April 12, 2005
(ML #3538‚ GN 1129)
FD/MM/FM September 2004
ML #250:4–5, DB 5
4. Unless you have an actual physical affliction or an abnormal or temporary condition which requires same, A WOMAN IS AT HER MOST BEAUTIFUL BEST A LA NATURAL, SANS BRA, GIRDLES & other so-called supporting paraphernalia. Very soft natural curvaceous bulges are far more desirable, feminine & attractive than a suit of armor. As the fellow said, I'D RATHER HAVE 200 POUNDS OF CURVES THAN 100 POUNDS OF NERVES! SO DON'T STARVE YOURSELF to death, either, for the sake of a rail-like fashion-model figure.—But don't try to tie it all up in canvas to try to fool us men, either. For if the SIGHT doesn't give it away, just one TOUCH will! WHEN A MAN WANTS TO TOUCH A WOMAN, HE WANTS TO TOUCH YOU & NOT YOUR SUIT OF ARMOR, unless you really WANT that kind of protection & don't WISH to be touched! We believe in being natural & normal & happy though overly-endowed.
5. Of course, if you're one of those poor little stick girls like Twiggy, you certainly don't need such equipment simply to try to pad your existing assets with a false front! MOST OF US MEN WOULD RATHER SEE THE REAL THING NO MATTER HOW SMALL YOU ARE. Being the real YOU is being revolutionary. And part of BEING REVOLUTIONARY IS JUST TO BE YOU & nothing MORE or LESS!
ML #3124:61-74, Lifelines 24
61. (Dad speaking:) Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. It seems it's up to you and where you are and what you're doing that would determine your dress. But really, it doesn't matter what you wear. It's Jesus shining in you‚ shining through you‚ that people will see.
62. Some of you young folks in the more westernized areas think it's cool to look like the rest of the teens. That in itself is not so bad. Some people may not agree with you, but it's not really so bad in itself. Again, it depends on exactly where you're witnessing. However, don't you think that restricts you a little bit? You're trying so hard to be free, but you really kind of put yourself in a box when you put yourself in a box of style. So if you really want to burn free, be natural! Let Jesus really shine through you and knock their socks off with your smiling, glowing, sparkling personalities!
63. Now here's a thought for you: You want to dress like those around you so you can witness to them? That's a good thought. That's worth considering. But would you be willing to carry out that same thought if you had to dress like a monk or a nun to witness, or if you had to wear a suit and tie if you were witnessing to folks who looked like that? I'll let you think about that.
64. Clothes and fashions are interesting and fun. They change with the times. But they can be quite a bondage, so don't let yourself get bound. Whatever you do, don't let yourself get bound. It's the spirit that matters, your attitude.
65. It depends on where you are. It depends on what area of the world you're in. It's a sacrifice to be a missionary. It's a sacrifice to be a disciple. There were times I wanted to do many a thing that was thought too outlandish‚ that would have drawn a lot of attention to myself rather than to the Lord, or would have hindered my work for the Lord. So it's a sacrifice to be a disciple, to be a missionary. But it's a small sacrifice‚ because witnessing and helping turn a soul on to Jesus is far more exciting than turning someone on to you because of your dress or how you look.
66. When I used to take my girls out FFing, they dressed for the occasion, because they were baiting the men with their looks. Some of them got a little bit tripped off. You can ask some of them about it. It was fun for a while, but then many of them matured into realizing what a responsibility the men were that they were attracting to themselves. They realized that their beauty and what they wore wasn't all that important any more, and to keep those men satisfied and happy they had to give them Jesus; they had to give them the Word.
67. But as far as your dress, well, what can I say? I didn't always dress according to any certain code, and I managed all right. You should have seen Maria and some of my staff trying to get me to dress a little better. Ha, ha! For the sake of security, I succumbed to their wishes and I began to agree with them—that it was true, dressing more appropriately drew less attention to myself‚ which was better for security. Also, since the world so often tends to judge you by your looks, my way of dressing would kind of detract from any message I would give in my witness to them.
68. So it's up to you how you want to dress. It's true, it is a new day and you do have a choice. But remember, it costs to be a disciple. It costs to be a missionary. It costs each individual in different ways. So it's up to you. You know your field, you know who you're ministering to‚ and you know what would be best and how to dress. So use wisdom and don't be too proud to change your ways. Just think about it, and do what you know is best.
69. Heaven is fun! Just like I used to tell some of the girls on my staff, they'll have fun designing clothes, wearing different robes of light and making pretty things for Mama‚ and even wearing nothing, praise God! The things of this Earth really are so temporal. Thank God! So like I said‚ it's up to you! Use wisdom, and dress in love, preferring others' happiness above your own. Just shine brightly for Jesus, because that's all that counts. People will see Jesus in you. It doesn't matter what you wear or even what language you speak, people just notice that spark of difference, that glow in your eyes and on your face! I love you! (End of prophecies.)
70. (Mama:) Here the Lord and Dad tell us again, as they have in other prophecies, that it's a day of choices, and the decision on these matters is up to you. However, they also present some very good questions that you should ask yourself when deciding whether or not your outward appearance is appropriate: "What is your motive? What is the purpose for the way you want to dress or look? Who are you witnessing to and how can you best become one? What kind of effect will it have on your younger brothers and sisters? What kind of testimony is it to those who see you? Is your dress a distraction to your witness and your testimony, or is it a help? Does it help you become one? Does it help others relate to you?" Take some time to ask yourself these questions, and carefully ponder the answers to evaluate what you should do in your situation.
71. The Lord also asks, "By your actions and through your dress, are you seeking to please yourself and those of the world who look upon you? Who do you love the most and who do you seek to please—Me or those of the world?" If you're just trying to look cool because that's the in thing to do and you want to be more like your peers in the System and be accepted by them, then that's the wrong motive and you should rethink the way you look at it. The Lord warns that sometimes your efforts to become one can go too far‚ and instead of helping pull other people out of the System's materialistic and ungodly trap, you fall into it yourself. That's why He cautions that, "in your effort to become one, don't become entrenched in worldly ways or entrapped in the bondage that the poor victims of the System suffer."
72. Bear in mind what your mission is, your goal—reaching the lost with the Lord's love. They're not going to see the Lord's love in your dress or appearance‚ but in your spirit. The Lord says, "It will not be the style that you wear that draws them. It will not be your cool clothes or your cool haircuts that draw them, but it will be My Spirit of love that will draw those to whom you are witnessing." Your outward appearance may help to relate, but your smile and the shine in your eyes are what are important, and the Lord can get through with those no matter what you're wearing or what you look like!
73. Maybe after carefully pondering and praying about the above questions, you're still not sure whether a particular form of dress or style of appearance is right for your situation. So how do you know for sure? Well, the Lord gave the answer to that one, too, when He said, "You will be able to tell if your dress is of Me by judging according to the fruit that it bears."
74. If you're in a situation where the local customs or culture, or the circle of people you minister to, don't allow for the type of style that you like to dress in, remember Dad's words: "It's a sacrifice to be a missionary. It's a sacrifice to be a disciple." Sometimes‚ as the saying goes, it just comes with the territory. But whatever sacrifices you have to make now are certainly worth it if they help you win more people to the Lord and give them a Heavenly life forever. If you're ever tempted to feel bad about it, just think of the reward the Lord will give you up There for being willing to forego your own personal desires and wishes—not only in dress but in many other things, too—in order to serve Him. "Whatsoever thou spendest, I will repay!" (Luke 10:35).
ML #3125:49-80, Lifelines 24
49. (Mary Kemper speaking:) There's a saying that beauty is only skin deep. Have you heard it? Many folks know that real beauty lies not on the surface at all, but is inside you. Real beauty, the beauty of the Lord, is much deeper than your outside shell. It's real and lasting, deep and eternal‚ and will last forever. True beauty goes much deeper than meets the eye. But though many people realize this, they unfortunately still base a lot of their decisions about their appearance on skin-deep beauty instead of the true beauty within.
50. It's one thing to take care of your body, obey God's natural health laws‚ and have a nice, neat, pleasant appearance. There's nothing wrong with looking nice. But today things are getting way out of hand. Folks look to the outward appearance and go to extremes to adjust their looks, just so they can be what they think is more beautiful. It's gotten so far out of hand these days that in some places it's even fashionable to use plastic surgery or dyes to snip it, tuck it, inflate it‚ deflate it, color it—you name it! People don't think anything of it! It really is horrifying, because all these adjustments and attempts to beautify your flesh are designed to destroy you. How smart of the Devil to make it fashionable and the accepted "in" thing.
51. If you only knew how Jesus sees you, you wouldn't want to tamper with your body at all! A normal amount of body care and staying in good health and good shape is good, but tampering with your body and trying to change things that don't need changing is another ballgame.
52. Real beauty is more than skin deep, and all these new and fancy ways to achieve a certain look are extremely dangerous. Fashion is mostly designed for a purpose—to destroy you. Watch out for fashion; it just might strip you of your passion—the passion of love, the passion of the Lord, and the passion to get out there and love the lost at any cost! When you get so bent on all these self-improvement kicks, and so immersed and obsessed with fashion and false looks, it can grow and grow until that's all you can think about!
53. Unless you stop it while there's still time, a process begins inside you of being overly concerned about yourself and how you look on the outside. It's the process of elimination, and the target is you. The Devil's trying to eliminate you! He wants to destroy your real beauty so you can't shine and help others. He'll try to hurt and harm your body with all these falsities, all the while making you think you're improving it. He projects these false images and wrong ideas to trap you in his snare, to take you past the point of no return.
54. The physical and spiritual are deeply interconnected. Physical beauty is only skin deep, but that physical beauty is often altered from within. That is why it's important to do what you can to take good care of your body. Your physical appearance can shine, glow and radiate, or it can be dull‚ haggard and wasted. The spiritual affects the physical much more than most folks think.
55. I never realized this until I finally came Home to Heaven, and that's why I'm here to talk to you now‚ so you can hopefully learn from my experience. You might be thinking‚ "Plastic surgery‚ breast implants, I'm never gonna go that far! Come on now, I'm not that stupid." Maybe so, and I certainly hope not. But you see, it's still out there. There are temptations, tricks and decoys all around you to entice you if you're unaware.
56. It's all around in many forms, surrounding you in ways you don't even realize—through advertising, fashion magazines, newspapers, the people you see in the movies or on TV—all constantly trying to influence‚ to mold your thought patterns and tear you down. Movie stars, sports heroes, musicians and rock stars, that beautiful girl on the billboard or that hunk of a man you see in a commercial. Some are genuinely beautiful—God's creations, the way He made them—but many are false images, unreal‚ synthetic‚ not natural.
57. When you pass over to this side, you will be seen as you truly are—the way God made you, the beautiful real you. Over Here everyone is the way God made them to be, because that's what beautiful is. Only the way God made you is gonna shine forth, because He made you a certain way for a reason.
58. God designed each person in a unique way. Wouldn't life be boring if everyone was the same? It's true that some people do gain or lose too much weight because of their lifestyles and ungodly habits, or they are affected in some way because of wrongful living. But if each person would live right, eat right, exercise right, and follow the truth of God's Word, if everyone would follow the instruction manual of their Maker, then even on Earth they'd be beautiful, just the way God made and intended folks to be. God likes variety. He is the Creator. He made all the shapes and sizes and colors, tall and short, hefty and lean, black, white, yellow and red; all are beautiful in His sight.
59. I never personally got into some of the extremes they have nowadays. I never changed my nose or inflated my breasts. I never even colored my hair. I'm guilty of something much‚ much worse—I starved myself to death!
60. It started out because of fashion ideas that were implanted in my head. It seemed so innocent at first, and I didn't have sense enough to brush it aside, so it grew and grew into a vicious cycle. Because of my pride and my unyieldedness and refusal to get help, my refusal to admit that I was wrong, there was no stopping place. After a while I hardened my heart. I yielded to the wrong voices, the wrong spirits, and I took the long, hard road.
61. I was not really overweight, although I admit there were a few times when I went overboard. I'd go on a binge of eating too many sweets every once in a while, after which I could afford to shed a few pounds, or even 5 or 10. There were a few times in my junior high days when I overdid. I ate too many sweets—cakes, pies‚ jelly–filled donuts, ice cream, and oh, candy bars! I just loved candy bars! Yeah, there were a few times when I genuinely could afford to lose a few pounds!
62. My sweet binges were relatively few and far between, though. I couldn't afford to overdo too often. For the most part, as an active teen, I was doing fine. I was pretty average all around—not too tall, five foot five inches—and my weight went up and down between 115 and 125 pounds (52-57 kilos).
63. My best friend Sally was different altogether. She was tall and thin—the boys called her skinny. Sally was just made that way‚ though. It wasn't because she didn't eat; as a matter of fact, she always had the appetite of a horse! Not only that, she could eat all those lusty sweets I craved so much and she never put on a pound. I never did think that was fair. Sally and I had different figures—she was tall and slender and I was shorter, more built, and I definitely had a little more padding in the buns!
64. Have you ever heard of a model named Twiggy? She was popular when I was in school. The Twiggy look became the rage. I didn't know then what I know now, and that's how the Devil uses fashion. He creates new trends with a purpose. He'll send out his thought patterns through fashion.
65. Fashion is one of the vehicles that the Devil uses to project false images in the form of a certain look or style. He attempts to shape the thoughts of those ignorant of his devices. His images project certain thought patterns that move people to act or think or strive for a certain thing, or a certain look, a certain thrill. It's all very subtle, but very real.
66. Twiggy was the rage, and Sally, my best friend, certainly had the "in" look more than I did. "It wouldn't hurt to shed just a few more pounds to be in vogue," I thought. With the Twiggy look all around on the billboards, on the TV‚ in the movies, and my dear best friend Sally staring me in the face day after day‚ I thought, why not? Besides‚ I always wanted to shed my extra padding on the rear end and thigh area.
67. So in an attempt to be "in," I got a brainy idea: Why not just stop eating for a while and shed the pounds quickly? Crash diets were also the trend, and quick results were what I was after. So I simply stopped eating. I never really stopped to think about long–term effects in those days. All I really wanted was to be able to wear a smaller size and cram my fanny and thighs into a designated favorite pair of pants—the skintight ones. I never once stopped to think about what it was doing to my body on the inside—all I wanted was results on the outside.
68. So I started skipping meals. It was subtle and very gradual at first. The Devil is sly. He gentled me into it with a gradual cutting down of my meals until I was able to get used to it more and more, to where I could go for long periods of time with no food at all. The thing is that I never really missed eating so much. I didn't miss it because I yielded to this driving force that was egging me on.
69. After a while you just sort of get to the point where you hardly feel it any more—at least you think you don't feel it. Your stomach shrinks and you don't feel so much. You can't see what is going on inside of your body until you get past the point of no return. It was downhill from then on, until I was a confirmed‚ full-fledged anorexic.
70. Although I was no expert on the subject of food and health, somehow I knew in my heart that to abuse my body by just not eating was wrong. But I was driven with the desire to be fashionable, and the more I yielded to that desire, the more I lost conviction.
71. I never meant to stop eating altogether, forever. I never meant to kill myself; in fact, that thought never entered my mind. All I knew at first was that I wanted to look a certain way. It seemed innocent in the beginning, but my point of reference was all wrong, and this is where I got way off track. I was getting hit with all the wrong input around me and I soaked it all up. I started actually thinking I was fat, when I was never really fat at all. I thought I had to be like someone else, instead of just accepting I was me—the way God made me.
72. With my clouded vision, I convinced myself that I was fat, I was too heavy, and I wanted to be skinny. The more weight I would lose, the more I wanted to lose. Deaf to all the good intentions of loving family and friends around me who would prod me to eat, I just couldn't see it, because I was blinded. When I looked in that mirror I actually thought I was still too fat, because I couldn't see the real me. I saw an image that was planted in my mind—the image of how I thought I needed to be—skinny!
73. If you don't receive the truth, you get strong delusion and you believe the lie. I didn't receive the truth of Jesus, that He made me the way He wanted me. So in my rebellion and disobedience to God's natural laws, I received strong delusion. Every time I looked in the mirror, that's what I got—strong delusion. Truth resisted loses its power over the mind, and that's what happened to me. I rejected the truth of God and received the lies of Satan.
74. I believed the lie—the lie that I was too fat! Too fat by whose standard? What I was seeing was the Devil's beauty. I listened to his lies and I was deceived, until I became a pitiful deformed figure of bone and flesh—a distorted, distraught‚ shallow shell with sunken, empty eyes. That's the beauty of Satan. I was deceived into thinking that the ugliness of Satan was okay. My eyes had no sparkle. They were empty and dark and glazed over. I was the sad state of what Satan has to offer. Empty, pale, exhausted and worn, I simply wasted away and silently passed into the world of the spirit way before my time. Mary Kemper, dead at age 17. A sad, sad tale.
75. Do you know what the word anorexia means? Maybe it has little meaning to you, but watch out, because the name is derived from its author—Orexis. He's out for keeps. Just as Oplexicon seeks to stop the life-giving flow of the Words of life, Orexis, his companion, seeks to stop the life-giving flow of fuel to your body. Orexis seeks to bottle up your body fuel and the nutrition that you need to keep you going, vibrant, and alive. Orexis seeks to starve you and destroy you and your usefulness to help others.
76. It could have been different for me. I could have received help and been delivered from this disease of anorexia. I could have lived a while longer on Earth and helped others, instead of causing so much grief and pain. But I made a willful decision to listen to the wrong voices. I listened to the lies of Orexis. I let the dark voices in. I just gave up. I didn't hold on. I didn't ask Jesus to help me. He could have. He would have.
77. Don't let it happen to you! Remember that God made you the way you are, and He is not the author of extremes. If you are on the thin side, but you eat enough good balanced meals and you put enough fuel in your body, then don't worry about it if you're a little thin. If you're on the heftier side, but you eat smart and cut out unnecessary fat and fluff, the grease, and too many sweets and empty calories, and you don't stuff your gut with the Devil's poisons, then don't worry about it if you have a little padding that others don't have.
78. If you get enough good exercise, proper sleep and fresh air, if you live, eat, exercise‚ and sleep right and obey all God's health laws and rules for good living, then don't worry about the way you are! He's the maker of the tall and slender, the short and hefty. He shaped you with His Own hand and put all the curves and handles in the right places! Stay fit and take care of your body by obeying His health rules! Live according to His health laws and you will be beautiful. You'll shine the way He made you to shine. The only beauty that will last forever is the beauty of the Lord‚ the way He made you and the way He wants you to be.
79. Jesus has healed me now. I'm delivered. It hasn't been easy, though; going before your time never is. It's been a hard and long recovery. It would take too long to tell you of the grief and pain I caused others, and that I've had to endure myself. You wouldn't want to go through the same. That's why I wanted to share my story with you. Won't you please take my advice? Beware of the fashion lies! Don't fall for the tricks of Orexis! Go God's way! Take care of your body, obey His loving laws and enjoy life. (End of message from Mary Kemper.)
80. (Mama: ) Like this girl said‚ each one of you girls is God's creation, and He made you just the way He wants you to be. You're beautiful in His sight and He delights in you just the way you are! If you find you're having a problem with always being negative about yourself and your looks or your weight‚ or thinking that you're overweight when you're really not, call out to the Lord for deliverance, and He will help you! Like this girl testified, she could have been delivered and able to eat that very day had she called out to the Lord. Nothing is impossible for Him! And remember that while it's natural to like to look pretty, and even beautiful, it's pretty insignificant when measured up against the more important values of life‚ like your love and your beauty of spirit.
ML #3209:113-115, GN 812
113. (Jesus speaking:) There's a great need to reeducate our Family men on how to look at women. The wiser and more loving and caring they are in their associations with the women, the better the living of the Law of Love will progress. So much depends on the maturity and understanding of the men‚ and this understanding and Godly viewpoint can only come from Me.
114. At this point in time, the men are influenced by System standards—what is beautiful by System standards, what is desirable by System standards, what the woman of their dreams should look like by System standards.
115. Many of the younger women are also off-track in their ideas about beauty. They're held as prisoners to the System standards that they're bombarded with from movies, television and magazines. This leads to much discontent, comparing and dissatisfaction with the way I've made them. They have unrealistic expectations and desires when it comes to the way they want or expect to look, or the way they think men expect them to look. So as the men learn to appreciate the finer qualities in women—which they will learn in part through the message about the beauties of older women—this will help set the younger women free also. They will relax when they realize that beauty truly is more than skin deep. (End of message from Jesus)
ML #3253:56-63, GN 858
56. (Dad speaking:) You know, I didn't like the way I looked either. I thought my nose was too big and that I was too skinny and ugly. I had quite an inferiority complex about that, especially when I was young, and it took me a long time to get over it. Part of it was pride, part of it was comparing. But then as you grow older, you realize it really doesn't matter. You understand that the Lord made us the way He wants us‚ and made us the way we are because He loves us.
57. He loves you the way He made you, and we're all beautiful in His eyes. We're all unique and special. In His eyes there is no ugliness no matter what we look like. The only ugliness is in trying to destroy what He has created. But if you want to please Him and make Him happy and me happy, then you have to do everything you can to take care of yourself so you can win others.
58. You're one of my precious teen queens and I have none to spare; no‚ not one. I need you and the Lord needs you there, not Here, at least for now! And there are some pretty lonely teens out there who need you too, and who are waiting for you to help them. So do it for them and for Jesus, okay? You're gorgeous! I love you! (End of message from Dad.)
59. (Mama: ) Please take heed to Dad's wise counsel in the messages above. You're each beautiful in your own way, and you need to ask the Lord to help you appreciate yourself and your body and be thankful, even if you think you have some imperfections. "In all things give thanks." Dwell on the positive, not the negative; the doughnut, not the hole. Pray against comparing and negative thinking. The battle against bulimia and anorexia isn't just a physical one; it's spiritual as well, and can best be won with the Lord's help and strength!
60. Here's some wise counsel from Dad on appearance and self-esteem which he gave several months ago in the "Law of Love" series:
61. Building self-esteem also often has a lot to do with your relationship with the Lord. The closer you draw to Him and the more at peace you are with Him, the more content and at peace you'll be‚ the happier you'll be, the more relaxed you'll be…. If you're close to the Lord, you're handsome and you're beautiful‚ because His love and His light shine through.
62. We really don't have any ugly folks in this Family. There's nobody that's unpleasant to be around or to look at when they're close to the Lord and they're clean and they're happy and they're content. In fact, that's the most attractive sex appeal there is—just letting the Lord shine through you the way He made you!
63. You know what I'd suggest you all do? Sit down sometime and let the Lord speak to you about yourself personally. If you can't do it yourself‚ then have someone else do it, and let Him tell you how He sees you, what your inner beauties are, what your inner strengths are, what those gifts and abilities are that He likes to bring forth, that He likes to see shine for others. Let Him encourage you, and then be encouraged by Him. (ML #3209:291, 293–294, 297, GN 812).
ML #3302:2-11‚ GN 904
What Is "Different"?
2. (Question: ) It's natural for us young people to want to be different. Some folks tend to get real disturbed when young people want to dress or wear their hair in what could be considered an unusual style. But is that really such a problem? What does the Lord have to say about wanting to be different?
3. (Jesus: ) Everyone needs changes to spice up their life. Some want to cut their hair or change their hairstyle. Another may want to wear a different style of clothing. To those who simply feel in need of a little variety, and have checked with Me about these changes, I grant this freedom. Of course, you must also take into consideration your ministry and how your appearance will affect your sample. If you have a public ministry to others, or you live in a conservative country or one in which certain styles are unacceptable, if you're wise you will take that into consideration and will maturely put the work and the importance of your sample above your desire for change in your outward appearance. But in many cases, if you seek Me about it, I will show you something that you can do which will fill that need for variety, individuality, and change, without in any way lessening your sample or hindering your ministry of being My sample to the world.
4. Some folks, though, are way too into trying to "be different," as they put it. They dress like worldlings‚ they look like worldlings, and they practically act like worldlings, all under this guise of doing something out of the ordinary or "being different." In reality they're not being different at all—they're simply conforming to the System and allowing themselves to be placed in the world's accepted mold.
5. It's the freedom of spirit, the difference in spirit that makes heads turn. People won't necessarily remember you for the clothes that you wear, the hairstyle that you have‚ or the jewelry or trinkets you sport, but they'll always remember your spirit. They'll always remember the love you gave, the freedom you possessed, the cool treasures of the spirit that were a living part of you. Those are the things that count. Those are the things that make a difference. Those are the things that make you stand out in the crowd.
6. It's high time to start being proud of the unique and wonderful differences that I've given you! It's time to throw off the ways in which you conform to the world under the guise of seeking to be different. It's time you proclaimed your differences to the world, and watch as they stand in awe and come rushing toward you to find out how they can be different too, like you.
7. Be proud of the gift of prophecy that I've given you. That's different! How common is it for people to be able to talk to Me face to face, to get My answers to any problem they face? Tell Me, how many people can do that? Not many, and you're one of the few‚ so be proud of it. Use it in your witness. Show others how different you are and what a difference it makes in your life and can make in theirs too.
8. Be proud of your knowledge of Heaven. The world is in darkness, knowing so little about the spirit world, life after death‚ the world beyond this life. Everyone's interested in what happens after this life, so tell them—in detail. Don't be afraid to shock them with the unconventional; you'll probably find out they won't be shocked at all, but rather liberated and dying to know more.
9. Be proud of the fact that you can talk to dead people—ghosts, spirits, both famous and infamous. That's different! Don't hide your light under a bushel, thinking that it's too weird, too wild, too out of the ordinary, too strange. The world is seeking new things, different things. They'll think it's so cool that you have a connection to the world beyond through the gifts that I've given you.
10. Be proud of the fact that you love Me intimately. That's different! So many of the lost and lonely of the world are sick and fed up with the formal relationships with Me that the churches offer. They want to discover Me in a new way. They need to see Me in a different light, in a way that they can understand, so that they can relate to Me. I have many potential brides out in the world, but I need you to bring them to Me.
11. There's so much about you that is different! So don't hide these differences under a bushel, or cover them up with the clothes or fashions or trinkets of the world. Don't conform and be like everybody else. You're different, so be proud of it! You've got the differences that count, the differences that are really different. (End of message from Jesus)
ML #3326:65-72, GN 932
65. (Jesus speaking:) When I look upon you, My creation, I see beauty. Take care of this temple of your body, for it is Mine. Don't abuse it. Don't put it down. When a man loves a woman, he sees only beauty. You are My bride and I see only beauty.
66. There's such a variety of tastes and preferences, and it's really different strokes for different folks when it comes to defining beauty. Some men like one type of shape on a girl, and others like something completely different. Others appreciate it all and enjoy the variety. Many a man will testify that while in his youth he may have had some standard of what he thought to be beautiful or perfect, as he grew and matured he came to realize that every woman has something beautiful and wonderful about her—different, but beautiful.
67. It's sad when you think you're not beautiful or handsome just because something about you is so different from someone else who you perceive to be good looking. Each person is attractive in some way, and you should not think of yourself as being more or less attractive than others. Everyone has something special about them, and everyone is going to, at some time in their life, find a person who appreciates them for their uniqueness, for something they have that no one else has in just the same way. (End of message from Jesus.)
68. (Dad speaking: ) Because beauty is seen so differently Here than it is viewed on Earth, many people will be surprised to see when they get Here that not everyone is thin or slender or has the "perfect" body shape. Just like there are different colors of eyes‚ hair, and skin, there are also different body shapes. There are some tall and some short. There are some thin, some medium‚ and some what you would call "perfect" proportions according to earthly standards. But you'd be surprised to see how many are just like you!
69. Heaven is perfect, but perfect doesn't mean that everyone has a he-man build or perfect female hourglass shape. Heaven is perfect because it has beauty of all kinds. Beauty in the Lord's eyes, and mine too, is to have variety and many shapes and sizes, because each has its own beauty, although that is hard for some people to understand. (End of message from Dad.)
70. (Jesus speaking:) You are special to Me—a very special flower in My garden. I made you just as you are. I love you just as you are. I beg you not to make the mistake of comparing yourself with the other flowers in the garden. In My garden I have roses, tulips, and various other kinds of flowers. I also have beautiful wild flowers that blow in the wind and give so much joy and pleasure to those around them.
71. Your yieldedness to your special calling and your special place in My garden is what makes you beautiful. Don't compare with the beauty of the other flowers in My garden, but know that I have made all things beautiful. You are beautiful as you shine with My light, as you yield to Me and let My Spirit shine through you. Some may have more natural beauty than others in the eyes of man, but without My Spirit‚ even those with natural beauty would fade and not have the attractiveness and drawing power of My Spirit and My light that shines through the eyes of one who is totally yielded to Me, one who shines with My love.
72. As you let the beauty of My Spirit enter more freely and fully into your heart and your life, this beauty will glow in the eyes of those that behold you. They will see My beauty and My love. (End of message from Jesus.)
ML #3401:75-76, Post-it GN #3
75. (Jesus speaking:) Pan can influence your life through movies, through fashion, and through thinking that these things matter. It's nice to have fun clothing, to enjoy the movies, but the mindsets that come along with it, that "thin is beautiful, chunky or plump are ugly‚ and nothing else but thin will do" is certainly an attitude of the Enemy.
76. Don't let Pan come in with his lies‚ deceit, and distortions of the truth and the way that you really are‚ which is beautiful in My sight‚ to make you think that you're ugly, fat, and all his horrible lies that make you so sad and depressed, almost to the point of wishing to give up on life. (End of message from Jesus.)
145, 160
(Dad:) This thing about not feeling beautiful and feeling like you're ugly, oh my! If you girls could only understand how the Lord looks at you and what real beauty is all about! He looks at you, and we Here all look at you, and see such radiant beauty—the beauty of your heart and soul and spirit! That's what real beauty is—not that lump of flesh that you are going to leave behind one of these days.
Jesus looks at all those big tests and trials you had to go through with those afflictions, and all those big battles you had to fight and win, and He is so proud of you! You are one of His precious rare and special jewels, and He is polishing you up extra special. Even though it is difficult‚ you're coming through with a real sparkle and beauty! He's making you an even more beautiful and shining jewel, and He's not done yet!
If you could just see yourself like the Lord sees you, and how beautiful you are to Him, and what beauty He sees when He looks at you, it would change your perspective on things greatly!
(Dad:) I know how it feels to get discouraged about yourself, because I got discouraged about myself lots of times, and thought I was skinny and ugly. But I had to just keep fighting. I had to keep my mind and eyes on Jesus and do my best to love Him and please Him and give His love to others and make them happy. Because of this, the Lord blessed me abundantly with so many people who loved me—even lots of women who loved me more than anyone else, just because I gave them the Lord's love. Then it was Jesus' beauty they saw in me, the beauty of His love.
If you're full of Jesus and His love and you're radiating it and giving it to others, others will love you greatly, and you will be very beautiful—full of the beauty of love! That's what is most beautiful. That is real beauty and what will make you beautiful!
That's not to say you shouldn't take care of your body and eat right. You need to have a good healthy diet and eat in moderation, and get good exercise and stay in good health. But if you're doing your best to stay healthy and follow His health rules, then you shouldn't worry about it. I know that's something you girls are really tempted to worry about and get discouraged about, but don't let the Enemy use that to defeat you. And remember what I just told you about beauty—that real beauty, the real beautifier, is love!
(Dad: ) Don't worry about some physical imperfections; they really don't count for much of anything at all. It's the things of the spirit that count. Don't worry about all of the little things. Instead, just be filled with the Lord! Just give people Jesus, give them His love. That's all you need to give, and then you'll shine with His beauty, His love‚ and His light. None of the rest will matter.
Don't worry, my dear one. Just let Him fill you up. Let Him fill you to the full, to overflowing, so that you overflow everywhere on everyone. Then these other things you worry about won't matter at all, because everybody will just see Jesus shining through and they'll know that you love Him. They'll know that He's in you and that you're full of Him.
So just fill up on Him! Don't worry about any of your seeming imperfections which loom so big in your eyes, but which really don't count at all. All that counts is your love for Jesus, your love for His children, your love for His sheep, and your love for the lost. Those are the true riches and the true beauties.
Definition: Those qualities that delight or give pleasure to the eye, ear, mind or heart; loveliness; elegance; a particular grace or charm.
* 1 Samuel 16:7b For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
* Psalm 45:13a The king's daughter is all glorious within.
* Isaiah 28:5 [True beauty, the beauty that God bestows upon His children by His Spirit, is eternal.] In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem [crown] of beauty, unto the residue of His people.
* 1 Peter 3:3,4 [The key to true beauty:] Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit‚ which is in the sight of God of great price.
* Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. [See also Luke 11:36.]
* Matthew 5:14-16 [Our eyes should radiate happiness and the joy of the Lord.] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle‚ and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.
* Proverbs 15:13a [The joy of the Lord is the best "makeup,"] A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.
* Psalm 149:4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with Salvation.
* Proverbs 31:30 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
* Proverbs 11:16a A gracious woman retaineth honor.
* Proverbs 11:22 [Beauty without godly behavior couldn't be any less appealing.] As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
* Isaiah 53:2a He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him‚ there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
* Isaiah 61:3‚10 [God is the giver of true beauty.] To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion‚ to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified… 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
* Exodus 34:29 [When Moses went up on the mountain to see the Lord, he returned even visibly changed so that the people were amazed.] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while He talked with him.
* Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem [crown].
* Psalm 96:6,9 Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.… 9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth.
* Proverbs 1:9 For they [instruction and teaching] shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
* Proverbs 4:9 She [wisdom] shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
* Ecclesiastes 8:1b A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
* Isaiah 52:7 [Our beauty is enhanced whenever we share God's love with others.] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings‚ that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth Salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! [See also Daniel 12:3.]
* Acts 6:15 [Stephen, one of the first martyrs of the Early Church, was transformed by the Lord as he witnessed.] And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
* 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord‚ are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
* Jeremiah 4:30b In vain shalt thou make thyself fair.
* Job 15:31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
* Psalm 39:11 When Thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity‚ Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity.
* Psalm 49:14 [Death and God's judgments take away the "beauty" of the wicked.] Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
* 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes‚ and the pride of life, is not of the Father‚ but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
* 2 Samuel 14:25; 16:5‚6 [David's son, Absalom, used his charm to steal the loyalty of David's people from him, as he intended to overthrow his father's government.] But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.… 15:5 And it was so‚ that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. 6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
* Proverbs 6:23-25 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
* Proverbs 7:10,12-14 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.… 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
* Ezekiel 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. [See also Isaiah 3:16.]
* Revelation 17:1b-5,18; chapter 18 [God's greatest Endtime wrath is poured out on Babylon, the whorish, deceitful, world materialistic System, that deceived the nations with her fleshly beauty and materialism.] Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman.… 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls‚ having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.… 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth… 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication‚ and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.… 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously‚ so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
* Psalm 42:11 [God paints true beauty on our faces.] Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
* Psalm 90:17a And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. [See also 27:4; 50:2.]
* Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
* Ezekiel 16:14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
* Zechariah 9:17a For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! [See also Psalm 50:2; Isaiah 33:17.]
* Ephesians 5:27 That He [God] might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
End of File