Heralds Digest

  ” Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully .“ Psalms‬ ‭24‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While there is no question as to why man prefers heaviness to holiness, it is always disturbing to discover that the desired heaviness does not guarantee the fullness and satisfaction of this world’s riches. The complete fullness and total satisfaction belong to the Lord; and they are accessible only to those who can retain a righteous relationship with Him. Unfortunately, believers and those who claim to have established relationships with God are often found cutting corners to access the desired heaviness in the world, in terms of prosperity, promotion, and power. Little wonder there is always a dearth of heavenly riches and revival in the midst of His people; and the manifestation of God’s power. Whereas, with holiness as the watchword and character of everyone w...

  ” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” “ Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Everyone knows the answer to Christ’s rhetorical question “ Why are you so fearful? ”. His second question gave out the answer to the first question; which is the use of fact instead of faith. Who doesn’t respond negatively to the windstorms of life and the unplanned attacks on life’s great plans? Without an absolute faith in God and His promises, it is not possible for anyone to ignore the facts. Notwithstanding, the practical experience of the disciples on the stormy sea with Jesus teaches everyone that every passage through life with Jesus is always a peaceful pasture. Isn’t that the confidence of the psalmist when he said ” He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters ”…even ” though I walk through the valley ...

  ” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them. ”“ Exodus‬ ‭24‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The human family, work, societal and social life is full of commitments. Otherwise, there will be little or no relevance in our life's existence. The unfortunate drawback is the regular callout to sacrifice our commitment to God at the altar of humanitarian services. For example, the children of Israel have made a collective commitment to the Lord before a personal call to Moses to “ Come up to Me on the mountain and be there“. Unfortunately, before the end of Moses’ attendance to his personal call with God, Aaron had led the people away from their collective commitment with God. It implies that our personal commitment must always align with our collective commitment to God at all times. Even when the exigencies of life demand a physical breakaway from the collecti...

  ” And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach ” Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In our world of mistrust, suspicion, and dishonesty, one of the greatest virtues in any relationship is trust. Jesus had running battles with the scribes, Pharisees, and the religious leaders in the days of His earthly ministry because their consciences have been nurtured by dishonesty, instead of the truth. Whenever diplomacy, position, and political interests always prevent the true answer to the question “ is it lawful to do good or evil? ”, we know that Jesus is not counting on us as reliable disciples. Unfortunately, even Judas Iscariot that scaled through the initial scrutiny of the Master later revealed the need for disciples to always be with the Master, or get hired by the Devil. Unfortunately, many disciples want to be with the world and the Master a...

  ” Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”“ Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬-‭37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The believer’s quiet time with God is not just the first place on the list of priorities for the day, it is the purpose palace for all the day’s activities. Jesus demonstrated this priority model by walking out of His purpose palace in the morning with confidence on how to handle the “ Everyone is looking for You” challenge of the day. Unfortunately, in our own day of social media, online contents, electronic inbox, and gadgets, it is easier to always mess up the priorities in each day’s activities if we miss the opportunity to visit the purpose palace first. Our Heavenly Father is the best Organizer of every believer’s daily activities; and we can always trust He will ensure the purpose for each ...

  ” Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them. ”“ Exodus‬ ‭18‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ A proud disposition doesn’t just irritate anyone’s close associates. Even those who are far away, like Jethro in Midian were apparently irritated by the proud disposition of Pharaoh in Egypt, cannot indulge their irritation. More importantly, the major takeaway is the providence of the presence of the Lord above all of human’s proud disposition. Oftentimes, the proud dispositions of man are meant to convey the powerful presence of God in the life and affairs of praying believers. While the Israelites do most of the murmuring and complaints about their ugly experiences, Moses would take the opportunity of the challenges of life and the wilderness experiences to pray. Likewise, the typical life of a praying Christian is (1) a partnership with God’s work; (2) a presentation of God’s will; and (3) a power-bank as God’s weapon. W...

  ” Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. “ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭21‬:‭8‬, ‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If there is always an absolute foreknowledge of the limits of human plots, there will be a decorum with the planning of their schemes and the seriousness they often attract. Particularly, when the enemies are reigning with their wicked schemes, the hands of the righteous are often tied; and the promises of the Lord are mostly considered as delayed, or sometimes denied. But the psalmist, drawing from personal experience, claims the right hands of the Lord will find the enemies. For examples, the planned plots of Pharaoh against the Israelites were aborted at the Red Sea by the right hands of the Lord. Needless to count the myriads of other planned plots against the righteous, like the plots of Haman, Ahithophel, Judas, and Herod. It implies that only the counsel of the Lo...