Heralds Digest

  “The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.” Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬, ‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is not news that our broken world is laden with problems waiting for solutions. News lines are only generated by every individual’s actions or inaction about the broken system. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for anyone to create a solution without generating another system of problems. Just like Newton's 3rd law of motion, for every sowing of the wrong seed of wickedness, there will be even more pollination of negative energies in the ecosystem. Notwithstanding, the scriptures described the bearers of wrong seed as hypocrites, because they deny the power of God’s grace for a believer's righteousness. By the grace of God, Newton's 3rd law of motion has no hold on the righteous who carries the sure seed, irrespective of the surroundin...

  “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without the glue of God’s grace, the burden and the challenges of life are designed to break any man and his vision for prosperity and posterity. It implies that a graceless man is surrounded with friends and associates, whose acts of disloyalty and conflict of interests often lead into discouragement, and despondency. But with grace, the burden is casted upon the Lord with its binding effect. Therefore, believers who are blissfully bound with the Lord through the burden and the challenges of life are mostly grateful for this opportunity. The opportunity always comes with the privilege of a sweet fellowship with the unchanging, and unconquerable God. Unfortunately, those who are always broken by burden have either never experienced or sustained by the blissful nature of a binding burden; a blessing in disguise actually.

  “Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily” Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While true prayer is a communication with God, complaints are simply fake prayers to problems and the challenges of life. If only it is possible for the heart to focus on the promises of God always, there would be no need for twisted thoughts and restless runs. Prayer is not designed to be a monologue session, but a dialogue between God and man. It cannot only be “ Give ear to my prayer, O God “ without “ Cause me to hear your lovingkindness, O God ”. But twisted thoughts would rather speak to God and listen to problems. Whereas, true thoughts are inspired by the living words of the Lord; and wouldn’t allow depression by the threats from the wicked. And whenever the righteous take their burdens to the Lord and leave them there, they have succeeded in learning how to leave the throne of grace without ...

  “For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭54‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As documented elsewhere, uprightness and faithfulness are the basic requirements for those who must not only dwell in God’s presence but also serve Him acceptably (Psalms 101:6). And here, the opposite of a sweet service (or strange siege) is presented as one of the characteristics of those who do not set God before them. It was an inspiring revelation to the psalmist, who was confronted with strange oppression, especially from a custodian of God’s authority and power. It implies that without the setting up of God always as the motivating factor for believers action at home, workplaces, and their social engagement in life portends the danger of being high-jacked by the enemies. Therefore, the supposedly sweet service, turned into a strange siege, will readily scatter fellowship at home, and destroy the original purpose of God for ...

  “The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.” Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as the physical world is shaped by different kinds of rights, like birthrights, human rights, animal rights, worker’s rights, etc, the spiritual world is dominated by the righteous’ rights. Although the wicked in our world often invoke the spiritual dimensions of rights to oppress those who seek to abide by the way of righteousness, the scriptures have rightly confirmed that “ The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright“. Unfortunately, many believers are usually distracted away from the paths of righteousness; thereby getting exposed to spiritual attacks from the wicked’s satanic dimension. Therefore, the rights of the righteous are strictly staying on the path of righteousness, no matter the provocation from the wicked. Once the heart of the righteous discovers this secret of a blameless lifestyle, he no longer allows...

  “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.” Psalms‬ ‭53‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In order not to downplay the description of fools in the context, emphasis of the scripture on the heart should be retained. In Paul’s admonition to Timothy, he apparently referenced the same class of fools as “ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” ( II Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬). Those without form of godliness are sincere sinners, and backsliders. Even unbelievers are free to outwardly and sincerely say ‘There is no God ’, until they have the privilege of a personal encounter with Him. But the hypocrites and foolish followers of the Cross have the form of fellowshipping with other believers, studying the word of God, and praying to God or leading others to pray to God; but their actions and inaction are not influenced by God because, in their hearts, ‘There is no God! ’. Otherwise, ho...

  “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Psalms‬ ‭52‬:‭1‬, ‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Human goodness, recognition, and rewards have great influence on the attitude and lifestyle of most people. Like the relationship between the mighty man - king Saul and the minion - Doeg in our context, people indulge in deceits, wickedness, and evil in order to get served with giant goodness. And like the psalmist, when anyone get caught in the mud, he goes with the rhetorical question ‘Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?’ Of course, the giant goodness, sometimes, puts food on the table, pays the bills, and enables fun. But like the green olive tree in the house of love, fellowship, and endurance, the great goodness from the Lord pays more than the temporal flashes of riches, promotion, and worldly recognition. It comes packaged by the grace of God that brings salv...