Joseph Herrin (01-28-09)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is the will of the Father that ALL of His children be attentive to His voice. The church of this hour teaches the saints to be attentive to the voice of man, and the people of God like it to be this way. The people of God have heaped up to themselves teachers to tell them the things THEY want to hear, and these heaped up preachers obligingly do so.
In the Old Testament we read of the Israelites being called to the foot of Mount Sinai for God to speak to them. There was fire and smoke upon the mountain and the earth shook. A voice as of a trumpet rent the air, and the people were exceedingly afraid. They entreated Moses to not let God speak to them anymore, asking Moses to be the intermediary. Many Christians today have for various reasons sought out ministers who will serve the same function in their life.
Yahshua has appointed ministers to serve as prophets, teachers, evangelists and apostles, all of which are callings that require the minister to speak forth the words of God to the people. Yet God does not intend for these ministers to serve as a substitute for the individual believer to hear God themselves. The goal of this appointed ministry is to present the body unto God as mature, having the fulness of the stature that belongs to Christ. God is at work among all of His people to conform them to the image of His firstborn Son.
We read of Yahshua that His life was one of communion with the Father. Yahshua heard the voice of the Father. He observed what the Father was doing, and He did all things in like manner. He is the pattern for all of those born of His Spirit. We are called to walk in the Spirit. By the Spirit we are to discern the mind and thoughts of the Father.
1 Corinthians 2:9-14
Just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
It is the responsibility of every child of God to discern the thoughts of God through the ministry of the Spirit who dwells in them. In the coming days God will shake many of His people out of their lethargy. Those who have looked to a man to always speak the thoughts of God to them will find that He will not allow them to continue in a pattern that keeps them ever immature. All will be required to walk in the Spirit that they might become mature sons.
Romans 8:14
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
It is true that Yahweh has gifted certain ones to be able to discern things which are hidden from most. The Spirit has given gifts to men, which include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, prophecy and tongues. Not all have these gifts to be exercised readily, but all are able to hear the voice of the Spirit and to receive insight from Him. Very often we have not because we ask not!
Seven years ago I gave my family a task. We were in a time where we needed some direction from the Lord. I sensed what the Father was saying, but I wanted to receive a further witness to this. The Spirit placed the thought in my mind to ask each one of the members of my family to take a piece of paper and go into their rooms, seeking the Father, and to write down whatever it was that they discerned from Him. Fifteen minutes later my wife, daughter and son all returned. All had received something from the Father, and what my request for affirmation was abundantly fulfilled.
In the process I also discovered that my daughter Kristin had been blessed with the gift of prophecy. She was only fourteen years old at the time, and when she came out of her room she had written down one of the clearest words of prophetic exhortation I had to that time received. The words were like fire bearing witness in my spirit that God had spoken. I have shared them in other writings, but I will include them again here for those readers who are new to this list. These are not the words of a 14 year old girl. They are the words of one who was animated by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
Word From Kristin - July 24th, 2002
I have great things in store for your family.
Marvelous things that only I can get the credit for.
My sheep will hear My voice and they will know
that it is I, the Lord thy God.
My provision is on its way. My timing is perfect.
You need not fear any trouble, instead, trust Me.
The time has not yet come to reveal all things,
but behold, it is drawing nigh.
You need have no less than great expectations, for
I, the Lord thy God, am in control.
Watch and wait.
You must put behind you all foolish thoughts of
doubt and disbelief, for great is My reward for
those who trust.
Forget not those things which I have done for
you, and expect greater things in the future.
I am a just God, those who put their life in
My hands need never fear.
Await with anticipation the things that are to
come. They are drawing near.
Those things which I have spoken to you will
be fulfilled, for I do not lie.
I have listened to your heart’s cry. I have
not turned a deaf ear.
I am a father who loves to give good gifts to
His children. Trust My timing.
You must learn to listen to My voice, and My
voice alone. Take the path which I have set for
you. Do not turn to the right or to the left.
People of God, sometimes the discovery of those abilities that lie within us come from something as simple as another person giving you a piece of paper and exhorting you to go aside with God and write down what He is speaking to you. I have at times gone aside to a quiet place with paper and pen in order to receive something from the Lord. I have been in awe at the things I have received. I do not doubt that I would hear things with greater frequency if I simply waited with expectation on a more regular basis.
Today, I would challenge you as I did with my family seven years ago. Below are three news articles that were taken from three consecutive days last week. A sister in Christ sent me the links to them as she sensed there was a prophetic message in them. In each of the three articles a nearly identical event occurred. Two people were killed, and five injured and these events occurred at geographically diverse locations across the United States.
Some may object to finding symbolism in human tragedy, but there is nothing that is outside the sovereign control of God. He speaks through many things. If the lives of people are prophetic, then certainly their deaths should speak as well. I have posted a writing titled Seeing Symbolism in Human Tragedy which can be read at the following link, if you desire.
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/seeing-symbolism-in-human-tragedy.html
I would challenge you to take some time to ask the Father to speak to you to give you discernment of what He is speaking, then wait before Him anticipating that He would speak to you. If you would prefer not to ask for revelation of these three news articles, I would encourage you to simply wait before Him expecting Him to speak whatever He desires. Write down what you receive.
Hearing His voice may be a strange experience to you and you may doubt that it is truly His voice. Write it down anyway, and then patiently wait upon Him to affirm His word. It does take spiritual discernment to be able to divide between soul and spirit, for there is also a voice in our soul that speaks. Those who are mature have learned to divide between soul and spirit. We must all start somewhere. We must crawl before we walk, and we must walk before we run.
When I asked the readers of this blog some months ago to share their experiences of those things God has done in their lives, I was met with many awesome testimonies that I posted for the edification of many. As children of God YOU need to be challenged to give of that which is in you. Each joint and sinew has something to contribute to the rest of the body.
Not all are an eye, nor are all an ear. Yet the foot is as much a part of the body as the mouth. We can all hear the voice of God, and we all have a ministry to perform.
Stir Up That Which Is In YOU!
2 killed, 7 injured in Miami shooting
updated 7:38 p.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 24, 2009
MIAMI - Authorities continued Saturday to search for the person who used an assault rifle in a Friday night shooting in northwest Miami that left two dead and seven injured.
"We have someone out there that is armed; it is a dangerous situation," police spokeswoman Kenia Alfonso said.
Two males, ages 16 and 18, were slain in the shooting and police still have no motive, Alfonso said. Authorities have not yet released the shooting victims' identities.
One person remained in critical but stable condition Saturday afternoon after undergoing surgery. Four people were listed in stable condition and two others were released from a hospital, Alfonso said.
Authorities said the group was playing a dice game outside a store in the Liberty City neighborhood when the shooting started.
When paramedics arrived, many of those who had been shot were lying in the street. Lt. Ignatius Carroll with Miami Fire Rescue said the scene was chaotic.
Dozens of police cruisers swarmed the area and blocked off streets after the shooting.
Liberty City's name comes from a housing project built in the 1930s and is known around Florida for its crime and grinding poverty. The median household income hovers around $18,000 a year, some $30,000 less than the U.S. average.
The neighborhood is also known for riots.
In 1979, a black insurance agent was beaten to death by white and Hispanic police officers. An all-white jury acquitted them and a three-day riot left 18 dead and 850 arrested.
Many of the neighborhood's businesses were destroyed, then rebuilt.
Then in 1989, police killed a black motorist, and rioters spewed into the streets just days before the Super Bowl was held in Miami.
The area has never fully recovered. Boarded-up buildings, drug dealers and, recently, foreclosures have mushroomed. Racial tension among blacks, whites, Hispanics and black Caribbean arrivals have simmered for years.
Police: 2 shot dead, 7 hurt at Kansas wake
Communication at crime scene difficult because many do not speak English
updated 11:12 a.m. ET, Sun., Jan. 25, 2009
WICHITA, Kansas - Two people were killed and seven injured in a shooting late Saturday at a wake in southeastern Wichita, police said.
Sgt. Ronald Hunt says all the victims of Saturday night's shooting were adults. He did not know their ages or genders.
Hunt says one victim is in critical condition, while as many as four others are in serious condition.
Police say the shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. on the ninth day of the wake, which was being held for an elderly woman buried earlier Saturday.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Lee could not say how many shooters were involved but says some of the shots came from outside. Police won't say if they believe the shooting is gang-related.
Officers had trouble communicating because many of those at the house did not speak English.
Police are looking for a pickup truck seen leaving the home.
Exchange students hit in Ore. club shooting
Two killed, several others injured in apparently random act, police say
updated 12:06 a.m. ET, Mon., Jan. 26, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. - A gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in Portland, Ore., killing two girls and wounded several other people in an apparently random act, police said.
Five victims were students from other countries and another was a Portland resident planning a trip as an exchange student; they were going to The Zone club to celebrate a birthday.
The man did not have any known relationship to the victims beforehand, and he didn't appear to have been in the club or a nearby bar before the shooting Saturday night, police Detective Mary Wheat said Sunday.
Police late Sunday identified the alleged gunman as Erik Salvadore Ayala, 24. He was in critical condition after shooting himself in the head, Wheat said.
"At first blush, this incident appears to be a random act of violence, of the kind that makes you despair for America," police Chief Rosie Sizer said.
Most of those shot were on the sidewalk outside The Zone but it was unknown if they were waiting to enter the club. A bullet also hit a manager inside a neighboring bar.
Ashley L. Wilks, a 16-year-old from Portland, was killed. The other victim has not been identified, but Miguel Velasquez of the Peruvian Consulate in Seattle said she was a 17-year-old girl from Peru in an exchange program. He said her host family lives in White Salmon, Wash.
Both girls were part of a group of exchange students at The Zone to celebrate a birthday, said Chuck Itoh, chairman of the Rotary District 5100 exchange program. Wilks was getting ready to leave for her trip.
Wilks' stepfather, Randy Thiesen, told The Oregonian: "We're just shocked. We're not doing good."
Matt Utterback, the principal of Clackamas High School, said in a letter to parents that Wilks was a bright and curious student who enrolled in honors classes and competed on the swim team.
Ashley's counselor and teachers describe her as "an awesome student with a beautiful smile," the principal said. "She was the kind of person that lights up a room. A truly wonderful, delightful kid."
One shooting victim was in critical condition Sunday, and four others were hospitalized but expected to survive; two were treated and released.
Scott Bieber, the youth protection officer for the exchange program, said four of the wounded were exchange students from Ecuador, France, Guatemala and Taiwan.
"Our hearts and our sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims' parents for their loss," Bieber said. "But it just kind of makes it harder to fathom when the whole purpose of this program is to foster peace and goodwill and understanding around the world."
[End articles]
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 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
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