Heralds Digest

  “For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life without a good mentor as parent, teacher, and superior is doomed for destruction. It implies that everyone will use several of life’s introductions as good guides along the pathway of marital, career, and ministerial success. However, whereas these guides are meant to complement the divine provision of a great guide, earthly guides often compete with the heavenly guidance in all of life’s engagements and relationships. Unfortunately, the confusion with life’s constant acknowledgement of the greatness of God lies not with the competition of earthly guides. Believers’ lack of conviction in the activities of the great God is always the cause of confusion in life. When the psalmist declared “ For this is God, Our God forever and ever …”, he clearly presented a fixed heart with an inseparable God as its great guide. Therefore, life’s great guide is the great God, who desires...

  “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The scriptural admonition for believers to rejoice in hope is always a perfect medicine for the troubled souls. Whereas it is more desirable for the heart to receive in hope than to rejoice in hope, the focus on receiving is in the change of circumstances while the focus on rejoicing is fixed on the Unchangeable God. Like in the experience of the psalmist, when the soul is cast down and disquieted, it is time to switch from hollow hope to hope in God. It is a switch to focus more on the purpose of God for every situation and circumstance that a believer finds himself. Even while the prevailing situation is discouraging, believers are confident that God’s rev...

  “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Often in deliberate disregard for the silent quest of the soul, the desire for human convenience and comfort will always lead the soul of any man into desperate engagements and dangerous acquisition of wealth and stuff. Without the exception of religious people and supposed disciples of the Lord, attractions into the lifestyle of stuff satisfaction (particularly, through the need for the provision of the basic necessities of life) have always created a vacuum in the heart. But at the mercy of God, the psalmist was made to pay attention to the subtle disquieting of his soul in the midst of the dangling stuff. And likewise, whatever the hands engage with in today’s business, corporate and family life, without a constant and satisfactory response to the soul’s quest for ‘Where is God?’ , is capable...

  “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” Psalms‬ ‭37:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is a common phenomenon that bad news sells faster than good news. Strategically, just a single drop of evil can be so pronounced to weaken the faith of the righteous in the general and more predominant good. Whereas, children of God should not be ignorant of the strategy of the enemies. That the unfortunate focus on the minor evil or disaffection is aimed to distract the righteous from the good purpose of God. The architect of any evil act is the devil; and his business from the beginning is singular - distraction from the great goodness of God in the affairs of His beloved. Therefore, the psalmist proposes an holy strategy for the righteous “ Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity” . And by constantly focusing on the great goodness of God, the righteous will not only escape the distraction of fear; even the agents of evil and wickedness ar...

  “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that life’s destiny is shaped by today’s decisions; but not many people’s decisions are inspired by sustainable counsellors. When the scriptures declare safety in the multitude of counsellors, human’s discretion is expected to differentiate between periodic and permanent plans behind the counsels. Counsels motivated by plans to make money and create wealth, plans to play along with the system for recognition, and plans to diligently compete for greatness and material promotion are not necessarily bad; but they can either ignorantly or purposely be pursued against the Will of God. Whereas, godly counsels are driven by the purpose of God for human existence, rather than man’s purpose for God’s adoption. In essence, the counsels and plans of God are mostly infamous and sometimes frustrating. Nevertheless, those who truly wait on God’s counsels cannot be per...

  “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 Those who understand the veracity of the fall of man will always query the genuineness of their redemption at the slightest cause of relational concern. The benefits of a fruitful relationship with God are numerous, including the privileges of prayer, preservation in times of adversity, peace of mind in times of trouble, divine presence and guidance, etc. And since no one is immune to the challenges of life, every believer in God is just responsible to affirm the foundation of his relationship with God against the crisis of faith. Unfortunately, not many religious people have a genuine relationship with God. Anyone who cannot confidently and acquittedly Selah on “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...

  “O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:2, 14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The problem in the pursuit of the will of God for believers is sometimes the fear of divergence in desires, especially when surrounded by the desires of the unbelievers. Unfortunately, we are physically surrounded and apparently more closely influenced by the desires of the unbelievers at home, workplaces, social circles and in the larger society than the delight in God and His promises. Therefore, it seems more convenient for anyone to disobey God openly because of the fear of the people whose interests appear divergent to the Will of God. Whereas, like the psalmist, those who prefer the fear of God always discover the secret of His closeness, comfort, and covenant in their day to day family, career, social and ministry lifestyles. Even when our pleasurable delights are evidently...