Karen Zerby
By MariaMaria #564 CM/FM 3343 3/00
Cover quote
Wine is a good illustration of prophecy. Just as you pour wine into a beautiful, clean glass, so I wish for you to take the time to cleanse your heart before Me and be still as I pour into you. Just as you share wine with those that you love and are close to, and it is a sign of intimacy and enjoyment, so do I wish for it to be a bonding, loving‚ caring experience as My brides hear from Me together and humbly share what they receive in the spirit of love and gentleness. Just as wine relaxes and helps you to unwind, so will My Words never fail to set your heart and mind at peace and put things in perspective, when you take the time to receive and drink them in.
To our wonderful Family,
1. God bless you! I love you! Peter and I realize that there are some complications and difficulties that arise when you go to the Lord for every question and seek His leading in prophecy throughout the day for both personal and Home matters. Some situations that come up might be quite puzzling. When you're making Home decisions‚ you might be stumped as to how much you should discuss matters, how much you should ask the Lord, and how to find a balance. There's also the possibility of confusion and even disunity as a result of the use of prophecy. You shepherds might wonder how to help people apply the personal prophecies they receive‚ and how to shepherd your flock when they're also being shepherded directly by the Lord via prophecy.
2. We knew the Lord didn't want you to lose faith or get discouraged about using prophecy on a daily basis, so we asked Him for simple answers to some of these most common questions and problems. Of course‚ these answers are not as complete as they could be, but for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the Lord has led us to keep these answers fairly brief. If you find you need more information about a certain topic or you wonder how it applies to a situation or problem that has come up in your Home, please ask the Lord! He can help fill in the gaps and give you wisdom in applying these principles.
Keep an attitude of faith about prophecy
3. In the previous parts of this series we've talked about the need to check in with the Lord whenever you have questions about the prophecies you receive. He repeatedly explains that the key to understanding His messages, as well as getting complete messages and confirmations of His will as per changing circumstances and people's choices, etc., is to keep asking Him. There is more counsel along these lines in this GN.
4. Before we go further, I would like you to read a message from the Lord about how important it is to keep an attitude of faith when you're asking Him questions about the prophecies you or others receive. Your first reaction should not be negative, doubtful or accusing, like, "Oh no, the channel got it wrong. Something's wrong. This is influenced, incomplete, etc." If you begin to look at each other critically and think negatively about each other's channels, it will cause people to feel uneasy, and the end result could be that people even lose faith to exercise their gift of prophecy. That would be very sad.
5. When you're seeking the Lord for further information, clarifications‚ confirmations, and answers to whatever questions you have about the prophecies you or others receive‚ you need to take care to demonstrate an attitude of positive expectancy and respect for the Lord's instruction. Here is more from our Lover on this subject:
6. (Jesus speaking:) The basic requirement for receiving, judging, and applying prophecy is faith—faith that I am in control, that I give My Words when you ask, and that I have all the answers; faith that I love you, that I love to speak to you, and that I have chosen to speak through frail, fallible, weak human vessels and channels like yourselves.
7. I do not look for perfection before I give My Words. I give them to whoever asks. This is important for you to remember when you are learning to use prophecy. Always come from the angle of faith, the angle of believing that I have spoken. If clarifications or additions are needed, it is in My hand to give them. But you will not receive fully or clearly if you don't keep the attitude of faith—for without faith it is impossible to please Me.
8. When someone receives a message that you have questions about, there are two ways that you can approach the situation: You can immediately assume that something is wrong with the prophecy—that the channel somehow got it wrong or was too rushed or was out of the spirit or was not desperate enough, and you can ask your questions in that critical spirit. Or, you can come before Me and each other with faith, knowing that because I have chosen to use prophecy so much in these Last Days, I am also going to help you understand and thereby overcome any difficulties you encounter. In both of these instances you're asking questions about the message, or needing further clarification‚ but can you see the difference? One attitude is seeking to criticize, find fault or place blame; the other is simply seeking to hear the additional answers that are needed.
9. Your attitude should be, "Lord, thank You so much for speaking to us with this initial message. We have a few further questions that we want to bring before You for clarification. Thank You that You're so patient with us and are always willing to answer all our questions, and thank You for so-and-so who had the faith to receive from You‚" etc.
10. If you find yourself tempted to have an accusatory attitude, or automatically assume that a prophecy is incorrect just because you don't personally like it, that's the wrong attitude. It is an attitude of faith that pleases Me and allows My Words to pour forth. Having an attitude of doubt‚ or questioning that I really spoke, or automatically assuming that because there are further questions‚ the fault must lie with the channel‚ does not please Me. While I may still answer your questions‚ beware, for you are allowing your heart to become lifted up in pride as you judge My Words in the flesh rather than in the spirit. My Words are spirit, and they must be judged in the spirit.
11. If you question the prophecy from the angle of, "This doesn't seem right; the channel must have gotten it wrong," that opens the door to doubts, criticism, familiarity, and big problems. If you're not judging it in the attitude of faith, you have the potential to discourage people from using their gift of prophecy by making them fearful. The foundation stone you must base everything upon is the belief that I speak through prophecy—so even if it sounds odd to you, or you have further questions, or things need to be clarified, you still treat prophecy as My Word, with respect and thankfulness and humility.
12. A positive attitude builds faith in My Words, faith in prophecy, faith that I will speak and that prophecy works. The negative attitude intimidates, breeds fear and disunity and accusatory feelings of wanting to place the blame. It makes people feel that prophecy doesn't work, because it causes too much trouble.
13. By opening up the subject of the requirements for being a clear channel‚ and by making it clear that some prophecies are incomplete or can even be tainted and inaccurate due to the channel not receiving clearly‚ I was by no means suggesting that this should be your first reaction when you hear a prophecy that you wonder about or don't personally like or agree with. Your first reaction should always be one of faith—thankful for the opportunity to learn from My Words, and eager to hear more. If you have further questions, the way you present them to the channel or to others makes all the difference in the world.
14. Learn a lesson from My queen. Her attitude is always, "Thank the Lord that when we don't quite understand something in prophecy, or it seems to go contrary to what we expect or think, it gives us the opportunity to come to Him and find out more about how He thinks and works, and the principles of the spirit world. He always has a good explanation when we ask Him about prophecy questions and we always learn so much." If she wonders about something, she asks Me to explain it, but always with the attitude of great faith. It is because of her faith that you, the Family, have grown in your use of prophecy. She has believed that I have chosen to speak through weak and frail vessels‚ and that I have chosen to give My Words to the meek and humble and unknowledgeable.
15. It is because of her faith that the channels of her household have grown and stretched their faith time and time again to receive things from Me. It is because of her attitude of faith that I have been able to give her so much. It is because of her great faith and asking questions in faith that she has learned the workings of prophecy, and is able to share the guidelines so clearly. It is because she has exercised her faith that you receive such wonderful revelations from Me on a regular basis.
16. If her attitude had been guarded or overly cautious or questioning in a doubtful manner, do you think her channels would have been willing to receive the things that I now give them? No. They would never have grown and exercised their channels if they had been afraid of receiving a "wrong" prophecy. But because of the queen's faith and her belief that I was able to speak through anyone who would get quiet, listen, and bare their hearts before Me, and wait with open channels, desperately asking Me to overrule their own thoughts‚ they learned and grew, and have now become wonderful channels, exercised and with greater faith themselves.
17. So you who have the responsibility of judging prophecy must be equally as prayerful and full of faith, so that you can have the right reactions and attitudes, which will minister faith unto those who are exercising their channels.
18. Prophecy is the way that I'm leading the Family. It is the way of the future; you will not survive without it. How sad it would be for one of your mates to be crippled in their service for Me because they lose the faith to receive messages, because of being condemned for a message which is incomplete. Everyone is learning, and there will be lessons. But if those lessons are treated with the attitude of faith, and you say, "Thanks for praying about it. Maybe we can go back to the Lord and see what else He has to say on this subject and what further insight He can give," then people will grow. They'll be encouraged, and they'll have faith to exercise their gifts. If the opportunities you encounter along the way to learn lessons are not treated with faith, people will become stunted in their growth, and could even give up prophesying altogether out of discouragement.
19. Beware of pride, which would seek to enter in and result in the attitude of placing blame or finding fault. Pride can cause you to reject a prophecy because you don't like the way it sounds. If you're lifted up in pride, you can be tempted to immediately feel that the channel must be at fault somehow.
20. Remember‚ prophecy is My Word. The Enemy hates it. He will try to tear down its credibility any way he can. Don't let him convince you with his lies! Keep an attitude of faith, and always be willing to come to Me in humility and let Me instruct you. The Enemy would also seek to enter with sensitivity when you have received a message that needs further clarification. Don't let him discourage you from coming back to Me time and time again. Sometimes that's what it takes! It's a fight, but it's worth it! Amen? (End of message from Jesus)
Seek the Lord before discussions to establish your thoughts
21. (Question:) In our Home we sometimes discuss something and then ask the Lord about it. Often a person's opinions are reflected in what they give in prophecy. How can I know that that is a true prophecy and not just that person's thoughts?
22. (Jesus speaking:) There are several important points to remember if you want to receive clear messages that are not influenced by your own thoughts or opinions. To begin with, you should pray before you begin to discuss that you will be open to My whispers, that you will be wise and led by Me in your discussions. Also‚ you need to be generally yielded and obedient in your life. You need to be full of My Spirit by staying close to Me in the Word, private prayer, praise, and loving Me intimately on a daily basis. You need to be open to listening to others' opinions so you can formulate well-balanced questions when you prepare to hear from Me in prophecy.
23. If you enter your discussions in this frame of mind, and you sincerely and desperately ask Me to establish your thoughts and lead your discussion, then it shouldn't surprise you if what you say and the points you bring out in your conversation are later confirmed by Me in prophecy. I was leading your conversation and laying the various options and ideas on your heart; so then, when I speak through you in prophecy, I am continuing to speak‚ but directly through prophecy instead of indirectly through your discussion.
24. You'll have to take it by faith that it's a true prophecy when someone's opinions are reflected in the message they receive in prophecy. But if you're unified, and you know each person involved in the discussion only wants My will, then you should be able to trust Me for the outcome and that what was given in prophecy was of Me.
25. If you have serious reservations, you can counsel about it privately and pray further about it. If you feel the prophecy was influenced by the person's opinions or personal emotions, then you can seek further information and confirmations. I will not allow the prophecy someone receives to cause serious problems if you'll keep coming back to Me and seeking Me each step of the way. (End of message from Jesus.)
26. (Summary of answer:) The key is to be desperate with the Lord during your times of discussion so He can lead your conversation and give His ideas through you. He is able to speak through you and establish your thoughts when you are humble and desperate for His will. Also, you need to stay close to the Lord and full of His Spirit on a daily basis if you expect your thoughts to be guided by Him, and you do this by being faithful with your Word time, private prayer, praise, and loving Him intimately. If you're open to others' opinions during your discussions, you'll be able to formulate good questions to ask the Lord. If you're all doing your best to do these things, then you can have faith that the messages you receive in prophecy will be His thoughts, not your own.
27. If you have questions about a prophecy, however‚ you are welcome to discuss it further and ask the Lord for a confirmation on the reliability of a prophecy‚ or for any further confirmations, clarifications, etc.
28. (Mama:) Also, it is often advantageous to hear from the Lord before your discussion. By doing this you will be able to know the Lord's general will, and then you can discuss it further, after which you can formulate more specific questions and get more information from the Lord. Hearing from the Lord before your discussion is not to be confused with the previous counsel in Part 2 of this series, which says, "It is beneficial, when possible, to counsel about whatever issue you're praying about, to make sure you have as much accurate information and as clear an understanding of the situation as possible." Hearing from the Lord before discussing the situation is the balance to this former counsel. The Lord will often vary the way He leads you in each situation; He will work according to people's faith‚ and hearing from Him both before and after a discussion can complement one another.
29. The initial information the Lord may give you at the beginning of a discussion might not necessarily be a "done deal." He might instead opt to give you some general guidelines and principles‚ reminders, or a few details that you hadn't thought of. The key is to keep asking the Lord every step of the way. At the end of your discussion when you pray again about the Lord's will, should He tell you something different than what He told you when you first prayed, if you have any questions or you don't understand something, go back and ask Him again. He has all the answers, He is willing to explain, and things will become clear if you keep asking Him.
30. Along similar lines, if you as a shepherd are asking someone to hear from the Lord about a matter, you need to be very prayerful about how you present the request. It's possible that if you're forceful in your presentation and make a very strong case for a particular side of the issue, it could weaken the faith of the channel to receive a message that is contrary to your leadings. That could cause the person to receive an incomplete prophecy because they feel that you expect a certain answer‚ and if they don't have the faith to give something contrary‚ then it could influence the message. As you learned in Part 2 of this series‚ such incomplete prophecies are not wrong, but obviously they're not as helpful as a message that is more complete.
31. Here is a message from the Lord, given for a shepherd who often called on one of his helpers to hear from the Lord about various matters, but the Lord explains how his explanations of the requests needed to be more prayerfully and wisely presented. Though this message was given for a shepherd, the principles and tips apply to everyone, including those who discuss matters in teamwork or Home Council meetings.
32. (Jesus speaking: ) In situations where the channel seems to be influenced and easily swayed by the opinions and thoughts that have been discussed previously, it's the shepherd's responsibility to seek Me concerning how to present the different options that need to be prayed about.
33. Some people are very powerful in their presentations and in giving their opinions. Without meaning to, they can easily give the impression that they're already convinced of what the will of the Lord is. In this case, it could make it very difficult for a channel to be completely open to whatever I would give, and they could be less desperate for My answers since they feel that the answer is a foregone conclusion.
34. Even in cases where a shepherd is correct in the opinions and feelings that he has presented, when it comes time to stop and pray and hear from Me, he must lead the way in desperately praying that I will clear their minds and thoughts of any preconceived ideas. Through his sample, the shepherd will help the others to do the same.
35. If a shepherd has wondered or felt that perhaps he's influencing someone's channel by the things he has said or the opinions that he has shared, then it's up to him to make sure that he leads the way in slowing things down and stopping long enough to make sure that a strong connection is made and a good, healthy desperation has been established in the spirit.
36. When a shepherd has a strong personality and strong opinions, the things that he says can naturally carry a lot of weight and can easily sway people's feelings. Therefore, shepherds must go out of their way—as you do, My queen—to make it very clear to those they are asking to hear from Me that they're sincerely open to whatever I lead them to do. Although you may already have a leaning concerning what should be done, you, My queen, are careful to present things in such a way that the channel knows without a doubt that you're open to whatever I have to say.
37. This forces the channel to have a healthy fear of Me and to get desperate for My answers. If it were obvious to the channel that you already were very strongly opinionated, then the channel would not be inclined to be as desperate for whatever answer I had to give, or would find it difficult to have the faith to give something contrary to your leadings. (End of message from Jesus.)
38. (Mama:) I realize that in some cases teamwork or Home Council meetings have gotten quite heated, with people pushing their opinions and trying to make a strong case for their views. And if you happen to be the most knowledgeable about something, you might feel you have to push your views even harder. Of course, it's better if discussions can be calm, with everyone presenting their views without getting forceful. But I realize that that doesn't always happen.
39. However, even if you have had a discussion where everyone or even just one person has presented a very strong "case" and a good argument for doing a certain thing or making a particular decision, each of you is responsible to loosen your tight grip on your personal opinions before hearing from the Lord. You do this by stopping‚ praying desperately, and showing that you're open to whatever the Lord wants to say. You have to take time to calm your spirit and ask the Lord to override your personal opinions. This is of utmost importance‚ so that each of you hearing from the Lord will have the faith to receive whatever He gives. If you do this, you'll have a much greater chance of getting complete, uninfluenced prophecies.
How many people should pray
about Home decisions?
40. (Question:) For a Home decision, is it enough to have just one person hear from the Lord or should there be two or three?
41. (Jesus speaking:) This is according to your faith as a Home. If it's a major decision regarding weighty matters‚ it might be wise to have several people hear from Me about it. I do not suggest that you have several people hear from Me because one person might get it wrong; that is not the case, because I'm able to give My will as clearly through one as through many. But it's likely that there will be many angles and facets that I could talk about, and through several channels opening up to Me on the subject I could give well-rounded counsel and many more details than one person would have the vacuum to receive.
42. For minor Home decisions‚ it's up to the faith of the Home as to who prays about it and how many people pray about it. For smaller, simpler decisions, it's fine to appoint one person to pray about it; for larger decisions, you might want to appoint two or three people. It's according to your faith. I will bless and reward and pour down My seeds to all who open their channel to Me in faith, humility and yieldedness. (End of message from Jesus.)
43. (Summary of answer:) It's according to your own faith as a Home, but for major decisions, if more than one person hears from the Lord you're apt to get more details, which is helpful.
How does prophecy
fit in with voting?
44. (Question: ) The Charter says we should vote on many things‚ and the majority rules on many decisions. Where does prophecy fit in? If we're voting, why hear from the Lord? Or if we're hearing from the Lord, why vote?
45. (Jesus speaking: ) The Charter was put in place before you were exercised in hearing from Me. Now that you're learning to hear more from Me about everything, you must learn how to use prophecy in conjunction with the Charter. Each individual situation will be different, but I will give you some general guidelines.
46. When a matter comes up that must be decided, it's wise to bring it to Me. The Home should agree together on the questions to ask Me and should appoint people to come before Me, or else should come before Me as a body. The answers that I give can then be shared, and many times you'll find that I place before you further pros and cons‚ and leave the final decision with you. It's rare that I tell you that you must definitely do a certain thing. I often like to work with you when making decisions. For example, when asking Me if you should organize a special outing for the Home, when you come to Me and ask Me if you should go, as you relate the pros and cons and ask Me your questions, I will answer. However, often through My voice of prophecy I will leave the final responsibility to choose up to you. In this way, I am not dictating what you should do, but working hand in hand in helping you to make your decisions. I usually point in the direction that I know would be best for you to go, but many times there is a sacrifice involved, or a commitment that you must make, or there are other options which I also give you.
47. That's where you must vote to seal your decision as a Home, to make sure that all are in agreement‚ or at least that you have the agreement of the majority of the Home. If someone doesn't agree, they're free to bring the matter up again for further prayer and a revote, but in the meantime all Home members must abide by the decision of the majority of voting members.
48. It's wise to hear from Me when deciding on matters. However, it is still necessary to vote. I am flexible and offer you different methods in how you might conduct your voting. In some cases‚ you should come to Me first, before a whole lot of discussion, to hear My counsel on the subject. The answers I give should be made available to all those involved in the decision, then all must vote, to signify the commitment, the decision that has been made.
49. At other times, you may want to gather your voting members, present the options and take a simple nonbinding vote, in order to see how people are leaning. Then you can bring the outcome of this noncommittal vote to Me and ask for My final confirmation. I will either give you the go-ahead or present you with another option or further details as to why you should consider another course of action, other than what you arrived at in your nonbinding vote. After hearing from Me in prophecy, the counsel received should be shared with the voting members of your Home and an official vote should then be taken. (End of message from Jesus.)
50. (Summary of answer:) You should hear from the Lord in prophecy about matters that need to be decided by a vote of your Home voting members. It's recommended that you decide unitedly on which questions to ask the Lord and to either appoint someone(s) to hear from Him in prophecy or have a united prayer and prophecy meeting. Then share the prophecies the Lord gives with all the voting members.
51. After taking into consideration the Lord's counsel, you are to vote on the matter, to signify the commitment and the decision that has been made. Home members must abide by the decision of the majority of the voting members. (The matter can be brought up at a later date for further prayer and a revote, if necessary or desired.)
Is it okay to question a prophecy
and pray further about it?
52. (Question:) Sometimes there are questions about a prophecy; possibly the shepherds or others don't have a peace about it, or they feel that it doesn't fit their circumstances or the way things unfold. But people are hesitant to discuss it‚ pray further about it, or take into consideration the other ways to find the Lord's will, as they don't want to voice anything contrary to what the prophecy said‚ even though everything else seems to point another way and quite a few people have questions about the prophecy. What should we do in this case?
53. (Jesus speaking:) When questions arise because of a prophecy, then you must feel free to discuss it, to counsel together. If a person or persons feel that the counsel given in a prophecy is not the full answer, or there is anything about the counsel that they wonder about or don't have a peace about, then they should feel free to speak up, and those involved should talk about it and be willing to seek Me further about the matter. In situations like this, it would be best to ask Me again. As I said in My Word, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established."
54. At times My prophets see through a glass darkly, and sometimes the message received is not always clear. So feel free to come together in prayer and discuss the prophecy, counsel together, and test the other ways to know if it is My will or not. Also, I urge you to come before Me again for clarification—and if need be, let the question be settled through the mouth of two or three witnesses.
55. If a decision is made, it's important that the Home be in unity and that there be agreement among the Home members, for in unity there is strength. I've given prophecy to you to assist you in your decision-making and to help you to find My highest will. But don't neglect the other ways—the printed Word, the open doors, the burdens, the leadings, the wise counsel—for these things are important as well. Feel free to discuss‚ to ask Me about the situation again, and to use all the ways of finding My will before you come to a final decision. (End of message from Jesus)
56. (Summary of answer:) Prophecy should be used along with the other ways to know God's will. If a prophecy affects others, then as much as possible, all concerned should be in agreement with the decision or the direction taken as per the prophecy. (Note: Or at least the majority should be in agreement if a vote is taken.) If someone does not have a peace about the instruction given in prophecy‚ that person should voice their opinion and you should discuss the matter and pray about it further to hear from the Lord in prophecy for clarification‚ or to see if He has any additional information or direction.
57. It's important that there be unity regarding putting into practice the counsel given through prophecy. Whenever there are questions or you don't feel comfortable with the direction given, you should discuss the situation, hear from the Lord again, and also consider the other ways to know God's will as confirmations.
58. (Mama:) Just because someone has heard from the Lord in prophecy does not mean that the decision or action cannot be questioned. It's perfectly acceptable, and in fact often highly recommended‚ that we go back to the Lord to receive more information in prophecy if we have reservations or questions. The Lord has made it clear that He will show us when we need to hear more from Him on a matter by either giving someone a check or by changing the circumstances to bring up some aspect of the situation that we were not aware of previously.
59. There really is no reason for anyone to be sensitive if a prophecy they received is questioned. There's nothing wrong with that. That's not bad. The Bible says, "now we see through a glass darkly," and it's not always the channel's fault.
60. The person who receives the prophecy shouldn't be embarrassed and feel sensitive and that they're being put on the spot if there are questions about the prophecy, because this should just be a normal occurrence. People should feel free to ask about prophecies, so it's best to accept the fact that there will be questions about many prophecies—not necessarily because the person who received the prophecy is a poor channel‚ but for a variety of reasons. If someone questions a prophecy or brings up other sides of the situation, that doesn't mean that the person is doubting the veracity of the prophecy or accusing the channel of getting a wrong prophecy. They just want to be sure the message is complete. Either they're being faithful to voice any checks or questions the Lord might lay on their heart, or possibly they're aware of changes or other circumstances that have come up or that need to be taken into consideration.
61. The bottom line is: If you want to avoid a lot of confusion in the use of prophecy, please realize and accept the fact that you can question prophecies and pray further about them, and no one should be afraid to do so or feel intimidated. There could very well be other sides to the question that need to be prayed about, or other factors that the Lord still wants to reveal, so He's checking someone else or giving someone uneasy feelings or changing the circumstances so you'll be motivated to hear from Him in prophecy again. If you feel uneasy about questioning a prophecy and you're not sure if your reservations are valid, you can ask the Lord! He can confirm whether what you're thinking is something important to bring up, and He'll show you how to do so, according to His will.
62. As a channel, you can get pretty shaky when you've prayed about something and feel inspired about your prophecy, and then someone brings up a potential problem with it. It can be a real downer, a wet blanket on your enthusiasm. Even worse than that, it can cause you to doubt your channel, to worry that you can't get reliable prophecies. I'm sorry about that, as I know that's a real battle, but the sooner you learn to not react like that and not entertain those negative thoughts, the more you'll progress and the happier you'll be using your gift of prophecy. Please don't take it personally or worry about it when there are questions about the messages you receive. And if you find you're being hit with discouragement or you wonder about a prophecy you received that is being prayed about further, ask the Lord about it. He can help to resolve any questions you might have.
63. The Lord leads us step by step, and when He puts reservations in someone's heart or there's a change of circumstances‚ then it's often because He has something further to say on the subject. When that happens, it doesn't reflect negatively on your channel. That's just the way the Lord works, and it shouldn't be a problem—unless, of course, you neglect to pray further, in which case you could find yourself operating on incomplete instructions, which could result in some problems, or at least cause your efforts to not be as fruitful as they could otherwise be.
Never use prophecy selfishly
or to achieve your own aims
64. (Question: ) What if a person uses their gift of prophecy to have additional power in the Home by saying, "I prayed about it," and then no one feels they can say anything or bring up other sides to the situation because that person has "heard from the Lord"? Where is the balance and how do you handle that?
65. (Jesus speaking:) A person should never try to use the gift of prophecy selfishly, to achieve his own aims. I will not bless that. I will bless unity and yieldedness and preferring one another.
66. If you receive a prophecy of personal direction that only affects yourself and no one else, you are not obligated to share that prophecy with others, but it is advisable, because then you can avail yourself of another's counsel, wisdom, discernment and help in interpretation, and you can receive any possible checks about further questions you might need to ask Me. For personal decisions that don't affect others, you're not obligated to receive the counsel of others, and if you don't, you're not in a position to be disciplined by your Home or shepherds, unless your decision is out of line with the Charter or the Word. But if you take that private stance, you may be proving yourself unwise and immature. For if you're truly seeking My will and want to walk in unison with Me‚ you will welcome counsel and you won't be afraid of seeking confirmations of the words I give you. But as you know‚ for personal decisions that affect only you, you're not obligated, under the Charter, to operate according to the prophecies that others receive for you, or even the prophecies of clarification that they receive regarding the prophecies you receive; you can operate according to your own faith.
67. But if your decisions affect others or your Home, then you must be willing to work in unity with others and be open to their counsel regarding the prophecies you receive. Even though you've heard from Me and you've received true‚ good prophecies, you're still required under the Charter to work in unison with your Home members‚ respecting the rules and regulations you've decided upon together as a Home. So you should accept the need to pray further about your prophecies at times when it is necessary. If you refuse to work in unity with others and you disregard their feelings and concerns, then you can be disciplined according to the measures allowed in the Charter.
68. You are not your own man when it comes to your gift of prophecy affecting others. You can't just "go according to your own faith" when your prophecies affect others or your Home. In that situation you must also take the faith of others into consideration and be willing to come to a united agreement with your Home members as much as possible. If you and the other members of your Home cannot unanimously agree, then you must be willing to put your decision to a Home vote, according to the rules of the Charter.
69. Decisions that affect the Home are the Home's responsibility, and if the Home wants to have further prayer about something, everyone should respect that and should be thankful for the opportunity to receive more of My counsel on a subject. If you're too insistent that you have already prayed about something and thus should proceed with it, that's a danger sign—for it shows that you are quite set on the idea, and it's likely that you're not open enough to My checks and My voice on the matter.
70. Much contention, strife, heartache and confusion can be avoided if each person walks in humility before Me and each other, seeking My will above all. If you have this humility, then you'll be willing to listen to others' counsel and opinions regarding your prophecies, and you'll have faith to hear from Me again, or to have others hear from Me about the questions that come up. You'll be willing to trust Me utterly‚ knowing that I will have My perfect will as you lay your own desires—and even your personal prophecies—at My feet.
71. Shepherds, don't hesitate to bring up your concerns if you feel a prophecy is incomplete or needs more prayer or balance. You're shirking your responsibility if you simply look the other way and say‚ "Oh well, I guess there's nothing we can do about it. He's already heard from the Lord." I've made it clear time and time again that I expect you to come back to Me if you have reservations or questions. And this counsel is not just for shepherds, but for all concerned Home members. I call you to be your brother's keepers and to share your feelings in love and humility if you see something that needs further prayer or if you receive a check from Me.
72. Humility is the key if you want to use the gift of prophecy wisely and happily. Both those who receive the prophecies as well as those who judge and help to interpret the prophecies must be humble. And the greatest manifestation of humility in this situation is to want My will above anything else, and to be willing to let go of your own plans and aspirations in order to find what I know to be best. (End of message from Jesus.)
73. (Summary of answer:) You are not to use the gift of prophecy to your own ends! The Lord blesses unity, yieldedness, and taking into consideration the feelings and needs of others.
74. If you're hearing from the Lord about a personal decision that only affects you, then you're not obligated to share the prophecy with others or seek the counsel of others; but it's wise to do so‚ in order to benefit from others' counsel and input. If the decision you're making is in line with the Word and the Charter, you can operate according to your own faith on personal decisions. You will not be disciplined by refusing the counsel of others. However, by doing so, you may show yourself to be unwise and immature, because you risk missing some important parts of the picture through lack of counsel. If others do get additional counsel in prophecy for you about a personal decision‚ you're not obligated under the Charter to apply it.
75. If you're hearing from the Lord about a decision that affects others or your Home, then you are obligated to be open to others' opinions and counsel, and to have your prophecy prayed about further—either by you or others—if need be. If you refuse to work in unity with others, then you can be disciplined according to the guidelines of the Charter. You can't just "go according to your own faith" when your decisions affect your Home or others; you must also consider and respect their faith. You must be willing to make a united decision with your Home, even if you've heard from the Lord on something. When those affected cannot agree unanimously, you should vote.
76. It's the responsibility of the shepherds and all Home members to bring up other sides to a situation. You shouldn't just drop the issue because someone "has prayed about it." Until those affected are at peace about a decision and/or there is at least a vote taken, the matter should not be ignored.
77. Humility is the key when using prophecy to make decisions. And in this case, your humility will be shown by how much you want the Lord's will above anything else.
78. (Mama: ) After reading this counsel, I pray you will not overreact and spend a lot of unnecessary time counseling about every single prophecy that affects others or your Home. If your Home teamwork and Home members are at peace with the way the Lord is leading through prophecy‚ fine. That's great. The point is simply that you're free to question prophecies that affect others or your Home, and if necessary, those prophecies can be prayed about further. Or if new factors arise‚ those factors should be taken into consideration and prayed about, if need be.
79. What we want to avoid is people exercising undue power or control in the Home through the use of prophecy. For example, if someone comes to your Home Council meeting with a topic to discuss and brings a prophecy on that topic‚ that does not mean that the prophecy cannot be questioned and the topic prayed about further after others have voiced their opinions. The person who received the original prophecy should not be sensitive.
80. Other examples might be: You're on the road on a witnessing trip. One of the team members got up early to have prayer time, and mentions at breakfast that the Lord confirmed that you should go to such-and-such a spot to witness. But then one of the other members of the team says, "Oh, did you know that last week our team was asked to leave that place by the police?" If that factor were not taken into consideration, then it'd be wise to ask the Lord again.
81. Or say someone in your Home prays about taking the young people to a movie in the theaters and the Lord says yes. But then later another person brings up that the next day is their special "consider the poor" day when the teens need to get up at 5:30 A.M., so maybe it wouldn't be the best night for them to be out late. If that factor wasn't taken into consideration, it would be good to ask the Lord for a confirmation, or to see if He has a better plan for the movie outing.
82. These types of confirmation prophecies from the Lord need not take a lot of time.
83. Now if the situation is a bigger decision‚ such as whether you're going to move out of your Home, and there are various opinions‚ then that would require more counsel, more discussion, and more prayer, because your Home should certainly be in unity on major decisions; or after praying about all the questions and factors, if you're not 100% in unity, at least you should be able to come to a vote, knowing you've taken everything into consideration and have been wise and prayerful.
84. Let me explain a situation that came up recently in our Home where the personal prophecies two people received needed further prayer because others were not at peace with the counsel given. It's not by any means that these people were trying to "control the Home" through prophecy. It was a case of their personal prophecies leading them to a decision that would not have had the best results for the overall Home. Here's the situation: Our Home members had planned a dance‚ a special event of celebration that we had all looked forward to for many weeks. Two of our SGA women wanted to do a choreographed dance, and they asked Misty‚ one of the organizers of the event, if they could use a System song. The reason they wanted to counsel about this is because our general Home policy is to not include System music in our dance nights and times of united fellowship. Misty was not familiar with the song; she listened to it and then suggested the two girls ask the Lord about it.
85. Both girls received prophecies that indicated that they could do their dance to the System song. Misty then told them, "Go according to your faith and the Lord's okay." But later she realized that there were more factors to the equation than they had previously realized, some "cons," and she felt uneasy about it.
86. She talked further with the girls, sharing the various other factors that she hadn't been aware of when she suggested they pray about it. She also pointed out the various cautions the Lord presented in their prophecies, which indicated that possibly it was something He was allowing, but that it was not His highest or best. She asked that they take it back to the Lord. Of course, this was initially disappointing to the girls, but after counseling together, they came to the conclusion that using the System song was no longer advisable. They were in unity about the decision, but they needed a clear explanation about why the Lord didn't just tell them "no" about the song right from the start, which would have been much simpler and less discouraging. One of the SGAs volunteered to ask the Lord about it.
87. (Prayer of the SGA before hearing from the Lord:) Lord, taking all the factors into consideration, and the three of us having discussed the use of this song further‚ we've already come to the conclusion that it's not the best thing, so I'm not even going to ask You that. There are questions, though‚ about why You led us at first to think it would be fine, and why the first prophecies You gave to both of us seemed to confirm that it would be fine to use this song. Could You please explain and clarify why that happened‚ and what we should learn through it?
88. In talking about it somewhat‚ it seems that part of it is that the answer we get is dependent on the question. We asked if it was okay, and asked that You would stop us if it was wrong; yet we didn't ask if it was the best. Also, part of the problem lies in that Misty wasn't aware that others had already asked about System music and had been told that we wouldn't have any, as usual. She's sweetly taken the blame for not having been more prayerful and not taking the time to think and pray more in depth about what questions to ask when praying about this the first time around.
89. What's done is done, and we did go the "long way" of praying when we didn't have the full picture of exactly what we were praying about, and thus getting our hopes up and then getting disappointed—which is sad and a bit discouraging. We know, though, that You must have some reason why You allowed this, and we want to at least be able to get some lessons out of this in order to make it a worthwhile experience, and maybe even one that can benefit others.
90. (Jesus speaking:) I would have allowed you to use this song for this performance at this party; in fact, I would still allow you to now, if you were intent and insistent upon it. It's not that evil or harmful, nor would it be spiritually disruptive in itself. However, I would also state clearly now that it is not My highest and best will.
91. If you would have asked this particular question more specifically the first time you prayed, I would have given you this specific answer. I answered you, and the words I spoke were true; yet this was a case where I limited Myself to speak only in answer to your question, in order to bring out more lessons through this experience.
92. It's easier for Me to give a more complete answer when you either ask more specific questions or you say, "Tell us whatever You have to say about this." This is a good way to do it, especially for those of you who feel you don't have a very sharp mind or sufficient logic or analyzing ability to be able to foresee and ask whatever further questions might be asked. Still, though, even if you do ask Me to give you "whatever I have to say‚" there are times when I don't give absolutely everything‚ because I want you to work together with others. I want there to be unity, counsel, and teamwork.
93. Your hearts were open, but they weren't as open as they could have been. This doesn't mean that the messages were tainted, nor does it mean that I'm displeased with you in any way, or criticizing you for a lack of yieldedness. What it does mean is that the messages could have been more complete.
94. The fault doesn't lie entirely with you girls who wanted to use the song and who prayed about it, nor with those organizing and coordinating the party for not having been more specific about the question and given the subject more thought and prayer. I allowed this incident as a learning experience, and there are several lessons that you can learn.
95. One of the main ones is what I have brought out already: It pays to ask Me specific questions—the more specific the better. And in most cases, it pays to not only state your specific question, but also to ask Me to add anything further I might have, which you would not have thought of.
96. Sometimes you think you're open to anything, and are trying to be. But often what happens is that your mind gets so full of the details, and of wanting the specific answer to a specific question, that you unwittingly clog up your mind by concentrating on that, and thus don't leave yourself fully open to receive other things that I have for you. So it helps in most cases to specifically state, mostly for your own sake, that you want not only My answer, but anything further I have to add.
97. Your human minds are limited in the amount that they can focus and concentrate on, and sometimes this can hinder you from getting the full answer. Yet it doesn't have to, because if you consciously open yourself up‚ reminding Me and reminding yourself that you want to hear everything I have to say, no matter what it is, this helps Me to be able to overcome your natural mind and its tendencies and weaknesses. I can thereby get through to you with a fuller and more complete answer.
98. Another lesson here is the importance of counsel. More counsel at various stages could have been very helpful and saved you time. You girls tried, and you did ask for counsel‚ and you wanted to go about it right, and you did well. Some of the mix-up was merely a matter of logistics and organization. Yet this is a problem that will often be encountered. Sometimes people don't communicate as clearly as they should or as soon as they should. In this case, if those who were organizing the party had communicated, and if they'd been aware of the conversations that had gone on and requests that were made, and if you'd known about this‚ it could have saved the hassle. Yet while you could say this was a mistake, you can't call it one anymore, because I'm causing it to work together for good. I'm teaching you more about how to use the gift of prophecy, how to bring your questions before Me, and how to put the answers I give into practice.
99. Another lesson is that it's good for you—and not only you two, but everyone in the Family—to learn that even after you've heard from Me‚ your decisions and their implementation need to be in counsel with others. You might think it strange that I work this way. You wonder, if I'm God and I have all the answers‚ and if I want to guide you through the gift of prophecy, then why do other people and their opinions still count so much? Well, part of the reason for this is to keep you humble and desperate.
100. If every time you heard from Me you thought you could just go ahead and do whatever I showed you, confident that it would be absolutely right, no question about it, don't you think you might get lifted up? You might get independent‚ proud, and start doing things that hurt others. Even if it's the "right" thing or an "okay" thing, I can't bless those who just hear from Me and then take that as complete license to do things that involve others without getting their consent and understanding as well.
101. If you look back at the messages I gave about this song, you'll see that while I gave My consent, I also gave cautions. Ask yourself, would you be able to truly fulfill those cautions and follow those guidelines? Would you be able to resist the temptation to go around singing this song on a day-to-day basis, now and later? Would you be able to resist the temptation, which listening to this song over and over would create in you, to want to listen to and dance to more such songs? Would you be able to resist the temptation of going on-line regularly to download more songs or lyrics for various reasons and occasions? Would you truly portray My Spirit when performing this song, and not just your own or that of the world?
102. I'm not saying that you couldn't do these things—for you could if you were desperate with Me. You're mature and prayerful, and I could help you, because you're willing to let Me. But I'm saying, and I know you realize it, that it would not be that easy, and it would take some effort. By not encouraging you to use this song, I'm in fact making things easier for you, for you'll have less temptation to resist and less to fight against.
103. It's not that listening to this song, or even to a few others, on occasion, is going to diminish or ruin your channel with Me or your spiritual health overall. Yet because this is such an important time in the Family, and for you personally—because this is the Shakeup and a time of strengthening—you can't be too vigilant or careful when it comes to System influences, especially in a situation like this where the choices you make will not only influence you personally‚ but others as well.
104. Songs like this are catchy; they wear a groove in your brain. And while there's nothing inherently harmful in this song, it makes you want more, and that's where the danger lies. For those of you who have a weakness for System music, you begin carefully, but then you just keep wanting more and more, and you get to a point where you can't stop.
105. Well, music wasn't the key issue here. You had questions about prophecy and My workings‚ yet I needed to explain further how the cautions I gave at first fit into the picture. You may not have realized the depth of those cautions, but now that you do, you'll understand why, even though it could have been a good thing, it wasn't My best thing.
106. I have something better, something that you'll feel comfortable with and more at peace about; something that others will enjoy and will find interesting and unique; something that will not raise any questions or have any potential for misunderstandings or doubt; something that will not open the door to any possible wrong outside influences. Continue seeking Me and praying, and I'll make it clear to you, and you'll be happy with the result. (End of message from Jesus.)
107. (Mama:) I realize that some of the above message was off the subject of prophecy‚ as even the Lord acknowledges, but since it has such good lessons, I wanted to include it in full. Now to go a little further off the subject, I want to tell you how the Lord fulfilled that last paragraph of prophecy in which He said He had something better for the girls and that they'd be happy with the result. They ended up doing a choreographed dance to the song "The Dancer," which was tremendous—very inspired, sexy and beautiful! Afterwards one of the girls commented, "Sometimes when the Lord tells you to do something else and says it will be 'better‚' it turns out to be better in the form of you getting a certain satisfaction from obeying the Lord. But in this case, it was better all the way around. I felt so happy about it in every way! It really was fulfilled prophecy!" Praise the Lord!
108. The Lord brings up some good points of counsel in the preceding message to help you with your use of prophecy:
•Ask specific questions.
•Leave yourself open to whatever He has to say by praying a prayer that says something like, "Tell us whatever You have to say about this."
•Counsel before praying so you'll have a good idea of what the circumstances are and what you should ask the Lord.
•Realize that even after you've heard from the Lord, you need to counsel about your decisions and their implementation with others. This helps keep you humble and desperate.
•If the Lord gives His consent for some action but He gives a number of cautions, it could be indicative of Him allowing you to do something that is okay or permissible, but not necessarily the best course of action.
The Enemy's attempts to bring division through conflicting
prophecies
109. (Question:) We've had conflicts in our Home, even division and arguments, because people have received what seem like conflicting prophecies. So we've slacked off from using prophecy. What are we doing wrong?
110. (Jesus speaking:) Simply recognize the Evil One's attempts to come in and spoil your Garden of Eden. Whenever there's division or conflict, there is pride, and there's an attack of the Enemy trying to destroy the work and the love, harmony, unity and blessings that I would give you.
111. Prophecy is a gift from Me. It's not something that you should personally try to defend. If you feel too personally defensive about a message that you've received, take a step back and remember that you should see it as My Words—and if there's a clarification needed, bring it back to Me. It's in My court to give further instruction and guidance.
112. If something conflicts, bring it back to Me immediately! Don't try to discuss and reason it out, and most of all, don't try to place blame—just ask Me about it. There will be times when a message you receive is incomplete or influenced, or even occasionally tainted. When that happens, you should praise and thank Me that I showed you, so that you could receive the further counsel or the adjustment in the counsel that I had for you. It is pride that would stand in the way of coming back to Me and seeking Me for further counsel. Whenever there's a question, simply ask Me.
113. Don't let your pride stand in the way of coming back to Me‚ either together or asking someone who's not involved to pray about it. The important thing is that everyone is open to My Spirit and willing to hear what I have to say. If that quality is lacking in your communications, then pray against pride and familiarity and the division that the Evil One would sow.
114. It's a serious thing to doubt the words that I have given. It's a great inroad of the Enemy if you become so familiar with one another that you can't believe the words that I give through others.
115. You might come up against some problems with disunity and questions that arise as a result of prophecies. You might have to resolve questions having to do with incomplete or influenced prophecies. But this need not be a serious problem or an attack on your successful use of prophecy if you humble yourselves, all of you, and seek Me for My guidance and continued instruction. I will help you to sort things out and make them right again—with Me and with one another. But beware of the spirit of pride and division that the Enemy would use to destroy My work and destroy your faith in the channels that I have given you. Be on guard against the wiles of the Evil One, and defeat him through your humility and desperation with Me. (End of message from Jesus.)
116. (Summary of answer:) The Enemy will try to use incomplete or seemingly conflicting prophecies to bring division. Watch out about this serious attack! The prophecies are not the problem; it's the disunity that is the problem.
117. Again‚ the secret to finding the Lord's will and resolving problems when there are any questions about prophecies is to ask Him for further counsel. Don't let pride and familiarity get in the way of your doing that.
118. If you get personally defensive about a prophecy you've received‚ then you should take that as a warning sign that you need to step back and be willing to put the matter back in the Lord's hands. Prophecy is the Word of the Lord and it's up to Him to clarify it through further instruction.
119. The most important thing is to find the Lord's will, so when there's a problem or question, don't analyze or try to figure it out in your mind—and definitely don't place blame or accuse one another. Ask the Lord!
120. Not only will the Enemy try to bring division, but he'll also try to get you to doubt others' channels. This is often due to familiarity, or not getting the clarifications you need.
121. If it's difficult for your Home to use prophecy because you argue and are out of unity, pray against familiarity and pride! The Lord can heal you and deliver you, and He definitely wants to, especially if it's getting in the way of your asking Him everything!
122. (Mama: ) If you all realize that there will be influenced and incomplete prophecies, and upon rare occasions even tainted prophecies, then you'll see that you don't need to get upset or defensive if a message you receive from the Lord needs some clarification or amplification, or if some other factors in the equation need to be prayed about further in order to get the Lord's full counsel.
123. If you have questions about any prophecies that affect you personally or your Home, ask your shepherd about them. Don't just worry about them or take a negative stance that there's something wrong with the prophecy. Counsel and pray further about it. But counsel with the right people; don't accuse others or complain about things with your friends. That won't solve the problem but will instead cause more confusion and resentment.
Prophecy can bear good fruit
or bad fruit, depending on
how you use it
124. (Question:) Prophecy can do a lot of good, but it seems it can also cause a lot of harm. The way some people are using prophecy is resulting in confusion, misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and even a lack of faith in prophecy or its use. What can a Home do to benefit from the use of prophecy while minimizing the problems that can be caused by its misuse?
125. (Jesus speaking:) The gift of prophecy is one of the most important and powerful gifts that I've given you. It's important because you need it to get the direction that will guide you through these Last Days. It's powerful because you're tapping into the very reservoirs of the Most High, and receiving Words directly from My mouth, or by means of your spirit helpers.
126. But power can be used for good or for bad. It's not enough to only have the gift of prophecy; you must learn how to use it wisely. It must be used in humility, not to lift yourself up or promote your own plan or program. It must be used to unite you with your brethren‚ to bring you closer together and closer to Me as you seek My face together.
127. The gift of prophecy is like a strong sword. Those who wield it can use it to cut through the lies and confusion of the Enemy, to remove the mist of darkness that clouds the way ahead‚ and thus make your direction clear. It can be used to cut off the chains of discouragement and bitterness that envelop the hearts of some. It can be used to give strength and courage to those who are faltering in their battle with the Evil One or against their own sins and shortcomings. It can be used for much good and much strength, and for this purpose I have given it to you.
128. However, if wielded unwisely, this sword can also hurt, cut, and wound. If not used in My Spirit, it can cause disunity rather than unity, discouragement rather than encouragement, doubt rather than faith. If wielded in a spirit of pride, one channel thinking he is better than others or that he has a closer connection with Me than others‚ it will foster disunity and bear bad fruit.
129. There must be a yieldedness to Me and to My will in all humility, forsaking your own plans and programs, your own will. Only then will the waters be clean and the message be pure. If you're full of yourselves, pushing your own plans and seeking to use prophecy as a rubber stamp for your program and to add weight to your words, then the waters will be influenced. There is a possibility that the waters could even be tainted, because your heart is not right with Me.
130. Look at the fruit of your prophesying. Does it engender unity in the Home? Does it bring you closer to your brethren, or does it pull you further apart?
131. The Words that I've given you may be very good and true‚ and pure waters, but are you presenting them in the right spirit, in a spirit of love and humility? Or are you going forth in pride, feeling that you're the oracles of God and that others must listen?
132. Moses‚ My servant, who heard My voice and even saw Me as no other man did, walked in humility in delivering My Words. It was said that he was the meekest of all men. Are you who hear My voice meek? Do you seek My face and ask for My Words‚ not to further your own agenda or to add more weight to your opinion in your discussions with your brethren, but with a true desire to know My will?
133. This gift must be used wisely‚ or instead of healing and instructing, it will hurt and cause confusion. It must be used with love and humility. Prophecy can bear the best fruit only when the channels come before Me in desperation and openness, asking Me to override their personal feelings. Then I use it for good. Then will the waters be pure and refresh the people. Then will those who receive go forth in humility to share it with others who are thirsty.
134. This is an important gift that I'm pouring out upon all My children, for all need it. But wield this sword in love, in humility, preferring one another. Remember that love is the most important thing. Love is above all. Let all your things be done with love. (End of message from Jesus.)
135. (Dad speaking: ) I've always said that prophecy is a fire, and that it can lead to some wildfire too—fires that get out of hand and burn people and destroy things, instead of being a source of warmth and heat. The Enemy would love to get in through some unyielded channels. He would want the Family to misuse this gift, and thereby cause people to doubt and to lose faith in prophecy, or to be hurt by it and not want to use it anymore.
136. Homes need to correct people who aren't bearing good fruit in their use of prophecy. You can't just let it go if it's causing problems, hurting people‚ and causing disunity, etc. Maybe if someone isn't yielded to the Lord and is causing problems for everyone else in the Home, then you should seek the Lord to see whether you should ask that person to give their gift a rest and instead spend time tanking up on the Word and getting their channel cleaned out.
137. The Word is the key. If people don't take time in the Word and get cleansed spiritually‚ shedding the weights and sins that do so easily beset them, then their channel will start accumulating junk and get dirty, which could negatively affect the messages they receive. Of course, the Lord can still get through to them, but there's more of a chance of their not receiving a complete message, or of the message being influenced in some way, or even occasionally being tainted.
138. It's a delicate situation; we want to encourage people to use their gift of prophecy as much as possible, but there also needs to be great humility, love‚ and desperation when people use this gift. Prophesying in public, or getting prophecies that affect others or the Home, is a very serious responsibility. It's not to be done lightly, and people need to understand how weighty it is and what a serious matter it is.
139. Passing on the Words of the Lord is a heavy commission. The Lord is entrusting this gift to everyone in the Family because He knows that you all need it for yourselves and your Homes, especially in the Last Days when you might not have anyone else to counsel with or get help from but the Lord Himself through prophecy. One reason the Lord hasn't given this gift to more people down through history is because it's a very serious responsibility, and not everyone is able to handle it right. But He's trying to teach the Family how to do it right!
140. As the Lord said in His message‚ love is the most important thing! You can have the gift of prophecy, but if you don't have love, it profits you nothing. Without love it's nothing. (End of message from Dad.)
141. (Summary of answer:) Prophecy can bear good fruit or bad fruit, depending on how you use it. It can promote unity, encouragement, healing, instruction and faith; or it can promote division‚ discouragement, hurt‚ confusion and doubt.
142. To make sure your prophesying bears good fruit, you need humility‚ meekness‚ yieldedness to the Lord, and a desire to know His will.
143. It's wrong to use prophecy to get your way or add weight to your ideas. Such motives could cause your prophecies to be influenced or even tainted.
144. To speak the Lord's Words in prophecy is an awesome responsibility. That should make you fear the Lord and be humble, lest you hurt someone or lead someone astray.
145. If someone's use of prophecy is hurting others, then the shepherds need to pray about it. Possibly, if the Lord confirms the need, that person should refrain for a time from prophesying publicly or getting prophecies that affect others or the Home.
146. Again Dad reminds us of the importance of faithful daily Word time, to keep our channels clean.
147. Without love it's nothing. If you aren't acting in love, your prophesying will not bear the fruit the Lord wants.
148. (Mama:) Please pay special attention to this important point that hasn't been emphasized so clearly before: Love is the key! That means loving the Lord more than anything, loving others and wanting to do everything possible to not hurt or stumble them, having love and meekness when presenting your prophecies to others, having enough love to ask the Lord for further clarification if you or others have any questions. Ask the Lord for love!
Be wise and make prophecy work for you, not against you!
149. (Question:) Problems come up when people spend too much time getting personal prophecies. Also, it's a problem when people get prophecies that affect the Home without being asked to, or they're not willing to share those prophecies with those affected. This really bothers the rest of the Home. What is the balance?
150. (Dad speaking: ) The Lord is emphasizing prayer and prophecy, but He expects you to be prayerful about how you hear from Him. You need to consider when you do it, how long you do it‚ where you do it, and all those kinds of things, because it affects the rest of your Home. It's part of your responsibility and duty to the Lord to hear from Him, but along with that comes the responsibility to do all things in love and with consideration for others.
151. I know you want to have time to hear from the Lord for your personal situations and questions, and that's important. But you can't do that to the hurt or inconvenience of your Home or others. In some ways, your personal prayer and prophecy will have to be done during your free time or private devotions time—either early in the morning or whenever you can find a few minutes of quiet time.
152. You can't impose your personal prophecy needs and schedule on your Home. That just won't work. You can't be saying, "Oh, sorry, I can't take the kids right now. I have to hear from the Lord." Or‚ "I can't go witnessing just yet because I have to hear from the Lord." If you want to have personal prophecy time, which is a good idea, of course, then you'd better find a way to do it before or after your responsibilities to the Home, unless you get special permission on rare and needed occasions.
153. Also, if you're going to be asking the Lord about things that affect others or your Home, you need to do so in counsel and communication with your shepherds. That's just being wise and prudent. For one thing, if you impose your prophecies of instruction or guidance on others without counseling and when they haven't asked for them‚ they probably won't be too open to them. Also, if you pray about matters without counseling, you probably won't know all sides to the question and therefore might not receive a well-rounded or complete message.
154. So the points to keep in mind are:
155. Be wise and make prophecy work for you, not against you‚ by respecting the Home schedule, not neglecting your Home responsibilities‚ counseling when needed before asking the Lord about something, and being open‚ honest, and humble with your shepherds and those affected by your prophecies. (End of message from Dad.)
156. (Summary of answer:) If you're hearing from the Lord about a personal matter, you'll need to do that when you have free time, or as part of your private Word time. You can't neglect your Home responsibilities or ministry, nor can you expect the Home schedule to adapt according to your need to have personal prophecy time.
157. It is beneficial to share any significant personal prophecies with your shepherds for the sake of open communication and so you can get any further help or counsel from them.
158. If you're going to hear from the Lord about a matter affecting others or the Home, you'll usually be asked to do so by the teamwork. If you volunteer to do so, then counsel first with your shepherds or those involved. On the occasion where the Lord does punch through during your prayer times with an unsolicited message for your Home or someone else, it is important to share this message with your shepherds first, before sharing it with others.
159. You're obligated to share any prophecies that affect others or your Home with your shepherds first, so they can help with their interpretation and implementation. They might also have further related questions to ask the Lord. They can then present the prophecies to the Home or those involved‚ which opens the floor to further counsel, questions‚ discussion, and possibly going back to the Lord for more clarification.
160. If you have received prophecies that could affect your Home or others' personal lives, you should not talk about those prophecies or even drop little hints here and there which would imply that you know something that others don't know. People really don't like that. Such prophecies would need to be prayerfully shared at the right time with the people who would be affected by them. (You are, however, free to talk about your personal prophecies which only affect you, as you wish.)
n Additional reading:
161. (Dad speaking:) The Lord might give one person the message, but it doesn't necessarily mean that He will also give that same person the gift of interpretation for that message. He might, and often He will, but sometimes He wants to give someone else the gift of interpretation. He might use other people to fully understand the message in more detail‚ or He might speak to other people about the message and bring up further questions that need answers or further clarification.
162. It's just wise and considerate‚ when it's going to affect the Home situation and other people, to include the other Home members in your decisions and prayers, and to counsel together when possible about what you're going to be praying about. Then come back to the Home members involved and let them know what the Lord said, and humbly listen to them and seek their counsel about it and what they feel about it—whether they feel further prayer is needed on the subject or they have suggestions on how you can implement what the Lord has shown you. If people have been brought into counsel and know what's going on, it will help to avoid friction along the way with people feeling left out, frustrated, or confused. (End of message from Dad.)
How much does the Lord want people to shepherd themselves?
163. (Question:) How much does the Lord really mean that He wants people to shepherd themselves? Where is the balance? How do you know how much you should get from the Lord and how much you should involve your shepherds? How worried should someone be that they would get tripped off if they're just being shepherded by the Lord if they don't have immediate shepherds?
164. (Dad speaking:) Everyone is being shepherded by the Lord in this new day through the Word and through direct personal prophecy. Your shepherds are being shepherded by the Lord, and the Lord expects everyone to learn to receive His shepherding much more in their personal lives by tuning in to His voice of prophecy.
165. But there's also a balance in hearing from the Lord all the time for yourself and your own shepherding, and using your earthly shepherds to help you stay on track. The Lord still works through your earthly shepherds. He uses your earthly shepherds to help you until you become spiritually strong enough to be able to be shepherded mainly by the Lord Himself. The Lord will use your earthly shepherds to teach you how to receive your shepherding from Him step by step.
166. You should share any significant personal prophecies with your shepherds. You might have to ask them to receive confirmations about things, to pray further about things. You might have to counsel with them and ask for their help in showing you if you're on the right track‚ if you're doing everything the Lord is showing you‚ if you're interpreting prophecy correctly and applying it correctly.
167. Receiving the messages in prophecy is the first step‚ but it takes time to learn to interpret them, study them, understand them‚ and then implement them and do the things the Lord is saying.
168. Some people can get off track if they depend solely on the personal messages they receive from the Lord for their shepherding and never discuss them with their earthly shepherds. Not because the Lord can't shepherd them like He promises, or tell them what they need to know, but because pride, independence, laziness, lack of faith, the cares of this life‚ and all those human weaknesses can tend to enter the picture when it comes to interpreting the messages. So it really pays to seek counsel and confirmations and further prayer from your shepherds, to make sure you're staying on the right track.
169. The Lord can tell you what you need and give you the right counsel for your personal situation‚ but humans tend to be a bit cafeteria-style and extreme in what they choose to obey. If you tend to only implement the things you like and you ignore other important parts of the message, you can get a little off track. That's where your shepherds can gently help you and keep you on track.
170. Sometimes if you have no one else around to counsel with, no shepherd, no other spiritually strong person who you feel you can confide in, then the Lord will keep you on track and shepherd you personally for as long as needed, if you stay desperate. It's not that people can't be shepherded by the Lord alone; sometimes there will be situations where you will have to be shepherded by Him alone. But generally speaking it's wiser and safer, considering human weaknesses, to counsel with others about your personal prophecies and the personal shepherding you're receiving from Jesus.
171. Jesus won't make mistakes in your shepherding. He won't give you the wrong counsel, but you might need help understanding it, interpreting it, and applying it correctly. So it's generally a good idea to share your personal prophecies with your shepherds and ask for their counsel and insight. The time will come when you won't have that opportunity and blessing to counsel with others so easily, and you'll have to depend much more on your personal connection with Jesus, so use these days now to learn how to be shepherded by Him. (End of message from Dad.)
172. (Summary of answer:) If you want to be wise and stay on track, seek the Lord for His personal guidance in prophecy, but also communicate with your earthly shepherds so you can receive their counsel and balance and instruction to help you interpret and apply the prophecies you receive. It's human nature to obey the things that are easy or that go along with your plan or preferences, while perhaps ignoring other important aspects of the Lord's will.
173. If there's no one to help shepherd you, the Lord will keep you on track, if you're desperate and open. But usually, if at all possible, it's wiser and safer to also stay open to help from your earthly shepherds and not just rely on the Lord's shepherding through your personal prophecies.
174. (Mama:) Your shepherds are responsible under the Charter to counsel and direct you‚ and that includes helping you understand and apply the personal prophecies you receive, which sometimes includes their seeking confirmations and further instruction or details about the Lord's counsel for you. You're not obligated under the Charter to act on prophecies that others receive for you‚ but if you're humble and desperate for the Lord's will, you should give very prayerful and serious consideration to the counsel your shepherds receive for you from the Lord.
n Additional reading:
175. A situation came up in which a young person's gift of prophecy, which is normally reliable, became a little clouded when she asked the Lord about some personal free time activities that she wanted to engage in with her friends during some days off. Following is part of the message of explanation that the Lord gave when she asked how and why she got a little off track. You'll see that a lot of the problem had to do with her not counseling with her shepherds or listening sufficiently to others.
176. (Jesus speaking: ) Because you felt you were doing the right thing, you missed the warning signs that were flashing before your eyes, for your vision was clouded. But, Sweetheart‚ the warning signs were there all along the way, and in the future you must watch for them. Here are some of those signs:
•You ceased to counsel with your shepherds.
•You ceased to have others confirm what your leading was (others who were not directly involved in your circumstances).
•Your ears became dull to the checks of others.
•Your eyes were not clearly searching for things other than what you personally felt.
•Your spirit became dulled to those around you.
•You became more deeply engrossed in pleasing yourself and those you wanted to please.
177. I say these things not to discourage you, but so that you might be forewarned, so this doesn't occur again. These are signs to you that you need help‚ and in the future when you see them arising‚ you can quickly and easily receive help, so that you don't end up on the wrong road.
178. You became dulled in your spiritual senses, but I also saw that you tried at times to do the right thing. The problem was that your will was not strong enough to follow through when I gave you checks. You wanted to do right; you wanted to do the selfless thing, but you eventually yielded to the other and went your own way. I'm not saying that you never tried; I know you did. But, My love, you weren't strong enough to fight these things on your own and you didn't seek Me to help you, but rather flowed with the easy way‚ the lazy way, the way of the flesh.
179. You missed several important factors: counseling with your shepherds, having others confirm your leadings, and truly doing it in My Spirit. I know you tried, and you tried to hear from Me, but, My love‚ your ears were dull and your heart was full of your ways and what you felt was the best. Because of this, I couldn't clearly reveal to you that you were not heading in the right direction. It's as when someone speaks to you; if you don't listen clearly with an open mind and with the desire to follow fully, then you won't hear what they say to you. Instead, you only hear either what you want them to say or what you think they've said, and their message to you is misinterpreted.
180. This is a simple way for Me to explain to you why you could get so far astray, when you thought you were hearing from Me. My love, had you gotten more counsel from others, had you double-checked some of your leadings, you would have found a better balance and you would have headed in the right direction. But because you've been operating independently, feeling like you only needed to talk to Me and get Me to give My stamp of approval on all you were doing, I couldn't get through to you. You didn't give Me the leeway to give you the clear sound of the trumpet, because the volume of your own thoughts and ways was much too loud.
181. The case here was that you didn't give Me the full opening in your heart and spirit to give you My full counsel, so I simply had to give you some allowance to do that which you were intent upon doing already. I love you as both a Father and as a Husband, and it pains Me to deny you what you so desperately want; but in allowing you to indulge in whatever your heart desired, I also allowed you to experience the leanness to your soul that it brought. I do not hammer you on the head‚ denying you everything that I know is not the best for you, but sometimes‚ if you persist in things, I allow it, just to allow you to find out for yourself what you should have done.
182. My love, I tried to show you signposts along the way, but time after time you walked in your own way and I wasn't able to fully get through. I know you received many of My checks, but you just didn't follow through on them. You allowed the Enemy to snatch them away with excuses and reasons why you didn't have to do things, and you deluded yourself to the point where you felt that what you were doing was more important than the checks you were receiving.
183. I'm sorry to spell it out for you so clearly, but I don't do it in punishment. I do it so you might see clearly how you got off track, so you might be forewarned and more easily stay on track in the future.
184. My love‚ you do well to seek Me, but My caution to you is to be open to the counsel of others, your shepherds, so that they might help to check you and that you might then receive their checks and be willing to obey them. This is the key to staying on track.
185. You've been a rather independent little sheep in the last months, and this has not borne the best fruit. You're a sheep that needs shepherding‚ and you know this, and this is your safeguard. You must stay in touch and pass on what I'm showing you with an openness to know whether it's clearly from Me‚ or whether you've slipped through allowing your own spirit to interfere with My signals. This is a simple thing that all must do. All who hear from Me must be willing to be open to the counsel and shepherding of others.
186. It has been your own carnal mind, your own independent spirit that has put the debris in your channel‚ but it is easily cleared away, washed away. You can remain a clear channel without fear of being "off" if you follow My safeguards. You feel you've failed in using My weapon of prophecy, but you've only used it improperly, and now I've instructed you in the proper usage and you can once again shoot away. Your aim is still great and you're a sharpshooter, once you have your weapon all cleaned up and your vision cleared. This is not a permanent handicap; it just needs a clean-up, and will be fit for My use as soon as you get things straightened out a bit. (End of message from Jesus)
Your attitude toward
your gift of prophecy
187. (Question:) Can having the gift of prophecy minister to a person's pride? What attitude should a channel have about their gift?
188. (Dad speaking: ) When it comes to the gift of prophecy, there's potential for some proud people to get even more lifted up in pride, and that's a problem. Receiving prophecy can minister to people's pride if they're not wise, if they're not fighting to stay humble and desperate. The Enemy uses pride more than anything else when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit. It's a sure downfall to let yourself get tripped off with pride, thinking that your gift of prophecy is so great, and that because your gift of prophecy is so good, that must mean that you're pretty good, too.
189. The Lord will only allow people to have an outstanding gift of the Spirit if they're humble and use it wisely and give Him all the glory. He can't trust anyone with an outstanding gift of the Spirit‚ such as miracles, healing‚ or prophesying, if they don't give Him all the glory and credit. He won't allow that gift to continue if it ministers to their spiritual pride and they start to exalt themselves, forgetting that they're nothing without the power of God working through them. I've seen it happen to people who thought they were something great, doing a great work, were better than anyone else—the Lord had to take them down and get their bad sample out of the way.
190. The Lord is the One Who speaks in prophecy; He's the One Who causes you to hear anything. The only reason a channel receives anything is because God chooses to give it. The only reason a channel gets a short or long message, a flowing message, or a supernatural answer, is because God decided to give it at that time and in that way. He knows best, and He knows what He's doing, and you need to thank Him for it and give Him all the glory.
191. If you can't understand that or recognize it, then you'd better get very desperate and cry out to the Lord to show you how nothing you are. If you really cherish your gift of prophecy, you'd better give God all the glory for it, and don't give yourself one speck of credit.
192. You can receive beautiful, flowing prophecy, but it doesn't mean you're a better channel than someone else who only receives a few words. You have to really believe that‚ because if you don't, you're headed for a fall. The pride of man brings him low. Pride comes before destruction. (End of message from Dad)
193. (Summary of answer:) Stay humble! That's how to avoid becoming proud, self-righteous‚ or critical of others as a result of your gift of prophecy! How do you stay humble?—By fully accepting in your heart that your gift is from the Lord and has nothing to do with your personal greatness. It's a gift, period. And next‚ give the Lord all the glory. Don't take even one speck of glory or credit to yourself. Pray very desperately and repeatedly for the Lord to keep you from getting proud. Also, don't compare your prophecies with someone else's and think how much better yours are. Prophecies come from God and He chooses when to give a long or short message, an obviously supernatural or a seemingly "ordinary" message. It's not you; it's God!
Don't let your gift of prophecy
minister to your pride
194. (Question:) The Lord pours out lots of words of love, encouragement and praise in prophecy. But if someone allows what the Lord says about them to minister to their pride, they can start to get self-righteous and critical and think they're better than others. How can we avoid this?
195. (Dad speaking:) An important key for you who receive personal prophecies of encouragement and praise for yourselves is to realize that this doesn't mean you're better than others. The Lord has so much love for all of His children, and He speaks words of love and praise to all of His brides. The Lord knows that we need lots of encouragement, lots of praise and understanding and compassion, and He delights to give us His love. And when the Lord speaks to you as His intimate bride, He can really thrill you with wonderful, tremendous words of praise and adoration. It's very sincere and real. I don't want to minimize the power of those precious words, but I also want to remind you that He speaks words of love to all His brides. It doesn't mean that any one of His brides is better than another, or that He loves one more than another.
196. He means His words of love and adoration to each of His brides. But if He sees that those words, the beautiful gift of prophecy that He's entrusting you with, minister to your pride and go to your head and cause you to be lifted up in pride to where you criticize others and begin to think you're better than others, then He might have to bring you low to teach you that it's nothing of yourself. When it comes to spiritual gifts‚ I can't emphasize enough how important it is to be humble.
197. If you or your shepherds notice that the messages of encouragement that you get from the Lord are going to your head‚ that you're starting to act self-righteous or holier than thou, you should get help. You don't want to obstruct your spiritual gifts just because of your pride. And if your pride has gotten so bad that you can't even accept help from your shepherds, then you can know you're in very bad spiritual shape and you should get very desperate for a change of heart and for a complete deliverance from pride. (End of message from Dad.)
198. (Summary of answer:) The Lord says wonderful words of praise and encouragement to all His brides. Those words are true, and the Lord is totally sincere, but those words don't mean you're better than others. Pray desperately to stay humble! If you find you're getting proud or critical of others, get help and prayer from your shepherds.
Using prophecy in shepherding
199. (Question:) How can you most effectively use prophecy when shepherding others? And how can a shepherd not be affected negatively when the Lord explains someone's problems?
200. (Jesus speaking:) The key is in learning to apply prophecy. I will give counsel on what needs to be done, or I will give spiritual insight about a person's problems or weak areas. But a very wise and careful shepherd will stop and think about the counsel and ponder the best way to bring about that counsel in order to reach the goal. A wise people-handler will not allow the insight I give about a person's weaknesses to cause them to move too fast or to overreact out of frustration. In other words, even if I show you a person's weaknesses and how those weaknesses have caused problems, that doesn't give you an excuse, based on the information you received in prophecy‚ to handle the situation in a way that would be hurtful to the person.
201. If you want to be Spirit-led and a successful people-handler, you have to learn to take the information I give in prophecy about a person's problems and tuck that away safely and securely in your heart‚ and not let it affect your daily interaction with that person, or cause you to interact or work with that person in a way that is less respectful, less patient, or less loving.
202. I might tell you in prophecy that a person is proud and sensitive and needs to change. But that doesn't mean that you should then be forceful or fast or unkind in any way in your interaction with that person. If anything, that spiritual insight should cause you to act with more love and understanding, showing a large measure of love and care for those who are having problems.
203. If I tell you that someone is proud and needs to learn to yield, it's your responsibility to pray about how to best reach that goal. That's the question that I would expect a wise and patient shepherd to ponder and ask Me about.
204. I can plainly tell you about the problems of those in your care. I can outline where they've gone astray, where they're failing to uphold the standard, where they need to improve. But I tell you that so you can pray more knowledgeably for them, seek Me for messages of encouragement and instruction for them, and consider how to best work around those weaknesses so you can maintain unity and give them the time, instruction, input, counsel and motivation they need to improve.
205. When I show My shepherds intimate details of the heart of one of their sheep‚ it's not so they will take that information and use it against the person who is presently having a problem. It's not so the shepherds will feel justified in being harsh or hard or pushing through their own way. I show the needs of the flock to My shepherds so they will be moved with compassion—so they'll see the struggles, the difficulties‚ and the weaknesses, and then do all they can to bind up the wounds and make the way easier for the weaker sheep. (End of message from Jesus.)
206. (Summary of answer: ) If the Lord tells you about a person's problems‚ weaknesses or mistakes, He does so in hopes that through that information you will be a better, wiser, and more loving shepherd of that person. You should not allow that analysis of the person's problems to cause you to hurt them by being impatient, frustrated, or disrespectful.
207. When the Lord shows you the inner workings of someone's spirit, mind or heart, that is very private‚ delicate information that should be treated very carefully. Knowing a person's weaknesses should make you more loving and understanding. And if you take the time to think and pray about it, that insight should help you to pray more knowledgeably for the person‚ hear from the Lord more specifically for the person, and find a way to work with them so it will be easier for them to improve and reach their goals.
208. (Mama:) When you shepherds are privy to the Lord's spiritual analysis of someone, that is very personal information which should not be shared with those who are not directly involved or who do not absolutely need to know. If you're loving and humble, you'll also be very careful, prayerful, and gentle when implementing any suggestions the Lord gives in prophecy. It's good to counsel with your teamworkers and not just blindly take off on some tangent because you've heard from the Lord. Remember‚ you might not have the whole story, and in your zealousness to right some wrong or set someone straight‚ you might hurt the person deeply.
209. If you or your teamworkers have any reservations whatsoever about something the Lord says to do or how the Lord says to handle a problem or approach a person, pray further about it. Don't rush, and thereby risk making mistakes.
210. Always remember, dear shepherds‚ that the Lord shows you people's problems so you can help them, not so you'll get self–righteous and critical! Even if the Lord speaks bluntly or strongly about the problems someone has or is causing‚ you're not to take that same blunt or forceful tack when actually talking with or working with the individual in question. You should be mature enough to benefit from the information the Lord gives in prophecy, but still maintain a loving‚ patient, understanding approach when passing it on or acting on it.
211. The Lord might give you a prophecy about someone's problems or spiritual condition in strong forceful language, or use shocking word pictures or analogies, for the purpose of stirring you up so you'll realize the seriousness of the problem. But you can't react to that kind of message with the intensity with which it is given. In order to know how to react in the right way, you have to desperately pray. No matter what the Lord says about someone's problems, our actions toward the person shouldn't change; the love, the warmth we show him or her shouldn't change.
212. The Lord or Dad might give messages about someone privately to the shepherds in a very strong way, but the person may not even realize how serious the problem is, and if he were told in that way, it might be too much for him. But at times the Lord has to give a strong message to get us shepherds stirred up enough to realize that we've got to pray and do something to help the person.
Using prophecy with illness,
accidents, or life-and-death
situations
213. A situation came to my attention that I asked the Lord further about. It involved an FGA man in one of our WS units who suddenly became very ill. The Lord used the circumstances of that dear one's illness and the prophecy of instruction that was given to cause me to ask the Lord for further guidelines about how to use prophecy in emergencies.
214. In this particular situation, the man was in a lot of pain. He was unable to urinate. Someone in the Home received a prophecy that indicated that the problem was "a little pebble that obstructed the flow of his fluids." The Lord explained that this man's condition could become very serious and He instructed those of his Home to pray for him, anointing him with oil, etc. It was also clear in the prophecy that the sick person could seek medical help if he felt the need, and that the doctors would suggest complicated medical treatment, possibly surgery. It was quite a detailed prophecy that promised that before evening he would find relief.
215. By late afternoon, the man was in tremendous pain. Thankfully, the shepherd of the Home had made tentative arrangements with a doctor earlier in the day, just in case they needed to seek medical help. Since the man was not improving but seemed to be getting worse, they went back to the Lord for further counsel, and at that time He indicated clearly to take him to the doctor.
216. The doctor drained his bladder, which was nearly at the point of bursting, so he did "find relief before evening," but it certainly was not in the way they had expected. Our dear brother was diagnosed as having an enlarged prostate that was closing off the urethra‚ and the doctor suggested surgery.
217. When asking the Lord for a confirmation about the doctor's advice and diagnosis, the Lord explained that the first prophecy was not wrong, that there was indeed a pebble or a stone blocking the way, but that that was not the primary cause of the problem. The main problem was indeed the prostate.
218. The man went on to have an operation and has now recovered fully, thank the Lord! When we asked the Lord for more counsel about using prophecy in relation to illnesses or life–and-death situations, He gave us the following very important principles.
219. (Jesus speaking:) It is a serious matter to call on Me for words of counsel regarding emergencies, health problems, accidents and illnesses. I'm showing not only how extremely desperate the channel must be to receive a full, complete, pure prophecy, but also how Spirit-led and open those must be who seek to shepherd and care for their sheep or children with the use of prophecy.
220. My brides must take utmost care when they come to Me to hear from Me in prophecy that they be not filled with their own preconceived ideas. They must stir themselves up in desperation and the fear of Me before opening their mouths to receive My Words. They must take time to calm their spirits, to free their minds of distractions and the cares of this world. They can't hurry and rush; they can't come to Me confused and frustrated, wanting to quickly get from Me what they need, but without taking the time to seek Me in fear and trembling‚ with awesome respect for the tremendous responsibility that it is to speak My Words.
221. If someone were to come to Me without proper respect for prophecy, without the fear of Me and a realization of the grave responsibility; if someone were to take it lightly or be lifted up in pride, then it would be possible to receive incomplete or even misleading prophecies, which are difficult to interpret or apply. I am able to answer the questions of My children in any situation. The fault or lack is never with Me, but there are many things that could negatively affect the reception of My clear, pure Words. So I must allow situations to come up to teach you‚ to open your eyes to potential problems, to warn you of possible harm, and to lead you in how to teach and train your flocks.
222. I've allowed this exact prophecy to be given to show you the dangers that could come about if people were to follow prophecy blindly, if they were to take the words of prophecy exactly as they are given and not balance them with counsel, common sense, and reason. This prophecy was a true prophecy, but incomplete. The shepherds, however, had wisdom and followed Me.
223. I allowed these circumstances to come to your attention, knowing you would ask Me further about it, and I could thereby warn you of the extremes to which some might go if they're not instructed in the ways of wisdom and prayerfulness. Unwise use of prophecy could cause a huge and damaging backlash‚ if not checked and prevented. I've allowed you to see what could happen as a result of an incomplete prophecy, one that can easily be misunderstood and misapplied, and how easy it would be for people to carry on in pride‚ not wanting to appear to be "wrong" and not wanting to seek other counsel.
224. The Family must be warned about such life-and-death situations. They need to see how to use prophecy with wisdom, how and when to seek professional advice, how to come back to Me to check and recheck, how to be set free from the bondage of legalism that would cause them to cling to a prophecy even if it seems that the fulfillment is lacking and the promises are wanting.
225. If the Family is not warned about the dangers of going by prophecy alone‚ especially in the case of inexperienced channels and shepherds, then you may have extreme situations on your hands, even deaths. This could be terribly sad for the one involved, who could suffer and possibly die before their time due to the misuse of prophecy in this way; not to mention the tragic loss it would be for loved ones. In addition, it could cause no end of problems in the Family‚ as well as legally and in the media. I don't want the Family to suffer such inroads of the Enemy due to ignorance or a misuse of prophecy.
226. This is no light thing, and is a matter that must be made extremely clear to the Family. It's one thing when they ask Me about personal matters, or matters such as their outreach, their business decisions such as which house to rent, or about the activities of their Home and members. There's much flexibility there, and even if they miss some details, there's not much room for serious damage to their lives and work, at least nothing as serious as when praying about health‚ sickness and accidents. I chose to use this experience and circumstances of sudden illness to show you the dangers of misapplied, misunderstood, or incomplete prophecies.
227. This message is not wrong regarding this one's medical problems. It's not off base. It's an incomplete prophecy, but it's an example of how a prophecy can be given with such precision and yet not be the full story. If a person were to follow such a prophecy without question, without checking back in with Me, without further confirmations‚ without counsel and common sense, then it could be disastrous. There could be serious mistakes made if the person is weak in faith and not motivated by faith and assurance, but out of fear or pride or a desire to look spiritual.
228. In this man's case, there were some blockages of minerals. The reduced flow of the urine through the constricted urethra has caused some buildup of minerals in the organs, because the urine has stayed in the body longer than is normal. There was the need for the "pebble" and "stone" to be moved out of the way, and all that is true. But it's not the primary cause of illness or trouble. It's a byproduct of the main problem, the enlarged prostate gland.
229. This is a common illness in men today, primarily caused by the degeneration of lifestyle in modern times. It's caused from unhealthy living, much of which can't even be avoided because it's due to pollutants in the water and the food, the chemicals that are inevitably ingested, and the change of lifestyle from earlier days. This is one of the scourges of living in the Last Days, as are some of the other ailments that are prevalent in the world today. (End of message from Jesus)
230. (Summary of answer:) It's a very serious responsibility to hear from the Lord regarding emergencies, health problems, accidents and illnesses. Not only must the people who are receiving the prophecies be very desperate and do all that is possible to fulfill the requirements for being reliable channels, but the shepherds must be very wise when interpreting and applying the prophecies.
231. Following prophecy regarding health matters and emergencies can be dangerous, if, as the Lord puts it, you "carry on in pride, not wanting to appear to be 'wrong' and not wanting to seek other counsel." If a prophecy regarding someone's illness doesn't seem to be clear, if it's not being fulfilled as you expected‚ ask the Lord again or seek professional advice. Use common sense. Don't just blindly cling to the prophecy, unless the person who is sick is absolutely convinced you're doing the right thing. Even if you do have faith that all is going according to the Lord's plan, still check back in with the Lord regularly to see if you're doing the right thing, if you're interpreting the prophecies right, if you're missing anything, or if He has any new information for you.
232. Don't fail to seek medical advice out of fear, or pride, or because you want to look spiritual.
233. (Mama: ) These are very serious warnings, beloved, on how to use prophecy with illnesses, especially possible life-and-death situations. If you receive a prophecy of instruction but it seems things are not going as you expected or as the Lord indicated they would, ask Him again. Don't hang on to a prophecy out of pride or because you don't want to look like you're doubting. If you don't have the faith for it, or question it‚ or waver in any way‚ then you'd better do something! Go back to the Lord and ask Him again what needs to be done or if you need to head to the doctor right away! It's always good to hear from the Lord and get His approval and promises before heading to the doctor, but remember, in emergency situations you may not necessarily be able to have a long P and P session. You may have to pray as you go in the case of a life–and-death situation. Whatever the circumstances, the Lord is able to give you clear instruction if you stay close to Him and ask Him everything.
234. Prophecies can be incomplete or you might be misinterpreting them, so bear this in mind and don't take risks unless the person who is sick—or the parents, in the case of a child—are absolutely sure they have the faith for it. (Please remember that according to the Charter, medical decisions are the responsibility of the sick individual or the parents, in the case of children. See Basic Rights of Individual Members, C, pg. 21-23 of the Charter.)
235. God bless you, dear Family! Peter and I pray that this GN has been a blessing to you and has answered some of your questions. We pray you have time to study this series, and that as you learn to put these principles into practice, you will find great success and fruitfulness in your use of prophecy. We're praying for you.
Much love in our wonderful Husband and Lover, Mama