Heralds Digest

  “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.” Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as the difference between the spelling of the ‘Lord’ and the ‘Load’ is the replacement of the character ‘R’ with an ‘A’, pure praise happens at the instance ‘Rejoice in the Lord ’ replaces ‘Anguish with the Load ’. Outside a steadfast focus on the Lord, everyone’s loads through the daily interaction with people, places, and the projects of life, at best, can bring transient happiness and volatile satisfaction. And most frequently, the loads come with the feeling of anguish, bitterness, depression, and disappointment - while depleting the attitude of gratitude. This is the reason why many people who focus on the polluted praise from loads are exposed to the resultant anguish, after their romance with the ceaseless battle with compromise, wickedness, deceit, and evil manipulations. Therefore, pure praise does not leverage on the plight of loads; it is focused on the pra...

  “For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.” Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As the saying goes, ungodly hours are forbidden for the entertainment of guests. Even if the host manages to open the door in ungodly hours, guests can be sure that nothing pleasant will be served at such periods of time. And when the psalmist made reference to the prayer of the godly in a time when God may be found, it implies that ungodly guests live and dine in ungodly time; and they are forbidden from the presence of God. Notwithstanding, there is no restriction of time with God; for the door to the throne of grace is open perpetually (at least up unto the end of the dispensation of grace). It is the restriction of sin that keeps sinners and all ungodly guests bound in ungodly hours. Little wonder, the psalmist exclaimed “ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered ” (Psalms‬...

  “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The call to love the Lord is not readily a demand on strong hearts; it is meant for hearts made sick by deferred hope. Same as the call to be of good courage; God’s saints always need the abiding presence of His grace to remain sane in our wicked world. Unfortunately, the prize for the proud person and those who will not abide in God’s presence is grievous. And the prize is always painted white or wrapped in silver linen by the Devil - the deceiver, at the expense of losing hope in the promised salvation from the Lord. Whereas, a preserved person will steadfastly hold unto the promises of the Lord, through a consistent fellowship with Him in prayer and a faithful engagement in good works or kingdom business. To sincerely love the Lord is to be consiste...

  “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, And his reproach will not be wiped away.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The Old Testament detailed a comprehensive list of the different objects of adultery, including the act done with woman, man, and animals, showing the same death penalty. So, the lack of understanding here applies to all forms of adultery; and the wide wounds against the soul have shown the helplessness of anyone caught in the sin. But why does this sin exhibit lack of understanding? The pleasure is too narrow and time inconsequential for the resultant wide wounds. Even while many kings, powerful personalities, politicians, and celebrities have lost their hard-earned honours, privileges, and positions at the altar of adultery, it is disheartening that it is still common for many to fall into the mold of a lack of understanding. But thanks be to God for the riches of grace thro...

  “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.” Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If God allows troubled times in our lives, they are painfully designed as productive times, if trusted in the hands of God and not at the mercies (or messes) of our enemies. For the enemies and workers of iniquities, acts of wickedness are pretty productive engagement of their times. The psalmist gave a brief catalogs of their activities, including slandering, scheming, and slaughtering, while showing how the enemies trusted in a productive engagement of their master - the Devil’s resources. Unfortunately, believers are often carried away or distracted by the productive timesheet of the enemies’ activities; while they failed to trust in God. As it was evil under the Old Testament covenant to make sacrifices and then refused to bring them to the door of the tabernacle, it is absolutely e...

   “Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is something awry about human intelligence, secret surveillance, and scientific superpower; it boasts beyond its capabilities until an encounter with a superior or the day of adversity comes. Put in scriptural parlance, all of human strength are small strengths, compared to the Omnipotent strength of the Lord. Therefore, instead of wishing for how to outsmart the enemies in their game of secret surveillance, the psalmist just prayed for grace to acknowledge God as his strong strength. Unfortunately, many believers often preferred to stay in the captive net, dissipating energies for strategies against the enemies; and thereby compounding their captivity with bitterness, anger, and all forms of unrighteousness in protests. Whereas, we lose a sweet fellowship with God, our reliable shield and strong strength, when we stay where the enemies laid us. Anyone wh...

  “I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Vision fails and dream disappears when the people struggle and fight one another for the praise profit of their selfish life’s engagement. Even if an individual chooses the sane course and refuses to adopt this pit praise strategy, it is extremely difficult for anyone to transform a worthwhile vision into a glorious mission without the help of God. Therefore, the psalmist said “ I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication:… ”. While the natural man may see a self-centered benefit in pit praise or the dead dust, David was confident that God is only interested in a praise profit. This gracious understanding sustains the righteous’ trust in the Lord through consistent prayer and perseverance on His promises. And if God’s people can likewise focus on the...