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/

Have You Ever Been Around Hateful People?-

Psalm 6: 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

Have you ever been around hateful people? No matter what you say, what you do, or how you do it, these people are going to find fault with it. Being basically a person who tries to please everyone, being around people like this has caused me a great deal of stress. I used to eat over it, but nothing happened, except for becoming even more overweight.

There were times, when my self-esteem was low, I even thought I deserved negative behavior and comments from others because I felt worthless. Once I started turning hateful people and my reactions over to God, He freed me from owning the terrible things some people say. God knows what my motives are for my actions and He doesn't want me to feel worse about myself because of someone else's negative comments. The genuine love that Jesus has for us, frees me from feeling like I am, what the negative comment projects.

God wants good things in my life, and doesn't want me bombarded by negative people. God also lets me know that I don't have to keep company with hateful people. Sure, there are those you might be related to. First of all, be prayerful about these relationships and pray that God heals their hearts. Additionally, there are ways to structure your interactions, by distancing yourselves from them, by being busy doing other things, and by not engaging in coversations that are bound to have a negative outcome. Psalm 6: 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

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 verses.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:



Jumping Back into the Old Guilt Mode Again-

For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:7

I realized that my food plan had been sloppy for some time, causing me to regain about a third of  the 80+ pounds that I had lost over 30 years ago. With this realization, I became all too aware that I must have gotten sloppy with my relationship with God, since He's the one who allowed me to lose the weight in the first place.

After praying to be more focused on God's will, trying to turn the food, stress, and control over to God, and watching my portion sizes, God has allowed me to lose almost all that excess weight I had gained back in the last five years or so. It's funny how all those old feelings start creeping back in as I've gone through this process again.

I have found that instead of letting people see that I've lost weight, I have been wearing baggy clothes and jackets. A man was flirtatious when I was in a public place today. I did nothing to encourage such behavior and I had my baggy clothes on. Immediately, I jump back into the old guilt mode again like I did when I first lost the weight 30+ years ago, feeling like I am responsible for his behavior.

God wants balance in my life. He doesn't want me flaunting my weight loss, neither does He want me taking on guilt for someone else's behavior, nor does He want me hiding behind baggy clothes. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:7

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.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


God Doesn't Want Me Sitting on the Sidelines Any More-

Hebrews 13: 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

I went to a diversity training workshop with my husband. It made a major difference on my life. They talked about many different types of discrimination, especially that of race. I was no newcomer to discrimination. I had been heavy for years and had people gawk at me, ignore me, treat me like my feelings didn't matter, but that wasn't the case now.

They gave several examples of discrimination, but the one that impacted my life was: that by saying nothing, we were condoning the discriminatory behavior of others. That means, that by my sitting quietly on the sidelines and doing nothing, I was helping them be rude and hurtful to others. 

The Self-Righteous Christian inside me who thought I was sensitive to the needs of others was stunned! That means I can't sit back like I'm invisible, but I have to take an active stance. I have to say things like: "I don 't like it when you say negative things about other races, those who are handicapped, or are poor."  I wish I could tell you that I always do it, but I try to take a more active stand. I know that God is going to provide the wording, because God doesn't want me sitting on the sidelines anymore.  Hebrews 13: 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

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 verses.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:



Leaving Food on My Plate-

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. Proverbs 3:9.

This is kind of a difficult one to explain to someone else, but here goes...When I read the passage above when God had me lose the 80+ pounds over 30 years ago, it impacted my life. Sure, the Israelites, were bringing the first and best of all their fruits, vegetables, animals, etc. to the priests as an offering to thank God for saving them from bondage to the Egyptians.

At first, it didn't seem like this verse pertained to me. Then, I got to thinking...God saved me from bondage to food. I used to eat over anything and everything. I ate over stressful situations, over joyful situations, over boredom, etc. You name it, I ate over it. Well, God took that compulsion to overeat away from me and it wasn't by anything I did. I just told God that I gave up and if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to take care of it...and He did!!!

Starting that same day, I no longer had the desire to eat great quantities of food. God showed me that when I'm stressed, I need to turn it over to Him. When I'm happy, I need to be thankful to Him and react to my emotions in less destructive ways. After that day, I could look at a banana split loaded with crunchy nuts on it and it no longer called me by name. It really didn't matter to me and neither did it matter that others were eating foods I liked in front of me.

After realizing that God had saved me from the bondage to my food, the idea came into my mind that I could give God my first fruits to thank Him for saving me from myself. I figured the very first bites of anything I ate always tasted the best. So, I leave a bite of each food I'm eating on my plate to remind me that God alone has freed me from the compulsion to overeat. Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. Proverbs 3:9.

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.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


The One I End Up Offending is God-

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy [Bible], God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:19

Sometimes I try so hard not to offend others, that the one I end up offending is God. When I was writing Bible Passages That Can Influence Your Life, a friend kindly offered to edit the book for me. 

I really try hard to be politically correct and to be sensitive to the feelings of others. When I came to a highly debated passage of the Bible, I paraphrased it in a way that skewed the meaning God had, in order to be less offensive to some. My friend was a much better Christian than I, since she drew attention to this. I tried to explain, but she reminded me what the Bible really did say and mine was a watered down version of that, trying not to offend anyone.

As a teacher, I used to stress over dealing with parents who struggled with maintaining appropriate boundaries with their children. I would overeat due to the stress of what to say. I thought it was important for there to be positive change, but I didn't want to offend the parents in the process. Invaraibly, I would express my concerns in such a polite, soft-mannered way, that they didn't even realize the point I was trying to share. Eventually, I learned to be more prayerful before these meetings, to better meet the needs of my students.

Remembering the following passage, I re-evaluated my entry and changed it. I still had a difficult time being as direct as I possibly should have.  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy [Bible], God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:19

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


Until I'm Afraid-

Psalms 34: 21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.

Sometimes, I get so caught up in the world, I forget about God and all He's done for me...until I'm afraid. When I'm afraid, He's the one I want to turn to, although I often turn to food first, before I identify my fear.

When I have devastating issues in my life, I know from previous experiences where God has wrapped His loving arms around me, no food could ever calm and protect me like my Savior does. From those experiences, I learn to trust Him more each time a new devastating issue arises. Things may not always turn out the way I ask, but I do know God will get me through those situations whichever way is His will, since He always knows the Big Picture. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. 22 Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee. Psalms 34: 21

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verses.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


I Was Ravenous All the Time-

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:5.

You don't realize how important light is until you don't have any. Several years ago, we had a freezing rain storm that put out the electricity for three days. We didn't have any lights, so I was off of school. I valued the little light I had as I sat by the sliding glass window to read my Bible each morning and the kerosene lamp by night.

We cooked in our fireplace, which seemed to be a big adventure, although it wrecked my pans. I was ravenous all the time. I think it's for fear that the food would spoil and we'd run out. Reading the Bible daily, calmed and reassured me that God was going to take care of me through this episode.

We won't need sliding glass doors or kerosene lamps in heaven,because Jesus is our Light and shows us the way to ever lasting life!  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:5.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


God's Healing Touch on My Selfish Heart-

Matthew 28: 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

My husband and I went with the youth group to another country on a mission project. We were sharing our faith in Jesus as we helped to build simple homes for those who had so little. Since I have a bad back, I focused on working with the kids while the others did the actual building.

When it was time to pack for our return home, someone suggested that we leave clothes for the poor. I went through my suitcase and picked out some things I didn't mind parting with, but I didn't feel right inside. I can't truly tell you if I overate, because that's often how I deal with things of this nature, but I know that I truly had an unsettling feeling in the core of my being.

When I turned this over to God, I found I had only been willing to share the clothing that didn't mean as much to me, stopping the Self-Righteous Christian in me, dead in my tracks! This time, I got a bigger stack of clothes to donate, but didn't put in a new nightgown that I had recently purchased. Again, I had that unsettling feeling in my soul. God was working on my heart. I wasn't being a good example of observing all things God had commanded of me.

Possessions had become too important to me. I was asked to share with those less fortunate. I did up to a point, but the point is, Jesus didn't just share His life with us up to a point. He gave His life for us. After God's healing touch on my selfish heart, I left all my clothing with them. Matthew 28: 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verses.

These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:


Fortunately, God Gave Me a Questioning Nature-

1 John 5: 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

My previous husband, took me over to visit a couple who had been good friends of his from high school. They were very devout in their faith, which was different from mine. They started questioning me about my faith in God. As they did this, they quoted Bible verses to support theirs was the one true church. Their belief acknowledged Jesus, but not in the same way that most Christians do. They felt Jesus was a prophet, teacher, good man, but they didn't focus on Him as the Son of God who died and arose to save us from our sins.

I should have been stronger, but I wasn't. They quoted Bible verse after Bible verse to demonstrate how all my beliefs were against God's will, and their church was right. After a while, I found myself doubting my own faith. I left their house befuddled, and wondering if I had been wrong about Jesus and my faith all these years.

Fortunately for me, God gave me a questioning nature. I went home and instead of overeating over the stress I felt, I looked up the Bible verses they quoted, because what they said just didn't ring true. When I looked them up, I consistently found the same thing. If  I read the quoted verses by themselves, they might sound like they supported the points they made about their church. When I read a few verses before and after the quoted verses, I found the quoted verses didn't even have anything to do with the topics they discussed. Time after time, I found their points to be invalid.

It's pretty scary to think I could become so vulnerable to people using verses out of context in order to convince me to go to their church. There still are many Christian sounding churches that do this to convince others that their church is the right one. It's vitally important to your salvation to have a questioning nature to not be confused by verses people quote to you. Always read several verses before and after the verses you are checking and be prayerful about them. 1 John 5: 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verses.


God Healed My Aching Heart-

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.

A family member of mine was about to die. I visited the family member in the hospital every day and hated to leave their bedside. I was beside myself and overate, thinking it would console me, but nothing would. When my family member died, I was torn with grief and felt like I would never get over it.

For quite a while, I actively felt the same pain I did when my family member died. After a while, though, the pain didn't feel quite as pungent as it once did. Again, I was beside myself. I was frantically thinking of how much I loved and missed this beloved family member. I mentally went through the the events leading to their passing and again felt the pain. As the pain returned, so did a distorted sense of peace.

I did this for quite a while, before I was open to listening to what God was trying to tell me. When I finally listened to that still small voice inside me that only God gives, I found out that somehow I equated my pain at the loss of the family member as love for the family member. I thought that as long as I still actively felt the pain, I still loved them.

I vacillated between trying to dredge up the pain of their passing and trying to let go. I was no more able to do this on my own than I was able to give up the overeating, because of my grief. When I turned these things over to God, He comforted me as only God can do and healed my aching heart. I found that my love is just as real when I'm not dredging up the pain I felt.

 I don't need to figure out ways to be in constant pain to prove how much I loved my family member and miss them. When I turned this over to God, I was finally able to be reassured by this passage. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


Friendships That Could Have Led Me Astray-

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

I was trying to be prayerful about what God wanted me to share related to this passage. The thought that came to mind isn't one I've thought of for years and had preferred to forget. It's even more difficult to share with my readers. I know that God always knows the "Big Picture" and  what someone needs to read at any given time, so here goes...

I had moved to a new high school in a neighboring town. Shortly before the move, I had gone to a party with another friend (the one who later betrayed me in the post on 4/4/13). She introduced me to some friends of hers that went to the same high school I was going to go to after the move. I had been overeating because I was apprehensive about the move, but was comforted to have a couple of people I already knew there. They gave me their phone number to contact them once I made the move.

I was excited as I called them, thinking that it was wonderful to start with new friends in an unfamiliar school. They included me in everything. We met together as a group before school. We ate lunch together. We met after school. I had new friends, or so I thought.

They seemed very popular and had a lot of attention from boys. They always seemed to have boyfriends who would pick them up after school and take them places. I started noticing things about my new-found friends. Sometimes they would cuss, unlike people I had been associated with, in the past. I got the feeling that they drank and possibly used recreational drugs from things they said about parties that they attended. I got the feeling that they were a little "too friendly" with many different boys, although I didn't have any proof, but just put the pieces together from their conversations.

I found a church in our new town and got very involved in the youth group there and developed new friendships. Years later, I thought about some of the ways that God has positively influenced my life. I realized that as naive as I was, I could have gotten caught up in drinking, drugs, and promiscuous behaviors with boys, long before I was ready for more serious relationships. Fortunately for me, God gave me a way out of the friendships with those who could have led me astray. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.



Betrayed-a Double-Whammy!-

1 John 4: 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 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.

A best friend from my previous high school, introduced me to a boy that lived close to her. We started dating shortly after that, despite my move to a nearby town. He would call and come to town to visit me when he could get a ride. Although we weren't intimate, I opened up and shared my most intimate thoughts and dreams, something you only do with someone you trust. 

My best friend in my current high school, asked her boy friend to take me to the neighboring town to see my boyfriend. I was excited about the opportunity to get to see him, but that didn't last long. When we got to his house, we found that he and my previous friend were in the backseat of a car parked in the driveway. I didn't know exactly what they were doing, but it didn't matter. I felt as if I had been betrayed! Betrayed not only by someone who had been my best friend at one time, but by my boyfriend, as well. It was a double-whammy!

I internalized this and ate to console myself. I figured that there must have been something lacking in me in order for him to choose someone else instead of me. For years after that, I think I distanced myself from relationships with others. I didn't want to be vulnerable enough to be hurt again. It's hard to develop a close personal relationship with others when you are keeping them at arms distance for protection.

It was only through God's grace, that He had me take the risks to care again. God didn't want me to be lonely and isolated in a world where I push everyone else away. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 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 though Him. 1 John 4: 8-9.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verses.


Sabotaging My Friendships with Others-

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise and be not afraid. Matthew 17:7

Right after high school, I sold a cosmetic product to help pay for college. I lived with my mother and didn't own a car, so I rode a bike across town to sell cosmetics to the women in my territory. I rode down the street, but any dog that was not tied to a chain would chase me down the street nipping at my heels. I was told that dogs can sense fear in people.

When my daughter was born, I used to put her in the stroller to take walks in the neighborhood. We enjoyed these walks until dogs would come out from behind the bushes and chase at my heels as I quickly wheeled my daughter to safety. I remembered when I had sold cosmetics and wondered if the dogs were really sensing my fear, as I had been told.

I watched other people walking in the neighborhood and dogs didn't seem to follow at their heels as they walked. It must be that these dogs really sensed my fear and followed me because of it. Not wanting to deprive my daughter of walks in the fresh air, I decided to act like I wasn't afraid when I walked in the neighborhood. I held my body upright, looked the dogs in the eyes, and said, "NO" with a forceful voice. To my surprise, the dogs didn't bother me.

When I was heavy, people didn't always welcome me into conversations with them. I figured that they didn't want to include me because of my weight. I only had a few long-term friendships from high school. I was afraid of developing new friendships for fear of rejection, which was sabotaging my friendships with others.

Jesus got me through that, when I turned my concerns over to His very capable hands. People were sensing my fear just like the dogs had. When I approached people with an upright body, looked them in the eye, and had a smile, they were much more apt to include me in their conversations. They were much more open and welcoming. It had been my fear of rejection that they sensed, but fortunately, Jesus refocused me. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise and be not afraid. Matthew 17:7

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.



Suddenly Treated Me Like I Was Worthwhile-

Hebrews 10: 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

God is lots more forgiving than I ever was. When I had lost the 80+ pounds, people seemed to be much nicer to me. People in my church, my children's school, and what I call "Hi-Bye" friends, were suddenly much more attentive. They tried to include me in conversations more. They listened to my ideas instead of shunning me because I was overweight.

At first, there was a split second, where I was elated with all the new found attention. It didn't last long, though, because it quickly turned into resentment. I resented all those people who suddenly treated me like I was worthwhile, because I was worthwhile all along! I figured that if they didn't want to be my friend when I was fat, then they didn't deserve to be my friend when I was thin!

There is some logic in my approach, but I'm so glad it's not the approach that God has with me. Jesus doesn't say, "Debbie wasn't being a good Christian last week when she was impatient with her husband, so she doesn't deserve to be My follower, now!" Fortunately for me, God is all-forgiving. He loves me no matter what I do.  I am much more able to forgive others when I'm living my life by the instincts God gives me: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;  Hebrews 10: 16.

Hebrews 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. If Jesus says this after all the sinful things I've done and the many times I've ignored His requests to share my faith with others, then I have to be much better at forgiving those who suddenly treated me like I was worthwhile. 

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.


Positive Impact on Someone's Life, from the Bathroom-

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14

This isn't always an easy Bible verse to adhere to. I used to work someplace, years ago, where my supervisor was very hateful, at times. At the time, it felt like it was directed to me. Since then, I've come to learn that, sometimes, people are responding to what is going on in their own lives and it doesn't always have that much to do with us, although we often reap the rewards of their stress.

She would be impatient and, often, hateful to me. I used to regularly turn to food when I felt overwhelmed. I was a single parent, at the time, and really needed the job. There were many times that I hid away in the bathroom, so no one could see that I was crying. That's when I started praying in the bathroom.

I would ask God to get me through the situation that seemed unbearable, at the time. Then, I read this Bible verse: Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14. After that, when I would go to the bathroom in tears, I would pray for God to heal my supervisor's heart, for God to have her come to know Him as her Savior, for good things in her life. At first, I only expected these prayers to get me through another unbearable situation. What I found out was, my supervisor was much more pleasant to me when I returned. 

At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. So, the next time I went to the bathroom in tears, I prayed something similar for God to bless and heal my supervisor. Again, my supervisor was much more supportive of me when I returned. I decided I was on to something!  I didn't have to eat from stress over work any more. Everytime I turned my supervisor over to God, He took care of everything. I prayed my way through that job and God led me on to other things, much less stressful. When I have difficult people in my life, I don't always remember this situation immediately, but when I do, I try to pray for God to bless them, heal their heart, and have them come to know Him as their Savior. You would never know that you could make such a positive impact someone's life, from the bathroom.



Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

Thankful for Being Overweight-

Romans 5: 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 and patience, experience; and experience, hope:

I wondered if readers were confused by my healthy tip comment on the November 29, 2012, titled: Ashamed of My Body After Losing the Weight... Under the comments section, I put that I was thankful for being overweight. This came from lots of thoughts that God allowed to drift through my head around Thanksgiving. I say that I am thankful, but am I really thankful for everything?

The thing that came to mind was my on-going issue with being overweight. Sure, God allowed me to lose over 80 pounds and has kept the vast majority of it off for over 30 years. Now that I was dealing with gaining back a third of the weight, was I still thankful? I thought about it from lots of different angles. I thought that I am blessed in comparison to some, because being overweight means that I have food to eat and enough to spare. In some countries, they feel fortunate to have rice and water.

Then, God had this reflective thought go even deeper. He led me to realize that some of the magnificent changes in my relationship with Him, with myself, and others came about because of my overeating. I had been a Christian for years before God allowed me to lose all the weight. It wasn't until I turned my control of my food, body, eating, and life over to God, before He allowed this significant miracle in my life.

I thought the weight loss would be very freeing and in some ways it was. I, also, found that the weight loss drew other issues to the forefront and led me to realize I had been hiding behind food and my excess weight all those years. Without God's making me aware of these, I wouldn't have had the same depth of relationship with God that I have now. 

I feel truly blessed, not just because of the weight loss, but more for the realization that if I hadn't had overeating as my vice (my tribulations), I might not have ever come to know God on this same level. The thing that is even more significant is that through daily Bible reading, God allows this relationship to continue to grow even deeper-something that gets me through even the most difficult of life events. Debbie


Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.



I Got Caught Up in the Vanity Mode Again-

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

I haven't had to deal with this frustration for a number of years, mostly because I eluded myself into thinking that my gradual weight gain was only a normal process of life. Now, I have been trying to be more focused on eating the way that God has intended me to eat, "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,"  because food is one of my bigger vices. I have secretly thought that I'm doing pretty well, although I haven't weighed lately. It sure didn't take me long to slip back into the "Vanity Mode".

Boy, was I in for a rude awakening! My husband suggested we go use the exercise equipment. I walked a mile on the treadmill, but my feet were getting tired and my husband wanted to walk further. So, I decided to get on the exercise bicycle. The electronic display on the exercise bicycle said a weight that was almost as much as when I started trying to refocus my eating.

 I just knew it had to be wrong! I tried to figure out what it could be. I thought about the cell phone mini purse I had slung across my shoulders. I took it off and put it on the handle bars and started the program again, so it could correctly calculate my weight. Lo and behold, it said the exact same weight. That couldn't be right. I've spent the last month or so trying to focus on turning my feelings and concerns over to God and watching portion size. Well, that is except for last night when I had snack crackers as one of my three breads or the night before when I had potato chips as one of my three breads.

I even had my husband hold the cell phone mini purse, but the bicycle still registered the same weight. I was so frustrated that I suggested that we go out to lunch on the way home. When my husband hesitated, I told him that we could go home and I could make a sandwich on our light bread, instead. That way, if he said we should go out to eat, it would be all his fault for saying he wanted to go there. I had to support what my husband wanted to do. Right???

Well, he said that he'd prefer to have the sandwich at home on the light bread. There went my opportunity to drown my sorrows by eating at my favorite restaurant. Then it all came back to me. I used to feel this way, at times, when I first started losing weight.  I have to remember that just like then, I need to turn my frustration, pain, and disappointment over to God, who can heal all these, so I'm less apt to eat over them. Debbie


Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


I Don't Want to Slip Through God's Fingers-

Matthew 4: 2 And when He [Jesus] had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered [hungry]. 3 And when the tempter [Satan] came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

I wondered when I was reading this passage, what would I have said to Satan. Since I've been an overeater a large portion of my life, would I have said, "Sure, I'll make these stones into bread, as long as I can have real butter on it and maybe a little jelly."

Jesus goes on to say in verse 4: But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That stops me in my tracks! I might have let my hunger and focus on food, work a wedge in my relationship with God. It may have been the guiding force instead of doing what God would want.

Since Jesus has shown me the negative influence that the focus on food has had in my life, I find it vitally refreshing, much more than any food could ever be, to start each and every day by reading the Bible, followed by prayer. Sure, in the beginning, when I first started doing this, my stomach would growl at the normal time I ate breakfast. That paled in comparison to the calm feeling that surrounds me each and every day I start my day out with God. I value it so much, that I set the alarm so that I wake up earlier than everyone else, so I can have my special time with God with few distractions. I can always tell the difference when I get too busy and let this special time with God slip through my fingers. I don't want to ever go back to my worldly ways and slip through God's fingers.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


What Do Money and Candy Have to Do With It?-

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver:

It seems that food and money have been a priority in my life as far back as I can remember. I used to save all my nickels and dimes up to go to the candy store. I was oblivious to the fact that they sold groceries there. I had saved up a significant amount of money and planned to buy lots and lots of candy with it. Having all that candy wasn't enough for me. I wanted everyone else to be in awe of me, so I invited my siblings and the neighbor kids with me to the store.

I had almost a full lunch sack's worth of candy and I was flaunting it BIG TIME to my "following". I gloated as I handed each of them a measly penny candy and kept the rest to eat in front of them. For my first piece of candy, I took out one of the extra long candy bars. As I drew attention to what I had and they didn't, I took a bite. Well, God saw what I was doing and wanted to re-direct me. Was I ever shocked and disappointed that with my first bite, my tooth came out and hurt so much that I couldn't eat any more of the candy bar.

When I took the candy bar with my tooth sticking in it to show my parents, they told me that I couldn't have any more candy and needed to divide that candy with my "following". I was so upset!!! I had saved up for that big bag of candy, not them, and that wasn't fair!!! The candy and the money I had lost had become too important to me. I wasn't being a very good example of how God works in my life as I walked down the street gloating to my "following".

When I write this, it makes me think of how, as and adult, money and food still become too important too me. I have goals to save toward my retirement account, but do I really share as much as I should with the needy? As a Christian, God wants me to be open to sharing my resources with others, so they can buy food for their families. I should give willingly and not grudgingly like I did when I had to share my candy. "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver:"

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


Looking for Comfort in All the Wrong Places-

Haggai 1: Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of host; Consider your ways.

I thought that if I earned more money, I would be happy. If only I had all the things I wanted and thought I needed, I would be happy. If had more of this and more of that, I'd be happy, but it's never enough. No matter how much I have, it never seems to be enough to comfort me.

No matter how much food I eat to fill that empty whole inside of me, brought about by stress or feelings I haven't identified yet, I never feel comforted. I'm looking for comfort in worldly things, but God, alone can comfort me. He can give me that Peace Which Passes All Understanding, to get through all the stressful events in life. Fortunately, God reminds me to turn around my focus.
Haggai 1:7 Thus saith the Lord of host; Consider your ways.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


These Are Other Blogs I Felt Led to Write:



Eating Over the Election

The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring Thou me out of my distresses. Psalm 25:17

This presidential race has been very contentious, to say the least. I am very concerned about the effect that one of the candidates might have on our nation, and especially the effect on the youth of our country for generations to come. I've found that through the presidential race, I've eaten more than I usually do and it's been harder for me to turn my eating over into Christ's very capable hands. 

I've also found that I'm drawn to the television to see what horrendous thing this candidate has said, tweeted or done, but when I find out, it just upsets me more. It's almost become a compulsion to try to see some news commentary of what's happened. It reminds me of how I responded to the events of 9-11. I was so upset that all these terrible things were happening to our country and I was oblivious to them, just complacent in my home. It made me concerned that lots more devastating things could be going on without my realizing it, so I kept checking the TV for updates.

Well, that's kind of how I feel during this Presidential Campaign. I realize there are people who feel the complete opposite, and they are entitled. That's what makes America great! We can each form our own opinions and vote for the person we feel will make the best choices on behalf of our country. Anyway, I kept flipping on the TV to see what I may have missed and felt frustrated if I couldn't find any political updates, at that time. At a point, I realized that I was being just as compulsive about updates about this candidate as I was with overeating. I figured that if Christ could take away my compulsive overeating, He could surely take away my compulsion to watch political updates about this candidate. So, I prayed and asked God to heal that and you know what? He did! I'm not feeling so anxious when I don't hear a political update. I'm not feeling so drawn to the TV out of fear of what this candidate might do to our country. God's given me The Peace Which Passes All Understanding and I trust He will get me through this Presidential Election and heal my compulsive eating and trying to get political updates. He doesn't want me to live in fear! The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring Thou me out of my distresses. Psalm 25:17

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.


Is it OK for Christians to Make Mistakes-Duplicate-in Draft Explanation-

Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: Acts 18:9

Isn't it funny how some mistakes we make work to the glory of God. I'm counting on this being one of those situations. I started a blog post, but came back to it later and finished it. Earlier, I found a draft with the same title on my blog dashboard and was writing a note to myself to just leave it, but it posted. If I just leave it blank, people will wonder what happened to the blog post. I feel it's better to be honest with my readers and let you know I made a mistake.

Is it OK for Christians to make mistakes? I like the bumper sticker that I used to see that said, "Christians aren't perfect, Just Forgiven!" I think that sums it up in a nutshell. Does that apply to overeating, as well? It does, because God knows all of our weaknesses, our faults, our sins, our shortcoming, our mistakes, our strengths, our future and all we have to offer, great or small...and He loves us regardless.

So, please take this time to realize that you don't have to beat yourself up every time you make a mistake, every time you overeat, every time you are impatient with those you care about...God is there to forgive and strengthen you, making you the person He wants you to be on the lay-away plan...a little now...and a little later. What a perfect and comforting Lord, He is.


Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.


Respect for Government Rulers-

1 Peter 2: 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

Although we don't have a king in the United States, this Bible passage is still pertinent. I am typing this blog post a few weeks before the election. I realize that it will come out after the new presidential terms starts, whether the person I voted for wins or the opposing candidate.

I still think it's significant to write to you about, regardless. You may wonder why I would write about the election results in a blog about overeating. Well, the thing is, my overeating is related more to my feelings, than the things I have eaten. As I told you in an earlier blog post, I ate three fried egg sandwiches one time, and I'm not really that fond of fried egg sandwiches.

I remember a time when the person I wanted to be the next president didn't win. I left the room in tears while co-workers were watching the results on the TV after the students had gone home. If it can affect me emotionally that my candidate didn't win, it can affect my food program.

I have since found this passage in the Bible:1 Peter 2: 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.  It makes me rethink my actions and the effects they have on my emotions.

God isn't saying here, submit yourself to every ordinance of the candidate you wanted, but talk badly about all those who aren't. Trying to be in control of every aspect of my life, this isn't necessarily an easy one for me. When I find myself having political negative feelings whether federal, state, or local, I have to turn those over to God and ask for the willingness for Him to heal me.

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.





The Pudding Thief-

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

My overeating goes way back. I remember being about seven and looking from the front porch into the kitchen and seeing a big bowl of butterscotch pudding sitting on the table to cool. Looking around and seeing no one around, I snuck into the kitchen to see if I could skim some off the top.

I felt so sly, gently grazing the top of the pudding with my pudgy little finger, so no one would be the wiser. Boy, was I wrong! Somehow, someone saw me and pointed out my indiscretion. As is understandable, I had a consequence for my actions. What I didn't understand is that they threw the whole bowl of butterscotch pudding out. All I could think of, with the mind of a young overeater, was that if I had known they were going to throw the pudding out, I would have eaten lots more of that yummy pudding, which would have made my consequence much more worthwhile.

Food has been one of my major vices since I was very young. I didn't realize then that it worked a subtle wedge in my relationship with God, my family, and my self-esteem. Jesus has since shown me that He can cure me from all of this if I turn all my food, my body, eating, and control over to Him on a daily basis, praying for this each and every time I eat anything.  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

These are Posts I Felt Led to Create:


Excuses, Excuses, Excuses-Is This a Wake Up Call?-

2 Corinthians 9: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Why is a 25 pound weight gain acceptable and 27 isn't? That's a good question. It's kind of funny, for years I've been O.K. with the idea that I had gained 25 of the 80 pounds back that God had me lose. Even funnier, in contrast, is the fact that I panicked once I realized I had gained 27 pounds back.

I guess I ran out of ways to rationalize gaining the extra weight back. At first, I told myself that I had gained some weight back because I probably was too thin at 80 pounds less. Then, as time went by, I figured it was normal to gain some weight back as I aged, because of all that I've read over the years. I would get concerned when I saw that I had regained 25 pounds. I would try to refocus on the program that God had given me, and tried not to be so sloppy with my relationship with Him and my food.

Well, this has been going on for a number of years. When I saw that I had gained 27 pounds, it was a wake up call. I couldn't use those old excuses to rationalize things any more. I was unhappy about the weight gain, but more than that, I thought it was indicative of what my relationship with God had become.

Tried as I might, I wasn't able to lose the weight as easily as I had in the past. But the key word in that sentence is "I," which means I had gone back to being to "I" focused. I was asking God to help "Me" instead of turning my vice and my control over to Him. You would think I would have learned after all this time, but obviously I needed a wake up call.

Actually, I am pleased, in a strange sort of way, about gaining the 27 pounds back. It has allowed me to really see how sloppy my relationship with God has become: becoming distracted as I'm reading the Bible and racing through my daily prayers. God wants more from me and deserves it. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

These are Blogs I Felt Led to Create:



Links to Other Blogs I Felt Led to Create Below: