Heralds Digest

  “ Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter. ” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Believers are often quick to claim the promise “ I shall not die, but live ”, without an accurate reflection on the part “ And declare the works of the Lord” . Most often than not, the works of the Lord require the navigation of the gates with apparent defeat, darkness, and, sometimes, death. Yes, the death of the righteous is never ever a violation of the promise “ I shall not die, but live ”, as long as the works of the Lord are declared. Therefore, the pursuit of righteousness in duties, devotion, and declarations of the people of the Lord requires a consistent focus on the heavenly resources. It is important to note that anyone who can be distracted by earthly benefits cannot stay on the glorious gates. So, the next time we want to claim ‘I shall not die’ , let’s be sure the prim...

  “ For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? ” Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭16‬, ‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As we grow older, physical falling becomes too scary and damaging exercise. Likewise, the risk of financial, career, and professional falls are difficult for anyone to manage without the grace of God. Fortunately, the narrative is amazingly comforting for a righteous man. “ For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again “ implies there is a crystal difference between a fruitful fall and a free fall. The former fall is divinely driven, while the latter is carnally motivated with irredeemable consequences. Unfortunately, we are often tempted to treat the two types of fall with the same assessment. And when this happens, believers risk committing the sin of giving to change. I...