Heralds Digest

  “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Relationships without personal intimacy is just a mystic ideology, even in the abundance of physical interaction. The same understanding is valid with the expression of pleasure in the relationship between God and man. Those who believe in the existence of God understand that God created man primarily for His own pleasure. Unfortunately, the fall of man and his disobedience to God resulted in the destruction of the personal pleasure from a righteous relationship with God. And after a successful actualization of the plan of redemption, many believers still could not see beyond the pursuit of their own personal pleasures. The wicked are not just composed of the unregenerate sinners, backsliders, and those who rejected God’s plan of redemption. Those who fail to consider the relevance of the personal pleasure of God in their da...

  “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ With the current state of the art advances and technological innovations, man is capable of planning, designing, and developing great building edifice, machinery, and automation of operations and systems. If regulatory procedures are not violated and compromised, the reliability of human systems can approach almost a perfect factor of safety. Unfortunately, the planning of human life, career, family, and relevance to himself and people within his sphere of influence is not the same as the planning for the relevance of equipment, building structure and processes. Notwithstanding, many people with advances in knowledge and material endowment would even attempt to get obsessed with the planning of the lives of other people beside that of themselves. And whenever God...

  “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah‬ ‭9:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ An isolated use of wisdom, position, and material strength is always good and rewardable, as long as it provides the basis for peace, love, justice, and righteousness. Unfortunately, the deficiencies in human capabilities represent our inability to guarantee a consistently good use of these resources without the grace of God. Sometimes, it is more frustrating for a mortal man to accept the reality of his deficiencies, especially when his confidence in the use of his natural endowment is generally commendable. But the reality remains the solemn fact that “ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not th...

  ““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the precious privileges of children of God is the opportunity to discover the purpose of God for life’s existence. It is always a refreshing experience when believers approach the throne of grace to know the will of God in all of life’s relationships, projects, and opportunities. Notwithstanding, everyone still struggle to align personal expectations with divine purpose, as we progress in the pursuit of life’s agenda. Unknown to prophet Jeremiah, he was created, cleansed, and commissioned to be a prophet to the nations even before his own personal understanding and acknowledgement. Although he struggled hard to pursue his own personal ambition or his understanding of the nation’s expectations from him, the divine purpose prevailed. Likewise, we or the parties within our life’s relationships often struggle against the purp...

  “Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭56:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If integrity is, as popularly presumed, a game of cards, the rewards for righteousness will remain finalized in a popularity contest. The man who holds on to righteousness, uprightness, and integrity is always not qualified to feature in a game of cards of this world. He either decides to join the majority to defile the Sabbath or trust only in the blessedness of the Lord of the Sabbath. Unfortunately, waiting for the Lord of the Sabbath takes time; and most times, very frustrating. Anyone can claims integrity in a land where the practice of righteousness, uprightness, and professional ethics itself has integrity. But in climes where integrity is a game of cards, only the very few people who can hold on to infinite integrity are blessed by the Lord. Actually, when the Lord says “ Blessed is the man who…[...

  “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Praying according to God’s will or receiving answers to prayer is often the basis of believers’ frustration about the concerned nearness of God. And by further reflection on “ …while He may be found..and while He is near” , it is important to note that prayer is deeper and higher than just the believers’ call. The effectual prayer of believers is simply their responses to the Creator’s call. So, whenever an obedient believer is stirred by the Spirit to whisper a prayer, every positive response to this call is always the initiation of an answer to prayer. If we truly understand that our existence on earth and in every assignment with people, places, and project is strategically and purposefully orchestrated by God, then it would not be hard to learn how to always seek only for God’s attention and respond to His call in our prayers. And whenever it appears that our calls do not align per...

  ““There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “ There is no peace…for the wicked” has different interpretations, depending on who originated the declaration. From the Lord’s perspective, it is a plea for reconciliation and an invitation to the path of peace. Unfortunately, whenever the heart of man is driven by wickedness, bitterness, and a vengeful spirit, he often quotes the same declaration out of context. Whereas, no one can possibly end wickedness with revenge and cruelty. And even those who seem to take the winner’s corner in every wicked venture do not have the luxury of enjoying the peace of mind. Every recovery by the takers of wicked vices sets the wicked heart on a new path of war. Therefore, the right perspective always is the peace path, says the Lord and our Redeemer from the wicked path. And anyone who truly desires peace of mind in life and relationships must learn how to sincerely follow peace with both God and man. Happy New ...