Heralds Digest

  “ It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, And afterward to reconsider his vows .” Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The devotion of anything as holy is simply an offering to God, which is expected to be voluntary before but mandatory afterward.  But in reality, even when a voluntary offering is considered thoughtless or a rash devotion, the Lord considers human relenting or carnal reconsidering to redeem a devotion as a snare from the devil. The point is that God owns us, talkless of anything owned by us. Taking back what we have offered voluntarily to the Lord is considered a spat on the face of God; and that’s always the delight of the enemy, who has lost the opportunity to bring his offering before the Lord. And besides just anything, believers are requested to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord. “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your ...

  “ But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come .” Psalms‬ ‭102‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Those who readily trust in the shadow’s shades or temporary enrichment and empowerment are not always bothered by their transient appearances. At least, they are confident that their periods of reigning are capable of instilling fear and oppression on their subjects. Such were the unwarranted avalanche of invasion by the Ammonites, Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir upon Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. And like the psalmist and the children of Judah were made to discover, the Saviour’s schedule endures forever and the remembrance of His name extends throughout all generations, even when it appears not working. Actually, the wicked invasions of the righteous abode are merely great timers for believers to arise and call upon the Lord. For everyone who ap...

  “ Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry come to You. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass. ” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭102‬:‭1‬, ‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Hopelessness is synonymous to the awareness of the reality of shadow shades. It is an apparent reflection of emptiness, futility, and fruitlessness. When GOD would rebuke Jonah of old for his hope in the comfort from the shadow shades of plants, he allowed the plants to be consumed by mere worm “ And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live. ”” (Jonah‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬) So, when the psalmist acknowledged his days as a lengthened shadow, it reflected the import of the deferment of hope in God. Whereas, believers’ hope is not restricted to the appearance of shades from any other sources, apart from God. In an inspirational admonition to believers elsewhere, Apo...

  “ My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence .” Psalms‬ ‭101‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Any type of service, either public or political, is easily influenced by political lobbyists. Then, the fundamental key remains the attraction of favour or personal interest in the eyes of the public administrators. Unfortunately, even when this type of eye service does not guarantee the selection or election of the faithful of the land, unfaithful public or political service holders are readily provided the mandate to provide public services in our institutions and societies. And while these unfaithful servants have now extended their franchise on insincere services to the house of the Lord, the scriptures say “ He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence ”. ...

  “ There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way ?” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭15‬, ‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Whether a service toward the grabbing of gold and a multitude of rubies is secured by the lips of knowledge or the lips of deceit, it is simply acknowledged that lips are natural instruments for leaping into the realm of success. Associates who engage their lips for deceits, diplomacy, and flattery can sometimes find a temporary leap in prosperity; but the bound of this type of leap is always shameful. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we understand that “ But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel ” from the Lord, and powered by His grace, love, and sincerity. And since the lips of knowledge is rather Lord leaping, the motive of its service is not focussed on the grabbling of gold and a multitude of rubies. Therefore, when we walk or work with the Lord’s grace, love, and...

  “ Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The most important creative capacity of our Creator is love. And the true essence of His creatures’ existence is measured by the extent of this capacity in them. Love creates good things and never ever derive any delight in destruction. Even when in doubt by the horizontal exchange of evil, wickedness, and unrighteousness, the undiluted understanding of the creative capacity of God inspires praise. In spite of the plight of the psalmist, this understanding admonishes believers to “ Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing ”. Unfortunately, when we lack this preciousness of love, the trace of the unfortunate destructive capacity in our character provokes jealousy, retaliation, wickedness, and all kinds of evil u dear the disguise...

  “ Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy. ” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭99‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The distinguishing attribute of the Most High God is His excelling exaltation and worship, primarily on the basis of His holiness. And the compromise of this attribute is the reason why the Devil lost his position as the Bright and Morning Star in heaven. Unfortunately, he succeeded in bringing man down into the depravity of sin through the promotion of vices, through Adam and Eve, that undermine the excelling exaltation of God. Even today, believers are constantly ensnared to worship all appearing pseudo gods in their passion for properties, promotions, and the prides of this world; at the expense of preserving the worship of God in holiness and righteousness. Our archenemy does not care about how many hills we choose to worship, as long as we do not promote the excelling exaltation of the Most High God on His Holy Hill. Otherwise, those who must worship God in trut...