Heralds Digest

“Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.22.24-25.nkjv  Recent experience on Dana from Abuja to Lagos taught a useful lesson about how to stay clean in a contaminated cabin. Being sandwiched at the middle seat against social distancing, I was supplied with a face shield in addition to the compulsory wearing of face mask. When the scriptures say “Make no friendship with an angry man”, it does not rule out the possibility of finding yourself in a friend zone with an angry man. What if the angry man is your spouse, superior at workplace (or even subordinate), siblings, etc? Therefore, here is what was learnt: “Just put on your face shield against possible contamination”. Anger is cancerous! Friendship with the spirit of anger starts softly, like the subtle engagement in foolish discussions, the entertainment of useless criticisms, complai...

  “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.22.6.nkjv Every parent is a certified trainer. Whether or not he choose to attend a training school, his training curriculum is well cutout for him: “Train up a child in the way he should go”. Unfortunately, many parents will rather train up a child only in the way the child wants to go, and remove the essentials from the curriculum, if the child doesn’t like them. And there is nothing wrong in training up a child in the way the child wants to go, as long as the chosen extra- curriculum is not at the expense of the classified essential curriculum. Whereas, the generation of today’s parents are falling away from the most essential ingredients of life, because yesterday’s parents refused to emphasize on the fear of the LORD and the priority of His help towards character building. When unplanned parents focus on the development of soft s...

  “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.21.2.nkjv Pursuing safety with a multitude of counsel is not as difficult as staying safe in the path of the chosen counsel. No matter how sound the counsel of men is, it is fabricated with  persuasive, but unverifiable, motives. Even the motives of any man cannot be trusted with his own counsels; needless to vouch for the counsels from men in business. Unfortunately, when the motives of men in business begin to undergo transformation, finding safety along the way becomes complicated. Although, true safety is evident in “But the LORD weighs the hearts”, many are often tempted to trust in their own understanding, rather than finding safety in the pursuit of the will and way of the LORD. Obviously, it is always possible to uphold the God-factor in the pursuit of the right route in life, if only every heart will be willing to separate personal ...

  “Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD, And dishonest scales are not good.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭ 20:23 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.20.23.nkjv As endemic as corruption appears at home, institutions and in the state, it is initiated and powered by the mindset on inconsistent criteria. Unfortunately, failed programmes in all these institutions feed on the inability of the system to enforce a strict implementation of consistent regulations and policies. And as long as conflict of interest is respected against the uphold of established criteria, corruption continue to thrive at home, institutions and in the state. When the scriptures declare that diverse weights are abomination to the LORD, the condemnation did not differentiate the chain of supply from the chain of demand. It is important to note that both the givers and takers of dishonest scales are condemnable before the LORD. Although diverse weights does favour some sets of people, and they are considered good or i...

  “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel.”  Proverbs‬ ‭20:3‬ ‭NKJV ‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.20.3.nkjv Godliness to the wise is as good as ungodliness to fools. However, while fools cannot attempt godliness, ungodliness is free for both the wise and fools. Therefore, unwary souls in the practice of godliness are easy victims of strife in almost all relationships. And when the scriptures say “It is honorable for a man to stop striving...”, it implies that strife stopping at home, workplaces, and in all social relationships requires more than wisdom on what not to do to provoke strife. Honourable man is also blessed with courage on how to stand in the gaps through prayer for potential fools. Unfortunately, foolishness thrives in relationships because no one cares about the fact that the uncontrolled flame can easily consume both the wise and fools. Both the wise and fools have a common enemy that feeds men with ungodliness, but the...

  “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.18.8.nkjv When the attraction of favour from men is driven by talebearing, the outcome is guaranteed to be something else other than satisfaction. A little bit of ‘cut-and-paste’ here and there is expected to produce the special privileges for advancement and promotion. Unfortunately, talebearers are less concerned about the impacts of their commitment on the expectation of others. And a short-sighted appetite for desserts before the serving of the main course brings separation of friends instead of the desirable satisfaction from food. Therefore, it is better to wait on the promises of God for the presentation of His privileges in life, career and ministry. Even when the cut-and-paste strategies of the world appear to be producing fancy results, the resultant damage to a promising good name and character is damnable and often irrepar...

  “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭ 17:24 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.17.24.nkjv Finding purpose in a world plagued with broken dreams, disaster, and disappointment requires more than academic intelligence and the display of scientific knowledge. And for every developing nation and people in a post-pandemic world, experience has shown that a sustainable economy cannot be built on an appetite ridden with corrupt fantasies and an importation of advanced technologies. Purpose is built on vision and not on fantasy, without which destruction is inevitable. Unfortunately, a house, people and nation composed of the importation of remote ideas are known for running big dreams on paper. However, being kept together for so long is not taken for granted by hearts awakened to the reality of life and the prospect of a sustainable development. Together, finding purpose for the home, society and na...