Praying For Your Nation

TEXT: AMOS 7:1-6

KEY VERSE: “Then said I , O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee; by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small” (Amos 7:5).

It is strange that we do exactly the opposite of what God commands. God says we shouldn’t waste precious time and energy on anxiety about what we cannot change on our own. But that is what we do: complaining about our country and its leaders and ignoring the great natural and human resources He has given us.

Amos was different. God had showed him a vision of the impending judgment on Israel. The Lord was preparing to unleash a swarm of locusts on the farmlands of Israel to destroy their crops and further impoverish them because of their sins. In the vision, Amos observed that the grasshoppers ate up even the grass of the land. He knew that if he did nothing, the vision would materialise. So, he began to pray and plead with the Lord to forgive Israel their sins. He reminded God that Israel was so small and had no other hope of deliverance but the Lord Himself. Expectedly, the merciful God hearkened to the prayers of Amos. But the people of Israel did not change their ways.

So, God showed Amos another vision of His anger against the land. This time, it was to be in the form of fire that would consume large part of the land of Israel. Again, Amos went on his knees, pleading with the Lord to cease from destroying the land by fire, stating as at the first time, that Israel was so small and had no chance of survival except by the grace of God.

If we are genuinely concerned about the rot in the society, the solution does not lie in grumbling; it does not lie either in the tons of writings on corruption and its allied evils; nor is the solution in endless cycles of violent protests and strikes. God’s Word says righteousness exalts a nation. The corollary then is to go on our knees and plead with God for the salvation of both the citizens and the leaders. When there is genuine repentance, righteousness will follow and we shall have peace and prosperity.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Revival of righteousness in the land can be secured only on our knees.

"Happy Mother’s Day"

Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My Mother.

A mother's work is never done
She works from morning until dawn
She spreads her love
And keeps you warm
But only once a year we say
Mother we wish you "Happy Mother’s Day"

 "Happy Mother’s Day" From ASB-World.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 

2 Corinthians 1:20

Unless by faith we take sides with God and appropriate His Word, we cannot enjoy our relationship, rights and privileges as children of God.

God said you are justified, you are sanctified, you are redeemed. God said you are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies; He shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus; He wished that above all things, you may prosper and be in health as your soul prospers.

All these tremendous truths of the Word will have no effect in your life until you take sides with God and say "yes" to them.

It has been well said that there is a three-man committee of which you are the chairman. One is voting against the victorious life - that one is the knowledge gained by the five senses and prompted by Satan; another One is voting for your victorious life - that is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

However, one vote each way is a tie, and the chairman must cast the deciding vote, and whichever way he votes wins the motion.

So your vote does have value! You, as chairman, can vote on the side of the five senses - you do this every time you agree with the illusion of lack or the outward circumstances or the physical pain.

On the other hand, as chairman, you can vote on the side of the Word - you do this every time you believe, confess and act on the Word.

God's Word is pure and trustworthy. Anytime you side with God, you become the majority, and Satan has no option but to give in.

Prayer: Father, help me focus on Your infallible Word and take my eyes off outward circumstances.

Scriptural Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:15-24

Try This Recipe-Katie's Frozen Dessert

This tasty treat can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups chocolate-flavored crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1/2 to 1 cup Spanish peanuts, coarsely chopped
• Garnish: chocolate syrup

Instructions:

Blend together peanut butter and corn syrup in a large bowl. Add cereals; stir until coated.

Press into the bottom of an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. Spread ice cream over cereal mixture; sprinkle with peanuts. Swirl chocolate syrup over top; if desired.

Cover with aluminum foil; freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Cut into squares to serve.

By piarecipes.com

‘I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM…….’

John 19 : 1-4

‘ So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the man”’

Earlier on in chapter 18, after questioning Jesus the first time, Pilate had already declared to the Jewish leaders his conviction over Jesus. “I find no fault in Him”, he said, and even offered to release Jesus to them as part of his annual custom of releasing a prisoner during the Passover. The Jewish leaders refused his offer and Pilate went back inside to Jesus. 
‘I find no fault in Him’, he had said, and to confirm this what did Pilate do? He took Jesus and scourged Him; he allowed his soldiers to further torture and mock Him, and in that humiliation and pain, with a bloody face and body, he presented Jesus once again to His accusers .. as proof that he found no fault in Him? I’ve always wondered how much more Pilate could have done to further the cause of the Jewish leaders if he had actually found fault in Jesus. Faced with such ‘proof’ of faultlessness, it is no surprise that the mob were encouraged to call for Jesus’ death. After all, what was there to fear; if even the governor who had found no fault in Him could have already begun to punish Him the Jewish leaders who did find fault in Him were justified in crucifying Him.

Pilate’s behavior is not unlike what happens with those of us who claim to find no fault in Christ. Our live styles in many cases do just as much damage to the cause of Christ as Pilate did with His ‘proof’. We declare that God is love, but we are quick to judge and condemn even fellow Christians, and crucify the unbelieving that Jesus gave His life for. We have become so wrapped us with ourselves and the desire to make money and make ‘it’, that we can no longer hear nor respond to the world’s cry. We declare that God is our helper, and then go ahead to tell or live lies in order to help or pursue our cause. We insist that we trust Him and are willing to follow His leading and how do we prove that? We bribe, - no we pay- what it takes to get our own way, we give Him glory for telling a lie successfully, and getting what we want; or on the other hand, we run from pole to pole in fear searching for ‘solutions’. We declare that humility is from God, and our pride does not allow us to accept correction or criticism.……... I am sure we can all add to the list if we think of it hard enough. 
Do we still wonder why the world continues to find fault in Him?

It is time to rethink our professions to Jesus, and the consistency of our actions with those professions. We should consider the implication of our actions on the cause of Him on whose side we claim to be on. We should do this reassessment with the help of the Holy Spirit, and ask Him to help us see what we have hitherto closed our eyes to - the extent of damage we have done to the cause of our Christ. There is mercy and grace to be found in the presence of God if we go before Him with true repentance and a desire to be different. Let the image of Jesus we present as proof to the opposing world be the representation of all we profess – A King in whom there is no fault indeed!

By Biodun

Recipes: HOMEMADE SNICKERS

INGREDIENTS

For the bottom chocolate layer

·         140g (or 5 ounces) milk chocolate

For the soft nougat layer

·         100ml (or ⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) water

·         275g (or ¾ cup + 2 teaspoons) golden syrup

·         320g (or 1½ cup + 5 teaspoons) granulated sugar

·         1 egg white

·         pinch of salt

·         35g (or 2 tablespoons + 2½ teaspoons) granulated sugar

·         35g (or ¼ cup + 2½ teaspoons) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

For the caramel peanut layer

·         330g (or 1 cup) dulce de leche

·         200g (or 7 ounces) toasted, salted peanuts

For the top chocolate layer

·         40g (or 5 ounces) milk chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

Start with the bottom layer of chocolate:

1.      Line the bottom of a 20×21-cm (or an 8×8-inch) brownie pan/baking dish/serving dish with baking parchment.

2.      In the bowl of a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate until all of it has melted. Pour the chocolate into the lined dish and, using a rubber spatula or even the back of a spoon, spread the chocolate in an even layer. Place in the fridge to set.

While the chocolate layer is in the fridge, start with the nougat:

1.      In a large saucepan, combine the water, golden syrup and 320g (1½ cup + 5 teaspoons) granulated sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2.      Once the sugar has dissolved, crank up the heat to high and clip a sugar thermometer on the side of the pan.

3.      In the meantime, combine the egg white and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until frothy, then add the remaining granulated sugar. Mix until white and foamy.

4.      Once the heating sugar syrup reaches 122°C/252°F, take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg white, mixing continuously. At first it will seem that the egg white will never be able to ‘absorb’ the amount of syrup, but it will. Just add the syrup in a thin drizzle and take your time.

5.      Once all the syrup has been added, mix for 1 minute, then slowly add the powdered sugar and mix it in. Then, with the mixer set to high, beat the mixture until it becomes thick and dry and feels cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.

6.      Take the brownie pan with the chocolate out of the fridge and spoon the nougat on top of it. Using a rubber spatula, spread the nougat around in the pan, then dust your hands with powdered sugar and, using your hands, press the nougat into an even layer.

7.      Allow the nougat to set and dry overnight.

The next day, proceed with the caramel peanut layer:

1.      In the bowl of a double boiler, gently heat the dulce de leche until soft. Keep your eye on it, because you don’t want it to get hot. It’s okay if it’s a little warm, though. Stir in the salted peanuts and allow cooling to body temperature.

2.      Once the mixture has cooled sufficiently, spoon it on top of the nougat layer. Using the back of a spoon spread the caramel into an even layer. Place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, melt some chocolate:

1.      In the bowl of a double boiler, melt the chocolate for the top chocolate layer. Pour on top of the chilled caramel/peanut layer and spread into an even layer with a spoon or a rubber spatula. Place in the fridge to set for about 1 hour.

To serve:

1.      Use a hot knife to cut individual snickers bars, or cut into thin slices (I’ve got a picture of how it should look in the post!). Can be stored in an airtight container for at least a few days, maybe longer, but mine didn't last that long!amazinginteriordesign.com

7 Things for Which to Thank Your Wife

We men can be notoriously bad at thanking people, starting with the person we love the most: our wife. Here are seven quick things we can thank our spouse for, one per day for the next week:

1. “Thanks for putting up with me and for loving me. I know I am not always easy to live with.”

2. “Thanks for all you do to provide good food for our family to eat.”

3. “Thanks for all you do around the house. You do a great job keeping things clean and organized.”

4. “Thanks for pouring your life into our children and making that tough but worthwhile investment.”

5. “Thank you for all the times you have prayed for me. Please keep it up!”

6. “Thank you for being wise with our finances to give our family a bright future.”

7. “Thanks for being you, for putting your family first, and for looking so gorgeous while you do it!”

All Pro Dad