Heralds Digest

  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The conquering spirit must be free of impediments in order to remain steadfast. For king David, the impediment was adultery and murder that blocked his access into the presence of the Lord. And for many other people, the impediments have various shades and turns, including unforgiving spirits, evil speaking, and unrighteous thoughts. Once the channels that connect the flow of the Holy Spirit and inspiration from the throne of grace to the hearts of man are blocked, ideas ceased and motivation for uprightness becomes stagnated. Therefore, the psalmist’s cry is genuine “ Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me” . Even when the hands and legs are restricted, a steadfast spirit remains the window of the mind for the consistent flow of heavenly vision and divine engagement for the glorious manifestation.

  “The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom. The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭21‬, ‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Finding the right relationship may seem like doing the right thing in one’s personal eyes; but it can readily be established that an acceptable right relationship is centered only on righteousness before God. Those who are driven by doing the right thing are easily frustrated by the diverse personal interests that rule homes, systems, and institutions. Whereas, pursuing a righteous relationship with God prevents the hearts from self-centredness, wickedness, and retaliation. If “ The lips of the righteous feed many ”, what will the hands of the righteous do to many other than accessing and providing their needs? Even when the righteous selfless acts are evil-spoken about, it is his righteous relationship with God that can ensure focus on the divine assignment. Unfortunately, many broken relation...

  “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...