Heralds Digest

  “ And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ” Mark 12 : 32 - 33 KJV The truth as regards the keeping of a physically healthy heart is always about living well and dieting well, but it requires discipline, determination and discreetness for anyone to keep a balanced sheet. And just as distraction from this truth is sincerely enormous, distraction from the truth that makes the heart of man free from the corruption of sin, self, and Satan cannot be overpowered by the arms of flesh. Little wonder when the scribe that confronted Jesus with questions declared the root of the truth, Jesus still responded “ Thou art not far from the kingdom of God!” . Therefore, the keeping of a spiritually health...

  “ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled .” Psalm 30 : 5 - 7 KJV ‘Favour ain’t fair’ is usually a slogan for those who do not understand the prerogative of holiness and righteousness in their relationship with God. When we see the temporal flourishing of wickedness, evil, and oppression, and we think less about the prospect of the solemn anger of God towards the conversion of both the righteous victim and the unrighteous victor, the slogan will always be in order. But ideally, the right perspective is the viewing of life and all its activities with the mindset of eternity. God desires the conversion of the entire world from unrighteousness unto righteousness to the extend that He sacrificed His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If ‘favo...

  “ The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The LORD sitteth upon the flood; Yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. The LORD will give strength unto his people; The LORD will bless his people with peace. ” Psalm 29 : 9 - 11 KJV In seasons when mights appear rights , bullies’ voices are summarily laws. The voices of these lords are loud, deafening, and outrightly manipulative. Unfortunately, undiscerning believers fall victim to vociferous voices when the voice of the LORD is allowed to be silenced by their undue attention. It is no longer news that the overarching strategy of the enemy against the righteous is the creation of distraction to the voice of the LORD. Whereas, in any disturbing seasons orchestrated by the vociferous voices of the enemy, believers’ silence is commanded primarily for the righteous to hear the victorious voice of the LORD. And whenever the LORD speaks, He restores ...

  “ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. The LORD is their strength, And he is the saving strength of his anointed. ” Psalm 28 : 7 - 8 KJV The candid testimony of the psalmist suggests that the opposite of helped hearts is hypocritical hearts. Unfortunately, the lots of those whose trust is in horses and chariots, strength and shield of fellow men, and the accumulation of physical and financial strength are shrouded in deception and diplomacy. Hypocritical hearts are not concerned about the welfare of their hearts; they are only concerned about the wealth of their hands, statuses and recognition, albeit at the expense of the souls involved. David had seen the havoc of hypocritical hearts in king Saul, and the deplorable transition from a heart that was little in his own eyes to a heart so obsessed with position and fame. Whereas, helped hearts do readily understa...

  “ And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way .” Mark 10 : 52 KJV When Jesus told blind Bartimaeus “ Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole ”, it definitely emphasized the importance of faith for fruitful followership.  Considering the fact that blind Bartimaeus was apparently nameless (being merely called blind son of Timaeus suggested that he lacked followership, and suffered rejection by people), yet he was a faithful follower of the Son of David and the only Redeemer. Compared with an earlier encounter of another blind man with appreciable followership but lacked faith in Jesus, it is important to note that faith in Jesus is all that matters in every believer’s fruitful followership. And as the month of March opens with several opportunities and different progressive suggestions with ‘Go thy way’ , there is always a Jesus way; and absolute faith in Him is the only requirem...

  “ I had fainted, Unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD .” Psalm 27 : 13 - 14 KJV Those who fall under the weight of depression, despondency, and discouragement are often defenceless; they underestimate the seriousness of the disturbing weights until they get themselves crushed under the rubbles. When the scriptures admonish believers to avoid ignorance of the devices of the enemy, it is because the enemy often explores believers’ weaknesses on effective management of their wait weights. While the psalmist struggles with his different options of waiting on self-management, societal influences, carnal manipulation, etc, he faints until divine strength came to the rescue. All wait weights on life’s issues, including financial difficulties, marital challenges, social disorderliness, etc, are handled in the place of prayer and meditation on s...