Heralds Digest

  ” Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath .“ ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Repentance without responsibility is fake; but the drawback has nothing to do with the potency of God’s grace. Unfortunately, many religious people are fond of the rituals of the confession of sins without genuine commitment to forsake their sins. And since the corruption in the culture of any system, institution, and home is mostly promoted by leaders of religions in the society, anyone can understand why some people regard religion as a major menace of civilization. Unlike these corrupt leaders, Ezra was encouraged by the congregation to take courage in his responsibility to institute reforms, restitution, and righteousness. Even today, while grace remains God’s righteousness at Christ’s...

  ” These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. “ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Grace is not just God’s riches and redemption at Christ’s expense. It is equally God’s righteousness and revelation at Christ’s expense. And like Rick Warren posited, private purity in ministry is the source of public power. The intent of the deposit of God’s grace in the lives of believers is the total separation of them from sin and the separation of sin from them. When the influence of grace is completely unleashed, there can no longer be tolerance for defilement, deception, and deprivation in the hearts of man before the holy God. Unfortunately, those who fall short of the influence of grace in their social, public, and private affairs do en...

  ” Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me. “ ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The gifts from king Artaxerxes to Ezra made a significant difference in the project of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord. Prior to this time, many kings and governors have fought vigorously against the project; and repressed every attempt to undertake the same project. Obviously, it is true that when the hands of the Lord are upon any project in life, He uses even our enemies to make significant contributions to the success of the project. Even when it appears the people’s hands are vigorously against the pursuit of God’s purpose in our lives, their actions and ...

  ” On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel .“ ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Unlike the world always wants us to believe, stopping evil is not complicated. Just stop evil doing yourself! Yes, stopping evil is always complicated when the focus is on stopping others from advancing in their evil propaganda and manifestations. Whereas, personal engagement in doing good simply works better and faster. Instead of advancing evil with the engagement of strategies against the evil hands of others, believers will achieve more by simply engaging the good hands of God through consistent fellowship. Like it worked with Ezra of old, God’s good hands know how best to engage the evil hands of the enemies for the believers’ good. At His time...

  ” I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. “ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The power of human declarations in life is always limited by the strength of their meditation. Those who are intimidated by the powers of the principalities around them have a tenable reason for their reactions: they meditate only on the threats of these principalities. But when the psalmist said ” I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works ”, it must be an exercise of a deliberate decision of a courageous mind against the threats of the prevailing principalities. That was the only reason why a seemingly small David could defeat the giant Goliath. Unfortunately, believers today like and prefer the unthreatened and empty declarations of God’s wondrous works for just feel-good sakes. Whereas, the real declarations of all faithless men a...

  ” And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid .“ ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Like it was with the building of most family projects, collaboration of the priests, the builders, and the people were required to lay the foundation of the house of the Lord in the days of Zerubbabel. The builders built by laying the blocks and the building materials, the priests built by their offerings of the ceremonial sacrifices to invite the presence of the Lord, and the people built by praising the Lord with the expression of their gratitude to God for His favour and preservation while the projects last. Projects lag and drag with disunity among the elements and stakeholders in the family business and project; and this has always been the target of the enemies to create his divide and...

  ” Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood— That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style” Psalms‬ ‭144‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Palace pillars are not necessarily built in the palace; they are most likely products from the pit, the prison, and the pots of affliction. Even when worked upon by the hands of foreigners, whose mouth speaks lying words and perverse things, palace pillars are always consistent with their cry out for deliverance from the worldly celebration as prison pillars. Isn’t that what inspired the conviction of the psalmist elsewhere that ” 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)? Unfortunately, many promising palace pillars today would rather trade their calls to the palace fo...