Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how the Lord God has positively influenced my overeating, this doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse. Debbie

COE Support Note:

If you REALLY want to read how Christ helped me throughout this weight loss and even when I was tempted, you should read some of the 100's of previous posts on https://christianovereaterssupport.blogspot.com/

What Good Is It to Be Thin, If You Lose Your Salvation in the Process?

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? Luke 9:25

How many times have fleeting thoughts like, "I would give anything to be thin" crossed our minds? What good is it to be thin, if you lose your salvation in the process? Fortunately, God doesn't say it's an either/or situation, "You can be thin or you can have salvation-now pick."

Actually, I was thinking more on the lines of who we become once we lose our weight. Do we become focused on our looks? Do we join the crowds of thin people (not that all are this way) who are insensitive to the plight of others who are overweight, have vices, or handicaps? Do we jump at the idea of being welcomed by groups of people who have less than Christian ideals and family values?

It's all too easy to become self-absorbed. It's all too easy to join the norms in society and not stand up for the rights of others: the troubled, the oppressed, the needy, and the abused. It's all too easy to blend in with the "In Crowd" and not stand up for what Christ has taught us. After having been overweight for so long, I find it much easier to blend in that to stand apart for my beliefs. I'm not perfect, but I pray that God brings me back to focus on what is truly important any time I start to stray and get caught up in worldly values. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? Luke 9:25

We Have to be Careful About Using the "F" Word Around Children...

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33

We have to be careful about using the "F" Word around children. I don't mean just any "F" Word, I mean the word: FAT! I was told about this little kindergarten boy who recently started mentioning the word: FAT around his house a lot. Then, he went to his grandmother's house and didn't want to put on his padded coat, because it would make him look FAT! She tried to talk him into wearing it, because it was cold and drizzly outside. He still was adamant about not wearing it, because he looked FAT in that coat and didn't want to look fat.

His puzzled grandmother shared this with his mother, who didn't understand why her thin son would be so focused on not looking FAT. Then, she found out where it came from. An adult in the school had made a comment about all the children coming back FAT after the holidays. This adult had described a character in a book as FAT and seemed to use FAT as a descriptor quite frequently.

As you and I know, this adult in his school must be obsessed with her own weight and it leaked out here and there, but this child was deeply affected by it. It's important for all of us to note this, because food, eating, etc. have been issues for us, at some point of another. We have to be prayerful about making sure that we aren't using the "F" Word around our children and loved ones. Obviously, it could leave far-reaching effects on their self-esteem without our even realizing it. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It...

 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Colossians 3:8

I was recently reading one of my previous posts that focused on my control issues and how my husband had made a comment about it. It was bad enough that I knew that I had control issues. My husband's knowing about it, made it much worse. Once someone else is aware of it, there's no way of deluding yourself into thinking it's really not that bad of a problem.

When others are talking about a controlling person, I tell them that those people are that way because the rest of their life seems so out of control, so they try to control everything else. God, as He works so wonderfully despite my reluctant nature, had this pop into my mind. At first, I started to disregard it, then the thought was in my mind, "If the shoe fits, wear it!"

I had to do a lot of prayerful soul searching after that and God is right. There are many aspects of my life that are totally out of my control.  I turned my food and eating over to God and He takes care of those. I must be going through the motions of turning those other issues over to God, while still trying to maintain control of my life. The Big Question is: Do I trust that God's going to take care of those issues, as well? I think I do, but if I'm feeling like I have to be in control of all other aspects of my life and those around me, then I'm not really doing it.

I have to be much more prayerful about asking God for the willingness to turn those issues and my control issues over into His very capable hands. He will do it if I let Him. But now ye also put off all these;anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.Colossians 3:8

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse.

Trigger Foods That Bring Back Memories...

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.  Acts 15: 11 

You would think that after 30+ years of being blessed by God's having me lose 80+ pounds, I wouldn't fall prey to trigger foods. For the most part, these don't phase me. Every now-and-then Satan uses them to sneak up on me to see if I will go slip-sliding back into that self-loathing pattern I had for years, eating to punish myself for not being perfect.

Of course, no one is perfect except for Jesus, but I expected myself to be perfect for too many years. If anyone was unhappy with me, I took it on my shoulders and felt like I had let them down and should have done better. Fortunately for me, Jesus sees my failings and loves me as I am no matter what weight I am. Jesus sees me as I am and loves me whether I make everyone else happy or not. Jesus loves me as I am whether certain trigger foods bring back memories and tempt me to indulge.

Jesus has blessed me in so many ways. One of these ways is that He often reminds me of how He can take away these urges to give into temptation, if I let Him. I left the batch of Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies I used to make with mother, that I had sampled to see if they were done. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, thankful that Christ takes care of me even when I'm tempted and start to slip back into old patterns. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.  Acts 15: 11 

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Meaningless Words That Cut to the Core...

1 John 4: 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

I was on a major playground supervising a couple of younger kids. While I was doing this, I heard a group of boys and girls around third or fourth grade taunting each other as they played something that looked like Tag. Then, I heard one of the boys say, "I have a good one, You're Fat!" to one of the other girls that was playing with them. I was glad that the kids I was with didn't hear this rude statement.

 I glanced and didn't see anyone heavy among all those kids playing together. It made me wonder where a comment like this came from. In my opinion, this young boy must have heard someone else say someone was fat as a put-down. The boy said it to just get to the girl, but what effect does it have on the girl who wasn't even heavy?

Meaningless words like this tend to erode our self-esteem. Will this little girl start wondering if everyone else sees her as fat, since that little boy said she was? Will she spend her life obsessed with dieting or buying clothes to prove to others that she really isn't fat?

It's amazing how the words of others can impact our lives...meaningless words, but destructive if we believe them. Unfortunately, I have probably believed the negative things that people have said about me more than the positive things. Fortunately, God loves us and heals our wounds from meaningless words that cut to the core. 1 John 4: 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

What's the Big Deal About Numbers?

*Thou shalt have none other gods before Me.  Deuteronomy 5:7

What's the big deal about numbers? Well, nothing, unless you let them come between you and your relationship with Christ. In the past, I've seen  food and control come between God and me, because they've been big vices I've been trying to turn over to God's capable hands for years. I never imagined numbers could cause a problem. God's led me to see that I've let numbers interfere in my relationship with God. How could this be???

Well, for many years before and after God allowed me to lose the 80+ pounds, I focused on the weight losses and gains. My weight being up or down 2 pounds had a distinct influence on my actions and self-perception. I even let these numbers tell me who I was and how I felt at the time.

When I started to edit the book: Bible Passages That Can Influence Your Life, I was going to update the part that told how many times I've read the Bible from cover to cover. In fact, I used to keep tally marks inside my Bible to let me know how many times I've read it, but I had to stop that, as well. Again, God showed me that I was taking too much pride in the numbers.The thing is, if I'm taking pride in the number of times I've read the Bible, then it becomes a false god. That's why I left the book saying that I've read the Bible 16+ times rather than updating it with the current number of times I've read it.

When I started the Bible Passages That Can Influence Your Life Blog, I found myself getting on the blog frequently to see how many views I'd had on the blog. I got so obsessed with the numbers that I started opening up some of my different blog posts, hoping that it would show an even larger number of views on the blog. Once God showed me what I had done and how I let numbers undermine my Christian ethic, I got on my blog and apologized to my viewers, because I felt that I had let them down. The main one I let down was God, which saddens me deeply. I don't do that anymore, but I let numbers sneak into other aspects of my life: the number of phone calls I get, the number of emails, the number of.... *Thou shalt have none other gods before Me.  Deuteronomy 5:7

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse.


This Is the Day!!!

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm, Chapter 118:24.

This verse kept popping back into my mind over and over this morning. It made me think of a variety of things. This is the day that I’m not going to let food control my life. I’ve let the thoughts of food or not eating food play a primary role in my life. When I’m doing that, there’s much less time to focus on the needs of others. I need to not let food have that power over me. I want to trust God with my food and eating.

This is the day that I’m not going to let worries overpower the rest of the wonderful things in my life.  Too often, I get bogged down by worry and forget to turn things over to God. He always sees the BIG Picture and knows what is best and what timing is best. I need to not let worry have that power over me. I want to trust God to take care of my concerns.

This is the day that I’m not going to let others tell me who I am, because I know that I am a child of God.  Too often, I’ve let other people’s comments or their talking down to me, tell me who I am. I am a lovable,  capable, Christian, regardless of my size. I need to not let others have that power over me. I want God to help me with my self-esteem.

This is the day to forgive someone for something that has hurt me for years. There are things that have happened in the past that I replay in my mind over the years. I can’t let the things others have done to me have power over me. I want to let God heal me and give me a forgiving heart.

This is the day to start fresh, because each day is a new beginning. This is the day that I want to turn these things over into Christ’s very capable hands! This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm, Chapter 118:24.

P.S I wanted to share that since I wrote this post, God has had this Bible verse pop in my head over and over every time one of these topics is on my mind. I'm hoping that this continues, because it has given me so much peace when I might have fretted over things out of my control.

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse.

Was My Healthy Snack All That Healthy?

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.  Galatians Chapter 2, verse 16.

God blessed me by allowing me to lose the extra 27 pounds I had gained back. I had become sloppy with my eating and my relationship with God, and these pounds started to creep back on after having lost over 80 pounds 30+ years ago. Well, this was definitely an eye opener for me.

I think I started to take God and the weight loss that He provided for granted. I bought about eight bags of pecans. They were my favorite pecans and I rarely can get this particular brand, so I stocked up on them. Was that even a smart move???

Anyway, I think I must have eaten about a half a bag of them when I first bought them. I put them in the freezer, figuring I would take them out periodically for a healthy snack. Was my healthy snack all that healthy? Sure, a few nuts each day is a heart healthy snack, but they aren’t talking about three quarters of a cup of nuts. It’s more like a quarter of a cup, at most.

Well, I was reveling in my newest acquisition, by eating pecans every evening as a healthy snack. Then, I started noticing that my clothes weren’t fitting like they used to. I don’t weigh often, because I used to let the scale tell me who I am and how I feel about myself. I figured that I had better weigh to make sure I hadn’t gone overboard with the pecans. Sure enough, I had. I had gained eight of those 27 pounds back.

I felt badly that I had foolishly squandered the blessing that God had bestowed on me again! Fortunately for me, God loves me despite my human nature and vices. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.  Galatians Chapter 2, verse 16.

From One Extreme to Another

1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 

It seems that I go from one extreme to another. I recently told you how I wore a baggy windbreaker and a man called me "Fatty." Then, I decided that I was hiding behind my clothing and should wear clothes that showed I was thinner. I shouldn't be embarrassed of having a thinner body. Well, I did, but what happened almost sent me in a tailspin.

I had to pick someone up at a train station. While walking toward the front, a street person walked into my space and said, "Hi," to me. Now that may not seem like much, but it seemed a little too personal for my liking. I hadn't made any eye contact with this this person, but as he crossed into my personal space to say hi, it was difficult not to make eye contact, although I tried to avoid it.

Was I being provocative by wearing clothes that showed my thinner body? Was I being rude by ignoring this street person and he didn't like me averting my gaze, so he walked into my personal space to draw my attention? Who knows? Only God does.

I find that even though it's been 30+ years since God allowed me to lose the 80+ pounds, I still find that I'm uncomfortable with my body. I think through these experiences, I'm more comfortable with my body when I'm somewhat overweight. I didn't feel so self-conscious when I was 20-25 pounds over my goal weight. When I am at goal or close to it, I find myself struggling with body issues as I waver from one extreme to another from wearing baggy clothes to feeling uncomfortable when I'm not.

Fortunately, God knows my weaknesses and uses them for His good through this blog and other ways. I trust Him to heal me and my insecurities. 1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse.

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