Joseph Herrin (04-27-2010)

Kevin O’Connell and his wife Julie Sanders were the gracious hosts of a series of meetings this past weekend in North Georgia. The Spirit of Christ truly answered the prayers of the many saints who had faithfully lifted up these meetings to the Father. That the Holy Spirit had gone before us to prepare the way was evident. There was a peace about the home in which we met. The hosts and another couple, Mark and Cecilia, had prior to the meetings gone around and anointed the house and prayed over it. When I arrived I immediately felt peace. The spirit of rest was augmented by the beauty of the North Georgia foot hills and the Chattahoochee River which was visible from the back of their home.

Randy Simmons and I traveled to the meetings together, and we were graciously provided a place to stay. Another couple, John and Linda Edwards, also stayed in Kevin and Julie’s home. Mark and Cecilia also opened their home to two women who had each traveled alone to attend the meetings, Carolyn Barney and Brandy Vaughan. Others who lived close by commuted to the meetings. One brother drove from Tennessee and stayed all three days.

Having brothers and sisters open their homes with such warm hospitality certainly added to the family atmosphere of the meetings. Bonds were formed in the Sprit in very short order.

Brandy Vaughan is a young sister in Christ that I have been blessed to correspond with for a few months. She has been in California recording an album at a recording studio in Los Angeles. The Father worked it out where she was able to return to her mother’s house in Georgia for a month that “just happened” to coincide with the meetings. “What are the chances” I was blessed to meet this daughter of Christ face to face, and all in attendance were blessed to have her share with us this talent the Father has entrusted to her, coupled by a sincere yearning to bring honor and glory to Christ.

The entire week-end had a sense of a divine orchestration. The Father gathered each individual that He wanted to be there. I can testify with great assurance that He put His message in my mouth and it came forth attended with great conviction in the hearts of those prepared to receive it. Like Moses, I confessed to the Father that I was not able to speak. He assured me that He had made man’s mouth and He would give me utterance. This He surely did.

I am eager to share these messages with you. Kevin O’Connell is an audio engineer and he recorded the meetings. As soon as I receive the audio files from him I will be posting them. Each meeting built upon the previous one. The message of God was presented, allowing people to soak in it over the course of three days. The final day culminated in many hearts being moved spontaneously of the Spirit of Christ with great conviction to embrace an absolute abandonment and surrender to Christ. Those making such declarations of surrender to the Father understood the cost involved, making this a profound event, and one which I believe was deeply satisfying to the heart of the Father. There is nothing more pleasing to Him than to observe in the heart of a son or daughter a willingness to count the cost of taking up the cross and following Christ, and yielding to Him out of a heart of love.

Throughout the weekend there were moments I had not anticipated. The Spirit impressed upon me to make the teachings very practical. On occasion I was led to step on toes (gently – I preach with my shoes off), and the people bore it graciously. The call to be “perfect in Christ” was revealed to be an immensely practical matter. The Spirit kept drawing attention to the speech of His sons and daughters and the need to divide between soul and spirit.

The final morning as I was addressing the idle conversation so prevalent among Yahweh’s sons and daughters, and the need to seek conformity to Christ who testified, “I never speak a word of My own initiative. I only speak the words the Father commands Me to speak,” I was given an insight, shared spontaneously, that I had never seen before. The Father showed me a parable in the Israelite’s first battle in the land of their inheritance.

As Joshua (Yahshua) led the people around the walls of Jericho, for six days they were commanded to remain silent. They were not to speak a word. This surely required great restraint as their minds were filled with the immense task before them of capturing this seemingly unassailable stronghold. On the seventh day, at the precise moment, they were all commanded to shout and the walls of Jericho fell down.

The Spirit had led me to share with Yahweh’s people about the need to exercise restraint in our speech. I told them that when we are bringing an area of our life into subjection to the rule of Christ that He will bring us to quietness in that area first. We will go through a period of cessation where we still our soul, and refuse to give ourselves over to be directed by it. When we have become quiet in an area, then the Father will begin to move us by His Spirit and the result will be light and life.

James tells us that the tongue is the most unruly member of the body. It is the greatest stronghold. It seems fitting that Jericho with its immense walls, seemingly unconquerable, was the first stronghold to be faced in the land. I believe it corresponds to the speech of God’s sons and daughters.

How impossible it seems to us to become perfect in speech. It strikes most Christians as too lofty of a goal to bring their tongue into a perfect submission to the Spirit of Christ. To many it seems unnecessarily strict to even consider dividing between soul and spirit in this area of their lives. Speaking freely from one’s own soul seems both natural and acceptable to the majority of Christians.

The reason that Christ’s words were always attended with power is that there was no mixture of soul and spirit in them. Christ’s words were ALWAYS Spirit. Consequently, they were infused with life. When our speech is also purified, having the soul restrained that the Spirit might come forth, we too will find our words infused with power.

Consider then the parable of Jericho and the Israelites. After six days of perfect restraint, speaking not a word apart from the command of Yahweh, they were finally told by God to open their mouths to be used by Him. Their utterance came forth with such colossal power that the very walls of Jericho fell to the ground in ruins.

The message of the weekend was constantly a challenge from the Spirit to be perfect as our Father is perfect. The Spirit urged the saints to raise their vision, and to arise out of the low living of nominal Christianity. Only those who are perfect (mature, whole, complete, lacking in nothing) will be entrusted with the power and glory of the ages to come. When the Israelites manifested perfection in their speech, their words came forth with power.

If we would receive the anointing of God, His power to accomplish His purposes, we too must be perfect. Such an attainment is impossible apart from the powerful working of Christ within His sons and daughters.

There were many other instances of the Spirit speaking forth words that contained life-changing power this weekend. I look forward to sharing these messages with more of Yahweh’s people as the audio files are made available. I encourage all to listen to them. Begin with the first meeting’s message and proceed through to the end. The Spirit’s message builds to a great climax, and the invitation to come and die that a spiritual creation might arise was heard and answered as deep cried out unto deep.

One of the last things shared was a song my daughter Kristin wrote and performed. Although Kristin was not able to be present at the meetings, she was present in spirit as I played her song while projecting her image and the lyrics of this song on the screen I was using. The words of this song were so perfectly tailored to the message of the week-end that not a word was out of place. It was a song perfect in speech, and it came forth with power, moving people very deeply. What the Spirit performed after this was marvelous to witness.

I stand in amazement as I think back on the awesome way in which Yahweh moved among His people this week-end. May He bring many sons to glory, and may you be counted among them.

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

Joseph Herrin

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

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063