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 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:



I'm Not a Nobody!!!-

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

I was recently attending a meeting to plan an event. I was thinking about how nice it was that people listened to my ideas and treated me with respect, but it hasn't always been that way. I remember when I was at my heaviest, about 50+ pounds heavier than I am now.

I could be in a meeting planning events or talking with a group of others adults, but invariably they would ignore me and my comments. I came to the conclusion that some people treat heavy people as if they are a nobody-like their ideas have to be rubbish. I remember many a time trying to share my idea or perspective only to be cut short by others who would rather know the opinions or ideas of others in the group. The sad thing is that I came to think I was a nobody, as well.

My self-esteem was so low from being heavy for so many years, I felt those people were justified in treating me rudely. I felt worthless, so why would I expect more from anyone else. I didn't know then what I know now. God has shown me that I am a caring and very capable person whether I'm thin, have gained some weight back, or I'm at my heaviest. He teaches me that I am a somebody special, because I am a child of God!  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32

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 a Deal ...Until Your Pants Don't Fit-

Romans 7: 24 O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Somehow, fiances have always seemed to be tangled up in my overeating. It started when I was really young. I remember going to The Creamery when I was in third grade. They sold an ice cream cone for ten cents and an ice milk cone for five cents.

Most people would have been pleased with the savings and would have bought one ice milk cone for five cents. Not me. I have always had a "Get the most for your money" philosophy. It would not have been uncommon to see me as a third grader wandering around town eating two ice milk cones, because I was getting more food for the same price. What a deal...until your pants don't fit.

I think it's the same philosophy that leads to me to order a dinner with two pork chops verses one piece of grilled chicken breast. I still feel like I'm getting this wonderful bargain. The pork chops wouldn't be half bad if I had taken one of the pork chops home for another time, but not me. I want to "Get the most for my money!"

I still am the same person, who tends to let my finances get tangled up in my overeating, but one thing has changed. I realize that even though I have these earthly vices, I have a heavenly Father who loves me the way I am and wants me to be the best I can be in order to do His will. He shows me that He will heal my soul that craves excessive amounts of food. He shows me that these aren't what is necessary for me to feel whole, to feel capable, to feel loved. He will be with me if I slip, picking me back up again and helping me to refocus on Jesus and His saving grace.


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: