Joseph Herrin (08-31-2010)
A couple more meetings have been added to my speaking schedule. My itinerary currently stands as follows:
Delong and Leiters Ford (Rochester), Indiana
Dates: September 3-5
The Friday night meeting will be in Delong, while the Saturday and Sunday meetings will be in Leiters Ford (Listed as Rochester). The locations are only a few miles apart.
Location:
8998 W. Washington Street
Delong, In. 46922
Meeting Time:
Friday Evening: 6:00 P.M. - Until
Meeting will begin with a meal.
Location:
4747 Beach Lane
Rochester, IN 46975
Meeting Times:
Saturday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for Lunch and fellowship
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Hosts: Rich and Debbi Rennier
Phone: 574-542-2066
----------------------------------------
Mount Sterling, Kentucky
Dates: September 10-12
Meeting Times:
Friday Evening: 6:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for Lunch and fellowship
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Host: Brenda Hoskins
Meeting Address To Be Announced
-----------------------------------------
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Dates: September 17-19
Location:
1145 Dry Powder Circle
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Meeting Times:
Friday Evening: 6:30 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for Lunch and fellowship
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Host: Laura Lacovara
Phone: (717) 691-9260, or (717) 497-2658
These are all the meetings I have scheduled at this time. I have no further invitations and, unless the Father indicates otherwise, I will be heading back to Georgia after the meetings in Pennsylvania. This will be the 17th set of meetings conducted since Randy Simmons and I left Georgia about four months ago. If you are able to attend any of these meetings, please make every attempt to do so. The hour is late and Yahweh is working to prepare His sons and daughters for days of trouble that lie ahead.
Stir Yourself Up!
I am observing a certain oppression coming against a number of Yahweh’s sons and daughters in this hour. The people I am observing this in are some of the most faithful of Yahweh’s servants. They are true forerunners. They have embraced a path apart. They have been wilderness wanderers for many years.
At this hour, many of these sons and daughters are finding themselves facing obstacles, resistance, and delays. Some, having been awaiting a breakthrough, having borne long with trials, only to discover a further lengthening of the road. When they anticipated a breakthrough into some new experience, some renewed opportunity for service, some release from the tedium of the long march they have been on, they have crested a hill to find that the expected end of the road is not yet visible.
I can empathize with these ones. My present travels across the country have been a microcosm of a much larger journey. We are all called to walk an afflicted path that we are promised will end in life.
Matthew 7:14
"For the gate is narrow, and the way is afflicted that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”
At times those who have walked a long distance on this path anticipate some breakthrough into a greater place of liberty, prosperity, or anointing. The expectation of arriving at this goal helps them to keep going, to persevere. When the thing they have expected does not occur at the proper time, when one wearisome test gives way to some new trial, there is a crisis in their soul. The natural man would simply sit down and say, “I have gone so far. I am weary. I see so few others on this path. I do not know how I can possibly go further.” The temptation is present to sit down, give up, or cease from the struggle.
People of God, it is at such times that the faithful sons and daughters of Yahweh must stir themselves up to renewed focus.
After some months on this journey, and numerous difficult encounters along the way, I have myself experienced a weariness of soul. The greatest fatigue comes to me from encounters with Christians who are dull of hearing and blind of sight. It requires Herculean effort at times to speak to a group of people whom I know are not prepared to receive a message. To set forth spiritual truth to those who will reject it is an exercise of excruciating labor. Having done so in one venue after another, I find a great oppression coming against my soul. I want to return to an easier path. I would prefer to sit at home and write blog postings rather than to confront unbelief and spiritual lethargy among the sons of God face to face.
I have no doubt that Yahweh has ordered my steps on this journey. He has determined the places and people I would encounter in my travels. There have been encouraging experiences. I have met a few souls whose faces are set to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. There have been those who have not been daunted by hardship and adversity, who willingly receive the message of the disciple’s cross with a sincere heart, and are grateful to find another who would encourage them on the afflicted path that leads to life.
Then there are those who hear the truth, and receive it with a glad heart, but they are seemingly unable, or unwilling to stir themselves up to walk in the truth. There are those who are in bondage to the flesh, and who seem content to remain in bondage. They confess that they want to change, but they are waiting for God to do all the work.
But the most grievous are those who resist the truth. In one recent meeting I faced a brother in Christ who was present at the invitation of his friend. The man was a seminary graduate and a long-time believer in Christ. I arrived at his home before the first night’s meeting and had a conversation with him. The discussion intensified the next day as I gave a presentation that focused on the need to die to self, to take up the cross daily, to surrender our will unto Christ.
This man argued with me that salvation is a gift received by grace, and that being a disciple is optional. I asked him whether he believed that Christ gave two invitations to mankind. One invitation was simply to confess Him and go to heaven. The other was to be a disciple, which required that one hate their own life, surrender all their possessions and relationships, and follow the Lamb wherever He leads. This man declared that he did indeed believe that discipleship was optional, and not required to “be saved.”
Having shared a multitude of Scriptures with this brother, he clung tenaciously to one or two Scriptures that spoke of salvation being obtained by confessing Christ, as a work of grace. He refused to consider the whole counsel of God and of the Scriptures.
Matthew 16:24-26
Then Yahshua said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?”
Where is Christ now? Is He not seated in glory? Is this not where the overcoming saints are destined to arrive someday? If we wish to come after Christ, to share in His glory, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow in His footsteps. He never sought His own will and desire. He always lived to do the will and pleasure of the Father.
Can a man today confess Christ and then live for his own will and pleasure with the expectation of arriving at the same place Christ now abides? God forbid! Do not be deceived!
Galatians 6:7-9
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
What is the good we are to do? We are to be surrendered to be led of the Father in all things. We are to go where He says go and to do what He says do. Can a man be led of his own soul and enter into life? “Do not be deceived!” Why does the apostle use these words? It is because many are deceived, and they are deceived willingly. They want to believe in a salvation that costs them nothing.
As we mature in Christ the Father permits His sons to experience more and more of His own trials in dealing with men. He permits us to know the patience He has by having us deal with the obstinate, the deaf, and the blind. Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth, yet when Yahweh put Moses into His own position as shepherd of the people of God, Moses was continually waxing hot. His patience was overtaxed, and his humility gave way to unrighteous anger.
The Father has permitted me in a very small measure to know His own experiences with His sons and daughters. I confess that I am unable in my own natural strength to contend with it all.
Isaiah 65:2-3
"I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, a people who continually provoke Me to My face...”
The patience and longsuffering of Yahweh far exceeds that of the meekest of mankind. When I encounter such obstinance among professing Christians I am vexed in spirit and wearied in soul. My natural response is to shake the dust off of my feet and return to my own place. However, I cannot do so. I too have a path to walk that is appointed for my perfecting as a son. I cannot choose my own way. To continue I must decrease further that Christ might increase in me.
A couple weeks ago I was growing weary of the journey. The newness of this round the nation trip was wearing off. Burdens were piling up as I encountered a host of Christians who are not yet walking as overcomers. I began to despair of seeing them in victory, and the weakness of my own flesh has caused me to question my own future state.
Around the same time I began struggling with sciatica. Standing became a chore, and walking even more so. Undoubtedly this natural manifestation is a visible symbol of my spiritual struggle. I began to look forward to the end of this trip. I wanted to go back to Georgia and spend some time in solitude. Continuous struggle day after day with circumstances, with people, and with my own flesh had worn me down.
Yahweh had used a symbol two years ago to speak to me about the danger of being double-minded. He had spoken to me through squirrels. You have seen how they will dart out into the road, and seeing a car coming they will change direction, often more than once. Their indecisiveness often leads to death.
About a week and a half ago as I was driving to a meeting location in Illinois, I saw a squirrel dragging himself across the road dragging his back legs. He had evidently been hit due to acting “squirrely” in the middle of the road. At the campground we arrived at for the week, there was a bike path through the woods. There was a deer crossing sign along the path. The left edge of the sign had been broken off so that the deers’ back legs were missing. While at this same location a brother came to visit with us, bringing his two small boys. Randy took them for a walk and they brought back a small frog. None of them had even noticed that the frog was missing a back leg until I pointed it out.
The message the Father was speaking to me was clear. What we begin, we must finish. We need to finish strong. We must be committed to the course, not seeking things for self. There is no turning back permitted among those who would stand as overcomers.
Hebrews 10:37-39
For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Right after I saw the frog with the missing leg I received an e-mail affirming the Father’s will for me to hold more meetings. I added two more that day, and I am not certain that they will be the last on this trip. I am committed to finishing the course with joy. I do not go forth grudgingly, nor with complaint. Though the way be difficult, and my own walk painful, I am following in the footsteps of the Lamb who suffered willingly for me.
I Peter 2:21
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps...
Is not the apostle’s intent plain in these words? Since Christ also suffered for us, we should consider it right to experience suffering in obedience to Him. He is our pattern man. He did not suffer so that we would not have to. He suffered to show us that it was possible to do the Father’s will and never shrink back. He has sent forth His own Spirit into our hearts that we might have the motive and the power to walk as He walked.
John 13:15-18
“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen...”
My own experience is not unique. I know of many whose present experience is also one of trials, of perplexity, of loneliness, of pain, of conflicts without and fears within. These are also experiencing a lengthening of the way.
I am reminded of an athlete in training. When he has run as far as he has ever run before, this is when his coach will tell him to take another lap. We can only grow in spiritual strength, and in conformity to Christ, as we are taken beyond our natural limits. It is then that we look to Christ in us to accomplish what we cannot. When we are weak, then He is strong in us.
I know that some Christians are looking forward with anticipation to judgment befalling America. They believe that the collapse of the economy, civil unrest, martial law, and all the other disasters which must befall this nation, will change their own experiences. They anticipate that in an hour of destruction and calamity, the people of God will be more attentive to the voice of Yahweh. They anticipate their own experiences of suffering will in many ways be vindicated before the eyes of carnal Christians who have looked disdainfully at their poverty and suffering when they themselves have known ease, comfort and prosperity.
To those who are looking for judgment with this motive, it is difficult to see judgment delay. It means a lengthening of their own experiences of reproach and rejection and suffering. Yet, the Father has timed all things perfectly. His patience is manifested for the perfecting of His sons. He desires that we be selfless in our motives. To long for judgment that self might be vindicated is not a mature motive.
If Yahweh were self-focused, careless of mankind, He would have destroyed the earth long ago. His patience is always with a perfect intent, measured to exactness. It will result in sons in His image. When the time is right, then judgment will fall. Let us use the time wisely, setting our eyes on the course appointed to us. Let us stir up the spirit man, and commit ourselves to finish this leg of the race strong.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Number of the Firstborn
The following audio files were recorded at the meetings in Kooskia, Idaho. This message expresses one of the core themes the Father is directing me to share with His people at this hour. I exhort you as a son or daughter of Christ to take the time to listen to this message.
The hour is late, and the Father is inviting His people to a radical obedience that they might be qualified to stand among the overcomers. Being numbered among Yahweh's spiritual firstborn is the greatest of prizes. Please do not pass by this opportunity to be challenged, instructed and exhorted by the Spirit of Christ.
The Number of the Firstborn - Part 1
The Number of the Firstborn - Part 2
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
The hour is late, and the Father is inviting His people to a radical obedience that they might be qualified to stand among the overcomers. Being numbered among Yahweh's spiritual firstborn is the greatest of prizes. Please do not pass by this opportunity to be challenged, instructed and exhorted by the Spirit of Christ.
The Number of the Firstborn - Part 1
The Number of the Firstborn - Part 2
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Women of Faith - A Greater Grace
Joseph Herrin (08-25-2010)
As I have been traveling across the country I have been blessed to meet with many of Yahshua’s brothers and sisters. The message I have been led to share with them is that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). I have shared numerous experiences from my life, especially the last 11 years, as the Father has revealed that those things I have passed through will be common to those who would stand as overcomers.
Without question there has been loss, difficulty, sorrows, and some suffering along the way. Some are daunted to hear of the afflicted path that all faithful disciples of Christ must walk, and I occasionally hear from sisters in Christ who are in need of some encouragement. They want to know that they too can walk a difficult path, often feeling that they are weaker, and less able to bear up under difficulties.
I want to share an experience that Randy and I had while in Spokane. Prior to arriving in Spokane, Randy and I had some conversations in which he was relating the difficulty of following the path that the Father had appointed to him. He stated that he knew of no other men who would walk a path similar to his own, where his soul found no present reward, and only constant trials and loss.
I shared with Randy that I had embraced a similar walk, and was able to walk it, and that there were plenty of others, including women, who had embraced the same course. While we were in Spokane, Washington the Father showed us this truth in way of a parable.
The book Hinds’ Feet on High Places has become a very precious book to Randy and I. The title alludes to the ability of Yahweh to give His children feet like the deer, able to traverse mountains and obstacles with great grace. The character Much Afraid in the book had crippled feet, and Randy and I also have things which hinder our physical walk.
Randy took a fall off a roof about 6-7 years ago and crushed his heel when he landed. The heel gives him much pain when he stands for lengthy periods of time, and it makes long hikes difficult. He also deals with asthma. Although he is a muscular and powerful man, difficulty breathing will slow him down.
My own physical condition is not anything to boast about. I was born with brittle bone disease, and broke nearly a dozen bones in my youth. I was not able to participate in Physical Education and sports as other children. I have never been physically powerful. On top of this, years of poor diet and being overweight led to my experiencing a heart attack several years ago. So I try to pace myself when hiking and biking.
Randy and I found one magnificent trail where we were camped near Spokane. The trail went up one side of a mountain and came down some miles further on by a precarious zig zag path that was marked by warning signs announcing that the trail had been eroded and was hazardous in some places. Nevertheless, the trail was well used, both by people walking, and those on mountain bikes.
Randy had walked the entire path (about 7-8 miles) one day, and told me about a section I had not walked. It was the zig zag section. It was a very steep climb, but was rewarded with spectacular views and waterfalls. We decided to ride our bikes to the base of the mountain, a distance of 2-3 miles, and then hike to the top.
The hike was tough. We were making patient yet steady progress to the top, and I was stopping occasionally for a breather. As we neared the top, a young woman came running up the path behind us with her dog in tow. She passed us as if she were running downhill. This happened more than once until Randy and I began to wonder where these Amazon women were coming from.
I sensed a parable in this occurrence. The path we were walking represented the narrow and afflicted path that leads ever upward towards Zion. Randy and I felt that we were doing well on our journey along this road. There were few others on the same path. Nevertheless, we were shown that some were able to make much greater progress, and those doing so whom we encountered were often women.
At our next stop in Kooskia, Idaho our hostess, Nancy Fowler, had placed some books in the guest house in which Randy and I were staying. One of them was an autobiographical book by Hannah Hurnard, the author of Hinds’ Feet on High Places. The book was titled Wayfarer in the Land. I had been wanting to read it, and took the opportunity to do so while staying there.
In the book, Ms. Hurnard describes her experiences in Israel in the 1930s. She traveled there as a missionary at the leading of the Spirit of Christ. She was considered an unfit candidate for the work of evangelism, and was given menial tasks to do, assisting a doctor in his work, and performing other duties. Hannah had grown up with a stuttering problem, and also did not know the local language, for she had not been afforded the opportunity to go to language school. On top of this, she had much fear that she dealt with constantly.
Despite these limitations, she embarked upon this course, and spent years in Israel at a time when the Arabs were rising up seeking to drive the Jews from the land. There was great peril on many fronts. Even among the Jews, she was often met with much opposition and animosity, especially among the orthodox, for they despised the missionaries' attempts to convert them.
In the book, Hannah details how the Spirit led her and a few others to begin going out to villages all across the land in which no missionary had gone. This was a great trial. The journeys were physically difficult as good roads were almost non-existent. Her little car would easily get stuck, and she constantly feared breaking down in a remote area where help was not available. Often, due to the impassable nature of the roads, they would have to leave the car and walk great distances.
As I read of her experiences, entering villages where missionaries often feared to enter, and then later being sent to Arab villages where death was a very real possibility, especially if she were mistaken as a Jew, I was greatly impressed. This single woman had embarked upon a path that many a man would not venture upon. She did so by clinging to the Shepherd who was guiding her.
By comparison, my own experiences of trusting Yahweh for protection and provision of my family, seem rather tame. Even the later years of being at a Rescue Mission, camping alone in the woods, being put in jail, or traveling across the country on a wing and a prayer, seem mild when contrasted to the difficulties of a single woman in a foreign land.
After departing from Kooskia, Randy and I visited with some friends in Sheridan, Wyoming. We were talking about books when they mentioned to me one they had recently read on the life of Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China about the same time Hannah Hurnard was in Israel.
The experiences they detailed were extraordinary. As a young woman in her twenties in England she felt the call to missionary work in China. She was deemed unsuitable by mission organizations because she had difficulty with book work. Consequently, she had to find a way to get to China on her own. For two years she saved up money earned as a housekeeper until she could pay for passage by train through Europe, across Siberia, and into China.
Gladys knew no one in China. She had a single correspondence with a woman in her 70s in China. Having an invitation to come, Gladys set out alone to find this woman in the interior of the country. Along the way she ran into a war between the Russians and Chinese. She had to trek 30 miles at night through dense forest filled with wolves and bears in a snowstorm by herself. She was briefly jailed, and faced angry Russian men whose language she did not speak. She was put on a train to Vladivostok where she was waylaid by a man who sought to kidnap her as a foreign worker to be sent to an interior part of Siberia as a slave laborer. She barely escaped, fleeing on a Japanese freighter, and then had to travel across China where foreigners were looked upon as devils and she did not speak the language.
Upon hearing about this woman, I felt an urge to read more on her life. At our next stop in Kadoka, SD I saw that our hosts, Kenton and Angela Mckeehan, had a series of books on heroes of the faith. I pulled a slip of paper from my wallet on which I had written the name Gladys Aylward. I asked if they had heard of her. They not only had heard of her, but had the very book my friends had told me about. They gave it to me since they had already read it twice.
I sensed the Father ordering my steps in these things, and I looked forward to reading the book. I did so just a few days ago, finding the accounts of Gladys’ experiences to be very challenging. Truly Yahweh has had many women who have trodden more difficult paths than the vast majority of men. These have done so with grace, bearing much fruit in their patient perseverance.
The Bible describes the woman as a “weaker vessel.”
I Peter 3:7
You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman...
Such a description would rankle many a feminist today, but the description is in many ways appropriate. Weakness is not the detriment to an overcoming life that many consider it to be. Rather, our weakness can prove to be a great asset.
I have pondered how this can be the state of things. If women are weaker vessels and the obstacles before them are greater than those before men, how is it that so many of them are able to surpass men in the surrendered lives that they live and the obstacles they overcome? I believe the answer is found in the following verse of Scripture.
II Corinthians 12:9-10
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Those who are weak find a greater grace from the Father. I think it is quite possible that the strong, the successful in this world, the wise, and the mighty will have a more difficult time of walking as overcomers. Their strengths prevent them from drawing upon the limitless power of Yahweh. Seeking to perform a work, or walk an afflicted path, in their own power, they find the going very difficult. Whereas, those without strength will look to Yahweh to continuously accomplish in and through them that which they know they are incapable of doing.
I have often testified that the Father did not choose me due to any strength inherent in me. He chose a man who was physically weak and easily broken, who was beset with many fears, and has called me to walk an extraordinary path. The strength that has held me to the course has not been my own. It has been His. He is able to put steel in the backbone of the weakest of vessels and cause them to stand.
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 Yahshua Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
If you are a weak person and are daunted by the path before you which all overcomers must walk, be encouraged. Our Father knows our frame that we are but dust. He delights in taking weaklings and jelly fish and giving them hinds’ feet.
If you are entering into a time of weakness and find it distressing, know also that this is the mercy of the Father. Many who have been successful in the world are finding their success to be slipping away. Those who have had money and many possessions are beginning to experience lack. Some who were physically strong are finding themselves limited by some weakness in body or soul.
The purpose behind all this is that we might find our strength and ability in Him. Yahweh will accomplish much through those who place their life and trust in Him.
Exodus 14:13-14
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which He will accomplish for you today... Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. It is not by our doing that we overcome. It is by resting in the promises of our Father.
If you are a woman, or a weakling, be encouraged. When we are weak, He is strong. Let us then as Paul, boast about our weakness, for in it the power of God is given room to manifest itself.
II Corinthians 13:4
For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.
While all the world, and a worldly church trusts in their own strength, let the remnant of Yahweh’s people put no confidence in the flesh. Let our confidence be in the One who has called us.
Hebrews 11:11
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised...
By His power even a barren womb can bring forth life. So too can the weak bring forth strength. Yahweh is faithful. He will accomplish ALL that He has promised.
Micah 4:6-7
“In that day,” declares Yahweh, “I will assemble the lame, and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcasts a strong nation, and Yahweh will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever.”
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
As I have been traveling across the country I have been blessed to meet with many of Yahshua’s brothers and sisters. The message I have been led to share with them is that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). I have shared numerous experiences from my life, especially the last 11 years, as the Father has revealed that those things I have passed through will be common to those who would stand as overcomers.
Without question there has been loss, difficulty, sorrows, and some suffering along the way. Some are daunted to hear of the afflicted path that all faithful disciples of Christ must walk, and I occasionally hear from sisters in Christ who are in need of some encouragement. They want to know that they too can walk a difficult path, often feeling that they are weaker, and less able to bear up under difficulties.
I want to share an experience that Randy and I had while in Spokane. Prior to arriving in Spokane, Randy and I had some conversations in which he was relating the difficulty of following the path that the Father had appointed to him. He stated that he knew of no other men who would walk a path similar to his own, where his soul found no present reward, and only constant trials and loss.
I shared with Randy that I had embraced a similar walk, and was able to walk it, and that there were plenty of others, including women, who had embraced the same course. While we were in Spokane, Washington the Father showed us this truth in way of a parable.
The book Hinds’ Feet on High Places has become a very precious book to Randy and I. The title alludes to the ability of Yahweh to give His children feet like the deer, able to traverse mountains and obstacles with great grace. The character Much Afraid in the book had crippled feet, and Randy and I also have things which hinder our physical walk.
Randy took a fall off a roof about 6-7 years ago and crushed his heel when he landed. The heel gives him much pain when he stands for lengthy periods of time, and it makes long hikes difficult. He also deals with asthma. Although he is a muscular and powerful man, difficulty breathing will slow him down.
My own physical condition is not anything to boast about. I was born with brittle bone disease, and broke nearly a dozen bones in my youth. I was not able to participate in Physical Education and sports as other children. I have never been physically powerful. On top of this, years of poor diet and being overweight led to my experiencing a heart attack several years ago. So I try to pace myself when hiking and biking.
Randy and I found one magnificent trail where we were camped near Spokane. The trail went up one side of a mountain and came down some miles further on by a precarious zig zag path that was marked by warning signs announcing that the trail had been eroded and was hazardous in some places. Nevertheless, the trail was well used, both by people walking, and those on mountain bikes.
Randy had walked the entire path (about 7-8 miles) one day, and told me about a section I had not walked. It was the zig zag section. It was a very steep climb, but was rewarded with spectacular views and waterfalls. We decided to ride our bikes to the base of the mountain, a distance of 2-3 miles, and then hike to the top.
The hike was tough. We were making patient yet steady progress to the top, and I was stopping occasionally for a breather. As we neared the top, a young woman came running up the path behind us with her dog in tow. She passed us as if she were running downhill. This happened more than once until Randy and I began to wonder where these Amazon women were coming from.
I sensed a parable in this occurrence. The path we were walking represented the narrow and afflicted path that leads ever upward towards Zion. Randy and I felt that we were doing well on our journey along this road. There were few others on the same path. Nevertheless, we were shown that some were able to make much greater progress, and those doing so whom we encountered were often women.
At our next stop in Kooskia, Idaho our hostess, Nancy Fowler, had placed some books in the guest house in which Randy and I were staying. One of them was an autobiographical book by Hannah Hurnard, the author of Hinds’ Feet on High Places. The book was titled Wayfarer in the Land. I had been wanting to read it, and took the opportunity to do so while staying there.
In the book, Ms. Hurnard describes her experiences in Israel in the 1930s. She traveled there as a missionary at the leading of the Spirit of Christ. She was considered an unfit candidate for the work of evangelism, and was given menial tasks to do, assisting a doctor in his work, and performing other duties. Hannah had grown up with a stuttering problem, and also did not know the local language, for she had not been afforded the opportunity to go to language school. On top of this, she had much fear that she dealt with constantly.
Despite these limitations, she embarked upon this course, and spent years in Israel at a time when the Arabs were rising up seeking to drive the Jews from the land. There was great peril on many fronts. Even among the Jews, she was often met with much opposition and animosity, especially among the orthodox, for they despised the missionaries' attempts to convert them.
In the book, Hannah details how the Spirit led her and a few others to begin going out to villages all across the land in which no missionary had gone. This was a great trial. The journeys were physically difficult as good roads were almost non-existent. Her little car would easily get stuck, and she constantly feared breaking down in a remote area where help was not available. Often, due to the impassable nature of the roads, they would have to leave the car and walk great distances.
As I read of her experiences, entering villages where missionaries often feared to enter, and then later being sent to Arab villages where death was a very real possibility, especially if she were mistaken as a Jew, I was greatly impressed. This single woman had embarked upon a path that many a man would not venture upon. She did so by clinging to the Shepherd who was guiding her.
By comparison, my own experiences of trusting Yahweh for protection and provision of my family, seem rather tame. Even the later years of being at a Rescue Mission, camping alone in the woods, being put in jail, or traveling across the country on a wing and a prayer, seem mild when contrasted to the difficulties of a single woman in a foreign land.
After departing from Kooskia, Randy and I visited with some friends in Sheridan, Wyoming. We were talking about books when they mentioned to me one they had recently read on the life of Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China about the same time Hannah Hurnard was in Israel.
The experiences they detailed were extraordinary. As a young woman in her twenties in England she felt the call to missionary work in China. She was deemed unsuitable by mission organizations because she had difficulty with book work. Consequently, she had to find a way to get to China on her own. For two years she saved up money earned as a housekeeper until she could pay for passage by train through Europe, across Siberia, and into China.
Gladys knew no one in China. She had a single correspondence with a woman in her 70s in China. Having an invitation to come, Gladys set out alone to find this woman in the interior of the country. Along the way she ran into a war between the Russians and Chinese. She had to trek 30 miles at night through dense forest filled with wolves and bears in a snowstorm by herself. She was briefly jailed, and faced angry Russian men whose language she did not speak. She was put on a train to Vladivostok where she was waylaid by a man who sought to kidnap her as a foreign worker to be sent to an interior part of Siberia as a slave laborer. She barely escaped, fleeing on a Japanese freighter, and then had to travel across China where foreigners were looked upon as devils and she did not speak the language.
Upon hearing about this woman, I felt an urge to read more on her life. At our next stop in Kadoka, SD I saw that our hosts, Kenton and Angela Mckeehan, had a series of books on heroes of the faith. I pulled a slip of paper from my wallet on which I had written the name Gladys Aylward. I asked if they had heard of her. They not only had heard of her, but had the very book my friends had told me about. They gave it to me since they had already read it twice.
I sensed the Father ordering my steps in these things, and I looked forward to reading the book. I did so just a few days ago, finding the accounts of Gladys’ experiences to be very challenging. Truly Yahweh has had many women who have trodden more difficult paths than the vast majority of men. These have done so with grace, bearing much fruit in their patient perseverance.
The Bible describes the woman as a “weaker vessel.”
I Peter 3:7
You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman...
Such a description would rankle many a feminist today, but the description is in many ways appropriate. Weakness is not the detriment to an overcoming life that many consider it to be. Rather, our weakness can prove to be a great asset.
I have pondered how this can be the state of things. If women are weaker vessels and the obstacles before them are greater than those before men, how is it that so many of them are able to surpass men in the surrendered lives that they live and the obstacles they overcome? I believe the answer is found in the following verse of Scripture.
II Corinthians 12:9-10
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Those who are weak find a greater grace from the Father. I think it is quite possible that the strong, the successful in this world, the wise, and the mighty will have a more difficult time of walking as overcomers. Their strengths prevent them from drawing upon the limitless power of Yahweh. Seeking to perform a work, or walk an afflicted path, in their own power, they find the going very difficult. Whereas, those without strength will look to Yahweh to continuously accomplish in and through them that which they know they are incapable of doing.
I have often testified that the Father did not choose me due to any strength inherent in me. He chose a man who was physically weak and easily broken, who was beset with many fears, and has called me to walk an extraordinary path. The strength that has held me to the course has not been my own. It has been His. He is able to put steel in the backbone of the weakest of vessels and cause them to stand.
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 Yahshua Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
If you are a weak person and are daunted by the path before you which all overcomers must walk, be encouraged. Our Father knows our frame that we are but dust. He delights in taking weaklings and jelly fish and giving them hinds’ feet.
If you are entering into a time of weakness and find it distressing, know also that this is the mercy of the Father. Many who have been successful in the world are finding their success to be slipping away. Those who have had money and many possessions are beginning to experience lack. Some who were physically strong are finding themselves limited by some weakness in body or soul.
The purpose behind all this is that we might find our strength and ability in Him. Yahweh will accomplish much through those who place their life and trust in Him.
Exodus 14:13-14
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which He will accomplish for you today... Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. It is not by our doing that we overcome. It is by resting in the promises of our Father.
If you are a woman, or a weakling, be encouraged. When we are weak, He is strong. Let us then as Paul, boast about our weakness, for in it the power of God is given room to manifest itself.
II Corinthians 13:4
For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.
While all the world, and a worldly church trusts in their own strength, let the remnant of Yahweh’s people put no confidence in the flesh. Let our confidence be in the One who has called us.
Hebrews 11:11
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised...
By His power even a barren womb can bring forth life. So too can the weak bring forth strength. Yahweh is faithful. He will accomplish ALL that He has promised.
Micah 4:6-7
“In that day,” declares Yahweh, “I will assemble the lame, and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcasts a strong nation, and Yahweh will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever.”
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Hinds Feet - Talk Two
Meetings Scheduled
Following are the meetings I have scheduled at this time.
Steeleville, IL
Dates: August 27-29
Address:
609 W. South Street
Steeleville, IL 62288
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Hosts: Gabriel and Laura Hicks
Phone: 618 965-3604
------------------------------------------------------
Delong and Leiters Ford (Rochester), Indiana
Dates: September 3-5
The Friday night meeting will be in Delong, while the Saturday and Sunday meetings will be in Leiters Ford (Listed as Rochester). The locations are only a few miles apart.
Location:
8998 W. Washington Street
Delong, In. 46922
Meeting Time:
Friday Evening: 6:00 P.M. - Until
Meeting will begin with a meal.
Location:
4747 Beach Lane
Rochester, IN 46975
Meeting Times:
Saturday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for Lunch and fellowship
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Hosts: Rich and Debbi Rennier
Phone: 574-542-2066
-----------------------------------------------------
Following is the second talk given in Kooskia, Idaho under the title Hinds' Feet on High Places. This continues the messages posted in a recent blog.
Note that all messages are posted here in MP4 movie format. If you do not have a player for this type of file, both Realplayer and Apple Quicktime are available for free download on the Internet and will give your computer this capability.
Hinds Feet on High Places - Talk Two - Part 1
Hind's Feet On High Places - Talk Two - Part 2
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Following are the meetings I have scheduled at this time.
Steeleville, IL
Dates: August 27-29
Address:
609 W. South Street
Steeleville, IL 62288
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Hosts: Gabriel and Laura Hicks
Phone: 618 965-3604
------------------------------------------------------
Delong and Leiters Ford (Rochester), Indiana
Dates: September 3-5
The Friday night meeting will be in Delong, while the Saturday and Sunday meetings will be in Leiters Ford (Listed as Rochester). The locations are only a few miles apart.
Location:
8998 W. Washington Street
Delong, In. 46922
Meeting Time:
Friday Evening: 6:00 P.M. - Until
Meeting will begin with a meal.
Location:
4747 Beach Lane
Rochester, IN 46975
Meeting Times:
Saturday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for Lunch and fellowship
Saturday Afternoon: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning: 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Hosts: Rich and Debbi Rennier
Phone: 574-542-2066
-----------------------------------------------------
Following is the second talk given in Kooskia, Idaho under the title Hinds' Feet on High Places. This continues the messages posted in a recent blog.
Note that all messages are posted here in MP4 movie format. If you do not have a player for this type of file, both Realplayer and Apple Quicktime are available for free download on the Internet and will give your computer this capability.
Hinds Feet on High Places - Talk Two - Part 1
Hind's Feet On High Places - Talk Two - Part 2
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Time to be Sober
Joseph Herrin (08-19-2010)
Owl Sunspot
In response to the last posting that mentioned the sign given of an owl sitting atop the American flag, some readers informed me of a recent phenomena occurring in the Sun. The picture above was taken the day after Randy had his encounter with the Native American woman in Sheridan, Wyoming. You can read about this remarkable sunspot here:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=14&month=08&year=2010
Yahshua was questioned by His disciples concerning when His return would occur. He replied:
Luke 21:25-26
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and upon the earth, dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world...”
This sign in the Sun is much broader than the sign of the owl sitting atop a flagpole flying the American flag. It would indicate that a time of destruction and woe is coming to the entire earth. The Spirit has recently been speaking very sober things at the meetings we have been holding across the country. I want to share one very profound message from the Father that occurred at the recent meetings in Kooskia, Idaho.
Randy and I arrived early at the Fowler’s ranch and spent a week in their guest house. During that week, Nancy Fowler showed us her seven horses. Randy likes horses very much, and was eager to ride one when given the chance. Nancy had a beautiful male horse named Cocoa. Cocoa was a magnificent horse and, although he was 26 years old, he looked like a much younger horse. During the week we were visiting, Randy was able to ride Cocoa several times.
Randy with Cocoa (on left) and Dandy
A number of people came to attend the meetings from quite a distance. Nancy had room for them in her home, so several people stayed for the entire week-end, arriving shortly before the first meeting on Friday night.
Those gathered before the meeting shared a meal together, which neither Randy nor I attended. I generally do not eat much before meetings, as it is hard to speak with a full stomach. I spent the time praying, and seeking the Father for those things He would share with His people.
The Spirit impressed upon me that He had a very sober message for His people, and I began to pray that the Father might prepare people’s hearts to receive it. Shortly before the meeting was to begin, Randy and I arrived. I went upstairs to set up my laptop computer and projector, while Randy went to check on the horses.
Shortly afterwards Randy returned and asked Nancy if he could speak with her outside. He told her that Cocoa was in great distress. He was sweating profusely, blowing hard, pacing around frantically, and had blood on one leg. Nancy quickly jumped on her four wheeler and went to check on him, and a couple of women followed her.
A short time later one of the women returned and said that the men present were needed out by the horses. Cocoa was down on the ground when we all arrived, and had gotten his hind feet stuck in a wire fence. Randy and Nancy had been working to free him. Nancy had given Cocoa a tranquilizing shot to calm him down. Randy had just freed his feet from the fence, but there was great concern for Cocoa being down, as this was a bad position for a horse to be in. We attempted to get him to his feet, but were unable to do so. As a veterinarian had been called, we waited while Nancy tried to keep her horse calm.
It took about an hour for the Vet to arrive. He was soon able to organize everyone and get the horse on its feet. He began to observe the horse and after some time concluded that the horse had a very serious bowel obstruction. This had caused him great pain and led to his distress. After doing all he could, he told Nancy that this magnificent horse would have to be put down (euthanized).
The veterinarian administered the shot as Nancy stood by her precious horse’s head. After a few minutes the horse collapsed to the ground and died.
During this time, the entire group of people gathered for the meetings had been outside observing all of these things. About two hours had passed, and I knew that holding a meeting that night would not be appropriate. We agreed to begin the next morning at the scheduled time.
All the while these things were occurring I was seeking the Father to know what He was speaking through these events. There is nothing that happens by chance in the lives of Yahweh’s saints, and I wanted to discern what He was speaking. That night the Spirit impressed upon me the following Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Friday night when Randy and I arrived, all those gathered were sitting around the table eating. People were engaged in conversation and the mood was light and upbeat. I knew the Father had a serious message for His sons and daughters, and the atmosphere would need to become one of soberness. How quickly things changed when our host lost her beloved horse.
A Portion of Those Gathered in Kooskia
(My camera assigned a number to this photo that ended in 153!)
People of God, I believe the hour is late and many dire things are about to befall this nation. The Spirit is testifying that a remnant must follow an afflicted path through these last days. As they do they will come forth into conformity to the image of Christ.
This experience in Kooskia, the Gateway to the Wilderness, reveals the mindset the Father desires His sons and daughters to have in this season. If we could see all that is coming to America and the nations we would truly be filled with great sorrow, sobriety, and would treat every moment seriously. It is a time for the saints to be making ready, to prepare their hearts to endure the days ahead. The Father is proclaiming a sober message through me to His sons and daughters.
During the three remaining meetings in Kooskia, Idaho (Gateway to the Idaho Wilderness) I was led to present a series of talks that took the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places as its theme. This is a story of the Great Shepherd leading a character named Much Afraid along a path appointed specifically for her perfecting. Her companions were Sorrow and Suffering. Truly the Father is impressing upon His sons and daughters that the days ahead will contain these things, yet His grace will be even more abundant. He will guide the weak, the lame, and the frail. He will bring them to Zion where they will stand among the overcomers.
I will be posting the audio messages from this week-end in Kooskia as soon as I am able. I encourage all to listen to them. They are a message for this hour. The first of these messages appears below.
Hinds’ Feet on High Places - Talk One - Part One
Hinds’ Feet on High Places - Talk One - Part 3
Chicagoland Meetings
Note: Meetings begin Friday in the Chicago area. If you are able, please plan to attend. The hour is truly late and the Father would have His sons and daughters to walk in understanding through these coming days.
Dates: August 20-21
Address:
Conference Room
Semper Fi Development Group
919 Tower Road
Mundelein, Il 60060
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
(There will be no Sunday meeting at this location.)
Contact: Steve Kaempf
Phone: 847 521-9349
E-mail: skaempf@thermosoft.com
.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Owl Sunspot
In response to the last posting that mentioned the sign given of an owl sitting atop the American flag, some readers informed me of a recent phenomena occurring in the Sun. The picture above was taken the day after Randy had his encounter with the Native American woman in Sheridan, Wyoming. You can read about this remarkable sunspot here:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=14&month=08&year=2010
Yahshua was questioned by His disciples concerning when His return would occur. He replied:
Luke 21:25-26
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and upon the earth, dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world...”
This sign in the Sun is much broader than the sign of the owl sitting atop a flagpole flying the American flag. It would indicate that a time of destruction and woe is coming to the entire earth. The Spirit has recently been speaking very sober things at the meetings we have been holding across the country. I want to share one very profound message from the Father that occurred at the recent meetings in Kooskia, Idaho.
Randy and I arrived early at the Fowler’s ranch and spent a week in their guest house. During that week, Nancy Fowler showed us her seven horses. Randy likes horses very much, and was eager to ride one when given the chance. Nancy had a beautiful male horse named Cocoa. Cocoa was a magnificent horse and, although he was 26 years old, he looked like a much younger horse. During the week we were visiting, Randy was able to ride Cocoa several times.
Randy with Cocoa (on left) and Dandy
A number of people came to attend the meetings from quite a distance. Nancy had room for them in her home, so several people stayed for the entire week-end, arriving shortly before the first meeting on Friday night.
Those gathered before the meeting shared a meal together, which neither Randy nor I attended. I generally do not eat much before meetings, as it is hard to speak with a full stomach. I spent the time praying, and seeking the Father for those things He would share with His people.
The Spirit impressed upon me that He had a very sober message for His people, and I began to pray that the Father might prepare people’s hearts to receive it. Shortly before the meeting was to begin, Randy and I arrived. I went upstairs to set up my laptop computer and projector, while Randy went to check on the horses.
Shortly afterwards Randy returned and asked Nancy if he could speak with her outside. He told her that Cocoa was in great distress. He was sweating profusely, blowing hard, pacing around frantically, and had blood on one leg. Nancy quickly jumped on her four wheeler and went to check on him, and a couple of women followed her.
A short time later one of the women returned and said that the men present were needed out by the horses. Cocoa was down on the ground when we all arrived, and had gotten his hind feet stuck in a wire fence. Randy and Nancy had been working to free him. Nancy had given Cocoa a tranquilizing shot to calm him down. Randy had just freed his feet from the fence, but there was great concern for Cocoa being down, as this was a bad position for a horse to be in. We attempted to get him to his feet, but were unable to do so. As a veterinarian had been called, we waited while Nancy tried to keep her horse calm.
It took about an hour for the Vet to arrive. He was soon able to organize everyone and get the horse on its feet. He began to observe the horse and after some time concluded that the horse had a very serious bowel obstruction. This had caused him great pain and led to his distress. After doing all he could, he told Nancy that this magnificent horse would have to be put down (euthanized).
The veterinarian administered the shot as Nancy stood by her precious horse’s head. After a few minutes the horse collapsed to the ground and died.
During this time, the entire group of people gathered for the meetings had been outside observing all of these things. About two hours had passed, and I knew that holding a meeting that night would not be appropriate. We agreed to begin the next morning at the scheduled time.
All the while these things were occurring I was seeking the Father to know what He was speaking through these events. There is nothing that happens by chance in the lives of Yahweh’s saints, and I wanted to discern what He was speaking. That night the Spirit impressed upon me the following Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Friday night when Randy and I arrived, all those gathered were sitting around the table eating. People were engaged in conversation and the mood was light and upbeat. I knew the Father had a serious message for His sons and daughters, and the atmosphere would need to become one of soberness. How quickly things changed when our host lost her beloved horse.
A Portion of Those Gathered in Kooskia
(My camera assigned a number to this photo that ended in 153!)
People of God, I believe the hour is late and many dire things are about to befall this nation. The Spirit is testifying that a remnant must follow an afflicted path through these last days. As they do they will come forth into conformity to the image of Christ.
This experience in Kooskia, the Gateway to the Wilderness, reveals the mindset the Father desires His sons and daughters to have in this season. If we could see all that is coming to America and the nations we would truly be filled with great sorrow, sobriety, and would treat every moment seriously. It is a time for the saints to be making ready, to prepare their hearts to endure the days ahead. The Father is proclaiming a sober message through me to His sons and daughters.
During the three remaining meetings in Kooskia, Idaho (Gateway to the Idaho Wilderness) I was led to present a series of talks that took the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places as its theme. This is a story of the Great Shepherd leading a character named Much Afraid along a path appointed specifically for her perfecting. Her companions were Sorrow and Suffering. Truly the Father is impressing upon His sons and daughters that the days ahead will contain these things, yet His grace will be even more abundant. He will guide the weak, the lame, and the frail. He will bring them to Zion where they will stand among the overcomers.
I will be posting the audio messages from this week-end in Kooskia as soon as I am able. I encourage all to listen to them. They are a message for this hour. The first of these messages appears below.
Hinds’ Feet on High Places - Talk One - Part One
Hinds’ Feet on High Places - Talk One - Part 2
Hinds’ Feet on High Places - Talk One - Part 3
Chicagoland Meetings
Note: Meetings begin Friday in the Chicago area. If you are able, please plan to attend. The hour is truly late and the Father would have His sons and daughters to walk in understanding through these coming days.
Dates: August 20-21
Address:
Conference Room
Semper Fi Development Group
919 Tower Road
Mundelein, Il 60060
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
(There will be no Sunday meeting at this location.)
Contact: Steve Kaempf
Phone: 847 521-9349
E-mail: skaempf@thermosoft.com
.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Monday, August 16, 2010
Significant Encounters
Joseph Herrin (08-16-2010)
Great Horned Owl
After sharing the recent writing titled “Locusts in the Land” with Randy Simmons, who is traveling with me across the nation, Randy was prompted to tell me about an experience he had just a few days earlier while we were in Sheridan, Wyoming. Randy and I had gone to a local business to have the oil changed in our vans, and Randy requested some additional service to his van’s transmission.
The business was bustling, and we both placed our vehicles in different lines to be queued up for service. My van was completed first, and I left to do other things. The business then completed Randy’s oil change and moved his van out front, but they had neglected to replace the screen on the transmission as Randy had requested. They had to drive the van around and put it back at the end of the queue again, necessitating that Randy wait longer. Yahweh had a purpose in this, however.
Randy took a seat out front of the business to wait, and a woman came outside and asked if she could sit on the bench with him. She began to engage in conversation, and Randy noted by her accent that she was Native American Indian and asked her about this. She was surprised that she had detected her accent, though she was very much aware of his Georgia accent and asked him about it. This led to further conversation regarding what we were doing in Wyoming, and Randy began to tell her about the ministry and the things I am teaching.
When Randy spoke of judgment coming swiftly to America, the woman’s manner became very serious, and she seemed disturbed and changed the subject. Right across the street from where they were sitting was a Perkin’s Family Restaurant, and she suggested that it would be a good place for Randy and I to eat. She said she had eaten there just the night before, and related a curious experience. She said that a great horned owl had come and alighted atop the flagpole in front of the restaurant. She described how the owl perched upon the copper ball at the top, though he was struggling to maintain a grip on the smooth metal. She could actually hear his claws sliding on the metal, but he did not fly off, choosing to remain perched there.
Randy understood that owls hold significance in the minds of many cultures as the subject had come up among his family the previous year in a very significant way that he is not likely to forget. He therefore asked this Native American woman if the owl did not hold significance to her as an Indian. She said, “Oh yes. Owls signify very bad things, even death.” Randy then reminded the woman of what he had just shared with her, and pointed out the significance of the own sitting atop a flagpole where the American flag was flying.
This made a deep impression on the woman. She became very serious again, and then finished her cigarette and went inside.
After Randy shared this event with me, knowing that the Father had delayed his time at this business to have this conversation, I looked up the owl online and obtained the following information.
Significance of the Owl
Africa
Among the Kikuyu of Kenya it was believed that owls were harbingers of death. If one saw an owl or heard its hoot, someone was going to die. In general, owls are viewed as harbingers of bad luck, ill health, or death. The belief is widespread even today.
The Americas
In the culture of the Uto-Aztec tribe, the Hopi, taboos surround owls, which are associated with sorcery and other evils. The Aztecs and Maya, along with other Natives of Mesoamerica, considered the owl a symbol of death and destruction. In fact, the Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli, was often depicted with owls. There is an old saying in Mexico that is still in use: Cuando el tecolote canta, el indio muere ("When the owl cries/sings, the Indian dies"). The Popol Vuh, a Mayan religious text, describes owls as messengers of Xibalba (the Mayan "Place of Fright"). The belief that owls are messengers and harbingers of the dark powers is also found among the Hočągara (Winnebago) of Wisconsin.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl]
For those who may object that such things equate to superstition, I would counter that the Father uses many methods to speak to His creation. Yahweh is a great communicator, using a variety of methods to speak, including dreams, visions, prophecies, signs in the heavens and on the earth, and a myriad of natural parables. Those who will only hear His voice in the pages of Scripture will truly miss a great deal of that which He is speaking.
Randy and I are both persuaded that this encounter contained a message from the Father. The destruction of America as a nation is near at hand. The Spirit of Christ has been proclaiming this in a myriad of ways, including that which I recently posted concerning the locusts.
Since Randy and I have been in Kadoka, South Dakota, the locusts have only increased. I had never seen as many grasshoppers as we observed in Wyoming, but the numbers we have seen here in Kadoka far surpass even that recent experience. Walking through the grass the locusts fly off in every direction by the dozens.
I have also learned some further things about Kadoka that add to the message the Spirit is declaring. I have previously related that Kadoka bears the nickname “Gateway to the Badlands.” The Badlands are a particularly hostile section of land that has at times been compared to a barren moonscape, and movies have been filmed here which were to give the impression of being on some foreboding and alien planet such as Mars.
Badlands - South Dakota
Yesterday evening, our hosts, Kenton and Angela, drove Randy and I through the Badlands. It was a very stark landscape. While there, Angela told me that the county Kadoka lies in (Jackson County) is the poorest county in the United States. I do not doubt that the Father has a message in all of these things for His people.
Kadoka is a Lakota Indian word meaning “Hole in the wall.” Although the Indians did not intend this to mean the same thing that this expression has come to mean to Americans today, there is much significance to it. A “hole in the wall” is a small, insignificant place, of very humble appearance. The days ahead will find the people of God being led through “bad lands” that appear very alien and hostile to them. The experience of Americans will decline precipitously as if a plague of locusts had descended upon the nation and devoured her prosperity. What will be left will be exceedingly humble, yet it will be the perfect environment for Yahweh to raise up sons in His image.
Yahweh has often led His chosen ones through barren, alien environments to produce vessels of honor. He led Abram out of the prosperity and comforts of Ur of the Chaldees, and directed him to live a life of an alien in lands he did not know. Through these difficult experiences he became Abraham, the father of faith. Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt, and then was further humbled through false accusations and imprisonment that lasted for years. In all these things he remained faithful and the hour came when Yahweh made Joseph ruler over Egypt. David spent years in wilderness places, in caves, and in foreign lands until he had been prepared to stand as shepherd of Yahweh’s people.
Yahweh is determined in this hour to raise up a people who will be to the praise of His glory in the Earth. These must be prepared through many trials, through wilderness places, and by passing through places that the soul of man would describe as Badlands.
The Spirit of Christ is testifying that days of tribulation are at hand. The prosperity of America will be devoured suddenly, as if by a plague of locusts. The destruction of the nation is at hand. Badlands and wilderness experiences await the people of God. He will surely lead His people through all these things, and He will bring forth a remnant who have been purged, purified and refined as gold in the fire.
I do not believe the fall of America is far off. The Spirit is giving many witnesses of that which is at hand. Let the people of God ready themselves to stand in difficult days.
Acts 14:22
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Great Horned Owl
After sharing the recent writing titled “Locusts in the Land” with Randy Simmons, who is traveling with me across the nation, Randy was prompted to tell me about an experience he had just a few days earlier while we were in Sheridan, Wyoming. Randy and I had gone to a local business to have the oil changed in our vans, and Randy requested some additional service to his van’s transmission.
The business was bustling, and we both placed our vehicles in different lines to be queued up for service. My van was completed first, and I left to do other things. The business then completed Randy’s oil change and moved his van out front, but they had neglected to replace the screen on the transmission as Randy had requested. They had to drive the van around and put it back at the end of the queue again, necessitating that Randy wait longer. Yahweh had a purpose in this, however.
Randy took a seat out front of the business to wait, and a woman came outside and asked if she could sit on the bench with him. She began to engage in conversation, and Randy noted by her accent that she was Native American Indian and asked her about this. She was surprised that she had detected her accent, though she was very much aware of his Georgia accent and asked him about it. This led to further conversation regarding what we were doing in Wyoming, and Randy began to tell her about the ministry and the things I am teaching.
When Randy spoke of judgment coming swiftly to America, the woman’s manner became very serious, and she seemed disturbed and changed the subject. Right across the street from where they were sitting was a Perkin’s Family Restaurant, and she suggested that it would be a good place for Randy and I to eat. She said she had eaten there just the night before, and related a curious experience. She said that a great horned owl had come and alighted atop the flagpole in front of the restaurant. She described how the owl perched upon the copper ball at the top, though he was struggling to maintain a grip on the smooth metal. She could actually hear his claws sliding on the metal, but he did not fly off, choosing to remain perched there.
Randy understood that owls hold significance in the minds of many cultures as the subject had come up among his family the previous year in a very significant way that he is not likely to forget. He therefore asked this Native American woman if the owl did not hold significance to her as an Indian. She said, “Oh yes. Owls signify very bad things, even death.” Randy then reminded the woman of what he had just shared with her, and pointed out the significance of the own sitting atop a flagpole where the American flag was flying.
This made a deep impression on the woman. She became very serious again, and then finished her cigarette and went inside.
After Randy shared this event with me, knowing that the Father had delayed his time at this business to have this conversation, I looked up the owl online and obtained the following information.
Significance of the Owl
Africa
Among the Kikuyu of Kenya it was believed that owls were harbingers of death. If one saw an owl or heard its hoot, someone was going to die. In general, owls are viewed as harbingers of bad luck, ill health, or death. The belief is widespread even today.
The Americas
In the culture of the Uto-Aztec tribe, the Hopi, taboos surround owls, which are associated with sorcery and other evils. The Aztecs and Maya, along with other Natives of Mesoamerica, considered the owl a symbol of death and destruction. In fact, the Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli, was often depicted with owls. There is an old saying in Mexico that is still in use: Cuando el tecolote canta, el indio muere ("When the owl cries/sings, the Indian dies"). The Popol Vuh, a Mayan religious text, describes owls as messengers of Xibalba (the Mayan "Place of Fright"). The belief that owls are messengers and harbingers of the dark powers is also found among the Hočągara (Winnebago) of Wisconsin.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl]
For those who may object that such things equate to superstition, I would counter that the Father uses many methods to speak to His creation. Yahweh is a great communicator, using a variety of methods to speak, including dreams, visions, prophecies, signs in the heavens and on the earth, and a myriad of natural parables. Those who will only hear His voice in the pages of Scripture will truly miss a great deal of that which He is speaking.
Randy and I are both persuaded that this encounter contained a message from the Father. The destruction of America as a nation is near at hand. The Spirit of Christ has been proclaiming this in a myriad of ways, including that which I recently posted concerning the locusts.
Since Randy and I have been in Kadoka, South Dakota, the locusts have only increased. I had never seen as many grasshoppers as we observed in Wyoming, but the numbers we have seen here in Kadoka far surpass even that recent experience. Walking through the grass the locusts fly off in every direction by the dozens.
I have also learned some further things about Kadoka that add to the message the Spirit is declaring. I have previously related that Kadoka bears the nickname “Gateway to the Badlands.” The Badlands are a particularly hostile section of land that has at times been compared to a barren moonscape, and movies have been filmed here which were to give the impression of being on some foreboding and alien planet such as Mars.
Badlands - South Dakota
Yesterday evening, our hosts, Kenton and Angela, drove Randy and I through the Badlands. It was a very stark landscape. While there, Angela told me that the county Kadoka lies in (Jackson County) is the poorest county in the United States. I do not doubt that the Father has a message in all of these things for His people.
Kadoka is a Lakota Indian word meaning “Hole in the wall.” Although the Indians did not intend this to mean the same thing that this expression has come to mean to Americans today, there is much significance to it. A “hole in the wall” is a small, insignificant place, of very humble appearance. The days ahead will find the people of God being led through “bad lands” that appear very alien and hostile to them. The experience of Americans will decline precipitously as if a plague of locusts had descended upon the nation and devoured her prosperity. What will be left will be exceedingly humble, yet it will be the perfect environment for Yahweh to raise up sons in His image.
Yahweh has often led His chosen ones through barren, alien environments to produce vessels of honor. He led Abram out of the prosperity and comforts of Ur of the Chaldees, and directed him to live a life of an alien in lands he did not know. Through these difficult experiences he became Abraham, the father of faith. Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt, and then was further humbled through false accusations and imprisonment that lasted for years. In all these things he remained faithful and the hour came when Yahweh made Joseph ruler over Egypt. David spent years in wilderness places, in caves, and in foreign lands until he had been prepared to stand as shepherd of Yahweh’s people.
Yahweh is determined in this hour to raise up a people who will be to the praise of His glory in the Earth. These must be prepared through many trials, through wilderness places, and by passing through places that the soul of man would describe as Badlands.
The Spirit of Christ is testifying that days of tribulation are at hand. The prosperity of America will be devoured suddenly, as if by a plague of locusts. The destruction of the nation is at hand. Badlands and wilderness experiences await the people of God. He will surely lead His people through all these things, and He will bring forth a remnant who have been purged, purified and refined as gold in the fire.
I do not believe the fall of America is far off. The Spirit is giving many witnesses of that which is at hand. Let the people of God ready themselves to stand in difficult days.
Acts 14:22
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Friday, August 13, 2010
Locusts Upon the Land
Joseph Herrin (08-13-2010)
Psalms 78:46
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper,
And the product of their labor to the locust.
What is the product of American’s labor? Is it not found in their material possessions, in the money in their bank and retirement accounts, and in the stocks and bonds they own? I have been observing signs recently that point to the imminent and alarming decrease of all that Americans have accumulated.
There are times when the Father sets before me witnesses in such a manner that my spiritual senses are heightened, and I begin to seek to understand what message He is conveying to me. The past couple weeks have seen very significant events that have arrested my attention. I will share these experiences. When viewing them together, a remarkable message arises.
I noted in a recent blog that a brother in Christ who attended the meetings in Spokane gave to me a very valuable gold coin. This one ounce gold Krugerrand is valued at approximately $1,200 at today’s gold prices. At the next meeting I attended, a brother in Christ who drove five hours to the meetings, and stayed the entire week-end, presented me with a 1903 Liberty Twenty Dollar gold piece. This coin also contains one ounce of fine gold, and is also valued at approximately $1,200.
Any time I receive a gift I seek to know the will of the Father regarding it. Oftentimes I have discerned that the gift has been given to me to pass along to some other brother or sister who has a pressing need. At other times, the Father instructs me to use it for the work of the ministry, or to meet a personal need.
In one sense, I believe the Father is speaking things of a spiritual nature in these gifts, for our faith is compared to gold that is refined in the fire. In a practical sense, I have also pondered whether the Father might be giving me these specific gifts as a source of supply in coming days when the dollar will be greatly devalued to the point of worthlessness. Last year I shared the dream of a brother who was shown large denomination bills cast down to the ground as worthless.
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/money-soon-to-be-worthless.html
I do believe the hour is growing closer for the dollar to collapse in order that it might be replaced with a new world currency that will be a key step in bringing forth a New World Order. Such a collapse has been planned, and much has been done to destroy the integrity of America’s money. Deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars, the export of America’s manufacturing base, and burgeoning government bailouts, welfare and medical programs, are all designed to sink an already foundering currency.
Receiving these two gold coins has led me to consider more closely the pending collapse of America’s currency. There are other witnesses that I have received that have led me to write on this subject.
The last couple days Randy and I visited with Brad and Jaylene Daugherty in Sheridan, Wyoming. Wednesday, Randy, Brad and I took a walk on a country road about ten miles outside of Sheridan. The setting was rolling hills of ranch land that led up to the slopes of the Bighorn Mountains. I had taken a walk in this same location with Brad six years ago, and one year ago. This year was different in that there was a remarkable number of grasshoppers all along the path, both in the dirt road, and in the grass growing alongside it.
The number of grasshoppers was extraordinary and I was reminded of a conversation with a saint recently who told me that seventeen states in America’s West were suffering from grasshopper/locust infestations. Fifteen grasshoppers per square yard is considered problematic, for at this level the grasshoppers can consume 30% of whatever it is that is growing on that acreage. One state is reporting levels as high as sixty-four grasshoppers per square yard, and I believe we were seeing very close to that level on the walk we were taking.
The number of grasshoppers, and the variety of them, was greater than anything I had personally witnessed before. The three of us walking remarked on them a number of times, and I suggested that there must be a message in this event.
At the very moment that Randy, Brad and I were driving to the road to take this walk among the locusts, a brother in Christ called me on my phone and related to me a remarkable story. This brother had owned a substantial mortgage business that had been very profitable until the mortgage crisis struck. Three years ago he lost this business, and he informed me that he was facing the imminent loss of his home. I know the Father orders my steps, and He was placing these events together that they might form an association in my mind.
This afternoon, Randy and I arrived at Kadoka, South Dakota where our next meetings will be held. The host couple had graciously arranged for us to stay at a campground only a half mile from the home we will be meeting at. I was reading a story forwarded to me by Jack Hodgson titled “U.S. Dollar Now Ripe for Catastrophic Devaluation.”
http://www.infowars.com/u-s-dollar-now-ripe-for-catastrophic-devaluation/
As I was finishing the article, Randy came to my van door and asked me if I had noticed the name of the road that runs directly through the middle of the campground. It is named Locust Road. I had an impulse to go take a picture of the street signs before the Sun set.
Locust Street and 6th Avenue
Locust Street and Main Street
Randy and I are camped right between these two signs. It is not the first time the Father has used a literal “sign” to proclaim a message to me. It struck me that Randy had notified me of this “sign” at the very moment I was reading an article on the impending catastrophic devaluation of the dollar. There can be no clearer parable that Yahweh is sending locusts to consume the labors of the American people.
There is more to this parable, however. One of the Locust signs crosses 6th Avenue. We are at the end of day 6 prophetically, and are in an hour when many tribulations and judgments are prophesied to occur, including, famine, and the devaluation of the world’s currency.
Revelation 6:5-6
And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius...”
(A denarius was equivalent to an entire day’s wages.)
The other street that Locust crosses is Main Street. The phrase “Main Street” is used to denote the place the average American lives and works. Main Street is often contrasted with Wall Street, which is the domain of the financial elite. We have already seen the locust come and devour Wall Street, requiring massive bailouts in the trillions of dollars, and yet the sickness of the financial sector has not been healed. There are more banks on the verge of failing today than there were when the bailouts began in 2008.
The government has labored tirelessly to hide the extent and impact of America’s economic decline. Tens of millions are out of work, and nearly as many have lost homes to foreclosure, or are about to. A facade of economic recovery has been set-up to hide the true extent of America’s decline. Unemployment benefits have been extended up to three years for many people, allowing them to continue to live, albeit at a somewhat diminished level. The massive amounts of money the government is borrowing from the private bankers who control the Federal Reserve is only serving to sink the nation further into the quagmire of financial insolvency.
Soon, the nations of the world who have been supporting America’s profligate lifestyle by purchasing Treasury Bonds and trading their goods in dollars will refuse to do so any longer. This will precipitate the collapse of the dollar. Millions of Americans will find that their life savings are devalued to nothing overnight. They will be unable to pay for their home, auto, and consumer loans. Businesses will collapse along with the banking system, and the locusts will truly ravage the land.
To continue the parable, the town Randy and I are staying in bears the nickname “Gateway to the Badlands.” Knowing that the Father orders my steps and has caused me to be aware of the message He is speaking at this moment, I know these details are not coincidental. Locusts are being sent as a plague from God upon this nation. The locusts eating every green thing in the impacted states are merely symbolic of the locusts being loosed to devour the “greenback.” The demise of the dollar will truly prove to be the “Gateway to the Badlands” for millions of Americans. Main Street will be devastated.
Deuteronomy 28:38
“You shall bring out much seed to the field but you shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.”
Joel 1:4
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.
What should the saint do in preparation for these days? They need to learn now what it is to walk by the Spirit. In a day when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, only those whose lives are established upon the Rock will be able to abide in peace. The response the Father desires from His children is not one of panic, or fear, but of a life abandoned to Him. He is calling His sons and daughters to seek His kingdom rather than the passing kingdoms of this world. He would have His children to given themselves to a wholehearted surrender to be led of His Spirit in all things. Rather than living for self, they are to take upon the mind of Christ who ever lived to do the will and pleasure of His Father.
Such ones who have given themselves wholly to do the will of Yahweh will surely find that He will strongly support them in a day of calamity.
I have not given myself to a pursuit of worldly goods, of pleasure, or mammon in the past decade. I have relinquished all things as the Father has directed me, divesting myself of a life of accumulated goods. Yet the Father has given to me gold when I did not seek it, nor expect it.
Many who have labored for the world’s goods, spending themselves in a pursuit of material possessions, storing up money in the bank, will find that all their labors have been for naught. That which they spent a life laboring to accumulate will be consumed suddenly as if by a plague of locusts, and they will be powerless to prevent it.
Through this stripping process, the Father will arrest the attention of a remnant of His people. They will begin to set their focus on things above, rather than things below. In their poverty they will discover the Source of eternal riches. Life in Christ is a great paradox. We must die to live. We must surrender all to get all things. We must decrease, that Christ might increase in us.
Luke 14:33-34
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions
Before the locust consume all you have, surrender it freely to Christ. Ask Him to direct you in the disposition of those things you have been granted a stewardship over. You have been bought with a price. You are not your own. Does that not include all you possess? Then, should you not ask Christ what He would have you to do with all you have? Is your soul ruling in decisions relating to your possessions, or is Christ ruling?
Yahweh wants sons who are living for His pleasure, not selfish children who are always seeking Him for material blessing. He will strip many of the accumulated possessions of a lifetime, even as He did me. This can truly lead to a time of new beginnings where the entire focus of our lives can change from one of self-seeking, to one of seeking the will and pleasure of our Father.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Note: Some in reading this may conclude that I am advocating purchasing gold as a preparation for coming days. I have never been led to purchase gold myself, but rather to give away possessions and money as the Father leads. If He should choose to give back a multiplied blessing, and even gold, then that is His to do. We should not be fear driven in our actions, for that is not the nature of Christ whose image we are being conformed to.
If we are faithful stewards of that which Yahweh has entrusted to us, giving freely of that which is in our possession, He will also care for us in our time of need. It is far better to trust in God than to trust in gold. His ways are so contrary to the ways of fallen man that He will often tell His people to prepare for days of famine and poverty by giving away what they have at present. The nature of man is to hoard out of fear and self-interest, but Yahweh would have His sons and daughters to be selfless, to be led by the Spirit and always act in faith.
Some years back I was led to share a teaching on this subject, titled "Compassion's Silver Lining." I encourage all saints to listen to it as they contemplate what the Father would have them to do in preparation for coming days.
Addendum: After writing this post I printed a copy for Randy and took it to him. He had the radio playing the one station he could pick up here in Kadoka, which was an oldies Country station. At that very moment Johny CASH was singing Ring of Fire. Following are some of the lyrics to the song. It sure sounds like the Bad Lands.
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
Randy made the connection to this song and the article when he got to the picture of Obama as a fireman pouring CASH into a FIRE. The Father is surely proclaiming a message here.
http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/id14.htm
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Psalms 78:46
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper,
And the product of their labor to the locust.
What is the product of American’s labor? Is it not found in their material possessions, in the money in their bank and retirement accounts, and in the stocks and bonds they own? I have been observing signs recently that point to the imminent and alarming decrease of all that Americans have accumulated.
There are times when the Father sets before me witnesses in such a manner that my spiritual senses are heightened, and I begin to seek to understand what message He is conveying to me. The past couple weeks have seen very significant events that have arrested my attention. I will share these experiences. When viewing them together, a remarkable message arises.
I noted in a recent blog that a brother in Christ who attended the meetings in Spokane gave to me a very valuable gold coin. This one ounce gold Krugerrand is valued at approximately $1,200 at today’s gold prices. At the next meeting I attended, a brother in Christ who drove five hours to the meetings, and stayed the entire week-end, presented me with a 1903 Liberty Twenty Dollar gold piece. This coin also contains one ounce of fine gold, and is also valued at approximately $1,200.
Any time I receive a gift I seek to know the will of the Father regarding it. Oftentimes I have discerned that the gift has been given to me to pass along to some other brother or sister who has a pressing need. At other times, the Father instructs me to use it for the work of the ministry, or to meet a personal need.
In one sense, I believe the Father is speaking things of a spiritual nature in these gifts, for our faith is compared to gold that is refined in the fire. In a practical sense, I have also pondered whether the Father might be giving me these specific gifts as a source of supply in coming days when the dollar will be greatly devalued to the point of worthlessness. Last year I shared the dream of a brother who was shown large denomination bills cast down to the ground as worthless.
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/money-soon-to-be-worthless.html
I do believe the hour is growing closer for the dollar to collapse in order that it might be replaced with a new world currency that will be a key step in bringing forth a New World Order. Such a collapse has been planned, and much has been done to destroy the integrity of America’s money. Deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars, the export of America’s manufacturing base, and burgeoning government bailouts, welfare and medical programs, are all designed to sink an already foundering currency.
Receiving these two gold coins has led me to consider more closely the pending collapse of America’s currency. There are other witnesses that I have received that have led me to write on this subject.
The last couple days Randy and I visited with Brad and Jaylene Daugherty in Sheridan, Wyoming. Wednesday, Randy, Brad and I took a walk on a country road about ten miles outside of Sheridan. The setting was rolling hills of ranch land that led up to the slopes of the Bighorn Mountains. I had taken a walk in this same location with Brad six years ago, and one year ago. This year was different in that there was a remarkable number of grasshoppers all along the path, both in the dirt road, and in the grass growing alongside it.
The number of grasshoppers was extraordinary and I was reminded of a conversation with a saint recently who told me that seventeen states in America’s West were suffering from grasshopper/locust infestations. Fifteen grasshoppers per square yard is considered problematic, for at this level the grasshoppers can consume 30% of whatever it is that is growing on that acreage. One state is reporting levels as high as sixty-four grasshoppers per square yard, and I believe we were seeing very close to that level on the walk we were taking.
The number of grasshoppers, and the variety of them, was greater than anything I had personally witnessed before. The three of us walking remarked on them a number of times, and I suggested that there must be a message in this event.
At the very moment that Randy, Brad and I were driving to the road to take this walk among the locusts, a brother in Christ called me on my phone and related to me a remarkable story. This brother had owned a substantial mortgage business that had been very profitable until the mortgage crisis struck. Three years ago he lost this business, and he informed me that he was facing the imminent loss of his home. I know the Father orders my steps, and He was placing these events together that they might form an association in my mind.
This afternoon, Randy and I arrived at Kadoka, South Dakota where our next meetings will be held. The host couple had graciously arranged for us to stay at a campground only a half mile from the home we will be meeting at. I was reading a story forwarded to me by Jack Hodgson titled “U.S. Dollar Now Ripe for Catastrophic Devaluation.”
http://www.infowars.com/u-s-dollar-now-ripe-for-catastrophic-devaluation/
As I was finishing the article, Randy came to my van door and asked me if I had noticed the name of the road that runs directly through the middle of the campground. It is named Locust Road. I had an impulse to go take a picture of the street signs before the Sun set.
Locust Street and 6th Avenue
Locust Street and Main Street
Randy and I are camped right between these two signs. It is not the first time the Father has used a literal “sign” to proclaim a message to me. It struck me that Randy had notified me of this “sign” at the very moment I was reading an article on the impending catastrophic devaluation of the dollar. There can be no clearer parable that Yahweh is sending locusts to consume the labors of the American people.
There is more to this parable, however. One of the Locust signs crosses 6th Avenue. We are at the end of day 6 prophetically, and are in an hour when many tribulations and judgments are prophesied to occur, including, famine, and the devaluation of the world’s currency.
Revelation 6:5-6
And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius...”
(A denarius was equivalent to an entire day’s wages.)
The other street that Locust crosses is Main Street. The phrase “Main Street” is used to denote the place the average American lives and works. Main Street is often contrasted with Wall Street, which is the domain of the financial elite. We have already seen the locust come and devour Wall Street, requiring massive bailouts in the trillions of dollars, and yet the sickness of the financial sector has not been healed. There are more banks on the verge of failing today than there were when the bailouts began in 2008.
The government has labored tirelessly to hide the extent and impact of America’s economic decline. Tens of millions are out of work, and nearly as many have lost homes to foreclosure, or are about to. A facade of economic recovery has been set-up to hide the true extent of America’s decline. Unemployment benefits have been extended up to three years for many people, allowing them to continue to live, albeit at a somewhat diminished level. The massive amounts of money the government is borrowing from the private bankers who control the Federal Reserve is only serving to sink the nation further into the quagmire of financial insolvency.
Soon, the nations of the world who have been supporting America’s profligate lifestyle by purchasing Treasury Bonds and trading their goods in dollars will refuse to do so any longer. This will precipitate the collapse of the dollar. Millions of Americans will find that their life savings are devalued to nothing overnight. They will be unable to pay for their home, auto, and consumer loans. Businesses will collapse along with the banking system, and the locusts will truly ravage the land.
To continue the parable, the town Randy and I are staying in bears the nickname “Gateway to the Badlands.” Knowing that the Father orders my steps and has caused me to be aware of the message He is speaking at this moment, I know these details are not coincidental. Locusts are being sent as a plague from God upon this nation. The locusts eating every green thing in the impacted states are merely symbolic of the locusts being loosed to devour the “greenback.” The demise of the dollar will truly prove to be the “Gateway to the Badlands” for millions of Americans. Main Street will be devastated.
Deuteronomy 28:38
“You shall bring out much seed to the field but you shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.”
Joel 1:4
What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.
What should the saint do in preparation for these days? They need to learn now what it is to walk by the Spirit. In a day when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, only those whose lives are established upon the Rock will be able to abide in peace. The response the Father desires from His children is not one of panic, or fear, but of a life abandoned to Him. He is calling His sons and daughters to seek His kingdom rather than the passing kingdoms of this world. He would have His children to given themselves to a wholehearted surrender to be led of His Spirit in all things. Rather than living for self, they are to take upon the mind of Christ who ever lived to do the will and pleasure of His Father.
Such ones who have given themselves wholly to do the will of Yahweh will surely find that He will strongly support them in a day of calamity.
I have not given myself to a pursuit of worldly goods, of pleasure, or mammon in the past decade. I have relinquished all things as the Father has directed me, divesting myself of a life of accumulated goods. Yet the Father has given to me gold when I did not seek it, nor expect it.
Many who have labored for the world’s goods, spending themselves in a pursuit of material possessions, storing up money in the bank, will find that all their labors have been for naught. That which they spent a life laboring to accumulate will be consumed suddenly as if by a plague of locusts, and they will be powerless to prevent it.
Through this stripping process, the Father will arrest the attention of a remnant of His people. They will begin to set their focus on things above, rather than things below. In their poverty they will discover the Source of eternal riches. Life in Christ is a great paradox. We must die to live. We must surrender all to get all things. We must decrease, that Christ might increase in us.
Luke 14:33-34
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions
Before the locust consume all you have, surrender it freely to Christ. Ask Him to direct you in the disposition of those things you have been granted a stewardship over. You have been bought with a price. You are not your own. Does that not include all you possess? Then, should you not ask Christ what He would have you to do with all you have? Is your soul ruling in decisions relating to your possessions, or is Christ ruling?
Yahweh wants sons who are living for His pleasure, not selfish children who are always seeking Him for material blessing. He will strip many of the accumulated possessions of a lifetime, even as He did me. This can truly lead to a time of new beginnings where the entire focus of our lives can change from one of self-seeking, to one of seeking the will and pleasure of our Father.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Note: Some in reading this may conclude that I am advocating purchasing gold as a preparation for coming days. I have never been led to purchase gold myself, but rather to give away possessions and money as the Father leads. If He should choose to give back a multiplied blessing, and even gold, then that is His to do. We should not be fear driven in our actions, for that is not the nature of Christ whose image we are being conformed to.
If we are faithful stewards of that which Yahweh has entrusted to us, giving freely of that which is in our possession, He will also care for us in our time of need. It is far better to trust in God than to trust in gold. His ways are so contrary to the ways of fallen man that He will often tell His people to prepare for days of famine and poverty by giving away what they have at present. The nature of man is to hoard out of fear and self-interest, but Yahweh would have His sons and daughters to be selfless, to be led by the Spirit and always act in faith.
Some years back I was led to share a teaching on this subject, titled "Compassion's Silver Lining." I encourage all saints to listen to it as they contemplate what the Father would have them to do in preparation for coming days.
Addendum: After writing this post I printed a copy for Randy and took it to him. He had the radio playing the one station he could pick up here in Kadoka, which was an oldies Country station. At that very moment Johny CASH was singing Ring of Fire. Following are some of the lyrics to the song. It sure sounds like the Bad Lands.
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire
Randy made the connection to this song and the article when he got to the picture of Obama as a fireman pouring CASH into a FIRE. The Father is surely proclaiming a message here.
http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/id14.htm
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Meetings and Moedim
Joseph Herrin (08-12-2010)
Yahweh tremendously blessed at the recent meetings in Idaho. I look forward to giving a full report soon. Randy and I are now traveling to Kadoka, South Dakota for our next meetings. We have stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming to visit with Brad and Jaylene Daugherty and their son Brodie. This is a very precious family who are dear to God and dear to me.
Some more meetings are coming together as Randy and I now travel East. Our itinerary currently stands as follows:
Kadoka, South Dakota
Dates: August 13-15
Address:
Home of Kenton and Angela McKeehan
----------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area
Dates: August 20-21
--------------------------------------------------------
Steeleville, Illinois
Dates: August 27-29
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Leiters Ford, Indiana
Dates: September 3-5
-----------------------------------------------------------
Moedim
Luke 12:54-56
And He was also saying to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?"
It is a critical matter that the saints of God discern the times appointed by Yahweh. Everything progresses according to His determined will. All things are on a precise schedule determined by the Almighty. It has never been altered one second, and all things will occur as He has determined.
Isaiah 44:6-8
Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'
The Hebrew word Moedim is understood to mean "appointed times." Yahweh has appointed a time for everything under the Sun. His word has gone forth and it will surely accomplish all things for which it was sent. It is important that the people of God discern those things appointed for the earth in this hour.
In another vein, it is a weighty matter to discern the times Yahweh has appointed for our lives individually. How can two walk together, lest they be agreed and make an appointment? We must know where our God desires us to be, and what He desires us to be doing, otherwise we will fail to attain to His will for us.
Recently, the Father directed me to give a message on this subject to a gathering of saints in Newcastle, California. The audio messages from this meeting are found below.
Moedim - Part 1
Moedim - Part 2
.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hinds' Feet and Kooskia Meetings
Joseph Herrin (08-04-2010)
The recent meetings in Spokane, Washington were a great blessing. I was tremendously helped of the Father in proclaiming the message He wanted spoken to His people. A number of people came whom I had not anticipated, and the Father had clearly prepared their hearts for those things He is speaking to a remnant in this hour.
Friday we will begin new meetings in Kooskia, Idaho. Randy and I are presently at the home of Dan and Nancy Fowler. They have some beautiful land in the mountains. Randy and I are blessed to stay in the guest house which has a view from the 3300 foot elevation in the mountains, looking down to the Clearwater River.
View from the Fowler’s Guest House
Over and over the Father has been reminding us of the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places. I highly recommend this book to those who are hearing the call to follow the Lord wherever He would lead them. It is a marvelous allegory of a weak soul named Much Afraid who is called to follow the Shepherd through paths that are fearful and difficult. With tender compassion the Shepherd guides her to the high places where she is transformed, having divine love formed in her heart.
The guest house at the Fowler’s is decorated with a deer motif. There are antler light fixtures, deer pictures, and even deer tile. Their own home is decorated with antlers from deer and elk that were picked up from their property as the animals shed them annually. Randy and I have been seeing many deer, including two bucks that walked in front of the guest house this morning. I took a photo of one of them from the deck this morning.
The Father is calling His sons and daughters to surrender to go wherever He would lead them, and to do whatever He asks of them. This is a fearful call to many a timid soul. I know I had great wrestlings, and much fear when the Father called me to this walk in 1999. Yet, He has promised that, if we will follow, at the end of the journey He will give us hinds’ feet where we are able to traverse the mountains of difficulty with great ease.
We must go haltingly for a season, stumbling and bruising ourselves, until we develop hinds’ feet. I am reminded of a word the Father spoke to me some years ago. I was reflecting on the disciples’ experience when Christ told them to get into the boat and cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They had gone a distance and a fierce storm arose. The waves were building, and the boat was filling with water. They feared that they must soon perish. All the while Christ was asleep in the boat.
In desperation, they awoke Yahshua and asked if He did not care that they were perishing. He rebuked the wind and waves and all was made calm. He then chided them for their fear.
I contemplated that I could easily pass through any experience if I could have the inner calm manifested by Christ. If my soul were calm, not tossed about by fears, then what would the storms of life be to me. I prayed and asked the Father if He would not give me this inner peace. His response was “I can give you this peace, but I must take you through some storms for you to attain it.”
For one who was much troubled by fear, these words were not received with much comfort. I understood that I must begin to follow the Father BEFORE I had peace. It was in the journey that I would learn peace.
This is true of all of us. We must obey before we begin to experience the fruits of Christ being formed in our inner being. If we do not follow, we will abort the development of Christ in us.
I have grown much in the past eleven years of journeying. Many things that once caused me terror do not produce the same effect upon me now. I have seen the Shepherd of my soul bring me through many storms, many trials, and many temptations. He has kept me from the perils about me, and continues to care for me faithfully.
I do not claim to be free from fear and anxiety, but neither am I ruled by it. Many times I have had to simply “do it afraid.” I know that progress is being made, and the Father will surely give me hinds’ feet as I continue to follow. I will be able to skip upon the mountains of difficulty as if they were a level plain.
At the meeting in Spokane a brother in Christ gave me a valuable and significant gift. I am sure he did not know the symbolism it held for me. After the last meeting he was able to attend he stuck a gold coin in my hand. I looked at it carefully later, and realized what he had given me. It was a gold Krugerrand of one ounce weight. It is valued at approximately $1,200.00. It also bears the following images.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
The image of the deer striding easily across the ground is profound. So is the inscription that this is “FINE GOLD.”
I Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yahshua Christ.
The Father has led me through many fiery trials in the past eleven years. I have submitted to follow the Shepherd of my soul, and there has been a cross to bear. He has placed upon my heart a burden to invite His sons and daughters to surrender to be similarly led by Him in all things. He is able to take the weak, the foolish, the despised things of this world and cause them to stand. He is of very tender compassion to those who are afraid.
As a pioneer and explorer along this pilgrim way, I am inviting others of Yahweh’s children to surrender to follow Him. I invite you to come and hear the invitation, the encouragement, and the exhortation of the Father. Driving from Spokane to Kooskia Randy and I were driving down the Lewis and Clark scenic highway. Kooskia is the gateway to the wilderness. My next meetings will begin Friday at the following location.
Kooskia, Idaho
Dates: August 6-8
Address:
Home of Dan and Nancy Fowler
188 Flying Eagle Road
Kooskia, ID 83539
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon
Note on driving directions: My TomTom GPS did not have Flying Eagle Road listed. From Kooskia, travel to Leitch Creek Road. This should be available in most GPS units and online. Follow Leitch Creek Road for about 4 miles until you come to a fork. Take the fork to the left which is Red Fir Road. This may also be listed as NFD 286. Continue on this road for about another four miles. You will see a bank of mailboxes on the right hand side with an unmarked road to the left. This unmarked road leads to the Fowler home. Go straight down this road until you see a sign saying Flying Eagle Road. You will know you are on the right track. There is a large gate at the entrance to the Fowler's land with 888 on the gate. You can't miss the 888, as it is very large. Go through the gate and the road will lead to their home.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
The recent meetings in Spokane, Washington were a great blessing. I was tremendously helped of the Father in proclaiming the message He wanted spoken to His people. A number of people came whom I had not anticipated, and the Father had clearly prepared their hearts for those things He is speaking to a remnant in this hour.
Friday we will begin new meetings in Kooskia, Idaho. Randy and I are presently at the home of Dan and Nancy Fowler. They have some beautiful land in the mountains. Randy and I are blessed to stay in the guest house which has a view from the 3300 foot elevation in the mountains, looking down to the Clearwater River.
View from the Fowler’s Guest House
Over and over the Father has been reminding us of the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places. I highly recommend this book to those who are hearing the call to follow the Lord wherever He would lead them. It is a marvelous allegory of a weak soul named Much Afraid who is called to follow the Shepherd through paths that are fearful and difficult. With tender compassion the Shepherd guides her to the high places where she is transformed, having divine love formed in her heart.
The guest house at the Fowler’s is decorated with a deer motif. There are antler light fixtures, deer pictures, and even deer tile. Their own home is decorated with antlers from deer and elk that were picked up from their property as the animals shed them annually. Randy and I have been seeing many deer, including two bucks that walked in front of the guest house this morning. I took a photo of one of them from the deck this morning.
The Father is calling His sons and daughters to surrender to go wherever He would lead them, and to do whatever He asks of them. This is a fearful call to many a timid soul. I know I had great wrestlings, and much fear when the Father called me to this walk in 1999. Yet, He has promised that, if we will follow, at the end of the journey He will give us hinds’ feet where we are able to traverse the mountains of difficulty with great ease.
We must go haltingly for a season, stumbling and bruising ourselves, until we develop hinds’ feet. I am reminded of a word the Father spoke to me some years ago. I was reflecting on the disciples’ experience when Christ told them to get into the boat and cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They had gone a distance and a fierce storm arose. The waves were building, and the boat was filling with water. They feared that they must soon perish. All the while Christ was asleep in the boat.
In desperation, they awoke Yahshua and asked if He did not care that they were perishing. He rebuked the wind and waves and all was made calm. He then chided them for their fear.
I contemplated that I could easily pass through any experience if I could have the inner calm manifested by Christ. If my soul were calm, not tossed about by fears, then what would the storms of life be to me. I prayed and asked the Father if He would not give me this inner peace. His response was “I can give you this peace, but I must take you through some storms for you to attain it.”
For one who was much troubled by fear, these words were not received with much comfort. I understood that I must begin to follow the Father BEFORE I had peace. It was in the journey that I would learn peace.
This is true of all of us. We must obey before we begin to experience the fruits of Christ being formed in our inner being. If we do not follow, we will abort the development of Christ in us.
I have grown much in the past eleven years of journeying. Many things that once caused me terror do not produce the same effect upon me now. I have seen the Shepherd of my soul bring me through many storms, many trials, and many temptations. He has kept me from the perils about me, and continues to care for me faithfully.
I do not claim to be free from fear and anxiety, but neither am I ruled by it. Many times I have had to simply “do it afraid.” I know that progress is being made, and the Father will surely give me hinds’ feet as I continue to follow. I will be able to skip upon the mountains of difficulty as if they were a level plain.
At the meeting in Spokane a brother in Christ gave me a valuable and significant gift. I am sure he did not know the symbolism it held for me. After the last meeting he was able to attend he stuck a gold coin in my hand. I looked at it carefully later, and realized what he had given me. It was a gold Krugerrand of one ounce weight. It is valued at approximately $1,200.00. It also bears the following images.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
The image of the deer striding easily across the ground is profound. So is the inscription that this is “FINE GOLD.”
I Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yahshua Christ.
The Father has led me through many fiery trials in the past eleven years. I have submitted to follow the Shepherd of my soul, and there has been a cross to bear. He has placed upon my heart a burden to invite His sons and daughters to surrender to be similarly led by Him in all things. He is able to take the weak, the foolish, the despised things of this world and cause them to stand. He is of very tender compassion to those who are afraid.
As a pioneer and explorer along this pilgrim way, I am inviting others of Yahweh’s children to surrender to follow Him. I invite you to come and hear the invitation, the encouragement, and the exhortation of the Father. Driving from Spokane to Kooskia Randy and I were driving down the Lewis and Clark scenic highway. Kooskia is the gateway to the wilderness. My next meetings will begin Friday at the following location.
Kooskia, Idaho
Dates: August 6-8
Address:
Home of Dan and Nancy Fowler
188 Flying Eagle Road
Kooskia, ID 83539
Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon
Note on driving directions: My TomTom GPS did not have Flying Eagle Road listed. From Kooskia, travel to Leitch Creek Road. This should be available in most GPS units and online. Follow Leitch Creek Road for about 4 miles until you come to a fork. Take the fork to the left which is Red Fir Road. This may also be listed as NFD 286. Continue on this road for about another four miles. You will see a bank of mailboxes on the right hand side with an unmarked road to the left. This unmarked road leads to the Fowler home. Go straight down this road until you see a sign saying Flying Eagle Road. You will know you are on the right track. There is a large gate at the entrance to the Fowler's land with 888 on the gate. You can't miss the 888, as it is very large. Go through the gate and the road will lead to their home.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063