Heralds Digest

  “And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A young man devoid of understanding, Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house” Proverbs‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Freedom from sin and all forms of unrighteousness is possible, only by the grace of God. The scriptures have this to say about the grace when it is received “ teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age ” (Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬). Unfortunately, the grace does not cover a race into careless corners. The red alert into careless corners in life is not always invisible, but careless souls are often overconfident towards treating the red alerts as red apples. And as soon as the seemingly delicious apple is crushed between the teeth, the venom of the encircled serpent is released. There are numerous paths toward the careless corners in search of fame, fun, and fortunes in life; but only the Calvary corner guarantees ...

  “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as good and evil are words and opposite, peace and troubles have the same reflections. Unfortunately, doing good or pursuing peace is strictly a personal responsibility. The responsibility cannot be shared with others. That is, doing good to those who seem to deserve it is tantamount to sharing the responsibility for the act. It is the reason why many people struggle with the divine call to follow peace with all men. Any sane person can follow peace with those who reciprocate by a perceived act of goodness and sweet fellowship. Whereas, only those who have found sufficient grace to do good and pursue peace with everyone within their networks, despite the unwarranted receipt of wickedness, are blessed and called children of God. It is always not enough to seek peace by our invitation with everyone in life; we need consistent grace from the Lord to pursue it, even when our invitation is repudia...

  “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬, ‭6‬, ‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Finding a single solution to life’s multifaceted problems often creates more fears. Like finding the key in a box that opens a can of worms, each seemingly attractive path of solution and breakthrough in life has its own catch and a dispenser of fears. Unfortunately, the search for solutions from the different mountains for financial breakthrough, professional advancement, healing and wellness, marital blessings and fruitfulness, etc, has often driven many people into the trap or the dungeon of greater captivity. Whereas, the very few people like the psalmist have only tasted and found the single solution to life’s fears in the Lord; and they are always privileged to return with a testimon...

  “ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy ” Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While the hope of not getting what we deserve in life creates an atmosphere of fear for the kings, the mighty men, and the intelligent horses of this world, the available mercy from these earthly sources have been proven to be unreliable. Even when these mercy merchants are sincere with their offerings, times and circumstances do often happen against the hope of those whose trust is in these sources for help. For example, the mercy of king Pharaoh on the children of Israel expired when another Pharaoh (who did not know Joseph) came to power. Whereas, when the children of Israel cried out to God for mercy, He sent out Moses to them with a non-deserving and matchless mercy; and delivered His people from the hands of Pharaoh. Unfortunately, even when mercy is deserving from the kings, the mighty men, and the intelligent horses of this world, hope in this mercy still fai...

  “ My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye .” Proverbs‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Whether witty or wicked, words are commands from either the Lord or the devil. And those that keep wicked words as seductive apples in the serpent’s eye should understand how these words kill, steal, and destroy the chances of dominion. Like words from an immoral woman, the principle of inviting careless believers remains unchanging. ‘Touch that and feel tough’ … ’Taste that and get high’…’Take that and stay strong ’, etc, remains the forceful commands from the pit of hell. Whereas, witty words may proceed in different soft commands from the Lord, like intuitive perception and inward witness of the Holy Spirit, inner voice of the indwelling Christ, the Spirit’s confirmation or restraint, direct revelation, dream, and vision, audible voice of the Spirit, and divine-impacted love; they remain settled both here on earth and in ...

  “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...