Understanding Prophecy, Part 5

By MariaMaria #579 CM/FM 3360 5/01

Note: This Letter isn't just for parents, teachers and those who work with kids‚ but has some excellent tips and principles regarding prophecy which everyone can benefit from. So don't skip it or skim it, thinking it's just for childcare workers and children. It's for you too, and you'll benefit from it!

Dear Family,

1. I love you so much! Some time ago the Lord put it on my heart to ask Him for more counsel and instruction regarding how to teach children about the use of prophecy. I pray that the "Understanding Prophecy" series has been helpful to you. Receiving all those answers from the Lord was certainly helpful to me! I'm so thankful for how the Lord continues to lead us and give us further insight into how to use this precious gift. It's undoubtedly one of the most important things we can impart to our children—a heritage of faith in the Lord's Words, and training and experience in being able to hear the Lord's voice clearly and specifically through prophecy.

2. A couple of years ago we published the Letters on "The How-tos of Home Education" and "Tap­ping in Together" (ML #3189, GN 794; ML #3190, GN 795), in which the Lord gave the vision of learning to hear from Him with our kids. We've heard many very encouraging testimonies from those of you who have been doing just that, and you've told us that it's been the solution to some of the problems you've come up against in caring for and shep­herding your kids. Some of you have also written in with questions, and our teachers who work with the kids in WS also came up with some questions to ask the Lord about how to give our kids the right foundation and training in their use of prophecy. The Lord showed us to wait, however‚ on publishing this material until the last of the "Understanding Prophecy" ­series had gone out, so that all of you adults, parents and teachers would have a chance to receive the Lord's full counsel on the subject and have your questions answered first.

3. As adults we've had to learn that there are requirements to being a clear channel, that proph­ecy is conditional, that it's important to keep going back to the Lord even after you've received an answer‚ etc. All of those are deep concepts to impart to children. Nevertheless, there is a foundation needed if they're going to learn how to hear His voice and interpret it correctly.

4. Probably most of you parents and teachers have at some time experienced something similar to what the folks in our units were occasionally experiencing in their time with the kids—scenarios like the follow­ing: Trevor (four years old) wants to do something that one of his teachers is telling him not to do, but because the kids are used to having prophecy time with their teachers or parents, he says, "Let's ask the Lord if I can do that," and then with hardly a second's hesitation he says‚ "The Lord said yes!" We realized that in order for our kids to grow in their use of prophecy and have reliable channels, they needed to receive the same basic foundation and learn the basic principles that we adults have been receiving from the Lord—in a much simpler form, on their level, of course.

5. We asked the Lord for some basic tips and pointers on how to do that‚ because you don't want to hurt the children's pure and simple faith in prophecy or discourage them from hearing from the Lord‚ but at the same time we needed to know what is reasonable to expect, or what spiritual principles the children are capable of grasping and applying at a very young age. Of course, in all the Lord's answers He reminds us that it varies a lot from one child to another, and the real key is found in asking Him what to present to the kids at what stage‚ and how to gently lead them along in their relationship with Him. Each child is different! But these are some general guidelines that He gave, which we pray will be a blessing to you.

Is It Good to Teach Children

About Prophecy So Young?

6. First we asked the Lord if it was even reasonable to expect that very young children—three- and four-year-olds—could learn to hear clearly from Him. The Lord had encouraged us to practice receiving prophecy with our children in the counsel we shared with you in "Tapping In Together," but coming up against these various questions, we weren't sure exactly how much could be expected of very young children, or what goals were realistic to shoot for. Should we limit them to receiving prophecies of encouragement until they're older? Should we even try to hear from the Lord about specifics with them? Can they learn to fulfill the age-appropriate require­ments for being a clear channel at such a young age? What does the Lord expect, or what should we expect? We wondered what was a good age to start teaching them to hear clearly from the Lord themselves.

7. (Jesus speaking:) The earlier you start with a child the better. That doesn't mean that you expect them to get flowing prophecies. But the earlier you incorporate the concept of hearing from Me into their training, the better it will be for them, and the easier it will come for them when they do get old enough to be able to hear Me clearly and reliably.

8. Just like anything you teach to a young child‚ you don't expect much of them at first. There's the goal, the end product, but when you start out, they don't always make the right choices; they're immature in their thinking and reasoning. It's the same way with prophecy. They have to learn; they have to build up to it. Children make many mistakes and wrong choices when they're kids, simply because they're children. They need their parents to help them to make the right decisions, to help them to learn and see why they have to make the right choices. Kids need their parents to help and lead and guide them in this matter of hearing from Me.

9. You should include it in their training as young as you can. You wouldn't expect them to receive long, detailed, or instructional prophecies at an early age. But you can begin teaching them how to hear from Me, as I've explained in My Word before. You can begin by praying about simple things with them.

10. One of the foundation stones in teaching children about prophecy is the principle of coming back to Me repeatedly. Teach them that when they hear from Me about something, they can ask Me if there's anything else that I want to say to them about it. The more that you include Me in your lives and are a sample of it to the children, the more they will benefit from this sample‚ and the more they will want to ask Me things themselves.

11. When they get older, then you can expect more of them. They're more mature, and they're able to discern between right and wrong more easily than when they were younger. They're able to understand the concept of having no will of their own better, or the concept of doing something for the good of someone else. So when their maturity level has reached that point‚ they can hear better from Me regarding more specific instruction.

12. Even though they will need help and guidance at a younger age, they should still be exposed to it and try their hand at it. It will be laying a good foundation.

13. When they're young, you don't always expect your children to be able to share their things, or make the right decision to do something that is for their eventual good‚ because you know they aren't mature enough to be able to make the right choice all the time. It's the same with hearing My voice in prophecy. It shouldn't surprise you that the kids aren't going to get it right each time, or that they could easily let their own opinions get in the way. It's something they have to learn, like anything else, and a great deal of it is learned with time, with practice, with training and instruction—the instruction you can give them through the Word, through your sample, through practice.

14. Just because young kids have a hard time sharing their toys and possessions and aren't always happy or yielded to doing it, you don't throw up your hands and give up, concluding that they're too young. You continue to teach them and train them, and eventually they learn; then you can expect them to share, and expect them to get it right more often than not. It's the same principle with prophecy. You just have to teach them and go through the mistakes and setbacks with them. It's not a big deal, and as a parent you shouldn't worry that you're ruining their faith in prophecy if they get something wrong—just as you don't worry that if they have a fight with another child over a toy that they're going to lose their ability to share or to make the right decisions. It all comes with time and practice.

15. Do what you can when the kids are young so that when they're older and are able to put it into practice more fully, they will have a solid foundation. (End of message from Jesus.)

16. (Dad speaking: ) Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not." Hallelujah! That includes prophecy as well. The Lord wants them to learn how to ask Him about everything. Little children don't have the concentration to sit for long periods of time, but believe me, they can hear from the Lord‚ just as clearly as He talks to each of you. And just like you had to be taken through the school of learning how to use the gift of prophecy‚ you have to do the same thing with your children. (End of message from Dad.)

17. (Jesus speaking:) It's difficult to say at what age they can go deeper into prophecy. Much depends on their yieldedness, their exposure to the Word, their desire for Me, and the opportunities they have to exercise their gift. Do your part as teachers and parents to be good examples of the use of prophecy yourselves, and I will lead you in how to bring them deeper into their gift. (End of message from Jesus.)

FOUNDATION PRINCIPLE:
KEEP IT FUN!

18. (Mama:) As everyone who works with children can testify, they learn best when the subject is fun for them! Especially in the area of building their relationship with the Lord, prayer, and learning to hear from Him‚ it's very import­ant to keep things fun and upbeat—a time that they look forward to and enjoy. As they grow older and are more responsible and accountable, they will learn that it's also a part of our duty before the Lord—to pray, to hear from Him, to have time with Him—and we don't do it only when we feel like it or when it's "fun." But in teaching them about it, making it fun and enjoyable and inspiring is important. If they like it, they'll be motivated to learn and to do it on their own. And that's the goal!

Attitude Is Everything!

19. (Jesus speaking:) The basic key to making prophecy fun for children of all ages is to have fun with prophecy yourself. If you consider that taking time for prophecy is a chore or a drag, or you're not into it on some days for some reason, then your kids will pick up on that right away, and without saying a word, you will communicate an attitude of lethargy or boredom regarding prophecy.

20. If you're going to hear from Me with children, it's very important that you have a sin­cere desire to do it, and it's not something you're just pushing the children to do as a duty. Of course‚ I understand that there are some days you're physically very tired, or you're at the end of your rope as far as patience is concerned. If you don't feel like you can communicate an attitude of genuine enthusiasm that day, then perhaps it's better that you go aside for a bit of time hearing from Me alone, rather than trying to do it with the children at that moment.

21. Hearing from Me with children is kind of like doing dishes. Washing dishes is something you have to do every single day, and it's very inspiring once all the dishes are washed and the kitchen is clean. But if you try to force the kids to do dishes when you're not inspired about it, or they've caught on from you that dishes is a boring chore to be avoided at all costs, then they're not going to want to do dishes ­either!

22. Have you ever seen toddlers jumping up and down or beaming with excitement that they get to help their teacher wash a few dishes? It's novel and exciting for them, and they enjoy doing it! But you have to be excited about it too, and give them the vision for it. You can't just give those little children a whole dirty kitchen and say‚ "Here, kids, get this kitchen clean!" You motivate them, you inspire them with the end result, and if you're excited or happy about it, then they are too.

23. Of course, My words of prophecy are a lot more inspiring and fulfilling than just washing some inanimate objects, but the point is that whatever you do with children, if you're inspired about it, then they will be too. So it's very import­ant that My little children, in their formative years, see you excited about prophecy. Even if you're not jumping up and down about it‚ at least make sure you really want to do it with the kids. Your attitude toward prophecy will rub off on them! (End of message from Jesus.)

Tips for Making Prophecy Fun

For Real Young Kids

24. (Mama:) Here are some tips on making prophecy fun for your real young ones‚ two- to four-year-olds, but some things can be applied to older children as well.

25. (Jesus speaking: ) I want to make your times of training your darlings times filled with joy and laughter, as well as times to focus and learn the little lessons that I have for them as they grow and mature.

26. This area of teaching them to hear My voice is one especially dear to Me‚ for I desire to be so very near to them, only a whisper away. The more they realize how close I am to them, the more it will alleviate their fears and give them greater confidence in all that happens to them‚ for they'll know that I am in control and I can and will direct their lives.

27. When you let them partake of Me in this way, teaching them to ask for My clear words of advice, most of all let them learn how very much I love them. Make it a friendship thing, having them realize that more than anything else I'm there to help them, that I want to be their friend and give them happy times. I'm there for them. If they learn that I'm more than just someone who tells them to do this, that, and the other, then they'll enjoy being with Me very much.

28. I want them to realize that just because they can't see Me, it doesn't make Me any less real to them. I can speak to them any time and tell them all the things they want Me to talk to them about.

29. Try taking praise time first. That reminds them how wonderful I am‚ and how much I love them. When their hearts are filled with praise and they remember the things I've done and all that I am, this gets their little hearts in a more receptive mood to clearly hear My words to them.

30. I want to show them My love and let them feel Me near both during this time and throughout their lives. It's important that you impart to them how much I enjoy spending time with them‚ and how I love to speak My words to their hearts. When you get weighed down with the snags that come with teaching them to use this gift from Heaven, it can get you a bit boggled. But if you'll simply remember that love is what I want to impart and you keep this tone in your shepherding of them in this area, this will give them the faith and inspiration to keep at it, not fearing what I might say, or whether I will grant their request. There's always a loving and wonderful reason when I lead My children in a different path than what they had planned or hoped for. When they see the good outcome of things that didn't seem good to begin with, this will give them courage for the next time it seems things are bleak, or not flowing with what they'd have preferred.

31. One way to make it a fun time is to challenge them each day to hear from Me on some topic, maybe something that they're learning about. Make it a daily project to receive a mess­age on that theme, and add it to a book of these messages that you can read together in the future when they may need the encouragement or guidance. You can add simple messages that you receive for them as well. [Note: See FSM 330, "Shepherding Our Children in the New Day—Spiritual Weapons for Little Warriors‚" for more on prophecy notebooks as well as more fun ideas.]

32. The more inspired you are about prophecy, naturally the more they will feel compelled to hear these words from Heaven as well. Talk about the times you stopped to listen and the things you received that they can relate to. For example, if you were having a rough time and I gave a bit of encouragement that cheered your heart, share this experience with them in a way they can understand. When they see it's a highlight of your daily life, they'll want it to be more a part of their own as well. Example inspires ­others to do the same.

33. When you sit down to hear from Me on something that has come up, whether it's about their behavior or about a decision you or they need to make, stop first to hear My words of love. Even if they've been real naughty and need some correction and you have come to Me for My counsel on it, it's important that you first let Me express the love I have for them. This will warm their heart to receive whatever else needs to be said.

34. Make things fun by putting on a tape of praise, or prayer songs before hearing from Me. Then see what I might have to share with you.

35. For children who are learning to read, ask Me to give you the names of spirit helpers who are helping you and a little about what they do, and then write their names on large flashcards and put them on the wall. Then, when you get quiet to get a prophecy, they can even ask their spirit helpers for fun ideas.

36. For children who are still into stuffed animals, you can ask Me for a spirit story to tell as you play with the animals—with the stuffed toys as characters in the story.

37. Use prophecy in the different projects that you do. If they help to make a thank-you card for someone in the Home‚ add a loving note from Me to it. Either they can receive these few little words for the person while you write it down, or you can receive them while praying with them. When they see that I can add special things to the work and projects they do, it will help associate it with fun times—just like you enjoy hearing from Me about your parties or special times of fellowship. Hearing from Me is not just some mundane thing you do in your work hours, but it's something that makes your life lively and Spirit-filled and full of My love, because I'm there with you and enjoy doing things with you.

38. Love is the key in your prophecy times with them—passing on My love, and making them realize how very loved they are, by Me and you as well. Everyone loves love, and if they know they are greatly loved, they'll love these times spent at My feet. Pass on My love and enjoy exploring this side of the world of the spirit.

39. I'm near to you, and care dearly for you and your little ones. (End of message from Jesus.)

More Practical Tips for

Fun Prophecy with Children

40. (Mama:) Some of these tips are geared for children who are a little older, but many can be adapted for younger ones. Please apply them ac­cording to the maturity and interests of your particular children.

41. (Jesus speaking: ) Even though all of My words are spiritually nutritious in some way, some kinds of prophecy are more fun than other kinds, and these are the kinds of prophecy you can focus on with your children. There are certainly times when you, My warriors, have to pray about serious problems‚ life-and-death ­situations‚ or adult trials, and in those times I give you feeding words of counsel‚ meaty and serious, to be an anchor in your life. But remember that My little children aren't weighed down with adult problems yet‚ so they don't have to worry about receiving very serious prophecies yet ­either.

42. When children are small, you try to make the food they have to eat attractive. You give them small portions, and you don't give them certain types of food that you know they don't care for—for example, strong sauces or spices on their food that would turn them off from eating dinner! It's the same with prophecy. The prophecies you receive for your children can be short and sweet. I want to win My children, and I have many fun ways to speak to them that will feed them spiritually and leave them begging for more.

43. Use birthdays to receive special little proph­ecy gifts for your children, or with your children for their friends. There are so many special things I can say to a little child on his or her birthday. Perhaps I'll tell him or her about a new spirit companion I'm giving‚ or even a spirit pet! Perhaps I'll tell them a little bit about a special room in his or her mansion. Once you've received a little prophecy, then the kids could illustrate what I said in the prophecy—drawing the mansion or the pet or the spirit helper or whatever it was that I described.

44. You can even have the children all get quiet at a table with paper and colored pencils. Have each one ask Me to show them a picture of something special I've prepared in Heaven for the birthday boy or girl. Then they can draw it! This is a fun activity that children of any age could do, but especially children in the MC and OC age brackets who have gotten into drawing pictures more.

45. If you've received a detailed description of a spirit helper that I've given for your child, ask a JETT, teen or adult who has artistic tendencies to try to illustrate the prophecy description for you. Then you can laminate that and give it as a special birthday present. You don't have to wait for a birthday; ask Me about each one's spirit helpers and have each of the children draw their own.

46. With children who are old enough to read and write, you can get pieces of lined paper and pencils, and each ask Me for a special little message for one of the SGAs or FGAs in the house. Each child can be assigned to receive a little prophecy for one person. Then, once you've received the mess­ages, they can fold the paper and write a little note‚ saying something like, "This is a special gift from Jesus for you." Then the children can go and slip the papers under the door of the various people's bedrooms, or put it on their beds. At dinnertime‚ one of the children (or you) can announce that all the grown-ups have secret messages in their rooms as a surprise.

47. For older children and even JETTs, when you hear of someone on the prayer list who is very sick, you can all get messages of encouragement, then compile them and send them off to that person. Or for prayer vigil time you can assign each child or JETT one person of their choosing from the prayer list to get a little prophecy for. Then they can write a little intro note, and you can send that off. (This is a good idea for all ages—adults too!)

48. Ask Me for several fun topics or settings for stories. Then write or type them and give them out to the OCs or JETTs or who­ever you're with. Announce that it's voluntary, but that Jesus gave you these story topics, and that each person can look at their assigned topic and ask the Lord for a spirit story for the younger children. Then, once you've read over them to correct any typos, they can all take turns reading their little stories—either to yourselves first, or right to the little children in the Home. Take their stories and compile them in a booklet. If they really like the idea, they can keep on adding to the booklet. [Note: If you get any spirit stories you think the Family would enjoy or benefit from‚ please send them to "Heaven's Library" at: hl@wsfamily.com]

49. For all ages, make fun signs that you can put up when you're hearing from Me, so people know not to disturb you. You can photocopy pictures from the Word that go with hearing from Heaven, and the signs can say anything like, "Shhh, hearing from Heaven now," or "Listening to the Boss," or whatever they want to say. Make your own special sign and make sure the kids see you using it too.

50. If you get prophecies for your contacts or your sheep, make sure to share that fact with the kids, and then share any positive reactions you get. The more your kids see that prophecy influences other people's lives for the better‚ the more they will be turned on about using it too.

51. Make sure to share testimonies of how prophecy helps you. The kinds of prophecies you get might not always be appropriate for children, but some may be. Tell them about the times that I showed you not to go witnessing somewhere and later you heard there was an accident there‚ or I showed you to write someone an encouraging letter‚ and it arrived at the perfect time for that person. Be sure to testify of these things!

52. It's important to be a sample of giving when exercising your gift of prophecy. Don't limit yourself to asking Me only about things pertaining to your own life. Make a point to ask Me questions related to how to make others in the Home happy. If you have something you're forsaking and you're not sure who to give it to, stop with the children and ask Me who needs it the most. If you've received some extra funds one month and you have a choice of several mission fields to send it to, explain the matter to your children, discuss all the various worthy mission­aries‚ and then ask Me together who would need it the most, or how I want you to use those funds.

53. If the kids are bummed out because something they were looking forward to won't work out because of the weather or some other unavoidable circumstances‚ either receive a little encouragement in private for them, or receive it right there with them before you go on to another activity or diversion. It's important to teach My children that even when things seem like they're not working out, there's always a positive way to look at things. They can find this "positive" key in My Words. They have but to come to Me and ask Me and I will show them where that "rainbow" or "silver lining" is.

54. Easter, Mother's or Father's day, the Family birthday‚ Christmas, or even the local holidays in your country, are all good opportunities to receive a prophecy about the occasion. At first you can begin receiving something special for the day yourself, and after a time, your children will begin to look forward to that extra special touch on those special days.

55. Back to the kids' spirit helpers: Once they've each discovered the name of at least one of their spirit helpers, have them write down those names and then switch papers. Then they can each receive a message for someone else from that person's spirit helper, either about what their spirit helpers do during free time in Heaven‚ favorite places in Heaven, or pets they have. Spirit helpers love to talk about Heaven and to help My children, whoever they may be. These things will help bring the spirit world to life for My children. (End of message from Jesus.)

MORE STEPS IN TEACHING THE KIDS

Keep it Simple

—Lead by Your Sample

56. (Jesus speaking:) How can you help the children grow in their gift of prophecy? The best way to do this is by exhibiting faith in the gift yourself. Share the prophecies you receive. Let them see you as you hear from Me. Let them be there while you ask Me to speak when the question is appropriate for them to hear‚ so that they can partake of the spirit of the situation, the atmosphere, the feeling of My presence and My words. Let them read prophecies you have received when the subject matter is appropriate, and prophecies I have given for their age level which are published in My Word. Show them how things that you've received together were true and helped you in your day. Lift up prophecy in your day-to–day life with the children‚ asking Me for leading and then praising Me for the results, and this will rub off on the children.

57. The greatest enemy to hearing from Me in prophecy is doubt and worry that you're not actually hearing from Me. As you exercise yourself and speak faith yourself about the gift and your use of it‚ this attitude of faith will rub off on the children. Allow them to partake of prophecy time with you. Take times where you sit down with them and ask Me to speak. Record the words they get. Make reference to them later, and generally do all you can to show you ­treasure the messages they receive, the love they have for Me and My love for them, and all this will nurture and protect and promote their own gift.

58. You should help them see that it is truly that—a gift—something precious, to be treasured, to be appreciated con­tinually, so that they don't take it lightly and they don't get foolish or flippant or too familiar with it. Let the times of hearing from Me be fun, but also reverent and special. Build an atmosphere of faith and expectancy. Let Me speak, and then thank Me and praise Me for what I've said, taking joy in My Words. All this will help them to appreciate My Words and to grow in their gift. (End of message from Jesus.)

Help Them Receive the Holy Spirit

59. (Jesus speaking:) If you're teaching the children about prophecy, it's important to be sure that they're filled with the Holy Spirit. Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit, and it's the Holy Spirit Who will guide them into all truth.

60. They must have accepted Me into their hearts and know that they need Me. Then they can ask for the Holy Spirit to fill them. You can give them a simple class about what the Holy Spirit does‚ and how She loves to fill every vacuum that's made for Her. This is an import­ant first step in teaching them about prophecy.

61. So ask them if they would like to be really used by Me in a great way, and then explain how I can fill them to overflowing with the Spirit‚ which will give them an extra dose of My power, strength, love and wisdom, if they ask Me to. Show them about the Holy Spirit from My Word, so they might receive Her and develop their gift of prophecy to the full. (End of message from Jesus.)

Note: For more on teaching children about the Holy Spirit, please see the following publications:

MLK #19: "A New Day of Love!"

ML #1956:1-5, "The Spirit of Love," DB 8

Start with the Basics

—Verses and Stories from the Word

62. (Mama: ) And here's a message that will be very encouraging for all of you faithful parents and teachers who have been pouring the Word into your children. You're giving them a good foundation for hearing from the Lord and lots for Him to bring to their remembrance as they learn to listen for His voice and direction. God bless you!

63. (Jesus speaking:) One way of teaching children to prophesy is by instructing them to ask Me for a verse or a Bible story that fits the situation they're in. This is a good way to begin actually seeking My counsel with the children, or seeking directional advice, or seeking Me about what to do in any given situation. In the beginning, their gifts [of prophecy] will of course not be finely honed, so you can't expect them to do what it took you years to do—and that is to receive specifics and details in prophecy about what to do‚ when, where, with whom, and for how long! They just won't receive this type of thing immediately, though they can under super­natural and extraordinary circum­stances.

64. Get them used to the Word as being their direction, their standard, and their guide. As they see that this is their guide, they will refer to it more and more. I don't mean to do this to the exclusion of prophecy. But these young years are the time to build their foundation on the Word—the Bible and the Letters—so that they understand that the Word is the fountain of life‚ the source of strength, the guidebook, and the owner's manual. This way they will turn to it, and not just to the voice of prophecy, to find My will, and their obedience to it will keep them on track.

65. So if you use the verses and the stories that they've learned when asking them to seek My will‚ you will be laying a good foundation, and it's a good way to start them out with prophecy. Referring often to My written Words will help to give them the idea that My Word is what you measure everything against. The counsel I give might be different for different situations‚ but the published Words in the Bible and the Letters that I've given the Family are the framework which you live within. You can impart that to your children by referring back to the Word often‚ and by starting them out in prophecy by asking them to ask Me for a verse or a story that they've learned that applies to what I'm asking them to do.

66. As time goes on, they will learn the seven ways to know My will; thus it is good to begin to teach them to seek My will by teaching them to ask Me for verses, and to ask Me for examples in the Scriptures of what they're praying about. This can then be confirmed in prophecy, or perhaps these verses and stories will be contained in the prophecy. You're laying a good foundation if you teach them to ask Me for verses and stories from the Bible and the Letters. (End of message from Jesus)

Encouragement Prophecies

Are a Good Way to Practice

67. (Jesus speaking:) Receiving prophecies of encouragement for others is a good way to practice hearing from Me. It's often easier to receive something for someone else than for yourself, especially when you're receiving My encouragement for someone.

68. It's also a good way to get young children into the groove of hearing from Me. It helps them to use their gift of prophecy to give to others. It gives them respect for others when they hear My words of love to them, and it's good practice in getting quiet and still and listening for My whispers.

69. There are all kinds of ways to receive en­cour­age­ment for others. They can ask Me for My words to put on a little note to a classmate or a brother or sister or peer. If you're a teacher, you could ask them if they want to get a short prophecy of encouragement for their parents. Or if you're a parent, get something with them for their teacher.

70. They could pick someone in the Home to get something for, or even get something for one of your contacts or sheep who comes over. If someone does something special or finishes a big job, that would be a good time to ask for My commendation and words of encouragement for them. Or even in the little day-to-day things, for example‚ they could ask Me for some encouragement for the cook who made dinner, or the witnessers who've been out all day. Birthdays are good times to receive a present of My Words for people, which they could put in a pretty card or on nice stationery as an extra special gift.

71. Receiving prophecies of encouragement for others will also bring good feedback. People will want to thank them for taking time to hear from Me for them, so it will be rewarding for them, and chances are they'll want to do it more and more. (End of message from Jesus)

[Note: For motivation for the kids to get messages for your sheep who come to classes, see MLK #131, page 12.]

Take Time with Them One on One

72. (Dad speaking:) Little children from the ages of two to three need time when it's just you and them‚ and this is a perfect opportunity to teach them how to hear from the Lord. Often if you have several little ones together, it's difficult to get their full concen­tra­tion and attention. A child's life is full of action, and it's difficult for them to stop and get quiet, even for a few moments. But it can be done, and the simplest way for them to learn this is if they've done it individually with you or another person. That's when you can teach them the different steps of hearing from the Lord‚ and they can learn respect for prophecy.

73. I understand for some of you parents it doesn't seem possible. You have several little chil­dren with you at all times, and sometimes all you wish for is a little time to sit with your children separately and spend time with them alone. What might help is to remember that a child's attention span is much shorter than yours, so for him, just five minutes at a time is enough to start laying the groundwork for prophecy. ­Every parent can find a few moments to spend with each child. If you feel it's an impossibility for you, ask the Lord, and He'll show you how.

74. You can take a few moments while you kiss them goodnight. Whisper in their ear, "Let's ask Jesus for something nice about sleep." Or, "Let's ask Jesus what bedtime prayer we should pray." It's through the simple, almost insignificant things that you'll be able to help them grow. And there is time to do it on an individual level. In that after-nap cuddle time when the other kids are still sleeping, take a moment to help them listen to the Lord. Even after an accident while you're praying and comforting them and wiping their tears away, teach them to ask the Lord for His words of comfort, and He'll tell them what went wrong or why they had an accident.

75. It's also important that you make prophecy something the children do together. But you have to understand that you'll have times when they'll sit real still and be very attentive, and there'll be those times when sitting still is the last thing on their mind, especially when they're together with their peers and exciting and distracting each other. You'll have the most success on a personal level, but it's still import­ant to do it together at least once or twice a day. I'm not talking about big, long, drawn-out prophecy sessions—just stopping them and getting them used to quieting their spirits and hearing from the Lord. It's a good habit for them to build.

76. The best thing is for you to be asking the Lord as well, "Lord‚ would this be a good time to teach the kids a little more about prophecy?" "Jesus, should I wait till after playtime to get the kids to hear from You, or should I do it now?" You, in a sense‚ are undergoing training with them, because as you take the time to ask the Lord how to best impart this to your children, He'll be able to tell you exactly what the best moves are, and when are the best times to make them. (End of message from Dad)

Ask Me for the Keys of

How to Teach Your Kids

77. (Jesus speaking:) Every new soul is a unique creation of My hands. So I ask that just as you seek Me about how to teach each of your children the right morals, the right manners, the right beliefs, and the right standards, that you also seek Me about how to teach each child the principles of hearing from Me. What won't reach one child will turn another child's key. A child who is bored by one type of explanation or activity that you use to practice with prophecy will be excited about another presentation. So it boils down to this: Ask Me! Use prophecy to teach prophecy! (End of message from Jesus.)

HELPING KIDS LEARN TO BE
GOOD RECEIVERS

Putting Aside Their Desires

In Order to Hear Clearly from Jesus

78. (Mama:) As adults, we've learned that one of the principles in hearing clearly from the Lord is being willing to put aside your own thoughts and desires in order to hear what He has to say. We asked the Lord if it was too much to expect that our young children, Trevor and Olivia (who were both four at the time)‚ could learn to put aside their own desires or opinions in order to hear clearly what the Lord wanted to tell them. Many times the things they wanted to ask the Lord about, they had strong desires about—such as where they would play or take get-out that day‚ or whether or not they could have more playtime, or what to do in a situation where they both wanted to play with the same toy or wanted to have different stories for bedtime. We asked the Lord if it might be best to limit the kids to asking Him for prophecies of encourage­ment, for example, until they got older and could learn how to put aside their own desires in order to hear the Lord's voice clearly and be willing to give what He was giving them.

79. (Jesus speaking:) As far as whether they're too young at four years old to forsake their own opinions and ask Me to clear their channels so that I can come through with My desires if they are different from theirs, I say they are not too young to grasp this concept. You can explain to them that if they're too full of themselves, their channel will be real small—it will be like a clogged pipe. The pipe will be so full of their own wishes and their own wants that My wants and My Words just can't squeeze through. [Note: MLK #99, "Be an open channel" (printed in a mag with 98 and 100), might be helpful in explaining this.]

80. You can explain that when they pray, they open a pipe to get "water" from Heaven, but they have to keep their pipe real clean. You can explain how they keep their pipe clean—that I can't bless and speak to them if they're in a rebellious or ugly mood, that I can't speak to them if they're being too wiggly or impatient to do something else, that I can't speak to them if they just blurt out what they already think and don't listen to Me.

81. If you feel that they're just speaking their own desires and not My words, then tell them that, but don't make a big deal of it. You can say‚ "I think you're listening to yourself and not to Jesus. Let's get real still and let Jesus speak, okay?" But don't do this too often—only do it if you feel that they've said something that is contrary to the Word; otherwise they will doubt their ability to hear from Me, and they won't have the faith that I want them to have.

82. In the beginning, it is easier for them to hear from Me for encouragement and general things than for direction. Receiving prophecies of encour­age­ment or words of love for themselves or for others is one way they can learn to hear My words and recognize My voice. But don't discourage them if they want to ask Me for direction. Some may have more faith for this than others. Some may be the more practical types who want to ask what they should do, whether or not such-and-such is the best way, or something else is the best way. When this is the case‚ and when they do it spontaneously, don't correct them or stop them. It's their faith that is reaching out, and I wouldn't discourage that.

83. In little things, it's fine to let it go if you feel they got something that was affected by their own opinions, but which doesn't directly contradict the Word or something you've already told them to do—such as whether it's good to go outside and play rather than stay inside and clean up their room. If they get a prophecy that's telling them something different than what you've told them, then you can simply tell them, "Honey, Jesus is speaking to Mommy too, and right now He's speaking to you through me. I'm asking you to clean your room (or to do such-and-such), and it's because He wants me to ask you to do that. So let's wait till after you've cleaned your room, and then ask Him if it's all right to go outside‚ okay?"

84. Avoid directly telling them that what they got wasn't Me. Instead, point them to My best will, My highest will, and the fact that I will be happy if they obey you, because you are talking with Me and listening to Me too‚ and I want them to obey you. If you can‚ help them to word the question so that it takes the necess­ary factors into the equation, so that they're able to receive more of a full answer from Me. But if it's too late and they've already asked Me, then there may be times that you'll have to let it go, and other times when you choose to explain things further to them.

85. Most importantly, seek Me on the spot as to how to react‚ so that you're ministering an attitude of faith to them and helping them to build the foundation that is necessary to receive My words clearly, rather than discouraging them by telling them they haven't heard from Me.

86. Above all, I don't want you to discourage their baby gifts or make them feel that what they get is silly or not good. Even if it does seem to be a little off, I would rather they experiment and learn to hear My voice than to be too squelched and silenced because what they're getting is not as correct as you would like it to be. (End of message from Jesus)

"Stop, Look, Listen and Receive"

Steps

87. (Jesus speaking:) One of the main things to present to your children is how simple it is for Me to speak to them. There's nothing difficult about it. It's simply the Father speaking words of counsel to His children, and the children listening and receiving His counsel. It's very simple. So keep it simple for the kids. It doesn't need to be made complicated. It doesn't need to get into a heavy spiritual discussion‚ but simply, "Ask Jesus. He wants to tell us. Let's listen to Him." Very simple.

88. Of course, when you're in your own spirit and busy with your work, it takes calming your spirit to be able to stop and receive from My Spirit. It's the same with kids when they're involved in their play or whatever they're doing. Always take a few minutes for everyone to calm down and get quiet before the children hear from Me. Impress upon them the import­ance of drinking it in, or listening to Me. Teach them that I want to speak to them with My quiet voice. I want to whisper in their ear and talk to them about the things that they need to know, that they need to learn. I'm there for them all the time if they'll just stop their own plans and playing and thinking, and wait and listen to Me. Remind them of the verse, "Ask and ye shall receive."—A very simple verse, and a very simple principle. If you ask Me for an answer, I will give it.

89. My little children who are being raised in My Spirit with My Word can easily learn to be sensitive to the spirit, because it's a gift I have given them, and they can learn to know when their spirit is calmed and ready to listen. They can understand that. So simply bring them to that point where they are calm, quiet, and ready to listen and hear from Me. With very little children, this can be done quite simply because they're easy to lead, they're easy to show by your spirit, by your actions. It's easy to guide them. As the children get a little older, they have more of a mind of their own, and they need a little stronger guidance to get them to forsake their thoughts, their ideas, and come to Me. But still, that little time before you hear from Me is extremely important to get them to empty their minds and thoughts of their own ideas, their own activities, and wait. "Wait, I say, on the Lord." Wait to hear from Me. I will speak to them.

90. Teach them the principle of stopping, looking, and listening. They've heard that already even from the time they're very young, and it's easy to remember. So how would they apply "stop, look, listen" when it comes to hearing from Me? Ask them. Talk to them about it.

91. "What does Jesus mean when He says to stop, look, and listen? What do we need to stop?" Then you'll get answers from them: "Stop playing." "Stop fidgeting." "Stop jumping around." Whatever it is you're doing, stop.

92. "Look—what does that mean? Why is it stop, look and listen?" Well‚ in this case it doesn't necessarily mean you're seeing something with your eyes. But look—look to Jesus. Turn your heart and your mind and your thoughts to Jesus. If it's possible, a picture of Me is good to have nearby to remind them that they're now "looking to Jesus for His answers."

93. Then listen. "So what are we going to do now, kids? We've stopped, and we're looking, and now we're going to listen. Let's get quiet and hear what Jesus wants to tell us."

94. Those three words embody the simplicity of hearing from Me that kids can understand. Stop, look, and listen. And then the other one that has been added now is "receive." Stop‚ look, listen, and receive. For kids to understand the concept of "receive‚" explain to them it's simply "hearing what Jesus says to you."

95. When it's an occasion that you should write down or record what they say, take a turn with each child separately. Help them to get to this stage of stop, look, listen, and receive—and when it's time for the "receive," ask them to wait their turns, and then one at a time write down what they say as the other ones wait. You can even do it separately, taking each one aside in turn to give them an opportunity to hear from Me. Then when you're all done‚ you can read together the different things that I've told them.

96. With little children, you can sing the little song with them, "The most important job you have, is listening to the King!" with a slight change in the words. "The most important job you have is listening to the King. Stop, look, and listen, and He'll give you words from Heaven." You can make this a little action song for the young ones. And instead of the previous last line "or you're going to get run over," use the new line, "And He'll give you words from Heaven," as the child acts like he's hearing something wonderful.

97. According to the age of the children, you could have them pray a little prayer at the beginning of their time to hear from Me, like, "Jesus, help me to stop and be calm now, so I can hear from You"—a simple prayer like that‚ where they take the time to calm their spirit and ask Me to help them. That's important‚ because just being able to calm a group and get a group quiet is not necessarily accomplishing the purpose. But if each child makes a personal commitment to calm their spirit so they can listen, that will make a big difference. (End of message from Jesus.)

How to Ask the Right Questions:

The J-O-Y Principle

98. (Mama:) As the Lord told us in one of the messages published in "Understanding Prophecy—Part 3" (ML #3310:7–11, GN 913), the question that we ask often directly affects the answer. In asking the Lord how little children can learn to ask the right questions, He gave a very simple guideline which is nice and easy to remember! Thank the Lord!

99. (Jesus speaking: ) As you've learned in your use of prophecy, the question that you ask has a great bearing on the answer. So if you're going to teach your children to use prophecy accurately and be clear and reliable channels, you must teach them about asking the right questions. I will make it very simple for My little ones. They can use the foundation of Jesus, then others, then you—J-O-Y. That will be easy for them to remember, and will help them to ask the questions based on My will rather than what they want to do. As they grow they will learn more about what to include in the questions, but when they're young, this is sufficient.

100. For example, if two children are insisting that they play different games, leading to either or both of them being unhappy, teach them to ask Me for a solution. They should base their questions on the simple principle of J-O-Y. It's an easy concept.

Number one (Jesus): "Jesus‚ we don't know what game to play. We want to do what makes You happy."

Number two (others): "Which game is going to make my playmate happy?"

Number three (you): "Show me what I should do, so I can be happy too."

101. Or if you encounter a parent/child problem—for example, where children don't want to put away the toys they dumped on the floor, aren't following instructions‚ or are whining about things that don't go their way—these are all things you can incorporate that simple pattern into, and teach them how to solve the problem by asking Jesus about it, using the formula "Jesus, others‚ then you." "Jesus, what do You want me to do? What can I do to help Mommy or make her happy? How can I be happy too?"

102. At first you may need to guide them, the same way you'd take a little baby's hand when they're learning to take their first steps. You start off holding both their arms, sometimes even moving their little feet for them. Gradually they'll walk only holding onto your pinkie, and eventually they'll be able to walk on their own. But it takes time, patience, love, and there are falls along the way. You simply need to put them back on their feet and encourage them to keep on trying. It's the same with teaching little children how to hear from Me in prophecy and how to ask the questions which will bring the right answers.

103. You can start bringing this concept into their lives around the age of four to five, teaching them to ask questions in this sequence, putting Me and others above themselves. Children are naturally selfish. It's a mindset most people spend their lives trying to change. Prophecy is a wonderful way to help them make those needed steps in this area, because they have to ask Me. And using those questions they've also got to put others above themselves.

104. By the time the child reaches six or seven, they'll be able to do this on their own a lot more. Of course‚ every child being different‚ you'll find some catching on a lot quicker‚ and some will be slower. It requires your prayers, asking Me how to deal with the different situations that come up, and even more so, asking Me how to best bring this point across for each individual child. (End of message from Jesus.)

More on the Importance of

Asking the Right Question

105. (Mama:) Whenever you're able to be with your children when they're learning to hear from the Lord‚ you can help guide them to ask the right questions. Besides the simple guide­line the Lord gave above, they will also learn from your sample what kind of questions to ask the Lord. Some time ago, when I was first preparing this GN for you‚ Bethy wrote me with this testimony about something that had happened with her and Olivia along these lines. It emphasizes how important it is to teach the children to ask the right questions when they're learning to hear from the Lord.

106. (From Bethy:) One morning as Olivia was getting dressed—which is a long, tedious process, as she insists on choosing all her own clothes—she chose her bright green dress and pink socks. When I pointed out to her that the pink socks didn't match her green dress, it didn't go over well. With her insisting on wearing it and me being dead set against it, we launched into a rather lengthy back and forth discussion about it. She simply did not want to change her socks.

107. I was feeling bad that this big deal erupted over a simple request to change the color of her socks, and was unsure of whether to insist on it or not, when Olivia piped up with, "Why don't we pray and hear from the Lord if I can wear my pink socks?" The way she phrased the question gave me an idea, which had to be an inspiration straight from Heaven. My first reaction was to think it surely wouldn't work‚ as in her present state she would have surely "received" that the Lord wanted her to wear her pink socks. But the Lord gave me an idea, so I replied instead, "That's a good idea, Sweetie. Why don't you sit down and ask the Lord if He wants you to listen to your mommy and obey and put on the white socks, or if He wants you to do your own thing and wear the pink socks."

108. She looked a little sheepish as she went off to pray, and a minute later she got up and went and put her white socks on. I asked her what the Lord showed her, and she said, "He said I should obey my mommy!" Sweet girl! Whew‚ I was rather pleased with the way that turned out, ha!

109. I guess I realized that sometimes with very young kids, you have to guide them a bit in the phrasing of the question, to help them to have the right mindset when they hear from the Lord. Otherwise‚ they can look on prophecy as appealing to a higher authority Who has the power to overrule their parents' wishes. When, in reality, the Lord and the Word want children to be obedient to their parents, so children need to learn that more often than not, in this type of situation, the Lord would be on the parents' side, ha!—At least at this young an age. (End of testimony from Bethy.)

Ask the Lord About Everything

As You Go—Including

What the Question Should Be

110. (Mama:) A key in all of this is asking the Lord about things yourself as you go. When it's time to hear from the Lord about something with the kids, shoot up a quick prayer, asking the Lord how to phrase the question. Here's a little jewel from Dad on the subject.

111. (Dad speaking:) You won't be able to avoid all difficult situations with your kids, but you can turn each one into a positive learning experience if you're faithful to ask the Lord on the spot how to explain or present it or how to rephrase the question in order to receive the right answer. You as a parent, teacher, or childcare worker will need to do all you can to help direct the child's questions that they want to ask the Lord‚ and to do that accurately, you'll have to be asking the Lord yourself. You'll need to be Spirit-led.

112. When they have a question that they want to ask that goes against common sense‚ ask the Lord what you should do, and He'll tell you. Ask Him how to reword the question if it needs it. That's the key right there—taking time to check in. (End of message from Dad)

Waiting to Hear the Whole Answer

—Communicating Takes Time

113. (Jesus speaking:) It's important to teach children—or anyone who is learning about and developing their gift of prophecy—to confirm and reconfirm and check in with Me often. With prophecy, the more you ask Me, come back to Me, and listen to Me about something, the better your understanding of it will be, and the greater likelihood that you'll not misinterpret, jump to conclusions‚ or miss an important part of My instruction or counsel.

114. When you don't get things clear, or you don't fully understand, or something doesn't seem quite right, that's the time to ask Me again‚ to come and get more details. Children who are learning to hear from Me should be encouraged to do this often. Sometimes problems can arise because they didn't wait to hear My whole answer, or thought they understood and stopped listening before they really got the point.

115. The idea that instructions are easy to misunderstand or not get right is a concept that's easy for children to grasp, because it can happen often—especially if they're not taught to listen closely, repeat instructions‚ or are in too much of a hurry or too eager to just hear what they want to hear and rush off, rather than waiting for the full counsel. Children often want to immediately go and do something partway through your explanation. As soon as they think they know what you're saying, they want to go do it, and they don't often have a lot of patience to wait for your full explanation. Often you have some other very important things to tell them‚ other special considera­tions, comments, cautions, or words of wisdom they need to hear before they begin something. How often do you have to say to a child, "But first let me finish," or "Wait, I'm not done yet" when you're talking to them?

116. Teach your children that it's the same when they ask Me something. I want them to learn to be patient and polite and to stay there, patiently listening, until I'm finished. They need to learn to sit quietly and keep listening even after I've said "yes" or "okay" or "no" or "perhaps" or whatever. That takes faith and a moment more of being patient, but it's very import­ant. Explain to them that communication takes time.

117. Older children can relate to how difficult it is to write a letter and how much time it takes. Well, prophecy for Me is a little like writing a letter to you to answer your questions. And prophecy for you is a little like sitting down to read what I've written to you. When someone writes you a letter in answer to a question you asked them, it means they've taken time to pray about what to say to you‚ and planned how to word it and present it to you. So when you get their letter you need to read the whole letter and not just part of it. Don't just read until you think you see the answer to your question and then stop reading. You need to keep reading till you come to the end and the person signs off, or you could miss something very important that was not said earlier.

118. So it is in learning to listen to Me—you need to learn to keep listening until I sign off. That gives Me time to give you a better or more complete picture. Now that's not to say I will always have a lot more to say to you; sometimes I won't. But it is very important that you learn to pause and keep listening a moment more past hearing the answer you want to hear, just in case I have a few conditions to add. Often the conditions, or the "ifs," "ands," "buts," or a P.S., could prove to be as important, or even more important, than the actual answer itself. I know it takes faith to pause and pray, "Lord, do You have more to add or say?" but that moment more can save the day—or your life. (End of message from Jesus.)

Teaching Them the Principle of

Getting a Confirmation

On Big Decisions

119. (Jesus speaking:) When the issue you're praying about with your children is bigger than normal, make sure to explain to the children that when you come before Me‚ you're going to ask for a few pieces to a puzzle. You can even include that in your prayer. Once I've given some leading or direction, if you don't feel you have the full answer from Me or you're aware that there are more factors or circumstances to be sorted out, then thank Me right afterward for giving those pieces to this beautiful big puzzle, and ask Me to help you to be tuned in so you can find all the other pieces.

120. This simple word picture about the pieces of a puzzle will help your children to visual­ize that even though you hear from Me, it might take doing that a few times before you see your vision materialize. You can even demonstrate it with a few real puzzles.

121. Some puzzles for very small children only have four to eight pieces. You can explain that when you have a little question‚ like where to go on get–out, or what to do on Sunday afternoon together, it's like getting a little puzzle to put together, and I can usually give all the pieces to that puzzle right then.

122. Questions that are a little larger, like the question of where to go on your faith trip‚ are like puzzles with 16 to 20 pieces. Sometimes you'll have questions about things you'll want to do, and you might think they're just an eight- or a 20-piece puzzle, but they turn out to be like a 50–piece puzzle because it takes quite some time of following My voice step by step to put the whole picture together. That takes patience and coming back to Me again and again. All the pieces are there; you just have to ask Me how they go together!

123. Then, really big questions, like the ques­tion of what new mission field your whole family should go to, can be like a 500- or 1000-piece puzzle! That's not because the puzzle is too difficult to put together; it's mostly because you have to come back to Me a lot of times to ask Me where every little piece to the puzzle goes. Sometimes it can seem like it's taking forever, but slowly‚ bit by bit, the whole picture comes together.

124. When your children realize that you have to pray and ask Me about 1000–piece puzzles sometimes, it will help them to be more patient when they have to wait awhile before I put together their 10– or 20-piece puzzle. They'll start to realize that, just the same as when you pray, it takes time for Me to work out My will and to lead My children step by step. But then, once that puzzle is finished and framed and put on the wall, it's a great accomplishment, and you can rejoice with everyone over the beautiful picture that has resulted! (End of message from Jesus.)

Teach Them to Use the Seven Ways

To Know God's Will

125. (Jesus speaking:) Using the seven ways to know My will is like playing a game with clues. There are seven piles or categories that you can pick a clue card from, which helps you figure out the answer and move ahead toward the prize.

126. If you only used prophecy to find My will, then it'd be like just picking from one category the whole time, and not enjoying the whole game. It's the same if you just get godly counsel from your parents and teachers, or if you just follow your burdens, or your impressions, or open and closed doors.

127. In order to really enjoy the "Finding My Will" game‚ get a clue from every category! Sometimes when you pick a clue card, it gives you such a good clue that you can almost guess the answer just from that one. It's just like sometimes when I'm showing you My will, you don't use every single way to know My will. But you'll have lots more fun if you at least use most of them! And even if sometimes you're pretty sure of the answer‚ it's wise to pick at least one or two more cards so that you're really sure you get it right.

128. The first category is labeled the Word. Do you know why that is? That's because if you want to do something or to get My leading on something, the first place you should look for My answer is in the Word that you already have. The reason I want you to do this is because it increases your faith if I've led others in the way you want to go. It also provides safeguards, be­cause if My Word already advises against ­doing something, it's often a pretty good sign that ­do­ing it is not a good idea. Of course, there are some­times exceptions, but you can be sure that if My Word approves of what you want to do, you can then seek My specific leading in full faith.

129. The second category is godly counsel. Did you notice that I put godly counsel in front of direct revelation for this game? I did that on purpose, because you see‚ when you're still young, I give you teachers, shepherds and parents to help you to stay on the path of My will. It's even healthy for SGAs and adults to seek godly counsel when they ask Me about something tricky or long-term! I will always bless you for seeking godly counsel about something before you even bring it to Me. Then I can be sure that because you're being yielded to those who are over you‚ you will also be yielded to whatever I have to say to you. Also, because whatever you want to do has to be according to their faith too, especially if it's out of the ordinary or it requires them to drive you somewhere, or to help with something to bring your desire to pass, then they have to be in agreement from the beginning. They have to approve the initial idea.

130. The third category is—that's right, direct revelation. At this point you can come to Me in full faith, asking Me for words of counsel and leading, or visions. I'll even sometimes speak in dreams, but when I do, you should ask Me exactly what they mean to you.

131. The fourth category is the voice of the Word. Often this will tie into the first category, or the third category, when I cause some Word you read to stand out to you and speak to your heart‚ or I bring a verse to your mind when you stop to hear from Me. When something jumps out at you from the Word, or you feel Me speaking to you through something that you read, stop and ask Me about it, and I'll be able to explain exactly what I'm trying to tell you.

132. The fifth category is open and closed doors. Remember, sometimes I'll say "yes" and sometimes I'll say "wait," because I haven't opened the door for you yet.

133. The sixth category is burdens. Even though you often get a burden to do something right at the beginning, I'm putting it near the end here, to show you that it's not as important as the other clues you have to pull before it. Remember that your parents or teachers also have to have a burden for the way I'm leading.

134. The seventh category is fleeces. Some­times, for extra confirmation, I'll lead you to set a fleece, and this will increase your faith that I am indeed leading you in the way you're going.

135. That's the game of finding My will! Some­times you'll only have to pick three or four of the clues before you're able to guess the right answer and get on with My will! But I put them in that order, because if you want to do something, it's a good idea to at least pick the first three clues. Sometimes I'll lead you through your godly counselors to go further and pull a fourth or fifth clue, and even maybe use all seven of the clues‚ just so you can all have full faith that I'm truly leading you in the right direction.

136. I hope that helps you to see the import­ance of using many of the ways to know My will. Sometimes I'll ask you to go collecting clues again, even after you've done it once. I'll ask you to go back to the Word and study more‚ to counsel with your parents or teachers more, and to ask Me again. But you can be sure that the more you play the game My way, the better the end result will be. You might not always get what you want when you come to ask Me something, but I promise you that you'll always get what you need, and you'll be happy in the long run. I love you! (End of message from Jesus.)

WHAT IF THINGS DON'T WORK OUT?—
TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT
THE MYSTERIES OF PROPHECY

137. (Mama: ) We asked the Lord for some counsel about what to do or how to handle it when something comes up that the children say they've asked the Lord about, and either you can't let them do it, or it doesn't come to pass as you or they interpreted it would. How do we explain the mysteries of prophecy simply and in a way that engenders faith? Of course, a part of the answer is in asking the Lord at the time why it happened, as there are many possible reasons, and each situation has many unique factors and circum­stances surrounding it. The key is asking the Lord. But here is some general counsel He gave on how to present these concepts to young children‚ which is very interesting.

The Realm of

Limitless Possibilities!

138. (Jesus speaking:) The main thing to remember is that I always have an answer for everything. Even if your child went ahead too quickly and asked Me about something that you hadn't approved‚ something that was perhaps far-fetched or even dangerous‚ remember that what's done is done and it's important to not be too stern with your child over the situation. It's better not to rebuke him or her. Young children between the ages of four and seven are unaware of many limitations. Perhaps they've prayed for a horse, or asked Me if they could have a ride on a motorcycle, and all they know is that what they want is a wonderful thing. They aren't yet old enough to realize that I've given other ways to know My will‚ and that using those other ways before they even ask Me would be wiser in many cases. In such cases, you can gently teach them about godly counsel—for I have made you as parents a picture of Me in a way. As they learn to listen to your counsel and obey you‚ they are building good habits that will help them to listen to My counsel and obey Me.

139. Say your daughter has prayed for a horse, and she says that I told her that I would supply one. Rather than telling her, "That's im­poss­ible! Do you know how much a horse costs to feed? And where would we put it? We don't have a barn or a stable, and it can't stay in the house"—say something like, "That's very inter­est­ing. Horses are wonderful, aren't they? I wonder if perhaps there is more to this wonderful puzzle? You've gotten the first piece of the puzzle, but I think there are more pieces to the puzzle." From there you have an open door to talk about the other ways to know My will, like open and closed doors‚ it being confirmed in the mouth of two or three witnesses, and so on.

140. However, if you start off with all the problems, drawbacks and obstacles to having and caring for a horse, it's soon going to become very clear to your crest­fallen little girl that it is, in fact, impossible to have a horse right now. So I suggest that you and she first come to Me in full faith. Pray a prayer something like, "Lord‚ thank You for creating horses. They're so beautiful, and they run so fast‚ and they can be so friendly. It's so fun to ride them, too! We really love horses, and my little girl here would like to have one too. What should we do about this?"

141. Once you've prayed that prayer, trust in full faith that I have all the wisdom and tact necessary to paint the broader picture for your little girl. I might start by explaining that horses are wonderful, and that I like to see My children petting them and even riding them. I might go on to explain that in the olden days when there weren't so many cities, there were many more horses, and people saw white ones and brown ones, black ones and gray ones, almost everywhere they went! Then I might mention that I love horses, and that I have a special horse of My very Own that I ride often. After that I might mention that I have a horse reserved just for your little girl. I might explain what the horse looks like, and then mention that the horse doesn't have a name yet, because your little girl needs to think of a name! I might say something about how her horse misses her‚ and can't wait till she gets to Heaven so they can play together, and so that she can ride her horse.

142. Then I might say something like, "Even though you can't be with your special horse yet‚ if you pray very hard and keep your eyes open, I will lead you to places where you can see some wonderful horses. You may see a beautiful horse when you're not even expecting to, and it will be a special little present for you, to remind you of your own very special horse up in Heaven."

143. This is just one example, dear parents‚ of how I might explain something to one of My little children. You see, what you have to remember when you're worried about hurting your little one's faith is that the spiritual realm is a realm of limitless possibilities! Even you, My grown children, cherish in your hearts the hope of Heaven, that wonderful place where you'll no longer have any limitations. So your children can cherish the hope of Heaven in their hearts. With Heaven to look forward to, your children almost never have to hear‚ "That's impossible, you'll never be able to do that!" because all they have to hear, either from Me or from you, their parents, is, "Even though that's a fun idea and it's not a bad idea, because of such-and-such ­reason or such-and-such limitation‚ you'll have to wait, but can look forward to doing that in Heaven."

144. The same goes for the example of the little boy who wants nothing more than to have a ride on a fast motorcycle. I would encourage that young fellow that he can have pictures of motorcycles, he can have toy motorcycles, and when he gets to Heaven, he can even have a real motorcycle, because in Heaven, even if you fall off, you don't hurt yourself! On Earth they're too dangerous to ride, because lots of people get hurt on them, but in Heaven you can go as fast as you want, and you don't have to worry about running into anybody or crashing your bike! This is just another example.

145. Basically, My wonderful parents, you have to have the faith of a little child. They believe in the impossible! In some ways, it's because they're not aware of the complications or the dangers. But even as you teach them to understand the world, to have common sense, to realize the importance of playing safe and saving the Lord's money and so on, I implore you not to extinguish their basic, childlike faith.

146. Remember‚ too, that even if your child has received something from Me that seems a little far-fetched, rather than dismissing it and immediately asking Me to tell your child how it won't work, or why they have to wait until Heaven for such a desire, earnestly seek Me to know what I want to do. There are times that you—wrapped in the cares of your adult world as you are—are oblivious to the ways I'm working in your children's lives. There are times I will do a miracle to supply a special blessing for your children—even if it's something unlikely for your circumstances or location.

147. You can pray to be open to ways I might want to fulfill the desires of your children's hearts. There are times that they can't have the real thing—like a real horse, or a ride on a large motorcycle—but especially if they're small children, I might want to give a little blessing to them in the meantime, until they can realize their full desire in Heaven. Perhaps I'll lead you to a fairground or a shopping mall that has a ­carousel with horses and motorbikes! Perhaps there's someone on your next road trip who has a horse, and would give your little girl a short ride on it.

148. The point is, seek Me and be open. I love My little children, and I do seek to give them gifts of love at every turn—whether My wonderful words to enlighten their little minds, or tangible blessings to make them happy. (End of message from Jesus)

Ask Me for the

Needed Explanations

149. (Jesus speaking:) Some children are more analytical than others, just like some adults have more questions than others‚ so you have to tailor your explanations to each child. Some children have more faith and unquestioning belief than others. They simply accept something as truth and don't question it as much. So with these children, it's not that necessary to get into big explanations about the spiritual mysteries of prophecy. Whereas with other children who do have more questions, it would be helpful to them to understand these things.

150. Depending on the age and temperament of the child, and the circumstances, you have to explain things in a way that they can under­stand. If something that I told them didn't work out, for example, the simplest thing to do would be to come to Me and ask Me why I let it happen. Then I can give you an explanation that is tailor-made for the situation and the children. In some cases, I might have allowed it so that they can learn faith‚ to trust Me anyway, even though My answer may not have come to pass immediately, or to teach them to trust Me for the future. Other times there may be a good reason why I allowed it or did not allow it. The timing may not have been right; I may be planning to ­answer their prayer and fulfill My word to them later.

151. The attitude of the parent has a great deal to do with how the child will perceive a "glitch" in the prophecy process. If the parent's attitude is one of faith and trust, then the child will pick up on it. If the parent can trust Me enough to realize that even if they or someone may have gotten something "off" in a prophecy, that I'm still in control and I'm able to work every­thing out for My good in the end‚ then the child will pick up on it and learn to trust Me as well.

152. The older the child is, the more you are able to teach him about the prophecy process, about what questions to ask, about how to have a clear channel, how to put your own opinions aside and so on. They'll be able to grasp the mysteries of prophecies better. These things can be explained to them as they come up‚ and as they mature, and as their faith in prophecy grows.

153. For younger children, they can learn how I move in mysterious ways, My wonders to perform.—That sometimes I answer yes‚ and sometimes I answer no. Sometimes I answer with a wait. Some­times I give you an idea or something to do, but it's for later. Sometimes it's like following Me on a path—even though it looks like it's going one way, later the path curves and you realize you're going a different way than you thought—but you're still following Me. I always lead you in the best way to go. With younger kids who do have more faith and not as many questions, answers such as these can be used or brought up when situations come up that cause questions.

154. The most important thing to do with your children when a situation comes up where there is a question or something is not clear, is to ask Me about it. Then I can give the exact specifics for your situation‚ exactly why I allowed the situation to arise and what I want to teach the child through it, and how you can best explain it to the child. (End of message from Jesus.)

In Closing

155. (Jesus speaking:) You can do it, My loves! I know it seems daunting when you look at the overall scope of things, but in reality, it's only one little step at a time. Just do your best to continually point your little ones to Me.

156. Don't be discouraged or feel that it's too late, even if your children may have formed some habits in their attitude toward hearing from Me which need adjusting or tuning. If you have an attitude of faith and seek Me as to how to best pass this on to them and train them in this area, I will pour out abundantly. You will find that the vacuum is great, that they are ready learners‚ and that I am more than eager to help them progress and grow in this very important area of their lives.

157. Stay full of the Word and full of My Spirit yourselves, and I will pour through you into them. They have a heritage of faith. They have an inheritance of truth which is unequaled in the world. They have all that they need to become the prophets and prophet­esses that I have ordained for them to be. All that is left now is for you to give to them—day by day, moment by moment—and let Me do the rest.

158. I love you and I will never fail you. Each time you need specific counsel, I'll be there for you. Each time you're stuck with what seems to be a tricky situation, I'll do the miracle that's needed. Each time you're confronted with a question, or are in a position where you must explain something to your little ones, as you look to Me I will pour out the coolest wisdom of Heaven to assist you. You'll be amazed at what I will give—because I love you, and I love your children, and I promise to give you the very best! (End of message from Jesus.)

159. (Mama: ) I pray this counsel has been helpful for you, dear parents and teachers, and everyone who helps to pour into our precious little ones! It's a big job, and can be overwhelm­ing at times. But the Lord keeps saying that as you look to Him, you'll do great—because He can and will show you just what to do when it's needed.

160. All those of you who are helping care for our kids and are teaching them to use the new weapons are investing right now in the victories we'll win in the Endtime‚ and all that will be accomplished in the Millennium!—Because it will be our kids who are going to shine in those days. The Lord is going to use all that you've invested in them. Thanks for doing such a wonderful job. You're in Peter's and my daily prayers!

With much love,

Mama

161. If any of you have any tips along the lines of teaching children how to use prophecy, or any prophecy vitamins the Lord gives you for your children (see explanation on page 23 of this GN), or any other messages the Lord has given you or your children that you think would be helpful to others, please send them in! Lord willing, we can print some of it in Kidland for the benefit of all. In closing, here is a testimony from Sharon (Sara D.), which I think you'll find very helpful. God bless and keep you, and continue to make you a blessing to many—through your children!

Making Prophecy Fun and Easy
for Children

By Sara D.

Isn't it a marvel, a real joy, to hear kids receive words from Heaven? Their faith and simplicity in hearing from the Lord has encouraged my faith.

From MCs to teens, I've found that the easier you make it for them to give prophecy, the better results you'll get and the more encouraged they are to grow in faith.

The most helpful tip I've learned about honing the gift with kids is the same as what works for any learning experience: to do all you can to make it interesting, appealing, special‚ fun—anything to not make it a bore or "forced." And keep it up‚ make it happen often, even something they look forward to.

When first introducing prophecy to my group (MC/OCs), we would go out in the yard‚ or choose a special, fun place to go (a balcony, under the table, up in a tree house, or hiding somewhere, even under the "tent blanket" in bed). This heightened their anticipation and especially helped to set the mood and atmosphere to stop, look, and listen together. Even our wiggly, energetic types can learn to enter into the spirit by first coming out of the wings and into their own little temple. Now being more exercised, we can hear from the Lord on the spot, more readily and anywhere, but setting the mood and place was a helpful first step.

Next I learned to not put them on the spot—but to be an example of really loving the words. Please Him by praising first, singing or saying loving, praiseful words to Jesus (age-appropriate, of course), quoting appropriate verses ("priming the pump‚" as Dad called it), loving Jesus from the heart, then getting quiet to hear.

Call on Jesus to come join you. Things we adults often take for granted, when we animate them more with kids, help bring out the reality and meaning of how to connect with Jesus in prayer, praise, and prophecy.

This way also you're using all the new spiritual weaponry. The kids see and learn the benefits, and then know how to wield them when they hear from the Lord on their own.

Be a sample of getting easy, short prophecies when with kids. I used to wait for them to give something first‚ but when they were shy or new at it, the silence and waiting was intimidating for them. The Lord showed me that if I'd give something very short and simple at first, it would encourage them to speak as well. Especially after getting all pumped up to listen after praises, you don't want to drop the inspiration level, so go ahead and give something short and encouraging‚ then pray for them to receive and give too.

Sometimes I would get from the Lord that He wanted to speak through one of the children. (Example: "Dani, I have a message for you.") That would help encourage their faith to give it. (Make sure that the kids are having fun, and that it doesn't put them under pressure or cause them embarrassment, or in any way make it a negative or forced experience.)

At first, I specifically asked the Lord for simple, story–type prophecies to give when hearing with the kids, about how easy it is to hear or tune in. For example, the Lord gave me two simple word-picture prophecies with the kids: One about how receiving prophecy is like how baby birdies cheep and cry out to be fed from the nest. The other was about how it's as easy as drinking juice from a straw. In other words, the Lord would not give me the answers in prophecy when praying with the kids, but He would give me some short message to encourage their faith to try to receive direction or messages for themselves.

Keep it positive, upbeat, short, easy, fun, interesting. Give positive commendation, respond in faith, and just enjoy what they give.

I learned to be extra encouraging to those who do not get a prophecy, to those who have a hard time giving it, and to those who get something very short, or just different. Everyone needs commendation. Speak faith about each child and their gift.

Some don't like to receive prophecy in public, so you can encourage their gift by giving them their own nice prophecy book. This also helps those who don't like to get prophecy when alone. Help them to learn to set aside a certain time of day or a special time when they can write out their own messages. Make time for it in their schedule; maybe even make the place for it as well, so they can really get quiet without distraction. Help them feel appreciated for what they receive in private.

Respect and reinforce what they receive. Ask them to draw a picture of their prophecy in their Word books and give it a title, or make a poster of it for their room. Sometimes the Words they receive have been just the answer or encour­agement that we needed, and we can refer to those key messages better if recorded in some way.

What not to do: Make it uneasy or embarrassing; required; make a child feel inferior, sad or bad for not receiving something; wait a long time for the one who has less faith to speak out. Such tactics cause the child to get discouraged or embarrassed or compare them­selves negatively to others.

Dear Mother Eve was the one who introduced prophecy to me when I joined the Family. She simply got quiet after united prayers, daily, often, and en­couraged everyone to give one sentence in proph­ecy. "Give your memory verse for today‚ or just one little phrase. Each person just speak out what Jesus puts on your heart," she would say. There was no pressure, no "count" taken, nothing but encouragement and faith shown, and that really made it easy on us babes to give prophecy in public. I always remembered and appreciated that.

It's interesting how you recall the very encouraging things that others have taught you or been a sample of in your spiritual life. Makes me wonder how the kids I teach will remember me! Convicting!

The Story of the Children's

Prophecy Vitamins

162. P.S. from Mama: A few years ago the Lord inspired me with the idea of receiving prophecy "vitamins" for those who needed them--short prophecy quotes received especially for that person or situation. This started as something I asked one of our channels to receive for Peter for a trip—one quote for each day he was away. When he testified how helpful, encouraging and strengthening it was, I started requesting them for other situations as well—others who traveled, or those who were carrying a particularly heavy workload, or who were going through a rough time and needed encourage­ment. I even asked the Lord for some for my parents, who were going through a difficult time, and I sent them a little promise box with one for each day of the year.

163. From the time that Trevor and Olivia were able to understand little sentences of love from Jesus, we would often send them short messages of encouragement—for their birthdays, and at other times as well. Also, one of their first teachers‚ Korie, would often hear from Jesus for them and with them, as have the teachers they've had more recently.

164. However, about a year ago the Lord laid on my heart the idea to have someone receive a daily prophecy vitamin from Jesus for each of the chil­dren. This was at a time when they were having some persistent problems that their mothers and teachers were concerned about, and were asking the Lord for His guidance. For example‚ at the time when we gave them their first "vitamins," Trevor was having a problem with not obeying mommy, and Olivia was having a problem with not being nice to Trevor. I asked one of our channels who's had some experience with children if she'd try receiving some, and the Lord poured out such cute little word pictures and lessons in a brief‚ relatable form for the kids. Since we'd specifically asked the Lord for messages on these topics they were working on, the Lord gave sweet short messages with lots of encouragement, but also specifics on how to do better in these areas.

165. Peter and I were living nearby at the time, and we gave the first week of vitamins to the kids personally. We had them come to our room and we presented each of them with a nice envelope with their name on it. Each individual vitamin was printed out on a colored piece of paper and stapled closed, so that it was special to open it. We told them that they could open one "surprise from Jesus" each day. There was a separate message for each child dealing with a particular area of their life that they needed help with at the time.

166. They were so excited about these special words from Jesus to them. We encouraged them to share them with their mommies and their teachers, and even to practice their reading and share them with their whole Home at lunch. These little lessons from Jesus proved to be very motivating for the kids. The teachers testified how much those vitamins helped, and it seemed to make a real difference in the kids' lives.

167. So we made it a goal to give them a new one each day. Different people helped receive these messages, and the teachers helped the channel by writing up a list of topics that the kids were working on or learning about at the time‚ so that the messages received were relevant to the kids' current lessons. The children's "daily vitamins" were a hit, and they were so excited to have their "surprise" to look forward to every day.

168. We found that it helped to have two copies of each of the kids' vitamins printed out. They were laid out simply in large-size text‚ with a fun little picture or clip art. One copy was posted on the wall, and the other copy was theirs to carry around in their pocket and share with others.

169. Now, this isn't directly on the subject of teaching children how to receive prophecy, be­cause the whole idea of this was to get prophecies for them. However, in so doing, they have learned many important things about prophecy.

1. Jesus wants to speak to them each day.
2. Jesus always speaks lovingly, even when He has to give correction.
3. Each time Jesus speaks to us, it's like opening a surprise. It was fun and interesting and caused them to be excited and to want to listen to Jesus.
4. Jesus has the answer for every problem in their lives.
5. Jesus' words are very important, because their mommies and helpers put them up on the wall and give them to them to carry around in their pockets. Besides that, the other folks in the Home ask them throughout the day what Jesus has said to them, and reinforce that mess­age in their talks and conversations with the children.
6. Jesus' words are not complicated, but are simple and understandable.
7. It has motivated them to hear from Jesus like that themselves‚ because the doorknob is not too high.
8. It has set the sample of what Jesus can and would like to say to them. The children see how Jesus wants to speak to them personally, using their own channel.
9. It has drawn them closer to Jesus, because they heard from Him on a daily basis and saw how very interested He was in their lives and how very helpful His instruction was. It made Him much more real and important in their lives.

170. Here are a few samples of some of these messages, and we will post the rest on the MO site. You can choose ones that are appropriate to your children's needs at the time, or you can use these as examples and ask the Lord for new messages for your children.

Happiness is knowing that you are doing your best to love those around you. Please say only kind words to everyone you talk to today. If you forget, that's okay. Just say you're sorry, and say something kind right away. That's doing your best! I love you!—Jesus

I love to hear you sing to Me. It makes Me so happy. It makes those you live with happy too! Please sing a song of praise to Me today. You can ask your teacher if everyone can sing a song of praise to Me with you at dinner. One song I really like is, "If you ­really want to knock the Devil for a loop, just start praising the Lord."

When you're feeling sad, it's because you are thinking of yourself.

But when you are helping others—and this is really true—you will be full of happiness and others will be too!

Spell out your name and praise Me for something that starts with each letter. Thank you for praising Me!—Jesus

Do you want to show Mommy how much you love her? Try to be cheerful and go right to bed without fussing when Mommy says it's time for bed. See how many days in a row you can do that. If you can do that 3 days in a row‚ that's good, Olivia! Keep it up! Love, Jesus

[P.S. from Jesus to Mommy: Please give Olivia a little shiner prize when she reaches this goal. Tell her how thankful you are that she's been so cheerful and how happy that makes you. XXX! Love, Jesus]

When you smile,

When you say, "please" and "thank you,"

When you give hugs to others,

When you are cheerful,

When you don't push others out of your way when you are in a hurry,

I am so happy, I jump for joy!—Jesus

Time to pray for the missionaries in China! They need your prayers! Please pray right now for My family in China and for the lost sheep there. Thank you!—Jesus

When you think you're right, and you tell it in a bossy way,

Then even if you are right, people might not listen to what you say.

But if you pray, and tell it in a humble way,

Then people will like to listen to what you have to say.

171. I also asked the mothers and teachers if they had anything they wanted to add. Here are their comments:

172. (Keana: ) It was such a blessing to have these daily vitamins for the kids, especially be­cause it was always a good way to start the day with them. We would usually do that first thing, right at the beginning of Word time. Since it was a fun thing for them to do and something that they enjoyed, it would get us off to a good start, with them inspired about their Word time. It was an incentive for them to sit down and start Word time.

173. We would have an envelope of vitamins for each of them, and we'd let them reach in and pick one out. They hadn't seen them ahead of time‚ so it was a real surprise.

174. A lot of times the one that they picked would be just the thing that they needed to help them with whatever they were working on at the time. It was a really good way of telling them what to do without having to correct them one more time. And of course, coming from the Lord and all nicely illustrated and on colored paper to boot, it carried a lot more weight and inspired them to follow through on whatever the Lord had told them. And because it was posted right there on the wall afterwards, they would remember the lesson and think about it throughout the day, and it would help them. Then reading them to the Home at lunchtime really reinforced it, I think, because everyone got excited about and commented on their vitamins.

175. (Dora T.:) I remember from my limited time with them that these vitamins were very important to the kids. Something that stood out to me was that the kids took the receiving, reading, and handling of these vitamins very seriously. For that matter, Keana, who oversaw their schedule, was very much behind making sure the kids got their "vitamins" on a daily ­basis.

176. The kids learned through this to respect the Lord's Word. It helped to make God's Word come alive to them. Because these vitamins were personally directed to them, they treasured these papers they received and learned to handle them carefully, which also helped them to learn a respect of God's Word. They each had their folder where they liked to "file" these, and would look through this folder ­often. Kids have to be trained to be good stewards of their Word books. As we went to the effort to receive these Word vitamins, print them out nicely, file them neatly, and also post them on the wall, it taught the children to be good stewards over the Lord's Words.

177. Some of the vitamins had little to-dos for them to fulfill. For instance‚ Olivia went through a time where she learned to be sweeter to others in the Home. The Lord would encourage her to do something for someone in the Home that would encourage him or her. So we would put this into practice and she would ­either write out a nice quote for someone and/or decorate it, or we would make a little snack, or some similar small thing. This helped the kids to follow through with what the Lord told them to do. This is another benefit of these vitamins: learning to take the Lord's Words to us seriously and doing what He asks of us when He speaks to us.

178. In the morning when the kids got their vitamins, sometimes they each liked to go to a little private corner of the living room where we had school time. They liked to read over their vitamin first privately. Then they usually liked to share their vitamin with each other, but there were times that they felt convicted about what the Lord had given them and didn't necessarily want the other to know.

179. (Rejoice: ) After having received the first set of vitamins, the response from the kids was so encouraging that they were given more vitamins for the following week, and this kept going for a year. Each morning the kids would ask about their vitamins. It was definitely a highlight of the day. The interesting part was that they never grew tired of getting them. The simple clip art pictures on the vitamins were cute and appealing, so this caught their eye as well as the prophecy.

180. Upon getting their envelope of vitamins each week, they would each say a little prayer asking Jesus to help them pick the one He wanted for them that day. There was such excitement in the air as to what the Lord was going to say to them!

181. I specifically remember one time when Trevor was telling me that the Lord told him, "Pick the yellow one, pick the yellow one," and to my amazement, the prophecy on "the yellow one" was about giving one of the SGAs extra love for that day. It so happened that this particular day was the last day this dear SGA was going to be with us before going on a trip! I was thrilled!

182. These vitamins definitely bore good fruit in the kids' lives. As Mama mentioned, Olivia was having to learn to be kinder to Trevor, and when her vitamin read, "Tell Trevor six different times today that you love him‚" she faithfully did it and added a hug. It truly helped in changing her behavior toward him. And when the vitamin asked her to do a kind deed for Trevor, she again went out of her way to do something special for him, and sometimes did the deed unbeknownst to him. And when the vitamin for Trevor read to be obedient to mommy, he tried extra hard to obey when she'd ask him to finish the food on his plate or to get ready for bed. The vitamins truly had a positive effect on the kids in helping them to go in the right direction.

183. It was good for them to read their prophecy at lunchtime, as it not only helped them with public reading, but it was also a blessing in helping others in the Home to be aware of what the Lord was saying to them for that day, and they were able to‚ when applicable, help in reinforcing what the Lord said.

184. After we read the vitamin together with the kids in the morning, I found it helped to discuss it a bit and see how they could apply what the Lord was saying. For example, if the vitamin read, "I need you to be a polite princess. Be sure you say only kind words to everyone you talk to today," we would then spend a bit of time talking about how to apply this. After our little discussion, the kids would take turns praying and asking the Lord to help them apply it.

185. I have to say that using the Word in this way was a turning point in their behavior and got them on the right track in a fun way. The Word did it all, and I didn't have to nag or lecture. The best part was that they so loved getting their envelopes and picking their special words from Jesus for the day. Thank You Jesus!

Summary of Tips on Teaching Kids How to Use Prophecy

1. Teaching young children one on one

Little children from the ages of two to three need time when it's just you and them. That's when you can teach them the different steps of hearing from the Lord, and they can learn respect for prophecy.

Take a few moments while you kiss them goodnight. Whisper in their ear, "Let's ask Jesus for something nice about sleep." Or, "Let's ask Jesus what bedtime prayer we should pray."

It's through the simple, almost insignificant things that you'll be able to help them grow.

In that after-nap cuddle time when the other kids are still sleeping, take a moment to help them listen to the Lord. Even after an accident while you're praying and comforting them and wiping their tears away, teach them to ask the Lord for His words of comfort, and He'll tell them what went wrong or why they had an accident.

2. Tips on making prophecy fun for your real young ones (2- to 4-year-olds)

"Love is the key in your prophecy times with them—passing on My love‚ and making them realize how very loved they are, by Me and you as well" [paragraph 38].

"Take praise time first. This gets their little hearts in a more receptive mood to clearly hear My words to them" [paragraph 29]. "Make things fun by putting on a tape of praise, or prayer songs before hearing from Me" [paragraph 34].

Make it a daily project to receive a tiny message on something that they're learning about. Add this to a little book for them that you can read together in your quiet moments of fellowship. You can add some simple messages that you receive for them as well [paragraph 31].

"When you hear from Me on something that has come up‚ stop first to hear My words of love. Even if they've been real naughty and need some correction and you have come to Me for My counsel on it, it's important that you first let Me express the love I have for them. This will warm their heart to receive whatever else needs to be said" [paragraph 33].

When children are learning to read: Ask the Lord to give you the names of spirit helpers and a little about what they do, and then write their names on large flashcards and put them on the wall. Then‚ when you get quiet to get a prophecy, they can even ask their special spirit helpers for fun ideas [paragraph 35].

For children who are into stuffed animals: "Ask Me for a spirit story to tell as you play with the animals—with the stuffed toys as characters in the story" [paragraph 36].

"If they help to make a thank-you card for someone in the Home, add a loving note from Me to it. Either they can receive these few little words for the person while you write it down, or you can receive them while praying with them" [paragraph 37].

3. Start with the basics—verses and stories from the Word

Begin teaching children how to prophesy "by instructing them to ask Me for a verse or a Bible story that fits the situation they're in."

"Get them used to the Word as being their direction, standard, and guide."

"If you use the verses and the stories that they've learned when asking them to seek My will, you will be laying a good foundation, and it's a good way to start them out with prophecy. Referring often to My written Words will help to give them the idea that My Word is what you measure everything against."

"As time goes on, they will learn the seven ways to know My will; thus it is good to begin to teach them to seek My will by teaching them to ask Me for verses, and ask Me for examples in the Scriptures of what they're praying about. This can then be confirmed in prophecy, or perhaps these verses and stories will be contained in the prophecy. You're laying a good foundation if you teach them to ask Me for verses and stories from the Bible and the Letters."

4. Encouragement prophecies

"Receiving prophecies of encouragement for others is a good way to practice hearing from Me."

"They can ask Me for My words to put on a little note to a classmate‚ a brother‚ sister or peer, parent(s), teacher, contact or sheep."

"If someone does something special or finishes a big job‚ that would be a good time to ask for My commendation and words of encouragement for them."

"Even in the little day-to-day things, for example, they could ask Me for some encouragement for the cook who made dinner, or the witnessers who've been out all day."

"Birthdays are good times to receive a present of My Words for people, which they could put in a pretty card or on nice stationery as an extra special gift."

5. For older children

Apply these ac­cording to the maturity and interests of your particular children.

"Use birthdays to receive special little proph­ecy gifts for your children‚ or with your children for their friends. Once you've received a little prophecy, then the kids could illustrate what I said in the prophecy—drawing the mansion or the pet or the spirit helper or whatever it was that I described" [paragraph 43].

"Have the children all get quiet at a table with paper and colored pencils. Have each one ask Me to show them a picture of something special I've prepared in Heaven for the birthday boy or girl. Then they can draw it" [paragraph 44].

Spirit helpers: "If you've received a detailed description of a spirit helper that I've given for your child, ask a JETT, teen or adult [in the Home] who has artistic tendencies to try to illus­trate the prophecy description for you. Ask Me about each one's spirit helpers and have each of the children draw their own" [paragraph 45].

"Once they've each discovered the name of at least one of their spirit helpers‚ have them write down those names and then switch ­papers. Then they can each receive a message for someone else from that person's spirit helper, either about what their spirit helpers do during free time in Heaven, favorite places in Heaven, or pets they have. These things will help bring the spirit world to life for My children" [paragraph 55].

"Ask Me for a special little message for one of the SGAs or FGAs in the house. Each child can be assigned to receive a little prophecy for one person" [paragraph 46].

"When you hear of someone on the prayer list who is very sick, you can all get messages of encouragement, then compile them and send them off to that person" [paragraph 47].

"For prayer vigil time you can assign each child or JETT one person of their choosing from the prayer list to get a little prophecy for. Then they can write a little intro note, and you can send that off" [paragraph 47].

Ask the Lord for several fun topics or settings for stories. Then write or type them and give them out to the OCs or JETTs or whoever you're with. Each person can ask the Lord for a little spirit story about their assigned topic for the younger children. Take their little stories and compile them in a booklet [paragraph 48].

Make fun signs that you can put up when you're hearing from the Lord, so people know not to disturb you [paragraph 49].

"If you get prophecies for your contacts or your sheep, make sure to share that fact with the kids, and then share any positive reactions you get" [paragraph 50].

"Make sure to share testimonies of how prophecy helps you" [paragraph 51].

"Be a sample of giving when exercising your gift of prophecy. Make a point to ask Me questions related to how to make others in the Home happy" [paragraph 52].

"If the kids are bummed out because something they were looking forward to won't work out because of the weather or some other unavoidable circumstances, either receive a little encouragement in private for them, or receive it right there with them before you go on to another activity or diversion" [paragraph 53].

"Easter, Mother's or Father's day, the Family birthday, Christmas, or even the local holidays in your country, are all good opportunities to receive a prophecy about the occasion" [paragraph 54].

Goals—A Summary

1. What should our goals be in teaching chil­dren to hear from the Lord?

Jesus: "I desire to be so very near to My children, only a whisper away. The more they realize how close I am to them, the more it will alleviate their fears and give them greater confidence in all that happens to them, for they'll know that I am in control and I can and will direct their lives" [paragraph 26].

"I want to show them My love and let them feel Me near both during this time and throughout their lives" [paragraph 30].

"It's important that you impart to them how much I enjoy spending time with them, and how I love to speak My words to their hearts" [paragraph 30].

2. Here's what Trevor and Olivia learned about prophecy from receiving their prophecy vitamins, and what your children can learn about prophecy as you teach them to hear from Jesus in a fun, enjoyable way:

1. Jesus wants to speak to them each day.
2. Jesus always speaks lovingly, even when He has to give correction.
3. Each time Jesus speaks to us, it's like opening a fun surprise. It was fun and interesting and caused them to be excited and to want to listen to Jesus.
4. Jesus has the answer for every problem in their lives.
5. Jesus' words are very important because their mommies and helpers put them up on the wall and give them to them to carry around in their pockets. Besides that‚ the other folks in the Home ask them throughout the day what Jesus has said to them, and reinforce that message in their talks and conversations with the children.
6. Jesus' words don't have to be complicated, but are very simple and understandable.
7. It has motivated them to hear from Jesus like that themselves, because the doorknob is not too high.
8. It has set the sample of what Jesus can and would like to say to them. The children see how Jesus wants to speak to them personally, through their own channel.
9. It drew them closer to Jesus, because they were hearing from Him on a daily basis‚ and ­seeing how very interested He was in their lives and how very helpful His instruction was. It made Him so much more real, and important in their lives.

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