—MOJune 14, 1975DFO—No.367

—Ride Out the Storm!

Copyrighted Dec. 1976 by The Children of God

1. IT'S AMAZING how much the Lord can give you out of one little scene, how much you can get out of one little dream of one scene, one act! (This was just before a police raid on some of our Colonies!)

2. WE WERE IN THIS RATHER BEAUTIFUL HOME in this big room like the living room, a very large living room, and it was open on both sides. It was open to the outside on both sides—I mean it was wide open, as though each whole wall was made of glass windows or doors that could be opened or shut.

3. THE WALL IN FRONT OF ME was two huge glass doors that opened outward, and the wall behind me was the same, and that was open too so that the breeze could sweep right through. But the walls on both sides of me on my right and on my left seemed to be the walls to other rooms in other parts of the house and they were not open.

4. SUDDENLY AS I STOOD THERE the breeze that was sweeping through the room began to mount into a wind and pretty soon there was a raging storm just like a hurricane blowing right through the house—a violent storms!—And that was really what woke me up this morning‚ it was so impressive I haven't forgotten it since.

5. THIS WIND NOW WAS BLOWING through the room just like a hurricane! There were no obstructions—it was just sweeping right through this big room. Things were blowing and the wind was howling and screaming just like a hurricane!—And oh yes, it was dark outside, not totally dark but every dark from this storm.

6. I JUST STOOD THERE FACING THE WIND as though I was watching it and observing what was happening and I was in it. The wind was blowing my hair and my clothes very fiercely and I was facing directly into the wind and the wind was howling and screaming and blowing things around, little bits and pieces of debris were blowing right through the room just like in a hurricane.

7. SUDDENLY IN THE OTHER DARKNESS in all the fury of this storm in this raging wind I saw the head of this demon like a devil's head upside down just laughing and roaring and screaming with delight as though he was responsible for the wind and was thoroughly enjoying the raging storm that he was causing. It seemed to be causing the others around me quite a bit of concern.

8. IT WAS THE STRANGEST THING how I saw that devil's head upside down—just his head‚ that's all I saw, and he couldn't look me straight in the eye—he sort of looked off to one side while he was practically laughing his head off—ha!—That's all I saw—his head!

9. HE WAS RAGING WITH DELIGHT as the wind howled and screamed around us and swept through the room blowing and tossing things around and almost bowling us over. Someone said, "Well, hadn't we better close all the windows and close all the doors? Hadn't we better close up the house to keep the wind from blowing through?" But I said,

10. "NO, IT'S SAFER THIS WAY.—Otherwise it might blow the house down. It's better to just let it rip through the room and blow itself out the other side instead of trying to shut up everything against it. If you close up everything it'll blow the house down, but this way it'll just come in one side and go out the other and it won't damage the house."

11. "LET IT BLOW! I'm not afraid of it or him either—in fact I'm enjoying it!" I just faced right into the wind and waved my arms like I was getting the greatest thrill in the world out of it! "Let'er blow, it's not hurting me any! He can't hurt me no matter how hard he tries! Just let it blow!"

12. "LET IT BLOW RIGHT THROUGH A CLEAN SWEEP! That way it won't do any damage. Don't try to stop it or close up or put anything in its way or it'll blow it down.—Just let it blow right through, `cause I'm not afraid of it or of him! He can't hurt me! I'm enjoying it!"

13. I HELD OUT MY HANDS ENJOYING IT like I did when I was a little boy. It excited me and thrilled me to see the power of God's creation! Although this devil seemed to be causing the wind and glorying in it, I wasn't the least bit afraid of it. In fact I seemed to be glorying in letting it try to blow me over.

14. I JUST STOOD UP THERE AGAINST THE WIND like enjoying a good fight‚ just like a warrior fights the fray or an athlete revels in the contest or the player of the game enjoys the test of his skill or the strong man glories in the test of his strength. I was thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. I literally loved it!

15. I WAS GLORYING IN MY VICTORY OVER THE WIND, that I could conquer the storm! I think I must have felt like a captain at sea as he faces the storm in a truly seaworthy vessel and knows he can conquer it and ride out the storm‚ so he enjoys the conquest of the storm. I really enjoyed it and said‚

16. "LET IT BLOW! No‚ don't stop it. If you try to shut up the house and protect yourself from it, it'll blow the house in right on top of you! Just give it a clean sweep, let it blow right through and blow itself out. Don't worry, let'er blow! It can't hurt anything if we just let it through. Don't try to stop it. Just let it blow through."

17. THE WIND WAS ALMOST BLOWING ME OVER, almost lifted me off the ground like I could fly and I was enjoying it! It seemed as though if we tried to prevent its furor that was the way it could do damage. By trying to close up the house and the doors and the windows it would have just blown them right down.

18. PUTTING UP RESISTANCE to the wind would have blown the house down. It was as though if we use anything to try to block it, it would only cause more damage. But if we just let it blow itself out, then all of its fury is blowing in vain because it couldn't knock anything down—it was just blowing through.

19. SO I FACED STRAIGHT INTO THE WIND and just let it blow for all it was worth! But it didn't seem to hurt me at all. I could feel it, it just whipped my hair and my clothes and blew fiercely in my face, but it didn't hurt me in the slightest! It just thrilled me the way I used to face the hurricane winds when I was a boy.

20. IT WAS AS THOUGH if we didn't get any wall or doors or windows in its way so it could create debris, it would be alright. Otherwise it would break the windows and the walls and the doors and then blow their pieces, and that's when it's dangerous `cause they're apt to strike you. But if we just let it blow, there was nothing it could do. So I said,

21. "DON'T CLOSE UP, JUST LET IT BLOW through. It can't hurt us if we don't get anything in its way." I was really thoroughly enjoying it like it was a test of my strength and power. It reminds me a little of the vision I had of " The Wave" that time clear back at the Club when the Lord showed me you couldn't stop the waves of the sea but you could ride on top of them.

22. YOU SHOULD RIDE THE WAVES instead of trying to stop the waves! Let the waves lift you up on your surfboard and ride right on top! Let the wave carry you instead of drown you or destroy you. Ride the wave, don't let it sink you." Cause if you try to stop it, if you try to hold up your surfboard flat against the wave as though you were trying to stop the wave, it would just bowl you and your surfboard over.

23. GET UP ON TOP OF IT AND RIDE IT and it'll carry you along where you want to go! That's the way I felt about this wind: If we tried to stop it it would destroy us, but if we would just stand there and sort of ride it out, it would lift us up like an airplane rides the wind, on the wings of the wind!

24. I WAS THOROUGHLY ENJOYING THE WIND AND FLYING ON IT, and instead of frightening me and hurting me it was thrilling me and exciting me and lifting me up! So that devil's demonic purpose was totally defeated. He couldn't destroy the house and he couldn't frighten us because we didn't try to stop the storm.

25. WE JUST RODE IT LIKE A SHIP RIDES OUT THE STORM! the best way a ship can ride out the storm is when it faces directly into the wind and the waves. That's the safest way for it to ride out the storm‚ by facing directly into it. But if you try to turn your ship around and let it hit you from the side it'll roll you right over. Or if you try to run from it, it can blow you right along and dash you to pieces on the rocks!

26. BUT IF YOU FACE RIGHT INTO THE STORM, right into the waves, right into the wind just like you're challenging it‚ you can conquer it or ride it out and ride right over the waves and right into the wind and let'er roll! If you have a good strong sea-worthy ship that can really take it, you furl the sails and tie down everything that's loose and make it a tight little ship and face right into the wind and the waves and ride out the storm and let it roll!

27. THAT'S THE WAY I FELT about this wind. I seemed to be enjoying its challenge like I was daring its damnedest and not a bit afraid of the howling of the wind or the fury of the storm or the screaming and cackling laughter of that fiendish demon with his head upside—down!

28. I ENJOYED THE CHALLENGE, I really thrilled to the fury of the attack because I knew I could overcome it and that it wouldn't hurt us if we didn't try to stop it—just let it blow! If you give the Devil enough rope he'll hang himself!

29. IT'S LIKE THE ATTACKS OF OUR ENEMIES when they tell all those lies about us and try to whip up a storm of protest against us. All they do is blow up a lot of trouble for themselves and create a lot of excitement and even more interest in us, more publicity, and spread the message even further as long as we just let'em blow and don't try to stop 'em.

30. JUST KEEP A CLEAN HOUSE AND LET IT BLOW through It was like the storm was purging the house, blowing out all the bad air and purifying the atmosphere, cleaning it out, as long as we didn't try to stop it or put ridiculous little things in the way which couldn't stop it anyway. It would have just shattered the glass and windows and made them even more lethal and made the wind even more dangerous.

31. THE WIND ITSELF IS NOT THAT DANGEROUS—it's what it blows that's dangerous, the trash and the debris, this stuff it tosses around and stirs up. But it was as though we had a nice clean tight house and the wind could blow right through it and still not do us any harm. There was no junk it could stir up‚ no trash or debris it could raise.

32. THE HOUSE WAS CLEAN. It could blow all it wanted to‚ but it couldn't find anything to blow to hurt us. It only made a big racket and noise that attracted a lot of attention and showed that we could weather any storm. Despite all they could do and the screaming of all thrilled to the challenge and faced the fight and weathered the storm!

33. THE GREATEST DANGER seemed to be trying to protect ourselves from it or putting little ridiculous things in its way to try to stop it. It was as though nothing could stop it anymore than you could stop that huge ocean roller with a surfboard! The thing to do was just to ride it and let it blow itself out. Just let it have a clean sweep and blow itself right through.

34. JUST LET IT BLOW AWAY ANYTHING THAT ISN'T SECURE or firm or that can't hold fast. Just let it blow. So that by the time the storm is over only the strongest are left standing, only the trees with the deepest roots and strongest branches, only the houses that are build on the rock and not on the sand will stand.

35. THE STORM WAS GOOD FOR US and we were really thrilling to its challenge and to its winds of adversity and they couldn't even phase us as long as we let them blow right through the house and didn't try to stop them or put anything in their ways. They just blew themselves out. They just blew in and blew right out again. They couldn't blow anything away because there wasn't anything to blow but us and they couldn't move us, couldn't budge us.

36. SO DON'T TRY TO STOP THE STORM, JUST LET IT BLOW! Don't try to obstruct it with foolish little man-made protections, or it'll just blow them in right on top of you and cause even more damage. It was as though we weren't even trying to defend ourselves. We weren't putting up anything in self defense, no doors, no windows, no panes of glass, no boards, no nothing.

37. WE JUST STOOD OUT THERE BARE–FACED AGAINST THE STORM, bare–headed, and faced the storm and gloried in it that it couldn't blow us away! There seemed to be nothing in that room that wasn't fastened down tight—nothing loose. In fact the room seemed almost empty—very little furniture—and there just wasn't anything to blow but us, and it couldn't blow us.

38. WE JUST RODE THE STORM AND WERE LIFTED ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND‚ gloried in the challenge‚ faced its furor and delighted in the opportunity to conquer it and show that it couldn't hurt us in spite of everything it tried to do. All hell let loose couldn't stop us or phase us as we faced right into it and let it blow!

39. THIS IS THE WAY WE'VE DONE ABOUT THESE CHALLENGES BY OUR ENEMIES and their attacks and lies and accusations and the storms of furor that they've tried to whip up against us, screaming like the Devil himself!—Let'em howl! They can't hurt you, not really, if you face the storm unafraid and ride the wind and wave and face directly into it, bold and brave and unafraid, with faith without fear, knowing that God is with us and the storm cannot overcome us!

40. THEY CANNOT WIN, THEY CANNOT STOP US! It is impossible for God is with us, and we can even enjoy the storm and laugh right in their faces as we challenge their raging fury with the faith of God, knowing they cannot win and we will conquer them in the end!

41. KEEP A CLEAN OPEN HOUSE WITH NOTHING LOOSE lying around that might blow and do you damage when the storm comes. Don't be afraid! Open wide! Let the wind sweep through! Show them they can't find a thing to cause you trouble with! There's not a loose things on the premises that they can use for a missile to hurt you if you keep a clean strong house wide open to investigation, plain and clean and strong and open for all to see, with nothing in it that the wind can stir up to cause you trouble.

42. LET'EM COME! Let 'em sweep right through and blow themselves right out the other side with nothing to stop them, nothing they can hit or damage or toss around. Let'em look! If you keep a clean strong house they won't find anything to use against you.

43. WE HAVE WELCOMED THE INVESTIGATIONS of the FBI, the CIA and government agents and agencies. We welcome the visits of the police and officials to look around and see what they can find. Let the enemies come and blow and fret and fume and huff and puff and try to blow your house in!

44. THEY'LL FIND NO WOOD, HAY OR STUBBLE, nothing they can burn, nothing they can use to feed their fires of indignation‚ nothing but good solid rocks and bricks and strong solid walls they can't blow down. So don't be afraid to open the doors and the windows and let the winds of their fury blow through.

45. IT'LL JUST HELP CLEAN OUT THE HOUSE of anything or anyone that's not strong enough to take it. But the strong will stand and face their fury without fear‚ and smile in their faces and challenge them to find anything they can to blow apart, and ride the wind and the waves with delight at the challenge, with the exhilarating thrill of the challenger who knows he'll win and knows they can't stop him no matter what they do! The challenger who knows he's a winner has got everything going for him including God!

46. "BE NOT AFRAID OF THEIR FACES, but set thou thy face like a flint against them and be not afraid of their faces! For behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy forehead strong against their foreheads, as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead. Fear them not, therefore, neither be dismayed at their looks!"

47. TELL THEM "THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD!... Whether they will hear or whether they will forbear!... Then the spirit took me up and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place! And I heard also the noise of wings...and the noise of a great rushing!

48. "SO THE SPIRIT LIFTED ME UP and...the hand of the Lord was strong upon me...and the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house...therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me...I will open thy mouth and thou shall say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God!—He that heareth let him hear, and he that forbeareth let him forbear!" (Ezekiel 3.)

49. STAND FIRM AND CHALLENGE THE WINDS and waves of their wrath with the fearlessness and purity of your own faith and the cleanness of your own house and let the big blows blow their worst!—They cannot shake you for God is with you and no man can stand against you!

50. "THEREFORE WHOSOEVER HEARETH these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock!" Hallelujah!—Amen? (Matthew 7.)

51. IS YOURS A STRONG CLEAN HOUSE FOUNDED ON THE ROCK CHRIST JESUS, open to the wind that can catch nothing that will hurt you? If so, you have nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of, and you can face the winds and waves of adversity fearlessly and challenge all their fury, and none of these things can move you!

52. YOU CAN EVEN FACE THEM AND CHALLENGE THEIR FURY with the exhilarating thrill of your own superiority and unconquerable spirit and glory in the power of God that makes you stronger than they, an unbeatable foe that stands firm, strong, powerful and unmoved against their storms of fury!

53. BE EXCITED WITH DELIGHT AND THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD and the almighty irresistible power of our God Who is with you and in Whose strength you stand unshakable, "unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord and in the power of His might!" Hallelujah! (I Cor.15:58.) Theirs is only an empty wind! Praise the Lord? Thank You Lord! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!

54. TO HELL WITH THE EMPTY WIND AND LIES OF THE DEVIL!—He cannot win! He's already beaten by Christ on the cross, risen from the tomb! Praise God's name forever! Jesus is the Victor over all!—Death and hell and the grave and all the empty, windy lies of the evil ones! Praise God! Hallelujah!—Amen?

55. WE CANNOT LOSE! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEAT US!—Our enemies are already doomed and damned to defeat and Hell! Hallelujah!

"A Mighty Fortress is our God,

A Bulwark never failing!

Our Helper He amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing!

For still our ancient Foe

Doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great‚

And armed with cruel hate,

On Earth is not His equal!

Did we in our own strength confide‚

Our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God's own choosing!

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus it is He!

Lord Sabaoth, His Name,

From age to age the same‚

And He must win the battle!

And tho' this world with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear for God hath willed,

His Truth to triumph through us!

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure,

One little Word shall fell him!

That Word above all earthly powers,

No thanks to them abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours

Through Him who with us sideth!

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill,

God's Truth abideth still,

His Kingdom is forever!"

—By Martin Luther, valiant warrior of the Faith and winner of victories!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family