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/

Experiencing God's Love for Me, First Hand...

But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:12

I need Christ in my life to heal me from my overeating, my poor self-esteem, and turning to food in despair instead of to Him. If I hadn't had these problems, Jesus wouldn't have needed to heal me from them and I wouldn't have experienced His love for me first hand.

He blessed me by allowing me to lose 80 pounds over 30+ years ago and to keep the majority of it off. It could have been easy to say thanks and mosey down the road, leaving Christ in the background. Fortunately for me, Christ showed me that He is what I need to fill that aching hole in my soul. He is what I need instead of excessive amounts of food. He is what boosts my self-esteem. He is the physician and I am the patient, who needs an on-going relationship with Christ to stay healed, much in the same way that a diabetic might continue to need insulin to keep them healthy after a diabetic episode.

All I know is, when my relationship with Christ takes back burner in my life, I find that my vices start taking over again and seem important in my life. That's when I realize that any time I deviate from Christ, I need Him as my healer! But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:12

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

It's Funny That I Can Love Others, but Not Love Myself...

This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

It's amazing that Jesus is so forgiving of us and encourages us to be as forgiving of others. Unfortunately, I find it much easier to forgive others their faults than to forgive myself! So, why is this important?

Well, for one thing, I am a person who is more drawn to food as a protective barrier when I don't feel good about myself. It's a double whammy, when I don't feel good about my eating, which could possibly lead me back into eating more to hide or punish those self-loathing feelings I have, at the time.

Fortunately for me, Jesus shows me again and again, in this verse that He wants me to love me just as He loves me. Why is that so hard for me to believe? When I'm down on myself for some insignificant flaw or a significant one, I don't just let it go. I seem to mentally chastise myself over it for some time, like that's my punishment for making that error or eating things I knew were wrong for me.

When I'm really turning my life, food, and eating over to God's very capable hands. He makes me aware that Jesus loves me and all my shortcomings, regardless. He loves me enough for the both of us, even when I find it difficult to love myself. Knowing that, makes me feel so blessed, that eventually, I realize that I have to turn the self-loathing over to God, as well. If He could take away my overeating, He can certainly take away my self-loathing when I make errors. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15: 12

I Hate to Admit, I Used to Be Ashamed to Admit My Faith...

Romans 1: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

 I hate to tell you how badly I feel that I used to be ashamed to share my faith with others. Being overweight a large portion of my life, I was afraid that others might laugh at me because of my faith. Fortunately for me, Christ didn't hide when others made fun of His faith. Fortunately for me, He continued to tell people about the Salvation He was providing for all those who love and turn to Him. 

I have to admit, it's a lot easier to share my faith with you on the other side of the internet reading this blog post. I can't see your smirk if you don't agree. I can't see you whispering to others behind my back, but Jesus could, yet He still continued to tell sinners how to turn their lives over into His very capable hands.

Christ's example moves me to try to be a better Christian that helps others know of His saving mercy that He has so generously shared with me.! Romans 1: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

You Would Think That Salvation Would Be More Complicated, but It Isn't...

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2: 21

I was in the pits of despair. I had spend most of my life overweight and nothing worked for long. I had joined one weight loss group three or four times, plus a number of others, including fad diets that worked their way into women's magazines. Sure I had lost a few pounds here and there, but always ended up gaining more weight back than I had lost on the diets.

I was more than 80 pounds overweight. I'm not sure how much over, because I was afraid to weigh myself. I really didn't want to know. It would be just one more failure in my life and I didn't want to face it! I sat on my bed, telling God that I give up. I told Him that I would never be thin and if He wanted me to be thin, then He'd have to take care of it.

If I'm truly being honest, I wasn't asking God to take care of my weight. I was just letting Him know that I was giving up and didn't want to spend my whole life going from failed diet to diet. It must have been the very first time that I had given up total control in my life and turned it over to Christ, because that very same day, my need was taken away to eat excessive amounts of food and sweets. Christ showed me that if I turned to Him with my stress, concerns, and joys, I no longer had to eat over them.

Christ showed me how to start liking myself and to put healthy limits in my life, not just with food, but with relationships, as well. He gave me my life back when I called to Him in the pits of despair, and you know what? He listened and He answered my prayers, just like He can answer yours if you truly ask Him!  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2: 21

What Does This Passage Mean to Someone Who Is Overweight?

John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

So, you are wondering what this passage really means to someone who is overweight? Well, I can't tell you for sure, but what it means to me is that God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I'm overweight. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I can't fit in my pants anymore.

God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if others laugh at me and make me feel terrible about myself. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I'm not very good about standing up for my rights when others talk down to me. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I cry inside when other laugh when I try to share my thoughts and ideas. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I feel all alone like no other person understands. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I'm left out of activities and sit on the sidelines.

God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I passed up chances to make a better life for myself. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I have a difficult time taking risks. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I have vices like food, etc. that interfere with being the person that Christ really wants me to be. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I make excuses for my overeating.

God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I don't have many friends and cry myself to sleep. God gave His only begotten Son so that I can go to heaven even if I'm afraid to try to make the changes necessary to be the person that Christ wants me to be.  John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

Do You Ever Look Down On Someone Who Is Heavier Than You Are?

1 John 4: 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
So, here's the big question. Do you ever look down on someone who is heavier than you are? If I am truly being honest, as hopefully all of us are, I have done this more times than I'd like to remember. I remember justifying my weight by seeing someone else who was heavier and saying to myself that at least I wasn't as heavy as that person.  Now, I regret this terribly!

I know what pain and insecurity lies behind those extra pounds that others laugh at. I know how people ignore the opinions and ideas of those who are overweight. I know what it feels like to not want to walk outside where others might see the extra weight I had gained and bring it to my attention in case I hadn't noticed.

Why would I ever look down on someone else who was experiencing the same things or worse? Why was I letting Satan blind my view of others in the same position, instead of being supportive the way that Christ would want? Although I can't answer all these questions, I do know that God has turned my heart around to look at others with empathy and respect. I do know that these people are caring, sensitive people, with brilliant minds and ideas, who lack the self-esteem to show this to others, because they have been knocked down so many times.

Fortunately for us, Christ shows us that we don't have to give up. He can change us and heal our aching hearts by turning to Him instead of to food. He can give us peace when life is chaotic. He sees the beauty in us when we can't even see it ourselves. He also shows us that we are to have the same Christian love for others experiencing the same issues or those with other vices.
1 John 4: 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

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.

Click on Links to Other Blogs I Felt Led to Create:

Have You Ever Hated Someone So Much That They Made You Sick to Your Stomach?

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not wither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:11

Have you ever hated someone so much that they made you sick to your stomach? Well, if I'm truly being honest, this has happened at various times in my life. That anger for the way they treated me, left me out of things, put me down, ignored my feelings, etc. got the best of me.

I would be so upset from their treatment that I would feel nauseated and thought I was sick. Of course, my remedy for a sick stomach was to eat a big bowl full of pudding, ice cream, or some other soothing concoction. By the time I realized that the soothing foods didn't calm my stomach, I was really sick for over eating one thing and then another in hopes of calming my stomach down.

Not only was I dealing with the pain of having been treated poorly, but I was dealing with a truly nauseated stomach by that time, and the fear of the extra pounds I knew I was bound to gain from this eating frenzy. What was worse was that I was letting the anger and pain from the experience cloud the Christian I wanted to be. I was walking in darkness by allowing Satan to work a wedge in my relationship with Christ and others around me. 

It only was years later when God took the urge for eating large quantities of food away, He also showed me that the way to deal with the insensitivity of others is to turn that pain over into God's very capable hands. Once I started doing that, my stomach stopped getting sick when people didn't treat me respectfully. Also, I've come to realize that when I have that extremely hungry feeling in the pit of my stomach when I shouldn't be that hungry, there usually are feelings that I need to turn over to Christ to heal. I no longer have to walk in the darkness of anger and hatred when I have Christ, the Light of the World, to lead me. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not wither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:11

If You’ve Made a Poor Eating Choice, You Can Still Throw the Rest of It Away…

These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

My family drove a ways to visit some relatives. On the trip, we stopped and one ordered a root beer float and the other a root beer freeze. I took a few big sips out of my husband’s root beer freeze and remembered how good they tasted. On the return trip, they wanted to stop there again. One of the family members said they were treating us all to root beer floats, this time.

I figured that I had to get it. I couldn’t offend the treating relative, could I??? After drinking half of it, it really weighed on my mind. I looked into the cup and although it tasted good, I knew that all that ice cream wasn’t good for me because I’m hypoglycemic.

We had a long drive home and I wondered what I was going to do. Trying to being open to being prayerful about this, because there’s a part of me that really would have liked to drink the rest of it, I asked God in prayer. The thought in my mind was that even if I’ve made a poor choice, I can still throw the rest away. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to accomplish this, but the idea popped into my mind (which is often how God works in my life) to give the rest to one of the other passengers, which worked.

It’s not great that I drank half of it, but God showed me that it’s much better that I got rid of the rest than to drink it all. These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

God Didn’t Lose Out, I Did…

 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Psalm 96:5

I was praying today and got side-tracked. I was thinking about how quickly the ink gets used up out of the printer cartridges for the new printer that we purchased. After that, I prayed to God saying that I was sorry, because He just lost ten minutes of time with me due to my being distracted. Then it dawned on me, God didn’t lose out, I did.

I allowed something worldly to interfere with the time I have devoted to my daily prayer. Evert morning prayer sets the foundation for the rest of my day. I lost out of this time of being in relationship with my Savior. Will God forgive me for this? Sure He will, but can I forgive myself for letting things of this world interfere?

I commonly allow distractions and stressful situations to overpower my prayer time and I lose out every time, because I depend on the peace that only Christ can give me to get me through the events of the day and to calm me when I’m stressed.

I realized while I was praying about this, that these distractions are an even bigger vice than my overeating ever was. I hadn’t really thought of it that way before. Since God has blessed me by healing my overeating, I need to start turning my distractibility over into His capable hands, as well. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Psalm 96:5

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.

Click on Links to Other Blogs I Felt Led to Create:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Links to Other Blogs I Felt Led to Create Below: