Endurance - Part 2

Joseph Herrin (10-29-08)
























I want to share with you a second message the Father is bringing forth through the book Endurance, and through the experiences He has been bringing me through of late. The story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his voyage with 27 other men to the South Pole is clearly a parable of this last hour and the wilderness journey that the church must go through. In my second reading of the story I have paid much more attention to the details of the story, and they are clearly infused with divine symbolism.

The ship Endurance was 144 feet in length from bow to stern. This is a number pertaining to the overcomers in Christ. Shackleton was 40 years old when he began this trek, and forty is a number relating to trials and testing, being the same number of years that Moses led the people of God through the wilderness, and the number of days the Lord spent fasting in the wilderness (a symbol of putting the flesh underneath the spirit) and being tempted of Satan.

In the previous post I mentioned that it was 522 days from the time Shackleton left South Georgia Island until he returned. This indicates grace (5) and flesh cutting (22). When Shackleton left South Georgia Island, he did so in a ship 144 feet in length. When he arrived back he did so in a much smaller open boat which was 22 feet in length, and six feet across. This again points to flesh (6) and flesh cutting (22). Not only this, but there were six men in the boat that made this perilous crossing, while 22 men of the crew were left behind on Elephant Island to await Shackleton bringing back a ship to rescue them.

After Shackleton arrived on South Georgia Island with six men, he left 3 of them on one side of the island, while he and 2 others attempted the perilous overland crossing of the island, a feat that had never been accomplished before, and has been done only one time since. Amazingly they made the trek successfully, and it is one more heroic account of endurance in this epic story.
















Upon arriving at the whaling village on the island, Shackleton arranged for a ship to be sent around to pick up the 3 men left on the far side of South Georgia Island. Appropriately, the name of the ship sent after the three men was the Samson. The Samson arrived back with the 3 men on May 22nd, which once more brings forth the testimony found in the numbers 5-22. Only God could have orchestrated all of these details with such perfection.

I would like to look at another great challenge that confronted Sir Ernest Shackleton throughout this incredible expedition. This is something that the Spirit is bearing witness to, which will play a tremendous role in coming days. This is the challenges that arose from the personalities of the men who were all participants in this struggle for survival.

In reading the book Endurance, it becomes evident that dealing with the men on the voyage was a very major concern and weight upon the shoulders of Shackleton. For the most part, the men maintained very good attitudes, but there were a few trouble spots that had to be guarded constantly. Two men in particular, the ship’s carpenter, a 56 year old Scottish man named McNeish, and a man with the last name of Orde-Lees, who was the most physically powerful man among the crew, but also the laziest, caused Shackleton to have to remain ever vigilant against rebellion and insubordination.

Throughout the book one discerns that McNeish was an exceptionally skilled ship’s carpenter. His services were widely needed, and everything he did was done well. Yet at the same time, being the oldest member of the crew, and having served on ships a long time, he considered himself something of a sailor’s lawyer. He had the worst attitude of any crew member when it came to murmuring and complaining. The thought of this murmuring spirit influencing the other members of the crew, so alarmed Shackleton, that he had McNeish share a tent with himself and two other trouble makers. Although Shackleton had no fondness for these troublesome men, he wanted to keep them away from the others, and therefore accepted their presence in his own tent.


This was perhaps one of Ernest Shackleton’s greatest weaknesses. In choosing his crew mates, we are told that he had over 5,000 applications for the 27 positions on his crew. The beginning of the book speaks of his approach to choosing crew members, and it seems to have been very capricious. We are told that there is no evidence that he spent more than five minutes in interviewing any of the crew members. This seems to have been a glaring deficiency, especially knowing that they were to face perilous conditions, and even risk their lives. With so much at stake it would have been prudent to be very cautious in the selection of crew members.

Some of Shackleton’s choices came back to bite him. He very much rued the selection of certain individuals whose character became known when the trek became difficult. After one particularly grueling experience where McNeish became very insubordinate and intransigent in his behavior, Shackleton wrote in his journal that he would never forget this man and the trouble he caused him. I am reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy concerning Alexander the coppermsith.

II Timothy 4:14-15
Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.

I have entreated the Lord to reveal to me that which He wants me to discern concerning these things. The Spirit bears witness that He wants me to consider deeply this matter of the trouble that lies ahead which will be caused by difficult people when they are cast into times of trouble. God has reminded me of Moses as he led the people of God through the wilderness.

Back in April the Lord spoke to me about Moses being a symbol and pattern of those who will lead His people through a wilderness experience in days ahead. God had led me through two forty day periods of camping in the wilderness under extreme conditions some four years earlier. He showed me that this was a pattern of those who would be called to lead His people through the wilderness in the approaching days. Like Moses, the first experience was for their own humbling, and emptying of all reliance upon the power of the flesh. The second wilderness experience would contain its own trials, albeit somewhat different for those who were entering upon a second experience.

If you are familiar with Moses’ experience of leading the people of God, you will certainly recognize that his greatest trial was not with the physical elements, but with the difficult, complaining, murmuring, fearful, and often rebellious spirit of the people he was guiding. The Spirit is testifying that this is also that which His appointed leaders will have to contend with in coming days.

Consider the following. There has perhaps been no day in which the church has grown more sensual, soft, lazy, and selfish than in this present hour. It will be members from this church who are cast into the wilderness experience ahead. Any who are appointed to shepherd and guide such ones will find the experience fraught with many vexations. A people whose faith is weak, and whose fear is pronounced, will be cast into a time of great trial. A people who are materialistic, and who know almost nothing about “suffering hardship as a good soldier of Yahshua Christ” will be called upon to endure hardship. A people who have been undisciplined and self-directed will enter into a time when to fail to discern and obey the leading of the Spirit will prove very costly.

Those who must lead such people through the wilderness will need not only the mind of Christ, but His character as well. Christ at times expressed exasperation at the slowness of His own disciples, and He picked them out by hand. Christ was well aware that Judas would betray Him, but it was clearly the Father's will that Judas be chosen as one of Christ's companions. There is a message in this. Even when we are led of the Spirit in our associations, we will not be spared from those relationships that are difficult, nor from encounters with people we have broken bread with us only to turn and seek to cause us injury.

Moses did not get to choose his companions in the wilderness, and I do not believe those who are called to be leaders in these approaching days will get to choose their companions either. We are to be led of the Spirit in all things, and we should not expect that the Spirit will direct us to relationships with people who are faithful, spiritually mature, and who seek our welfare at all times. There will be unfaithful companions in the wilderness, and we will have to endure them though they plague us like a broken tooth.

The companions the Father chooses for us, both good and bad, faithful and unfaithful, are chosen for our own perfecting as saints. Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered, and a significant part of this suffering was having a close companion betray him, even with a kiss. Moses also was matured and perfected through the trials he encountered in his second forty year experience in the wilderness.

I cannot refuse to accept as traveling companions those whom God has appointed for me to walk with. The selection must be left in God’s hands. He is indicating that He will not put us together only with those who are easy to get along with. He will yoke us to some who will make our way difficult, even as Moses’ way was made difficult.

Moses had to deal with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, Abiram and On. Moses had to deal with the criticisms of his own brother and sister concerning his Midianite wife. Moses had to contend constantly with murmuring and complaint over living conditions and food and water. Moses had to contend with people who lusted after the things of Egypt that they had left behind. Moses had to contend with a people who were fearful and often churlish and unjust in their accusations against him. And so must the leaders God has appointed for this coming hour.

People of God, especially those called to be leaders in the coming days, are you prepared for the trials of coming days that will be the result of men’s own poor behavior? The Father spoke to me through something as simple as a prize in a bag of Cracker Jacks. Inside my bag was a small picture of Abraham Lincoln. You could fold it one way and see Lincoln as a small boy. When folding it another way you could see him as a man with a beard and stove pipe hat.

Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, and he served during what was arguably the most difficult period of the nation’s history. Brother was set against brother, and more were killed and wounded in that great conflict than all of the other wars of the nation combined. Yet one thing that stood out to me concerning the legacy of Abraham Lincoln is that he refused to vilify the one whom he fought against.

Lincoln was urged on numerous occasions to demonize the people of the South, but he refused to do so, knowing that one day they must all be united again as brothers in one nation. After the war was won, many urged him strongly to punish the South by making them pay reparations, and even denying them the right to vote. Again, Lincoln would hear nothing of the sort. He said that they needed to treat the citizens of the Southern States on an equal footing, and to move quickly past the hurts and wounds of the war in order to foster a United States of America where the citizens truly felt as if they were all members of one nation.

Tragically, Lincoln was assassinated, and those who replaced him were not so generous or forgiving. The South was plundered by Northern carpetbaggers, and her citizens were demonized in the press and by various politicians. When I received this picture of Lincoln, his attitude towards those he had a long struggle with was what came to mind. I believe the same attitude must be adopted by the children of God in this hour. Although we will certainly have conflicts, and in some cases will be called upon to manifest great resolve to see things through to an appropriate end, we must be careful to not demonize those against whom we struggle.

Certainly Moses manifested this same spirit. Although he was often the recipient of the people’s poor behavior and unjust charges, when God spoke of destroying them and beginning anew, Moses interceded for the people. He went so far as to entreat the Lord to destroy him as well, of he were to destroy the rest of Israel. We must remember that the principle of Christ is to love even our enemies. Even while being crucified the Son of God proclaimed, “Father, have mercy on them, for they do not know what they do.”

If our prayer is for vengeance upon our enemies, rather than for mercy, then we have not yet discerned the Spirit of Christ. We are like James and John when they asked the Lord if they should call down fire out of heaven to destroy the cities that had rejected Yahshua.

Luke 9:55-56
"You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

I would recommend the book Endurance to any who have not yet read it. The Spirit is testifying that it contains many messages for the coming hour. The copy I have is written by Alfred Lansing and has a Foreword by James Dobson.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.


Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

Endurance - Part 1

Joseph Herrin (10-27-08)
























I believe that if we wait patiently upon the Father that we can expect Him to speak to us and make things clear. This has certainly been one of the lessons the Spirit of Christ is teaching at this time. When we act hastily we often fail to discern the mind of the Father. He would have us to slow down, to wait upon Him, and to have an expectation as we do so that He will truly speak to us. The Father has been faithful to guide and direct me as I have waited upon Him during this season on Jekyll Island.

I want to share with you a very profound witness I have received from the Spirit in the past several days. A couple days ago I set out to ride my bicycle around the island, and I really felt a need for the Father to put all things in context that I might know what He is seeking to communicate to me. Sometimes we need a reference point, or a certain framework to understand the events we are experiencing. As I began my ride I confessed to the Lord that I knew He was quite able to speak to me, and I truly wanted to hear His voice. I told Him that as I rode around the island that I was listening, and I invited Him to speak. Before I asked, He had already sent the answer.

Isaiah 65:24
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The previous night the Lord spoke to me clearly and told me to read again the book Endurance - Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. I had noted a few things in the book that I had not seen before, but I had not yet discerned why the Father directed me to read this again. Upon finishing my bike ride I received an e-mail, and while answering a sister’s question the Father brought understanding. The Father showed me that this book provides the framework needed to know what He is speaking in this season.

For those of you unfamiliar with this book, I will provide a little background. Just before I left the employment of the Rescue Mission last February I was putting some donated books on the shelf at the Mission’s thrift store when this book caught my eye. The Spirit spoke to me and indicated I was to purchase this book and read it.

I found the book profoundly moving as it chronicles the expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton to cross the South Polar Continent in 1914. A group of 28 men set sail from South Georgia Island to begin their trek. Their ship, Endurance, never made it to the continent. It became locked in ice in the Weddell Sea, one of the most forbidding places on earth. Before long the mission changed to one of survival, and all plans to cross the continent, or even reach it, were abandoned.




















Shackleton’s goal became that of getting his men back home alive, and the storms and severe cold and desperate conditions they endured are simply incredible to read about. For nearly two years these men survived in this frozen wasteland, and when all was said and done, Shackleton got all of the men back to safety without the loss of a single life. That the men were transformed by the experience was quite evident.

When I read this book about 9 months ago the Father was indicating that He was calling me out from the Mission to begin preparation for the ministry that lay ahead. This would be a ministry to the church in the wilderness. It would be a call to shepherd the people of God through very difficult days, and the Spirit indicated that endurance would be needed to make it through. This was the main lesson I derived from the book at that time.

As I have re-read the book the Spirit has been revealing some much more specific things. We are on the verge of great judgment falling upon the nations. A time of calamity is at hand. People’s lives are about to become very difficult, and it will require much fortitude, courage, faith and endurance to get through these days. Yet the Father does have a provision for His people, and though they will be tried, those who trust in Him will not suffer any real harm. All who pass through this trial will be transformed in profound ways.

The Spirit spoke to me as I read the book, and a particular detail leapt out at me. The arduous trek of these men both began and ended on South Georgia Island.
































The Lord then asked me to consider where it was that He had brought me to at this season. I am on a South Georgia Island. Jekyll Island is located on the southern coast of the state of Georgia. The Spirit spoke to me and said, “This book provides the framework for you to understand the things you are experiencing. What happened the next day confirmed this very clearly.

It began to rain that night and the rain continued for 36 hours. I had set-up a new tent to sleep in, and before I left Fort Wayne I had bought several cans of water repellant to spray on the tent. From previous camping experience I knew this would help out considerably. Before the rain began I sprayed down the tent with water repellent, and I took all normal precautions to keep the water out, closing all the windows on the tent.

The following day the rain continued, and it was heavy at times. In the afternoon I thought to look inside the tent to see how it was holding up. I had been sleeping in it, since it is much more roomy than my van, and quite comfortable. I considered that I had taken what normal precautions I could, so I did not look inside the tent. At bedtime I went to get in the tent and I found that the rain fly had sagged slightly in the center and was making contact with the tent fabric. Where they touched water was seeping through and it was dripping directly onto the bed, wetting the sleeping bag, and my pillows. Since they were soaked, I decided to sleep in the van, which has a bed in the back.

I had also taken normal precautions in the van. I closed the windows on either side of the bed, and where there was a water leak from the roof AC unit I kept a bucket underneath it and emptied it periodically throughout the day. When I went to get in the bed in the rear of the van I saw that it too was soaked. Water had built up in the window track and had run down the wall where the thick comforter I used had wicked up the moisture. The comforter and the foam mattress below it were both wet, as was my pillow.

I began to get frustrated and was about to complain to the Lord when He stopped me. I understood that He had caused this to happen for a reason, and He wanted me to see something in it. I resigned myself to sleeping in the captain’s chair at the front of the van, which was really not too bad, and the next day I dried everything out as the rain had stopped.

The next night I was back in the tent and I was reading further in the book Endurance when I came across a section that described the conditions the men met with on a daily basis. The ship was lost after having been crushed in the ice, so they set up camp on an ice floe.
















Storms would blow through regularly, pushing snow inside the tents, and the ground inside the tents would warm up causing the ice to melt, soaking their sleeping bags. For most of the time the men were stranded in this region they slept in damp, or even wet, sleeping bags. Yet the men adjusted to every new discomfort, and were remarkably optimistic about their experiences.

One thing that is noted throughout the recounting of this epic adventure, is how truly adaptable man is to difficult circumstances, and how great a role attitude plays in survival. Shackleton is hailed as an extraordinary leader of men, and perhaps the greatest thing he did was to foster a positive outlook among his men.

When the Lord led me back here to this South Georgia Island less than a week ago, one thing I noticed was that the state had erected a new road sign on the causeway leading to the island. The road had always been referred to as “The Jekyll Island Causeway.” This was all I had known it by from as far back as 1977 when I first lived on the island. The new sign identified the road as Georgia 520.

When I saw the sign I immediately noted it, and wondered what the Father might be speaking through it. I had called and made reservations at the campground, telling them I anticipated being there for a month. The monthly rate during the off-season is much lower than paying daily, or weekly. I was told by the manager of the campground that he could give me a much better campsite if I was willing to move partway through my stay. I told him that was quite alright with me.

When I arrived they put me in a very spacious site at the back of the campground. It really is a very nice spot. They told me it was available for 20 days, and they would only charge me for the time I was in that site, and when I moved they would charge me again for any remaining time I stayed with them. This allowed me to get the monthly rate while paying for only 20 days. The person doing the registration told me the rate would come out to $15 a day, where as it is $25 per day when paid daily. 15 is 5+5+5, signifying a fulness of grace.

When I heard that the site would be available for 20 days, the Spirit reminded me of the road sign. He said that God was allowing me 20 days of grace on this South Georgia Island before I must leave and begin this ministry which would require much endurance.


I do not believe these things will occur until sometime after I leave Jekyll Island, for the difficulties Shackleton and his men encountered came after they departed South Georgia Island. These things are coming quickly, however.


The Spirit has comforted me with the thought that He has been preparing vessels for the day which is at hand, and they will stand in the time of trouble for He has not been stinting in qualifying them for the days ahead. He has reminded me of all of the trials He has brought me through, and though I have been brought to the breaking point, and considered giving up on occasions, He has held me to the course and not allowed me to shrink back.

Back in the 1990s, when the Lord brought me to encounter the very first prophetic word I had ever received, He spoke the following, “I have put steel in your backbone.” He has brought this back to mind of late, and it has led me to confess that truly the only reason I have stayed the course thus far is that God has held me to it. Like Joseph of old I confessed, “It is not in me.” God alone is able to make us to stand, but He has promised to do just that.

Jude 24-25
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

It is a time to place all confidence in our God, and none in the flesh. The arm of man will not save or deliver the people of God in days ahead. But those who manifest faith in God will do exploits.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will post a further writing to share some of the insights the Father has been bringing forth at this season.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

Learning to Deal with Conflict

Joseph Herrin (10-26-08)




















II Timothy 4:2
Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

I would like those who read this blog to be patient in considering what I share here. I know the last two blogs that spoke of a difficult situation with a brother in Christ have disturbed some. I have received a great number of e-mails on the matter, probably 40-50 in all. Most have written to express appreciation for some point that was made, such as the need to slow down and be patient, to avoid hasty actions and words, to test all things carefully, to not throw doctrine out in a pursuit of some false sense of peace and love, and the need to clearly differentiate those who have become partakers of the life of Christ from those who have merely had a religious experience.

There have been a small, but not insignificant, number of people who have written to express that they were disturbed by the difficult topic being addressed. There have even been three people who asked to be taken off the mailing list after suggesting I was manifesting a religious spirit. (Please note, I do not have a mailing list. If you receive this blog it is because you subscribed to it, and there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each post sent out. I am not involved in managing the list of subscribers. It is all automatic.)

I do consider carefully the criticisms that come my way, asking God to reveal His mind and thoughts, and to correct me if I am in error. In this particular situation I have invited God to make known His mind, and if I am manifesting some religious spirit, to reveal its presence that I might come to a greater conformity to the image of Christ. As I have continued to wait upon the Lord, He has not been silent, and what I have discerned Him saying is that the body of Christ does not like dealing with conflict, and the avoidance of it has hurt the body significantly.

Let me ask you to consider when the last time was that you observed the body of Christ exercising discipline toward one of its members? I know from my own experience, and the testimonies I receive from others, that the church fails to exercise discipline as it once did. Some older saints have shared with me how the church used to admonish the unruly, and even publicly rebuke those who were indifferent about their sin. These things are no longer done out of fear of offending the transgressor, or of making the members of the body feel uncomfortable. There is much Scriptural precedence for discipline among the body of Christ.

I Timothy 5:20
Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning.

I Thessalonians 5:14
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Titus 1:12-13
"Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons..." For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith...

Titus 2:15
These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Ephesians 5:11
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them...

These are but a handful of the many Scriptures that relate to the call of a minister to reprove, rebuke, exhort, admonish, and expose sin among the body of Christ. Today Christianity has adopted a philosophy of providing “seeker friendly churches.” Seeker friendly churches rarely speak about specific sins in society, and they never mention sin among their own members. This would create an “unfriendly” environment and scare visitors and members away.

Most Christians today do not want to be held accountable by their ministers. This is evidenced by the tens of thousands who flock to churches pastored by such men as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, and Robert Schueler. Christians do not see or hear of ministers reproving members for sin, or refuting the error that has been embraced by individual members. They therefore have no pattern or example of true Scriptural discipline.

When I was a young minister in my thirties, the Spirit of Christ led me to speak to a number of church members about error or sin they had embraced. I always tried to be diplomatic about the things I said, but I took my call before the Lord seriously, fearing Him more than I feared man. My experiences in this regard were not very positive. I was met with great anger by certain members of the body. After this happened several times, the Lord spoke to me, and I wrote the article titled “The Issue of Judging.” I will quote from it here:

[The issue of judging] has long been a troubling issue for me because as a minister with a prophetic gifting, God often has spoken words of correction, instruction and warning through me. On many occasions these words have not only been rejected, but they have elicited a very vitriolic response from brothers or sisters. Often my character and motives have been attacked because a member of the body did not want to hear truth or allow the Spirit of God to delve into areas of their life that they had walled off from His inspection.

Because I grew up under the influence of the strong men of guilt, condemnation, and shame I have been quick to believe that I must have been in error when the words God had me share with others were rejected. I would look for the tiniest indication that the message of God was influenced and corrupted as it passed through the vessel of my flesh. Did I err in not speaking in love? Did I not have the person's welfare in mind when I spoke to them? Did I let my own feelings of rejection add a harshness to the delivery of the word because I anticipated the message and messenger being rejected and criticized?

I am certain that at times there was some substance to these questions that arose in my mind. However, I am fully convinced that the rejection of correction and warning is most often due to the fact that in the Western world the mass of Christian believers simply do not receive these things well. There is little true discipleship in churches. Members are courted and catered to. Offending a brother is looked upon as the most grievous of offenses. There are too many competing churches to risk offending a brother or sister. It is too easy for them to pack up and go somewhere else where no one will interfere with the way they choose to live their life.

In many ways, the mass of church goers are like spoiled children. They are given everything they want with little required of them in return. As a spoiled child pitches a fit or throws a temper tantrum when told they cannot do something, or when they are corrected, so do many of the saints of God. It is largely because such an atmosphere of tolerance and appeasement has been adopted in the church that the issue of judging has come to be out of vogue and is looked down upon as unkind and uncharitable.

In my confusion, due to the harsh rejection and actual fits that some have thrown when I have spoken correction, instruction, or warning to them, I have often gone back to brothers and sisters and apologized to them for offending them. I felt that certainly I must have been in error in some way, though I could not put a finger on my error even when I sought the Lord diligently to reveal it to me. Over time, as I have seen this pattern repeated, I have come to discern that it was not due to some error on my part that caused the bitter rejection of the words I spoke, rather it was due to immaturity and an ingrained fleshliness that is rampant among the body of Christ.
[Source: http://www.heart4god.ws/id96.htm]

As a minister, I am charged to offer correction to others with whom the Lord brings me in contact. I do not rush into this, nor do I consider it my business to speak correction to all people. I understand that every minister is given a particular sphere of responsibility. Most of the refuting, reproving, admonishing, exhorting, and correcting that I do is through e-mail correspondence as I interact with people who have contacted me. In most cases this communication is expressed by offering some instruction to believers, and inviting them to consider what is shared. Sometimes people are offended simply by having me share Scriptures with them. The truth truly does offend.

Throughout the years since the Lord led me to begin a ministry of writing, He has directed my attention to numerous topics He wanted me to address. One prevailing topic has been that of divine government and spiritual authority. These are topics that are steered clear of by the mass of ministers, for they tend to upset a lot of carnal believers who do not want to die to self and take up the cross. Men do not want to take Christ as their head in all things, and women do not want to have man as their head. Yet the second and third books the Father led me to write are focused upon the authority men are under, and the authority women are under.
Sabbath: http://www.heart4god.ws/id214.htm
Sarah’s Children: http://www.heart4god.ws/id242.htm

I can tell you that these teachings have not been universally received. Indeed, it has been a remnant that have been able to accept them and seek to walk in the truth. One purpose of government and authority is to bring men and women to a cross. Most Christians in this hour of carnality recoil violently when someone reveals that there is a cross appointed to them.

Many, many men and women have written to me with great objections to these teachings. These objections continue to this day. Even recently I have been admonished by some to not teach on these topics. Those suggesting these things often accuse me of some wrong motive, but the Spirit testifies that it is not the teacher offending them, but the teaching. This is evidenced by their failure to accept whatever spiritual authority God has ordained for them, whether it be Christ or man.

There have been others who have embraced the truths of God’s word, and have been willing to take up the cross, and these have often written with very thankful hearts that there was a minister willing to speak the truth when so many are silent. I have been amazed at the widely divergent reactions of various people to the same teaching. Some would demonize me, and others would lionize me. In both cases the Spirit testifies that I am to keep my eyes on Him, and not fear man.

Over the course of the years I have learned that conflict is unavoidable. Paul describes the hearts of Christians in the last days. He says,

II Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Anyone who is teaching “sound doctrine” must anticipate that the majority of professing Christians will not “endure” them. They will despise both the message and the messenger. I encounter this rejection very frequently. It is a part of what the Father has called me unto. When I encounter believers who despise the truths the Father has called me to proclaim, even when they are unkind, insulting, and very carnal in their words, I have learned to reply as the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy.

II Timothy 2:24-26
The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

There are times when a stern rebuke is called for, but as God is my witness I can attest to you that it has been a very rare thing for me to speak sternly to anyone. Paul told Titus to sternly rebuke the Cretans, and he told Timothy to rebuke some who continued in their sin in the presence of all. I have done this very rarely, but I have done it, both as a pastor at a church and in the present ministry entrusted to me. I have no sense of the Spirit’s censure in having done so.

I do understand that if most Christians today were to witness true church discipline, initiated and animated by the Holy Spirit, they would judge it as demonic. This is what some have done at times in suggesting I am manifesting a religious spirit (i.e., an unclean spirit) by bringing a rebuke or correction, privately or publicly, to a brother or sister.

As a case in point, I wrote a number of article early on during the Lakeland, Florida event concerning the evident transgressions there. I was roundly vilified by a great number who described my warnings as an attack inspired by Satan. I am sure many readers here have read condemnations of those who were warning the saints about the impure things going on at Lakeland. It seems many in the church considered it a greater evil to expose sin than to actually be the one committing it. Such is the mindset of a people who have been led to live by emotion and to revere universal acceptance and tolerance, while casting out sound doctrine and a message of accountability unto God.

I know that it is uncomfortable to be a witness to the correction or discipline of another. But listen again to Paul’s words:

I Timothy 5:20
Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning.

Does not a public rebuke, when justified, have a beneficial effect? Consider the case of Ananias and Sapphira. When Peter rebuked them publicly they fell down dead, and great fear came upon the body of Christ in Jerusalem. The people were much more careful about their walk for a season. The fear of God had entered their hearts.

What happens when parents fail to discipline their children? Do they not often turn out as hellions? What happens when the church casts away correction and fails to discipline its members? People will begin to live careless lives. They will have no fear of God.

What happens when churches no longer correct, refute and reprove wrong doctrine? They will find that the members of the body of Christ are embracing many errors. Doctrinal correctness will give way to sloppy thinking, and little by little the church will arrive at the very place we see it today. The message of suffering and the cross is despised, as well as all doctrines that lead to a personal cross, and all manner of soft doctrines of a loving and merciful God who really cares little about sin or truth will become the standard of the day.

What will the church think of the rare individual who does take his call as a minister and guardian of the flock seriously? Suppose you had a hundred households where the parents all let their children do whatever they desired. The children could eat whatever they pleased. The children could occupy themselves in any way they desired. They could stay up as late as they wanted, and they could live totally selfish, spoiled lives.

Then consider there was one family where the parents exercised discipline over their children. They gave them food to eat that was healthy, not just pleasurable. They gave the children chores and responsibilities and required studious attention to their schooling. The parents required the children to be in bed at a certain hour, and they even disciplined the children when they acted unruly.

What do you suppose the hundred undisciplined households would think of the one where there was discipline? Would they not accuse the parents of being controlling, of lacking love? Perhaps they would try to pressure this one family to no longer exercise discipline over their children. They would most likely not want to have anything to do with those parents. They would vilify the parents, seeking to portray them as monsters.





















The Spirit is testifying that God is sending great judgment to the nations and in particular to the church. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Is it not largely due to the fact that the church has not judged itself, even vilifying those who dare to speak publicly of transgression and the need of repentance, that God is now forced to judge His people? Let us put off this avoidance of all that is difficult and uncomfortable and begin to judge with righteous judgment.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood

Joseph Herrin (10-24-08)

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Although I have written some concerning my recent experience traveling with David Weber, and I have shared some things that are a grief to me, I want to spend a moment making something clear, lest there be any misunderstanding. David Weber is not my enemy. In truth, I consider him a brother in Christ. Any honest saint will admit that relationships among brothers and sisters in the body of Christ are very often marked with conflicts. This is bound to be the case because none of us are yet perfected in Christ.

Conflict itself is not sin. There need be no failure of love when we have a conflict. Conflict only becomes sin when there is a failure of love. A conflict may reveal that one or more believers have embraced some error, but as long as the error is addressed in a spirit of love, then there need be no transgression present. Let me cite a Biblical example of this.

In the New Testament we read of certain apostles and believers embracing the erroneous teaching that in addition to faith in Christ, believers must also observe the Law of Moses. Peter and Barnabas got caught up in this error, and it necessitated that a correction be spoken to them by the apostle Paul.

Galatians 2:11-14
When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Note that Paul described the behavior of these men as hypocrisy. Some might think this was uncharitable of Paul, or that he was too forceful in his presentation, but I do not believe he transgressed in this matter. The Greek word for hypocrite may not have held the same degree of harshness that we associate with it today. The word actually was a theatrical term that spoke of one who played a part in a play. It means “play-actor.”

Paul asserted that Peter was living one way when the Jews were not around, but when Jewish believers came from Jerusalem, Peter began to act in a way that was very different. Before, he did not have any qualms about eating with Gentile believers, but when the Jews came he held himself apart from the Gentiles. He was acting like a good, Torah observant Jew. This was hypocrisy.

It was necessary to address this error publicly because other Jewish believers were getting caught up in it, including Barnabas, which evidently surprised Paul. Many believers stood to suffer in varying degrees if the error was not corrected. The Gentile believers were made to feel like second class citizens of the kingdom of God. Some felt compelled to embrace the Law in order to be fully accepted, and this was great error. So Paul stepped in and confronted the situation boldly, naming names, and calling people to account, and repentance came forth.

There were no lasting hard feelings among the brethren, for this conflict was necessary to lead men to repentance, and no personal injury resulted. We read later of Peter mentioning Paul in one of his epistles, and there is no hint of any offense or bitterness.

II Peter 3:15-16
And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Note that even after he had been publicly rebuked by Paul, Peter calls Paul “our beloved brother.” The Scripture is true, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Paul meant no injury to Peter. He sought to see all the people of God walking in truth. This was also the desire and hope of the other apostles.

III John 4
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

There was no one more renowned for love than the apostle John, but we also find him naming names and making public rebukes to the saints who were walking in error.

III John 9-10
I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.

It is never appropriate to revile a brother or sister in Christ. When we enter into conflicts we must be careful to not be carried away with emotion. We must resist the urge to adopt a defensive posture that will not consider the words of another, or to begin attacking another as if they were our enemy. Flesh and blood are not that which we war against, but our warfare is against lies and the lying spirits that spread the lies.

II Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...

The Father often teaches me deep truths by bringing me into conflict with others. He also uses these conflicts to direct my attention to some area that is a danger to the body which He would have me to speak on. In this post I will speak of such a matter. Although I will relate to you more of my recent experience with David Weber, I want you to know that David is my brother in Christ. The Spirit bears witness of this. I seek his welfare. If you read this post and are not led to conclude that I view David as my brother, then you have not properly discerned the spirit in which it is written.

I fear acting in an uncharitable manner toward another, knowing that “by the judgment you judge others you will be judged.” A day may come when the Lord brings a brother to address some error I am walking in and I would hope the correction might come attended with mercy and grace.

Galatians 6:1-2
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

David and I met up in Cleveland, Ohio and rode together in my van for a thousand miles. During this time we had much time for conversing. As brothers do who have not met personally before, we both shared significant portions of our testimonies with one another. David shared many experiences from his days spent on the streets of Toronto, Rochester, San Francisco and other places. There were many things that David shared that moved me deeply, as I sensed the Spirit working in and through his life in the many experiences he has encountered. We share many experiences in common, and I recognize that the same Father has been guiding both of us.

There was one part of David’s testimony that appeared repeatedly that was uncharacteristic of my own experiences, and I pondered this greatly. David spoke of encountering a myriad of people with whom he had great success in sharing the gospel with them. He spoke of seeing many lives transformed by simply loving on people and showering them with the love of Christ.

David said he avoided doctrine when he encountered people, and rarely even mentioned the obvious areas of sin in a person’s life, whether the person was a homosexual, a drug addict, prostitute, etc.. He said he preferred to just lead them to the love of Christ and let God convict the person of their sin in His time.

In example after example David shared with me how he had made a friend and shared Jesus with people, and how multitudes have been impacted in this way. David shared with me about having met a Hindu woman and the wonderful fellowship he had with her. He spoke of speaking with Muslims and Catholics and sensing more spiritual life in them than he had in many Christians.

David shared with me his belief that many people are connected to God while not knowing the actual identity of God. He said the person might be a Hindu and be a lover of God while not knowing who that God actually is. I have heard similar statements of belief before, even from Christians as renowned as C.S. Lewis, but I had never been able to embrace these conclusions. Can a person be praying to Allah, while actually conversing with Yahweh? C.S. Lewis even incorporates this message into one of his children’s books in the series The Chronicles of Narnia.

I see in such a concept the seeds of a one world religion where it is taught that there are many paths to God. The Rosicrucian belief teaches that all religions are simply different petals on the same flower. I am not suggesting that David Weber is teaching this at all. He would probably be appalled to hear me making a connection between these beliefs. Sometimes we need extrapolate things out to a far distance to see where a belief might be leading us. We can drift into error by small degrees, and before long we will find ourselves far off course.

Can a Christian truly have fellowship with a Hindu who has not yet been born again of the Spirit of Christ? Is there spiritual life present in a Muslim?

II Corinthians 6:14-16
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God...

I certainly believe we can have a friendly conversation with another person who has not yet been born again of the Spirit of Christ. But we should not assume there is spiritual life present if the person has not yet come to know the Son of God, and have been regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes emotional interest can be perceived as spiritual life, but true life in Christ will be attended by a knowledge of Christ, and an acceptance of the doctrines relating to Christ.

When David and I arrived in Macon I took him by the Rescue Mission and I introduced him to a couple of people. One was a young man named Stephen who used to be heavily involved in Satan worship. Stephen has had some type of religious experience in the past year and speaks of God a lot. While I was still at the Mission the Lord directed me to press in with Stephen to ascertain what he really believed. It seemed that something had happened in Stephen’s life, and I felt led to identify it. Stephen was speaking about God a lot, but I did not notice him speaking of Jesus. I wanted to know if he was truly grounded in Christ.

Stephen and I got together and I began asking him pointed questions about the Son of God. Stephen told me that he was not convinced that Jesus was actually the son of God, or born of a virgin, or other things the Bible speaks of Christ. He said that when he was a satanist that they were taught to look for inconsistencies in the Bible, and they used them to bring confusion to the minds of immature Christians and to lead them away from Christianity into satanism. He said he was quite successful in doing this, especially with Baptists.

Stephen said he was ashamed of what he had done formerly, but he still was troubled by many of the inconsistencies in Scriptures, and did not consider the Bible to be the authoritative word of God. What I came to see was that Stephen had some type of religious experience, but he had not been born again of the Spirit of Christ. Stephen made up his mind that he wanted to be a good, religious person, and he was trying to modify his behavior. He was even emotionally excited about his new focus, but he was a foreigner to the life of Christ. There are many people in this world who seem "spiritual," but we must test all things carefully to see who is truly in the faith.

I love Stephen very much. I speak to him every time I visit the Mission, but I have discerned that he is not a partaker of the Spirit of Christ. I would not have known this if I had not slowed down, heeded the voice of the Spirit, and began asking Stephen some very pointed questions about Christ.

Stephen was disturbed that I had pressed him on the topic of his beliefs concerning Jesus Christ. He later told Randy that he did not know why I had picked him out to press him on this topic, and he has declined to seek to know anything further about Christ.

I introduced David Weber to Stephen, and Stephen stood up and gave David a hug and spoke to him for a brief moment. David later told me that he sensed spiritual life in Stephen. I know the Lord orchestrated this entire event to reveal something very profound to me. Stephen would fool a lot of Christians today. They would hear him speak about what God has done for him, and how much he loves God, and they would think this man has experienced a wonderful conversion. Unless they slow down and examine things closely, they would not discern that Stephen does not believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior. To know the truth requires patient discussion, and a willingness to speak about “Doctrine,” which is something David avoids and finds to be divisive.

People of God, it is true that doctrine is divisive. The truths of the kingdom of God will separate the sheep from the goats. Doctrine is not a dirty word. I have people charge me with error for focusing upon doctrine very frequently. The reason is that the truth offends. True doctrine also leads people to a cross, and the cross is despised in these days.

I Timothy 6:3-4
If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing...

The true doctrine of the kingdom of God is always spoken of in the highest way. It is never despised. Those who avoid doctrine will be led astray into error, and they will falsely suppose they are making great advances for the kingdom of God when they are accomplishing very little.

I shared with David that in my three years at the Macon Rescue Mission that I could probably name no more than five or six men whom I knew to have have experienced a real transformation. David seemed very surprised at this, saying that the men just needed someone to love them.

People of God, if we go around telling everyone that Jesus loves them, but we avoid speaking to them of the need to repent of their sin, and we avoid doctrines of the Christ that appear to be divisive, we will certainly find that many people warmly embrace both us and our message. This was never the pattern of Christ, however. When crowds began to gather He would speak a word of truth to separate out those who were truly willing to pay the cost of being a disciple from those who were merely hanging around hoping for some blessing.

John 6:59-66
These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble?..." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

What divided the people here? It was doctrine. Yahshua could have just loved on the people and they would have all stayed, but He was not focused upon drawing a big crowd or winning a lot of converts. He was interested in gathering those to Himself who would walk in truth.

Many saints today would condemn Christ for doing what He did. How do I know this? Because they will not allow themselves to even consider that God might have them speak a truth that will turn people away. I am frequently lambasted by people who take issue with the fact that I teach the saints to walk in truth. These truths bear a cost. How can a man take Christ as his head in all things without first embracing the cross and dying to his own desires? How can a woman take man as her head unless she embraces the cross? Christ will lead all of His disciples to sorrow and suffering in this life, and I am frequently decried as being divisive for proclaiming doctrines that are unpopular.

People of God, do not be deceived. There is a very high cost to following Christ. If we fail to tell people to count the cost when we are telling them how much Christ loves them, then we are deceiving them. Christ told all who would be His disciples to count the cost BEFORE they committed themselves to following Him.

It sounds wonderful to speak of going around telling people how much Jesus loves them, while leaving it up to God to convict them of their sins in His time. How can we lead anyone to Christ without speaking of sin, repentance, and salvation? People need a Savior because they are in bondage to sin. If we avoid speaking of sin we will surely make a lot of friends, but we will not lead people to victory in Christ.

David mentioned to me when God was first indicating that we were to get together that he has just read The Shack. A little bell went off in my spirit when I heard this, but it didn’t raise any great alarms, so I tucked the thought away in the back of my mind. It has come back to me recently. I mentioned in a couple of posts written in Fort Wayne that on the last day of my speaking to the discipleship group there that one of the young women present had this same book with her. Another member asked her what she thought of it. She said it was one of the best books she had read, saying, “It shows that God is such a happy God. He is happy all the time.”

Upon hearing this I shared with the young woman that her saying this troubled me. I told her that the Spirit of Christ has been testifying that great judgment is about to fall upon the church and the nations because He is indignant toward their sin and idolatry. God is not happy all the time. These young people were involved with the local International House of Prayer ministry, and Christ is portrayed there as one who is all love and mercy and tenderness. The more difficult and uncomfortable aspects of God’s nature are glossed over. This has produced a lot of doe-eyed young believers who lack a reverential fear of God.

I believe this is one of the spirits that we must wage war against. I also see that this spirit has influenced David. He wants to focus upon love all the time, and avoids the uncomfortable doctrines of Scriptures, declaring them to be divisive. This is a very dangerous attitude, and it will lead to an acceptance of many false brethren and false teachings. In an hour when we are warned that many lying spirits will be present, and they will be given great authority so that if possible even the elect might be deceived, we need to guard against anything that will lead us to assume that doctrine is unimportant.

When we speak to people we encounter with an aim of leading them to Christ, we need to tell them and show them that God loves them. We are not to stop there, however. We are told to “speak the truth in love.” It is not love to simply speak compassionate things to people while neglecting to tell them of the judgment to come, and their need of repentance and forgiveness. We must also tell those who express interest in Christ of the high cost of being a disciple.

I spoke to hundreds of men in my three years at the Macon Rescue Mission. I told them there was hope in Christ to be delivered from their sins. He came to set them free. I also told them that there was a high cost to following Christ. There is a cross to be borne. A man must hate his own life in order to be a disciple of Christ. I know a few men who have entered into a transformed life in Christ as a result, but most were not looking to make such a radical commitment. They just wanted their life to be made better. They wanted the blessings and benefits of Christ, but they did not want to obey Him in all things. They despised the message of the cross.

I have weighed these things carefully in my spirit since David and I spent time together. I am not sensing that the Spirit would have me cease proclaiming these divisive doctrines. We cannot merely proclaim the favorable parts of the gospel, while leaving the difficult parts for the Spirit to perform. Listen to the example of the apostles.

Acts 3:19-20
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you...”

Note that repentance from sin PRECEDES the Lord being sent to the people. How can we lead people to Christ apart from proclaiming the need to repent of sin? Many preachers are going around telling people that God loves them. They are leading people to ask Christ to come into their hearts. There is no such pattern ever found in Scripture for such an approach to evangelism. Godly sorrow over sin precedes salvation in Christ.

Our preaching should be such that men are made aware of the peril of their falling under the wrath of God. They should cry out, “What then must we do to be saved from the wrath of God?” Then they will be willing to repent of their sins and commit to following Christ. Peter preached true doctrine on the day of Pentecost under the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ. The people were moved with the knowledge of their peril, and cried out.

Acts 2:37-38
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Repentance and forgiveness of sins precedes the giving of the Holy Spirit. If we are not leading men and women to perceive their sins, we are not leading them to Christ. We are giving them a false comfort and false hope. Oh, you will avoid being viewed as divisive if you do not speak of sin and the need to repent, but you will not be proclaiming the whole counsel of God.

Acts 17:30-31
"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness...”

Acts 26:19-20
"So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.”

John the Baptist was the precursor to Christ. He was sent to prepare the way. He proclaimed the people’s sin and their need to repent and receive the forgiveness that is found only in Christ.

Matthew 3:7-10
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance... The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

I don’t believe John received a lot of hugs and touchy-feely support, but he did prepare men and women for an encounter with Christ. Preaching a message of sin and repentance is not popular today. It will not make you the friend of every man and woman on the street, but we dare not avoid it to avert appearing divisive. If men and women are not coming to Christ to be forgiven and loosed from their sins, then they are not yet ready to come to Christ.

People of God, one of the deep messages God has been proclaiming through my recent encounter with David Weber is that we must slow down and examine closely our message and our preaching. We must not be fooled by emotional responses from people who have been told that Jesus loves them. Unless these people have discerned their sinful state, the judgment that awaits them, and God’s provision through Christ Yahshua for them to walk free of sin, they are merely manifesting a soulish excitement and not true spiritual life. We must tell people that God has a wonderful plan for their life, and that plan involves suffering and a cross.

David has manifested anger at me because I will not lay aside doctrine in favor of simply loving people. I cannot do as he desires. I have no witness from the Spirit that I am to depart from an emphasis on sound doctrine. I believe instead that the Father is seeking to lead him to slow down and consider his ministry and the encroachment of a false philosophy that declares that all we need is love.

I found it very difficult to proclaim a message of suffering and the cross to the group of young people in Fort Wayne. The week before I arrived they had a woman who was asked to speak to them. She proclaimed a message of God being all about love. She stated that God had never disciplined her, for a loving God does not seek to inflict suffering on His children. The writer of Hebrews tells us that if we have not experienced the discipline of God then we are illegitimate children and not sons.

The Spirit of Christ spoke to me back in April about the call of a Joseph Company in these last days. They will be called to prepare the body for burial that they might attain to resurrection life.
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/joseph-preparing-body-for-burial.html

I have no doubt that many will react negatively to this ministry. Preparing the body for burial means that the body of Christ must be brought to embrace the cross. I have at times been accused of being harsh in my teaching. This is a common reaction from those who hear the message of suffering and the cross presented to them. Many do not want to hear difficult words, and as a result they attribute negative motives to the one speaking. I proclaim the message of the cross because apart from it no one will ever be brought to conformity to the image of Christ.

This can be a thankless ministry, but I am not complaining. Enduring such things is a part of my own cross, and it is intended for my good. If I can be reviled and not revile in return, then I am coming closer to the image of Christ.

I received the following words today from Andrew Eberly, the brother in Christ who opened his home to me in Fort Wayne.

A year or so ago, (a brother) had been talking to a troubled youth who became very excited about Jesus and started attending the fellowship. (This brother) believed that he had won a convert, but I discerned in my spirit that much of what this young believer was espousing was emotion and not rooted and grounded in the foundation of Christ. It wasn't until I began asking him pointed questions about his professed faith and conversion that it became apparent to both me and (this brother) that this young man had not truly been born again of the Spirit of Christ.

I was just listening to a message from Art Katz and he said something that I believe will become more and more prevalent in days ahead. He said that, "We're going to see formed the very elements that make up the church that is persecuted and a church that is its persecutor. We need to know now that we're moving toward one or the other. There will not be a neutral ground. The logic of true faith is persecution." Although it will be difficult, I can tell you right now that I want to be in the church that is being persecuted and not the church being the persecutor. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

I agree with Andrew’s thoughts here. It is better to be treated poorly at the hands of professing believers than to be the one treating them poorly. There is much grace given to us when we suffer for the sake of Christ. There is truly a fellowship in His sufferings. A sister in Christ, Kathy Furman from Arizona, writes:

Now to the things that are happening with us that seem to reflect on your experiences. Last week Randy cracked a tooth. The transmission in our van has been slipping. It seems to be related to the overdrive. I have been painting on river rocks... The second picture shows what is written on the back of the blue rock. The next one was going to have the words "slow down" on the back.






































We agree that Yahweh is saying "slow down." We need to be patient and listen carefully to what He is directing us to do during these crucial times.

This couple from Arizona very frequently find that the Spirit is dealing with us on similar themes and topics. That Randy has chipped a tooth and finds the transmission on his van slipping in overdrive is an amazing parallel. On top of this to find that Kathy is painting turtles, a symbol of a “slow and steady” spirit, and was about to paint the message “slow down” on her next rock is amazing.

There are so many things we need to slow down and examine. We will be spared much that is costly in coming days if we will be still and listen to the voice of the Spirit of God. None of us want to find that we have been laboring in vain, but staying on course with the Lord requires that we do not act hastily. We must not flee away when He brings us to an uncomfortable correction.

People of God, I do not share these experiences with any judgment in my heart. I know how much my own soul recoils when I am faced with a cross, or some suffering. I need God to daily give me courage. What God is speaking applies to all of His children, and I know very well that it applies to me. It was my tooth that broke, my van that would not go into high gear, my watch that slowed down, etc..

It is an hour to examine all things carefully. We must not be hasty in our words or actions. Let us be very thoughtful about all that we do. Do not allow the desires of our soul to lead us away from the will of God. Do not judge people, ministries, or things by appearances. Let the Spirit of Christ guide you that you might judge things rightly.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

Yahweh Hammers Home a Message

Joseph Herrin (10-23-08)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The past few days have been exceptionally eventful, filled with important messages from God. I mentioned in my last post that I was leaving Fort Wayne after spending over two months there. The Lord ordered my steps, indicating I was to meet up with David Weber from Rochester, New York and travel to Georgia to spend a period of time camping on Jekyll Island. The Lord continued to affirm His direction in this through various ways.

I will tell you up front that my time with David did not end well. After one day on Jekyll Island, David chose to leave abruptly when the Spirit turned our conversation to areas that revealed deep issues of the heart. I urged David to not be hasty, suggesting that we both needed to manifest patience in waiting before the Father to hear clearly what He would speak to us. Indeed, it seems that the major emphasis of all of the Spirit’s dealings with us during this trip were precisely focused upon this one topic. The Spirit was testifying that if we do not slow down that very costly consequences will accrue to our account.

Despite my various pleadings with David on the morning of the 21st, urging him to not be hasty in leaving, and reminding him of the multitude of witnesses God set before us indicating that we were to both come and spend a season together on Jekyll Island, he would not wait for even a moment, but packed up his things and left. He has since written me a flurry of e-mails suggesting I am some sort of religious monster, and telling me to not write to him for he does not want to hear what I have to say.

Now that you have read the end of the story, let me back up and share with you some of the myriad of ways the Father began communicating this message to us to be patient, slow down, and to not act rashly or in haste. I share this because I am convinced that this message has a much wider application than just the two of us, but it is a strong warning for the entire body of Christ.

I had arranged for David and I to stay with Randy Simmons and his grandfather when we arrived in Georgia, but as we got closer David began expressing reservations about doing so. He said he would rather get a hotel in Macon for the night, which he said he would pay for. Knowing that we were both tired, I thought this might be a good idea, so I called to let Randy’s grandfather know we would see them the next day, but would not be spending the night.

I had it in mind to go to the exit nearest to the home of Randy’s grandfather, but David saw a sign for a Comfort Suites Hotel and said he felt a leading to go there. I was very agreeable with letting him choose where he wanted to stay since he was paying the bill. The hotel was in an area of North Macon off of Zebulon Road. I remarked to David that the street bore a Biblical name.

I parked outside the hotel while David registered. The hotel ended up being considerably more expensive than anticipated. Many decent hotel rooms can be found in Macon for around $60-$70 per night, but this one ended up being $111. I think I would have really had to pray seriously about spending so much for one night’s stay, especially since there were several other hotels very close by. Earlier in the Summer I had stayed a few weeks in a hotel south of Macon that was very basic, but sufficient for my needs and it was only $24 a night. David told me that he didn’t want to spend the time to check prices at other hotels, and he felt that the Lord was indicating this was where we were to stay.

This led to a discussion between us about the topic of God at times choosing to bless His children. He does not always choose for them to experience meager circumstances. There are times when God is quite extravagant with His children. The secret is being content with whatever God chooses for us, and really not caring whether God should be blessing us with abundance, or choosing to have us experience lean times.

Philippians 4:11-13
I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

I know Paul’s words to be true. There are some Christians who believe it is their right to always live in luxury, and there are many ministers preaching a prosperity gospel that supports such a mindset. There are others who believe they should always purchase the least expensive things they can get by with, thinking that such is necessary to be a good steward of the money entrusted to them. Both positions can lead to great error, for the children of God are called to be led of the Spirit in all things.

Judas condemned Mary Magdalene for pouring the jar of pure nard over the head and feet of Yahshua. This was a costly and extravagant gift, but this extravagant gift was the will of the Father, and very pleasing to Him. We must learn the secret of contentment with whatever the Father chooses for us. We must also be careful to discern the difference between the voice of our soul and the voice of the Spirit. Our soul’s desires in a matter may lead us to conclude something to be God’s will which is in fact merely our own will. There is a real need to not be hasty in arriving at our conclusions, but seeking a clear witness from the Spirit of Christ in all of our decisions.

As it was David’s decision to make, I did not question it. I agreed that God chooses both times of abounding and abasing for His sons. I was struck, however, when I heard that the room cost $111, knowing that this was a number that had great significance in the experiences that Randy and I had recently shared together on our trip up to Fort Wayne. (You can read about this in the blog posting titled The Incredible Journey: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/incredible-journey.html) That this number should appear again on a trip back from Fort Wayne struck me as holding some yet to be discerned meaning.

I shared with David that night how God had used this number with Randy and myself. The van God gave me is an Xplorer Van Model 222. The Father showed me that this is symbolic of 2 witnesses called to a ministry of flesh cutting (22). When Randy was wrestling with leaving me on the way up to Fort Wayne, he asked me to stop in Louisville and let him take the Greyhound bus back to Macon. The ticket cost $111, which was half of 222. I understood this to indicate that one half of this particular ministry was turning back from the course God had appointed. Fortunately, after I had left Randy at the bus station, he called me when I had gotten only a short distance down the road, and asked me to come back and get him.

Randy and I later found that our exit in Fort Wayne, our destination, was exit 111A. There are two exits numbered 111 in Fort Wayne, and I can now see in hindsight that God had provided separate exits for both Randy and I from this place. Randy returned to Macon after our week of meetings, the Lord having released him to return, and I departed two months later.

David Weber asked me what I thought was the significance of him paying $111 for the hotel room. He asked me if I thought it signified division. I told him I did not know, but that I would have to wait and hear further from the Lord. It was a VERY comfortable room. The beds even had pillow top mattresses. It truly was a Comfort Suite. I will share the significance I see in this later.

Before we departed the next morning, our attention was once again turned to the fact that we were on Zebulon Road. I felt led to look up Zebulon in the Scriptures and see what significance was attached to the name. David had expressed some misgivings about going to Jekyll Island both before and during our trip. This was partly due to the fact that he had never camped out before, but he said he was willing to try it, proving that he could be just as content at a campground as he was at the Comfort Suites.

I knew Jacob had spoken a blessing on each of his twelve sons, and I was led to read what blessing was spoken to Zebulun. When I read it aloud, David and I both were relieved of any remaining doubt that we were to go to Jekyll Island.

Genesis 49:13
"Zebulun will dwell at the seashore...”

Before we left for Jekyll Island I had to take care of some business as I had not been home to Macon for nearly 2 - ½ months. I needed to go to the bank and the post office, and I wanted to see Randy and his grandfather, drop off some things I did not need, pick up some things needed for camping, fix a belt that was slipping on my van, and visit my daughter who was also going to give me a haircut. I had considered spending the night with Randy and his grandfather, but David did not seem eager to spend the night there, so I did not pursue it. I believe we would have been less rushed had we stayed, but David seemed intent on moving on even though he confessed that it seemed that Randy’s grandfather indicated to him that he would have liked for us to have stayed longer.

Randy and I ended up replacing the generator on my van, thinking it was the source of the noise I was hearing, but this turned out to not be the case. We both were convinced, however, that the Lord had wanted us to replace the generator at this time (it was 22 years old), and tightening up another belt we also stopped the squealing I had been hearing. The generator ended up being a model 01-153, and those who are familiar with my previous stay on Jekyll Island last April may remember the significance of the number 153. This number stands for the righteous remnant of believers signified by the large fish pulled up in the disciple’s nets on the right side of their boat.

It was just after 3 P.M. when David and I headed out to see my daughter who lived about 50 minutes south of Macon. Soon after we got back on the road we began noticing a sound like a marble rattling around in a coffee can. We stopped to check it out, but the noise did not recur while stopped, even when revving the engine. When we began moving again, the noise returned when we got up to higher speeds. We also noticed the engine seemed to be running at a higher speed than it had been previously.

As we progressed on to Jekyll Island we became convinced that a tooth had broken off of one of the gears in the transmission which was keeping it from shifting into fourth gear. This was not a debilitating problem, for as long as we didn’t drive over 55 miles per hour the engine didn’t have to rev too high. I told David that as I was helping Randy replace the generator that a piece of a tooth in the back of my mouth had broken off and I had pulled it out and looked at it before throwing it on the ground. I became convinced this was a sign from the Father indicating that there was also a tooth broken in the transmission.

David and I pondered what the Lord could be intending through this event, for everything about my van has been symbolic of the ministry God has appointed to a group of sons who will serve as pioneers and guides to the body of Christ in coming days. I told David that it could be signifying that if we got in a hurry that it could be costly. This was literally true, for the faster I went the more gas we would burn, and also there was a greater possibility while traveling at higher speeds that the broken gear would cause further damage to the transmission. As long as I drove under 55 the engine didn’t rev too high, and the tooth rattling around in the transmission housing occurred only occasionally.

After David left me, I further understood my broken tooth was meant to lead me to make an application to this message of slowing down as it applies to the speech that comes forth from our mouth. God is testifying that we are not to be hasty in our words, for this too will be costly.

I had called earlier that day to make a reservation at the campground. I had been told that a camp host would be on duty until 9 P.M. It was a four hour drive from my daughter’s to Jekyll Island, and we arrived in Brunswick around 8:20. Brunswick is only about 15 miles from Jekyll Island. David asked if I wanted to get a hotel that night in Brunswick, rather than trying to put a tent up in the dark. I told him that I believed God had gotten us here in time to check into the campground and it wouldn’t be too difficult to set up the tent as I had spotlights. I couldn’t see spending the money for a hotel room when we were so close to our destination. Although we were both tired, having traveled about 1,2oo miles each in the past two days, I knew a little more patience and endurance would be well rewarded.

God really helped us put the tent up. It was a large, new tent I had purchased in Fort Wayne, and it was the first time I had assembled it. We soon had it up and had David situated in the tent and I settled into my little camper/van. It didn’t take either of us long to fall asleep.

I was awake early the next morning and I heard David get up. I looked at my watch and it read 4:30 A.M.. I decided to lay in bed a bit longer, but soon got up when I saw daylight. I went and showered and returned and met up with David. I mentioned to him that he had gotten up very early that morning. When I told him I had looked at my watch and it was 4:30, he replied that he didn’t think he was up that early. I told him it was not even 6:00 as we spoke, and he said that I was mistaken for it was close to 8:00. We looked at each other’s watches and found that my watch had slowed down. It was still running, but it was running slow. I thought this was very odd.

When David and I got into a conversation that proved uncomfortable on Tuesday morning, I discerned that we would only make it through this event successfully if we both slowed down and manifested patience by waiting upon the Father. This is what I suggested to David. As I look back in hindsight now I can see how Yahweh signified what was coming in so many ways. David chose to stay at the Comfort Suites, even though it proved more costly than anticipated. His impatience in not wanting to check prices at the other hotels nearby proved costly, but he convinced himself it was God’s will.

People of God, this is why we have to slow down. Our soul will often suggest to us a particular course that appeals to the flesh, and unless we are careful to divide between soul and spirit, we may end up making a costly error in judgment. Our soul is ALWAYS going to suggest the course that is most comfortable to it, even though God’s will may well be leading to an uncomfortable situation that is ultimately for our welfare.

I suggested to David that both of us spend some time alone with the Father in order to seek His face diligently to discern the deeper issues being exposed by our conversation. I told David it was a time to be patient and simply wait before the Father to hear His voice, and I was confident He would speak to us.

David told me he was going to take a shower while I set up the canopy over the picnic table. When he came back he said, “I am not sure if this is what God is saying, but can I share with you what I am discerning?” My thought was, “David, if you are not sure what God is speaking then you should be patient and wait before Him. You have not given Him time to speak,” but I kept quiet and listened to what he would say.

David said, “I think this is all about you wanting to argue with people over doctrine, and you get angry with them and this leads to divisiveness. God wants to deliver you from this religious spirit, which is the same spirit I saw manifested at Calvary Chapel.” I told David that what he just shared with me did not bear witness at all with my spirit. David then said, “Then what do you think God is saying?” I replied that neither of us had time yet to wait upon Him and hear His voice and I really believed the Father was telling us to be patient and slow down enough to allow Him to speak clearly to us. I suggested again that we both take time to simply wait before the Lord and ask Him to guide us to His mind. I then prayed with David that God would do just that.

David then told me he was going for a walk. Ten minutes later he returned and said, “You know what, I am just going to move on.” When I asked David what he meant, he said he was going to Savannah to see his brother. He said as he was walking the Lord gave him two words, those being “Angry,” and “Recalled.” God told him that due to my anger that God was recalling David from the island.

I shared with David that God had not told him that at all. I reminded him of all the signs God had given to us that we were to both come to Jekyll Island together. Just the day before he said God had told him that he was to be there four days. David would not hear any of my words.

After David left the Father continued to manifest a myriad of signs relating to the need to slow down. I went to town and stopped to purchase some gas. The gas pump started out normally, but then began slowing down and stopped after pumping only 3 gallons. I thought perhaps that the mid-grade was running low, so I scanned my debit card again and chose premium gas. Once more it started normally and then slowed down. It stopped while displaying $15.55 on the pump. I sensed I was to stop, so I proceeded on my way.

When I got to Wal-Mart I checked to see if I could get a new battery for my watch. They have always had them before. The woman looked for one, and could not find one for my particular watch, though they should have been in stock. It was like the Lord kept saying, “Slow Down. This is the message.”

I returned to Jekyll Island and I replaced both tires and tubes on my bicycle as they had gone flat and were in bad shape. While inflating the rear tire, I was not as cautious as I should have been with it, and the tube blew out. It had probably gotten pinched between the tire and the rim. I went back to my campsite and found an old tube I had taken off another bike and I used it to replace the blown out one. I then took both my bikes and pumped up the tires as the rear tire on both bikes were flat. I then rode my second bike back to the campsite. It has much wider tires that make it more stable in sand, but it is not nearly as fast. I commented to the Lord while riding it that it sure was a lot slower than the other bike.

I put the tire back on my first bike and rode it down to the fishing pier. It has narrow road tires and it was much easier to peddle and I was going much faster. I sped down the road to the pier. I then got on Clam Creek Trail and headed off at a good clip when I heard the rear tire go flat. It had sprung another leak. I was able to ride the bike back to my campsite, but it was much slower going.

Arriving back at the campsite I went to climb into my new tent and the zipper got stuck. Rather than patiently looking at it, I simply tried to force it forward and then backward, hoping it would come free. This resulted in it getting the fabric from the seam cover completely wrapped inside the zipper. I said, “Lord, why is this happening? What else could go wrong?” I sensed the Lord telling me to slow down and look carefully at the zipper to see what needed to be done to fix it. So I sat down on the ground in front of it and looked at it. I saw that I would have to cut a small piece of the fabric on the seam cover, and then by pulling the zipper down it would free it. I did this, and the zipper came unstuck. Since then I have found that I must open and close the zipper carefully when I enter or exit, and doing so I will keep it from getting snarled again. Haste will cause it to snarl every time.

You would think that by this time I would have gotten the message clearly, but I was actually still trying to figure out what God was saying through all of this. Before I had gone to town for gas I received an e-mail from David saying he was already in Savannah. He had gotten there in great time. It was as if there were no delays anywhere. Everything fell into place for him. A woman stopped and picked him up on the island asking if he needed a ride. He said she just happened to be heading to the bus station and took him there. He then quickly arrived in Savannah.

As I encountered a long string of events that caused delays, and showed the cost of getting in a hurry, I asked the Father what He was trying to say in all of this. Why was everything conspiring to slow me down while David was making haste everywhere he was going?

Finally it dawned upon me. Just as my watch had slowed down while David’s continued running at normal speed, God had intervened in both of our lives to give us what we asked for. I feared running ahead of God and asked Him to keep me from error, and He was doing so. I had counseled David that morning to exercise patience and to not be hasty, but he would not listen. Therefore God continued to allow him to run ahead at his normal speed.

I will tell you that it was a very grievous parting when David left. About five or six times I approached David asking him to reconsider his decision, and to wait upon God. I told him that God was not telling him to go, and I feared his walking away from a situation God had so clearly orchestrated. When he left anyway, I sat down on the step of my van and put my head in my hands and wept. I didn’t even have words to speak. I just knew that a tragic decision had just been made which would prove costly for David.

In my heart I was reminded of Randy wanting to turn back from the place God was leading us to in Fort Wayne. The same heaviness of heart was present, though in Randy’s case he repented of his decision and called me asking me to come back and get him, for the fear of God was upon him, and he knew there would be consequences too costly to bear if he turned back. The Spirit brought understanding to David’s paying $111 for a room at the Comfort Suites. David’s desire to avoid an uncomfortable work of the Spirit in his life led him to depart from the place God had so evidently brought both of us to. I continue to be grieved because I know that this choice will be very costly in the end.

I waited until the next day to write a response to David’s e-mail to me. I wanted to make sure I was discerning the voice of the Spirit before I wrote. I communicated to him the same things I have shared here. After writing to him, the Lord removed all the roadblocks from my life. I found a store on the island that sold tire tubes and was able to replace the flat tube I had. Amazingly my watch began keeping proper time again without having changed the battery, and as I continue to show caution in using the zipper on the tent it has not become snarled anymore.

Another thing also occurred. The campground was having trouble with their Internet connection at the sites at the back of the campground where I am located. This kept me from being able to connect to the Internet while at my site. This morning they fixed the problem, and the Spirit indicated that it was now okay to post a blog on this topic, for I had discerned it correctly after having waited upon Him.

Sadly, I must say that David wrote me four more e-mails today. He told me to not write to him anymore, and in each subsequent e-mail he became more bitter in his personal attacks, even comparing me to a monster like Jekyll and Hyde. I have sensed the Lord would not have me to write him back at this time. It is never proper to enter into reviling with a brother. It is better to simply take the blows and move on as if they were not received. I have continued to pray for David throughout the day, for I know that hasty words will also prove costly in the end.

There is such a need for patience in all that we do. This will become even more necessary as days of calamity fall upon this nation.

I will write more about how this message of slowing down applies to the days ahead in the next post, for this one has already grown lengthy.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208