limits placed on leadership and there were procedures that had to be followed to discipline errant members, there was still a great deal of authority and responsibility granted to leadership. They could still discipline, and in fact were given the responsibility to discipline, with the safeguard in place that the discipline had to follow the procedures set out in the Charter.

59. At the same time, the GNs were promoting a more loving and understanding approach to leadership. While the GNs did not say that leadership should stop disciplining errant members, they did emphasize the love, patience, and understanding side of leadership, mainly to try to move people away from the more heavy-handed leadership that existed in the pre-Charter era.

60. This combination of granting specific rights which greatly increased the freedom of the individual, while at the same time reducing the authority or "control" of leadership, brought about a great deal of change within the Family. Much of it was positive, in that members could then freely move about; they could move out of Homes they were previously placed in; they could pioneer new Homes in new areas; they could exercise their personal faith and make decisions that had been in the hands of their leadership before the Charter.

61. On the other hand, a negative effect developed, namely the tendency of the individual to take on freedoms that were not intended, claiming these freedoms as "rights" under the Charter. Often these supposed "rights" were simply their personal interpretation of the Charter and were not rights at all. Leadership, especially at the Home level, but also through the upper ranks, tended to be rather gun–shy regarding shepherding others‚ fearful of being heavy-handed or of contravening the Charter, and thus backed away from disciplining errant members.

62. In addition, some of the disciplinary procedures in the Charter leaned strongly toward the protection of the individual, to guarantee that leadership didn't make arbitrary decisions and that judgments were fair. This was especially true at the VS level, where in many cases, before applying discipline, such as Probationary Notice, a VS is required to visit and speak with everyone in the Home before reaching a judgment. With time it has become apparent that such cumbersome procedures have made it difficult, expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes impossible for the VSs to investigate the problem and mete out proper discipline. This hindered the enforcement of the Charter, as there were too few VSs‚ with too little time and money, to be able to follow up on situations that needed discipline.

63. In time, a pattern developed where leadership at every level (Home‚ VS, and CO) became more reluctant to shepherd people's spiritual lives. The freedom given in the Charter, with the intent to help disciples break out of the old bounds and restrictions in order to serve the Lord as He led them, began to bring about a different kind of independence, one in which individuals began to feel that no one, especially leadership, should be involved in their lives. This attitude took hold to some extent within leadership itself, so that leadership was unsure as to how much personal shepherding they should do.

64. Because shepherds wanted to be loving, understanding‚ kind, and fair‚ the fear or reluctance to discipline became widespread. A lenient attitude developed, especially in regards to disciplining spiritual sins, as well as moving people out of the CM Family who were not living up to the CM level. Leniency became the prevailing attitude throughout leadership levels, and in many cases it went beyond leniency to the point of negligence and indulgence.

65. These factors—the negative independence of the individuals, the feeling that there should be little or no involvement in individuals' lives by the leadership, and thus little or no spiritual shepherding—coupled with the reluctance of leadership to spiritually shepherd and to discipline‚ have played a significant role in lowering the standard of discipleship throughout the Family.

66. Over the years, these and other factors created a climate in which numerous members who were not truly living the Charter standard were allowed to remain in the Charter Family. While there have been two partially successful attempts (S2K and CvsC) to sift those who are not Charter members—and thus not disciples—out of the CM Family‚ some of these mindsets regarding rights, freedoms, shepherding, leadership, and a compromised low level of discipleship still remain and continue to perpetuate further compromise in regards to discipleship.

Spiritual Sin Allowed to Go Unchecked

90. Another important factor that has contributed to the Family's sinking spiritual level has been the de-emphasis on the gravity of spiritual sin. The general tendency at all levels of leadership is to discipline for the practical, easy-to-prove sins or disobediences, while avoiding discipline for the much more difficult-to-prove spiritual sins, such as excessive pride, gossip, self-righteousness, disunity, etc. It's easier to prove if someone sinned by breaking an actual rule, as the infraction is clear not only to the person judging, but also to the person being judged. If an individual had sex with an outsider, took drugs, or smoked, for example, they know they did, and in their own mind they know they are guilty of wrongdoing. They generally can't claim the judgment is unfair, because it's black and white. This type of situation is fairly easy to judge in comparison to judging spiritual sins.

91. When it comes to spiritual sins, matters can get a bit murky. While leadership might know someone is self-righteous, proud, hypocritical‚ murmuring, or has a critical spirit, and thus see the need to shepherd and correct that person‚ the person being corrected might not see it quite the same way, and might not be convinced that the shepherd is justified in giving correction or discipline. In the person's own mind he might not feel guilty; he could very well feel he is right, and be blind to his wrongdoing, as is often the case with such spiritual sins. Sometimes a person's unwillingness to accept that he has these sins is the fruit of the sins, so the person remains unconvinced that he has sinned.

92. Spiritual correction and discipline are much more difficult for leadership to deliver, because the wrongdoing is not always tangibly provable. It means moving away from the black-and-white Charter rules and into the "Responsibilities of Individual Members‚" which cannot be so precisely defined. It requires some measure of subjectivity and interpretation‚ which leadership generally tries to avoid. Leadership doesn't want to misjudge nor be accused of misjudging; they don't like to be in the position of using the less specific responsibilities of the Charter member, especially when the person is in disagreement. This kind of shepherding is difficult to do, so it's often applied much less than it should be.

93. Not disciplining for the spiritual sins, but regularly dispensing discipline for the black-and-white disobediences‚ has promoted the false mindset that the practical types of sins are much worse than the spiritual ones, when in fact they are not. This mindset is played out when Home members receive discipline for a practical sin‚ but those who have serious spiritual sins aren't corrected for them. Unfortunately, there are a number of Home shepherds who discipline Home members for practical sins, while they themselves are guilty of serious spiritual sins that go uncorrected.

94. In practical terms, this has meant that individuals who aren't having sex with outsiders‚ but who are in serious disunity with others or excessively proud, don't feel that they are sinners, because if they were, someone would be disciplining them for it. They assume that since nobody is disciplining them, their sins must not be so bad‚ or maybe they aren't sinning at all.

95. At the Home level, teamworks often fall into this emphasis on the shepherding of the practical sins, but hesitate to delve into the spiritual problems of the Home members. Instead, the teamworks expect the VSs to take care of these "more difficult" cases. Often they don't call for VS help until the problem gets so serious that it's practically out of hand, rather than working with the person when the problem is smaller, and helping them to overcome through consistent spiritual shepherding. This also results in a "letter of the law" legalism, which is focused on tiny details, but ends up missing the much weightier and more important matters of the spirit.

96. Many Home teamworks don't seem to understand or don't accept their role in shepherding people. They don't use the tools of enforcement, which they have both the authority and responsibility to use. This seriously weakens the whole Family structure, because the Home is the basic unit of the Family. The individuals in the Home make the Home what it is, and if the Home teamwork of those individuals doesn't help them to live the true discipleship standard, then the Home will be weak and compromised. If there are enough Homes that are in a weak and compromised state, it seriously weakens the whole Family.

What Is Full-time Discipleship, Part 1

(ML #3469:69-119, GN 1055.)

You are all responsible to shepherd your Home members

(From "More on 'The Shakeup 2000'")

69. (Mama:) Many of you probably know someone or have heard of someone who has been disciplined according to the Charter for excommunicable offenses.

70. But there are other "crimes‚" spiritual ones, that have gone largely undisciplined by the Homes, VSs and COs‚ and that have resulted in some serious problems both inside and outside our Homes. These problems are caused by people who are not upholding the spiritual requirements of the Charter, and sad to say, such people are often a very negative influence on others.

71. The spiritual problems I'm talking about are when people: sow division, mock or talk against the Word, are a destructive influence and lead others astray, do not minimize ungodly and unedifying influences, are unwilling to acknowledge and work on their weaknesses and besetting sins, do not read or try to apply the New Wine to their lives, do not live according to the Law of Love, do not shepherd and discipline their children, are unwilling to abide by their Home's regulations‚ or do not conduct themselves as would be expected of good Christians, and are a reproach to the cause.

72. You read in "The Shakeup 2000" how each person and Home is responsible to do their part to clean up the Family and keep it clean, to get rid of the poison that is threatening our very existence. You can't depend on the VSs and COs to do it all. The Home Councils are one of the three governing bodies of the Family, and those Home Councils are made up of individuals—you! You are responsible for your own personal sample, reactions, decisions‚ obedience, and determination to uphold the CM standard, but you're also responsible to be wise, mature members of your Home Council. You must personally obey the CM contract; that is your obligation. But you must also help others to do the same, and if they refuse to do so, then it's also your responsibility to discipline those people, and if they refuse to change, then you're obligated to see that it is recommended that they be moved to FM status.

73. If you individuals and Homes just wait around for the VSs to visit or the COs to write you a letter of counsel‚ you'll probably be waiting quite a long time‚ because there are comparatively few VSs and COs. And besides, the Lord doesn't expect them to do all the "policing" of the Family. It's impossible for them to be aware of all the needs of your Home, to discipline all those who need it, to give all the correction and guidance that must be given, and to judge all the problem situations.

74. You live with each other, you see how your Home members conduct themselves, and you know if they're upholding the CM standard. If they aren't, it's your responsibility to do something about it! The Lord will hold you accountable! It's up to you to recognize the problems‚ pray about them, offer Word-based counsel and shepherding, and mete out discipline according to the Charter. If these measures don't bring the needed results, then you're responsible to recommend that the people who are contravening the Charter be moved to Fellow member status. That is your charge before God!

75. I pray this next message will shake you up and give you the fear of the Lord, so you'll not be so concerned about the opinions of others or the peer pressure you face‚ but your loyalties will be first to the Lord, the Family, and the Word!

76. (Jesus:) How long, My children, will you halt between two opinions? How long will you be blind to the truth? How long will you hide your wounds and the wounds of others? How long will you be blind leaders of the blind? How long will you flagrantly disobey My Word, or cover up and lie to save face for those who do? How long will you follow this path of bewitchment? When will you stand up for the truth?

77. Who will stand up for the truth? Who will be counted as My Gideon's band? Who will love Me more than life itself? Who will love Me more than friends, more than lovers, more than husbands or wives, more than parents‚ more than children, more than bosom buddies? Who will love Me with a pure heart? Who will fight for the right, for the truth, even within the borders of your tents?

78. You can't expect the COs and VSs to do everything. Their burdens are already heavier than they can carry. The weights on their shoulders are already more cumbersome than you can imagine. It's impossible for them to see everything, know everything, keep everyone in line, or keep everyone close to Me and following My will. It's impossible‚ and I don't expect this of them.

79. You are the keepers of your house, the ones accountable to Me for yourself, and yes, for the situations surrounding you. Yes, you are your brother's keeper. You—yes, you—are responsible to keep the Family pure, to rid the Family of the poisons of the System, the evil sores and bloody wounds of the System.

80. By your covering up and your lack of openness with your shepherds, you're putting bandages around deep, gaping sores. Instead of calling for the nurses and physicians to come and clean and disinfect the sore and begin the healing process, or cut the sore completely out so that it won't destroy the whole body‚ the sores and wounds and diseased portions of the body are becoming infected, full of pus, and the situation is grave. Some flesh is rotten, infested with maggots, and other sores and wounds are developing gangrene.

81. You, My beautiful body‚ My Bride, are one body. Each part of the body is needed, and each part must be whole, pure, clean, and be tended to. Do you cover up your sores and refuse to get the help that you need? Or do you cover up the sores and wounds of others, refusing to get help for them? Though you may think that the wounds or sores will simply go away if you cover them up, how wrong you are! They will not go away! They will not disappear! All sins and disobediences are seen by Me.

82. Through the deep wounds that many have incurred—through the ways of the world, the poisons of the System, the ruthlessness of the Devil—toxins and poisons have been able to enter the body. Because you haven't been willing to stand up for the truth, to have the conviction and strength of spirit to see the wrong and do something about it, to call for help when a wound or sore appears or when you see someone injecting poison into their system, you're allowing your own body to be contaminated, for you are all one.

83. If one person is rotting away‚ it's bound to also affect you adversely, because you're all one body. The poisons won't stop; they'll keep flowing, and they'll infect you too. The rotten sores that you cover and hide only get worse, and soon you will start to rot too. The whole body‚ My beautiful Bride, will start to rot and decay if these poisons and sores and gaping wounds are not disinfected‚ amputated or destroyed.

84. You have the responsibility—you‚ as a part of this body, My One Wife—to keep the health, to keep the perfection, to keep the purity. If you saw a deep gash on your foot and noticed that it was beginning to turn green, what would you do? If you saw a deep blackness slowly but surely creeping up your leg beneath your skin, what would you do? Would you cover it up and pretend that it wasn't there? Would you hope that it would go away, or that nobody would notice it?

85. No, you would not rest until you had the help that you needed! You would tell someone immediately, without delay. You wouldn't just let your foot—and ultimately your whole leg, and then your body—rot away. … This is the gruesome horror of these infections of the Enemy!

86. This should alarm you, My children, because what you are doing in allowing these troublemakers and problem-producers to continue in their dirty work is disastrous! When you allow someone in your Home or your area to disregard the Word, speak negatively about Maria and Peter, infect others with their System music, affect others with their System attitudes, foul language and hankering for ungodly wisdom, or whatever they're doing that is not in accordance with My Word and the CM contract, you're allowing poison and infection to enter the bloodstream of the Family—your bloodstream.

87. The VSs and COs can't possibly see everything that's going on. So if you value your place in the Family‚ if you value the Family at all‚ then you should be willing to stand up for the truth, for what you know is right. The Family is weakening! The Family is being poisoned! There are wounds, infections, rotting pieces of skin that need to be cut off. The Family is in a precarious state of health, because of the diseases of the System and the poisons of the world. If the Family is to survive, then drastic measures must be taken.

88. You're going to have to take a stand—you personally. If you see something that's wrong, that's not in line with the Word, that's not according to the Charter, then it's your responsibility to do something about it. It's your responsibility to stand up for the truth, because evil triumphs when good men do nothing. And I'm sorry to say this, but evil has been triumphing in many areas of the Family because you haven't been willing to stand up for the truth. You've been a coward. You've abdicated your responsibility as a Family member.

89. What is your responsibility? You're responsible to ensure the purity of the Family. You say, "Oh, but I am only one and I don't make a difference." The truth is that you do make a difference! What you do makes a world of difference. And if everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing, if everyone was obeying like they were supposed to be obeying, then we wouldn't have such a desperate situation in the Family today. It's because of your willingness to stand by and see others poison the work that things have gotten into such a sorry state.

90. It's high time for you to stand up and be counted. Do all that's within your power to ensure that we remain pure and free and revolutionary. Don't let anyone stick needles in the Family and inject their poison, because it's your body they're poisoning, not just their own. Don't cover up wounds or boils or diseases. Get help! Don't cover up the infections of others, because they'll infect you and the ones you love. Get help! That's your responsibility.

91. Who do you honor and love more—Me or your friends? Do you love Me and value your place in My Endtime army more than you value your loved ones, your mate, your children, your parents, or your Home members? If you do—and you should—it's your responsibility to give your loyalties to Me. You can help those that you love as much as you can‚ but don't water down your convictions. Even if you lose friends or loved ones, your first responsibility is to Me and this Family. You have to make a stand, to be counted worthy, even if you stand alone.

92. It's a desperate situation, and I'm calling for each of you to be counted as My revolutionary‚ dropped-out, free-from-the-System, iconoclastic children of the End! Rid your body of the poisons before it's too late. Stand up for what you know is right, for My truth. And if you see someone who's disobeying or weakening the Family, it's your responsibility to do something about it. We have enough "weakeners." Will you be a "strengthener"? Even if you're afraid of losing someone's friendship or love, I'm counting on you and I expect your loyalties to be toward Me first and foremost.

93. Your true friends will respect you for standing up for your convictions‚ and those who don't respect your convictions and disregard the standard of My Word don't deserve the privilege of being in the Family. So I don't want to hear of troublemakers and dividers and poison-injectors and System-lovers being tolerated in this Family anymore. We're a revolutionary Gideon's band‚ and I don't care if we lose one-third of our CM membership, if that's what it takes to keep us pure and separate from the world!

94. Are you with Me? Do you have the guts and conviction to give Me your all, to stand up for the truth even in the face of ridicule and mockery? Do you believe in Me and this Family enough to forsake all else, even the things that are dearest to your heart, to even die for Me if need be? I'm calling you to fulfill your responsibility as a 110% CM Family member. Do you have the guts to do that? I pray you do! Your survival as a member of My avant-garde depends on it! (End of message from Jesus) (ML #3262:50-52‚ 150-171, 173; GN 863).

(From "The Family's Future and Expansion Program")

95. (Peter:) The Lord is calling all of you to make commitments. The commitments that you need to make are: to be a shepherd, to follow close, to embrace His Word, and to apply it in your life now, so that you can help others apply it in their lives in the near future.

96. He's asking you to "become your brother's keeper," to "learn to shepherd one another in love," to "help one another in the spirit," and to "uphold one another in prayer." These are the jobs of a shepherd, whether you have a title or not. Jesus is asking you to start now so that you'll be ready when He starts bringing people to your door.

97. What does this mean in practical terms? What are you supposed to do? To start with, pray. Talk to the Lord about your personal commitment. Make it clear to Him that you want to participate in the future of the Family. I'd suggest you pray the prayer in "Your Open Heart Prayer to the Lord" (ML #3163, in GN 769 or Lifelines 24). Then let the Lord speak to you.

98. Next, evaluate your situation. Where are you headed spiritually? What kind of choices are you making? Are you striving to live the Word, and do you apply it in your life? What's important to you? Who are your friends? Do they help you draw closer to the Lord, or do they pull you away? Ask the Lord these questions and let Him tell you how He sees you. Ask your shepherds as well.

99. If you see you're headed the wrong way spiritually or you're making the wrong choices--such as not applying the Word, the wrong things being important to you, or you realize that your friends pull you away from the Lord and the Word—then do something about it. Pray. Ask the Lord to speak to you in prophecy and show you what to do. Take action! Fight against any negative pulls in your life. Don't just drift downstream because it's easier or because your friends are. Fight to head upstream. Work at it! Make a conscious decision to grow in the spirit, and then put feet to your decision. Pray, hear from the Lord, counsel with your shepherds, get prayer. Actively pursue God's will.

100. Once you've done this‚ then work to become your brother's keeper. When you see someone who's heading downstream, maybe someone you've been hanging out with, try to help them. Don't be self-righteous about it, but don't be a complete wimp either. If someone is making the wrong choices, speaking doubt‚ or not following the Word, talk to them about it. Pray for them. Talk to your shepherds about it. See if there is anything you can do to help them by asking the Lord. They are your brothers and sisters, so help them if you can. It's your responsibility. Don't let them just drift away.

101. Is there someone in your Home who you feel is eventually going to leave the Family because of the choices they're making now? If so, actively help them. Don't let the Enemy snatch them away. Fight for them! Get involved. Bring this person to the attention of your teamwork. Don't let them float away. Do what the Lord says: "Become your brother's keeper. Learn to shepherd one another in love. Help one another in the spirit. Uphold one another in prayer."

102. Or how about your younger brothers and sisters? When was the last time you taught them a class or read the Word with them? When was the last time you had talk time with them and answered their questions with the Word? When was the last time you got involved in their spiritual lives? Ask yourself if you're a good influence on them. Do you want them to follow in your footsteps? And if they do, where will they end up? You can start shepherding them by being a good sample today.

103. The Lord is asking us to help one another, and as we do, it will prepare us for the ministry He's bringing to our doorstep. Will you be ready?

Dish It Out and Take It; Correct the Problems and Problem People in Your Home

(Jesus:) "Learn to receive correction‚ guidance and counsel from one another. For if you expect to become the teachers and shepherds of the new flock that I am going to bring to you, then you must be humble enough to be shepherded yourself. You must not see it as interference by others, but as someone who loves you trying to help."

104. (Peter: ) Uh oh! Not only are we to be our brother's keeper, but he's supposed to be our keeper as well. You're not going to be the only one dispensing help to others—they're going to be helping you as well. And you need to learn to receive it.

105. Since the Charter, a lot of Family members have gotten out of the habit of gracefully receiving correction when something they've done wrong is pointed out to them. If your teamwork gives you correction and you don't like it, you can just hand in your 30-day notice and you're on your way—no need to listen, no need to change. Many people have become very independent, and as such, are not open to shepherding from others. Because of this reticence, usually caused by pride, their spiritual growth has somewhat stagnated.

106. The Lord makes it clear that He wants us to be able to take it if we're going to dish it out. If you're going to be a shepherd of the coming flocks, then you have to be humble enough to be shepherded. You need to get over feeling that others are interfering with your life, and instead realize that they are trying to help you because they love you.

107. Collectively, your Home members are going to be responsible for the spiritual lives and training of others. All of you will need to work together to help them grow. That's why you need to start now by making your personal commitments, progressing spiritually‚ accepting spiritual help from others‚ being your brother's keeper, and being uplifting to your Home. As a Home you need to make progress. You need to grow together, be united, and solve your Home's problems.

108. If you have a problem or someone who has spiritual problems in your Home, it's your responsibility to do something about it. It's not the VS's responsibility. When the VS has to step in and solve your problem, that should be the last resort. You have the responsibility and the authority within the Charter to solve your problem situations, and you need to do it.

109. You should not wait until a VS visits your Home to take care of the problem. If you have‚ you've waited too long and you've failed as a teamwork and as a Home in your shepherding. The Charter grants the Home authority to handle these situations. As a Home, you can put someone on Probationary Status if they aren't working to overcome their problems. If they're causing serious problems and refuse to be helped, you can either vote them out of your Home or recommend to the COs and VSs that they be moved to Fellow member status.

110. I know it's not pleasant to confront problems like this‚ but you must. If you can't learn to handle problems at the Home level, then how are you going to take care of those who will be coming to your Home, your Bible classes, your church? How will you be able to counsel, shepherd, and help with the problems of those who will become your fellow believers and co-workers? (ML #3308:115-120, 122-127, 130, 132, 134-135; GN 908).

(From "Conviction and Honesty")

111. (Mama:) I think people in our Family have somehow gotten the idea that they're not supposed to tell people that what they are doing is wrong. … If you're afraid to tell people that what they are doing is wrong, then you start to compromise with them!

112. I'm afraid too few of us seem to have the conviction for the Lord's truth that we should have! I don't know what happened and why we don't. Maybe it's because we went a bit overboard in some things. Then we had to have a turnabout in using more wisdom and love and not being so self-righteous and overbearing in our witness, but perhaps everybody went too far again to the opposite extreme and went overboard in being too sweet and nice and wishy-washy in our standard and our conviction against sin and evil!

113. But telling people the truth and warning them of danger because you are sincerely concerned about them and trying to help them is not the same as being self–righteous and holier-than–thou. Our Family needs to have more conviction to be able to stand up for the truth and tell people what they need to know!

114. When somebody's doing something wrong, that's when you have the opportunity to tell them that you don't agree with them, you believe what the Bible says about it, and you warn them or tell them because you want to help them! You don't just live it for yourself, but you believe it so much that you want them to live it too! That's love! … Are our people ashamed to live their godly convictions in front of others and to tell them they should do the same? Do we compromise the truth to those who need it?

115. I hope I'm wrong, but for some reason I have the feeling that our people have gotten such a pacifistic, sort of lovey-dovey approach, where they prefer to just let everything pass and not bother to stand up against evil or wrongdoing, and I think that's a very bad attitude. It's very wrong, because if you don't start standing up for the Lord in the little things, if you're afraid to confront evildoers, or just don't care or don't have the conviction, what are you ever going to do when you have to stand up and be counted in much greater things?

116. It seems we've gotten a little watered-down in certain areas where we don't really stand up for our convictions! We figure our sins are not quite so "bad," we're special and we can get away with more, which isn't a good attitude to have at all. It looks like we need to get back to being a little more legalistic in some areas and not just throw out all the rules. "Well, all things are pure and OK, love and mercy overrules, so we don't have to worry about any rules or limitations or personal sins." We'd better change our standard if this is our way of thinking.

117. We've gotten so sort of wishy-washy‚ thinking, "The Lord forgives us for everything and we're His special children‚ so there's no need to worry about wrongdoing. It'll all work out all right and we can get away with whatever we want to get away with." Whereas I think we're going to be surprised to see the Lord maybe expected more of us than He did of other people in a lot of areas because we know better and we're supposed to be a wonderful sample and yet many times we aren't! We're even a bigger stumbling block if we proclaim so much that, "We're the Lord's chosen people! We are it!" and then we act worse than the sinners!

118. Do you live an honest, godly standard with firm convictions? (Maria #51:5-8, 11, 14, 16-17; DB 3).

(From "Keep Fighting!—Conviction versus Compromise‚ Part 6")

119. (Mama:) If you have differences or conflicts in your Home, you need to work it out in your Home. If people in your Home are not committed and refuse to be shepherded and change, then those individuals should move to the level in the Family that better reflects their personal commitment. If you want your Home to be united and free of compromise, don't just coexist with those who continue to compromise. If you do, you're apt to suffer for their sins‚ because you didn't obey. (ML #3366:65; GN 969).