Karen Zerby
GN 1173 FD/MM/FM
By Maria 3590 2/06
[Cover quote:]
When you call on My Love Fairies, they'll direct you, some seeking out brethren or sheep nearby to draw them close to you‚ while others begin to fill your heart and thoughts with pictures and feelings to guide you through the open doors I am setting before you to give My love to another.
Dearest Family,
1. I love you, and am praying for you as you "work out" with your spiritual weapons and become proficient in their use. The Lord is allowing so many wonderful opportunities for each of us to practice and be strengthened. I pray that you're learning to recognize the battles as opportunities to use your spiritual weapons and be strengthened in spirit.
2. The topics for this lesson on the art of war are interesting ones: How can you learn to truly "love the fight," and a weapon focus on the Law of Love.
3. When you're being hit by the Enemy, or are in the middle of a crisis situation that's taking all your spiritual strength and stamina just to survive, it's pretty hard to imagine loving it. Usually your feelings are just about opposite of that—you hate it, you despise it, and you just want to be out of that situation as quickly as possible!
4. And yet the Lord has said repeatedly that a key to being an effective warrior is learning to love the fight. So we asked the Lord, "Can we ever really learn to love the fight, as Dad did? What exactly does 'loving the fight' mean? Is it something that is learned? If so‚ how do you learn it? Is it a feeling or state of being? If so, what things can you say or do to get there? Or is it just a positive attitude, sort of like praise, when you're being attacked by the Enemy or afflicted?"
5. (Dad:) You certainly can learn to "love the fight." For some people it comes more naturally or is part of their personality, and they're more inclined to have this "love the fight" attitude than others. Some people are more aggressive and really thrive on challenges and on overcoming difficulties. They get a rush out of it and it thrills them. It's almost natural for some people to even enjoy the spiritual fight, because they like to get stirred up and active in this way; they are born competitors or aggressors, and it's just in their blood‚ so to speak. Other people are calmer, more passive, by nature. Other people actually fear conflict of any kind and find no enjoyment in it whatsoever, in any sphere of life.
6. But whatever your personality type, you can learn to enjoy fighting the Enemy. Why? Because, as I told you when I was on Earth, you know you're fighting for the One that's worth fighting for, for souls that are worth winning and the goals that are worth attaining! You can really love to fight because you know you're on the right side, that God is on your side and you can't lose. You know you can defeat the Enemy. It's a challenge, and it's a lot of work, but there's no mystery or question as to whether you can win.
7. It's a confidence, a knowledge that you are fighting for the truth and the right cause, and an assurance that you can and will win that enables you to enjoy the fight. Pretty much everyone has some desire to achieve, desire to succeed, and desire to be the best. Don't you? Well, that's the part of you that makes it possible to love the fight!
8. Even though the fight is not pleasant in itself at times, it's knowing you're fighting for the Lord‚ for goals worth attaining, and the love of the victory that enables you to love the fight. That's what I said when I was back on Earth, in essence: "I love to fight because I know I'm on the right side; God's on my side and I can't lose! I like to fight because I know I can win." I loved fighting the Enemy because I loved defeating him. I loved being on the winning side and feeling the thrill of victory. Basically, loving the fight is based on loving to win—loving to overcome‚ loving to triumph.
9. The natural human tendency to desire to win and to succeed is largely human pride, and when you're aggressive and competitive and forceful just for the sake of being that way, that has no great spiritual merit. But learning to use those human instincts and put them to work toward being a fighter and conqueror for the Lord, winning His battles and furthering His cause, and learning to love doing so and finding pleasure therein, is a wonderful thing!
10. In some ways it's easier for those who are aggressive physically or in personality to learn this; but it's also just as possible for someone who's more meek or passive or even timid and fearful to learn it too. Loving the fight is a gift, really, and it's something that the Lord can give to anyone.
11. It can also be learned through spirit helpers—those who have learned it before; those who savor the flavor of victory, and savor it so much that they even savor the strenuous battles necessary to obtain it. Spirit helpers can greatly influence and even change a person's personality or aspects of it when needed, if you let them get close enough to influence you in this way.
12. Your personality was given to you by God, and He had a reason for every part of it, and sometimes the reason was for you to learn to overcome it‚ at least in certain areas. If you're very timid and fearful to the point where you hold back from fighting the Enemy, then that timidity is a part of your personality that God and your spirit helpers can and want to help you to overcome.
13. I'll give an illustration that some of you can relate to as far as loving the fight: Some people really enjoy physical exercise‚ even that which goes to a strenuous or demanding level. Sometimes it's actually because they just enjoy exerting themselves physically; but more often than not, the enjoyment they derive from it comes in large part from the vision and goal they have of where the hard work is taking them.
14. A man who is working out with weights to build up his physique may not feel great "pleasure" every time he bench-presses‚ adding more and more weight to his routine. Yet often it does bring a certain "rush" or "high," because he likes the result. The result is so prized that it's considered worth the effort and struggle to get there, and even the struggle itself can bring pleasure, because he is focused on the goal.
15. Someone desiring to run a marathon may practice day after day after day, exerting and pushing themselves—and to an outside observer, it may seem almost like physical torture. But the runner will likely say they enjoy it—not necessarily because of the activity itself, but because they are looking toward a goal and the great joy they know it will bring them to fulfill that goal. They know that when they are able to go the distance, to run for X amount of distance within X amount of time, they'll have a very strong sense of accomplishment and success that will bring a thrill with it, and they're willing to work hard to reach that.—So much so that they even come to enjoy the hard work leading up to their victory.
16. If in the carnal realm people are willing to push themselves and put themselves through a "fight" to win a certain "victory," and can learn to enjoy it because they are focused on a goal, how much more can you, the Lord's children, learn to love the spiritual battles because you are focused on the goal of spiritual victory? You know you're fighting for the truth and for goals worth attaining and which go beyond this short life on Earth. Once you learn to love the victory, you can love the battle. If you already love victories, then capitalize on that and focus on that feeling of love of victory while you're in the thick of the fight—that will teach you to love the fight.
17. If you're not at the point where you really care so much about victory and don't love it with a passion, then you need to pray and ask the Lord to help you to get that focus and perspective—because without it, you'll never make a great soldier. That's a core foundation element that you must have in order to effectively and aggressively develop the art of war and become the type of soldier that God's army of the Family requires.
18. The reason that some people feel they could never learn to love the fight is because they still don't really understand what a fight is. They're thinking of "fighting" in relation to the Enemy attacking them while they defend themselves against his assault. Well, that's not the kind of fight that most people are ever going to learn to enjoy and love. There are times when the Enemy attacks first, and you turn around and defend, but then get on top of the battle and overcome—and that's a wonderful rush too, sometimes even more so than when you started the attack. The point is that to learn to love the fight, you have to fight an aggressive warfare, not a defensive one. You have to be fighting to win.
19. The way to enjoy fighting is to enjoy winning. But if you're always on the defensive‚ just "maintaining" or "holding" or barely keeping yourself from getting killed, and you're rarely getting to the point that you win and overcome and defeat the Enemy, well, then of course you don't understand the rush of victory or winning, and of course you don't see how you can love the fight.
20. If you still have a defensive mentality‚ it's going to be very difficult for you to understand how you can love the fight. But once you switch over to the aggressive mentality, once you get to where you are confident in your ability to win and are actively gaining victories, and even going out of your way to pick further fights with the Devil, by charging into his territory because you know you can defeat him, that's when you will learn to love the fight. (End of message.)
Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into Heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the Devil will hold a thanksgiving service in Hell when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.—C.T. Studd (1860-1931).
21. (Jesus:) To truly love to fight means that you realize that you can actually win. You realize that there is a war going on, that the stakes are high, but that you have the ability to overcome and win the battle!
22. So, yes, you can truly learn to love to fight. But you will not be able to make that switch of attitude of heart and mind until you realize that you have the power, the weapons, and the ability to knock whatever it is, or whoever it is, out of the ring. Once you truly realize this in the depths of your heart, then you have what it takes to go on the offensive and begin to enjoy what I've given you the power to do.
23. To fear the fight, to shy away from it and not want to get into it simply shows that you haven't yet realized what power I've given you. You don't have the faith that the power is going to work. You're afraid that if you get involved you're going to lose, or you're going to meet your match. You don't really believe that you're going to be able to win in whatever battlefield it is that you are called to fight in. But if you realize that you can win, that I've given you that power, then suddenly the fight becomes a joy; it becomes a forum for you to do some good, for you to prove your worth.
24. It is an attitude that comes from a state of knowing. You realize that by My power there is nothing you can't overcome, even a debilitating terminal illness if that is My will—which it will be more and more as time goes on. You realize that there is power there that I am waiting for you to grab and to use in the spirit‚ no matter what the circumstances. You realize that I have the power to overcome that sickness and that you are going to grab that power and not give up no matter what your senses tell you. It's not guessing, it's knowing. It's knowing that I am there, it's knowing what My power is, it's knowing what My will is, and it's knowing that you have actual access to the power to overcome that thing that you are battling against.
25. Once you realize you have the power‚ the fight becomes a joy. Not once you think you have the power, or once you think you might have the power, but once you realize that you actually have it, you have the ability to win. Once you realize that if you fight, there is no question that you will win‚ then fighting becomes a joy.
26. An athlete waiting for the buzzer to ring and the basketball game to begin knows he has the skill. But he's nervous. He has butterflies in his stomach. He doesn't know how things will play out. Maybe he's never played against that team before. He doesn't know how well he'll do. But he's worked out and trained; he knows how to handle the ball; he can shoot, he can dribble, he has the skills. He's fast, he can pretty much steal the ball when he wants to and when the conditions are right. He has the speed and agility. He knows he has the skill, but he's just not yet in the game and he's not sure how it will play out. He's in a state of trepidation.
27. But the buzzer rings and out he goes onto the court. They pass him the ball, he fakes one way, then swings around and runs around his opponent the other way, fakes a lay-up‚ and at the last moment passes off to a teammate who shoots it in. The game is on! The butterflies are gone. He's energized, he's in step, and he's winning. The adrenaline is flowing and now he loves being in the game. He wants to prove he can win, he wants to show his skill, he wants to use his abilities to the utmost.
28. The last thing he wants is to be taken out of the game! He loves it‚ he loves to play. And although he gets a touch of the butterflies before each game‚ he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that once that buzzer rings and he runs out onto the court, it's all adrenaline, energy‚ motion, skill, action—and he's addicted. He loves the game. He loves to outplay his opponents. He loves to show that he can win.
29. It's the same with you‚ My loves. You can learn to love to fight! You have the ability to win. You have skills that you don't yet realize the power of because you haven't used them to the full yet. But I'll tell you, once you're forced to do so, you will know what to do. You will see and know what I have given you, and you will begin to shoot and fire away and win and realize that you can win if you fight with all your might!
30. When a professional runs out onto the basketball court, he doesn't just start throwing the ball at the basket from half court and expect to win! He doesn't dribble lackadaisically! He does all he can to keep his opponent from taking the ball from him, and he uses all his might, skill, and wisdom to out-maneuver his opponent!
31. It's the same with fighting the Enemy. You have to reach the point where you realize that if you give your all, you can outsmart him. So you give it your all! And you love it, because it works! You've proved you're better!
32. But many of you are still in a state of trepidation, and you haven't yet learned that when you go all–out, head-to-head against the Enemy, you win! You don't know how you'll really do. Some of you haven't been in big-time true-life battles for some time. Or maybe you haven't really been fighting back, so you feel a bit untested—or maybe totally untested or unsure of what power you hold. But the point is, once the buzzer rings and the battle begins and you're thrown out there, if you will pick up your weapons and begin to use them one after another as much as you can, with all of your skill and might, you will begin to see the Enemy fall and you will start winning! You're going to realize that you, My loves, have the full power, and fighting will become a joy.
33. So, yes, you can and will learn to love the fight, because you are fighting for Me. And the closer it gets to the End, the more you'll know with certainty that it is the cause of choice, the best cause in the world, especially when you see the results it bears in saving My lost children. When you see the plight of the lost and what you can do to help them, and when you see that you have actual power over the Enemy, it will fill you with boldness and energy to cut the Enemy to the heart with all your might every time you can.
34. When you have to pick up those weapons to win, and when you do pick them up and begin swinging away with both hands, by that act you will have stepped forward in the spirit world from an attitude of trepidation to an attitude of aggression. And you will love it! You will be energized! And, yes, it will not only be an attitude and a state of mind, but it will become a feeling too—all three at once—and you will love it!
35. That's what a fighter is—someone who picks up his weapons, sheds his nervousness and trepidation, and is transformed by the battle into one who loves to fight. This will be you, My loves. This is your calling and your destiny: to pick up the battleaxe and rush into the field‚ swinging with both arms and destroying the Enemy, and loving it‚ and being filled with more and more energy and adrenaline each time as a result!
36. It's not only possible‚ it's very doable!—And it will happen to those of you who make the grade, who pick up your weapons, charge into battle, and swing away! Why will it happen? Because you will see the Enemy begin to fall, and you will be filled with My Spirit and realize the power you have. My Spirit will fill you and you will be ecstatic with My energy. You'll go from victory to victory! Yes, you! You're a winner, because I will make it so for you, My loves‚ who follow Me into battle!
You are better soldiers than the enemy. You are better trained, better armed, have supernatural advisers and colleagues, and have right on your side. But you have to believe.—Winston Churchill (speaking from beyond).
Another key to learning to love the fight: Get rid of condemnation!
37. (Jesus continues:) Another side to learning to love the fight is learning to not get under condemnation when you get involved in personal battles. That is one of the Enemy's favorite and most used battle plans when you get hit with personal battles: to get you under condemnation for the precise purpose of getting you to lay down your Halloween wheel—disarming you, and keeping you from fighting back.
38. He knows that you have the power to rule over him and to defeat him. Consequently—being exceedingly wise in his original creation as Lucifer and having become a master of deceit now—in his craftiness he has developed a process to disarm you so that you won't even try to defeat him, and that process is called condemnation.
39. He tempts you to sin, and then when you do, he uses that to condemn you. Condemnation is often attached to a person's self-righteousness. The Enemy knows that human nature is to be self-righteous, so he uses that. He gets you to sin, then he pricks your self-righteousness to get you to condemn yourself for it. He points out just how wrong it was for you to do that, and your natural self-righteousness, if you yield to it, will condemn you thoroughly. Once you are under condemnation, he knows he has effectively kept you from fighting him back with full joy and faith and determination.
40. So the point is to realize that condemnation is not of Me. That's been stated plainly in My Word both old and new, the Bible and the Letters. It's a matter of you, My brides, coming to grips with this fact, realizing the truth of it and going on the attack even when you get under condemnation. Memorize key quotes on it and hit that fiend back when he condemns you. Realize what he is doing to you. Realize that condemnation is not ever My voice. Attack him back, kick him out, and defeat his voice of condemnation! And once you're on a roll, continue fighting him in whatever battle it is that he doesn't want you to fight in!
I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.—General George Patton (1885-1945).
41. Once you win the battle of condemnation, you will have set the Enemy way back‚ and you will be able to go on the offensive instead of being on the defensive. And once you take the attacking initiative, you are well on your way to beginning to enjoy the battle.
42. It's the battlefield of condemnation that has kept so many of you from enjoying the battle.—Because to have to battle condemnation and face your sins is not fun‚ it's not joy, and it's nowhere near "loving the fight." In fact, it's the opposite; it's hating the fight! The Devil himself is getting you to fear the fight, and to actually hate to fight, by hating to fight the battle of condemnation.
43. But the antidote to condemnation is to realize that that is never My voice, and it is always either your own voice or the Devil's. Therefore‚ at that point you should pick up the battleaxe of My Word—either the Bible verses on it, or the MO Letters, or the key promises—and smash the condemnation to bits.
44. Refuse to let it take hold on you. Reject it, pull it off your head, put it in front of you where you can see it as it is, and smash it to smithereens! Once you do this, once you realize that you have the power over condemnation and the tools to destroy it, then, My loves, you have taken a good step toward learning to enjoy the battle and to love the fight, for you will have seen that you have actual spiritual power over the Enemy.
45. For many of you, this will be the first battle you have to win—not to put off, not to set on the shelf, but to actually destroy. Once you blast through condemnation and rid yourself of it, you will be well on your way to being one of the victors of the End who love to fight and who love to destroy the Enemy's strongholds in their personal lives and in the lives of others!
46. You are more than conquerors‚ My loves! You not only conquer the strongholds in your own life, but then you rise up and rush into the Enemy's territory and take it over too. You are victors!
47. You must realize who you are, what weapons I've given you‚ and what power is in your hands, and then use it! The Enemy is not playing around anymore, and neither should you. Whack him! Send him back to Hell where he belongs! Don't let him have any spiritual territory around you at all. Claim it all for Me! Go in and claim the land‚ for I have given it into your hands! (End of message.)
48. (Jesus:) Battling is not My way of making you stronger; getting victories is. Long battles with no victory are tiring, not strengthening. Victories can come as quickly as you want them to, and to My way of thinking, the quicker the better! Grab that key, get the vic, and move on.
49. Why sit around battling and analyzing? Why even get into that elaborate sword fighting stuff, all that thrusting, cutting‚ parrying, and slicing? Just pull out a gun and shoot the Devil, and go on to the other business at hand. Why fool around?
50. It's not a fancy or showy approach to winning a battle. It doesn't take a lot of ability or coordination or fancy garb. But it's fast and effective. It works. It's smart strength. Use your bigger guns and get the job done and move on. Call on the keys of spiritual fortitude and prowess.
51. The Enemy can't keep his foothold unless you entertain him. He has absolutely no other entrance. So slam the door in his damn face and get back to work. You don't have to be some kind of wonder warrior to do that. (End of excerpt.)
52. (Question:) How does that fit in with endurance‚ and the fact that sometimes the battles do last a long time, and the Lord has said He uses those situations to strengthen our endurance and our faith and our spirits?
53. (Jesus:) When I speak of the victory here, I'm talking about your state of mind. The circumstances might not change, the physical battle might still be there, you might still need to keep fighting, but in your spirit you have the victory. You are positive, praiseful, trusting, and on the attack. You're full of faith. That victory—switching from the defensive to the offensive in the spirit—can be an instant one. And that's the victory I'm speaking of here.
54. The physical results—the healing‚ the supply, the change in circumstances—may take longer to arrive. But the victory in your heart and mind is a choice you make when you decide to use your weapons and get rid of the Enemy's entrance—and you can do that in an instant, any time you choose. That's what I'm waiting on, and that's what I expect of you, My instant warriors. (End of message.)
55. (Mama:) The weapon focus for this Art of War GN is the Law of Love. The Law of Love is a powerful and beautiful weapon, and becoming strengthened in its use is going to strengthen us in many ways as a Family.
56. (Jesus:) You, My brides, are strong in living the Law of Love compared to most other Christians in the world. You've had years of practice and experience, and by and large, you have grown and progressed, and compared to those who live on their own, or in the world for themselves, you're miles ahead.
57. However, I know that just being ahead of those who are doing so poorly doesn't make you content. I know you want to go all the way. You want to learn to use this weapon with grace and skill and accuracy and confidence, so that it's ready at your fingertips‚ it's literally part of you, and you can fire it whenever the need arises. That's what I hope to help you achieve through this practical counsel that I will give you.
58. Your weapons of the spirit all have various uses and purposes and strong points. The Law of Love is very effective as a weapon for personal defense or offense against the Enemy‚ but it is also exceptionally strong in defending or protecting others, or defeating the Enemy on their behalf. It's a weapon that not only helps you out in the specific battle you use it to win, but the power also goes into the encompassing force field that surrounds your Home and your loved ones, and it protects you and strengthens you as a team against further attacks.
59. Another exceptional strong point in the Law of Love weapon is that when used offensively‚ it draws the lost into My bosom, and helps them connect with Me. It's like giving them protective or covering fire while they run into My arms, keeping the Enemy away from them while they make the decision to become Mine, or to draw closer to Me.
60. As the days get darker, the fruits of the Law of Love will be one of your greatest testimonies. As you learn to use this weapon in the way it was designed to be used, your bond and unity will become supernaturally strong, tangible‚ and visible to all those who observe you. You already have a glow, an aura, a loving presence that those who are lost and searching can't help but notice. But in the days to come‚ if you are faithful to study and learn how to use this weapon well, that aura will increase so that it's like a light searing the darkness. It will be undeniable, and it won't take someone who's spiritually sensitive to spot it. It will draw many to Me, and will give you supernatural power and protection.
61. My loves, you're already strong in using the Law of Love, compared to others in the world. It's already one of your gifts. But compared to how you could be doing, with the wealth of truth I've given you, if you would make the effort to live it and obey it more fully, you could progress so much in it. You can come to understand the depth of the love I want to give you and that I want you to have between one another. You can practice with it and turn your weaknesses into strengths. You can make your first reaction a loving reaction. That won't happen overnight; you'll have to train hard to achieve those results. But they are possible.
62. You have everything you need right at your fingertips. You have My counsel and instruction. You have opportunities galore to become strengthened, in your situation of communal living and with your calling of being My ambassadors. You have the foundation already laid in your heart, for you're already living for Me, living unselfishly, and doing what you can to give My love to others. So if you want this crown—this crown of glory, honor‚ undeniable brilliance that comes from being exercised and proven in the area of the Law of Love, then it's yours. Come take it! (End of message.)
63. (Mama: ) I think one reason we haven't used this spiritual weapon to the full is because one aspect of it—the sexual aspect—is a bit delicate and sensitive, and actually quite difficult to live correctly if you're not exercised in living the Law of Love in every other area of your life. So just the thought of living the Law of Love more has been a bit scary for some or many of you, and you've been hesitant to dig in to learning about this weapon and using it.
64. So before we get into the Lord's instructions on how we can better use this weapon, I want to clarify that the weapon focus in this GN is on the Law of Love as a whole, not just the sexual aspect of it. The sexual aspect is the part that most people probably think of when they hear the words "Law of Love." But it's really a very small part.
65. The Law of Love is so much bigger and broader, and is the basis of our lives for Jesus, our communal living, our testimony as disciples, and even our salvation. Jesus brought the Law of Love when He came to Earth. He suffered and died on the cross so that we could be freed from the old law, the Law of Moses, and so He would have the power to forgive us for anything we ask His forgiveness for. In place of the old law, He taught us the Law of Love. So when you think of it like that, the Law of Love is tied to our salvation. It was through Jesus' death on the cross that He took our punishment, and thus had freedom to abolish the old law, and put the Law of Love in its place. That's how big and wonderful it is.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul‚ and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37–40).
66. So in this GN we're going to talk about the Law of Love as a whole concept‚ the guiding principle for our lives. We may get into the sexual aspect more in the future‚ after everyone has had time to focus on and strengthen the other aspects—which are the foundation‚ the most important part, the 98%.
67. First, however, before we get into how we can use the Law of Love more effectively in our fight against the Enemy and in winning the world for Jesus, I want to explain a few things about the complexities and complications of the sexual aspect, because it's important to have those in perspective if you're going to become strong in using the Law of Love as a weapon. You need to have full faith, and if you've been hurt, or have heard of others who have been hurt, and you're thinking it was the Law of Love that caused the hurt, then you're not going to have the faith you need.
68. The sexual freedom that the Lord has given us could be compared to calculus. If you're having a hard time with your times tables‚ or long division, or even algebra, you wouldn't jump right into calculus and all of its complexities. That's how important it is to live the Law of Love in every area and become strong and practiced in it, if you want to be sure that you're getting the sexual aspects right too. The Lord recently said:
69. (Jesus: ) The main reason there are misapplications of the sexual aspect of the Law of Love is because people forget what the Law of Love as a whole really is. It's not about sex. It's not about having your needs met. It's about meeting the needs of others.
70. The sexual aspect of the Law of Love is no bigger than the part sex plays in your overall life—it's there, and it's an important part, but it's only one small part. Some people have said that sex is 2% of a healthy life. If sex is 2% of your life, the sexual aspect of the Law of Love is 2% of the overall Law of Love. If each of My brides is living the Law of Love in every other area of their life, then the Law of Love will work for them in the sexual aspects as well; if they aren't, it won't.
71. Is the Law of Love guiding all your other actions? When it is, and you can truly say you're living by it, then the sexual aspect won't be a problem. There will still be concerns and questions from time to time, and yes, there will still be hurt—good hurt, because it doesn't always "feel" good to sacrifice, and bad hurt because no humans are ever perfect, and people make mistakes—but there will be a whole lot less hurt, and a whole lot more blessings. (End of message.)
72. (Mama:) Sexual interactions bring all sorts of complications and problems—which are not the fault of the Law of Love. They're just related to sex, emotions‚ trust, fidelity to agreements you have made with your mate, love and sacrifice, or selfishness and pride. Those are big, complicated factors, and people in and out of the Family, with or without the Law of Love, struggle with those things and experience happiness, heartbreaks, hopes, disappointments‚ highs and lows.
73. If you are operating within the spirit of the Law of Love in your sexual interactions, you have safeguards, you have protection, and you have the Lord's blessing. If you are doing your best to live the true spirit of the Law of Love in your life, you are guaranteed that the Lord will bless you and take care of you and will cause things to work out for good in the end, even through difficulties and complications. That is His promise. But understand that any time you're dealing with sex or emotions, there are complications, there are sometimes unrealistic expectations and disappointments; there is happiness and love and bonding and unity, and there is also sometimes hurt and tears and a need for forgiveness and understanding.
74. There is also the other side of the coin, and that is if someone is misapplying the Law of Love—if they are using it as an excuse to have free sex, but are not living it in other areas of their life. If they're being "selective" in their application of it, then they are not living the Law of Love at all‚ and shouldn't use the Law of Love as an "excuse" to practice sexual freedom.
75. Do you understand the difference? You have to live the Law of Love all the way, to the best of your ability, in every area of your life, when you feel like it and when you don't—and stick to it firmly in your sex life too (as in, not going against agreements with your mate, not going into any sexual contact unprayerfully, not contravening any of the Charter rules, not doing anything that you wouldn't want someone to do to you, willingly giving as much as you're expecting others to give to you‚ etc.), if you want things to work out well and you want to have the Lord's blessing and protection. Because if you're not doing your part to live the Law of Love all the way, but are still claiming the part that allows sexual freedom, you're actually not living the Law of Love at all.
76. The Law of Love includes sexual freedom, but that sexual freedom doesn't stand apart from the rest of the Law of Love. You have to embrace the whole kit and caboodle—which includes sacrifice, giving, living as lovingly as possible to the best of your ability in every area of your life—or else don't try to make the sexual aspects work for you, because they won't. It doesn't work partially or selectively. There's no claiming the liberties of sexual freedom without living the Law of Love in every area. It won't work. The promises and blessings that are attached to the Law of Love will not apply to you if you are not living them, and you will wind up hurting people and hurting yourself.
77. Even though we're not going to go into details about the sexual aspects of the Law of Love and our sexual freedoms in this GN, I wanted to remind you of that concept. Because when there are misapplications of the Law of Love in the sexual realm, when people in the Family sin by using the Law of Love as an excuse for sexual liberties that are outside the Law of Love, and therefore not right, the Law of Love automatically gets the blame. This hurts people's faith in the Word, and many of you are consequently weak in faith when it comes to the Law of Love. Many of you aren't even sure if it actually works.
78. I want you to understand clearly that the Law of Love is not synonymous with sexual freedom. Sexual freedom only falls under the Law of Love when the persons enjoying that sexual freedom are acting within the boundaries of the Law of Love. When they aren't—when they are contravening agreements or crossing boundaries that shouldn't be crossed, or when they are unloving or selfish—then they are sinning according to God's laws.
79. Until the difference between actually living the Law of Love in all its fullness and simply "claiming sexual liberties" is clear in your mind, you won't have the faith you need to plunge fully into strengthening this area of your life. You'll be concerned, held back. So you need to get down to business with the Lord to make sure that you have the right attitude and mindset regarding the Law of Love, so that you can use this weapon effectively in your life.
80. The Law of Love is one of the spiritual weapons in our arsenal. Not only that, but it's fundamental to our testimony to the world, and will become even more so as the "love of many waxes cold" (Mat.24:12), and the Lord more and more wants to use our example of love to bring in the sheep and disciples.
Never was a great war or battle fought without great sacrifice. Sacrifice is what it takes to be a warrior in a great battle. So don't be surprised that sacrifices are required to win this, the greatest of all wars.—Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (speaking from beyond).
81. Because living the Law of Love is a very big concept and is sometimes hard to nail down in a practical sense‚ I asked the Lord to give a lot of practical counsel and examples for this GN. These aren't the all in all by any means, but I pray the examples are helpful to you, and at least are something to start from as you work to make this powerful gift and weapon more active in your life.
82. Living the Law of Love in essence means letting love—unselfish, sacrificial, impartial love—dictate your actions, your decisions, and your motives. One of the best chapters in the Bible for explaining the importance of love, its application, and how empty a lack of love is, is 1 Corinthians 13. I asked the Lord to give a 1 Corinthians 13 for us for today:
1. If I can speak five different languages that I've learned from my time on the mission field, and if I've had the gift of tongues for years now, but I don't have love enough to hold my tongue from gossiping or putting down others, then I've not only become a whole lot of useless noise, but I'm becoming a destructive influence on those around me.
2. And although I faithfully get all of my Word time and even extra, and I can get long‚ detailed prophecies in public or in private, and although I've memorized all the helpers and hinderers and their powers‚ and although I have a lot of spiritual faith and even the gift of healing, if I don't have love enough to sometimes sacrifice my "perfect" Word and devotions time to take the kids so the parents can get their Word time‚ then all those other things don't mean much to the Lord.
3. And even if I spend all day out on the front lines faithfully reaching the rich and sacrificially considering the poor and pushing Activated at every opportunity, but I come home and can't show the Lord's love to my fellow Home members, my day and all my "good works" are worthless.
4. Real love has a long, hard, frustrating day where nothing seems to have gone right, yet doesn't get snappy and short–tempered with others. Real love stays sweet for the sake of others no matter what—just because it's the loving thing to do. Real love doesn't mind when someone else gets a better room, or gets to go to a party, fellowship, or meeting that you didn't, simply because real love is glad that the other person is happy. Real love actively fights pride, and actively embraces opportunities to do the humble thing.
5. Real love cares about being a good Christian sample, even to its fellow Home members and disciples, because real love is a reflection of Me. Real love doesn't complain, murmur‚ gripe, guilt-trip, or pressure others to get what it wants, because real love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own needs. Real love doesn't get short-tempered and raise its voice with others. Real love doesn't get involved with unedifying System input, because it knows that to stay a pure, clean vessel of My love requires dwelling on the good things and keeping its channel clean.
6. Real love hates to hear gossip about others, and instead wants only to talk about the good that others have done and all the real and true ways that they're a big blessing and are great to live with.
7. Real love is flexible and has rise-above power that can help you take each day in stride and handle anything that comes your way. Real love is always ready to give the benefit of the doubt‚ and believe that someone's motives were good, pure, and honest. Real love hopes that others can reach their full potential and gives them the opportunity to do so by never losing faith in them. Real love doesn't run out of faith and patience.
8. Real love never fails someone else by depending only on the love stored in an earthly heart. Real love looks to Me to receive My complete love with which to love others, so that it will never run out. Anything else in the whole world can fail, except that which comes from Me. You can fail and even receive an incomplete prophecy‚ confusing or useless tongues, and your own knowledge can completely mislead you.
9. Because you're just a fallible person, and your grasp of the things of Heaven is only partial at best.
10. But when My Spirit of Love lives in you, it can override all your mistakes and fallibilities and can help you to grasp these deeper things of the spirit and live them.
11. You can all be such immature children with My Law of Love: The way you talk about it is childish, the way you think about it is childish, the way you act on it is childish; but I'm challenging you to become spiritual adults and mature in your application and move past your childish ways.
12. For right now you're living the perfect Law of Love in an imperfect world, and there will always be mistakes or problems and things that you don't understand. But soon the day is coming when you'll live it perfectly in My perfect Kingdom‚ and then you'll understand it just as I do, and you'll know it was right.
13. There are a lot of good things in life, and a lot of things I ask you to do for Me, but nothing is as important as love!
(Mama: ) You might wonder, as I did, what the difference is between the weapon of brotherhood, which includes love, unity, trust, and selflessness—and the weapon of the Law of Love. They seem very interrelated, and they are! When we asked the Lord about it, He basically explained that they are two ways that we can harness the greatest power in the universe—love! He explained that it's not really necessary to completely separate them in our minds‚ because they are very related and overlap at times.
(Jesus: ) I have used the term "weapon" to describe these gifts because they are powerful against the Enemy and his inroads and attacks. They could also be called "tools," because they serve to shield you from the Enemy's poisons, to heal, to transform hearts, to create new life, and to strengthen and empower you and others to do mighty exploits.
So while they are very destructive to the Enemy, they are also very positive, strengthening‚ and regenerative to you and your spirit when you use them. The word "weapons" sometimes conjures up a negative connotation of pain and suffering. And while that is the case for the Enemy whenever you use this spiritual firepower, they also have great positive transformation power for you and those around you who are touched by them.
The weapons of the spirit can only be used skillfully as you make them a part of you. They can never become a truly useful and effective tool if you are trying to use them without fully integrating them into your very being. But many do just this. They try to use love, unity, trust, and selflessness as they would a sword or a gun, picking it up only when it suits their purpose and operating it to fulfill their plans and satisfy their wants and needs.
What you must understand is that I am calling you to something far greater‚ something which will require the sacrifice of your own selfish ways and desires, to make these weapons so much a part of you that they are integrated into every thought, every feeling, every fiber of your being.
They must become so much a part of you that they become your motivation and your desire, so that every action is based on and motivated by My Spirit through these tools. These weapons of the Law of Love and the weapon of brotherhood are each unique, yet they are one. When you make them a part of you, they blend together to become one weapon of unlimited power.
The Enemy's cheap, counterfeit images of bionic men are his twisted versions of what you, My powerful ones, will become in the spirit. Your power is for good, but you too must become so integrated into these spiritual weapons that they become a part of you in every way.
In this sense, these weapons blend together in you to create a power and force that nothing can stop or resist. In order to use the weapon of the Law of Love and the weapon of brotherhood, you must abandon the selfishness, pride, and laziness of your own human nature. Then these weapons are activated and you are able to use them in all their power for My glory.
You will be able to go far beyond anything man has ever accomplished before, because it will not be the nature of man doing it‚ but My nature in you through these weapons that will destroy evil‚ defeat Satan, and bring light, life, love and power to one another, to yourself, and to all those you touch. (End of message.) (ML #3532:171,173-180, GN 1123).
83. (Mama:) Following are some encouraging jewels from Jesus and Dad about the weapon of the Law of Love and how we can use it more offensively. All the jewels are excerpts of messages from Jesus, unless noted as being from Dad.
84. (Dad:) How can you use this weapon of the Law of Love as an offensive one? What does the Enemy hate the most?—Sacrificial love, the kind that causes you to do something good for someone else. Selfish, self-satisfying love isn't a threat to the Enemy, because it causes the person to heed himself and his own wants and desires. But sacrificial love, love that puts others' needs before your own, the love that compels you to go out and win the lost for the Lord, that is a very big threat to the Enemy! He is the epitome of everything opposite. He promotes love of self, putting yourself first, doing good for yourself—all the things the world promotes.
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85. (Dad:) The Law of Love is all about agape love, selfless love, the kind of love that causes you to reach out and do good, love your brethren, and put the needs of others before your own; the kind of love that helps you to live in unity and harmony with your brethren, and put yourself last in the overall big picture.
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86. (Dad:) Pure, sacrificial love is as a searing white light in the spirit world; it engulfs the darkness, and darkness can't stand before it. Therefore any loving deed, any sacrifice for love, any unselfish act—sharing of your abundance with someone in need, going out to win the lost, etc.—is transformed in the spirit world into a searing white light that sends the Devil and his imps running away. And do you know what else? Every act of love or deed of kindness that is transformed into that powerful beam of white light goes on forever, ad infinitum!
87. It's kind of hard to explain in physical terms, but as you know, love is forever—and anything done out of love, and for love, and in love, there on Earth, is translated spiritually into bright beams of love-light that never dim, grow old, or die. They are there for eternity and they will exist for eternity. They're part of the light of Heaven‚ and are what makes Heaven glow!
88. So are you starting to get the picture of how the Law of Love is a spiritual weapon, and how it can be used offensively? Because of the nature of man and how the Devil has taken over the world, any act of love or unselfish deed is considered a miracle in a way‚ because man's carnal nature is so opposite that of being loving and sacrificial and putting others before himself. This is why the Law of Love is such a powerful spiritual weapon and is such a threat to the darkness of the Devil and his imps.
89. Love is an actual spiritual energy‚ and, I might add, the most powerful force in the universe. Wielding the weapon of the Law of Love is no light matter. You have actual power in your hands when you wield it, as love is the most powerful force on Earth. And as I said‚ love is forever‚ so all those little deeds of kindness and unselfishness live on forever in the spirit.
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90. Not only is the Law of Love a beautiful gift that I have given to you, My children of David‚ but it is also a very powerful weapon which you can use against the Enemy. As you learn to wield it with accuracy, you will put the Enemy to flight. He will be in fear and trembling of this awesome weapon that you wield against him.
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91. One important key to using the weapon of the Law of Love offensively is to pray for Me to fill your heart with the love for your brothers and sisters that you need, the unselfish love, the desire, the driving passion of My Spirit that motivates you to reach out, to put the needs of others above your own, and to do all that you can to lighten the load of your brother and sister.
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92. As you, My children, take up the weapon of the Law of Love and wield it by taking steps to put into action the commission I have given you—first, to love Me with all your heart, and then to love your neighbor as yourself—you will see a great change come about in My Family. You will truly be the Family of Love that I wish for you to be, and that I need you to be as a sample to all those in the lost and lonely dark world.
93. As you remember in your days past, the early days of the Family, many were overwhelmed by the love that they felt when they walked through your doors. Hugs and affection and words of encouragement and comfort were free-flowing; they came from everyone's lips. There was a light in everyone's eyes, and that's because their love cups were filled.
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94. (Dad: ) I know some of you are disheartened by some of the unloving, unkind, and selfish things you hear that go on in the Family amongst Family members. It is very sad and disheartening for us here in Heaven as well. How often pride, arrogance, selfishness and self-centeredness have a hold on you, and some of you are so blind to it. Oh‚ what a difference it would make in the overall spirit of the Family if people would wield the weapon of the Law of Love‚ take an offensive stance against the Enemy concerning these matters, and pull out the weapon of the Law of Love at the first sign of unyieldedness to the Lord's love in your heart.
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95. When you show affection, when you show love and outgoing concern to another, the recipient is feeling My love through you. It is My Spirit that they are partaking of. As you are faithful to pour out to others, I will be faithful to fill up your love cup. As you pour out‚ I will pour in, and you can never outpour Me.
96. As others are touched by My love through you, they too will want to show love to others. It becomes a chain reaction. The receivers will turn around and be givers. The givers will also be receivers from Me, from others, and their brothers and sisters, and you will see a free flow of My love once again in your Homes.
97. You truly will become Homes of hearts melted together in My love. That is what I long to see once again in My Family. I long to see that camaraderie of spirit, that willingness to lay down your life daily for your brother and sister, those who you are living with, and I long to see you do all that you can to show them My love, My care, My concern, and to lighten their load.
98. You will find that as you share this love, as you wield this weapon of the Law of Love, that I will do great and wondrous things. Not only will it stave off the attacks of the Enemy‚ but you will be building a beautiful Home brick by brick on the solid foundation of My love and My Word—a Home in which all who enter therein will find peace, rest, and a haven of My love and My Spirit.
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99. To wield the weapon of the Law of Love accurately and offensively takes great humility. It takes the putting on of My Spirit, the taking on of My nature. For I am Love, and I wish you to be a vessel of My love. I can give you this gift of My love, if you are desperate for it, and as you take time with Me in the bed of love, asking Me to fill you with My love and how I feel for another.
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100. My love is so overpowering, so all–encompassing, and I have a special love for each and every person. Yes, I have it for you, and I also have it for the brother, sister, mate, teamworker, or co-worker by your side. They are all very precious and dear to Me, and if you want to please Me greatly, and if you want to really use this weapon of the Law of Love offensively, then you will search out ways to be a channel and a vessel of My love to these by your side.
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101. (Dad:) The weapon of the Law of Love is the main motivator that gets you out the door every day witnessing to the lost and winning souls. Because of the love of Christ which compels you, every time you get out and witness the Lord's love to others, you are wielding the weapon of the Law of Love; for if you didn't have that love of the Lord and love for the lost, you wouldn't be out there. You wouldn't sacrifice your flesh and your personal desires and your time and your energy to get out and reach the lost if you didn't have that driving motivation of love to compel you.
102. The weapon of the Law of Love is total unselfishness, total yieldedness to the Lord's will, and total sacrifice in laying down your life for another. Using this weapon any time a situation comes up where you're tempted to be a little selfish, or unloving, or to lift yourself above another, destroys the works of the Enemy and sends out another beam of pure white light that destroys the darkness.
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If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.—C.T. Studd (1860-1931).
103. When you feel loved, when you know that someone cares for you, when you are important to someone‚ don't you feel that life is worth living? Doesn't it give you an extra boost of inspiration and strength and encouragement? I work as hard as I can to project that message to the person through My Spirit and through My words of love and comfort to them‚ but many times I wish to show them a physical manifestation of My love through you.
104. Will you be My hands to reach out and to touch, My arms to hold another in a close embrace? Will you be My lips to kiss, My tongue to speak words of love and comfort and encouragement? Will you be My eyes and shine with a spirit of love and acceptance and affirmation? Will you be My ears that will listen to the heartcries of others?
105. You are a physical manifestation of Me and of My love. How well are you doing on that front? How much do you seek to show My love to others?
106. Many of you are held back by pride or by fear of what others will think. Or maybe you feel that that person doesn't need love and affection from you. But whether it may seem like it or not, all need love, all need affection‚ all need to know that I care for them and that I love them. And I wish for you to be a channel and a vessel of this love.
107. Every step of love that you take, every outgoing show of concern, is wielding this weapon of the Law of Love offensively. This weapon is an offensive weapon. Determine to put it to use. Determine to not go through a day without looking for a way in which you can wield this weapon against the Enemy, and strengthen your brothers and sisters.
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108. As you are desperate to put the weapon of the Law of Love to use, and as you seek Me about how you can show the love and the care and the concern that I have‚ you can be sure that I will give you My direct guidance and instruction, the checks of My Spirit, and will show you ways in which you can best wield this weapon against the Enemy.
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109. As you use the weapon of the Law of Love, not only will you be gaining victories personally, but you'll also be protecting your brothers and sisters from the attacks of the Enemy. For as you give them love‚ you are in a sense strengthening their force field. You will be lifting up a standard against the Enemy. As you all unite in love—in one heart, one mind, one body and spirit—you will be such a force of great and mighty power that you will send the Enemy running! You will set him back on his heels, and he will know that he is no match for the force that is coming against him—the force of love, the force of My Law of Love.
110. This weapon, when wielded with accuracy, will bring defeat to the Enemy's kingdom. Use it‚ wield it, and search for ways to actively put it into practice, and you won't be disappointed. The results and the victories won will be unlike any you have ever seen before. Everyone will be strengthened and renewed, for everyone will be loving and lifting each other up. That is the way My new Family must march into the future—all one body, one in hope, one in love, by using My Law of Love.
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111. Love is the greatest force in the universe, so wouldn't it stand to reason that My Law of Love would be one of the greatest weapons in the universe? Satan hates love. Everything that he is—his nature, his spirit, his goals—promotes the opposite of love. He promotes hatred, violence, hurt, oppression, depression, discouragement, and condemnation. But through My love, and by using the weapon of the Law of Love, you bring peace, love, hope, joy, happiness‚ challenge, excitement, comfort—so many beautiful gifts. These are all things that many in My Family long for.
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112. (Dad:) Everyone's Law of Love weapon is different. Each one is custom-made according to the person's strengths and weaknesses. Some people are naturally strong in the area of doing kind deeds, or in sharing what they have with those in need, or in sacrificing their own wants and desires—but they may be weak in other areas regarding the Law of Love.
113. Your own personal Law of Love weapon helps you in your weaknesses. Wielding it gives you extra strength and power to do the loving thing, the kind thing‚ the sacrificial thing‚ or whatever it is that you are being tested on at that moment. Ask the Lord what your personal weapon is like‚ and what areas it is going to help you in regarding the Law of Love. If you're not sure what your weaknesses are, pray and ask the Lord, and He'll tell you.
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114. Ask Me to show you how you can use the weapon of the Law of Love in your life in an offensive way, and learn to be skilled at wielding it. Don't wait until an incident comes up where you are being tested and then it becomes a defensive weapon.
115. Make it part of your daily prayers, that you will have this weapon in your arsenal at all times, ready to pull it out at the first sign of the Enemy's nose, or those birds trying to make a nest in your hair. Be on guard, be on the attack, be ready, and be aware! I love you! Long live love!
116. (Mama: ) If the Enemy is all about selfishness, hatred‚ greed, violence and death, then love and the power of love to create and heal and unite and mend is the perfect antidote to the Enemy's attacks and evil. It's like turning on the light and not letting the darkness have any place. Dad often said that love was the greatest force in the universe, and the Lord expands on that concept later on in this GN.
117. Jesus described the Law of Love as "loving the Lord with all your heart‚ soul, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself." In another place He said, "All things that you would that men do to you, do you even so to them" (Mat.7:12). In practical terms, how can we use it as a spiritual weapon on a daily basis?
118. If you're feeling rusty in this department and need some ideas of where to start, here are a few tips from the Lover of all loves—some ways you can stretch your love muscles and start using the power of love more effectively!
119. (Jesus:) Living the Law of Love is living love, living like Me in all things, but with a special focus on this very big part of Me. I'll remind you of a few things that are all part of living the Law of Love—which is, in essence, adding sincere love to everything you do:
120. * Be affectionate.
121. To be loving is to be affectionate; the two are almost one. Give more hugs. There are many good times to hug someone, besides the usual morning hug or when you meet someone from another Home or who you haven't seen in a while. Hug when you're talking‚ or hug after talking, or when you sit by someone.
122. Touching is important too. Touch the one you're talking to, hold their arm or hand, hug them, or place an arm around their waist. Hold hands or arms while walking with someone, even if it's just for a short distance that you walk together. Hold hands while you pray. Touch someone gently and affectionately if you need to squeeze by them or need them to move out of the way. Human beings need physical contact, and affection shows love‚ so use any excuse you can to touch, to impart love, and to be affectionate.
123. A side benefit of affection is that it breaks down pride. It's hard to have distance between you and someone else when you're physically touching and frequently affectionate. Touches reassure and comfort and bond you together, and they can help keep pride and distance from forming.
124. Also‚ pay attention to the kind of affection others like and try to be sensitive to how they respond and why. Those who aren't used to giving or receiving a lot of affection may initially be hesitant or reserved. They may be surprised and appear to dislike or avoid affection. Try to find out if it's a matter of getting used to affection, or if they prefer not to be touched in a certain way for whatever reason‚ or prefer a different type of affection. Also‚ the affection I'm speaking of here is not sexual in any way. If something is perceived in that way, then it's wise to not go there, or to ask Me how you can avoid giving that impression.
125. * Learn to be more aware of others and their needs.
126. Learning to be more sensitive to others, more aware of what's going on around you, and what the others around you are thinking or feeling or needing is a part of maturity. It's growing up and putting others' needs before your own. It's realizing that very often you are the one I am calling to help meet the needs of those around you—but you can't do that unless you learn to recognize those needs.
127. Start with the obvious things, and then ask Me to help you to learn more and become more attentive and observant. If you know of something someone needs, give it to them, or try to get it for them. Offer to help someone—with a job they have to do, with their kids, to prepare a class, to do their laundry, etc. Do something with someone who might appreciate company during their free time. Get a message from Me for someone if you see that they need or would appreciate some encouragement, counsel, or love from Me. Offer to do the part of dinner dishes that your partner prefers not to do.
128. The list is endless of the different needs you can respond to. Some needs are obvious, others not so much—or not at all‚ until you start looking through the eyes of love. But with some care and interest—with love—you can sense the needs I want you to respond to, and then do it, even if it's a sacrifice.
129. Be outgoing and impartial in your interactions, especially in social or communal situations. This is closely related to being an attentive and impartial listener. Don't just stick to the group of people you're used to hanging out with or talking to, but branch out to someone new or different. Be open to making new friends, or just to talking with different people about different things. Besides being loving, it can be a very interesting learning experience.
130. Work on your body language to make it more accepting, welcoming, humble, and loving. For example, nod when someone is talking to you‚ or when someone is making a point in Home Council; it says, "I understand your point; it's a good point." Look people in the eyes and smile when you greet them. If someone passes by and you don't have time to talk to them, wink or smile and nod. If someone knocks on your door and you're working, get up from your desk or your bed and hug them, and walk them into your room and offer them a seat. When someone asks you to pass them something, smile as you give it to them, or touch their hand.
131. What are your hands and arms doing? How is your posture? Crossed arms, for example‚ usually make you look distant or standoffish. Let your arms hang down beside you or rest on something. Or better yet, be affectionate and touch the one you're talking to or interacting with. Appearing relaxed and at ease usually makes people feel comfortable with you‚ and helps them to feel like you enjoy being with them or talking to them.
132. * Give unselfishly.
133. This one is clear in just those two words. When you're giving because there's something you can get in return, that's not really giving. Maybe you're loaning something to someone and you have a nagging worry in your mind that they might give it back in worse condition, or you have to give of your time today and you aren't feeling too happy about it. Maybe you're happy to do things for the people who you feel will do something in return for you‚ but if someone doesn't seem to have a way to "pay you back," then you hesitate to give to them.
134. Give those thoughts and feelings and worries or "bothers" to Me, and I will help you to give without regret or thought of loss. Then look around for something you can lovingly do that has nothing in it for you at all‚ and see how much comes back to you in return anyway!
135. Giving unselfishly increases your trust in Me and dependence on Me. It reminds you who you're really here for. It surprises you with happiness and "returns" when you least expect it. And it builds strong bonds of love with those you might not have reached out to otherwise.
136. Give of your material possessions.
137. Give your time. Do something sacrificial that isn't a "trade–off." For example‚ offer to take the baby for a walk during your get–out time, teach the kids a Word class so the parent or teacher can get personal Word time, do the dishes for someone who's tired or busy, offer to plan a spiritual activity for the Home so that the shepherds don't have to do it‚ etc.
138. Give your love and affection.
139. Give the gift of intercessory prayer‚ and intercede before My throne for those in need.
140. Give what you have and you will open up the storehouses of My power and provision for you! You can only make a vacuum for My blessings when you give!
141. * Examine your etiquette.
142. Some people think of manners as something old-fashioned and outdated. But actually they're a big part of showing love. Taking the extra step and doing what you can to be pleasant and polite is the loving thing to do.
143. Say "excuse me" when you need to interrupt someone who's talking. Use "please" and "thank you" freely. No one can read your mind‚ so what they see‚ hear, and feel from you is what they'll know you for. This includes showing the proper thankfulness to others when they give or lend you something; apologizing for interrupting a conversation, if you must interrupt; addressing others respectfully; being a good steward of borrowed and community items; excusing yourself before leaving; using decent manners at the table, etc.
144. * Conversational etiquette.
145. Closely related to general manners and etiquette is the way you carry on conversations and communication with others.
146. When you're in a conversation with someone, tune in and give the speaker what serious consideration you can. Even if it's someone you don't find particularly interesting, or the subject isn't your favorite‚ be polite and give them your focus when you're talking to them. Be attentive and impartial. When you walk away from a conversation, do you only remember what you said‚ or do you remember what the other person said too? It's a good thing to think about and it'll show you how much you're really listening.
147. If someone comes up while you're talking together with another person, especially if it's at a fellowship or social event, bring the third person into the conversation if you can. Give them a brief rundown of what you were talking about, and make it obvious that you want them to be there too and be a part of the conversation. If you're discussing something private or personal, either finish your conversation later, or be honest and just explain that you were having a private conversation—and explain the subject matter, if you can. Most people will assume that if you don't want them to join a conversation‚ it's because you were talking about them. So make sure to clarify that that's not the case. Be as welcoming as possible, and then if on a rare occasion you need privacy, people will understand.
148. Have private conversations in private as much as possible. Don't whisper in front of others.
149. If you have to interrupt someone, be apologetic and polite about it.
150. * Put the needs of others before your own.
151. Do you let others go before you in the serving line? Do you offer the biggest piece of cake to someone sitting beside you? When someone needs something, do you offer to give them one of yours? Do you give others first pick of the provisioning? Is your first thought often for yourself and your personal family and friends?—Or do you look around to see who has the biggest need? When you go to a party do you look around for others who might be standing on the sidelines, and spend time talking with them? Think about it, and make a change today.
152. * Be respectful of your community.
153. This goes for your communal Home as well as the neighborhood, community, or city where you live, and ties in with many aspects of being a winning team. You should feel personally responsible for your Home in more than just your area of responsibility or work. Do you take time to improve some area of your Home and communal space, even if it's just tidying up after a movie, washing some extra dishes after a meal, or pitching in to help with Home improvements from time to time? It's not anything great to just take care of your assigned jobs‚ but when you go above and beyond to make things nice for others, that's living the Law of Love.
154. A few examples of respecting your outside community would be establishing good relations with your neighbors, keeping your grounds clean and presentable, helping the locals when it's within your power to help, being polite and obliging with any requests your neighbors make regarding things such as where you park your car, or some aspect of your house or neighborhood, how or where you unload provisioning, etc.
155. * Love the lowly, or those who aren't exactly your favorite.
156. Pray for impartial love, and look around your Home and see who you haven't gotten to know yet or haven't really made an effort to love, and ask the Lord for something you could do for them that would be meaningful and encouraging for them.
157. Go out of your way to try to get to know and show attention and appreciation to those who you don't know so well, those who you don't really "click" with, or those who you don't get along with so well. The more you try, the more you step out to love‚ the closer you will be to your brethren.
158. * Show outgoing interest in and concern for the children.
159. Living the Law of Love is living the One Wife vision. You're all one Family, and those children in your Home are your children. Do you treat them that way? When you give to the children and are interested in them, the love you give comes back to you multiplied many times over.
160. Showing love and consideration and giving attention to the children is also showing love to the parents and teachers. As you get to know the children and their needs, you will be more motivated to pray for them and to pour into them when you have the opportunity.
161. * Forsake your own plans in order to help someone else.
162. It's tough to give up something you were wanting or needing to do in order to help out in the Home, to volunteer for a job that wasn't part of your schedule or plans for the day. But showing willingness to help out and to give of your time to another is a great part of living the Law of Love in your Home.
163. * Pray for love that covers a multitude of sins (1Peter 4:8).
164. When you live with someone day in and day out, the mistakes, shortcomings, problems and idiosyncrasies of that person become very plain to you. But once you notice something, you have a choice to let it bother you or to not let it bother you. Praise Me and appreciate the person for all their wonderful qualities that help to make your Home the winning team that it is. You'll be much happier and will receive My blessings if you focus on the positive, let your love cover the little irritations‚ and move on! That's the only way a good, lasting‚ and happy marriage will work, and the only way your Home will be good, fruitful, and lasting is if you overlook the little problems with love.
165. * Think positively and lovingly about others.
166. Force yourself to think on the good things, to count the good qualities in others, to appreciate and build on others' strengths. Then when you interact with them, your actions and expressions and words will automatically reflect those good things you've been thinking and meditating on. Your whole spirit will become more loving, unselfish and humble as you actively look for and focus on the good.
167. * Go out of your way to make things nice for others, even when you don't know if they'll notice or you feel they're not thankful.
168. Give without expecting appreciation or gratitude. Do things for others‚ think about others, and try to make things special‚ happy and exciting for those you live with. Even if you don't feel all that inspirational or gifted for activities, you can still give toward the happiness and unity of your Home by doing the small things:
• Changing the dish water.
• Washing someone's coffee cup even though they forget it in devotions every day and they never thank you for cleaning it.
• Setting the tables nicely.
• Making any reminder signs appreciative and positive instead of accusatory or nagging.
• Smiling when you see someone.
• Speaking positively about your day or the workload you carry.
• When someone does thank you for something‚ react positively instead of trying to remind them of exactly how much work it was.
• When cooking a meal, try to make the presentation of it nice and inspiring; it doesn't cost any more money to do so, but it sure does increase the value and quality of the meal to all!
169. These are just a few small things, but you should come to Me and ask in what ways you can make things nice and inspiring for those you live with, and I will show you the little and big ways that will help you to give love to others in this way, and you'll be so happy you asked Me!
170. * Forgive!
171. Just do it! If you're having a hard time forgiving someone for something, even if it was just a little inconsiderate comment or an unloving deed, or something they said about you that you didn't like, bring it to Me and ask Me to remove the burden. If you need to talk with the person to straighten things out, come to Me first to clear your head of any emotional reaction you might have or negative feelings about the situation, so that you can resolve things nicely and the forgiveness that you need will be pure and from Me.
172. Whenever possible, avoid making any mention of the negative happening or hurt to someone else‚ as that will reinforce the negative in your mind, and if said in the wrong spirit or to the wrong person, can also be gossip. Forgive and forget—or if you can't forget immediately, at least don't talk about it to anyone else. Putting it into words will only plant it more firmly in your memory and make it harder for you to get over it.
173. * Give some thought to the effect your actions will have on others.
174. Be mindful of others' needs—for quietness‚ privacy, respect, variety‚ encouragement, or whatever the need might be. Do your part to meet those needs.
175. The important thing is to think loving. In everything you think, everything you say, everything you do, and even in things you don't do, ask yourself, "Is this the loving thing to do? Am I showing unselfish love and doing my part to make this a better Home and a better world?" The Law of Love as a weapon is much like a rudder applied to a big ship. It slowly but surely can move and drastically change even the biggest of things. So do your part to spin that wheel and get things moving and changing for the better.
176. (Mama: ) As you can see from the preceding list, a big part of showing love on a daily basis is being sensitive to others' needs, considerate, giving, and well mannered. That might sound old–fashioned, but manners are a very big part of showing love!
177. I'm working on another GN on the topic of etiquette and manners that I pray will be a blessing to you. It's a bit of a weak area in the Family—maybe because we tend to take those we live with for granted. Because everyone is so loving and accepting‚ we tend to let down our guard and not treat one another as nicely as we should.
178. I pray that this focus on the Law of Love helps, and that the further counsel we're preparing from our Husband on the topic of etiquette and consideration helps too. Lord help us all to be more loving, and more faithful to show it in our everyday actions.
Consider the cost; then consider the reward. Decide which will in the end cost you more to lose. Once you have made your decision to fight for that honor, never look back. Your decision to win is made. The battle is never a time to reconsider. Blot out any recognition of the word, thought, or feeling of retreat; you do not know what fear means. The only words that stir you are warrior, conqueror, victor. All else is blurred in the thrill of the battle.—General Douglas MacArthur (speaking from beyond).
179. (Mama:) There are many hindrances to living the Law of Love more fully and giving the Lord's love more freely. Here are a few that I thought of:
180. * When you get out of the habit of being loving, it's harder to start again, and each little thing seems like a huge deal.
181. * Busyness can choke out love. Love takes time. You have to go slower in order to see others' needs and fill them. If you don't keep realigning your priorities with the Lord's priorities, giving love and meeting little needs here and there can seem like an unnecessary waste of time.
182. * Selfishness. Being too concerned about getting your own needs met, to the point that you're blind to the needs of others—or feel that you can't be responsible to fill them, because no one is filling yours.
183. * Pride. Being afraid of what others will think. Or feeling that you're "too busy with important work" to stop and do that little loving thing. Pride also causes you to pull back from others and not really desire to be close to them.
184. * Laziness. It takes time to get to know someone and know how to love them and what they really appreciate. Especially if they're a different personality from you, or you don't naturally "click," it takes work to get to know them and to relate to them well.
185. But one of the biggest reasons that I thought of—and which I think many of you will relate to—is feeling spent, or empty, or as if you don't have much to give or can't afford to give. When you try to give and you don't have enough love inside, your love runs out and feels dry‚ insincere, or insufficient.
186. When that happens, you can know that you probably need to spend more time with the Lord, and specifically ask Him to fill you with His wonderful‚ impartial, free-flowing love. After all, the first clause of the Law of Love is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength." So if you're having a hard time putting the "love your neighbor as yourself" part into practice, maybe it's because you need a little more time and a deeper connection with the giver of all true love—our Husband‚ Jesus!
187. You also have to start giving in order to take in more. It works both ways. If you're finding your time with the Lord a bit dry or stuffy or formal, maybe it's because you haven't been pouring out enough and giving away what He's given to you. When you give to others, it makes a vacuum for Him to pour back into you—and you have to complete the cycle by taking the time with Him that you need in order to be replenished.
188. I guarantee that as you spend time with our Husband and specifically ask Him to fill you with His love, as you love Him intimately and then look for ways to give His love to others, you'll start the cycle of love flowing in your heart and life again, and before long, you'll be being replenished and refreshed faster than you can give it out. That's the way our Lover works—you can never outgive Him!
189. (Dad:) You need to go back every so often and reread those Letters on the Law of Love. You've read them in the past, but now that you've come through so many changes, you're going to see this weapon in a whole new light if you will review the counsel that the Lord and I have given you.
190. Many of you have seen it as something that would help you to endure that person over there who just almost drives you nuts, or put up with that one over there whose personality really rubs you wrong. But that's just using the Law of Love weapon like a sword or a gun, as something that's not really a part of you.
191. When I said "living the Law of Love," how do you live something? It becomes such an integral part of you that you no longer see it as something separate, put on, or forced. It's part of your life. You're living it.
192. When you start integrating these weapons into your life, it shouldn't be a matter of "your feelings" versus "what the Lord says I have to do." You must fight to make them so much a part of you that after a while, using them comes automatically. In the case of the Law of Love weapon, focus so much on the good and Jesus in others, get so full of the Lord's Spirit, pray for so much love, base so many of your actions on love, that anything ugly and selfish gets washed right out of your heart, and a loving response becomes your first response.
193. That's what the Lord's love is. Isn't that what His love is toward you? You don't feel Him up there fuming and snarling about a mistake you made today, and then deciding to try and be nice anyway. His love is so overwhelming that He sees your sincere heart trying your best to please Him in spite of all your failings, and your potentially irksome weaknesses only spur even greater compassion in His heart to want to encourage and lift you when you're faltering. If there's any anger, if there's any fury, it's aimed at the Devil and his imps who are trying to pull you down.
194. The weapons of the Law of Love and brotherhood can activate in your heart that same love, those same good reactions and understanding and faith in others. And you can try it with your other spiritual weapons too. The more you praise, the more praise will become a habit, a good first reaction. The more you pray, the more prayer will become a part of you, and you'll naturally be more prayerful. Making your spiritual weapons a part of you is key to having the changes you desire, and being able to defeat the Enemy before he gets too far in any of his evil plans. (End of message.)
195. (Mama:) This next message from Jesus is a really good one for those of you who have a hard time seeing the need. If you're reading these messages and wondering how you're really going to be able to make it a part of your life, because you rarely know how to be a help to others, this will encourage you. Start this revolution in your own life, with your own need to stretch and grow, and then go from there.
196. (Jesus:) To use this weapon offensively is often to use it preemptively. What does that mean? It means to use the Law of Love as a "strike first" kind of weapon. Before you feel lonely, reach out to others. Before you feel jealous, share what you have. Before you say unloving words, preempt them with loving ones that build up another person. To counterattack with love is good, but to preemptively attack is even better! If you can make the loving way your habit, your first reaction‚ then so many negatives won't even have a chance to come into your life.
197. Often this means that you consciously do something which strengthens your use of the Law of Love, simply because you want to exercise yourself and stretch in that way and strengthen the spiritual force field around you. You shouldn't have to wait for something to go wrong in your interactions with others‚ or for there to be a real obvious need for love in your Home or relationship before you realize that you should maybe be a little more active in putting the Law of Love into practice. When there is an obvious need, or a problem‚ it only means that you haven't been taking the offensive enough, and that a situation has gotten extreme enough to be really noticeable.
198. Then, even if you attack immediately‚ you're already somewhat on the defensive. But unfortunately, that's the way so many people use the Law of Love. It's like using praise as a weapon once you're already depressed. It's better than not using it at all, but how much better to use it to strengthen your defenses so that you don't have to deal with that attack in the first place!
199. The Law of Love, as you all know, is very broad and covers just about everything in your lives. You try to live in harmony and not to hurt anyone, but too often you reserve the actual deeds of love, the words of love, and the positive actions of love for when there is a need or a problem. Often before you do a favor for someone, they have to get to the point that they seem really stressed out or under pressure and really, really need the help. Before some people get their needs for sex and affection met, they have to be really, really lonely. Before some people get included with others and brought into a circle of fellowship, they have to undergo long periods of "outsidership," feeling they don't belong. That's not the way you should be fighting with this weapon.
200. It's good that you try to remedy these situations when they arise, but it's even better to be continually taking the offensive through using this weapon‚ so that those situations never even come up, or only rarely. But what that means is that you need to motivate yourself to put your love into action regardless of whether you personally are confronted with a need. Let's face it; it's much easier to respond to a need than it is to take the initiative. Most of you are pretty loving people when faced with the poor man who fell among thieves (Luke 10:29-37). Most of you are pretty good Samaritans, and you've gotten that aspect of love down pretty well.
201. So to take the next step in really attacking with love as your weapon, you must see the things you do, the words you speak‚ and the actions you take not as something you're doing for someone else because they really need it, but almost more something that you're doing for you, because you really need the practice, and need to be exercised in whatever way I'm showing you.
202. You should see living the Law of Love as a preventive measure against so many of the Enemy's attacks. You should make it your goal to supply the needs before they arise; to have such strong bonds of love that disunity can't enter in; to be so outgoing and unselfish with one another that selfishness doesn't exist; to be so inclusive of others and sensitive to their needs that genuine loneliness doesn't become a problem.
203. In the process, the more of My love that you're using and giving out and asking Me for, the stronger you are in spirit—not only against those specific neutralized-by-love type of attacks, but against anything the Enemy would throw at you. My love is powerful. It's an antidote to almost any poison of the Enemy. It's a salve for almost any wound. It's a source of healing for almost any ailment‚ physical or spiritual. It's amazing!
204. Back to using the Law of Love as a weapon proactively: You can't wait for the needs or problems. Your reasons for acting on your love‚ even something as simple as writing a loving thank-you note to someone, need to be motivated by a thought process that says, "Hmm, I don't think I've really stretched myself in the Law of Love lately. What have I recently done to put my love for all my brothers and sisters and mates into action? How have I been the Lord's love for someone lately, beyond what's expected of me in my normal Home duties?" That's the kind of thinking you need, so that you'll constantly be aware of whether or not you've been pouring out enough; and if you haven't‚ then you'll know that it's time to take action—love action—whether you think it's needed or not.
205. Let me tell you, it is needed. You need it too! You are the one in need of some love to be poured out. Your spirit needs that challenge, that growth, that exercise in doing things for love, and because you feel love in your heart for your husbands and wives and friends—which is how I look upon you all and have asked you to look upon each other. Otherwise it becomes a work of the flesh to fill needs only when you deem them great enough. It becomes a ritualistic fulfillment of only the bare necessities, rather than ensuring that each cup is filled to overflowing.
206. The good news, though, is that it's much easier than it sounds to change your method of operating. When you become more proactive in love and are constantly looking for ways to manifest My love, the ways you put it into action not only get easier with frequency, but they don't have to be such a big deal or some major affair.
207. Giving hugs is a part of it. Saying kind words is a part of it. Giving sincere encouragement is a part of it. Helping with tasks and little favors is a part of it. Compliments are a part of it. And those are all easy, small things. But how often have you reserved a word of encouragement for when someone looks especially down? Why not give a word of encouragement to someone who looks cheerful and happy? They'll appreciate it‚ and who knows but that you could save someone who was heading for discouragement from ever having to go there at all.
208. Why should you offer to help with someone's kids or invite their family to join yours for parent time only when the parent or parents look really stressed out? If you did it more regularly, they wouldn't have to be stressed at all, because you'd have lightened their load before it got unbearably heavy.
209. This is how I want to take care of you. But too often you have the same mindset with Me—that of only casting your cares on Me when you absolutely, positively can carry them no further. But I don't set down those conditions. I don't tell you that only when you're absolutely exhausted can you call on My strength. There's nothing too big for Me, but neither is there anything too small for Me. I'll comfort you in your slightest care, just as I will in your biggest heartbreak. There's no need to save anything until it's "valid" enough to bring to Me, and there's no need to save your good words and words of love toward each other either.
210. In some ways it might help if you change your focus from outward to inward. That might sound like a step backward, but in living the Law of Love, that's where it needs to start—with you. Love begins at home, right? And how do you change the world? You start with yourself. So when you're looking to live the Law of Love more fully, you shouldn't look around like, "Hmm, does anyone really even need my love?" But you should look at yourself like, "How much love have I given? How much do I pour out?"
211. People are proud and often will hide their needs for long periods of time. Everyone also tries hard to appear in the victory, praiseful‚ and positive most of the time. So judging only by need, you may miss a lot. But judging by your own frequency and "love-giving-meter," so to speak, you have a need to continually give, and the more you do it, the more you'll want to do it, and you'll meet more needs that way than if you waited for those needs to manifest themselves.
212. And remember that the Law of Love isn't just the big things, and it isn't just sex. It's treating others the way you would want to be treated. If you like compliments, give them. If you like affection and physical gestures of love‚ give them. If you like to receive praise and commendation, then give it. If you like to receive help with difficult or tedious tasks‚ give that too. Think of all the times you've wished for this or that‚ that someone would help you with something, or someone would acknowledge your work on a project, or someone would just say "hi" and tell you that they loved you, or that someone would invite you to do something fun with them, but you never really mentioned it, it never really happened, and you just went on with your life.
213. Then think of all the times that must happen every day in the lives of others. If you have a need for love, and inner desires and wishes for love, don't you think others do too? How often do you express your desires and needs? 50% of the time? 30%? 10%? 5%? Less? Very often you don't express anything at all, yet the need is there, isn't it?
214. Think of everything you want out of life that has to do with other people. Even a smile is a need. You look at someone‚ tell them "good morning," and you want a smile from them, because it makes you feel good to know that you've made them feel good and made them smile. Think of everything that makes your life better‚ and then do those things for others.
215. When you measure your output of love and take more thought for how much you're giving, you'll be amazed at the conviction it puts on your heart to give more often. Stop right now and think about the last time you gave "over and above" love, something that wasn't expected of you, but that you did anyway. What about before the last time? How long was it in between? How often do you think is enough? A loving act a day? A week? Only you can judge. You can't put a quota on love, but you certainly can tell when you've been a conduit of My love to others, or when your channel has been a little dry, with not much love coming through.
216. But love's a boomerang, as you know. What you give will return, and he that soweth sparingly will reap sparingly, and vice versa (2Cor.9:6). That puts the onus on you to give more‚ if you want to get more. And whether you're giving because you want to receive, or you're giving because there's a need, or you're just doing it because I told you to, remember that you're the one who really gains. The biggest need of all that's being satisfied is your own need. You're created to be a being of love, a loving person‚ and in giving that love you are filling your own needs even more than you are those of others. Withholding love makes you the biggest loser‚ not others.
217. That's why you have to check your love meter. You have to take time to reflect on how much you've given, and how often. It's worth taking stock of so that you don't let yourself get out of practice. I imagine that most of you, upon taking stock of your love output, will feel like you could give a whole lot more. That's good; that's what you should do! That's where giving love "just because" comes in. There's no bad motive for giving My love. Even if you're getting something out of it, that's not wrong. Just make sure that you love without partiality‚ or eventually you'll find that you are the one losing out. If you're loving unselfishly, you open yourself up to receive My full blessings, including abundant love from others. But when you love with partiality or favoritism or only love those who are "easy" for you to love, you'll find that what I want to give you in return in the way of blessings and love coming back to you is also stopped and choked. You'll get back in proportion to what you give out. (End of message.)
Difficulties, dangers, disease, death, or divisions don't deter any but Chocolate Soldiers from executing God's will. When someone says there is a lion in the way, the real Christian promptly replies, "That's hardly enough inducement for me; I want a bear or two besides to make it worth my while to go."—C.T. Studd (1860–1931). [Note: For more on chocolate soldiers, see a longer excerpt of C.T. Studd's original talk in Letter Links file #1 that accompanies this Letter.]
218. (Mama:) Here's a list of questions you can ask yourself which will help give you an idea of what aspects of living the Law of Love you might want to improve in. Then you can take those aspects to the Lord and ask Him where to start. Don't be overwhelmed or feel you have to do it all at once. Learning to be more loving can be like stretching muscles that you haven't used in a while. So don't expect to go from a couch potato to a professional gymnast in one exercise session! But do work at it, stretch those muscles, give a little more than you're used to, and soon you'll be in much better shape, much happier, and much more full of the Lord's blessings in your life!
[ ] Do I regularly ask the Lord how I am doing with the Law of Love, and if I am progressing in it? Am I faithful to ask the Lord what steps I can take each day or week to help improve my use of this weapon?
[ ] Do I consciously put others and their needs before myself? Or is my first thought, "How will this affect me?" instead of "How will this affect others?"
[ ] When there's a lot to do on the Home front, or certain chores or JJTs are left unattended, do I make myself available to fill those needs and help out where and when I can?
[ ] If someone is unable to do one of their slots on the schedule or has more to do than normal, do I volunteer to help?
[ ] Do I put the needs of others' children on the same level as the needs of my own children? Am I as concerned about the care of the other children and young people as I am about my own? Do I show it through my actions, my words, and my interactions with them?
[ ] Do I go out of my way to spend time with others and fellowship with other families, singles, and/or young people, even when I'd rather be alone?
[ ] Do I look for ways to invite others into my life by taking time to talk with people I usually don't, or eating meals with those I'm not particularly close to, or even hanging out on my free days with those I normally wouldn't?
[ ] Am I willing to share my belongings with others, or do I hold on to my things and only share them when I "really have to" or am specifically asked to by someone?
[ ] Do I have an "all things in common" attitude not only regarding my possessions‚ but even my time and my life?
[ ] Do I take into consideration others' needs and try to fill them if possible? If I see a parent needs more time on their ministry, do I offer to help out with the children? If I see that someone is saving up to buy a needed item, do I help either by giving a gift, or helping them with fundraising, research‚ or prayer toward it? Do I treat their needs as I would my own?
[ ] If there is something that I would really like to do, but that I know could negatively affect someone else if I did it around them, do I refrain from doing so‚ and put their happiness and well-being above my own?
[ ] When I plan outings on my free day, or trips out during the week, am I considerate of others by asking if they would like me to pick anything up for them while I'm out, or if they would like a ride into town as well? Even though this might mean extra time for me, do I still make this time for others?
[ ] How well do I know those in my Home and notice what things are important to them? Part of love is getting to know someone better, and when you do, you know what kind of things they appreciate the most or need the most.
[ ] Am I willing to make sacrifices for others, even if it seems like there's "nothing in it for me"? Would I take away from my free evening hours to spend time with someone who needs fellowship and attention? Would I forgo an activity I enjoy for an activity that someone else prefers?
[ ] Do I show enough concern for those in our Home who are weaker physically and have special needs? Do I take their needs into consideration during our Home Councils or schedule planning? Am I loving in my comments to and about them?
[ ] Am I affectionate, even if it's embarrassing or humbling for me?
[ ] Am I willing to share whatever it is that's most precious to me, or that I guard the most?—Giving my time, sharing my heart and opening up to others‚ sharing my mate or loved one, including others in our relationship or friendships, doing things that are difficult for me because I know someone else has a need.
[ ] When someone in my Home is going through a difficult time, do I treat their battles and difficulties as I would my own? Do I pray for them and encourage them?
[ ] When was the last time I asked the Lord for more love for others? When was the last time I asked Him to help me to see someone else through His eyes, as He sees them?
[ ] If there is someone I don't get along with well in my Home, do I ask the Lord what practical steps I can take to put more love in our interactions? Do I actively fight to live the Law of Love, even when it's difficult, or with whom it's difficult?
[ ] Do I really live by the principle of Jesus, Others, then You? Can I honestly say that in every area of my life I put Jesus and others first? Or have I put myself before others in any area? And if so, what areas are those and how can I correct the order?
[ ] When I pray for others, do I put myself in their shoes and pray as if I was going through those situations? Do I have empathy when I pray?
[ ] When something nice happens to someone else, do I share in their joy and express my happiness about it? Or instead am I jealous or saddened by it? Are others' joys my own?
[ ] Do I value others' opinions and preferences and do I seek out their input when needed? And when I counsel with others, do I respect and consider what they say?
[ ] Do those I live with feel like they can count on me if they have a need or need help and prayer in any way? Do people feel comfortable approaching me in this way?
[ ] Do I show faith in others‚ even those who are going through a difficult time and don't seem to be doing so well? Do I show them that I have faith for their victories and that they can make it?
[ ] Do I appreciate those I live with, and do I show this appreciation through my words or interactions with them? Do I praise the Lord for them often?
[ ] When things are lacking in our Home—for example‚ devotions time isn't as inspiring as it could be—do I wait for someone else to "solve the problem," or do I make myself part of the solution by doing my part to change things for the better?
219. (Jesus:) There are many in Heaven who can assist you in the giving of love and the living of My Law of Love. I've said before that the conception of cherubim as cupid-like baby angels is inaccurate, because the cherubim are in fact mighty and powerful angels! But there are those in Heaven much more like the earthly stereotype of Cupid‚ bringer of love. There are lots of what you might call "Love Fairies" who exist to help guide you in the ways of love.
220. What are they? They're embodiments of My love. They're created from My love to be little helpers, and to give you guidance and anointing and the desire to pour love out on others. They're female in form, and while they don't shoot you with arrows, they do flutter around and help put love in your heart for others, and inspire you with ways that you can give love and share love.
221. They haven't always been, in that they're not angels or ancient spirit beings. I created them when I gave the Family the full truths of the Law of Love. Don't think it strange that they can be constructed out of love. I made man from the dust of the earth, and I made Eve from a rib. I used temporal materials because you are temporal beings. But in the spirit I can make spiritual beings out of spiritual powers, and so it was that I crafted these helpers out of pure love.
222. They're not just for romantic love; in fact, that's a very small part of their love. They inspire and fill you with all the love that I have, which is multifaceted. My love loves you as a bride, but also as children‚ friends, brothers, sisters. My love can be anything to anyone‚ which is what these Fairies of Love will help you to be. They will help give you a little dose of My love for whoever you need to love.
223. Just having them around will help you. Since they are made out of My love, just having it near you will increase your own love beyond mortal limits, and give you a taste of the supernatural. They can also assist in witnessing, because part of My love is a love for lost souls, and thus these beings also have that loving influence to provide.
224. You can call on these Love Fairies for assistance in giving love in all ways, because that's what they're made for. They don't do a lot of talking; they deal more in feelings, impressions‚ and mental guidance, and the "tug" that you feel on your heart to do something out of love. They don't usually give prophecies or messages, although it's not impossible. When they speak, they sound childish and playful, but they can convey very complex and adultlike emotions through their spiritual leadings. So you have to sense them more than you see them or hear them.
225. When you call on them, one will come near you and perch on your shoulder just the way you'd imagine a little angel should. They'll direct you, pointing with their fingers as to where to give love, and how. They also emit a constant aura of love which pours all over you, making you give love—but also having the added benefit of making you more lovable, and making others love you more. That's the way love goes‚ isn't it? The more loving you are, the more others want to love you. That's what these beings bring about.
226. You also can't forget to call upon the Queen of Love, My Mother, the Holy Spirit, to bring you love in all your ways and actions.
227. Aphrodite is also a spirit being of love who can empower you to give love far beyond your physical and earthly emotional means. The Holy Spirit and Aphrodite will help open you up to the love of Heaven, which doesn't see as man sees, but looks beyond into the hearts of men and desires to love them.
228. The spiritual Cathars are also on call to assist you in your use of the weapon of the Law of Love, for they have been commissioned as the guardians of love. They can help you in your use of either the weapon of the Law of Love or the weapon of brotherhood, for both involve love, and love is their specialty‚ their ministry, and their jurisdiction.
229. It's good to call on the spirit world for assistance in living the Law of Love, because it helps you to realize that it's not something you can do in the flesh. Flesh and blood doesn't have enough love to unselfishly care for others more than itself. Acknowledging your need for spiritual assistance puts you in the right frame of mind to give and receive the kind of supernatural love that I'm engendering in the Family through the truths of the Law of Love.
230. (Jesus:) Men would describe them as fairies if they saw them. They choose to manifest themselves in the female form, but in reality, they are neither male nor female. Love is not gender-specific. My love is gentle, aware of the tiniest detail, yet no one in the universe is more masculine than I am.
231. They seek out those who are open to the thoughts and feelings of My love. Although their mission at this time is to guide you into living the Law of Love as fully as possible‚ they, like the Holy Spirit, can only enter in where they are received and welcomed.
232. When you call for their help, they come in teams‚ some seeking out brethren or sheep nearby to draw them close to you, while others begin to fill your heart and thoughts with pictures, feelings, and thoughts to guide you through the open doors I am setting before you to give My love to another.
233. These beings are created of My love. And just as My love is not passive but vibrant, and the source of great power, so these—although they appear small and delicate to the eyes of man—carry the energy to empower you to do anything good out of love. They have chosen the form of a tiny female fairy as an illustration. My unlimited love for you is the most powerful force in the universe and is able to do anything, yet its power and force and might cannot manifest its fullness through you unless you yield to it.
234. These Love Fairies are small and able only to offer My power and might to you. If you choose to desire it in all its fullness and above all else—even above your own feelings and desires—My power floods through them to transform your mind, your heart‚ your feelings, and to empower you with the supernatural might that conquers all.
235. Showing My love to another may seem a small thing, but in the spiritual realm it is actually more earthshaking‚ life-changing, and demon-destroying than all of man's wars throughout history combined!
236. These Love Fairies are manifestations of the Law of Love because they can transform those who yield to them, altering their thoughts and feelings and opening their hearts and minds to the reality of just how powerful love is. Though you may think My Law of Love is simple and a small thing, when it is received and acted upon, it becomes the source of power to do the impossible, to create a bond of unity that cannot be broken‚ and to unleash the world-changing power of My love as an undeniable demonstration of all that I offer those who will turn to Me and receive the greatest gift ever given.
237. These Love Fairies are called the Whisperers. They are close by your side, and as you call on their help, they will be there to guide you, to remind you to place My love in first place in your life, and to shower you with the power and beauty of My Spirit as you heed their whispers and step by step become better vessels of My light and truth to this darkening world.
238. I will also give you a little glimpse of future events: As you grow‚ so their voices will grow in your heart‚ and these will become companions to you in your many exploits throughout eternity. This is just the beginning of mightier things than your mind can begin to grasp. Use their help wisely, and frequently, and you will come to value them as precious treasures and gifts from My heart to yours. (End of message.)
239. (Mama:) Here are a few little excerpts from our Husband that He gave to individuals, which you might also find helpful, encouraging, or inspiring as you make the Law of Love a more used and practiced and honed weapon in your arsenal!
240. (Jesus:) If you're going to make the people you work with feel loved, if you're going to make them believe that you really care about them personally, then you actually have to care about them personally.—And you have to show it. You'll have to pray first of all for the love‚ the compassion, the interest‚ and the unselfishness to do this, because it's not like you're naturally overflowing with love and care and concern for them. So it's going to take some key power, and some real "Law of Love"-based attitude changes to follow through—to first pray about how to reach out and build work relationships and friendships with each one, and secondly take the steps I show you and actually do it.
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241. (Jesus:) You don't have any particular attitudes about the Law of Love that are off‚ in the sense of feeling that something about it isn't right‚ or isn't scriptural, or isn't worth it or isn't valid or "sound doctrine." There isn't anything you disagree with or have doubts about. You believe the doctrine‚ you can see the reasons for these liberties I've given you, and you personally appreciate them. You realize the need, and you realize the terrible bondage that you would be under were you to be a "normal" Christian who didn't believe in and have the freedom to practice the sexual aspects of the Law of Love.
242. Where you do need some mindset adjusting is not in regards to the Law of Love itself, but in regards to you and your approach and attitude and practice of it, and as far as what you will and won't or can and can't do. There's nothing you don't "believe" in—but there are things you don't practice, or that you practice in a minimal way. And, as you know, in this day and age and at this time in the Family, you can't really get by with that anymore. You can't mentally or verbally assent to believing in something when your actions say otherwise. I'm not saying that your actions contravene the Law of Love—although once in a while they do. Mostly, though, it's that what you do doesn't always fully support the principles of the Law of Love.
243. It's like obedience and what I've shown you about that: It's no longer the day to get by with minimal obedience—it's time to go all the way and live it to the maximum. The same goes for the Law of Love, because following the Law of Love and the true spirit of it is part of obeying the Word.
244. The right approach is not to look at the Law of Love and say, "That's nice. It's a great thing. It has some benefits for me. So when it suits me and when it works out for me‚ I'm going to take these principles and live them." That is somewhat your approach and style and what you've done and continue to do. Whereas, in truth, if you fully lived the spirit of the Law of Love, your attitude, as well as your behavior and interactions with others, would be far more love-filled and giving-filled.
245. When you're really living the Law of Love, your attitude is one of a servant, one of giving, one of looking around to see what others need and how you can give it to them. That is the "right mindset" as far as living the Law of Love, and that is a mindset you don't have yet. It's one that you really need, though. It's something to pray for and call on the keys for.
246. It's not that you've made conscious choices to not live the Law of Love; yet, neither have you ever made a choice to really apply and live its principles to the full, to be a cutting-edge professional user of this new weapon. That's a very different approach than the "let's see how this can benefit me" approach‚ which is in many ways how you've looked at it.—Not even so much by choice as by reflex.
247. It's human nature to see what you can get out of something and how it can benefit you, and it has its pros in that looking at the Law of Love as a personal benefit has caused you to appreciate it, to value it, to treasure it‚ and to speak well of it and not criticize, doubt, or demean it. It's time for you now, though, to move further in spirit—to move beyond the mindset of, "the Law of Love is cool and I like it and I'm happy with it" and to take on My mind more fully and move into the mindset of, "I am committed to living the Law of Love, in spirit and in action. I am going to fight to be a professional user and to really know this weapon inside and out, and use it as it was meant to be used."
248. It's time to take on the true spirit of the Law of Love, which is the attitude of humility, service, giving, esteeming others better than yourself, and putting others' needs above your own. This isn't only referring to living it sexually, although that is a part of it. You need to learn these principles for your personal life and sex life, but also for your work life and home life and every aspect of your life as a disciple.
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No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.—General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964).
249. (Jesus:) Having the mindset of branching out more rather than always automatically going to the same people or falling into a routine, is good. It's healthy, it keeps you stirred up‚ it keeps you asking Me, "What's the best thing to do here? Who's the best person to be with now?" That's better than just floating along and doing whatever you feel or whatever comes up at the time.
250. Something you could do to be more active in your use of the Law of Love is to pray before going to parties. You can't possibly fellowship with every single person if the party is large, but you should ask Me if there is someone or someones in particular that you should make a point to spend a few minutes talking with, or dancing with, or sitting by. Then when you go you'll have a little focus and a goal. It's not that you have to only spend time with those people, but if you make a point to do so, then you can relax the rest of the time and enjoy what comes your way, without feeling guilty or pressured or like you're missing something, and also without missing out on doing something that I know is important, for you or for someone else.
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251. (Jesus: ) Make a point to take one evening a week to reach out, through whatever means is most suitable to the person you're reaching out to. For some people it's a date, for other people it's absolutely not. The point of the Law of Love and giving and sharing and being there for your brother and sister in their time of need is to give what the person needs, desires‚ and appreciates most, and what will help them most to feel My love, and to strengthen unity.
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252. (Jesus:) You have a lot to give—and even just giving a little time, a little affection, a little attention, goes a long way.
253. I want you to learn to experience the joy of giving—giving with no plans for getting anything back in return. That's the truest giving, yet also the most difficult giving. The thing is, however, that you never give without getting anything back in return. Different forms of giving are rewarded in different ways—some are more obvious or immediate, while others are more veiled or take more time—yet all are rewarded. You can have complete faith in that.
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254. (Jesus:) To be a true servant of others, you have to first of all be a true servant to Me. You have to give Me your all. You have to see yourself as Mine—My property, My possession, My slave, My subject. You have to accept and acknowledge that you are bought with a price, that I own you, and that therefore, as My servant, if I tell you to serve others, then you are obliged to serve them just as you would serve Me. For as I have said, inasmuch as you do it to the least of these, My brethren, you do it unto Me (Mat.25:40).
255. You are bought with a price. Remember always that part of that price, part of that calling‚ is to not only be My servant, subject to My bidding‚ but to be a servant of all, subject to the bidding of the needs of others.
256. When you see a need, when you hear of a need, when you sense a need, it is because I am calling you to do something to fill that need. What you do may be different in every case, but the point is that it is your duty—because you are Mine, and because you have bound yourself to Me in love, as a love slave—to see yourself as a servant of others, a servant to their needs.
257. If you adopt this mindset and remind yourself of it often, you will not need to worry about whether you are doing enough for Me and others, or whether you are living My Law of Love. These things will come naturally as you determine to serve Me and serve others‚ and make this not just something you do from time to time but an integral part of your daily lifestyle.
From "The Gift of Heavenly Thought Power:"
Live the Law of Love in every area of your life. The gift of thought power makes you servants of others, and only those who will truly use it in love will be granted the power. He that is greatest among you must be your servant. This gift I am giving you will make you great. Others will look to you, almost worship you in some cases, and the power I have given you. So it is very important that you exercise this gift in humility, and remember that I have given you this gift to enhance your witness and bring others to Me—that in essence, it makes you servants of others.
Strengthening this area of your life, so that your initial reaction is one of love and unselfishness, is not something that will happen overnight. You must begin now to truly put others and their needs first, and practice unselfishness and giving at every opportunity. Ask Me to give you a list of the areas in your life where you need to become more loving, more giving. Ask Me to show you which areas you are lacking in living the Law of Love‚ and then begin to put My counsel into practice immediately, so that your first reaction becomes a loving one. It is possible, My loves, and it is necessary if you are to truly have the power of this gift that I am giving you. (ML #3377:42.8, GN 974).
(Jesus: )
258. —You need to develop the general attitude of being a servant; esteeming others better than yourself in the sense of expecting that in any given scenario, you will serve and help others, and not the other way around.
259. —You need to be more willing to help out with "little things" that come up—whether as a trip partner, helping unload provisioning or shopping, standing in for someone on dishes or with their kids, etc. Your natural reaction to such things is "I don't have time." Well, as you know‚ nobody really "has time." You should at least pray about it each time something like this comes up, though, and ask Me if you have time and should volunteer‚ rather than just assuming you can't and won't.
260. —You need to be more attuned to others, anticipating their needs and asking Me what to say or not to say while conversing and interacting with people. You've realized lately that you can be pretty insensitive sometimes. I want to give you the gift of seeing into people's hearts and minds, and you can start using and honing this now by "asking Me everything" during your conversations, and letting Me guide you and give you checks so that you realize how things you say will be received and how they will affect the person you're speaking with.
261. —You need to be more honest with your friends and people you work and interact with. That's part of love. It's part of reaching out. It's easier to kind of bury things under the carpet or ignore them, but that's not the loving way. It's the safe way, the easy way, the time-saving way, for you. But it's not the best way. Let Me teach you how to communicate and express the things that need to be expressed, in love and consideration.
262. —Last but not least, you need to reach out more in the area of unselfish giving of your time in fellowship and reaching out to others. You try every now and then, but it's difficult‚ I know, because it is a sacrifice. You feel you have so little time to even be with the people you want to be with, and then to be with those you're not so inclined toward, and who you feel maybe don't want to be with you anyway, is really a difficult thing. It's difficult because of pride, because of selfishness, and because of fear. You need to have more faith and pray more often for Me to help you in this.
263. I want to use the Law of Love to be more of a blessing to you—and in living it, you in turn will also be more of a blessing to others. You can be a part of the process of generating greater unity, which I am trying to bring about. It's not something that just "happens." It's something that comes about as a result of everyone doing their part, however small it might seem, to build bonds of unity, love and trust.
264. It's not that you're not loving or kind to people, but it's a continual fight to have quality time with people other than your closest or most immediate friends and loved ones. It's worth the effort‚ though, so don't give up and don't fall into a lethargic "if it happens, it happens" attitude. Do something—even little somethings—to help make it happen. And I will bless it and you will feel the results.
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265. (Jesus: ) Your top priority is your time with Me and your fellowship with Me, and sometimes you might even need to forgo desired fellowship with others if you haven't yet fulfilled My desires by spending enough time with Me. But for the most part, your fellowship with your brothers and sisters and loving them is a very close second on your priority list. It's not that it's above your work, because your work has to get done, but it's somewhat on an even par, and you have to have the right balance between the two.
266. If you are reaching out to others and meeting their need for love as well as fulfilling your own need for friendship and companionship, then on both sides you will be more inspired and encouraged and thus more productive. If things are flowing well in the spirit between you and your co-workers and mates, and your interactions are loving and caring, things will of course go better in your working together, without bumps and friction. It's not just an exercise in humility or obedience—although in some ways it is one of those things that teaches you yieldedness and makes you soft to My Spirit—but it's also a means that I seek to use to bless you and make you a blessing to others.
267. It's good to be dedicated to your work‚ and there's a time for everything; but when it's time to play, it's time to play. Or when someone's visiting and fellowshipping with you, it's time to give them your full attention. If you're really in the middle of something important and timely, well, say so; but if not, set it aside for a moment and focus completely on the person you're communicating with.
[ ] On "Chocolate Soldiers‚" by C.T. Studd
[ ] "Baalzebub—Lord of the Flies," ML #168:10-13, Vol.2
[ ] "Fighters," ML #551:18-42, 51-60, DB 13
[ ] "Whole Chinese Cemetery Set Free," ML #1264:1-3‚ 15-16, Vol.13
[ ] "Fight For Your Healing‚" ML #2072:81,83-87, 90-91, 93-96, 98-102, 104-106, 110-113, Vol.16
[ ] "Problems and Solutions!—Part 4," ML #3072:106-110, 116–118, 121-141‚ Vol.23
[ ] "Mama's Personal Goals and Prayer Requests for 1998," ML #3165:83-86, Vol.24
[ ] "Wham, Bam! Junk the Punk," ML #3179:10-11, 52-57‚ 59-63, 71, 73-74, 76-78‚ 82-87, 90-91, 93-95, GN 785
[ ] "Fast-day Miracles," ML #3384:148-150‚ GN 976
[ ] "Gems and Jewels, Part 1," ML #3416:143-146, 151-152, GN 1003
[ ] "The Art of War, Part 1," ML #3532:5-12, 17-50, 81-90, 117–132, GN 1123
[ ] "Our Declaration of Love," ML #607:1-14‚ Vol.5
[ ] "Our Beliefs Concerning the Lord's Law of Love," ML #2858:2, 4‚ 5, Vol.20
[ ] "An Answer To Him That Asketh Us," ML #3016:41-44, Vol.22
[ ] "Goals for 1998," ML #3160:77-84, 165-173, Vol.24
[ ] "Living the Lord's Law of Love!—Part 1," ML #3201:1-2‚ 5, 10-31, Vol.25
[ ] "Living the Lord's Law of Love!—Part 2‚" ML #3202:3-31‚ 42-51, 67, Vol.25
[ ] "Living the Lord's Law of Love!—Part 11," ML #3211:18-22, 24, 100, 102–105, 108-122, 124-126, Vol.25
[ ] "A Plea from the Cathars," ML #3259:61-63, GN 860
[ ] "Prayer for Love and Mercy," ML #75:1,17-18,20,26, Vol.1
[ ] "Reading, Pinups, Mistakes and World Conquest!—Thru Love," ML #151:46-50, 52-54, Vol.2
[ ] "The Greatest of These Is—Love!—Not Pride," ML #1371:52-53, 59-61, GN Book 4
[ ] "Love Is the Most Important Thing‚" ML #1793:2-4, 10–11, 14-16‚ 21, 25-27, 33, Vol.15
[ ] "Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice," ML #2418:39–42‚ Vol.18
[ ] "The Need for More Affection in Our Homes," ML #2857:5,8,10-12,15,18-19, 22–23,28,30,50, Vol.21
[ ] "The Love Charter!—God's Call to a Love Revolution," ML #2963:14-23, Vol.22
[ ] "Serve One Another in Love," ML #2978:24-25, 27–30‚ 40, 47, 53-54, Vol.22
[ ] "A New Day of Love," ML #3011:6–12, 51-54, 93-95, 148–154, 158-159, Vol.22
[ ] "State of the Nation '95," ML #3017:133-141, Vol.22
[ ] "Come Together—In Love," ML #3100:17-18, 21-24, 26-30, 32–36, Vol.24
[ ] "Loving Kindness," ML #3237:6-13, 37-51, GN 840
[ ] "Do the Humble Thing," ML #3251:6-15‚ 109-113, GN 853
[ ] "Show Appreciation," ML #3254:4-12, 16-32, 43-65, 106-114, GN 859
[ ] "Gems and Jewels, Part 1," ML #3416:75-83, GN 1003
[ ] "Shooting Straight, Part 5," ML #3503:103-108, GN 1091
Copyright © 2006 by The Family International. Art by Tamar