Heralds Digest

  “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.32.5.nkjv Like David, every freed fugitive knows the value of freedom from sin. Unfortunately, familiarity with religious practices and regular conversations with rosary (instead of a sincere faith in God) have robbed off the experience of the joy of salvation from the hearts of many visitors to the altar of prayer. Whereas, genuine confession starts with sincere conviction of sin in the heart. Normally, this is a state of absolute acknowledgment of guilt as convicted fugitive from the presence of God. In the Psalmist’s testimony, “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden...I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”. And the only product of true conviction and confession is genuine conversion, after the undeniable forgiveness of sin f...

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.25.14.nkjv The value of friendship is difficult to be ascertained until one is faced with the pressure of performance in life. Quick choices are necessary at this point, where one’s supposed friends are made to realize the sacrifice of their relationships on the altar of convenience and comfort with the highest bidders is inevitable. However, friendship with God is revered always by the hearts that reserve the fear of the Lord. At the junction of compromise, the heart is always presented with flashy alternatives and fake narrative of success. But those who fear the Lord are always sensitive to the voice of the Spirit “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”. Unrighteous practices may be the common experience of attaining fake success in the world; but the righteous are always contented with the covenant of good success from t...

“Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.25.4.nkjv If the only challenge in the pursuit of purpose in life ends with knowing the will of God, Christians will readily discharge the need for seeking divine guidance along the pathway thereafter. David’s experiences after discovering the will of God as the anointed king of Israel brought him down on the exigency of believers’ everyday prayer “Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths”. Of course, he learnt trust and humility in the wilderness of leaving the dream as God’s anointed king. Many pathfinders ask too many questions relating to essence of the wisdom of God in dealing with issues of life, especially when God has freely given man the privilege for capacity development. When our thoughts on how the matters of life should ran are open, it is always difficult to find the opinion of the Master-planner. However, whenever a pathfinder is willing to let go of his strateg...

“A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:30-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.22.30-31.nkjv An adage and the scriptures are consistent with the fact that “A good name is better than silver and gold”. Notwithstanding, proud parents think more about the prospect of prosperity for their children rather than the prospect of posterity. There is nothing wrong in celebrating excellence and exceptional abilities in our wards; but the courage to deal decisively with evil and unrighteousness is mostly undermined in the dictionary of proud parents. Kids hate punishment and corrections; and so why emphasize the obvious? Christ was ignored on the Cross by the Father in order to decisively punish sin and save the unrighteous world for posterity, not prosperity. And our pious Father still deal with all His children today on the basis of...

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭ 19:14 ‬ ‭KJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/1/psa.19.14.kjv Ambition is taught and introduced in the world’s educational system as the creative work of fantasy. Without careful interest in divine intervention, ambition in life, family and ministry is nothing more than personal imagination of the proposed pursuits of progress, prosperity and promotion. Even when the heart seeks divine assistance, the authentication of personal ambition and pursuits is desired instead of the will of God. Therefore, when the Psalmist presented the desire “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight”, he sincerely desire the review of his personal ambition in the light of the precepts of the Lord. There is always a divine ambition for every child of God. When divine ambition is pursued in the sincere interests of reviewing personal amb...

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.17.8.nkjv The expected testimony in all of life’s struggles, especially while in the hands of oppressors, destroyers, and the enemies of progress, is straightforward: deliverance. Even if the enemies must die or disappear, the focus of most testimonies is majorly the removal of the source of discomfort in life. And when we say the prayer of the Psalmist, our misconceptions promote the philosophy of testimony without test, instead of the testimony of trust. Whereas, “keep me as the apple of Your eye” suggests the desire for a transformation within, where the heart can sincerely trust in God’s protection and preservation, even when walking through the shadow of death and the den of lion. When the righteous truly trust in the Lord as the apple of His eye, he can go to sleep like the Lord even in the midst of the storm.

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.16.9.nkjv  While contemplating on the source of satisfaction and gladness of the Psalmist, a sweet memory of the last word from a loved one came to mind “I am satisfied!”. Obviously, not satisfied by the accumulation of affluence or the attainment of lofty height in career, ministry or political opportunity. It was the inner joy and contentment of a life well spent in the pursuit of the will of God and the evidence of His presence, irrespective of who and what else were absent. Unfortunately, our world is driven by the pursuit of temporary happiness and excitement at the expense of the joy of the presence of the Lord in the heart. And while the rush goes on, the redeemed of the Lord are frequently distracted by the flash of entertainment from material accumulation. Whereas, the great glory in having the soul and spirit within rest in the sati...