Karen Zerby
GN 1153
By Maria FD/MM/FM 3554 8/05
This GN should be read unitedly as a Home.
Dear Family,
1. An important element that keeps a winning team fruitful‚ happy, and successful is the power of prayer! Prayer changes things that nothing else can. Prayer moves mountains. Prayer overcomes obstacles, supplies needs‚ brings solutions, and takes care of problems. Every winning Home should have a hopping, lively, regular prayer life.
2. Prayer power should be what your Home depends on. Prayer—and of course praise—should be your first line of defense whenever there's a problem or need. Prayer oils the machinery of your Home and keeps things running smoothly. Taking time to pray is such an effective use of your time as a Home. Time spent in prayer is never wasted.
3. So, as you've probably guessed, prayer is the theme of this GN. Under the umbrella of prayer, I want to talk specifically about your monthly prayer days. I want to give you some counsel from the Lord on how you can make the most of your prayer days, how you can improve them and pack more into them.
4. You can do a lot in your monthly prayer day that will help to move your Home forward. Intercessory prayer, for one, is powerful, and will help your Home to make significant progress—doing what you can't do in the flesh. But there's more that you can use your prayer days for, which I'll share with you in this GN. I guarantee that if you use your prayer days to the full, they will be pivotal in helping your Home to progress, change, and become a stronger winning team.
5. I also want to pass on to you some counsel that our Husband has given us about meditation. We've used that word a little bit in some of the recent GNs, and if you've been wondering exactly what it means, I pray that the messages I'll include at the end of this GN will answer your questions. You won't want to miss them, because they contain milestone counsel from the Lord that will help to improve your relationship with Him.
Much love in our Husband,
Mama
6. Winning Homes take their monthly prayer days seriously. They set aside the time faithfully‚ and they aim to make the most of it. They hear from the Lord about how to best use their time, and they pack their prayer days wisely, as they would a suitcase, making the most of the precious moments.
7. They know that prayer is not the least they can do but the most‚ and they take this extra time in intercessory prayer and hearing from the Lord even when things are busy and there's so much to do. They see their monthly prayer days as special blessings from our Husband—times when so much is accomplished in the spirit, more than could ever be taken care of in the flesh.
Importance of prayer days
8. (Mama:) Our Home and our other WS units have been devoting one day to prayer every month for quite a number of years now. Initially, I think it took quite a bit of faith to set the time aside, because we were missing one day of solid work time each month in order to devote it to prayer. But as we did what the Lord asked us to do, He has never failed to bless us.
9. It is a sacrifice to set aside a full day every month to pray—and many of those in WS still battle this from time to time. (It's two half-days a month for us‚ since this is what works best for us.) It's easy to think about everything that's not getting done or all of the other work that is stacking up. I'm sure you probably feel the same way sometimes—that you could be out witnessing, or cultivating more contacts‚ or following up on your sheep, or raising finances, or getting out Activated, etc.
10. Since prayer doesn't usually result in tangible fruit immediately‚ it takes a lot of faith to devote time to it, especially when things are busy and you have a long to-do list. But the Lord has told those of us in WS over and over again—and I think that I've published some of these messages for you, dear Family, in some of the "Action Through Prayer" GNs—that more is accomplished through the hours that we spend in prayer than as a result of any other work that we do.
11. It helps to think about your prayer days like that—that they're anything but time wasted. It's time wisely spent, the best investment you can make in a month. Although it doesn't always look like a lot of work is getting done, there's a whole lot of action and activity in the spirit world that more than makes up for what we, with our limited strength and ability, can do on Earth.
12. Prayer days are work, and they get results. It's just a different kind of work than we normally do; nevertheless, it's extremely important. It's one of your Home's most important appointments of the month. Look at it like that‚ and it will ensure that you give it the priority it deserves.
13. Here's a recent message the Lord gave on one of our prayer mornings, about how the hours we spend in prayer and hearing from Him in prophecy are the most productive hours of all. (Note: In WS, our prayer mornings consist of both intercessory prayer and prophecy time. I'll explain more about this later in this GN.)
14. (Jesus:) All Heaven is abuzz with excitement on the mornings that you dedicate to prayer and hearing from Me in prophecy. They are times that those in Heaven look forward to with eager anticipation, for the power your prayers generate is tremendous, and the suction you create in the spirit through your desperation and sucking to receive from Me is awesome and powerful, and moves Me to answer.
15. Those in Heaven are assigned their jobs and responsibilities—some to help bring to pass miracles you pray for, others to pray along with you in the spirit world and enhance your prayers, and others to bring heavenly messages to you when you open up to receive them. It's an exciting time in the heavenlies, because great progress is made as a result of your prayers, your wielding the keys, and your faith. In fact, these half-days devoted to prayer are by far your most productive hours.
16. Some of you may feel that when you dedicate a full half-day to prayer and prophecy, you are less productive than at other times throughout the week. It's a sacrifice to set aside this time, and you need to have faith for your work that you must trust Me for during this time. But it should encourage you to know that the times you spend in prayer are times of great movement and progress in the spirit world—more so than any other day when you're going about your regular work for Me.
17. I see things as they really are, and I know that there are many spirit beings and angels and departed saints going here and there on this mission and that, and changing situations according to your prayers. My loves, these hours spent in intercessory prayer and prophecy are your most productive hours of your whole week—more is done, more is accomplished than at any other time, and great things are happening in the spirit realm that will affect your lives and the lives of others for whom you pray.
18. You are not alone in praying, My brides. Those in Heaven are by your side‚ fighting with you in prayer, fighting the demons in response to your pleas for their defeat‚ bearing My miracles and answers to prayer to those in need, and speeding My messages to you. It's a teamwork effort, and those in the realm of the spirit are ready, willing, eager and enthusiastic about the part they play. They love to defeat the Enemy, help Me perform miracles, and see the full effect of the power of prayer.
19. I'm so thankful that you are willing to do your part—your part of persevering in intercessory prayer, and also fighting to receive My messages. If it weren't for you playing your role, then I and My heavenly helpers couldn't do ours; we would be limited. But because you send up the power through your prayers, miracles become realities. Because you ask in faith, nothing wavering, the messages that are needed arrive just as I desire them to.
20. I know it's not a glorious calling to be a prayer warrior or a channel‚ at least not according to earthly standards. But through serving Me humbly and faithfully in this way, you're accomplishing more than you ever could in your own strength or through the works of your own hands. It takes desperation, patience, faith‚ and dying to yourself and your own plans and ways of doing things, but I promise that these hours you spend giving to Me and others will not be wasted. I will use what you give Me and bring the results that will make your time more than worth it.
21. The more you give Me—of your heart, time, concentration, focus, attention, fight, determination‚ will, and spirit—the more I will give you of My miracles, answers‚ instruction, counsel, revelation and insight. So give Me your all this morning, My loves, and your prayers will bring great change and miracles. Your sucking will bring My pure answers and detailed instruction and counsel from Heaven.
Be flexible and open to change
22. (Mama:) It's very important to be flexible when it comes to the schedule of your prayer days, to try different things and see what works best for your Home. For some Homes it might work best to have a full prayer day once a month. For other Homes it might work better to have two half-days twice a month.* You have to seek the Lord and find out what's best in your situation. But remember that you aren't restricted to doing it one way all the time. *(Note to RSs: If your field holds monthly prayer days on a certain date for the whole area, you might want to consider giving the Homes a second date as an option, so that if they would prefer to split their prayer day into two half-days instead‚ they can do so.)
23. Even if something works for your Home for a while, when circumstances or conditions change, you might need to change too. In our Home we have to regularly evaluate how our prayer mornings are working. In fact, we recently changed the weekday on which we hold our bimonthly prayer morning. Even though we'd been doing it on a certain day for quite a few years, the Lord showed us to change it, and so far the new day has been working well—and in many ways is better than the day we'd been using for many years.
24. It's a learning process and you've got to see what works best. You have to try different things and be willing to change them if they don't work. For example, you might find that having a united prayer meeting in the morning and then breaking up for prophecy time and personal prayer vigils in the afternoon is best for your Home. Another Home might find that prophecy time and prayer vigils in the morning and a united prayer meeting at the end of the day is best. But no matter how you do it, the goal is to have quality prayer days.
25. (Jesus:) Be flexible! Be open! What works for another Home might not fit your Home to a T. Even what you did before may no longer work today. So be willing to change. Be willing to do whatever I show you works best, in order to make the most of your prayer day or prayer morning—whatever the situation may be in your Home.
26. If you've been having a full prayer day every month‚ maybe you'll find that you'll like the bimonthly prayer mornings better. Or maybe you've been having two half-day prayer days a month, and you might find the full day more effective. But you won't know unless you ask Me, unless you seek Me, and unless you're open to change.
27. The requirement of having one full prayer day a month is solid, but how you go about it is up to you, and exactly what you fit into that time is also up to you. It's like a suitcase that you can fill up wisely or haphazardly. I wish for your prayer days to be like suitcases that are neatly packed, that make use of every bit of time.
28. Don't be sloppy packers; fit as much as you can into the suitcases of your prayer days, so that I can benefit and bless you with My maximum results.
What prayer days can include
29. (Mama:) Speaking about packing as much into your prayer days as possible: I have heard via some of the RSs that many Homes assume that prayer days are only for intercessory prayer. Apparently many Homes pray all day, and that's what your prayer days consist of. Although there's nothing wrong with praying all day and it certainly will avail much, I felt burdened to remind you that there is more that you can do on your prayer days. This is noted in the Charter, but you may have forgotten that there are more elements than intercessory prayer that you can include in your prayer days. I imagine that praying all day—unless you're superhuman—could get a bit boring and routine.
30. We've found in WS that it helps to add a bit of variety to our prayer mornings. For example‚ we don't engage in intercessory prayer for the entire duration of our "prayer day" hours. In fact‚ we usually have a one-hour intercessory prayer meeting in the morning to kick off the prayer morning, then everyone in WS uses the rest of the morning to hear from our Husband in prophecy or have personal prayer vigil time. I usually ask one of my channels to pray about a united prophecy assignment for everyone to hear from the Lord about, and I also pass out other questions or assignments to individuals on a variety of topics.
31. So our prayer mornings are a combination of intercessory prayer and hearing from the Lord, which keeps any one thing from being too drawn out and results in tremendous messages from our Husband. And the time that people spend receiving prophecies enables me—and our WS Homes—to hear from the Lord about important decisions, Home matters, things for you, dear Family, and on many other topics. Sometimes I even ask people to pray and receive messages from the Lord for GP books that are in the works, or for different pubs like Xn, and the Lord is so faithful to pour out.
32. So I've been thinking more about this, especially when hearing that many Homes stick pretty much solely to intercessory prayer. Again, I'm not minimizing intercessory prayer. It's powerful, and it's an extremely important part of prayer days. But since most people can't pray all day, or even all morning, and still be focused and giving it their all, then maybe you'd like to try including more prophecy time in your prayer days‚ not only for the sake of variety, but also to be able to receive some of the messages that your Home needs—or that you as individuals need—in order to keep your Home moving forward. It's probably very difficult to find time to hear from the Lord about Home matters and decisions on other busy days‚ so this could very well be part of the solution.
33. The way that it works in WS is that I—or the shepherds of the units and our helpers—are involved in praying about and passing out the assignments for people to pray about. So if you were to do it in your Homes, which I think you should seriously pray about and consider, it would probably fall into the court of the Home shepherds to pray about and pass out the assignments to those in your Home. It is work initially, but I think you'll find that it's really worth it to be able to receive the Lord's answers, and so many of them all in one day or morning‚ when everyone is dedicating time to hearing from the Lord.
34. Also, prayer days can consist of "conference time," which can include personal time spent in meditation, prayer and reflection. You don't need to only be praying intercessory prayers or receiving prophecies. There are also many benefits to taking personal time for prayer and meditation and reflection if you are able to slot it into your schedules. I will include more counsel later about "conference time," and then some information at the end of this GN about what meditation is and what it means.
35. Briefly, conference time is personal time with the Lord and His Word that's over and above the daily 1½ hours required in the Charter. And meditation (which can be a part of "conference time") is time with the Lord when you're not officially receiving anything from Him or necessarily telling Him anything. It's a special time when you clear your mind of all other thoughts, concerns and burdens, and open up to receive His thoughts, His whispers to your heart‚ and His inspiration—much as Dad taught us years ago in "Stop, Look, Listen" and "Temple Time."
36. (Jesus:) My dear brides, you could be getting a lot more out of your prayer days if you scheduled them better and if you included more variety. There are certainly some things that prayer days should not include. For example‚ they should not include your regular work—although there will of course have to be some people scheduled on things like taking care of the children and cooking simple meals. Prayer days are meant to be set aside for Me and the things of My Spirit. But under that umbrella there are a number of things that prayer days can include. Here are some ideas:
* Personal prayer vigils.
* United intercessory prayer meetings.
* Praise time.
* Reading new messages or excerpts of published Letters on the topic of prayer, to prime the pump.
* Hearing from Me in prophecy on Home matters, or questions that the Home shepherds assign.
* Taking "conference time," which means extra time with Me, in My Word, and hearing from Me in prophecy. It can also be time spent in meditation and reflection; it's a time to be refilled and refreshed and strengthened spiritually. Conference time can also include time devoted to praise and loving Me intimately.
37. (Mama:) As I said earlier, I'll be including more information about conference time and meditation later in this GN.
38. (Jesus continues: ) I would love to see you, My brides, making more of your prayer days. If you, dear Home shepherds, were to pray about your prayer days in advance and establish a solid plan, you'd be able to fit in a lot. Not only would you be able to move mountains through your intercessory prayers, but you'd also be able to receive more of My counsel to you in prophecy for your Home, and each person individually would also be able to receive more from Me. And if you began to even incorporate some conference time, I'd be able to use prayer days to refresh and renew each of you even more spiritually.
39. I did not intend that prayer days would consist of hours and hours spent in intercessory prayer, and I'm sorry if that's the impression you've had because I hadn't specifically told you anything different. But now I'm telling you: You can fit a whole lot more into your prayer days, thus making even more progress in the spiritual realm, if you seek Me for how to best schedule your time. It might take a bit of getting used to, if your Home has been accustomed to your prayer days playing out a certain way. But once you adjust to fitting in more—some intercessory prayer time, some personal conference time, as well as prophecy time—you'll be amazed at the results.
40. There is great power in united prayer, but there's also great power in united prophecy times—not necessarily all together in the same room, but hearing from Me in different locations, while still in unison. When your whole Home is united in spirit and hearing from Me, I can pour down My answers abundantly through each person's channel. There is more drawing power in the spirit, and My answers are more easily received. So try it, My loves, you might like it.
Make the most of your intercessory prayer meetings
41. (Mama:) As I said, an important part of any prayer day is the united prayer meeting (or meetings) that you have. Although it's not all that your prayer day should consist of, it's a vital part. So it's important that your prayer meeting packs a punch. The time you spend in intercessory prayer needs to be quality time. Your prayers need to be powerful, and your prayer meetings need to have some zing to them.
42. Of course‚ there's a time and a place for everything. Sometimes the prayer requests will call for desperate prayer, and that's not usually the best time to try new ways to pray, for example, especially if they are not conducive to really pouring out your hearts to the Lord. But whenever possible, don't be afraid to try new ways of doing things, or new ways to pray or praise. Keep the prayer fires burning.
43. In our Home we've found that it helps to have someone, or a team of two people, assigned to plan each intercessory prayer meeting on our prayer mornings. They pray and ask the Lord what they should read if we haven't received anything new from the Lord for that prayer morning. They pray and counsel together about the ways to pray and praise‚ about how to incorporate the new weapons as much as possible‚ and what supplements to include (such as singing a few songs), etc. So if you don't already do this in your Home‚ you might want to try something similar.
44. (Dad:) If someone gave you a robot or machine that could do half your work for you, making your life much more effective and efficient and helping you to get more done, what would you do? Would you just fiddle with it and figure out one or two things that it could do and be happy with that, or would you see how you could get the most use from it, find out all its features, and put it to work as much as you can? You would probably realize that the time you put into setting it up and getting it going would be more than worth it in the long run because it made your life easier and simpler.
45. That's what prayer will do for you‚ beloved. Your united times of prayer and intercession will bring in more finances, show you more fruitful outreach and follow-up methods and strengthen the ones you already have in motion, help you to find new provisioning contacts and cause the ones that you already have to give more or better quality items, work out your scheduling conflicts, give you breakthroughs with your young ones who are struggling, show the children's caregivers how to do a better job without being wiped out by the end of the day‚ and much more.
46. It's worth it to put preparation into your prayer days, to get the most out of them that you can. The more people you have pulling with you, and the more people you can inspire to put their heart into it and unite before the Lord's throne, the more you can call down His blessings. If people aren't looking forward to prayer times and aren't there in spirit, then you're losing some of the power, the juice, the strength in your prayers. In essence, you're tying the Lord's hands and hindering His ability to bless and answer you.
47. Prayer is your most powerful tool, and it's your loss if you're not using it to the max. The minutes spent boosting your prayer meetings will not be wasted, whether your prayer times are more upbeat and lively or whether you're crying out to the Lord in desperate, fervent prayer. But when prayer times are all the same and boring and people aren't entering in, then your Home isn't generating much spiritual power at all. There are so many ways that you can use the weapon of prayer and its supportive features: praise, faith, calling on the keys, the Word, using our spirit helpers, rebuking the Enemy's demons. So why not dedicate a few minutes to asking the Lord how to incorporate some of each of those things in your prayer meetings?
48. Enter into His gates with praise and thanksgiving through a short time of inspiration. Search the HomeARC or Infostore for some quotes on praise. Have a little praise time using one of the many published ideas or a new one that you pull down from Heaven. Memorize a key promise together‚ or try to remember as many specific keys as you can that relate to the subject at hand, or read some of the key promises. Have a little variety in who prays or how you pray. Why not read a few Letter quotes, or look up written prayers in the Letters and read those as your prayers? Pray specifically against the Enemy's hindering spirits, and release the heavenly counterparts by name to fight on your behalf. Do whatever it takes to make your times of prayer unifying and powerful!
49. If I had known how important prayer is, and not just prayer but wholehearted prayer, I would've prayed even more when I was with you. You can accomplish more through prayer than any other effort, and when your Home or area members are united and there in spirit, the heavenly storehouses of power and supply and answers and miracles are released in full force. Nothing can withstand the power of hearts united in prayer.
Prayer and praise ideas
From the Letters:
[ ] "Prayer Jewels, Parts 1 and 2," ML #2623-2624, DB 10
[ ] "When You Pray, Things Happen," ML #3173:58, GN 778
[ ] "A Prayer of Praise to God," ML #3020, Lifelines 19
[ ] "Practicing Praise," ML #3471:22-28, 44-116, GN 1059
[ ] "Renewal: A Praise Celebration," ML #3494:50-67, GN 1079
[ ] "Keynote to the Feast Workshops," the "Praise Exercises" at the end, ML #3524, GN 1115
[ ] "Training Winning Teams, Part 1," the "Praise Ideas," ML #3551, GN 1142
Praise Times with Natalia:
[ ] "Praise Him," ML #3265, GN 868
[ ] "The Keys to the Kingdom," ML #3318:63–200, GN 922
[ ] "Christmas Praises 2001," ML #3372, GN 967
[ ] "According to Your Praise Be It Unto You," ML #3432:16–112, GN 1015
From the FSMs:
[ ] "Prayer Ideas for All," FSM 250
[ ] "Seeking His Treasures," the sections with prayer ideas, FSM 276
[ ] "Praise Time Ideas, Parts 1 and 2," FSMs 285, 311
From the Grapevine:
[ ] "Pray in a New Way" articles in GVs 53, 54, 60, 63 and 64 contain prayer and praise ideas
[ ] See also Renewal CD #1 for more prayer and praise ideas
Some written prayers from the Letters
[ ] "Maria's Prayer for Magdalene," ML #1798, DB3
[ ] "The Lord Is My Deliverer‚" ML #2427, DB8
[ ] "Victory Over Affliction," ML #2483‚ DB8
[ ] "Prayer Against Our Vicious Enemies and Vile Persecutors," ML #2641, DB10
[ ] "Prayer for Victory Over Our Enemies," DB10
[ ] "A Prayer of Praise to God," ML #3020, Lifelines 19
[ ] "Come Together in Love," ML #3100:7-36, Lifelines 24
[ ] "Your Open Heart Prayer to the Lord," ML #3163, Lifelines 24
[ ] "Victory Over Comparing, Part 2," ML #3328:113-120, GN 999
[ ] "Deliverance," ML #3455:184-256, GN 1039
[ ] "Brazil National Prayer Day 2003," ML #3456:83-158, GN 1042
[ ] "Death to Depression," ML #3464:271-278, Post-it GN #11
[ ] "Get Up and Get Over It," ML #3497c:380-397‚ GN 1084
[ ] "Training Winning Teams, Part 1," ML #3551:101-105‚ 148-152, GN 1142
[ ] "Training Winning Teams, Part 2," ML #3552:89–93, 149-152, GN 1145
[ ] "Training Winning Teams, Part 3," ML #3553:96–101, 226-229, GN 1151
50. (Mama: ) Here are some practical tips that our Husband gave for having a fruitful prayer day. I mentioned some of them earlier, so it's a recap of what we've already covered, and then there are some new ones. We have tried most of these tips in our Home and have found them helpful.
51. * Ensure that someone is assigned to think ahead and plan your Home's prayer day intercessory prayer meeting.
52. * Slot the date of your monthly prayer day (or bimonthly prayer mornings) in advance, so that everyone in the Home is able to plan their schedule around it, so they won't arrange appointments for that day. In fact, you may find it most convenient and easier in the long run to have a set day every month that you know is your prayer day. For example, the first Tuesday of every month; or the last Friday of every month; or every four weeks on a Wednesday. (Or, if you're having bimonthly prayer mornings, you would slot it on the same day and have it every second week.) That way you don't plan or schedule anything on that day, unless it's extremely urgent and a very rare exception.
53. * Home shepherds, plan the specifics of your Home's prayer days ahead of time. Decide on a schedule: How long your prayer meeting will be, how much time people will be able to devote to personal conference time, what slot of time should be used for receiving prophecies that you prepare and assign for the Home, etc. You may even want to have a general plan or schedule that you use every prayer day—or at least until the Lord shows you something different.
54. * Try to think out of the box and do new and different things from time to time. Ask the Lord for new ways to pray, or new ways of doing things.
55. * It's helpful to have something motivational to read before entering into a time of intercessory prayer—whether a fresh new message on the importance and power of prayer, or compiled quotes from the Word, or an excerpt of one of the "Action through Prayer" GNs, etc. Whoever is planning the prayer meeting could either receive a fresh message to read or look up something in the Word on the topic. (Note: I'm working on compiling and preparing some of the many messages that we in WS have received as encouragement for our prayer mornings. So that will be another treasure chest of motivational and encouraging/inspiring messages that you can choose from and read before your prayer meetings and united prayer vigils.) Home shepherds, you might find that it's helpful to receive a message encouraging your Home members to pray, or about the importance of prayer, or about the blessings of prayer, that your Home can read during your intercessory prayer meeting. Or you could assign someone in your Home to receive such a message and run it by you for approval.
56. * Compile lists of up-to-date prayer requests for your prayer days. Take the time to go through your prayer list and make sure all the prayer requests are current, dropping everything that's been answered or modifying the prayer requests as necessary. This saves time and frustration on the part of all those praying. Also, ask if anyone in the Home has prayer requests that they'd like to add—personal, health–related‚ spiritual, for their loved ones, or whatever.
Ideas for compiling Home prayer lists
* Add prayer requests circulated in your area to your Home's prayer list. (We understand that some areas do this, so if that's the case‚ this can be a good source of updated requests.)
* Keep tabs on messages that go to all the Homes in your area, checking for prayer requests to add to your Home's prayer list.
* Make note of any area events that are happening or coming up, such as Activated retreats, road trips, fellowships, camps for the children or young people, training seminars, board initiatives, etc.
* Ask the other Homes in your city or area if they have prayer requests that you could add to your list. Then if you add their prayer requests to your Home's prayer list, they could add some of your Home's requests to their prayer list.
* You could ask your Active members, sheep, friends and contacts, if they have any personal requests they would like your Home to pray for.
* Personal requests from those in your Home—for their health, their spiritual life, their loved ones and relatives, etc.
* Prayer requests for your Home—such as for supply of finances, for supply of Home items or food that you need, for your protection and security, for the children's safety, etc.
* Ask the Lord what you should pray for that month, or what attacks of the Enemy to pray against.
57. * Regularly compile and praise the Lord for the recent answers to prayer. Praising Him for the answers He has already sent your way gives you more faith to bring your new requests before Him. It also moves His hand to answer more of your prayers, since He knows you're thankful for the ones He has already seen to.
58. * Schedule prayer day so that everyone in the Home has a chance to participate. Don't schedule the same people with the children every prayer day. Let everyone have a chance to be with the children so that everyone can have a chance to join in on the prayer meetings, the prophecy assignments, and the personal conference times. (And, of course, it goes without saying that some of the time that the children spend with their teachers/caregivers on prayer days can be devoted to prayer and prophecy time in order to teach them to build these important habits. Of course, the amount of time spent would depend on their ages and attention spans, so please be Spirit-led.)
59. * Try to make the situation in your Home conducive to prayer time. For example, keep things quiet, avoid too much commotion and chit-chat, and ensure that people have somewhere that they can go for their conference or prophecy time.
60. * It's wise for Home members to get to bed at a reasonable hour the night before prayer days, so that they're alert and attentive the next morning and can devote their full energy and focus to the ministry of prayer and prophecy.
Receiving prophecies on prayer days
61. (Mama: ) We've talked a little bit about using some of your prayer days for receiving messages from our Husband in prophecy, but I thought it might be helpful to give you some more information on this. For example‚ you Home shepherds might be wondering what kind of prophecy assignments you can give to those in your Home. Or you Home members might be wondering what you can expect to receive from your Home shepherds.
62. Here's a message our Answer Man gave with more information and practical tips about how to use prophecy more on your prayer days.
63. (Jesus:) Prayer days are opportune times to hear from Me. It's a time that you're already devoting to prayer, and prophecy time fits very well with that. Prayer is you talking to Me, and prophecy is you listening to Me.
64. You may find that while sometimes it's beneficial to have the whole Home in one room hearing from Me together, you will cover more ground and be able to receive more messages on prayer days if everyone is hearing from Me privately, or in smaller teams. With some assignments, you may want to ask everyone to pray about the same thing and receive messages on the same topic. For example, if the question is about a big change your Home is going to be making‚ or counsel needed for the whole Home, then it might be beneficial for everyone to be involved in praying about it. At other times, you Home shepherds might want to give everyone in the Home something different to hear from Me about, so that you are able to receive a number of messages on a variety of subjects.
65. If you haven't been used to including prophecy time in your prayer days, then here are some tips or ideas of ways that you can use prophecy. Take note, dear Home shepherds, as you will most likely be the ones asking Me what assignments are best for each prayer day, and will in most cases be the ones formulating them and passing them out.
66. * Prayer days are a wonderful time for Home members to be able to pray about the prophecy assignments that have been given in the GNs. Very often these things can be prayed about during personal Word time slots, but if people haven't gotten to them, it would be a good idea to ask everyone to take some time during their prayer day to hear from Me about questions from recent GNs, as these are very important.
67. (Mama: ) See more on this in the next section.
68. (Jesus continues:) * You could use time on prayer days to ask different Home members to hear from Me about the decisions you made at your last Home Council meeting. For example‚ if you decided on a number of goals or things to do during your Home Council meeting, or made certain decisions as a Home, but you didn't get a chance to pray about them all during your meeting, you could slot time for certain individuals to confirm the decisions with Me during your next prayer day.
69. * You might want to use prayer days to hear from Me and receive "welcome" messages for someone who is going to be joining your Home, which could then be given to them as a gift from the Home. Or, if someone is leaving your Home, you could assign someone (or a few people in the Home) to receive a message of encouragement for their future, and thanks from Me for all that they invested in your Home, which your Home could present to them as a "going away" gift.
70. * If someone in your Home is going on an extended trip, such as a road trip, or going to meetings, or going to visit their relatives, this is another opportune time to receive My Words. I love to give instruction, encouragement, and counsel to My brides when they embark on such journeys, so this is another type of assignment that could be given out on prayer days. Sometimes it's even a good idea to receive encouragement for the person upon their return to the Home, especially if their trip was taxing or long. I like to give commendation to My brides when they complete the journeys I send them on‚ and I often give them instruction about how they can best rest and recuperate if the trip has drained them of their spiritual strength (as can sometimes be the case).
71. * If there are special occasions coming up, such as birthdays, marriages, or a mother having a baby, these are special times when I desire to give messages to My brides. You could assign someone (or more than one person) to receive encouragement, promises, or counsel for the individuals involved. Again, these messages could be given to the individuals as a gift from the Home as a whole.
72. * You may want to ask some people to pray and hear from Me to receive messages for your sheep or contacts or Active members. Or for counsel about them and the challenges you're facing regarding them. Or for more instruction on how to better strengthen them, etc.
73. * If you're having any Home-wide problems‚ you could assign some specific questions to individuals to pray about, in order to be able to receive some of My ideas and solutions. The Home shepherds would then go over these and perhaps present some of My counsel at the next Home Council meeting or a united devotions. Often when there are problems in the Home that affect everyone, it helps to get everyone involved with seeking Me for the solution.
74. * If your Home is hosting a get-together, fellowship, party, or something of that nature, you could assign someone to hear from Me about it, to be sure that all of the details are in line with My will and you have My full blessing. I might even want to give a message that can be read at the activity or event.
75. * If someone in your Home or area is battling with a serious or long-term affliction, you could ask people to receive some encouragement from Me for them. Again‚ these prophecies could be presented as a love gift from the Home‚ rather than just from the person or people who received the messages for them. The reason that it's better not to give the credit to the channels when they receive some encouragement like this on a prayer morning as an assignment from "the Home" is that there were probably others in the Home who would have been happy to pray and receive encouragement for the individual, but were perhaps assigned other things (such as something about a more technical Home decision). It's a teamwork effort, with everyone receiving the prophecies they are assigned.
76. * Another time when My Words are a wonderful encouragement is when someone in your Home is going to have an operation or some other kind of medical procedure. This can sometimes be pretty destabilizing and even scary for the one involved, so having a few people in the Home hear from Me for them can be a wonderful blessing, as I give them My peace and faith and promises to stand on.
77. * Don't exclude the JETTs and teens; they can participate too. They can be counted on to hear from Me about things that are appropriate to their age and the maturity of their channels. Ask Me to tailor questions to them. Even the children can be taught to participate in hearing from Me about something simple during prayer days, with the help of their parents or teachers.
78. This is by no means a comprehensive list; I have many other ideas and suggestions that you will discover along the way. But this should give you enough to get started, and as you do, you'll begin to realize that there's a lot you can accomplish as a Home during scheduled prophecy time on your monthly prayer days.
79. So why not give it a try? There are many benefits. Everyone in your Home will be able to exercise their gift of prophecy more‚ and you'll be receiving a whole lot of answers and solutions and messages from Me at the same time.
80. (Mama:) I'd like to comment and expand on a few things that the Lord said in the preceding message. These are a few things that I have discovered from personal experience‚ and from doing many of the things the Lord listed earlier during prayer mornings in our Home.
81. First, an important note on receiving prophecies for others—whether it's when they're joining your Home, or when they're leaving your Home, or when someone is going on a trip‚ or whatever the case may be—is that it's best to submit these to the Home shepherds so they can go over them before they're passed on to the individuals they were received for. This is an important step as a double check, to make sure that everything will be clear to the person who is receiving the prophecy, that there are not things that need further prayer before passing on the counsel, etc.
82. This is how things work in our WS units. Whenever WS members receive messages for others at my or their Home shepherd's request (unless the individuals asked that a friend or loved one hear from the Lord for them), the prophecies always go through me or the Home shepherds before they are passed on to the individuals. This is wise, and an important safeguard, to ensure that nobody is hurt by prophecy, that the full counsel is given, that the presentation of the messages is right, etc.
83. Also‚ another thing that I do when I ask someone in WS to receive a message for someone else in WS, is that I drop the name of the person who received the message. Because the message is coming from the Lord and it's really from the whole Home, even though I asked a specific individual to receive it‚ taking off the name of the channel makes it more of a "united" gift. If the names of the channels are left on the messages‚ then it can sometimes be distracting for the one those messages have been gotten for. (Of course, the situation would be very different if someone in the Home asked you to receive the message for them, and it wasn't an assignment given to you from the Home shepherds.)
Following through on the GN assignments
84. I mentioned above that there would be more on the topic of following through on the GN assignments (and specifically the prophecy assignments, which the Lord said can be a part of our prayer days). So before I go on to the next point, I wanted to share with you a recent message the Lord gave on this subject, with helpful counsel for all of us.
85. Although there are "to-dos" in the GNs that aren't always prophecy assignments, and there's counsel in this message that veers from the topic of GN prophecy assignments and was not received specifically regarding doing GN assignments on prayer days, I thought it would be good to include in this GN nevertheless.
86. Also, even though this message doesn't specifically mention doing GN assignments on prayer days, as the Lord said earlier, you Home shepherds can use prayer days to ask those in your Home to do certain GN assignments, if you feel so led.
87. (Jesus: ) I place great importance on the Family following through on the assignments that have been given in the GNs—whether it is to discuss certain topics as a Home, or it is for individuals to hear from Me in prophecy and answer certain personal questions having to do with their spiritual life and walk with Me. I do not take these things lightly, and neither should My Family. It is a great disappointment to Me when Homes or individuals blow off these assignments or don't feel they're important, or can't find time in their busy schedules to do them. What that says to Me is that My work is more important to them than Me, than the Word, than their spiritual growth and progress, either as a Home or individually.
88. You rob yourselves of the spiritual blessings I wish to give you when you don't follow through on GN assignments. These assignments are given in order to help you to crystallize any lessons that you, as a Home, need to learn from the GN. Or they're to cause you to stop and assess your own spiritual lives and NWOs and areas you need to work on, or that your Home needs to work on. It creates an avenue for you to get ahold of Me and hear from Me on specific points and solidify any lessons that were brought out in the GN, either for you personally or your Home. You are only robbing yourselves when you neglect this important spiritual aspect and don't follow through.
89. Here are some tips and ideas on how you can ensure that your Home is faithful to follow through on all the GN assignments:
90. * Agree together as a Home that you are committed to following through and each one doing their part, whether it means showing up for Home meetings, or doing the prophecy assignments. If the assignment is to discuss a topic as a Home, then agree together that you will be faithful to do so. If it is to hear from Me personally and answer any questions in the GN, then agree as a Home to do so. This may sound elementary, but you need to get everyone's promise and agreement to follow through. That way I can hold everyone accountable, and it will be an avenue for Me to be able to convict you if you are tempted to blow it off or not follow through on your promise to Me and to the Home to do your part.
91. * Discuss as a Home how you can be certain to do your GN assignments. You may want to assign someone in your Home the responsibility to make note of any GN assignments that you as a Home or as individuals are asked to do. This doesn't have to be a Steering Council member, but this person is responsible to take note of what needs to be done, and then depending on how your Home decides to follow up, pass this on to the party or parties responsible to see that it happens. This may not necessarily be your Steering Council. You may decide as a Home to have a "GN committee" who are responsible to get the Home together to discuss any points the GN brings up, or to make sure that each individual has a copy of their GN prophecy assignments, and a set time established to get them done by.
92. * If individuals in your Home are having a hard time getting their GN prophecy assignments done, you Home shepherds may need to get together with each one and establish a time in their schedule for them to be able to do so. Or you may decide as a Home ahead of time that on such-and-such an evening everyone will spend so much time getting their prophecies. This way people can avoid making appointments or inviting sheep over during the time you've set aside to hear from Me.
93. * This is not exactly a tip on following through, but it's something to consider about GN prophecy assignments: Depending on the assignment, the Home shepherds may benefit from reading what you receive in prophecy. It will help your Home shepherds to know how you are doing, what I'm teaching you, and how I'm speaking to you‚ so that they can stay abreast of how I'm shepherding you and be able to pray for you. Also, it's a relatively easy way to be honest with your Home shepherds, since for some people it's easier to pass on a personal prophecy than it is to take the time to express how they are doing in their own words.
94. * Another unifying and helpful tip—again, not a tip on following through on the assignments, but a benefit of it—is that sometimes the Home shepherds could compile significant portions of people's prophecies and share them with the Home. If the prophecy assignment was something concerning the Home in general, then it would greatly benefit the Home to hear what everyone received‚ so that you can put into practice any tips‚ ideas or suggestions that were given the individual Home members and follow through on any assignments. If the prophecies are of a more personal nature, then the Home shepherds would get everyone's agreement that portions (with anything that would identify people edited out) of their personal prophecies could be shared with all. The Home shepherds may even need to let you see what parts of your prophecy they plan to use ahead of time and get your agreement before they share it with the Home.
95. * If the GN assignment is to have a Home discussion about a certain topic or weakness in the Home, make sure you have someone assigned before the meeting starts to take good notes of your discussion and any conclusions reached, decisions made, ideas formulated, further prophecy assignments or things to ask Me about, etc. It would be good if these decisions and conclusions were either posted publicly for all to review, or printed out and given to each Home member who attended the meeting. If you come up with a list of "to-dos" at your Home meeting, make sure they are assigned to individuals to follow through on.
96. * Don't be limited to the assignments in the GNs. If you get together as a Home to discuss a certain topic and you find that you have further things to pray about as a result, make sure that you have a follow-up meeting to discuss what I have shown you‚ and any further ideas you may need to discuss, in order to be sure you have followed through completely on the counsel and instruction you've been given. Follow through on your discussions until everyone in your Home is satisfied with the outcome and results of your GN assignment.
97. Following through on these various points will show Me that as a Home and as individuals, you are willing to grow and change and keep up with the moves of My Spirit. If you want to be a discipleship Home, if you want to be a successful Home, if you want to ensure that all members are growing in spirit, then you and your Home will be serious about following through on GN assignments. You will then have done your part, and have opened the door for Me to do Mine, and continue to bless, lead‚ guide and anoint you all as My Family missionaries and disciples.
Benefits of receiving prophecies on prayer days
98. (Mama:) Back to the topic of receiving prophecies on prayer days: I'd like to talk a little bit more about what the Lord said in one of the messages above, on the benefits of receiving prophecies on prayer days. He said: "There are many benefits. Everyone in your Home will be able to exercise their gift of prophecy more‚ and you'll be receiving a whole lot of answers and solutions and messages from Me at the same time."
99. I realize that Homes which haven't been used to including the element of hearing from the Lord in your prayer days—which I understand may be the majority of you—might find this quite an adjustment. Maybe you're not used to hearing from the Lord as much or stretching your faith to receive prophecies on certain topics, or you're not accustomed to your Home shepherds asking you to pray about things. But I believe that as you step out more by faith to do so, even if it's difficult at first, you will reap the results—both personally and as a Home.
100. There are many in WS whose main ministries are not related to prophecy. Of course, as I'm sure you realize, there are some of my helpers who receive a lot of prophecy, God bless them. But there are many more dear folks in our WS units who have other full-time ministries—such as the programmers, the Web department, those who work on layout and editing, those who cook the meals and take care of the children and do the handyman work‚ to give you just a few examples—and although they hear from the Lord about decisions they make in their work, prophecy is not their main focus.
101. And in the case of nearly every single one of these dear ones, I have seen their channels grow and mature as a result of the assignments they hear from the Lord about on our bimonthly prayer mornings. For many of them it wasn't easy, especially when they were new to WS and weren't used to receiving prophecy assignments. It was an adjustment for them to get used to dedicating solid blocks of time to hearing from the Lord. Many of them thought their channels weren't good, and it took a lot of faith at first. Many were unsure or felt inexperienced. And for many it's still not easy; it's always a fight to hear from the Lord.
102. But I'm very proud of those in WS who have persevered, and who continue to hear from the Lord during our prayer mornings every second week. It's as a result of their faithfulness, their willingness to grow and stretch, that we are able to receive so many messages—messages that I send to you in the personal letters my secretaries pass on‚ messages that go into the children's and teens' pubs‚ messages that go into the GP tools that you distribute, messages that go into the GNs. There are so, so many messages. And if you were to ask anyone in WS, they would tell you it's not easy. But as a result of their willingness to be made willing‚ we are so blessed with wonderful riches from Heaven.
103. I'm not telling you this to lift up those in WS. None of them feel capable. They all regularly battle with their channels and feel discouraged with themselves. Some still have what they would consider "baby" gifts. But I'm telling you this to encourage you and to make the point that there are benefits to this new challenge the Lord is putting forth of hearing from Him more in prophecy on your monthly prayer days.
104. One of the main benefits is the amount of counsel that He will be able to pour forth as a result of your whole Home opening your channels to Him. We in WS receive the messages that we need for you, dear Family, and to continue doing our jobs behind the scenes. But the Lord will be able to pour out to your Home more of what you need in order to be the winning teams He needs you to be, and His answers and messages will aid you tremendously in your service to Him.
105. The second main benefit of hearing from the Lord more in prophecy, and having it regularly structured as a part of your monthly prayer day, is that it will enhance and mature your personal channels. Even if you think you have a baby gift right now‚ if you begin to use it more regularly and stretch your faith by asking the Lord for different types of messages, according to the need, I guarantee that it will grow. Your faith will grow, as the faith of those in our WS units has grown over the years as they have taken steps to hear more from the Lord, to allow their faith to be stretched, to be willing to receive what they would consider "difficult" messages.
106. Your gift of prophecy is like a muscle, and it gets stronger as you exercise it. The more you use it, the more comfortable you'll feel about it, and the more answers you'll be able to receive—just as you can lift more weight when you strengthen your physical muscles. It's not that it will ever be easy, because the Enemy will always fight you hearing from the Lord in prophecy, but it will be easier and your faith will grow as you use your gift more and more. So see this opportunity to stretch and grow in faith as a good thing—which it most certainly is.
107. (Jesus: ) Your gifts of prophecy are so important. Your individual gifts of prophecy, as well as your Home's gift of prophecy—all of your personal gifts of prophecy combined—enhance your winning team. So anything that you can do to improve your gifts‚ to strengthen them, and to grow in faith together, is a tremendous bonus in the spirit. It's well worth using your gifts more and stretching your faith to receive more from Me.
108. You know well how people get strong. They get strong from pushing themselves to lift more and heavier weights. Well, that's pretty similar to how your prophecy muscles work too. You don't really progress much if you don't "push" yourself—you can maintain, but you won't really be strengthened. So, I'm asking you to push yourselves more in the area of prophecy, dear Family, by encouraging you to take more time to do so on your monthly prayer days. I'm not asking you to take more time for this out of your busy schedules, but I'm simply asking you to make better use of the time you already have slotted.
109. I know that many of you may not be thrilled by this prospect. You're perhaps not confident with your gift of prophecy, or you feel like you have a long way to go, or maybe you're even fearful or scared of what you might be given to pray about. But don't worry, My loves. I promise that I won't give you more than you are able to bear. I, and your shepherds, will work gently with you. We will encourage you and prod you to stretch your faith more, and to be willing to tackle questions you might not have had the faith for before, but we will do so in love.
110. And when you're faced with a new challenge, remind yourself of the reason for it. You're strengthening your gift of prophecy because it's essential not just for today, but it will be even more so in the future. You're strengthening your gift so that the combined prophecy power of your Home will be stronger. As you allow Me to enhance your personal gift, you will be enhancing the overall gift of the body, thus making you a more effective winning team.
111. I want you to expect more of Me. I want you to have more faith in My ability to speak. I want you to be willing to work a little harder to receive My answers, to keep at it a little longer in order to receive My full counsel. I want you to be willing to stretch your faith and tackle things you haven't done before—be willing to hear from Me for someone, even if your faith feels shaky; be willing to receive My answers for your Home, even if you feel more comfortable asking Me for words for yourself personally; be willing to jump off the diving board of prophecy‚ even if it's a little scary.
112. You have My Spirit within you. I have given you My gift of prophecy. So use what I have given you more, My loves. Use your gifts of prophecy to benefit your Home overall. Make more of your prayer days by not just talking to Me but listening as well. Don't worry if you feel incapable; I understand that feeling. I'm capable. I have the answers. I can, I will, and I want to speak to you. I want to give your Home more answers, more guidance, and more instruction. I want to strengthen your Home‚ your winning team, through the channel of prophecy.
Conference time
113. (Mama:) As you know‚ coaches are required to have two conference days a month, and Peter and I have also instructed the RSs to take conference days as well. The details and specifics are different for the RSs and coaches‚ as they have different needs. But the basic principle is the same, being able to tank up and take extra time in the Word, hearing from the Lord in prophecy‚ etc., so that they can do their jobs well.
114. As we mentioned in "Getting Stronger, Part 4," Peter and I would be happy if everyone were able to have conference time. We know that you could all benefit from that extra time with the Lord, as you all lead busy lives and have many responsibilities. But when we prayed about it, the Lord said that now was not the time to require such a radical change. He said that with everything else you have to do, and all of the other changes you're getting used to as you implement the criteria, adjust to the new leadership structure, and other Family-wide changes, it would not be realistic to require every Family member to take conference time, as you only have so many hours in a day, so many days in a week‚ and so many weeks in a month. For many of you it's already a challenge to fit in the 1½ hours of required Word time each day‚ without us adding more requirements to that.
115. When we prayed about it, the Lord said that while asking everyone in the Family to have conference time (which is time with the Lord that is over and above your 1½ hours daily) every month would not be a bad idea, and that He always blesses us when we hear from Him and take time with Him, now is not the time to require it. However, He said that it's something that could be decided at the Home level. So if your Home feels the need for it, and you think it would benefit your Home to allot everyone some extra conference time, then you're more than welcome to do so.
116. Or, if you don't think you can schedule conference time for everyone in your Home‚ you could look into the possibility of giving your Home shepherds some conference time every month—whether it's a half-day or a full day. Because your Home shepherds are responsible for the spiritual state of your Home, and are commissioned to help you move forward as a Home, it could very well be to your Home's advantage to try to schedule them some regular conference time—since, if your Home shepherds are stronger spiritually, your whole Home will benefit, as they'll be able to do their job better. Of course, again, this is purely voluntary and not a requirement.
117. So although we're not making a new requirement of everyone in the Family taking conference time, for the reasons mentioned above, we did want to encourage you to use some of your time on prayer days for this purpose. The definition of conference time is, as the Lord mentioned above, "Extra time with Me‚ in My Word, and hearing from Me in prophecy. It can also be time spent in meditation and reflection; it's a time to be refilled and refreshed and strengthened spiritually. Conference time can also include time devoted to praise and loving Me intimately."
118. The Lord has given other specific conference day requirements for the RSs and coaches, which vary slightly. But this explanation is what the Lord means, and what I mean, when talking about conference time at the Home level. It is personal time with the Lord, over and above the Word revolution requirements. And the time spent hearing from the Lord in prophecy during conference time—for example, if you are scheduled to take an hour of conference time during a prayer day—is for you personally, about personal questions, or personal application of the Word, or personal battles that you are going through. Praying about questions that the Home shepherds assign you that are related to your Home, your Home's spiritual life‚ or for others, are not personal "conference time."
119. (Jesus:) The benefit derived from taking conference time is that you are refilled and strengthened spiritually. Although you take your time with Me daily, it's healthy every once in a while to take some additional solid time with Me, to be deeply fed, to receive from Me the "extras" that I have for you. If you only take the required time with Me each day, you'll do fine—and sometimes this is all you have the time for. But if you can work it out to take extra time with Me every so often—whether that extra time is in your free time‚ or some time that the Home schedules for each Home member, or during your monthly prayer day, or on your free day—it will benefit you immensely.
120. You can liken your regular time with Me to having a daily shower. It gets you all fresh and cleaned up, so that you can keep serving Me. It washes away the grime of the System and the dirt that the Enemy has thrown on you. These daily showers keep you clean. But every so often, if you can afford the time, it's wonderfully refreshing to take extra time with Me, which I liken to a nice warm bath. You're able to take more time with Me; you allow Me to pamper you. You are able to soak in the water of My Spirit and be even more refreshed.
121. So if those in your Home can take extra conference time, especially on prayer days, it will be beneficial overall. You may not be able to slot much time, but if you make that time count and really connect with Me in the spirit, it will be worth it. If you lay down the weights of life, take time to be cleansed in the spirit, and to be personally strengthened and filled up with My Spirit, faith‚ and positive input, you will feel the difference.
Optional discussion questions
* Discuss how you‚ as a Home, can fit more into your monthly prayer days. How can you schedule things better? Can you fit in more prophecy time or more personal conference time for Home members?
* Talk about what makes an intercessory prayer meeting interesting and appealing to you.
* Discuss how your Home could spice up its prayer life.
* Go around the room and discuss the gift of prophecy. Each person can explain what they feel the personal benefits would be of exercising their gift of prophecy more by using it regularly on prayer days. Then popcorn ways in which your Home will benefit as more prophecy power is generated.
* Talk about a time when you—or your Home—didn't think you could afford to take the time to have your monthly prayer day‚ but then you obeyed anyway. What were the results? How did the Lord bless you?
Optional practical ways to be "doers of the Word"
* Pray and ask the Lord if the way that you presently run your prayer days is His highest will. Do you need a change in the way you do things? Do you need to change the day you have your prayer day? If you currently have two half–day prayer days‚ should you have one full prayer day instead? Or if you currently have one full prayer day, should you consider two half-day prayer days? What logistical changes are needed, if any?
* Pray and ask the Lord for ideas of ways that you can improve your prayer days. For example: Do you need to add more fire and inspiration to your intercessory prayer meetings? Do you need better planning? Do you need to devote more time to prophecy and hearing from the Lord? Would it be beneficial to slot everyone some personal conference time when possible? Does everyone have equal time to spend in prayer / prophecy / conference time? Or do you need to spread out the care of the children and other necessary duties in order to allow time for everyone to participate in the prayer day?
* Start taking some practical steps soon, no matter how small, to improve your Home's prayer / conference days.
Arakan: Arakan and his minions fight all God's channels and try to confuse and muddy their minds.
Miracle Warriors: The spirit helpers, angels, or others the Lord assigns to deliver whatever miracle is necessary when we pray.
Channelers' High Command Force, or "Chiefs": Senior officers of the heavenly angelic forces, led by the archangel Michael, trained to destroy the Enemy's demons who fight us when we receive prophecies.
The Fairy Angel Fighters: They confuse Arakan, who fights our channels.
"This morning's class will be on electricity," the teacher announced. "Please turn to page 326 in your books."
Several students yawned as they slowly turned the pages of their book. Their teacher, Mr. Higget, had a penchant for long, drawn-out classes, or "boring episodes," as his science classes had commonly been referred to. Mr. Higget rather enjoyed the intricacies of science, and found the many facts fascinating. However, he failed to translate that enthusiasm into his classes, and instead they became tedious readings of information enclosed in the textbook.
The school principal called Mr. Higget to her office one morning. "Mr. Higget," she began, "we are pleased with your qualifications in science and that you have taken the job as science teacher here. However, we've received a number of complaints from concerned parents who have noticed considerable drops in their child's grades since you began teaching science. I'm sure it is not for lack of your science knowledge, but apparently many of these youngsters enjoyed science and received good grades previously. It seems the inspiration level in your class is low and may need a boost."
The principal went into further detail as to some of the problems‚ and Mr. Higget said rather little in response. It saddened him to think that his enthusiasm for science had not been passed on to his students. He determined to think further on it and come up with more interactive methods of teaching his class.
Mr. Higget's classes drastically changed with the effort he put toward developing a better program. He would include experiments, quizzes, class projects, and intriguing science facts throughout his class. It took more planning time on his part, but when he saw the positive results in his class, he was sold on this new method. There were study times where portions of the textbook were read, but the class overall was a well-planned and well–timed learning venture. The progress in his students was undeniable; science class was now looked forward to and brought new inspiration to the students' lives.
"Ah, the benefits of a little extra effort in planning," Mr. Higget would often say to himself with a smile on his face. He loved teaching science, but better yet‚ he loved the transformation his new methods had brought about in his students.
122. (Jesus:) I am like a fertile field whose soil is rich in minerals and goodness. You, the farmer, come along and break the ground with your groundbreaking key of prophecy. You sow the seeds of your questions, and I grow the answers. I know which answers you need when, and as long as you're faithful to tend your field and keep coming back to Me, I'll make sure that the right answers are ready for you at the right time.
123. Dear capable, caring‚ loving Jesus, we praise You and thank You for always being right here with us, ready to give counsel and instruction. We need You so much‚ Jesus. Thank You that the things You show us always work out. We couldn't possibly figure things out without You. Our own organization falls so short if You are not in it. We thank You that You have all the answers and that all we have to do is call on the power of the keys of receptivity and receive.
124. Thank You that the keys have power to supersede any lack of natural ability that we have. We call on the keys of guidance and instruction, and ask that You would show us the best way to organize our prayer day. We don't want to fail in utilizing this time to the full. Please tell us how we can make the most of these days. We activate the keys of direction‚ organization, and time management.
125. What are the most important things we need to accomplish during our prayer day? How do You want us to organize our intercessory prayer time? Should we have a united meeting with the entire Home? Or should we break into smaller groups? Or have a combination of the two? We call on the keys of inspiration and joy to help us to organize a feeding and inspiring prayer day.
126. Is there any specific Word You want us to read together? Or would You like to give us a message in advance that can be read in our prayer meeting? What praise and prayer methods should we use? What prayer themes do You want us to focus on and what specific prayer requests should we include?
127. In addition to having a solid time of intercessory prayer for our needs and those of the Family, what else should we include in our prayer day? Should we allot time this week to hear from You in prophecy? And if so, should we have a united prophecy assignment for everyone, or is it more important this week to concentrate on Home matters that can be assigned to individuals to pray about? What topics are most important to pray about? Is there any other aspect of our prayer day that we are not thinking about, but that You want to speak to us about? Any new ideas or direction You want to give us?
128. There are so many details involved in organizing a fruitful prayer day. Dear Love, please give us an outline of what is most important for us to accomplish. We call on the keys of inspiration‚ faith, revelation and yieldedness. We put aside our own thoughts and ideas, and ask that You give us clear and complete instruction on this. We wield our demon-defeating weapon of praise that will obliterate Obstacon, and bash and blast all other hinderers that would try and stand in the way of us having a fruitful prayer day.
129. Thank You for the weapon of praise that will help us organize our schedule and carry out this prayer time the way You want us to. We know that distance makes no difference to the keys, and whether those we are praying for are near or far, we can call on the keys for every need—health, strength, power, anointing, or wisdom—and it will be delivered to them. Send the Miracle Warriors to aid and assist us in our intercessory prayers, so we can transform impossible situations into victory.
130. Thank You, Jesus, for this privilege to be counted as prayer warriors for our worldwide Family. We ask the keys to work miracles that will lighten their load and give them the strength to fight on.
The Lord has more ideas than a dog has fleas, so ask Him for some of them to make your prayer meetings powerful and memorable.
A life without fervent prayer is a life half-lived.
If one prayer can make a difference, imagine what a lot of wholehearted prayer can do.
Change does not assure progress; but progress requires change.
Prayer is hard work, but it can also be fun‚ lively, and fulfilling.
Prophecy is a gift that will aid your Home in moving forward more rapidly if you use it more regularly.
You'll get out of your prayer day what you put into it.
If you aren't getting very far, try using inspiration as your transportation.
Be passionate about prayer‚ prophecy, and praise, and you will pave the way for prominent progress.
Prayer and prophecy hours are made up of the most effective minutes of your month.
* * *
131. (Mama: ) This next section is presented in a slightly different format than the preceding section, as well as the rest of this series. That's because it wasn't formatted in this "Training Winning Teams" style, since it contains messages that we prepared for some leadership meetings last year, and which were also read during the coach training seminars this year. But because it's such good counsel and it goes along with the topic of this GN—since "meditation" is a part of "conference time"—even though it was originally given for leadership, I wanted to publish it for you, as meditation is something the Lord wants us all to learn more about.
132. I'm going to present this meeting material "as is," and will follow it with some "additional reading" of prophecies that the Lord gave to me personally more recently. I pray that these messages will be informative and enlightening, and that as we learn more about meditation and begin to make an effort to practice it in our times with the Lord, as well as during any personal "conference time" we may have on prayer days‚ we will be able to draw closer to our wonderful Lover and Husband and be more closely linked with His mind.
133. As you'll notice when you read these messages, they were obviously given for leadership. But when we asked the Lord about sharing them with the whole Family, He said: "Although I originally directed these messages to leadership‚ meditation is something that can benefit every Family member, no matter what their ministry or role of service is in My Kingdom. I would that all Family members take time for meditation and communion with Me. This is not something reserved only for leadership."
134. (Mama:) Some of you have asked exactly what "meditation" means. How do you do it? One of you also commented that you felt you needed to schedule your time of meditation, as it doesn't come so naturally to you to take that time.
135. We've had some of the same questions, and we asked the Lord the following, and we pray His answers are a blessing to you in learning about meditation and how to make it a part of your life.
136. (Question:) Jesus‚ could You please explain exactly what meditation is? What qualifies as "meditation" in practical terms? And how do you get the most out of "meditation" time? It seems important to schedule it‚ because most RSs say they find it very hard to fit in this time, but that may also be because the concept is a bit vague. What is meditation exactly? Without knowing what it is and how to do it‚ of course we don't take the time, and if we do try, we never know if we're hitting the mark or not.
137. Please explain to us the overall picture of meditation, the benefits, how to do it‚ what we will lose if we don't spend sufficient time in meditation, and anything else key to the instruction You have given about the need for top leadership to take times of meditation.
138. (Jesus:) Meditation was an important part of My life on earth. My ministry only lasted three years, yet collectively I spent years of My adult life before My ministry communing with My Father in the quietness and solitude of a mountain or the wilderness. But even once My primary ministry had begun, I spent hours in close communion and meditation with My Father.
139. I know and understand the pressures you face as leadership. I remember the press of the crowd as if it was yesterday. So many people depending on Me, coming to Me for answers, asking for healing and salvation. It's enough to drive anyone mad. And even though I was the Son of God, I had limited Myself to all the frailties of humanity, so even I could have been driven to a nervous breakdown had I not taken ample time to meditate regularly.
140. What exactly did I do during these times of meditation? I spent a whole lot of time just being quiet and listening. Some of you feel you have to be praying earnestly the entire time or spending hours telling Me about your problems and troubles, and while these are important parts of your times with Me, you can't forget to take ample time in quiet meditation. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and shut up for a while. Even if you don't actually receive a prophecy, or if the words you hear are short and simple, you are still effectively meditating.
141. Many people of the world or followers of false religions who meditate even benefit from the experience. Of course, they also open themselves up to the wrong side of the spirit world, which is extremely dangerous‚ but the concept of meditating is still very sound and is certainly safe for you, My children. It's all about getting quiet and tuning in to the spirit world; clearing your mind, relaxing, and getting away from the hubbub of the wings.
142. That means you need at least a little time every day where you're completely quiet in voice and mind. A time where you're not even getting direct answers from Me about your work, or pouring your heart out in prayer, or confessing your sins to Me. A time of absolute peace and quiet in body and spirit.
143. You need this time every single day‚ and if you're not already used to getting quiet before Me, it might take self-discipline for you to learn to relax and let Me take over your mind and spirit. It's a temporary possession where I control your mind, and you do not. With all the business and problems that flood your mind as a leader, it's probably going to take practice—maybe even multiple tries—to learn to truly rest in Me for a time.
144. Whether you feel like it that day or not, you're going to have to find a time—preferably the same time every day—when you not only pray and praise and receive prophecies from Me, but when you are absolutely quiet and thinking of nothing but My loving, peaceful face, or meditating on a simple scriptural truth.
145. It will probably help you to have something small and simple to concentrate on. Pick a key promise you've memorized or a verse like, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you," then close your eyes and say it slowly and peacefully in your mind. Or picture My face and concentrate on it quietly and in a relaxed manner. I may then speak to you directly, or I may simply want to lie with you for a while in silence and rest. In fact, the busier you are, the more of a chance there is that I won't say a thing, or will simply whisper a few words to your heart and then be very quiet.
146. As I have said, all these other forms of time with Me are important: prayer, praise, prophecy, and reading My Word. Without them you cannot function properly as a leader or even as a disciple. But sometimes you're in such a busy spirit that even these forms of communion with Me carry a spirit of business, where you might feel you have to be constantly coming up with unique ways to praise, or pray passionate prayers for as many requests as humanly possible, or that you must receive prophecies regarding how to work most effectively. But please, I beg of you, take some time every day to be quiet and restful. Please don't neglect quiet, peaceful meditation—because you, as leaders, cannot survive without it.
147. Yes, there were times when My prayers were desperate and emotional‚ such as My prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. That desperate prayer and the emotional outpouring of My heart with tears were necessary. However‚ do you think I did that all night? No, not even under the extreme circumstances of impending death did I neglect to get quiet and still for a good portion of the evening; and this was an important part of My preparation for the battle ahead.
148. It wasn't easy to get quiet under those circumstances‚ but I knew about the "stop, look, listen" concept long before your Father David. And because I obeyed and meditated, My Father was able to give Me the supernatural peace I needed to endure the pain and death that was before Me.
149. Think of what these three words mean: "Stop, look, listen."
150. Stop: That means exactly what you think—you must stop whatever you're doing or wherever you're going. But it's not just physical; you also have to discipline your mind to stop thinking of the worries of the past, or the business of the day, or the fear of the future. This might take practice.
151. Look: This doesn't always mean frantically looking to Me for answers to your daily business. In the context of meditation it means picturing My face‚ or looking for a simple, relaxing spiritual truth to concentrate on, such as a memorized verse‚ key promise, or prophecy excerpt. Once you've found what you're looking for, then the trick is to keep looking at that and not to let your mind wander toward your problems or business or the pressures of your responsibilities.
152. Listen: Just be quiet. Relax. Listen to My whispers. Even if I say nothing at all, keep listening to that peace, quiet, and stillness in the spirit. It might take a lot of faith for some of you to be so quiet and still, but it's an important part of meditation.
153. Take it from Me, you'll be much happier and a much more effective leader if you take regular time in quiet meditation. Find that quiet place where you know you can't be disturbed and get completely quiet in body, mind‚ and spirit. Do it every single day. It might come easy to you, or it might take some practice. And if it does take practice, then keep trying until the "meditation of your heart is acceptable in My sight," and I will be "your strength and your redeemer" (Psa.19:14).
154. (Jesus:) Meditation and what it means has become somewhat muddied over the years, especially nowadays when it's practiced in varying forms the world over. Its therapeutic benefits—whether physical‚ medicinal, or spiritual—are widely confirmed. Originally, meditation was related to the act of "curing" or healing, and I confirm that meditation in any form is a healing agent for both the body and the spirit.
155. Meditation by definition is the act of emptying your mind of any thoughts, and concentrating on just one thing in order to reach that point of total relaxation and rest of spirit. The objective is peace—peace of mind and peace of spirit. Even this act in itself—divorcing your mind and self from the busyness and hustle and bustle of the world around you—is rejuvenating to the human spirit. Many of the world find a measure of tranquility of mind and spirit through the elementary steps of meditation, simply because they are exercising basic spiritual principles and laws.
156. Many of the world who meditate find their peace and rest of spirit through looking within or toward nature. Nature is a reflection of Me and contains many healing elements; for example, the healing power of green, and the peace and slowing of the heart rate that looking up at the blue sky gives you. In My love and wisdom I created these colors in large measure as healing agents and elements for My children when I knew their need would be great. I gave you My creation as a symbol and reflection of the peace and beauty I can give your spirit. That's why tucking yourself away in a quiet, secluded place surrounded by My creation almost immediately puts your spirit and body in a position of rest and quiet.
157. But finding peace and rest of spirit through meditating on nature or a focal point within themselves is where many lost of the world stop short of My true meditation. They have not found or tapped into the highest form of energy and power and regeneration‚ which is found only in Me. I am the center of true meditation. To look for that center in anything other than Me can only take you to certain levels. My power—when you are focused and meditating on Me—can lift you above the heavenlies‚ transcending all other levels. This is the power and tranquility and rest of spirit I can give you, My intimate brides and lovers, if you avail yourself of My highest and purest form of meditation and its benefits.
158. The basic foundation truths of true meditation can be found in the message I gave to David many years ago in "Morning Prayer," where he reiterated the fundamental truth that the main job of a shepherd is to keep in touch with Me‚ beginning each day with sweet music, praise, and fellowship with Me (ML #98, Vol.1).
159. Each of you, My dear leaders and shepherds‚ must learn how to enter into that rest and meditation, so that you too can play sweet music to your flock. This is why I encourage you to labor to enter into that rest (Heb.4:9-11). That means you have to work at entering that rest. That may seem like a contradiction, but there is effort and a certain amount of willpower you must exercise in order to enter into that rest and into My courts.
160. Each of you will need to work at learning how to enter into that state of quiet, contemplative meditation, however it works best for you—claiming the keys of meditation. Just as each of My brides must personally search out the keys that will activate the weapon of intercessory prayer in their lives, so too must you ask Me how you can enter into that place of meditation.
161. If you haven't formed a habit of taking this time every day, it may mean simply scheduling that time and making it so that it cannot be brushed aside for anything else. For you, My leaders and shepherds, I look at this time of meditation and communion as I look at your Word time.—It's sacred.
162. You'll never have the rest of spirit, nor the peace and faith you'll need, without that time. Without that rest of spirit—found only in quiet meditation and communion with Me—the busyness, the responsibilities, the cares, the concerns and the burdens of the work will eventually extinguish your spirit. It will certainly extinguish your spiritual strength, endurance‚ faith, trust, and peace. And pretty soon, as David expressed, the flock will pick up on your spirit, because you won't be piping them My music, but your own. Your flame will flicker, burn low‚ and pretty soon your wick will begin to smoke, because you won't be running on My oil anymore.
163. Without first entering into that state of meditation and rest of spirit, it's difficult for Me to even pour into you. Even My Word will not enter and penetrate or move you unless you are still first. You must cease from all activity; you must be still in spirit and find a state of quietness, rest of spirit‚ and emptiness of yourself. And when you have entered that state, this is when I can pour into you in ways beyond your comprehension—ways that will supernaturally and inexplicably sustain you.
164. All of you must have that time. For some it will mean tucking yourself away in a secluded place; for others that's not an option or choice. Whatever your situation, you must find somewhere as quiet as possible, where you will not be disturbed; you must find a way to link up with Me and connect in the spirit, in the quiet, in the stillness, without distractions. For each of you, finding the right circumstances and conditions and what works best for you to secure this time will be something different‚ just as finding how to enter into this state of meditation will be something different for each of you. Just as the essence of your prayer life and walk with Me is very personal and individual, varying from person to person, so too will be the formula for entering into meditation.
165. What is meditating upon Me? It's ceasing from all activity, it's emptying your mind of all thoughts, and it's concentrating and focusing on Me. It's laying yourself and your mind naked before Me, your Husband. It's stripping yourself of anything that would come between us and allowing Me full access to your being.
166. People often equate meditation with reflection, but reflection has more to do with careful thought on past happenings, decisions, and events in your lives, or even something you've read. Meditation is emptying yourself of everything—any thoughts—and letting Me fill you. It's harnessing your mind and giving it to Me, and allowing Me the freedom to connect with you in whatever way I want to.
167. You, My brides and lovers, have immediate access to My inner chambers through loving Me intimately, through your intimate words of love and arousal, and through your words of praise. Loving Me and praising Me in full and total abandon and surrender will clear your mind of all other thoughts and will help you enter the place of meditation. So praise and loving Me intimately is the doorway, or the threshold, to meditation.
168. (Excerpts of a message about meditation received by one of the RSs; Jesus:) If you can learn to truly meditate, meditate on Me and My Word and open yourself up to receive Me and My seeds, then you will be a completely different person. You will be spending sufficient time with Me, with the flower‚ with the rose of Sharon, and you will go away smelling like the rose.
169. This meditation can be quiet time when you open yourself up to Me, when you are not thinking about much, you're just opening your mind and your heart to Me so I can fill you. I want you to have a mind that is open to Me with no preconceived ideas or mindsets; a mind that is waiting and willing to receive My seeds—open, not knowing what it will be filled with.
170. This is time when I can pour into you‚ and then when I give you an idea, you can think about that, you can mull it over and pore over it in your mind and heart—an idea that you need in order to personally strengthen your own spiritual fitness or an idea for your field or for your Home or for those that you're training. I can give you whatever particular idea I want to give you, but you must stop and go slow enough to receive My seeds and My Words, even My ideas.
171. (Question:) Is praise and prophecy a part of meditation? It's a little unclear to me, because they seem to overlap, as the Lord talks about giving us His seeds and Words during meditation, and He's also emphasizing praise. Or is meditation completely different than praise and prophecy and the other things we do in our times of communion with the Lord?
172. (Jesus:) Meditation is different than praise and prophecy, although they definitely complement one another and can go hand in hand.
173. When you clear your mind and open yourself fully to Me during times of meditation, you receive My Spirit and My seeds and sometimes even My Words, but it's different than receiving a structured prophecy, a full message from Me. Sometimes I might give you an idea, or a thought, or even a word, or a song—whatever I know you need to hear. Or sometimes I might not say anything, and will supernaturally relax your spirit without passing on any words or thoughts.
174. Praise is not specifically meditation either. Praise helps you to get in the spirit. It primes the pump. As you're praising, it helps you to put all other thoughts and distractions aside; it brings you into My presence. But praise is not meditation itself; at these times it is simply a tool that you can use to get your spirit in a position to be able to meditate effectively.
175. Sometimes you notice that you get some of your most inspired ideas in the middle of Word time. You wonder how in the world I punch through with some work-related idea or some brilliant plan in the middle of reading when you weren't even expecting it. The reason is that your mind is in tune with My Spirit and I can punch through then, or I can allow My spirit helpers who are assigned to you to punch through when your mind is not embroiled in the business of the day. So stop for a few minutes each day for quiet reflection and meditation.
176. You can call this time your "meditation moments"—when you just stop, when you're not worried about fulfilling your reading requirements, or your Word requirements. You're stopping, you're fellowshipping with Me. You're praising Me for the day.
177. It can be time filled with praise‚ it can be time filled with laughter‚ time filled with thanking Me for anything I have given you or everything I have shown you or done through you or done with you or done for you—anything. The point is, it's time when we fellowship. It's not time when you're worried about super absorbing My Word, you're not working hard to grasp every detail of the New Wine. You're just sitting there relaxing and meditating.
178. (Question: ) Here in this message, You said, "So stop for a few minutes each day for quiet reflection and meditation." Then You said, "You can call this time your 'meditation moments.'" This would seem to indicate that You want reflection to be a part of our meditation.
179. However, in another message previous to this‚ You made a distinction between reflection and meditation when You said: "People often equate meditation with reflection, but reflection has more to do with careful thought on past happenings, decisions‚ and events in your lives, or even something you've read. Meditation is emptying yourself of everything—any thoughts—and letting Me fill you. It's harnessing your mind and giving it to Me, and allowing Me the freedom to connect with you in whatever way I want to." Could You please clarify this for us?
180. (Jesus: ) Reflection is not the same as meditation. In other words, if you're reflecting on something, that doesn't necessarily mean you're meditating. But the two do go together quite nicely, and it's pretty easy to do both in the same setting. Both are spiritually healthy and good for you. Reflection, especially when you're reflecting on something that you've read in the Word, is extremely beneficial. So take the time for both in your personal time with Me as often as you can.
181. You've noticed how I have used the word "meditation" quite a bit recently in My Word, in your conference day guidelines. "I meditate upon Thy Word"—that's what King David said (Psa.119:148). You can't just read it or try to apply it practically in the flesh. Sometimes you have to stop and meditate upon My Word. This meditation is what allows My Spirit to come in.
182. You can combine it with praise time and sometimes you can do it with your mate, while sometimes you should do it alone. Walk outside and meditate firmly upon My Word. What I mean by "firmly" is dedicated, concisely, precisely, with a purpose, real meditating. You know how they meditate in yoga? There is a purpose, a method to the madness. They're trying to meditate and synchronize all their synergies—all their spiritual energy—into one place deep in their soul to give them happiness. It's a crazy doctrine. But what I'm telling you now is the truth.
183. If you meditate upon Me and My Words, I will give you the ideas that you need. I will give you the peace that you need‚ and I will give you the ability to lead others. You cannot lead if you are not at the head. You cannot be at the head if you do not listen to where I want you to go.
184. This is not time spent in receiving direct prophecy; that is something else. Prophecy is where you are not thinking; you're simply letting Me pour through you. But there are times when I want to use your mind, times when I want to teamwork together with your consciousness, with your ideas, with your thoughts and your plans.
185. You wonder what synergy is? The world defines it differently and uses it differently, but in My dictionary it's spiritual energy. It's a fancy word for gifts and talents and spiritual energy and drive. It's anything that is not related to physical output, but rather your spiritual and emotional output. But for the sake of a word, I'm using that to help you understand that it's your own thoughts, your plans and ideas that I have put there through My spirit helpers speaking to your mind and heart that I want you to bring to Me.
186. Your synergies—I want them to center around Me. I want you to take the time to stop and listen to Me, mull over your thoughts with Me, and meditate with Me. Of course, you do not have to do a big formal yoga thing—or any yoga at all. You just have to be quiet and still, listen to Me, converse with Me, informally and practically.
187. When you're receiving prophecy, you sometimes feel it has to be very formal; you can't get one word wrong, you're trying not to miss a single sentence or a single jot or tittle of My Words. You respect prophecy greatly‚ and you do not feel that there is any tampering with My Words—in other words, having your own thoughts mixed in. That is why I want you to take this time of meditation to personalize your thoughts toward Me, your ideas, your synergies, and send them My way‚ and then we will converse together.
188. You don't even have to come away with any solid options or decisions. You just have to sit there. Listen to Me and commune with Me in your heart. You don't have to have a Dictaphone. In fact, I don't want you to record this, because then you will feel that it is too formal.
189. (Question: ) You said, "You don't have to have a Dictaphone. In fact, I don't want you to record this, because then you will feel that it is too formal." Does this mean that we can't ever use a Dictaphone to take notes when having meditation time? What about a notebook? If You give me a good idea during meditation time, I'd like to be able to record it somehow so that I can remember it.
190. (Jesus:) Yes, it's definitely fine for most people to have a Dictaphone or a notebook in order to be able to record or jot down notes. Sometimes I'll show you really amazing things, or give you awesome ideas during your time of meditation, so you'll want to record them or write something down that will jog your memory later—so that you don't lose what I gave you.
191. But the point of Me advising you not to use a Dictaphone is that for some people it might be better that they don't have one on hand—mainly because some people will feel obligated to switch into prophecy mode, or feel like their meditation time needs to be formal. A lot depends on the person. If someone would feel they had to "officially" record every word of their conversation with Me during meditation, then it would probably turn their meditation time into prophecy time.
192. So if people have a difficult time focusing solely on meditation without getting distracted, it's better for them not to use a Dictaphone. But if you're the kind of person who can record a brief note and continue meditating easily, it could be a good idea. Or you could have a notebook, if that works better for you.
193. However‚ another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes I will lead you to switch from meditation to prophecy mode, to receiving a full prophecy, especially during times when you're having some meditation time as part of your 1½ hours of time with Me every day. In those cases it might come in handy to have your Dictaphone available. So it depends on the person and the situation. If you don't know what's best for you, ask Me.
194. I want you to sit and converse with Me in private‚ to meditate with Me in private. Release your own thoughts, release your own plans and your own programs. Give them all to Me and let Me fill you with whatever I want to fill you with. It could be ideas, practical mindset changes, practicalities that you haven't thought of, or practical matters that you haven't found solutions for. It could be anything that I want to speak to you about. I can and I will bring things to your mind.
195. This is a case where I will not speak to you directly as "thus saith the Lord." I will speak to you in counsel with your own mind and your own heart, for this is another way that I have of teamworking with My spirit helpers; they give you the ideas and then I come and I counsel with you and thus with them, and together we come up with My plans.
196. I want you to take this regular meditation time with Me; it's very important to Me that you take this time. To spiritually energize yourself by spending time with Me, center your spiritual energies on Me. Let Me pour into you and let Me speak to you. Let Me give you My thoughts and My plans and My direction and My directives to carry out that day or that week or however I might lead you.
197. (Mama:) Following are the messages on meditation which the Lord recently gave for me, which I want to share with you because I believe that some of the Lord's counsel may be helpful to you as well. He covers some of the same details as the preceding messages, so this will be further confirmation of the principles. It sure is wonderful to realize that the Lord wants to have meditation time with us—this special relaxation‚ rest, and sweet fellowship together.
198. (Jesus:) The purpose for meditating‚ My love, is to draw closer to Me, and as a result to follow Me more closely‚ to know the way which I am leading you, to progress and succeed in My will. I have given you many spiritual tools and weapons to help you in serving Me and to help in fighting the spiritual battles, and meditation is another means of connecting with Me, communing with Me. Through meditation you gain spiritual renewal and strength. It is a means of sustaining your spiritual health and well-being, as well as allowing Me to speak to your heart and direct your thoughts.
199. Begin your times of meditation with love words to Me and words of praise—or songs of intimacy and praise. Loving Me intimately and expressing words of praise will help you to change gears from work mode, and to enter into My courts with more of a peaceful mindset. It doesn't have to be a long time of praising and loving Me in this way. It will depend on your spirit and how much time you need to do this in order to change gears. It can be a few words, or a few sentences‚ or more. It will vary from meditation time to meditation time depending on how your work day is going, how busy you are, how much pressure you may be under, and what you have been doing immediately before entering your meditation time. Sometimes it may take longer to clear your thoughts and prepare your mind and heart to sit quietly and commune with Me.
200. Meditation is communing with My Spirit, and this can happen in many ways. You will often find that this type of meditative spirit can come upon you while reading My Word, or as a result of the Word, if you take enough time and clear your mind and focus on Me and My Spirit.
201. Something in My Word can also trigger reflection, as your mind dwells on what you have just read, to consider all sides, to reflect on the story, the background, the series of events, to meditate on how My people in the Bible lived, what they did and how they did it, what problems they faced, etc. This is reflection. Meditation gives you the feeling that you are communing with My Spirit‚ and with that comes a spirit of faith, even if the things you are thinking about are not all positive and rosy.
202. Some people may think that when you meditate on Me and My ways, you aren't supposed to ever think about problem situations. Some people feel that this may be bringing the wrong topics into your times of meditation‚ and that somehow this will pull you down. It's possible that your spirit can be pulled down, and that you can leave on a negative note from times of meditation if you have meditated on problems or on difficulties with your work, etc., but I do not restrict your meditation.
203. There may be times when you will feel it important to commune with Me in this way, and it's not necessarily bad, especially if you find it helpful, and find that it is a source of relief in some way. Problems exist, and to use some meditation time to think about them and think about My ways of handling them is not strictly forbidden or bad for our times of communing.
204. Isaac meditated on the problems of his people. He went into the fields to commune with Me at the end of the day, and his spirit was encouraged and given fresh faith (Gen.24:63). Your times of meditation should ideally be stress free, a time to leave behind the burdens of your work. But if you can't free your mind to meditate on anything else, because some situation or problem is so in the forefront of your mind, then at times like that it would be wise for you to use your meditation time to think about whatever the problem is that is burdening your spirit and let Me speak to your heart about it.
205. When I say speak to your heart about it, I do not mean that you should use this time as a full–fledged prophecy time where you officially hear from Me and record My message to you. This is not what I want you to do during your meditation time. Let My Spirit commune with your heart through the whispers of My Spirit, through the thoughts I will put in your head, through the leading of My Spirit. If I quicken a scripture to you from the Bible, it's fine to look it up and meditate on it. Or if I remind you of a quote from a GN, again‚ it's fine to read it and think about it.
206. When it comes to problems or work on your mind, although it is fine from time to time to use your meditation time to think about these things in order to clear them from your mind, the point is not that you will find all of the answers to every aspect of the problem or situation. That's not the purpose of meditation, and you should not expect this from your times of meditation.
207. Meditation should be time designated to commune with Me simply for the sake of loving Me, thinking about Me and My ways, thinking about My Word, My works, the way I do things, etc.
208. Meditation is a spiritual experience with Me. But it's not necessarily counseling time‚ when I answer all your questions and give you specific instruction about something, although it can be. At times I will answer your inner questions, even spoken questions that you have on your mind, but it will be in a different form of communication from Me.
209. In other words, meditating and hearing My voice this way is different from receiving direct prophecy and recording the message. It's more like thinking, absorbing My Spirit, hearing My whispers inside your spirit. You feel the leading of My Spirit, the direction of My Spirit, and sometimes you will hear specific counsel and answers.
210. But, as I said, during a short time of meditating you will not receive full specific answers to problems and situations. You may receive a leading of My Spirit, which you can later bring to Me during your prophecy time for My full counsel and instruction.
211. Also, what you do during meditation is different than what you do during Word time. During Word time you read My Word, or sometimes you listen to My Word, but the point is that you focus on what the Word is saying. You seek Me about what you should read, what you need to read‚ and I tell you what to read. You focus on the lessons in the Word, the spiritual principles. You study it, mark it‚ and select quotes to review. You bring prophecy questions to Me related to what you have read. I speak to you about what you have read and help you to apply it to your life.
212. Feeding and strengthening your spirit through Word time, in order to continue to move forward and stay healthy spiritually, takes concentrated commitment and work. It is work in the spirit, although at the same time it is what keeps you alive and happy and fulfilled. Nonetheless, it is a spiritual workout.
213. Meditation is less structured. It is more like your special free time with Me when you don't know what will happen and what the outcome will be, other than knowing that it will be positive. It's a time of spiritual relaxation in My arms.
214. (Question: ) So it's okay to use the Word as a springboard for meditation?
215. (Jesus:) Yes, it's totally fine to use My Word as a springboard for meditation. As David of old said, "In His law [Word] doth he meditate day and night" (Psa.1:2). It is your best source of meditation. Especially if you don't know how to start and what else to meditate on, start with something from My Word.