Many of you would cry unto me and say, "Lord, what's happening? What is happening? Why aren't things as they should be? Well, things are as they should be. Things really are as they should be. If you look at your situation through the light of New Testament theology you will see that things are as they should be.

Yes, great things are happening and great things are promised, but also great trials and great tribulation have come along with them. This is biblical; this is New Testament; this is the suffering that I said you would walk through. If you would know the savior, if you would rule and reign with Him, then you would also suffer with Him.

     You have entered into the realm of the suffering of the Messiah, of the God of the New Testament. But as you walk with him in your sufferings, as your feet are pierced, as your hands are pierced, as your side is lanced and as you cry out, "My God, my God," you experience what Christ experienced. You experience what the Apostles experienced. You experience what the prophets walked through. Do you think prophets were loved and petted and set on high as examples of great love in the Body? They were persecuted and hounded out of almost every town they were sent to. Very few prophets were ever received by those they were sent to.

     Fear not, my hand is upon you in your afflictions. You will rise out of these afflictions. You will come forth as a mighty body. Are you worried about divisions among you? Among the early twelve they were always trying to take each other's thrones. There were fights within the Body. There's always been contention within the Body of Christ. There's always been fighting among the brethren. Fear not for the fights; I will rule and reign over the ultimate decisions on who's going to get what. And if someone has usurped his position illegally, you watch them fall because they're coming down. Only that, which I establish will remain, saith the Lord, in the final analysis. Even those that may have raced ahead illegally, they will come down. They will not be allowed to persevere and endure. For a time and a season I will use them and then I will pull the chairs out from under them. Do not be concerned about anyone that you think has raced ahead of you or taken your position or put a knuckle in your eye and left you behind.

     For the Lord your God is on top of all of your situations. Everyone in this room as a destiny; everyone in this room has a calling. Everyone in this room has been prophesied to concerning your future, not just by one prophet but by many. Speaking by the Lord himself privately in your own time, you know in your heart, it is time you begin to believe the prophets! It is time you begin to believe what I've told you. Despite the affliction, despite the trial, despite the persecution, believe the word of the Lord in your heart and cling to it.

     As Jesus set his face like a flint for Calvary and would not be deterred from the calling that was before him, so set your faces like flints for that which you know that I've spoken to you, and that what you know has been prophesied over you, and set your face like a flint. And do not be detoured by the left or the right by who's above you or who's beside you.

     Many will come to discourage you. Many will come to tell you, you cannot do that. Many will come to tell you, you've been disqualified because of this or that. I do not disqualify my people. The only disqualification that you will encounter is if you quit and run the other way. But if you stand fast and set your face and move on toward the goal that I've given you, I will face your accusers for you; I will back your accusers in a corner; I will reveal their sins; I will pull their skeletons out of the closet and parade them before the Body. I will shut down everyone who comes against your calling.

     So fear not for your own sins; fear not for your own problems. Fear not for your own inconsistencies, for everyone walks through this realm as well to realize where they are in Christ and how needy they are of their Savior. Your shortcomings are not a disqualification of your calling and all of you have them and all of you will have them. You will see them in your brother and sister; do not attack them for them. Pray for them! Pray for their shortcomings; pray for their problems, as you would hope they would pray for yours. And then put your gospel shoes on and keep walking children. If you've been knocked down, if you have been slain, then get up, saith the Lord. Get up and put on that determination and walk with your God and watch the power of God come and hit your sword, and watch the anointing fall on you, and watch people's mouths fall open as I use you.

     For they would say, "This one will not be used", "This one will not be anointed", "This one will not take his place or her place in the Body." It is simply jealousy. It is simply carnal maneuvering in the Body for position. Other people want your throne, but I have news for them; they can't have it!

     I will anoint each child. I will bless each child. I will straighten out each child. I will lift them up. I will encourage them. Fear not. It is the same with churches. I will anoint each church. Do not say "This church can't be used," or "That body can't be used." I will use them, saith the Lord, whether you like it or not. Yes, they have sins, yes, they have shortcomings but I will cover their sins, I will forgive them their problems, I will heal them. I will come to them in their bloody state and I will lift them up and I will reclothe them in righteousness.

     And does this anger you, that I would use others that you have condemned? Oh, open your eyes once again and see your own estate. I have used you many times when you sinned, many times when you didn't deserve it. How much more shall I do for your brother and sister around the planet, for churches that you deem not worthy, for people that you deem not worthy?

     Oh, once again, look within your hearts, children. Correct yourself, condemn yourself. Come before Me on your knees, and beat your breast. Show me your own shortcomings. Don't worry about those around you, for surely the Lord will take all into account in every fellowship, every believer. Every sheep is marked. Nothing is getting away from my eyesight. Concern yourself with your own sins, your own problems. Reach out a hand of blessing to those that you can around you, and watch the Lord lift you and bless; watch the Lord prosper you.

     Oh, encourage one another in the love of God. Encourage one another in your callings. Love one another. The coming move of God upon this planet is going to be of love. It will be the love of God that will be the predominant burning flame on churches and that is what is going to count in the coming days: not who can prophesy, not who can do miracles, not who can preach, but who can love - who can have the love of God manifested out of their heart to the broken and the meek and even to those who are ugly to them, to those who would take your very position in the Body and who would strip you and leave you beaten on the path. Can you manifest the love of the Almighty to them knowing that God will correct them in coming days, knowing that God will take care of you?

     Return love for hatred; return kindness for cruelty. Be the sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven that He would have you to be that would shine like the stars. This is not simple doctrine; this is not milk; this is the meat of the Gospel; this is the fullness of the stature of the man of God, of Christ - to return love when you're hated, to wish the best for others. Love thinks no evil.

     Go back to that chapter on love and let it be the predominant force in your life. Some of you need to back off of prophecy. Some of you need to back off of destiny. Some of you need to back off of teaching and recenter yourself on this love of God, for it will be the mainstay in the coming days. If you would be where I am in the future, then you would concentrate on this chapter of the book and let it be the predominate, predominate force of your life and everything else will flow out of that. All the love, all the healing, all the miracles will come out of a flow of divine love. If you can tap the well of love you can touch the heart of God and know the secrets of the Kingdom.

     This is it. This is the thing you have been looking for and searched all around but have not been able to come to grasp with: the love of God, the love of God, the love of God that bypasses everyone's sins. And the key to understanding this is, look how much He has loved you despite your failings; look how much he's kept you despite your problems; look how much he's blessed you despite your faults. And when you understand that, then you can pass that onto others. You can do for them what I've done for you.

a prophecy by Don Franklin 7/15/01