Heralds Digest

  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as light is simply the absence or disappearance of darkness, the fear of the Lord is simply the absence of foolish fears - the myriads of false expressions in our lives appearing real. These fears include the threats to believers’ security, sustenance, salvation, etc, in spite of the abundance of God’s promises and His proven redemptive love. Unfortunately, these fears bring ignorance and the trading of our birthrights, whenever we are confronted with the challenges of life. But then, every incidence of these foolish fears is a litmus evidence of believers’ deficiency in the fear of the Lord. Little wonder why the scriptural injunction is always true that ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge’ . May our hearts be always enriched by the fear of the Lord; so that our freedom from foolish fears is consistently guaranteed.

  “Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ By ignorance of the Sovereignty of God, man is capable of doing and undoing the natural workings of system and institutions with self-conceited mindset. For example, men with seemingly absolute power have acted in diverse times and seasons with absolute corruption and ruthlessness. Whereas, only the privileged believers in the sovereignty of God have attempted to meditate on the liberality of the Creator of heaven and earth with His narrow natured man. By God’s grace, man’s narrow nature can be freed from narrow mindedness. If God is always mindful of the narrow natured man, man can also aim to be mindful of our infinite God in all actions and purposes. Notwithstanding, only those who care to ask “ Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? “ are ready to receive consistent grace for a pu...

  “Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I.” Psalms‬ ‭142:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In a level playing ground with equal privileges, the superiority of our diligence and discipline can withstand any game of the adversaries. Even when we pray out of respect for our belief in God, everyone knows that the ideal salvation and deliverance in this instance comes by the works of human hands. But whenever human ingenuity and efforts are brought deeply low, complete faith and absolute confidence in the strongest Saviour becomes the only escape route to freedom. Yes, the Lord is stronger than the strongest on earth; higher than the highest; and wiser than the wisest. This is always the new revelation of the righteous, whenever he is brought low from his level of competition and the engagement of human bravery. Therefore, whenever the persecutors and oppressors of the righteous seems to be celebrating the advances in their wicked plots, the r...

  “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...