Goals for 1998

(ML #3160:165-175, Lifelines 24.)

165. (Jesus:) One of the foundation principles that I've given to the children of David through their father is the Law of Love. This is a unique and precious treasure that few understand‚ and even fewer have ever tried to live. The message of the Law of Love is one of the things that has set the children of David apart from others who believe in Me, and even serve Me, preach the Gospel, hear from Me in prophecy, exercise the gift of healing, and believe in the nearness of the Endtime.

166. So very, very few Christians understand, believe, and are willing to accept to live My Law of Love fully. That's because people today, even many of My Own children, have made a god out of their own bodies. Many have set sex and marriage even above Me. They're self-righteous, thinking they know better, and they've withheld from Me these things which are precious to them. They've set these things apart; they've not allowed Me to touch them. They've not been willing to share them or set them on the altar of sacrifice.

167. Many of My Christian children in the world have given Me their hearts in part, their lives in part, their service in part, their testimony in part. But so very few have been willing to give Me everything—even their marriages‚ their bodies, and their sexual practices. They're so foolish, so weak and immature. Just like little children, they have so little faith, and so they keep these things to themselves.

168. But the children of David are strong in truth. Much has been given to them that has not been given to any others. But there is much confusion, many unanswered questions, much negative talking behind closed doors—doubts, murmurs, accusations against this beautiful Law of Love which I have given to the children of David.

169. Many of the younger generation do not understand, and they've made other commitments and what they consider "moral decisions" that are not based on My Word. They see what they consider the mistakes of the past and of the first generation, and they've determined in their hearts that they will not be guilty of the same; yet they're foolish in that they have thrown the baby out with the bath water.

170. They've become blinded to the beauty and the good of sharing with others under the Law of Love because they've dwelt solely on the negative and listened to the lies of the Enemy. They've become confused and deceived. They need to be instructed with the pure water of My Word, and to be strengthened in the meat of My Word‚ that they might accept, believe‚ receive, and live the truth that has been entrusted into their care.

171. Many of those of the first generation have also become embittered due to past experiences, or they've become lazy and indifferent to living the Law of Love fully. They too need to be challenged, for it is through living the Law of Love fully that the living of the "One Wife" vision is possible. Without strong belief in the Law of Love and understanding of it, how can you believe and understand the "One Wife" vision, the truth of your greater marriage? Therefore much reassurance, instruction‚ encouragement‚ and a strong challenge needs to go out to both generations to once again kindle in their hearts and minds faith in the Law of Love and a desire to live the "One Wife" vision.

172. So much of what hinders the unity of the Family today is because of a lack of living the Law of Love and the "One Wife" vision fully. If there were greater love, concern, and faith in these areas, then there would also be greater care for the single mothers and their children, greater sexual freedom‚ less ostracizing of some, and fewer cliques. There would be a much greater willingness to love without partiality, to help each person to feel a part of the Family, the Home‚ the love, the unity, the oneness.

173. It's so very important that each of My children feels needed. This is such an important aspect of unity, because it is the source of much personal happiness in the lives of each of My children—the feeling that you belong‚ that you're needed, that someone cares, that your gifts or talents or contributions are worthwhile. (End of excerpt of message from Jesus.)

174. (Peter:) There are many Christians who love the Lord and who know Him and try to serve Him to the best of their ability, but we are amongst the very few who've been given the beautiful full truth of the Law of Love—thanks to Dad's yieldedness and obedience to pass on to us the message the Lord gave him.

175. It will take time to delve into this very meaty truth in detail and to answer your questions, explain the history of the Law of Love, unravel any misunderstandings, and put forth guidelines to help us all live this principle more fully. But I pray that reading the Lord's message above will instill in the hearts of you adults the desire to get back to the foundation principles of the Law of Love. And for you young people, I pray that this challenge will awaken in you the desire to be open to the truth of the Law of Love, and to give the Lord a chance to help you understand it and see the beauties of it.

Golden Victories

(ML #3162:205-208, GN 768.)

205. (Mama:) Possibly the excesses of the past have made you doubt or even reject the truth of the Law of Love‚ and you've determined that you'll never let happen to you what you saw happen to others.

206. I believe it's accurate to say that some of you have adopted these negative attitudes about the Law of Love even from what you have just heard happened in earlier years, not even having witnessed it or experienced it for yourselves. I think this is especially true of some of you young people. You've probably heard stories or rumors of how things were in the days of our greater sexual freedom, and some of you may be quite offended by it. But you know what? Some of what you heard may be quite exaggerated! And that negative impression you derive as a result can be very strong, to where your whole impression about the Law of Love and our earlier days of more sexual freedom becomes extremely negative, which is probably neither completely accurate nor fair. Remember, the Enemy has no qualms about putting as negative a spin as possible on the freedom of the Spirit, especially when it comes to twisting‚ perverting, and spoiling the beautiful truth of the Law of Love in any way he can.

207. I'm not denying that there were mistakes made in the past. The freedom of the Law of Love was taken to extremes in some cases‚ but what you must not do is allow the Enemy to kill your faith in the beauty of the Law of Love today and steal away the blessing it can be to your life and the lives of others today‚ because of the mistakes of the past! If things were mishandled in the past, if people were hurt or left out‚ or marriages broke up unjustly or unwisely, that is not the Lord's fault, nor the fault of the Scriptural truth of the Law of Love. It's the fault of the weaknesses and lack of love of man! We can't deny, reject or simply ignore the truth of the Law of Love because there have been excesses or mistakes in the past. The past is the past. We need to learn from our mistakes, but we must also leave them in the past and go on!

208. The Enemy is trying to use the mistakes of the past to destroy our faith in the Law of Love today! Don't let him do it!

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 5

(ML #3205:134-165, GN 808.)

134. (Mama: ) Another responsibility we all have when taking part in the sexual freedoms allowed us by the Law of Love is to use these freedoms in accordance with the Word. We are responsible to have Word-based attitudes about the Law of Love‚ and to act accordingly. A problem that has arisen amongst some of you young people is that certain attitudes have crept into your midst that are not Godly, but instead are very worldly. Not all of you have succumbed to these, but many of you have. Perhaps you've not even realized how contrary to the Word your opinions and ideas are on many things.

135. The Lord spoke about this problem when talking about the goals of the Family for 1998. Here's what He said:

136. (Jesus speaking:) Many of the younger generation do not understand [the Law of Love], and they've made other commitments and what they consider "moral decisions" that are not based on My Word. They see what they consider the mistakes of the past and of the first generation, and they've determined in their hearts that they will not be guilty of the same; yet they're foolish in that they have thrown the baby out with the bath water.

137. They've become blinded to the beauty and the good of sharing with ­others under the Law of Love because they've dwelt solely on the negative and listened to the lies of the Enemy. They've become confused and deceived. They need to be instructed with the pure water of My Word‚ and to be strengthened in the meat of My Word, that they might accept, believe, receive, and live the truth that has been entrusted into their care (ML #3160:169,170).

138. (Mama:) Many of the non-Word-based opinions that you've chosen to adopt are based on how you and your friends see things. With time, these opinions have traveled "through the verbal grapevine," so to speak, and the result is that now in many places it's become the "in thing"—or at least the accepted norm—to have attitudes about sex and sharing that are completely contrary to the Word. These wrong attitudes have been accepted by many of you, and thus have given birth to a new attitude and code of behavior that is fairly wide­spread, but unfortunately very unscriptural.

139. Many of you are probably not deliberately doing the wrong thing; you just haven't understood the Law of Love because you haven't read all of the Word on the subject, nor have you always seen a good sample of this in recent years. While the older generation did receive, believe, and embrace living the Law of Love fully in earlier years, which the Lord has greatly commended them for, in recent years they've fallen down in this considerably. Also, it seems that many of our Homes became overly cautious in regards to sexual sharing due to the persecution we experienced a few years ago. Furthermore, the influence of System movies, music, and television is very strong against God's Word and His loving way of doing things.

140. As I said‚ in some cases you young people are confused by bad samples in the adults. You're disappointed that they've not lived up to your expectations. You've seen many problems with jealousy and hurt feelings due to unloving actions. As a result, you've vowed not to make the same mistakes.

141. I can see how easy it is for you young people to think this way, as we of the older generation certainly aren't perfect. There have been many mistakes made! We've had to learn many lessons about how to apply the Law of Love to every aspect of our lives; in fact‚ we're still learning!

142. However‚ many of you young people have adopted a number of System values concerning affection, sex and marriage that are not at all based on the Word. Possibly in hopes of not making the same mistakes the older generation made, many of you have gone very far to the oppo­site extreme, contrary to the freedom of the Law of Love‚ to where you're now very bound by pride, selfish­ness, and self-righteous­ness. Your lack of out­going concern for others and your lack of impartial love, affection, and sharing, have served to build walls and separate you from each other, so that many now feel very isolated and lonely. It's a very sad situation‚ and unfortunately it appears to be quite common.

143. Some of you young married couples have declared that the sexual freedom allowed according to the Law of Love is fine as a Scriptural doctrine‚ and you feel that it was okay for your parents, but you've taken the stance that it's "just not for me." Others of you single young people don't want to share any love with anyone except the one person you're in love with and who hopefully you will marry, and you have determined that your mate will be the only person you'll share with. The young people who do choose to be more giving and sharing are often criticized and labeled as being "loose," "cheap" or "easy lays."

144. Then there are those who don't under­stand the true meaning of the Law of Love and interpret it to mean unbridled sexual freedom with no rules or strings attached. These people go from one person to the next, fucking or having sex only with the ones that they're attracted to, and wreaking havoc in the meantime. These are the ones who think they're free and liberated and living the Law of Love—which couldn't be further from the truth! They're not living the Law of Love, and aren't giving sacrificially or thinking about the needs of others, but are just taking the food out of others' mouths to feed themselves. This is quite a problem.

145. Some of you young people have adopted very negative attitudes towards large families. You're quite vocal in saying you won't make the same mistake your parents made by having a lot of children. You announce proudly that you won't have more than one or two. Many of you view large families as a burden and something that will hold you back in your lives and ministries.

146. Closely related to this is the practice many of you have of freely and without qualms advocating the use of birth control. If you person­ally choose to use some form of birth control‚ that's up to you. You're free to act according to your own faith. But just as others should not be condemning or criticizing you for your decision, so you should not be broadcasting it and making others feel that they're just not "with it" if they're "going for the gold" ­either by fucking without using birth control, or not fucking at all but using other methods of lovemaking instead.

147. Then there's the bad attitude about pregnancy. Some of you look upon pregnancy as a mortal blow to your "careers" in the Family. Others of you criticize and condemn girls who get pregnant, telling them they were stupid for letting it happen to them. You have the attitude of, "Oh, poor thing! She got knocked up! Why did she go and do a thing like that?!"

148. Listen, if someone in your Home or area gets pregnant, it's not your place to criticize her or the man involved‚ or to gossip about them or in any way make them feel bad, condemned, or embarrassed! It's none of your business. When someone gets pregnant, it's between the man and the woman involved, and it's up to them to pray and hear from the Lord about how they want to handle it, in counsel with their shepherds and/or parents. Every­thing will go much more smoothly for them if you'll not be critical and judgmental of them! If you want to do something, then pray for them that they can find the Lord's will and the happiness He has for them and the child.

149. That brings me to the next problem area—gossip—which I spoke about earlier, which also goes against the Word. Overall, there are many unscriptural, wrong ideas and attitudes that have taken hold in the hearts and minds of many of you members of the younger generation, and these wrong attitudes work against the Law of Love. They cause you to be selfish, proud, even self-righteous, thinking you know better than the Word, that you're right and the Word is wrong.

150. But you see, you can't be selective about the Law of Love. You can't decide that you will believe the Word about our sexual freedoms and partake of them, but you won't believe the Word about certain aspects of it, like what the Word says about loving without partiality. You can't decide that you, as a Christian, will accept the fact that you can have sex outside of marriage and even with multiple partners without sin, but then decide that you're going to be partial in it by only having sex with those you're attracted to or when it suits your fancy or when it requires no sacrifice or giving on your part. It doesn't work that way! If you're going to accept the Word for the blessings of the Law of Love, then you must also accept the Word in regards to the responsibilities as well—the responsibilities of loving without partiality, of being sure your actions don't hurt others‚ of not gossiping‚ of having Word-based attitudes, etc.

151. Another responsibility you have when living the Law of Love fully is to demon­strate a Godly attitude toward sex. One way you do this is by refraining from practicing unclean and unsafe sex acts, such as anal sex‚ fucking while the woman is on her period, rough or violent sex, etc. Also, you should refrain from having ungodly, perverted discussions about sex, sex acts, or the parts of the body.

152. You need to be particularly careful about the horrible demonic material about sex that can be found on the Internet. Don't let the Devil's evil seeds be planted in your heart or mind through unwise "surfing" on the Net! We've heard of plenty of cases where men have gotten tripped off and gotten into some pretty bad stuff on the Internet, which really affected their spirits and thoughts. I'm talking about such things as sodomy, anal sex, bestiality, violent sex, sadomasochism, etc. Reading about, talking about or even joking about un­clean sex can make you desire it! Beware of the inroads of the Enemy!

153. Sad to say, we've heard reports that viewing this type of pornography on the Internet has had a very bad effect on the lovemaking activities of some of our younger generation‚ with young men being quite violent in their sex, throwing women up against walls to fuck them, forcing sex‚ and even roughly and violently fucking virgins. This is very wrong! It's un­loving, ungodly and should not be allowed! But one of the saddest things about this is that we've heard reports that the young women go along with this treatment or even pretend to like it, because they're embarrassed and don't know what to say or do about it.

154. Shepherds and parents, if you hear of this happening‚ it is your God-given duty to shepherd the young people and help them to learn the loving, tender, Godly way to make love by reading the Letters Dad has written on the subject and the counsel in the book that you should be receiving soon, Cool Tips for Hot Sex! And if any of you young men have a desire for these types of ungodly violent sex‚ you shouldn't wait for someone to report it. You should ask for help and prayer, and start studying the Word on the subject to be washed clean!

155. Another important aspect to having a Godly attitude and spirit in your lovemaking is to bring the Lord into it by praying and praising together, loving Him intimately together, etc. The more you bring the Spirit, the Lord, and His love into your times of sexual sharing together, the more satisfying they will be!

156. I hope that as you read this Law of Love series that you will let the Lord speak to you about any attitudes you have or decisions you've made that go contrary to the Word. Here's something the Lord said on this subject:

157. (Jesus speaking:) Yield not to the press­ure of your peers, but check your hearts and minds, your attitudes and thoughts‚ and see where they're coming from. Are they coming from My Word? Are they coming from the freedom of My Spirit and the love which I have taught you? Or are they coming from the world, from the bondage which the Enemy would want to place you under?

158. Each of you must check your own thoughts and attitudes and weigh them in the balances and see if these things be so—if they are according to My Word and according to the Words of David and the freedom and love of My Spirit. Or are they according to the world and the lies of the Enemy and the bondage that he would place upon you?

159. The Enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may entrap with self-righteousness, hypocrisy and pride! These atti­tudes draw you away from the truth and freedom of the love of David, clouding your minds and your hearts with pride and self-righteousness, so that what seems to you to be love and loyalty is in truth only bondage and pride.

160. Therefore each of you must come before Me in humility and desperation, lay all your thoughts and attitudes on the ground, and let Me rewire you with the truth of My Word. If you have a willing mind and if you just make the choice and forsake your present thoughts and attitudes and are willing to say, "Not my will, Lord, but Thine be done," then I will be able to wash you clean‚ remake you, and give you the freedom and love which I long to give you.

161. But there must first be this willing­ness of mind‚ this choice, and this recog­nition that these thoughts and this bondage and this self-righteous­ness and this lack of love and lack of giving and this gossiping and talking behind each other's backs is not of Me. Before I can give you the love and the freedom that I so ­desire to give you, you must let go of these thoughts and attitudes which are not of Me‚ but are of the world. (End of message from Jesus.)

162. (Mama:) The Lord makes it clear that it's the Enemy that's trying to get you off the track and tied up in his chains. He's going about as a roaring lion, seeking to entrap you in self-righteous­ness, hypocrisy and pride. It's so interesting that the Lord says, "What seems to you to be love and loyalty is in truth only bondage and pride." Just think‚ the Lord is saying that when you're unwilling to love others just because you have a special love for someone, that this is part of the Enemy's entrapment. You might consider it "love and loyalty," but because it is contrary to God's Word, He calls it "bondage and pride."

163. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having someone that you're in love with. It's just that this love should not hold you back from giving the Lord's love to others, nor from allowing the one you love to also share His love with others. Such a relationship shouldn't choke off your love for others; it shouldn't cause you to turn inward‚ but rather should be a vehicle to help you give even more to others. Let me finish this point about Word-based attitudes‚ and then I'll comment a bit more about personal relationships.

164. Let's take a look at what the Lord said in the above prophecy and what you can do to overcome the entrapments of the Enemy:

1) Don't yield to negative peer pressure. This is much easier said than done, I know, but avoiding negative peer pressure is something you must try to do if you're going to avoid falling into the traps of the Enemy. Of course‚ the main way to achieve this is to cry out to Jesus to give you the needed strength and conviction. Another way is to check out what your peers are saying with the Word. If someone is expounding or pontificating on their personal theory about love, sex, marriage, or advocating birth control, abortion, anal sex, etc., and what they're saying doesn't seem right‚ or you're not sure if it's right, then look it up in the Word. If your Home has a computer and the HomeARC, this is easy to do. When you see what the Lord says about it, then you'll know what's right and what's wrong. Knowing the Word on the subject helps you avoid the Devil's traps.

2) Check to see if your attitudes and thoughts are from the Word and the loving freedom of the Spirit, or if they're from the world and the bondage of the Enemy. Do the things you think about love, sex, relationships, marriage, sexual sharing and pregnancy go along with what the Lord says about them? Or are they opposite from the Word? If they are, then where are you getting them from? If they're not from God or according to His Word, then they're coming from the Enemy and the world!

3) Cry out desperately to the Lord, telling Him you only want His way and His thoughts, and that you're willing to do whatever He wants because He did everything for you! Yield all your thoughts and attitudes to the Lord and tell Him that if they're not of Him‚ you don't want them! Start reading the Word with an open mind‚ asking Him to help you accept what He has to say! Pray with all your heart, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!" (Psa.51:10).

4) Believe what the Lord says, that this self-righteousness, this lack of love, this lack of giving, this gossiping and talking behind each other's backs is not of Him.

5) Make a decision to believe what God says in His Word—not what the Devil whispers in your ear, not what your friends tell you, not what you hear on the radio or see on TV or in the movies or read in books.

6) Forsake your present thoughts and attitudes, and say, "Not my will, Lord‚ but Thine be done."

165. The Lord promises that if you do these things, He will then be able to wash you clean‚ remake you, and give you the freedom and love He so longs to give you. Remember, the Lord has given us a wonderful gift through the sexual freedom of the Law of Love‚ but in order to truly live it according to His plan, we must base our usage of it and our attitudes about it on His Word; otherwise we will misuse it and hurt others.

Living the Lord's Law of Love, Part 10

(ML #3210:89-116‚ GN 813.)

89. (Mama: ) When it comes to sexual sharing, many Family members have been hurt in one way or another by unwise or unloving actions of those who were not acting in accord­ance with the Law of Love. However, if I were to venture an opinion as to what is the most hurtful experience Family members have had in regards to sexual sharing, especially in the earlier years, I would say it was the hurt caused by the actions which were due to extremely strong, in-love emotions which were not kept within the bounds of the Law of Love. A lot of suffering was also caused by the immature use of the sexual freedoms granted under the Law of Love. But as I said before, we can't let these hurts of the past keep us from the blessings the Lord has for us both now and in the future. We've grown and matured as a Family, and the Lord wants us to wisely and maturely use His Law of Love. When talking about the Family's past use of the Law of Love, the Lord said:

90. (Jesus speaking:) Those were the beginning years of the opening of the Law of Love to you—the learning years, the "trials and failures" years. These were the years of your stepping out by faith and in love, of learning at My hand—often through your errors and misjudgments. As with any revolution, people often take their newfound liberties to an extreme as they revel in their release from the bondage of the past. Your David showed you the way with guide­lines and many warnings and admonitions that "all things be done in love," but there were hurts and pains, along with the joys that My Law of Love brought.

91. But time has passed‚ lessons have been learned, an abundance of My Word has been poured out in the decades since that time, and a lifetime of lessons have been learned through My New Wine, even in the few years of this new day of love. For many of you, the lessons learned through mistakes related to unchecked passions and emo­tions have taught you to have more genuine concern and a Godly love and burden for those who you see with needs. I wish to wash away the fears of hurt, failure, problems, runaway emotions and bitterness—for it is a new day. (End of message from Jesus.)

92. (Mama:) This is a new day—a day to forget the things which are behind and to reach out to those things which are before us. The Lord is asking us to step out by faith, to begin living the Law of Love fully, and to use the sexual freedom that is rightfully ours according to the Word, to share with one another in a loving, caring, and responsible manner.

93. The Lord isn't advocating that we put an inordinate emphasis on sex within the Family, nor is He calling for orgies, sex parties, un­prayerful haphazard sexual encounters, or anything of the sort! I'm also not promoting a big emphasis on personal relationships. But the Lord is asking us to use the freedom of the Law of Love to benefit the lives of those around us, to help those in need, and to foster greater unity within our Homes.

94. Jesus said that for many of you FGAs, the lessons learned through the mistakes you made in relation to unchecked passions and emo­tions have taught you to have more genuine concern and a Godly love and burden for those around you who are in need. In other words‚ many of you have grown to have a more mature attitude towards sexual sharing, and have learned to use it in the way it was meant to be used.

95. This wasn't always the case. In our early days of experimenting with the Law of Love‚ sexual sharing was handled in a very immature manner that caused a lot of battles, distress‚ and anguish, especially to those who were married. Many used these freedoms to selfishly satisfy themselves rather than to help others, as was the original intent. As Dad said:

96. What I have said about "One Wife" and the "Law of Love" has been carried to the extreme and with the wrong selfish motives by some, when these were intended to point out the need of total self–sacrifice for the sake of God's work and ­others in the ultimate of sacrificial love! Instead, some of you have apparently‚ according to your own selfish desires, completely misin­terpreted these Letters, and are now yielding your members to nothing but carnal lust‚ instead of sacrificing yourselves on the ­altar of God's service in service to those who really need and deserve help! (ML #314B:6).

97. (Mama: ) It took quite some time, many tests and trials, failures and defeats, before some began to understand the full purpose, ­reasons, and proper conduct for sexual sharing. When the door originally opened for sexual sharing within the Family‚ at first there wasn't a widespread application worldwide. When the Family worldwide did embrace sexual sharing, some four years later, around the time of the RNR, many simply didn't follow the rules of the Law of Love. They didn't "do unto others as they'd have them do to them." They didn't make sure all involved parties gave consent. As Dad said in the original Letter on the subject:

98. If you are strong enough in spirit and filled with His love, you can be trusted with His liberty as a useful tool to help others. But if you are weak in the flesh, full of selfish lust, and play with it foolishly like a dangerous toy, it will only harm yourself and others and hinder the work of God (ML #302C:8).

99. (Mama:) Unfortunately, many were weak in the flesh, full of selfish lust, and they played with this freedom foolishly, resulting in harm to themselves and others. In short, many did not handle the Law of Love properly. (For more on this, please see ML #3016:47-67.)

100. You might ask, "Why did the Lord give us this freedom in the first place if He knew we weren't going to use it properly?" Peter and I asked the Lord this question‚ and this is what He said:

101. (Jesus speaking:) Behold, I am as a wise father who has nurtured his child from baby­hood to adulthood. Any wise father knows that throughout his life his child will stumble and fall‚ will make mistakes and wrong choices. But with proper care and guidance and a father's firm hand, the child will learn in time to do that which is right in a right manner.

102. So it is with you, My children. I gave you this great gift‚ My Law of Love‚ and I knew that all would not handle it wisely. A wise father knows young children make mistakes, for young children are extremely selfish, seeking only that which is good for themselves and caring not so much about what is good for others. But as they grow‚ they learn that they must be mindful of the needs, wants‚ and cares of others.

103. It was necessary for Me to bring forth the Law of Love so that My truth of the freedom that I offer, the freedom that I give to My Church, to those who truly believe Me, could be made known. Had I not given it to you at an early age, it would not have been possible to give it to you in your older age, for you would have been too walled in by other doctrine. So I gave it to you at a young age, even knowing that you would not be able to handle it with the wisdom that was needed.

104. Why did I do this thing? Why did I entrust it to you at such an early stage? Because I had to start somewhere. I had to shepherd you through, and help you to grow‚ and get you to the state where you are fully mature, willing and able to completely understand.

105. Someone had to be the first to climb this mighty mountain. You've found the pathway, you've clearly marked it, and now others can follow you without the same pitfalls and falls, without slipping down the side. For you have clearly marked the path and said, "Stay within these bounds and you will easily ascend to the top."

106. When a father knows that his child is about to take his first steps and that he will stumble and fall and be bumped and hurt and cry, the father still lets him take those steps. He does not take him up in his arms and say, "No, to protect you I will not let you walk. I will not let you learn this thing, for it might cause you harm." Any father that would do this would be a foolish father, for his child would be handicapped all his life.

107. But now you can run! You've learned. So now do I put on the pressure to live it, because you have grown, you have understood, and you have set boundaries that others can wisely follow. (End of message from Jesus.)

108. (Mama:) Once again the Lord is saying that we, as a Family, have grown, we've matured, and we of the first generation have learned from our past how to use His freedoms with more love. He had to give us these freedoms when we were young‚ in the early days of the Family, even though He knew many would not handle them right. Nevertheless, He taught us through trial and error, because if He had waited until we were older and more mature, we would have been too encrusted in our doctrine to receive it; our bottles would have been too brittle to accept it. But again He's said that we've learned, we've matured, and through our own experience we've been able to set boundaries.

109. He knew through our own efforts in pioneering living the Law of Love we would now be able to turn around and help you of the younger generation. He knew that you would be able to benefit from our experience as well, so that now we can all safely make this climb upward with the boundaries in place that we all can safely follow, and He wants us to use these freedoms to His glory.

110. Does the fact that the Family has matured over the years mean that we now won't have any problems living the Law of Love to the full?—Or that we won't battle jealousy and selfishness, or that no one will be hurt, or that all givers and receivers will do everything ­properly? Will everyone only do loving things? No, of course not. We're not perfect. But if we will try to live according to the Law of Love in all we do, if we're prayerful and seek the Lord each step of the way, if we're faithful to seek the counsel and help of others, we will avoid hurting ­others or doing unloving things most of the time and it can be very different than it was in the past.

111. But no matter how much we want to do the right thing, it's going to be a fight. There are going to be problems to overcome, tests to pass, victories to win. But it's worth it!—Because as we step out to live His Law of Love we will reap the benefits, the blessings, the unity, and the closeness to the Lord and each other that we need and desire. So if you begin to share love with another and things don't go as smoothly as you'd hoped, please keep going! Don't give up! I think the following message from the Lord on this subject will be an encouragement to you.

112. (Jesus speaking: ) It takes time to learn to live the Law of Love fully. It takes continued love—love that is willing to keep loving, keep going, keep sharing and keep caring, even when things don't go smoothly. Even when things get rough, and tempers flare‚ and people get sensitive or hurt; even when the heart aches, feeling misunderstood; even when people act cold or reserved, real love keeps loving. That's the kind of love that My Law of Love is made of.

113. Oh, the power of love! It has great power and it cannot fail. But it also takes patience and communication and faith in each other. If feelings have been hurt‚ it takes patience‚ communication, faith and prayer to bind up the wounds and restore the spirit of love. It's all part of the Law of Love—learning to communicate, learning to pray together, learning to forgive‚ learning to keep having faith. Love is a sacrifice‚ but with such sacrifices I am well pleased!

114. But remember, you can't do it by yourself. You can't do it just by trying real hard. You can't do it alone. You need Me and My power. The more time you spend with Me in sweet, heart–to-heart communion, the more time you spend in My Word, in prayer, in praise, and loving Me, the more I am able to give you the power and spirit of My love. I am able to give you all that you need to be My vessel of love. (End of message from Jesus)

115. (Mama:) No one is going to be perfect—neither you, nor your mate, nor the one you share with, nor the one you give to, nor the one you receive from. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). But "love never fails" (1Cor.13:8). If each of us will carry on in love, even when it's difficult and it hurts, the Lord will bless us individually and as a Family, because we will be trying to live His Law of Love. But as He says, we can't do it by ourselves. We need Him and His power, which we get by spending time with Him.

116. We've not only matured since the early days when sexual sharing in the Family first started, but we've also grown in spirit. We've developed a much deeper relationship and a closer communication with the Lord. In those earlier years when we battled with learning about the Law of Love, we didn't have such a full ar­senal of the Word as we do now. We weren't exercised in using the gift of prophecy. We didn't make use of asking others for prayer as much as we do now. Due to all the Lord has poured out to us over the years, the spiritual strength and resources available to us now are much greater than in those earlier days, and if we use them, we'll be better able to overcome the difficulties we'll face as we share love with each other.

Issues, Part 16

(ML #3450:102-139‚ GN 1040.)

102. (Question:) The Family has a history of making some pretty serious mistakes and then confessing later that maybe things weren't handled correctly. If Dad and Mama, or now Mama and Peter, made mistakes in the past, who's to say that what they're publishing now or what they're doing now and the way they're leading the Family now won't later be apologized for‚ with their saying they should have done things differently, had more wisdom, etc.?

Text box:

103. (Jesus speaking: ) This is a question that many of your apostates spread. It's also a question that the Enemy plants in people's minds when they are weakened or critical, or feeling discontent, hurt, or bitter. I know that everyone has at some time suffered hurt from someone else's mistakes. That is the case everywhere in the world‚ not just in the Family. But the fact remains that the answer is the same—no matter what has happened to you, in the Family or out, I allowed it, and in each person's life‚ no matter what happened that they feel was a mistake, I will turn it to their good if they will let Me.

104. You simply can't keep being blown about with any little wind or rumor of mistakes—because there are plenty of them. You need to decide why you're in the Family. Is it to serve Me because you want to be My disciple, and this is the place you feel you can do the most for Me? In the course of your life for Me and the persecution that will inevitably come‚ you'll hear a lot—both true and false—that will or could stumble you. But if you're here to serve Me, then it doesn't really matter what happened in the past.

105. Yes‚ there were mistakes made in the past, and there will continue to be mistakes made today—lots of them, because the Family and Family leadership is made up of humans, fallible human beings. You need to decide whether that's a deal-breaker for you. If it is, then go in peace, and find somewhere else that you can serve Me with conviction. That's the bottom line. (End of message from Jesus.)

End of text box.

106. (Dad:) Before I answer that question‚ let's get one thing straight from the very beginning: This is God's work, His Endtime army, specially created, anointed, empowered and led by Him for these Last Days!

107. Now, having said that, let me add that God also uses human beings to lead this work, men and women who sometimes make mistakes, act unwisely, exercise bad judgment, or make the wrong decisions. That's because we're all sinners, and "there is none righteous; no, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That includes me, Mama and Peter, and every other human being—and that includes you too, of course.

108. In considering the Family's mistakes, you need to remember that most of the mistakes that were made were not made by the Family as an organization, but by individuals who took things too far, were selfish, unwise, or disobedient to the Family rules and the Law of Love.

109. Yes, I also made mistakes in the past, and I've confessed those mistakes to you time after time. Goodness, I wrote Letter after Letter about my mistakes when I was on Earth, from the very earliest days up until I came home to Heaven. Some of the first Letters I wrote were to confess that I'd been wrong about the Jews being God's people and physical Israel being His kingdom on Earth today. You can read about it in "Breakdown" and other Letters. It was a mistake, a serious one, and I wondered if the whole Family would leave over it. I wrote you about my mistakes, admitted my trials, shared my fears, and asked you to pray for me time and time again. And then I went on for the Lord, and I'm still going on for the Lord!

110. So I've made mistakes, various leaders down through the years have made mistakes, and many Family members have made mistakes. Only Jesus never made a mistake!

111. But, and here I'm speaking for Mama and Peter and myself, when we've made mistakes, we've tried to follow God's plan to make things right again. We haven't tried to cover up our mistakes, like many worldly governments or organizations have‚ or even many churches. We've confessed them to the Lord and asked His forgiveness, sought the forgiveness of others if they were affected, and then put feet to our prayers of repentance and have changed—and have changed Family policies and doctrines for the better because of these mistakes.

112. In the long run, these mistakes have borne good fruit. They've humbled the Family and helped to root out pride and self-confidence. They've made us turn to the Lord and seek Him more fervently, knowing that we can of our own selves do nothing. They've reminded us that we bear His Word and spiritual treasures "in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God‚ and not of us." Through it all, God has been glorified and we've gone on to gain greater depth of spirit, make greater progress, and win greater victories.

113. The Lord has often brought good fruit out of mistakes made by His people, and you can read about it throughout the Bible. Almost the first thing after the Creation‚ Adam and Eve made a terrible mistake and had to leave the Garden—but through it they got much closer to the Lord, and I've talked about that before in "Did God Make a Mistake" and other Letters.

114. All the greatest men in the Bible made terrible mistakes, ones that hurt others‚ but through it they realized how much they needed the Lord and His love and grace and forgiveness‚ and it changed their lives and the world! Look at King David—he had Uriah killed so he could marry his wife, who he'd already been sleeping with. But when he was humbled, he went on to become one of God's greats, a man after God's Own heart!

115. Look at Peter, one of the Lord's closest disciples, who fumbled along and made mistake after mistake‚ and even wound up denying the Lord three times. But after Jesus' resurrection and the Day of Pentecost, he won thousands and thousands of people to the Lord!

116. Look at Paul—he got his start by persecuting and killing Christians! That was quite a mistake! But once he had his little chat with the Lord on the road to Damascus, his life changed, and so did the world. He went on to become the most zealous of all the apostles, a soul winner who's been an inspiration to millions ever since!

117. We've gotten victories out of our mistakes because we've been willing to change, and we've changed time after time over the years, and we still are! When we realize something isn't working or it's wrong, we change it. We have a metanoia, an about-face, a revolution, and go the other way. And because of that‚ we've continued to win millions of souls and to change hearts and lives in nation after nation.

118. If you want to ponder something or think about the future, why don't you ponder all the good fruit the Family has borne in the past and continues to bear, and all the miracles ahead for us in the future! Now that's something to think about. In saying that, I'm not trying to excuse any mistakes of the past or justify anything. I simply want to point out to you that if you want to dwell on mistakes, the Enemy will be happy to supply you with a long, detailed list of faults, failings‚ shortcomings and sins—both real and imaginary—in an effort to stoke doubt, fear, criticism and self-righteousness.

119. What did the Lord say? "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, think on these things." He didn't say, "Whatsoever things are discouraging, negative, unjust, ugly, and of bad report, think on those things." He encourages us throughout the Word to be positive, not negative.

120. Remember, as I said at the beginning, this is God's work and He's in control and is leading us, and He's going to use even our mistakes for His glory to further His work. The Family is special, called-out, chosen, exceptional, extraordinary, and so is the role He has for us to play in these Last Days! He's made promise after promise about that in prophecy after prophecy, and you're going to see those promises fulfilled‚ and some of them very soon.

121. So it's up to you whether you believe those promises and prophecies, whether you believe this is His work and He's in charge, whether you believe it's God's will for you to be in the Family‚ and how much you're willing to commit yourself to obey and follow. If you believe this is of the Lord and it's His will you're here‚ why not give it all you've got? Why not serve Him with all your heart and mind and strength and energy?

122. On the other hand, if you don't believe this is of the Lord or His will that you're here, then why remain in the Family? If you've battled doubts and fears about the future for a long time and you just can't seem to get the victory despite the Word and counsel and prayer and prophecy and your efforts and the efforts of others to help you, then maybe you'd be more content elsewhere. We're not trying to keep people in the Family whose hearts and minds are elsewhere, as we have said repeatedly in many Letters.

123. But, whatever your situation or state of mind, you need to understand that everyone makes mistakes. I dare say you've made a number yourself, no matter who you are‚ and you need to remember that you'll be forgiven for your sins and mistakes the way you forgive others for their sins and mistakes.

124. When the mote in your brother or sister's eye starts becoming very obvious and apparent to you, then you'd better check for a few motes or beams in your own eye! Remember, you're a mess too, and if you can keep that in mind, it'll help you to avoid criticalness and self-righteousness toward others for their mistakes.

125. Anything good we do has to be God! Any righteousness we have has to be His! Any progress we make is by Him working through us—and I'll tell you, I've seen plenty of progress in the Family and lots of good fruit! Heaven rejoices at it, and the angels sing continually of the souls won and victories gained in the hearts of men on Earth!

126. So as for me and my house, we'll continue to serve the Lord. That's never a mistake. Amen? May you keep serving Him too! God bless you! Love‚ Dad (End of message from Dad)

127. (Mama:) While we're on the subject of leadership being human just like anyone else, and in light of how the Lord is asking more of each person in the Family—to become a shepherd and a leader of the many He wants to bring into our folds—I want to share with you a few excerpts of a message from the Lord about Dad's "humanness," and how the Lord used it to make him exactly the prophet we needed for these Last Days.

128. Thank God for Dad! Thank God he was willing to be what we needed—mistakes, extremes and all—to stir us up and start the revolution the Lord had in mind for us. God help us to be willing to do as much, with the same dedication and passion for the Lord and lost souls as Dad had.

129. (Jesus: ) I'm the one who made David exactly as he was—just like I've made you, My queen, with your strengths and weaknesses to accomplish My perfect will, and as I've created each and every one of My Endtime children, each with his or her own weaknesses and things to overcome. This is the great paradox—that you have weaknesses that you must work to overcome, yet when you give everything to Me, I am able to use even those weaknesses for My glory. This is the beauty of giving Me everything in your life and heart and holding nothing back—for you are then in My hands, and I can teach, train, mold and use you as I know best to accomplish My purpose.

130. David was given his name because I fashioned him in many ways after My King David of old—who, though he was a man of many faults and failings in man's eyes, yet because he allowed Me to use each failing as a chance to teach him and others and draw him closer to Me‚ he became a man after My Own heart.

131. Too often all people want to see is the "man after My Own heart" part of My servants. They want the finished product, but choke on the method and process which I must put them through to get there. They want the fruits of humility and closeness to Me, but don't want to see the depths of despair and hopelessness resulting from being humiliated by their weaknesses and failings, which create the fruits.

132. They'd much rather think of the prophet as fairly perfect to begin with. They expect that he must be more perfect than they are, and therefore more worthy—because then it eases the pressure of My voice and call in them to forsake all and follow. Because if they accept that My prophet is just as big a mess as they are, and yet through his deep abiding love for Me and willingness to do anything for Me he becomes a mightily used tool in My hands, then they have no excuse to walk away from anything I might ask of them.

133. The idea of My mouthpiece having to be perfect or nearly perfect, or even good and righteous in himself, is such a skewed perspective. It's true that My prophets are special, very special—but it is not what they do or don't do in the flesh that makes them special. It is their deep abiding love for Me, their insatiable hunger and driving passion to love Me and do all they can to draw closer to Me in spite of their faults and failings and mistakes.

134. Yes, My servant David had many faults‚ just like you all have. His were often broadcast more prominently because of his position in the limelight of having to shepherd and guide you all. He was at times prone to discouragement and even depression over what he saw as his failures. He would see his attempts to guide you as failures when some would turn away.

135. I created him to feel your pain even as I feel your pain, and at times he felt he could not bear it. If I had made David perfect in every way, you would never have been able to learn anything from him. He would have been unable to weep with you, laugh with you, feel your pain and sorrow, and understand you. He would not have known the answers to your struggles. In short, he could not have loved you as deeply as he did‚ for until you understand the deepest part of someone, you cannot fully love them.

136. Love makes you one, and it is in your own failings and weaknesses and seeing and understanding and forgiving and learning compassion for each other in these things that you become truly one. I could not make David impervious to the Enemy's attacks or make him perfect and infallible‚ for to do so would have destroyed his usefulness as the Endtime shepherd of My flocks.

137. You, My children, say you believe that it was only Me in David who made him the prophet he was and that it was not his own greatness. But the test comes when you realize your own humanness, when I reveal to you that it really is only Me—in him or in any of you—as you step out to become the prophets and prophetesses of the End.

138. Do you really believe it's only Me? Then you shouldn't be surprised when you falter and make mistakes and are grieved at your own miserable self and how big a mess you are. Just follow My servant David's sample. No matter how many times I have to let you fall, either for your own sake or—and this is a sign of true love for the sheep—for their sakes, that they may come to lean on Me rather than your flesh, and in leaning find their strength and calling, you must trust and hold to Me.

139. Becoming My mouthpiece doesn't eliminate you from the picture entirely. You will at times falter and be prone to the attacks of the Enemy, and will at times succumb to discouragement. At times you will struggle and fail, or feel you've failed. The battles won't stop, and the failures or what appear to be failures will still come. But how long they last and whether or not they work for good for you and others will depend on how much you love Me and how much you're willing to fight to hang onto Me and to draw your strength from Me, just as My David did. (End of message from Jesus)

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