Heralds Digest

  ” …and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused .’“ Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ‘Come unto me, and I will give you rest ’ is no doubt an incredible invitation to the kingdom and a guarantee of salvation from sin and worldly stress. But when hope of believers get readily deferred, future invitations from the Lord can easily become incredulous invitations. The hopeless experience of many believers is succinctly captured by the parable of the Lord on the invited guests to the great banquet. ‘Come, for all things are now ready’…But they all with one accord began to make excuses. Apparently, the invited guests all gave those excuses because of their bottled up offenses and hopelessness in the readiness of the Master. Likewise, it is very dangerous for believers...

  ” For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah “ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The theatres of war are designed for the proving of ammunition and the sophistication of the instruments of warfare. That is why some nations are decorated with the titles of superpowers, while other nations give respect and seek protection from decorated super powers. Also, individuals have trusted in their super knowledge, influence, and authority, especially while boasting on their abilities to confront their enemies. Unfortunately, when believers who have some records of material achievements in life, professions, and ministries confront their enemies, they are not only tempted to trust in these bows…they fall into the fake trust. When we gauge the prevailing conflicts and the sophistication of our enemies’ strength against our limited s...

  ” Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding. “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. “ ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There appears to be a very thin line between wisdom and wickedness in our world. That’s the reason why two wrongs can never make a right. When the scripture says “ he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself ”, it exposes the faceless foolishness in falling into the trap of anger, secret hatred, and unforgiving spirit in every bit to enforce justice. Wisdom demands a careful exposure of every act of wickedness without getting entangled into unrighteousness. It is the responsibility of a wise man to accept correction from wrong doings or wickedness. Otherwise, he is simply treated as a contagious scoffer to be graciously avoided. And to avoid a faceless foolishness in relationships, believers ...

  ” Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God .“ Psalms‬ ‭43‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Reflecting on a recent movie ‘Waiting Wars ’ by Gloria Bamiloye, the twist in hope by Bidemi was stunning. Rising from a state of struggling on her hope in the fruit of the womb to hope in God, she suddenly became elated with ever-increasing joy and passion for the service of the Lord. Obviously, the psalmist finally knew the answer to our real life experiences “ Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?” When believers’ hope is centred on the change in their unpleasant situations and circumstances, they are most likely going to fall into the victim ring of the Devil. Unfortunately, the Devil has a myriad of helpless hopes and alternative to the divine counsels for those who are fainting in their hope in God. Without the grace of God, no one is able to escape this victim ...

  ” For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you .“ Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is generally true that the pursuits of earthly desires are necessary for the realization of excellence and breakthrough in life. Even God acknowledges and encourages diligence in business as a common denominator for success. However, God is warning believers against blind pursuits of their earthly desires, as if they are orphans. God knows every of His children’s earthly desires and can sufficiently take care of them. The blind pursuits of earthly desires breed worrying, fear, and anxiety; and they will most definitely generate rebellion against the manifestation of divine desire in the hearts of believers. Whenever the divine desire is clearly revealed, a singular pursuit of the divine desire will automatically make available all provisions for the earthly desires. ...

  ” As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? “ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Before the psalmist’s thirst for God and His living water, he had a terrible experience following the tear-producing mirror of the multitude. Everyone in our performance-driven world has got to develop a sustainable strategy against the statement “ Where is your God? ” from the multitude mirror. And like many of us who have groaned before finding the light, the psalmist had struggled with disappointment, despair, and depression. Whereas, the word of God is the source of the satisfying living water for every believer’s freshness, fullness, and fruitfulness in life. Anyone who comes face to face before this majestic mirror is daily transformed from dryness to freshness, emptiness to fullness, and fruitlessness to fruitfulness in a progressive glory, until he becomes the best of God’s intende...

  ”“ So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened .“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The fundamental principle of asking and receiving from God is that the subject of request is at the centre of the will of God. Notwithstanding, not every request at the centre of the will of God receives automatic rendering without the progressive and persistent process of asking, seeking, and knocking. Since the believer’s archenemy against the fulfillment of the will of God is the Devil, it is important for every seeker to understand that the Devil is first the enemy of God and His will before his inheritance of the welfare. Has anyone considered the fact that it takes a greater resource to seek than asking? Likewise, knocking demands greater resources than seeking. Oftentimes, each step in the process of asking, seeking, and knocking reve...