HomeARC ML 3190
Tapping in Together! Maria #438 CM/FM 3190 4/98
By Maria
1. God bless you, dear ones! I really admire each of you who have made it your ministry to care for our precious children! Even if it's not your full-time ministry, if you just do your best to be constantly aware of the needs of the children around you and do your best to fill them, I know the Lord will really bless and reward you for it!
2. Here is another GN with more wonderful solutions from the Lord to the problems we're facing right now with our children. The answers He gave in this GN are very special, and yet they might be easy for you to pass off as "overly spiritual" for the needs you're facing in your Home. However, these answers were given for you! We presented the facts of the problems we're up against, and this is what the Lord gave as part of His answer!
3. In "How-to's of Home Education" (ML #3189, GN 794), the Lord made it clear that He wants to bring each of His little children closer to Him, and even wants to teach them how to hear from Him. He has said that their establishing a link with Him, and thereby a healthy fear of Him and hunger for His Word, is a big part of the solution. The next question we brought before the Lord was, in practical terms how could we teach our children to hear from Him; how could we bring Him more into their daily lives? If that was part of the solution--getting their personal link with the Lord established--we asked the Lord if He could give us more counsel and direction along those lines, and He answered with a beautiful message which we'll share with you here.
4. I'm certain, dear Family, that as surely as the Lord is here, whispering in your ear and encouraging you through His wonderful Words, the Enemy will also try to get in and tell you that it can't be done--that this won't solve the problem, or even if it might for others, your situation is too bad or too difficult, or you're just not spiritual enough. Please, don't listen to him! This message was given for you, and the Lord is promising that as you take one step for Him, He'll take two for you! Praise the Lord! Following is the Lord's specific and down-to-earth counsel about how to make Him more a part of your and your children's lives together!
The Lord Wants to Speak to Us and Our Kids
5. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} Oh My precious and responsible parents, what a great task I have given you!--The task of caring for My little ones, leading and guiding them and training them in the way that they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart from it. And not only will they not depart from it, but they will be what I have designed them to be for Me and My Kingdom.
6. These are My designs; these are My creations. Therefore, I long to give you instruction--even daily instruction--on how to care for them, how to shepherd them, how to understand them, and how to love them.
7. I want to give you instruction on how to teach them how to hear from Me themselves through you and even through their own channels, so that they might learn how to tap into My source. This is, again, so that they can be led and guided and directed by Me, trained by Me, and shepherded by Me.
8. I will do this so that they might also be exercised in this very important aspect of My Kingdom, to have the full power so that they, too, might do all that I ask them to do. So that they might hear from Me in everything that I want to speak to them about. So that they might fulfill each mission that I have called them to. So that they might have the Words of instruction and guidance that I wish to give them. And so that they might be filled with My personal Words of love, encouragement and inspiration that I have for each of My precious children.
9. These Words give them the faith and strength to take on the next task and to walk the next steps along this path of life that I have called them to. So, My precious parents, I give you this beautiful tool and now I would like to tell you how to use it practically on a day-to-day basis.
10. It takes a lot of work and a lot of labor to enter into My Spirit, especially when you are not used to it. For this reason, it is difficult for many to take the time. For they figure they must have just the right setting, just the right atmosphere. They must have all other things set aside to sit down and to grab ahold of Me. They feel they must labor in prayer--and many times they must--in order to learn to enter into My Spirit.
11. But I say unto you, My parents, take the steps necessary to learn how to enter into My Spirit quickly and easily. If you learn this, you may sit down in the middle of that busy room, bow your head and ask your children to be quiet for a moment while you take time to hear from Me. Then just listen and I will speak to you.
How to Enter into the Spirit
12. {\b \i (Mama:)} When I heard this, I wondered what the Lord meant by laboring to enter into the Spirit. Later He goes on to say that you don't have to get into a big long laborious prayer and fight to get into the Spirit when you're sitting down with your kids. All you have to do is ask, and He's right there, near and dear and ready to answer! Praise the Lord! I asked the Lord when we'd need to take time to labor in prayer and when we could be ready at a moment's notice to hear from Him together. Here's what He said:
13. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} It's all so simple. Little children can understand, but sometimes the wisdom of grownups stands in the way of hearing My whispers. My precious parents, I am asking you to come, have the faith of a little child. I never disappoint faith! I always answer when you ask in faith.
14. When I say that you must labor to enter into the Spirit, I mean that you must labor to become receptive and in tune with My Spirit, not laboring to pull down My Words. My Words will be there for you as soon as you tune in. The only battle in this case is for you to put aside your thoughts, your carnal mind and reasoning, and have faith to believe that I will perform what I have promised. Yes, there will be times when you will wonder if you are hearing from Me, or there will be times when you will need to come back to Me to clarify what it is that I told you, but you must always trust that when you ask, I answer. If you ask for bread, I will not give you a stone! That is My promise to you!
15. So in this case, yes, you must labor to enter into the temple and leave your own thoughts and feelings outside. But once you have done this, and done it consistently, it will become easier for you to leave it all behind in an instant, and be there swiftly in the temple, receiving My thoughts, My pictures, My Words. You may teach your children this as well.
16. At first it will be a bigger deal--for just like a muscle, you will have to exercise the ability to change gears right there in the middle of the busy day and stop to hear from Me. But the more you do it, the easier it will get. Soon you will find that the switch will be much quicker and much easier. Why? Because you are becoming familiar with prayer and are therefore not as desperate? No! Because you are operating more and more in-tune with Me, and so to make the change from your work to hearing from Me is much easier. You are more in gear with Me all the time, and so stopping for a moment throughout the day to hear My whispers will become more and more natural to you and your children.
17. Yes, you must learn this, and it is something that will be a fight at first. But as you grow and progress in it, it will become easier and easier. But don't think that you must have it perfected and be completely exercised in it before you can do it with your children. Do it with them from the beginning! If it is a struggle for you, it should motivate you to spend more time with Me, so that you can progress quicker in it. But teach them from whatever stage you are at now. Encourage them, for they can also hear from Me and can also have clear channels. And do not be discouraged if the Devil fights your progress--for at times it will be a fight! But I always fill the empty heart! You will always be rewarded, and I will not send you away empty-handed!
18. Stopping to hear from Me more will make changes in the rest of your life as well. The more you are praising Me, turning your thoughts into prayers, and faithfully taking your quiet time with Me, the easier it will be for you when you stop for a moment to hear My voice. When you are very busy with other things and neglecting your time with Me, that is when it is harder to enter into My Spirit, for you have to travel farther. The distance between your busyness of the world and the quiet peace of My Spirit is far, and when you are not stopping regularly for My Spirit, it can become a great labor to enter into My Spirit. So do it regularly, and teach these principles unto your children, and I will answer and provide the miracles--the show and tell! (End of message from Jesus.)
19. {\b \i (Mama:)} Thank You Jesus for that clear answer! At first it will be a fight, but the more often you do it, the easier it will get! We can simply put Him on the spot and expect that He will answer--and He will! Praise the Lord!
Practical Tips for Hearing from Heaven
20. Now, let's go back to the original message where the Lord is teaching us how to hear from Him with the kids.
21. {\b \i (Message from Jesus continues:)} I am looking now at a beautiful mother whom I have blessed with many children. You are in your small Home, and the cares of this life are draining you. You've just finished breakfast and the dishes aren't cleaned up. The children are busy doing their work around the house. Fighting has begun. There is frustration and confusion, and you're quite tired from the night before, when you were up with the baby, who has a little fever from teething. You just don't know how you can go into the day again nagging the children and getting upset at them.
22. So let someone else care for your active toddler or fussy baby for a few minutes, and call your other children together. Look them square in the eyes and say, "Kids, Mommy wants to go into this day happy, I want you to be happy and I want to be happy. So do you know how we're going to do it? We're going to hear from Jesus! We're going to sit right down here at the table, and before we make one more move, we're going to ask Him to talk to us.
23. "Now what questions would you like to bring before Jesus? Here's what I'd like to ask Him. I'd like to ask Him, 'Jesus, can You please show me what I need today to have more patience and understanding for my kids, so that when I need to talk to them when they're not behaving, I will have what I need so that they will learn and understand and obey and follow me?' Should we ask Him that question first?"
24. You know what? All your kids are going to nod their heads yes! And they're going to be thinking about what they want to ask too, what they want you to ask, because this is fun and this is exciting!
25. I speak to My children when you can't speak to them! I talk to them because they're My children. I am faithful to speak to them in My still small voice, even though you don't know it and you don't always see the fruits of it.
26. But I need you parents to exercise those spiritual things in their lives, so that those little times when I talk to the children will be brought to their remembrance. They will grow spiritually in this way, and they will think, "Oh, I remember! Jesus told me that!" Or, "When I was thinking the other day, I asked Jesus to help me with this or that, and now look, He's talking to me specifically about it!"
27. These things will bear witness in their hearts. So do not minimize the fact that I speak to My children. I need you to help bring those things to light in their hearts and minds. And this is the perfect way to do it, by having their little questions brought before Me.
28. Do you want the day to go better? Sit down and do this. You've got to have a little box, or a little bag somewhere, or a good organized place on your desk or on your dresser where you've got a tape recorder, some batteries and some blank tapes. They've got to be easy to grab, for you don't want to lose those Words.
29. You don't have a tape recorder? You don't have any batteries? Then take your kids' hands and say, "Okay, kids, today we're going to go out and get a tape recorder! We're going to get some batteries and some tapes too, because we're going to use them to hear from Jesus!"
30. As you go, seek out someone who can give you the tape recorder and tapes you need, or can supply them for you at a discount. This not only helps you, but is a witness to them, that you would use these things to record messages from Heaven. They may have questions they would like to ask Heaven as well, and I can speak to them through you.
31. Then, as you sit down with your children, you don't have to have some great big, long, laborious prayer. You don't have to fight to get into My Spirit to the point that you and the kids feel drained, and that they start fidgeting and getting bored. No, you don't have to do that. I'm right there with you! Just claim My promise that as you put everything else out of your mind and call My name, I will be right there with you, ready to answer.
32. All you have to do is reach out to Me like you do your husband. Tug on My shoulder and say, "Jesus, I'm desperate! I've got to hear from You! You've got to speak to me and the kids now. We need to bring these questions before You. Now please speak to us!" Open your mouth, dear mommy, and I will speak through you.
33. I will meet your needs and I will meet your kids' needs. Just speak the first thing that comes to your heart and your mind, for it will be Me. Do you think in your desperation that I will let you hear any other voice? No, I won't! I will speak to you.
34. So even if you've never done it before, step out by faith and do it now, and your life will change completely. You'll be thrilled at the response of your children, and you will be strengthened by what I give you. There will be a peace and a calmness in your communications with your children, a happiness that was not there before. And you will have the answers that you need to the questions that you bring to Me.
35. If you want to ask Me specifically how Johnny and Billy can get along better, I'll tell you, and while I'm telling you, I'll tell them. I'll speak directly to them. Those things will be from Me. So do it and you'll see a great change.
36. You'll have something deep and spiritual to talk about, and then, when you sit down at the end of the day, you'll be able to talk to the kids about all of the things that I said I was going to do. As you obeyed, I did these things, or will yet do them in the days to come.
37. What a wonderful way to have talk time in the evening! Sit down with those prophecies, and even if you haven't had a chance to type them, you can play the tape again and say, "Now, look! This is what Jesus said, and we committed ourselves to try to obey it. So, what happened?" And you'll be surprised at how the kids will respond.
38. They may think that things didn't work out quite so well, but you'll be surprised at how positive they can be when they say, "Oh, look! This was better today than it was yesterday. This changed today and it must be a result of asking the Lord and doing what He said."
Kids Can Even Do It Themselves!
39. These are steps to further their growth in this marvelous gift of hearing from Me that I have given you. Pretty soon, your children are going to be asking you to do it. They're going to be saying, "Could we stop and hear from the Lord together?" And if you don't have time, if you really feel that you can't, you could say, "You know what, Honey? Mommy has to go outside and talk to the neighbor that just knocked on the door.
40. "Could you do me a favor? Why don't you kids sit down together? You take the tape recorder and you ask Jesus the question, and then take the first thing that comes."
41. "Oh no! We can't do that without you!"
42. "Well, yes, you can! I know you can. I'm going to pray for you, because you've got to be able to do it. I can't do it right now. Do you know what? When I first wanted to do it, I didn't think I could do it either. Remember, I'd never done it before! So don't worry, the Lord will give you something, even if it's just an impression, even if it's just a verse, a picture or a thought. Just start with that, and then the Lord will build on it. You'll get faith to get more. Anyway, you try it. And if things don't go the way you think they should, then as soon as I get back, we'll sit down and do it together. But go ahead, try."
43. You know what, dear mommy? I'm going to give them something, and I'm going to give them the faith to give it and put it on the tape, because that's the way that I'm leading these days.
44. It's a desperate situation. This is a warfare! I have to train up My children in this way. So if you encourage them to go ahead, I'm going to give them the faith for it.
45. Do you know what else? Kids love tape recorders. They love to hear their own voices, and they're going to do it just for the sake of hearing what's being said. If nothing else, they're going to make an effort just for that reason. Who knows? They may want to go off and do it by themselves. They may not want to do it with the others there.
46. So you might say, "Well, look, if you don't want to do it together, then after you've prayed, you can each go off one by one and do it alone." Okay, Johnny, you be first. And then when you're done, you come back and give the tape recorder to Billy and then let him have a go at it." I'm going to teach them and I'm going to help them in this way.
A New Activity for Family Time!
47. Here's something else that you can do in the evenings besides the same old thing. Hey, Dad. I'm calling on you! Want to know what to do in the evenings with your kids? Well, sit down together and say, "Kids, let's take a few moments tonight to sing to the Lord, to praise the Lord and let Him know how much we love Him. And then I've got a question to bring before the Lord."
48. You can say, "Let's all pray together to get some direction and counsel on what to do about our witnessing. You're a part of it. We don't know whether to head into this summer with a puppet show, or with you performing on the streets, or just how we should do it. So we're going to start hearing from the Lord now. This will be the first in a little series of bringing different questions before Him. So I'm going to give you some time to write out your questions, and then we'll all pray together and ask Him together."
49. You've just got to think of every opportunity that you can, dear parents, for bringing your children into this important time with Me, for involving them in hearing from Me.
Problems--And the Lord's Solutions Through Prophecy
50. Okay, here's something else. You've got someone to help you with your children in your Home, and you haven't been able to spend much time with that person about the problem that your JETT daughter Delilah is having. It's a continual problem. In fact, it's been going on for a long, long time. She's so very disrespectful and talks back continually. You're having trouble with it, Daddy's having trouble with it, and your older son or daughter or childcare helper is having trouble with it. The teens are having trouble with it and the younger children are having trouble with it. You just don't know what to do next.
51. You keep wanting to put the problem off to a time when you can get together and have a real good childcare meeting and hear from the Lord, but so often you're tired and the evening comes and other things come up. It just doesn't seem to be working out. Your dear helper is passing you in the hall and she goes: "Could you please pray for me? I've got a problem. I was just talking with Delilah, and this and that came up. I'm really frustrated to the point that I don't know what I'm going to do the rest of the day in my communications with her."
52. Well, rather than putting it off, why don't you say, "Come on! Let's just go off here to the corner." You may even have to go into the bathroom and close the door, because there may not be anywhere else to go for a little privacy. Say, "Grab the tape recorder. Let's just sit down and hear from the Lord right now, okay?"
53. Quickly pop around the house and make sure everything's going to be okay in your absence, and then sit down and take the time to hear from Me. It could be that I'll show you that the best thing to do would be for you or your helper and Delilah to take some time to hear from Me together.
54. Just slow it all down. You don't need to wait for the time to have some big talk with her, or take some big disciplinary action. Just hear from Me when the moment arises, and I'll show you clearly what to do.
55. As you go on into the day, many times I'll instruct you to take the child right at that time, sit down, and say, "Look, we can't go into the day like this again. You're going to be frustrated and I'm going to be frustrated. So let's hear from the Lord together." Now it could be that that JETT, junior teen or child will not be used to this and won't really want to get into it. But you'll be surprised when it's all over at the things that I will say, that will speak personally to your dear child, JETT or teen, because I will give a key and an answer. I'll give some little counsel to go on for the day.
56. As you build on this and as you learn to come to Me in this way, I will broaden your shepherding ability. I will strengthen and deepen your communications with each other. You'll be so thankful, because this kind of shepherding will bear the fruit that you so desire your shepherding to bear.
Special Occasions!
57. What better way to celebrate a birthday or a graduation to a new school or age group, or other special occasion of celebration in honor of one of your children than to appoint a special time during the festivities to gather everyone together to hear from Me for that child, JETT or teen? You can either do it beforehand or during the festivities. If you've done it beforehand, you can read the prophecies during the festivities.
58. This can be a way for your child to commit their new year to Me with the things that I have given in prophecy. In preparation, you can take the time to talk with your child and say, "What would you like to ask the Lord for the new year? What's on your heart? What would you like to see happen for you? What would you like to learn? What would you like to do? Tell me, and then we'll bring it before the Lord. We can either do it together during the party, or I can do it beforehand."
59. This is a wonderful way to make these occasions memorable. This will give you real clear counsel and direction as to exactly what I will require of that child, and what I will give to that child during his new year or new challenge.
You Can Do It Anytime!
60. The main thing I want to get across in these practical tips is that you can sit down and hear from Me any time you want to, or any time you need to. You don't have to arrange a special prayer and prophecy meeting. It doesn't have to be a big deal where you have to call on this person who has the gift of prophecy, or that person who you think hears from the Lord better than you do.
61. You can do it, My busy, active parent, with your children. You can sit down with them at any time of the day and bow your heads and say to Me, "Speak to us, Lord," and I will. I'm the Father. I'm the good Dad, and I'm right there with you. I will talk to you and counsel you when you're alone with your children or when you are with others. It doesn't really matter.
62. I want you to get in the habit of doing it. Even get in the habit of doing it on all the little things that you need to do throughout the day--not just when problems arise, but every little decision.
63. For example, you want to go out witnessing, but it's raining. So sit down together with your children and say, "Let's hear from the Lord. We're all ready to go. We've got our lit all together, but it has started to rain. So what should we do? Is the Lord going to cause the rain to let up, or should we find a place we can witness indoors, or does He want us to stay home for some reason? Let's sit down and ask Him." And I'll show you.
64. I'll lead and guide you. Your children will learn how to follow My instruction, My leading and My guidance. I'll give them things, as they enter in and learn how to participate in this beautiful and very needed way of learning how to follow My instruction in order to do what I want them to do. So just do it. You've just got to do it. You've got to exercise it in every aspect of your lives together.
Bedtime Spirit Stories!
65. Here's another fun one. You've got lots to read to your children, but sometimes there's a lull in their interest, and they don't want to read some of the same things over again. You're ready to put them to bed and they say, "Can we have a story?" You're even a little bit tired of reading the same stories over and over again, although these stories can always be feeding in one way or another.
66. Why don't you pull out the tape recorder and start getting a story from Heaven? This excites the kids beyond measure! Every night they can look forward to another chapter, and you'll be thrilled and excited to see them participate, asking you questions, "Oh, what's going to happen with so and so? Do you think this is going to happen? Why did this and that happen?" Then you'll have certain questions to bring before the storyteller.
67. Don't worry, Mom or Dad or helper, or older son or daughter, you can do it! It may not be the story of the year, but it may be the story for the night! It may be the story for putting them down to bed.
68. Come on, parents! Exercise yourselves in this way! This is the new day! This is the new weapon of the new day! Hear from Me! Turn on and tune in! Tune in on your channel now!
69. Heaven is full of messages, just waiting to pour down your channel--full of counsel, full of guidance and full of inspiration. These are messages that I give you for yourself, with or without your children there. There are also the messages that I give to your children and through them, as I grow them up.
70. This is it! Tune in today! It's there for you. Just switch it on! I love you and I'm there for you and your kids. (End of message from Jesus.)
71. {\b \i (Mama:) }Wow! Praise the Lord! Thank You, sweet Jesus, for Your wonderful solutions! Thank You for coming right down to our level, speaking to us so sweetly and specifically! You really do understand our needs so well, and You want to help us fill them. Thank You that You have all the answers, Lord. Even if You don't give them all to us right now, or all at once, You've given us the golden key to Your storehouse and told us that we can come back any time! Any time we're feeling a little low or in need of some extra help, extra strength, direction, or even just ideas, You really want to help us, and You've promised to give it when we ask! Help us to be faithful with this counsel, Lord. It might take a bit of stretching of our faith muscles, or it might cost a bit of our pride to do the humble thing, but You've promised the rewards will be more than worth it, and we'll reap the benefits in happier, more well-behaved and motivated children! Thank You Jesus!
How to Help Our Kids Learn to Hear from the Lord!
72. Here's some more very good counsel from Dad on the subject of learning to include your children in your times of hearing from the Lord, and how to best inspire them to want to do it themselves.
73. {\b \i (Dad speaking:)} The best way for our kids to get turned on to hearing from the Lord is by seeing the sample. That's what's going to do it the best!
74. As you step out to obey and do it yourself, and make an effort to do it with the children when possible, explaining things to them and including them in the decisions and the process of hearing from the Lord as much as possible, He'll give you the keys as to what is going to help each individual child to gain the faith to step out and try it.
75. Some children are more spiritual than others, more gregarious, more adventurous, and less afraid of failure. Others doubt that they could hear clearly from the Lord, or they're afraid of being a false prophet. Yet others are just shy about doing it in front of others. Or others are just a bit rebellious or standoffish in their hearts, waiting to see it "proved" before they'll believe it.
76. But the Lord can overrule all these natural tendencies. He can help them to come around and hear clearly from Him, and He can make them good channels! He's going to do it, because He needs more channels! He has so much to pour out, and like He's been saying, He wants every man, woman, and child to be armed with their own spiritual weapon for the battles to come.
77. Hearing this, some of you might be a bit nervous about it yourselves, fearing that if you get the kids involved, then something might go wrong and it would hurt their faith or make them doubt prophecy. Those are the Enemy's lies. He's trying to keep you from trying it, because he knows that as you step out to hear from the Lord and teach your kids to, the Lord is going to come through and answer, and the victory will be won! The only way you could be defeated would be to cower in the corner and not venture out.
78. Of course, there will be some interesting situations, some that the Lord will even set up for "show and tell" time, to help you learn, to make you exercise your faith, and to teach you how to use this weapon properly. But you can't be afraid of those tests. They're going to come, but as you continue to look to the Lord, you're going to pass them. You just have to start and not listen when the Devil says "boo!"
79. Another key--one that you'll learn as you go along--is what you should involve the kids with and what you shouldn't. Hearing from the Lord is just like anything else--milk is for babes, and strong meat is for them that are of full age. When you hear from the Lord with the kids, you're going to need to act on what the Lord gives--going ahead by faith, to show that you have faith in the Lord's Words, even if it comes through a child's channel. Of course, you can ask for clarifications and additions, but that's why I'm bringing up about giving milk to the babes--starting them out on the smaller things, then giving them more responsibility as they exercise their channel and their faith more and more.
80. Even if you do sometimes blow it or give the kids more than they are capable of understanding or really grasping, the Lord won't give them more than they're able to handle. And because you're obeying Him and trying to please Him, He'll even use those seeming mistakes to teach you all good lessons and ultimately make you stronger and better channels. He's going to help you with this, and will not allow the Enemy to come in and steal away the victory He's promised, as long as you do your best to obey! Our kids can become just as clear channels as any of the adults, some even more so, because they're often less opinionated about issues and have more faith in some cases.
81. Teaching them about the requirements for being a clear channel will be a good foundation and serve as a challenge for them. You can help them to see that hearing from the Lord is a reward given to those who are being yielded and obedient. Starting out on the right foot by teaching them and showing through your example that hearing from the Lord is a blessing, a privilege and a very special honor will be helpful for the younger ones especially. It's going to be thrilling for them, as they see the Lord use them to bring about great things and speak wonderful Words.
82. And like I said in the beginning, it's going to catch on when they see the adults and their older brothers and sisters doing it. Some of our new-bottle adults and young people who the kids really look up to and respect will be some of the greatest ones to be role models of that. It can't only be the older adults, some of whom the kids consider to be old bottles and a bit on the frumpy or conservative side. The kids will figure that of course they would want to do it, and they would associate it with more rules, more quiet time, more boredom and the "spirituality" that they don't like.
83. But if they see some of the new bottles really getting into it, and the ones they consider to be old bottles flowing and changing with the radical things the Lord gives, that's what will give them the faith and inspire them to do it more themselves. If they see some of our strongly opinionated adults hearing from the Lord and giving what they get in obedience and faith, even when it's directly contrary to what they thought, it's going to give the kids a lot of respect--not only for the adults, but for the Lord's Words given in prophecy.
84. Our adults are going to have to be willing to adapt and change with some of the things the Lord gives through the kids, too, and respect the Lord's Words. If each message is treated with respect for the Lord's Words, no matter who it's given through, and balanced with the lessons on yieldedness and humility, I think our kids will be very happy with it--as it will be another freedom of the Spirit which is opened up to them.
85. As our parents and teachers and all members of the Home step out to obey, it's going to catch on! The kids who are going to get the most excited about it are going to be those who have the most exposure to it, in the right spirit--the true freedom of hearing from Heaven and putting it into practice, and seeing the Lord work miracles through their obedience. Praise the Lord! (End of message from Dad.)
What Can You Do If You Only Have a Baby Gift of Prophecy?
86. {\b \i (Mama:) }When I read the previous messages, I was thrilled by the promises the Lord gave and the vision was very inspiring to me. However, I wondered how I would manage in a situation like that, if I was faced with my children and needed to get something from the Lord with them. Personally, I haven't been able to get specifics in prophecy yet, so I wondered how I would be able to do what the Lord was saying to do. My gift of prophecy is still very much a "baby gift," and it was difficult to think of sitting down with the kids to get specific answers to our problems.
87. I wondered if some of you, like me, who have been trying for a long time to exercise your gift of prophecy but are still in the beginner's stage, may feel that this couldn't apply to you, or wonder how you're going to be able to put this into practice. So I prayed and asked the Lord how I could apply this counsel to myself, or how others of you who might feel you're in a similar situation could do so. Following is the Lord's answer that He gave us when we asked Him: "How would someone with a baby gift of prophecy go about sitting down with their children to hear from You about their problems?"
88. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} What I have promised, I am able also to perform! Did I not make the lame man to walk at the pool of Bethesda, after being afflicted 38 years? Did he not move towards the water each time, requesting My healing? Then the day when I commanded him to take up his bed and walk, he did so by faith, and was made whole in that instant! What if he had said, "But Lord, I have prayed for this for years, and I am still in this condition." He would not have been healed, for it was his faith and obedience that brought the miracle.
89. I am asking you, My dear parents, to come before Me with your children for the answers. Even if you feel your faith is small, or you feel your gift is in the newborn stage and can hardly be called a gift of prophecy, yet if I am calling you, it is time for you to claim the faith to rise and walk--to follow Me! I will do the miracle! I will give you that which you need!
90. It does not mean that you will receive long flowing prophecies from the first moment, but I will meet you, and will answer you! Even if all you receive is a verse, trust Me that it is the answer I gave for your situation. Coming before Me for the answers puts Me on the spot, and I will not fail one of My precious little ones! I will give the answer which they need, and which you need!
91. Even if I only give you one verse or a couple of words, praise and thank Me for the answer, even if it is only the beginning of the answer! Praise Me for speaking, and then do your best to put that verse or those few words into practice. Show your faith in My voice by obeying and acting on what you get, and I will give you more! Have you not experienced how when you are in desperate need, even a few words from My mouth are able to give you peace? So will it be for you, and so will it be for your children.
92. If you feel that you have been practicing for so long and have made so little progress, trust that you are at the stage where I have wanted you to be. Maybe I wanted you to be in an elementary stage, so that your children would also feel free to learn with you and so that you may progress together. Maybe I want you to show your faith by obeying even if you do not understand how it will work. Maybe I will give you simple answers, which will work just as well as long, complex, or very specific answers. Trust Me that I will give you what you need, for I never fail!
93. If you feel condemned because you have not been practicing as much as you should, or you have heard Me calling you to step out and hear from Me more frequently but you have not had the faith, do not be condemned! Take this as My compliment to you, that I am giving you the push you need to begin now to hear from Me more!
94. Even if you have not yet received the gift of prophecy, I still want to teach your children to come to Me. So come in faith, and give what I give you, even if it is only a couple of words, or a memory verse, or an impression. Your giving what you receive, no matter how small, creates a great vacuum for more! As you give what you get, your faith will be exercised, your gift will grow, your children will learn along with you, and most importantly, they will learn of Me and of My workings.
95. One thing you know is that I love My children. I will not fail them, I will not forsake them, and I will not disappoint them. As you come to Me, come with faith, trusting that what I give you is what you need. Do not expect flowing gifts of prophecy overnight. For while I give that to some because of their need, maybe I know that it will benefit you and your children more if you grow together slowly.
96. My dear queen, you ask why you have not been able to receive specifics, and what you would do if you found yourself in this situation. It is good that you place yourself in the shoes of your children, for then are you able to ask the questions they feel in their hearts, and you are able to receive My answers.
97. I say to you that if you were in that situation and you came before Me with faith, I would not disappoint you! You are in a situation where you have not needed to receive the specifics, for you have around you many channels eager to receive. But if you did suddenly need to receive long specific prophecies, be assured that you would get them, for I would pour them out!
98. To each of My dear parents, I love you! I love your faith in Me which you have proved these many years through your sacrifice and laying down your life for your little ones.
99. This is just another form of laying down your life--laying down your pride, stepping out on the water to obey My call. Know that I will be there, upholding you, and your steps will not slip. I will give the answers as I have promised, even if they come in the form of just a couple of words at first. As you digest and obey and ask again for the next part, I will give you more, and I will continue to give you more and more. You and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. That is My promise to you! (End of message from Jesus.)
100. {\b \i (Mama:)} Thank You Jesus! What the Lord is asking will undoubtedly take a step of faith on your part, but the Lord has promised that He will not fail or disappoint His little children! He's giving us an offer we can't refuse! All we have to do is humble ourselves and step out by faith to obey, and He'll do all the rest! I love you, dear ones, and am praying for you! We're all growing together! Praise the Lord!
Love, Mama
TAPPING IN WITH TODDLERS!
6/98
{\b \i (Mama:)} As this GN was about to go off to you, I received this very interesting letter from a dear SGA in one of our units who helps with toddlers Trevor and Olivia. She had read an advance copy of this GN, and was writing me about how she was putting it into practice with the little children that she cares for, God bless her! I thought her experiences would be interesting and inspiring for you! Please be sure to also read the FSM that was sent to you with these GNs ("Spiritual Weapons for Little Warriors," FSM 330), with more good examples and testimonies of how it can be done! I love you!
(Note from Korie [EDITED: "23"] to Mama:)
Dearest Mama,
I love you so very much, and am continuing to keep you and your health in my prayers. Today the kids and I played a prayer spin-the-bottle game just for you! It's great to start getting more into prayer with them and to be able to do these things. Trevor [2½ years old, of Keana] is a real good prayer warrior. Whenever something is mentioned that we need to pray for, he stops then and there and prays, and Olivia [2½ years old, of Bethy] is learning from his sample in that area. (He's learning from her good sample in other areas, like being tenderhearted and sharing!)
As you know, I help with the kids for 3-4 hours each day, and I wanted to write you about some of the different things that I've tried with the kids since reading the new childcare GNs and the FSM about using the new weapons with children. I had initially thought you could only do some of these things when the kids were older, but I decided to try some things with our two young darlings here, and it's been just wonderful!
Spirit Stories on the Spot!
One day for Word time with them I tried to get little spirit stories on the spot, and I drew little chalk-talk type pictures while I told them the stories. We prayed for Jesus to come and tell us stories, and I explained how I was going to draw the pictures for them while they listened. I really prayed and then turned on the dictaphone, and away we went. We got about five little tiny lesson stories. The kids just loved them, and asked for more and more! One story was about taking care of things, another about joining in and playing with others, etc. The stories were actually a little simplistic and aimed lower than I thought they were going to be. But I guess they were on the level the Lord knew the kids could relate to. It was our first attempt, so who knows what the Lord will do next time. That was very inspiring!
Taking Our Problems to Jesus Together!
One day the two of them were fighting over a cushion they both really wanted. So we all stopped and sat down and prayed about it. I told them I was going to ask Jesus what they should do. I had a pen and paper and prayed out loud, asking the Lord what each of them should do, and as I wrote down the answers, I told them what Jesus was saying to them.
I told Trevor the verse I got for him was "Wait on the Lord," and then we talked briefly about what that meant he needed to do. I then prayed about Olivia, and told her what Jesus had said: "Be kind and don't keep it for yourself the whole time." Then we discussed it. She was willing to give up the cushion, as she's usually so willing to give to Trevor, but she was so happy when I reassured her that Jesus said she could still keep it for a while longer. Trevor waited patiently and got it soon. They both understood it all so clearly, and it was just a beautiful and smooth experience. The tiny-size things Jesus says to them are so cute! (Those simple answers may sound like something I just said off the top of my head, but I honestly had no idea what was best to do. Jesus just made it easy for us.)
Related to this, today Olivia was being rather fussy and whiney after nap, and I just didn't know what the problem was or what to do about it. The kids were getting their get-out clothes on, so I asked them to please be quiet while I talked to Jesus about it. There isn't really tons of time when you're with the little ones to have "quiet time." I would have liked to get something from the Lord for me to know what to do. But the Lord, in His wisdom and love, gave a message directly to Olivia. I wrote it down and then read it to her and talked with her.
Trevor, seeing what was going on, said "Me too!"--because he wanted to hear something from Jesus too! It was so sweet, so I set him on my lap and then Jesus talked to him too. It didn't take Olivia's problems away completely, but when she would get down again, I'd just remind her in a cheerful way about what Jesus had said, and we'd keep fighting on. It was sure lots better than us all getting bummed out together or having a rough afternoon and not knowing why! Here's what Jesus told them:
(Jesus speaking to Olivia:) Oh, My dear little bumblebee, I love thee! You fuss and you cry and don't know why, and sometimes things are hard to do, or you want to be with mommy. But I think you're going to have fun outside! Just like the sun shines outside, your eyes can light up and be happy. See, when you fuss it makes you sad and Trevor sad and Auntie Korie sad. But when you smile, it makes everyone else happy too! I love you, Olivia. I'm your good friend, Jesus. A kiss for you!
(Jesus speaking to Trevor:) Hi, Trevor! I love you! You are My special boy. I really like it when you talk to Me. Are you going to have fun outside? When you pray you can have fun. Thank you for being so happy and for loving Olivia. (End of little messages from Jesus.)
Hearing from the Lord Together about Little Decisions!
We usually go outside after snack. But one day I was thinking that maybe we could play some fun inside games instead. Usually when I offer them a choice, they make up their minds strongly about what they want to do--and most of the time they have opposite desires, so that makes it challenging! So this time I didn't ask them what they wanted to do, but instead just presented the two options and said we were going to ask Jesus what we should do. I got a quick one-line answer about playing games inside, told them that's what Jesus said we could do, and we had a blast doing it! It was great. When I tell them what Jesus says, they willingly want to do it. God bless them!
Getting Words of Encouragement from the Lord!
One day at snack I just felt like asking the Lord for anything He wanted to tell the kids. I told them I was going to do that. They sat there while I wrote down what the Lord gave me, and then I told them. Jesus said such cute little things to them! It brought smiles to their faces.
To Trevor He said: "Let your light so shine. Let Jesus shine in you. In everything you do, let Jesus shine through." (Trevor liked that 'cause it rhymed!)
To Olivia He said: "Be happy because I love you. You don't have to worry and cry, because you're My sweetie-pie." (She liked being called that cute name.)
I've been learning lots lately with them. One of my dear woman spirit helpers came to my rescue last week, out of the blue without my requesting, and talked to me lots, giving counsel, correction, guidance and lots of fun ideas of what to do with the kids. Things have been so much better since then, as before that I'd had a bit of a slump for a while. Jesus is just so wonderful!
Getting Professional Counsel When Problems Come Up!
Last week Keana and I got together to pray about a few things that had come up in Trevor's behavior. It touches my heart so deeply to see Keana's interactions with Trevor. She's so sweet and has so much love, and really shows her care for Trevor.
Keana asked the Lord the questions, and the Lord gave the messages through me. It was very inspiring to do it together. Keana's always so supportive and receptive and believing of what Jesus gives. The answers and messages the Lord gave are going to take some "doing," so Lord help us get on the ball and do what He said to do.
The questions we asked the Lord were:
1. Trevor has been imitating using guns when he sees an object shaped like one. Also, when losing his temper at Olivia he has, at times, pretended to shoot her. What should we do about this or how should we handle it? Is there anything the Lord can tell us about what makes him do it or what he's thinking?
On this question the Lord gave a beautiful answer about how Trevor needs to receive the Holy Spirit. As you know, he just recently prayed to receive Jesus in his heart, and the Lord said now he needs to learn about the fruits of the Spirit. The Lord talked about teaching him the importance of love, and about controlling his temper. He also talked about teaching Trevor how love is so much more powerful than force. The Lord gave very clear and specific instruction on how to present these things to him.
2. Trevor gets very bossy with Olivia, and yells at her to tell her what he wants her to do, trying to correct her. At times he will take it upon himself to try to swat her if he thinks she's not doing the right thing.
In response to this question the Lord showed us that he has a very strong sense of right and wrong, but that he needs to learn to have a patient and calm spirit, to work together with the other little sheep and wait for the shepherd--that he could learn to pray for Olivia, or pray for the shepherd instead of taking things into his own hands. Again the Lord gave very specific counsel on how we could help him to learn these important little lessons. The Lord also reminded us of some Word on the subject which really helped. Thank the Lord!
I love you so much, Mama, and am so thankful for this new counsel on working with the kids! The kids love it, and so do I!
Much love always,
Your Korie
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
