Heralds Digest

  “So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.” ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The expected reflection on the experience of someone who is living at the centre of God’s will in life is the extensive rendering of an atmosphere of peace, prosperity and promotion of his ideas or ideology. Unfortunately, the experience of David and that of many real men did not always support this expectation. For many years after David’s divine anointing as king of Israel, he was confronted with a perfect mix of the opposite of peace, prosperity and promotion. Notwithstanding, these unpleasant experiences taught David the undiluted balance of judgement and justice, both at home and among his people. And in spite of David’s exploits on the field and conquest against the external enemies of Israel, the confirmation of his reign came after the demonstration of his preservation against all internal attacks on peace, prosperity and promotion. ‘ So David rei...

  “Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭12:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Instability in a system, household or organization is the mother of insincerity. Unstable minds and souls cannot be satisfied with a single source of strength, provision or promises. If Israel has been deeply thoughtful about the supernatural manifestation of God for their salvation, deliverance and preservation, they would have consistently rejected the temptation to serve any other gods or anyone who is an alien to the commonwealth of grace. Even after their lack of satisfaction with God and theology pushed them to prefer the king like other nations, Samuel was still deeply concerned that their unstable minds would obviously let them down. Sincerely, if we must consider what the system of this world could or wouldn’t do for or against us, we will not be able to fear and serve the great and mighty God alone. A sincere service to God ca...

  “Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Nobody cares about the skills of the wicked heart in the main-bowl for grief game. The unregenerate hearts are skillful in the business of exchanging bitterness for grief. Particularly when the game is between God and the afflicted soul, almost everyone within our sphere of influence will share from the exchange of blame and bitterness. That was the expectation of the rival of Hannah when it was clear that ‘the LORD had closed her womb’ . Notwithstanding, the righteous is expected to have a different disposition when it appears the Lord is strangely throwing the grief at him. While many in Hannah’s shoe would have thrown the grief card or bitterness bac...

  “So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’ “”Judges‬ ‭18:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The evidence of a worthwhile engagement in life should normally be measured by human entitlement to genuine satisfaction. But most times, the accumulation of wealth, acquisition of property, and attainment of lofty position failed to provide a desirable fulfillment. The sincere test of the artificial fulfillment in human creativity is the show of complete emptiness whenever these gods are withdrawn. Unfortunately, many people, who are convinced that the vacuum in human hearts cannot be filled with wealth, property and position, do still seek and serve a god created by their own hands. When the challenges of life ask a self-discovery question “ What ails you? ”, the heart of a man on the path of recovery should review the evidence of its worthwhile engagements. Only the withdrawal of a worthless e...

  “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Amidst consistent struggles in the jungle of life, it is always easy for anyone to forget or misplace the most important necessities for survival. Promises from the most reliable persons get easily frustrated, not necessarily on the account of a deficiency in reliability. Sometimes, it is just because the game in the jungle is simply about the survival of the fittest. Notwithstanding, the prevailing promise is really not about prevention of the fight from aliens; it is simply about proscription of the stand of enemies against the purpose of God, as long as believers remain with the Lord. Unfortunately, we are easily tempted to move away from God’s prevailing promise. And like Joshua received the admonition to be strong and courageous, believers need the same courage to stand with God, especially when it is ...

  ““You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.””Deuteronomy‬ ‭14:22-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without a clear understanding of the correct context of tithing, the mind of believers will always find it difficult to unlearn the concept of favour to God. Even in the Old Testament, tithe-givers were observed to consume most of the offerings on the altar of sacrifices. Therefore, thoughtful hearts should have learned that tithes has nothing to do with the offering of favour to God. And in our days of fast business transactions, it is sometimes difficult for most tithe-givers to accept the gross income as the basis of calculating the true tithe value of ‘all the increase of your grain’. Particularly, whe...

  ““And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If redemption is the plan of a good God, righteousness must be the product known as God’s good. The laws and commandments of the Lord are reasonably grievous in the eyes of unbelievers and strangers to God’s redemption plan. But for those who are privileged to be visited by the good God, God’s good requires more than God’s goodness. It requires the redeemed’s absolute commitment to the path of righteousness, through the fear of the Lord, walking in His ways, serving the Lord with a wholesome heart, and keeping His commandments. Unfortunately, many believers are easily carried away by the deceitfulness in this world’s good. And like it was in the ...