Heralds Digest

  “ Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. ” Isaiah 41 : 10 , 13 - 14 NKJV In human parlance, anointing for service or godfatherism comes with high sense of responsibility from the supplier of the service strength, like political base, financial support, administrative backing, etc. Little wonder why godfathers will readily do all within and without their might to frustrate any disloyal subjects to retain the dividend of their responsibilities. Unfortunately, God often has to contend with the grips of godfathers to get the loyalty of His children. And when He says “ Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God “, it is mostly bo...

  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. ”” Galatians 2 : 20 - 21 NKJV Given the ever dynamic standards in systems of the world, everyone knows the deficiencies of personal goodness grants in customer satisfaction, family prosperity, and political vote of confidence. Even when king Hezekiah appeared to get a reward by his personal goodness grant from the Lord, the grant was quickly messed up by his extension to  Merodach-Baladan - the son of Baladan, king of Babylon. And like Apostle Paul corrected the expressed hypocrisy in the use of personal goodness grants in the Galatian church, many believers today struggle with the pollution of grace with their goodness grants, through diplomacy, charisma, generosity...

  “ …and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ” Galatians 2 : 9 NKJV All crisis situations and circumstances in life have opportunity potentials, depending on how we respond. The different response options that are naturally available include blame game, and offense picking; while very few often think about navigating the grace gateway. For example, the crisis situation in the ministry of Apostle Paul involved the challenges with the extension of the desirable hands of fellowship to accommodate the uniqueness in ministry. Having received the secret in his fellowship with God as regards divine intervention against personal crisis situations in life, Apostle Paul had learnt how to always access the opportunity through the grace gateway. God’s rest, reassurance, and righteousness often come from the ...

  “ Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off. Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken. ” Isaiah 33 : 17 , 20 NKJV Like Esau of old, those who sell their birthrights for peanuts have shamed sights. They are shamefully severed from sighting the beauty and blessedness of their waiting glories. They bowed before the wasted kings because of their blindfold against sighting the wise King. Therefore, saved sight brings pure perspective on the prevailing challenges of life, the precarious conditions in the family, and the problematic circumstances in the system to children of the Kingdom. Rather than getting distracted by the arrogance of kings in their bullies, “ Your eyes will see the King in His beauty “ is always the provision of grace. No one who chooses to look a...

  “ Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” II Corinthians 13 : 11 NKJV The architect of fake comfort is the devil. He gives false hope in dishonesty, futile freshness in falsification, and fake comfort in compromises. Unfortunately, those who wait upon the Lord for comfort, love and peace are readily disturbed by the pestering wares of the wicked. This wicked architect knows there is no reward for those who do not endure till the end. Therefore, in his inspirational admonition to the Corinthian believers, Apostle Paul weighed in with reference to the prospect of every believer’s dependence on the God of love and peace, in the midst of discomfort and discouragement. The silver and gold from our world of sin and compromise are mere baits on the hooks of discomfort, destruction and death; only the complete comfort from the Lord can guarantee the lasting peace, joy and love.

  “ And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalms 107 : 7 - 9 NKJV   One of the wholesome beauties of waiting upon the Lord always is that it produces the wonderful works of God. However, the waiting period is often treated as idleness, indolence, and inkling around in the midst of fast-paced intelligence of men. While the wonderful works of men are mostly etched on compromises, corruption and cruelty, those who are deceived by these works are never concerned about the consequences of missing the way to the city of God. As long as a temporary access to the city of gold is secured, waiters on the wonderful works of God are considered losers for their long suffering and endurance through the challenges of life. Whereas, the wonderful work...

  “ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12 : 8 - 9 NKJV Reflecting on the excesses of Elisha, the man with the double portion of the power on Elijah, it is easy to discover why the perfect plea in every believer’s relationship with God is grace. Having enjoyed the abundance of revelation and exposure to the glories of heaven, Apostle Paul was buffeted by pain towards embracing the sufficiency of God’s grace. Grace brings a man from being a FIEND to being FRIEND with God. Little wonder “ He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend (Proverbs 22 : 11 )” advances the (1) Foundation of His grace - which is salvation of souls, and NOT sycophancy - John 3:1-3; (2) Righteousness b...