KINGS!            DO 212            3/73

KEY POINTS IN PIONEERING & KINGS
        
         1. Keeping appointments with System kings is very important! When I was travelling on T.V. business all those years, if I had an appointment the next day in another town, I would get to that town the night before & allow several hours to get to my appointment in the morning. The cab might break down, so I'd have to allow for that & leave plenty of time.
         2. One of our biggest failures seems to be consideration for other people, especially our KINGS! Important people in UNGODLY BUSINESSES WON'T WAIT! If you see you can't make it to the appointment on time, you should PHONE WAY AHEAD & apologise & at least try to keep the king as a friend. TIME IS MONEY, they feel. TELL SOMEBODY TO REMIND YOU of your appointment! WRITE IT IN YOUR BOOK, SET THE ALARM CLOCK!
         3. If I had to take a cab, I would always call the company & ask how long it would take, then I would ALLOW DOUBLE TIME FOR GETTING THERE. I always tried to arrive onehalf hour to an hour early! I tried to show them I cared about their time. YOU'RE the beggar & not THEM! These important business people feel that IF YOU'LL LIE TO THEM ABOUT KEEPING AN APPOINTMENT, YOU'LL LIE TO THEM ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT! As a businessman I have even HITCHHIKED when I couldn't get a cab!
         4. The main problem is lack of love for the Lord, because if you are in close communication with the LORD, He will GIVE you the love you need & SHOW you what is happening.--KINGS LOVE EFFICIENCY! A TELEPHONE LOG should be kept of every call, & your communications have got to be strong & efficient!
         5. When these blitzkriegs which demand split-second timing are really rolling, you can't stop them or it may be disastrous! We have the idea we have to do the whole job TODAY, but what good is it to START a job unless we FINISH it? It will be a shame to us, unless we sit down & count the cost to see if we can FINISH it. It's almost impossible to build it again on another man's foundation! IF YOU START SOMETHING & DON'T FINISH IT WHEN IT'S GOING STRONG, IT'S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IT GOING AGAIN.
         6. There's something about your initial start, the thrill of the first thing, that if you fail at the beginning & quit, you may kill the Work in that area!--People give up, the king's interest wanes. REMEMBER THAT NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS & NOTHING FAILS LIKE FAILURE! Paul didn't leave the field until he was sure his churches were well established & he had checked on them over & over again. Often we don't see the battle THROUGH.
         7. We cannot afford to make snap judgements on major issues that require real desperate prayer & getting together to ask God what He wants done.
         8. You should have some outstanding king in every area to help you to get going--for provision, for good PR with the System, for protection & for defense. The very fact that they're willing to be connected with you is protection & support! In nearly EVERY area GOD WILL ALMOST ALWAYS FIRST RAISE UP SOME INFLUENTIAL KING.
         9. But a friend lost is usually an enemy gained! There's no worse ENEMY than a former FRIEND! Even if they don't FIGHT against us, still they're a WITNESS against us because they went back. KINGS CAN BECOME YOUR WORST ENEMIES! Because you hurt them, they'll never have the same confidence in you again. Why don't you STAY & FINISH a job that you START? KINGS don't like to be LEFT!
         10. So with your kings: Somehow let him know he is part & parcel of your work & responsible in some way & given some OFFICIAL capacity with your MATERIAL affairs. When you LEAVE an area TOO SOON, you leave him in the white heat of passion unfulfilled! I WOULD RATHER SEE YOU SPEND A WHOLE YEAR ON ONE HOME THAT BECOMES ESTABLISHED & SOLID & THAT WILL LAST & that you can go off & LEAVE after FIRMLY establishing it, THAN TO ESTABLISH TEN A MONTH THAT FAIL!
         11. If we don't take advantage of the wave of success & roll with it, every wave comes to its end when it thunders to its goal on some beach! How much will we have accomplished by then?--Because it's almost impossible to pick up the pieces! It almost always has to take a NEW wave. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE NOVELTY & NEWNESS THAT SETS PEOPLE ON FIRE. BUT WHEN YOU'VE BEEN THERE & FAILED, YOU DISILLUSION PEOPLE & YOU ARE DONE FOR!o
         12. Kings love success! I'd rather have one success than ten failures! If you're fighting ONE battle & succeeding & then you turn it over to someone so you can go start ANOTHER one, you had better keep your eye on it to see it's succeeding or get back to it quick! YOU SHOULDN'T START ANOTHER ATTACK UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE FIRST ONE. ONE FAILURE CAUSES OTHERS & NOTHING FAILS LIKE FAILURE! You had better RIDE the roller while you've GOT it, because IF YOU BEGIN TO GO DOWN HILL, THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING THAT CAN STOP IT!
         13. Go to work on established Homes inch by inch, & see that THEY'RE going well before you go on to OTHERS. SEE THEY HAVE A GOOD PRACTICAL LEADER. Musicians & inspirationalists crack up under too much pressure & responsibility. IF YOUR START COMES TO A STANDSTILL, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HELL OF A TIME TRYING TO START AGAIN! Once you fail people, it's almost impossible to restore their confidence again.
         14. Kings love good leaders. Building a solid foundation in God's business means taking more care of your leaders, making sure they're the right kind for that Home. Make sure they take good care of their followers. They must also take good care of their FRIENDS, KINGS & so on, because NO HOME WE ESTABLISH IS GOING TO SUCCEED WITHOUT FRIENDS. UNLESS YOU REALLY MINISTER TO THESE KINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE them! They may be parents, officials, businessmen or even a few hungry pastors, as well as a few friends & potential disciples who haven't quite made the decision to forsake all yet. BUT YOU GUYS ARE FICKLE LOVERS! IF THEY DON'T JOIN YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU GO OFF & DESERT THEM!

PROPER HANDLING OF FINANCES & KINGS
        
         15. Kings love financial efficiency. One reason why you guys have financial problems is because when you DO have money you don't use it wisely. Financial problems are often due to the fact, besides many other things, that when you HAD it you didn't use it WISELY, but were WASTEFUL & EXTRAVAGANT. You made EXTRAVAGANT PHONE CALLS or were UNWISE WITH YOUR VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT. There's an old saying, "A FOOL & HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED!" It takes the POOR to be WASTEFUL!--And KINGS don't like WASTE! THE REASON OUR KINGS ARE RICH IS BECAUSE THEY HANG ON TO IT & VALUE it, & if we DON'T, we're POOR STEWARDS.
         16. When you find yourself in a financial bind & you haven't got the money, GOD HAS ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN FOR A REASON: Either He just wants you to SEEK HIS FACE & acknowledge your utter dependence on Him to make you get close to Him, or maybe you've been NEGLECTING YOUR KINGS or you've been DISOBEDIENT & you're NOT IN THE WILL OF GOD.--You've been too WASTEFUL or not a good steward & YOU'VE NOT SOUGHT HIS FACE TO FIND OUT WHY OR WHERE OR WHEN! So you're either:
         (1) NOT DESPERATE,
         (2) WASTEFUL
         (3) or DISOBEDIENT!
         17. Kings love to see you save their money they give you! So here is some PRACTICAL ADVICE ABOUT MONEY: You obey the Lord by witnessing & making friends & God gives you money. Now the question is, what do you do with it? HERE IS A PRIORITY LIST, OR IN WHAT ORDER TO PAY YOUR BILLS:
         (1) UTILITIES, Phones etc.--You can't live WELL without them!
         (2) HOUSING or rent &/or rates & maintenance.--You gotta have a place to LIVE!--And where those who NEED you can FIND you!
         (3) FOOD--You gotta EAT to LIVE!
         (4) MONTHLY BILLS, CREDIT ACCOUNTS, etc. (Keep good CREDIT or your WORD--it's part of your WITNESS!)
         (5) TRANSPORTATION (Fees, Licenses, Insurance, Repairs, Maintenance, Gasoline bills etc.)
         (6) PUBLICATION EXPENSES & OFFICE SUPPLIES--Printed literature, tracts, papers, letters etc.--You gotta have AMMUNITION!--You also gotta be diligent in business, correspondence, COMMUNICATION etc.
         (7) NEW EQUIPMENT, CLOTHING, TOILETRIES, MEDICINES, IMPROVEMENTS, RECREATION ETC.--If you have any money left!--Otherwise you can do without them.
         18. You also should think of ways to save money. If you don't have money for utilities, maybe you've been wasting utilities & not turning off the gas or the lights when you should have or been extravagant with the telephone. YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO SAVE ON THESE BILLS. Don't use the heat or the lights unless you HAVE to--only as an absolute NECESSITY. Learn how to cook economically. Electric stoves are one of the worst wastes!--Remember, it will still continue to cook for several minutes after you turn if off. He that is faithful in the FEW things, the Lord will trust with the MANY. DON'T MAKE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE CALLS UNLESS IT'S LIFE & DEATH EMERGENCY & UNLESS YOU HAVE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY ALL PLANNED & WRITTEN OUT!
         19. God is sick & tired of giving you things you don't take care of! Your attitude often seems to be: "It doesn't matter!--I can wreck it & God will just give me another one!" NOTHING WILL TURN OFF YOUR DONORS MORE THAN TO SEE WHAT POOR CARE YOU TAKE OF WHAT THEY GIVE YOU! BUT NOTHING ENCOURAGES YOUR DONORS MORE THAN TO SEE HOW METICULOUS YOU ARE!--To see what excellent CARE you take of things!
         20. Save on housing: No matter WHAT kind of a mess you FOUND the place in, YOU are NOW the steward & IT'S YOUR responsibility to care for it, maintain it, repair it & then leave it in BETTER SHAPE THAN BEFORE! You should repair or replace broken dishes, latches, window panes etc. I always even made my hotel room bed before leaving! It shows you care. It indicates what kind of person you are.
         21. The attitude some of you have is: The more you spend extravagantly, the more God will give! Some people have the attitude, "That's what it's for! Spend it! God's got lots of it!" BUT SAVING MONEY IS A PART OF GOOD STEWARDSHIP, SAVING MONEY IS A HARD JOB. IT TAKES TIME & EFFORT & YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT! SPENDING MONEY EXTRAVAGANTLY ANY FOOL CAN DO! Try to PROVISION housing: Do your best to find a place that is cheap or free. You have to have the FAITH to pay the rent. So TRY TO FIND A PLACE CHEAP ENOUGH THAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET THE RENT for it SOMEHOW.&
         22. Never get out of the habit of pinching the pennies. if you are not a good steward of these material things, who is going to commit unto you the true riches! KEEPING THINGS CLEAN is a part of your stewardship: Food storage, food cleanliness etc.
         23. God's also not going to foot the bill for something He didn't buy or He didn't order! If you're engaged in any project that's not in the Will of God, God will not support it. GOD WILL NOT SUPPORT ANY WORK HE'S NOT ORDAINED!

COMMUNICATION IS NEEDED TO SET BOUND KINGS FREE!
        
         24. YOU MUST HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH KINGS. You've got to sell your Work to the public, share your needs with friends. Tell them, "IF GOD'S CALLED YOU TO MAKE MONEY, WHY AREN'T YOU MAKING MONEY FOR HIS WORK?" Have the kids WRITE HOME! Ask kids to tell their parents the room & board is not FREE!--It costs MONEY! They ought to be able to ask for at LEAST room & board! The PARENTS OWE US SOMETHING! We have saved their child's life & given him a purpose! SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ARMIES IN THE WORLD HAVE STARVED TO DEATH BECAUSE THEY NEGLECTED THEIR LINE OF SUPPLY! They got so cocky they thought their bullets & army were doing it all & they forgot about their line of SUPPLY.
         25. We also should organise into active associate membership our kings, friends & parents & should HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS & PROJECTS for them, things they can do for you better than you can do for yourselves. It's easier for them to ask for help FOR you, than for you to ask for help for YOURSELF.
         26. We must not neglect our friends & kings & queens! We MUST MINISTER to them! THEY need help SPIRITUALLY. WE need their help MATERIALLY. We are in a BONDAGE of OBLIGATION to them!
         27. Actually, like Joseph's Pharaoh, our kings are often in the bonds and fetters of worldly liars and deceivers all around them, so THE LORD HAS TO MAKE US THE KINGS' PRISONERS TO FREE OUR KINGS!--Where was Joseph a prisoner?--He was a prisoner in the castle of the KING! The castle represents the king's domain! We so often feel like prisoners of our kings! We rebel against it & resent it & don't like it! We feel it's unjust & unfair!
         28. But we're not really bound, we're free! We're freer than he is! He is bound by these magicians, soothsaying preachers, false prophets, family & others & GOD HAS SENT YOU INTO HIS KINGDOM TO SET HIM FREE! You have felt that YOU'RE the prisoners, but these KINGS are more prisoners of what they have than YOU are! If you can't be free to do whatever you want, you resent it & have no pity for the king. But it's our KING who is HELPLESS! He is in an iron cage with many strong bars & the Lord says, PRAY for him!
         29. These kings are the worst prisoners of all! But you have no love nor sympathy for them, because they are haughty & blunt & your feelings are hurt because you're so sensitive. WHO ARE WE USUALLY THINKING ABOUT?--OURSELVES! But the KING has MANY sorrows & problems & we're not even concerned about HIS sorrows & bondage!

YOU MAY SAVE THE KING AND THE KINGDOM THROUGH LOVE!

         30. JOSEPH BECAME THE TOP MAN IN THE KINGDOM! What king have YOU been concerned enough about to HELP GOD RESCUE THE KING & THE KINGDOM, so that he's turned the whole kingdom over to YOU? God wants to save both you & the king & the kingdom THROUGH you! Instead of having to be a VICTIM of the king, Joseph got to RULE the whole kingdom to BENEFIT himself & ALSO the king! Joseph was faithful & went to work on a long range plan.
         31. First, God put His Prophet where he was needed & gave the king what would be needed, a PROPHET, who eventually gave the Message & saved the KINGDOM & also WITH it his OWN FAMILY! Kings have come to YOU in distress seeking some kind of help, but just because it wasn't always SPIRITUAL salvation they wanted, you turned them down! But in THIS story, BECAUSE JOSEPH WAS WILLING TO HELP THE KING MATERIALLY, THE PROPHET WAS SAVED & THE WHOLE NATION WAS SAVED!--The king & the kingdom were saved!
         32. Why did God save the king? He was in EGYPT & an EGYPTIAN!--Who needs EGYPT? I'll tell you: THE PROPHET & THE WHOLE FAMILY & THE NEW NATION NEEDS EGYPT! God created Egypt for our USE! Joseph & his family benefited for hundreds of years from Egypt, until God was READY to get them out, after they had grown NUMEROUS, PROSPEROUS & READY to be scattered out where they belonged! Joseph was faithful, the communicator was finally faithful & even the king was faithful to them & everybody was happy! Joseph & his New Nation were saved!
         33. It's not easy to minister to kings! But if you want to be faithful to GOD, the King OF kings, you MUST! Kings have a King over THEM & He's YOUR GOD & THEY are HIS KINGS! If you want to be benefited & be faithful to GOD, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD'S KINGS, & IF YOU'RE NOT, YOU'LL BE SORRY!
         34. Kings live in the material realm & minister in the material kingdom, so they like the material rewards, & God gives it to them to share it with you!--So you must PRAISE them for it! It's what every king lives for, glory & honour! HONOUR the king!--Honour to whom honour is DUE! Your parents, they're kings too!--Your flesh family are often your kings, queens, lords & ladies, YOUR KING'S ROYAL FAMILY, & THEY CAN TURN THE KING TOWARD YOU OR AGAINST YOU!
         35. Joseph's Pharaoh didn't forsake all! He retained his position, but he was as good as SERVING JOSEPH'S CAUSE, for JOSEPH was running his KINGDOM! But no!--YOUR attitude is: "If they don't quit their job & forsake all & become a FULLTIME DISCIPLE, FORGET them!" HOW MANY KINGDOMS COULD WE BE RUNNING NOW IF WE HAD TAKEN CARE OF THE KINGS & THEIR MONEY & THEIR EQUIPMENT & HOUSES THEY'VE GIVEN US!
         36. Kings like you to be good stewards of the kingdom! HOUSES, like VEHICLES, have to be kept clean & repaired & maintained in good condition. That shows that you're a faithful steward, concerned about keeping the house & the car clean & doing the wash & so many little things. IF YOU DON'T USE THE ONE LITTLE TALENT THEY'VE GIVEN YOU & INVEST IT PROPERLY, YOUR KINGS WILL TAKE IT AWAY & GIVE YOU NO MORE!
         37. You have to live with some of these kings to bring them through. Where do you think Joseph & Daniel lived? What if Joseph, when he was let out of jail, had just said, Goodbye!--He & his family would have eventually starved along with the king & his kingdom! The children of this World are wiser in their generation than the Children of Light!
         38. God makes the kings & they are stewards of God's money & houses & buildings & they are smart enough not to let YOU use very MUCH of it until they see how you can take CARE of a LITTLE bit of it! That's GOD'S way of doing it.
         39. He ordains that king to be your boss materially & financially, because he knows more about it than you do & God doesn't let the king give you very MUCH until he finds out what you're going to DO with it; & THEN you complain because he doesn't give you MORE! YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF WHAT THEY DO GIVE YOU & NEITHER DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE KING HIMSELF! Maybe the king is being more faithful than YOU are, if the truth were known! Usually the king gives the neigh bours of his property his phone number, so you can't fool him!
         40. Some of these kings would be so surprised at a little concern & attention, I don't know if they could stand it!-They've been so dishonoured & disrespected! The New Nation of Israel, when they finally broke loose from Egypt, still never stopped having to deal with KINGS! Some kings protected them & provided for them & others did battle with them. But they always had to deal with kings, even after they got their own kingdom. We still don't have our own literal kingdom yet, we haven't arrived at the Promised Land yet & WE ARE STILL DEPENDENT UPON OUR KINGS & WE NEED THEM & WOULD BE SUNK WITHOUT THEM! We'll probably ALWAYS have to deal with kings!--So you might as well get used to it!
         41. So it all boils down to a lack of real unselfish love! The attitude you have is that it just isn't worth all the time we have to spend with these kings! We'd rather get out of the kingdom & be independent! But it doesn't work that way. Kings are conscious of every little thing that's going on. Why do they notice every little thing? Because that's how they got started, picking up little papers & closing windows & saving pennies & they never got over it. They still notice every little thing. NOTHING ESCAPES THE KING! THEY NOTICE HOW YOU'RE DRESSED, THE PAPERS LYING IN THE YARD & THE JUNKERS BEHIND the garage!
         42. If you are a faithful, loyal steward to a king, either the KING WILL LET YOU HELP WITH THE KINGDOM or God will REMOVE the king & give the WHOLE WORKS to you, if you are FAITHFUL & LOYAL! If you AREN'T, God will remove the whole thing from YOU! IT'S BENEATH KINGS' DIGNITY FOR THEM TO TELL YOU OFF & tell you how you SHOULD have treated them, so THEY JUST DISAPPEAR & GROW COLD!
         43. Kings have their pets & the ones they love & you can't shove the job on someone else or you'll hurt the king.--But you're too busy! HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU THINK JOSEPH WORKED AT GATHERING THE GRAIN TO SAVE THE KINGDOM?--SEVEN YEARS! God was thinking about the FUTURE, fourteen years away & FOUR hundred years away & a place for His people to grow strong & numerous before He set them free!
         44. God is the King available for your SPIRITUAL load & He gives other kings for your MATERIAL load, including ME for your LEADERSHIP load, to lighten your burden & light your path & show you which way to go.--It takes the voice, MO; the pen, Maria; the administrators, the leadership! IF YOU'D BEAR EACH OTHERS' BURDENS WITH YOUR KINGS AND SHARE HIS, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE SO OVERBURDENED with so many decisions YOU don't HAVE to make, but your KINGS could make FOR you. SO YOU HAVE TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR KING OF KINGS, THEN YOUR KING & THEN WITH YOUR KINGS.
         45. You must spend time with them that they may SEE your good works & glorify your Father which is in Heaven. You must do anything you have to do to win them: Wash their feet or clothes or cook or stand in for an employee that's sick or answer the phone, to show you're concerned about THEM & not just their KINGDOM! ABRAHAM EVEN GAVE HIS WIFE TO A KING & it saved his life & his wife! Kings sometimes sacrificed their own daughters & married them to their enemies to try to keep the peace! OUR KIDS SHOULD EVEN BE WILLING TO MARRY SOME OF THESE KINGS & queens to keep them in the Family!

KINGS NEED TO SEE YOU, NOT JUST WHEN YOU NEED THEM!
        
         46. Kings & queens that you only see when you need them, are not going to be your kings & queens very long! The thing that will shock them is when they see you're not interested only in their kingdom or their money, but in them! But IF YOU GET THE KING, YOU'LL GET THE KINGDOM! How many have considered it an important job to give the king a little affection, a little HUG OR KISS to show you LOVE HIM or DO HIS DISHES or SCRUB HIS FLOOR? If today you are good stewards of the king HIMSELF, HIS needs, HIS problems etc. tomorrow you may be good stewards of his KINGDOM! The POOR ye have ALWAYS with you, but ME ye have NOT always with you!--THE KIDS YOU HAVE ALWAYS WITH YOU, BUT IF YOU NEGLECT THE KING YOU'LL NOT HAVE HIM FOR LONG!
         47. Most of the inconspicuous gifts are the ones leaders need the most--discernment, knowledge & wisdom. Some of God's future is set, but within the range of that future God has many options, some of which we can change by our decisions. SOME OPPORTUNITIES KNOCK BUT ONCE & then they're gone forever! YOU'D BETTER SEIZE THAT KEY WHILE IT'S BEING HANDED TO YOU or the King of kings may have that king take the key & give it to someone else!

THE MANY DEGREES OF SACRIFICE, DEDICATION & REWARDS OF KINGS!
        
         48. THESE HELPERS OF OURS ARE NOT NEUTRAL: THEY ARE PROFAMILY EVEN IF THEY DON'T JOIN! Joseph of Arimathea, as far as we know, never dropped out but was a big help! There were others--Nicodemus, Gamaliel etc.--There were quite a few evidences in the Bible that not EVERY Christian dropped out & LIVED with the disciples! They are FOR us, but unless they JOIN us we don't THINK they're for us. We are a church who are almost ALL missionaries!--And if they don't JOIN our ranks, we don't even think they're SAVED!
         49. It doesn't say in the Bible that Governor Sergius Paulus of Cyprus threw off his robes, forsook all & joined the Apostles!--But did it ever occur to you that THAT was the BEGINNING of the church in Cyprus & that God LEFT Sergius Paulus there as the GOVERNOR to HELP & PROTECT the new little church in the midst of a heathen land? In fact, that's EXACTLY what happened & Cyprus became the first Christian NATION in the World! A CHRISTIAN NATION NEEDS CHRISTIAN KINGS!--INCLUDING OUR NEW NATION!--Let's be GOOD to our kings!--We NEED them!
         50. Kings are sometimes our most neglected helpers! We pray for provision & protection so God sends along friends & kings, then WE SOMETIMES TREAT THEM LIKE DIRT BECAUSE THEY DON'T FORSAKE ALL & JOIN US! We say they're compromisers & that they're fighting & resisting God because they don't swallow everything we say & move right in & start sleeping on the floor with the rest of us! We seem to be more prejudiced against kings than almost anybody but preachers, even when they're our friends!
         51. The Lord himself has all kinds of grades & classifications in His school & all kinds of positions in His army! Not every general is out there sleeping in a trench! We make some of our helpers & friends, whom God has sent along to protect & provide for us, feel like they're reprobates just because they don't LIVE exactly like we do! WE SPLIT THEOLOGICAL HAIRS with them three ways over body, soul & spirit or the Antichrist, Tribulation & Second Coming. Then if they don't agree that it's just like we say it is, even though they love US, the LORD & lost SOULS & want to HELP us in their own way, WE CAST THEM OUT AS HERETICS BECAUSE THEY HAVE DARED TO QUESTION OUR POPE!

NEGLECT OF KING OF KINGS CAUSES NEGLECT OF OTHER KINGS!
        
         52. Often the reason for this is that you have neglected your King OF kings or your own SPIRITUAL king! If you would seek more after the Will of your King of kings & the Words of your own king, God would give you more understanding & the love you need for your material kings also. It's not that they're so important or such big shots, but because they're the most spiritually NEEDY of all & usually the biggest SPIRITUAL BABIES WHO HAVE THE GREATEST NEED & REQUIRE THE MOST ATTENTION! Remember: IT IS MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE RICH & THE RULERS TO FORSAKE ALL THAN ANYONE ELSE!--Because they have the most to forsake! It's not so hard for the kids on the street: They've already forsaken a lot before they ever met us, so they've got a head start on the Systemites, church people & materialistic kings!
         53. But our kings are our biggest babies & require constant nursing & special individual attention, yet they're the most neglected because we're afraid of them & because they don't always fit right in & follow, because they question & doubt & even criticise & admonish! But maybe that's part of their job to help keep us on our toes!
         54. You need someone to tell you your faults! Otherwise you might get lazy, slothful, negligent, careless, bigoted, intolerant, unmerciful & unforgiving! You need to know YOU'RE NOT PERFECT & that YOU NEED HELP, FATHERLY COUNSEL & MOTHERLY ADVICE! So why not take it & profit by it even though you may not always think that it's justified? THEY'VE USUALLY LIVED LONGER & USUALLY KNOW MORE ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS THAN YOU DO & you might profit by their knowledge if you'd listen, even if they're not always right!--At least you'd keep them for a friend by listening to what they have to say & showing them you're willing to consider & learn! THEY MAY NOT ALWAYS BE RIGHT, BUT THEY'RE STILL YOUR KINGS!

WARNING!--KINGS WANT TO BE PROPHETS!
        
         55. So here's one final word of warning to the wise about kings: They always want to be prophets! Kings are seldom satisfied with being kings!--They want to be the voice of God as well! They seem to instinctively sense that as long as they're only a king & not the prophet, they're still not the boss, & most kings want to be bosses! They know they're not the last word in the kingdom unless they're the prophet, too; so THEY TRY THEIR BEST TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO SPIRITUALLY AS WELL, & THAT'S WHERE YOU, THE PROPHET, HAVE TO DRAW THE LINE! Your king may tell you that you'd better sweep your floor, because the OVERSIGHT OF MATERIAL THINGS IS HIS JOB, so you'd better do it! But GENTLY & TACTFULLY DECLINE WHEN HE TRIES TO TELL YOU HOW TO RUN THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM! He's getting out of his realm, out of his department & out of his ministry!-BUT TRY NOT TO OFFEND HIM. KEEP HIM AS A FRIEND: SHOW HIM LOVE & GIVE HIM LETTERS & SOMETHING TO DO TO KEEP HIM HAPPY!--YOU NEED HIM & HE NEEDS YOU! AMEN?

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family