Monday, March 7, 2011

Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments!

Joel 2:12-14
"Yet even now," declares Yahweh, "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to Yahweh your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him...

I cannot recommend too highly the following video. It is one of the clearest enunciations of the the heart and mind of Yahweh to His people at this hour that I have encountered. My own heart was deeply stirred as I listened. I experienced the fear of God, and His chastening hand as I listened. Even as the world just witnessed Christchurch being shaken, exposing all that was built on an unstable foundation, so too is the Spirit probing deep into the lives of His people. In His mercy, Yahweh is giving His children a time to make repairs to their lives that they might not suffer loss. The hour is at hand when all that can be shaken will be shaken.

At the same time, there is hope in this message. Yahweh has promised to subdue every enemy in the land of our flesh. Only, we must not make any treaty with the enemies in our territory. We must not abide peacefully with lust, or envy, or bitterness, or unforgiveness, or jealousy, or any other wicked thing.

In my own life, I often find myself growing complacent. Having walked a distance down this afflicted pathway I begin to reason within myself that I can dare to indulge some selfish desire, some hidden sin. I begin to make allowances for my flesh, bringing pollution into the temple of God. How often I have set up some detestable thing right next to the altar of God, or brought something unholy into the inner chambers of Yahweh's temple, which is what I am. Such thoughts and actions are unworthy of a son of God. Like the minister who delivers this message, I have to contemplate whether I would be counted among the Bride of Christ if He were to appear today.

Psalms 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

People of God, I exhort you to listen to this message. It could be the best hour you have spent in a long, long time. The breath of the Holy Spirit is upon it.


 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4WSe5tK_2Y

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

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joseph, this is confirmation to me as I have been hearing for over 3 weeks now to shout: CRY OUT, CRY OUT, CRY OUT...WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME.
Truly the time of salvation is now.
God Bless You Brother.

Anonymous said...

Bro Joseph,
Gordon and I listened to this over the weekend. Love how the Holy Spirit connects people and things. And yes his message was so clear.
Peace,
Deirdre

Anonymous said...

Joseph, I have posted this brothers link to my facebook page twice with very little responce, and I've got a sizable list of people, that call themselves christian. I have seen over and over again as I'm sure that you have as well, that "christians" will go to great lenghts to avoid the hard truths, that call out for repentance. They say that they believe in Jesus, but they are unwilling to submit to Him. We have got way to many "Unsaved, Not born christians"...Sigh...Lord O'Lord shake....shake...shake...US!
By a Prophet in the wilderness.

Anonymous said...

Well - wait a minute! this was preached at mike bickle's ihop "church". This is such a contradiction. Do a search on Mike bickle, ihop, rick joyner, etc, specially their ties with todd bentley. Check some videos out on you tube too. Either this Uganda's preacher was caught unaware (which I doubt) or he is part of, or at least associates with this group of FALSE prophets.We live in interesting times indeed.

Joseph Herrin said...

Dear (?),

Regarding the message being proclaimed at an IHOP church, in August of 2008 the Father led me to begin preaching to groups across America. The first group He sent me to was in Fort Wayne, and it consisted primarily of young people involved in a local IHOP ministry.

The messages I was directed to proclaim were very different from what they were accustomed to hearing. I proclaimed a message of the disciple's cross, of victory over the flesh, and the role of suffering in the perfecting of the saints.

The fact that John Mulinde also delivered his message at an IHOP is not to be construed as an endorsement of that orgnization, but neither has God rejected the many thousands of His sons and daughters who are involved with it.

If the Spirit is to proclaim a message to come out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4), then there are going to have to be some who go into Babylon at times to call His people out. This is very different from joining the Babylonian organizations, and becoming comfortable dwelling there.

Joseph Herrin

Anonymous said...

I listened to his message, and he did not mention the need to come out of "Babylonian" churches such as IHOP. I am sure Joseph, if you discussed with Mulinde your conviction of the need to come out of churches like the IHOP, that he would call you deceived. Is it possible that the Holy Ghost would hide this proclamation from one man of God but reveal it to another? I thought the Holy Ghost in the interests of unity would be proclaiming a consistent message.

Joseph Herrin said...

Dear (?),

I have two things I would like to share with you. The first is regarding your anonymity.

People often choose to remain anonymous when they are saying things that they do not wish to have their name associated with. Anonymity often gives a person a sense of protection. They feel that they are untouchable. This sense often incites the flesh to a lack of civility, or to adopt an argumentative or combative stance that they would not be as prone to adopt if their identity were known.

This sense of invulnerability will prove false in the end. We will all have to give an account of every word before the Father one day. There will be no anonymity then. Every hidden thing will be revealed.

I encourage people to act with integrity by owning up to their words and opinions by signing their name to them. I believe that doing so is in keeping with the Spirit of Christ who would have us to manifest the fruit of the Spirit in all we say and do.

We will both be inclined to write with more love, patience, gentleness, and humility when we know that people who read our words know that they are coming from us.

With this in mind, I encourage you to sign your full name to your comments, even as you will find me doing in all the writings found here.

Joseph Herrin said...

Secondly, I would respond to your criticism of John Mulinde, which I have perceived to actually be a criticism of me. I do not mind if you suggest that I am being inconsistent in my message.

I have often written that the Spirit is calling the people of God to come out of Babylonian Christian organizations. I have not changed my message. You have the liberty to challenge me if you believe I am being inconsistent.

Before God, however, none of us are free to speak whatever we want. If we give a judgment, we should make a good effort to be sure that it is God's judgment. We should not argue, or wrangle over words, at every impulse of our soul.

I do not believe God is judging me to be endorsing IHOP because I posted a video of a message that was spoken in this venue. What I wrote is that Mr. Mulinde delivered an excellent message that I believe is expressing the mind of the Father toward His sons and daughters at this hour.

Do you disagree? Do you believe Mr. Mulinde did not express the mind of Christ? Do you think God disapproves of his message?

Perhaps you believe the message was of God, but that God would not have had him speak it to the particular group to whom he was speaking. I do not share this judgment, for I believe they needed to hear the message as much as any of the children of God, perhaps more than some.

John Mulinde was calling the people to repentance. He was urging them to see themselves as God sees them, and to realize that it is not sufficient in God's sight to wash the outside of the cup when the inside is full of defilement.

I would ask you whether you believe the Spirit of Christ is directing you to debate this matter. If Yahweh wants His sons and daughters to consider the things Mr. Mulinde spoke, then are you not needlessly obscuring the message?

It is my desire that all God's people would take to heart the things this brother in Christ has shared.

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

Anonymous said...

Well, it could be that the preacher has little connection with ihop, but usually the head pastors of these big venues do not share their pulpits with people they do not associate with. So, I am assuming they do relate somehow. Now,if anyone needs repentance - and it would be wonderful if they did - is this bunch of FALSE prophets from Kansas City. I do not know of any, really, who have. In fact, they have been used lately really to let loose a really evil man (todd bentley) among the unsuspecting, immature christians that attend these meetings. This is a polluted stream and John seems to be endorsing it by being there. Would not a true prophet preach at and confront the leadership of this group? There is more, much more than their support of todd bentley, and I think John must know some of what has been going on there.

Anonymous said...

One more thing...I choose to remain anonymous since at one point of my life I was involved with this group and now I feel my name should not be tainted by being mentioned alongside their names. I used to sit down at their meetings (since I was the assistant - or sort of - to one of the "apostles"then), being mesmerized by and enthralled by their gifts. That changed when God revealed to me their true character and told me to NEVER look at the gift(s) that people possess, but rather to His character and nature revealed in them. He then asked me if I could tell Him who was the most gifted being ever created. Who do you think that is? I could not say for sure. The Lord told me that it was (and is) LUCIFER himself. So, there you go, he has many gifts indeed and people that follow preachers and movements based on the gifts alone, many times are following Lucifer himself and taking in demonic teachings.
Anyhow, this group of FALSE prophets usually stick together, preaching at each other venues, cross- promoting their ministries to their audiences and so on.
That is why, again, I think it would be almost impossible for Mike Bickle to let John preach at his church, if Mr. Mulinde was a complete outsider. No way. In a perverse way, if I can somehow emulate Mike's reasoning in letting John come and share, is that messages such as this give more "credibility" to his ministry, acting as a counterbalance to their support to todd bentley, rick joyner, their belief in false doctrines, etc.
And, this seems to work, as even you Joseph, is now promoting, albeit indirectly, ihop's ministry as well.
If in the end, John Mulinde is found to be an outsider, improperly used by ihop, so we should at some point in the near future, hear from his own mouth that he is not associated with that ministry, and that in fact, people should leave that group. I doubt it though. We will see it

Joseph Herrin said...

Dear (?),

In defense of your anonymity you wrote:

"I choose to remain anonymous since at one point of my life I was involved with this group and now I feel my name should not be tainted by being mentioned alongside their names."

If you were formerly associated with this group, including the inner circle, as you have indicated, then your reputation is already set. It would seem that if you have repented of this past association, and wish others to know that you no longer support them, that you would openly declare it. I believe you are being somewhat disingenuous concerning your stated motives for anonymity.

I see the same things you have named regarding the errors of Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, Paul Cain, Todd Bentley, and others. I have written about these things (without choosing to be anonymous).

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/savage-wolves-part-2.html

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/savage-wolves-part-3.html

Brother, you have raised some good points. We do know a person's character by the evidence of fruits of the Spirit, and should never take gifts of the Spirit as a sign of God's endorsement of a person.

Christ stated that MANY would come to Him on the day of judgment and speak of all the miracles, prophecies, and deliverance from demons that accomplished "in His name." Yet He would say, "Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you."

Additionally, I find some merit in your argument that a man would not have a door opened before him to preach in a venue such as IHOP if he were publicly speaking out against the errors of the leadership.

Perhaps John Mulinde has failed in some regard in this matter, but I do not have the evidence before me to be able to judge accurately whether he has, or has not. I am not privy to all of his messages, or conversations, nor do I know of his relation with these men.

In sharing his message, I was making no endorsement of IHOP, and none should be inferred. The only thing I endorsed was the message he was proclaiming. It is a message the entire body of Christ needs to hear, whether they are involved with this organization, or have come out of it.

I hope you will not fail to consider the application of the message to your own life because of your disapproval of IHOP and its founders. I was able to receive the message, and I see many things wrong with this organization.

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

Joseph Herrin said...

Dear (?),

I would add one final thought. You mentioned having fallen to the error of interpreting a man's spiritual gifts as being a sign of God's approval of that man's life. This was the very subject and content of John Mulinde's message.

Seeing that there are multitudes within IHOP that are judging things erroneously, in the same manner that you once did, was not John Mulinde's message one that they very much needed to hear? Perhaps there will be someone who will have their eyes opened to the truth and repent of their association and come out of Babylon.

I believe that this was a very appropriate and timely message.

Maranatha! said...

Bro. Joseph I just wanted to thank God for sending this message to you for those Saints that want to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

I was one of those individuals the Lord was speaking directly to and it rebuked, chastened, reproved and then comforted me as I repented and will continually do so with the Lord's precious guidance and love for me.

He showed me my heart and I am eternally grateful beyond words.

As He said, "everything that can be shaken will be shaken." I can profess that I was shook in the worst and best ways possible. It caused me to fall on my face and seek His forgiveness for my wickedness.

Once again I give thanks for you and all the servants of God that has spiritually broken down so many things in the bible I didn't understand. It has allowed the Holy Spirit to show me what the Father's will is for my life.

In other words, the Holy Spirit works through the servants of God and takes the rhetoric out of it.

Praise the Lord for that precious gift.

Your Sister in Christ Jesus,
Sister Libby

Sondra said...

Dear(?),

In Luke 5, Jesus performed many miracles, after each account it is mentioned that: God was glorified, God was glorified by all, or glorifying God. After Jesus healed the bedridden man who was sick with palsy, Levi, a publican who now followed Jesus, made a big feast and the congregants were publicans, others, scribes and Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees mumbled against the disciples and asked why they ate and drank with publicans and sinners. "And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."(v.31,32)

Anonymous, in Christ's love, I ask you to forgive and receive the message that God has sent to ALL the body of Christ. "Is not my word like as fire? says the LORD; and like the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jer. 23:29) "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." (Deut. 4:24) I desire to be consumed by God, and if breaking me to pieces is necessary, I can only look to the one who made me and broke me to restore me. I must take my eyes totally off flesh and fix my gaze on Jesus alone.

God bless you, Joseph. The Lord led me here yesterday, because I had a dream that I was on a straight path and got in the wrong lane, which circled around to the left. I had asked the Lord to tell me what it meant. I told a dear sister about it, and she said that it was for the body of Christ. The sister that John Mulinde spoke about had a similar dream, and I know that this message was from the Lord. I will continue to seek Him with all my heart.

Laz said...

This word has definitely made me focus of Father much more. The song towards the end: "Spirit of God...arise in me.." was truly anointed.