Shooting Straight, Part 1--Letter Links: Are You Strong Enough to Live the Law of Love?

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 2

(ML #3202:95-153, GN 805)

Why Sexual Sharing?

95. Now that we have that major question answered, let's go on to discuss the reasons why we should partake of the sexual freedom that is part of the Law of Love.

1 To obey the Lord's commandment to love one another.

96. Perhaps the foremost reason to live this aspect of the Law of Love is because the Lord has asked us to. We love the Lord and want to obey Him. He said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you" (Jn.15:12).

97. He has made it clear through the Word that the full understanding of the Law of Love is a special blessing He's given to us. As He said earlier, "You, My Family, are accountable to live My Law of Love, to fulfill the obligation of love." We are accountable because we know so much truth, thanks to Dad's faith and yieldedness to receive the revelations and instruction the Lord gave him. We have been given so much understanding of the Lord's ways and the Scriptures that we are subject to the spiritual principle of "unto whom much has been given, of the same shall much be required" (Luk.12:48).

98. If the Lord wants us to love one another as He has loved us, then let's just think a ­moment about how our wonderful Husband loves us. He goes all the way for us. He loves us inti­mately, completely and unconditionally. And as He has loved us‚ so should we love one another.

99. Helping those in need is part of love‚ and when one is in need of sexual love, supplying that need is fulfilling the Lord's commandment to love. We believe in sacrificial love for the sake of our brothers and sisters, and part of that love is sharing sexually, opening our arms of love to each other. If for no other reason, we should share out of obedience to the Lord and His Word, and a desire to please the Lord. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Mat.25:40).

2 To follow the Lord closely and move forward with the New Wine.

100. Closely related to obeying the Lord is our need to receive and live the New Wine. The Lord is pouring forth His direction abundantly, but it's up to each one of us as to what we'll do with that truth—whether we'll receive it gladly and eagerly obey, or whether we'll hold back.

101. There are various ways to react to the New Wine: You can read it for information but not take time to apply it to yourself. You can read it and agree with it, but never get around to doing anything about it. You can look at it skeptically, analyze it, and then only do the minimum that is required to hold on to your Charter Member status. Or you can be enthusiastic, even if you have to smile through your tears, as you study it, absorb it, and try your best to do what you can to put it into practice.

102. What you do is up to you‚ of course, but there is plenty of motivation to fully and wholeheartedly embrace and live the New Wine if you'll review what Dad said in "The Year of the Bottom Line":

103. (Dad speaking:) Many of our folks have thought that they could just ride along, or that they would at least go for as long as poss­ible without having to make these changes and imple­ment these sacrificial ways of living in their lives. Well, their time has just about run out! The clock is tick­ing, the days are counting, and the New Year ushers out the old and rings in the new! … This year is going to be a moving year, and like I said, it's going to be a year of get­ting down to the bottom line, the brass tacks of sacrificial and loving living and giving.

104. It's imperative that people get on board, because all the little chess pieces—each Family member—need to be yielded and willing in ­order for the Master Chess Player to be able to move them wherever He wants to. In this game of the Last Days‚ it's not enough to just be passive in the spirit, waiting for the Lord to change you. He'll do the work and the changing, yes, but you need to be desiring it, wanting it‚ willing‚ open, and eagerly desiring the Lord's will and the fruits of His Spirit and the New Wine! We're coming down to the home stretch and the ante is being upped! The level of dedication and commitment has been heightened. (End of mess­age from Dad.) (ML #3176:55,56,71,72, GN 781).

105. Please note that Dad says here that we need to be "wanting it, willing, open, and eagerly desiring the Lord's will and the fruits of His Spirit and the New Wine!" This move toward living the Law of Love fully‚ including sexual sharing, is the Lord's New Wine! Remember‚ one of the goals for 1998 is to take more time to read, understand, and absorb the New Wine—and I might add, the supremely import­ant next step is to live it!

3 To generate greater unity.

106. Another good reason to share sex­ually with others is that when you share with others in love, when you have that communion of heart with heart, one of the principal blessings you receive is unity. I already addressed earlier in this Letter, and in Part 1 of this series, our need for unity and how living the Law of Love in general brings unity. Now I want to explain how living the Law of Love fully—including sexual sharing—brings greater unity!

107. Having that intimate contact with one another strengthens our bonds of love with each other. It creates a loving, caring, giving, unselfish atmosphere. It helps us to overlook the faults of others and makes it easier for us to prefer one another in love. This kind of Godly love and sharing creates a wonderful bond of unity and love that very few people in the world have, and for which we're very thankful. This resultant unity, this oneness‚ this "One Wife" marriage in spirit together, is one of the major ­reasons for sexual sharing within the Law of Love. In a mess­age on this subject the Lord said:

108. (Jesus speaking:) When you share together in My love, when you join together in flesh and in spirit‚ it's a marriage not only of bodies but of loyalties, of hearts, of thoughts. This loving is the difference between being just an organization, just a working relationship, just a business deal‚ and being a marriage in the spirit! It's a uniting, a oneness of My Kingdom, an inseparableness where there are no walls. (End of message from Jesus.)

109. (Mama:) Those are beautiful results that the Lord has promised will blossom in your lives as you reach out and give the Lord's love to one another.

110. Before going further, I want to explain that I realize that there are situations in which, for a variety of reasons‚ there is no one available for some of you to share sexually with—either you live in a single-family Home, or there is no one of the opposite sex available in your Home or area, or there is no one within your age bracket according to the guidelines of the Charter, etc. If that's your situation, then please don't feel resentful or think that you're missing out on what might look to you like the one and only key element in the unity equation—because that's not the case! The Lord only expects you to do what you can, and if your circumstances prevent sexual sharing, then please concentrate on the many other ways that you can live the Law of Love. The Lord will be very pleased with this and He will reward you with the blessings of unity!

111. Along the same lines‚ I have heard of cases where one person of a mated couple is quite active in sharing and the other mate isn't‚ either because there is no one available for him or her to share with, or he or she is in poor health, etc. In those cases, the mate that is not doing the active sharing might think, "Well, living the Law of Love in its entirety might help to bring about unity for my mate and the others that he [or she] is sharing with, and thus helps to bring into their lives and relationships the power of God. But what about me? I'm left on my own and actually feel left out of this unity which the ­others are experiencing because of their sharing."

112. This is a natural reaction‚ and at first you might conclude that you're destined to be left out of the unity and intimacy that sexual sharing generates‚ if you're not directly involved because the circumstances you're in don't allow you to share much. But here's a good bit of advice from someone who is in that very circumstance and has been for quite a while. She said: "I'm learning that when giving a mate to sharing, you can still be a part of it, if you're giving whole­heartedly and if the Law of Love pervades in the Home. It can help to bring about unity between the women involved, too, even if there are no other males for the female mate to share with. And if the male mate, in this case, is going about it in the right way, it can promote unity overall. If the sharing is done prayerfully and with consideration, and the real spirit of the Law of Love prevails, it can strengthen the bonds of love with the mated ones, the ones doing the actual sharing, a group of three people‚ or even the body or Home as a whole‚ and it can create a loving, caring, giving, unselfish atmos­phere between everyone involved‚ more than just be­tween the two individuals who are sharing."

113. When you're sharing your mate with others, even if you don't have the opportunity to share much with others, your sacrifice should help to draw you closer to others as well, through the communication that you have with them as a result of the sharing—working it out to share, touching base beforehand and afterwards, the one who shared with the wife or husband thanking the mate, etc.

114. I imagine that some of you, although you agree with the need for unity, are thinking, "I've seen plenty of cases where sexual sharing has not brought about unity, but instead has caused lots of problems with jealousy, bickering and disunity!" Maybe there's some sharing going on in your Home right now and it's causing someone to be jealous, which has generated some marriage or relationship problems with obvious arguments, hurt feelings‚ door-slamming, etc.; or possibly the problems are less ob­vious but there is a lack of communication, people are upset inside and getting resentful, and the interaction between Home members is quite formal and frigid. Maybe these kinds of problems with disunity have even disrupted some aspects of the smooth running of the Home. Or possibly you have seen some marriages that have had serious prob­lems or even broken up, and it looks to you like a lot of the trouble was caused by living the Law of Love.

115. I certainly acknowledge that diffi­culties come up, and there are problems. I plan to address them in the next GNs in this series, so please don't stop reading or think that I don't know what I'm talking about when I say that living the Law of Love can bring about greater unity. It can‚ it does, and it should, if handled with a great deal of love‚ prayer and consideration. Yes, there will be lessons to learn. More guidelines and instruction are needed, many of which will be included in this series, which I believe will help you know better how to make loving, wise decisions. So the point is‚ if you've seen bad samples of the Law of Love, if you've seen people hurt or things not handled right, don't just give up and say it can't be done. We're all learning and growing. Things will get better, with the Lord's help and our cooperation!

4 To enhance and facilitate our communal living.

116. I believe that another one of the ­reasons the Lord has given the Family the freedom to share sexually with each other without sin is because we live communally. Living together as we do is no easy task; it requires a great deal of love and understanding to live har­moniously with others. There are difficulties which arise in communal living—we get on each other's nerves, we see things differently, we have different interests and ideas—and if it weren't for our strong bond of love and unity‚ we'd probably not be able to do the job as well or even be able to continue to live together!

117. In order to make it work, we need to strive to be very caring and have an outgoing love and concern for each other. We need to strive to live in harmony and to break down any barriers and walls that sometimes build up. Having sex with someone can be a real help in breaking down those walls, if you let your nakedness and the humility that results bring you closer in spirit, and if you take the time to communicate what's on your hearts, which will help to renew your fellowship and love for each other. Here are excerpts of messages from the Lord and Dad in which they confirm the power of sexual sharing in bringing hearts together:

118. (Jesus speaking:) Are you having a hard time loving some brother or sister? Are you having a hard time getting along with this person or that person? Maybe you just haven't been loving others enough. Maybe you haven't been spending enough time in the bed of love with those that you can, to help regenerate that love within you.

119. If you'll take that time to love others, if you'll take that time to share your heart‚ to share your bodies, to share your loved one with an­other, you'll find love growing within you. You'll find it's easier to love those that cause you difficulty or sometimes rub you the wrong way.

120. Love begets love! The more you love, the more you will love. So don't forget‚ with God's love you can love anyone. (End of mess­age from Jesus.)

121. (Dad speaking:) Sex is a great ­leveler! It really breaks down the barriers between people more quickly than almost anything else. In fact, I can't think of anything else that brings people together better than sex. Once you're naked and in bed together, what do you have to hide?—Especially if you're loving the Lord intimately. It kills your pride, but it brings out the best in you. It brings the Spirit of the Lord into your lives and relationship.

122. Then even if you don't have that much time during the course of the week to spend talking or sharing your hearts, the unity and the bond that the Lord has given you through the time that you spend in bed lives on. The sweetness and the love you've shared is like oil that helps to lubricate all the various activities that you're involved in throughout the week‚ the problems that you have to face, and the decisions that you have to make.

123. Love is the heartbeat of this Revo­lution! It's the very blood of the body of Christ! And what better way to experience or share and feel that love than in bed in sexual sharing, in the giving of love, in humbling yourself to make love one with another? (End of message from Dad.)

124. (Mama:) Please remember, however, that there will be some people in your Home that you won't have sexual contact with. Men won't have sexual contact with other men, nor will anyone have sexual contact with those outside the age designations laid down in the Charter. But even if you don't have sex with some members of your Home, you can still take extra care to fellowship with them, to avoid cliques. Also, if disunity exists with those people who you cannot share with‚ you can still work to bring unity through more communi­cation, asking them to forgive you for your failings, having heart-to-heart talk time that's non­sexual, etc.

5 To supply others' sexual needs.

125. An obvious reason for sexual sharing is to help supply the sexual needs of those with whom we live. Of course, sex isn't the only need which we should try to fill under the Law of Love; there are many other needs that our brethren have which we are responsible to try to fill.

126. One of the greatest needs of man is to feel loved. We have a need for companionship, to feel close to others. We have a need for friendship, a need to feel useful, the need to be considered important and like we're contributing something worthwhile. We need to feel appreciated. We need affection. We all have many physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and all of us need to do our best, by God's grace, to help supply those needs for our dear loved ones if we can. As the Bible says, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"—which is the Law of Love (Gal.6:2). Let's talk now about filling another's need for sex.

127. Earlier in this Letter you read very convicting quotes from Dad where he talks about our responsibility before the Lord to take care of our brothers and sisters sexually. I can testify that Dad lived what he preached. He was always concerned that the ones in our Home had what they needed‚ and that all the men and women were getting sufficient sex. He was always very giving‚ caring, concerned, and aware of people's needs and feelings.

128. Of course, to care for others sexually is often a sacrifice, and it especially hurts to give the one you love. Giving often hurts. It's not easy. But it's our duty before the Lord to give to those in need, including those who are in need of sex.

129. I can understand how you might be looking at sexual sharing as quite a big test. It might seem like the Lord is expecting a lot of you. But let's put it in a little different perspective. When you consider all that our brothers and sisters in the Family have done for the Lord, all they have forsaken to serve Him full-time‚ what a blessing they are, and the sacrifices they make on a daily basis to be what the Lord wants them to be, then to give them a little sex once in a while seems like the least we can do to help make their lives happier and reward them for their faithfulness to the Lord‚ as is brought out in the following message:

130. (Jesus speaking:) Reach out and touch those who are in need and lonely and broken and empty, those who have given their lives for Me, those who have forsaken all and left it all behind. It's a small thing for you to do to repay, to show your appreciation, to manifest My love to these who have given so much. (End of mess­age from Jesus.)

131. (Mama:) You probably don't look at it like that now if you're thinking about some kind of sharing situation that is a sacrifice for you—either giving your loved one to another‚ or giving yourself to someone you don't have a particular attraction to. I know the Lord understands that it's a struggle, and it takes practice, experience, and stepping out by faith. But the main point He's making in the above message is to impress upon us all that what it costs us to share with someone sexually is a small thing when compared with all that that person has given up for the Lord in order to be His full-time disciple.

132. When you think of all the tests, sacrifices and battles that each Family member has endured, and all that each one has had to forsake in order to join and remain strong in the Family, you can better understand why the Lord would say that to help supply that person's need sexually is the least we can do. When looking at it like that, we see that it's a blessing to be the Lord's love for that person and to help show His gratitude for their willingness to be His soldier.

133. As I mentioned earlier, in the Family survey that was published in "Victory Review '97," it was estimated that 33% of our singles share only once every three to six months, and 25% of them share once a year or less. That means that one out of every four singles is getting almost no sex! If this is by choice for some of you, that's one thing; but if not, then I'm sure you who are in this state can relate to the need that's being expressed here. If you're not in this kind of needy situation, but instead you have regular sexual fellowship, either with friends or a mate‚ then I ask you to please try to put yourself in the place of those who are in need.

134. As much as I want to see each of you have your sexual needs met, I feel constrained to also mention here that this is not a license for anyone to pressure someone else for sex! There is definite freedom of choice regarding sex in our Family, and no one is to feel forced in any way. To feel the conviction of the Lord's Spirit to share sacrificially with someone in need is one thing, but to feel forced to share with someone you either don't want to share with or don't have the faith to share with, either because of their pleading, their coercing, or their off-color comments is wrong! If you find that you are being pressured in this way, please report it to your shepherds! Sex is to be had only between consenting indi­viduals! To consent, according to The American Heritage Diction­ary, means you "give assent … to the proposal of another, to agree." The Charter says:

Sex may only occur between con­senting partners within the proper age limits as outlined in the Offenses Warranting Excommunication.

If a sister or brother does not want to share sexually with someone, they should not be coerced into doing so. If you wish to have a date with someone, and they do not wish to have a date with you, then you should not try to make them feel that they are not being "sacrificial." Perhaps you need to be more sacrificial by forgoing the date with them. Maybe if you pray and ask the Lord to supply someone to fill your needs rather than trying so hard in the arm of the flesh, you might get better results. (The Charter‚ Sex and Affection Rules, D.)

For teens (16 and 17), sexual activity is permitted only with consenting partners ages 16 through 20.

You will notice that in the root clause it says "sexual activity is permitted only with consenting partners ages 16 through 20." It is very important to realize that not every­one in your age group is going to want to engage in sexual activity, that some will want to wait until they are older or until they feel more prepared for it. Others will only want to dabble in it, while yet others will want to partake fully. The choice whether to take this step is a very personal and individual choice based on each person's faith. No one should feel pressured one way or the other by anyone. If you are trying to convince someone to have sex with you or to go farther than they want to go, or if you are applying peer pressure in any way, then your actions are unloving and are contrary to the Law of Love. (The Charter‚ Sex and Affection Rules, F.)

Members may only engage in sexual activities that are mutually agreed upon by both partners, and permitted for their age group. No one should force or in any way coerce a sexual partner to participate in any sexual activity that they do not desire to engage in.

As explained earlier, sexual activities are to occur only if both parties are consenting. This clause covers any specific sexual activities which one partner may not feel comfortable engaging in. For example, if a man particularly likes having a woman perform oral sex on him, but she doesn't like it, the man should not try to badger or in any way try to coerce her to do so.

Simply stated, people should not force or try to coerce their sexual partners to do things that they don't want to do. To do so is unloving and unkind. (The Charter, Sex and Affection Rules, H.)

6 To preserve the Family's usefulness and progress.

135. The Lord is asking us to live the Law of Love fully not just because it will be good for us but because it's necessary—not just necess­ary to our fruitfulness but to our very survival and progress. If we don't grow in this area we will seriously suffer for it, not only as individ­uals or Homes‚ but as a Family overall. The Lord said:

136. (Jesus speaking:) This is a strong test, strong meat‚ but it is necessary for the survival of the Family, and not only its survival but the Family's progress, their greater usefulness to Me and their ability to continue to use their gifts of being revolutionaries, of being 100% My followers, so that I can use them more mightily! Otherwise, they will slowly begin to gravitate to that which is comfortable, easy, and that which requires less sacrifice and less ­giving and forsaking of themselves. (End of message from Jesus.)

137. (Mama: ) If we want to continue being revolutionaries‚ 100% followers of the Lord so He can use us more mightily in the future, then we need to move ahead with Him. The Lord wants to keep us on track, dropped out and revolu­tionary, and He's using this radical mess­age to do just that!

138. You are free to operate according to your faith, and the Lord will not require of you that which you are not able to do. At the same time, however, He wants you to try your best to live the Law of Love in all its aspects. He wants you to see it as your personal responsibility, obligation and duty for the sake of the unity of your Home, for the sake of our worldwide work and reaching the lost, and for the sake of our continued greater usefulness and preparation for the Endtime.

139. The days ahead will be different than the days we know now, and what might not seem so necessary to learn now, or meat that seems too strong or not really necessary right now‚ will be very needed in the days to come. These are the days of preparation.

140. For many of you, living the Law of Love and learning how to put it into practice in your daily lives with the people you live with will be a hard saying. It will be difficult, and there will be trials, battles and problems. Peter and I are completely aware that this is a test, strong meat. But we in the Family have the high calling of being His Endtime soldiers‚ and we must cherish that calling, no matter what the cost.

7 Preparation for the Endtime.

141. The Lord is also using this move toward fully living the Law of Love as preparation for our future role in the Endtime, when we'll need even greater unity and understanding of one another.

142. We know things will not continue as they are today. There's going to be great con­fusion in the world, and great persecution of God's children. Learning lessons of love for one another and how to live together in love is prep­aration for the future when we'll need, and count on, the strength of our love and unity with each other, as Dad and the Lord clearly point out in the following prophecies:

143. (Dad speaking: ) The Family needs the love, the unity and the strength that comes from living the Law of Love. They may not think they need it now, but in the times to come and as the Endtime events unfold, they'll realize very clearly how much they need the unity and strength and love that comes from living the Law of Love. Then they'll be so thankful that they know how to do it, that they've been doing it, that they've been exercising their muscles of faith and giving and sacrifice. (End of mess­age from Dad.)

144. (Jesus speaking:) If you'll give of your life, if you'll give of your love, if you'll give of your body to another, it's going to bring great unity. You'll find such sweet fellowship with your Family. In the days to come you're going to greatly value your fellowship with each other—that closeness, that relationship with your brothers and your sisters—because that's what's going to bring you strength in those days. You're going to be forging such strong bonds that none can break them in the days to come.

145. So do not look lightly upon the Law of Love. Do not look lightly upon this aspect of sharing and giving your heart to another, because it's important. It's teaching you to love another, it's teaching you to give to another, it's teaching you to lay down your life for a brother or a sister. It's going to bring great strength, be­cause it's going to help energize you with the power of love that you will feel from each other. The more you exercise your abilities and powers to love‚ the more you give love, then the more you receive love, the more filled with love you're going to be, and the stronger you're going to be.

146. You're going to be giants of love! You're going to be so strong in the power of love that no man will be able to resist you. There are great things on the horizon! I'm going to use you in great and wondrous ways‚ but I'm going to use you through the power of love. Love is what is going to motivate you. Love is what is going to see you through. Love is what is going to help you in the dark and troublous days. (End of message from Jesus.)

147. (Mama:) We don't know the details of what the future holds for each of us, but the Lord is trying to help us see that we'll need a stronger bond of supernatural love between us that will be part of our strength. The Lord has warned us that the unity we have now is not enough. Whatever we will face‚ either as individuals, small groups or families, or the Family as a whole, the Lord is preparing us now. These are days of preparation for dark, troublesome days ahead, days of war.

148. By the time a platoon of soldiers goes to war, they've been through a lot together. They've been drilled, tested‚ pushed to the limit—and through all that, they've become strengthened and have become a tightly knit team. I'm sure that unity is one of the most important fruits of their intense basic training.

149. Similarly, these are our days of train­ing. We're learning new maneuvers, new skills, and are being taken to greater heights of self-sacrifice. But the result for us is much the same as what happens with worldly soldiers—we become one. We learn to move together‚ fight together, care for one another to our own hurt or sacrifice, watch out for each other, and anticipate the attacks of the Enemy. We become one body, one heart, and one mind. We move forward decidedly, courageously, and the result of all this is that we win the war!

8 To be a witness and help prepare for the world of tomorrow.

150. The Lord has told us repeatedly that He uses our radical doctrines—such as our belief in the Law of Love and our practice of it—to keep us, and consequently Him and His Word, in the news. But the Lord is not just getting His message out and giving people a chance to make a choice either to receive or reject the truth. There's more to it than that! In the following message, Dad shows us that He's also starting to prepare for the world of tomorrow, the Millennium‚ and we have a key role to play!

151. (Dad speaking:) The Lord wants to use the Family to be witnesses of His Law of Love to the world, because in so doing, He's paving the way for the world of tomorrow when He returns to rule the world by His Law of Love. This should be the biggest incentive for our folks to start living the Law of Love right now—knowing that this is how the Lord's gonna rule in the Millennium. He's gonna govern by the Law of Love, because it's His law. How else would you expect Him to rule? And those of His children who are obeying and following and living His Law of Love right now are the ones He's gonna use to help Him reign then! The Lord's giving the Family a head start!

152. God's plan is not going to be stopped! So what our folks need to ask themselves is this: Do you want to be a part of that plan and be at the top of His list—His shining examples to the world to help Him usher in His Kingdom on Earth?—Or would you rather be left behind and have an awful lot of catchin' up to do later? It's time the Family faces their fears about the Law of Love—because like it or not, the Law of Love is going to rule the world of tomorrow! (End of message from Dad.)

153. (Mama:) We in the Family are privileged to have this "head start," even if it does come with a few tests and trials. The Lord knows we can make it, and this vision certainly gives us some added incentive and shows us that it's worth it to exercise our sharing and unselfishness muscles now, so we can be what He wants us to be in the future. Praise the Lord!

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 5

(ML #3205:166–172, GN 808)

Your Responsibility to Share Even When You Have Someone Special in Your Life

166. (Mama:) Jesus understands that you may have a special love for one or two people. Obviously there's nothing wrong with loving someone deeply, like your mate or your steady boyfriend or girlfriend. After all‚ it's Jesus Who has placed such special love in your heart! But the problem is when you love only that one person and you aren't willing to love others also.

167. Loving someone special shouldn't stop you from pouring out love to others who also need it. In fact, it should make you all the more willing to give love to others, because the Lord has done a special thing for you in giving you someone very near and dear to you, and heaping His love upon you so richly! That should make you even more loving toward others, and willing to share with those who have much less love than you. Here's something the Lord said to you who have found that "special someone."

168. (Jesus speaking:) Think not that I would give you this love for you two alone, for the love of God that blossoms in the hearts of two made one is also for others! Therefore hold it not back and be not selfish, but giving! (End of message from Jesus)

169. (Mama:) Think of that! One of the reasons that God gives a special relationship to two people is so they will share that love with others! First of all, He gives it as a blessing and a sign of His love for the couple, but then He expects them, as part of His plan, to unselfishly pass some of His love on to those who need it.

170. This of course brings us back to the points that were brought out in the first parts of this series, that we are under the obligation of love to help our brothers and sisters who are in need. "Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his ­bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food‚ and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (1Jn.3:17; Jam.2:15-16). You'll notice the Word doesn't say that if you're married, or close to someone‚ or have a boyfriend or girlfriend, that it's okay to shut up your bowels of compassion or not give your brothers or sisters those things which are needful to the body. As Dad said,

171. Marriage makes no difference what­­soever when it comes to sharing each other with the Lord and His work and others. Our whole life is sharing! The whole principle of our whole Family is that we share! Do you mean to tell me that marriage means an end of sharing?—That sharing, which means our love for others‚ our love for each other, is to cease at marriage? Hmm? Do we stop loving others just because we get married? (ML #1395:2).

172. (Mama: ) Obviously the answer to the questions Dad proposes in the above quote is no! Of course our love for others is not to cease when we get married! As I said, there's nothing wrong with being in love with someone or with having someone special in your life, but just don't let it stop you from loving others who need love. Don't let it stop you from being a vehicle of the Lord's love for someone.

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 8

(ML #3208, GN 811)

Dear Family,

1. God bless you! This GN is directed mainly to married couples, but I think all of you will find it very interesting. It will give you further insight into the special challenges that couples face when living the Law of Love fully. For those of you who are now single, not only will this GN help all of you to have a greater aware­ness and under­standing of the couples, but for those of you who will eventually marry, it is good to familiarize yourselves with these lessons now. There is much in this Letter that you singles will benefit from. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in and giving this counsel your full attention.

2. In this GN I'll cover the following points:

—When is it recommended for young married couples to begin sharing sexually with others?

—What do you do if your marriage is on the rocks?

—Practical steps to strengthen your marriage.

—Prayer of commitment for married couples.

Young Married Couples Living the Law of Love

(Note: This counsel was given specifically for young married couples, but it pertains to older adults as well, and there is much for you singles, too!)

3. The question has come up about whether you young married couples should wait to get your marriages established and give yourselves a chance to strengthen your bonds together before you share sexually with others. This is something a married SGA wrote me about fairly recently. She poured out her heart, as follows:

4. I've always believed and practiced the Law of Love‚ although I'm not sure I grasp it entirely. I thought it was good to share with needy brethren‚ which I did more before my marriage, but also some after I was married. (My husband and I have been mated almost three years. We have a precious little girl and another on the way!) I've gotten many comments from friends, because my sharing was usually with the brethren who weren't so nice-looking or desirable physically.

5. I didn't have a problem with my husband sharing with a single woman that I knew he was not really attracted to—but there's a catch! The thing that knocked me for a loop was when he shared with and eventually fell in love with a beautiful woman. When this happened, I lost it! I became so out of it and childish in my jealousy that it drove him further away.

6. I thought I was dedicated and had a high spiritual standard, was responsible, etc.‚ but boy, on these matters I was a total baby! This happened when I had recently had a baby, so I felt quite undesirable at that time.

7. There were many lessons to be learned on all sides. (I made many mistakes because I was so jealous—it was terrible!) But un­fortunately, this is the one instance that I think back on now when I think of the Law of Love. I feel it's clouding my vision of the true beauties of the Law of Love.

8. My husband and I want to practice the Law of Love to the full and really be in the highest will of the Lord. I just want to be able to go into it with full assurance that it can be done, and full of faith that we won't have such an ugly situation occur again. I don't think we will. I have asked for prayer, and my sweet mate doesn't want me to go through something like that again. The Lord knows my heart, that I want the victory and I am determined to obey. We want to try again. Maybe some practical tips would be helpful for "beginners"!

9. The main question I have is this: If in your marriage your communication is just beginning and you are still establishing a foundation, if there is a new baby involved and you're still learning how to work together, is it the wisest time to begin sharing and rock the boat? Wouldn't it be better to wait until your own marriage is a little more stable? I'm not saying that new marriages shouldn't share and should just be selfish, but marriage is also something precious to invest in, in order to establish a strong foundation for your children, and then to eventually share with others. (End of comments from SGA woman.)

10. (Mama:) These are good questions, and I don't blame you at all for wondering. You young married couples don't have much time to spend together in private Word and prayer time‚ personal fellowship, intimate heart-sharing, lovemaking, etc., as you're busy serving the Lord. This is especially true if you have children. So if your sharing with others takes away even the little time you do have, or at least takes away a portion of it, and if you haven't had a chance to strengthen your marriage or to get to know each other well and to be secure in each other's love, then questions come up: Will your sharing with others strengthen or weaken your marriage? There are so many lessons to learn with a new marriage; if you add sharing and all the lessons involved in living the Law of Love fully, will that be too much? If you start sharing sexually when your marriages are young and less established, will your emotions be easily drawn away toward others?

11. If you fall in love with someone else, it's a dilemma, because the tendency is to be pulled toward the other person you're in love with. Then you might even start going to the other person for the kinds of things that you should be going to your mate for—to seek the Lord, to have prayer, to read the Word‚ to find comfort and encouragement‚ and all the things that you should be doing with your mate to strengthen your marriage. If you start being pulled away from your mate because you're in love with someone else, then that will take even more time away from your marriage that you would have had, had you not been sharing. Also, if you're in love with someone else‚ then that usually lessens your incentive or desire to really work on your marriage and to keep your marriage together.

12. But on the other hand, if you wait too long, then you get used to having your mate completely to yourself, in which case it seems it would be more difficult when you finally do start to share. If you don't exercise your giving muscles, they will grow more and more flabby with time, so that when you eventually try to use them‚ you might suffer from bigger jealousy battles, which can put a pretty big strain on even a strong marriage.

13. There are pros and cons to both waiting before sharing or going ahead right away. It's hard to know what to do. Thank the Lord that we can go to Him when we need direction, especially for such complicated situations that have so many variables. These matters of the heart involving people's lives, marriages, children, and personal happiness are very delicate, and in our own wisdom it's difficult to know what would be the proper balance and the most fruitful way to approach such things.

14. We felt you young married couples would be wondering about these questions too, and that when reading this series you'd wonder exactly how it applies to you. I brought these questions before the Lord and He gave some very helpful answers. Even with this good counsel, you will still need to communicate with your mate, and pray together and hear from the Lord in prophecy regarding the specific circumstances that you find yourselves in, but these general guidelines will help you know what your options are.

When Should Young Married Couples Begin Sharing Sexually With Others?

15. (Jesus speaking:) You cannot lay down rules or requirements or expectations that would apply across the board. Every couple is different. Some couples will be able to begin sharing right away, others may need a few months, others may need more time, and some couples whose marriages are weak will be able to share very little‚ even after quite a while. So much of it depends on the individual circumstances of the marriage and the people involved.

16. The ideal is that young married couples live the Law of Love fully‚ but how much time and attention is spent on sharing with others depends on the fruit it bears in their own lives, their marriage, and the lives of those around them. It will also depend on the strength of the foundation they have when they begin living together. Those who have a stronger foundation can begin living the Law of Love fully, sharing with others sexually, much sooner—in fact, even at the onset of their marriage‚ if it bears good fruit and they see that it doesn't weaken their marriage, but in fact strengthens it.

17. Those who are wise will remember that good fruit is not always judged by whether a matter is easy or difficult. Many times, the greatest victories and best fruit is borne out of what seems difficult at the time. Tests of jealousy, giving, etc., in the end will often bear much good and lasting fruit, because by having passed the tests you become all the stronger in the end.

18. By the time some young couples are married they already have a fairly strong foundation, having lived together for a long time‚ having been sharing sexually with others before they married, and having had a lot of experi­ences in the spirit together. Such experiences in the spirit are time spent together in the Word, in prayer, hearing from Me together in prophecy, seeking Me together‚ communi­cating honestly, and sharing their hearts with each other. All of these things help to build a foundation for a marriage.

19. A strong marriage is not built just from the day that people "tie the knot" officially, but a strong foundation for marriage is built even in the months preceding their living together—in the months when they're getting to know each other, and in the months when they're praying and seeking Me as to whether it's My will for them to marry.

20. Some of the young couples who marry already have a fairly strong foundation. Those who are strong in the Spirit, who are including Me in their marriage, who are trying to put Me first‚ not only in their lives but also in their marriage—these will have a fairly strong foundation of truth and building an honest relationship. They will be able to participate in living the Law of Love fully much more quickly than those who have had more of a fleshly relationship, in which during the months prior to their deciding to be married and live together their greatest concentration was on the things of the flesh—having fun together, having sex together, talking with their friends, hanging out, and doing the things that young people like to do—to the neglect of spiritual things.

21. There's nothing wrong with those things, but if that's what the majority of their time has been spent on and that's what most of their focus and concentration has been on, then of course they'll go into their married life with a much weaker foundation. They may have a strong personal love and attraction one for another‚ but they will have a weak foundation in the most important things, which are depending on Me, leaning on Me, going to My Word, hearing from Me together in prophecy, seeking to do My will first, and communicating honestly about the things of the Spirit, the moves of the Spirit, and the needs of the Family and those around them.

22. My desire is that you young couples live the Law of Love sexually as soon as you are able. But I'm not putting the doorknob too high‚ and if when you begin living together as a married couple you are still weak in some of the foundation new weapons, such as hearing from Me in prophecy, being praiseful, and loving Me intimately, and if you are weak in the simple things that make a marriage strong, such as communication‚ understanding, being quick to forgive, and having a deep love that compels you to put the other person's happiness above your own, then you will have to take time to be strengthened in your foundation before you can take on the strong meat of living the Law of Love fully. Therefore this is not only for the sake of sharing, but for your benefit also, that you may be prepared and strengthened, individually and in your marriage as well. (End of message from Jesus.)

23. (Mama:) When you as a young married couple start sharing sexually is up to you. Some of you will be able to start right away or very soon after getting married; others will need to wait for a few months or longer, depending on how your marriage is progressing and how deep in the Spirit your relationship is.

24. Also, it's helpful if you've been sharing sexually with others during the time you were dating and praying about marriage. If you have a giving‚ sharing relationship right from the start, meaning from the time you start to date, then it will be much easier to keep going even after you've fallen in love and gotten married. Whereas if you have an exclusive relationship all through your time of dating and your engagement period, then to start sharing after you're married will likely be more difficult. If you're serious about having an open, giving marriage and living the Law of Love fully as a married couple, then it would be worthwhile for you to pray about how to begin to cultivate those qualities and strengthen your giving muscles early on in your relationship.

25. You're going to have to prayerfully seek the Lord and counsel with your shepherds and decide what you have the faith for. The Lord clearly puts this decision in your hands. He said:

26. (Jesus speaking:) These young couples must bring their questions to Me and hear from Me in prophecy and have the faith that the ­answer they get—whether it is to share immediately, to wait a little while, or even to wait quite a while—is from Me. (End of message from Jesus.)

27. (Mama:) You'll notice that the Lord is not saying you should make this decision based on how you feel. Feelings can be so undependable. Although there may be times when your feelings in these matters will be in line with the Lord's will, feelings alone are a very poor basis for making decisions. Sometimes, like in the case of sharing‚ feelings can be quite misleading. You might feel very jealous or threatened at the thought of sharing, and so your feelings are practically screaming out, "No, it's too soon!" But sharing might be just what the Lord wants you to do. On the other hand, you might be very excited at the thought of sharing with someone, but maybe it's not the Lord's will, and doing so would not bear good fruit.

28. So the only really safe way to handle sharing and to decide when you share and with whom is to pray and hear from the Lord, as well as counsel with your shepherds. Remember, the Lord knows what you're ready for, and what will bear fruit in your life. Even if at first glance you "feel" you might not be able to measure up to what He is asking of you, if you pray and follow what He shows you to do‚ He will help you and never give you more than you're able to handle.

29. How the Lord will lead you in your sexual sharing will depend largely on how strong the foundation of your marriage is. That is a key factor. The Lord explained clearly what will make your marriage strong, what will help to build a good foundation.

30. Putting forth the effort to build a firm foundation for your marriage is a good investment, not just for sexual sharing, but for the many challenges you will face together—­having children, pioneering, shepherd­ing or other new ministries, persecution, illness or other emergencies, etc. When everything is going great and you're like two love birds in the throes of fresh romance, you might feel as though there are no Alps. But when you run into difficulties—which is inevitable, since life is full of unexpected twists and turns and battles of all sorts—that's when you get tested. That's when you'll be thankful you worked on strengthening your marriage in the Spirit! So this is something all you young married couples should take seriously.

31. To do this, the Lord said it's not enough to just have fun in the physical through your fellowship together, having sex, talking or hanging around with your friends‚ listening to ­music, watching movies, etc. There's nothing wrong with doing those things in moderation, and I'm sure you all spend some time in those activities, but you also need to build your foundation in the Spirit, and the cement of that foundation is such things as: Reading the Word together, praying together and hearing from the Lord in prophecy together, praising the Lord, loving Jesus intimately as His brides‚ communicating honestly, sharing your hearts, putting the Lord's will first in your lives, talking about the things of the Spirit, the moves of the Spirit, and the needs of the Family and others. You'll also need to work on cultivating such qualities as being understanding and quick to forgive, and having a deep love that makes you want to put the happiness of someone else above your own.

32. The strength of your marriage is not necessarily a matter of how long you've been married‚ because some of you began to build that foundation in the months before you started to live together. But even if you've been married for quite a while and you see that you are weak in doing the things that will make you a strong team for the Lord, don't be discouraged or think it's too late. It's never too late to start doing the right thing. Talk about it‚ decide together how you want to change, how you want to attack, and make some commitments together. You'll see progress and the Lord will bless you!

Start Out Slowly, If You Wish

33. Please keep in mind that you can start out slowly with your sexual sharing. If one or both of you are jealous, you might want to begin your sharing experiences with those people you feel are "no threat"; in other words, people you already feel close to as a couple, have a bond of trust with, and that you will be less likely to feel jealous of or threatened by.

34. Also, having fewer dates outside of your marriage in the beginning will help to curb any strong emotions or romantic feelings for others or outside love affairs, because it does take time for those emotions to develop. Of course, there can be an immediate attraction between two people, what people refer to as "chemistry." There can be situations where people just click right off the bat. But normally it takes some time and fairly frequent contact to develop deeper feelings for each other. So if you married couples don't have dates with the same person that frequently when you're first learning to share with others, then the in­frequency in itself will help to tone down or curb outside relationships, and will help to prevent your emotions running wild for others.

35. Here's another point which I hope will take the pressure off: Living the Law of Love fully doesn't mean you have to push yourselves to share often if it's too much of a strain for you. You can go at your own pace‚ as you feel you can handle it. Some people will share more often than others, but you have to take care not to compare or to think you have to keep up with the Joneses. You have to do what you have the faith for and follow the Lord as He leads you.

36. Of course, it's good to have a challenge and to set some personal goals, because if your determination to begin living the Law of Love fully is too vague, it will easily get forgotten or overlooked. This is especially true of people who are very busy, which includes all of us! It seems to work best in most situations to come to an agreement with your mate as to how you'd like to schedule your sharing—how often‚ when, with whom, etc. You could decide together that you would try to arrange time to share with someone outside your marriage on a regular basis, like once a month, for example. Then you each know in advance what to expect and you can coordinate your schedules, make sure you have rooms available for your dates, plan for someone to be with your children or baby at that time if possible‚ etc.

37. For most couples, it makes it easier when there is some kind of plan, some kind of order, and it's not just haphazard, come what may, which can be a little nerve-racking, especially for someone who battles jealousy, as you never know when a trying situation might come up. But if you come to an agreement about your sharing and you have at least a general plan, based on your faith and how much you personally feel you can handle, then you can prepare yourselves spiritually and take care of all the logistical details in an orderly fashion, which will help ensure that it's a pleasant experience and as easy as possible for all involved. Then, with time, you might find that sharing with ­others isn't as difficult as you thought. As you get used to it and you grow in faith and feel more secure in your relationship, you might feel led to increase your sharing. But that's up to you.

38. If you step out by faith to try to share as much as you are able, I'm quite confident that you'll see good fruit. There are many benefits from sharing, as the Lord reminds us in the following message:

39. (Jesus speaking:) I will lead couples to know when and with whom to share according to My will. When it is My will for couples to reach out to others in this way, this variety in fellowship with others will strengthen the marriage, causing the love and appreciation for each other to flourish and grow. Through this hu­mility, this opening of hearts to each other in love, this humbleness of mind and body‚ as hearts are knit together in love, great strength of unity is born. Through these times of sharing I am able to help stave off would-be difficulties and struggles in working relationships. I am able to round off rough edges, to keep things flowing smoothly, to keep everyone unified in heart and mind, and united in visions, goals and love.

40. There are many good reasons to share amongst you: to strengthen friendships; to draw close together as a well-oiled team‚ a close-knit body; for unity's sake‚ from which My Family will find great, great strength. (End of message from Jesus.)

Even the Tests Will Strengthen Your Marriage

41. (Mama:) When you start sharing, if you have any battles or conflicts or things don't go perfectly smoothly, you might deduce that the problem is that your marriage isn't strong enough. But in actuality, your marriage could be plenty strong and you could have a good foundation in the Word, prayer, hearing from the Lord, and understanding each other and being loving. Yet you could still have problems, because the Enemy is going to fight you!

42. It's not wise to go into sharing expecting it to be problem-free. If you do, you'll undoubtedly be disappointed, because you're bound to have some misunderstandings between you. You're bound to say or do some things that might hurt a little. You're likely to have twinges of jealousy or even some fairly big battles with it at times. There are bound to be battles. That's to be expected. But you can be encouraged by this next message in which the Lord explains that there's a reason for those battles.

43. (Jesus speaking: ) Remember, through sexual sharing I will drive you young people to Me. In some cases, even the questions that arise or the seeming problems that arise are part of My plan to force you to communicate with each other, to seek counsel, to come to Me and to hear from Me in prophecy.

44. Sometimes what looks like a problem in a marriage is actually My way of strengthen­ing the marriage by bringing those involved to a crisis. If you handle the crisis right, by praying desperately‚ counseling, seeking Me, and communicating honestly, then your marriage will be stronger in the end. You will be more mature, deeper spiritually, and you will under­stand your mate better through the lessons you have learned together and the breakings you have experienced together. (End of message from Jesus.)

Be Forewarned: The Enemy Will Fight You!

45. (Mama: ) I wish I could honestly tell you that your sharing with others is going to be a real blast‚ with nothing but absolutely flawless, beautiful experiences. But you and I both know that's not the case. One of the main ­reasons is because‚ like the Lord just said, the ­Enemy will fight you. I explained in Part 3 of this series that the problems that sometimes come with living the Law of Love fully don't necess­arily indicate that somebody blew it. (Please see ML #3203:82-94.) Sometimes everyone in­volved has done their best to be prayerful, loving and considerate of others, and still it's rough! But that's because the Enemy really doesn't want us to share. I have to warn you young people that the Lord has told us that the Evil One will fight you the most! That's not such good news, I know, but it's better to be forewarned! Check out this next message from the Lord on this:

46. (Jesus speaking:) The Enemy is going to fight you young people harder than anybody, because the older ones have already experienced the Law of Love fully and they have faith. Even though they may not be sharing sexually much now, they do believe in it and they can recall from their past the good fruit of living the Law of Love. Even though they've seen some bad examples and possibly had some bad experiences themselves, they know in their hearts that living the Law of Love fully does bear good fruit overall. While they may have had some bad ex­periences and been hurt, they've also had some good, beautiful experiences and have been strength­ened.

47. The older generation has a strong foundation of faith in the Law of Love. So while the Enemy will fight them, overall his attacks will not be as fervent on the older generation as on you younger ones. He will fight you tooth and nail to try to get you to doubt this new move of the Spirit, to try to convince you that your worst fears have come to pass, that all the negative you heard about the Law of Love is true‚ that it's more of a problem than it's worth.

48. That's why you young people need to learn to recognize that some of the problems that come into your lives through living the Law of Love fully are not because you are doing anything wrong, or because you're not strong enough spiritually, or because your marriage is too weak, or because you haven't been in the Word or seeking Me, or communicating enough. But it's simply because the Enemy is going to fight you, to try to stop you, discourage you‚ and make you doubt and give up. (End of mess­age from Jesus.)

49. (Mama: ) There's no guarantee that if you wait until you're much older and you're settled down nice and comfy-cozy in your mature marriage, that then when you start sharing sexually it's going to be inspiring and easy and everything will go great. Granted, it will go more smoothly for those who are strong and mature in the Spirit; and it will definitely go better for the couples that have a strong bond in the Spirit and good communication. It will especially go better for those of you who, in addition to those attributes already listed, know how to bring your questions and problems to the Lord and hear from Him in prophecy‚ because when the Enemy tries to attack you, the Lord will be able to instruct you how to fight back. Therefore‚ the Devil's attacks on you will not be as effective, as long lasting, or as devastating on your marriage, your personal lives, or your faith in the Word and the Law of Love. But ­living this strong meat is a fight, a challenge, no matter how you look at it, and you have to really want to follow closely to have the guts and determination to do it!

If You Don't Have the Faith, the Lord Can Give it to You!

50. You young people need to operate according to your own faith. If you don't have much faith right now, you can ask the Lord to build and increase your faith. You can study the Word to get a fuller understanding of it, and then do something about it. One of the surest ways to strengthen your faith in the Word is to put it to the test by putting it into practice. (See John 7:17.) The Lord said:

51. (Jesus speaking: ) For if they practice, if they live this doctrine, they will know that it is of Me. (End of message from Jesus.)

52. (Mama:) Operating according to your own faith doesn't mean you should sit back and do nothing. You who are weaker in faith can concentrate for a while on living the other aspects of the Law of Love. You can make a definite decision and effort to live the Law of Love in the other areas of your lives for the Lord and your care for others, as was pointed out already in earlier parts of this series. But remember, sexual sharing is a stepping­stone to living the Law of Love fully, as the Lord pointed out when He said:

53. (Jesus speaking: ) The goal for all you young couples is to reach the point where you can live the Law of Love fully, where you can reach out and give love to others, care for ­others sacrificially, and be My love for others. The sooner you can get to this place, the better. (End of message from Jesus)

54. (Mama:) The Lord is challenging you young people to be strengthened, not only in your marriages, but in your walk with Him—in your convictions, in your faith in the Word and the Law of Love overall, in your putting the Law of Love into practice in all aspects of your life. The Lord is placing you on the road of living the Law of Love fully, and the way to do this is to determine in your heart that you want to make progress traveling down that road. Some of you will be starting at the very beginning, whereas others of you will be starting further down the road because of your faith in the Word, your spiritual maturity, and your strength of spirit.

55. Sexual sharing is a personal decision. That's true! No one in the Family is forced to share with anyone against their will. But if you don't have the faith for it‚ rather than standing still and not progressing, you can work on getting the faith, because the Lord wants to give you the faith! How quickly you get the faith depends on how open you are to the Word, how much you let the Word answer your questions, and how much you believe the Word over the doubts and negative stories you may have heard in the past.

56. How quickly you get the faith also depends on how much you desire to live the Law of Love fully. If you want to move ahead with all your heart with the New Wine, if you want to be a good example of living the Lord's love, then you'll fight to have the faith. You'll fight to communicate and be honest. You'll fight to keep your marriage strong in the Spirit‚ the Word‚ prayer, and hearing from the Lord.

57. Whether you as a young couple are prepared spiritually to share sexually cannot be measured by months, because it's a thing of the spirit and it depends on your desperation and how much you want to make it work. The preparation for living the Law of Love sexually is a preparation of spirit.

58. You who are selfish, jealous, pos­sessive, lazy and doubting, if you hold on to those sins of the spirit, then it will be a very long time before you are ready to successfully and fruitfully live the Law of Love fully‚ because the Enemy will be able to take advantage of those spiritual weaknesses to cause prob­lems and even to cause you to be a bad testi­mony. Your own marriage will be weakened as a result, and in the long run, you will lose out.

59. You who have a strong foundation in your marriage, are strong in faith and strong in the Word, will be able to start sharing sexually right from the beginning or shortly thereafter. And even though you may run into problems, you'll go to the Lord, you'll seek the ­answers in the Word, and you and the Lord will be able to sort out those problems and He'll help you to still be a good example and to be strengthened through it. And‚ in the long run, your marriage itself will be strengthened, which is one of the wonderful fruits and purposes for sharing in the first place, and you will be more prepared for the days ahead.

Time Is Short!—Will You Grow Stronger or Weaker?

60. These next paragraphs from the Lord summarize His challenge to you young married couples. I hope this message will cause you to stir yourselves up to fight any doubts, resentments or bitterness you have regarding the Law of Love. This doctrine is strong meat, no doubt, but even that should be a catalyst to spur you to action, as you strive to be counted as one of the strong, loyal‚ determined children of David! (Of course‚ you older married couples need to take heed to this message as well, because it also applies to you!)

61. (Jesus speaking:) The goal is for all you young couples to live the Law of Love fully, and you can move toward that goal quickly, if you work on it and really yield yourselves and apply yourselves to the Word, prayer and communication. I want My young married couples to share. I want you to be an example. I want you to have the experience of being Me for ­others, of loving others for Me. I want you to have the unity that comes through living the Law of Love fully, especially through sacrificial sharing.

62. Time is short and you have much to learn, so I wish for you to move forward, definitely, determinedly and quickly—as quickly as your faith will allow you. The Enemy will fight your efforts to live the Law of Love fully, but even his attacks will strengthen those of you who are determined to do it no matter what.

63. There is no standing still. You are ­either going forward or backwards, and I wish for you to move forward quickly. Even those of you who will not feel led to jump right into sexual sharing, I nevertheless wish for you to determine in your hearts to make some type of pro­gress in living the Law of Love. For those I lead to work on strengthening your marriage first, this too is making some progress on living the Law of Love; for as I have said, a strong foundation in marriage is essential to living My Law of Love. Whether you need to take the time to work on strengthening your marriage, or whether I lead you right into sharing with others, I wish for all to be moving forward. I do not wish for you to drag your feet. For the sands of time are running out; time is short.

64. You married couples who do not allow Me to strengthen you in the Spirit‚ to prepare you to live the Law of Love fully, you who close yourselves off to sexual sharing, you who seek not to be strengthened in spirit so that you can live the Law of Love fully, will be weakened. For sharing sexually, caring for the needs of your brethren, is not a small thing in My eyes. It is great preparation for the days ahead, and is something that will become more and more important as time goes on—not only because of the unity it will generate, which will bond you together and strengthen and carry you through the dark days to come, but also because of the strength of spirit it will bring to those of you who practice the Law of Love fully. (End of message from Jesus.)

Counsel Regarding "Nonsacrificial" Sharing for Young Married Couples

65. (Mama:) The SGA woman who wrote the letter that I quoted earlier had another good question. She said:

66. It seems that when Dad first proposed the Law of Love, it was mainly for sharing for sacrificial purposes, to be a blessing to those in need. Should we just share with all that are around, or should it still be more along the "sacrificial" sharing lines? I know the original counsel in the Letter "The Law of Love" still holds true, which is so beautiful‚ but how does this apply to sharing with those outside your marriage where obviously there isn't a great need, but people are just attracted? (End of comments from SGA woman.)

67. (Mama:) I'm sure many of you have wondered about this. Earlier in this series you read counsel about sharing that is not "sacrificial" and sharing when everyone seems to have their needs met. (See ML #3202:154-167,196-208.) But now let's see what the Lord has to say about these subjects in regards to young couples in particular:

68. (Jesus speaking:) This again must be judged on an individual basis, depending on the circumstances, the strength of the marriage, and the needs of all involved. There will be cases where there is an attraction on one or both sides when I will lead to move forward, to have a time of intimate sharing in the bed of love. In such cases I will use the experience to encourage, to strengthen, and to build unity. I will use the time as an example of the freedom of My Spirit. But it's important that in order to bring forth these good fruits, those involved in the sharing make it a spiritual experience, one that is rich in My love, in praise and thanksgiving to Me.

69. Where there is great physical attrac­tion, there is a greater chance of leaving Me out of the picture, of being caught off guard with your emotions, of getting your eyes off Me and on the other person, so you must be prayerful and careful that you keep such experiences within the boundaries that I have laid out.

70. There will also be times when it is not My will to follow through with the attraction, for there are times when it is a case of "all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient." There are times when I know that such sexual relations would be a distraction or would be more than the other married partner is prepared to face.

71. That's why each case‚ each situation, must be prayed about. You must seek Me and let Me establish My perfect will in your lives, knowing that sometimes My answer will be to go ahead with spending time with that person‚ and other times My answer will be to refrain from doing so, at least temporarily, if not indefinitely. You must come to Me with no will of your own and simply receive My instructions.

72. I'm not closing the door on sharing when there is physical attraction, sharing for the sake of pleasure and enjoyment when it's not sacrificial and when there is no outstanding need on the parts of those sharing. But I ­caution you to move prayerfully, and to realize that while I'm not shutting the door on such love, neither am I opening it wide for all circumstances.

73. To have sexual fellowship when there is already an initial attraction takes more prayer, more diligence to keep your emotions stable and steady, controlled. Because as I have said before, when My love is felt and enjoyed through sexual love‚ it is powerful; in fact, it can be overwhelming. So do not take such encounters lightly. Be especially prayerful, especially careful‚ especially considerate of your mate, and above all, seek My will in the matter and don't move on your initial attraction unless you know it's My will and your mate is in agreement. (End of message from Jesus.)

74. (Mama:) I must say I wasn't surprised by the Lord's answer on this one. You probably weren't either. The main emphasis is that you have to hear from the Lord. There is some good explanation in this message about the good fruit such encounters can bring forth‚ as well as the risks. So please‚ dear ones, seek the Lord, communicate, move slowly, and make sure that what you're doing in such "nonsacrificial" sharing experiences is the Lord's will. If it is, and if you both agree and have the faith for it, then proceed with gladness and enjoy the Lord's blessing.

75. But remember‚ it's not enough to just seek the Lord one time. If you wish to continue the sexual fellowship or to have further dates and time together with someone you are particularly attracted to, keep checking with the Lord. That's the only sure way to know you're doing what's best for all involved. This is especially important if your mate is jealous or feels threatened by the sharing. Just because the Lord gives you the green light for a date doesn't mean He's giving you the go-ahead to pull out all the stops and get into the relationship full blast. Don't forget the important counsel in Part 3 of this series about keeping your emotions in check. (See ML #3203:95-172.) There will also be further counsel later in this series on the import­ance of your commitment to your marriage, your primary relation­ship.

76. An excellent general compass for such extramarital relationships is one of the foundation principles of the Law of Love: "Do unto your mate as you'd want her or him to do unto you!" Putting yourself in your mate's shoes and seeing how you'd be feeling if the tables were turned is a good check and balance to help you see if you're truly acting in love.

What to Do if Your Marriage is on the Rocks

(Note: This counsel was given specifically for a young married couple, but it pertains to older adults as well!)

77. Some of you married couples might have been affected by negative experiences related to sharing. Possibly your mate hurt you in some way, or maybe there was an out-of-control love relationship that was very difficult for everyone involved. Possibly your mate acted against your wishes or made some mistakes, and now you're bitter and feel you can't forgive. Maybe you were very jealous and your mate was not as understanding or compassionate as you felt he or she should have been. In fact, maybe from your point of view your mate was really mean to you and didn't show much regard at all for your jealousy battles. Maybe your mate got another woman pregnant and you're having a very hard time knowing what to do now, and how to rectify the damage you feel this has caused to your relationship.

78. Hopefully from this point in time for­ward the Family can avoid some of these problems if everyone follows the guidelines in this series. That will surely help things to go better and help protect marriages from harm. But we do need to do something to repair the damage that was caused in the past.

79. If your marriage is on the rocks, if the trust between you and your mate has seemingly been breached beyond repair, if the happiness that you once knew together now eludes you and you fear it may never return, then this next message from the Lord might be just the thing you need and have been praying for!

80. The following prophecy was given for a couple who had a serious breakdown in their marriage. Even though they had previously been very happy together, had children‚ and had been a good example of sharing sexually for years, even from the beginning of their marriage, they ran into some very hard times which threatened to destroy their marriage. They probably had other problems at this time with their communication and relationship in the Spirit, but when they both got involved in love relation­ships outside their marriage, one of which was quite "hot," then their problems escalated to an almost irreparable level.

81. But‚ thank the Lord, before separating they sought the Lord desperately, bringing their many questions to Him. They were broken and discouraged‚ they both felt misunderstood and had some deep hurts, but they were desperate to know the Lord's will and didn't want to miss it. One of the questions they asked the Lord was what practical steps they could take to help mend their shattered relation­ship. Here is that message the Lord gave, which has many helpful tips for any marriage that has fallen on hard times.

Practical Steps to Strengthen Your Marriage

82. (Jesus speaking: ) Protecting and nur­turing a marriage is like having a garden. In the beginning you're very enthusiastic about your garden. You plant your seeds and see your little shoots coming up; you carefully, prayerfully and diligently tend to the garden and pull out all the weeds that would threaten the little shoots. You water it faithfully and always admire it. You often talk about your garden. You work together on the garden, and it's so much fun‚ a real source of enjoyment and relaxation. It's even a source of nutrition and strength. It's a source of beauty, and others stop by to admire it. You talk about your garden, as it's not only a fun vocation, but even recreation.

83. But in the case of your garden, you've let it go to weeds because you've been off tending to other people's gardens, or tending to other work on the farm. You've often come back and tried to do a few little things here and there, pulling out a few weeds that are really obvious and really ugly‚ or doing a little watering and picking some of the ripe fruit and trying to take care of it. But if you hope to restore your garden to a place of beauty‚ then you need to invest in it and spend the time.

Rebuild your marriage in the Spirit

84. To build a marriage you have to build it in the Spirit. It's the dynamics of the spirit world that I must be the center of your marriage, and spending time with Me together is how you strengthen your marriage in the Spirit. A marriage that is only built around caring for the children, or recreation and sex, is not going to be a strong marriage. Because what gives you the true strength to make it through the battles and the really big waves is the strength that you have in the Spirit together.

85. So if you want to restore your marriage, to strengthen it in spirit, then you must invest in the things of the Spirit—spending time together in the Word‚ praying together for your personal situations, for the children, and for the needs of others. You must spend time in heart sharing‚ time when the children are asleep, or time when you have the opportunity to go away for a few hours or for a night to escape the madding* crowd. *(madding: mad [crazy]; acting as if mad. For example: "Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife."—Thomas Gray.) You must have time to just be together, to talk, to pour out your hearts, to talk about the things that are bothering you or weighing heavily on your hearts—your burdens, your discouragement, your frustrations. You must have a chance to pour it out and to show understanding and compassion, to work it out and to bring these things to Me in prayer.

86. You must spend time with Me in the bed of love, loving Me intimately, because I've promised that those who come to Me and love Me in this way would be strengthened‚ the love in their marriage would be rekindled, and they would be more in love than ever. This might look to you like one of those "pretty promises on the page" that don't really work but are just beautiful and poetic and sound very mysterious and very spiritual; but these are true words, and the time invested in loving Me intimately together brings strength and spirit and love into your relationship. Even though you don't under­stand it, it's real and it happens. When you love Me together, when you fuck Me together, when you receive My seeds, it naturally causes you to humble yourselves together, and it brings unity, love, understanding and compassion.

87. You can't expect to have a strong‚ united, happy marriage if you never spend any time together doing the things of the Spirit in the Word and prayer‚ loving Me, singing to Me, and praising Me. Your lives together have gotten dry in the Spirit, and you have resigned your­selves to taking care of the things of the flesh, the children, the affairs of the Home, raising finances‚ and taking care of the many superficial decisions. Those things are important and necessary, but doing those things is just part of your responsibility as a marriage.

88. Those who choose the better thing, the Spirit, it will never be taken away. But you have to fight to have the time. You have to fight to have the desire, because you're out of the habit.

Schedule time for the important things

89. Just schedule it. Talk about it, decide together how you can have more time together in the spirit. Make certain nights when you're going to read together. Decide you'll have a personal time of prayer or hearing from Me once a week. Decide on nights when you're going to have lovemaking together—a special time to make love, to love each other and Me. Spend time together sharing your hearts and talking, and determine ahead of time you're not going to get frustrated, you're not going to argue, but you're going to make the effort to listen and understand. And if you do get frustrated, stop and pray and realize that it's the Enemy that tries to bring about the division, contention and arguments.

90. (Mama: ) When the Lord is suggesting you set aside a personal time for prayer and hearing from Him here, He is referring to hearing from Him together regarding your marriage situation. If your union is rocky and is in need of strengthening‚ you'll want to make a point to set aside a definite time to hear from Him specifically about your marriage situation. Naturally, you should be having prayer time and hearing from the Lord more often‚ as the need arises, regarding all aspects of your lives.

91. (Jesus continues:) You'll just have to set aside the time. You'll have to make the time. You'll even have to let those that you live with know that you're making a concerted effort to strengthen your marriage in the Spirit. So if you're not as available or you're not around as much, they'll know it's not that you're trying to be exclusive, you're not trying to be stuck up, you're not mad at anybody, but you have to invest the time, strength and energy to be strengthened in the Spirit.

92. If your marriage is going to be strong, it must be strong in the Spirit. And if it's going to be strong in the Spirit, then I must be the Center. Your focus, your unity‚ your love—all must be centered around Me. Then you'll have what you'll need to make it over the human weaknesses, mistakes and mis­under­standings. But when you go for a long period of time without having good prayer and communi­cation, without humbling yourselves and uniting around My Word, it's very easy to become set in your ways, proud, unyielded, and not understanding. You lose the com­passion, the tenderness, the sweetness.

Be honest

93. Another thing you'll need to do to strengthen your marriage is to be honest. In honesty there is freedom, and being honest will bring depth, security and trust back to your relationship. When there's a lack of honesty, when there's deceitfulness and the resultant hurt feelings, then you lose the security and you lose the testimony [as a young couple giving and living the Law of Love].

Make a list

94. I suggest you both remind yourselves, even make a list and write down the things that you love about your mate and the reasons why you married him or her in the first place. Then concentrate on those good qualities and remind yourself of them. Sometimes it's the smallest, most insignificant weaknesses in the other person that can destroy a marriage, because you get your eyes off the true strengths and wonder­ful qualities that the other person has as a mate.

A new beginning

95. So many of the arguments and mis­under­standings come through hurt feelings, feelings of betrayal, and feelings of misunder­standing on both sides. What you need is a new beginning. You're going to have to set a definite point in time where you leave the past behind. You leave behind the labels, the misunder­stand­ings, the lack of trust. You leave behind the resentment and bitterness and blaming the other person and feeling that the other person is wrong and you are right, that you're justified in feeling the way you feel for whatever reason. You have to make an effort to leave it behind and start afresh.

96. If you start afresh, you have to determine that you're not going to keep throwing past mistakes in the face of your mate. You have to look at him or her with new eyes, and put into words the praise and encouragement and love that you want to feel. Even if you don't feel it‚ say it by faith. Give affection and support and understanding by faith.

97. Make the time to be together, and show interest and enthusiasm, even if you don't feel it. That's not hypocritical. That's not being false. It's doing what I want you to do, and it's doing what I promise will bring about those very feelings and emotions. It will make them a reality. By saying and doing and reacting by faith‚ it will become a reality in your life.

98. You know how they say that if you smile even when you don't feel like smiling, it somehow affects your spirit and you become happy? Well, it's the same thing in a marriage ­relationship. When you say loving or encouraging things‚ even if you don't really feel that way in your emotions‚ but you say it anyway because that's how you want to feel, then I can make it a reality. I can take those words of promise and turn them into words of truth, emotion and ­passion.

Pledge of commitment

99. Make a pledge of commitment to each other. You can hear from Me in prophecy and receive this apology, this heartfelt commitment that you can share with each other. Then you can look back and know that on such-and-such a date you took a stand against the Enemy and you made a commitment; you determined that you were going to do everything in your power to rebuild your marriage.

100. Sometimes little ceremonies, little skits, are very, very valuable, because then you both know that your mate is as determined as you are. It even becomes a testimony to others. Others know where you stand. Others know where you're at and that you're determined to try, and to make it work.

Have united prayer

101. It would also be good to have united prayer. Call for the elders of the church to lay hands on you and pray for you—to pray for the strength and the newness of love that you need. Confess your faults and needs—your need for greater understanding and love, your need for greater wisdom in your outside love relationships‚ your need for a new beginning.

102. Make a public commitment‚ a public prayer request; have a public laying on of hands. Confess your faults one to another and to the Body, that you might be strengthened‚ and that it might be a testimony to others—a testimony of your determination, your faith in My Word, your humility and your yieldedness. This, too, will cause others to pray for you and support you, and it will help to undo some of the damage that has been done, not only in your personal lives, but even in your testimony and the way others see you.

103. In this kind of situation you can't just sort of ease into it and hope that everything's going to go well, but it's something that takes a concerted effort, an attack­ing spirit, a real initiative in the Spirit, determination. Extreme situations require extreme measures. I often do things like this. I put people in situations where they need united prayer and the help of others‚ so they can be a testimony of humility and it will glorify Me.

Glorify the Lord

104. Again, this is the point, that I be glorified; that the love, strength, and unity be obviously from Me, instead of others just looking at you or thinking you have somehow done it, that you've somehow pulled your marriage together and you've somehow gotten over your personal problems. I don't want to let it happen like that. I want to be glorified. I want people to see that you have drawn nigh to Me and to the Word, prayer, prophecy, praise, and loving Me intimately. I want it to be a testimony of the power of the new weapons.

105. That's why I've let your relationship get to such a bad state, because if it were any better, you'd probably think, "Well‚ it's not ­really necessary to make such a big deal or take people's time." And then it wouldn't be a testimony at all. But I let it get so bad so that you'd be desperate, and you'd be willing to do anything. Then when I do the miracle, people will know that it's Me, that I did it! And they'll see the power of the new weapons, the power of the Spirit and the Word and desperate prayer and united prayer. Then people will be able to take that lesson and use it to benefit their lives as well.

106. Everything that I let happen in your lives is for a reason; it's not just for you, but it's also for others. You don't live just for yourselves, but you live for others. I'll use even this experience to strengthen others if you'll let Me. (End of message from Jesus)

107. (Mama:) If you are having serious problems in your marriage and you feel like throwing in the towel, you should definitely take time to hear from the Lord in prophecy! Ask Him to tell you very specifically what He wants you to do. If you can hear from the Lord together, that is especially good because it helps you both to be more fully convinced about the direction the Lord wants you to take. A fresh confirmation from the Lord that it is His will for you to be married can help boost your faith and conviction and give you the oomph you need to have a renewed desire to make your marriage work.

108. I also suggest you go back over this prophecy and study it. The Lord is trying to help make a real difference in your life by giving practical counsel for the problems you face. But these tips won't do any good if you don't use them.

109. When you're having serious marriage problems, there's a lot of tension; it's often very difficult to even have a civil conversation with your mate, much less to feel there's enough left of your marriage that it's possible to have a major turnaround. Sometimes it feels like the love has disappeared, and it's hard to even have the faith to try. But Peter and I ask that if you believe it's the Lord's will for you to be together, especially if you have children, please don't give up until you've given the Lord a chance and tried everything you possibly can to pull out of the downward spiral you're in. Where there's life, there's hope!

110. Please read this prophecy again very carefully‚ as there are many detailed tips and suggestions of what to do or not to do. For review‚ here is a summary of the main points:

—Build your marriage in the Spirit. The strength you have in the Spirit together is what counts.

—Keep Jesus in first place in your lives and your marriage.

—Invest in your marriage—time, com­muni­­ca­tion, prayer, etc.

—Talk together about the deep things in your heart.

—Be honest.

—Bring your problems to the Lord in prayer and hear from Him in prophecy.

—Practice the "Loving Jesus" revelation during your lovemaking.

—Make a weekly schedule to help organize the time you spend together, including specific times for the Word‚ prayer, and hearing from the Lord, making love and loving Jesus intimately, talking about personal things (without arguing).

—Let your friends and Home members know that you're working on your marriage‚ so they will understand if you're not around during free time or after work hours as much as usual.

—Make a written list of the things that you love about your mate and the reasons why you married him or her in the first place, then concentrate on those good qualities.

—At some definite point in time leave the past behind—including the labels, misunderstandings, lack of trust, resentment, bitterness‚ and blaming the other person.

—Put into words (by faith) the positive, happy, hopeful, romantic, sexy feelings you want to feel.

—Say a pledge of commitment to each other, which you can receive in prophecy. (Or you can use the following prayer of commitment.)

—Have united prayer with your Home, during which time you can confess your faults and needs, make a public commitment to your marriage and the changes you want to make, share your prayer re­quests, have laying on of hands, and anything else the Lord leads you to do.

Prayer of Commitment for Married Couples

111. As you embark on this new experience together of living the Law of Love fully, you married couples may feel the need to pour out your hearts to the Lord in prayer, something to sort of give you a good jump–start. You might have a burden to do this using your own words or words the Lord gives you personally in prophecy, but in hopes that it would make it easier, I asked the Lord to give a prayer in prophecy that you can pray together—a prayer of commitment, faith, and forgive­ness. If you feel the need, please take the time to pray this prayer together privately.

112. (Prayer:) Thank You, Jesus, our wonderful Husband and Lover, for Your love that binds us together. Without Your warm‚ tender love we'd never make it. We need You so much, Lord, and we want You more and more with each passing day.

113. Thank You for Your law that teaches us how to live, and for Your truth that sets us free. We thank You, Jesus, for this challenge that lies before us now to live Your Law of Love more fully in our daily lives. Even though we don't feel capable of living up to it and it's scary, we know deep in our hearts that it's the right thing to do because we believe in Your Word.

114. We want to follow, Jesus, but our flesh is so weak at times and our sins and weaknesses hold us back. In spite of how we feel, we still want to obey with all of our hearts. But we know in order to do that, we're going to need a lot of help. We're going to have to lean heavily on You as we take this giant leap of faith, because we know without You, wonderful Jesus, we don't have it in us.

115. We've had battles about this and we know there will be more to come. We've been hurt and sometimes we've seen or have been bad samples. We've misunderstood and misinterpreted things from time to time, and we've not always been able to see Your hand in our lives or in the lives of others who have tried to share according to Your Law of Love. Nevertheless, we know the battles are to make us strong and that You are able to take any hurts and use them for our good if we'll look to You. That's why we come before You now, Jesus, and we ask You to please, please help us as we make this commitment to You, to each other, and to our Family.

116. We thank You for putting us together and we ask You now to renew our union of love. Jesus, You know of all the times we've failed, all the times we've stumbled and fallen under the weight of our own faults and failings and shortcomings. But we ask You right now to help us to wipe the slate clean in our marriage. Give us a fresh new start!

117. As we come before You now, we want to recommit ourselves to our primary relationship‚ which is our marriage together. Give us clean hearts as we renew our love ties to each other. We ask You, Jesus, to please renew us with Your Spirit so that we can start anew. Wash us clean of the hurts of the past, from our faults and failings and any misunderstandings that we've had. Take away any bitterness in our hearts and any mistrust that has grown between us. Free us from any jealousy or problems that have resulted through lack of communication, and deliver us from any fears that have taken root in our hearts because of these things.

118. As we renew our commitment as husband and wife, we forgive each other for the times we've failed. Help us to put the past behind us, to move forward, and to keep progressing day by day. We commit ourselves‚ Jesus‚ as a couple, to live according to Your Law of Love as we join hand in hand to walk the path You set before us.

119. As we set out to live the way You've taught us, please help us to take the time necess­ary to invest in good communication between us. Help us to always be mindful of the other, to not walk too fast or drag our feet behind for too long, but to be patient with each other, to look out for each other, to be loving and kind and aware of the other's feelings, needs, wants and desires.

120. Jesus, we want to try to at least make a start right now. As we take this first step, committing ourselves to each other, we pledge to live the Law of Love. In order to do this, we ask that You help us to always look to Your Word, to take the time to bring all our questions to You as we look to You and hear from You in prophecy to receive Your direction each step of the way. Help us to never make a move without hearing from You, so that we can proceed together and be united in faith.

121. Please guide us and keep showing us ways in which we can continue to strengthen our marriage and our communication with each other as we follow the guidelines You've set before us for living the Law of Love. Please help us to try our best to always do the loving thing and to be considerate of each other's feelings and needs.

122. Fill us with faith‚ sweet Lord—faith for now and faith for the future. Jesus, Sweetheart, take away any fear we have and replace it with Your peace. We know the future is as exciting as Your promises, and You've promised us so much‚ so we stand on this now. As we make this commitment of love to each other and to live the Law of Love, we claim Your blessings in our lives. Strengthen our communication and help us to grow as You promised, Lord—to grow in love, in understanding, in compassion, in hu­mility, in forgiveness, in patience, in kindness, and in faith.

123. You said we would never lose by giving, and so we stand on this promise right now and ask You, Jesus‚ to please do it. Fulfill all Your promises in our lives as we embark on this new life of love and living Your Law of Love. Amen.

Keep Your Eyes on His Promises!—You Never Lose by Giving!

124. (Mama:) I pray the counsel in this GN answers your questions on these aspects of this vast subject and helps you to understand the general guidelines of what the Lord expects of us all as we endeavor to live the Law of Love fully. I know this series is radical, meaty, and surely must test your faith. There are probably points in here that you didn't want to hear or are having a hard time receiving. But please remember through all of this that the Lord loves you and He wants to help you. He wants to make this renewed emphasis on sharing sexually a happy and fruitful experience for all.

125. Keep your eyes on His promises. If you need to‚ reread Part 2 of this series in which the Lord makes clear all the reasons why He wants us to live the Law of Love, and review His promises of unity, greater love, fruitfulness, witness, preparation for the Endtime, etc. In spite of the sacrifices, we have so much to gain!

126. Thank you so much for your willing­ness to believe. You're real troopers! Peter and I are so proud of you! God bless and strengthen you and continue to give you the grace to fight, progress, and give all! You won't regret it. As the Lord has promised, you never lose by ­giving!

Much love and prayers,

Mama

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 10

(ML #3210:53-57, GN 813)

How Living the Law of Love Can Strengthen a Marriage

53. How living the Law of Love could strengthen a marriage might be quite a foreign concept to you, especially if you've seen marriages weakened or actually ruined through sexual sharing. Although there has been a lot included in these GNs on the blessings of the greater unity that will come about as a result of our living the Law of Love fully, many of you might see it as a threat to your marriage‚ especially if you're newly married. I understand these fears‚ because as I've acknowledged previously in these GNs, if the Law of Love is not carried out lovingly‚ prayerfully, and according to the Lord's will, it can cause a lot of damage to marriages. I asked the Lord to speak more specifically on how a marriage can be strengthened through living the Law of Love, and here's what He had to say:

54. (Jesus speaking:) As a couple branches out to share My love with others in accordance with My Law of Love, as they seek Me, as they abide within the boundaries I set, as they follow closely how I lead them to live My Law of Love‚ they grow and become rich in My abundant spiritual blessings—that which will last, that which cannot be taken away from them.

55. Think of all that is necessary to open up your lives in this way to others and see how I strengthen the couple. The couple is strength­ened in many diverse areas: Their communication with one another is strengthened. They grow in understanding. They grow in compassion. They grow in forgiveness. They grow in humility. They grow in patience. They grow in kindness. They're strength­ened in ­longsuffering, goodness, meekness and temperance. They're strengthened and grow in faith. They're strength­ened and grow in the fruits of My Spirit. They grow in joy, happiness and love; for you never lose by giving, and they who give My love to others receive back one hundred times over. They grow in strength and in power and in great love which comes back to them again.

56. The couple which gives is the couple which in return receives the fruits of My Spirit in great abundance in their lives. They're strength­ened in the fruits of My love. They grow and are strength­ened, and the peaceable fruit of righteous­ness flourishes in their lives when they become exercised in living My Law of Love. (End of message from Jesus.)

57. (Mama: ) A key phrase in the above message gives the conditions the Lord puts on His promises. He says, "As a couple branches out to share My love with others in accordance with My Law of Love, as they seek Me, as they abide within the boundaries I set, as they follow closely how I lead them to live My Law of Love‚ they grow and become rich in My abundant spiritual blessings." You read the many beautiful promises the Lord gave, but to reap those benefits and strengthen your marriage you must:

1. Share according to the Law of Love.
2. Seek the Lord.
3. Abide within the boundaries He has set.
4. Follow closely how the Lord leads you.

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 11

(ML #3211:49-93‚ GN 814)

What It Means to Put the Greater Family First!

49. (Dad speaking:) Putting the greater marriage first doesn't mean you need to minimize your ties to your personal family‚ but it means giving the greater marriage the proper im­portance. It does not mean you must forsake the marital unit, but you are to embrace the far greater concept of marriage. It means that instead of drawing a circle around your own little family that will shut others out, you are to draw a circle that brings others in. For example, it doesn't mean loving your own children less, but it means taking the children of others into your arms, your heart, your lives, and trying to love them as much as you love your own. It means bringing others up to the level of your personal marriage relation­ship and your personal individual family—bringing them up to the level of love‚ under­stand­ing, sympathy, concern‚ and all the things you naturally feel for your personal family.

50. This is a complicated concept, because the Lord wants us to love others as we love ourselves. He wants us to be considerate of their needs, to give of our time, strength, love, and prayer, to do what we can to make sure all our mates are well cared for, happy and complete, as much as possible. On the other hand, He purposely, distinctly, and within His will gives you greater natural feelings for your personal family, for your one wife or mate, and also for your own children. He does that because He knows we all need some personal touch in our lives. Children need personal attention and personal love, to feel like they belong to somebody, that they have a place. They need to feel the security, comfort and warmth of the family unit.

51. So there's a place for both—the personal, individual family and the greater family. Each has its purpose, and you can love one without neglecting the other.

52. I would say the tendency of most people, of course, is to have a deeper love for their personal family, their immediate mate and their own children. Our priorities usually center around our own mates and our own children—not only because of our natural selfishness and independ­ence, but also because of God-given desires and burdens that He's put in our hearts to care for and protect our individual family units.

53. It's very natural and understandable to be more concerned about your own mate and your own children—that they have their needs sup­plied, that they are happy, that they feel loved and content and challenged. It's good to love your mate and children in this way, and it's part of your duty as a husband or wife or father or mother.

54. People of the world are also con­cerned for their immediate family. But it takes the super­natural love of Jesus‚ the miraculous grace of God, to try to love others as much as you love your personal family, and to care as much about their personal needs and their feelings of happiness, security, contentment and challenge.

55. It takes the supernatural love of the Lord to care as much for a single mother and the needs of her children as you do for your own wife and your own children. It takes a super­natural vision in the spirit to see that single mother and her children as being your wife and your children in the spirit. It takes the supernatural love of God to be moved with compassion for that single brother or sister, and to reach out and give them what they need—whether it's a shoulder to cry on, a prayer, some time of communication, or lovemaking.

56. All of this requires the work of the Spirit. You can't do it on your own. You have to be strong in the Spirit, strong in faith, strong in love, strong in sacrifice. That's why so few people in the Family fully understand the principle of "One Wife" or the concept of the greater marriage, because very few people want to make that kind of sacrifice. And the sacrifice I'm talking about is not forsaking or minimizing or mistreating your own individual family, but it's broadening the borders of your tents and giving more love and more concern, bringing ­others in and making them feel a part.

57. It's sad that the Family has gotten quite separate, quite selfish these days. The married couples are quite exclusive in their relation­ships and there is a lot of loneliness. Many people feel quite alone. You know, it's a natural God–given desire to want to belong to a family, a team, or some kind of body where you feel like you have a place and you make a difference, where people want you as an individual, they need you, and you make a meaningful contribution.

58. That's why companies that make all the employees feel important and needed and crucial to the success of the business are often very profitable. The employees are very loyal and they'll work hard and sacrifice willingly, because that feeling of oneness and belonging is a great motivation. It's a much better motivation than just money‚ promotion or glory, because it's a God-given desire, something that the Lord has put in the heart of man.

59. It's sad that even in some of our Homes people feel like they don't belong. They feel a little bit like outsiders‚ and like something is missing. They're there and they do their part, they fulfill their duties, but they wonder who really cares. Sure, they make a difference on the schedule of Home duties, and they take part in the witnessing and the training of the children and the JJT and the raising of finances‚ but they don't really feel like an integral part of a team or a body or a marriage.

60. I guess that's why there's so much moving from Home to Home. People don't stick together for long or dig in to pioneer and nurture and build a strong, lasting work for the Lord. They're always flitting from here to there, from one Home to another or one field to another.

61. What I really think they're looking for is just to belong. They want to find their place and those they can feel close to. They want to be somewhere where they feel accepted‚ needed and wanted—somewhere where if they left, it would really make a difference and they'd be missed as an individual, as a person, not just as someone to fill in the schedule, or help raise funds, or clean the house, but that their particular gifts, their talents, their personality, their sense of humor, their strengths, even their weaknesses and their individual or funny ways would be missed.

62. To put the greater Family first means to love your brethren with as much love as you can possibly muster up! It means, by God's grace, to give your brethren‚ your mates‚ your teamworkers, your co-workers, your friends‚ that single mother, that single brother or sister, and all the children as much love, attention, recognition and appreciation as you possibly can.

63. Remember, when you feel like you're doing all you can to muster up the love, that's when you must let the love of Christ constrain you! It all has to be a miracle of the Lord's love! The supernatural love of God is love enough to love anybody—and that's what it'll take to live the Law of Love. This is what it's all about—loving others with His supernatural love. But you're going to find that if you just step out and obey, He'll give you the love you need.

64. This is what He wants to do; He wants to love others through you. He has no hands but your hands, no arms but your arms, no mouth but yours to speak His words of love and encouragement. Right now it might seem imposs­ible to you, but if you'll just give God a chance to love others through you, He'll do all the rest. He'll do what you can't do. His love will constrain you and move you to love others in a way you never thought possible before. As you put Him first and love the Family with His love‚ He will pour down His grace upon you—grace enough to love others, because it'll be His super­natural love working through you.

65. Each of you needs to ask the Lord to help you to love others as much as you love your own immediate family. That's the spirit of "One Wife" and putting the greater marriage first: When you're willing to expand your exclusive private relationship and reach out to ­others; when you're willing to sacrifice some of the private time you would have together to include others; when you're willing to open up your heart, mind and time to include other children when you're tutoring your own, or teaching them to read, or doing a science project with them, or reading them a story, or helping them to learn a new language, or just having fun, fellowship or get–out with them.

66. It's so easy to be private and ex­clusive; that's the natural way of man. It takes something supernatural to be giving‚ open, un­selfish, and to love others as you love your own personal family. But it's not an impossibility! The Lord can do it! You just have to work at it and be willing to try. And above all you have to ask the Lord for His supernatural grace and love.

67. Now some people are called to make a decision that requires them to put their personal family in second place to the will of God. Some­times people‚ especially shepherds and leaders or those with unusual callings, are asked to make great sacrifices for the sake of their ministry. You look at our leadership today and you see that many of them spend a lot of time away from their loved ones or their lovers or their children‚ and they do that for the greater good of the Kingdom and the Family. In many ways I guess it does look like they're putting their personal family in second place, and I think they are, because what has first place in their hearts is a desire and willingness to do the Lord's will no matter what the cost. If He asks them to do something to serve the Family, to shepherd the Family, to pioneer, to feed the Family or to strengthen the Family, and it requires a sacrifice of the time that they would normally have with their individual family, then they're willing to do that.

68. In such cases, they do put their family in second place. But you can be sure that the Lord blesses such sacrifices—both for the mate who must leave to fulfill the Lord's will and for the mate and children who stay back. And even though such sacrifices are difficult, and sometimes it may even look like the children or the mate suffer as a result, you can be sure, and I guarantee, that the Lord will bless such sacrifices in ways both seen and unseen. It might not always seem like it to those involved, but in the long run the Lord will more than repay—you can never outgive God!

69. The Lord asks all Family members to make sacrifices to one degree or another. Just like the example of the leader or shepherd above, the Lord will ask something of you personally in order to promote His Kingdom and His love and the unity He's trying to bring about, and to help you to be the loving Family He wants you to be.

70. For example, say you're a young couple with small children and you're looking forward to spending your family day together having a picnic, a little quiet time, a little personal com­muni­cation, and giving a little individual attention to your own children after a busy week. But then the Lord lays it on your heart that the single mother in your Home and her children would like to go with you to the park on your picnic. She's been lonely and her children would enjoy the fellowship.

71. In that case, the Lord in a way is asking you to put your personal family and even your personal desires in second place for that time, so that you can open your lives and your time and your attention to someone who is in need. But you see, you're not really loving your immediate family less—you're loving the ­others more than you were previously if or when you tended to have a more exclusive outlook! You're trying your best to love the single mom and her children as much as you love your own, by drawing a circle to bring others in.

72. Here's another example: Maybe you as a couple had planned to go to bed early and have a time of lovemaking, but instead it turns out one of your co-workers is having a big battle with loneliness and is really missing a friend that he or she used to be very close to. So instead of having your personal time together‚ you invite your co-worker in for some Word time, fellowship time, and prayer time together. Or you go out for a walk together. Or you even have your mate go spend time in fellowship and love­making with that person who is lonely. This is another example of how you put your own personal desires and your personal family in second place. But it doesn't mean you love your mate less; it means you try to love that lonely person and give some of the time, attention and love to him or her that you would normally enjoy or that you had previously been enjoying exclusively.

73. It means that you open your lives together to others, that you hear the heartcries of those around you. This doesn't mean you have to love your immediate family less, and of course these times of reaching out to others need to be balanced with the genuine needs of your personal family and marriage and the investment of time you need to give them too. Of course you will still need time alone with your personal family, and you do not need to feel you always have to invite others along.

74. But take it from me, I can guarantee that if you'll begin to look at the needs of ­others‚ as you begin to look outward, as you become more sensitive to the needs of others around you, you're gonna find that the time you spend sacrificing to meet the needs of others is not really a sacrifice at all. You're gonna find it doesn't have to harm your marriage or your own personal family to help meet the needs of ­others around you—someone who has less than you, someone who is needy. You're gonna find that, instead of it being a sacrifice, you'll have the Lord's blessing and reward for your giving. You're gonna discover the great benefits there are in living His Law of Love, and that you never lose by giving!

75. That's what I did. I always opened my home and my arms to others. I drew a circle to bring others in! That's why we have the Family today. There's always room for one more! There's always room to reach out to others and include them in your circle of love and fellowship. Pray and let the Lord lead. Pray and ask Him how to find the balance‚ and He'll make it clear.

76. Naturally, you won't be able to meet everyone's needs the same; the important thing is to be open to who the Lord is leading you to reach out to! That's why He gave us the Family! We're one body! And everyone's needs should be getting met, and everyone should be doing their part to make that happen in whatever way or in whatever capacity the Lord is leading you to. If the Lord is speaking to your heart to reach out to those around you, you'd be wise to listen and follow His leading. Try it, and discover the great benefits it will bring to your life and the lives of others.

77. So you see, putting your greater marriage first does not mean you're putting your private marriage down to a place of lesser care, or to a place where your mate or children will be harmed. It means that you bring others up to a place of greater care, and you're willing to let your own desires and personal preferences take second place to the needs of others at times.

78. I know this isn't easy, but that's what living "One Wife" is all about. And you can be sure that the Lord will bless your efforts and reward you. It may not happen immediately‚ and it may not be in the way that you expect, but some way, somehow, the Lord will make it pay. He'll show you that you never lose by giving—by giving love, care, and attention to others, as you give to your own loved ones, your mate, your children‚ and those closest to you. (End of message from Dad)

79. (Mama:) This good talk from Dad ­really helps to clarify some points that I think we've misunderstood. It seems many had pre­viously concluded that to have the greater marriage in first place, you have to somehow lessen your love for your mate and children in your private marriage. That idea, of course, is not very inviting. Now you can see that the point is that you are to try to include others in your circle of love. Instead of putting your personal families down to a place of less love‚ you bring others up to a place of more love!

80. The whole point of living "One Wife" is to spread more love, more concern, more caring and sacrificial sharing. It doesn't make sense to think we would have to love our personal families less in order to accomplish this. That's not it at all! We are to continue to love our mates and children as much as ever‚ but we should try to love others impartially, which can only be done by a miracle of God! Of course, that's the ideal, the goal we can reach for. We won't always make it, but we can try! I'm sure we'll grow in love as we exercise our giving, sharing and loving muscles.

81. You couples might be tempted to think that in order to reach out to others like this, it will mean you will have a whole lot less time with your mate or children. Though you may be giving some of your time to others, broadening your marriage or parenting teamwork in this way does not have to detract from or lessen the care you give your own children or mate. It is not meant to weaken your marriage and family relation­ship.

82. Of course, as Dad pointed out, the needs and heartcries of those around you should be balanced out with the genuine needs of your marriage and the invest­ment you need to make in your personal relation­ship. But as you begin to look outward and become more sensitive to others' needs, you may find that some of the personal time you have been accustomed to having together as a couple or family can be shared or even given to others without causing harm to your marriage or nuclear family. When giving in this way, to meet the needs of someone who has less than you or someone who is especially needy at the time, you can be sure of the Lord's blessing and reward.

83. Because there are so many different circum­stances, I'd suggest you couples openly and honestly discuss this prospect of opening your lives up more to others. Take the time to evaluate and assess your marriage and how it presently stands. Go to the Lord together, seek His counsel, and get His leading to see if you need to invest a little time to strengthen the foundation of your marriage. Or, if you feel your marriage is pretty stable, if you feel secure with each other's love, seek the Lord on how you can begin including others more in your circle of love‚ whether it's reading with others, fellowshipping with others, reaching out to spend intimate time with others in need‚ or a combination of these and other activities. The Lord is able to make these things clear if you'll ask Him and be faithful to follow His leading.

84. Reaching out to others in these ways does not mean that your love together is lessened, but it's a broadening of your love as you draw a circle to bring others in. Through the Law of Love series and this further explanation of the "One Wife" vision, the Lord and Dad are trying to help us come to the realization that some of our former mindsets might need to change. One of our CROs explained this as follows, which I thought was very well put:

85. When we married couples spend time away from our mates in order to spend time with others, or we spend time together reading or fellowshipping with someone else rather than just spending time doing these things together alone, as a couple, it doesn't need to mean a lessening of the love the married couple has for each other, or a deterioration in the marriage relation­ship.

86. If we couples look at it realistically‚ we'll probably have to agree that we do have some time together that is "extra" or "comfortable" or just what we've gotten used to. Of course, that's what married life is about, just having the other "around" and loving their presence, and it does hurt for this to change. It can feel like a lessening of the love we've had together or putting it down to a lesser degree in order to reach out to others and include others more. But perhaps some of what we've gotten used to, although nice and we love and value it, is really "extra" when put in the context of the little that others may have, especially singles, and also in context with the goal the Lord's set for us of living the "One Wife" vision‚ with each in the Family being one of our mates in our greater marriage.

87. So some aspects of our married lives will have to change, and one aspect will probably be the amount of time we married couples actually spend together, or at least spend alone together. But this shouldn't be confused with what the Lord and Dad said about how living the "One Wife" vision does not mean that our love for our mates and children in our private marriage is lessened, that it isn't putting our personal families down to a place of less love, that we are to continue to love our mates and children just as much as ever.

88. It seems that what it means is a re­alization that some of what we've become accustomed to as far as time and life together as a married couple, the actual time we're used to spending together alone, as an individual couple, is quite selfish and non-inclusive of others and largely based on System values. It is true that couples do need time together for the reasons the Marriage GNs brought out, but that being exclusive and protective isn't of the Lord or His way, and this is the change of attitude we need to have.

89. So living the "One Wife" vision is going to mean a change in the time we spend exclusively with our mates. And in order to make this possible, so that it doesn't result in our feeling that it means a lessening of our love for our mates or putting it down to a lesser level, it seems we need to change our attitudes regarding what is actually necessary and what are those things that we've just become accustomed to but which aren't really necessary. It seems that many of our present attitudes and our sense of values along these lines are like bad habits that we didn't realize before, but which are a result of our own selfish ­natures, as well as the input and acceptance of System values all our lives‚ and we now need to change how we view these things.

90. Regarding this whole "time spent with each other" aspect for married couples‚ it seems that the readjustment of our thinking along these lines is important in order to bring the "One Wife" vision to pass without our thinking that we're losing something we had before, and thus maybe thinking that it does indeed mean a lessening of the love we have or show to each other. (End of comments from CRO.)

91. (Mama:) This CRO makes some very valid points here. Please ask the Lord if you need to change your expectations regarding what you've come to feel is actually necessary in your personal marriage and family situation. It's possible that some of you have become accustomed to a certain stan­dard as far as personal or private time together that might be a bit exaggerated‚ and perhaps you need to adjust some­what how you view these things, in order to be able to enlarge your circle of love.

92. Another helpful tip might be for you couples to seriously evaluate your time and seek the Lord for ways to best utilize the time you do have, both together and with others. Whether it is genuinely difficult to find the needed time together as a couple, due to ministries and responsibilities, or whether you have become accustomed to a standard that is exaggerated‚ as mentioned above, the Lord is able to help you find the balance and help you make the most out of your time together and with others. It always helps to schedule your time in order to get the most out it. So ask the Lord to show you ways you can adjust and accommodate to fit in everything you need to do in order to have the necessary time both together and with others.

93. As you work on finding a good balance between strengthening and enjoying your marriage and reaching out to others, you will need to go back to the Lord often in prayer. I suggest you seek Him often to know when to reach out, to whom, how much and in what way. Also seek Him about when it is necessary to have time alone with your mate and children. As you seek Him for ways to put these principles of "One Wife" into practice in your lives, He will faithfully lead you each step of the way. This is an ongoing process. It's not something you pray about once and then forget about. You don't just give once and then stop giving. Keep praying to know what He wants you to do and how He wants you to show love. Pray about every aspect of how to put the "One Wife" vision into practice in your life, and He will lead you and strengthen your marriage, your family and your circle of love.

A Plea from the Cathars

(ML #3259:60-87, GN 860)

A Challenge to Drop Out and Live the Law of Love!

60. (Mama: ) In the next message you'll see the role that the Cathars have played in helping to guide Dad in the many turns our Family took in our earlier years, including his interpret­ation and understanding of the Law of Love, FFing and our sharing beliefs. Since this mess­age highlights the Law of Love and Loving Jesus, and challenges you young people—and all of us—to have the conviction and dedication to live it at all costs‚ I asked the Lord whether these two points were the most important, or why other points were left out of this message. Here's the answer He gave:

61. (Jesus speaking: ) The Cathars' main testimony to the System of their day was their free love and spirit. They loved each other, they cared for each other, and they loved Me. This was their strength, and they seek to share the special treasure and freedoms they were given with you too. But that doesn't mean that hearing from Me in prophecy or other things that they didn't specifically mention that I have shown you are not important or are now less important.

62. Living the Law of Love, which is the main message they are proclaiming, includes all things in the life of a true Christian. The Law of Love is the basic guideline and standard by which each of you should live, and if you do, then you will be fulfilling all the law and the prophets. You will preach the Gospel out of love for lost souls. You will help those in need. You will give love to those who are lonely and destitute. You will hear from Me and confirm My will, so that you are able to perform that which I would have you to do, and so that you hurt no one through unwise or unloving actions. And on the list goes.

63. So you see, My children‚ the Law of Love covers everything. It does not focus only on sexual sharing or that side of the freedoms you've been given. It is all-inclusive, all-encompassing. It presides over all things. So endeavor to live My Law of Love and you will receive tremendous blessings. (End of message from Jesus.)

64. (Cathar speaking:) Thank you for asking us to speak. We have so much to say. We have spoken with your father many times. He listened to us, to our guidance, to our words of love when he was there with you on Earth. He was attuned to our instruction and to our guidance.

65. We helped him to stay dropped out. We helped him in his battles against the church system. We helped him in his discovery of the truth. We helped him in his interpretation of Jesus' Law of Love. We helped to give him the grace for the many sacrifices that he made when pioneering what you call Flirty Fishing, leading your great Family into such freedom and such light.

66. We were with your Father David from the beginning, instructing him and helping him and giving him courage and strength to stand strong against the status quo; to stay dropped out and revolutionary and radical and extreme; to be the iconoclast that he was!

67. We were helping and observing and supporting and directing and encouraging him, because we knew how important it was that he received the revelation of the Law of Love, and that he stayed strong in his conviction, and that he'd be faithful to pass it on to his children, who he knew would receive it, believe it, act on it and live it.

68. We knew that David's children would live it as we lived it. We knew that your parents were searching for a life of happiness‚ freedom and love just as we were. We knew their hearts were soft and tender to Jesus' voice, and they were willing to give anything that He would require of them so that they could be closer to Him and have more of His love, more of His Spirit‚ and more of His freedom; so that they could please Him and obey Him. We knew their hearts had this receptive soil to receive these precious seeds of the truth of God.

69. We knew that your Father David would be a faithful caretaker, that he would receive the Words, and that your Queen Maria would faithfully care for them and guard them and protect them and pass them on to the hungry hearts that would cherish them. We knew this precious truth would not be lost with your Father David and with his faithful, loving handmaiden, Maria.

70. So we have been amongst those Heavenly counselors round about you—helping, instructing‚ encouraging and strengthening. And so do we continue even now in your hour of need. We are at your beck and call‚ and it is our desire to continue to strengthen the hearts and minds of the children of David—to strength­en you through our words, through our presence, through our testimony. To encourage you to keep fighting and to keep trusting, to not compromise, to not let down the banner of love, to not let go of the freedom that you have been blessed with from the hand of Jesus. To not lose sight of the precious riches that have been entrusted into your care in the Words of David.

71. For these are the Last Days, and this is the greatest battle! And you, the children of David, must be stronger than ever! You must be purer than ever, in your thoughts and in your hearts and in your desire. You must be more dropped out than ever, hating the System more than ever and loving Jesus more than ever!

72. It is not a time to compromise. It is not a time to take into your hearts and minds and souls the thoughts and ways of the people of the world. It is a time to reject them more than ever—to separate yourselves so that you may stay strong and clean and close to Jesus, because the battles are great and they will be yet greater! There will be demands placed upon you that will be so great and so fierce, that only by staying close to Jesus and strong in the power of David and mighty in the ways of the Word‚ will you be able to withstand and conquer in the battles that are ahead.

73. So we say to you young people that it is a time to awake out of sleep! To awake out of compromise! To awake out of the lethargy and laziness of spirit‚ and to take your place among the ranks with your parents, with the faithful ones, with those who have proven themselves and who have been willing, as we were, to lay down their lives for the truth.

74. Don't you see that your parents have already given their lives for Jesus? They've already stood strong against the System. They've already been willing to be made of no reputation and to be mocked and scorned because of their great love and their great freedom. Their hearts and their minds are one with us. Though they may weaken in the face of the Enemy's vicious attacks‚ still they hold to the commission Jesus has given them, and they have faith and conviction that the calling they have been given is right and pure. Though they become weak, they do not poop out, but hold on to the Lord. When He sees His children weak and still holding on through their weaknesses, He sees soldiers who are becoming strong, waxing valiant in fight, and He is proud of them.

75. And now we proclaim the day of challenge to you young people. Are your hearts and minds one with us? Are you, too, willing to live and die for love? Is love that important to you—freedom to love one another and freedom to love Jesus? Does it mean enough to you that you are willing to die for it? Or are you willing to let the System steal it away little by little until you become blind and numb and you don't even notice that you have lost the love and freedom that you once had, and the love and freedom that your parents and those who have gone before you were willing to give their lives for?

76. We have helped your Father David and your Queen‚ Mother Maria. And we have helped your parents in their hour of need. We strengthened them because we knew their hearts' desire was to believe and to follow and obey and live a life of love, no matter what the cost.

77. And now we are willing to help you. We will help any who call upon us, who need our help, and desire our help. No matter how weak you feel. No matter how incapable and lacking in love, and selfish and tainted and polluted by the System of the world. No matter how bad and sinful you feel. If you will call out to Jesus for strength‚ if you will forsake your ungodly and wicked ways, you will find strength. We will be amongst your Heavenly counselors who will help you and give you strength that you know not of.

78. We have been in the war room with Jesus and with David, planning the great battles ahead. We know the battles and the choices you will face. We know the dangers and the temptations. But we also know of the great victories that are in store for you and the mighty exploits that you will do if you will only call out to Jesus for strength and power and anointing!—If you will only kneel before Him and yield yourself completely, in mind‚ body and spirit, and let His Words and the Words of David wash you clean of the contaminants and the pollutants‚ the dirt and the filth and the evil ways of the System. For they are many, and it is slowly sucking the very life out of some of you—you young warriors who should be the strongest and the most valiant‚ the most dropped out and the most dedicated and the most in love with Jesus because of the training that you have had, and the wonderful privilege that you have had of reading and feasting on the Words of David.

79. But instead some of you are weak and your lights are dull. Some among you are confused because you have not chosen the ways of David, but you have rejected them, and in rejecting them you have received strong delusion. And now many go about believing a lie, living a lie, weakening day by day. And these who have rejected the truth of the Words of David will not have the strength that they need for the battles ahead.

80. Therefore take heed to these words of warning. Prepare yourselves for the day of battle. Forsake these evil ways, these distractions of the Enemy, these lies of the Evil One, these weaknesses of the flesh‚ these carnal thoughts, so that you can find strength in Jesus. If you will call upon Him in your hour of need‚ we and many with us will be there to strengthen, encourage, support and lead and guide you as we did for your Father David, and as we are doing for your Mother Maria and your servant king, Peter.

81. Some of you may see this Law of Love‚ this freedom of love as a small thing, insignificant in your eyes, but we know how important it is! We know that it is a key in the Endtime events. Therefore this truth and this light must be preserved in all of its purity.

82. It is better that there be a few children of David who are willing to live this truth completely and wholly than many children of David who live it only halfheartedly or not at all. For it is not in the numbers that there is strength, but it is in how each one lives the truth of the Words of Jesus and the Words of David.

83. Your key place in the Endtime is dependent upon your faithfulness and loyalty to the truth. You have been given so much truth, and it is your responsibility to stand strong for that truth—to protect it, to speak it, to live it and to let it be a testimony, even if it costs you your life. For when you receive the truth wholeheartedly you will grow to love it, and then you will know that it is worth it to give your life for the truth, for this precious, precious freedom of love that Jesus has given you in these words of the Law of Love, in these words of your teachers and your faithful shepherd David.

84. As you receive it and as you live it, you will grow to love it, and then you will see how important this is, that this very freedom, this very Law of Love is what makes the children of David what they are. For there are many, yea, multitudes who are willing to love Jesus. There are many who are willing to praise Him and worship Him and even tell others about Him, but there are so few who are willing to live His love to the full and be a testimony of His love and an example of His Law of Love—living love to the full, loving even when it hurts.

85. This is the truth that the Enemy hates the most, and for this reason he is doing everything in his power to destroy it. So take up this truth and eat it and receive it and cherish it in your heart. Do not let the Enemy steal this treasure that has been given unto you from the hand of David and the hand of Maria. For you have been more blessed than any people on the face of the Earth because of this abundant truth. So take it, receive it, cherish it and love it!

86. There will come the day when you will die for this truth, just as we did. But there will also come the day when you will rise again in victory and you will go on to your reward, just as we did! And then you will know that it was worth it, that you made the right choice in living your lives in love.

87. So live in love! Love and live! Love and serve Jesus! And eventually you will die for love, but you will rise again to love forever in His Kingdom of love! (End of message from a Cathar)

Issues, Part 1

(ML #3294:5-21, GN 889)

Sexuality and Membership

5. (Question:) My husband and I are SGAs and we are still learning a lot about how to live the Law of Love. We first started sharing outside our marriage about a year and a half ago, and in learning how, we have made mistakes (though I think mine far outnumber his!). We are both jealous people. I am a very emotional kind of girl‚ so for my husband to share me with another man is very difficult for him. He knows that if he shares me with someone else there is a good chance that I will walk away from that date with some kind of a bond, intimacy, or feelings for that other man. Not that I have been in any big relationships or anything like that; it's just a closeness with the other man, which is super hard for my sweet husband to accept. We both really love the Lord and the Family and we want to serve Him, but we've been feeling that the Law of Love just doesn't work for us.

6. Recently with the S2K when we were making a renewed commitment to live the CM standard and all that it includes, my husband was hit with, "I don't think I can sign this thing, because living the sexual part of the Law of Love is part of it." I also am pretty discouraged because I feel like every time I try to live this thing‚ I hurt my husband again. After really praying about it, though, we did sign, and for us that was a commitment to continue trying.

7. The Word tells us that the Lord will bless our sharing, and we have seen that a couple of times. I know that there have been times when I misapplied the counsel in the Word, and as a result have caused problems. But there have also been times when we both did our utmost to live the full counsel of the Word, and we still had problems—and that has been real discouraging, and hurt our faith in the Word that we had at the beginning.

8. So if we can't handle the sexual side of the Law of Love, was it a mistake for us to have signed the CM contract? We feel that in every other way the CM Family is the only place for us. I guess we're just discouraged that we've been having such a hard time with this‚ and we're a little afraid of what the future holds for us if we don't get this sorted out. As of now, we've determined to keep trying, since we feel like the Lord is requiring it of us, and we want to be in line with where the Lord is taking the Family.

9. Please pray for us. We really want to make it, and we don't want to get left behind.

10. (Jesus:) All I ask of you, My precious brides, is the willingness and commit­ment to keep trying. I don't expect perfection. I only desire the willingness in your heart to do My will‚ to keep moving forward, to keep taking steps in the right direction, to make an effort to live My Law of Love in its entirety. I don't demand perfection. In fact, I expect that you'll make mistakes and you'll often fall short of the goals that I've laid before you in My Word. I know that you're only human, and that you're bound to make mistakes and even feel that you don't have what it takes.

11. My precious loves, all I desire from you is your willingness and your determination not to give up. You don't have to have everything in your life perfect in regards to living the Law of Love. You don't have to feel that because you haven't attained yet that you're not CM material, that you don't have what it takes.

12. You feel like you're at the bottom of a very high ladder, and you've only barely begun the climb. You want to live the Law of Love and you've tried, but it seems like your failures have been much more frequent than your successes. You feel like you slip and fall and make mistakes nine times out of ten, and this makes you wonder if you really have what it takes to be in My Charter Member Family. You wonder if you're being a hypocrite in signing the contract when you feel that you've barely begun climbing the Law of Love ladder, and you're discouraged by how far you have yet to climb.

13. I know the feelings of your heart. I know that you want to give your all to Me. It is your desire to give your all to Me and your desire to keep moving forward and changing which is your salvation. It is through your willingness to change and grow and move forward that you have what it takes to be in My Charter Member Family. All I desire is your willingn­ess to obey‚ and your subsequent steps to obey‚ no matter how small.

14. As long as you're willing and committed and determined to give it your best shot—to live the Law of Love as I lead you to in your life—then you have what it takes to be in My Charter Member Family. Even if you feel like you're not making much progress, and may even wonder if you're a hypocrite because you feel so far behind and almost incapable of living the Law of Love, you still have what it takes if you're willing to keep trying.

15. For a long time you'll do more things wrong than right. In the beginning, more things will seem to go awry‚ and they may seem to outweigh the times when you feel like real fruit has been borne from living the Law of Love. But if you keep fighting and keep trying and keep taking little steps in the right direction as I lead you, you'll begin to do more right things than wrong things. You'll start to have more happiness instead of sadness, more victories instead of problems. The victories will overcome the battles, and the successes will override the times when you fail.

16. It doesn't matter how many problems you feel you have. It doesn't matter if you feel like a spiritual baby in living the Law of Love. It doesn't matter if you get discouraged and feel like giving up because you feel like you're not attaining, that you're not going to make it. The Enemy's going to try and get you to do just that, because he hates you‚ he hates My Law of Love, and he hates you living it. He's out to destroy you and your usefulness to Me, and he'll use any means possible.

17. Don't allow him to convince you to give up by condemning you for your failures and for the mistakes that you make and the battles that you have in living the Law of Love. He wants to make you believe that you can't make it, but I want to convince you and promise you that you can! I won't promise smooth sailing and that all the problems will vanish, but I promise that you can live it if you want to live it and if you determine in your heart that you're going to live it—for Me and others—come what may, through thick or thin, with battles or without.

18. As long as you're willing and have a believing heart and make a commitment to Me, I can help you. I don't guarantee an instant victory, but I do guarantee that you will reach a point of great victory if you choose to hold on. You will make mistakes, there will be battles and problems, but I'll use all of this in your life to make you into an even stronger Charter Member of My Endtime Family. What you feel is your weakness—your inability to live the Law of Love—will become your strength. I will use it in your life to strengthen you, not to defeat you. I will use it in your life to keep you moving forward and changing, which is the prerequisite of My Charter Member Family.

19. Don't let the Enemy turn the powerful steppingstone of the Law of Love into a stumbling block! Don't let him convince you that you haven't got what it takes, so you might as well give up. He knows you do have what it takes, and that's why he's trying with all of his power‚ with whatever means possible, to get you to turn back instead of using this stepping­stone to go forward to greater heights with Me. He knows the power you'll receive through living My Law of Love—through the lessons of great worth that you learn, the experiences that bring wisdom that will last for eternity, and the blessings that I bestow upon you for your willingness to follow My radical truth.

20. If you have the willingness and the determination to live My Law of Love as I show you to live it in your life‚ step by step and day by day, then you can sign the Charter Member contract in full faith, because this is what I desire and need from you. Even if you feel that you haven't attained or that you're doing poorly in applying the Law of Love in your life‚ if you want to live it and if you're committed to living it, then you've got what it takes and I will bless you for it.

21. You're not being a hypocrite, because you're willing to keep moving forward and to keep trying. That's the kind of fighter I need in My Charter Member Family—those who keep going no matter what, those who never say die‚ those who never give up, My revolutionary brides of the End! (End of message from Jesus.)

Are You a Disciple?

(ML #3365:197-275, GN 963)

197. (Mama: ) You might wonder why in the world I'm talking about these specific Law of Love problems in a series on conviction versus compromise. This might seem off the subject, but it's not. It's very much on the subject, because at the heart of these unloving acts is compromise!

198. When you disobey the Word, when you lack the fear of the Lord, when you harden your heart to others' needs‚ when you blow off the Lord's checks because of selfishness and lust, when you disregard the spirit of the Law of Love and selfishly wrest the Word to your own advantage, it results in compromise. You who are guilty of misusing the Law of Love as mentioned above have compromised the truth of the Word. You've compromised for gain—to get what you want or to protect yourself. Whatever your reasons for doing what you do, it's definitely not putting the Lord and obedience to the Word first.

199. If you were really desperate to be right with the Lord, if you wanted more than anything to be obedient and yielded, if your motivation was pure—to show sacrificial sincere love to all involved or affected by your actions—if you were truly concerned about the sample you were setting for your children, younger members, Active members, etc., you'd certainly not engage in these wrong activities or attitudes. All of those things I just talked about are wrong‚ and if you're doing them, you're sinning, you're disobeying, and you're compromising.

The Doctrine Is Sound—It's the Implementation That's in Question!

200. People in our Family and even Active members have been stumbled, not so much by the concept of the Law of Love or the doctrine, but by the samples they've seen. People have been burned, disillusioned‚ and some have eventually even rejected the doctrine of full freedom in the Law of Love because they feel it's hurtful, it doesn't bear good fruit, and people use it as an occasion to the flesh. This is very sad, because what happens is that the Word, Dad's teachings, the Lord's truth about the Law of Love is what gets blamed for the wrong, whereas it's people who are to blame; it's those who are not really living the Law of Love at all, but who say they are! Then when things go awry and people are hurt, it's the doctrine of the Law of Love that takes the rap! That's not fair. The Lord said:

201. (Jesus speaking:) People argue against the Law of Love, saying it only bears bad fruit, or that because it bears some bad fruit, it's no good. Because there are many individuals involved in complicated relationships, and there are so many different situations and different levels of dedication, love, and obedience‚ of course there will be a huge variety of "fruits" borne from the implementation of the Law of Love.

202. Where there is perfect love and obedience, there is perfect good fruit—but usually there is a mixture of both good and bad fruit. But even though there are problems and even bad fruit at times, that still shouldn't be blamed on the doctrine. The doctrine is not on trial here; it's the people's implementation of it that must be judged. The question is not whether the doctrine is right. It is. The question is whe­ther the people can be trusted with it.

203. There is no doubt about the validity and truth of the full freedom of the Law of Love. David received the truth from Me, and he was faithful to give it to the Family. Maria and Peter have built on that truth. There is no doubt that the full freedom of the Law of Love is of Me; that is not in question. (End of message from Jesus)

204. (Mama:) What this means is that there will be a variety of fruit borne from people's living the freedom of the Law of Love. In some cases it's good, in some cases it's bad, and in many cases it's a mixture of good and bad. But the hurt and bad fruit of some people's living the Law of Love shouldn't be blamed on the doctrine itself. The doctrine is sound, but it's the implementation by some that is in question.

205. About judging Law of Love relationships: Even in situations or relationships where the fruit is good overall, there will probably be some mistakes, slips, or wrong decisions. This happens because life is complicated and people aren't perfect. Even when people are trying to do the right thing, they don't always make it 100%. So you need flexibility when judging the fruit of something, because just because there are some wrong things, boo–boos or hurts, that doesn't cancel out all the good. And if there is more good than bad‚ or if there is a preponderance of good and some bad, then generally you could consider that it's good fruit. Perfection is not required for a relationship or situation to fall into the "bearing good fruit" category.

Suspend Sexual Freedom?

206. Besides the problems mentioned earlier, there is also a general contempt for the Law of Love in the Family today. I often get letters lecturing me about how I shouldn't be "pushing" sexual sharing. I receive Bible classes in which some of you are trying to disprove Dad's teachings on this subject. I receive reproofs from those who think we shouldn't be preaching the sexual aspect of the Law of Love, lest we stumble some poor, unsuspecting church person. And there are lots of upset young people who think living the Law of Love does nothing but wreck marriages, so you're taking the stance that you'll have a monogamous relationship, since you feel that's the only thing that will last or work.

207. I readily admit that there are serious problems in how the Law of Love is being lived, especially because people are being hurt and stumbled! And I'm not talking about "good hurt" where you allow yourself voluntarily to be hurt. I'm talking about bad hurt! (See "Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 2‚" ML #3202:177-195, GN 805.)

208. It becomes quite puzzling after a while to try to know what to do about these ongoing problems‚ how to improve them. We've published about everything we can as far as ­specific guidelines, tips, and rules. We've put various amendments in the Charter regarding the Law of Love. We've tried to educate the Family. But still, these serious problems persist.

209. I finally reached a point where I seriously wondered if we'd have to suspend the sexual freedom of the Law of Love for the whole Family. I mean, if these relationships can't be shep­herded, if the rules can't be enforced, if the Family can't be ruled by love and make good decisions according to the full counsel of the Word‚ then what can we do? I began to wonder if we hadn't reached the same point the Apostle Paul had when he recommended that the celibate stay that way, or get married if they must, but avoid any other sort of sexual freedom or liberties whatsoever.

210. If the Family couldn't handle the freedom, if you couldn't be trusted‚ then I wondered if maybe the Lord would take it away. I thought, "Well, if many of the Family continue to disobey, compromise, hurt and stumble others, then possibly we need to just do away with the sexual freedom totally, for everyone, so we can get on with our main job of winning the world." We've been getting so many complaints about the Law of Love, about how it's causing nothing but harm, that I thought maybe we had reached the point where the Lord could no longer trust us with it. That was a sad thought, but I honestly considered it and pondered it.

211. Peter and I are both personally convinced that the full freedom of the Law of Love as Dad taught us, including the sexual freedom, is the truth‚ and for those who live it in love it's a wonderful blessing of God. We feel very privileged to know this truth as Dad taught us. But we are also realists and we aren't closed to the idea that if the Family comes to the point where it's obvious that you're not learning to live the Law of Love in the right spirit, if it's con­sistently causing more harm than good, if it's being misused and causing nothing but hurt‚ then we will stop it. We could amend the Charter so there would be no sexual contact or sexual activity between any individuals of any age who are not officially married to each other. Then we'd be back to where we were before the revelation Dad received about the Law of Love, and back to where most churches (and certainly most dedicated missionaries) are today.

212. I asked the Lord if it was time for this, or what we could do to solve these problems. Here is His reply.

God's Hands Are Tied—The Choice Is Yours!

213. (Channel describes a vision: ) I see Jesus and His Father up in Heaven. It's such a sad, sad picture. I can't help but cry. Jesus looks very sorrowful. Oh, Jesus, help us! Forgive us‚ Lord, for making You so sad.

214. The Father is sitting on His throne and Jesus is kneeling before Him with His head down, His arms are stretched up toward Him, as if He is making a plea to His Father. He's interceding on our behalf. Jesus is weeping almost uncontrollably. He's asking His Father, "Is there no other way?"

215. God is also weeping. He is very majestic, very kingly, very powerful, but it's almost as if all that hardly matters. He looks very sober, very sad, just like Jesus. God is looking down, and He is slowly shaking His head back and forth, and He's crying.

216. God stands up, looking down at Jesus, shaking His head, extremely sad. His arms are in front of Him‚ and His hands are tied at the wrists with a big thick rope.

217. God reaches down to Jesus, and with His tied hands He lifts up His Son, and Jesus embraces Him. It seems they are trying to comfort each other.

218. They're standing there in an embrace‚ and God says, "Son, You know I desire nothing more than to change this situation, but My hands are tied. Only the Family themselves can untie these cords. Only they can turn this tide that is upon them. The decision is theirs."

219. Now both God and Jesus are standing side by side looking down at this giant 3-D TV screen. God still has His hands tied; Jesus has His arm around His Father's shoulder, as if to comfort Him. They're watching the Family on Earth. They both are still very, very sad; tears are rolling down their cheeks.

220. A huge black cloud is closing in, hovering over the screen. God's hands are still tied, and He's holding them out over the screen, the dark cloud hovering above, and He says:

221. "My hands are tied. According to the choices of My people will their future be deter­mined. Those who choose to live according to Our Law of Love will reap the blessings; they will grow and progress‚ and walk on to fulfill their destiny. Those who choose not to obey the truth they have been given, and those who choose to abuse the freedom they have been given, those who make a mockery of the Law of Love, the shadow of troubles and sorrow will cover them. They will not reap My blessings; they will not have the power, but will have to face the consequences. They are accountable, for they have heard the truth.

222. "According to the choices of the people, it will be done. I am a righteous God and so I honor the majesty of choice that is given to mankind. My Son, pray for Your brides, that their faith not fail, for the future is in their hands." (End of vision.)

223. (Jesus speaking:) My heart and the heart of My Father are broken with the sight that we see. You have been given precious riches of truth. This knowledge of the full freedom of the Law of Love is a rare treasure. It has never been entrusted so fully to man‚ and there you are, spitting on it, trampling it under foot, throwing it in the trash can and telling everyone who will listen how ugly and useless it is. So foolish! This is a pitiful state of rebellion, pride, and arrogance of those who feel you know better than God! Rather than receive this revelation from David with thankfulness of heart‚ you take it upon yourselves to lecture and set straight your queen. You have the audacity to try to teach My anointed prophetess about adultery and sin!

224. This hurts Me deeply. It saddens Me more than you can know. I feel rejected and scorned. For this truth of the freedom of the Law of Love represents the beauty of My Kingdom. It is a foreshadowing of Heaven. This is the essence of the freedom of My Spirit.

225. Though some of the children of David deserve to have this freedom revoked‚ due to your misuse of it, or due to your hateful disrespect and lack of appreciation‚ I will not stoop to that level. I will not take back My Word‚ for the truth is the truth. I will not recant, for what has been said is right and Godly and Heavenly. Though you tarnish the truth of My Word and freedom of love with your lust and selfishness, though you mock My truth and spit in My face with your murmurs and the stance you have taken in opposition to My Endtime teaching, I will not be moved to retract. I never will, for I stand by the truth of Heaven, as do your king and queen.

226. You have been taught and guided, and the boundaries to safely and lovingly live the totality of My Law of Love have been securely put in place. There is no excuse for continued bad hurt and the sins of pride, selfishness, lust, rebellion, and for not making the effort to fight and overcome jealousy. The fault is in your own lack of love, your own lack of fear of Me‚ which makes you feel you can have the pleasure and freedom on your own terms‚ in your own way, without acting in love, humility, and prayerfulness.

227. You who hurt and stumble others, who speak in arrogance and pride against this great gift, who vow to "never stoop to partake of such freedom," are those who are wrong, not My Word. It is the epitome of pride and self-right­eousness to think that you can instruct God on this, the ways of Heaven. I and My Father are One‚ and We have bestowed this truth on the children of David with open hearts, expecting and praying for the best. This has been a test, an experiment. Even as your David warned you from the beginning, can you be trusted with this? Will you use it for good or for your own ends? Will you lay down your life to benefit others, or will you take and devour and cause pain?

228. You judge yourselves. How have you fared? What has been the depth of your love? What have been your motivations? How much have you loved others as you love yourself? Have you recognized the value of the treasure of the Law of Love?—Or are you amongst those who have mistaken My jewels for cheap glass and tin, to be tossed out?

229. Whether you realize it or are willing to accept it, the truth of the Law of Love is a key factor in the Endtime. I will let this truth be known, and if necessary, I will raise up another ecclesia to live it‚ to be the earthly sample of that which is to come when I rule and reign. My plan will not be defeated. The choice is yours as to whether you will be the ones who are privileged with that honor, or if you will cast off the crown. I will not force you, but neither will I remove your chance of receiving the blessing by recanting on this truth of the Words of David.

230. My Father and I are deeply hurt by the pain We see. If We could change it ourselves in some way, if We could right the wrongs, We would, as would your king and queen. But We must restrain Ourselves; in fact, My Father's hands are tied, because We will honor the majesty of choice.

231. The fruit of living the Law of Love is in your hands. You are the ones who will determine the outcome. I leave the choice with you, and it will be clear whether your actions are in love and sacrifice, or in lust and selfishness.

232. I cannot and I will not recant. This truth of the Law of Love must be given and it must be lived—if not by the children of David‚ then by someone else. I have no choice but to allow this full freedom of My love to be made known to the world, for this must come to pass, and then will the End come.

233. But you, My children‚ do have a choice. It is you who determine the future and how your lives will be lived. You personally have control of your choices, actions, attitudes and relationships. What you decide‚ individually and collectively, will change the course of your future, for it will prove your worthiness of this precious treasure that has been placed in your care.

234. I weep‚ I lament. It breaks My heart to see the division, confusion, rebellion, hatred and contempt for My law. What a sad and pitiful state! If it were a different time in world history, maybe I would withdraw this blessing to prevent the hurt and misuse. But there is no time now, for the clock races forward and this testimony and truth will be put forward in the Endtime in fulfillment of My promise.

235. I give My children of David the opportunity to get right with Me. I am merciful and I will have mercy upon those who are loyal and true in spirit. I will not punish the whole because of the sins of the rebellious. My Father and I pray and watch, for the future of the Family depends on whether you return to your first love in simplicity, humility, and consecration.

236. I will not take this blessing from you at this time. But know that if you choose to not live this truth, but rather to despise it, or if you choose to misuse this truth and use it as an occasion to the flesh, I will raise up others who will take your crown. I say this with great heaviness of heart. This is not My desire, and I find no pleasure in giving this warning. Even now the dark clouds of sorrow hang heavily around My Kingdom.

237. I beg you, My darlings, to reconsider, to search My Word, to ponder these things with open hearts. I implore you to cast off the unfruitful works and ideas of the Evil One. I pled with My Father, but His hands are tied. He is powerless to deliver you from your waywardness unless you seek His forgiveness and repent. He cannot overrule your personal choices; neither can I.

238. We wait in soberness of heart, with tear–stained faces, watching and praying. We want to bless the children of David with great happiness, free­dom, and unity. We want to use King Peter and Queen Maria and their followers to show the world the ultimate love of Heaven. You are in possession of a great treasure. What will you do with it? (End of message from Jesus)

239. (Mama:) What a sad picture and mess­age. Please, dear Family, take this to heart. Don't let the conviction slip away. Take the time to think, ponder, and search the Word. Read past Letters on the subject. Get educated if you don't understand the Law of Love. Don't just rely on what you think you remember. Study, read‚ seek the truth. Ask the Lord your questions. Realize that you have a lot to lose!

Another Side to Think About!

240. People are constantly blaming the prob­lems in relationships and broken marriages on that naughty, bad Law of Love. They practically curse the Law of Love and insinuate or even say openly that anyone who practices the Law of Love is a fool. It's a raging controversy, and those who oppose the sexual ­freedom of the Law of Love are very vocal about it. I guess you feel it's your special calling in life to set straight those who actually have open marriages/relationships, or who share sacrificially. You don't associate anything good with the Law of Love.

241. But there is another side to this that I want you to think about: The sexual freedom that you young people enjoy with each other, the singles having sex with each other, the singles living together as boyfriend and girlfriend without committing to marriage‚ etc., is all a result of the Law of Love. Without the Law of Love, that wouldn't be possible.

242. Before the Law of Love, there was no extensive sharing even between singles. Singles in the Family went without sex before they were married, some for years! It was Dad's revelation about the Law of Love that gave us the faith and freedom to have sex outside of marriage. Otherwise, we were bound by the traditions of the law like all the other churches, and especially missionaries.

243. One SGA in our Home was shocked that the Law of Love has anything to do with single people's freedom to have sex with each other. Her take was that because you young people have grown up with that freedom all your lives, you don't relate it at all to the Law of Love. This again confirms that all the bad is blamed on the Law of Love, but nothing that you consider good or beautiful or fun is credited to the Law of Love. That seems quite imbalanced and unfair to me.

244. The idea came to me that it would help to consider how different the Family would be today if Dad had never taught us about the full freedom of the Law of Love.

245. Here's Dad to teach us. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!

Life in the Family Without the Law of Love

246. (Dad speaking: ) Some of you seem to think that the Family and everybody in it would be better off if the sexual freedom of the Law of Love were done away with or curbed. Boy‚ oh, boy! Some of you guys really have no idea what you're saying. You wanna know something? The Law of Love is some­thing that's much easier to justify by Scripture than is the concept of not living it! What do you think of that? Jesus Himself said, "All the law is fulfilled in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." That's what it comes down to. That's what the Law of Love is.

247. Okay‚ so some might say that's fine and good‚ but why does that have to include sex? It doesn't really. You can follow Jesus' teachings to some degree without involving sex. Or, some say, even if the sexual part of the Law of Love is "lawful" in God's eyes, it isn't "expedient," and it's messing up people's lives and marriages. Well, I grant you, life could be somewhat "simpler" without the sexual freedom the Lord has given us, but if you really think about it‚ I don't think you'd trade in all the benefits.

248. So, let's take a look at what life would be like in the Family if we didn't have the Law of Love. Well, basically we'd be like most church Christians. We'd abide by the rules they abide by. We'd abstain from all sex outside of marriage. Of course, they don't all necessarily "abide" by their own rules these days; but if they don't‚ they're in most cases suffering terrible guilt and condemnation because they believe they're sinning against the Lord.

249. In just about every religion, premarital sex of any kind is considered a sin. How would you like to live under those rules? Do you even think it's right that people make a commitment to live together and love each other forever without knowing if they like having sex together? It sure doesn't make much sense. My goodness, no wonder so many marriages don't last! That might seem a very "carnal" viewpoint, and you might say that if you really love each other it doesn't matter, or you'll find a way. But let me tell you, when you live with someone day after day‚ night after night for years, sex does matter.

250. Think about all the singles in the Family, all the people who don't have a special someone, and who maybe never will, or not for many years. Should they be condemned to lives of abstinence? Without the Law of Love, they would be. That's what the church teaches! Why do you think so many people are sick and tired of religion, soured on anything churchy or Christian or Jewish or Muslim or whatever? It's because religion and restriction are generally synonymous!

251. There are hardly any outfits in the world that believe both in Jesus and in sinless sex!—Meaning that there are hardly any people in the world, especially religious people, who can enjoy sex without feeling guilty if they're not married! Maybe some of you think that is the ideal, that the world would be more innocent and pure if everyone lived by those mores. Well, in some ways it's true that the world's standard has gone down, and the way society has become more tolerant of less responsible sexual behavior has led to more irresponsibility and more immorality. It's true that people are less considerate and careful in the world at large when it comes to sex. They have less regard for the consequences because there aren't really any consequences for anything, legally speaking.

252. But think about it: If you could choose to either live a religious life where you believed sex before you were married was a sin, or if you could live a "secular" life without God or faith, just to feel you had that freedom to have sex, what would you choose? Tough choice, huh?

253. Another sad thing is that even the people who don't consider themselves religious or "churched," don't have the freedom to have sex without guilt. They still for the most part feel terrible about it. They feel it separates them from God. They feel they don't even have a chance. Many even leave the church or neglect their faith because of it. There are a few individuals here and there who realize that the Lord loves them no matter what, or even who believe and understand that sex is a gift of God and to be enjoyed, whether you're married or not. But they are few and far between. And even if they believe it, they're hard pressed to find a partner who shares both their faith in the Lord and their faith to do those kinds of things without considering it wrong.

254. The Family without the Law of Love would mean that all you kids would have grown up being taught that sex was a sin, hounded and watched by your parents to make sure you weren't having any, and then entering your post–teenage adult life desperate as hell to find someone to marry so you could have some sex! Meanwhile, you'd be dating here and there, like the System Christian young people, trying to find that someone, and you'd be so frustrated, so distracted…. In many cases you'd probably end up leaving your service for the Lord so that you could get some sex‚ or going ahead and doing it and feeling terribly condemned. It would steal your joy of the Lord and your pleasure in living for Him.

255. If you've grown up with that freedom all your life, as most of you have, you have no idea how restrictive and confining it is to not have it! Not only the freedom to have sex, but in many cases even the freedom to be alone with someone of the opposite sex. Or to do something like have a party where you dance with everybody, even other people's boyfriends or girl­friends‚ husbands or wives, would not be an option. You would either have your boyfriend or girlfriend, and maybe some sex on the sly, or nothing at all; or maybe you'd be going behind someone's back with their boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe behind your best friend's back, and feeling horrible about it.

256. Some of you would probably be always on the verge of ruining your friendships‚ because those kinds of things, in the world at large and especially in any Christian community, are just not done. And if they are done, they are not talked about. And if they are talked about, it's big trouble!

257. On to marriages: If there was no Law of Love‚ you'd be having sex with the same person for the rest of your life once married. Okay, if you love them, admittedly that's not so bad. People have done it for thousands of years. But have they really? I'd venture to say that probably less than half of the couples who have ever married throughout history have been faithful to their spouse and only their spouse for their whole life.

258. It's not just the stuff of movies and novels to have affairs and extracurricular adventures. It's life. God created people to have emotions as well as physical sexual needs, and there are always going to be other people besides your husband or wife who you are going to find yourself in intimate situations with and/or be attracted to. I'm not saying that it's always good or right to follow your impulses, and certainly the Law of Love would not be worth it for the sake of that freedom only.

259. I'm just saying that's what happens every­where in the world, in the Family or not, and the big difference is that in the Family‚ because of the Law of Love, you actually have the training and knowledge of how to handle it right. Plus, you don't have to face condemnation for the rest of your life over it. I mean, really, in many people's minds having an affair outside their marriage is comparable to stealing or even killing someone! That's how condemned they are. That's how convinced they are that it's wrong. Is that right? Is that kind of self–righteous, condemnatory, legalistic, restric­tive mindset something you would want the Family to live by?

260. Without the Law of Love our Family Homes would be missing out on a great deal. Your interactions would be sadly lacking. Even the "innocent" giving of frequent hugs, putting your arms around each other, holding hands‚ all of that would be taboo.

261. Without the Law of Love you'd have a lot of single people in the Family, people who really want to serve Jesus and who are willing to give up a lot to do that, suffering unnecess­arily. You'd have people starved for love, for sex, even for simple tender affection. You'd have people going without, being dis­couraged, feeling unloved, and in a lot of cases probably marry­ing the wrong person just because they needed someone to have sex with.—Or leaving the Lord's service because they just couldn't take it. Lord help us!

262. You know, that did happen a bit at the start of the Family. The Lord hadn't yet revealed the Law of Love to us‚ so we abided by the usual rules of most Christian groups when it came to sex. You didn't have it until you were married, and that was that. People were willing to do it, to make that sacrifice‚ and the Lord allowed them to be tested in that way. But some just couldn't take it; it was too hard. I think a lot of them would not have lasted that long, or would have become very unhappy and even bitter if things hadn't changed at some point.

263. The Law of Love is one of the cornerstones of our radical beliefs that sets us apart from the church, and there is no way we are going to leave it behind, say it was wrong, or discontinue believing and practicing it! Yes‚ there are potential problems with the kind of freedom that it allows, and, yes‚ there are times when we need to clarify things or provide guidelines. That's what that 12-part GN series on the Law of Love was all about. There are a lot of misconceptions about the Law of Love‚ but if you read through that series with an open heart and mind, I dare say there is not a single one that won't be cleared up. There are problems that result from the Law of Love, but as Mama and I must have said a million times, those problems are not the fault of the Law of Love—they're the fault of people practicing it improperly or neglecting to truly walk in love. They're the fault of people not living the Law of Love.

264. The Law of Love is a beautiful gift of God! It is the means by which we have the freedom to enjoy loving, Godly sex, with or without being married, and within and without our marriages. It is the means by which we are able to dedicate our lives to the Lord and serve Him full-time and be able to have loving fellowship, affection, and care, whether or not we ever find a mate to share every part of our lives with. It is the means by which we are able to care for our single parents and meet their needs. It is also a means by which we are able to expose the hypoc­risy of the church system—all those people who either say they don't do it and are lying, or who are living in guilt and condemnation, or who are so God-damned self-righteous about their sexual morality that they're practically no earthly good to anyone else.

265. God deliver us from that sickening spirit of self-righteousness! That's really what it is when people go around saying that "the Law of Love is the cause of all the marriage problems in the Family." "Why don't we do away with the Law of Love and have monogamous relationships?" God help us!

266. Then there are some people who think that it's fine to have that sexual freedom for singles, because they "need" it—but not for married people. But where do you draw the line? You can't really draw it too clearly at any point because there will always be a valid reason to stretch it a bit further to cover all the possible needs that arise. There are so many scenarios, especially in a missionary movement as diverse as ours. There are singles who live in a Home where everyone else is married. How would they manage? There are married people who have chosen to stay together for the sake of their children, but who‚ with the consent of their spouse‚ have agreed they have a need for sexual companionship outside of their marriage.

267. Then there's the bottom line, and that is the fact that the Lord blesses married couples giving and sharing and opening their lives to others, according to His leading and as outlined in the Law of Love Letters. That's the crux of the matter—that the Lord intends for everyone to share and give, as He leads, and though married and deeply in love and committed to each other‚ God blesses couples giving and sharing with others. You can never lose by giving in love—that's God's law, and it applies to everyone, married or single!

268. There is enough hardship and difficulty in the Family and communal living without us having to ask people to do without sex—which is something that the Lord never said we have to do. Already there are girls in places where there are no guys around, or singles in places with no other singles around, and these people make tremendous sacrifices and sometimes don't know if they're gonna make it. There's only so much we can do, and there are some rules we have to have for now, like not having sex with outsiders. But the least we can do is make allowance to meet these people's needs from within our own ranks! The least we can do is make it as easy as possible for them to get what they need. We owe it to our brothers and sisters who are in need to meet that need—and without the sexual freedom of the Law of Love, that would not be possible.

269. Well‚ meditate on these things. Ponder. Reflect. Think about your life, and think how different it would have been or would be now without the Law of Love. I don't mean think about all the bad stuff and the times you were hurt or hurt someone. I know that's true in many cases; I don't deny it. But I believe if you would think about it in the big picture and scope of life, you'd probably realize that in some of those cases the hurt could have been far worse without the Law of Love; or in some cases the consequences of living without the Law of Love would be so dreadful that the complica­tions or hurts seem far preferable.

270. I know that's a bit of a generalization and it won't apply to every case. Nevertheless, the fact is that with or without the Law of Love‚ people will have sex and they will have it outside of marriage. We're carnal creatures of passion. It's the way God made us. Blame Him! But at least with the Law of Love there are guidelines‚ there is communication, there are "rules" about it being between consenting parties. Take away the Law of Love and you take away all of that, and it's each man for himself and each woman for herself and there's going to be a lot more hurt, a lot more suffering, a lot more ­neglect, a lot less unity.

271. If you want to stick around in this Family, learn to embrace the Law of Love and treasure it for the wonder that it is, and thank the Lord for all the problems and heartache it has solved. Or if you can't take it, if you don't believe it, then be my guest and go to the churches‚ who believe that all sex outside marriage is a sin. There are plenty of people who would agree with you on that score. We're not mainstream, but we're in the right stream, the one that's going the way God wants this Family to go! (End of message from Dad.)

God Can't Recant‚ and Neither Can I!

272. (Mama:) I want you young people especially to really think about how things would be for you personally without this freedom. It's not a question of picking out the things you like, the various freedoms you want, and then discarding or condemning all the rest. Open your eyes to the truth that all those fun things you like so much are allowed only because of the truth of the Law of Love as Dad taught us. Without it, you'd be confined to the same religious laws as the majority of church Christians.

273. If you want these freedoms, if you like the life you live‚ if you enjoy your dating and sexual variety‚ if you like the fact that you're not condemned if you like someone and do something sexy with that person, then wise up and realize that you have the freedom because of Dad! Quit being hypocrites and complaining about the freedom on one hand, while taking advantage of it with the other!

274. And for those of you who can't accept the full freedom of the Law of Love, who continue to think it's wrong, ungodly, immoral and adulterous, you'd better find another place to live and serve the Lord! Go where you can live according to the moral code you have chosen, without being faced with the sexual freedom of the Law of Love, because it's not going away!

275. God cannot recant, and neither can I! Peter and I stand by Dad's teachings—they are the truth! Where do you stand?