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 If I Pretend I Didn't Know?

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his tresspass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Ezekiel 18:24

I don't know about you, but once I know something, it's difficult to get it out of my mind. I took nutrition classes and one of the things I learned was that the skin of the chicken is the worst thing for you. I love fried chicken with all the crispies on it, but I have a hard time enjoying it, because I know how unhealthy it is for me, because it's fried and includes the skin of the chicken. What I've allowed myself to do is to take one big bite out of the chicken, crispies and all and then I tear off the rest of the skin and crispies, so I can eat the healthier part of the chicken.

Do I do that in all aspects of my eating? Unfortunately, not! There have been times when I pretended that I didn't know something wasn't good for me, but I really did know, and went ahead and ate it. I prepared myself to tell Christ that I forgot, didn't know, or some other equally lame excuse!

Does Christ mind that I'm doing this? Yes and no. I don't think it bothers Him if I eat things that aren't always healthy for me, but what He does mind is that I deliberately try to fake Him out, when I know better. Fortunately for me, Christ always shows me what I'm doing and He forgives me when I apologize and ask for His forgiving grace. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his tresspass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Ezekiel 18:24
Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Hitting Below the Belt

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31-32

I am sick. Sick of being turning to food instead of to Christ! You would think by now, that wouldn't still be an issue in my life, but it sneaks up and hits me below the belt more times than I would like to admit.

Time and time again, I find myself drawn to food, especially when I'm feeling stressed. Generally when I'm stressed, I don't even know that I'm actively worrying about something. Then, I find myself downing 3/4 of a bag of popcorn like I did the other night and wonder why I would do that, when I really wasn't all that hungry when I started munching the popcorn.

Maybe, the food is a way of disguising that I am having feelings at all about a particular issue. Each time I took a handful of popcorn, it made me even more oblivious to the concerns I had for the health and well-being of family members.  I am so very blessed that Jesus continues to show me that I need Him as my physician to heal me from stress and turning to food instead of Him. I'm so thankful that Jesus never gives up on me. And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31-32   Please watch the video on stress below. It's amazing!

There Is Nothing Too Difficult for Christ

Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee: Jeremiah 32:17 

I know that I tell you how I was a compulsive overeater for most of my life and I turned my eating, my life, and my stress over to Christ's very capable hands 30+ years ago and He healed me of this. Well, it's true. It didn't happen in and of anything I did myself. My life and my eating changed the very day that I told God that I give up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to take care of it Himself, because I couldn't. I had tried more diets than I'd ever like to admit. 

I often wonder if readers think it couldn't happen to them, as well, but there's nothing too difficult for Christ. Do we expect for Him to do it the first time we pray for Him to heal our overeating? Well, we never really know God's timing which is impeccable. Prior to this, I had prayed a bazillion times for God to help Me lose weight, to help Me be thin, etc. He had life lessons for me prior to the miracle He had in my life.

A big part of that miracle, in my opinion, was the prayer I prayed on that day wasn't asking God to help Me do anything. In hind sight, I think that day I prayed, may have been one of the first times I actually gave up control and put the whole thing in God's very capable hands. I actually was really giving up and didn't really expect anything to happen. You can imagine my surprise, when that very day, my desire was taken away from me to eat huge amounts of food and lots of carbohydrates, especially sweets. It doesn't mean that these don't come back periodically, because Satan knows how to tempt me. The thing is, when I turn my food, life, eating, and stress over to Christ every morning, I find that even when I'm starting to exceed what is healthy for me, God brings me around to stop, regroup, and let Him heal me of compulsions that periodically crop back up, especially when I'm feeling stressed. Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee: Jeremiah 32:17 

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

What Do We Make of Our Lives?

The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  Lamentations 3:25-26 

A tornado swept through the area last week, killing eight people. There were eight lives lost, but are they really lost? My hope and prayer is that these people had a deep and abiding faith in Christ as their Savior, doing His will in their lives and the lives of others.

It is easy for me to theorize about those I know little of, but what is even more personally significant is What We Make of Our Own Lives? There are times I've turned to food instead of to my Lord in times of stress, etc. Also, there are times when I felt God's tug on my heart to share my faith with others, but came up with a bazillion reasons why it's not the ideal time or that I'm not the ideal person to share this. There are times I've lost my cool with family when I'm not being the role model that I would like to be.

So, what do I do about this? That's a good question! First and foremost, I need to turn these weaknesses over into Christ's very capable hands and ask for a willingness for Him to heal me of these. Then, I need to be more open to being mindful, so I don't keep perpetuating these weaknesses and I'm open to being the person Christ wants me to be on behalf of Him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  Lamentations 3:25-26 

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

Worrying About What Others Think of Me

And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12: 43-44

 Usually this Bible passage reminds me of all the times that I have been reluctant to give willingly to others in need or minimally do so. This time, this passage brought up another of my many vices. I know I mostly write about how food had become a false god in my life, because I turned to it for comfort instead of turning to my Lord and Savior in times of stress, joy, fear, etc.

Well, on Sunday, this passage enlightened me to another vice, Worrying About What Others Think of Me. Well, I did that for so many years when I was heavy, but I didn't think I did that anymore. Boy, was I wrong! I just changed the focus.

Our offerings are given to our church through some type of prearranged electronic withdrawal. The tricky part of that is it feels like others may look at us and wonder why we aren't putting anything in the offering plate. To alleviate this concern, we each put a dollar in the offering plate. It was bad enough that I was worried what others thought, but I carried it one step further.

This last Sunday, I didn't bring my purse and neither of us had a dollar to put into the offering. My husband put in all the change he had in his pocket, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but I was! I was concerned about what others were thinking, I'm ashamed to say! I need to turn this over to Christ who has healed me in so many ways. I know He can heal me of this as well! And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12: 43-44

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

"Being a Christian Doesn't Mean God Puts a Bubble Around Us"

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against, (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Luke 2:34-35

 When this was a portion of the scripture shortly after Christmas, my minister said some things that gave me lots to think about. He said something like, "Being a Christian doesn't mean that God puts a bubble around us." In my opinion, he was referring to how Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce through her soul, speaking of when Christ would give His life and rise again to ransom the souls of many who were formerly lost to sin.

It made me think that I all too often expect Christ to protect me from all harm, but does that mean that Christ isn't there with me when negative things happen in my life and those I care about? Emphatically, "No!" I tell my grandkids that loving Jesus doesn't mean that bad things won't happen. It does mean that Jesus will be there with us to get us through those things.

It would be nice if I really listened from time-to-time to some of the things I spout out! It's not just knowing it in the back of my mind that Christ will be there with me through thick and thin, but applying it to my life and my faith walk. I wonder how many things I fail to do for Christ because I'm afraid to take risks? Christ was there to heal me from letting my compulsive overeating take over my soul and my life. He showed me that food had become a false god in my life, because I was turning to it instead of turning to Christ in times of stress, anger, fear, etc. If He can do all of that, He can certainly get me through the bad things that happen in my life and those I care for. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against, (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. Luke 2:34-35

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

Better Late Than Never!

When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them: for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Ezekiel 18:26-28


We were in the middle of the church service the other day when several people came in. First, I thought:they are late! Seconds afterward, Christ tugged on my heart and let me know what a terribly narrow thought that was. These people knew they were late, but they could have said, "There's no way we can ever make it to church on time. Let's just stay in bed longer and lounge around the house." These people didn't do that. They came knowing that it would be obvious to others that they were late and they came any way!

What mattered to them was spending their time with their Lord and Savior who guides and refreshes them in our daily lives. I had to immediately do an about face! Christ had opened my heart to have a new appreciation for these people who took the risk to come in during the middle of the service to be near their Lord.

I want to continue to be an About Face Christian letting Christ turn me away from judgmental thoughts and be more open, understanding, and welcoming to others. Christ healed me of my many vices such as compulsive overeating, turning to food in times of stress, etc. instead of turning to Him. If He can do all that and more, He can heal me of being judgmental if I let Him! When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them: for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Ezekiel 18:26-28

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

How Did They Spend Their Last Day?

But if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

The day after Christmas, a tornado came through our area and eight people lost their lives. Contemplating all this, I wondered how these people spent their last day in that it was the day after Christmas. I was mainly concerned, because I thought it would be the tendency of many and has been in my past to spend the day after Christmas trying to snag all the deals available.

I got to thinking that that isn't the way that I would want to spend my last day on earth, not that's what any of those people actually did or that it was wrong for them to do so. That got me to thinking about myself. If I had lost my life in the tornado on the day after Christmas, what would had I been doing?

Well, we started the day eating breakfast out with friends. Then, I came home and spent the bulk of the day on the computer recording information for taxes. Although none of us knows when it is our last day, that wouldn't be how I would want to spend my last day on earth. Ideally, I would have been spending it with family or friends and doing something worthwhile for others and for God, definitely not preparing our taxes! Fortunately for me, God forgives me for my worldly focus and gives me insights like these to show me when I am becoming too shallow.  How could I be judging what other people did on their last day, especially when my day was focused on worldly things. But if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

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

Dealing With Potential Grief

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

 I was watching a movie about a week ago. It wasn't necessarily my kind of movie, but the main character's dad died within the first five minutes of the movie and I couldn't change the channel. I actually could have, but felt drawn to that show since my dad is ailing and is hanging on by a thread and a prayer. While I watched riveted to that movie as the different members responded to their grief differently, I ate a whole large bag of light popcorn!

It's been almost two years ago that Dad moved here for us to help take care of him, because he has Parkinson's Disease. During that time, he eventually had to move to a group home after a stint in rehab following pneumonia, because the doctor's said that we were no longer able to offer him enough medical support. He lived there for quite a while. I was very blessed, because it was in my town and I could go visit him every day, because I missed him so!

Nine months after that earlier episode, Dad had to go to the hospital again with pneumonia. We thought that was the end of that, but were mistaken. It was about five days after he returned home from the hospital that we had to take him back again, because he had pneumonia in his other lung. At the end of his stay there, the doctor said that my dad needed to be in a facility that had skilled nursing. I was very sad to even consider him leaving the group home where they took such good care of him.

What I was most sad about was his leaving me! We had Dad in the local nursing home for rehab after his earlier bout of pneumonia nine months earlier. Not only was it extremely expensive after the 20 days that Medicare pays, but Dad would have had to pay that for a shared room. After prayerful consideration, we decided he should go to the State Veteran's Home which is an hour away. That way, he could still get the skilled nursing and the private room he wanted for the same amount of money it cost in the group home.

During this time, I changed my mind so many times. I had talked myself into believing it was best for Dad to be here with me rather than an hour away in the State Veteran's Home. Then, during prayer, Christ tugged on my heart about my asking what He wanted us to do for Dad. I thought about how a private room had become available for Dad at the State Veteran's Home when it never was available when we had checked before. I was listening to my own selfish nature instead of listening to what God knew was best for Dad. Fortunately, through that prayer, Christ redirected my thinking and we took Dad to the State Veteran's Home. He loves it there! About 2/3 or more of the residents are wheelchair bound and I think it makes him feel better about being in a wheelchair. Dad's still hanging on by a thread and a prayer, but I'm so glad that I finally listened instead of relying on my own desires. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

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

Weren't They Blessed Too?

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:20-21

There was a recent tornado in our general area. Friends and relatives will ask how we fared after the tornado. I tell them that my family and I weren't harmed and we're truly blessed and we are. The thing I was wondering, does having a tornado hit you mean that you weren't blessed?

I guess this speaks more of our perception of God only taking care of us when everything goes perfectly in our lives with no mishaps, illness, death, loss of jobs, etc. Now, is this even realistic? Not really! Mishaps, illness, death, and loss of jobs happen to Christians. So, does that mean that Christ has turned His back on us when these things happen? No, heaven forbid! He is always there despite all the things positive and negative that happen in our lives.

I think that part of my problem lies in my perception of being blessed. I thought that when I was finally thin, I would be blessed and the sun will shine every day, so-to-speak. What I found out was that Christ was with me even when I was heavy, didn't have a job, and didn't have the possessions. He loves us through thick and thin. I guess I had become a Bowl Full of Cherries Christian, thinking Christ was only with me when things were good. I have to focus on the true treasures in heaven and not worldly ones. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:20-21

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