Prayer for the week

The ground you walk shall produce Abundance, the sky above you shall rain down Blessings, the Breeze around you shall blow Peace and everything shall work well for you in Jesus name. I pray that all your lost glories shall be restored in Jesus name and you will never know sorrow again. 

So shall it be for you and every member of your family, You will experience Open Heavens and Divine Abundance. God will give you special people to support your life ambition and dreams in Jesus name.

Happy new week enjoy your day from us ASB's World.

Prophet challenges lions to a fight, to prove God's power and almost died

A Zion Christian Church prophet who was filled with the Holy Spirit and thought the Lord wanted to use him to show His power over animals, recently challenged a pride of lions to a duel in the Kruger National Park.

Pretoria based man of God, Prophet Alec Ndiwane was with members of of his church in the Kruger National Park where they had gone sightseeing when he suddenly went into a trance and started to speak in tongues. Ahead of them were the lions busy eating their impala.

 

Prophet Ndiwane must have thought he was the biblical Samsom or Daniel as he opened the car door and charged towards the lions. On seeing the man running towards them, the abandoned their food and ran towards the prophet.

Ndiwane immediately came to his senses when he saw the predators. He turned and ran for his life. But before he could safely reach the confines of the car, one lion had snapped its paws on him causing serious damage to his buttocks. He was saved by the game ranger who fired shots into the air with his gun to scare the lions away.

The injuries the prophet sustained was so severe that he had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.

"I don't know what came over me," Prophet Ndiwane confessed,"I thought the Lord wanted to use me to show His power over animals. Is it not we were given dominion over all creatures of the earth?" he asked.

Source: Daily Post SA

Ginger Juice – Melts Fat Off Your Waist And Boosts Your Immunity

Ginger has been used for centuries, due to its remarkable health benefits and numerous nutrients. Ginger is undoubtedly one of the most versatile roots you can consume.

Namely, it is a strong antioxidant which eliminates toxins and neutralizes the effects of the free radicals and thus lowers the risk of cancer. Moreover, due to its potent anti-inflammatory properties, it successfully soothes the symptoms of arthritis. Ginger boosts the immune system, reduces nausea, enhances digestion, relieves migraines, constipation, gases, cough, cramps, prevents blood clots, lowers the bad (LDL) cholesterol, promotes heart health, stimulates circulation, soothes menstrual cramps, and lowers the blood sugar levels.

One of its essential uses is its improvement of digestion. Moreover, it also helps the burning of fat, and thus promotes a healthy weight loss. Moreover, it provides a feeling of fullness and prevents the food cravings, so it is perfect for your weight loss regimen.

Therefore, the ginger juice that we are writing about today is incredible if you have decided to lose some excess pounds, but also strengthen the health.

Initially, boil 50 oz / 1.5l water, and add the chopped ginger root, long about 2 inches / 5 cm. Afterwards, only strain the liquid and your miraculous juice is ready! Consume 1 cup  (8 oz) of this juice per day.

If you like to enrich the taste and the properties of the juice, you can also add some lemon to it.

You should consume this juice no less than half a year.

Its results will simply astonish you! Your waistline will be significantly reduced, you will quickly lose excess weight, but your health will be better than ever as you will no longer be prone to bacteria or viruses.

The Problem With Rationalizing in Relationships

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. (Proverbs 22:3)

As a survivor of domestic abuse, people often wonder why I (or other victims) stay in abusive relationships. All I can tell you, is there are as many reasons as there are stars in the sky- there is no simple answer.

I am certain we all have stayed in a relationship longer than we should have at some point in our lives. Despite our partner being abusive, having drug or alcohol addiction’s, infidelities, or was simply not as committed as we were…we have all made decisions to stay longer than we should have…all-the-while knowing we deserved better. When I share my story of domestic abuse, the look on people’s faces goes from shock…to a look of confusion as they mentally attempt to analyze the “why” and ”how” someone that once loved me, could commit such a heinous act.  I have had people ask me, “What did you do to make him act like that?”  or even “was he drinking? “(As if, there must be a reason to explain his behavior).

Long before my ex became physically abusive, he was emotionally and psychologically abusive. It was subtle at first, little things like shifting blame on me, falsely accusing me, to being insulting in front of others.

I remember rationalizing his behavior…as it made it easier for me to accept his actions…, which ultimately validated me staying. 

Rationalization means starting with a conclusion, and then trying to work backwards to prop it up. We as humans have a tendency to take negative things and spin them until they have a positive meaning. I found ways to convince myself that there was a reason for his behavior; he was under stress, he was mourning the loss of his mother, it was my fault because I was pregnant & hormonal.

For example, let us say your boyfriend is giving you every indication that he is losing feelings and wants to break off your relationship. However, you are so terrified of losing him… that you seek out every bit of “evidence” you can find, to convince yourself that he still loves you and wants to be with you forever; instead of seeing his actions…you begin to rationalize.

You spin his negative statements until they have positive meaning — you blow the tiniest hint of a semi-pleasurable response from him vastly out of proportion — and that which you cannot spin or inflate, you evade. You concoct a “reason” for everything: he’s tired, he’s sick, he’s “not himself,” he’s under stress, and will soon be back to normal. Nothing in your method is geared toward understanding the facts of reality…but specifically avoiding the one fact that you cannot bear to accept: that your relationship just may be irrevocably doomed.

A person who is rationalizing is not genuinely motivated to discover the truth, but to justify their feelings. Rationalization looks not at reality, but at what one wants to be true. It means the sin of living inside your own head; confusing the “I wish” with the “it is.” read here.

Instead of seeing a person and their actions at face value…we rationalize all the signs and red flags. We have to learn to see a person for who they really are… and not who we want them to be.  We tell ourselves we just need to try to convince our partner we are committed to them, when the truth is we are trying to convince ourselves to stay.

Truth About Self Hatred and Low Self-Esteem

“I was teased growing up,” I began.  “For three years, male and female tweens talked about the size of my nose, the color of my skin, my skinny legs, and non existent breast,” I continued.  Initially, I had no intentions of divulging my adolescent tale of woe with the fourth and fifth grade mentees, but I deemed it necessary.

Just before my comments the girls viewed a PowerPoint presentation of women thought of as beautiful:  Beyonce, Rihanna, Ciara, and then Lupita Nyong’o.  The immediate response to Lupita’s image was one of disdain. She was dark and her hair was short.

“She’s bald headed,” one said.  Another described her as, “Black.” Even though her features mirrored several of the girls in the room, she was harshly criticized.  Before I knew it an indignation rose in me.  I had to speak.Even though I am grown, and old enough to know better, sometimes the lessons I learned in my youth are difficult to overcome.  What I learned was that the “fearfully and wonderfully made” me needed some work done in order to measure up.  This perspective was impacted by  society’s dominant images, the taunting of children who didn’t understand the ramifications of their actions, and the lack of affirmation I received from my father.

I had to speak because I knew somewhere in that crowd of estrogen was a girl who felt just as I did when I was her age.  She needed an advocate, someone to stand up and say you are beautiful.  She needed someone to teach her how to love herself. 

The effects of self hatred and low self-esteem are subtle: slowly infiltrating our psyche until we don’t even notice it.  Constantly, we are bombarded with a barrage of images dictating what beauty is and is not. Air brushed women with hair and wardrobe stylist, personal makeup artist and plastic surgery are touted as the world’s standard of beauty.  And I’ll be the first to say I have believed the lie, often enduring a torture filled regiment of hair straightening, face painting, eyebrow plucking, and spanx (need I say more). 

I do this in an attempt to reach the ever rising beauty bar.  If I didn’t straighten, paint, pluck or squeeze my appearance would be drastically different.  In my purest state I’d have bushy eyebrows, uneven skin, a protruding belly, and a rather large afro.  This image will never meet the societal standard of beauty, but it does meet God’s. 

I know this, and like a good Christian woman I am quick to quote Psalm 139: 14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  But yet, if I’m honest, I periodically continue the detrimental habit of self hatred as I look in the mirror sizing myself up to images super glued to my brain.

As I approach 40 I have yet to hear my earthly father tell me that I am beautiful.  And as much as the little girl in me longs to hear him say it, the adult woman I’ve become knows I must embrace the truth about my beauty from the words of my heavenly father.

I am a handmade one-of-a-kind original creation of God himself.  There are no defects, imperfections, or mistakes in his eyes.  God, a lover of diversity intentionally, created me and you. read here

We are wanted and have a value that far outweighs the physical.  So however you see yourself today: big nose, flat chest, round stomach, top heavy, splotchy skin, short, tall, skinny, fat, peach, tan, brown or caramel, know that you are loved by your Creator. When He looks at you, what He sees is beautiful.

Trusting God With Your Prayers wow

Quite recently, I found myself thinking about what else I could do to try and speed up the answers to some prayers of mine. I thought of fasting more, maybe a prayer vigil, praise God more, perhaps sow a big seed at church etc.

If you notice, none of the things mentioned in my list is wrong. For example, we should praise God often and we should be aiming to fast, pray, and give as much as we are able to. But the error is in thinking that by doing more of these things, I might be able to get God to move quicker. I had to check my motives. 

“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer and while they are still speaking, I will hear?” As most dog owners would know, a treat is a big deal to dogs. You could almost say treats are to dogs what blessings and breakthroughs are to humans. My dog, Picasso always wants a treat and I look for opportunities during the day to give them to him. Usually treats are for training or reward, but there are times when I just want to spoil him. To test his level of obedience, I may ask him to do something i.e. fetch a ball or sit. I set him up in order to bless him with a treat.

What I’ve noticed though, is that whenever Picasso needs to be taken out or is hungry, he will come close to me and start lifting up a paw, sitting or doing some of the other commands we normally give him without being asked. He’s hoping that by showing obedience, I will be more likely to heed to his request. What he doesn’t realize in his dog mind though, is that I’m fully aware of his needs and would do those things anyway.

I realized that just like the dog, I was trying to get on God’s good books so He could perhaps answer my prayers much more quicker. The Holy Spirit said to me that this is not an attitude of trust. 

Meanwhile, God knows our needs. He even knows our desires for some things which we don’t need.

He may sometimes ask us to do certain things to bring us into alignment with our desires. 

He may delay answers to some prayers for the sole reason of preparing us.

He may be using this time as a way to increase our level of trust.

It’s not by our own good works that we get the father to answer our prayers. So no matter what your needs are, rest assured, knowing that God will meet all your needs. He is able and He is not deaf to your prayers. You don’t need to try and win His love or favor. It’s unmerited.

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

IS SHE MARRIED? HAS SHE GOT KIDS?

I was on a bus last week at Adum and headed towards campus when we stopped in traffic. So one of the passengers saw an old friend of hers from afar and shouted her name. The friend turned and upon seeing her old friend, they exchanged pleasantries and this other friend started asking the one on the bus, "How is your daughter?" The one on the bus answered, "She is fine." Then the friend asked again, "Is she married now?" The woman answers again, "Yes, she is." Then she asked yet again..."Has she got any kids yet?" To that the woman answered, "No." While such questions aren't foreign to the average young man or woman growing up in Ghana, I think it has often become a needless question for anyone to be asked.

The truth of the matter is, not everyone is meant to marry. Or to put in another way, not everyone WANTS to get married. So our culture of expecting everyone to get married is totally flawed. Our last census figures point to the fact that there are more women than men in Ghana. If we should all be married to one man and one woman, it simply means not everyone will end up being married. To top it all up, why the craze about childbirth after marriage?

So it looks like once you are out of school or are becoming of age, the most natural question you should almost always expect is: When are you getting married? After you "strive" to get married, the next natural follow up is: When are we expecting a grandchild or nephew or niece? I think it is too much of pressure on the average youth. Let us leave our youth to make their own marital and childbirth decisions at a time that best suits them. After all, these engagements are economically and mentally involving. No one just wakes up to go get a wife or husband and starts giving birth. If we don't want to increase the number of street children, let us allow young people to make their own decisions in that regard.

Not everyone is able to stand such pressures.

By Jonathan Adzokpe