Heralds Digest

  “ For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! ” Psalms 84 : 11 - 12 NKJV Gift can either be a bribe or blessing, depending on the source. No doubt, a bribe is a bad gift with the intention of manipulating the beneficiary into evil commits and disobedience against the counsel of God. Little wonder the scriptures say “ And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous ( Exodus 23 : 8 )”. If the soldiers that guarded the tomb of Jesus were quieted from the truth about His resurrection by the influence of bribe, needless to mention the cause of the destruction of Apostle Judas, who can ever escape the poison of bribe? Unfortunately, in moments of discomfort, disappointment, and discouragement, the heart of any man is vulnerable to the misleading counsels and manipulative controls. Fo...

  “ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. ” Psalms 84 : 4 - 5 NKJV King’s palace and the presidential Whitehouse are celebrated as places for fun and fair; but everyone knows that earthly power houses are usually not free from internal rancour and reckless strategies against the enemies. Clearly, power houses are not necessarily peace palaces, especially when their occupants are gracelessly intoxicated by the excesses of human achievements in the absence of the influence of grace. Therefore, the only peace palace in the whole wide world is the presence of God. And amazingly, there is no need for a physical commuting into this peace palace, as long as the heart is set on pilgrimage through prayer and meditation on the counsels of God. Even in the deepest of troubles from their makers and the weirdest of wickedness by their peddlers, there is always the sweete...

  “ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. ” Proverbs 17 : 3 - 4 NKJV The endless question in almost all of life’s challenging situations and circumstances as always is “ Why would God allow these injustices, oppression, wickedness, conspiracy and unfaithfulness? ”. The subjective responses to this question, depending on the variation of personal application, underscore the basis of many people’s life philosophy and disposition. But then, the singular response of the scriptures is “ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts “. Whatever the painful impacts of the refining pot of malice, hatred and wickedness or the furnace of injustice, physical attacks, racial profiling, and slander, God is always interested in the prospect of producing holy hearts. And while it is the calling of unholy hearts to engage in...

  “ Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth .” Psalms 83 : 16 - 18 NKJV Without a consistent lifestyle of grace and absolute submission to the Will of God through prayer, everyone is wired by nature to live in arrogance.  But for God to respond to Sennacherib of old “ ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israe l ( II Kings 19 : 22 )”, Hezekiah had to intercede for Israel before God. Even today and like the prayer of the psalmist, praying men are needed in our homes, churches, institutions, and societies to bless arrogant stewards with shame. Otherwise, our human financial, material, and political achievements do readily hinder the reverence of God as the only “ O Lo...

  “ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. ” Acts 27 : 23 - 25 NKJV Since reporting is now made easier and faster in this digital age, it isn’t surprising why faith in God is failing readily even in the household of faith. Unfortunately, our enemies often use advances in communication and networking tools for greater manipulation of supposed believers in the promises of God. But like the experience of Paul amidst the dark nights of tempestuous storms on the sea of Euroclydon, the presence of God in the midst of every believer’s life challenges provides the most reliable report. Amidst the temptation to fall for the overwhelming threats of social insecurity, economic instability, medical health challenges, career difficul...

  “ And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar .”” Acts 26 : 29 , 32 NKJV In Paul’s defence before king Agrippa and Bernice, he turned defence to declaration of his proud portion.  Even in chains, it became evident that only the full fellowship with the Lord can guarantee freedom from emotional bondage. In relative comparison, we have seen many political inmates carry their Bible proudly during their trials for the want of companionship. While many of these prisoners have ended up with a revived relationship with God as a result of the prison experience, Paul’s possession of God does not see prison walls and chains but wasted men in need of the Saviour and Deliverer from sin and unrighteousness. Obviously, when any believer truly possesses the Lord through daily ...

  “ He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he .” Proverbs 16 : 20 NKJV Wise word does not necessarily suggest the way of finding good; it embodies an absolute submission to the revelation of God. When the Lord Jesus, the word personified, says “ I am the way, the truth, and the life…”, it implies that absolute submission to the Lord delivers the heart of any man from carnal wisdom and worldly agitation. It is not enough to claim the knowledge of the word personified, especially in the midst and myriads of worldly influences and human manipulation. The redeemed heart must absolutely and consistently be influenced by the Lord Himself through a daily meditation on His word and a lifestyle of praying for grace to submit to His will. Therefore, it is only “ He who heeds the word wisely will find good“ , not he who hears the word or teaches the word. To heed the word wisely is simply the making of a lifestyle of holiness and righteousnes...