Heralds Digest

“For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/psa.1.6.nkjv The past 3-day personal experiences in Amsterdam have been nothing but strange, stranded, and secluded from home and family. I have seen fainted and frustrated people alike, looking for alternative routes from the strange hospitality of the staff and agents of the Royal Dutch Airline. Frequent services of snacks and drinks provided needed relief from stress; but they never the needed break from the 3-day seclusion from all the ’to-do’ list. Although the snowy weather that resulted in the phenomena cancellations of flights in Amsterdam since Sunday appears a normal winter experience with little or no risk in North America, Schiphol airport has responded with a safety first approach, based on its level of management technology. Looking back, it has been a wonderful time of rest and relief, opportunities to experience the taste and trea...

“Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. For the extortioner is at an end, Devastation ceases, The oppressors are consumed out of the land...And it shall come to pass, When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, That he will come to his sanctuary to pray; But he will not prevail.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭16:4, 12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.16.4,12.nkjv A lopsided view of prayer as a monologue seeks the face of God for mercy, without paying attention on the demand of heaven for the exercise of mercy in human daily affairs. To Moab, heaven had pleaded “Let My outcasts dwell with you...”. Unfortunately, proud Moab would careless about the plights of God’s outcasts for accommodation, security, and sustenance. Humility is easier to manage and maintain in positions where demands for sustenance from the outcasts of this world are minimal. However, extra grace is required, in order to avoid being turned into a merciless mountain, w...

“The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.14.24-25.nkjv The camp of the wicked do not have time for extensive planning before the execution of their acts of wickedness against the righteous. While God appears unruffled by His thoughts of pleasant expected ends and glorious purposes, the rights of the righteous to submit and surrender self towards the fulfillment of God’s will are often aggressively denied. As it happened to Zion, the aggressive accommodation of the rights of the righteous cannot annul the thoughts and purposes of the Almighty God. Meanwhile, the righteous people of God are called to an attractive appreciation of the prevailing thoughts and purposes...

“For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:13-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.14.13-14.nkjv Before his demotion and banishment from the throne of God, Lucifer was described as the son of the morning and one of the stars of God. It was a position that commands respect among all the angels, being the commander of the early morning praise worship. Unfortunately, he later desired rather to be offered praise instead of commanding the offering of praise to God. And this abominable aspiration is still the basis of demotion and banishment from the presence of God today. Gifts and talents are given to men in order to show forth the praise of God. But when promotion and celebration of these endowments become elevated above the control of God,...

“It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.14.3-4.nkjv The only common phenomenon about oppression in life is its productivity in the breeding of depression. A depressed captive cannot imaging a glorious break and the celebration of divine intervention. Whereas, the scriptures say oppression does cease in the preserved day of rest from the Lord. And the redeemed are reserved for the praises of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Therefore, the focus of the righteous in moments of pain should be the collection of the content of praise, rather than celebrating the confusion from pain. For Zion, devotion to the outlines, ‘how the oppression has ceased?’, ‘how the golden city ceased?’, etc, is a...

Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord ; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors. Isaiah 14:2 NKJV http://bible.com/114/isa.14.2.NKJV A man's accomplishments in life is not, necessarily, limited by the strength of opposing negative circumstances; but by the stability of his propelling vision. Building to overcome the challenges posed by negative circumstances brings a myopic celebration of personal accomplishment. However, when God created every of His children, a person with people-driven accomplishments is conceived. And after Israel had waited on God for His mercy to walk the vision for the fulfillment of His promises, even the people who constituted part of the opposing negative phenomena were accommodated within the accomplished people’s place. What if the place was built based on Israel's discouraging or distracted dr...

“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.us/114/isa.14.1.nkjv Still experiences are generally perceived as particulars for lack of productivity, especially following an intense labour and serious dedication. Like the experiences of Jacob and Israel, the struggling interactions with Babylon away from the land of promise are synonymous to still experiences. However, God promises the mercy that converts still experiences to still settlement. Although the package of mercy with still experiences may be unattractive, it does produce the desirable results in the eyes of God. Unfortunately, impatience or the mismanagement of the pressure of life only appreciates speedy settlement, as long as it seems to satisfy the need of the hour. Whereas, only God knows the perfect land for the purposeful productivity of...