Heralds Digest

  “ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm .” Matthew 8 : 23 , 25 - 26 KJV The three different types of faith that can be manifested in life are characterized here, including ‘full faith ’, ‘little faith ’, and ‘no faith ’. While ‘little faith ’ was manifested by the disciples of Jesus Christ in their reaction to the stormy sea, and ‘no faith ’ was manifested by the citizens of Gergesene who expelled Jesus Christ from their coast in response to the storming disappearance of the swines, the ‘full faith ’ of those who brought the man with palsy to Jesus Christ in response to the storming health challenge was commended. A ‘full faith ’ is the following faith, leaving ‘little faith ’ as a fearful faith and ‘no faith ’ as the faulty faith. ...

  “ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ” Matthew 7 : 24 - 25 KJV The reason why Jesus ended the sermon on the Mount with an illustration on faithful followers is because most people followers are mere hearers and not doers. A typical example of these unfaithful followers is the lost Lot in the Old Testament. They are categorized as fake followers, fruitless followers, and faulty followers, depending on the setting and circumstances; but the common denominator is simply the fact that they lack the tenacity for committing to the commandment of the Lord. Before the lost Lot’s in-laws, he was a fake follower of the Lord (“ …But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law (Genesis 19 : 14 )”); a fruitless follower to the angels that rescued...

“(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6 : 32 - 34 KJV That our Heavenly Father is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient has been the latent truth before all believers; but we are all wired to be governed by these things that we know. The facts around our life’s circumstances, needs, and challenges are common realities before men and the enemies. And when the scriptures say “ For after all these things do the Gentiles seek ”, the disturbing realities that believers are also getting messed up by the same these things are exposed. Unfortunately, the truth according to these things hasn’t set anyone free at any time. For example, the truth ...

  “ For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect .” Matthew 5 : 46 - 48 KJV “ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God ” as one of the beatitudes in the earlier verses reveals that perfect peace is the combination of the peace of God and peace from God. A peacemaker must first be a recipient of the peace of God before becoming an embodiment of peace himself. You cannot make what you are not. So, those who are readily influenced into evil, envy, hatred, and retaliation should not pass blame on the doses of wickedness from their acclaimed evil makers. When we receive enough of peace from God, we are bound to become the peace of God; little wonder why peace making  is the heritage and identity of sons of God. Therefore, the respon...

  “ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield .” Psalm 5 : 11 - 12 KJV New Year resolutions or not, there is no doubt that everyone sets out at the beginning of 2026 for a desirable lifting in his family, career, business, and social life. The demands for lifting have been overwhelming in recent times, leading to many people’s reluctance in making a straight decision with their lifting options. In the days of Abram and Lot in the Old Testament, the straightforward life lift option made Lot settle for Sodom and Gomorrah. Without relying on the knowledge of hindsight, Lot’s life lift option represents the way of the majority, even today. A desirable lifting is readily defined by economic life standards, financial strength,  architectural appeal, etc. And just as ...

  “ Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: For thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. ” Psalm 4 : 7 - 8 KJV The scriptures say elsewhere about spiritual prosperity that “ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matthew 5 : 8 )” because material prosperity often lead the heart away from God. Material prosperity, including academic achievements, career progression, financial independence, social superiority, political influence, etc, makes the heart proud; and it is not surprising why this grievous gladness via material prosperity often unsettle the safety and stability of sane systems. Therefore, pure prosperity is empowered by gracious gladness in the heart and believer’s intimate relationship with God. It is greater, richer, and higher than material prosperity because of its guarantee of peace and safety in all circumstances. Even in the absence of mater...

  “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction. ” Proverbs 1 : 7 KJV When Pastor WF Kumuyi defined a FOOL in his New Year message, titled ‘Digging Deep, even Deeper, for a Divinely Desired Fruit-bearing ’, as a person with an act of ‘Forfeiting Opportunity of Life ’, anyone can rightly see the contrast from the faithful’s fear of the LORD. Truly, fools despise wisdom and instruction from the LORD in pursuit of the offer of opportunities from Satan. As demonstrated by the episode of Satan’s offerings to Jesus Christ, fool’s desirable opportunities come in the form of food, fame, and fortunes; but the faithful’s fear is always solid on standing on the commandments and promises of the LORD. It is absolutely useless for believers, who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Saviour and desire to keep and do His will in the New Year, to even consider the option of accepting food, fame and fortune offers from fraudulent sources. Unfort...