Heralds Digest

  “ Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.” Psalms‬ ‭96‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the Apostle Paul declared “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes ” in Romans 1:16, he posited that the great gospel comes only from the knowledge of a great God. It implies that the primary influence of the great God in the lives of believers is the production of the good news of salvation to everyone within their sphere of influence. Unfortunately, and like many believers in the days of Apostle Paul, people are often ashamed of the impact of the good news because they are ignorant of the influence of the great God through their prevailing circumstances. When we get overwhelmed by the influences of the pseudo gods, princ...

  “ When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest .’ ”” Psalms‬ ‭95‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When Christ invited the people to “ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ” (Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬), did anyone bother to find out the promised rest is the same as the perceived rest? In any case, there is no doubt that the generation of the children of Israel that were redeemed from Egypt got it all wrong; and God responded in His wrath ‘They shall not enter My rest ’. How different is the mindset of the redeemed of the Lord today on God’s promised rest? Praise God for the scriptural revelation of the source of misconceptions across all generations. It is always not sufficient to boast of knowing the work of God; we must equally learn how to ultimat...

  “ The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil. ”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If satisfaction is simple as trade and barter, the poor would have had nothing to compete with the lords or those in privileged positions, with privileged prosperities, and by privileged opportunities in the world. Although satisfaction operates by a simple law, its understanding is simply complex to those whose priorities are dictated by a largely diverse conflict of interests. For example, a satisfaction in wealth, position of authority, or excellence of knowledge is complicated by the diverse fear of the users’ conflict of interests, including family members, workplace principals, diversity in product satisfaction, etc. Even when it appears the body’s accomplishment can be celebrated at one point or the other, the soul’s satisfaction is only given by the Lord. That’s the reason why only “ The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he...

    “ Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law, Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence .” Psalms‬ ‭94‬:‭12‬, ‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In our world of social media and networking, human problems and confusions have shifted from the era of ‘limited’ help to the error of ‘multiple’ help. The issue is no longer safety in the multitude of counsellor, but rather confusion. And now that destruction is readily packaged with the wrapper of help, ‘ holy help ’ from the Lord has become the only safe haven for those who have learnt how to trust absolutely in God. Unfortunately, the pathway to the holy help is often considered as too sluggish and unattractive to follow, compared with the fast-paced help from peer pressures, impatience, and greed. And since no one has ever been satisfied with the demands of the gods of unholy help, access to holy help is guaranteed only at the throne of grace. The righteous needs a consistent grace to...

  “He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭94‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Fruitfulness and futility are mostly misconstrued in life’s giving, depending on the human focus for assistance. Those who pitched their help desks with men may have previously attempted seeking assistance from God; and returned with the mindset of ‘heaven helps those who help themselves ’. And being now aligned in a futile fellowship with men, human activities and engagements in our workplaces can boast of several dividends of oppression, corruption, discrimination, and manipulation; somehow counting on believers’ seeming futility in fellowship with God. Whereas, they always cry in silence with hopeful trust in the power of God’s grace for rest of mind and peace from the throne of grace. And unlike the temptation of futile fellowship, fruitful fellowship trusts in the Lord alone; and would never sell this t...

  “The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭93‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The stakes are always high in the torrents of flood. When the floods are raging high, people are usually caught screaming for safety from the noise of many waters and the mighty waves of the sea. Unfortunately, these cries and expressions of emotion are anticipated by the enemies; giving undeserved attention to the scheme of distraction, away from the presence of the Lord. But those who know the Lord are never distracted from the throne of grace; knowing only that “ But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions ” (‭‭Obadiah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬). Obviously, it takes faith to share the conviction of the psalmist: “ The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea ”. God...

  “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Complex world requires complex strategies for breakthrough with overwhelming performances; and it is expected that these strategies will continue to grow with advances in knowledge and exposures. While it is not surprising that a single man in the world’s complex system has many plans, the scriptures say that God has got just a plain plan for each of His children. Even in the most devastating circumstances and difficult exposures in the life of God’s children, the counsel or purpose in the heart of God is always not complicated. In the scriptural revelation through the psalmist, what is desired in a man is kindness to the world system (even in the most unkindly circumstances surrounding his personal system), and honest lifestyle (even in the most corrupt system). It implies that any...