from Proverbs 23:7): "Men are anxious toimprove their circumstances, but are unwillingto improve themselves, they therefore remainbound."

Improving yourself starts with improving the qual-ity of your thoughts. Hence Paul teaches thattransformation takes place through the qualitativerenewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). The qualityof your life is a direct reflection of the quality of yourthoughts.

The key to effective living can be found in this onesentence: "seek first the Kingdom of God andHis righteousness and all these things shall beadded unto you" (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

Simply put, seeking the Kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness involves learning how to think likeGod. Hence to the believer, God gives His Spiritso that we may have the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:10-16). When we learn to thinklike God, like a magnet, we will attract (haveadded unto us) the things we most desire. If wewant to experience the promise of God's abundantlife we must embrace His thoughts pertaining tothat promise. Likewise our mind will also attractinto our life the things we don't want (fear).

Your mind is the centre of your life and thus theplace where we must allow God to occupy. Youcannot afford to let fear, doubt or discouragementhave a stronghold in your mind. You must guardyour mind at all costs! Hence Paul states: "Do notbe anxious about anything, but in everything, byprayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presentyour requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guardyour hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"(Philipians 4:6-7 NKJV).

Notice the text does not say that God will give youwhat you requested. Instead God will guard yourmind with His peace! This is because that whichyou want has to be manifested through your mind.Having His peace guarding your mind will grantyou the protection and the focus you need to bringabout what you desire.

With His peace you are now able to develop thequality of your thoughts and embrace kingdomthinking: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true,whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever ispure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy thinkabout such things" (Philipians 4:8 NIV).

If this article has been a blessing to you in anywayplease email: pearls@ministryinart.com

EPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! (Matthew 4:17)

These are the words Jesus used to commence Hisministry after His encounter with Satan in thedesert. For many of you hearing the word repen-tance evokes thoughts of running to the churchaltar and sorrowfully crying out to the Lord to for-give you of your sins. For some it is vowing not todo a particular sin and doing all that you can tocurb your behaviour and resist temptation.However, careful study of the original Greek textpoints to a particular kind of repentance whichdoes not call for the reactions mentioned.

You maybe surprised to know that in the originallanguage the word Jesus used for repentance hasnothing to do with seeking for forgiveness or feel-ing regret due of the consequences of one’s actions.Instead it means to ‘change your mind’ as a resultof knowledge received. Thus Jesus’ call to repen-tance is a call to embrace a new way of thinkingin order to function effectively in the Kingdom.Everything that Jesus did and taught after that wasto communicate the Kingdom thinking He wantedus to now embrace. Jesus said: “And no one putsnew wine into old wineskins. The old skinswould burst from the pressure, spilling the wineand ruining the skins. New wine must be storedin new wineskins. That way both the wine andthe wineskins are preserved.” Matthew 9:17 NLT

Likewise, you will never receive the benefits of theKingdom without a significant change to how youthink. Restraining behaviour without changingthe thoughts that fuel them, is like trying to hold abeach ball under water. Eventually the behaviourwill surface ‘when’ you take your hands off the ball.

How you think is key to all that you will experi-ence in life because your reality is the product ofthoughts! Ignorance of this very fact causes many toask or pray for things that their reality simply does

not support. Thus, like the old wineskins, they areincapable of receiving or maintaining the blessingsthey so desire!

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)shows us that you can give a man £5000 and hewill double it over time. You can give another man(in similar circumstances) £1000 and he will endup loosing it and more. I would venture to say thesame outcome would occur if they were both given£5000 or £1000! Both men shared similar circum-stances but according to the parable, the stewardwho lost it all, did so as a result of the ill thoughtshe harboured against the master - colloquiallycalled 'stinking thinking.' To quote James Allen,the author of 'As a Man Thinketh' (title derived

R

from Proverbs 23:7): "Men are anxious toimprove their circumstances, but are unwillingto improve themselves, they therefore remainbound."

Improving yourself starts with improving the qual-ity of your thoughts. Hence Paul teaches thattransformation takes place through the qualitativerenewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). The qualityof your life is a direct reflection of the quality of yourthoughts.

The key to effective living can be found in this onesentence: "seek first the Kingdom of God andHis righteousness and all these things shall beadded unto you" (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

Simply put, seeking the Kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness involves learning how to think likeGod. Hence to the believer, God gives His Spiritso that we may have the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:10-16). When we learn to thinklike God, like a magnet, we will attract (haveadded unto us) the things we most desire. If wewant to experience the promise of God's abundantlife we must embrace His thoughts pertaining tothat promise. Likewise our mind will also attractinto our life the things we don't want (fear).

Your mind is the centre of your life and thus theplace where we must allow God to occupy. Youcannot afford to let fear, doubt or discouragementhave a stronghold in your mind. You must guardyour mind at all costs! Hence Paul states: "Do notbe anxious about anything, but in everything, byprayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presentyour requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guardyour hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"(Philipians 4:6-7 NKJV).

Notice the text does not say that God will give youwhat you requested. Instead God will guard yourmind with His peace! This is because that whichyou want has to be manifested through your mind.Having His peace guarding your mind will grantyou the protection and the focus you need to bringabout what you desire.

With His peace you are now able to develop thequality of your thoughts and embrace kingdomthinking: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true,whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever ispure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy thinkabout such things" (Philipians 4:8 NIV).

If this article has been a blessing to you in anywayplease email: pearls@ministryinart.com

EPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! (Matthew 4:17)

These are the words Jesus used to commence Hisministry after His encounter with Satan in thedesert. For many of you hearing the word repen-tance evokes thoughts of running to the churchaltar and sorrowfully crying out to the Lord to for-give you of your sins. For some it is vowing not todo a particular sin and doing all that you can tocurb your behaviour and resist temptation.However, careful study of the original Greek textpoints to a particular kind of repentance whichdoes not call for the reactions mentioned.

You maybe surprised to know that in the originallanguage the word Jesus used for repentance hasnothing to do with seeking for forgiveness or feel-ing regret due of the consequences of one’s actions.Instead it means to ‘change your mind’ as a resultof knowledge received. Thus Jesus’ call to repen-tance is a call to embrace a new way of thinkingin order to function effectively in the Kingdom.Everything that Jesus did and taught after that wasto communicate the Kingdom thinking He wantedus to now embrace. Jesus said: “And no one putsnew wine into old wineskins. The old skinswould burst from the pressure, spilling the wineand ruining the skins. New wine must be storedin new wineskins. That way both the wine andthe wineskins are preserved.” Matthew 9:17 NLT

Likewise, you will never receive the benefits of theKingdom without a significant change to how youthink. Restraining behaviour without changingthe thoughts that fuel them, is like trying to hold abeach ball under water. Eventually the behaviourwill surface ‘when’ you take your hands off the ball.

How you think is key to all that you will experi-ence in life because your reality is the product ofthoughts! Ignorance of this very fact causes many toask or pray for things that their reality simply does

not support. Thus, like the old wineskins, they areincapable of receiving or maintaining the blessingsthey so desire!

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)shows us that you can give a man £5000 and hewill double it over time. You can give another man(in similar circumstances) £1000 and he will endup loosing it and more. I would venture to say thesame outcome would occur if they were both given£5000 or £1000! Both men shared similar circum-stances but according to the parable, the stewardwho lost it all, did so as a result of the ill thoughtshe harboured against the master - colloquiallycalled 'stinking thinking.' To quote James Allen,the author of 'As a Man Thinketh' (title derived

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Hi and welcome to another instalment of HealthWealth. Today I’m going to give you a very basic understandingon how to lose body fat. Please note that I’m talking about “fatloss” and not “weight loss.” Why? Because one can lose weighteasily, be lighter, and still not achieve your desired body shape andsize. Many people fall victim to fad diets that promise the worldin the shortest time possible. These fad diets share similar traits.You jump on the scale and see rapid, quantifiable weight lossafter a short period of time. However, due to the restrictionsand extreme dynamics of some diets, the body craves what itshould not be denied in the first place resulting in bingeeating, extreme food cravings, overeating, and the weightpiles back on. In many cases the end result is worse than the

beginning.

People seek to improve their bodies for many reasons. Acommonly shared desire is to look toned. The tonedlook comes from a combination of low body fat andincreased muscle mass. Ladies please don’t panic. Thisdoesn’t mean you’re training to be a female ArnoldSchwarzenegger. How toned you look depends onthe balance you create between body fat and musclemass.

The basic formula for Fat loss is calories in versuscalories out. This means that your aim is to burnmore calories that you eat. As the body functions,energy is burned. This energy expenditure ismeasured in calories. Let us say for example thatthe body burns 2000 calories just to function. Ifyou eat 2500 calories per day, you will create acalorie surplus (eating more than you burn),resulting in an increase in size. Conversely, if youeat 1500 calories per day, you will create a caloriedeficit (eating less than you burn), resulting in adecrease in size.

Now here are some very important facts to bear inmind 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 prolongedperiods, put the body into starvation mode. This means if you don’t give it enough calories it willstore what you eat as fat to replenish the fat stores and use the body’s lean tissue and muscle for energyinstead. The result is a loss of muscle mass, slows down fat loss, and decreases in the body’s metabolicrate. Don’t expect to get your calorie intake from large amounts of empty calories andunhealthy fats and lose fat at the same time. You need to eat nutrient rich food (includingbut not limited to whole foods, lean meats, fish, fruits, veg, pulses and legumes) and notdead calories (junk and fast food).

Increasing your muscle mass will cause your body to expend more energy in order tosustain the muscle growth. That means you burn more calories, even while you’resleeping. That also means an increase in your body’s metabolism. A definition ofMetabolism is: The sum total of all the chemical and physical changes that take placewithin the body that enables its continued growth and functioning. The process ofmetabolism maintains the body and produces energy.

Eating small amounts regularly, say every 3 hours (about 5-6 time per day) will speed upthe body’s metabolism and burn more fat. How? Imagine a furnace. In order to keepthe fire burning you have to gradually add fuel to the fire. If you add too much at onetime 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 itworking by causing the digestion system to operate more times in the day, thusexpending more energy, burning more calories and more fat. Conversely, if youhave the usual three large meals per day, you are giving the body too much fueleach time you eat. The body will take what it needs as fuel to aid in its functionsand store the rest as fat. Your metabolism will slow down because it’s not beingworked enough.

Engaging in physically challenging activities will burn more calories and increasefat 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 inan activity that you actually enjoy. Please don’t throw your money away on a gymmembership when the end of the month comes if you hate going to the gym. There aremany other ways to achieve your fat loss goals.

If you take these very basic facts on fat loss and combine them together with somesound 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.

Hi and welcome to another instalment of HealthWealth. Today I’m going to give you a very basic understandingon how to lose body fat. Please note that I’m talking about “fatloss” and not “weight loss.” Why? Because one can lose weighteasily, be lighter, and still not achieve your desired body shape andsize. Many people fall victim to fad diets that promise the worldin the shortest time possible. These fad diets share similar traits.You jump on the scale and see rapid, quantifiable weight lossafter a short period of time. However, due to the restrictionsand extreme dynamics of some diets, the body craves what itshould not be denied in the first place resulting in bingeeating, extreme food cravings, overeating, and the weightpiles back on. In many cases the end result is worse than the

beginning.

People seek to improve their bodies for many reasons. Acommonly shared desire is to look toned. The tonedlook comes from a combination of low body fat andincreased muscle mass. Ladies please don’t panic. Thisdoesn’t mean you’re training to be a female ArnoldSchwarzenegger. How toned you look depends onthe balance you create between body fat and musclemass.

The basic formula for Fat loss is calories in versuscalories out. This means that your aim is to burnmore calories that you eat. As the body functions,energy is burned. This energy expenditure ismeasured in calories. Let us say for example thatthe body burns 2000 calories just to function. Ifyou eat 2500 calories per day, you will create acalorie surplus (eating more than you burn),resulting in an increase in size. Conversely, if youeat 1500 calories per day, you will create a caloriedeficit (eating less than you burn), resulting in adecrease in size.

Now here are some very important facts to bear inmind 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 prolongedperiods, put the body into starvation mode. This means if you don’t give it enough calories it willstore what you eat as fat to replenish the fat stores and use the body’s lean tissue and muscle for energyinstead. The result is a loss of muscle mass, slows down fat loss, and decreases in the body’s metabolicrate. Don’t expect to get your calorie intake from large amounts of empty calories andunhealthy fats and lose fat at the same time. You need to eat nutrient rich food (includingbut not limited to whole foods, lean meats, fish, fruits, veg, pulses and legumes) and notdead calories (junk and fast food).

Increasing your muscle mass will cause your body to expend more energy in order tosustain the muscle growth. That means you burn more calories, even while you’resleeping. That also means an increase in your body’s metabolism. A definition ofMetabolism is: The sum total of all the chemical and physical changes that take placewithin the body that enables its continued growth and functioning. The process ofmetabolism maintains the body and produces energy.

Eating small amounts regularly, say every 3 hours (about 5-6 time per day) will speed upthe body’s metabolism and burn more fat. How? Imagine a furnace. In order to keepthe fire burning you have to gradually add fuel to the fire. If you add too much at onetime 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 itworking by causing the digestion system to operate more times in the day, thusexpending more energy, burning more calories and more fat. Conversely, if youhave the usual three large meals per day, you are giving the body too much fueleach time you eat. The body will take what it needs as fuel to aid in its functionsand store the rest as fat. Your metabolism will slow down because it’s not beingworked enough.

Engaging in physically challenging activities will burn more calories and increasefat 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 inan activity that you actually enjoy. Please don’t throw your money away on a gymmembership when the end of the month comes if you hate going to the gym. There aremany other ways to achieve your fat loss goals.

If you take these very basic facts on fat loss and combine them together with somesound 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.