Maria
June 1, 2006
By Maria ML #3583 3/06
Dear Family,
1. I love you, and pray that this new "Living Word" finds you happy, healthy, and fulfilled in your service to Jesus! It's such a privilege to have this platform to be able to communicate with you and pass on some of the wonderful counsel we have received from Heaven.
2. I hope you enjoyed reading Part 1 of this series and that it was a blessing to you in some way. And I hope that you don't mind that there are quite a few parts to most of these "Living Word" Letters so far. Some of the topics that I want to address with you are big, and the Lord has given so much good counsel on them‚ and space is limited in the magazine, so I want to keep putting together more parts on the same topics.
3. I could just stick to one short Letter on a given topic, focusing on the highlights rather than doing a multi-part series, but that isn't the way I like to work. My nature is such that I like to be able to cover every topic as completely as I can; that's the way the Lord made me. I would rather err on the side of being repetitious in order to get important points across than risk not being clear enough. I also don't like you to miss out on any of the tremendous messages that our Husband has given.
4. So thanks, dear Family, for bearing with me—and not just bearing with me‚ but really delving into and enjoying the many-part series that I send your way. You will undoubtedly find that there are jewels in every part. Each message that I choose to publish for you has something unique and very special within it: important points that I want you to grasp, truth that I want you to appreciate and cling to, and practical information that you can apply to your life in some way. As you faithfully study the Word and show yourself "approved unto God," "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed‚" you will be able to "rightly divide the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
5. In this Letter, I'll start with a bit of interesting information about some of the reasons people become negative. It's good to recognize how your negativity came about—and that's something that you can ask the Lord, because such knowledge can help you to be a better fighter in overcoming it. But as you read this message, I want you to remind yourself that no matter what has caused the negativity in your life—or in the life of someone you know—you can be delivered. Whether negativity is in your nature, or the result of something bad that happened in your life, or for some other completely different reason‚ you can gain the victory!
6. This is followed by another message on the nature of negativity, and then one on self–pity. After that, there's an excellent message with practical steps for overcoming negativity, and then information from the Lord about what the new "you" will be like once you start to become a creature of positivity instead of negativity. Then we'll wrap it up with a few more stirring messages from Jesus to give you more ammunition to fight‚ and even more of His perspective. The way He sees things is so different from the way we do. Hallelujah!
7. It's wonderful to be making a concerted effort to be more positive and praiseful together with you! Let's support one another in this new endeavor‚ shall we?
8. I'll leave you with a few new key promises that you can claim:
9. Even when you feel like a total disaster, the keys will give you the supernatural faith to fight on.
10. Rebuke your own negative nature and determine to have a positive mindset, no matter how bleak your situation, and call on the keys of rise-above power and they will transform you.
11. Destroy negativity, the "poor me's," and any discouraging natural reaction with the keys, and My happiness, freedom‚ and positive spirit will fill and renew you.
12. The keys of discernment and defense will enable you to recognize any negative or discouraging thought or feeling, and the keys of praise and positiveness will empower you to leave it far behind.
Much love, Mama
13. (David:) There are reasons why negativity shows up, and why it does in some people more than others. Some people are afflicted with negativity because they are extremely gifted or sensitive in the spirit; they hear absolutely everything going on around them—both the Lord's voice and the Enemy's voice of negativity.
14. The Devil certainly doesn't like people who are sensitive to the spirit, because when God's in control of their life and heart and mind and spirit‚ it's a gift that He can use for His glory! The Enemy hates that. He hates anything good, so he tries any negative thing he can on people‚ to try them and see what button he can push to send them on a downward spiral of negativity.
15. Some people are negative because they've yielded to anger, bitterness, or doubts. So who can see anything good through that set of eyeglasses? That's why the Lord and His keys and positive light are needed to wipe the slate clean‚ so to speak, so that positive, upbeat, happy thoughts can take precedence in the person's life.
16. Some people are negative because they just can't accept the simple truth that God made them the way He wanted them. They think they know better than God. They think they would have done things better. They think that they are lacking in some way—whether they feel lacking in looks, personality, intellect, talents, or whatever—and so they have grown negative. Instead of looking at the gifts that God has given them, they choose to look at what they don't have‚ and this creates a strong negative image in their mind over time that is hard to get rid of.
17. Then there are people who have troubles with negativity because of their upbringing, influences in their lives from those around them, or through mistreatment by others. Oh, that's a sad one, because it often takes a while for people to recover from this—it doesn't have to take a while‚ but it sometimes does, because the influences from their past are so deep-rooted, and humans aren't always so quick to be willing to forsake their hurts.
18. But with the keys of love and forgiveness and gentle care, anyone can overcome negativity, see through the eyes of faith, and receive a renewed zest for life and trust in and for others. This is one of the sweetest deliverances! A person who has recovered from this form of negativity is so grateful. It's as if they have been reborn to love, to reach out and help others, spreading joy and love wherever they go.
19. (Jesus: ) Being a negative thinker is like being addicted to a drug—not just any old drug, but a really bad one that doesn't do anything good for you at all, but is simply terribly addictive. Once you've experimented and taken it, it automatically weakens your resistance to it, and it becomes a habit all too quickly. When you take the drug of negativity, every single trip is bad and pulls you further and further down into a deep, dark, slimy pit. If you don't fight the negativity and get delivered from it, you'll eventually give up and be overcome by it. But no matter how long you have lived with negativity, you can overcome it.
20. Why would anyone in their right mind let themselves get addicted to something so horrible that has no perks involved? Well, as with all of Satan's sugarcoated pills, he starts out slowly, deceitfully, and in a way that appeals to your carnal mind and supposed logic.
21. Negativity leads to a host of other spiritual and even physical problems, which is why it's such a favorite ploy of the Enemy. Lots of things hitchhike on the back of negativity—such as criticalness‚ bitterness, jealousy, discouragement, depression‚ and even physical things such as eating disorders, insomnia, etc. When you open the door to it, you also unknowingly allow a host of other wrong things in without even realizing it at first.
22. Most of My children are tempted with negativity at some time or other. There is always going to be someone around who is more talented in a certain area, or has something (no matter how small) that you wish you had. So Satan starts there, with something that is logical and truthful, and builds on it.
23. The Enemy starts so innocently; he mixes his evil temptations with bits of truth at first, and it can almost be comforting to catch a slight case of the "poor me's." Maybe there's an area you're trying to progress in, and it's difficult‚ so he plays on that. Or you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, and he'll start there. Or someone did better in their witnessing than you that day, or whatever. It doesn't take much to find a starting point to plant a negative seed in your mind, and if you don't resist it immediately, you'll find that it'll grow faster than you can keep up with, and before you know it, you've got a whole lot more problems than you bargained for.
24. And to make matters even more difficult, once you've let negativity in, you've also opened the door wide to condemnation. You know it isn't right to be negative‚ and you don't want to be that way‚ but then you get hit with, "It's too late. I'm such a failure. I've already let it in, and now I'm lost, and I'm always going to be this way." You look around, and you see that the garden of your heart is indeed a mess and full of weeds, and you figure, "Forget it!"
25. At that moment, though‚ you have to realize that as soon as you call for help and make the decision that you want to be rid of the weeds of negativity—no matter how bad your habit is, and no matter how long you have been negative—I come with My mighty axe! I will not only cut down the weeds, but I can cleanse your garden, and turn everything around into a total victory.
26. (Jesus: ) Self-pity is like a sweet. The sweet will eventually rot your teeth and rob your body, but it tastes so good, so you wonder how it could be bad. You feel you have a right to pamper yourself over this one thing—that's how it all starts. But self-pity is simply putting self above Me, or others, and not being willing to sacrifice your self for the sake of others.
27. Self-pity is pride in almost its most refined, deceptive form—just like refined white sugar. White sugar looks so white, so clean, so pure!—When in fact it is the opposite as far as your physical body is concerned. Thus is self-pity. It baits you‚ catches you, then rots away your spiritual health and happiness, and as a byproduct, snuffs out your usefulness.
28. Once somebody is addicted to sweets, it takes almost a miracle to get them off of it. Thus is negativity. And if I could say anything important about it, it is that the heart of negativity is deceptive pride in the form of self-pity or self-concern. It is this deception that is so hard for the victim to realize, which is why I say it is about the most important thing I can say about it. For if the person realizes this and really takes it to heart, then half the battle is won.
29. Negativity is a strong hold of the Enemy, and this is why it is usually hard for most people to shake it. But shake it they can, if they have the heart to do so. There is nothing stronger than Me—no power, no force, no hold, no lie. I am Truth and I burn all lies away if they get near Me. I am able to penetrate the darkest corners of one's heart, and when I do‚ I do My work there and I clean out the lies.
30. (Jesus:) Praise is, of course, the most important step. Instantly combating the Enemy's negative and derogatory thoughts about yourself with praise is the best way to send him on the run. It's one of those real "when you feel like it and when you don't feel like it"* kind of steps. You must hit back with praise for whatever it is that the Enemy is trying to make you feel bad about.
* There are two times to praise the Lord: When you feel like it, and when you don't feel like it! (MOP "Praise":1)
31. The more you praise‚ the more you're giving Me the credit for everything in your life—including the things that you're tempted to feel negative about. The more you praise, the more you realize that it's really a matter of faith and that you have to believe that I wouldn't have given you something in your life if I didn't intend for it to be in some way a blessing to you and help you to learn something important or gain a certain skill.
32. The more you credit everything in your life to My perfect wisdom and forethought‚ the less room there is for you to look on things as mistakes or defects, because if they came from Me, I'm bound by My Word to work them together for good somehow. It also makes it harder for you to bemoan those things and complain about them if I gave them to you, which is a fact that the Enemy doesn't want you to remember.
33. So the first and most important step in overcoming negativity is definitely to praise Me for the very things that you're tempted to feel so negative about. Be specific. Thank Me for every aspect and make sure that you're reinforcing to yourself that these things in their entirety came from Me, or were allowed by Me for your benefit, and that you know that I have a perfect plan and will bring a victory out of every seeming defeat if your life is yielded to Me.
34. Another important step is to forget yourself and think about others. Sometimes you'll be getting hit with negativity and negative thoughts‚ and the tendency can be to really wallow in it and allow yourself to fight a long, hard battle in your mind. Sometimes you have to go through those tough times and battle it out with the Enemy and your carnal mind until you win the victory. But at other times the answer is just to forget yourself and how bad you're feeling and how fiercely you're being attacked, and instead go do something positive that contributes to someone else's happiness despite how you're feeling.
35. Negativity about yourself is a form of selfishness and self-centeredness. If you have time to be sitting around thinking about how bad or inadequate you are, it could be a sign that you're not busy enough doing things for others or for Me. When you stop wallowing in the Enemy's mire and look for ways you can positively contribute to someone else's life, your mind is enabled to switch channels from the doom and gloom of negativity and instead look toward the sunshine of My love.
36. Forcing yourself to get up and go do something loving for someone else is a sure-fire way to shut up the Devil. Not only does it open your life to My blessings, but it also reinforces to you that there is a lot that is good and positive about you when you're allowing yourself to be used as a vessel of My love.
37. When you make someone else happy or help them with some difficulty, you can see with your own eyes that you made a positive difference and that something good happened that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. That flies in the face of the Enemy's propaganda about how worthless and useless you are.
38. Another thing that you'll want to do to ensure victory over negativity is to ask for prayer. You can ask for prayer from your shepherd, or from a loved one or a friend. But if you want to really go the distance and get some serious prayer power backing your desire to change‚ why not get united prayer? When there is a group of people uniting in prayer for you, the power which that generates really sets the Enemy back on his heels. (Now‚ some of you Active members might not be able to get a group together for united prayer‚ but if you receive prayer from whoever you can, according to your circumstances, I'll bless it.)
39. Hearing from Me in prophecy is also essential to overcoming negative thoughts about yourself. And not just hearing from Me about how to fight the battles and win the victories, but also being humble enough and having enough faith to open your channel to Me to receive My precious, intimate, and personalized words just for you about how much I love you and how greatly esteemed you are in My sight.
40. No one could ever love you more than I do. No one could ever understand you better than I do. I'm the best Friend and Lover you'll ever have—the only One in the universe that truly knows all about you and loves you just the same. It just isn't fair to deny Me the chance to tell you all the things that make you special and that I love about you, while at the same time letting the Enemy of your soul—Satan—pump your head full of every disgusting and degrading thing about yourself.
41. Open your heart and mind to My words of love for you, and it will be a great encouragement to you. Aside from precious words about how much I love and need you, I also have insight into why I have made you exactly as you are, and why I have allowed you to have the physical characteristics, personality traits, and spiritual strengths and weaknesses that you do. Letting Me explain some of these things to you can help you look at such things from a more heavenly perspective, and the increased understanding that I can give you can help you to not feel so bad about some of the things that tend to bother you so much.
42. When you're fighting negativity, you can't let those negative thoughts get the better of you and control your attitudes and appearance. One of the best ways to combat this is to simply smile, and focus on letting your whole demeanor portray My happy spirit within you. It's the old "look better than you feel" counsel. It's not deceitful or a phony front, it's just letting Me out.
43. Any given day you can choose to let Me shine out of your heart with a loving, beaming, happy smile!—Or you can let your inner negativity spill out with doom and gloom for all to see. So choose to display the happy side of your heart, the one that I live in. Smiling is the surest way to do this.
44. It's also important to try to set yourself up physically for spiritual success. Often this can mean realizing that the first few moments of your day, the way you wake up, are very important. Strive to wake up on My channel by saying a prayer or words of praise to Me before you even get out of bed. And then once you're getting up and dressed for the day‚ try to groom yourself well and look clean, tidy, and nice. Feeling that you look good can help you to meet your day with a little more spring in your step rather than the negative downturn that can accompany being disheveled and unkempt.
45. Nothing fancy is needed, of course‚ as the spiritual is what's most important. But setting the tone for your day by having a good physical appearance can really help you to feel better inside, which is important too.
46. Another thing that negativity about yourself can sometimes cause is a feeling of wanting to avoid others because you feel you don't have anything to offer them, or you feel you're unattractive, or stupid, or whatever bad feeling you're fighting. So if you want to reverse the negative process, force yourself to interact with others. Approach them, join in conversations, give sincere compliments, be friendly and inquisitive, do whatever you need to do so that you don't let negativity make you withdraw from the companionship of others.
47. The more you interact with other people in a loving, kind, friendly way‚ the more you'll see that, for one thing, it's nothing to be afraid of. And for another thing, you'll see that you have plenty to offer others and that you make a great friend, conversation-alist, or companion. All those things you think are so bad about yourself are almost sure to not bother anyone else nearly as much as you think they will, and increased contact with other people will confirm this.
48. And no spiritual warrior is ready for battle without his sword, which in this case would mean having a ready arsenal of verses, key promises, quotes, or positive songs to blast the Enemy with at a moment's notice. Choose things from the Word that acknowledge My fairness and wisdom in all things, as well as reinforce My unending love for you. When attacked with thoughts that run contrary to these things, pull out your ammo and fire away. "It is written...!"
49. (Jesus:) For you who wonder what victory over negativity looks like‚ and what you can shoot for and expect to be like once you are winning this battle, here are some of the positive symptoms of victory:
* You'll be able to compliment others or hear others complimented without instantly thinking about yourself and how no-good you are in that area.
* You'll find yourself being a whole lot more praiseful for everything in your life.
* Your physical appearance or condition will not have so great a bearing on your attitude and happiness; you'll have an inner joy that's unconnected to how you look or feel.
* You'll have more friends. People will comment on how pleasant you are to be around.
* You'll be busier in loving service to others.
* You'll have a closer relationship with Me and be more secure in My love for you.
* Your interactions with others will flow more smoothly, and you'll find yourself offended or hurt much less often.
* You'll find more fun in life as you become less competitive and stop seeing everything as a kind of contest. You can enjoy fun and games, and life in general, on its own merits, regardless of where you think you "place" in it.
* You'll be an instant soldier, accustomed to blasting the Enemy with the Word or praise at the first hint of his negative intrusions.
* You'll smile more.
* You'll be more physically active and magically seem to have more energy. My joy will be your strength.
* You'll have more faith when you pray.
* You'll be able to encourage others more and help them with their battles and problems.
* You'll feel content with your place in life, and you'll be truly thankful for all that I've given you.
* You'll take My promises literally and be able to apply them to yourself. You won't keep thinking that this promise or this encouragement is for everyone but you, but you'll appropriate all of My loving, encouraging, faith–building words and make them your own. Consequently you'll get much more out of the Word you read.
50. All of this and many more benefits personally suited to your specific personality and situation will be yours, once you shake your mind free of the chains and nets of negativity. All of this is the happy sky of freedom that your freed mind can soar into and enjoy. It's worth taking the steps, doing the hard work, and making the changes to receive these blessings.
51. (Jesus:) The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. In them lies all the power you need. Without My words you are incomplete, and it is when you are not getting enough of My words that this incompleteness causes you to see yourself in a negative way. My words are what help you to keep your outlook positive, happy, and thankful.
52. The only way to flush out the pollutant of negativity is to get tanked up on My Word. You must be full of My Word at all times. Let it be the song in your heart, the praise on your lips‚ the happiness in living. The Word gives you faith, and this faith in turn makes you more believing of Me.
53. Every negative thought can be turned into a praise and a thought of thankfulness. That inroad of the Enemy can be turned into one of great strength for Me if you are determined to give your thoughts to Me instead of dwelling on yourself and what you don't have. That should be your goal: transforming your negative and comparing thoughts to ones of praise and thankfulness.
54. Only through My Word and through faith in Me will you be able to make that switch for the better. But it means giving up your opinions, your ideas of yourself, and switching to My channel of praise and My thoughts toward you. By feeding on My thoughts of you, you will be opening your channel to Me, and I can give you My mind on things. You can start to see yourself as I see you; that is the ultimate goal, and what will bring the most contentment in life.
*
55. (Jesus:) People who have serious problems with being negative need to spend more time in the Word‚ drinking it in and absorbing it to counteract the negative spirit of the Enemy. Everyone needs the Word, but when people are going through times of testing or battles‚ they need it all the more, because it's the Word that you stand on and that gives you faith for the battle.
56. For some people who have a lifelong weakness and bad habit of thinking negatively about themselves‚ others, situations, and everything, the Word is their only hope and answer, because it's light and truth and it's My positive Spirit. It helps to pull them out of the pit; it keeps them sane and keeps their feet on the rock instead of the sinking sand of the lies of the Enemy.
57. But they have to keep going back to the Word and absorbing it as many times as they need, for as long as they need. They can't give up and just think, "Oh, well, I guess I'll never get the victory‚ so why bother?" They have to keep standing on the Word for as long as it takes‚ trusting that I know how long to keep them in the fires of My testings and purgings, and that I know when to give them complete victory.
58. (Jesus:) Happiness and contentment are in your attitude! It's all in your perspective and your outlook. It's a matter of taking on My mind, of looking at situations and circumstances and even yourself through My eyes, seeing things from My view—even if you have to take it by faith. There's just no reason to be discouraged, to feel down, and to let the things of this world get to you. Why should such trivial things muddy your view, steal your joy, and bring defeat and discouragement? That's what the Enemy wants, but I have a better way.
59. I can help you to look at everything through My eyes, in a positive manner. So what if you don't get what you want, or don't get to do everything you think you need to in order to be happy! I have a better way, a grander plan, and I know best. So what if you feel you're not as skilled as others or as talented in whatever areas you think you need to be talented in! I am the Boss‚ I created you as My worker, and I know best.
60. So what if you don't feel like you're as good looking as others, or even if you feel like your personality is flawed! Some of the men and women that I have used throughout history to do some of the greatest things were considered "ugly" by others. Others had handicaps, but I used them in spite of their disabilities, and sometimes even because of them. Even I was referred to as having "no form or comeliness" (Isaiah 53:2). I made you the way I wanted you, and I love you and can use you to do great things.
61. So what if you feel you don't have a good gift of prophecy, or you're discouraged with your work! Even if you had the worst channel in the world, I'd still use you if you were yielded to Me. I've chosen you, I've called you, and you're My disciple! That's all that matters, that's the bottom line, and if you're living that life and all that concerns you is doing My will and serving Me with all of your heart, then nothing else matters! So don't let anything else matter to you.
62. Serve Me to the best of your ability and flow with everything I bring into your life. Choose to look at everything with an attitude of faith‚ hope, and joy. That's what I'm trying to teach you—to praise Me for everything‚ to thank Me for everything, and to not let the petty, earthly things get you down. Look at the good in every situation instead of the bad—because in everything there is good, if you'll look for it.
63. Just will yourself to see everything through the eyes of faith and trust. Be cheerful right from the very beginning. If you hear something that to you seems to be bad news, immediately think of something positive about it. And when you're discouraged, just choose not to be. Fight the Enemy! Fight with the keys! Tell the Devil to scram!
64. So what if your work or ministry for Me isn't going so well, or you think it isn't going so well. Thank Me that it keeps you desperate, it keeps you humble, and it keeps you fighting! If you get something wrong, or your work doesn't hit the mark, praise Me that it keeps you humble.
65. Don't look at everything negatively. So what if someone else is more talented and gifted than you. I don't care, so why should you? Even if you feel they're more loved or trusted, so what? What is that to you? Are you serving Me to be loved and trusted by others, or to earn My respect? Seeing you serving Me with all your heart, mind, and spirit is all that matters to Me, and should be all that matters to you! So if anything else begins to matter to you, it's wrong, it's out of line‚ it's out of place, and it's not My perspective! Resist and rebuke it, and move on!
66. Wear the cloak of humility and the garment of praise! Praise, praise, praise at every turn‚ and then the Enemy won't be able to suck you into his quicksand of discouragement. It's just a bother, it wastes time‚ and it destroys your joy. You don't need it. You don't have time for it. So get the victory and rise above. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and fight! It's that simple.
67. (Jesus:) I will give you some ammunition to quote to the Enemy whenever you're attacked with negativity or discouragement. This will be vital to holding on to your victory. And don't worry that these things I'm going to give you will make you proud. Right now, you need to see Me in you, My anointing in you, and to know that any doubts or discouragements that are negative are not of Me—so fight them.
68. * I am being used of the Lord. I'm doing His will‚ serving Him, and doing what He's asked me to do. So who the hell are you, Devil, to be telling me otherwise? I will block my ears to your lies, hold on to the truth that Jesus, my Husband‚ has given me, and fight on.
69. * If I'm desperate, humble, and yielded, then I am hearing from the Lord clearly in prophecy. It doesn't matter what I think about my gift, or what the Devil thinks about my gift. All that matters is that I open up and receive whatever Jesus has to give! His words are truth!
70. * I am unique, created by the Lord to serve Him in a special way. I may not be like or look like someone else, but I'm the way He made me for a reason, and I'm not going to belittle that.
71. * I'm going to be a fighter! I'm not going to lie down when the Enemy attacks. I'm not going to cop out like a defeatist. I'm going to fight with every weapon in my arsenal—prayer‚ praise, the keys, Loving Jesus and prophecy—and defeat the Enemy every time.
72. * I'm choosing to yield. I'm not going to be dragged along to fulfill the Lord's will. I'm going to willingly do what He asks of me with joy in my heart.
73. * I'm going to look outward instead of inward. I'm going to focus on the needs of others instead of thinking about myself. By the grace of God, I'm going to be a support, encouragement‚ and blessing to others; an uplift, not a weight; a blessing, not a burden.
74. * I may not be the best person for the job at hand‚ but the Lord's asked it of me, so I'm going to give it my best shot by being desperate, prayerful, and seeing it through to completion.
75. * I'm going to fight the Enemy with the Word‚ prayer‚ praise, prophecy, and the keys! I'm not going to let him walk all over me! I'm going to put my whole heart into being a fighter—and love the fight!
76. (Jesus:) It's tough to counter the very things that have become second nature to you. But because they are the wrong things, they must be countered; the Enemy must be challenged and defeated. That's what change is all about—to reverse the bad effects of human complacency and defy it by going on the attack and taking the opposite approach.
77. That's what makes change so difficult, but so wonderfully challenging—you are defying the very elements of human nature in habits that bind you to doing things in the same way. Change challenges you to alter your course and head in the right direction—My direction.
78. It hurts to change‚ but in the long run it hurts more not to. So don't ever feel that change is not worth the effort. It is worth every tear shed, every ounce of effort spent, and every difficulty.
79. Change brings to life the fighter in each person. It is breaking loose from the ties of habit, of characteristics, of what you have come to believe are unchangeable elements of your character, and it is turning you around and sending you in the opposite direction and moving you forward.
80. Change brings out the best in everyone, for it causes each individual to rise above the circumstance of comfort and search out a new route—the new challenge in life—and as difficult as it may be to leave behind the old, the promise of change becomes a compelling force, a reason to live.
[Quotes for text boxes throughout:]
When you're discouraged, the Devil makes you mad at the truth because he's about to be defeated by it, so he makes you angry when people try to cheer you up! (ML #33:6)
You've gotta have some faith and belief in God—or you're sunk! For without Him, you can do nothing! (ML #33:22)