Heralds Digest

  “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Knowing the Will of the Lord as being synonymous to dwelling in the house of the Lord is not enough. It takes enough courage to derive satisfaction in doing the revealed will of God. Many people are too impatient and quick to run after the flashy and juicy engagement and proposition of deliberate detractors, while waiting for the manifestation of God’s promises. When the only motivation for career choices, residency, business and family partnership is material wealth, physical prosperity, and secular positions, people are tempted to prefer the council of the lords of this world (with their tents of wickedness) to dwelling in the courts of the Lord. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always take long before those who subscribe to the hostile hopping lifestyle start winning with disappointment and dissatisfaction. Wherea...

  “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Dwelling in the house of the Lord is definitely not talking about residency in physical cathedral or some reserved mountain. It must be an undivided response to God’s calling into a divine assignment, irrespective of the distractions towards a detour. For example, Apostle Paul introduced himself with contentment to the brethren in Rome as “ a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God (Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬)”, given the significant emotional struggle against the mission in chains. Therefore, we understand that there is an unfathomable joy inherent in every believer’s devotion to dwelling in the house of the Lord and fully obeying His revealed will. And if anyone desires to know how to be engaged in a ceaseless praising of God, he must be fully satisfied with a ceaseless pursuit of His revealed will...living in the praise pavilion.

  “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Anger has a destructive spear; and its incitement is resourceful for taking down friendly relationships, family fellowship, a productive work environment, and the peaceful coexistence in any nation. But when the scriptures say that he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city, it implies that there is a better spear compared to this shearing spear. The spirit spear doesn’t need the manipulative weapon with human intelligence, laced with deceit, wickedness, and evil practices. Even when provoked to respond to negative imposition, it enables the meekness of the Spirit to draw out the counsel of the Lord and the understanding or discernment of secret things from Him. Those who are ruled by the spirit spear have the fullness of the fruit, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-co...

  “They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”….That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.” Psalms‬ ‭83‬:‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is not a coincidence that craftiness and creativity have similarity in the creation of new things. Only that while the intention of the former is evil, the latter is designed with good intention. Everything that God created has been good, right from the beginning until now, including the salvation and preservation of His beloved people and their purpose for existence. Whereas, the wicked plan of the Devil and all his recruited agents, from the beginning, has always been “ They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones “. For example, king Sennacherib’s intention was aim...

  “God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the people say the court is the last hope of the common man, it presumes that if the courthouse is not manned by a just judge, there would be nowhere else to seek justice. And since every position of authority at home, workplaces, institutions, and the society is more or less a pseudo courthouse for the expectation of justice, people in position of authority or the congregation of the mighty are tempted to judge unjustly like gods. But the revelation of the Spirit through the psalmist invites believers to hope beyond the limitations of a common man. An absolute trust in God believes that “ God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods ”. Let a poor believer seeks justice always from God, and a mighty believer gives justice always through God; and there will be justice and p...

  “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. “But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me.” Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Gone are the days when the windows to the hearts are simply conceived as uncontrolled access to the analog devices that were used to communicate worldly influences, seductive attraction, wicked advertisement, and evil vices. Then, believers could readily throw those devices, television sets, pornographic displays, and invitations away. Whereas, today, the world of theatres, entertainment, and fashions are no longer on remote and detachable devices and physical structures. They are rightly part of every human’s daily and undetachable lifestyles and companionship. Little wonder why we now have believers who claim to love the Lord and believe His words go easily influenced by worldly lifestyles and associations? By implication, the love of the world and its affections hav...

  “Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Knowledge is always powerful, if acquired patiently through lowliness. And this is always the parting point for life driven by self reliance and dependency. Knowledge puffs up proud disposition; and it usually becomes easier to trust in one’s personal understanding than the spirit inspiration. Whereas, the lowly in hearts have learned how to accept senseless recommendations in life, as long as they are within the revealed will and counsels of the Lord. For example, Abraham accepted the leftover lots from his brother Lot because of his lowliness and confidence in the promise of the Lord. Unfortunately, like many people who believed that prosperity is synonymous to personal smartness, Lot settled for the damnation and destruction in Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, to heed ...