Heralds Digest

  “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While the psalmist’s confession and communication with God borders on the desire for forgiveness from sin, it lays the fundamental principle for seeking wisdom and divine guidance in life. Everyone who approaches the presence of God with a contrite and humble heart, like ‘I have sinned ’, is simply serving the almighty what He desires…the transparent truth. Even the seemingly innocent but humble hearts are easily guided in the path of wisdom. For example, when the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and Israelites and went away with it, the scriptures added the transparent truth about the fact that Israelites bought the lies because they didn’t ask counsel from the Lord (Joshua 9:14). God is readily concerned about all our relationships and experiences with people and elements in our lives. And every time we expose the transparent truth about our hidden inadequa...

  “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”” Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Praise worship is easily twisted by the praise of the works of human hands, rather than the praise of the manifestations of our holy God. Engagement in the works of unrighteousness, wickedness, and all forms of immorality can attract fame and fortunes with questionable praise worshiping. Unfortunately, these kinds of praise worship do not glorify God; but rather attract His wrath. The holy God is interested in a righteous praise from the lips of those who are patient in their trials and temptations, while waiting for the salvation of the Lord. Understandably, the waiting time can be a serious challenge against the speedy offers of salvation with corruption. And the likes of Achan will readily jump at this shortcut to salvation and the accumulation of ‘goodly Babylonian garments ’. Most times, they are consumed and buried with these unrighteou...

  ““Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The true reflection of God’s saints in our religious world is represented by sacrifices. The Old Testament folks have daily practices of laying animals and the products of their life’s activities on the altar of sacrifice. Even today, believers often find comfort in identifying with their God through the making of material sacrifices. Unfortunately, these sacrifices are usually made with the hands upon physical altars, while the hearts are engaged elsewhere in the shrine of evil, corruption, and all forms of unrighteousness. Therefore, when the psalmist got inspired to mirror the heart of God, who will judge the world at the end of time, he echoed the heartbeat “ Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice” . It implies that beyond the sacrifices of our religious activities, God requires the devotion or sacrifice of believer...

  “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray. Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool.” Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt the science that produced polygraph is rooted in the biblical truth about the difference between lying lips and lively lips. While hatred and all kinds of evil are rooted in the heart of the wicked, there is way the lips cannot but expose the cankerworms through deceitful disposition. Being already fooled into the sinful acts, it is just a matter of time before the inevitable light exposes the secret of darkness. Whereas, the scriptures say “ He who keeps instruction is in the way of life ”; and has lively lips. These are not dramatic, diplomatic and make-belief lips; but honest, truthful, and life-impactful lips. Even when the majority are negatively influenced, he stays in the light because he feeds on the word of God - the source of light. There is no need to t...

“But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭49‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Earthly recognition and red carpet reception are reflection of great achievements; and could readily present the glory and beauties of God’s blessings. Unfortunately, earthly accomplishments are normally acquired at the sacrifice of the glory of God; people are usually not sure of any glory beyond the glamours in the present world. Here, the much ado is about the fortune in wealth, the favour in position, and the fame in prosperity. These achievements attract desirable greetings from family, friends, but not necessarily from the Father. Whereas, the recognition received from the Father is always greater than the recognition of our earthly accomplishments by friends and family. For example, even though Moses couldn’t accomplish the physical entrance into the land of Canaan on earth, he was buried on earth in the land of Moab by God; needless to mention his glorious recepti...

  “We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple…For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48‬:‭9, 14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If thankfulness requires thoughtfulness, it is no secret why kindliness is a reflection on lovingkindness. Before the psalmist or any believer’s thought on God’s lovingkindness, the heart can readily render stories of going around the pursuits of different desires in circles, despite a seeming record of divine counsel. Experiences, most times, are the reasons why some believers are careful about putting all their eggs in one basket, when it comes to seeking and following the Will of God. Until members of the same family at home, the same assembly in a congregation, and the same party in pursuit of a vision are made to walk through a similar thoughtfulness on God’s lovingkindness with their past experiences, they are not likely to wholeheartedly trust God as the great guide. Unfortunately, while ...

  “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭48‬:‭1‬, ‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When operating within the realms of human capabilities, great grace with human support will take care of human challenges. The favour from man and advances in knowledge have shown the limited capacity of assistance in times of difficulty. Unfortunately, there are usually realms of complexities in life beyond human capacities. But the revelation of the realms in Mount Zion depicts great glory that believers can always lay hold on, whenever they choose to visit. God gives believers both the grace and glory for a balanced capability against life’s complexity. The promise is clearly stated elsewhere “ For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly ”(...