Heralds Digest

  “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. ” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Being blessed with this world’s success, security, and status, many are tempted to derive uneasy satisfaction. Whereas, in actual fact, there is no sustainable success, security, and status in the system of this world. The world knows the inescapable way of taxing its success, security, and status. Therefore, even in the affluence of worldly success, the heart of the poor in spirit is focussed on heavenly success and spiritual riches. The soul is rather satisfied with the more of heaven’s riches than being occupied by the earthly bliss. Likewise, even in the most secured state and an island free of insurgency, the heart of the righteous would mourn the restlessness in this fractured world, and the lack of satisfaction until the dawn of the glorious morning. Needless to ...

  “ For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd .” Zechariah‬ ‭10:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The strong delusion in the comfort that is derivable from human efforts is the temporal appeal. Although the world celebrates this appeal and glory in the glamour, wealth, and affluence, the scriptures summarized the products of human efforts in life as idols. Unfortunately, the knowledge of God and the understanding of His purpose in life remain unpopular to hearts that completely de-taste the temporal challenges in the pursuit of excellence. Whenever we are tempted to be wary of waiting upon the Lord, we are quick to embrace wrong counsels, entertain quick fixes, and encourage short cuts. Whereas, the true trouble for the hearts that reject the divine counsels is the alienation from the true Shepherd. When the scriptures declare that “ They are in tro...

  “ But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him .”Habakkuk‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When God promised Habakkuk that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, amidst the prevailing concerns of wickedness in his days, he would probably underestimate the scale of the overwhelming distraction, deception, and destruction in today’s World Wide Web (www). Notwithstanding, the Lord’s promise remains prevalent; but it is begging for the righteous’ strategy and wisdom in applying self management, while surfing the web. When a believer today expresses concern about difficulty in finding God during personal devotion, knowing His Will in career choices, marriage decision, parenting, and all other day-to-day activities, he needs to be more sincere about the impacts of the overwhelming invasion by conflicting voices, opinions, and information from the web. Since the reality that we no longer go to the web, but now live on the web, is true; thos...

  ““ What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols ?” Habakkuk‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ To everyone who believes that man is truly created as the image of God, life’s rhetorical question here would attract a sober reflection. Being given different privileges, opportunities, and advantages in life, not many people are often concerned with the question “ What profit is this image, that His Maker should carve it…?” . Obviously, God is not to be blamed for man turning out a teacher of lies and mute idols…pursuing his own derailed desires and selfish ambitions. Man was made to be holy, to speak the truth always, to live consistently honest, and to declare the beauty of God’s holiness in character, charisma, and communication. But now and in those who have not tasted of the grace of God that brings salvation and deliverance from sin, the depraved nature in man has corrupted the origi...

  “ For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry .” Habakkuk‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The twist in all of God’s promises is a reality made clear in His revelation to Habakkuk. It shows the difference between waiting for God’s promises and waiting on God’s promises. While the former may appear to tarry, the latter cannot tarry. Notwithstanding, God must remain the focus in either of the waiting. This is because time and circumstances of life will attempt to twist the believer's waiting period; but God remains unchanging, irrespective of the twist of life. But when the scriptures say the vision will surely come, the believer's confidence and faith in God’s promises must remain solid as his conviction in God’s existence. Unfortunately, the twist in reality often comes with the tendency to play God, helping ourselves with manipulations, and the manifestation of fa...

  “ For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate .” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Confidentiality is not only one of the requirements for smooth operations in public service, information management is mostly useful in identifying and separating classified matters that involve the engagement of human activities. Even at home and in our day-to-day family operations, parental anomalies are easily classified as family manners before the children; and everyone remains happy as long as home operates peacefully. Whereas, in our relationship with God, there is nothing like confidentiality. If God said to Israel “ For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: ”, He is equally drawing our attention to the fact that human activities (including our body languages, imagination, manipulation, etc) are open office before Him. While the practice of closed office is always encouraged and acc...

  ““ Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm .” Joel‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life’s desires for better remuneration, loftier position, classic accommodation, higher standard of living, and greater opportunities are natural. The unwanted reality is that these desires often become detention, where the heart is served with prison sentences. Human body needs remain unsatisfied as long as our hearts would not differentiate between interest in provisions and the desire for the Provider. Whenever the desires of believers shift from more fellowship with God to more material attractions, it implied that their hearts have been imprisoned. And the holy cry to all backslidden children of God remains ““ Now, therefore ,” says the Lord, “ Turn to Me with all...