Heralds Digest

  ” The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth. ”“ Psalms ­58:­10-11 NKJV There is so much confusion about the rewards of the righteous, especially considering the bountifulness of beauties surrounding the workers of wickedness. Unfortunately, it is almost generally a norm that righteousness, in its true colour and shades, has no significant reward. Whereas, the scriptures “ Surely there is a reward for the righteous “. The question is “what or where is the reward?”. Those who look after the righteous’ reward through the len of earthly remuneration, physical property, and political position will surely look disdainfully in despair, disappointment, and discouragement. Perhaps, this discouraging reality has driven many so-called believers into the dens of deceivers and demonic manipulations. Notwithstanding, the r...

  ” Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you .”“ Judges 8:22-23 NKJV When Gideon rejected the offer to rule over Israel, he must have been guided by the danger of being entrusted with an absolute power. It is always important to be sensitive to the difference between reign and rule. Reigning is synonymous to leadership, while ruling is tantamount to lordship. Unfortunately, not many people are conscious of the fact that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even Gideon, after the express declaration of his motive against lordship over Israel, he subscribed into a snare through his trust in a golden ornament or ephod: ” Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon ...

  ”  ” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? ”“ Judges 6:14 NKJV When Norman Vincent Peale’s ‘The Power of Positive Thinking ’ gave 10 rules for “ overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice faith ”, he must have been inspired by the Lord’s admonition to Gideon “ Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? ”. Peale’s 10 rules appeared to play a significant role among the strategies adopted by Gideon in his conquest against the Midianites,  including (1) Picture yourself succeeding; (2) Think a positive thought to drown out a negative thought; (3) Minimize obstacles; (4) Do not attempt to copy others; (5) Repeat “ If God be for us, who can be against us? ” ten times every day; (6) Work with a counselor; (7) Repeat “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me ” ten times every ...

  ” Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. “ John ­5:14-15 NKJV Faith in God has always been scarce because of a believer's misunderstanding of the activities of facts. The 38-year impotent man had held onto the facts of healing through the help of random personalities at the pool of Bethesda for years, because the facts had established the procedures for healing. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to meet up with these procedures, until his encounter with Jesus. And like facts have no definite identification of the source of help, everyone who relates with God is tempted to keep a suspicious hope in the possibility of deliverance through the exercise of faith. Whereas, Jesus is never a random Deliverer. His deliverance is definite, and those who put their trust in God cannot be put to shame. Faith in God does...

  ” When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? “ Psalms 56:9-­11 NKJV David must have learnt a lot about the intrigue of Israel’s crying unto the Lord in the days of the Judges and how dependable the Lord is as a Deliverer. Unfortunately, life is fully surrendered by a swift shift in generation that ” did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel (­Judges 2:10)”. When we are surrounded by pseudo gods, in terms of our seeking deliverance through financial power, political acumen, human intelligence, and physical strength (and our generation can truly boast of these seeming advances, compared to the days of old), we can tell why our enemies keep oppressing with confidence. Whereas, believers are called out to cry always unto the Lord, not just as a Deliverer. God is a dependab...

  ” A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” “ John 4:7 NKJV Communication gaps are created by the introduction of pebbles in the channels of social interaction, business networking, and community services. The walls built by these pebbles, between Jews and the Samaritans, are common knowledge. Therefore, when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman “ Give Me a drink ”, He was simply asking for a hand to clear the channel of communication. Jesus is the One walking around with the clear contents for the satisfaction of the needs of humanity; but no one can receive His clear contents without first taking care of the uncleared channel. This is always the first business for all evangelists, who must deliver the contents of salvation and deliverance from satanic bondage to heavily polarized communities and societies. “ Give Me a drink ” implies give me what you can easily give to receive what you earnestly need. There is no doubt in every believer’s understa...

  ” As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God .“ Psalms 55:16-19 NKJV Every prevailing star must understand the imperative of a prevailing prayer for a progressive breakthrough and success in life and ministry. Those who are only skillful in personal relationship with men of class and calibre are readily deceived and disoriented with restricted success, at best. Whereas, the reality in life is the absence of true peace and an honest support for breakthrough outside the pavilion of the Prince of peace, progress and prosperity. The example illustrated by the children of Israel in the wilderness before their possession of the promised land is always i...