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Freedom Through United Prayer!       Maria #423       CM/FM 3171       2/98
By Maria

My dear Family,
       1. I love you so! God bless you! I pray that you have been getting fed and strengthened through all the wonderful Word the Lord has been pouring out! After reading Peter's Letter, "How to Recognize and Get Rid of Bitterness," you might feel the need to overcome bitterness in some area of your life. After you've prayed about your situation and heard from the Lord, I recommend that you have united prayer and ask the Lord to deliver you. This can be done either with your whole Home, or if that's too difficult for you or it would put others on the spot due to the subject matter, then with your shepherds or a few spiritually strong people. There's great power in united prayer, and this applies not just to the problem of bitterness, but to any spiritual problem that you're battling with, such as fear, pride, jealousy, comparing, doubt, self-righteousness, negative thinking, etc.

       The Benefits of United Prayer
       2. I know it's not easy to have united prayer. It's humbling. As you may recall, after sharing with the dear ones in my Home about my battles, lessons, and victories regarding jealousy, I asked them to lay hands on me and to pray for my continued victory. (See ML #3162:261, GN 768.) So I can relate to how you might feel embarrassed to share your heart so openly with others and ask for their help in prayer. But here's a very good message from the Lord that I hope will give you a little extra motivation and help you to have the vision and determination to follow through on the Lord's nudges to have united prayer. This message specifically talks about bitterness, but it also applies to any other spiritual battles or problems you feel you need the Lord's help with.

              '3. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} The Enemy will try to tell you that there's no way you can ask for prayer against bitterness [EDITED: "or whatever problem you might have"]. He'll tell you it's impossible; it'll be too humbling, and it's just going to cost too much to do it. Plus, he'll tell you that it's not even necessary. He'll tell you any and all of the lies that he can possibly tell you!
       4. This is a golden opportunity for you to have prayer and be delivered completely by faith. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's so much easier than dragging bitterness [EDITED: "or the weight of whatever other spiritual problem"] around with you for years and years to come. You can have great deliverance and freedom from its terrible bondage by humbling yourself momentarily and having prayer, and then you'll reap the wonderful freedom and blessings of prayer for eternity!
       5. Holding on to your bitterness will hold you back from making progress, or believing in My Words, or accepting My gifts and blessings in your life. If you're willing to let go of this bitterness, then your whole life can change! You can be even happier, and more fulfilled and used and challenged.
       6. There are so many advantages to asking for prayer and taking the step of faith to forsake your bitterness. You'll be free of the terrible burden and weight you feel. You'll be free of the negative thoughts and feelings that are always going through your mind as you mull over the ways things worked out and how bad you feel about it all. You'll be free of the ill effects on your spirit and even your health. You'll be more easygoing, full of faith, and find it so much easier to accept the things that happen from day to day with a spirit of faith and positiveness. You won't be looking at everything through the thick, dark cloud of bitterness and selfishness. This can all be replaced with a spirit of meekness and greater acceptance, which will make you happy.
       7. The Devil is so happy when people choose to stay bitter, because basically they're operating at half potential--even less than half potential in many cases, because they're slowly dying more and more in the spirit. The bitterness is continuing to poison their whole outlook and attitude, rendering them practically powerless.
       8. It's very hard for you who are afflicted with bitterness to see anything clearly through the eyes of My Spirit, because you're blinded by bitterness. So you have to take a very big plunge of faith to ask for prayer and deliverance, and it's to your credit when you do. It shows a very desperate spirit when you humble yourself to ask for prayer, and that very desperation of spirit draws the power of Heaven to be released and come to your aid.
       9. There's no hesitation in Heaven! It's not just a puny little answer to your prayer, but rather there's a great thrust of help from the spirit world, a great and powerful and mighty anointing of My Spirit in answer to your prayers.
       10. At your faintest cry for help, all the power of Heaven is released. Even a faint cry resounds in My courts when it is powered by your desperation and desire for help and change. My ear is not heavy, that it cannot hear the pleas of My children. Though the cry be faint, if it is sincere and wholehearted, then My promises hold true.
       11. The mighty force of My hand is raised to break the chains of bitterness and free you, My darling child. I only wait for your step of faith--and it need not be great. You need not feel that you must be eloquent or worthy or have great faith--you only need to ask for My help, and it will be given to you. Then believe in your complete deliverance by faith. (End of message from Jesus.)

       Follow Through!--Don't Be Dissuaded!
       12. {\b \i (Mama:) }After you've made a commitment to ask for prayer, even after you've discussed your problems with your shepherds and decided when you'll actually do it, you can still get hit with some pretty big battles which can sometimes make you waver in your resolve and determination to follow through. Here's a very encouraging message that the Lord gave for someone in our Home who was going to be sharing lessons and having prayer. It shows how much the Enemy fights our asking for prayer, and how important it is.

              13. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Honey, just stick to your convictions about asking for prayer, because you're doing the right thing, and it's going to bear good fruit. I'll use the prayers of your loved ones, and your faith and humility, to do all the things that you can't do in your own flesh.
       14. Don't be surprised that you're having all kinds of negative thoughts, and you're even wondering if it's worth it at all, and whether you should even go through with having prayer. It's because the Enemy is attacking you relentlessly to try to persuade you not to go through with it, because he knows that you're on the verge of a big victory--the kind that comes through the power of united prayer! You're going to find that the hardest part is just the waiting, the anticipating, because that's when the Enemy is working overtime to try to hinder you, to plant his lies and negative seeds, and do his best to discourage you from moving forward.
       15. But fear not, My love, because once the time comes, it's not going to be half as hard as the Enemy is trying to persuade you that it will be. It's going to be a real liberation, a real blessing! The spiritual powers of Heaven will be released on your behalf to help you from now on and forever!
       16. Don't worry that you're not going to know what to say or that you're going to stumble over your words and make a big mess, because I won't let that happen. I'll make it easy for you and anoint you to be able to present your prayer request simply and easily, without making mistakes or getting confused. I'll honor your faith and humility to come before your loved ones, and I'll make it easy for you. The Enemy tries to tell you how hard and painful it will be. But it's not going to be like that, because I'll be there with you, helping you.
       17. Just hold fast to My Words and the things that I've spoken to you, My promises, and don't listen to one word of the Enemy's doubts. You'll receive a great victory! You'll be blessed with a greater anointing of My Spirit. You'll be set free from the things that are holding you back. You'll move forward with My Spirit. You'll be happier, freer, and I'll use you even more mightily!
       18. Your loved ones will not be critical, or look down on you, or think how bad you are, because they know they're weak too, and have had many lessons to learn in their lives. They'll be very sincere in prayer, and they'll be humbled by your example of asking for prayer. For others are fighting battles in their lives too, and there are some who also need the united prayers of their loved ones.
       19. Be encouraged, My love, and keep your faith, for this will be a great victory and will bring the blessings, freedom, happiness, commitment and fulfillment that you desire. You'll lose nothing and will gain much. It's well worth it! It's the best thing you could possibly do, and it's the very thing that the Enemy hates you doing because he knows it means victory. Keep fighting for the best and don't let anything stop you. (End of message from Jesus.)

       What Happens in the Spirit World When You Have United Prayer!
       20. {\b \i (Mama:) }Do you ever wonder what happens in the spirit world when you have united prayer? This next message gives some insight into this very question. This is an excerpt of a message of encouragement that the Lord gave for the person mentioned above, who had the courage to sweetly share her lessons before the whole Home and have united prayer.

       21. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }Just as the clouds roll away and part, revealing the light and heat of the sun, so have the Heavens opened and the power of your spirit helpers been released to strengthen and anoint and empower you! You've called upon Heaven, and the power of Heaven has been activated by your call, and you've been given the reward of your prayers. You've won a great victory! Even if you don't see or feel or taste the full victory this minute, know that you have it by faith, and nothing can take it away from you as long as you keep believing and trusting and holding on to it. Just keep believing, and you'll see the complete fulfillment of My every promise to you.
       22. Even when you feel you've failed, even when you make a mistake, or even when you just don't feel victorious and you're discouraged, you will still have the victory, as long as you keep believing and accepting that I have given it to you by faith. It doesn't matter how you feel--just hang on to it, for it's always yours.
       23. Just like the anecdote about the little box that absorbed the sunlight and then would shine in the dark--so is your victory! (See box in next column.) You've absorbed the power of Heaven so that you can shine in the dark, and nothing can take My anointing and power away from you. Only if you fail to keep yourself under My sunlight and My power through disbelief, discouragement and unyieldedness will your little box of sunlight start to grow dim. But as long as you stay directly in My light, and continue to absorb your power and strength and yieldedness and everything from Me, then you'll be strong! You'll be an overcomer and you will walk in victory.
       24. Go in faith, My precious one, and rejoice, for you're a winner! You're a conqueror! You've climbed over many obstacles, and are now on your way to greater blessings, greater usefulness, and greater service. (End of message from Jesus.)

       There is a story told of an American who went over to Paris, and, wishing to buy his wife a little gift, purchased a phosphorescent, mother-of-pearl match-box container; and the beauty of it was that in the dark it was said to radiate a wonderful light. He packed it in his trunk, took it home to the U.S., and after the family welcome dinner, asked for the lights to be put out. In the dark he took the match-box container from his pocket to present it to his wife, but, when he looked at it, it was as black as the darkness around. Then he said, "That's just what they palm off on foreigners. I've been swindled."
       The next day, his wife, a bit curious, discovered on the box a few words in French. She took it down to some friends who had a French maid and had it translated. That night, in the darkness, it was all aglow, for she had followed the instructions written on the box, which said: "If you keep me all day long in the sunlight, I will shine for you all night long in the darkness." (2Cor. 4.6; Phil.2.15).--Good Thots 1, pg.698, #209.

       25. {\b \i (Mama:) }Here's another message on the subject of what happens when you have united prayer, which I think will make you even more aware of and thankful for our teamworkers in the Heavenly realm, our partners and fellow warriors in the spirit world!

       26. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} The forces of Heaven are ready and waiting at your command, My loved ones! All of you children of David have been given the privilege of special forces to help you fight and overcome the attacks of the Evil One. For he knows that his time is short, and he knows the great threat that you are, so he's pulled out his big guns against you. But the powers of Heaven dwarf his in comparison, and they wait to do battle.
       27. The specially trained fighters of the spirit world in My Kingdom love the fight! They love to defeat the Enemy, and they do so quickly and valiantly! The moment one of My children calls for help, they're dispatched to conquer. My fighters have never lost a battle; they hold a perfect record, and their power is limitless. The only thing which limits them is you.
       28. When you cry unto Me with a whole heart in yieldedness and humility, My forces are loosed to fight with all the power of Heaven and Earth. They're given unlimited access to the kingdom of the Evil One and whatever stakes he's set in your heart, or any hold he has there, and they remove all traces at that very moment. They clean and cleanse the ground of your heart--all that you've lifted up to Me for victory over--and they set you free! They don't stop short of the victory, and there's never a time when at that moment you're not completely free of the burden and sin which you asked Me to remove.
       29. After that moment, it's up to you to go on the attack to continue in yieldedness and obedience to what I've asked of you, or the conditions I've given you for victory, so you can stay clean and free from the Enemy's hold in your life. But at the moment of united prayer, you never need worry that maybe your heart was not all completely cleansed, for the moment that you call on Me unitedly, you're set free!
       30. Of course, for different degrees of war you require different weapons. Sometimes it's enough to just ask for prayer at a meal, at devotions, before going to bed, or at another time when you're united together. Other more serious problems require more preparation of spirit and a time of warring together in the spirit to rebuke the Enemy. If you come to Me, I will show you how to proceed in your particular situation.
       31. Whatever the circumstance, as you obey what I've shown you and call on Me with your whole heart, I always answer! I free you at that very moment, and cast the Enemy far away from you according to your prayers. But then it's in your court to continue to be desperate with Me, and follow Me step by step to rebuild that part of your life and the wall which has been broken down, that the Enemy not enter there again.
       32. I love you, My precious children, and deliverance is in My hand for you at all times. I've given you this gift of strength in Spirit when you're united together, and you're able to command the elite fighters of Heaven to do battle on your behalf. So avail yourselves of them, for they wait for your command! (End of message from Jesus.)

       How to Hold on to Your Victory!
       33. {\b \i (Mama:) }I think it's common for anybody who has prayer for deliverance of any long-standing problem to wonder whether it's really gone that easily. That's understandable--especially if it's something that you've battled with for a long time. It takes great faith to believe that the problem is gone from one minute to the next. You might find yourself wondering, "Is the bitterness [EDITED: "selfishness, pride, jealousy, etc."] really gone with just that one prayer? Is it that easy? Or is there something I have to do to either make sure the prayer 'takes' or to ensure I'll hold on to the victory?"
       34. The above message talked somewhat about what you need to do after you have prayer to make sure you close the door on the Enemy completely. But I believe this next message will shed further light on any questions you might have on this subject, and give you a lot of faith in the power of united prayer!

       35. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }My Words are true, and just as I've promised, when you pray for My help and for deliverance from the problem of bitterness [EDITED: "or whatever problem"] and the grasp it had on your mind and spirit and life, you really are delivered from its grip! This weak area is no longer a tool in the Enemy's hand. Where he previously had free rein to do as he wished, a standard has been raised against the spiritual inroad of the Enemy.
       36. But it doesn't mean that you won't have to continue to fight against the attempts of the Enemy to still try to discourage you and weaken your faith in the victory. This will now be the Enemy's main target of attack--he will try to cause you to not believe in the victory, to doubt your deliverance, to criticize your own progress, to belittle your faith in My power and in the power of the prayers of your loved ones, to cause you to doubt My Words of prophecy, to get you to look at how you feel and to walk by your feelings instead of faith in Me, to look at your circumstances and the condition of your vessel instead of fixing your eyes on Me and My Words.
       37. You must continue to fight and have faith, and simply trust that I'm able to perform all that I've promised and spoken. In doing this, you'll allow the victory to blossom. You'll continue to receive and accept and manifest your faith in My Word, in My power to help you, and you'll keep your victory and continue to make progress.
       38. You might be tempted to feel that the things I've spoken are too great, too glorious, and perhaps even exaggerated, and the promises of freedom that I've given, the deliverance and the great change that you'll experience, isn't so. You might be tempted to question, "Is it really that easy?" And in your carnal mind it might look like it can't really be so "easy."
       39. But remember, My love, I look on the heart. I judge by the heart, and not by outward appearance or circumstances. It wasn't easy for you to humble yourself and come before the body and confess your faults and weakness and need for help. It wasn't easy to publicly admit your failing and your need to change, your desire to change. It wasn't easy to admit that you couldn't do it on your own, that you weren't strong enough, or capable, or self-sufficient, or wise enough, but that you needed the help of others. So when the Enemy tries to tell you that it can't be that easy, or you find yourself doubting My promises of deliverance, just remember that I look at your heart. I've seen your desperation, and I know that this decision and commitment was a battle and a fight and it didn't come easily for you.
       40. The power of the deliverance is given according to the desperation and sincerity of the heart. Those who desire and sincerely hunger after My power and strength and help are given much. Your desire and need and hunger for a complete deliverance draws the power, and is therefore rewarded. And as you continue to desire and hunger and thirst after My Spirit and follow Me, you'll continue to be rewarded and given greater freedom and power in My Spirit. You'll continue to walk in deliverance and freedom from the attacks of the Enemy.
       41. You've been given the keys to change. The door has been opened to you, and all you have to do is walk through and accept this gift of My forgiveness. Now that you've overcome this one hurdle, it doesn't mean that you can just lie back and let life pass you by and expect that you'll never have to fight the temptation to be bitter [EDITED: "or jealous, proud, negative, etc."] anymore, or the temptation to have those thoughts or feelings. You'll have to fight the temptations that come your way, but you'll no longer be under their complete control.
       42. You are in control now, and you can now choose to reject and refuse to be bitter. Every time you reject and refuse the Enemy's temptation to be bitter, to think bitter thoughts, make bitter comments, or allow a spirit of bitterness to influence your actions and how you live, you're manifesting your faith in My Words, and your faith in the victory which has been given to you. You're walking in faith and belief, and this has great power to help you to stay victorious. But the minute you begin to doubt, to analyze, to look at how you feel and at your problems, weaknesses and circumstances, the less you'll be able to walk in faith, and you open the door to the Enemy's voice, to his criticisms, to his temptations, lies and doubts.
       43. It doesn't even matter if you get discouraged with yourself and feel that you're not making as much progress as you want to, because I don't expect you to be perfect and never make mistakes. What matters is that you keep fighting, keep believing, and keep accepting My Words by faith. Keep hanging on to My Words, and trust that as you do, you'll grow stronger and stronger and be better able to fight off the attacks of the Enemy. The more you resist and refuse to believe the Enemy's lies and doubts, the stronger you'll grow, and the more you'll personally see your victory manifested in your life.
       44. You do have the victory because I've promised it to you, and you just have to hang on to My promises. Just because you'll have some battles and have to keep fighting doesn't mean that My Word is not true and that you don't have the victory; it just means that the Enemy is fighting you. It's a spiritual battle and you have to keep up the attack. Your muscles of faith are weak in this area. You're a newly delivered soul and you can't expect to never ever be tempted. You have to strengthen your faith. You have to strengthen your reflexes against the attacks of the Enemy, and the way you do this is by strengthening yourself in My Word--My specific Word that will give you faith to fight in this area, and to refuse the lies of the Enemy and believe Me.
       45. The worst thing you can do is to allow feelings of discouragement to go on and on. You must not let the Enemy hold you back and sit on you through discouragement, but you must fight it and resist it and do whatever you need to do to pull out of feelings of discouragement. Ask someone to pray for you. Go to someone you're close to and tell them you're feeling discouraged and ask them to pray for you. Quote My Word, read My Word, or sing songs--anything that will help you to not get into the downward spiral of the Enemy's discouragement.
       46. This is the part that only you can do. You have to do the fighting to break the habit of thinking bitter thoughts, negative thoughts, and allowing yourself to become discouraged. Every time you fight, you're using your victory, you're living in your victory, you're walking in your victory, and letting it continue to change you.
       47. I did the easy part of giving you deliverance. And although it's just that easy to be delivered, it's a fight and hard work to overcome the bad spiritual habits of entertaining bitterness [EDITED: "or jealousy, negativity, pride, fear, etc."]. But it's not impossible; it's not too hard, even for you. It's possible, and you can do it! And you will do it as long as you keep trying.
       48. Just keep working at it, keep trying, and if you slip and go back a couple of steps, so what? Don't let that stop you, and don't let the Enemy condemn you. Just pick up where you left off and keep trying. Keep fighting and keep picking up your sword of the Spirit. Because every time you do, you're strengthening your muscles to wield it, and you're becoming stronger in your power and skill and faith to resist the attacks of the Enemy. (End of message from Jesus.)

       49. {\b \i (Mama:)} 'That's such a helpful prophecy! In order for you to be able to get more out of it, I'll list the main points the Lord brought out so you can review them easily and as often as you feel the need, so you can hold on to your victory and grow stronger day by day.

       1) Fight the Enemy's attempts to discourage you, or to get you to doubt that you have the victory.
       2) Realize that the Enemy's main target of attack is to try to cause you to not believe in the victory, to doubt your deliverance, to criticize your progress, to belittle your faith in the Lord's power and in the power of prayer, to cause you to doubt prophecy, to get you to look at how you feel and to walk by your feelings instead of faith, to look at your circumstances instead of fixing your eyes on the Lord and His Word.
       3) Continue to trust the Lord and know that He's able to do all that He's promised.
       4) Fight the temptations that come your way, knowing that you are in control! You can choose to reject thoughts that are not of the Lord, and when you do, you're manifesting faith.
       5) Remember that the minute you begin to doubt, to analyze, to look at how you feel and at your problems and weaknesses and circumstances, the less you'll be able to walk in faith. Then you open the door to the Enemy's voice--his criticisms, temptations, lies and doubts.
       6) Keep fighting, believing and accepting the Word by faith.
       7) Hang on to the Word. The more you resist and refuse to believe the Enemy's lies and doubts, the stronger you'll grow, and the more you personally will see your victory manifested in your life.
       8) Just because you have some battles and have to keep fighting doesn't mean that you don't have the victory. It just means that the Enemy is fighting you.
       9) Strengthen your faith and your reflexes against the attacks of the Enemy by strengthening yourself in the Word, including the specific Word of personal prophecy that will give you faith to fight.
       10) Remember that allowing discouragement to go on and on is the worst thing you can do. When you first get discouraged, ask someone to pray for you. Also, quote the Word, read the Word, or sing songs. Do anything that will help you to not fall into the downward spiral of the Enemy's discouragement.
       11) Keep trying, and if you slip and go back a couple of steps, don't let that stop you, and don't let the Enemy condemn you. Just pick up where you left off and keep trying!
       12) Realize that it's a fight and hard work to overcome the bad spiritual habits of entertaining bitterness [EDITED: "or jealousy, negativity, pride, fear, etc."], but you can do all things through Jesus Who strengthens you. "All things are possible to him that believeth!" (Mark 9:23).

       (The following is a testimony from a young woman in our Home who has gotten some wonderful victories through hearing from the Lord personally in prophecy, and also having united prayer. This is a different person than the one referred to in paragraph 12.)

       I Finally Tried It [DELETED] and It Worked!
By Yvonna (21)
       50. I wonder if, like me, you sometimes find that a particular verse or quote that's been familiar to you all your life, to where you became practically numb to it, suddenly takes on a new meaning? It becomes so real and so feeding, it's as if you'd never heard it before. This happened to me recently, and it changed my life!
       51. In my first years of teenhood, I became aware that I was not all that I wanted to be in the way of looks and talent. As time went on, I adopted a pattern of thinking negatively and comparing myself with those who had the attributes I felt I didn't have. I didn't merely have occasional battles with thinking negatively about myself, but in time it practically became my second name. No matter how much I wanted to be content and look on the bright side of the way the Lord made me, these negative thoughts had become such a part of me that it was nigh impossible to do so.
       52. Anyone who's had battles along this line will probably agree with me when I say that the effects of negative comparing can be devastating. It's never a very nice practice to look at yourself and see only the flaws, or to think of everyone else as being "better." It's one of those don't-even-start types of habits.
       53. As if those battles hadn't been all-encompassing enough, over a year ago I began battling with jealousy as well. I also felt the terrible discouragement, hopelessness and condemnation that comes with it! My severe, ongoing battles with jealousy continued for about five months. I finally got to where I was wondering which day was going to be the one when everything would just cave in. I also began having chronic headaches, sometimes for a week at a time. And I didn't see things getting much better any time soon.
       54. The good news is that we can stand on the Word that says, "The greater the battle, the greater the victory!" And that promised victory came about in my life in what to me was the most unexpected but now totally tried and proven way!
       55. I recently made the discovery of my life after reading this well-known quote for the millionth time. The answer was in hearing from the Lord personally every day! "Take time to hear from God, and He'll take time to straighten out the problem. God will give you the spiritual solutions while alone with Him that will just make the mountains melt away!" (DM1:142).
       56. It couldn't have been clearer in my mind; that's what I needed to do. The Lord has always placed so much emphasis on hearing from Him and receiving His Words, so He must really think it's important. How could I expect the Lord to answer my requests and give me happiness and the victories I so much wanted if I wasn't willing to do one simple thing: get quiet and listen to Him!
       57. I realized that what I needed to do right then was to dedicate myself to a time daily where I would stop and hear from the Lord in prophecy to receive a message for myself. Not many days before, the thought of asking the Lord to give me Words of encouragement and strength for myself had sounded rather odd. I could understand receiving prophecies for others, but it sounded pretty conceited, in my opinion, to be getting a personal prophecy saying how much the Lord loves me. But I put those thoughts aside and began taking time each morning to listen to Him.
       58. When I felt I couldn't make it through the day ahead, I would ask the Lord to give me something to stand on that I could carry with me and think of during the day's lows. On days when I was more on the up-and-up, I would bring before the Lord different questions I had--either things that He'd told me earlier that I wanted clarifications on, or questions pertaining to my work, what my priorities should be, and how I should go about them.
       59. Immediately I started to feel better. I felt a stronger connection with the Lord, and found that the things I received during my morning prayer and prophecy times were exactly what I needed for that very day. He gave plenty of encouragement and reassurance of His love, but there was also counsel, instruction, and amazing answers to personal questions, some that I'd had for a long time. I could have kicked myself for not doing this sooner!
       60. Through this time spent with the Lord every morning, I received several of what I call my "milestone prophecies," that helped me to get the victory over the grip that negative thinking had had on me. One such prophecy is the following one from Dad, where he suggests a new method for overcoming. I've grown to depend on Dad's wise counsel and suggestions whenever I'm battling or in need of help, and I attribute much of my happiness and newfound positiveness to this very prophecy.

       Encouragement from Dad to Think Positive!
       61. {\b \i (Dad speaking:) }Well, Honey, I know that you're a very passionate person; you're very enthusiastic about whatever you do. When you're in the victory, happy, and on the right frequency, you're there one hundred percent! You're a strong soldier and almost nothing can get you down. But there's also a drawback, and that's that when you yield yourself even a little bit to a negative channel, or start analyzing and feeling sorry for yourself--you can really go downhill, and your little pendulum swings way out the other way. But you can't start letting yourself get condemned, because the Enemy's really going to try to use that to pull you further and further into the pit. So you're just going to have to make an effort not to think about those things.
       62. The Enemy knows he can't get you on the big things, because you've already committed yourself to living the Law of Love, to accepting the Lord's Words in prophecy, and to taking on a new, more intimate relationship with Him. So the Enemy knows that you're not going to waver on those things. But his ultimate goal is to try to make you useless, and he's going to try to accomplish that any way he can. And right now your weak spot is thinking negatively.
       63. But, believe it or not, you can get the victory totally and completely over this. Not that you'll never have another negative thought, but you'll have the victory over it and it won't be a problem any more. It won't even be a factor. And when you do get hit with a little negative thought, you're going to recognize it right away and fight it with everything that's in you, because you know where such negativity leads.
       64. You know what you need to do whenever you're tempted to neg out? And this is something you're going to have to do whether you feel like it or not, because this is the only way to get the victory. I know you want to be positive and I know you want the victory, so I'm trying to help you. I also know that when you take a stand and decide to do something, you do it, so I want you to please take a stand to do these things I'm going to tell you. I want you to just decide that you're going to throw yourself into this new way of operating and you're not going to let anything stop you, even if it's a little rough at first.
       65. The first step toward becoming a positive thinker--which results in optimism, which results in hardly ever being unhappy--is to recognize the times when you're negative. When you start looking at things in a negative light, I want you then and there to tell yourself that for an hour, no less, you're going to think only good thoughts. You're going to go way out of your way to think good thoughts about yourself, about others, about situations, about everything! It's very important that you think positive during that hour. You can't let one, not even one, negative thought enter your mind. It sounds hard, Honey, but you've got to do it. And if you do, I promise you you're going to start being a lot happier!
       66. So during this "think positive" hour--we can call it "TP"--you've gotta think thoughts that you might even think are outrageous! You've got to get it out of your head that it's pride to think good thoughts about yourself. Maybe some people do have a problem with pride in that way, getting lifted up, but you have a problem with criticizing yourself. And in a way, although you don't mean to do this, you're criticizing the Lord, saying He didn't do a good job when He gave you your talents or your emotions or your physical characteristics. We both know that the Lord doesn't make mistakes and He does all things well, and He did well with you, too.
       67. Of course, this isn't to say that you should just accept all your weaknesses and not try to improve in the areas you have problems with. That's not to say, "Well, the Lord made me a negative thinker, so I guess I'm just going to have to accept that." No. He made you with a weakness toward thinking negatively, yes, but He wanted you to overcome it. He knew that eventually it would become a strength.
       68. Do you get what I'm saying here? You have to accept the way the Lord made you, and not criticize or get down about things that you really can't change or that don't reach your high standard. You do have to concentrate on strengthening the weak areas, and if the victory come, it come; if it don't, it'll just make you more desperate, which will draw you closer to the Lord. If you fight real hard but you don't get a complete victory in a certain area, and it seems to be your besetting sin, then accept that maybe the Lord wants to use it to keep you real close to Him, and maybe He just allowed it so that you would recognize your need for Him and for His love, salvation, and forgiveness.
       69. I want to tell you that you really have a lot to think positive about! You just can't expect to be perfect in all areas. Obviously, the Lord didn't want you to be like that or He would have done it. Sometimes the Lord can't use people who are extremely gorgeous or physically strong as much as He can people who have a little less in that way. Because when others look at the really beautiful or strong ones, it's really hard to see past the physical, past the beauty, and past the strength, to see the Lord. People spend so much of their time gawking and staring at their beauty that they don't get anything else out of their time with them.
       70. That's not to say it's impossible for the Lord to use beautiful people, because that's not true. All of our dear folks in the Family are beautiful, because they have the love and light of Jesus in their eyes and smile, and they just radiate! They shine! But you'll notice that not too many of them are physically perfect--and those that are, well, they've got their problems that I'm sure they could tell you about.
       71. I'm not saying that you're ugly and that you should be thankful for it. The Lord has made you very beautiful, and has given you a beautiful spirit to match it. And you can use that for His glory, instead of getting all down about what you don't have. Thank the Lord that you don't have some abnormality on your body or face. Thank the Lord that all your organs operate normally, that physically you are generally a very strong and healthy person. Okay? Are you going to promise me you're not going to think negatively about yourself?
       72. Spend a couple of praise times sometime just thanking the Lord for all the things you like about yourself. I know you think it's really proud to do that, but right now pride is not your problem; your problem is negativity and looking down at yourself. If you start getting all proud, don't worry, we'll let you know! Actually, when you get negative and critical about yourself, it's just another form of pride, because you can't stand the fact that you're not as perfect as you think you should be; you don't want to face the fact that there could be people who are better than you and more talented and healthier.
       73. So think about that when you think that positivity is pride. Maybe that will help you in your stand against negativity, if you see that being negative about yourself is a form of pride, because you're wanting to be better.
       74. The Lord hasn't made anybody yet who He didn't give gifts and talents to in some area or another. Even those who don't have any outstanding or showy talent, He's given them hidden or unseen gifts, such as gifts of love and patience and a caring heart--gifts that often surpass the usefulness of some of those other more obvious gifts.
       75. You'd better start thanking the Lord for the things He's given you. You'd better start accepting the way He created you or it's going to make Him pretty sad. He loves you very much and He's told you that. You love Him very much and you show it often. But if you love Him so much and you trust Him, why don't you trust Him with your life? Why don't you simply accept that He made you just how He wants you, with the characteristics and attributes that He likes about you? Why would you want to be any other way?
       76. What has the Lord blessed you with in the way of talents, huh? Do this with me now. I want you to start getting used to praising and thanking the Lord for the positive. Come on, let's think of some of your talents. He's given you a talent for taking care of children. That's a pretty big and important gift to have. God's gift is God's work. Babies and children are the best things the Lord's ever created, and when He's entrusted so many into your care over the years, and given you the ability to understand them, to love them, to discipline them, to teach them, and for them to love you, that's something to be thankful for.
       77. Even if that were the only thing the Lord gave you in the way of talents, that would be enough! Caring for those little lives, those little souls who are going to grow up and become big soldiers, carrying big responsibilities, and who are going to owe you their training and a lot of their strengths--their foundation in the Word, their love for the Lord, their dedication, their yieldedness, their obedience, their desire to win lost souls, their fight, their practical abilities. When you take care of those children, you're shaping and molding them for the future; you're laying the foundation. When they're old enough they'll be able to stand for themselves, but they wouldn't be able to do it if someone didn't care for them and get them going in the right way when they were young.
       78. I love you very much, and I'm just doing this because I care about you! Because I can see all the victories the Lord is getting in your life and all the things the Lord wants to use you to do! I don't want to see you bogged down or being hindered by that mangy, slimy punk who's determined to do anything he can to stop you! I want you to realize that the Lord is really using you now, and He's going to keep on using you, and you've got to let Him. You've got to yield to Him. You've got to let Him get through. Don't throw up your wall of defense against the Lord when He tries to get in and use you.
       79. I love you! You're gonna make it! You're not just gonna make it, you're gonna pass with flying colors! That's a promise, and I say that on good authority. You're not going to lose this war. Okay, have a good day, and remember--think what? Think positive! (End of message from Dad.)

       80. (Yvonna:) After receiving the above message from Dad, I was both overjoyed and scared to death--overjoyed to have received this wonderful counsel that would start me on the road to victory, and scared to death thinking that I'd end up spending at least eight hours a day having "TP." The good news is that during the next week I didn't have one bout of comparing, and surprisingly enough, I only had a few twinges of negativity. I believe the Lord allowed that as a starting point so I could see how wonderful it is to be in the victory, and so I'd fight with everything in me to keep it.
       81. With that goal to shoot towards, I began seeing things in a more positive light. Though I still battled with jealousy, off in the distance I could see a hazy semblance of the word "victory" coming into focus.

       Promises of Victory Through United Prayer!
       82. Several days later I received another message, this one from the Lord, suggesting that I come before the entire Home and share the battles that I'd been having with jealousy, and ask for their prayers. I immediately thought, "Forget it! That's going too far!"
       83. It was one thing to fight a personal battle and receive help through hearing from the Lord in prophecy, or talking with my shepherds, but to make a public statement was almost too much. I'd never done anything of the sort before. I'd rarely even asked for prayer for physical ailments.
       84. Also, I looked on asking for united prayer as a thing of the past. I held the concept that asking for prayer was something our parents did, and definitely wasn't a part of the new day. I had long had the practice of asking for prayer before the Home on my list of "no longers," right along with heavy public exposure pow-wows and exorcisms, and I was sure it was not for me. But then I thought about the fruit that asking for prayer bore in the lives of our parents, and how difficult it must have been for them to humble themselves before the brethren like they did.
       85. Having temporarily convinced myself that this wasn't going to kill me, I paid a visit to Gabe and Amy's room and gingerly mentioned that I was thinking about the possibility of maybe kinda sorta asking for prayer before the Home for my battles with jealousy. They thought it was a great idea and enthusiastically encouraged me in my endeavor. They suggested doing it the next night (probably realizing that in a minute or two I would regain consciousness and bow out of the whole idea--ha!). There were a couple of other people that had also been wanting to have united prayer.
       86. Realizing what I'd just done, I went back to my desk and began to pour out my heart in prayer. I ended up having a mega "bare all" session with the Lord, telling Him how scared I was and that I really didn't want to have to face the whole Home, but that I would do it, in a meager but desperate attempt to be yielded.
       87. If there was ever a time when I needed something to stand on, it was then. So I asked the Lord for some promises that this was really going to be worth it, and if doing this was indeed what I needed in my life to have the victory. I put Him on the spot and asked Him to dictate to me how I should present my prayer request--what I should say when in front of everyone.
       88. Sure enough, He came through, above and beyond what I was expecting. He said that asking for prayer would be a catalyst to victory; that in humbling myself before the body and admitting that I couldn't do it myself, the Lord would be able to release His fiercest warriors of the Word, and He promised victory over the battles and the jealousy that I'd been a victim of. He also said that in my asking for prayer for the spiritual ailments and receiving healing, I would likewise receive healing from my physical ailments, the chronic headaches that I had been having. Here is an excerpt from the message I received:

       89. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} I know of your struggle and I follow your life with every bit of concern and care. I'm moved by your tears and I come to your aid when you fall. But though I know full well of the details which make up your life, when you come before Me in humility, to open up your heart and your mouth and to confess before Me your fears, your heartcries, your need for Me, it makes Me that much more willing to help you, to answer you, and to be there for you.
       90. I come to your rescue, not only because you ask, but because I want to. You're so important to Me that I want to always be there for you. When you're fearful, I'm there to shelter you and give you security and peace. When you're weeping and weary, I'm there to dry your tears, to lift you up, and to carry you until you regain your strength.
       91. I know your love and dedication to Me, My love. You're My prized possession and I watch over you with intricate care. When you say intimate love words to Me, when you express your need and your desire for Me, when you come before Me and bare yourself naked in front of Me, when you don't care who's watching, because of the intensity of your desire for Me, when you can think of nothing else but having Me inside of you, and you run to My arms--the multitudes of Heaven rejoice at your expression of love!
       92. The saints and the angels know of My love, and share My love, and express their love for Me often. But when you who see Me only in spirit, who have a spiritual intimate relationship with Me, come before Me in humility, and in full trust give yourselves wholly and completely to Me, even the angels marvel, and they know that this display of affection toward Me, this desperate cry for help and guidance, inspires quick results. For I will stop at nothing to answer your cries! I will give you those things which you desire. I will alleviate your fears. I will calm your nervousness. I will bring about good results not only in your life, but in the lives of all involved.
       93. Your asking for prayer before the body will be the catalyst to your victory. It will be the prayer that releases the forces of Heaven to come fight for you. You've been fighting and have done well. You've used the weapons of prayer, of seeking Me, and have resisted the onslaughts of the Enemy with My Word. But the force of jealousy is vast and powerful; it's unrelenting in its attempts to overtake you. You're a strong solider, but even as strong and prepared as you are, you'll grow weary under the strain and pressure that comes from the constant battering of jealousy.
       94. In asking for prayer before the body, you're releasing the fiercest warriors, those trained and experienced in fighting the force of jealousy. These warriors live to kill this vicious monster! It's their joy and their pleasure to come to the aid of all who call upon Me to release them. They've never lost a single battle against this vicious monster, and through the ages, every time they're released at My command, jealousy is forced to let go of its victim. These warriors are skilled in My Word, and My Word is their defense, their ammunition, their firepower. They've learned to wield it in such a way that no force can stand against it.
       95. When you admit that you can't do it in your own strength and you ask for Heavenly intervention, I do answer. When you come before the body and ask them to lift you up in prayer, to release My power against this vicious, cruel, ugly, venomous creature, rest assured that I will answer. The victory over jealousy is yours--you have but to claim it! I've heard your cries for help, and I send My choice warriors to come to your assistance.
       96. You're weak and wearied with the strain of the battle, so come and let My angels minister to you. Let them fill you with My comforting and strengthening Word. Yes, the battle is too great for you, but you don't need to fight it yourself. As you come before the body in humility and in openness, I'll answer your every request. For many, the victory comes by faith, and it's not felt for some time. But because of your desperate prayer to feel it, and because of My desire to please you, I'll allow you to feel the victory. I'll help you to feel happiness. I'll take away the pain and the torturous hold that jealousy has upon your life, and I'll replace it with My love and Spirit.
       97. I'll help you to see more with the eyes of the Spirit. I'll fulfill your desire to be more sacrificial, to be more giving. Because of your willingness, yea, even your desperate, driving passion to live in the center of My Law of Love, I'll help you by making it easier for you.
       98. It won't come all at once, but I'll give you opportunities to grow and to reach your goal. Don't get discouraged if you fall at times, or if you fail the opportunities that I put before you, for there will be many, and each will be a steppingstone of love. I'll be there for all who truly desire to live and breathe My Law of Love, and I'll help them through each attempt to do My will.
       99. The same is possible for you. You'll be tempted to be jealous, but with each thought, with each temptation, if you'll call upon Me, I've promised to answer and to save, and I'll give you that which you ask. Little by little you'll find that the longing in your heart for the happiness of others is growing. You'll learn to joy in the love that I'm able to impart freely on all through My many vessels--sometimes through one and sometimes through another, but all with the same love--My love.
       100. I promise you happiness! I promise you victory! I promise you all the love that you need, and more! I promise to be there with you, to never leave your side. I promise to give you peace and strength, calm and clarity. I promise to hold your hand and to help you through every trial, through every difficulty, and through this time of asking for united prayer. While you're speaking, while you're making your request known, I'll already be answering. I'll be calling down My forces to chase away the grip of the fiend of jealousy! I've been longing for this opportunity, and I rejoice that you've made this decision of humility, for which there will be no end of rewards, help and strength!
       101. I'll tell you what to say when you come before the Home. It need not be a big deal; it can be a simple request for help and prayer. The most important thing is your willingness and your humility to ask, to make your request known, and that will be the key to victory. (End of message from Jesus.)

       102. (Yvonna:) The evening when I was to have united prayer arrived, and when it was over, I was left wondering why I'd had such a difficult time coming to the decision to do it! It was simple, upbeat, and happy-spirited. Three of us took turns giving a brief request for prayer, and a couple of volunteers (veterans of some of the same battles) prayed for us. No one was looking down at anybody or making those asking for prayer feel like they were big creeps to be battling. Everyone was encouraging and gave a feeling that they had all stood where I was standing and now were fighting together with me.
       103. Here I am, a year later, and I can testify that the Lord gave me the blessing of happiness that He promised. I still endeavor to take time hearing from the Lord as often as I can, and the Lord has been faithful to come through with wonderful counsel, encouragement and personal instruction, which now I can hardly imagine being without. Thank the Lord for the wonderful gift He's given us of being able to have our own "hotline to Heaven," and for His never-failing treasures.

       Hold on Tight to the Victory by Faith!
       104. There was a time even after having united prayer that I still had some jealousy battles, and I wondered if what the Lord had said above was true, that the "fierce warriors" that the Lord promised to release on my behalf had really "never lost a battle." Maybe some of you have experienced that too; you've wondered how solid and lasting your victory was after having prayer for something. When I prayed about it, Dad gave the following message:

              '105.' {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} The key to victory is faith. The Lord has given you the victory. He's helped you to be more positive and to rebuke the monster of jealousy. Now you have to claim those victories by faith. I know that you're being tempted to think that your victory has been stolen away and you've lost it forever, or at least for right now, but that's just a lying vanity. You've got to cling to it!
       106. Getting the victory is contingent on your faith. When you pray and you ask the Lord for help, for the victory, for deliverance, He gives it to you. You just have to accept that victory by faith. And if your feelings and emotions start telling you otherwise, you've just got to cling to the Lord's promise of victory by faith.
       107. When the Enemy comes in and starts lying to you and trying to get you to give up the victory, to start looking at the waves and the feelings and to start accusing the Lord of not giving you the victory, you've just got to rebuke him. If you listen to the Enemy and you accept his lies and doubts and fears, and you put down your victory, then of course the Enemy can come and snatch it away. But if you refuse to give in, and you just slam the door shut, claiming the Lord's promises, in faith holding on to that victory that the Lord's given you, then you've defeated yet another attack of the Enemy, and he can't ever take that victory away from you.
       108. When the Lord said that your prayers would loose the powerful warriors to fight against the demon of jealousy, and when He said that they've never lost a battle, He meant it! But although they can fight all they want and they can win, it's up to you to hold on to that victory, to claim it by faith, regardless of the lying vanities the Devil tries to use to snatch that victory from you.
       109. Some people will pray and ask the Lord for the victory, they'll confess their faults before the body and receive deliverance, but then, at the first temptation, the first sight of battle, they figure that the Lord didn't answer their prayer and didn't give them the victory, and they get all discouraged and sink right back where they were before. The sad thing about that is they came so close. They even had the victory, but they didn't grab ahold of it by faith and claim it in spite of the feelings and lying vanities the Enemy placed there to try to stop them, and they ended up back where they started.
       110. So it's very important that you hold on tight to that victory, because the Lord always keeps His end of the bargain. You just have to keep yours: holding on to it by faith. I love you, Honey. Keep fighting! Keep the faith, okay? (End of message from Dad.)

       111. (Yvonna:) We all know that trials and tests will never cease, and it's still an uphill fight. But comparatively speaking, these months since receiving united prayer have been days of Heaven for me. The strong grip that negativity and jealousy had on me has indeed been loosed. The headaches that had been such a hindrance have all but disappeared. And more importantly, through all this I've fallen in love with Jesus in a more real and tangible way. And finally, the "ask for united prayer" advocates just got one more convert!
       Love, Yvonna

       Can You Lose the Victory?
       112. {\b \i (Mama:) }In the above messages there's a lot of encouragement and instruction about how to hold on to the victory once you've had prayer. But if you're struggling with a long-standing, ongoing problem, chances are you'll have your good days and your not-so-good days, your times when you feel quite victorious and your times when you feel like you've lost your victory for sure!
       113. I can testify that even though I know the Lord has given me a great deliverance and freedom from the grip of jealousy, still there were times when I fell back into it, when I had jealous thoughts and I wondered if that meant that I'd lost the victory. It's easy to feel that way when you get a little discouraged with yourself and you feel like you're not fighting enough, or not on the attack enough, or not following through with the Lord's personal instruction enough. It's a common problem to feel like you're doing something wrong or you're failing in some way, so you don't deserve the victory, and therefore maybe you've lost it altogether.
       114. I thought you might wonder about this in your life as well, especially when reading some of the points in the above messages. For example, the Lord says, "Just keep working at it, keep trying, and if you slip and go back a couple of steps, so what? Don't let that stop you, and don't let the Enemy condemn you. Just pick up where you left off and keep trying." But, you might ask, what if you take more than a couple of steps back? What if you take a whole lot of steps back?
       115. Dad also says, "If you listen to the Enemy and you accept his lies and doubts and fears, and you put down your victory, then of course the Enemy can come and snatch it away. But if you refuse to give in, and you just slam the door shut, claiming the Lord's promises, in faith holding on to that victory that the Lord's given you, then you've defeated yet another attack of the Enemy, and he can't ever take that victory away from you.
       116. "Some people will pray and ask the Lord for the victory, they'll confess their faults before the body and receive deliverance, but then, at the first temptation, the first sight of battle, they figure that the Lord didn't answer their prayer and didn't give them the victory, and they get all discouraged and sink right back where they were before. The sad thing about that is they came so close. They even had the victory, but they didn't grab ahold of it by faith and claim it in spite of the feelings and lying vanities the Enemy placed there to try to stop them, and they ended up back where they started."
       117. This of course brings up the question of what happens if you let the Enemy "snatch away" that victory. What happens if you "sink right back to where you were before" and you "end up back where you started"?
       118. These are very important questions if we're to understand how to be delivered, and how to hold on to our victories and make the progress we need to make to be prepared for the days of war that are ahead. Being strengthened spiritually means making significant progress in our serious, long-term weaknesses. But how are we supposed to do that if we live with the insecurity of feeling that we can have the victory one day and lose it the next? And how do we know for sure that we have the victory and haven't given it up through some disobedience? Or if we have, how do we get it back? I asked one of the channels in our Home to bring these important questions before the Lord, and He gave the following message, which I hope will be a great encouragement to you.

              '119. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Greater am I that is in you than he that is in the world. The Enemy's power is no match for Mine. Yes, you will have your weak moments, you will take your steps backward, you will fall, but I will be your everlasting source of strength and mercy. The key word here is "everlasting." I will keep and strengthen your victory day by day, according to your choices. But even when you fall and allow your victory to be weakened, if you will just turn to Me, in that very moment you will have your victory restored.
       120. Haven't you heard the expression from an old Family song that "victory is a state of mind"? Also, the battleground for holding on to your victory fully is the mind. The manifestation of your victory and the testimony of your victory varies according to your choices, your fighting spirit, and your resisting the Enemy, so that when you're obedient in these things, your victory is more obvious--not only to yourself, but to others. Your victory is stronger at some times than others, depending on your state of yieldedness, obedience, trust, faith, endurance, positiveness, and attacking initiative.
       121. When you give way to the Enemy through doubting, not humbling yourself as you should, not yielding to My checks and instruction, not taking the time to hear from Me, not receiving or believing My Word, not asking for prayer when you feel weary, then he's allowed to weaken your testimony and your victory. And the longer you continue in this state, the more territory he's allowed to regain. That doesn't mean that you've lost your victory permanently, but you have temporarily given it up to the Enemy to some degree.
       122. That's why you must fight daily and stay on the attack! In the very moment that you call out to Me, I'll be there to restore your victory. But when you have times of laziness, unyieldedness, lack of faith, lack of fighting and taking the initiative, you waste time. You lose the strength that you would have otherwise gained during that time, and you don't progress in overcoming your bad habits. Therefore your victory suffers; it becomes weak, and the battle becomes longer overall.
       123. The only way you can end up "back where you were before, back where you started," is if you refuse to acknowledge the battle, you refuse to get back up and fight, and you refuse to confess your faults and ask for a booster prayer. If you continue to just lie back and let the Enemy walk all over you, and go on in this state of unyieldedness, then the Enemy's power over you grows.
       124. The longer you stay unyielded, the harder it is to come back to your victory, because the harder it is to confess, to humble yourself, and begin again. It's not that the Enemy has power to steal away your victory, but you're the one who gives it up to him! And the longer you go backward, the longer the journey is back to the place of progress you had before.
       125. You never lose your victory permanently--meaning you never lose the power to regain your victory. Once I've broken the chains of the Enemy's power through your yieldedness and the power of united prayer, then you forever have claim to that victory. It's yours. But the manifestation and the testimony of it varies, depending on what you do. That's your part, your responsibility.
       126. When you take the step to confess, humble yourself, and have prayer, and your loved ones pray for you, then I'll never fail to do My part. And My part is done with perfection, with completeness. But I've left part of the responsibility for holding on to that deliverance in your hands, because it's a law of nature that you must work diligently to break your bad habits and bad thought patterns. I allow this because this need keeps you coming back to Me for further words of instruction, encouragement and power. This need keeps you dependent upon Me, which gives Me great joy.
       127. So don't fear that you'll ever lose your victory completely, as long as you keep coming back to Me after each fall, each step backward. But the longer you wait, the harder it is, and the more ground is lost. The quicker you call out to Me when you fall into temptation, the easier it is for you to continue down the path of progress, growing stronger day by day.
       128. If you quit fighting, quit yielding, quit doing the humble thing, quit obeying, then you'll lose the manifestation of your victory. And the longer that continues, the closer you get to being "back where you started." But even if that happens, the victory is still at hand. You can still retrieve it in the moment you call out to Me in desperation.
       129. The victory is one thing. The manifestation of the victory in your life for you and others to see is a different thing. The victory is given all at once; but the Enemy can weaken, lessen, or even take away the manifestation of the victory, depending on your choices.
       130. So when I promise the victory, you can be sure that the promise is true. Whether you go back one step or one hundred steps, the victory is there for you. But if you wish to have that victory manifested fully in joy, peace, progress, encouragement to others, and freedom from fear, then you must fulfill your end of the contract--to fight, yield, resist the Enemy's lies, be honest, seek help when you need it, hold on to the Word, and trust Me.
       131. I don't expect perfection. I don't expect that you'll never fall, step backward, or become weary. But the key is to get back up and fight again! The just man falls seven times, but he rises up again. You can fall seven times seven, or seventy times seven, but as long as you get back up, and do so quickly, wholeheartedly and determinedly, then you'll not only hold on to your victory, but you'll continue down the path of progress, and the manifestation of your victory will grow stronger day by day.
       132. If you hit a rough spot and get real down and discouraged and lose the will to fight, the road back to full victory will be more difficult and longer--but it's still there for you. Because it's not like the victory has been destroyed. My miracle-working power has not been defeated, even in a moment of personal weakness and disobedience. But the manifestation of the victory is tarnished and you've traveled backward on the road of progress. You've lost some time that you could have been moving forward, getting stronger, and reinforcing good habits instead of bad habits. Nonetheless, all you have to do is look up, reach out, and the victory will be in your possession once again in full power, and you can begin once again down the road of progress.
       133. This explains why some people have prayer and they truly are delivered from the chains of the Enemy regarding a serious, long-standing weakness, but the manifestation of that victory is very slight, very dim. They go forward and backward, forward and backward--so much so that they're basically staying in the same place. The key is the amount of time you spend going forward--which means entertaining the right kind of thoughts, doing the right things, being desperate and yielding completely--versus the amount of time you spend going backward--which means entertaining the Enemy's lies, doubting, refusing to listen, believe and accept the Word, resisting My checks to humble yourself, etc.
       134. The more time you're going forward, the greater the distance you travel down the road of progress, and with each step, your victory grows more brilliant. The more time you're going backward, the more distant is the victory.--Not because the Enemy has stolen it, but because you laid it down the minute you started going backward. And the further you get from it, the less it can shine in your life.
       135. So the lesson is this: Even if you fall once, twice, or hundreds of times, get up right away and fight on! You will fall, you will make wrong choices, you will be tempted--because you're weak and imperfect. The number of times you fall is not the deciding factor, but it's the rapidity with which you get back on the attack and turn your thoughts around. If you fall and get right back up, you've hardly missed a beat, hardly lost any ground, and you can continue almost uninterrupted down the road of greater victories, greater overcoming, greater rewiring of your mind, and greater renewal.
       136. The victory is always there once you've received it by faith from My hand. I'll never take it back. The responsibility is on you to allow that victory to grow and be manifest in your life, and that will happen to varying degrees, depending on your choices. Fight on, My dear loved ones, fight on! (End of message from Jesus.)

       137. {\b \i (Mama:) }I hope you see, my precious Family, that there's great hope for growing stronger in your weak areas. The Lord doesn't expect perfection. He doesn't expect that you'll never fall; in fact, He as good as said you will fall. You can count on that, because you're weak and frail, as we all are. But He's standing right beside you with His hands outstretched to help you up immediately.
       138. You don't have to stay down and get dirty and discouraged and trampled on by the Enemy. You can cry out to the Lord and find His immediate restoration, whether you do so on your own or ask for a "booster prayer" from others or the entire Home, which will help to renew your conviction, strength and resolve to keep fighting. And even if you have to do so time and again, He'll still bless you with the strong manifestation of your victory, not only to encourage you personally, but to be a testimony to others as well.
       139. God bless and strengthen you, my dear, precious ones, in your fight against any besetting sins or long-term spiritual problems that you're trying to overcome. I know the Lord wants to give you the victory, and He will, as long as you do all you can in obedience to His Word. You are in Peter's and my prayers. We love and admire you.
       Love always,
       Mama

       
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family