FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14

We have all experienced situations in our lives when submitting to the will of God becomes very difficult for us.

For example, when someone has really mistreated or done something terrible against you, committing the situation to God for Him to deal with it His own way is very challenging.

Anytime you go into prayer about the situation, you are inclined to curse the person instead of praying for the person to change. This is so especially when the more you try to be nice to the person, the worse they become.

In such circumstances, we are commanded to forgive the person and pray for them. When you pray, you leave the issue in God's hands and trust Him to deal with it in the best way.

This kind of prayer is very difficult, and many times when we leave issues in the Lord's hands, we go back for them and handle them our own way.

In every instance of suffering, our Lord handed over both the situation and Himself to the Father's care. He did so because He was confident in the righteous judgment of the Father.

When He was reviled, He committed His ways to the Father. On the cross when He was suffering and dying, he still committed Himself to the Father. That is the way you should respond when confronted with unjust persecution on the job or in your families and relationships.

When you retaliate, you forfeit the blessing and reward that suffering is meant to bring. Retaliation shows your lack of confidence in God's ability to make things right in His own time.

Prayer: Father, I commit all my hurts to You; heal me. I ask for Your forgiveness for all those who have hurt me one way or the other.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 12:14-21

SPINACH & RICOTTA CHEESE PANCAKES

You would need,

250 grams Ricotta or Home Made Cottage Cheese
1/3 C Spring Onion (green leaves only)
½ C finely chopped Spinach Leaves (washed)
2 Eggs, separated
1 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
1/3 C Rice Flour

Salt to taste
¾ tsp Chili flakes (adjust according to heat)
Oil to cook pancakes read here

Drain any excess water from the ricotta by keeping the ricotta in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or muslin cloth. Transfer the drained cheese in a mixing bowl and whisk with a spatula until smooth. Add the spring onions, egg yolks, green chillies, rice flour, salt, chili flakes and spinach leaves and mix them in well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in half of the egg whites to the cheese mix and then add the rest of the egg whites.
Pour a teaspoon of oil on a hot griddle or non-stick pan and add 2-3 tablespoon of cheese batter. Spread it a little with the back of a spoon and cook till the bottom begins to turn brownish and then flip and cook the other side in a similar way. Remove from heat and serve with the tomato relish.
Note: The pancakes can be made ahead and reheated over the griddle pan.
Note: Be sure to use freshly made cottage cheese and not the store brought one sold in blocks.
Note: You can swap spinach with vegetable/s of your choice.
Yield: 8 (the size shown in pics)

Ginger is the perfect herb to grow indoors

Ginger is the perfect herb to grow indoors. It’s very low-maintenance, loves partial sunlight, and you can use parts of it at a time, leaving the rest in the soil to continue growing. Besides, it’s delicious! Really, what’s not to love about growing ginger inside?

A bit about ginger

Ginger takes 10 months to mature and it doesn’t tolerate frost. If you live in a place where it gets chilly in the winter, you’d be better off growing ginger in a pot indoors and bringing it outside in the summertime.

Ginger is one of those miraculous plants that grows well in partial to full shade, which makes it ideal for growing in your home, where most people don’t have full sun pouring on their windows all day long.

Little bits of the ginger root can be removed while it continues to grow. A little bit of ginger goes a long way, so these pieces can be used for cooking, brewing tea or for herbal remedies.

How to plant ginger

The best ginger to plant is purchased from a garden center or seed catalog. You’ll have much better luck if you get seed ginger that was meant to be planted. However, ginger can be hard to find from garden suppliers, especially locally.

Ginger purchased from the produce department of your local grocery store can be used to grow a plant, but with spotty results. Grocery store ginger is often sprayed with a growth inhibitor to keep it from sprouting before it’s purchased. That inhibitor also keeps it from sprouting when you stick it in a pot of soil.

Grocery store ginger also could be coated in pesticides and fungicides. The truth is, you have no idea what’s on it. I’ve heard of grocery store ginger growing just fine, and I’ve heard of it sitting in a pot forever and never budging. If you do purchase your ginger from the grocery store, be sure to soak it in water overnight to remove as much growth inhibitor as you can.

Whichever way you choose to go, here are some helpful tips for growing ginger inside:

The root that you choose to plant should be plump with tight skin, not shriveled and old. It should have several eye buds on it (bumps that look like potato eyes) and if they’re already a little green, all the better.

If your root has several eye buds, it can be cut and each bud can be placed in a separate pot to produce several plants.

Be sure to pick the perfect pot!

Unlike most other houseplants, ginger loves shallow, wide pots. The roots grow horizontally so be sure the pot you choose will accommodate its growth.

How to grow ginger indoors, step by step:

1. To start with, soak the ginger root overnight in warm water to get it ready for planting.

2. Fill your pot with very rich but well draining potting soil.

3. Stick the ginger root with the eye bud pointing up in the soil and cover it with 1-2 inches of soil. Water it well.

4. Place the ginger in a spot that stays reasonably warm and doesn’t get too much bright sunlight.

5. Keep the soil moist, using a spray bottle to mist it, or water it lightly.

6. Ginger is a slow grower, after a few weeks you should see some shoots popping up out of the soil. Continue to water the plant regularly by misting it with a spray bottle and keep it warm

Harvesting ginger:

Small pieces of ginger can be harvested 3-4 months after growth begins. Pull aside some of the soil at the edges of the pot to find some rhizomes beneath the surface. Cut the needed amount off a finger at the edge of the pot and then return the soil.

Ginger can be harvested in this way endlessly, and as long as it is well cared for, it will continue to produce roots. If you need a larger harvest, you can uproot the entire plant and re-plant a few rhizomes to start the process over again. By Meredith Skyer

Prayer for new week

God is your defense in times of trouble. He will help you. He will shield you. no plot of man or scheme of the enemy intended to hurt you will prosper! Every obstacle is a stepping stone to your miracle! You are triumphant through Christ in Jesus name! 

God is positioning you for unusual exploits. He will order your steps so you can be at the right place, at the right time. This month, expect divine direction and speed in the area of your assignment, in Jesus name. The destiny of sugarcane is to be cut at the time of its sweetness. I pray for you, you will not be cut off at the time of your flourishing in Jesus name.

Happy New Week from us ASB-World. 

Happy Valentine's day

Happy Valentine's day to all our Readers and Fans, have fun and becarefulllll.

Let us know your plan for today...

BE PREPARED

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, He will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 2 Peter 3:11-12

If we understand anything about Bible prophecy about the teaching in Scripture regarding the return of Christ - if we get that in any way, shape, or form, then this is what will happen in our lives: we will want to be more godly people.

But if not, then we are missing the point, just like the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day.

We are told in 1 John 3:2-3, "Dear friends, we are already God's children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.

But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure."

We also read in 2 Peter 3:11, "Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God . . . "

Then Peter goes on to tell his readers what kind of lives they ought to be living in the light of this. So how does the knowledge of Christ's return affect you? Does it make you want to be a more godly man or woman?

Does it make you want to stand for the Lord and His Kingdom? When we look forward with earnest expectation to the coming of the Lord, it will inspire us to Holy living. We don't know when the Lord will return. But we know He is coming soon. And we should be prepared for His coming.

Prayer: Ask the Lord to make you kingdom-minded and inspire you to holiness and righteousness.

Scriptural Reading: 2 Peter 3:10-13

Kids: Why You Should Talk to Your Kids About Purity

In my opinion, we don't talk to kids early enough or often enough about purity.

I think most parents desire purity for their kids. They just don't consider how to lead their kids to desire purity.

It's easy to confuse purity with abstinence.

And yet there is a big difference between purity and abstinence. If you abstain fromsex, it doesn't necessarily mean you value purity. It just means you've done a good job waiting. Purity involves more than simply refraining from sex. Purity involves protecting more than just the physical body but protecting the mind and heart as well.

Television, billboards, music, movies, bathroom stalls, the school bus—the list is interesting and more extensive than my naivete cares to go. But clearly we don't have to go far to acknowledge that the purity of our kids is at stake. The consistent barrage of sexual content is inescapable. I can limit my son's television consumption, blindfold him when we drive down the road and never lead him across the threshold of Abercrombie & Fitch, and I still won't get away from the prevalence of sexual innuendos.

Can I be really honest here?

Just a few weeks ago, I made a joke around a group of other adults. In an effort to be funny, I completely failed to remember the teens present. Oh. My. Word. I walked away completely ashamed of how I redirected their thoughts to someplace they didn't need to be any time soon.

Our kids will confront sexual content on many different levels as they engage with society. Learning how to maintain purity today is a survival skill that lays a foundation for a healthy marriage in the future.

Kyle and I started talking to our son, Keegan, about purity when he was 8 years old. I'm having similar conversations with our daughter, Josie, now. Each are learning that we cannot always control what people put on a billboard, but we can control whether or not we look at it. And we need to be wise about what we look at.

The more we broach the subject and the more honest we are with them, the more they trust us to ask frank questions. And that's where we want to be.

So, if you're waiting until your child starts dating before you talk about purity, consider sowing that seed today. Purity is a skill that takes time to hone. Give them every advantage to excel in this.

Gina McClain