Heralds Digest

  “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Apart from the rainfalls, whose downpour is channeled for blessing and refreshments, almost all of God’s creatures are well supported against the free fall. It is important to note that Galileo’s law of gravity operates within the environment where the full favour of natural support is forcefully removed. Likewise, even as free moral-agent creature of God, man’s ways, thoughts, and decisions in life will engage the free fall mode without divine guidance. Pride is an expression of the state of the heart of man, and does not necessarily has something to do with the status of either affluence or penury. The onset of pride is simply the outset of the heart’s delisting of an alternative opinion or divine intervention, possibly inspired by external participation. And whenever personal rise in dominant extension (pride) is noticed, system supports are often withdrawn for the activation of a fr...

  “A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.”Proverbs‬ ‭12:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The concept of concealing knowledge confirms the reality of absolute truth; and this can only be the revelations from God. Once the Lord speaks, any slightest variation to the divine declaration makes the entire package an invalid knowledge of man. And since we now live in a highly informative age, it is safer for a prudent man to conceals knowledge and the diverse declarations surrounding his work and social life affairs. Unfortunately, the converse is said about the heart of fools. They are prone to live, act, and proclaim foolish facts, without regard for the revelation from God. It is not just enough for the righteous to act on fact, unless the source of the fact is from God; and revealing the absolute truth, or exhibiting love and peace among all the concerned stakeholders. Notwithstanding, it is logical for everyone to understand why facts underlined by hatred, malice,...

  “Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.” Proverbs‬ ‭6:25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that the body of female folks represent the symbol of beauty and attractions. Whereas, God has ordained these decent attractions within the context of pure love and fellowship. Those who exercise patience and good guidance towards arranging and courting their life partners have always found the truth in the fact that it is God who sets the solitary in the family. Unfortunately, many are easily tempted to replace genuine love with lust. How can anyone be so gullible to believe that genuine love is obtainable through the satisfaction of a personal desire with someone else’s body? Even before the consummation of the inordinate immortality, the scriptures warns against the danger of indecent invasion. Just like the operation of a system or institution is easily slowed down by virus attacks, human normal operations and good thought system are easily invaded...

  “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ‘Doing good to those to whom it is due’ is sincerely complicated in the world’s diplomatic system. It is mostly dependent on several unwritten considerations, covered by evil imaginations rather than a verifiable evidence. Unfortunately, by the adoption of decent diplomacy, human hearts are successfully robbed from being the hands of the good God towards extending the gracious goodness of God. Whereas, every redeemed child of God is saved to be the Lord’s battle axe against evil and a weapon of war for the defence of righteousness. Our commission to this noble call is possible only through a dutiful delegation to the list of good, including praying for our persecutors and oppressors, defending the course of our detractors and betrayal, providing fo...

  “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,” Proverbs‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While the final experience of the preacher revealed the difference between honest and healthy hearts, pilgrims in today’s sophisticated world are obviously faced with more grave consequences. Before the entrance of the word of God, honest hearts sincerely await the opportunity to access the mercy of God for redemption or reconciliation; and to accept the truth in His revelation for righteousness or restitution. Whereas, with the proliferation of social media with sophisticated information and advances in knowledge gathering, human philosophies about the subject of mercy and truth are now beyond the capacity of honesty in the hearts. Unfortunately, when the mercy of God and the conviction about His absolute truth forsake the heart, hearts become sick and unhealthy, even in their modest state of honesty. Even in most politely presented mercy of God and ...

  “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...