Maria
December 14, 2004
By MariaFD/MM/FM 3516 11/04
Dear Family,
1. Peter and I love you very much, and we're praying for you during this busy time of year. Your Christmas outreach is no doubt underway, or will be very shortly, and we're praying for you—as are all of your WS Family.
2. The end of the renewal is just around the corner and there's something important I want to remind you of: the need to celebrate the closure of the renewal with your children, JETTs, and junior teens. As you know, the renewal has been a big event in all of our lives, and that includes our children, JETTs, and junior teens. In fact, pouring more into the children and investing more time and attention into the care of our JETTs and junior teens was one of the major focuses of the renewal—if not the major focus. From all of the reports I've received, the renewal has been a wonderful time of progress and change in their lives. They've done exceptionally well, have been real brave soldiers‚ and they deserve commendation for a job well done!
3. The plan the Lord gave in "Renewal: The Conclusion" was to have a united Home devotions or meeting, as well as some kind of united celebration, on November 30. So please remember to factor in the needs of the children‚ JETTs, and junior teens in your Home when planning these events. Here are some ideas of how you might want to do this.
4. For the devotions/meeting: For some Homes it might be best that you have the devotions/meeting with the JETTs on up, and plan a special devotions for the children. It might be possible in other situations‚ if your Home is small, to have the children attend the devotions/meeting if they're old enough to listen and contribute. Another option is that you could have the children come to the devotions/meeting at the end, setting aside a short time for the children to share what they were thankful for during the renewal, and what they are looking forward to in the new year. (This could be a good time for the children to express things they were blessed with or habits they formed during the renewal that they'd like to continue with in the new year.) You can arrange this however it works best for your Home‚ but the overall plan the Lord gave for the adults—of sharing one praise and one commitment for the new year—can easily be adapted to suit the needs of the children too.
5. For the celebration: There are a few ways you could go about this if you have children in your Home:
6. No matter what you do or how you arrange things in your Home, it's important that you remember the children (and JETTs and junior teens) in your celebrations. Please don't forget to praise our Husband and appreciate the children themselves. This has been a special time for them‚ a gift of Jesus' love, and they deserve to be able to do something special, and receive something special, to commend them for their obedience‚ yieldedness, and progress through the renewal. (In most Homes, the JETTs and junior teens could be in on the adults' celebration, but if for some reason it's not geared to this age group, then please be sure that you do something else equally as special for them. Or if you have one or only a few of this age group in your Home, the Lord might lead you to organize something with the JETTs and junior teens in your area.)
7. Please pray about the details of exactly how you conduct your Home's renewal celebration‚ because the Lord knows what is going to be the most special for everyone—from the oldest to the youngest. For the children, you might want to consider giving them some kind of physical reward or gift. Or maybe the Lord will show you to have all of the adults in your Home give them a special round of appreciation and applause. Or you might want to receive a special message from Jesus to give to each of the children, JETTs, and junior teens. You could give your children, JETTs, and junior teens a special diploma or certificate to commend them for a job well done. Or you may wish to do a combination of the above ideas. As you seek the Lord about the needs of the children, JETTs, and junior teens you have in your Home, He'll show you exactly what to do.
8. I'm including a special message from Jesus for the children. Please be sure to read this with the children in your Home, either in their November 30th devotions/meeting, or as a part of their renewal celebration.
9. There's also a message for your JETTs and junior teens. Please ask the Lord when would be the best time to read this with your JETT(s) and junior teen(s). It would depend on how you decide to conduct your November 30th meetings and celebrations. For example, if you were having a united area get-together with the JETTs and junior teens, then you would probably want to read it then. Or, if you're including the JETTs and junior teens in your adult Home devotions/meeting, it could be read then. Or it could be read with the JETTs and junior teens privately, especially if you have only one or a few in your Home.
10. Some of you might also be wondering what sort of instruction to give your children regarding worldly entertainment after the renewal, in light of the fact that our Husband is asking us to continue to minimize it even when the renewal is over, and be more prayerful and obedient to His counsel regarding what is and isn't good for us—as well as to hold on to all of our other renewal victories. As I'm sure you realize, the Lord's counsel also applies to the types and amount of worldly entertainment that our children partake of. However‚ they haven't been blessed with any instruction on the issue like we adults have.
11. Some of you may have already begun preparing your children for the fact that things aren't going to be the same after the renewal as they were before, but I was concerned about those of you who may not have done so. When we were praying about it and wondering if it's going to be a shock for some children to realize that things won't be quite as liberal as they were in the past, our Answer Man gave the following important message.
12. (Jesus: ) The children's continued progress after the renewal is very much determined by your choices, dear parents and teachers. It is not the responsibility of the children themselves to pray about their worldly entertainment. It's the responsibility of you parents and teachers to get desperate with Me and ensure that your children only go back to the forms of worldly entertainment that I show you specifically will be beneficial for your children. The same goes for the amount of time your children spend partaking of worldly entertainment; this is something that you must pray about, in light of the counsel I am giving for the whole Family.
13. I'm not telling you‚ My Family adults‚ to up your standard regarding worldly entertainment‚ but then to allow all of your children and JETTs and junior teens to go back to what they were doing pre-renewal. I'm after a raising of the standard at all levels. The children's and JETTs' and junior teens' spiritual lives are no less important than the adults' spiritual lives, and they should be guarded and protected just as vigilantly. And just as I'm not banning worldly entertainment for you‚ My adult brides‚ but rather requiring more prayerfulness and wisdom and conviction and balance in this area of your lives, this is what I wish for you to translate to your children through your sample and instruction to them.
14. You are the ones who will decide what movies your children watch, and how often. You are the ones who will decide whether or not to allow your children to play computer games, and how often. You are the ones who will make the call regarding all of the worldly entertainment your children partake of, so it's up to you to uphold the post-renewal standard that I have laid out for the Family. Don't get lazy and simply allow your children to go back to what you allowed before the renewal. Seriously and desperately pray about what kinds of worldly entertainment to allow and how much, just as I am asking you to do in your personal lives and Homes. Don't open the door to worldly entertainment until you have done so.
15. It's wiser to take things slowly when it comes to allowing your children to partake of worldly entertainment after the renewal. If you haven't had a chance to really study My counsel on the various forms of worldly entertainment in the Shooting Straight series, and your Home hasn't prayed about and agreed upon guidelines and standards‚ and you haven't prayed personally about worldly entertainment for yourself and your children, don't make quick decisions or allowances that you might have to take back or change later, as this will make things even more difficult for your children in the long run. Don't institute any guidelines hastily. Make your decisions prayerfully, in counsel with Me.
16. If you, as parents and teachers and role models, are making the decisions of disciples when it comes to worldly entertainment, and you're raising the standard of what you allow in your lives, then it will be easier to raise the standard for your children. You'll be able to speak from experience and say things like, "Jesus is asking Mommy and Daddy, and everyone in the Family, to be more careful about the kinds of movies we watch or the kinds of books we read or games we play, so we're all trying to obey Jesus together. He wants us to keep doing the good things we learned to do during the renewal—like having more fellowship with others—and not go back to how we lived before."
17. I don't even mind if you say something like, "Jesus is now letting us watch some movies, read some books, and play some computer games, but He wants to see if we're going to do those things a little bit, and not as much as we did before. If we do them too much, and get too into them, and murmur when we do other things like play board games, or learn new things, or fellowship with others, then He might ask us to have another mini-renewal so that we can learn to have a better balance."
18. It's not that I want you to scare your children into obedience, but for some children this kind of explanation might work. You just have to ask Me what is best for the children in your Home. For some children you might not need to even say anything, as it would be a very simple issue to slowly ease back into allowing a movie here and there. Or for some children you could just say something like‚ "Now that the renewal is over‚ Jesus is letting us watch some movies and read some books and play some computer games again, but we're just going to do things like this in moderation, so that we can keep doing all of these fun renewal activities as well." Some children will be quite used to the renewal lifestyle, and will happily ease back into enjoying just a little bit of worldly entertainment. Most aren't going to fuss about not getting as much as they used to before. Of course, it may be more difficult for others, but I can give you the solutions.
19. Children are very resilient and adapt more easily to different circumstances and changes than most people give them credit for. They're much less stuck in a rut than adults are. Most children will be perfectly happy if you, as parents and shepherds‚ pray about their post-renewal worldly entertainment, and then present them with the plan I give you for them.—And it will be even easier for them to have less worldly entertainment if you're continuing to supply them with all of the other fun and edifying activities they enjoyed during the renewal. Most won't murmur about not having as much worldly entertainment as they had before the renewal. Most will be happy for what you give them, especially if you present the plan with an attitude of faith and positiveness. And if there is resistance or complaining, then ask Me how to handle it with your children and I'll show you how to explain things to them further so that they'll understand.
20. I've given you, My adult brides‚ lots of explanations about what I'm expecting of you after the renewal, and this was My will for many reasons. But remember that your children are much simpler than you are. They have a lot of faith in you and your ability to make wise decisions. I've given you a lot of counsel because I knew you were going to be the ones to pass on the counsel to your children‚ via your sample to them, via whatever you talk with them about regarding worldly entertainment post–renewal. You needed a lot of instruction and counsel not only for your benefit, but also so that you would be able to pass on My will to your children.
21. If the children in your Home are waiting with bated breath for the end of the renewal, and "getting back to the way things were before the renewal‚" then you'll probably want to pray about how to share the news that things won't be exactly the same as they were before—not for them, and not for the Family. If you think that less worldly entertainment is going to be a big disappointment for your children, then please make it as easy as possible on them by praying about how to handle the situation. Pray and ask Me what to do. Pray and ask Me what My will is for your children, and I won't fail you.
22. I'm a loving Father to your children. I love them and I want to see them happy—just as I want to see you happy. The raising of the post-renewal standard regarding worldly entertainment is a sign of love on My part, and it's because of My desire to see you, as a Family, continue to grow and progress and draw ever closer to Me. And so, it is with the greatest measures of love that I am asking you and your children to not go back to the way you lived before the renewal. It's not a mean maneuver from an uncaring God. It's an act of love on My part, because of My deep desire to continue to use the Family—from the oldest to the youngest—to the full. (End of message.)
23. Peter and I send much, much love to you, dear Family! Please pass on our love specifically to your children‚ JETTs, and junior teens, and let them know we are very proud of them. This was an important time for us as a Family, and vital to the restructuring and strengthening of the Family! They have completed this important time of training, input, and growth, a milestone period in their lives, along with the adults, and we congratulate them for a job well done! We're celebrating along with you in the spirit!
With love and prayers,
Mama
24. (Jesus:) Well done, dear [add the names of the child or children in your Home]! Congratulations! You have just completed a very important time in your life, and I'm very proud of you.
25. Children, thank you for being good and obedient for your parents and teachers. Thank you for being cheerful even when I asked you to forsake some things during the renewal. Thank you for growing and learning new things. Thank you for spending time with Me. Thank you for being My happy children‚ and for making so many other people happy too.
26. You've just finished a special grade, just like you finish a grade in school, and you're going to go on to a new grade. You finished the grade of the renewal, and now you're much smarter than you were before. You know things you didn't know before, you did some new and different activities, and you had fun doing some things you didn't even know you could enjoy before. You have more knowledge of the Word‚ and you're nearly half a year older than you were when the renewal began. That's a lot of progress, and you should be very happy that you've grown up so much.
27. I have a new grade for you now, because you're going into a new year. You're not going to learn the same things you learned during the renewal. You're going to learn new things. And if you wonder what new things I might like to teach you, or what new gifts I'm going to give you in the new year, please ask Me. You can hear from Me personally, or get together with your parents or teacher to receive My new plan for you in prophecy. I have so much to teach you, so many gifts to bless you with, and so many fun things I'm planning for you in the new year, because I love you.
28. Today you are graduating from the renewal grade, and all of the spirits and angels in Heaven are clapping for you. They're whistling and cheering. They're looking down on you from Heaven—with Me—and we're all so happy and proud of you. Today is a special day in Heaven, and we're having a party‚ because we're honoring all of you, dear children, who have been so good, sweet‚ loving, obedient‚ kind, patient, and adaptable during the renewal. You've really grown. Your parents and teachers and big brothers and sisters on Earth are all proud of you too.
29. Thank you, children! I'm your big happy Father in Heaven! You have made Me so happy. I'm going to continue to give you lots of love‚ and fun things, and gifts and blessings, and the special things you enjoyed during the renewal, because I love you so much.
30. Keep being obedient. Keep learning new things. Keep spending time with Me. Keep praising and using the keys. Keep doing all of the fun, new things you did during the renewal‚ so that I can continue to bless you. Keep up the good work! You're doing great! Congratulations for a job well done! You passed the renewal grade with honors! (End of message.)
31. (Jesus:) You, My JETTs and junior teens, are tops in My books! The renewal was a big test for many of you, and a difficult one, but you passed it. I commend you for learning to trust Me, to obey Me, and to praise Me even when things were rough. I commend you for growing up, for maturing in new ways. I commend you for the progress you've made, the new things you've learned and experienced, and the way you have changed.
32. You might not feel like you're much different today than you were 5½ months ago, but you can't go by how you feel. If you yielded to the renewal in your heart, then things have changed for you, even if you can't see exactly how. Things are better in your life—maybe not in ways you can clearly see, but in deeper and more important ways. For many of you the renewal was very difficult, and a big change‚ and that's why I'm so proud of you for making it through. I know better than anyone how you felt and what it took, and I'm rewarding you and will continue to reward you in the weeks and months to come.
33. You're still learning what it means to be a disciple. Many of you are still deciding if you even want to be a disciple. But hopefully now you have a bit more of an idea of what the life of a disciple is like, and you either want it or you don't. If you want it, My advice to you is: Go for it with all of your might and energy and strength and zeal! If you want to be a disciple, you're now more securely on the path of My service, and if you keep up the momentum and continue going in the same direction you're heading now, you'll have extra spiritual power to get to your destination.
34. If you're in the race toward discipleship, the revolutionary racer of your life can now get a major turbo boost in the right direction. If you're on the track, if you're going to be a "racer" in My Family, then "floor it" with your spiritual gas now and you'll go far. You are a capable driver, able to be trained and instructed. You have a vehicle. I've directed you to the race track. Now all you need to do is drive like crazy and win the race! If the destination you're aiming for is discipleship, then the revolutionary racer will get you there. You're on the right track; you're going to be a winner!
35. Your post-renewal life, and the new year of strengthening that lies ahead, will be what you make it. Do you want it to be fun, challenging, and cool? Then make it happen! Do you want it to be the best year of your life? Then make it so! Do you want to go places, do things, and be a world-changer? Then do whatever it takes to reach your goals.
36. I'm at your side. I'm with you, and I've got in My hands all you'll ever need to be happy and fulfilled and active in your service for Me. I don't just have the things that will satisfy the adults or the little children. I have exactly what you need, precisely what you want, and specifically what you desire. I'm the God for all ages‚ the Provider of every need, and I am concerned and care about you. You are important to Me. Your specific needs are My priority.
37. I need you and I want you to continue on for Me. But the question is: Do you want to continue on for Me? You're at another bend in the road‚ another point of personal decision, and I can help you to make the right choices. If you want Me in your life, if you want My help and assistance, I'll gladly give you all that I can offer you—all of My power and access to all of Heaven's treasures and answers and wisdom and ideas and revelations.
38. Let Me into your life fully. Let Me in on your personal dreams and goals, and I'll help you to fulfill them. This is My promise to you for the new year—not My promise to the adults, or your brothers or sisters, but My promise to you! Take hold of My promise. Believe My promise, and it will be so! (End of message.)
Copyright © 2004 by The Family International
(End of File)