Heralds Digest

  “So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Joshua‬ ‭6:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The seven-day jogging started quietly with a one-round march through the heavily-fenced city of Jericho for six days. Notwithstanding, it was actually a just, empty, rough, inquisitive, calm, but hopeful, and obedient journey. And without absolute faith in God, none of the people will review the outcome of each of these six days in the resting camp and take up the courage for the next jogging day. Likewise, almost all of life’s breakthrough stories are written while jogging on the Jericho trail. Without being just in all our interactions with the unjust world, empty but enthusiastic, rough yet rugged, inquisitive with all instructions, calm but courageous, hopeful, and ob...

  “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.” Joshua‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If physical laws could put a reasonable explanation to what happened at Jordan, phase change phenomenon, where the liquid water changes to solid may be acceptable. Then, one will begin to struggle to defend what must have caused the strange change in the thermophysical properties, like density, viscosity, pressure drop with gravity, etc. Simply put by the scriptures, it says about these properties that “ …the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away…So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off (verse 16)”. The disturbing waters failed at the appearance of the presence of the Lord, so that God’s people can crossover completely. Otherwise, or until t...

  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The concept of fraternity is rooted in the combination of friendship, mentorship, and superior guidance; and the motivation is always the attainment of breakthrough and excellent practices. There is no fraternity with success stories without its creeds and codes of operation, either inspired by the Holy Spirit or initiated by the spirit of darkness. Whereas, many people are ignorantly motivated by success stories without the verification of their sources of inspiration, until it would appear they have crossed a line of no return. In pursuit of Joshua’s excellence in ministry through his fraternity with Moses, Joshua had learnt through Moses that God and His commandments are the unmistakable source of inspiration. ...

  “And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents! They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas And of treasures hidden in the sand.”” Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:18-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Until all service providers find pleasure in service delivery, rather than stipend discovery, there will be no pleasure beyond the perishable treasure and the general discouragement in our workplaces, family engagements, and all volunteering services. But inspired by the benediction of Moses on the children of Zebulun and Issachar, it is evident that there are hidden treasures in every open and delightful service delivery. Rather than the usual expression of joy and motivation in stipend discovery, they were encouraged to “ Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents! ”. Little wonder, the children of Zebulum went on to be experts in war services, and the...

  “And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the Psalms of Moses says “ So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom ”, it implies human days are wired to pursue folly without the help of God. A casual evaluation of how Moses spent the last 40 years of his life, in the wilderness by leading a rebellious nation of Israel and ending without crossing Jordan to the promised land, will query if Moses actually gained a heart of wisdom in his life’s pursuit of God and His words. Whereas, a deeper meditation on his peace and absolute satisfaction in God’s words, his engagement by God in a successful transition of leadership, and the closing revelation from God about the latter falling of the rebellious people of Israel show that Moses practically learned how to number his days from God. And the secret is...

  “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭29:29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Everybody loves secret tellers, especially when the shared information enhances control. If only all revealed secret information embraces the wholesome truth, there would be no cause for alarm. Unfortunately, the quest for secret things from sources different from the presence of the Lord has led many people into danger, destruction, and, most times, death. Just like this ‘curiosity killed the cat’ mindset of the children of Israel led to their disobedience to the commandments of the Lord, we are equally used to qualifying the word of God with ‘what if? ’, when the wholesome words are challenged by life’s situations and circumstances. Whereas, the revealed words of God in life are sufficiently wholesome for believers’ obedience and fruitfulness. Every attempt for anyone to explore an e...

  “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Unless the disciples of the Lord receive the true revelation of being above only, the Lord’s promise of making His disciples the head and not the tall will continually be a rhetorical statement of intentions. Sincerely, the primary source of confusion for believers in life is the diluted conception and shaky conviction about the fact that God is the only Source of all true promotion and prosperity. Even when some significant men are actively engaged in the process, “ the Lord will make you the head ” cannot be misconstrued as “ these men will make you the head” without falling away from diligent heeding the commandments of the Lord. Whereas, in every situation and circumstance, a believer's heeding to the commandments of the Lord is the only ...