FAITH'S LOST SHEEP PROPHECY!              DO 154A                   12/71

         1. "IS IT NOT WHAT I ACCUSE THE FALSE SHEPHERDS OF?--NEGLECT of those that have been scattered abroad & who have been led astray! Neglect that they did not seek them out nor find them & bring them home & bind up their wounds. They did not try to save them from the wild beasts. Is not this what I have accused the false shepherds of? Is this not why I have taken away their place?
         2. "YE HAVE NOT HAD THE COMPASSION ON OTHERS THAT I HAVE HAD ON THEE. Have I not been merciful unto thee? Have I not been longsuffering unto thee? Have I not shown thee much kindness & mercies even when in thine heart ye went VERY far astray? But yet I kept thee & I protected thee & I brought thee again & used thee to show the Way. Have ye not misled these? Have ye not led them to go astray?--In that ye have not cared for them as ye really should have.
         3. "IF I WOULD REWARD THEE ACCORDING TO THINE INIQUITIES, YE WOULD HAVE NOTHING. But I had mercy on thee, My children. Have ye had mercy on these? The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Have ye prayed for these? ARE THEY NOT THY RESPONSIBILITY?
         4. "WAS IT NOT THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF OTHERS THAT KEPT THEE? Why shouldst thou neglect to encourage these little ones who have so little strength? For I have succoured thee in a day when ye did not look for Me. I have borne thee, yea, I drew thee with My Spirit! Would ye that I dealt with thee according as ye have dealt with these? A good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Did not I leave the ninety & nine & go search for that one lost sheep that had gone astray?--That accidentally caught himself in the thorns & could not come home even when he wanted to. Did he not cry unto thee for help when he was all alone & could not come home?
         5. "YE MUST SEEK THEM OUT & BRING THEM HOME UNTO ME & EVEN TAKE BETTER CARE and keep them closer than when they went astray. Do ye have this love? Are ye My shepherds? Was there a sheep in the fold that those shepherds overlooked that strayed & went away--scattered abroad? The GOOD shepherd giveth his life for the sheep!"
         6. LORD, DO WE GET ANGRY WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY HURT OUR PRIDE or do we really seek after them with a heart of love for their souls? Do we seek for them because they have lessened our membership or because we dearly love their souls & care what happens to them? Jesus, help us! Lord, forgive us for not caring for some of those precious sheep! Help us not to be as the false shepherds! You didn't say they didn't take care of the ones in the FOLD!--You said they didn't SEEK AFTER THOSE THAT WERE SCATTERED! They didn't feed Your sheep!
         7. YOU ARE SO MERCIFUL TO US, LORD! HOW YOU USED PEOPLE TO ENCOURAGE US TO COME BACK to the Fold when we went astray! And if it hadn't been for them, we would never have had the courage to come back, because it meant we were wrong in leaving! It's hard to come back. But yet You used a wise Servant of God to encourage us to return to the Fold!
         8. JESUS, JESUS! LORD, WE HAVE COME TO SEEK & SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST! But if they don't come & sit in our Fold, we forget about them, not realising that some of them are caught in the thorns & they couldn't come if they wanted to, unless someone helps them & encourages them! They are pleading for help!
         9. JESUS, FORGIVE US FOR OUR HARD-HEARTEDNESS!--FOR THINKING THAT WE WERE SO RIGHTEOUS & DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB. O Lord, our love so misses the mark! We think more of our own self-esteem & our own accomplishments! Lord, we are nothing! We ask You to forgive us for those lives we have failed! And we know we HAVE failed them, Lord! We are so responsible for not warning our undershepherds about their attitudes, Lord Jesus!--To be easier on their flocks, to manifest more tenderness & concern & even MORE patience & even MORE love!--Because the poor lambs really hadn't had a chance! Some of them had never really tried & we didn't help them all we could have & we didn't really encourage them all we should have! Maybe it's because of our own self-righteousness or intolerance & our lack of love!
         10. WE HAD SO LITTLE PATIENCE WITH THEM!--BECAUSE WE ARE SO RIGHTEOUS! We don't smoke, we don't drink! Jesus, forgive us for being so self-righteous. We have come to be a light to these people & to set them free, & instead we have driven them farther away by our intolerance! They came in looking for love & we have turned them away. And maybe they have found more love out in the World than they found with us!
         11. LORD, FORGIVE US & HELP US TO BE WHAT YOU ORDAINED US FOR! So that every one of us can say that it was the LOVE that kept us! It was the LOVE that kept us--not someone yelling at us, not somebody's harsh words. It was the concern & the compassion we felt in all of the individuals that accepted us, when we knew that they accepted us even in our sins! And THEY encouraged US to keep on going!--And these little tiny babies with so little strength, how we so quickly would just cast them out for the slightest offense! Lord, we know that we are guilty in that we cannot justify ourselves. O Lord, it's so easy for us to blame everyone but ourselves! Forgive us for not teaching them, for not warning them! It was the hardness of our own hearts!
         12. ARE WE LOOKING FOR MEMBERSHIP OR ARE WE LOOKING TO SEEK & TO SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST? So many precious little ones! Have we done everything we can or are we going to drive them away looking for the help that we can't give them? After all, aren't we the only ones who really love them? Did we neglect those of the little flock who came so faithfully every night for our help & our guidance & our instruction? Did we neglect them, Lord? No place to go, no love! Nothing but us! They cannot yet come & be part of our membership & come & sit at the feet of Jesus & hear His Words! O Lord Jesus! Teach us Thy compassion, Lord!
         13. SOMETIMES WE DON'T EVEN REALISE WHAT WE ARE DOING & BEGIN TO TREAT IT AS A BUSINESS instead of a matter of love where the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep! We were all gone astray when You gave Your life for us! There was not one of us that deserved it, that was worthy of it! Jesus, I pray for these who have left us, that You rebuke all the powers of the Enemy & bring them back to us! Show us what we can do to bring them back, Lord! Even when they know that they should come back, but they can't get away. Thy loving kindness & Thy tender mercies are forever.
         14. HELP US TO BE TRUE SHEPHERDS: NOT TO LET THEM GO SO EASILY & CARELESSLY THAT WE DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM OR FEEL GUILTY ABOUT THEM! How much did we love them? How hard did we try to reach them & let them know that we love them & are coming to help them? (Prophecy:)
         15. "IT TAKES PATIENCE TO BRING FORTH FRUIT UNTO GOD! I would that ye should return unto thy First Love!--That ye should become as a little child! Learn of Me, for I am meek & lowly in heart! Ye have done well in many things, but in many things, ye have not, because ye did not seek Me! Ye did not ask Me! For without Me, ye can do nothing! Without Me, ye fail & all that ye have right now could fail!
         16. "FOR IF THE SHIP HAS NOT A RUDDER, IT ONLY DRIFTS, NEVER REACHING ITS DESTINATION! My children, if he had asked Me, I would have shown thee! If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God Who giveth to all men liberally! Thou knewest that the job was too big for thee!"

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family