Heralds Digest

  “And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah” Psalms‬ ‭87‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While there is no doubt that Mount Zion symbolizes righteousness and holiness, the Lord acknowledges its distinctiveness and deliverance from the flocks of immorality, corruption, wickedness, and idolatry: “ “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ ” ” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭87‬:‭4). Oftentimes, the people of God take pride only in their total deliverance from physical discomfort, material poverty and penury, and freedom from persecution. Unfortunately, the enemy understands this desire for comfort; and would readily trade the heart desires for a pride and fellowship with unrighteousness, pollution, and all forms of immorality. Whereas, the scriptures admonished beli...

  “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the scriptures say ‘wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding ’, it doesn’t say the fool has no understanding: ‘But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth’ . It implies that the fool has a negative or downward understanding of the matter at hand. Unfortunately, everyone that is without a consistent inspiration by the Spirit of truth will fall for the downward understandings. And the enemies often play on their victim’s intelligence by exploring this option of manipulating their understanding, thereby controlling their actions and inaction. But, Praise God! Those who subscribe to the upward understanding from the Lord are delivered from their enemies’ manipulation: “ But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding ” (‭‭Job‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬). Irrespective of the make-beliefs of the downward unde...

  “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬, ‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If only the Lord is allowed to be our ultimate help and pathfinder in life, finding purpose for living would not have been complicated. Even when many who claim to know the Lord and profess to follow His counsels desire signs from heaven, the overriding metrics are mostly the display of material wealth, political power, and carnal maneuvering of others toward self glory. But when the psalmist prayed “ Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth ”, he appears to provide believers with the divine perspective or sign on shining for the glory of God. No matter how the sign is faked otherwise, the pursuit of self glory in life will always distract the heart away from the wholesome truth and the will of God. Whereas, those who wait ...

  “Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.” Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭8‬, ‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Human works and creativity attract celebration, recognition, and respect. From the beginning, these winsome works are designed to represent dominion and the image of God in man. And that’s why we are somehow referred to as gods with winsome works. But none of these works can produce righteousness and salvation from the depravity of sin. Therefore, all human works, without the wondrous works of God that bring grace for salvation, are simply nothing in the eyes of God. Unfortunately, the celebration, recognition, and respect accorded to human works often distracts the focus of the righteous children of God from the wondrous works. Otherwise, we would most certainly retain the psalmist’s declaration “ For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God ”, and the reverence of God, in all our en...

  “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.” Psalms‬ ‭85‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Although the scriptures say the fool has said in his heart ‘There is no God’ , foolishness doesn’t necessarily stop at the mere acknowledgment of the existence of God. Folly fellowships prioritize the interaction with people on the salient projects and issues of life above the inspiration or revelation from God. Particularly, when life happens to human dreams and admiration, it is easier to quickly forget about the promises of God; and then get forced to listen carefully to pronouncements through public opinion and accept the offerings from the enemies of divine revelation. Whereas, the psalmist declares ‘I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints ’. Unfortunately, the world around God’s people and saints will never cease to speak loudly through intimidation, persec...

  “A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.” Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Growing a positive mindset or perspective in life works well with the proverbial quote ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade ’. The positive perspective does not necessarily translate into a grateful heart, because the lemon is never seen as a precious present. Whereas, when the scriptures say ‘A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor’ , it implies that the precious end value of all of life’s presents is determined in the eyes of the recipients. And by leaving the evaluation to a positive mindset or perspective, the end value of life’s presents will be subjected to variableness and uncertainty. Only God can enable a consistent assessment of life’s precious presents. Elsewhere, the scriptures acknowledge that “ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or...

  “Turn us, O God of our salvation, And cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou not revive us again: That thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psalm‬ ‭85‬:‭4‬, ‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Responsible reconciliation is all about taking responsibility to return back into a fruitful relationship or friendship. Therefore, at the heart of the psalmist’ prayer ‘Turn us, O God of our salvation…and…Wilt thou not revive us again ’ is a deep acknowledgment of transgression and the people’s turning away from the presence of the Lord. It is called conviction of sin and repentance from reckless disobedience against the commandments of the Lord. ‘Turn us, O God of our salvation ’ acknowledges the futility of all human rehabilitation efforts. No one is capable of saving himself from the captivity of sin and wickedness. We all need the grace of God to truly see how far we have drafted away from God, believe in His redemption plan, and confess our shortcomings. But while the wrath of God warns some rebellious s...