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According to the official Christian theology, as well as common acceptance among believers, Satan is the number one enemy of God and man. Right from the beginning, the Bible tells us how the devil, disguised as a serpent, deceived Adam and Eve, causing them to disobey God, i.e. to sin – a sin that brought death to mankind! The story of the so-called “Original Sin” and the consequent “Fall of Man” is well known. (I have dealt with it in a separate article posted in this site)

However, there are accounts in the Bible that present the Devil as a “son” and “servant” of God! Apparently, Satan has been allocated certain tasks concerning humans, and he is to be … respected for the work he is doing.

Let us examine some relevant scriptures.

Here is a story where Satan appears to be one of the “sons of God”, who regularly presents himself before the Lord giving report about what is happening on the earth. One of the tasks of Satan seems to be the trial of righteous men, like Job, in order to test their faith. Before doing this, Satan needs permission from God. He cannot decide on his own whom to try and how far to go in testing.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” (Job 1: 6-12)

In the above account of the Old Testament, God appears to have given Satan permission to strike everything Job had, save his own life. And, as we know from the rest of the story, Satan did exactly this. But in spite of the calamities that befell upon Job, he didn’t lose faith in God, nor did he curse the Lord, as Satan anticipated.

Here is another account from the New Testament:

“Yet in like manner these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise authority, and blaspheme celestial beings. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’.” (Jude: 8-9)

Once again the Scripture verifies that Satan (the devil) is a celestial being who has authority given to him by God. As such, he must be respected by men and not be slandered! Not even Michael, the archangel, dared to accuse him, when they were contending about the body of Moses. Regarding the ground of the dispute, the scriptures don’t give us other details. It is up to the reader, who knows the life of Moses, to guess why the great prophet stood on the borderline between Michael’s jurisdiction and that of Satan.

>From the New Testament we also know that even Jesus had to be tempted by the Devil! However, it was the Spirit, i.e. God himself, who led Jesus into the wilderness. As in the case of Job and every other saint, God gave permission to the Devil to put Jesus to trial regarding his identity and his mission. Here is the relevant verse:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matt. 4: 1) How did Satan tempt Jesus in the wilderness? In what areas of his personality concentrated his fiery darts? Let us see:

“And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’.” (Matt. 4: 2-4)

Satan proceeded very methodically and wisely into his task. First he tempted Jesus on his physical need. Jesus, after forty days’ fast, was desperately hungry. Would he use his miraculous powers to fill his stomach? This is a test which every man and woman of God undergoes and where most fail. But Jesus did not! Of course, filling the stomach has an allegorical meaning here: it refers to pursuing material riches, something to which most of the miracle workers succumb.

“Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test’.” (Matt. 4: 5-7)

In his second temptation, Satan enticed Jesus to put God, and indeed the Scriptures, to the test. Could God save Jesus from death if he deliberately exposed himself to danger? But Jesus answered back to Satan with another scripture! We are not to put the Lord to the test. Indeed, God is able and willing to save his servants from dangers – according to their faith – but not from intentionally created ones, in order to test the Almighty! We are the ones to be tested, not God.

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.” (Matt. 4: 8-11)

In spite of his first two failures, the Devil did not give up. He had kept a last ace up his sleeve. Being the prince of the material world, he offered its “kingdoms” to Jesus, i.e. fame, glory and power, if he only worshipped him. But Jesus did not bow down before Satan. He was not interested to be a temporary worldly Messiah, ruling over the kingdoms of the earth. He had chosen to be an eternal spiritual King instead. His kingdom wasn’t of this world but it was spiritual and, as such, it was invisible. Yet its splendor could not compare with that of all the worldly kingdoms together. Jesus was sure about what he wanted. He longed to be “one with the Father”, who is Spirit, and thus become the light of the world.

Failing for a third time, the devil left Jesus. He had no permission from God to go any further. Then the angels of God took charge and ministered to Jesus! Happy is the servant of God who, after passing all the tests, stands and is ministered to by the angels of God.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt.6: 13)

Here is a verse from the ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. We are instructed to ask God not to lead us into temptation! Once again it is verified by scriptures that it is God himself and not Satan who leads us into temptation. Satan cannot do anything against us unless he takes permission from God. It is comforting to be aware of this. So we don’t have to fear Satan, for he is under God’s restrictions.

“I am the Lord and there is no other; I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all these things.” (Isa. 45: 6b-7)

This verse, and other similar ones in the Scriptures, is for many Bible students a stumbling block. How could the Holy God be also the creator of evil? Yet this makes more sense than believing that there are two creators in the Universe, i.e. God, who creates only good, and Satan who creates only evil. Besides, can there be anything outside God? He is inherent in all Creation by His Spirit, and everything that exists is under the control of God’s Sovereign Laws!

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2: 10)

Here we see the spirit of Christ informing the believers in advance about Satan’s plan. Some Christians from the Church of Smyrna would be put into prison in order to be tested. Christ wanted to warn and encourage those people to stand fast in their faith so that they could win the crown of eternal life.

“In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph. 4: 26-27)

In this verse we have another aspect of how a trial comes about. Paul says that we, ourselves, open up the way to the “devil” when we give him a “foothold” by our thoughts, words or actions. Let the student of the spiritual kingdom be aware of this.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph. 6: 11)

Paul warns us to always wear the full armor of God that we may stand the snares of the devil in the day of temptation. He is talking, of course, about a spiritual armor, the details of which we shall see in the chapter of Prayer.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Jam. 4: 7)

All we have to do is to submit totally to God while resisting the devil (the flesh with its cravings). Then Satan will flee from us. This is comforting! We don’t have to worry about the devil and his devices.

“Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. You will say to me then, ‘ Why does God still blame us? For who can resist his will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” (Rom. 9: 18-21)

In the above we have a very hard Scripture. It is difficult for the believer to accept that God himself, and not the devil, hardens the heart of whomever he wills. Could Paul, who elsewhere has admitted that ‘We know in part’, be wrong in this scripture? Are, then, some people made for common use while others are made for noble purposes? Of course there are many things we see in the world that we cannot explain. However, who of us can judge God? It is enough to judge ourselves and see when and where have we been responsible for creating evil inside us and around us.

As for our attitude towards God, instead of complaining or accusing Him for the evil, it will do us good to stand in humility and awe before the Almighty, acclaiming: ‘Praise You Lord, for surely You have made everything in wisdom’!

“In any and every given moment of your life, you are either in command of yourself… or you are being commanded.” -Guy Finley, Author

It pays to learn, especially from your mistakes. The successful entrepreneur learns how to deal with mistakes every day. They look forward to the challenge. It’s important to remember that they don’t have to know it all. There’s always someone they can go to for assistance, support, or technical information.

To experience success means you have to set goals and take the necessary actions to make your goals happen. This process of learning continues until you’ve mastered it. After every failure, you can compliment yourself for trying, then tell yourself to try again.

Setting goals to reach success is like climbing a mountain. It takes a very long time to reach the top. Along the way may be several obstacles, but you must keep going. Further on you may stumble and need to rest. To reach the next level, there may be times when you have to take a different path or go around the obstacle. The last step to the top is the crucial one and requires all your concentration. Don’t let the difficult climb persuade you to quit or from setting higher goals. If you enjoy the climb, you will eventually reach the top!

There is power and energy in accomplishment. Develop goals that you are passionate about, then work to make them real. If you miss reaching one goal, learn what you did wrong, and try again. You have every right to be successful. Failure means giving up. If your goal is strong enough and you are committed and passionate enough about what you wish to accomplish, it will happen. Wouldn’t one idea be worth it, if it helped thousands of others to live better, be healthier, save more money, save time, help the environment, create new businesses, and employ others?

Successful entrepreneurs have a certain mental and positive attitude. They believe in themselves and are convinced that they can live richer, fuller lives. They fulfill their own personal desires for happiness. They are familiar with hard work and responsibility.

Take any business or service that is already established and successful and think of other products or services that may help others in different and new ways. Expand your consciousness; think success. Develop your need to be creative. Think outside of your normal way of doing, acting, and being. You may surprise yourself into discovering the next invention, the next form of entertainment, or the next wave of technology. Get rid of self-defeating habits and attitudes. Success comes to those who look for it.

Here are some goals you may set for reaching success in your life:

1. What are you passionate about?
Make a list of things you love to do. A few ideas and types of businesses that may lead you to think of new products, new services, or new inventions may include:

* Travel
* Fitness/Health Care
* Electronics
* Technology/Internet/World Wide Web
* Teaching/Instructional Workshops

* Public speaking
* Writing: Books/Articles/Poetry/Advertising
* Entertainment/Music/Acting * Gardening//Landscaping
* Interior Design; Broadcasting/Television/Radio;
* Spirituality/Inspiration/Self-Improvement

The list is endless.

2. Set goals with specific conditions.
Make your goals possible to accomplish. Plan your goals and structure your thoughts around positive actions. If you think your goal is impossible – it will be. Yet, if you think in positive terms, your goals will be easier to achieve. Refuse to let doubt sway you from your target. Stay positive and you’ll get to your goal much faster.

3. Think big, yet be realistic.
Every accomplishment starts with a dream. Make your dream the biggest and the best – then work to make it come true. Write down everything you know about your dream and your desire to have it happen. What do you have to do? How soon can you make it happen? Be patient, nothing happens overnight.

4. Make a plan.
Write your dream, idea and your plan of action in the present tense: “I am successful.” “I have a successful business.” “My faith is strong and I am blessed financially.” “I am going to reach my goal.” This helps your mind to visualize the outcome. Your mind is forced to act as if your dream has already materialized. Your mind works in the present and makes no distinction between what is happening now and what has already happened. Confusion comes when you send your thoughts to the future or back to the past. The mind may shut down and stop working on what you desire.

5. Set values on your goals.
What value do you place on your life? On your career? On your business? What excites you? Let your imagination soar. Would you give up your values for someone else’s if it meant losing your character or your faith? Your goals must be valuable to you before they can be fulfilled. When you focus on your dream, give it time to grow and develop. It soon becomes a reality.

6. Reward your progress.
When you achieve even the smallest step in accomplishing your goals, get excited. Compliment yourself for taking a step toward reaching your goal. There isn’t anything more gratifying then accomplishing your goal. When you make a major accomplishment, do something for someone else. Celebrate it!

With unlimited opportunities to reach your dreams and goals; with unlimited access to knowledge, information, instructors, and places to go for help, there’s no telling what you can accomplish – if you desire! Then…

Always remember to thank the source from which it all comes.

Copyright 2004

Gerri D Smith is publisher and host of multiple Gateways to inspiration, motivation, and support for individuals, women business owners, and entrepreneurs. Gerri’s internet resource offers ways to unlock the doors to your personal and business empowerment. Now is a perfect time to own your own business and discover some of the best ways to market a product. One is by letting your customers see it before they buy it. This concept is a sharing of information and is made available by the Internet. Best of all it’s delivered right to your email doorstep. Why not invest in your future, now. To help you reach more of your personal and business goals, subscribe to Gerri’s Free bi-monthly inspirational newsletter.

Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com Or, send a blank email and your correct email address and mailto: gerri@distinctivebusinesswomen.com?Subject=EZ-Scribe

It is common to all to have a great concept of a graphic design in mind but cannot seem to get a concrete start upon it. The tendency is to usually just sit and stare at the computer for hours without actually getting any work done. You may be spending more time needed in just the conceptualization and lesser times to do other things that is needed when the concept for a design is finally finished.

Think about it. Why not just stop for awhile if you are not achieving anything? Trying to come up with a great design would but not really knowing what to create is like useless, pointless and a total waste of time.

Take a breather. Let us assume that you are trying to design something that will serve as an advertisement. What are the important points to remember in making one? How do you cope up with the many competitions already ahead of you?

The thing to do is go back to the basics. This simple means that picking a pencil and a paper once can sometimes be a refreshing change from having to look at the computer and being pressured to do something that should already look like a great design. Try sketching and doing it in paper instead.

Corel Draw, Photoshop, Quark Xpress and Adobe Illustrator are just some of the software that can help you in your work. They may be the modern tools that people nowadays are finding rather helpful but they cannot really think of your design for you.

It all boils down to your paper and pencil. Ask any great designers and they will say the same things. Conceptualize then try to put it in writing, using the pencil, of course.

Forget modern tools. They have their usefulness in many times and situations but not at all times. So what if people prefer them to the basics. Does not make any difference as long as you come up with a design that can compete with them or be even more creative than theirs.

So pick up your pen and paper and start coming up with a great design slowly but surely. Just think that there are still no modern tools to help you and that you have no choice but that two simple and basic tools.

Might work wonders too. Perhaps you can even have a good mileage using them. And it sure beats staring at a blank and over bright screen.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.uprinting.com

The purpose of having an analytical brain is to use it to think and make a plan before we act.

Acting spontaneously out of fear, revenge, spite, anger and a host of other emotions is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure.

If you plan your moves in advance your chances of success are increased. The most successful chess players do this.

By reacting to outside influences you will always be controlled by those influences.

By being pro-active you are dictating the terms. It doesn’t matter what field you are in – business, a personal relationship, sport, a hobby – planning ahead will always bring about better results. But how many people are prepared to devote time and effort to creating a plan and then execute that plan?

So many people drift through life without a plan. They go to work to pay the bills to go to work to pay the bills and so on. Their days are full of routine and they have to act in accordance to the demands of other people. Does that sound like anybody you know?

The happiest people are the ones who do not believe that they even have a job. Sure, they work. However, what they do is so important or entertaining to them that they would do it without being paid. Some people fall into this naturally. Others can plan their way into such a life.

If you are dis-satisfied with where you are or what you are doing then do something about it. Life is very short. Every day is precious. As you get older you will realize this. To be trapped in a situation that is painful to you will cause misery.

It is easy to plan your way into something, or out of something. All you have to do is take a sheet of paper and write at the bottom where you are now and at the top where you want to be. Writing where you want to be at the top of the page is important because it shows ascendancy. In other words, it is at the top of your ladder. To get from where you are you need to climb the ladder.

At various intervals between the bottom and top of that sheet of paper you will mark points that represent significant steps along the journey. It’s much the same as planning a journey to another city. You wouldn’t just get in your car and drive. No. You would get out a map then drive from your current position to the next town, then the next and so on until you eventually got to your destination.

Why should life planning be any different? Without a plan you are doomed to mediocrity or failure. You can plan whatever you want. But it must be on paper. Keeping things in your head will ensure that nothing gets done. On paper, where you can see it makes a plan real.

You can plan anything. Get the paper, get the pen. Think out the plan. Write the plan. Act on it and it will become reality. Millions of people have. Billions of people don’t bother. You can do it. Happy planning.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

The internet is huge. Google alone list over 3 billion pages, looking at one each second of the day would take you over 99 years to view them all!

Many people can do website design, but how many can actually design a website. The design element is so important and so often overlooked.

If you intended to send out brochures to your customers, or potential customers, and the brochure was poor quality what type of image will this reflect on your business…….a poor website will do exactly the same.

When designing a website the most important task to remember is colour co-ordination. Ideally you should strive for a maximum of three main colours, with variations and tints of these. By using more you run the risk of non-matching colours and ultimately less easy on the eye for visitors.

Next comes navigation. Colour co-ordination and Navigation are the top main priorities. If your site isn’t easy to navigate, people will not stay around to delve deeper. Once you site is designed ask some friends or family to test it out. The easier your website is to navigate, the longer people will stay.

Accessibility is a key issue that has been highlighted recently with a AUD$20,000 fine imposed on an Australian website for not ensuring people with disabilities and sight impairments could use the website. These rulings are few and far between (for now) but to help always use ALT tags on images (helping to describe your image), plus use text based links where possible.
You have your site ready, it’s full of content, great design and ready to hit the super highway – now how will people find you. This is where SEO comes in to play (Search Engine Optimisation). Optimising your site for the main search engines can help bring free targeted traffic to your website. The main and basic rules of SEO are:

1. A good Title tag, e.g for C2 Web Design being a website design company based in Essex, UK and covering Colchester our Title tag is ‘Website Design Essex | Website Design Colchester’. Using your main keywords for your title tag can instantly bring good results.

2. Make sure your keywords appear within your website. The % of times it appears has started to have less an impact, but the general rule is your keywords should make up around 5% of your copy.

3. Request Linkbacks. Make requests for other sites to link to you from the day you website is activated. Search Engines, particuarly Google, base a large porpotion of their listings based on the number of websites linking to you – plus their popularity and themed relationship to the content of your site.

4. Be patient. It can quiet easily take a year or so to achieve a good placement in Google for a popular phrase – but considerably less time in other search engines e.g. MSN and Ask Jeeves.

By sticking to these basic principles and ensuring your site is pleasent on the eye, easy to navigate, and optimised for search engine visits you should be able to claim your stake in the World Wide Web.

Dean Cosson is website design manager at C2 Web Design (http://www.c2webdesign.co.uk)

The BFOQ defense states that it is not unlawful for an employer to take adverse employment actions otherwise prohibited by the ADEA where age is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the particular business. For example it would not be illegal to consider criteria for a particular role in a movie that has a disparate impact on age if the part calls for someone of a particular age. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit initially affirmed the jurys findings but after the United States Supreme Court asked it to reconsider the Second Circuit reversed itself and ruled in favor of Knolls. Thirty of the 65 salaried employees the company laid off were at least 43 years old. The Supreme Court then agreed to hear the case and eventually reversed the Second Circuit and reinstated the jurys finding that Knolls policy unlawfully discriminated because of age. Knolls totaled those scores and gave the employees additional points based on their years of service. Specifically the jury found that although the plaintiffs did not prove that Knolls intentionally discriminated against them they did prove that Knolls method of deciding who to lay off disproportionately harmed older workers. In reaching its conclusion that the employer has the burden to prove the reasonable factors other than age defense the Supreme Court looked at another provision of the ADEA the bona fide occupational qualification defense. The Supreme Court has previously recognized that the employer has the burden to establish the BFOQ affirmative defense. Even if the employment action is otherwise prohibited by the ADEA. It then used those totals to decide who to lay off. As long as the adverse action is based on reasonable factors other than age. It has the burden to prove that its decision was based on a reasonable factor other than age. The company had its supervisors rate their subordinates based on their performance flexibility and critical skills. The Supreme Court ruled that if an employer seeks to rely on that defense. In other words the ADEA permits employers to discriminate based on age considering age is legitimately necessary under the circumstances. In that case Meacham versus Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory the Supreme Court interpreted a provision of the ADEA that permits an employer to take an adverse employment action against an employee. Twenty-eight of those 45 employees sued under the ADEA claiming Knolls illegally fired them because of their age. At the trial a jury found Knolls had violated the ADEA because its layoff procedure had a disparate impact based on age. In Meacham Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory was planning to lay off a number of employees. A lawyer from Groningen won from a in Brockton Massachusetts

With more people travelling on business and for pleasure than ever before, the greater the need to learn how to exercise effectively while away from home.

Traveling should not bring your fitness program to a grinding holt. Be creative in your exercise choices, be realistic and manage your time more effectively regardless of how busy your itinerary is.

Research shows that 4 x 15 minute sessions of exercise are just as effective as 1 x 60 minute session. End result – more efficient use of your time, greater energy expenditure, boosting your metabolism four times instead of one, and a physiological production of happy hormones and endorphins throughout the day to keep you energised, in good spirits and mentally alert.

So how does this relate to exercise? Before breakfast, put your trainers on and hit the gym for a 10 minute run and a stretch, or go for a swim. After lunch walk for 15 minutes around the hotel grounds. This will also help the digestion process so you don’t feel full when get back to work again. Once your meetings have finished hit the gym for a quick 15-20 minute circuit blast of strength training. Circuit training will ensure your heart rate remains elevated, maximising your energy expenditure, completing your workout in much less time and create a new training response for your body to adapt and respond to. Forget about your 3 sets of 10. If you have access to a gym, work through all your exercises one at a time, alternating muscle groups. Then hit the shower to get ready for your dinner engagement. It really is as easy as that!

You will need to be disciplined to do it the first time, but once you have tried it once, it will become just as routine as cleaning your teeth – and you will feel fantastic!

Here are some other tips to increase your physical activity while travelling on business:

• Schedule your exercise sessions as you would business appointments. They are just as important and essential to your wellbeing especially while travelling on business.
• Brainstorm while colleagues while walking instead of in a meeting room
• Walk around the airport while waiting to board the plane.
• Walk instead of taking the escalator, you will find that you get there faster than those who take the ride!
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or get off a few floors early and walk the rest of the way.
• Pack your resistance tubes.
• Pack your jump rope.

Try these simple yet very effective steps to maximise your activity, productivity and performance while travelling on business.

Good luck with your future fitness endeavours.

Yours in Health,

Daniel Remon.

Fitcorp Asia specialises in Executive Fitness Programs for busy professionals.

www.personaltrainingbangkok.com
www.fitcorpasia.com

As a health and fitness professional for over 10 years, Daniel has personally trained more than 4000 people, on 4 continents towards the achievement of their fitness and lifestyle objectives using his unique holistic and functional approach to lifestyle enhancement. Daniel is a true leader and innovator in the industry. Daniel draws from an academic background in Human Movement, Exercise Science and Sports Management in Australia & also holds a Diploma in Massage Therapy, & Certificates in Workplace Health Promotion, Personal Training (ACSM) and Australian Training for Fitness Professionals (ATP), Golf Fitness & Conditioning, Postural Analysis, Weight Management & Fat Loss.

Daniel is the founder and CEO of Fitcorp Asia, Thailand’s only Corporate Health & Fitness Solutions Company. “We don’t just conduct personal training, we take pride in our ability to ‘coach’ our clients in all exercise science principles including nutrition and total lifestyle transformation to ensure our clients achieve a holistic goal orientated approach to their personal health and fitness endeavours.”

Do you ever feel like you are working out so hard and nothing seems to happen? You just can’t seem to lose that last few pounds, increase your benchpress or tighten up those triceps. Why?

Why do doctors only recommend that you take antibiotics for a short period of time?
They only seem to be affective for a short while. The body builds up an immune
system against them.

One of the biggest mistakes we have all made in our quest for good health is to get
in our comfort zones by doing the same old workout routine and eating plan. Guess
what? Your body adapts to these daily routines, too.

Exercise and losing weight is a constant pushing of your body’s mental and physical
potentials. Arnold Swartzneggar once said, “Life is about the last three reps of an
exercise.” In order to get anything out of it, you have to push yourself.”

This is hard to explain, but after about ten weeks on the same workout plan and
after eating the same foods at each meal, the body adapts and the heart rates go
down. The muscles are not overloaded anymore. What is the answer then?

If you learn no other key to weightloss or exercising learn this: you have to
constantly shock your body into progressing. If you can keep you body from getting
used to things you will have a better chance of losing weight and keeping longevity
with your workout.

However, this will take some thinking ahead on your part. If you start getting edgy,
poor sleeping patterns, soreness or any other unusual aches, this is probably what
is happening. Try to avoid the number one mistake people make in allowing your
body to figure out what your game plan is. Do this and you will have a good chance
of sticking with the program.

START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY! FREE MINI COURSE click here http://www.resolutions.bz. Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting that the doctor’s DON’T want you to know. Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith, and high profile fitness expert.

What is your reason for setting a goal?

This is the first, and important question you need to ask yourself. Why? If your reason for setting your goal is not sincere, your motivation and enthusiasm can wane drastically as you progress on your goal path. Setting personal goals is just that – personal, and if you do not have deep-rooted reason for your goal, your chances of succeeding are reduced dramatically.

We generally set goals because we are unhappy with where we are, either in life, our job, or a relationship. As Og Mandino says, “People don’t change when they feel good. They change when they’re fed up. When things are going all right, we all tend to do pretty much what we’ve been doing. Pain pushes us to those crucial turning points. We hurt, then we finally choose. It’s that adverb finally. Enough is enough.!”

We want something better. An example is a better paying position at work, or a management position. Maybe it can be that we want to lose weight, or become healthier. Whatever it is, we generally set goals as result of wanting something better.

Animals function on instinct. They sleep, eat and procreate. That’s it.

We humans have a thinking ability. And it is with this thinking ability that we have the urge to achieve something better. But we are also an inherently lazy creature, and we tend to have a resistance to effort.

Goals help keep us motivated

When we have something to aim at, something we achieve, we usually become excited. Think of going to your favorite restaurant. While you’re getting ready, you can almost smell and taste your meal, and you are excited. It is no different when you have a goal to aim at, and this is especially relevant if you have a life goal. Each milestone that you reach, increases your excitement, aka your motivation. Especially, think of when you go on holiday. What is your level of excitement just prior to leaving on holiday, and to what level does this excitement rise shortly before leaving? And then as you progress on your journey? Using the holiday example, this excitement keeps rising the nearer you get to your destination.

Goals undoubtedly give us direction. An example here is when we want to progress in our career.

Let’s say we want to secure a management position. We increase our knowledge and experience, and as result we become more equipped for the position. It is the objective of the management position that motivates us to undergo training, for example. Our goals enable us to move forward, and moving forward can only be beneficial. Go for the gold.

Successful people are goal orientated

Whatever your definition of success is, you will find it difficult to reach that level of success without goals.

If you don’t have a target, the arrow will hit nothing.

It is very important to remember that goals are not static. As our circumstances change, it is inevitable that our goals change. The goals you had when you left school are very different to your goals ten years after school. Similarly, after marriage and children come along, your goals once again change. It is important to remember that when your circumstances change, review and, where necessary adapt your goals. The golden rule of setting your goals is to remain on your goal path.

Without a doubt, having personal goals keeps your enthusiasm up.

Using a map for our holiday

It is usual for us to consult a map when we go on holiday, and yet, sadly, for the holiday of life, we don’t consider consulting a map for this important journey. And when we don’t reach our destination, we become frustrated and annoyed. Yet, when we go on holiday, without a map, and we get lost we similarly get annoyed. And yet, this something we don’t repeatedly do. Your goals, and especially your goal path, is your map for your life.

Having goals, or at the very least, a goal, will enable you to know where you’re going in life. Goals do give us direction.

Thomas Edison is well-known for saying he didn’t fail, but found 10 000 ways it didn’t work. He had thousands of attempts over many years to invent the electric light bulb, but he knew exactly what he wanted, and his goal kept him going until he achieved it.

Oprah Winfrey was an abused child who was determined to make a better life for herself. Michelle Kwan had a goal to be the best skater in the world.

If you want proof that goal setting works, and is valuable in your life, think of musicians. They are one of the best examples of having determination in not only setting, but also achieving their goals. Athletes don’t become record holders by chance – it is only through effective goal setting. Top sales people work consciously at their goals, and as result become star performers. No-one becomes an astronaut by accident.

Every person who becomes successful in whatever field or area they choose, followed a goal path – a map to achieve their success.

Role of an effective goal setting system

If you have a dream, and want to achieve something better in life, having a goal can bring you success.

An effective goal setting system must get you on your road to success. It should also give you the tools to enable you to gain confidence in reaching your goal. There are many books and programs available that can help you set your goal. It is my belief that anyone can set a goal, but the important thing is to reach your goal.

An effective goal setting system should be a blueprint, and enable you to determine where you want to go with your life, and be an aid to keeping you on your goal path.

Having a goal, success is possible. Without goals, success is rarely possible – whatever area in your life.

About the Author

Colin Dunbar’s eaziGOAL is the ultimate goal setting program created especially for working moms and dads. “There is no reason we working moms and dads cannot reach our dream.” Full details available at http://www.eaziGOAL.com Manual, workbook, PLUS companion software. FREE newsletter.

We all have a purpose and a destiny upon our lives whether we know it or not. Truly our purpose is to fulfill the will of God upon our lives, but in order to do that we have to know what the will of God is and then begin to walk in it. Generally we all have a purpose to fulfill here on the earth. That is to know Him and His Son Jesus Christ. That is step number one, there is no use going on to the next steps if we haven’t first made Jesus Lord in our lives. If we try to fulfill the will of God without first knowing God we will be walking in our own vanity, and we will not fulfill God’s purpose nor will we ever be fulfilled ourselves.

After this there is fulfilling of God’s general Word. In other words walking in the general purpose God has given to all believers, learning to walk in power of the Word and follow after the Holy Spirit of God. We are not going to go very far if we don’t know the Word of God and follow after His Holy Spirit. Every believer also has a specific calling God has called him or her to fulfill.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Word of God is saying through the Apostle Paul that before the world was created God ordained certain good works for us to walk in. He knows the beginning from the end and He knows what we are supposed to do in our time here.

1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear;

You might say I don’t know what I am supposed to be doing. I am not called into the ministry. It is true that all are not called to the 5 fold ministry, Apostle Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist, and Teacher. But we all are called to good works. Even as Paul said to the Ephesians, we were created in Christ Jesus for good works before the world was created. I don’t know if you have ever considered this quite this way, but God expects us to fulfill our calling here on the Earth, and we will be held accountable for our time here. As a matter of fact our reward in eternity will be based on what we do with what we have been given here and now. That is not to be confused with our salvation, for salvation can not be earned by works.

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

As the Apostle Peter said we will be judged according to our own works so we must conduct our time of sojourning here in fear. Sojourning simply means we are passing through. We have to do something while we are on our way to something else. We are not just occupying time and space. Jesus talked about this in the parable of the talents.

Matthew 25:14-31 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, `Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
His lord said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, `Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, `Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, `You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Each if these received talents according to their own ability, or we could say it like this, each person receives the grace to accomplish what God has for him to accomplish. No one was given an unfair burden and asked to do more than they were capable of doing. We only have to accomplish what God has placed in our hand to accomplish. Maybe you are called to work with children or be a teacher. If that’s the case take the talents God has given you and use them to build up the next generation. This is just one example but you can use your own judgement and see for your self that it takes the entire body of Christ to walk as a whole. We can fulfill God’s purpose individually but we must also fulfill God’s purpose collectively. I can’t do it all any more than someone else can, I can only do what I have been graced to do. If I won’t do my part then this puts a greater burden on someone else to do more than they are supposed to do. When that happens as in the parable of the talents, what was given to the unprofitable servant will be taken away and given to someone who has more. This should be not only a warning to us but also to encourage us to reach out and fulfill the calling God has given each one of us.

I don’t want to create fear but I want to help to encourage those who have never given much thought to this, and begin to seek God and find His purpose for their life. Have a willing and obedient attitude. Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and you will see God’s clear direction unfold before you. Be willing to step out and go wherever the Lord leads. He’s not going to ask you to do something you are not capable or ready to do. He knows more than we do and we can certainly trust His judgement.

David was a very good example of this. God said through the writer of Acts that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Acts 13:22 “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, `I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ 23. “From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior Jesus

David was just a young boy herding sheep, yet God said he was a man after His own heart who will do all my will. David was in the back pasture herding sheep yet his heart sought after God and he had a desire to fulfill the purpose of God in his life. God didn’t just choose him randomly. David was a willing and later became an obedient servant. David messed up many times yet because he was willing to repent when he messed up and go on regardless of the consequences God not only used him but his lineage became the lineage of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He was not only a man after God’s own heart but the end of verse 22 says he will do all My will. David fulfilled God purpose in his life by doing all God’s will. They go hand in hand, when you fulfill God’s will you will fulfill your own calling and destiny. This may sound like an obvious statement, however many Christians miss this obvious thing. They seek after career choices never even giving consideration to what God has for them. If God has called you to be an accountant then you will never be happy teaching and if you are called to teach you will never be happy as an accountant. God has placed something in each one of us to fulfill not only generally but specifically as well. No one else can tell you what your purpose is but if you will spend quiet time in God’s presence and listen to His voice you will know and God’s peace will be there to confirm the direction He has given you.

God wants us to succeed, He doesn’t want us to fail. He has called us all to be happy and prosperous, but if we are unwilling or disobedient we won’t accomplish what He has given us to accomplish. We all have to start somewhere. So start where you are at now. You can repent of the past if you have messed up and start fresh right now.
It takes both a willing and obedient heart to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for your life.

Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

The Lord spoke this Scripture to me many years ago when I was at a crossroads in my life.
I was caught up in a situation at work that was not my doing and I had been unfairly associated with the ones who did some things I had no control over. Because of this I started to get a bad attitude about my job. I didn’t really realize it at the time but an unwilling attitude crept up on me slowly. When the Lord spoke this to me I had been praying about a job promotion that had come up. I knew in the natural that it wasn’t likely but I prayed and asked in faith. When the Lord spoke this Scripture to me I realized the attitude problem I had and immediately repented. I changed my attitude immediately and my whole outlook changed as well. Because of this the Lord blessed me with the promotion and I can look back and see that it was to change the course of my life. This would never have happened if I had not repented and turned into a willing as well as an obedient servant.

Remember what the Prophet Isaiah said, “the willing and obedient will eat the good of the land.” We must all have a willing heart and be obedient to the general as well as the specific call on our lives. Amen.

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!
Glory to God!!!! Amen.

I was raised Catholic, and was born again at the age of 17. I received God’s call into ministry at the age of 19 and began to prepare for ministry. I graduated from Rhema Bible Training Center in 1979, The Lord has called me to teach. I want to help other come to a knowledge of the truth and have started a web site for the purpose of teaching and discipleship called The Olive Branch;
Mark E. Baker
http://www.olivebranchministries.us