Benny Ho's Strategy for Living Part 1b

A six-step process to derive a sense of purpose and mission.

1. Look within yourself and ask the question: "What do I want or what is the purpose of my life?" Great visions begin as an inside job. We need to take time and discover what are the desires that God has placed within our hearts, even as we delight in Him. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.


2. Look behind you and ask: "What has taken place in your life and what have I done so far?" What are the experiences that God has allowed me to go through? What are my past training? Nothing is ever wasted. These could point you to your destiny calling. What are my strengths and weaknesses? If God has called you, He will also enable you with the right skills. We take the past, bring it into the present, then project into the future. 1Corinthians 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup (present), you proclaim the Lord's death (past) until he comes (future). The whole His-Story is about the enthroning of Jesus Christ.
   
   
3. Look around you and ask: "What is my current situation and what am I ready to commit to?" A good idea becomes a really great one if the timing is right. Analyse carefully and discover what God is revealing to you at this point in your life.
   
   
4. Look beside you and ask: "What resources have God put into your hands and what support do you have to achieve your vision?"
   
   
5. Look above you and ask: "What has God given to you?" Write down what God has deposited in you as talents and gifts. Am I better with people, systems or things? It's a miserable state to do something you are not gifted to do.
   
   
6. Look ahead and ask: "What's likely to happen?" Put on the eyes of faith and look into the future trends over the next three years in your personal life, your industry, your company/ clients, the economy, etc. From here, you set faith goals and targets.

Take time off and work through these six steps to derive your mission and vision. Whatever comes to your mind, do it prayerfully before the Lord. Ask the Lord for guidance.

Write everything down as in brainstorming. As you write all these 'raw materials' down prayerfully, a picture of your mission or a sense of where God is taking you will emerge. Describe in writing this picture. Craft them into memorable statements. Rewrite, rephrase and refine them until you get them right.

Benny Ho's compass: I am committed one day at a time

• to be a lover of God by keeping constant communion with God, and continual conversations with the saints, past and present.
  
  
• to be a developer of persons, helping people reach their fullest potential, starting with the inner circle of my family, my mentorees and my friends.
  
  
• to be a communicator of truth, declaring His Scriptures with my words, proving His Word through my deeds, demonstrating His Power through signs and wonders.
  

If your statements are well written, you will see four characteristics:

• It should be inspiring to you. You should feel excited about it. Write in vivid language. Make it active, upbeat, positive, compelling. Make it challenging, empowering, forcing the best out of me.
  
  
• It should be concise, short, succinct, to the point, memorable,easily understood, focused, direct. one paragraph is better than 10 pages. Keep it short, sharp and yet futuristic.
  
  
• It should be futuristic. It must define the future for me. It should provide direction and change-orientated. It does not just describe what you are doing now. It describes what you are becoming or likely to be doing at least three years down the road.
  
  
• It should be detailed and specific enough and not too generic so that I can tell the direction and required actions. don't just write a slogan. Example of generic statement: "Know Christ and make him known". It must define your uniqueness and what God has made you to be. That takes time to plunge the depth of your heart and pull that out.

The last thing you want to do after this is to file your statement away, out of sight and out of mind. Here are three things you want to do with your vision:

1. You see it (principle of visualisation). Picture yourself in that vision. That takes faith, imagination. Print out your statements and frame them up. Hang one in your house and one in your workplace. What you keep looking at, you become.
   
   
2. You speak it (principle of verbalisation). What you see creates an inner desire. What you speak leads to outward action. Matthew 12:34b For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Keep verbalising positively about your dreams. Articulate your dreams to people you can trust so that it becomes clearer. If you talk faith, you'll walk in faith. Speak negatively and you'll act negatively. You cannot be motivated by the opposite of an idea.
   
   
3. You seize it (principle of actualization). You measure twice, you cut once (Planning is important). When you act, remember it is a process and it takes time. Be willing to pay the price to fulfil the vision. Success is the ability to forgo what you want now to get what you want eventually. t7 355
   

Goals, Decisions, Preparation

Fulfilling the Father's purpose despite negative news

Matthew 4:12-17 [After the temptation in the desert] When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah ... From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 14:3-14 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife ... The king ... had John beheaded in the prison ... When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Making decisions

Luke 6:12-15 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Exposure and forgiveness

Hebrews 4:12-16 For the word of God is living and active ... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 8:12-13 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Psalms 30:1-6 I will exalt you, O LORD,for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."

Foods that don't cause gas

Foods that don't cause gas:
Fruit! Thank goodness for smoothies
Rice
Potatoes
Breads
Deli meats, though stay away from overly spicy ones like salami
Leafy greens, like lettuce, spinach

Foods that traditionally cause gas:
Broccoli/Cauliflower
Beans - baked, tinned, green beans
Milk products
Overly greasy foods, like pretty much anything you'd get at a McDonald's
Carbonated beverages

Gas is caused by food that is harder to digest than other foods, which is why foods high in fiber cause the most gas. Stick to foods that are easy to digest such as bananas, rice, toast, yogurt and applesauce.

Some helpful suggestions

• Take some careful observation to notice what foods cause increased gas. Keep a food diary and note excess passage of gas.
• Swallow less air - don't suck on hard candy or chew gum, and steer clear of carbonated beverages. Don't drink through a straw because this causes you to swallow more air.
• Drink more water.
• Reduce the intake of caffeine and alcohol.
• Limit high-fat foods. Fat slows digestion, giving food more time to ferment.
• Add some herbs to your food such as ginger, thyme, cinnamon, black peppers and mint.
• Have a warm herbal tea after your meals. (Chamomile, ginger, or peppermint tea)
• Get moving. It may help to take a short walk after eating.
• In general, avoid overeating because this contributes to flatulence.

Stone Age remedy for diabetes

Foods of the kind that were consumed during human evolution may be the best choice to control diabetes type 2. A study from Lund University, Sweden, found markedly improved capacity to handle carbohydrate after eating such foods for three months.

During 2.5 million years of human evolution, before the advent of agriculture, our ancestors were consuming fruit, vegetables, nuts, lean meat and fish.

In contrast, cereals, dairy products, refined fat and sugar, which now provide most of the calories for modern humans, have been staple foods for a relatively short time.

In a clinical study in Sweden, the research group compared 14 patients who were advised to consume an ‘ancient’ diet for three months with 15 patients who were recommended to follow a Mediterranean-like prudent diet with whole-grain cereals, low-fat dairy products, fruit, vegetables and refined fats generally considered healthy. Most of them had overt diabetes type 2.

Patients in the Paleolithic group were recommended to eat lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, root vegetables and nuts, and to avoid grains, dairy foods and salt.

The main result was that the blood sugar rise in response to carbohydrate intake was markedly lower after 12 weeks in the Paleolithic group (–26%), while it barely changed in the Mediterranean group (–7%). At the end of the study, all patients in the Paleolithic group had normal blood glucose.

The main difference between the groups was a much lower intake of grains and dairy products and a higher fruit intake in the Paleolithic group.

"If you want to prevent or treat diabetes type 2, it may be more efficient to avoid some of our modern foods than to count calories or carbohydrate," says Staffan Lindeberg at the Department of Medicine, Lund University.

Foods that may cause gas

The Mayo Clinic has listed foods that sometimes are the culprit:

Dairy products: The sugar lactose in dairy foods is a common cause of gas. Nonprescription products such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease may help. Many who are bothered by dairy products may still be able to eat yogurt or aged cheeses.

Some vegetables:
Some carbohydrates found in vegetables such as onions, radishes, cabbage, celery, carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and legumes (including dried peas and beans) can produce gas. Beano, or other products that contain simethicone (Phazyme, Gas-X, others), may be helpful.

Too much fruit sugar: Prunes, raisins, bananas, apples and apricots as well as juices made from prunes, grapes and apples can cause gas.

Too much fiber: Cutting back on high-fiber foods, and then gradually increasing them, can help identify the amount that can be tolerated.

Some sweeteners: Sweeteners used in sugar-free chocolates and candies can cause diarrhea in some people. These sweeteners include sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol.

Fatty food: Fried food, fatty meat and some sauces can cause gas.

Carbonated and sparkling drinks: Avoiding these may reduce gas, too.

Gas woes

The food we choose to eat can influence the amount of gas passed rectally. Although most of our food intake is absorbed in the small intestine, some foods, such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, baked beans, and bran are incompletely digested.

They are then broken down by bacteria in the large intestine, causing the formation of gas.

A high roughage diet is important to promote bowel regularity, but excessive roughage or fiber may lead to bloating and increased flatulence. When increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, do so gradually, allowing your intestinal tract time to adjust.

Therefore, the amount of flatus (gas) represents a combination of swallowed air and poorly absorbed carbohydrates.

Individuals with irritable bowel problems (crampy pain and/or bowel irregularity) are often sensitive to excess intestinal gas.

A common symptom is generalized abdominal cramping, sometimes relieved by passing flatus.
If the gas accumulates in the right upper abdomen, the pain may radiate up into the right lower chest and could be confused with gallbladder disease.

If the gas accumulates in the left upper abdomen, the pain may radiate into the left side of the chest and could mimic heart disease. If gas accumulates in the stomach, the upper abdominal pressure pain could radiate up to the lower chest and raise concern about a heart disorder.

Individuals with a long history of occasional gaseousness and abdominal discomfort need not seek medical attention.

Reasons to see the doctor:

• A change in the location of abdominal pain
• Significant increase in the frequency or severity of symptoms
• Onset of new symptoms in individuals over the age of 40

Despite the many commercials and advertiseme medications which reduce gas pains and bloating, very few have any proven scientific value.

10 Steps to Decrease Symptoms of Intestinal Gas:

1. Develop a regular routine of diet, exercise, and rest.
2. Correct bad habits:

• Chew food thoroughly
• Eat slowly and leisurely in a quiet atmosphere
• Avoid washing solids down with a beverage
• Avoid gulping and sipping liquids
• Avoid drinking out of small mouthed bottles or straws
• Avoid drinking from water fountains
• Avoid carbonated beverages—sodas and beer
• Eliminate pipe, cigar, and cigarette smoking
• Avoid gum chewing and sucking hard candy
• Check dentures for proper fit
• Attempt to be aware of and avoid deep sighing

3. Do not attempt to induce belching.
4. Do not overload the stomach at any one meal.
5. Avoid gaseous vegetables: navy beans, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, cucumbers, radishes, onions, melons, and excess raw fruit and vegetables.
6. Avoid foods with air whipped into them: souffles, sponge cake, milk shakes.
7. Avoid long-term or frequent intermittent use of medications intended for relief of cold symptoms, cough, nasal congestion, post nasal discharge.
8. Avoid tight fitting garments, girdles, and belts.
9. Do not lie down or sit in a slumped position immediately after eating.
10. Take a leisurely stroll after meals.

Fighting sedentariness

Experts recommend that adults do moderate activity for at least 2½ hours or 150 minutes a week (30 minutes a day 5 days a week). Or they can do vigorous activity for at least 1¼ hours or 75 minutes a week (15 minutes a day). People can choose to do one or both types of activity. And it's fine to be active in spurts of 10 minutes or more throughout the day and week (WebMD).

Someone who sits at a computer eight hours a day can really suffer negative effects from having continually engaged pectorals. "Think about dropping your shoulders down and pulling your shoulder blades back and together; visualize holding a pencil between the blades while keeping your abdominals engaged to support the back," says Lisa Cooper, fitness director of Little Rock Athletic Club in Arkansas (WebMD).

Moderate activities include:

• Walk briskly.
• Cycle briskly (10 to 12 miles per hour).
• Badminton/tennis/bowling
• Swim leisurely.

Home options:
Regular or wall push-ups
Dumb bell exercises
Exercise band stretching
Sweep floors, vacuum or mop

Standard programme:

• 10-15 minutes calisthenics early morning
• 10-15 minutes walk after breakfast
• 10-15 minutes walk after lunch
• 10-15 minutes walk after dinner
• (+ Option: 10 minutes jogging. Start with a short warm up period to help prepare your muscles, heart and lungs. Gentle stretches for five to 20 minutes help reduce injury.)

While working programme:
Walk around or light activity after

• editing every 5 slides or
• after writing 2 paragraphs or
• after every 20 minutes (whichever is earlier)
  

Sickness and health

Psalm 38:2-4
For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.

Psalm 38:6-8
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

Proverbs 3:7-9
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;

Exodus 23:24-26 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices.

You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Proverbs 18:14
A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

Matthew 10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

John 11:3-5 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.