Heralds Digest

  “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭5‬, ‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬) Since the simple understanding of a refuge is a place of protection from the stress of this life, the enemy of our soul often has several pseudo refuge with palliative and relief treatment. Unfortunately, every relief package from the enemy is like a Greek gift with the intention of making believers lose their faith in God. But the psalmist reminds believers the characteristic of a reliable refuge: Unlike a place we need to run to occasionally, ‘God (the believers’ refuge) is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved’. Even when the mountains or evidence of our support, security, and shelter in this world appear threatened, God in the inside of the righteous remains unmoved. He is still the Creator of heaven and the earth; and there is nothing t...

  “I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.” Psalms‬ ‭45‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Names of celebrities and great achievers are not easy to build. Even though the building process takes hard work and great sacrifices, it is a pleasant feeling when people make reference to the name as a representation of excellence and breakthrough. Unfortunately, almost all self-made names have dark patches that need careful coverups, making a time-sensitivity out of all references to human achievements in life. Names built on human achievements fade, and the recognition acquired on the basis of human excellence gets corrupted. But the name ‘Jesus’ has weathered the tides of seasons and treasons with unabated relevance, because its exaltation was given by God. Likewise, everyone who endured this world’s persecution and misrepresentation in order to follow the leading of Jesus will get a new name; and after a brief endurance, people shal...

  ““Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, “Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”” Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Until truth catches up with dishonesty, stolen sweetness wears the label ‘sweet’ with pride and celebration. Such is the popular lie from a seductive woman, a deceptive partner, and a dishonest worker to gain a ‘pleasant’ pleasure, position, and prosperity. Unfortunately, the ‘stolen’ sweetness is always like a swollen sweetness filled with maggot and rotten eggs. It brings inescapable sickness, destruction, and sometimes death, after its temporary sweetness wears out. Sometimes, like it was with Achan in the Old Testament or Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament, the true rottenness of the stolen sweetness comes out even before the deceptive sweetness. Little wonder the scriptures admonish believers that “ The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it ”...

  “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.” Psalms‬ ‭45‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Material mastery is usually celebrated by superiority in position, property, and prosperity. That is why the master’s sword is used for oppression and malicious dispossession. Whereas, the mastery model from the Messiah is built on humility, truth, and righteousness. Little wonder while Jesus Christ suffered the humiliation from sinners, He held onto His majestic mastery “ Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty ”. It implies that even when it appears the material mastery is gaining the upper hand, the majestic mastery aligns with the heart of God in teaching the righteous awesome things. Unfortunately, the awesome things from God are often despised by carnal minds, especially when they are press...

  “If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ For the deep secrets in the heart of man, no one does or can know except God. Even the owner of a heart cannot unveil the secrets behind his actions. Little wonder the scriptures revealed “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings ” (Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭9‬-‭10‬). Therefore, God assists believers in the business of secret searches through the challenges of life. And when we truly surrender our hearts on the trenches of God’s searchlight, He reveals the secrets behind actions and inaction. Unfortunately, and like the psalmist, many believers are skillful in coverups through their reference to sacrifices. Whereas, only humble hearts...

  “Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭5‬, ‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as the knowledge of the will of God requires waiting on Him, walking in His way requires warring through Him. For every believer in pursuit of the fulfillment of God’s counsels, his personal enemies are primarily the enemy of God. And God has got His own special way of thoroughly triumphing over His enemy, without unnecessary casualties. If it can be through God “ …we will push down our enemies ”, it must be accepted what is possible without God: “ …we will be pushed down with our enemies ”. No one fights with a piggy without landing in the muddy. Unfortunately, believers are easily tempted to join the retaliatory forces of bitterness, wicked scheming, and unrighteous campaigns against the activities of the enemies, instead of trusting in God. Whereas, a thorough trampling ...

  ““The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is something freaky about foolishness. It is not the absence of some wisdom; foolishness is simply the lack of understanding. The possession of some wisdom breeds pride, arrogance, and the promotion of personal idea without the understanding of how its beginning links with its ending. Whereas, understanding promotes the unrestricted use of wisdom, from the beginning to the end. Even the smart world embraces the advancement and the principle of understanding through the celebration of innovation and the publication of new knowledge. New editions of a knowledge base will readily correct and replace the old editions without restriction and confrontation. And if only God knows the ending of knowledge from its beginning, it is little wonder why understanding is simply the knowledge of the Holy One. Only those who are trapped under the deception of th...