PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Enoch walked with God. Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the daily grind of everyday life when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening.

In the 1600s, there was a monk named Brother Lawrence who was a dishwasher in his monastery.

He made a profound discovery that is true for every believer in the workplace today.

"For me the time of activity does not differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are calling together, calling for as many different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as when upon my knees at the blessed Sacrament."

You see, he found no urgency for retreats, because in the common task he met the same God to love and worship as he did in the stillness of his closet. It is this kind of life that Jesus desires for each one of us.

Enoch was also a man that practiced the presence of God. The Bible does not give a detailed account of his life. All we know about him is that "He walked with God."

In fact, it says in Genesis 5:22 that Enoch walked with God 300 years! Wow! That is faithfulness! What does it mean to practice the presence of God daily?

It means we are constantly talking to our Heavenly Father about the issues in our day. It means praying about things as they come up.

It means stopping at a red light and praying for the person God brings to mind. It means singing a song in your car while you are sitting in traffic. That is practicing the presence of God.

Prayer Point: Thank the Lord for His ever abiding presence.

Scriptural Reading: Genesis 5:18-24

Prayer for new week

May God's eyes of mercy shine upon you, May God send you help from the four corners of the World, May God deliver you from every evil plan of the enemies and answer all your prayers in Jesus name. Joseph was a prisoner in Egypt, but a day came when God made him to become a Prime Minister in the same Egypt.

This same God can still do it for you, When God opens your book of remembrance, all your sorrows will turn into laughter, all your days of mourning will turn into dancing, those who mock you, will come  and celebrate with you, those who look down on you, will look up to you, those who say "who are you"? Will come and say "how are you to you"? in Jesus name.

Happy New Week from us ASB-World. 

Chou’s Vinegar Chicken

Ingredients 8-10 chicken drumsticks
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ bottle of dry white wine
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions1. Take your chicken out of the fridge to bring it to room temp. Pat your chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture and sprinkle all the drumsticks with a little bit of salt.

2. Put some paper towels on a plate and set near your stovetop.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan over high heat, until butter has fully melted and oil is very hot.

4. Once the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken and cook until the skin is crispy and the color is golden brown (but don’t let the meat cook through yet). Add the full garlic cloves towards the end of browning.

5. Move the browned chicken to your plate with paper towels.

6. Pour 1/3 cup of vinegar and deglaze the pan (translation: take a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan so you remove all the yummy crispy bits).

7. Wait 5 minutes until vinegar is reduced and then put the chicken back in.

8. In a bowl, combine the quarter bottle of white wine, the tomato paste, and Dijon mustard.

9. Pour the wine mixture on top of the chicken. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken meat is cooked through. Turn the chicken after 10-15 minutes to make sure the chicken is coated and cooking evenly.

10. About 2 minutes before your remove the chicken from the heat, you can add in the cream and mix in well.

11. Add salt and pepper to taste. Move the chicken to a serving platter, pour all the yummy sauce and garlic all over the chicken, and serve. source: yahoo.com

Do you look like Him?

A young man impregnated a young girl. When the girl pointed out to the parents that he was responsible, he denied it. He swore heaven and earth that he had nothing to do with her. She had to bear the shame of that pregnancy alone. It was tough. It wasn't easy. Her father disowned her, saying he couldn't be the father to a girl who not only sleeps around, but has no clue who impregnated her. Her mother took up the responsibility of taking care of her. Nine months later, she had a bouncing baby boy. The entire neighbourhood was in shock. For as you looked at the face of the beautiful baby boy, you would find yourself staring into the face of the young man who had denied the pregnancy. There was absolutely no controversy - that young man was the father!

Who do you look like? Who is your father? If I look into your spirit man, can I say absolutely without controversy that God is your father? When I look at your character, can I say you act just like your Father does? These days there are a lot of people who say they are Christians, walk about speaking 'christianese', do and act like they are second in command to the Holy Spirit but have absolutely no regard for the One they call Father - By their fruit you shall know them (Matthew 7:16-20) They have taken God's grace for granted.

I'm not talking about those who love and fear God but fall occasionally - we are all a work in progress. But if you live life simply because you think 'grace' covers you, and your name is permanently in the Book of Life, yet have no regard for God, then you are not the child of the Father. If your character depicts acts of the devil, yet you are quick to lift up holy hands in church on Sunday, then you are not the child of the Father. If I can only see signs of you being a Christian on Sundays, or behind your phone/computer keyboard, then you are not the child of the Father.

Again I ask - when I look at you, will I see the face of God, the Father? Do you look like Him?

John 5: 19 (NKJV) Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. By sister Deby

TRUST IN THE LORD

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1-2

God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life. Throughout Scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities.

David's decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord. David's purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses.

David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah, more than double the previous head count.

David's commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. "But Joab replied, 'May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"

This census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord.

God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men. How do we do this in our lives today?

We trust the government, our connections, our bank accounts, our skills, and the security of our workplace.

When we begin placing our faith in these things instead of the provider of these things, we get into trouble with God.

What a lesson this is for each of us. We must look up only to God as the source of our provision. He is our Father, and our help comes from Him alone.

Prayer: Praise the Father for being the unfailing source of all you will ever need.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Chronicles 21:1-10

When Life Hits You Hard: 5 Things To Remember and 5 Verses to Live By

Just when I think everything is going perfect in my life, life threw me another curveball. My outgoing, outspoken and loving 54-year-old mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer – stage 3A. Worst news I’ve ever received in my entire life.

Now I do not know what you are dealing with right now. It may be job loss, divorce, a serious illness, a death of a loved-one. Nobody is immune to life’s trials and adversities. We all will experience them, only at varying degrees.

These situations can cause us to be confused, afraid, depressed, anxious and even angry. All these feelings are completely normal. We are humans, we are imperfect and we are flawed. But after recognizing all our emotions, we have to come to terms with our situation. We’ve got to face our problems head on.

Here are five things to remember while you are faced with an insurmountable circumstance.

1. You have access to a 24/7 hotline to heaven.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

When you feel so down and weary, talk to God. Talking helps. He understands and He cares. He feels your pain and all your emotions. Pour out your heart to him and you’ll find your mind is renewed after spending quality time in prayer.

2. God is always with you.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

Circumstances like these can shake your world and throw everything out of order. You may find that some things are out of your control and that causes a tremendous fear in your heart. Do not be afraid. The future may be unknown and uncertain, but you must remember that whatever happens, God will never leave you nor forsake you.

3. The difficult times sometimes have to happen so that God can accomplish His purpose for you.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

There is a quote that says “A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.”. I believe that to be true. You may have lost a job. Your relationships may have failed. Some things happen in order to mold us into the person God wants us to be. It may be hard to comprehend but we can take comfort knowing God never makes mistakes and He knows what is best for us.

4. You are stronger than you even think.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

Do not let the negative thoughts rule your mind. Focus on the positive and try to find the silver lining in every situation. You can rise above all this. You just have to find your light and not let the darkness thwart it.

5. Giving up is never an option.

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Your situation may seem hopeless. It may seem like it is the end. There will be days that it will feel like it is. But God is your ever present help in time of need. You can trust Him to give you the grace and strength to make it through any trial.

Sometimes we see how big our problems are and we forget how big our God is.

Tough times are inevitable. And more often than not, our circumstances are beyond our control.

But the good news is: We can control how we react to the situation we are in.

And the great news is: Our God is an Omniscient and Omnipotent God who has total control of everything.

So take heart, child of God.

Why is the child in hands of the beggar always sleeping?

This is an article I came across months ago. We are not sure of the author, however, we’ve checked the authenticity of this with our followers in Bangkok and Cambodia. Surprisingly, this seems to be true, and their request, is only to offer beggars food and water – not money. Any help you can give in terms of their needs are just fine. But make sure you do not hand over big bills, that will keep the begging industry going. You should be wise enough to know whom to help and how to help. Make your decision based on the situation and knowing it well enough.

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“Near the metro station, sits a woman of uncertain age. Her hair is confused and dirty, her head bowed in grief.

The woman sits on the dirty floor and next to her lies a bag. Into that bag, people throw money. In the woman’s hands, asleep, is a two year old baby. He is in a dirty hat and dirty clothes

“Madonna with baby” – numerous passers-by will donate money. The people of our kind – we always feel sorry for those less fortunate. We are ready to give unfortunate people our last shirt, the last penny out of our pocket and never think another issue. Helping, seems like a “Good job done.”

I walked past the beggar for a month. I did not give any money, as I knew that this is a gang-operated scam, and that money collected by the beggar, will be given to whoever controls beggars in the area. Those people own numerous luxury properties and cars. The beggar also gets something, of course, “A bottle of vodka in the evening and a döner kebab.” A month later, walking past the beggar, a shock suddenly hit me….
I’m standing at a busy crossing, staring at the baby. He is dressed, as always, in a dirty track suit. I realized that it seemed “wrong”, finding a child in a dirty underground station from morning to evening. The baby was always asleep. He never sobbed or screamed, he always slept, burying his face in the knee of a woman who was his MUM.

Do any of you, dear readers, have children? Remember how often they slept at the age of 1, 2 or 3 years old? An hour, two, maximum three (and never consecutive). An afternoon nap, and there was always movement. For the whole month, every day I walked to the underground station, I never saw the child awake! I looked at the tiny little man, with his face buried in the knee of his mother, then at the beggar, and my suspicion was gradually formed. “Why does he sleep all the time?” I asked, staring at the baby.

The beggar pretended not to hear me. She lowered her eyes and hid her face in the collar of her shabby jacket. I repeated the question. The woman again looked up. She looked somewhere behind my back, tired with utter irritation. Her look was similar to the creatures from a different planet.

“F *** off,” her lips murmured.

“Why is he asleep?!” I almost cried.

Behind me, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked back. An old man was looking at me disapprovingly:

“What do you want from her? Can’t you see how hard she’s got it in her life? Eh?”

He took some coins from his pocket and threw them in the beggar’s bag. source 

The beggar made a cross by waving her hand, portraying the face of humility and universal grief. The guy removed his hand from my shoulder and strolled out of the underground station. I bet, at home, he will tell how he defended poor, distraught woman from a soulless man in a tube station.

Next day, I called a friend. He was a funny man with eyes like olives. His nationality – Romanian. He only managed to complete three and a half years of education. His lack of education did not prevent him from moving around the City streets in expensive foreign cars and live in a “small” house with a countless number of windows and balconies. From my friend, I managed to find out that the beggar is part of a business. Despite the genuine appearance, it is clearly organized. It is supervised by organized crime rings. The children used are “rented” from families of alcoholics, or simply stolen.

I needed to get the answer to my question – Why is the baby always sleeping? And I received it. My friend explained it to me, casually and with a calm voice that twisted me in shock, just like he was talking about weather report: “They are on heroin, or vodka.”

I was dumbfounded. “Who is on heroin or vodka?!”

He answered, “The Child, so he doesn’t scream. The women will be sitting whole day with him, imagine how he might get bored?

In order to make the baby slept the whole day, it pumped up with vodka or drugs. Of course, children’s bodies are not able to cope with such a shock. And children often die. The most terrible thing – sometimes children die during the “working day”. And imaginary mother must hold another dead child on her hands until the evening. These are the rules. And the by passers-by will throw some money in the bag, and believe that they are moral. Helping the mother alone.”

The next day, I was walking near the same underground station. I built up journalistic confidence and was ready for a serious conversation. But the conversation didn’t work out. Instead, it turned out the following way … the woman was sitting on the floor and in her hands she was holding a different child. I asked her a question about the documents of the child, and, most importantly, where was the child from yesterday. She simply ignored me. My questions were not ignored by passers-by though. I was told that I was out of my mind, questioning a poor beggar with a child. Eventually, I was escorted out of the station in disgrace. The one thing that remained was to call the police. When the police arrived, the beggar with the baby had disappeared. I stood with a full sense of “trying to fight windmills.”

When you see in the subway, or on the street, women with children, begging, think before your hand them your money. Think about it, that if it wasn’t for your hundreds of thousands of handouts, the business like this would have died. The business would die and not the children, pumped full of vodka or drugs. Do not look at the sleeping child with affection… See horror… Since you are reading this article, you know now why the child is sleeping in beggars hands.

P.S.
If you copy this article on your wall or just click “Share”, your friends will read it too.
And when you decide again to open your wallet to throw a coin to a beggar with a sleeping child,
remember that this charity could cost another child’s life.”