July 31, 2004
(ML #3502, GN 1090)
FD/MM/FM July 2004
(ML #2996:53-58, Lifelines 22)
53. (Mama:) I'd like to preface this next prophecy by saying that the other day, all of a sudden I remembered that I had the ring that Dad wore, and I thought‚ "Oh‚ I should give that to Peter." Dad had gotten so thin he had to wear it on his thumb, that ring that he'd worn for years. I thought, "I can't wear that." I tried it on and it didn't fit, and I thought‚ "I'm not supposed to wear this, I guess Peter is supposed to have this." But I thought to myself, "How do I present it to him? l don't want to just tell him to stick out his finger and say, 'Here's Dad's ring.' Although I wouldn't mind doing that, because I'm not one for ceremonialism and it makes me nervous." It's because I'm too proud‚ ha! But I thought, "I know Dad sure likes ceremony, and every time he gave somebody a ring he made a big deal of it, and made it a real precious time, a real sweet time and very meaningful." And the Lord does that too. The Lord really makes a big deal of some things.
54. As you can see by all these prophecies and the way the Lord does things, He really does it in a way that will give honor where honor is due, and He explains things and words things in a beautiful way. He really does a beautiful job to make things special. And I know Peter likes ceremonialism too, so I was a little bit outvoted. But I thought, "I don't have any idea of what to say! I think I need to pray and ask Dad. It's his ring and I'll see what he wants to say about it." So I told Peter, "We need to ask the Lord about something." And he said, "Oh, what's that?" I said, "Something about you." He said, "Me?" I said, "Yes." I didn't tell him what it was at first, and he got a little nervous, wondering what in the world is coming this time!
55. So I prayed my prayer and I said‚ "Dad, sweetheart, I really need to know about this ring‚ because I need to know how you want to present it to Peter. I'm quite sure you want him to have it, but would you tell us about it?" And we received a beautiful prophecy in which Dad said, "Well, I'm glad I was able to get through to you and tell you that was my idea!"—Ha! So now I really know I'm just a robot and my ideas come from the Lord and Dad, and I can't take the credit for anything. Following is an excerpt from the prophecy, but I wanted to give you that little explanation first so you'd understand what it's talking about:
56. (Prophecy‚ Dad speaking:) "Sweetheart, I'm very happy that I was able to get through to you about this. For I have given him (Peter) my wife and my children. So is it any great measure that I would give him this ring as a token of your love, of my love, of our oneship together, our unity? He shall wear it upon his hand and he shall think of me and of thee and of us together, that we are one. For it is a sign of our oneship, of our marriage together: You giving him my ring as I have given him my wife, and you two together as one with me, and we together as three; and, yea‚ a three-fold cord is not easily broken.
57. "And, son, I bestow this ring unto thee as a token of my love and as a token of my appreciation‚ and as a token of my oneship with you and Mama. (I put Dad's ring on Peter's finger.) For we are all three married together, and we all work together as one, even as we worked together when I was there. I leaned heavily upon you, and now you can lean heavily upon me. And when you look at your hand and see this ring, remember me, and remember to listen to me‚ and remember to seek me and my words." (End of prophecy.)
58. (Mama:) Wasn't that sweet how Dad said he leaned heavily on Peter when he was here, but we have to lean heavily on him now? Thank You Jesus!
(ML #3195, GN 799)
By Maria
Dear ones,
1. God bless you! I love you! In the following prophecies, the Lord gives beautiful promises and instruction for a couple just starting out on the adventure of their married life together. Many of you who are getting married may want to use these prophecies and possibly the pledges in your ceremonies. Even the older, established marriages may benefit from reading these prophecies and renewing their vows and their commitment to each other and to the Lord by the use of these pledges. It's wonderful to see how the Lord promises to help us each step of the way‚ when He has led us to join our lives with another in marriage.
2. This example of a ceremony is a beautiful one. However, you may want to ask the Lord for your own vows, or for prophecies especially for your particular situation. If you'd like a ready-made ceremony, though, here it is! We love you and pray that the Lord blesses each one who is entering or presently in married life with great fruitfulness‚ happiness, joy, and many children—whether they are the fruits of your body or fruits of your ministries for Him. He's ordained you to be together, so He will bless and keep you each step of the way!
3. (Jesus speaking:) True marriages are made in Heaven: They are arranged, ordained and allowed. For when My people seek Me and look to Me for My will and My guidance and love, when they desire to do My bidding and to fulfill My highest calling for them, then it opens the door for Me to arrange things. I can then set things in motion, place one here‚ place one there, and bring about the marriage that both I and they desire.
4. When there is yieldedness in the heart, when there is singleness of mind, and when there is subjection of body‚ then I have full sway and I can bring about happy results and unions which will bear fruit.
5. So as these here have given their lives to Me and My service, and they do now give their lives to one another, if they will do so in all humility‚ in all lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other better than themselves, then will they find the happiness that they long for. Then will I find receptive, open, yielded, and willing hearts to do My will.
6. For then I and all My angels and Heavenly hosts and ministering spirits shall have influence and can help, lift, guide, comfort‚ counsel and instruct. We can make a way where there is no way and supply when no supply seems possible. We can bring joy out of sadness, light from darkness, and anoint with unity and strength.
7. So as you give your hearts to Me, give your hearts to one another. Each one entrust your heart to the other. Open the deepest recesses and allow yourselves to be vulnerable. Trust one another, for what greater trust can one human show to another than to open his or her heart and entrust it to the one they love?
8. So take heed and be prayerful in how you handle the open heart of your lover, of your husband or your wife. Betray not the trust that they are presenting to you, but handle it in faith. For in sharing and entrusting your hearts, a strong bond of love will be forged between you.
9. These things of the spirit, of the heart‚ go beyond the things of this Earth‚ beyond flesh and blood. They transcend the natural things around you and they cause you to look upon the things of the spirit, the true values, those eternal values of love and service to God and one another. So guard your hearts diligently, for out of them shall proceed the issues of life. If you do these things, you shall be happy. (End of message from Jesus.)
10. (First to Jesus: ) Jesus, because I belong to You above all, I want to pledge my endless love and devotion to You before any other. My love for You could never be overshadowed by love for any other. I thank You for this reciprocal love You have given me‚ the gift of loving someone and being loved in return.
11. (To her husband:) To you, _____, I want to pledge my undying love and devotion, my life, my time‚ my body, and my soul to unite with yours and together become one in our Lord. To be your loving submitted wife‚ to understand you, to please you, care for you, and cherish you always in my arms and in my heart.
12. I want to be with you always in body and in spirit, and when we part momentarily you will still be present with me in my thoughts and in my heart.
13. May Jesus grant me this wish—that I can give you the love you need‚ and support you in what He asks of you in His service. May we two become a strong unit to enhance the wider Family unit and together give out the same love that our Jesus so sweetly pours on us.
14. So to you I now dedicate myself, to honor, love and support you. Yours forever lovingly, ______.
15. (First to Jesus:) Jesus, because I belong to You above all, I want to pledge my endless love and devotion to You before any other. My love for You could never be overshadowed by love for any other. I thank You for this reciprocal love You have given me‚ the gift of loving someone and being loved in return.
16. (To his wife:) Dear _____, I pledge to stand by you, love and protect you; to help you stay close to Him and make it easy for you to do His will; to do my best to be the man that you need me to be.
17. I open the door of my life to you. Welcome in, and forever abide with me. I may not always be able to express my love well in words, but I will do my best to show you my love by my actions. I love you and will love you forever and ever, and my love for you will continue to grow.
18. My darling, my sweetheart, my beloved, you are the one for me. You are the one that I love and that I want to hold close to my heart. I love you and will love you and cherish you always. I thank Him for putting us together, and that though I am not worthy, He is blessing me with your love.
19. May we be a sample of His love, and love others as He has loved us. May we continually hold Him close‚ as nothing can take His place in our hearts.
20. (Jesus speaking: ) My beloved brides, My precious ones, whom I hold in My hands‚ how I love you! How I wrap My arms around you and draw you close to My bosom, for you bring Me great joy and delight!
21. Now, My dears, as you consecrate your love one for another‚ let your hearts be knit in My love, that it may reign in your hearts forever. For I have put this love in your hearts, one towards the other, that you may feed and be nourished, that you may draw strength from My everlasting wellsprings, that you may grow in My eternal love.
22. I take you now, precious ones, and draw you ever so close to My loving heart, for I need you, I love you and I delight in your love! How I revel in your surrender to Me—in your yieldedness, in your tender kisses and sweet caresses! For this reason I join you. I draw you, I beckon you, I join you hand in hand, heart to heart, in body, soul and spirit, that out of this union My greater purpose may be established.
23. I take each of your hearts now—every broken piece, all your hopes, your desires and shattered dreams. All your longings, your joys, your sorrows, the heartbreaks, the pain. All the good times, the happy times‚ the joy, the love—I take it all and I hold you ever so tightly in My loving arms. I draw you close to My bosom, that you may forever rest here, on My gentle breast. I join your hearts as one, that you might have one another to nourish, to hold, to cherish and to love. I give you, dear ones‚ My priceless gift of love, as a loving token of My desire toward you. This precious treasure—My Own gift of love—I shower upon you, for I care for you like none other.
24. As I hold you ever so close to My Own loving heart, I lay this cornerstone, the foundation on which your love will grow—the basis on which your union will stand strong—that of My Own heart of love. I take your two tender hearts and melt them with My Own, that in this oneness, in this molding and melting of our hearts‚ you may overflow with My anointing of love.
25. Build on this foundation of My love—My Own warm, tender, soothing love. Love one another as I have loved you. As you look to Me, keeping Me always in the center of your union, I will bless you and prosper you in all you do. As you keep your eyes fixed on Me, as you acknowledge Me in all your ways, I will lead you and guide you as you build on this love.
26. Stone upon stone, brick upon brick, out of this love I will raise up a strong building, one made of living stones, alive and vibrant, motivated by the white-hot heat of My Spirit, founded on My truth, melted together in My love.
27. My darlings, I have put this love in your hearts toward each other as an illustration of My Own union with you, My young vibrant brides. Therefore let My Own heart of love always be your central focal point. Let us continue to love and ravish one another and revel in love, that I might continue to plant My seeds deep in your hearts. For I love you, I need you, I hold you, I cherish you. Love one another as I love you, and know that this threefold cord will not be broken.
28. Out of this union‚ I would that My rich flowing love be manifested. For I have chosen you, and I ordain you to live in love one toward the other as I have loved you.
29. As you stand on the threshold of this day of new beginnings, I open to you, dear ones, a treasure chest. The chest is full of valuable possessions of all kinds, that of My most highly valued treasures, which I bestow upon you. Therefore revel in them‚ My darlings. Do not hide these priceless possessions away, but put them to good use, frequently, daily in your new life together. As you do this, you will be blessed and you will prosper.
30. Come look in the chest now. Break open these wedding gifts and let them flow out of your lives. Take hold of this most priceless treasure—the gift of faith in Me; for as you look to Me first and foremost in all you do‚ your union will prosper. Hold fast to your faith in Me and all things will be possible to you.
31. And I give you gifts of trust, joy, love, tenderness, sincerity, communication, respect, appreciation, kindness, satisfaction, consideration, protection, happiness, openness, honesty‚ self-sacrifice, and love. Use these often. Let them flow between you and be blessed.
32. I shower you with these gifts so that when one of you is weak‚ the other might help; when one is not strong, the other might lift. I give these gifts so that you might inspire one another and encourage one another in love.
33. As a man leaves his father and is joined to the wife and they become one flesh, so I have touched this union, precious ___and ____, with My creative power of love. This most priceless gift of love I place in your hands, to have and to hold, to feed and to nurture—because I love you. Blessed be this union of love now and forever.
34. My darling brides, My faithful ones, I shower you with these gifts of love. Yet as the river of water that has no outlet will become dead and stagnant, so let this love I have put in your hearts overflow on others. As the servant is not above his Master, so do I bestow upon you this great honor: the privilege and honor of being vessels of My love—to follow closely in My footsteps, to serve others in love, to open your hearts and lives and love to others.
35. Give and it will be given to you again. As you continue to share this love and pour out upon others, I will continue to pour into you. As you open your lives and allow this love to overflow on others‚ I will continue to pour out My Spirit upon you in great measure—My blessings, My great treasures and riches in a never-ending flow. Fear not to give of your love, for as you do this, the love I have put in your hearts for one another will grow strong and pure. It will be strengthened, and this very special love I have placed in your hearts will never be taken away.
36. This gift of love I have put in your hearts is a treasure priceless and rare, and yet this same gift also makes you the servant of others. I do not put this love in your hearts to stay. I have entrusted you with this love that you may give it out to others—that you may be vessels of My love.
37. Therefore, if you would stay fresh and alive, let this love overflow on others. In this you will find great joy, joy you have never known‚ joy unspeakable! As I have opened My Own heart of love to you, go and do likewise. Open your hearts of love; let the love flow out on others. Let it flow and flourish, and I will cause it to grow into a mighty tree, a strong tree bearing much fruit.
38. As you walk in My ways‚ I will bless and prosper you; I will cause your lives to overflow with happiness. Your love will know no boundaries, your satisfaction no bounds. Great will be the joy that will fill your hearts and lives! As you share this love I have entrusted to your hearts, you will find strength and power that you have never known before, for only in giving will you truly receive. And as you do this, My dear ones, I will bless you with My infinite love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things—My lasting love that will never be taken away from you.
39. Therefore, My beloved ones, go and be blessed and prosper in My love. Know that I look down with shining face upon you. Love one another as husband and wife, as sweethearts, as parents, as companions, as co-workers, as friends and as lovers who share all things. Pray together, talk together, seek Me together‚ discuss and decide together, agree together, share your secret dreams and hopes together.
40. Share your hearts together, share your lives together, and most of all—praise Me and love Me together! As we lie together in the bed of love, your hearts melted and bonded together in Mine, together we will reach heights unknown!
41. Continue to build upon this foundation of My loving heart, and as you take this great love which I have put between you and give it out to others, you will experience My love as never before. Treasures of love and happiness and satisfaction I will pour upon you, My precious loves. I will never go away from your side. I will care for you and sustain you always as we grow in love. I love you, My darlings, from everlasting to everlasting.
42. Come now, and let us consecrate this love. Give Me your hand, ____. Give Me your hand, ____. I join them together and lay them here upon My heart—that we might make this pledge of love. You in Me and I in you‚ we three, forever and eternally always in love. I pledge to you, as you pledge to Me, to love you, to hold you‚ to never leave your side. I love you, My loves, My darling mates. As you continue to give Me all of yourselves, so do I give you all of Me.
43. Therefore go in peace and be blessed, loving one another as I love you, and sharing this great treasure with others. Great is My love for you, My dears. I am eternally yours. Your faithful Husband and Lover and Mate, Jesus. (End of message from Jesus)
(ML #3287:29-46, GN 885)
29. (Mama:) It's wonderful to hear of so many new couples—both young and older—teaming up together in the Lord's service! God bless each of you! Over the months, we've received a number of wedding announcements to be published in The Grapevine. In hearing of some of these more extravagant accounts of the great fanfare that went into the celebration—and in some cases, relatives and visitors coming for the event from other countries‚ some probably having to even fly in for the occasion—I wondered what the Lord would have to say about this.
30. Getting married and committing to live your life for the Lord with another person is a monumental event, but I wondered if going to such extremes and getting so into the expensive frills of what sounded very much like a typical System wedding was pleasing to the Lord. I was also concerned that if we were to publish such gala announcements, that other couples in poorer fields, or those who couldn't arrange such a fancy reception or ceremony, would feel bad, like their wedding or betrothal was not as special as someone else's.
31. I asked one of our channels to ask the Lord about this, specifically about whether or not He wanted our weddings to involve so much travel for our Family members, with those getting married inviting all their best friends to attend, even if that meant traveling for several hours or longer. Here is Dad's answer:
32. (Dad speaking:) If it's a time of uniting and fellowship for the folks involved, I'm not necessarily against it. The Family craves fellowship, and these weddings are important for the young people. If it helps them take their vows more seriously and if it's particularly important for them to have their loved ones present, then I think in some cases it's fine.
33. In some ways, it's really commendable that our young people are wanting to take their vows of marriage seriously and make this declaration before all. It can be a time of bonding not only for those who are wed, but for others in attendance‚ and anything that promotes unity is good.
34. Every situation is different, and you can never know the background of every wedding and what went into it. The Lord may have a definite plan in wanting to even call the System relatives of the couple together for the witness, or perhaps He knows that the area needs to get together and unite‚ and that this would be a good forum for it. Or perhaps the Lord opens the doors of provisioning wide, and wants to bless those who are giving. If He pours out blessings in the form of wedding extras, then you should accept them and be thankful. The most important thing to remember, though, is that it doesn't have to be this way to be blessed.
35. Those who've had big weddings and large gatherings of Family members at their ceremonies didn't necessarily miss the mark. I would hope that they confirmed their plans with the Lord. In most cases, the Lord seems to have supplied and blessed them with some of the extras that they wanted. I'm just concerned that the Family doesn't think that they have to have these things in order to have a good or perfect wedding. It's certainly nothing to compare or feel bad about if the Lord doesn't lead that way, and I don't believe that's generally the trend that He wants to lead the Family in.
36. Of course, there is a down side to these big weddings, and in some cases, sad to say, all intentions might not be pure—so this is a difficult decision to make. There's the financial aspect to consider, and I'd say that's a pretty big factor. Then you've got all the comparing that it can bring on for others who aren't able to do the same, and even for some who want to get married but haven't found a mate! Others could feel left out if they weren't able to attend their loved one's wedding in a faraway location.
37. Each situation is different, and folks are going to have to ask the Lord. It may be the Lord for loved ones to visit after not having seen each other for a long time. Or maybe the Lord knows that it's important for folks to unite at a particular time for their inspiration and strengthening. Maybe they really need and deserve the break and time away. Maybe the Lord will supply the transportation for free. The Lord loves to shower blessings on His children. He promised to supply, and He does supply abundantly for His children. Traveling long distances for things of this sort is a common practice among the children of the world, so why shouldn't the Lord supply for His Own if it's His will? But the key here is it being His will!
38. There may be other situations, though, where it's much more important for the relatives of a young couple getting married‚ for example, to stay in their Home or field at the time. Maybe they're having a big witnessing push or they're needed to continue following up on their friends or contacts. Maybe they're some of the only adults on their team pulling the load of a small Home or in a pioneer situation, and they really can't afford to pull out and get away, and it just wouldn't be expedient. Or maybe it would be a bad sample to their sheep or friends or new disciples, and those they leave behind will feel badly and feel like they're being extravagant or wasteful. In some cases it wouldn't be right to leave the Lord's work at the time, or His little sheep, which is really your priority, as I know you know.
39. In some cases it would also be a much more powerful testimony and witness of the simplicity and freedom of the Spirit to just have a simple wedding without a lot of hoopla—really breaking free from tradition and the "accepted" way of doing things.
40. So this, as most things, is really subject to interpretation! You'll just have to tell folks to pray and hear from the Lord before they begin planning their weddings, to make sure that the ceremony they hold glorifies the Lord and doesn't simply attract attention to themselves or to their glamorous setup. Folks shouldn't be trying to compete for extravagance, or see who can create the biggest shebang! That's ridiculous! The most important thing is the Spirit—that the couple has the blessing of the Lord's Spirit.
41. Your weddings don't need to be great big flowery affairs in order to have meaning! Some of the most meaningful things in life are simple and low-key. So don't let the Enemy trip you up into thinking that the best weddings are the kind that the System has, with all the fluff and frills of the world. The Lord, in prophecy, can give you the script for a wedding plan that will knock your socks off! His Spirit can infuse wonderful life, charge and inspiration into your ceremony.
42. You don't have to have a limo for the day to have had a good wedding—nor any of the other traditional trinkets! If the Lord provides them, fine. But just remember, your sights shouldn't be set on those things; they should be set on the Lord and His will and program for your wedding ceremony. (End of message from Dad)
43. (Mama:) That sure makes it clear that you need to seek the Lord and His plan for your upcoming wedding celebrations. They can be a wonderful time to unite, fellowship, and share love and unity. But be sure that you're going by the Lord's plan and not just your own!
44. Sometimes less is more, and a simple wedding without all the fluff that comes along with typical System ceremonies can be really special, touching, and Spirit-filled. A small gathering full of the Lord's Spirit and His and each other's love, without the trappings of tradition‚ can be so free and beautiful.
45. In other cases‚ the Lord might lead and provide for a more expensive traditional setup, and some or all of the accompanying frills, perhaps including friends and relatives from faraway places. Gala weddings are not the general trend the Lord is leading the Family in, though‚ and would be more the exception than the rule.
46. Pray and seek the Lord as to how to make yours the most meaningful and special, and He'll show you. The power of the Lord's Spirit and His lasting love is what makes a wedding—or any gathering—a beautiful and memorable one.
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