HOME SWEET HOME

For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Philippians 1:23

There is a story of a little dog named Jack, who was walking across the street one day and, tragically, was hit by a car. His sad owners took Jack to some bush nearby and buried him.

They were so grieved they would never see their precious little dog again. But three days later, they heard some scratching at the gate. Much to their surprise, they found Jack at the gate.

They could hardly believe their eyes. They opened the gate and let little him in. He was covered with dirt but alive.

It turns out their little dog wasn't dead after all. They had buried him alive, but the industrious little dog clawed his way out and found his way home.

There is no place like home. And it is important you keep in mind that there is a home waiting for every child of God, a future destination for all believers. It's called heaven.

We need to be homesick for heaven. Though we have never been there, we still have something God has built within us that gives us certain homesickness, a desire to be there.

It is fascinating the way the apostle Paul put it when he said, "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ. . . . Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (Philippians 1:23-24).

God has put a homing instinct inside every man and woman, a sense that there is something more to life.

In fact, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has put eternity in their hearts." Because of this, we will never be fully satisfied in this life. The Lord is preparing a home for us.

Prayer: Thank You Lord, for the mansion You are building for me in heaven.

Scriptural Reading: Philippians 1:23

THE MISSING WATCH

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.
Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch.

Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand!

The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

Reflection:

A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be!

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

* If you plant faith in God, you will reap a harvest.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

“Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back”

TRY THESE LADYBUG CUPCAKES !!

If you are about to host a garden or ladybird theme party then these cute ladybug cupcakes are worth giving a whirl.


To make these ladybug cupcakes first of all you have to bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes. Then cover each cooled down cupcake with discs of black fondant. After that cut a disc of red fondant and cut wings out of it in the way shown. 

Put the red fondant wings on the cupcake by sticking them with a bit of water. Also stick small circles of black fondant on the wings. 
Make eyes with tiny circles of white fondant and detail with black food pen or brush. 

Make a mark of a smiling face with a toothpick and voila! Happy decorating!


Source: diary of a ladybird

Health: The 9 anti-cancer foods you cannot ignore

(NaturalNews) With modern lifestyles, people are exposed to multiple carcinogenic agents on a daily basis. It is hence no wonder that cancer rates are soaring. To keep far away from this terrifying disease, below is a list of cancer foods that cannot be ignored.

1. Flavonoid-rich berries
These berries include currants, cherries, cranberries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. As powerful antioxidants, flavonoids can be more potent than traditional antioxidants like vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc. And antioxidants are well-known to be crucial in the prevention of cancer. So pop a berry or two daily as a snack, rather than the nutrition-less sweets, for optimal cancer protection.

2. Turmeric
Love curry? Curry is one of the delicious foods that protect against cancer, if it contains turmeric. This is because turmeric contains the phytonutrient, curcumin, which has been found to be anti-inflammatory and cancer-inhibiting.

3. Cruciferous vegetables
These vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cress, horseradish, kohlrabi, mustard, radish and turnip. They are beneficial because they contain the phytonutrient, glucosinolates, which has been found to detoxify certain carcinogens and help lower cancer risk, especially colon cancer.

4. Garlic
Garlic contains about 200 biologically active compounds, such as sulfur containing amino-acids, glutathione and cysteine, that have powerful protective functions against cancer formation, growth and metastasis. For the best effect, garlic should be eaten freshly chopped and raw. But if the smell and taste of raw garlic is really intolerable, it could be lightly stir-fried with vegetables, or boiled in soups.

5. Mushrooms
Mushrooms aren't only tasty to eat, they can also protect one from cancer. At least some mushrooms can. Like the reishi (Ganoderma), shiitake and maitake, which the Chinese and Japanese have been using for ages to boost immunity, protect against as well as treat cancer.

6. Yogurt
Various species of probiotics (eg. Bifidobacterium lactis) present in yoghurt have been found to improve immunity and detoxify many carcinogens, including hormones, meat carcinogens and environmental toxins.

7. Spinach
Many people formed their impression of spinach from watching the cartoon Popeye as a kid. But is this green food as wonderful as it is portrayed to be?

Long reputed for increasing power and energy, spinach is also an anti-cancer food because of its richness in chlorophyll and carotene. Besides protecting one from cancer, it is also rich in iron, folic acid, vitamins and minerals, as well as the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (which has anti-aging properties).
If there's only one green vegetable to be eaten, then it must be spinach.

8. Fiber-rich foods

Fiber in plant foods are important not only for healthy bowels, they are also important for preventing colorectal cancer. Fiber facilitates the movement of food through the digestive tract, so there is less time for any carcinogens in one's food to be absorbed, and less carcinogens are produced by the "rotting" food in the gut as it passes through.Whole grains (e.g. unpolished rice), beans, seeds, lentils and vegetables make rich sources of fiber, so be sure to include them in the daily meals.

9. Bee propolis
Propolis is a substance produced by bees to protect themselves and their hives against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Rich in bioflavonoids, vitamins and amino acids, it has been found to be immunity-enhancing and cancer-preventing.
Source: naturalnews.com

Prayer for new week and Happy new month of September folks!

In this new month God will keep your enemies busy to such an extent that they won't have time to hunt you anymore. You will become the leader of all those who have led you before. God will give you special testimonies that can't be stopped, can't be manipulated and can't be diverted in Jesus Name. 

Every mountain that stands in opposition against you shall become a plain ground. You will be divinely assisted by the Holy Spirit to do exploits in the place of your assignment in Jesus name. Enjoy your week! J

Happy New Week and new month  from us ASB-World.

Unblemished Sacrifice

TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 17:1-6

Key verse: “Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 17:1).

There was a story about Robert Hartington of Leeds, a Cambridge graduate, who lived in a single room and cooked his own meals. Yet, he gave foreign ministries 500,000 pounds for a pioneer work of the gospel. He preferred to inconvenience himself, just for the salvation of souls. He later commented: “Gladly would I make the floor my bed, a box my chair and another box my table, rather than that man should perish for want of the knowledge of Christ.”

The consecration of this noble man of God of blessed memory summarises the expectation of God from the children of Israel and, by extension, to us, as regards worship. He expected then and now a wholesome and unalloyed sense of responsibility from His creatures in worshi p. Our worship and sacrifice should come out of grateful hearts.

It is sheer wickedness to forsake God in preference for other gods. Our sacrifice must be borne out of voluntary submission to the will and dictate of God. We should learn to take a moment to consider the frailty and brevity of life, and how our priorities reflect this truth. We must strive for a firmer understanding that anything outside the will of God will, one day, fade away. Any other “god” who receives our worship in the form of excess time, thought, energy, or resources will most surely be burnt and be swept aside. Neglect of God for earthly pursuit attracts heavy punishment. In our passage today, those who went after other gods were sentenced to death by stoning, after the confirmation of two or three witnesses.

When we refuse to accept the living God of the Bible, we become worshippers of various elements in life, such as money, worldly possessions and pleasures. God’s warning is clear and unmistakable about the fate of those who choose idol worship, who refuse to accept the established standard of His word.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Nothing less than a living sacrifice is demanded.

THE VOICE OF PEACE

For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. 

Isaiah 55:12

Not only does God speak to us through His Word, and not only does He speak to us through people and circumstances, but God also speaks to us through His peace.

Colossians says, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful" (3:15).

Another way to translate that verse is, "Let God's peace act as an umpire in your lives, settling with finality all matters that arise."

God's peace can act as an umpire in your life. He can settle with finality what you should do.

Here's how it works. Maybe you think that something is the will of God. Circumstantially, things have fallen into place. You begin to proceed, but then you have a complete lack of peace. Something inside of you is saying, "Don't do it."

The Old Testament tells the story of a clever group of individuals known as Gibeonites, who lived in Canaan.

God had instructed Joshua not to make any deals with the inhabitants of the land.

So the Gibeonites put on old shoes and clothes and pretended as though they had come from a distant country. They told Joshua they had come to enter into an agreement with him.

Joshua unknowingly struck a deal with his enemies because he failed to consult the Lord. Things can look good outwardly. Everything can seem right. Be careful. Learn to listen to that still, small voice.

Learn to pay attention to that peace, or lack of it, in your heart because that is one of the ways God will lead you.

When you're in the will of God, you will have His peace. All the ways of God are peaceful.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to listen to the voice of peace.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 55:6-13