FD/MM/FM; ML#3727; October 2008

1. Hi, all of you wonderful loves and co-workers and friends and comrades in arms—you who are all those beautiful things all rolled up into one. Wow, you're certainly worth praying for! And I was sitting here in my chair doing just that, and thinking about the victories that are being won around the world, as well as the cost of those victories. We're all paying a big price right now, because souls being saved, disciples being won, and the truth being spread throughout the world doesn't come cheap.

2. Thinking about all that you're going through as you fight to fulfill our Love's commission broke my heart for you. The tears I cried were tears of admiration and appreciation for the sacrifices you're making. They weren't tears of regret. My heart was filled with praise to the Lord for strengthening you and keeping you through the tests, and praise to Him that Peter and I have such wonderful co-workers and fellow laborers to count as friends and mates. As much as this life of love costs us—me, Peter, you, any of us—we know it's worth it; we're happy to pay the price and we don't have any regrets. But my heart goes out to you because I know how fierce the struggle is at times.

3. Our Husband has given such wonderful promises about our future, and He's given us a clear plan for how to get there. Those promises give us strength. No matter how much sacrifice, hard work, or how many hard-fought battles it takes to see those promises fulfilled, it'll be more than worth giving everything we've got. I love that dedication to go the distance that I see in you.

4. We have a monumental job in these Last Days, but like the men and women of God who have gone before you, you keep going, even when you're feeling down or weary or overwhelmed. When I think of you and how beautiful your love is, how strong your faith is, how you pray such powerful prayers, I'm moved with thankfulness to the Lord for blessing Peter and me with such wonderful co-workers and friends. You make us proud to be in the Family and a part of this wonderful work for the Lord. It's you—your love, your faithfulness, and your sacrifice—that make the Family what it is.

5. I was thinking about how your love for our Husband has kept you, each one of you, and preserved your service, regardless of what the Enemy has tried to throw at you. I was reflecting on all the times that you've each engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with him, and used the Word to resist his lies. And then there have been all those times that you've used your undefeatable weapon of praise no matter how you felt. And all the times you've held on, even when you felt you had no strength left. And all the times you've chosen to trust the Lord, even when the test was incredibly great and you couldn't see it doing any good whatsoever.

6. I thought of all the times that you experienced loss—sometimes very great loss—but chose to put it in our Husband's hands and carry on for Him, knowing that He was going to care for that which is most precious to you, and that one day there will be no more pain or sorrow. There were all the times that you were wounded in battle and refused to surrender, and then humbly let the Lord tend to your wounds and restore your strength. I know there were so many times you couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening, but you chose to just close your eyes and rest your head on our Heavenly Father's chest, knowing that He would care for you and would work everything out in the end.

7. You've given so much for Jesus. You've each gone through those scenarios, some of you more times than you can count. You have trusted Him through so much. You've endured and held on and let Him strengthen you. Through the tests, and through the times you've felt stretched, your spirit has grown and matured and become even more beautiful. You may not see it, but others recognize that depth and maturity. It's Jesus' spirit of giving and kindness and unconditional love that they see in you, and it's rubbed off on you during those times when you've had to cry out to Him for the strength to make it through. All those times when you felt you had no more to give, but you asked Him to help you to keep giving anyway—those are the times that have made your spirit so beautiful, so strong, and so humble.

8. I know the tests are intense. Sometimes when the battles are really raging you can feel like you don't even know which way is up. It's probably happened to you at some point: You're hanging on and enduring for a while, but all of a sudden something happens that throws you for a loop and you wonder, "Wow, do I really have what it takes?" It can make you question yourself or your faith on some pretty fundamental levels.

9. The Enemy is wily like that. He loves to make things seem so confusing and messed up that you really wonder what's going on. But during times when you feel confused or shaken, you have to hang on to what you know the true realities are—which generally have nothing whatsoever to do with your emotions or how you feel about the situation. You have to remember that no matter what things look like, no matter how great the problems, no matter how confusing the questions, or how hopeless the circumstances, all of that will pass, but Jesus and His love and His truth and His plan for your life will still be intact.

10. You have to retreat into what you know is truth, what our Husband has told you—what He's told us as a Family. His perspective is reassuring and it's comforting and it's challenging, and it's worth hanging on to. It will endure. It will stand the tests of time. It will still be there, unchanged, when the storm is over.

11. With the mission that we're engaged in, we can count on the Enemy continuing to fight, and fight even harder; that's something we know. But we have to mentally and spiritually and emotionally prepare ourselves for it, so it won't surprise or destabilize us. The Enemy hates you. He hates the victories you're helping to win. He hates the results that are changing the world. And he knows that despite his best efforts, he'll never be able to stop the flood of truth and love and light that you're helping to bring into the world. So he's going to play dirty, and when he pulls out his worst tricks you can sometimes feel pretty overwhelmed. But, as the Lord recently reminded us, while the Enemy will try to fool your mind, and while he can try all sorts of attempts to confuse you, and upset you, and bother you, and irritate you, and discourage you, in reality, you can win over him absolutely any time you choose to. If you fight, you're destined to win, and he's bound to lose. (See "It's a Fight," ML #3718.)

12. A key in almost any battle the Enemy brings against you is simply remembering the true reality of the situation. So often the circumstances, your emotions, your feelings, your outlook or what you perceive, will be the complete opposite of what the Lord tells you about those situations. And that's where faith comes in. That's why faith is the victory. Faith is believing what the Lord says rather than what you see, hear, feel, or experience with your physical senses.

13. When you're really getting slugged around in battle, faith is often what's lacking. So when you feel like that, call a timeout on trying to figure things out, and instead, strengthen your faith. Adjust your outlook to be in line with what the Lord and His Word say rather than what you're feeling. Find a promise that fits your situation, and hold on to it with everything you have in you.

14. Holding on to the Lord's reality rather than the "reality" of your feelings or circumstances makes all the difference in the world. It doesn't usually dissolve the battle, but it makes it easier to bear. It ensures that you'll make it through the battle. After all, faith is your shield.

15. You're a fighter! You're a winner! You're the kind that doesn't quit! You're one of those who were foretold 2,000 years ago, who will come out of great tribulation with your robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev.7:14).

16. The battles are difficult; I know, because I experience them too. And I just have to mentally "schedule" them into my daily life, and I just expect them and I'm ready to battle through them to the victory that I know is always there. So I don't have to get upset, and I don't have to get worried or fearful. It's just one of those things in our lives, because of who we are and what we're doing. We're not fighting for ourselves, nor for petty earthly reasons, but for eternal ones. The Enemy uses earthly circumstances to make you feel beleaguered or weary or discouraged, and it can be a pretty effective tactic, because we do have to deal with this earthly reality, and it's sometimes difficult and draining. But the reason we're fighting, and the cause we're fighting for, is so much greater than all the earthly circumstances that surround us.

17. We're fighting for the eternal souls of men. We're fighting to spread the truth far and wide so that as many as possible will not fall for Satan's kingdom on Earth. We're fighting to have the Gospel preached in all the world so that our Lover and Husband can return and set up His Kingdom. We're fighting today so that tomorrow His righteousness will cover the Earth "as the waters cover the sea," so that one day there will be "no more sorrow or pain" (Hab.2:14; Rev.21:4).

18. Everything that the Enemy tries to use against us is insignificant in the big picture, and he knows it! They seem so big and bad at the moment, but in reality they're here today and gone tomorrow. You know it too, and that's why you hang on day after day, and choose to lift your eyes above the problems, above the rough patches, above the sins and mistakes and difficulties and human frailties—your own and those of others—and keep working to show Jesus and His love to the world. You know that He's worth fighting for! He's worth living for.

19. Well, dear loves, I just wanted to let you know that Peter and I love you and admire you, and that you're always in our thoughts and on our minds. In everything we do, we're praying for the Lord to supply what you need, to strengthen your faith, to uphold you and protect you. Peter and I are so desperate with Him to give us the answers that we're responsible to pass on to you, and we're so comforted when we remember all that He's already given us to bring us through these battles and to keep our faith strong. He truly is so good to us. And though we all have to do a lot of giving and stretching and taking things by faith each day, I really believe that in the end we'll say with conviction, "I never made a sacrifice."

20. Thank you for all you give for Jesus every day. Thank you for bearing His babies, raising His children, and going into the "uttermost parts of the Earth" to bring His lost children His love and truth. Thank you for caring so unselfishly for all the flocks He's entrusted to your care, despite the pull of your personal needs or desires. Thank you for pressing on through the battles and keeping the true reality before your eyes.

21. I can hardly wait for the day when all the earthly battles are won,we're together forever in Heaven, and the moment comes for you to receive your heavenly reward. I want to be there for that moment, because I know it will be spectacular! It's going to be beautiful, awe-inspiring, emotional, and life-changing. It truly will be worth it all.

Peter and I love you so very much, and you can count on our daily prayers,
We're yours forever.