Heralds Digest

  “ Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” John 18 : 10 - 11 KJV By “ the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? ”, Jesus teaches Simon Peter and all His disciples to be careful of the tendencies to cut divinely assigned cups for the fulfillment of purpose in life. Calvary or crucifixion is the cup ordained as the plan of redemption,  and it wasn’t up for cut in Christ’s consideration and submission to the will of the Father. And like the prayerless Simon Peter was unprepared spiritually for the moment, Christians are readily manipulated by their emotions in their moments of social, physical, and financial vulnerability to cut the cup, instead of cutting the cult of confederacies against the counsels of God. For example, the war of words o...

  “ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: Even Sinai itself was moved At the presence of God, the God of Israel. ” Psalm 68 : 7 - 8   The reason why we often consider wilderness experience as a mess march is that we are fixated on our plights and the challenges of dryness. Whereas,  “ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah “ teaches the awakening of the soul to the manifestation of God in the wilderness of life. For example, the over 11 years wilderness experience of David, while awaiting the physical  manifestation of his anointing as the king of Israel, produces the development of skills, the revelation of divine strength for war intelligence, human capacity and empowerment strategies, etc..all in a show of God’s mercy march. And when the psalmist says “ The earth shook, the h...

  “ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16 : 33 KJV Just as the quality of preservatives is known in the coven of corrosion and corruption, the gift of peace is appreciated in moments of trials and tribulations. The evidence of God’s abiding presence is believers’ calmness and comportment in the midst of chaos and controversies. Unlike the propensity of prosperity, power, and position with agitation and anxiety at every outburst of emergencies, peace removes fear from the affairs of the righteous and places it at the doorsteps of the wicked. For example, even when David was surrounded by the envious king Saul and his enchanting servants, who were constantly plotting for the destruction of the anointed of the Lord, the preserving peace on David brought him wise comportment in all his engagements. The secret of every believer’s preservatives is found in “ ...

   “ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning .” John 15 : 26 - 27 KJV Insecurity, instability, and incidences of unrighteousness in our homes, societies, and circles of relationships are common conditioners for tasteless truth. When human sources of information are limited to news and social media, human intelligence, and physical networking, even the most pious of religious people can be used as channels for fabrication of tasteless truth or simply lies. Truth according to human sources must first satisfy the sentiments of the source. Little wonder why people explore independence of news broadcasting channels for possible access to the balance of truth. Therefore, Jesus told the disciples “ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of...

   “ A righteous man hateth lying: But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: But wickedness overthroweth the sinner. ” Proverbs 13 : 5 - 6 KJV To Saul in the Old Testament and Saul in the New Testament, finding the winners’ way takes different approaches. From the benefits of hindsight, we know that the Old Testament Saul’s approach is wrong. While he employed wickedness against David to preserve himself on the throne as the king of Israel, he failed to enjoy the beauty of the forcefully occupied throne and faltered in the delivery of services to his subjects on the throne. Surely, “ Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard (Proverbs 13 : 15)”; and little wonder why a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame at the end of the day. The winners’ way is the knowing of Jesus and the doing of His commandments at all times, in all things, by all means, and for all purposes. This was the t...

  ” Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13 : 31 - 32 , 34 - 35 KJV By “ Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him ”, Christ Jesus’ response to His betrayal by Judas Iscariot teaches a new dimension of God’s glory through the show of love in our betrayal and brutally. Judas’ condemnation and destruction after the deed could have been avoided, even after the deed of betrayal and brutality, if he actually repented and returned back to where he left off God’s glory in fellowship with the fellow disciples (he wasn’t replaced until much more after the gathering at the upper room for the baptism ...