Heralds Digest

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭8:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.us/114/ezr.8.21.nkjv The subtle danger in self-confidence is the finding of the edges of over-confidence in the pursuit of excellence. In forum among men, lack of self-confidence is a signal for irresponsibility. However, operating in a self-confident mode often disables the expected sensitivity to divine guidance and assistance. Unfortunately, overcoming the danger in the switch between confidence in self and confidence in God requires a consistent evaluation of the source of confidence in the secret place. Ezra and his companion had started the journey by leaving no doubt about their confidence in God. But when Ezra realized the carnal propensity to proceed without the presence of the Lord, he activated the power of the secret place. Continuous show in the publi...

“Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men;” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭8:18-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.8.18-19.nkjv When the scriptures say money answers everything, the mind of man often fail to accept that everything money can buy is referred. Beyond what money can buy in any project are weighty matters that bother on the guided inference or relevance of the project for life and humanity. Irrelevant and misguided projects may be highly expensive, the cost cannot be traded for the needed relevance for the project. When Ezra realized the absence of supports from the Levites on his proposed project in Jerusalem, he quickly acknowledged the limits of the supports from the king of Artaxerxes. It is important to note that getting all polit...

“And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:18-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.7.18-20.nkjv One of the devastating influences of corruption is the destruction of trust and integrity in the affairs of the people of God. Even many diligent people of God will wear extra care and caution when exposed to depend on the integrity of other people of God, especially when dealing with the subject of establishment code (“estacode”). Originally used in former British colonies, estacode now has diverse meanings and subject to the depth of endemic corruption in the system. However in the times of Ezra, extra establishment code...

“On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.7.9-10.nkjv Finding focus in the midst of strongly diverse interests in life is always a challenge. While the scriptures didn’t provide the reason why it took Ezra five months to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem, it does underscore the reason why any difficulty in arriving in Israel was not the focus of Ezra. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel”. Unfortunately, many often lose focus on the purpose for life’s existence on the platform of finding the path of least resistance. While career choices, classic residences, proud ministerial pursuits, and ...

“And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.6.22.nkjv When the sacrifices of sincere seekers align with the spirit of the sovereign Saviour in every sanctuary at home and the places of worship, there is no doubt the impact of the Spirit’s freshness on the heart of man. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is always freedom, freshness, and fullness of grace and the glory of the Lord. Unfortunately, life outside the spirit-inspired sanctuary, either in the workplaces or in the general society, is full of challenges that threatens the freshness of the Spirit. After the dedication of the rebuilt temple of God, the returning Jews resuscitated the various feasts (Passover, Unleavened bread, etc) with the joy of the Lord. However, God also ensured that t...

“So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.6.14.nkjv In our fast-paced competitive world, prosperity is measured on the scale of its charisma rather than its character. The preferred prosperity must be quick, fast, and easily attainable. The hall of fame, Guinness book of record, and fortune diaries are created to celebrate the youngest achievements of excellence with inconsequential penalties for youthful exuberances. However, the charisma of prosperity observed in the building of temple of God in Jerusalem by the elders of the Jews was not quick, not fast and not easily attainable. Often times, heavenly-inspired prosperity is characterized by discouraging metrics of incessant interruption...

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there. Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/ezr.6.6-7.nkjv When good works in the life and affairs of the people of God appear to face delay, disappointment and denial, there is always a sincere burden in the heart: what moves between God and people, especially when actions are considered to align with the perfect will of God? When king Cyrus gave the initial decree concerning the rebuilding of the temple of God, the good work started but later got stopped by the enemies. It took many years before the work could be restarted through another decree from king Darius. However, it is instructive to note that neither the decree of Cyrus nor the declaration of Darius does started...