Heralds Digest

  “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There are different grades of evil practices, starting from evil romancing and ending with evil rustling. Apart from the devil and his fallen angels, almost all evil workers do not get enlisted with outright bad intentions. The list of attractions into wicked works include provision of basic needs for self or loved ones, smart deliverance from another grade of wicked networks, etc. The reality is that all temptations to participate in wicked works have an attractive selling point or dirty delicacies. Unfortunately, decent delicacies in life, career, family and ministries come with an unattractive price of patience and waiting upon the Lord. And for those who are distracted by dirty delicacies, their hearts are deceived to secretly practice iniquities, even while openly engaged in righteous conversations. Therefore, ...

  “I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭140:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Given the facts about the corruption, wickedness, and defilement of the world system, the pursuit of knowledge relating to the secret plans and plots of surrounding people, partners, and peers is always counterproductive. If anything, this knowledge further cloud the mind from thinking straight and prevent the rightful deployment of useful energy in the pursuit of righteousness. Whereas, there is no alternative route to justice and progress in life, family, and career apart from the singular pursuit of righteousness. When the psalmist said ‘I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted’, he attested to the unfortunate ignorance of many who prefer the pursuit of knowledge about the activities of the wicked and evil men. Most times, these wicked and evil men serve as advisers, close associates, and confidants. Therefore, it is just sufficient for the...

  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If the way that connects wicked actions and wicked decisions is always obvious to all, the struggle between good intentions and godly inspiration will be obsolete. Whereas, life, career, and family decisions are consistently made with seemingly good but ultimately selfish intentions. Even when the chosen path of actions appears fair and just, it is considered wicked if its end results are aliens to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for deliverance from satanic captivity. And until the heart is completely brought to the point where his inability to take any decision without the help of God is fully embraced, wicked way gets easily harboured under the pretence of good intentions. “ Search me, O God, and know my heart ”…is a self-release of the warrant to search the heart’s intentions.  “ Try me, and kno...

  “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭138:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Mood swing is natural to everyone; but the accommodation of someone else’s mood swing is sometimes devastating. For the psalmist, the antidote for mood swing phenomenon is an absolute confidence in God’s promises, particularly when the contributions of human performance are dropping fast. Without absolute confidence in God, the hope of widows, orphans, disfavoured employees, and humbled partners for survival and relevance in life are often lost, whenever their relationships suffer disasters and disappointment. Whereas, the scriptures declare that there are no abandoned projects with God, who “ Do not forsake the works of Your hands” . Even when the relationship of believers with human performance is favoured, these contributions are merely a subset of the works of God’s hands. He has thousands and one means of accomplishing the wor...

  “It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭127:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The conception of the idiom ‘sleep like a baby’ must have been embraced through the acknowledgment of the privileged freedom of babies from worry and anxiety. But as we grow older, a thoughtful mind becomes overwhelmed with his sense of responsibility in life…to self, to the people within one’s primary sphere of influence, and ultimately to the world. Notwithstanding, God has designed sleep for the psychological management of insanity, and all variants of worry and anxiety in every man. Besides, many new dreams and innovative ideas are brought to life when man has a good and refreshing sleep; rather than literally forcing the hypertensive body to go to sleep through the use of pills, or the different forms of sleep enhancers. Even when God would bring Eve out of Adam, He made Adam go to sleep. Unfortunately, when we forget God, we excha...

  “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭122:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without the privileges of frequent transition from pressure to pleasure, life’s engagements at home, workplace, and the society are bound to be boring, depressing, and sometimes suicidal. ‘ All works and no play ’ syndrome forces the carefree souls to clubhouses and joints where they are mostly targeted for unnecessary destructive plan of the wicked. Whereas, the scriptures declare that in the presence of the Lord is the fullness of joy and unending pleasures. For those who have found peace and reconciliation from the bondage of sin, there is always joy and gladness at every opportunity to take a break from the performance pressure of life’s engagements into the prevailing pleasures in God’s presence. And whenever there is no gladness at every call into the presence of the Lord, there is every evidence that the soul has fallen from grace.

  “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:165‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Everyone knows that life without law is a jungle and unattractive. Therefore, systems  are created to be governed by laws for access to peace and sanity. Unfortunately, it takes just a lawless person in any system to create a chaotic environment for the population of law-abiding people. And since lawlessness procreate faster than lawfulness, even righteous people are not secured by their moral standards. The only hideout from lawlessness in life is the pursuit of the law of God. Even in the midst of uncontrollable storms, the entrance of the Lord’s law gives light and peace in the heart. And when the psalmist said nothing causes those who delight in the Lord’s law to stumble, he actually attested to the great satisfaction and peace in a law-abiding and godly heart.