Heralds Digest

  “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the reasons for the seasons of wilderness, wickedness, and wastefulness is the stories of deliverance. There is always an exchange of delights between the Deliverer and the beneficiaries of deliverance, with possible development of faith for future battles of life. It is true that faith comes by hearing of the words of God; but believers’ faith is strengthened by the records of the stories of deliverance: “ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ ” (‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬). Likewise, just as the psalmist declared “ I will love You, O Lord, my strength” after walking out of his wilderness experience, believers sho...

  “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Oftentimes, we ask God for deliverance from the enemies without truly knowing our real enemies. While the conclusion of the psalmist’s prayer for deliverance aligns with the New Testament’s essence “ To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭74‬-‭75‬), the preceding verses in the psalmist’s prayer desired the destruction of the enemies, instead of deliverance from the hand of the enemies. It implies that true deliverance acquires grace to live daily in the likeness of the great Deliverer, even in the fiercest of the enemies’ manifestations. Actually, it is difficult to ascertain the blessing of grace to serve God without fear in the absence of the sources of fear. Neither is it possible to claim the virtues of holines...

  “I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.” Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ A prevailing prayer is no doubt the engagement of a powerless petitioner with a powerful Potentate. Unfortunately, man is often tempted to explore the engagement of seemingly powerful personalities to his gross disappointment. Unless a guarantor-man’s interest is seen to be serviced by the engagement of the requesting party, there could be no guarantee for fairness and justice. Therefore, the psalmist cried “ I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God “. Morning, afternoon, nighttime, and in all circumstances, and if only believers can sincerely cry unto the Lord, there is always an assurance of salvation for those who trust in God. Whenever a powerless petitioner acknowledges the need of protection, power, and provis...

  “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;” Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Before the gains come alive, we often see only suffering, injustice, and abuse of power in corrections. For sure, Job was an uncontested model of suffering; but he never knew about the Father’s love until the end of his sufferings. Likewise, we often see the outward expression of correction more clearly, than the inward display of God’s delights. Whereas, the root of all discipline and correction is the Father’s delights; but not many people find this wisdom and understanding. No mountain of difficulty or challenge can either blind or withstand anyone who consistently finds and uses the wisdom and understanding in being God’s delight. The moment the children of God attain the status of being God’s delight, they begin to enjoy happiness in their moment of gloominess. A daddy’s delight will not a...

  “Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as there are step watchers who are careful to keep their steps on the right paths, there are devoted step slippers who delight in trapping steps along the wrong paths. Unfortunately, like Eliphaz (one of Job’s friends) said “ If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from speaking? ” (Job‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬), most step-slippers engage in their wrong business with good intentions. And many helpless steps are easily misguided on slippery paths, unless there is divine intervention. That was why the psalmist adopted God as his step Watcher: “ Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip ”. As children of GOD, God is hopeful that our works, life’s engagements, and social interactions with others can be inspired by His words alone; an...

  “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.” Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬, ‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If truly God has become the believer’s portion of inheritance, then the psalmist’s prayer “ Preserve me, O God ” will be the protection and preservation of God’s own interests and agenda. For both David and Job, their consistency to this prayer point did not preserve their personal interests in material properties, family, and relationships with associates from being attacked and destroyed. But in God’s time, all these resources were restored with multiplicity of portions. Unfortunately, the waiting time between the enemy’s invasion and divine restoration is always the difficult stretch of believer’s faithfulness and trust in God. We all need grace to truly adopt God as a trusted portion. God sincerely preserves the soul of the righteous from wandering away from His presence; and He surely prevents the wicked from accomplish...

  “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart” Psalms‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Real residents of the world’s performance hills understand the implications of keeping to rules, regulations, and policies for productive relationships. Notwithstanding, real residents may not necessarily be righteous to stay on top of these performance hills. Why? Usually, everyone will selfishly explore the biblical injunction that “ The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him” (Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬). Unfortunately, God’s holy hill accommodates only righteous residents. The moment someone ceases to walk uprightly, work righteousness, and speak truth in his heart, he is automatically evicted from the holy hill. It doesn’t matter the level of physical engagement and visitation along the order of activities in this world’s performance hills, visitors can...