Heralds Digest

“For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:32-33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/pro.1.32-33.nkjv Material prosperity attracts a significant sense of security from almost all the challenges of life. After all, the scripture also says ' Money answers everything ' (Ecclesiastes 10:19). The only caveat is the understanding of the type or quality of security provided. The security that deadens the sensitivity of man to the instructions of the Spirit of God is fake and complicated. It is evident that material prosperity that is influenced by the fear of the Lord cannot lead its beneficiaries away from the presence of God. Therefore, much talks about the principles of success and prosperity that are driven by gains are unreliable. Real prosperity and success in life and ministry guarantee simple security when driven by godlin...

“My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/pro.1.10.nkjv The scriptures rightly posited that ' A sinner is not a Christian, and a Christian is not a sinner ' (1 John 3:8 paraphrased ). However, it will be right to quickly admit that the boundary between a sinner and a Christian is highly porous, with countless possibilities of cross-boundary excitation and enticement. Unfortunately, many fans of Christ are tempted to ignore the saintly counsel of not giving consent, '... if sinners entice you '. The major problem is that many often absolve self from the biblical injunction. For example, in a family comprising the father, the mother, and the children, any of the parents (father or mother) can easily get enticed, while trying to enforce the consent of the children or the counsel of an outsider. Whereas, we are all called (parents, preachers, and even principals, with their pupils inclusive) to be the forthright fan o...

“and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭13:7-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/12/neh.13.7-9.nkjv Compromise through a partnership with unbelievers is often encouraged to be treated with great care, possibly with an exercise of strict boundaries. The scriptures even admonished complete abstinence from an unequal yoke with unbelievers, especially in all of the life projects; and where the seeking of the face of God is absolutely necessary for their day-to-day execution. For example, unequal yoke in marriage will later require desperate courage and the mercy of God in order to repair the resulting broken altar of prayer and c...

“Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.11.1-2.nkjv Unlike in our contemporary world, it was a significant sacrifice in the days of Nehemiah, to choose to live and raise a family in the capital city of Jerusalem. Since the major source of livelihood then is farming, city lifestyle attracts low productivity from the scarce farmstead, voluntary preferences for a low standard of living, and a significant constraint to material and physical expansions. While services from leaders of the people that dwelt at Jerusalem may attract some form of remuneration, others who voluntarily surrendered their career and professional pursuits are merely motivated by the need to live solely for humanity. Since...

“Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭10:28-29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.10.28-29.nkjv Anyone would rightly query the decency in entering into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, until the penalty of interaction with the world, outside the presence of God, is properly reviewed. The remnants of the Israelites from the captivity have had the knowledge and understanding of the consequences of breaking away from the precious covenant with the Lord. Now with the privil...

“Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭9:19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.9.19.nkjv Wilderness experience is often considered a despicable distraction from the goal of success and achievement in life. The normal reactions, especially due to a prolonged wait for the expected light at the end of the tunnel, include murmuring, blame game, provocations, loss of vision, indifference, intolerance, and general discouragement. But as rightly reflected by the children of Israel, after the rebuilding of the broken walls of Jerusalem, wilderness experience is expected to reveal the manifold mercies of God. There were many manifestations, including a sufficient pillar of the cloud for the scorching sun in their days; a luminous pillar of fire for the darkened night; abundant manna f...

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.8.9.nkjv People often query why revival tarry in the assembly of those who seek the presence of God. There is always a multiplicity of religious activities that produce little or no effect in the heart of the people. However, the collective reawakening of the restored people of God during the Feast of Tabernacle, after the completion of Nehemiah's project, is significant. All the people, including counseling coach, political and spiritual leaders, were specifically inspired by the word of the Lord. The uniform inspiration of the leadership prepared the ground for the reawakening of the spiritual atmosphere. No wonder they spoke the same language with a clear expression of the wor...