Heralds Digest

  “ For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.” I Samuel 1 : 27 - 28   NKJV The child Samuel may appear to just be an answer to Hannah’s prayer, but the child actually represented a token of a covenant relationship between Hannah and God. For example, the child opens up an intimate relationship between Hannah and God, evidenced by her priestly prayer in Chapter 2. Also, the child became an answer to the restoration of priesthood in Israel. God had intended to terminate the priesthood from the race of Eli, and needed a covenant child to fulfil the need (1 Samuel 2:26). Therefore, when Hannah said “ For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him “, it shows that true prayer is always an engagement between the God of Heaven and man over a covenant child. And whenever ...

  “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” John 10 : 14 NKJV When Jesus says “ I know My sheep ”, He speaks about the deep trust and sincere relationships between a good shepherd and His good sheep. It is one thing for a believer’s faith and trust to claim the knowledge of God’s love and affection; but “ I know My sheep ” is deeper. Therefore, the greatest of achievements for every believer in life is knowing God to the extent God can equally say “ I know My sheep ”. For example, when Ruth finally became a sold-out sheep of the Lord, her needs became the burden of everyone God placed in her life. Naomi had to confess “ My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? ( Ruth 3 : 1 )”; and Boaz goes “ my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman ( Ruth 3 : 11 )”. Likewise today, whenever any believer becomes a sold-out sheep of the Lor...

  “ He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. ” Proverbs 12 : 11 NKJV One significant takeaway from the Corper’s Lodge, one of the recent Mount Zion movies, is captured in the pursuit of ‘fresh bread’ and the difference between purpose and prize. Unfortunately, those who focus on the pursuit of prize often follow frivolity and would readily trade their birth-rights for a morsel of bread. Fruitfulness demands faithfulness to the purpose and not faithfulness to the prize. For example, Ruth followed Naomi not because of her faithfulness to the prize (husband). In the words of Boaz on the subject of Ruth’s faithfulness, “ The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge ( Ruth 2 : 12 )”. Ruth had found faith in the God of Israel right in the land of Moab; and she was determined to lay down the pursuit of a prize for the pursuit of purpose ...

  “ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”” John 8 : 31 - 32 NKJV By Jesus’ reference to “ If you abide in My word ”, the possibility of believers abiding in extra-scriptural words, philosophy of other men or sages, and personal experiences is rife. The multifaceted dimensions of truth make human opinions and conjectures the fundamental fabrics of life’s relationships and engagements. Therefore, it takes the grace of God for any believer to abide in the revealed truth from the Lord, especially when this truth becomes unpopular. Popular and political truth do not rebuke sin and unrighteousness; must pay lip service to corporate and institutional standards, and will engage in bootlicking for the promotion of injustices and highhandedness. And without this abiding grace, every believer is readily turned to betrayal of the truth in our highly compromisin...

  “ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”” John 8 : 12 NKJV Deception thrives on the principle of human dependence on their senses. Human senses represent a reasonable guidance on paths toward protection, prosperity, and preservation; and the enemy knows how best to manipulate the minds guided by these human senses. Little wonder why, in the beginning, Adam and Eve were deceived by their senses of sight to sin against God. Even today, believers’ actions and preoccupation are manipulated by this deadlight of human senses. Those who follow the leading of material gains, physical appearances, and carnal propensities are readily deceived by the deadlight into darkness and destruction. Therefore, when Jesus says “ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”, He doesn’t mean one of the life lights but the only life light....

  “ Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” ” John 7 : 45 - 46 NKJV While reflecting recently on the devastating influence of darkness, the spirit of the Lord brought a direct instruction through the scriptural revelation “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5 : 16)”. Likewise, when we need sound salvation from darkness, God often needs sound speech with light from His people. It implies that in desperate moments and seasons of the challenges of life, God often expects the reverberation of sound speech with character, confidence, and consecration. These are the likes of the days in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, when officers and soldiers were employed to search, seclude and segregate him from the society. It turned out that these officers became exposed to the sound spee...

  “ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.” Proverbs 11 : 30 NKJV A focus on the method of soul winning has always been a challenge and a complication. Whereas, soul winning is more about a life than a method. The challenges in a contraception called world are sufficient to dictate the handwriting of darkness, gloom, emptiness, and depression to the people on the paths of life. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for the truly righteous in our world to miss fruit bearing. And when Jesus says “ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life“, He meant that the only evidence of the righteous’ existence in any system is his courageous provision of life against death, light against darkness, love against hatred, and peace against wickedness. It implies that anyone who claims the grace of God unto righteousness, but without clear evidence of life, light, love, and peace, shouldn’t bother about the business of soul-winning. This is because his ...