Stormy Seas

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I recently found out some very good news concerning the four books the Father led me to get published last year. These books are:

The Remnant Bride
Sabbath
The Mark of the Beast
Overcoming Addiction by the Spirit of Christ

The Lord led me to use a book publisher called Xlibris, and I was very pleased with their professionalism and the quality of the books that they put together. The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the cost of the books. Xlibris has a standard pricing structure, and they do not allow the author's to change the price of their books that are sold through Xlibris. It was costing me (and everyone else) $19.99 per book to order them through Xlibris, or directly through an online reseller such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Recently a sister in Christ asked for a copy of each of the books I had printed, so I went to www.amazon.com to order them for her. I noted that there were a number of book resellers who have agreements with Amazon to sell books through their website. A number of these resellers were offering my books at half the price I could acquire them myself from the publisher.

At first I was doubtful that the listings were accurate, however, I ordered several copies of each book through one of the resellers called Adelightfulbook. They were offering my books at $10.00 each. I would have to order more than a hundred copies of each book to get this low of a price from the publisher, and I have not had the funds to do so.

The books arrived promptly, and were brand new. I am therefore very happy to let people know that the books are available at a much more reasonable price through Amazon's resellers. I can vouch for the service that I received from the reseller named Adelightfulbook, and would recommend them if you are interested in purchasing any of these four books.

I do not sell the books myself, nor did I have them published to have a source of income. The Lord has been my provider for many years, and continues to be the One I look to for all of my needs. I had these books published at the leading of the Spirit, and they are available for those who desire a book in printed form. All these books can be read in their entirety at no cost on the Heart4God website.

www.heart4god.ws

Stormy Seas
Joseph Herrin (05-29-09)































I want to share a recent experience I had. I mentioned in the previous post that the Spirit of Christ directed me to purchase a bus/camper for a sister in Christ who is a widow and who takes care of her elderly mother. I had anticipated delivering this but to where she lives, which is about a thousand miles from Georgia.

I have been busy cleaning it up and making sure everything in it is in working order. There was really very little to do in this way, for the bus is mechanically sound. I went earlier this week to get my driver's license updated with my current address so that I could apply for a tag on the bus and send off for a title. While I was waiting at the Department of Driver Services for them to call my name to take my picture the Spirit put it into my mind to call my daughter.

I say that the Spirit put this thought into my mind, for I truly sensed at that moment that God was saying, "Now would be a good time to call your daughter." I sensed that the thought came from the Spirit and not from my own soul.

I called Kristin and I told her where I was at and what I was doing. Kristin then stated, " Dad, are you sure you don't need a CDL (Commercial Driver's License) to drive that bus. My Georgia Class C license says it is valid for driving all types of motorhomes, so I thought that was all I needed. Kristin went on to tell me that at her church the people had recently encountered this issue when they sought someone to drive their church bus, and so she knew a bit about it.

Since I was at the DDS office, I decided to ask the employee there when he called me up to take my picture. Sure enough, he told me if the bus was manufactured to transport more than 16 people, that even if it was being converted to a camper and had the seats removed, I would need a Class B CDL license to drive it.

I was not disappointed by this news. I simply saw it as the Lord ordering my steps. I knew the Spirit had prompted me to call my daughter at that precise moment, and He was using this information to direct me. I had been praying and asking the Father what He would have me to do about getting the bus to this sister in Christ, and now I understood that I would not be the one driving it to her location.

By the way, the sister in Christ for whom the bus is intended already has a CDL license for she drives a school bus on her job. This sister has been unable to find any place to park the bus when it is delivered, for there are many restrictive covenants where she lives. Yet this too, I am persuaded, is of the Lord. He both opens and shuts doors.

I suggested to this sister in Christ that she place all options on the table and look to the Lord to direct her. It is even possible that the Spirit would direct her to use the bus here in Georgia, rather than where she lives, and perhaps this is the reason that I was led to purchase it here and am unable to drive it to her, and she can find nowhere to park it.

I am encouraging all God's people to be very open to EVERYTHING the Spirit of Christ might speak to His sons and daughters in this hour. If we have any strong desire in our own soul in any matter, then we risk failing to discern the Spirit of Christ.

I recently shared about a couple of brothers in Christ who were directed by the Spirit to purchase a travel trailer and a motorhome. Neither of these men had any desire to do so that arose from their own soul, but they were surrendered enough to the Lord, seeking only to know His will that they might do it, that they were able to discern the leading of the Spirit and do it. If they had strong aversions toward RV living, they would most likely have discounted the voice of the Spirit and failed to do as Christ was directing them.

In the same way, if my soul was set upon my being the one to deliver this bus to the sister in Christ for whom it was purchased, I would likely have been frustrated at the roadblock that I encountered when I learned it required a CDL to drive it. I might have determined to drive it anyway, or to do what was necessary to get a CDL license. Yet, because I had no strong leaning in my soul, and was seeking only to know the will of the Father, I was able to hear that still, small voice that was saying that this event was from Him and He was using it to direct my steps.

I want to encourage all of the people of God in this hour to come to a state of rest in their souls. If you sense that you are being led by some strong soulish desire, then subdue the desire and enter into rest in the matter. George Mueller, who cared for thousands of orphans in the 1800s said he would never trust himself to hear the voice of the Lord until he had come to a place of rest in his soul. When contemplating some new work or action, George Mueller would first come to a place in his soul where he knew he would be just as content to hear God tell him "Yes" concerning a matter, as to hear God tell him "No."

If we have any predisposition in our soul, we will find it difficult to discern the voice of the Spirit. The soul must be quieted that the Spirit might be heard. This will be a very vital matter in coming days. There will be many voices of fear that will assail us as all begins to shake. Our fears can often serve to drive us in a direction the Spirit would not have us to go. Even soulish emotions as strong as fear must be subdued and a quietness entered into that we might discern clearly the leading of the Spirit of Christ.

Yahshua demonstrated this matter in one of His recorded miracles. We read in Mark chapter 4 of a time when Christ and His disciples were corssing the Sea of Galilee in a small ship. A fierce gale came up. The wind was howling and the waves were climbing higher and the little vessel was about to be swamped. The disciples were becoming panicked, fearing for their lives, yet Christ was asleep on a pillow in the stern of the boat.

This miracle, as all of the miracles of Christ, is a parable. Seas are in one sense a picture of the soul of man. At times there are fierce storms that arise in our souls and begin to toss us about, threatening to swamp our vessel (our body). Yet, in this vessel with us is the Son of God. He is not disturbed at all. He is ever at peace. Our salvation comes in our arising in the Spirit and commanding the soul to be quiet. The soul must obey the authority of the Spirit of Christ that resides within us.

Some may ask, "Why does not my soul become instantly quiet as the wind and the waves did when Christ commanded them?" The reason is that our faith is weak. We are troubled by unbelief. We find it difficult to dwell in realms of the Spirit when this natural world around us is so visible to our natural senses.

Hebrews 11:1-2
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

It was a simple thing for Christ to command the wind and the waves and to see them instantly quited. We need to see this as a parable of how Christ within us is able to command the storms in our soul and to bring forth peace. We are not at the mercy of the storms in our soul. We can command the soul to be quieted, and it will obey when we walk in faith.

Many Christians have never practiced this subjection of the soul to the Spirit within. Far too many Christians have very noisy souls. They are full of the clamor of fears and various passions and desires. Many are like the Temple in the day when Christ went in and ran out the merchants and the money changers. A great many Christians are focused upon acquiring the merchandise of the world, upon commercial enterprises and the desire to acquire and use money. Their bodies (the Temple) were created to be houses of prayer where the still, small voice of the Father could be heard, yet they have filled their souls with the noise of the merchants and money changers.

In many instances throughout the gospels we see Christ performing miracles and actions that serve as parables for bringing quiet to the soul of man. In one event He commands the wind and waves to be silent, illustrating how we can take authority over the unruly emotions of our soul. In another event He chases out the merchants and money changers, illustrating how we must drive out all idolatry, all love of the world and the things in it, from our souls, for God intends us to be a house of prayer.

It is necessary to enter into this place of quiet that we might discern what the Spirit of God is speaking to us. He does not desire to shout at us. He could easily do so. However, He wants His sons and daughters to listen more intently, and to quiet everything in their woul that makes His voice difficult to discern.

It is very necessary in this hour to be hearing and heeding the voice of God. What things are present in your soul that are making it difficult for you to discern His voice? Rise up in the Spirit of Christ, for He truly dwells in your vessel if you have been born of the Spirit. Take authority over the raging soul and enter into peace.

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