March 7, 2005
(ML #3534, GN 1125)
FD/MM August 2004
ML #2678:8, 12-21, Lifelines 19
8. (Mama: ) We all periodically need revolutions in our lives in order to get us more on-fire, dedicated, stronger in the Lord & stronger in His Word, which makes us happier, more fulfilled & more excited about our love & service for the Lord! I'm sure you parents & adults will agree that not only do we need to spiritually strengthen our JETTs & Teens, but many of you adults need to be strengthened as well.
12. Unfortunately, the problem with many of us adults, & possibly some of you Teens too, is not so much that we didn't get the training or the strong spiritual foundation we needed.—Instead, we may have let our fire cool down somewhat, so that we don't have the verve & inspiration & enthusiasm that we should. Many of us have let the cares of this World drag us down, & the day-to-day life in some of our Homes has become monotonous & boring. We've failed to pray desperately & stand on God's Word, expecting His answers‚ so the Lord hasn't been able to work in our lives as much as He would like. Sad to say, many of us adults have failed to pass on the inspiration of the Spirit & the excitement of living for Jesus to you JETTs & Teens.
13. But this has got to change! We adults need to shake out of our spiritual ruts & our hum–drum, business-as-usual, "Oh, what a weariness" attitude, & regain the joy of the Lord‚ the joy of our Salvation! We all need to heed this call to arms! We must rally together against the attacks that the Enemy has been waging against us. We need to fight side-by-side, no matter what our age or how long we've been in the Family. We're all co-workers, soldiers in the Lord's army, & when the battle cry sounds, we have to fight side-by-side whether we're 13, 25 or 40 years old! Age doesn't matter! We're all serving the same Commander-in–Chief, & we must all be in shape spiritually to fight the Enemy together.
14. Most of us adults know what it means to be on-fire & sold out for Jesus! We know what it's like when we're really living our life to the full for Him! Seeing the Lord move & miraculously answer prayer should stir our souls! Seeing the message get out & souls won should thrill our hearts! Fighting & overcoming the Enemy & winning victories in our spiritual lives should make us shout for joy! Stirring ourselves up in desperate prayer together & hearing the Lord speak in prophecy should fill us to overflowing! Praising the Lord together in song & dance should revive our spirits! Swimming in the cool waters of His Word & memorizing & quoting the Word together should feed our souls! And every one of us should be experiencing these ecstasies of the Spirit together as a Home & in our personal walk with the Lord every day!—And if you're not, then you need this revolution!—Because this is what the Family is all about!
15. So this is the Lord's challenge to us all, every JETT, every Teen, every adult: That every one of us, right now in prayer together, dedicate ourselves to this new revolution! (Mama prays: ) Lord Jesus‚ help each one of us to commit ourselves, right now before You‚ Lord, to be totally 100% sold-out disciples!—Disciples who "lay down their lives daily," who "forsake all that they have," who have the attitude of "not my will‚ but Thine be done." Lord, we pray that each of us will determine in our heart right now that whatever it takes, whatever the cost, we'll become sold-out, on-fire disciples for You, Jesus!
16. Lord, we admit that we need a revolution!—An inspiration revolution, an enthusiasm revolution, an obedience revolution, a training revolution‚ a Word revolution, a Holy Spirit revolution—in one word, a Discipleship Revolution! We need to become fully sold–out, enthusiastic, inspired, Spirit-led‚ Word-filled disciples!—Those who follow & obey Your Words!—And because we do, Lord, we'll be empowered by Your Spirit & Your strength, & we'll see You working in our lives daily through answered prayer‚ miracles, souls won & Your Work accomplished! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
17. It's a time for each one of us to dedicate our hearts to You, Lord! It's a fighting revolution!—Where each one of us, each JETT, Teen & adult, must determine to fight the Enemy to overcome our weaknesses‚ our compromises, our double standards & our spiritual problems! Jesus, with Thy help we are going to pull out our offensive weapons‚ the sword of Thy Spirit, & cut the Enemy to the heart & overcome his attacks on us through Thy Word & prayer! This is a call to arms! This is a Revolution, & all of us need to be part of it! Lord, help each one of us to do all we can to make this Revolution a reality in our own hearts & lives & Homes.—In Jesus' name, amen. Thank You Jesus!
18. It's not going to be easy, revolutions are never easy, but it's necessary! If we're going to continue to grow & prosper as the Family, if we want to continue on as real disciples, then we must all commit ourselves to this Revolution. We must "lay aside the weights & sins that do so easily beset us."—Heb. 12:1. We must desire to obey, to be dedicated & to live the Word, the Letters. All of us can no longer just preach the message, we must live it, every day! We must overcome the stumbling blocks & compromises that the Enemy has put in our way.
19. We must remember we are soldiers, & when soldiers are part of an army, whether they're 40 years old or 15 years old‚ they still have to obey the same rules. A soldier, when given a command‚ cannot say, "Sorry, I can't follow that command because I'm 40 years old." No, he follows it because it's a command, he obeys because he's a soldier.—And we adults need to have that same attitude.
20. If we expect you JETTs & Teens to be inspired & obedient & on-fire, then we should expect the same of ourselves. This is what this Revolution is about—that we cry out to the Lord to re-inspire us, re-ignite our fire & that we begin to see ourselves—all of us, JETTs, Teens & adults—as one, as a strong united force, sold-out & on the attack, obeying together, working together‚ praying together, being inspired together‚ being enthusiastic together, & marching on to victory together.
21. This call to arms is for you! "Lead on, O King Eternal, the day of march has come!" PTL! Are you with us? Are you willing to revolute‚ to change? Are you willing to be the disciple that Jesus wants you to be? If you are, He'll bless you beyond measure. He'll give you thrills of the Spirit like never before & He will bless you abundantly!
ML #3002:76-95, Lifelines 22
76. (Mama:) Our Family was built on the Word, and in the early days virtually every spare moment you were praying or quoting a verse. No matter what activity you were doing, you were probably quoting verses or singing or praising the Lord. Isn't that right? (Family: Yes, that's right!) (Peter: You hardly ever even talked to anyone without quoting verses and talking about the Lord or sharing some testimony!) (Mama: ) Well, we can't go back to doing things exactly the same way as we did then, but we certainly shouldn't ever belittle or look down on that time. That was where our early disciples got their foundation in the Word and a strong connection with the Lord, which has kept them through some very rough times over the years. I believe we have lost something very important as we have gotten further and further away from that with so little emphasis on sharing the Word with each other and praying together at every opportunity and making our praises heard, in song and otherwise, frequently throughout the day.
77. Apparently it didn't take very long to get away from it. Gabe was telling me that it happened quite early on in some of the Homes he was in, and it's really sad. (Gabe: Praising the Lord was not the "in" thing to do any more—it was "out." If someone would say "praise the Lord" or "hallelujah," people would say he was trying to be better than others and he was an old bottle. Then Caleb, who was the top leader in the area, came around visiting the Homes—I think he had just been with Dad—and he was praising the Lord and speaking in tongues‚ and people looked at him like‚ "He's an old bottle"—when he was a new bottle and we were the old bottles! It was sad how the Enemy crept in and influenced people to have this attitude that made them look down on people who praised the Lord and shouted "hallelujah!") (Mama:) That's really tragic.
78. (Peter: It's still that way today. People are still being negatively labeled as "spiritual." I guess being spiritual has gotten a wrong connotation—maybe because it was people who were self-righteous and letter of the law who were trying to show off their "spirituality." But when I came in and saw you praising the Lord, I didn't think, "Look how Mama is trying to impress me. Here she is again, praising the Lord. Doesn't she ever stop? What's she trying to do, show me how spiritual she is?" I knew she was just doing it as unto the Lord and not unto men.
79. (In some of those prophecies at the Summit where the Lord said to, "Put your 'do not disturb' sign out, take your intercom off the hook, turn off your computer and get close to Me," He also said‚ "Don't fear the opinions of man when you're doing these things." Apparently He knows He needs to help us to have the conviction to obey Him in spite of what others think of us when we say, "let's praise" or "let's stop to pray." Unfortunately, some of our young people and even older people look down on those who are trying to get close to the Lord and outwardly praying and praising. They almost ridicule those who they feel are trying to be "spiritual." How sad that in our Family we can't communicate with the Lord openly for fear of being thought of as weird.
80. (It's a little bit like the prophecy about the garment in the closet that's not that well worn and we've got to get it "in vogue" again. We've got to say, "This is the garment we all need to wear because now it's in fashion," and make it a little more fashionable.) (Mama: ) That was the garment of prophecy that the Lord was talking about, and like Peter says, the Lord could just as well have said the garment of praise. That's a verse, isn't it? (Fam: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" [Isa.61:3].)
The Enemy Hates Prayer and Praise and Fights It!
81. (Mama:) It's very sad that the Lord has to say over and over, "Don't be afraid of the opinions of men!" All of us living together in a Home is very humbling in many ways, and many things we do are humbling to us. I had the same test tonight. I had to make a decision. I thought, "Well, if I sing and praise the Lord and Peter walks in on me, that's going to be humbling and I'm going to feel awkward." But then I thought, "Why would I feel awkward?" So I had to make two decisions. First of all, I had to ask myself, "Who am I trying to please, the Lord or Peter? Who is the most important to me?" And then I had to say, "If I'm going to choose between doing the humbling thing or the proud thing, what is the humbling thing to do? If it's going to humble me, then that's what I should do!" So I had to make two decisions, and if I say the Lord is the most important to me‚ then I'm going to do the humbling thing because I want His blessing and I want to do the thing that He said will please Him.
82. But why is that humbling? Why should it be humbling? We have to remember that our warfare is in the heavenlies. What is that verse? (Gary: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities‚ against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" [Eph.6:12].) (Mama:) Right, it's the spiritual forces, the evil forces of the Enemy that are always there trying to tell us these things. Often when I feel something is humbling‚ I don't even know why it's humbling.
83. If you feel awkward or embarrassed when someone sees you praising the Lord or praying, you know these are feelings put there by the Enemy. He is trying to defeat the great blessing that it will bring you when you praise and love the Lord, and he is trying to defeat the blessing that it will bring others who will be encouraged to do the same. When I hear someone praising the Lord I think, "Thank You Jesus! They're taking time to acknowledge You and to thank You. I know that is pleasing to You, and I know You're going to bless them for it!"
84. I'm so thankful when I know any of you are praying! If you have a sign on your door that says, "Praying, please do not disturb," that will thrill me! Because the more we pray, the more I know we're connected to the Lord‚ and the more I know He's going to bless us, and the more I know that we're going to be okay. So the Enemy, knowing how important it is—not only that we do it, but that we show others that we're doing it—does all he can to fight against us doing it.
85. We may be praying, and the Lord knows we are, but it might benefit others if they knew as well. If you hear that someone has been praying, you should thank God they have been. If some people get proud and lifted up about it‚ the Lord can humble them. We need to have some positive peer pressure for prayer and praising because we've had so much of the negative peer pressure against it.
86. Going into your closet and shutting the door and not letting anyone know has its place. However‚ in our busy Homes it's pretty difficult to do that with everyone knowing what you're doing. But there is certainly nothing to be ashamed of in letting people know that we are communicating with the Lord and that we are in touch with the Lord and are hearing from the Lord. Our testimony of praying and praising is important, because people need to know that someone is doing it. We've had so much negative peer pressure not to do it in thinking that it's self-righteous or it's hypocritical or whatever reasons the Devil told people that they shouldn't praise the Lord and they shouldn't pray or they shouldn't let anybody know about it.
87. When you write and say‚ "I was praying and reading the Word and the Lord gave me this," I think‚ "Thank You Jesus, it's wonderful! I'm so thankful we have people who are spiritual and who are hearing from the Lord." For goodness sake, what are we doing in this Family if we're not hearing from the Lord, if we're not praying, if we're not connected and in tune with the Lord, if we're not getting in the Word?
Talk About the Word!
88. Come to dinner and tell everyone what Word you read today, and talk about it and tell what you got out of it. We read "Old Bottles" (ML #242) the day before yesterday, and the day before that we read "Come On Ma, Burn Your Bra" (ML #286). If you need to wear a bra, don't let this scare you. There were times when Dad suggested that our women with large breasts wear them‚ especially when they had to be out in the System in hot countries wearing very light, thin tops. He also realized it was much more comfortable for some women to wear them. The point he was bringing out, however‚ was that we women shouldn't be wearing bras just because we're ashamed of our bodies, afraid of what people would think if we don't, or just because we want to conform to the System!
89. The message of that Letter is just tremendous! It's for today! It's wonderful. What was the other one we read? (Peter: "One Wife" [ML #249].) That's another one that's just perfect for today. (Peter: And we also read "Other Sheep" [ML #167].) Yes, almost every Letter is just as applicable today, if not more applicable than it was before! When you read the MO Letters now, you'll get more than you ever got out of them! They just get newer and fresher all the time. (Fam: Like Dad said, we're closer to Jesus than His disciples were. So in a way, we're closer to Dad now than when he was here, through his Words.) (Mama:) Yes, they come more alive than ever. Thank You Jesus!
90. The Lord recently said, "Some of the things that are in the Words of David that David told you when he was with you many years ago, I'm just now taking the veil off of them. You didn't understand them before, but now you will understand them." Evidently it wasn't His time that we understand them fully, but now we are beginning to understand them even more fully than we did before. So they're still good! Just because they were written 24 years ago or 22 years ago doesn't mean that they're not good for today. The Words of David are the Lord's Words‚ and they're just as good if not better for today, and just as applicable for today as they were before.
91. In your conversations with other Family members, you can tell them what you've read, what it means to you, and what you've gotten out of it. You could share what you've done in your private devotions, which might help other people have more effective and fruitful devotions. You can talk about how you got thrilled and filled with the Words and the seeds, and all the ways you learned to pray, or the new ways that you prayed, the new verses you ran across.
92. In one of the recent prophecies the Lord said to pray the Psalms, and we were doing that the other day for our devotions. We were taking some of the Psalms and going verse by verse, praying them. For instance, after the verse, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise," we prayed, "Lord, we enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and into Your courts with praise." Then the next one might say‚ "The little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing" (Psa. 65:12,13). And we'd say, "Thank You Jesus, we shout for joy at all the wonderful things You've done!" We either repeat the verse as a prayer to the Lord, or we change it to make it into a prayer to the Lord‚ or we apply it in some way.
93. There are so many ways we can thank the Lord and praise Him. Singing in tongues is beautiful. I think I told you in our last meeting that one time I heard a whole group of people singing in tongues together. It was just beautiful! They were all singing their own tongues, but it blended and harmonized beautifully!
94. We shouldn't make prayer and praise a private, exclusive little thing that everybody is ashamed of or figures should be something that you don't say anything about. We need to bring it out and tell other people and make it a sample, make it a blessing to others. Do you agree? (Family: Yes!) Thank You Jesus! It's a blessing to others to know specifics. Doesn't it help you when we all testify of how we read the Word and how we prayed and praised the Lord? Remember how we've made a point to put in the pubs different ways to pray? Well, now let's start testifying about the different ways to praise the Lord and to worship Him. Thank You Jesus!
95. So all that to say that Peter and I do a lot of praising and praying too, and the Lord said that it was especially important for us to do a lot of it! That's our particular calling and our job right now. However, you each should do as much as you can in your particular situations too. First of all, you may want to identify things you don't have to do—things that aren't really necessary—so you can take that time to spend with Jesus. And if you can't stop everything to pray or praise or read the Word more than in your regular scheduled times, you can still ask Him to help you be conscious of all the spare moments throughout the day when you can send up prayers and praises while you're doing other things.—For example‚ when you have to go to the bathroom, or while you're traveling back and forth, or getting dressed, or eating, or on get-out. In this way you can be in regular communication with the Lord and praising Him and asking for His help for yourself and for others.
ML #3262:252–264, GN 863
252. (Jesus speaking: ) I'm not asking that you go totally back to the beginning, totally back to the way things were in the beginning in every physical way. Just because they ate stale donuts as their main food staple, that doesn't mean that you have to do that today. Just because they wore hippie clothes and had long hair, that doesn't mean that you have to do that today.
253. Just because they all slept on the floor together in one room, that doesn't mean that you have to do that today. Just because they sometimes didn't have showers for days, it doesn't mean that you have to do that today. Just because they didn't have tape recorders, video machines, computers or other equipment, it doesn't mean you have to forsake all of that.
254. It's a new day and things have changed very drastically in the physical, but what I'm talking about is the spiritual. You've got to have the same spirit of dedication and commitment that the first disciples did. I desire to see the same inspiration and enthusiasm about serving Me and living for Me that those in the early days possessed.
255. I don't mean for you to give up everything that I've supplied for you. I don't mean for you to forsake watching movies or eating decent food or having showers or listening to music. But the question you have to ask yourself is, “Would I be willing to give all of that up if the Lord asked me to?” If your answer is yes, if you would drop everything if I asked it of you‚ then that's a safe attitude to have‚ a godly attitude.
256. It's when these things that I've blessed you with begin to take My place, or when you put more of an emphasis on them than on Me, that you're headed for danger. If you'd always rather watch a movie than spend time loving Me, then that's a danger sign. Maybe you can consider refraining from watching movies for a time until you get back to Me, your First Love.
257. If you'd always rather play a computer game than spend time with Me, then that's a danger sign. If you worship your computer games more than you worship Me, then you'd better forsake them, at least for a time. That's getting back to the beginning for you.
258. If you put anything in first place before Me and My Word, if you consistently—in fact, almost all the time—enjoy other things more than you enjoy Me, then that's a danger sign. You need to get back to the basics, back to the beginning‚ back to the beauties of loving Me and being on-fire for Me. That's what I'm talking about.
259. I'm talking about that revolutionary spirit, that do-or-die spirit! I'm talking about being drunk on the Spirit! Yes, I can allow you to watch movies or do whatever it is that you enjoy, but if you put that before Me or you always like it more than you like spending time with Me, then that's the time to forsake it, at least for a while, and get back to your First Love.
260. What do you spend your free time doing? When it's time to relax, what do you find relaxing? Is your picture of rest and relaxation sitting down to watch a movie? If it is, then that's fine and it has its place. But would you always rather sit down in front of worldly actors doing worldly things than be with Me? If so, then that's where the danger lies.
261. I'm a jealous God and I will have no other gods before Me. So many things of this world have become idols in the eyes of many Family members. They put the god of the world, the god of entertainment, movies, money and fun before Me‚ their one true Love. This is an abomination unto Me. It grieves My heart.
262. Though I have tried to remove these idols of the world one by one, through the Word I've been pouring forth, many have not heeded My desperate pleading. And so, since they have not allowed Me to remove these hindrances of the world, I have to smash the idols and destroy them all. All those who want Me and love Me will have to let Me smash the idols. I am the one true God; I am a jealous God, and I will have no other gods before Me.
263. Let this be a warning to you. Let this “Shakeup” message sober you up and remind you that your place in My Endtime army is not guaranteed. To ensure your survival and to ensure your fulfillment of My plan, you have to desperately want it. You have to want Me more than anything else.
264. If there comes a time when you realize that something in your life is more important to you than Me, then you should right away, without delay, forsake it. Only by putting Me first and keeping Me in first place above everything else—your desires, your ambitions, your work, your relationships‚ your fun and entertainment—will you keep that revolutionary spirit, that “I-could-lose-the-whole-world-cause-I-have-Jesus” heart, soul and spirit. (End of message from Jesus.)
ML #3277:82-92, GN 880
Be Like a Babe!
82. (Mama:) This next message was received when we asked the Lord to explain the difference in the spirit between the progress that a new babe in the Family is able to make—immediate, monumental strides of spiritual progress and growth—compared to the difficulty that some established Family members face when they need to make spiritual progress. The Lord’s answer is very interesting and should make you want to pray desperately to continually be as a babe in the spirit—hungry for the Lord’s Spirit, truth and Words‚ and desirous of change and progress, knowing that without Him we know nothing. Lord help us all!
83. (Jesus speaking: ) Those who join the Family make a commitment to forsake all. They forsake all in the spirit and they manifest that commitment in the physical by joining the Family and serving Me full-time. It’s an act of dedication and of leaving the old behind and going forward with My will. They actually sever all ties with the old; they forsake all and put themselves in a position to do My will. Even bad habits from the world can be miraculously overcome quickly because of their decision to forsake everything, to yield completely to My will for their lives.
84. Many have been delivered from bad attitudes and bad habits, because their desire is toward Me, their will is on My side, and I can deliver them speedily. They hunger and thirst after My Spirit, and desire the peace and fulfillment of being in My perfect will. It’s easier in some ways for a new disciple who joins the Family to overcome bad attitudes or habits quickly than it is for an unyielded Family member who’s been in the Family for some time.
85. The new disciple has no preconceived ideas, no plans of his own, but is open to Me, open to My will‚ and wants to progress and move forward‚ not regarding the sacrifice it will be or how much it will cost. They’re willing to give up everything, to give up even their own desires in order to please Me. They have battles and struggles, but they’re willing to learn and overcome.
86. For the Family member who has become unyielded in some area of their life and has developed bad habits or attitudes and is somewhat backslidden in heart, it’s more difficult to get back on board without a complete forsaking and renewal of their dedication to Me. Those bad attitudes, those things that hold them back from getting on board one hundred percent‚ are because of their unyieldedness. The more unyielded you are, the more difficult it becomes to yield. The new disciple usually thrives on learning to be yielded; it’s a thrill and excitement in the spirit to them. They love to please Me, to do anything for Me, to give and give and sacrifice. They have faith that I love them and will take care of them and that I know best.
87. The established Family member who has allowed himself to get to the point that he’s having difficulty yielding and getting on board one hundred percent has a much greater battle because he has to overcome months or years of being unyielded. Unlike the new babe, he has known My will and My Word and has chosen not to do it or to obey it in some way, whether great or small, and the resistance has built up a spiritual callus to My voice. It’s taken time to get to the point of being so unyielded in spirit, and all that unyieldedness has taken a toll on his spiritual life‚ and it’s a much greater struggle for him to overcome and give his all once again.
88. The easier road is to keep yielding in the little and big things along the way, to continue yielding, forsaking, giving your all to Me. Once you hold back and resist and let yourself become unyielded in this thing and that thing, you can get to the point that you have a very big struggle to overcome bad attitudes. This is why some people backslide completely and leave the Family, because they just can’t yield and do things My way. They’re so hardened in their own ways and desires that they’re no longer able to yield to the new moves of My Spirit.
89. If you as an established Family member feel the need for some spiritual progress in your life, think of how the new babe is when he joins, and make an effort to be like that in the spirit. Yield yourself to Me completely. Make the decision that you’ll leave all your old trips behind. Be open to whatever I might tell you through the Word, through your shepherds, through prophecy. Pray for that desperation in the spirit to learn. Ask Me to restore the joy of your salvation‚ and the great thankfulness for your Family‚ for the love I’ve blessed you with, for a life of meaningful service!
90. Getting back to the basics in the spirit will help you to make progress like nothing else can—because getting back to the basics means stripping away all the frills and remembering why you’re in the Family, what your purpose and goal is in living for Me. Reminding yourself that you’re here just for Me—not for a position or a title, not for a favored ministry, not for the comforts of life, not for any other reason than that you love Me, you heard My call in your heart and want to serve Me—will open you up spiritually to all that I have for you to learn. It will renew your desire to be close to Me. It will give you more faith to obey‚ because you won’t be so concerned about what you stand to lose. You’ll remember that with Me, you have gained all things, and that anything else on top of that is in My hands—to give or take as I will. Getting back to the basics in the spirit is the healthiest thing you can do for your spirit and your spiritual growth.
91. So pray that I will keep you soft and flowing with the power of My Spirit‚ like a new babe. Fight to remain excited about the moves of My Spirit, the way I’m leading. You must let Me keep you fresh and flexible in spirit by yielding to Me and doing things My way, and not having any preconceived ideas of your own about the way things should be. Fight to be humble, to be little in your own eyes, and continue to give Me the credit and glory for everything. Just like the babe who first joins the Family and feels he knows nothing and is nothing can overcome great obstacles in his spiritual life and make quick progress, so will you if you put yourself in that position spiritually.
92. If you’re an established Family member who’s having trouble yielding to the moves of My Spirit, if you’ll just become little in your own eyes, humble, and willing to be made yielded, you can make quick progress. I will move through you and help you to be what you need to be, but you must give Me all the pieces to work with, all of your heart, your mind, your body. Lay your will on the altar and let Me lead the way. (End of message from Jesus)
ML #3364:34, 85-104, GN 960
34. The Lord wants the Family to look a whole lot more like it used to as far as dedication, full-time service, unity‚ communal living, having all things in common, witnessing full-time, living by faith, home schooling our children, etc. We're the only ones doing it, and the Lord is determined to preserve that sample. In fact‚ the need to preserve that sample is the main reason the Lord will allow suffering, persecution, and more detractors to test and try you, so that all of you who need to will make some decisions—either to get right with Him and live as you should, or to find a life that is more suited to you, either in a different circle of the Family or in the System.
85. (Dad speaking:) This Family began as the Revolution for Jesus! We weren't church folks or namby–pamby spineless noodles for Jesus; we were radical, dropped-out revolutionaries who wanted to change the world for Jesus—and we still do! And you don't change the world by becoming just another church, just preaching Jesus and salvation. We started off by preaching the full Gospel, everything Jesus said, and not only preaching it‚ but living it full time.
86. That's what made us news around the world and why we hit the headlines in nation after nation! We were different, we were news‚ and the Lord's message made news! Even if the media sometimes twisted it and misrepresented us, nevertheless the Gospel was preached!
87. We weren't your normal meek and mild little Christians who drifted along, witnessing a little here or there when we had time—the silent majority, who have never made a sound, never changed a jot or a tittle, never sank so low or rose so high‚ never made a mark, never made any impression, so you never even knew they ever existed! We were fiery‚ fervent followers of Jesus, and still are. We don't believe in being conformed to the world but in being transformed! We believe in offering our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, which is just our reasonable service after all the Lord has done for us!
88. You may say, "Well, Dad, those days of the Revolution for Jesus are sort of past now‚ aren't they? That was the sixties and seventies. Aren't we the Family now, and aren't we a little more mainstream, so shouldn't we have doctrines that are a little more mainstream?"
89. Let me ask you a question: What does the Family stand for? It's short for the Family of Love, a Family that was born in the white-hot fires of the FF Revolution! That's another revolution that changed tens of thousands of lives around the world and spread our message—God's message—further than we could have ever imagined! We don't FF anymore‚ but that's the revolution that gave us our present name, won multitudes of souls‚ and made God's love news in hundreds of news articles around the world!
90. Now we witness the Word instead of FFing, and that's a revolution too, because it's not just the Old Wine of the Bible; it also includes all the New Wine the Lord has given us over the years. As we've obeyed His Word to the best of our ability, He's given us revelation after revelation, showing us what His Word really meant‚ from our earliest days up to the present.
91. He's shown us the best way to reach the world is to live together in unity, having all things in common, and distributing our belongings to each man or woman as they have need. He's shown us that He meant it literally when He said we should love Him with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, and that all the law hangs on these two commandments—His Law of Love! He's shown us that we can live this Law of Love in every way, even sexually, for you who are of age. He's shown us that we are literally the Bride of Christ, and that He's our Husband, and we can love Him intimately. He's shown us that we really are in the Last Days‚ and that time is short and we need to redeem it and do His work while we still can! He's given us the keys of the Kingdom and is teaching us how to use them to harness the greatest power in the universe!
92. So we're still a Revolution for Jesus—not some sort of reformation or revival, much less a church service for Jesus! God has called us out of the church system to work full time for Him, to believe fully in His Word, and to give our hundred percent to living it and preaching it. That's revolutionary, and that's what's kept us from drifting back into the System and becoming just another ho-hum, do–nothing church, even one that might have thousands of members.
93. We're different, and that's why we can accomplish so much, and why people are attracted to our message. We're different‚ and that's why we must remain dropped out rather than settling back into the mire and morass of the mainstream along with the flotsam and jetsam of "normality." We're different because we're God's new Church, His new Bride‚ not His old Church!
94. Now I know it's hard being different sometimes, and we get some bad publicity and persecution for it. But if we didn't, I'd be worried! After all, Jesus said He's chosen you out of the world, so the world often hates you, just as it hated Him. Well, thank God the world isn't your friend, because that would be enmity with God. If you find yourself wanting to become the friend of the world, you may be on your way to becoming the enemy of God. That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination to God. That's God's Word and warning—pretty revolutionary, huh?
95. There's a lot in the Word that's revolutionary, and we believe in it and follow it and do it, and people know we do. People who know the Family at all should know that we stand for all-out, full-time dedication to Jesus. They may not always agree with what we do and say‚ but they know what we stand for, and if we weren't willing to stand up for our beliefs, they'd figure we didn't believe in them very strongly—and that they weren't really worth believing in the first place!
96. Not only that‚ but the Lord Himself would be ashamed of us, because we're ashamed of His Word, the truth He's given us over the years. He was willing to give everything for you, to live and die for you, and yet you're ashamed of His Word and don't want to preach it or stand up for it because it's a little controversial and sometimes people are stumbled by it.
97. Well, let me tell you, if you're not willing to preach His Word—all of His Word—the Lord will see to it that it gets preached anyway, even if He has to find someone else to do so! I'm not saying that you should run down the streets proclaiming that you're the bride of Christ or start talking about the sexual aspects of the Law of Love with the next passer-by. But if you're ashamed of these doctrines or want to sort of sweep them under the carpet with your long–term friends and contacts and even new disciples, you can be sure that "there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed." The truth will come out, whether it's in the form of a news article, slander from your enemies, a comment from someone else who's known you a long time‚ etc. Then how will you feel for having tried to cover it up, and how will your friends, contacts, or new disciples feel about you?
98. The words the Lord has given us over the years are His words, and they're what make us the Family we are. In your efforts to make us look more presentable or attractive or to sort of modernize the Family, watch out that you don't weaken the structure. Remember "Builders Beware!" When you start carrying out the bags of grain for some reason—any of our doctrines that you feel are maybe a little controversial, a bit too radical, inconvenient, things that need toning down or tossing out or whatever—then you're in trouble! Those words, those bags of grain, are what keep the building on its foundation—steady, stable, sturdy and strong! Builders beware!
99. It would do some of you good to dig into those bags of grain that keep us on a firm foundation and remind yourself of what's in there! When's the last time you read "Dropouts" or "God's Explosions" or even looked through "Revolution for Jesus" in the MOP? You're wondering why we can't be a little more conventional and "normal" in our life and outreach? When's the last time you read "Did God Make a Mistake?" or "Jesus People?—Or Revolution!" or dozens of other Letters along the same lines! Those Letters have not been superseded by the Charter. The Charter is built on the Word, and they're the Word too!
100. And you know what? Most of the Letters I just mentioned are GP, along with hundreds of other early Letters. I not only told the Family what God had shown us, but I told the world, and the youth of the world loved it, and so did many of the public! The Letters went like hotcakes, and you still meet people who remember you and your message from those days. They write you at your e-mail address; they see your Web site, and they're just thrilled that the Family is still around‚ still going‚ still witnessing the same things!
101. So I was faithful to preach and to live what God showed me. I was faithful to the message and the Man, the Son of God, and that's what started the Family. Will you be faithful too? Will you keep going for Jesus‚ bold and brave and unafraid, committed to His Word‚ His truth, His message? I hope you will. I pray you will. You don't want to miss His "Well done, good and faithful servant," nor His standing to receive you at His throne, telling His Father and all the angels of Heaven that‚ "This is one of My faithful witnesses who loves Me and was not ashamed of My Word. Come, dear bride, and inherit the Kingdom that I have prepared for you from the foundation of the world!" Hallelujah! (End of message from Dad)
102. (Mama:) Thank God for Dad's faithfulness to preach and teach and live the full Word of God! That's why we have a Family, why millions upon millions of people have heard about Jesus, and why 25 million of them have received Him and will live forever with us in Heaven! Here are a few quotes from some of those Letters that Dad mentioned:
Revolutionary Quotes
From the Early Letters
History is a record of nothing but dropouts—because they're the only ones that made news! There was nothing new about the rest of the people—the System robots who followed the party line—the conformists and conventionalists that nobody ever heard of! It was the nonconformists, unconventionalists, individualists‚ iconoclasts, rejects, and dropouts who really made history! You'd better believe it! So if you want to make history, just be a dropout! If you want to sink into the oblivion of the forgotten man, conform to the System! ("Dropouts IV," ML #34:22-23).
*
To Hell with the proper way! The proper way is of man! The unexpected and the improper, the unconventional and untraditional, the unorthodox and unceremonious, contrary to man's natural expectation—this is the way God usually works! "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways‚ and My thoughts than your thoughts!" (Isa.55:8, 9). Who can know the mind of the Lord, and who can show Him anything?
Who the hell do you think you are, anyway, to tell God what to do and how to do it? God knows His business and it's none of your business how He does it! So quit trying to tell Him how He ought to do it! "Now, Lord, You must do it this way or that way, so we'll be accepted and people will understand." … Just trust God that He knows what He's doing! "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Pro.3:5,6). ("Did God Make a Mistake?" ML #35:13-15.)
103. (Mama:) Here's a real classic‚ one of my favorites, which, by the way, was printed in 1973 and classified GP—that is, for the general public!
Jesus Himself said He had to pour His very New Wine into very new bottles who could expand their receptivity sufficiently to take it, accommodate it, and even rejoice in it, for it spoke their language and helped Him to reach the drunks and the harlots and the publicans and sinners and the radical young zealots with whom He associated. It also proved He was not part of the System and was not bound by its conventions, inhibitions and prejudices. ...
A revolution is a total break with the traditions of man and his churches and his preconceived ideas about God and misconceptions of morality. We have turned completely around and are going a different direction, no longer man's way but God's way, and we are free to enjoy to the full the beauties and wonders of His creation with all of its pleasures, which He Himself created for our enjoyment.
This is no day for the weak and the fearful and those who are unable to bear the many more things that God now has to say to us in these Last Days when He must tell us the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God!
I'm sorry, but the revolution did not begin with our trying to please people and giving them only what they were able to believe and accept. ... If you are not young enough in spirit, pliable enough, resilient enough, and elastic enough to expand your vision and faith to accommodate this New Wine of the Lord‚ you will certainly be unable to take what's coming, and your vessel now shaken will be truly shattered! …
If naked truth bothers you, you are definitely an old bottle and had better avoid the crash! But if you can accommodate this New Wine without asking why or trying to analyze its ingredients, God has such thrills and intoxication of the Spirit in store for you that you will be glad you drank it without question, and you'll be whisked off into a world which you never dreamed existed, where you'll enjoy the very wonders of total intimacy with a sexy, naked God Himself in a wild orgy of the Spirit as His totally surrendered Bride!
Otherwise, you're like the old church, an old bottle, cracked‚ broken‚ useless, and doomed to abandonment and oblivion! May God help you to know where you belong!
P.S. Remember the warning Jesus gave to some: "I would that ye were hot or cold, but because ye are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth!" Halfway, half-hearted‚ half-baked disciples make God sick at His stomach! Please don't be one of them! It were better that you had never heard the truth than to have heard and gone back! God says, "My soul abhorreth him that turneth back!" Cut loose and come on! (From "Come on, Ma, Burn Your Bra!" ML #286:3-5,13,14,18,23,24,27.)
104. (Mama:) And the Family hasn't changed in being a Revolution for Jesus, even though Dad has passed on. We still believe in the Word, all of it, and that inevitably makes us different. As I said several years ago, right after Dad's Heavenly Homegoing: "We can never be only a missionary organization doing relief work and 'Consider the Poor' ministries. We are believers in sex, prophets of the End, portrayers of Heaven, separatists from the world, destroyers of darkness, and fighters for the truth! And in all these‚ beloved, we are preachers of the Gospel and lovers and winners of souls. And it is because of all of these other things that we are the successful missionary organization we are today" ("Why We 'Preached Sex' in the Press Release Announcing Dad's Homegoing!" ML #2957:13, Lifelines 21).
ML #3450:142-154, GN 1040
142. (Question:) Why is it that it's so hard for me, or should I say that I so dislike, to pray in public? I try to pray sometimes, but I'm certainly not one of the ones who always jumps in first. It's not that I'm shy, but it sure never feels comfortable. And when I think about it‚ I feel worse for other people than myself. At least if it's my turn or I'm asked to pray I'm not painfully shy‚ whereas some people actually are.
143. (Jesus:) It's pride that holds you back from praying and entering more into spiritual things in general. You're not really shy or nervous per se about speaking in front of people in general.
144. With prayer, you do feel it's a little more "risky‚" because prayer is something spiritual and sacred and you want it to sound "right," and it would be far more embarrassing for you to pray a weird–sounding prayer than to make a weird-sounding personal comment. But, just the same, it's something that you should step out more to do, and as you do, you'll gain more faith.
145. You also in general have held back from praying because you have felt that you didn't really want the reputation of being someone who's so "spiritual" and always "leading the way" in spiritual meetings and prayers. You didn't want to appear to be a "bellwether type" of person. You tried to get rid of that label or impression however you could. Well, that's something you know you need to get over. You are a spiritual being and you need to live like one. It's simply part of being a disciple.
146. Some people really are shy and it's difficult for them to step out and speak out and pray out, but I want everyone, even them, to be able to overcome this. I want it to become natural for each of you—every one of you, no matter what your personality or constitution or natural tendencies—to learn to be able to approach Me easily, freely, at any time, in any situation.
147. Whether you're with one person or a thousand, when you pray, you should just think of Me, think about the fact that you're Mine, that I want to be in close communication with you‚ that I need your prayers, that others need your prayers, so that through these prayers I might reveal My power.
148. Prayer is a wonderful and powerful and beautiful thing. It's sacred, yes, but not so sacred as to be reserved only for certain occasions. It's something you should be doing all the time, and that includes privately and publicly.
149. These are things you know, that you've heard a million times, but still you hold back from fully entering in, because of pride. You're afraid of being too "spiritual" and you also resent being pushed or nudged into anything‚ period. That part is just your contrary and stubborn nature. It's something that the Enemy uses to keep you from doing what I want you to do. It's something you need to fight.
150. Having difficulty with prayer is part of the influence of Pan. He wants you to want to be a carnal person, someone who is bold in fleshly matters but timid in spiritual ones. But I want you to come boldly before My throne of grace—whether you're coming alone or in the presence of a group.
151. Maybe you won't always like the style of the way someone leads prayer, or the delivery of someone's reading or leading of a meeting, but whether you do or you don't shouldn't be what determines your link with Me at the time. Whether a particular devotions or prayer time really "moves you" or "turns your key" should be sort of irrelevant by now.
152. It is nice when meetings are well presented, and I'm glad you can appreciate it when they are, and that you're thankful for what is put into a good presentation—and it's important that people do try, because it does make it easier for everyone to join in. But not everyone who leads every prayer meeting is going to be totally on the ball and organized and full of efficient, outstanding, stirring ideas. You're mature enough‚ you know Me well enough, that you should be able to see past that by now, and be able to enter in to the spirit even if the conditions aren't perfect—or even if you find someone's presentation very annoying. If that's how you're feeling during a prayer time, then you can know that you're looking at things too much in the flesh. You're focusing more on people's style of praying or leading prayer meetings, rather than focusing on Me, on the need at hand, and on fighting in spirit.
153. Fight Pan! Fight pride! Rebuke these two demons and foul spirits whenever you go into a prayer session. Bind them with My Spirit. Determine to enter into My Spirit despite their attempts to hold you back. You will find freedom in this. It's a real bondage to be stuck in this rut of "I don't pray in public" or "I don't speak out in public." Why not? Let your light shine before men! Don't be ashamed of Me!
154. Praying is being a witness of My Spirit and power. It's standing up and being counted as Mine. It's a public declaration of discipleship and commitment. It's a clear show of conviction. That's why your pride fights it. It's not that it's so embarrassing or that you're prone to goof, it's just that it's humbling for you to be spiritual and do anything spiritual. That's yet another sign that it's a good thing and good for you. If it's humbling, it's good for you. Do the humble thing. And I mean really do it. Fight to make it a new habit. (End of message from Jesus.)
ML #3455:270-290, GN 1039
270. (Jesus speaking: ) Listen, and you'll hear the mighty rustlings of My great tree, as I purge it to bring forth more fruit. Listen, and you'll hear the footsteps of a mighty army that I'm preparing for the future—not mighty in numbers, but mighty and strong in truth and in the power of My Spirit. I'm raising up a new church, My children, from within your very midst.
271. The old structure of Brazil will no longer stand! I will completely destroy it and build in its place a new creation! I will gather together you who will be My revolutionaries‚ who will walk through the gates of total commitment and dependence on Me‚ into the future where I will use you to reach the world, to shine brightly before all the Earth‚ to wield the keys as swords of destruction against the Enemy in the Last Days.
272. This new church will be a structure built on the solid foundation of My truth and My Word, and you who wish to be part of it must choose My ways and My Words. For if the new church is built with the remnants of the old, the ideologies of man‚ personal desires, pride, or the ways of this world, it will crumble. It must be redesigned, a completely new creation, with everything from the past, except My Word and truth‚ abolished and destroyed.
273. I'm calling to you, My children, to be part of the glorious future‚ to be part of the small but powerful army that will sweep the world and rock the nations, to be part of My new army that will win battles you've never dreamed of winning‚ to be part of an unconventional church that all the world will marvel at, saying, "These are the children of Heaven! They hold great and terrible power in their hands, and treasure priceless truths in their hearts."
274. I'm calling you to be part of My new nation, My beautiful city of purity that will be set upon My hill, whose light will never be hid or destroyed—because the light is Me‚ the light is My power, the light is My truth. I'm calling you who are willing to be despised by the world in order to be honored in My sight, you who are willing to choose the life of a revolutionary disciple, an iconoclast, a to–hell-with–the-System dropout. I'm calling you who only want My truth, My ways, My Word, My light, and My approval.
275. I'm calling you who love the world of eternity more than this present Earth that will one day be turned into a ball of raging fire when all the remnants of Satan's power will be destroyed. I'm calling those of you who want My flame of truth that separates you from the world to burn brightly in your hearts‚ and who are willing to nurture that flame, no matter what the cost or personal loss. I'm calling you to forsake your pride, independence, bitterness, worldliness, and the sins of this world, in order to embrace the jewels of My Spirit that are not dead but alive and living, and will shine and pulsate in you more brightly and brilliantly as we draw closer to the End.
276. I cannot use the proud—the great shiny knights who feel strong in themselves‚ who ride along on their high horses, trying to do battle for Me, attempting to win wars for Me, and struggling to be a part of My army, but doing it all in their own strength. They will fail. They will fall. They will not ride through to victory—not because they don't want to serve Me, but because they don't want it badly enough. They don't want to pay the full price. They don't want to forsake the things that are holding them back. They feel their own armor, their own weapons, and their own ways of doing things are enough, and that their tactics for battle will see them through. But they will fail. No tactics but Mine are sufficient.
277. I'm calling for a simple army—an army that to you will appear humble and meek, even bedraggled, grungy and weak, because then you will use the new weapons, not the tactics of your own strength. I need an army who will depend on My power‚ derive strength from My truth‚ and though small and weak in your own eyes and in the eyes of men, you will be mighty conquerors and valiant warriors in spirit.
278. I'm calling you, My children, to enlist in the most unpopular outfit you will ever see on this Earth, but the most popular and highly honored outfit according to the standards of Heaven—an army that you will be proud for all of eternity that you were a part of. The old church, the old army, the old Family will be no more. But in its place will be a new church, a new army, a new Family that will be rebuilt from scratch with the building blocks of My truth and the radical Words of My Spirit that will set it apart from the world more than ever before, but that will also draw unto Me all of My lost and hungry children in the world who are seeking answers, who hate the System and its ways, and whose hearts are dying for true revolution.
279. The church I am building today is the body of believers that will reap the great and final harvest—you who will walk through the Tribulation as My leaders and miracle workers, you who will be the greatest threat to the Enemy and his plan, the most dangerous to his agenda‚ the ones at the very top of his "hit list," because he will fear you so much. But he will not be able to touch or stop My anointed ones, My true church, My radical disciples—you who will have My truth running through your veins and pouring out like a gushing stream to all who come into your presence.
280. Be not as those who loved this present world more than the living Words from My lips, the radical truth that has been all but lost in the world today, but which I pour directly and freely into you who give Me your all. It's you who are hungry babes in spirit that I need in My army. It's the you-can-take-this-whole-world–but-give-me-nothing-but-Jesus disciples that I need in My ranks. It's you who don't give a second thought to the world and its ways, but devote all your time and energy to reading, studying, absorbing, and living My truth that will have what it takes.
281. It's those of you who are proud of being different‚ even odd and strange in the eyes of the world, because you care more about what I think than your reputation—you are the ones I need as My disciples. It's those of you who have crazy faith, the Don Quixotes like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Joshua‚ John Paul Jones, Dad, and now Mama and Peter, who are going to be the backbone of My new church. You who are willing to be beggars for God, fools for Christ, and unconventional soldiers—you're the ones who are going to win this war!
282. You don't have to be strong‚ charismatic, intellectual, powerful, or wise to be part of My new army‚ a part of My new church, a part of My called-out ones! You've just got to be weak so I can be strong in you; dumb in your own wisdom so I can give you Mine; small in your own eyes so I can exalt you; lacking in knowledge so that you live and breathe My Words of life and truth; humble so that I can use you; simple so that you'll accept My Words in faith; afraid to make a move without My approval, so that I can reveal My plans that will propel you forward with the power that only comes from obedience to Me.
283. Give Me your whole heart, your whole life, your everything, and in return you will be floored by what I will do for you. You'll never have imagined that a life lived in complete‚ 100%, revolutionary discipleship to Me could be so good, so fulfilling‚ so rewarding, so complete!
284. I'm asking you to deny yourself, to take up this cross of challenge that looks like a heavy, cumbersome, old wooden cross of little worth. But as you humble yourself beneath it and use all your strength to rise up to carry your cross for Me, along with your brothers and sisters who choose the same‚ it will be transformed into a brilliant and powerful sword, representing My power, truth, Word, anointing, and the keys of the Kingdom in these Last Days.
285. What you at first thought was a burden will be transformed into a weapon that will not only defeat the Enemy, but bring you great personal joy and fulfillment, free the captives that are ensnared‚ and cut through the brazen gates and daunting obstacles that stand in the way of progress—your personal progress, as well as the progress that will bring about My Kingdom on Earth.
286. Take the plunge! Accept the challenge! Choose to die to yourself and your own ideas and plans once and for all! Forsake the things that hold you back so that I can create in you a clean heart that will beat with My power. Wipe the slate of your life clean! Sign the blank sheet of your life and give it to Me. Burn the old and make way for the new—the beautiful, glorious, wonderful new—so that you can be a part of My Endtime ecclesia, My called-out ones, My constellation of stars that will shine brightly to pierce the eyes of the Evil One during his reign on Earth, and then be raised to shine as ensamples to all of Heaven forevermore.
287. I challenge you now to full and unflinching discipleship. Give Me your all! Allow Me to make you into the all–out disciples that I can use to create My new living church—the radical new–bottle church of the Time of the End! (End of message from Jesus.)
288. (Peter:) Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus! Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that a challenge?—The challenge to live it; the challenge to be the disciple He wants you to be, to be part of His new called-out church. We need that! We need you!
289. No matter how weak you are, no matter how bad you feel today‚ you can be part of this if you will live the Word revolution, if you will apply it to your life, if you will fight to overcome the problems in your life and these sins. If you will seek deliverance, if you will seek the forgiveness of others, and if you will pledge to yourself and to the Lord and to all of Heaven and Earth that you are going forward no matter what, you'll be able to do it! You'll be one of those disciples! Amen?
290. We need you! We love you, and we pray that you will take that stand, take that step to full, complete‚ new-bottle, New Wine discipleship. We're counting on you! God bless and keep you!
Definition: Unconditional commitment and devotion; unreserved enthusiasm; earnestness; sincerity.
* Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
* Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
* Joel 2:12a Therefore also now, saith the Lord‚ turn ye even to Me with all your heart.
* Deuteronomy 32:46‚47a And he [Moses] said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47a For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life.
* 1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.
* Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea‚ I shall observe it with my whole heart.
* Ecclesiastes 9:10a Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.
* 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
* Philippians 3:13,14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do‚ forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
* 2 Chronicles 15:12,15a And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. … 15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them.
* Psalm 9:1 I will praise Thee‚ O Lord‚ with my whole heart; I will shew forth all Thy marvelous works.
* Psalm 119:2,10 [David knew the importance of wholeheartedness.] Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. ... 10 With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. [See also verses 34‚58,69,145.]
* Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart.
* Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.
* 2 Corinthians 7:10,11 [True repentance brings on wholeheartedness for God.] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea‚ what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea‚ what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
* James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
* 2 Chronicles 25:2 And he [King Amaziah] did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart [wholeheartedly].
* Jeremiah 3:10 [The Lord sees right through halfheartedness.] Her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly [in pretense], saith the Lord.
* Hosea 10:2a Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty.
* Luke 9:57–62 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. 58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head. 59 And He said unto another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God. 61 And another also said, Lord‚ I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
* Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
* James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
* Revelation 3:15,16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.
* Deuteronomy 11:13,14 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine‚ and thine oil.
* 2 Chronicles 31:21 [King Hezekiah's wholeheartedness won him blessing and prosperity:] And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
* 1 Kings 2:4 [Old King David encourages Solomon, his son and newly crowned king of Israel‚ to serve God with all his heart and be blessed:] And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the Lord may continue His Word which He spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said He) a man on the throne of Israel.
* Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me.
* Jeremiah 32:41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.
* Galatians 4:18a But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
* Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice‚ as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ‚ doing the will of God from the heart.
* Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.
* Exodus 36:2 [Moses looked for those who were stirred up to help with the work:] And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
* Isaiah 64:7a And there is none that calleth upon Thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee.
* 2 Timothy 1:6 [Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to stir up and use his gifts for the Lord:] Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God‚ which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. [See also Romans 12:6–8.]
* 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke‚ exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
* Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke [stir up] unto love and to good works:
* 2 Peter 1:13 [Peter stirs up the Church by reminding them and giving them the vision:] Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. [See also 3:1,2.]
* 2 Chronicles 15:12,15 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. … 15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought Him with their whole desire; and He was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.
* 2 Corinthians 9:2b Your zeal hath provoked very many.
* Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.
Copyright © 2004 by The Family International
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