renewal - part 2

A Mysterious Palace Full of Treasures
20. I don't think we're going to have to wait for the end of the renewal period to receive special blessings, either. It's going to be a lot like a treasure hunt, an adventure--and an exciting one. There's something about a treasure hunt that appeals to people; it's probably mainly the mystery and the rewards. Everything is hidden at first, and you start off with one tiny slip of paper with the first clue. Then you have to find the next, then the next, until you reach the end, the big prize. But in really good treasure hunts, especially if they're long, you find little prizes all along the way, and this helps you not to get discouraged. You know you're making progress and you're winning as you go, even before you get the grand prize.
21. That's similar to how the Lord works with us; He doesn't just hold out one big reward at the end of the road. He encourages us for our obedience with little spiritual and physical gifts and goodies all along the way. So during this six-month period, there are going to be lots of hidden treasures and jewels of the spirit for each of you along the way, if you keep your eyes open for them. The more you look, the more you seek, the more you'll find. If you're going for the maximum benefits, you'll come out of this time heavily laden with the gifts of the spirit.

22. (Jesus:) This time can change your life! You can come out of these six months a better, stronger, fresher, clearer, and more powerful disciple than ever! It won't happen automatically, though--you'll have to fight for it. You'll have to put your heart into making the time count. Just skipping all worldly input for six months is not in itself going to change you, renew you, and strengthen you. It'll help some, yes, because by simply not taking in all that input from the world, you'll have less of the Enemy's voice to fight and will by default be a bit stronger.
23. But don't be satisfied with just being a little bit stronger. Don't just take a little walk in the park and consider that you've had your exercise. Get into it and work out hard! Run those miles, lift those weights, work those muscles‚ and come out fit and sleek and toned spiritually! Come out looking different than you did before! That's the vision, that's the goal, and those who will put their hearts into fulfilling that will be the disciples who will create the Family of the future. Will you be one of them? You can be! Anyone can be.
24. I'm making it easy for everyone who wants to change and grow to do so‚ by giving you this time. I'm focusing on everyone at once, and on each of you individually, giving you the time, as well as the safeguards, that will make it more natural and easier to work on your spiritual lives. I'm giving you the key of time, a vital ingredient in your success to achieving your spiritual goals. Will you take it? Will you put the key in the lock, turn it, and discover what waits behind that door? There is so much for you there, and not just one little room of benefits, but a marvelous and mysterious palace full of treasures and pleasures of the spirit, and even of the flesh. I have a lot to give you during this time. Will you take it? Will you go for it? If you want to be a disciple, you will, and you will be greatly blessed and rewarded for it.

Why Do We Have to Fast Worldly Input?
25. (Mama:) I would venture to say that one of the most difficult things about this renewal period for many of you is going to be the fasting of worldly input. It's going to be a big forsaking, a big change, especially for those of you who have worldly addictions.* And if this time is to benefit you, it's important that you understand the reasons why the Lord is requiring it. The Lord isn't just taking away all of your "fun" for no reason; there is a very specific purpose for this fast.

Text box:
Dictionary definition:
*Addiction (n): "Addiction" has been around a long time--its first recorded use was in 1599, long before drugs were a problem. Although Encarta defines addiction primarily as "a state of physiological or psychological dependence on a drug liable to have a damaging effect," its secondary definition has been the most common use for hundreds of years, and continues to be used today: "great interest in something to which a lot of time is devoted."
The fact that such "great interest" often leads to negative effects is reflected in the words the thesaurus lists for addiction: habit, compulsion, dependence‚ need, obsession‚ craving, infatuation. Many dictionaries and encyclopedias mention the negative effects of such compulsions and habits.

26. (Mama:) When we think of addictions, most people think of things like drugs or alcohol, maybe caffeine, things that you absolutely can't live without, or that are very painful or physically debilitating to abstain from. Many of you probably don't feel that extreme or intense about anything in your life, and therefore you would naturally conclude that you don't have any addictions. But when we asked the Lord to clarify what He considered an addiction‚ His answer was really interesting.

27. (Jesus:) Addictions can be very mild or extremely severe. In My eyes, an addiction can be anything from a habit or desire or interest that's just a little bit too important to you, to something that is seriously damaging your service to Me. An addiction could be anything that you sometimes‚ or often, put before one or many of the important things in life, such as your time with Me, your fellowship with others, or time spent investing in your Home and children and work for Me. An addiction doesn't have to be something huge that you can't physically live without. My definition is much broader. An addiction could be anything you do regularly or repeatedly that is just a little bit too important to you, or that hinders you in some way, or that wastes time, or that you have made a god of in your life, or that bears bad fruit, or that takes the place of the "better" things in your life.
End of text box.

28. The idea of resisting and minimizing worldly influences is nothing new. It's in the Bible–-"Wherefore come out from among them‚ and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2Cor.6:17). "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2Tim.2:4). "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. … For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh‚ and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1Jn.2:15–16).
29. Our responsibility as Family members to minimize worldly influences is in the Charter: "Family members should [be] … minimizing and resisting ungodly and unedifying influences in their lives." It's also in Letter after Letter! You could do a whole Word study on the dangers of the world and worldly input, and I strongly suggest you do, if you haven't done so recently. In "Introduction to the Family Feast 2004" (ML #3470, GN 1058) there was an excellent Word list on the topic of worldliness, which would be a good starting point. In fact, I'd like to include a short excerpt of one of those Letters, "Charter Responsibilities."

(Peter:) We tried to be realistic when writing the Charter, knowing that it's impossible to completely eliminate every ungodly influence in our life, and so we said we should minimize them. This means to cut back on them as much as possible: to usually avoid them.
Perhaps you could find a practical definition by using this example: If your shepherd said that you should minimize the amount of times you have to do dishes or some other job or activity that you don't like to do, how often would you do it? Probably not very often--maybe never. Well, that would be your definition of minimize. So if you would minimize something that you don't like to do by cutting back to almost never doing it, then you should apply the same interpretation of minimize when it comes to some ungodly influence and how often you should partake of it.
Of course, it's much harder to minimize something that you like or enjoy or have a hankering for. However, our responsibility as Christians is to minimize the influences of the world as much as possible‚ not as little as possible.
It is very clear from the Word, both old and new, that some things are unedifying, and a steady diet of them is an ungodly influence. … Whether you realize it or not, regular intake of things of the world does have a detrimental effect on your spirit, and will affect your service for the Lord and loving interaction with others if it hasn't already.
Since the Lord's counsel on these matters has been published in the Word, and since you … are expected to read and believe the Word, it is expected that you'll accept what the Lord and we have to say about these things. Whether you personally feel that these affect you negatively or not, God's Word says they do‚ and … you should avoid and minimize them in your life. (ML #3197:62-66, GN 803).

30. (Mama:) That makes the standard clear, but obviously we haven't been obeying. The Family hasn't minimized worldly input as the Lord has instructed us to, and because of this we're not in a very healthy spiritual state. The Lord said:

31. (Jesus:) Toxins and poisons have built up in your spiritual systems through regular worldly input and other bad habits and addictions. Every Family member has these poisons and toxins within their system to some degree. These poisons have contributed to compromise, to a proclivity toward fleshly desires and carnality, to weakened convictions, and to disobedience. They have not brought spiritual growth, but rather decay.
32. These poisons and toxins must be completely cleansed from the body. This period of renewal will cleanse the body of My Family, so My Body will be swept and garnished and spiritually ready to be greatly used of Me in the coming days. Just as the act of physical fasting cleanses the body from toxins and poisons that have built up, so this spiritual fasting will cleanse your spirits from the toxins and poisons that have built up in your spiritual systems.
33. At present, My Family does not have the spiritual strength to rid the collective body of these toxins and poisons, so this fast is My love and My mercy to My Bride. While it will initially hurt, and the spiritual body will feel withdrawals-–even hunger--I promise you that this will pass, and slowly but surely your spirits will once again hunger after the true riches and food of the spirit. Instead of the spirit and mind desiring that which is unhealthy, from this time period your spirits will once again develop the right appetites.


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34. (Jesus:) I have called you, as My Endtime Bride and New Church, to come out from the world and be separate. I have called you to put on My mind and to put off the carnal mind. I have called you to believe, live, and teach many radical doctrines and practices that are very different from the world's usual mode of operation. I have called you to a high level of conviction, and I have called you to root out compromise in your lives. These things cannot be accomplished to the degree I desire and need unless you take this time of renewal, this time of fasting the things of the world and other addictions.
35. Many of you are overly immersed in the things of the world, and many of you do not fully realize how much worldly input you take in and how much it affects you. During and after this renewal period, you will have a much clearer perspective on your discipleship overall, and specifically you will have a clearer perspective on how the things of the world influence you and why, and how you must fight to overcome and defeat these influences.
36. I have chosen to call you apart, to ask you to forsake all forms of worldly entertainment--and any other things I might ask you to personally forsake--for a time, so that I might renew your spiritual vision. You need a time when your mind and heart and spirit are completely free from these things, so that I can renew you, refill you, and adjust your spiritual "prescription" so that you will see things from My perspective once again.
37. Little by little, over the years, your mindsets and attitudes have become compromised--some to a greater degree than others, but all of you to some degree--and often you think that these attitudes and thoughts that you entertain are your own, but they have in fact been placed there by the Enemy and by the world.
38. In giving you this time free from these influences, you will be forced in a sense to realize and evaluate how you truly feel and how you truly think. If your heart and spirit are that of a disciple, it will become clear to you during this time, and you will come to appreciate it‚ to even enjoy it, because your spirit will be free, clear, and clean, and going places. Whereas, if the world has gotten into you to such a degree that you are entrenched in its ways and attitudes and compromises, and if during this time you find that you cannot live without those things, or that you do in fact think more like the world and less like Me than you had thought or hoped, even without your regular input from the world, then perhaps the life of a disciple is not the one for you and you should reevaluate where you stand with Me and your place of service.
39. It's not that by not taking in any worldly input or indulging in other addictions, you'll never be attacked by the Enemy in your thoughts and attitudes in any way. The Serpent talked to Adam and Eve in the Garden long before any forms of mass media were created. You will, however, be minimizing the amount of time and ways in which the Enemy can speak to you by fasting worldly input‚ or anything else in your life that you have grown overly dependent on‚ and you will minimize his inroads into your thoughts and spirit, making it easier to set your heart and thoughts on the things of My Spirit instead.

Breaking Chains of Addiction and Bad Habits
40. (Mama:) We are very spoiled sometimes, because the Lord blesses us with so much. Then when He asks something a little difficult, that requires a little bit of a sacrifice, we can make such a fuss. Consider other religious orders and groups who forsake a lot of physical things for the Lord, like the monks and nuns, for example. Many of them give up sex, marriage‚ relationships, material possessions, money, alcohol, independence, TV and movies, and much more-–and that's not just for six months, but indefinitely! And they have much less understanding of the blessings to come or the rewards of the spirit world. If other religious people in the world are willing to give up so much for their faith and beliefs, how much more should we, the children of David who have been given so much truth and so many spiritual riches, be willing to sacrifice for our Husband and Lover!
41. Considering all that Jesus has done for us and the great sacrifices He has made, forsaking something for Him is minute by comparison, isn't it? And He's not even asking the Family to completely forsake worldly input indefinitely; He just wants to teach us to put it back in its rightful place, as the minor part of our lives that it should be. He wants to readjust our priorities‚ teach us to rule our own spirits, and get us all back on track. He has given us many freedoms of the spirit and the flesh, and this continues to be His plan for the future; He's just going to teach us what it means to use our freedoms wisely and keep them in perspective.
42. Through this renewal period, the Lord wants to change your spiritual appetites. He wants to replace your desire for the things of the world, or any other unhealthy addictions you may have, with a deeper and stronger desire for the things of His Spirit. He promises that your chains of addictions and bad habits will be broken. But since all bad habits-–whether spiritual or physical--take time to be broken, and forming new habits doesn't happen overnight, He's giving us all this gift of time in which to break our bad habits, and form and cement new healthier ones.

43. (Jesus:) If you're addicted to anything of the world--computer games, novel reading, movies, System music, browsing the Internet, sports, etc.--then going into the Family renewal period is probably making you feel worried and unhappy. I understand, because addictions are powerful holds of the Enemy. Most people in the world have a very difficult time getting rid of their addictions and going on with a normal lifestyle. All they can think about is having it, doing it‚ getting into whatever their addiction is, and any restrictions are frustrating or aggravating. That's what it's like in the world, but you're not of the world. You belong to Me. You gave your life to Me the day you accepted salvation. I died to free you from anything that keeps you away from Me, including addictions of Bacchus.
44. You might be addicted to some worldly thing or ungodly attitude or habit, but don't underestimate My power to free you. The renewal period is a perfect time to get rid of those draining worldly activities or habits and addictions that are sapping your spiritual life. You might think I'm being a bit hard here and wonder how you can possibly give something up after years of being into it. Well, those years of worldly input, or years of thinking a certain way or indulging in certain things, have taken a toll on you, and right now you are addicted and you can't see any way out. But that's what the renewal period is for--to cleanse you and renew your spirit. Don't underestimate My power and the power of the keys to supernaturally break the addictions of the Enemy.
45. That's one of My goals for anyone who has been steeped in worldly input or wrong attitudes or unhealthy addictions–-to wash you and give you a new addiction to My Spirit. I'm not saying you will find it easy to do, but you can do it through the power of the keys. And if you do find it a bit difficult, count your blessings anyway and thank Me for the opportunity being given you to be freed. This is your golden opportunity when the worldwide Family is praying and partaking of the same spiritual renewal. Do you want to miss the boat for the sake of some draining worldly habit? Sure, you will miss your addiction for a while, maybe for a few weeks or months, but what is that compared to what you will gain as you immerse yourself in My Spirit? Some of you have been hoping and praying for something like this to come along. "I just wished someone would force me to give this up." "I wished I could go to rehab and really get rid of this addiction." Well, now is your chance to do exactly that! This will be your spiritual rehab that will free you forever as you stay obedient to Me.
46. Don't worry and don't be fearful that you won't be able to do it. If people in the world can get rid of their addictions to gambling or pornography or alcohol or whatever--which are very strong addictions of the Enemy--you can certainly overcome any addictions you have in your life, especially with Me and the power of the keys and the entire Family behind you. Don't miss out on this lifesaver of your spiritual life. Don't underestimate the power of Heaven to bust those addictions to Hell, where they belong. Call on the keys and release the power and faith you need. Call on whatever key you need--the key of rehabilitation to break the bonds of addiction, the key of it-can-be-done. Be thankful you have the power of the keys to help you overcome. Trust My power to replace your yen for the world with something far better--Me.
47. I don't want you to enter the renewal period with a defeatist attitude. If I'm the God of the universe, then I don't need a lot of help to deliver you. Ask for My help and expect it. Even if it's not super easy for you, it's going to be worth it and something you will be thankful you fought for. If you commit to overcoming your addictions during the renewal period, you will come out a new person. You'll come out so much healthier spiritually, so much more inspired‚ with clear vision and strong faith. Once you allow Me to wash and cleanse you from the world, I will finally be able to give you the desires of your heart, the special anointing that I have for you.

48. (Mama:) The Lord gives a lot of strong promises in this message! So, as He said a few times, don't underestimate Him and His powerful keys--their ability to free you from anything that keeps you away from Him, including the addictions of Bacchus; to supernaturally break the addictions of the Enemy, to bust them back to Hell, where they belong; to release the power and faith you need; to replace your yen for the world with something far better, His Spirit; to make you a new person; to inspire you and clear your vision; to give you the desires of your heart and the special anointing He has for you.
49. In another message the Lord promised: "Your spiritual appetites and desires will be changed! This period of renewal will cause the spiritual vacuum and hunger within each person to be renewed!"