Jeshurun's Mind: How To:

How To Ensure Your Supplements Are As Good As Claimed 

 

 

In an effort to make a quick buck, supplement marketers go to great lengths to ensure people purchase their products regardless of whether those products are of good quality and suit the consumers’ needs or not. 

Therefore, it is of utmost importance for you to have the requisite knowledge about supplements as this helps in not only determining the kind of supplement you need but also in choosing the very best. Having substantial information about supplements also helps you in ascertaining that there will be no adverse side effects after using the product.   

The following are some of the ways through which you can substantiate claims that a particular supplement is good and suitable for your needs. 

1. Know the purpose for supplements 

It is vital that you understand what supplements are and the purpose for taking them. You must be knowledgeable in your choice and consumption of supplement especially because today’s market is inundated with a wide range of supplement products many of which claim to promote the overall well being of consumers. Naturally, many consumers get easily drawn to the marketing hype and some even end up making supplements an intrinsic part of their lives. 

It is crucial to know that supplements are meant to do only what their name suggests: supplement and not replace the foods necessary for good health.  This therefore means that you must not skip regular meals or stop consuming particular foods all together in the name of taking supplements. 

2.  Do thorough research 

The importance of carrying out intensive research cannot be overemphasized as this is the most effective way to gather general or specific information about various supplements or a certain supplement. The more you learn about a particular supplement, the easier it becomes for you to assess its quality and suitability. 

It would be wrong to assume, for instance, that all supplements that claim to contain only organic, herbal or natural ingredients are the safest. This is because they may contain substances which, when consumed with other products or foods result in adverse reactions. 

3.      Scrutinize the manufacturer 

It is normal to hear or read about many manufacturers of supplements claiming that their products have the ability to prevent heart disease, reduce cholesterol or even strengthen the immune system against several infections. A careful and thorough examination of these claims may reveal that they are not only exaggerated, but also misleading and therefore must be taken with a pinch of salt. 

One way of assessing the credibility of manufacturers is by determining the duration they have been manufacturing supplements and whether they have a formidable reputation. 

Besides that, it is also wise to study consumers’ reviews about manufacturers and their products. 

4.      Assess Yourself 

It is worthwhile to understand that people do not react the same way to different supplements. This means that a product that worked for one person may not necessarily work for you. It is therefore crucial for you to examine yourself and know which supplement best suits your needs. 

It is always best to consult a doctor or a pharmacist if you are unsure of which supplement to settle for. A healthcare provider may, for instance, decide that a different serving size from that prescribed by the manufacturer, is the most appropriate.

Jeshurun's Mind: Health and Fitness

3-Days Military Diet

The 3-days military diet is a short term diet plan that has enabled many people to lose weight quickly even up to 10 pounds a week.

Before embarking on the military diet, however, there are a few important things to keep in mind. For instance, water, and lots of it should be the main drink. 

Herbal tea with no caffeine is also recommended. No snacks are included in this diet because its main tenet is to eat three meals a day which have the right combination of nutrients and proteins. 

Sugar is also excluded in the 3-day diet because of the insulin reaction and spike it causes. Instead, natural sweeteners such as Stevia, maple syrup and honey are used.

It is also essential to understand that the amount of calories intake per day matters a lot. The following is the 3-day meal plan and schedule designed to help you cut that unwanted weight.

The eating timetable is set at Breakfast - 7:30, Lunch - 13:00, and Dinner – 18:30. However, this is just an example. What time one eats is not as important as how much of calories one takes. 

Day ONE:

Breakfast – 1 Slice of Toast (whole wheat), ½ Grapefruit, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter, and 1 Cup of caffeinated tea or coffee. 

NOTE: Caffeinated tea or coffee is taken in the first two meals of Day 1 only. For the rest of the days, only water is taken. 

Lunch - 1 Slice of Toast or bread (whole wheat), ½ Cup of Tuna, and 1 Cup of caffeinated tea or coffee. 

Dinner – 3 ounces of any type of meat (same size as deck of cards), ½ Banana, 1 Cup of Green Beans, 1 Cup of vanilla ice cream, and 1 small apple. 

Tips: Warm the banana and/or apple and eat them over the vanilla ice cream. Cook the meat with the green beans or simmer them in the broth.
Ice cream provides calcium which accelerates the fat burning process. 


Day TWO: 

Breakfast – 1 Slice of toast or bread (whole wheat), ½ Banana, and 1 egg cooked to one’s preference. 

Lunch – 1 Cup of cottage cheese, 5 saltine crackers, and 1 hardboiled egg.

Dinner – 1 Cup of broccoli, 2 hot dogs (without bun), ½ Banana, ½ Cup of carrots, and ½ Cup of vanilla ice cream. 


Day THREE:

Breakfast – 1 Slice of cheddar cheese, 5 saltine crackers, and 1 small apple.

Lunch – 1 Slice of toast or bread (whole wheat), and 1 hardboiled egg. 

Dinner – ½ Banana, 1 Cup of Tuna, and 1 Cup of vanilla ice cream.

During the 3-day diet plan, a 30-minute jog or walk either in the morning or evening is okay.  A 1-hour nap taken between lunch and dinner is also very helpful.

After the 3-day military diet, the stomach will have become smaller thus making one feel full after eating small portions of food. That notwithstanding, it is important to watch what one eats for the remaining four days of the week so as not to gain weight as this would ultimately counter all the weight loss efforts.

During the remaining four days of the week, caloric intake should be kept low overall. Lots of water should also be taken. If coffee or tea is to be taken, then it must black and unsweetened.

However, the results can only be maximized by strictly following the 3-day nutritional plan.

Jeshurun's Mind: Kiswahili na Mashairi

 

Ufasaha Hudumani 

1. Mola usiyeshabihi, Mwenyezi twakuhimidi,
Twakutukuza Ilahi, madhali hivyo yabidi,
Kwa neema tumewahi, kuwa wako mashahidi,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

2. Jumanne ndio siku, tulipofika Karura,
Zikatujaza shauku, za uongozini sera,
Sera ziso za udaku, zisizoleta hasara,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

3. Siku iliyofuata, ndiyo hiyo Jumatano,
Vijana tulitakata, likaanza kongamano,
Sote tulifanya kwata, gwaride liso mfano,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

4. Mambo mengi ya thamani, tumefundishwa vijana,
Uadilifu kazini, ni nguzo muhimu sana,
Hususa uongozini, ili kuwepo kufana,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

5. Hayawani kama twiga, ngamia mchwa na tai,
Wanayavalia njuga, mambo yote ya uhai,
Tunapaswa kuwaiga, kuwabeza haifai,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

6. Ewe mchungaji Juma, mgeni mheshimiwa,
Akurehemu Karima, upate kufanikiwa,
Ujazwe nayo hekima, uzidi kuinuliwa,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

7. Ulifundisha wanyama, wanayo mafunzo tele,
Kwamba tukiwaandama, sote tutasonga mbele,
Kititi tutasimama, tuishi hata milele,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

8. Mchungaji Okioma, Yehova akubariki,
Kwa kututendea mema, kutupa kile na hiki,
Mambo yote ulosema, kwayo tutajihakiki,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

9. Kuwasahau siwezi, wachungaji wengineo,
Mlokuwa hapa juzi, siku zote hata leo,
Awafadhili Mwenyezi, na wote waaminio,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

10. Nanyi vijana wenzangu, sikizeni kwa makini,
Matamu pia machungu, mtapata maishani,
Ngome yenu iwe Mungu, yeye mtumainini,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

11. Kituoni nimefika, nawaaga kwaherini,
Kutamka nimechoka, napisha yenu maoni,
Yesu yuaja kumbuka, hilo tujue yakini,
Ufasaha hudumani, Manani utujalie.

Jeshurun's Mind: Spiritual Food

When You Fall in Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Falling in love is one of the most precious gifts that God has granted to humanity. There is nothing anti-spiritual or inherently sinful about it provided it is subordinated to the higher pursuit of glorifying God. At the end of the day emotions (in and of themselves) are not evil.

In the beginning, God made Eve for Adam. He instituted marriage. The Lord took a rib from Adam’s side to make the woman. God did it whilst the man was asleep, and ever since, falling in love always has this dreamy and other-worldly feeling about it. In the Genesis account, there are a few useful gleanings which I have jotted down that will help you know the biblical standard for truly falling in love and finding a mate. Perhaps we have overlooked some of these vital truths.

1.  “God created man” (Genesis 1:27).

“God created man.” It seems like a rather strange verse to quote when dealing with falling in love, but we cannot fail to miss the value and depth of this insight. God created a “man”. Before God gave Eve to Adam, Adam was a “man” and not a “boy”. I preached at a convention in Madrid alongside a servant of God back in April 2010 who had just arrived from teaching in Italy. He informed me that two out of every three marriages over there end up in shipwreck. Why so many break ups? Because men no longer marry women; boys marry girls. When trouble strikes, these so-called men walk out! They cave in as quickly as a pack of cards. They never grew up; they have infantile attitudes and can’t stand the pressure when the heat is on. They have no principles and no convictions; so command no respect. A man that has to use violence to gain the respect of his wife is worse than an animal. He is no man; he’s a beastly coward and a slug. God made a “man” in Eden; one who was mature and trusted in God. Falling in love the biblical way is a thing of spiritual adults, not of novices. Make sure your partner is a grown-up and not a cry baby.

2. "God put the man in the garden" (Genesis 2:8).

Why did God put man in the Garden? The Bible answers us in Genesis 2:15, “To dress it and to keep it.” In other words, Adam was involved in the work of the Lord before he met Eve. He wasn’t out-and-about in pagan-style Christian nightclubs and single bars looking for a partner. He faithfully served God where the Lord had put him, and then the Lord took care of the rest. It says, “And God brought Eve unto the man” (Genesis 2:22). God put the woman in the right place at the right time. Adam didn’t have to go about trying to chat up half the available females, bombarding them with endless text-messages, phone calls and e-mails on into the early hours of the morning. There is nothing attractive about a person who just throws themselves at another with no self-respect. You wipe your feet with door-mats, you don't fall in love with them. Adam just had to occupy himself with serving God. If you seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, then all these other things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). Obedience was the grand virtue that characterized Adam’s pre-Fall existence; and that obedience is always met with the divine blessing. God gave Adam the perfect woman who would compliment the work unto which God had called him. They were not two heads going in two different directions; but one body, one unit, one flesh headed God’s way.

Let me be very bold for a moment. You young men reading this that are called to ministry: never ever settle for a girl that has no interest in spiritual matters; you need someone who is at your level, and who will encourage you and strengthen you in the things of God. Don’t throw your whole life away for a plate of lentils. If you marry a girl that doesn’t share the calling that is upon your life, then your whole existence will be one of constant affliction and frustration. You can share your life with a “good” girl, but that doesn’t mean she’s God’s best. You will not be able to go when God calls you to; you will not be able to do what God tells you to. Don’t sell yourself out to the first one that comes along; pray through to God and He will show you what to do. Many times we speak of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers; that is true. But the same rule applies to Christian marriage. You cannot marry someone that you will be a constant drag downwards in spiritual matters. The fire that God has put in your belly can become smothered by marrying the wrong person. So, beware! Cry out to God and He will answer.

3. “God commanded the man, saying…” (Genesis 2:16).

God had a verbal relationship with man; He spoke with him. There was God-man communication. A man of God, before ever thinking about marriage, must first enjoy intimacy with the Lord. Then from his relationship with God he will sow forth blessing and peace into his marriage. Men of God are faithful. They are not like today’s brand of rebels that marry a girl one day and then sleep with another one the next day. If there is no fruit in your prospective partner’s life, get out of the thing! Cut it off! I once heard the testimony about a young twenty-something year old in the States. She was living with her boyfriend, and one of her friends invited her to church. She came under conviction in the service, realizing that she was knee-deep in sin. She cried out to God for forgiveness. When she got home she told the lad what had happened and she asked him if he too wanted to follow Jesus. He laughed her words off and said no. She replied, “If you don’t want to go to heaven with me, then I sure don’t want to go to hell with you!” She packed her bags and left! She left her life of sin behind. A woman of God has godly convictions and does whatever the Lord says, no matter what the price may be.

4. Concluding

To fall in love, your mate must be an adult, and not a child; they must be a servant of God and have an intimate relationship with the Lord. Anything less falls short of the biblical standard. Ask God to guide you in these matters. These may be spiritual principles, but something I would like to add is that it is not a sin to be physically attracted to your mate. God will stir up a love in your heart for her. God hasn’t called you to marry a monkey!

Furthermore: avoid long relationships like the plague! Pre-marital relationships that go on for years are not wise; you are only inviting temptation to fornicate. You are flesh and blood; you have desires. And that is irrespective of the number of sermons you’ve listened to or preached.

And one last observation, lads that date one girl and then another and then another are practicing for divorce in the future. “If it doesn’t work out with this one, I’ll try another!” Girls are not sweets to be tasted and spat out! Be a man! Be mature! Be an adult! Seek God’s guidance in all of these matters, and He will show you the way forward. That way, you can rest in peace and enjoy the bliss of falling in love the way God ordained it.