Karen Zerby
By Maria ML #3595 4/06
Dear Family,
1. When praying about which prophecies to use in this edition of "Positively Positive," as well as what to say to introduce them‚ the Lord spoke to me about sharing a personal message with you. Although I don't battle that often with negativity or discouragement, because the Lord has given me gifts of faith and positiveness‚ He does allow me to experience some battles of that nature from time to time. I'm very thankful for such battles‚ because they help me to understand you who go through similar battles more intensely, they keep me humble, and they give me extra practice in using the weapon of praise.
2. The Enemy sometimes hits me with discouragement regarding my spiritual progress. For example, there are things that I know I'm supposed to do, such as memorizing, that are very difficult for me. I don't have a very good memory, so I really struggle with this, and I sometimes feel discouraged because I'm not able to memorize as fast as I would like or as much as I would like. And even when I do manage to memorize something, if I don't take the time to review it, I lose it very easily, and that's frustrating as well.
3. I also get discouraged with my gift of prophecy sometimes. As you know, I don't have a very fluent or eloquent gift of prophecy. My gift has been what I call a "baby gift" for many years now, and it's no way near as developed as other people's gifts. Nearly all of my secretaries and everyone that I work with have a better channel than me. So if I listen to the Enemy, this can be pretty discouraging. I feel like I can't get specifics. I feel like my messages aren't very clear or complete.
4. So this message that I'm going to share with you is something that the Lord gave when I was feeling a little down about these things, and about other areas of my spiritual life. I'm sure you probably experience these same kinds of feelings from time to time, so you'll probably be able to relate. The Lord gives us so much instruction, and so many spiritual weapons to use, that it can seem overwhelming at times. It can be discouraging if we start to feel pressured by it, or allow the Enemy to tell us that we're not progressing fast enough‚ that we're not doing enough—that we're not using the keys of the Kingdom enough, that we're not memorizing enough, that we're not hearing from the Lord enough, that we're not praising enough, that we don't know enough about our spirit helpers, and on and on the list goes.
5. Of course we're supposed to do all of these things. But the Lord doesn't expect perfection from us‚ nor does He measure our progress alongside others' progress. He knows that we are each unique and different, and that some of us are slower than others, and as long as we're taking steps to obey every day, and doing what He asks of us, that's all that matters. If we're obeying Him‚ even if our steps of progress are small‚ we're pleasing Him.
6. If all we can do is memorize one verse or key promise in a week, and that's what the Lord has asked of us‚ then He's happy with us for that. It doesn't matter if your friend or husband/wife can memorize seven or seventeen a week. The Lord takes each of us where we're at, so we should not allow the Enemy to attack us with discouragement if we're doing our best to progress spiritually. We can rebuke him and go on!
7. (Question:) What if we are not doing our best, but we are still trying? It seems that we can always do better in some way, so we can never really say we're doing our best. Is "best" too high an ideal? What if we're giving it a good try?
8. (Jesus:) To do your best, My dear ones, is to do your best: It's to put forth as much effort as you possibly can under the prevailing circumstances. "Trying" is not sufficient, because many people take that to mean merely attempting to do something, a lesser degree of effort, often with somewhat of a "maybe" attitude or a degree of half-heartedness. Doing your best, however, means being determined to put forth your best effort in that circumstance, taking everything else into consideration. I know you have many things to do, battles to fight on many fronts, and you try to do as much as you can on every front. I understand this, and I realize that to give to the max on one front means that you may have to do a little less and give a little less on another front. That is why I ask you, with all understanding and sympathy, just to do your best. You know what that is in each situation.
9. Well, without further ado, here is the personal prophecy the Lord gave someone for me about my spiritual progress. I pray that it will encourage you, if you have similar battles, to know that you're not alone—and most importantly, that the Lord understands.
10. (Jesus:) Everyone is different. Some people have a gift for memorizing. Some people have a fluent gift of prophecy. But the important thing is not how gifted you are, but that you're faithful with what you have. I have set the goal for spiritual progress high for all of My brides‚ because I must challenge you to reach for it‚ to stretch to do the best you can for Me. But don't be discouraged if you feel like you're not progressing as much as the next person.
11. Memorizing isn't easy for some people; they just don't have the aptitude for it or the memory for it. If you're one of those types of people, then just realize that what you do memorize is what will work for you. If you can't memorize a lot of key promises, that's fine. Just use the ones you have memorized, and keep adding to your memory work as much as you're able.
12. (Maria:) When it comes to memorization‚ although the Lord is talking to me mainly about my memorization of the key promises, which is what I was struggling with at the time, the same principles would apply to anything you're memorizing—whether it's Bible chapters, verses, or quotes from the Letters‚ etc.
13. (Jesus continues: ) For those who have a difficult time retaining their memory work, it's more important to work on reviewing regularly what you have already committed to memory. The point is to use the key promises, not just memorize more and more and forget them and not use them.
14. People who have a great memory and can remember just about anything will be required to use their memory more. People who have a poorer memory should be content with what they have in their hands, and not allow the Enemy to discourage them that they can't do more. I'm content that you give Me the best you can, whether it's a lot or a little.
15. I've given the Family much to work on with the recent emphasis on praise. Don't let it overwhelm you. Just pick one aspect of using the weapon of praise and work on that. Just pick one thing that you want to become better at, such as using a praise key promise in your prayers. Apply it and work on it until you feel you're practiced at it. Then move on to another one of the praise ideas.
16. Most people can't multitask when it comes to spiritual principles, at least not at first. Most people have to make a conscious effort to work on one thing at a time. Then as they get better at it and it comes more automatically, they can branch out and work on something else.
17. People often feel discouraged and like they're not getting anywhere because they try to do too much at once. They feel like they should be able to multitask and do everything at once, but that's often not the case. If you're consciously working on using one spiritual weapon, you're fighting effectively. It only takes one weapon at a time to defeat the Enemy. The spiritual weapons I've given you are powerful.
18. So use what you have! Work with what you have! Strive for the best that you can do for Me, and keep fighting! That's fighting effectively, and I will bless you for it. If you're claiming the keys in a certain area to make more spiritual progress, of course they will work. Keep claiming them and you will move ahead; even if it seems slow to you‚ it's still working.
19. My love, you've made tremendous progress in many areas. It's partly because you have made such good progress in many areas that the few areas you feel you struggle in seem so lacking. But if you stop to think about it, I've helped you to be able to do things you never thought you could do before, and in fact, you never were able to do before. Now you're doing things both physically and spiritually that to you were almost impossible before. So don't let the Enemy discourage you.
20. I understand your discouragement about your channel. But I do give you what you need, even if you wish it would come in another way. I use your helpers to give you My messages, and I also speak through your channel directly. I know you wish it were different, but as you know, it's part of My plan for now, part of the way I use you to be an encouragement to others, part of how I use you to be a sample of humility and weakness and dependence on Me. That's even more important to Me and an even greater part of your sample than if I were to enlarge your gift of prophecy. So trust Me in this, My love, and use the gift I've given you.
21. Don't be discouraged, but remember how far you've come, how much I've helped you to overcome. The key is to keep fighting no matter how you feel. Keep claiming the keys‚ keep wielding the spiritual weapons, and you will be doing the best things possible.
22. (Maria:) Another of the Enemy's favorite ways to attack with negativity and steal away our joy and happiness and contentment in life is through comparing. I can hardly say enough about how damaging and debilitating the Enemy's attacks through comparing are‚ if you choose to entertain those thoughts, and how sad it is for me to see anyone battling it!
23. The danger of negative and comparing thoughts is that they steal your contentment in being who you are. Comparing causes you to question the Lord's love for you, because you question His handiwork. If you question the way the Lord made you, even if it starts out small, if you dwell on it, it becomes more than just a question—it becomes a doubt. Doubts, if nothing is done about them, eventually feed a disbelief in the Lord. It can start off with the littlest thing, but if the Enemy can use it as an inroad‚ it will grow and grow, and each time he feeds you a negative thought it will have veered more and more from the truth‚ till you literally begin believing lies.
24. I've known some people who have been so overtaken by negativity and comparing that no matter what anyone else said to them, they were convinced that they were ugly‚ or they were not talented, or they were not this or not that. It's so sad when you're the onlooker and can see exactly how the Enemy has got the person wrapped around his little finger‚ but the person in question doesn't even realize it. They just think they are believing the truth, because they have believed the Enemy's lies about themselves for so long.
25. But at the same time, I have known some people with serious comparing battles who really fought to get the victory over them‚ and they are completely transformed today! So no matter how long you have been comparing, or what a serious problem you have, you can make a turnaround. You can resist the Enemy's temptations to compare. You can choose not to think those thoughts or give them any place! You can learn to be content, and even happy‚ with the way the Lord has made you and the way He chooses to work in your life!
26. (Jesus:) Negativity is self-centeredness. It's dwelling on yourself and what you feel you don't have, instead of praising Me for all that I have given you. Negativity is very selfish. Because you are thinking disparaging thoughts about yourself, all that runs through your head is you‚ you, and more you. These thoughts do not lift Me up. They are not praiseful‚ and they do not encourage you to be all that you can be for Me, because you're always feeling like you can't do anything, that you'll never amount to anything, and down and down you go.
27. You're not supposed to be so sufficient in yourself and so confident about yourself that it makes you proud and self-reliant. You're meant to keep your eyes stayed on Me. But you can't do this if you're looking at yourself and all of your lacks, and how you don't measure up to what you think you should be like, how you should look, and what you should be skilled in.
28. I created you with the particular needs, looks, and skills that I knew would be appropriate to the challenges of your life. When you compare, you are not seeing My hand in the way I created you, but you are instead disapproving of the way that I created you, and that hurts Me.
29. In My eyes you are perfect—perfect in the way I have created you. I didn't make any mistakes when I created you. I did not forget anything in your makeup. What you are, how you look, and what you can do are all the things that I designed you with. Even the inherent flaws you see in yourself were part of My plan and creation of you, which simply means that if I planned them and took the time to add them to your person, then having them makes you a perfect creation, for that was the original design.
30. It is natural to want to change some things about the way you are. It's not uncommon to look at others and see what they have and wonder if you've missed out. But what it boils down to is your need for more faith in Me, in the way I've created you. I would not create a flawed or imperfect creation, even if you see yourself differently; I do not make mistakes. What you consider flaws are simply means for you to turn your eyes toward Me, to make what you consider lacks‚ strengths in Me.
31. (Maria:) After reading the above message, some of you might have some questions. It's clear that the Lord wants us to be content with the way He has made us, even if there are physical characteristics and attributes that we wish we could change. But some of you may wonder how this applies to you, if you have done something to yourself, or your body, that has caused you to feel "flawed" or "imperfect."
32. For example‚ maybe you've dyed your hair so much that it's now extremely unhealthy or even falling out. Or you got a piercing or tattoo, and it got infected, and left a big scar or deformity. Or your skin has gotten wrinkled or discolored because you went out in the sun too much and weren't careful. Perhaps you have stomach ulcers because you've worried so much for so many years. Or maybe you have neglected to have vigorous exercise for years, and you're very out of shape and flabby. Or you've let yourself go and gained a lot of weight. Or you're hard of hearing because you listened to blaring music when you were younger. Or you have extremely bad eyesight and have to wear really thick glasses because you read in bad light for years.
33. There are even things that you may struggle with about yourself that were caused by others. For example, maybe you were in an accident that scarred or disfigured you or put you in a wheelchair. Maybe something that happened in your past has caused you to feel unattractive.
34. Or maybe there's something that you struggle with, or that you're self-conscious or negative about that you weren't born with‚ that wasn't the way the Lord originally "made you," but that wasn't yours or anyone's fault either. For example, maybe you're a woman who has a lot of stretch marks after having children. Or maybe you were injured while unselfishly helping someone else.
35. So some of you may wonder, "Well, the counsel from the Lord is good about not being negative with the way the Lord made you, and trusting that He knew best. But I'm negative and compare because of things that I have done to myself, or the things that have happened to me. The way I am isn't the way the Lord made me. I became this way because of this, that, or the other. I messed things up." We asked the Lord to speak to you who may be feeling this way, and here is the message He gave.
36. (Jesus: ) There is absolutely no reason to be negative or to compare! It doesn't matter what you are negative or compare about—whether it's something that you were born with, something that someone did to you, something that you did to yourself, or something that was just a "fact of life." Nothing in your life—no physical circumstance or condition—should have the power to steal away your joy, happiness, and contentment.
37. It might be a bit easier for you who were born with certain things that you dislike to get over negativity and comparing, but that doesn't mean that it's okay to be negative about things that were "caused," either by you or others or circumstances. You have the power to decide how you think, how you feel, and what your outlook on life is! It's My desire that all of My children can be positive‚ happy, praiseful, and free of the Enemy's chains of negativity, discouragement, and comparing.
38. (Maria:) When talking about being content and happy with the way the Lord has made you, I and the Lord are talking about things like the way you look‚ gifts and talents, your personality, and things like that. We're not talking about being content if you have serious spiritual problems that need rectifying, such as if you're very unloving‚ proud, selfish, or have an angry spirit‚ etc. These are, of course, not things that you should just "live with," or be "content with." These are things that you would need to try and overcome and improve in, with the Lord's help.
39. You might have done something to yourself, or something might have happened to you, that has caused you to be less than perfect. But so what?! Can you still believe My promise that "All things work together for good to them that love Me"? (Romans 8:28). Can you believe that I will use even something bad in your life for good? Can you still be man enough, or woman enough, to be praiseful and happy despite it? Can you not trust that I can still make something beautiful out of your life, despite accidents, injuries or problems?
40. If you feel that you have done things to yourself that have made you less than attractive, then you might not be able to say with full faith, "Yes, Lord, I'm happy with the way You made me." But you can say with full faith‚ "Yes, Lord, I trust You. Even if I have made mistakes and have done things that have made me feel negative toward myself, I know that You love me. I know that You can use me. I know that I am useful to You and others. I know that my happiness is not contingent on circumstances and conditions. I know that You can help me to be positive and praiseful despite everything."
41. All of My children deserve to be happy, content, full of joy, and praiseful! That's how I want you to be and act, no matter what difficulties you have faced in your life, no matter what hardships you have lived through, no matter what you have done to yourself or what anyone else has done to you. Bitterness‚ negativity‚ discouragement, and condemnation should have no place in your life. Refuse to live with them, because they will only hurt you.
42. You may never think that you're beautiful or handsome. You may never think that you have a perfect body. You may never think that you have a winning personality‚ or a treasure chest full of personal talents. But that's not the goal. The goal is that no matter what you think about yourself, that you praise Me anyway‚ that you let Me use you anyway‚ and that you refuse to allow the Enemy to snuff out your life and your fire and your happiness through negativity, comparing‚ or any of his other debilitating attacks!
43. I'm not asking you to live in a dream world. I'm not asking you to pretend that you're Mr. World or Miss Universe, when you know you're not. I'm just asking you to be content, to be happy, to be praiseful, no matter what you look like, no matter what you feel like, and no matter what you have been through. I'm asking you to trust Me, to have faith in Me, and to believe in My love for you. I'm asking you to live above the realm of the flesh and the carnal mind.
44. You might think that this is impossible, but it's not. There have been many of My children who have lived before you who faced great hardships, handicaps, and difficulties, and yet they allowed Me to use them. They were cheerful and happy despite the things that life had brought their way. They were overcomers!—But they would have never lifted a finger, never changed anything, never gone anywhere, never been anyone, if they had allowed their usefulness to be swallowed up by negativity and discontent.
45. Be an overcomer! Be a world changer! Be something for Me, because I need you! I need you to be free of negativity so that I can use you for My glory, so that I can work through you to love and reach others! Be content! Be free! Be positive! Be praiseful! That's the secret to happiness!
46. (Jesus:) When I say I do not create flawed or imperfect creations, even though to your earthly eyes something may be flawed, birth defects and handicaps are included. And that includes the times when those birth defects or handicaps are the result of an accident or poor nutrition. I am ultimately in control, and if I allow someone to be born with a less than physically perfect body, I make it up to them in other ways—or try to, if they will let Me. If someone is born with a birth defect or a handicap, they are still perfect to Me, because their spirit is beautiful and whole and the way I created it to be. Their body might not be perfect in the way the world defines perfect, but that doesn't matter to Me. They are perfect in My eyes.
47. (Maria:) Following is another message from the Lord along these lines, which someone received when asking the Lord about their personality. They disliked their personality, and felt it was their own fault, because of the choices and mistakes that they had made along the road of life. It contains good counsel if the Enemy ever tries a similar approach with you.
48. (Jesus:) You've learned to understand and grasp the simple truth that I love you just the way you are. This is a promise that you've desperately held on to for reassurance, and it has been a ballast and stable force in your life.
49. I made you the way I want you to be. You are My special individual creation that I took much pleasure in creating. In your heart of hearts you don't doubt My perfect will‚ and you know that I obviously had everything under control when I created you. But where you doubt and question yourself is regarding the personality that you've created for yourself—who you are and who you've allowed yourself to turn into. You've deemed it your fault that you're not perfect, that you can't relate to others as you would like to, that you've built walls of fear around yourself.
50. You know that it is within the majesty of choice for man to take the situations that come his way and let them change him either for good or bad. So you think that because you've turned out to be something that you don't really want to be, and because you have faults and failings and personality traits that you don't really admire, that it stemmed from making wrong decisions, from being someone who has used the lessons of life wrongly—not learning from the lessons, the battles and tests that I have sent your way. This is where you've got it all wrong and screwed up.
51. Here, look into My crystal ball and let Me better help you understand how the laws of nature are defined: I formed and created you into a creature after My Own Being. I planned the shape of your eyes‚ the color of your hair, your build, everything. Then I went on to work on your spirit—for what is the flesh worth if it has no true life or spirit? Your spirit is what you had when you were very first created. In essence your spirit is really you. Now the personality comes into the picture—the quirks and traits that make you the unique being you are.
52. There's a lot that goes into this package—the things you go through, things that come from your parents, your heritage‚ where you grew up, the circumstances that surround you, and even your sun sign plays a part in your personality. You do have some control and influence over these different aspects of your being, your makeup. But if you're a child of God, then there is nothing detrimental that you can do to your personality that I cannot reverse‚ or even make better than it was before, if you depend on My help and power. I'm the One in control.
53. Yes, there are many choices that are left up to you, and many things that are left in your hands to decide‚ and which do have a domino effect and can change the course of your life. Yet for you who love Me, I will not allow that which would detrimentally harm you or scar you for life—unless you allow it to through disobedience or unyieldedness (Matthew 7:26-27; Luke 12:47). I am a caring and loving God, and you are My special child, and I want to help you get the most out of your time on Earth—not just in learning experiences and causing your spirit to mature and grow, but also so that you can reach as many as possible along the way‚ until you get to your heavenly destination, so that you may complete the real purpose and goal for being on this Earth.
54. You're forgetting the simple principle that all things do work together for good. All this panic and worry that you've ruined your life via wrong decisions, through being unyielded at times, through hardening your heart at times during some of the tests and battles you've faced, is a misconstrued way of looking at your life. In essence you're thinking that you're the one with the greatest power and you're ultimately in control of your life, which is obviously not true.
55. I've designed and created you to be what I want you to be, even what you consider to be your flaws‚ so that through the tests and trials of life you can learn to overcome, you can learn to lose more of your carnal mind, of your dependence on yourself, and in turn gain more of Me. Yes, you have faults and failings. Yes, you have weak points that you might not really like about yourself. But rebuke this fatalistic attitude that your life is ruined and that you can't get along with people because of those faults‚ failings, and weak points.
56. Turn your eyes to the real goal at hand, that of serving others and bringing souls into the eternal Kingdom. Forget about yourself and your lacks, and remember what you're really on Earth for—to love Me and live for others. I wouldn't have put you on Earth if I didn't know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you had a special calling to fulfill, a place of service to fill‚ that was destined for you alone despite all your faults and weaknesses. And contrary to what you think sometimes, it wasn't so that you would be a dandy bad example of what not to be.
57. Stop believing the lies of the Enemy and take all that energy and effort that you're expending on yourself and use it for others. Pray for someone else. Love someone else. Witness to someone. Just rebuke the Enemy and use the knowledge of the fact that you're weak and incapable to depend utterly on Me. All things do work together for good! All things were ordained for good in your life, and you can better believe that promise by calling on the keys.
58. (Maria:) In the previous Letter in this series, the Lord gave some really good ammunition to fight the Enemy—statements that you can quote to yourself to bolster your faith when you're being attacked with negativity. (See "Tell Off the Devil," in "Positively Positive, Part 2.") I really liked those affirmations and wanted to include more for you. So we asked our Husband if He had any more to give us, and He was more than happy to oblige.
59. Here they are, for you to use in your personal combat with the Enemy! You can choose the ones that you feel apply the most to you, and use those. There's quite a bit of variety, so there should be something for everyone! But if there aren't any that you feel fit your situation to a "T," you can use these as examples and ask the Lord to give you some tailor–made ones that will express the feelings on your heart and the battles that you face!
60. 4 Whether I feel capable and talented or not, I am going to do my best. The Lord is the One Who has called and chosen me, so the Lord is the One Who will do it through me. I believe that faith is doing, not feeling, so I am going to do my job by faith regardless of how I feel.
61. 4 I made a mistake today, but I'm determined to grow and learn from it. I am not going to follow the Devil into his pit of discouragement and condemnation because of this mistake. I choose instead to praise You, Jesus‚ for allowing me to make this mistake‚ so that I can learn greater lessons of humility and weakness through it. And now I'm going to get up and try again.
62. 4 I am making progress. Jesus promised that as long as we keep fighting and don't give up, then we are moving forward and we are making it. I believe that promise and I am going to stand on it. I am making progress‚ because today I'm determining to fight, and today I refuse to quit.
63. 4 So what if I'm not perfect? I know I have so much farther to go before I'll ever be all that the Word and Jesus want me to be. But I'm fighting for that goal. I'm fighting for change and growth. I'm determined to keep moving forward. As long as I keep obeying the Word, fighting with the new weapons, and striving to live the Word, I can trust that I am moving forward and becoming the man (or woman) the Lord wants me to be.
64. 4 I am going to praise Jesus today regardless of how I feel. I don't care that I'm tired, worried, anxious, or discouraged over these many little things. I am the one who chooses how I feel by choosing what I think. Today, I want to feel happy, content‚ praiseful, cheerful, and positive. So I am going to fill my mind with good things, positive thoughts, and words of praise. I praise You, Jesus, for this day dedicated to praise!
65. 4 I am not going to give up. I may feel like a mess—I may even be a mess, but I refuse to call it quits. Jesus promised that there is always strength available to us as long as we keep fighting. I claim that strength as I continue to fight another day.
66. 4 I refuse to think about myself. I'm going to look outward, toward others, toward other needs or needy situations, toward the lost souls who are desperately in need of Jesus. Today I am going to do something positive to save a soul—whether it's a soul in need of salvation or one of the dear souls of those I live with. I'm going to do something today to make their day better and to make them happier.
67. 4 Jesus chose me. Jesus bought me. Jesus paid the highest price for me. I am worth it. So who are you, damn Devil‚ to tell me otherwise? I have been bought with the price of Jesus' blood; that's how precious He deems me, worth the substance of His heart. I am valuable to Jesus, and I am going to live this day to make Him proud of His investment.
68. 4 Get thee behind me‚ Satan! I will not listen to your condemnations regarding my loved ones who have drifted away from the Lord or have left the Lord's service. I will not let your words or theirs discourage me in my service for Jesus. Jesus has promised me perfect peace as long as I keep my mind stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). So you cannot offend me, fiend! I am standing on the Rock with keys in hand; I cannot fall.
69. 4 Jesus is using me. Jesus needs me. My Lover wouldn't lie. If He said it, then it must be so. It is so because God said so. I will not argue with those facts.
70. 4 I will not compare my life negatively with others. Jesus would not withhold any good thing from me (Psalm 34:10). So if there is something that I would like but don't have, I can safely assume that it is not good for me to have it. My life is the perfect design of Jesus' individual care for me. I will not hurt Him by comparing.
71. 4 Even if I'm not the best at what I do, I can do my personal best in whatever I do. I will do my personal best no matter how I feel about myself or my talents. Even if I don't have any talents in certain areas, if the Lord is asking something of me, He'll help me to accomplish it.
72. 4 No matter how I feel, I am beautiful. I am God's creation, and He never says "oops." I'm just how He wants me to be. I'm beautiful, because He made me. I am going to be content in whatever state I'm in, whether I feel good about myself or not. I'm going to show the Lord that this physical world means nothing to me; I only want to please Him and love Him completely. And if accepting my looks and my body is showing Him my love and gratitude, then I will strive to do this, no matter how I feel. I will be thankful for how He's made me. I will be happy for the way He's formed me. I want Him to know that no matter what, I love Him and will be continually praiseful.
73. 4 I am making progress in my spiritual life, and each day He is taking me further. The Lord isn't comparing me to others, so neither should I. I will be content with the way the Lord has made me, what experiences He's trusted me to go through, and the spiritual depth and maturity He has given me. I will continue to love and serve Him to the best of my ability no matter how I feel about the levels of my spiritual life.
74. 4 I am simple, but even simple people have something to offer. The Lord has made me unique; He's given me unique abilities, a unique mind‚ a unique personality, a unique flavor to add to my Home. I will show Him that I am happy with how He's created me, and I'm happy to be His creation by living the life He's given me to live, wholeheartedly, contentedly‚ cheerfully‚ happily.
75. (Maria: ) As the Lord has told us many times before, the weapon of praise is powerful against the Enemy! But it's not something that we should only use when he attacks us; it should be a way of life‚ something that we're all aggressively honing and using at every opportunity. So don't just reserve it for when you're being attacked with negativity; make it your first reaction to everything!
76. (David: ) Praise can make all the difference in the world to your reactions, your feelings, and your intentions. Praise can turn everything around‚ changing even a negative, grumpy, fearful mindset to one that is full of faith and trusting in God's plan and His hand on your life.
77. When you really think about it, there's not a lot you can do about the way the Lord made you. There's also no point in worrying too much about the speed of your spiritual progress, if you're doing your best to follow the Lord and obey Him one step at a time. So you might as well trust the Lord! He has brought you this far, so thank Him for that. Thank Him that He can see the future. Thank Him that He loves you and will care for you no matter what!
78. (Jesus:) Whenever you have a negative thought about yourself, or about a mistake you've made, or a weakness you have, or some failing, immediately turn it into a praise. Praise Me for your weaknesses. Praise Me that they draw you closer to Me. Praise Me that they make you more desperate. Praise Me that they teach you to fight the Enemy. Refuse to accept the Devil's lies. Turn them into praise.
79. Praise is a powerful weapon that will defeat the Enemy and his machinations against you. Praise will unleash the help from Heaven that you need in order to fight the Enemy. Praise will send warriors to your side. Praise will zap the pestering, evil spirit of discouragement out of the space around you. Praise will reinforce your shield, the aura around you, to make it more difficult for the Enemy to penetrate. Praise will make you less susceptible to the Enemy's attacks of negativity.
80. Praise will truly be the victory. For how can you start feeling bad about your weakness and your failings and your defeats if you have praise on your lips, and if you are thanking Me for the things that I am bringing about in your life?
81. When you are hit with discouraging thoughts about yourself, you can ask Me for a special praise that you can offer. Or you can repeat the sentences above [paragraphs 78-80] in your own words, turning them into a personal praise of thanks and victory! Then say it over and over. Praise Me for whatever you can think of. This will spell victory for you!
82. (Maria: ) The most important thing for you to realize and remember is that there is help for you no matter how far down the road of negativity you have gone. There is hope! There is no bad habit that the power of the keys cannot break! The more you can turn to Jesus and ask Him to give you His perspective on every situation, the more you will become aware of His presence in your life and what He can do if you will just believe! All things are possible to them that believe! (Mark 9:23).
83. The Lord has promised, "Claim the power of the keys‚ and I will help you to overcome in every area of your life, even if it goes against your very nature." "The keys enable you to have a complete transformation." "Key power will see you safely out of the past—no matter how bad"—and we could say no matter how negative—"into a bright new future." And, "Nothing and no one is beyond the reach of the keys, no matter how far or how low they have fallen!"—And then we can add, or how negative they have gotten. And another one, "There is freedom to be found in the power of the keys. Every chain of vice, bad habit, or evil addiction can be broken with the power of the keys."
84. I hope that you who are very negative will be as thrilled with all of this wonderful instruction the Lord has given as I am! It's my heartfelt prayer that through the power of the keys you'll be able to grab on to the Lord's Words and promises with hope, even if it starts with just a small grain of hope in your heart, and that that will move you to do the things that He says and to really grab the victory and not let it go. That's the wonderful power of the Lord's Words—they can change anything! They can change you and give you a marvelous victory!
With love and prayers in our Husband Who will fight for you!
Mama
[Quotes for text boxes throughout:]
Of course you're a failure! You're a hell of a mess! We all are! When we start looking at ourselves we'll really get down! Let's get going with God! He's the only one that can make it! And He'll pull you through if you just give Him a chance and hang on to His Word and let Him hang on to you! Let go—and let God! (ML #33:30-31)
Don't just stand there: do something—sing, shout, praise the Lord, quote scriptures! Hit 'im back—the Devil, that is! Sock it to him with the Word! That's the way Jesus did it when the Devil tempted Him and lied to Him! ... The Devil is a liar and the father of it and he knows it, and he can't take the Word! Resist the Enemy and he'll flee from you! He'll turn tail and run! Put on the helmet of salvation‚ the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, to quench all the fiery darts of the Evil One; and girt with the truth and shod with the Gospel of peace, take up that white-hot sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and cut the Devil to the heart! Lay it on 'im! Sock it to 'im! Drive him away! Tell him to get behind and run—that you have no part in him and he has no part in you and he's got no business there! (ML #33:26)
Get busy working! Go out witnessing! Help somebody else! Get so busy with their troubles you can't think about your own damn self! Get so busy trying to make somebody else happy you can't help but be happy! Praise the Lord! Pray without ceasing! (ML #33:27)