R
EPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! (Matthew 4:17)
These are the words Jesus used to commence His ministry after His encounter with Satan in the desert. For many of you hearing the word repentance evokes thoughts of running to the church altar and sorrowfully crying out to the Lord to forgive you of your sins. For some it is vowing not to do a particular sin and doing all that you can to curb your behaviour and resist temptation. However, careful study of the original Greek text points to a particular kind of repentance which does not call for the reactions mentioned. You maybe surprised to know that in the original language the word Jesus used for repentance has nothing to do with seeking for forgiveness or feeling regret due of the consequences of one’s actions. Instead it means to ‘change your mind’ as a result of knowledge received. Thus Jesus’ call to repentance is a call to embrace a new way of thinking in order to function effectively in the Kingdom. Everything that Jesus did and taught after that was to communicate the Kingdom thinking He wanted us to now embrace. Jesus said: “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. That way both the wine and the wineskins are preserved.” Matthew 9:17 NLT Likewise, you will never receive the benefits of the Kingdom without a significant change to how you think. Restraining behaviour without changing the thoughts that fuel them, is like trying to hold a beach ball under water. Eventually the behaviour will surface ‘when’ you take your hands off the ball. How you think is key to all that you will experience in life because your reality is the product of thoughts! Ignorance of this very fact causes many to ask or pray for things that their reality simply does
not support. Thus, like the old wineskins, they are incapable of receiving or maintaining the blessings they so desire! The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) shows us that you can give a man £5000 and he will double it over time. You can give another man (in similar circumstances) £1000 and he will end up loosing it and more. I would venture to say the same outcome would occur if they were both given £5000 or £1000! Both men shared similar circumstances but according to the parable, the steward who lost it all, did so as a result of the ill thoughts he harboured against the master - colloquially called 'stinking thinking.' To quote James Allen, the author of 'As a Man Thinketh' (title derived
Simply put, seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness involves learning how to think like God. Hence to the believer, God gives His Spirit so that we may have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). When we learn to think like God, like a magnet, we will attract (have added unto us) the things we most desire. If we want to experience the promise of God's abundant life we must embrace His thoughts pertaining to that promise. Likewise our mind will also attract into our life the things we don't want (fear). Your mind is the centre of your life and thus the place where we must allow God to occupy. You cannot afford to let fear, doubt or discouragement have a stronghold in your mind. You must guard your mind at all costs! Hence Paul states: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philipians 4:6-7 NKJV).
from Proverbs 23:7): "Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound." Improving yourself starts with improving the quality of your thoughts. Hence Paul teaches that transformation takes place through the qualitative renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of your thoughts. The key to effective living can be found in this one sentence: "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33 KJV).
Notice the text does not say that God will give you what you requested. Instead God will guard your mind with His peace! This is because that which you want has to be manifested through your mind. Having His peace guarding your mind will grant you the protection and the focus you need to bring about what you desire. With His peace you are now able to develop the quality of your thoughts and embrace kingdom thinking: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things" (Philipians 4:8 NIV). If this article has been a blessing to you in anyway please email: pearls@ministryinart.com
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Hi and welcome to another instalment of Health Wealth. Today I’m going to give you a very basic understanding
on how to lose body fat. Please note that I’m talking about “fat loss” and not “weight loss.” Why? Because one can lose weight easily, be lighter, and still not achieve your desired body shape and size. Many people fall victim to fad diets that promise the world in the shortest time possible. These fad diets share similar traits. You jump on the scale and see rapid, quantifiable weight loss after a short period of time. However, due to the restrictions and extreme dynamics of some diets, the body craves what it should not be denied in the first place resulting in binge eating, extreme food cravings, overeating, and the weight piles back on. In many cases the end result is worse than the beginning. People seek to improve their bodies for many reasons. A commonly shared desire is to look toned. The toned look comes from a combination of low body fat and increased muscle mass. Ladies please don’t panic. This doesn’t mean you’re training to be a female Arnold Schwarzenegger. How toned you look depends on the balance you create between body fat and muscle mass. The basic formula for Fat loss is calories in versus calories out. This means that your aim is to burn more calories that you eat. As the body functions, energy is burned. This energy expenditure is measured in calories. Let us say for example that the body burns 2000 calories just to function. If you eat 2500 calories per day, you will create a calorie surplus (eating more than you burn), resulting in an increase in size. Conversely, if you eat 1500 calories per day, you will create a calorie deficit (eating less than you burn), resulting in a decrease in size. Now here are some very important facts to bear in mind on your quest to a better body: The body has fat stores, which it uses to provide the
body with energy in order to keep it functioning. Too large a calorie deficit will, after prolonged periods, put the body into starvation mode. This means if you don’t give it enough calories it will store what you eat as fat to replenish the fat stores and use the body’s lean tissue and muscle for energy instead. The result is a loss of muscle mass, slows down fat loss, and decreases in the body’s metabolic rate. Don’t expect to get your calorie intake from large amounts of empty calories and unhealthy fats and lose fat at the same time. You need to eat nutrient rich food (including but not limited to whole foods, lean meats, fish, fruits, veg, pulses and legumes) and not dead calories (junk and fast food). Increasing your muscle mass will cause your body to expend more energy in order to sustain the muscle growth. That means you burn more calories, even while you’re sleeping. That also means an increase in your body’s metabolism. A definition of Metabolism is: The sum total of all the chemical and physical changes that take place within the body that enables its continued growth and functioning. The process of metabolism maintains the body and produces energy. Eating small amounts regularly, say every 3 hours (about 5-6 time per day) will speed up the body’s metabolism and burn more fat. How? Imagine a furnace. In order to keep the fire burning you have to gradually add fuel to the fire. If you add too much at one time the fire goes out. The same is true of your metabolism. The furnace is your body. If you keep fuelling it with small amounts of food at regular intervals, you will keep it working by causing the digestion system to operate more times in the day, thus expending more energy, burning more calories and more fat. Conversely, if you have the usual three large meals per day, you are giving the body too much fuel each time you eat. The body will take what it needs as fuel to aid in its functions and store the rest as fat. Your metabolism will slow down because it’s not being worked enough. Engaging in physically challenging activities will burn more calories and increase fat loss. These activities can range from walking, running, sports, resistance training, dancing and many others. You are more likely to sustain motivation if you engage in an activity that you actually enjoy. Please don’t throw your money away on a gym membership when the end of the month comes if you hate going to the gym. There are many other ways to achieve your fat loss goals. If you take these very basic facts on fat loss and combine them together with some sound advice from a health and fitness expert, you will enjoy an improved life style, a great body, and a better you. Have fun, eat well, train hard and expect results. For help in achieving your personal transformation, email Norman at njsworld@yahoo.co.uk.