Heralds Digest

"All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, And all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, And they shall return to the pay of a harlot”. (Micah 1:7 NKJV) The pleasure derivable from sexual immorality is an attractive prey that draw the heart of man to the altar of idolatry. The pay appears a real offer of satisfaction before the act, until the hook behind the prey exposes the ugly wound of a slit-ted throat after the act. Sexual images may be attractive to the eyes; they are destructive to the soul. A wise man understands the openness of the eyes as the window to his heart; and even in unsolicited online advertisement, he readily allow the eyelid to shut the window against sexual seduction.

"The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments." (Habakkuk 3:19 NKJV) The embodiment of creation represents the complete work of the Lord God; but man is a special subset of this work, that was created for divine purpose. Realizing that God's work is good (like prophet Habakkuk did), it is normal to be disturbed or query the chaotic representation of the current state of world's affairs. The only abnormality is the possible failure of man in recognizing the sufficiency of divine assistance toward achieving divine purpose, even in the wilderness of life. In the midst of our failed expectations, God's expositions are just sufficient. Therefore, greater heights await only those who rest solely on divine assistance.

“But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV) Silence of God, while evil appears to prevail in life's situations and circumstances, is often misconstrued as loss of sovereignty. During this period, the proud are free to brag about the sophistication of wickedness and the joy of transient superiority. Unknowingly to all impostors, quietness is more of a virtue than a weakness. When the Creator of heaven and earth resides in heart of a man, the man possesses the power to freely stay silent. Unless the wicked learn to admit the superiority of free silence, he accepts the risk of forced silence.

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry". (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV) The biggest challenge with the promises that represent the agenda of God to anyone that wait for Him is that there is often no definite execution time attached. However, God's agenda is not subject to human economy and any government policy. The performance of God's promises is mostly relied on the faith of the beneficiary. Unlike prophet Habakkuk, many people find it difficult to manage the frustration of waiting on the same God, who promised, for the performance of His promises. Except man's agenda is focused on constant revision of God's promises, it will be impossible to prevent shifting away from God's agenda.

"You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?" (Habakkuk 1:13 NKJV) The gruesome status of the unrighteous man is only feasible to the eyes of a regenerated soul. But without the consistent supply of grace to the heart of man, the taste of sin can gradually become attractive to the soul. All the same, God's grace understands the existence of a righteous permutation from the list of containment, conformity, and congregation in relationship with iniquity. Otherwise, no one is capable of congregating with evil workers without falling into snare of containment and/or conformity with unrighteousness. Like prophet Habakkuk, everyone must learn how to ascend to hill of the Lord in order to abide under the divine power of a gracious congregation - it's the gospel, the gateway to glorious congregation.

"Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you". (Habakkuk 1:5 NKJV) Only a sincere seeker can share the experience of frustration in prophet Habakkuk's prayer. Apart from the common failure or denial of a selfish and ungodly prayer, delay is equally possible while bringing down God's promises and purpose; not on the account of God's impotence but on the account of man's impatience. Even while man is in apparent waiting mode, God is always working towards the fulfillment of His promises. His invincible works within the seeker are often overlooked, when we look around for comparison rather than for confirmation.

"For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined their vine branches". (Nahum 2:2 NKJV) Irrespective of background and the circumstances surrounding the place of birth, every creature of God represents dominion and excellence. However, the enemy is the emptier of God's purpose in life, subject to man's approval. In spite of the emptier's destructive agenda and like unto Israel or Jacob, God's purpose for man's excellence remains the same. As soon as we are prepared to restore confidence in God's promises, the implementation of heaven's agenda becomes reactivated. Consistent collaboration of human confidence is equal to God's manifestation.