Heralds Digest

“You shall have a song As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain of the LORD, To the Mighty One of Israel. The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:29-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.30.29-31.nkjv Agents of darkness and the enemies of progress in life are never satisfied with the denial of their victim’s good, until they are fully convinced that the aspiration to seek for good is destroyed. Assyria will never rest his assault until the people of God are contented with the melody of defeat and discouragement. However, the Glorious Lord of Host declares ‘You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept...’. For the vict...

“Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.30.18.nkjv Waiting times in time of great delude and devastation are sincerely trying times for believers’ confidence in God. The challenge is always the rationale for keeping the promises of God’s Protection in the face of losing our peace to the enemies’ aggression. Often times, the salvation from the Lord comes after the worst has been let loose from the devil’s arsenal. And God would appear to be unconcerned. Meanwhile, the waiting time to those who care to find out creates several opportunities for character mouldings, where the righteous’ ears are open to holy instructions and their mouth learn how to speak gracious words. Unfortunately, hearts that are desperate for quick deliverance would trade the waiting will for a wayward...

“For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”— Therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses ”— Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:15-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.30.15-16.nkjv Charismatic pursuit of the will of God in every area of human endeavour often adopt the stereotype of smooth ride, intelligent slide and beautiful appearance in believers’ prestige, prosperity, and prospects. Whereas, the expected ends in the pursuit of the sincere will of God does not necessarily attract blissful beginnings. To God, confidence in the God of the Will is preferred to the expected comfort in the will of God. That way, believers are able to stay quiet and confident, especially when the pursuit of the revealed of God appears to attract unfavourable occurrences. Unfortunately, pr...

““Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.30.1.nkjv One of the major challenges of parenting is keeping the tap on the source of right counsel. Powered by the influence of the polluted social media, ungodly school curricula and peer pressure, most parents are intimidated by their powerful children, resulting in a situation of repressive children from purposeless parenting. Whereas, and like it happened to God’s people, purposeful parenting encourages adherence to counsels from the Spirit of Israel rather than attraction to the strength of Pharoah and the shadow of Egypt. Even then, rebellious children would prefer seeking counsels outside the sphere of the purposeful parents’ influence. If they cannot redesign the agenda in the right parenting curriculum, the pursuit of alternative parenting curriculum is encourag...

“Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale; But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:22-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.29.22-23.nkjv The adage that say ‘Success has many friends, but failure is an orphan’ underscores the burden of fruitless experiences in life. Even in the assembly of God’s people, testimonies of success and breakthrough in career, family, and business affairs are often packaged without the detail expression of fruitfulness with the presence of God during the wilderness experience. Whereas, the sweet fellowship with the Lord and the fear of the God of Israel always bring joy and hope during the ugly moments in life. Intimacy with the Lord, who redeemed Abraham from his fruitless mentality, represents a fruitful field for p...

“Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:13-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.29.13-14.nkjv Advances in the level of sophistication with human intelligence and understanding make good the scriptural declaration “You are gods, and all of you are the children of the Most High”. Human creativity is inherited from God, the Great Creator. Therefore, intimate relationship with God is expected to inspire advanced creativity in every sphere of human life. This advancement is designed as an extension of the activities of the Most High God in the world. Unfortunately, human sophistication with...

“Yet I will distress Ariel; There shall be heaviness and sorrow, And it shall be to Me as Ariel...The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:2, 7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.us/114/isa.29.2,7.nkjv The glory from a pain-taking episode is always preferred to the grace for a pain-bearing experience. And this preference often produce a half-hearted gratitude for God’s consistent faithfulness throughout all the seasons of life. But a thoughtful look on the plight of God whenever His children endure hardness and pain will sustain an expected gracious gratitude. For example, even when He supported the distress - heaviness and sorrow - of Ariel (the beloved of God in a city of Jerusalem), the scriptures say “...it shall be to Me (God) as Ariel”. Obviously, He knows the painful situations; He sees the tearful circumstances; and He hears the crying hearts, becaus...