Karen Zerby
GN 1185 FD/MM/FM
By Maria 3608 2/06
Dearest loves,
1. Recently the Lord has talked a lot about how if we'll look forward more, if we'll step back and see the big picture more, if we'll keep our eyes on the goal more, we'll have an easier time with the battles of today.
2. It's all about perspective. If all you're looking at is what's happening around you right now‚ things can seem pretty rough. That's true not just for us in the Family, but for everyone. It took Thomas Edison more than a thousand experiments before he produced a practical, functioning light bulb. All those failures must have been very frustrating and rough, to say the least. But what if he had gotten his eyes off the goal when he was on failure number 998 and quit? He wouldn't have developed the light bulb after all and would have just wasted a lot of money, time‚ and effort.
3. Paul said something one time that we'd do well to take note of: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1Cor.15:19). In other words, we have to look beyond what we're going through and facing today to the long-term goal, the rewards, the happiness, the surcease from the battle. We have to look to the time when we will have the victory, and that will give us the strength to keep going. All of that is part of keeping the heavenly vision.
4. I recently asked the Lord for some insight into what it means to keep the heavenly vision. I think His answers and counsel will be encouraging and inspiring for you, and as you work to implement it, to keep the heavenly vision more in the forefront of your thoughts and prayers and perspective, your load will be lighter, and you'll be happier and more at peace.
5. We have so much to look forward to! We have so many rewards awaiting us. We can really have a good time anticipating it! And as we do, the little day-to-day bumps in the road will be much easier to bear.
Much love in our Husband Who has gone to prepare a place for us,
Mama
6. (Jesus: ) Keeping the heavenly vision means stepping back from the small, day-to-day reasons you're doing what you're doing‚ and remembering the big picture of why you're on Earth at all, and what you're supposed to accomplish while there. It's remembering that you're an ambassador from My Kingdom, sent to the world for a very short time, and that soon you will return to a place where all the struggles, difficulties, and problems won't matter anymore‚ and only the eternal and lasting things will come with you.
7. Keeping the heavenly vision is also remembering Me, remembering My promises of love and comfort to you, and how much I have in store for you when this life is over. It's what I was trying to impart to My first disciples when I encouraged them about the many mansions in My Father's house, and that although I was going away, soon they would be where I was and we would be together again (John 14:2-3).
8. There are no words for how important it is that you keep this perspective, and how it makes Me sad to see some of you sometimes lose the heavenly vision when you become so wrapped up in the cares and trials of Earth. Your present existence is such a fleeting thing; your life is but a vapor. Soon, so many of the things that seem so difficult and hard for you are going to be wiped away, and in their place you will receive crowns of life and everlasting rewards for having bravely stayed the course and kept the faith.
9. But when you forget all of that, everything can seem so discouraging and difficult. I can even start to seem so far away, pushed to the back of your mind, and the promise that I'm going to return again and gather you to Myself seems very distant.
10. The Enemy seeks to take away your reason for living. Your carnal mind seeks to keep you and Me apart. When you forget the big picture, I seem so small and irrelevant, and all the carnal and worldly things seem so important and vital.
11. That's why you must keep your eyes on Heaven and on Me. That's why you have to remember that compared to all of the happy eternity that you will spend with Me, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in you and to you (Rom.8:18).
12. You have to remember that there is a reason and a plan and a purpose for everything that's happening to you in life. It's all planned‚ crafted, and allowed by Me‚ so that when you return to My realm, you will have gained valuable lessons, skills, and insight that you couldn't have gotten any other way.
13. No one‚ while they were alive, had the whole picture and understood the full meaning of their existence and why they were on Earth, or even why there was an Earth in the first place. Although many people had some understanding, still, as My Word says, "You see through a glass darkly" right now (1Cor.13:12). You won't understand the larger concepts till the end of your time on Earth, when I finally reveal it all and make My plans plain. But until then there is a lot that you do know—certainly enough to make good choices and base good decisions on.
14. With the information you have right now, you know that it's important to Me that while you're on Earth you love Me and keep My commandments‚ that you love your neighbor as yourself and learn lessons of love, that you win as many souls and disciples to My Kingdom as you can‚ and that you give your children positive training that will last for eternity. These things, and the lessons and study that allow you to do these things, or support those who are, will last forever. Beyond this, not much matters.
15. So you must stop from time to time and look at what you're doing in relation to Me and in relation to eternity. Think about what you have planned to do today and ask yourself if it's eternally sound, if it's something that you can take with you when you leave Earth, or if it's something that's going to pass away and be lost. You'll be happy when you discover that what you're spending your life doing is eternal and lasting, and is not only fulfilling My highest will, but is reaping you benefits in the world beyond that will last forever.
16. My Family‚ you are working for that which does not fade away, that which is eternally worthwhile. You should feel happy about this! You should let this fact encourage your hearts that you're using your time in the best way possible, and that—with the limited information I've revealed to you about your purpose on Earth—you're making the best of your time and you're making Me very happy.
17. You can be certain that when this life is over you have a happy Heaven full of rewards and blessings awaiting you for your faithfulness. You can know that I love you, and that as you're working for Me, and pleasing Me, and giving Me one of the biggest gifts of all—your faith that isn't dependent upon sight or understanding—you're learning some of the most important lessons in the whole universe, and that it's going to pay off in the life hereafter.
18. You can also know that so many of the tough and rough and sad things that trouble you here are going to be over very soon. You can know that in My Kingdom there is no sorrow or loneliness or hardship or sickness or worry or death or lack of love or any of the things that can be so hard on you now. With that in mind, you can more happily brave your current sorrows or troubles, knowing that soon they'll be gone. And in the meantime, I have promised that My grace is sufficient for you, and you can determine not to let the things of Earth hold you back from gaining and gleaning from your time there the things that will really last.
19. That's the heavenly vision, My children—knowing that there is a much bigger world full of love, rewards‚ meaning and happiness just beyond this one you're currently living, fighting, and working in. You must live for the second life, the world beyond, rather than living for this current life, this short time, this vapor. When you look at the heavenly vision you're reminded and motivated by what's really important and what's actually worth living for and caring about, and you can set aside what is too petty and meaningless to let into your life or hold you back.
20. Things tend to snap into perspective when weighed against eternity. And, oh, the comfort it can bring to your heart when you can remember that no matter how tough a battle may seem, your life on Earth is just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever was tough on Earth is not going to be tough in Heaven, and you're going to be so happy that you held on and fought bravely.
21. Keeping the heavenly vision is easy—it just takes faith! Feed your faith with the Word, and then take what the Word says at face value. Believe each of My promises to you, and know in your heart that everything I've said is the truth and is really going to happen.
22. You also need to pause sometimes and think about these things. It's so good for you to take a few minutes to stop what you're doing—maybe during your Word time or time with Me—and ask Me to help you to get the heavenly vision again, and then start thinking about all the things I just mentioned.
23. Think about the things that are difficult or hard for you and remember that soon they'll all be gone‚ and in their place will be a reward for your courage. Think about what lasts in the world beyond, and whether what you're doing today‚ or this week, is working toward something eternal that will still matter once you're gone from this Earth. Think about the things you love or that matter to you right now—are they going to come with you into the world beyond? Or are they temporal things of this world that are going to pass away?
24. As you think about these topics, you'll find yourself wanting to change the way you live‚ or make adjustments to the things that are important to you based on eternity and on Me, rather than on your own wants or desires. That's how you can tell whether you're living for Heaven or living for this world.
25. When you're not keeping the heavenly vision, your self becomes so much more important to you—your own happiness, your own comfort, your own fame and wealth and pride. But when you live for Heaven, I become the most important One again and you remember just how vain and fleeting it is to chase your own satisfaction for the short time that you have on Earth.
26. When you're keeping the heavenly vision you don't ever have to worry that you're always going to be working and serving and trying and battling and going through all these tough things with no recompense in sight. When you keep the vision and keep the faith, you know that all the things I've promised are going to come true someday, and that you're going to live in more splendor and glory than all the kings in history combined!—And that with all that's awaiting you in the Kingdom of God, to serve Me faithfully and go through a few trials and tests for a relatively short few years is not really so hard at all.
27. As I told My disciples, "If it were not so, I would have told you" (John 14:2). These things I tell you are real and true. You're really and truly going to be glad that you lived for Me and not for yourself. You're really going to shine as the stars if you've been wise and turned many to righteousness (Dan.12:3). You're really going to be eternally glad for all the times that you laid down your own will and said yes to Me. You're really going to someday count the things of this Earth as dung compared to the eternal riches of Heaven (Phil.3:8).
28. These promises aren't just a supernatural carrot I'm dangling in front of you. They're the real thing, and you can taste a few of these blessings right now and prove My promises by putting Me to the test—by living for eternity, keeping the heavenly vision‚ and seeing that I can give you a touch of Heaven in your heart here and now.
29. The feelings you get when your life is in line with My will and you've yielded your own happiness to My plans—that's a little bit of Heaven in your heart; that's a taste of the blessings you'll get in the life to come; the feeling that you know you're making Me happy and doing something that really matters. Nothing this world has to offer can top that. You've already beaten the best they've got!
30. Life is short, My loves, and even though you're soon going to be with Me again, I still want to make your remaining time on Earth as pleasant as I can and bless you as much as you will let Me. But for that to happen, you can't be living for yourself, or living to make life easy. Rather, you have to live for others, for the lost, and for Me. When you do, your vision becomes the heavenly vision, and Heaven isn't so far away anymore; you have a little bit of it right there in your heart.
31. (Dad:) What is the heavenly vision? First of all, it's knowing what God's highest will is for you, and then staying true to that course. It's making the choice to follow Him. It's grabbing hold of the key of destiny and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are on Earth for a very good and special reason and purpose, and you are going to fulfill that purpose. It's being convinced that your time there is a stepping stone, a preparation and training ground for the next step—the next life.
32. Grandmother talked a little about not having spiritual myopia—short-sightedness of the spirit. Well‚ that's what I'm getting at here. In short‚ it's not looking at yourself and only seeing you and what's happening around you right now; it's knowing that what's happening now is working toward something better—something great. It's realizing that the Lord, Who loves you deeply, has great plans for your life‚ and it's so much more than today and just getting through today. It's all about the future!
33. (Jesus: ) The heavenly vision, simply put, is My vision and goal for you personally, for My Family, and for all of mankind. The heavenly vision is My vision—it's what I want to see happen in this world that I have created; it's the vision I have for the Family, the vision of all that I wish for you to accomplish; and it's the vision and goal that I have for you personally as well—My vision for your life.
34. When I ask you to "keep the heavenly vision," I am in essence asking you to place My vision before you and to aim for and remind yourself of My goals and My ultimate plan. "Keeping the heavenly vision" means many things. Unlike looking through a telescope and seeing a magnified image of a vision far, far away, My heavenly vision is like stepping into a planetarium and looking up to see the colossal, limitless, magnified realities of outer space.
35. To keep the heavenly vision means to focus on Me above all. It means to put the things of the spirit before the things of the flesh. It means reminding yourself of My purpose for your life‚ why you were created, and why I sent you to Earth. It means reminding yourself why I took on human form and suffered and died for you so that I could redeem you, understand you, and forever forgive and heal and protect you.
36. It means putting the Word first in your life and believing and acting on its truth. It means stepping into the temple with Me for daily, quality focus and feeding. It means using My weapons and applying My promises no matter how you feel or what your physical surroundings are like.
37. It means looking to Me and refusing to give up. The best way to keep the heavenly vision, to keep My vision before your eyes, is to keep your eyes stayed on Me—to look to Me. That is the essence of keeping the heavenly vision—keeping your eyes focused on Me.
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38. (Jesus:) An athlete who is training in the hopes of reaching the Olympics must keep that vision, that goal, ever before him. He has the "Olympic vision," and this gets him through every rough and grueling workout or practice. This makes the lack of time off, the fatigue during the day, the times when he gets little sleep at night, a nonevent.—Because that goal, that vision, becomes more important than any temporary pang of today. In order to survive those years of training, that goal has to be worth it to him—it has to be worth everything to him. And once he decides that it is, then he needs to fight to remain focused on that goal and to keep that vision before him at all times.
39. You must decide if I am worth training for‚ worth fighting for. You must decide if My goals are worth working toward. You must decide if My purpose is worth giving your life for. You must decide if My Word and My promises for the future are worth laying everything else aside in order to obtain that prize. Then‚ once you've decided, you must fight to keep that focus, that vision, ever before you!
40. Many of you have already made those decisions; but now comes the period of tenacity and determination when you must fight to not lose focus. Now you must fight to keep the heavenly vision. What this means is that, like the athlete, you must train with My vision as your only incentive.
41. I must be what makes you eager to get up in the morning‚ ready to face a new day. I must be the reason you want to go out and reach and win new souls, new disciples, new labor leaders. I must be the cause for your desire to use and hone your skill with the new weapons. I must be the core of your motivation.
42. What are some practical things you can do to keep the heavenly vision?
43. —Put Me first each day. Fight for your temple time with Me. Fight for quality spiritual feeding. Fight for undistracted time in My arms. This is the most effective way to be renewed with My vision and to stay reminded of My heavenly vision.
44. —Obey My Word regardless of how you feel‚ desiring only to please Me.
45. —Praise Me often, praise Me consistently, praise Me at every moment. Nothing clears your vision faster than praise. Praise makes My vision come alive to you. Praise opens your eyes to the heavenly vision so that reaching for it, aiming toward it, and fighting for it comes that much easier for you. The vision becomes more real to you, which makes your desire to go after it even stronger and more effective.
46. (Jesus: ) The heavenly vision, as Paul put it, means "pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God" (Phil.3:14). It means making My will—My high calling—your sole goal and purpose in life. It's everything you live for. It's everything you work toward. It's what you're pressing for‚ urgent for, eager for—fulfilling My will, to the point that you consider it the prize. Not just a prize, but the prize, everything you could ever want in life!
47. And just as he said, it's "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Those are key words, "in Christ Jesus." You find this high calling through Me—through looking to Me, through living in Me. This high calling is ultimately the calling to live for Me. Your every aim in life is toward Me, which means you must be looking to Me. You must keep your eyes on Me in order to reach your goal—My goal—for you.
48. (Jesus: ) You keep the heavenly vision by making those choices that bring you toward Me—the finish line, if you will. It's like a runner racing around a track: The runner can only head where he's looking. If he's looking to the finish line, then that's where he'll end up. But if his eyes are focused on other paths leading off the track, then he won't reach the goal of the race.
49. If you want to keep the heavenly vision in your race of life, then focus on Me, the Author and Finisher of your faith, of your life course. Keep the vision by staying focused on Me and making only those decisions that you know will lead you to a fuller life in Me.
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50. (Jesus: ) These days are only getting darker, and spiritual battles have become more frequent, more intense, more grueling. This is why it's imperative that you learn to keep this focus strong and unbreakable right now. You must have a strong connection with Me in spirit in order to hold that heavenly vision before you at all times.
51. You can strengthen this connection through times with Me in the Word. You strengthen your spiritual focus through using My weapons and focusing on My power. You gain this stronger link through faithfulness, obedience, and forward movement. You keep the vision strong by becoming closer and better acquainted with Me as your Husband and Lover.
52. The keys to keeping this vision are found through doing those things that bring you closer to Me; those things that enhance your faith and encourage your spirit; those things that draw you closer to each other as one body and one wife; those things that merge you with the spiritual realm and bring the spirit more to the fore in your life. This is how you keep the vision. This is how you stay connected. This is how you will run with patience the race that is set before you—and win (Heb.12:1)!
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53. (Jesus: ) It has become ever more difficult for you to keep the heavenly vision because your minds and hearts are almost continually being bombarded with the effects of Satan's ways being established on Earth. The spirit world is thicker—more crowded, more intense, and getting through it or around it is harder. It takes more effort to remain positive and to keep your spirits on the heavenly plane, in the upper atmosphere of the positive attitudes of My Spirit.
54. There is more of a warfare going on now in the spirit world, because the evil spirits are fighting you, the children of David, trying to keep you in their plane—or at least out of My plane, or not as far into My plane of praise and joy and happiness and patience and longsuffering and all of those things that dominate where My Spirit dwells.
55. You're like a man trying to climb a ladder, while Lucifer's attitudes and spirits try to grab you around the legs to pull you down. He and his are becoming more intense; they have more power and their presence is thicker now in the spirit world, more formidable. This is because the spiritual and physical realms are merging, so you're increasingly feeling the effects of the spirit world and the battles there, but it's also because everyone—good spirits and bad spirits—knows that time is short, so the battles have become much more all-out. Therefore‚ it takes more of an effort to throw off your pride and not yield to it than it did before; it requires more effort to throw off his ugly attitudes and to praise Me anyway.
56. But I have given you the weapons to defeat the Enemy no matter how difficult it is. You can pull out your weapons in the face of the Enemy and praise Me anyway, love Me anyway‚ unite with your brothers and sisters anyway, and fight through in prayer regardless of the battle, to hold on, to endure hardness until the victory is won.
57. That is why it is important to keep the heavenly vision—to realize that I am going to outsmart and outmaneuver and displace the Devil's kingdom in My good time. In fact, I will smash it, and the "kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of Me, His Christ; and I shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev.11:15). That is fact. It is written and it shall come to pass; not one jot or one tittle of it shall fail.
58. That is why it is important to keep the heavenly vision—because the times are so intense now that it is easy to lose your focus on it and to get your eyes on the winds and the waves, as Peter did. He took his eyes off Me for a moment and—whoosh!—He began to sink. But then when he lifted his eyes to Me again and called out, I immediately reached My hand out and pulled him back up‚ and we two stayed above the waters then (Mat.14:25-32).
59. You must keep your eyes on Me rather than the winds and the waves, the fact that Satan is establishing his kingdom on Earth before your very eyes. You are "seeing the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree." But you must remember that "yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found" (Psa.37:35,36). That's the long-term vision, the heavenly vision, to realize the truth of My Word, and that in the end I will take over the Earth, I will usher in the Millennium, and then I will, in time, create a New Heaven and a New Earth, and My Heavenly City, where I dwell, will come down and rest upon Earth.
60. That is the heavenly vision. That is My Word as it has been written for thousands of years, and that is the reality of what is going to come to pass, for it is My Word of truth. And that is what you must keep first and foremost in your mind and before your eyes—the long-term vision, the heavenly vision of what is to come to pass, of where I am going. And to keep the heavenly vision‚ you must continually focus on Me. You must stop and look up with your minds and hearts and remember that there is a God in the heavens, and that God is Me.
61. You must meet every situation you face with praise and positiveness, realizing the truth of My Word that all things do work together for good to you! That is the absolute truth. The battle that you must fight is to claim every event as a positive one, and by force of your spiritual attitude, to battle through and not give up or lose ground in spirit until that event actually has a positive result. If not now, in front of your eyes, then eventually, as you and others claim your rights and hang on to the silver lining that is always behind every single thing that happens to you.
62. That is keeping the heavenly vision. And more than keeping it, that is fighting to keep it! That is claiming your rights before all of Heaven, in spite of all that Hell would throw against it. And that's what it will take as the evil spirits gain more control of the physical world before your eyes: fighting to keep My good spiritual attitudes in control through you.
63. You see, you are My spiritual warriors upon the Earth, and what you do each time you see an evil event‚ or each time something seemingly "bad" or discouraging happens, is to turn it for good by laying hold on it with a positive attitude of praise and a positive action of putting it into My hands, knowing that I will turn it to good somehow, some way.
64. This is the victory which overcomes the world—your faith! And faith is hanging on to the fact that I will turn each and every circumstance to good, no matter how it looks to you. That is faith‚ and faith always results in victory. It's as simple as that.
65. That is why you need to hang on to a positive attitude and fight for it, and claim it in the face of every event, because you are spiritual warriors whose job it is to help Me bring in My Spirit upon the Earth until it floods the Earth and overwhelms the Enemy's spirits and destroys and defeats them!—Until that day when the meek shall inherit the Earth, and the lion shall lie down with the lamb, and shall not be at odds with each other anymore (Mat.5:5; Isa.11:6).
66. That day is coming. My Word says it clearly. And you‚ My Endtime warriors, must remain full of faith and hold tightly to the heavenly vision in your hearts and minds, not letting anything displace it.
67. Eventually you will see that all Hell cannot stand against that attitude in your heart‚ because the power there is stronger than any power that could confront you (1Jn.4:4). For the power in this attitude of faith is Me. I am reigning in your hearts, and as you believe Me and let Me more and more into your thoughts and actions and attitudes, responding with My attitudes, you will be strengthened and will become more stable and firm, like a rock that cannot be moved.
68. This is one very strong reason why it is important to practice praise, and loving Me, and unity, and using the weapon of brotherhood, and using the keys to fight with, and using all of the spiritual weapons in your life—because you become a stronger person as you do so, less vulnerable to being tossed about by every wind of the Enemy, more stable in the face of his breath‚ able to defeat his ploys and destroy his efforts and kick him out of the spiritual and physical places that you inhabit. And as you do, you are taking them over for My Spirit to reign there. My Spirit is reigning through you, My loves.
69. This is what I did with Legion. As I approached the man possessed by that legion of demons, I rebuked them by letting My Father's Spirit forth into the spiritual atmosphere through My words and actions. I took over the spiritual atmosphere and commanded them to depart (Mark 5:1-13). It will be the same with you.
70. Keep the heavenly vision. Keep your eyes on Me. Keep your eyes on what I am doing. Don't falter or fail under the onslaught of so much of the Devil's activity going on around you. Don't give up the ship‚ meaning don't give Me up. Keep fighting to retain Me in your thoughts and your attitudes, in the forefront of your mind, and I will fight to not only win the victory for you, but to refresh you and revitalize you and to fill you with release and relief from the strain of the battle.
71. As you keep the heavenly vision, you will be refreshed and renewed in spirit. Your spirit will be fed and strengthened so that it has more strength to overcome—as opposed to being drained by letting the Enemy suck the strength out of you.
72. The Enemy is trying to suck out your vision. He is trying to flood you with strain and problems and busyness and negative attitudes which suck your spirit dry, until there is no strength in you. Keeping the heavenly vision means not letting him do that, but instead lifting your eyes and your mind and your heart and your thoughts to Me; it means claiming your place here by My side in your thoughts‚ by keeping your mind stayed on Me‚ by living in My Word, by using your weapon of praise, by showing your thankfulness for everything that happens to you, and knowing that I will win the victory for you if you keep your eyes on Me and your attitude in My realm.
73. If you keep your attitude in My realm—meaning keeping your attitude full of the fruits of My Spirit, such as joy, happiness, praise, self–sacrifice, longsuffering, patience, love, humility of mind, heart, and spirit—if you keep your attitude in that reality, nothing will be able to overcome you. You will grow stronger as each battle passes and each victory is placed in your hands.
74. You will persevere until that day when you meet Me face to face and I say, "Well done, My courageous fighter who gave his all for Me! Enter into My full joy and the full fruits of My Spirit! Great, My faithful one, is your reward‚ which stretches out into eternity and gives you free access to My Kingdom as one of My honored warriors of the End who loved not his life to the death and who claimed his place by the word of his testimony and the blood of the Lamb!"
75. That is you, My loves! Do you see what I'm offering you?—Rewards for eternity and a place of honor in My Kingdom! But you must stake it out now by grabbing ahold of the heavenly vision and not letting it go no matter what happens. And as you hold on to your faith and the reality of the spirit as that one pearl of great price that is worth holding onto at the seeming loss of all else, it will turn for you, as a magic genie, into that thing that wins every battle for you and brings you into My Presence.
76. That, My loves, is the power of keeping the heavenly vision. So do it! Let nothing sway you. Hold on to it and it will hold on to you, and the day will soon come when we will reign together on Earth. I love you. (End of message.)
Compiled from recent Letters
(Dad:) Hold on! Don't let go! Keep the crown! Fight the fight! Win the war and receive your reward! For great is your reward in Heaven! Great is the reward of those who overcome‚ those who fight to the finish. I know it's a struggle! I know it's a fight! But let me tell you, I struggled the struggle‚ I fought the fight, and I know now it is well worth it. For the rewards are far greater than anything you could ever think or imagine! (ML #3037:29, Vol.23).
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(Jesus:) Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, and no man will as long as you cling to it, as long as you keep it for your own. The choice is always yours whether to give up the crown or to hold on to it.
That's why I've given visions of the future, so that you can keep your eyes on that and walk toward that goal and be an overcomer. And one day I will be able to say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." But even now those joys are there for you, if you won't let the Evil One pluck them from you, for I give them in abundance. I give you joy and happiness, now and hereafter. You can have it now, if you have the faith, and if you trust in what I give to you. If you live and obey My Word, you will see the rewards, you will reap the benefits, and you will know that it was worth it all! (ML #3219:59‚60, GN 821).
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(Jesus: ) If you continue to keep your eyes fixed on Me, then all the things of this life will diminish. All the pressures that you feel, all the problems that surround you‚ all the attacks of the Enemy, things that the Devil tries to throw at you to hinder you will grow dim. And eventually they won't even be an issue because you know you can look to Me for the answers. You can look to Me for the strength that you need, the courage, the patience, or whatever you need to overcome these different obstacles. It will all be right there for you, and you'll know it. You won't worry and feel under pressure, because you know that you can take those burdens and pressures to Me and I will sustain you and give you the strength that you need. (ML #3219:68, GN 821).
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(Jesus: ) Even as My Father was proud of Me‚ so am I proud of you, My precious ones. I love you, and believe Me when I say that I understand. I too was tested and tempted, and I too felt weary and tired. But My Father gave Me strength to hang on‚ just as I give you strength, as you look to Me. It won't be long now, My precious loves, before you are joined with Me in Heaven, never again to have to experience the severe testings of Earth. … I want you to know, My dear ones, how greatly I anticipate the day when we will be reunited in our Heavenly Home. I tell you this at this time so that you might keep your eyes on Heaven and let this be the driving force in your lives in the days ahead. For this truly was My key to victory—I had to keep My eyes on Heaven. I had to set My face like a flint and live with the vision of Heaven ever before Me, and this pulled Me through.
Therefore look up, dear ones, for the time is near when we will be reunited in our Heavenly Home! And oh‚ what a day that will be! How My love for you thrives! Therefore, draw on this love so that it may carry you through the days ahead, even as I‚ when I walked on the Earth, also learned to draw on My Father's love and it carried Me through. It carried Me back Home to Heaven. My love will do the same for you, as you depend on Me to carry you through. (ML #3226:28-30, GN 827).
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(Jesus:) If you ask Me to help you, and then fight to change your mindset, your life will not be all sadness or trying to maintain or forget about the sacrifices involved. I will engineer things so that you will be very happy‚ you will have your needs met, and I will even do extra things for you to reward you. You will forget about the sacrifices, because I will pay you back abundantly. And remember that when I pay you back to the point where you don't feel that you've made a sacrifice, that's where it has only reached one percent of your reward. My promise is to repay one hundredfold, so there's much, much, much more yet to come! I love to spoil My brides, those who give Me everything. (ML #3379:218, Post-it GN #2).
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(Mama: ) Jesus has a beautiful crown for each of us, and it's not just a crown we decide to take or leave when we're facing our earthly deaths or if we're called to martyrdom. It's a crown we decide we want every single day of our lives. It's a crown we've got to be willing to fight for, even if by faith alone. It's a crown we choose to sacrifice for, because we're convinced in our hearts that it's worth it and we know Jesus is counting on us.
We often picture a crown as being glamorous and golden and beautiful. But in everyday life it translates into hard work, sacrifice, dying daily‚ and taking up our crosses and serving Jesus no matter what. Holding on to our crowns is not a decision we make just once in our lives. Each and every day we've got to say‚ "Yes, I want my crown. I'm not going to deny my faith, but I'm going to give my all, whatever it takes!"—And sometimes it takes a lot; it's not always easy. We've got to decide each and every day to yield, to submit, and to fight for our crown, to keep doing God's will, His highest and best plan for us!
We've all got to fight for our crowns! It's dying daily and the continual choosing to take up our crosses to follow Jesus that translates into "that crown"! We may never see our crowns in a tangible form, so it doesn't just take fight, but faith as well, to hang on and not give up. But it's more than worth it! As Dad said: "There's no crown without a cross, no testimony without a test, no triumph without a trial, no victory without a battle‚ no rose without a thorn! Praise God, that's what you joined the army for—to fight and to win! It's worth it! It's worth every fight, every battle, every test, every trial! It's worth it all!" (ML #551:133-134).
Thank you, dear Family, for holding on to your crowns with all of your strength, might, and spirit! "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us; looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!" (Heb.12:1-2). (ML #3465:5-8‚ GN 1053).
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(Jesus:) The honor and rewards of Heaven given to My brides who serve Me with their whole lives‚ hearts and spirits while on Earth are beyond description. All of those in Heaven who witness the arrival of one of My faithful servants, one of My children of David, know that that child of David is honored by Me in a very special way; there is no denying it.
There is great respect and honor given to those who come through the gates of Heaven after having served Me long and well while on Earth‚ so much so that you will feel shocked and humbled by it—not in an embarrassed sort of way, but you will be in a state of awe, and speechless because of what you will see and feel and know at that very moment. (ML #3465:45-46, GN 1053).
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(Jesus:) Living for the "now" is always so much easier than living for the eternal. You are earthbound, in weak and frail human bodies, and it's hard to see past your present circumstances. You want to have fun, you want immediate recognition, and you want to enjoy the "now."
But blessed are those who live and work and invest in the eternal world of tomorrow through serving Me, loving Me, and living for Me. It's a work that doesn't always reap immediate or noticeable results‚ but it's a work you're building that will last forever, that you will be proud of for eternity, an endless legacy of love and giving that you will never regret. (ML #3465:56-57, GN 1053).
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(Jesus:) As you have heard many times‚ there are rewards for your faithfulness. By giving 110% for Me, you receive greater honor in Heaven.
The more you give for Me during your mission on Earth, the higher your reward of honor is, the more places you can enter, the greater your clearance to the things of the heavenly realm.
I do not speak of a classless society, for there are, as your Father David said, "shiners and shamers" in Heaven. There are those who did little and for whom salvation was a "fire escape" upon whom no great honors are bestowed. To them Heaven is a beautiful place, and they have many thrills and excitements, but they cannot enter higher levels till they have earned a place among those upon whom that honor is bestowed.
This is all a part of the rewards of Heaven. The greater your sacrifice, the greater your rewards. I reward you accordingly. Those who receive high honor before Me receive access to places which few others have entrance to.
I do not deal out equal rewards across the board, for that would not be justly rewarding those who have given more or less. I bestow My rewards according to your works, according to your faithfulness, according to your obedience and sacrifice. There are definite levels of rewards in Heaven, and you earn these by your faithfulness and sacrifices. (ML #3573:177-182, GN 1160).
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(Jesus:) He that endures to the end shall receive a crown of life. This is not salvation, but a unique crown.
The waters of the River of Life flow from the Father's throne and carry great power and anointing. The crowns of life are likewise a heavenly treasure, and emanate the very spirit of the Father.
These crowns are one of the most highly treasured gifts in the spirit realm. Each crown of life carries with it the very spirit of the Father Who gives life, power, wisdom, strength, and so much more. It is a reward desired and treasured not just amongst those who have lived on Earth, but by all within the spiritual realm. It is a reward given to those who, although they may stumble and fall at times, yet they refuse to stop. They refuse to let go. It is the reward given to those who continue day by day, doing what they can to choose the path they sense Me showing them.
Each day that the children of David continue to move forward as one into the fray, into the smoke and heat of battle, is one day closer to their crowns of life.
In the days of darkness ahead, that crown of life held out before you will be a source of vision‚ joy and conviction. There will be times when there is no strength left, yet you will look up and that crown will stir you to fight on. As the days grow darker‚ its light will shine the brighter.
This heavenly treasure will become more visible to you as the End grows closer. Your carnal mind will not be able to describe it, but your spirit will perceive it. It will challenge you when you are despairing. It will empower you when you have no more strength to give. It will spur you on when the mountains seem impossible to cross. But most of all it will envision you when there is nothing your mind can comprehend or your eyes can see that gives any hope.
All that each of you has to do is get up in the morning and set your heart not on what you have to do in the flesh, but set your heart on that crown and nothing else will matter. Nothing will be able to defeat you. (ML #3555:257-260,264,267–268, GN 1143).
Copyright © 2006 by The Family International
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