Heralds Digest

   “ All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king .” 1 Chronicles 12 : 38 KJV Sometimes in life, honest helpers cannot deliver heaven’s goal because of their inability to not only ascend into the hill of the Lord; but equally maintain the presence of the holy God. The Hebron call for David was made by honest helpers; but only those of them who are with perfect or humble hearts finished the race. For example, when a team of helpers with honest hearts come together in pursuit of one purpose, there can be conflict of interests; not because of a trace of dishonesty in their pursuit. Disunity at home, workplaces and ministry is mostly fuelled by the partners’ lack of submission to the sovereignty of our holy God, or the pursuit of a perfect or humble heart. King David quickly learned the truth and a need for a humble heart, despite his associati...

  “ Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God. ” 1 Chronicles 12 : 18 , 22 KJV Sincere and honest helpers are strategic agents sent from God for life’s project support. Whereas, human helpers are vain and self-serving merchants, whose assignments are majorly the frustration of divine agendas. For David, his honest helpers were identified in the wilderness and not in the wealth of his affluence and immense opportunities in the palace. And like in the case of the ministration of Amasai to David, honest helpers are always inspired by the spirit of God. Little wonder why many who limit their searchlight for help meet to just knowing and doing...

  “ A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: And their contentions are like the bars of a castle. A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18 : 19 , 24 KJV One of the greatest havoc in offences is the separation of the heart of man from great opportunities and privileges in friendship. Offences throw fences on all friendly dispositions, turning  brotherhood into bitterness. Whereas, “ A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly” implies that everyone in any relationship has a responsibility to keep his friendly feature intact, irrespective of the unfriendliness in the served offences. Offences can never go away by outsourcing the search for friendly features to our supposed offenders. And someone in all broken relationships, failed marriages, business disputes, and management conflicts must be willing to approach the Lord, who is “ a friend that sticketh closer than a b...

   “ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. ” Romans 13 : 10 , 14 KJV If the previous chapter of the book of Romans is acknowledged to call believers to a living, holy and acceptable service sacrifice, it is important for all good citizens to underscore the importance of regulations and government policies in the provision of these services. Good citizens are products of a sane environment because of an uncompromising enforcement of regulations and government policies. While there is a good side to human government as well as there can also be an evil side, good citizens and believers are here called to abide by the instrument of love law: “ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour (including hostile partners, wicked associates, and bad leaders) ”. Love law produces the good works in the heart through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ...

   “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12 : 1 - 2 KJV The idea of service as a sacrifice has been instituted by God, right from the Old Testament dispensation. Love as a character of God is a service sacrifice, demonstrated by the offering of His only begotten Son, Jesus  Christ, for the salvation of humanity from the bondage of sin. Likewise, believers in Christ Jesus, called brethren, are expected to present their bodies daily as a living or service sacrifice at home, workplaces, and in the society. Since these services include loving people in our lives that are undeserving of love, gifting tips to people in the neighborhood that appear to be taking advantage of our ...

  “ I have found David my servant; With my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: Mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.” Psalm 89 : 20 - 22 KJV Since Merriam Webster dictionary defines ‘exact’ as ‘to call for forcibly or urgently and obtain’ , it implies that the opposite of ‘ to exact’ can be ‘to entertain ’.  From the benefits of hindsight, all the activities of king Saul against the anointing of David can be simply categorized as part of enemies’ entertainment. Yet, at one point in David’s wilderness experience, the enemies’ entertainment was misappropriated as enemies’ exactness: “ And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.” ( 1...

  “ The name of the LORD is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men. ” Proverbs 18 : 10 , 15 - 16 KJV Soulwinning has always been a freestyle storytelling episode for those who can personalize their salvation story. We run into the house full of God’s love with our mess and He turns the mess into mercy by His grace offering, showing in every stage, setting, and statement of life. Simply put, life is a bundle and collection of messes and many people are merely skillful in tackling these messes through their own personal efforts and the benevolence of natural or material resources available to them. Unfortunately, even the most resourceful fellow on earth has no sufficient power to resolve life’s challenges, especially coupled with the avalanche of conspiracy against breakthrough. But the LORD God is every bel...

  “ For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. ” Romans 10 : 3 - 4 KJV Righteousness, according to the new age, is synonymous to morality, equity, fairness, freedom of speech, and even, liberalism. Little wonder, the world is plagued with human right abuses, terrorism, political and religious violence, etc. For example, the lifestyle and radicalism of Apostle Paul (once known as Saul) before his encounter with Jesus Christ perfectly fit his exposition to the Jews on wrong righteousness “ For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God“. Whatever we do to forcefully suppress the will of other people or their convictions in any attempt to get them to accept our own opi...

  “ Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein .” Hosea 14 : 9 KJV It is true that being created as a free moral agent implies ownership of our decisions. Unfortunately, our decisions, and not the prerogative of God, determine our destinies in life. When we think we are wise and have arrived, then comes the perplexity caused by confrontation with the sovereignty of God. Since human methods and mastery are perfectly subservient to sovereignty, acknowledging God’s ways as the only wise ways is not just the beginning of wisdom…it is the only available wisdom. And to the pride of Ephraim, the “ just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein” ; while the truly wise and prudent souls are known by their submission to the sovereignty of God. Whenever the hearts of men are trained to accept the sovereignty of God in all s...

   “ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? Or to thy faithfulness round about thee?” Psalm 89 : 7 - 8 KJV As faithful Father to His obedient children, faithfulness is expected to begat steadfastness. Therefore, while the psalmist’s rhetoric question was targeted to God intentionally, and not man; it was a callout on self’s steadfastness and submission to the love of God. As rightly positioned by Apostle Paul in the New Testament,  “ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ( Romans 8 : 35 )”. While the agents of darkness and the architects of evil and wickedness against the lots of the righteous intend the spread of believers’ discouragement, this rhetoric question is often needed in the place of prayer for absolute reliance on the faithful...

   “ Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh And intermeddleth with all wisdom. A fool hath no delight in understanding, But that his heart may discover itself. ” Proverbs 18 : 1 - 2 KJV If the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and the right application of wisdom is understanding, it is not surprising why the absence of the fear of God or His existence is summarized as foolishness. Unfortunately, fools often masquerade as the intelligent application of human wisdom and the forceful expression of interests in politics, public services, project management and social contracts at homes and workplaces. While the adoption of these decorated desires is readily applauded as the mark of excellence in today’s world, the scriptures speak of a distinguished desire for excellence through a determination to remain undefiled. For example, Joseph separated himself from Potiphar’s wife and suffered temporarily in prison to get the divine promotion to the position of a Prim...

  “ Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this. ” Hosea 7 : 8 - 10 KJV The amazing reflection of Ephraim is the sweet relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. But when Ephraim began to develop an appetite for half-baked cakes, he began to make excuses for his frequent flights from the throne of grace to consult with earthly princes and mortal kings. And like Ephraim, believers are called and chosen to be peculiar and reflections of God’s praises. Our strength is anchored on the ability to understand the counsels of God through divine revelation and intimate relationships; and not through social networking, artificial intelligence, and political fraternity. These carnal resources and pr...

  “ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ” Romans 6 : 16 - 18 KJV If servants of sin and unrighteousness implies slavery, servants of righteousness offer full freedom from evil and satanic oppression. Unlike the expectation of many people about freedom, servants of righteousness are inspired only by divine counsels and revelations. Otherwise, the world of social media and the litany of online contents are saturated with hateful speech, murder, wickedness, malice and envy for the entanglement of freelancers. Only those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and preserved by His grace are technically free from the subtle manipulation. Unfortunately, m...

  “ Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6 : 12 - 14 KJV Just as Adam and Eve pawned the garden of Eden on the platters of their endowment as free moral agents, New Testament saints could readily pawn the privileges of grace on the altar of dormant dominion. While the grace of God has appeared to all to teach godliness and righteousness; the redeemed of the Lord have to be deliberate to exercise this dominion. Otherwise, the deceiver is still very much around to provide convenience through compromise, comfort with corruption, and capital from concessions. Even though convenience, comfort and capital represent a token of dominion...

  “ Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, Seeing he hath no heart to it? He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: And the father of a fool hath no joy. Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.” Proverbs 17 : 16 , 21 , 24 KJV When a fool says there is no God, he doesn’t actually mean the absence of the evidence of fact; it just implies the abandonment of favour for flavour. “ Seeing he hath no heart to it ” is simply the fool’s flavour for the embrace of all forms of ungodliness. Despite the numerous display of the deeds of kindness and righteousness, some people have the nerves, arrogance and flavour for the dividends of unrighteousness, wickedness and all forms of evil. “ But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth” suggests the wishful thinking and attraction of wisdom in wickedness, rewards for ruinous disposition, and wealth in wastefulness. While favour applies the open revel...

  “ Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform .” Romans 4 : 16 , 20 - 21 KJV Abraham has remained every believer’s father of faith for a reason: “ he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God ”. Our glory gift to God is always the best expression of appreciation for His love. Therefore, every believer’s faith and persuasion on the fulfillment of God’s promises is a glory gift. And just as Abraham did, we can endure pain, persecution, and pressures against pleasure for the sake of holding unto the promises of God. It implies that the alternatives to a persuasive f...

  “ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ” Romans 4 : 3 - 5 KJV If all we can do for good relationships at home, workplaces, and the society is dependent on us, everyone would attest to the Herculean burden of maintaining the right relationship in life. For Abraham, the options would definitely include believing in Sarah, Lot and their extended families…and attending the consequences of their childlessness throughout the period of residence in the waiting room would be great. But “ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness ”. Faith is simply about believing God for who He is and not what He does. Even when surrounded by doubt, difficulties, denials, disappointment and decep...

  “ Truth shall spring out of the earth; And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; And our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; And shall set us in the way of his steps .” Psalm 85 : 11 - 13 KJV While there is no hiding in the place of God’s grace in relation to the affairs of man, God’s grace is readily mistaken for gifts. Just as rain falls on the wicked and the godly alike, God’s gifts of good health, material wealth, and social worthfulness can abound without commensurate riches in God’s grace. His dealings for grace are often measured by the people's exposure to the challenges of life, wilderness experiences, and precarious circumstances. For example, when God responded back to Apostle Paul’s struggle with infirmities that “ My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12 : 9 )”, it wasn’t because of God’s weakness but His wisdom towards the apportio...

  “ Excellent speech becometh not a fool: Much less do lying lips a prince. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.” Proverbs 17 : 7 , 14 KJV One of the greatest surprises to fools is that long life is not synonymous to lying lips. Also, a fool can be fooled into believing that wealth is the same as health. No, they are not the same. Unfortunately, lying lips can fit the rooms of political diplomacy, the arsenal of business savvy, and the pride of administrative authorities. For example, Ananias and Shapphira would have had long life, if they didn’t agree together to adopt the lying lips for popularity and polarization. Likewise, those who previously ply the road of deceit could have seen the benefits of duplicity, without considering the ends of the means. Short fame and transient recognition at the most, coupled with eternity of shame, suffering, and separation from God, is always the end of lying lip...