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 While the Old Testament saints understand God’s vengeance as the righteous’ rejoicing, God’s judgment and repudiation in the New Testament promotes repentance, reconciliation and forgiveness of sins. Since it is only those who scorn God’s window of mercy through confession of sins and the forsaking of all forms of unrighteousness that face the eternal vengeance of God, the best rewards await the righteous people of God who truly promote the heartbeat of God’s ministry of reconciliation. Unfortunately, faithless people today do readily lack the requisite courage to promote the righteous’ rewards. So their men often say, “ Surely there is no reward for the righteous; and surely the wicked are gods who judge in the earth” because they do...

  “ He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil. He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage .” Proverbs 11 : 27 - 28 NKJV It is not difficult to understand that those who end up in the paths of evil and wickedness do not always intend to be agents in the hands of the enemy. Most people who end up the account of God’s disfavour probably aim at good while negotiating evil. For example, the pursuit of excellent home management, productive work project management, and prosperous economy in the state on tissues of lies, deception, and all forms of unrighteousness are readily defensible by carnal managers. Whereas, these carnal pursuits of excellence bring disfavour and destruction from God. True good comes only through absolute surrendering to the power of the gospel. It is only the word of God that has the power of the spirit to break the gripping yoke of sin; and set the captive hearts free from its bo...

  “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5 : 30 NKJV While the Jews and religious leaders in the days of His earthly ministry were jealous of the intimate relationship between Jesus the Son of God and God the Father, a deeper understanding of grace was unveiled. Besides the grace that brings salvation from sin and all forms of unrighteousness, a god-confident grace unleashes absolute submission to service as a freehold battle axe and weapon war in the hands of the almighty God. When a man suddenly becomes oblivious of his own personal capabilities in the face of divine revelation and discovery of the purpose of God, he will no longer struggle with personal ambitions and can no longer entertain the fear of failure, as long as all engagements are insured into God’s accounts. For example, it took Gideon of old time to comprehend the god-confident grace in the rev...

  “ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ” John 5 : 6 , 15 NKJV Wellness experts are expected to be knowledgeable in the area of practice. When a medical consultant meets a sick man with the question “ Do you want to be made well?”, it is almost certain the expected sense of hope for healing and restoration. However, the expectation will naturally be different if the question is raised by a carpenter. Likewise, when Jesus asked the impotent man “ Do you want to be made well?”, the man had to vent out the frustration about his failed hope in the acknowledged wellness way. Life is filled with numerous frustrations and disappointments about the wellness way, including several changes to medication that will not take away our sickness and pains, frequent changes to project and business strategies that ...

  “ 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 : 10 - 11 NKJV Oftentimes, the story of deliverance is limited to news of freedom from oppression, bondage, and wickedness. More often than not, God allows believers’ passage through the valley of the shadow of death for branding, through faith in the revealed words of the Lord. The words of the Lord (either through scriptural revelation, flash of the words of wisdom, inspirational dreams, etc) are precious, especially in lonely hours and in moments surrounded by the words or ways of threat from the enemies. When the psalmist says “ I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”, it speaks more of an experience of standing on the infallibility of the words of the Lord in the midst of the madness of man; and not really the mindfulness of man. And it is those who merely seek deliverance from the Lord (and not the privi...

  “ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. ”” John 4 : 23 - 24 NKJV While every Sunday worship service offers worshippers with the privilege of starting a New Week with the understanding of God’s purpose for the week, most worshippers often do not see beyond the calibration of sermons, singing, and substances. It is this sense of calibration that lead many people who move from mountains to mountains in search of prophetic pronouncements without any evidence of heart transformation. When the woman of Samaria finally met Jesus, she became capable of seeing beyond the superiority of the well of Jacob and denominational segregation. And like she later exclaimed, worthwhile worship always leaves the true worshippers with a better understanding of God’s purposes in personal life, family life, and mi...

  “ Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55 : 22 NKJV It is not an overstatement that the work of our hands, the quality of networks we keep, and the friendliness of the societies we belong to can be a reliable shield against oppression and invasion in the family, workplace, and the society. No doubt, people join the different cults and available secret societies because of this concept of shield against economic, emotional, and social bullies. Unfortunately, the embodiment of man-made shields is unsustainable in the light of the advances in knowledge, and the burden of change in our ever-growing world. For example, if we build our shield on financial resources, we will get moved when these resources are threatened by change in government policies, change in the financial market driven by moneybags and competitors, etc. Whereas, when the righteous cast the financial burden (and all burdens for that matt...