Heralds Digest

  “The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.” Genesis‬ ‭24:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The account of spiritual guidance towards the choice of Rebekah as Isaac’s wife revealed the basic principles of knowing and doing the Will of GOD. Abraham’s confidence and consistency in pursuing the perfect will of God do not start at the crossroad of convincing his servant to take a search trip to Mesopotamia for Rebekah. The confidence was built on his obedience to be taken by God from his father’s house and the numerous experiences in his journey of faith. Many people and interactions along this journey must have spoken with Abraham, but the revelations of the Lord and His promises were allowed to take preeminence. While there are notable advances and sophistication in the influences of social ...

  “And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭20:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Anyone who majored in the faithful fear that was exhibited by Abraham in Genesis 22 will miss the amazing transition of faith from his frenzied fear in Genesis 20. Even today, those who exhibit frenzied fears always come up with spurious thoughts of FEAR (false expectations appearing real), supported by the empirical state of the nation’s insecurity, economic instability, social decadence, etc. While God has said that Sarah will give birth to a promised child, frenzied fear countered God’s promise to Abraham with the fear that “ they will kill me on account of my wife ”. But when Abraham later began to grow up in his relationship with God and His words, his faithful fear would be judged by heaven as “ for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me (Genesis 22:12)”. Whenever we ...

  “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Singularity of pursuit in life’s relationships is sincerely impossible because human needs are multifaceted and insatiable. And since most times, it is impossible to prioritize the pursuit of the presence of God amidst our numerous needs, many believers have been wrongfully occupied and lived life subservient to the Devil instead of living for the glory of God. Whereas, those who have heeded the call of the Spirit do frequently use the tool of prayer with fasting to deny the fresh his deserving care. Fasting enables the pursuit of God by denying and disengaging the pressure to satisfy the needs of the flesh. Those who have trusted the call for this spiritual exercise have always enjoyed the privileges of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit amidst the deafening voices of worldly affection, receiving the commendation of t...

  “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬ The saving grace brings the peace from God, the forgiveness of sin, and great privileges to access the riches in the kingdom of God. Like many carnal minds who are interested only in the goods of the kingdom, their earthly devotions, engagements, and relationships, believers can easily be distracted from the desirable peace of God. The peace of God is the abiding presence of God, which is prevailing even in the wildest of earthly circumstances, delays, and disappointment. Those who are blessed with this prevailing peace are not disturbed by worry and anxiety. They simply discovered the privileges of the presence of God in the midst of their circumstances in lives. Actually, the prevailing peace cultivates the pre...

  “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Finding God and desiring His favour are two different and possibly divergent things. When our hearts desire the goods that come from God, they are desperate to even sacrifice the presence of God at the altars of those goods. That was when the distracted hearts will desire to dine and wine with the devil in order to acquire the material things of this world in the name of God’s goodness. Whereas, those who would search for God with all their hearts are simply hungry for Him alone and nothing else. Not even their necessary food, needless to mention the desire for fame, favour, and the fortune or life. Unfortunately, many people often start well by seeking God and His Will in marriage, business activities, career, and all of life’s relationships. But instead of continuing the pursuit of God along the way, they are easily distracted by the pursuit of their own agenda, person...

  “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life is a perfect reflection of human association, interactions, and relationships. And after the old perception is formed in man, it is often difficult to wear a new perception without divine intervention. Unfortunately, because of the human sinful nature, it is more difficult to build on good and righteous perception of the presence of God than escaping into the world of iniquities and worldliness. Therefore, believers need the help of the Holy Spirit to keep a perfect perception of the presence of God in their workplaces, homes, and social interactions. While the sophisticated advances in our cyberspace technologies have been heavily subscribed by agents of darkness, worldliness, and sinful tendencies, the Holy Spirit is provided to “ teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all thin...

  “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Appearances in special places and events with important dignitaries in the world are the much coveted centres of engagements for business discussion, social get together, and fellowship meetings. Such arrangements were the experiences of Adam and Eve with God before the fall of man. God had envisaged the opportunity of a continuous fellowship with man at the cool of the day and in the beautiful Garden of Eden. But unfortunately, after the fall of man, even the sound of the voice of the Lord God would send man on a panic mode. Likewise today and in the assembly of God’s chosen people, royal priesthood and peculiar persons, emphasis on righteousness and the power of God’s presence is still being treated with disdain by those who must indulge in sin and all forms of unri...