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/

God Didn't Say Whosoever Is Skinny and...

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

God didn't say that whosoever is skinny and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. God didn't say that whosoever is beautiful and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. God didn't say that whosoever is skinny and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. God didn't say that whosoever is has trendy clothes and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. God didn't say that whosoever is friends with the elite and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. God didn't say that whosoever has the latest technology and shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved. You get the idea...

So, why do I always feel so inadequate? I've been very blessed that God's allowed me to loose 80 pounds and keep the majority of it off over 30+ years. I didn't do it, in and of myself. It didn't happen until I prayed and asked God to take care of my food, body, and eating and my willingness to let Him take care of it. I had prayed for God to take the weight off for years prior to this, so why was it different this time?

Well, I don't really know, but I think it's because I had an issue with trying to be in control of all aspects of my life, because I couldn't control my food body and eating, although I tried. Christ showed me that the things that I longed for in the first full paragraph, weren't what He wanted of me. He wanted me to turn to Him instead of turning to food and instead of making my goal a thin body, nice clothes, friends, etc. my goal. Once I turned my control over to Christ's very capable hands, everything started falling into place. The things I longed for in the first paragraph no longer mattered, because my relationship with Christ is what really mattered. When I was focused on that and turned to Christ when I was stressed instead of turning to food, everything started falling into place. 

Do I slip sometimes? Yes, that's why I try to share my shortcomings and times I'm tempted and slip with you. The thing is, every time Christ shows me that I'm making food a priority again, He picks me back up and dusts me off, focused in His direction again. If He can do that for me, He can certainly do that for you, too, if you let Him! And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2: 21 


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.

I Don't Want to Slip Back to the Way Things Were

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Sometimes, I start slipping back into old eating patterns and start getting fearful, because I don't want to slip back to the way things were. What can I do? First of all, this verse is very helpful in keeping me focused. It says the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

Do I fear the food? Do I fear gaining the weight back? Do I fear having to go back to to 'fat clothes'? Do I fear losing the friends I have? Do I fear people ignoring me the way they did when I was overweight? In being truthful, I have to say that these things do cause me some fear, but they aren't what primarily causes me fear.

You might wonder what causes me the most fear and that's losing the extra close relationship I've developed with Christ while losing the weight. Jesus showed me so many things about myself during the weight loss process, but most of them weren't warm fuzzies! He showed me that food had become a false god in my life. I had been turning to food to console me when I was stressed, instead of turning to my Lord and Savior for consolation. I had let food work a wedge between my relationship with my family and friends. I didn't want to go places, because I was embarrassed to go out in my 'fat clothes', and many more things.

Although these don't necessarily sound positive, they really were! Christ showed me that He loved me enough to help me realize these weaknesses and how I let this vice control my life. Christ showed me that when I turned to Him instead of to food when I was stressed, my whole live was so much more pleasant. He showed me that my worth is not determined by my clothing size, my weight, or by how many friends I have. I feel so blessed to have a relationship with my Savior that is so personal to my needs and weaknesses! The good thing is, that He loves you just as much and would help you with the issues that are personal to you, if you just ask Him and are open to His answers! The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

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.

Needing a Renewed Focus

Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:18

Ever since I had the realization, last weekend, that Christ brought about special insight that set the foundation for my weight loss around the same time that I started reading the Bible from cover to cover, I have been in total awe! I knew these things, but as the years have gone by, I've found that I've taken all of this for granted. 

In further evaluating this, I find that my faith is lacking, although I go through the motions, I'm not always mindful in my prayers. I quite often put my prayers on "Auto Pilot" as I call it, and ramble through them in a repetitive fashion. 

Additionally, I've noticed recently that my sleeves are getting tight, which means not only has my relationship with Christ gotten sloppy, but my eating, as well. Of course, my relationship with Christ is the most significant and the most concerning! The rest means nothing without Jesus being my top priority! I need to stop and pray and ask God to forgive me and renew my focus in Him! Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:18


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.

Christ Changed My Life Forever-Not Overeating Was Just an Added Blessing!

Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am desolate and afflicted. Psalm 25:16

I was eating lunch with a friend this last weekend. I was telling her about something that happened years ago and told her it was during the time that Christ had all these personal insights for me. I explained that I had been a Christian since Primary Grades, but something was different during this time. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I decided to try to figure out why it was that Christ gave me so many personal revelations during that time period, many of which changed my life forever!

So, I prayerfully contemplated this, I tried to remember more about this period of time. First, I tried to realize if it was during that period of time when I started reading the Bible from cover to cover. That was it! All the other insights that God gave me were during that same period: like how food had become a false god in my life. I never connected before that those really profound insights Jesus gave me were after I had started reading the Bible from cover to cover!

When I first did it, I was trying to find something that was often misquoted from the Bible: god helps him who helps himself, but it's really not in the Bible at all. Actually, I found out it was a moral from an Aesop's Fable. Really, the things I've read in the Bible tell how God wants us to turn to Him in all things, not try to take care of it ourselves, first.

Through this regained awareness of all the wonderful personal insights Christ has provided since that time, all I can say is it most definitely pays to read the Bible from cover to cover! Jesus Healing me of overeating while I read the Bible from cover to cover was just an added blessing! I enjoyed it so much, I continued to read the Bible from cover to cover over and over again and God willing, I hope to never stop!

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.

For God so Loved Me-Will He Take Care of Overeating on Easter?

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

This passages is especially significant to me, especially since Easter is quickly approaching. Although my title has more to do with food, this special significance of this post is more related to the Bible passage listed. I like to apply Bible passages I read to my own life. For God so loved [me], that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son [unto me]to condemn [me]; but that [I] through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 [adapted]

God sent His only begotten Son, to save me and to save you, whether we are heavy, whether we are overeaters, whether we heap our plates on Easter and make a pig of ourselves, or whether we have vices of any type. He didn't send Jesus to condemn us, but to save us from ourselves! He wants us to believe in His Son, Jesus, as our Savior, so we can have everlasting life!  

Yes, God so loved me enough to send His Son, and when I turn my food and compulsions to overeat into His very capable hands, He frees me of these. He can do it for this and for all vices, because God didn't just send His only begotten Son to save me, but to save the world, so He can do it for all of us, if we ask Him and are open to an on-going relationship with Him. Something to be especially prayerful about as we enter the Easter season!

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.

Topic Inspired by Rebekah Gamache

Hebrews 5: 8 Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.

I'm not sure I've ever written a post in this order before. I generally write the post, inspired by the verse or the thought Christ has in my mind, then I add a video that might be beneficial for others. This time, He had me see Rebekah Gamache's video on Self Esteem, Weight and Loving what Yo Mama Gave You and know it's what I'm supposed to be about.

She talks about several things about self-esteem, but ends her video with this outstanding message: Whatever stage you're in [fat, thin, or otherwise], always project self-confidence, because your child will model that behavior, because it will be better for them in the long run!

Wow! I love the message and I feel badly that I did not  project self-confidence while my kids were growing up. You might be able to understand that might happen when I was heavy, but I don't think I projected self-confidence even after God allowed me to lose the 80 pounds. Unfortunately, I can't go back and undo all the negative things I may have done, but I can share this with you, so that you don't make the same mistake that I have. Debbie

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.

Be Not Afraid...Of Gaining All the Weight Back-

John 6: 19 So when they had towed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walkng on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

When I lost the 80+ pounds over thirty years ago, I was so thankful God had done this miracle in my life! I still couldn't believe that I fit into smaller sized clothes that I never thought I'd be able to wear again. My church was having a rummage sale. At first, I thought I'd have plenty to donate, because I had a variety of sizes of clothes in my cloest representative of going from being heavy to a healthy weight.

I looked through my closet, but as I examined the clothes, I thought I shouldn't get rid of my variety of larger outfits in case I gained the weight back. God and I struggled over this. What He showed me was, that when I'm keeping my heavy clothes in case I gain the weight back, I'm not trusting God to continue to take care of me and my weight loss. God is the one who did this major miracle in my life. If I didn't fight Him or get sloppy with my relationship with Him or my food, God will continue to take care of me. I needed to remember: Be not afraid...of gaining the weight back and to focus on God.  John 6: 19 So when they had towed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walkng on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

P.S. Most of you know that after 30 years, I did eventually gain about a third of the weight back, but the vast majority of the weight stayed off. Then, when I started turning my sloppy eating and my sloppy relationship with God back over to Him, He had even that extra weight gain come off. Be not afraid...of gaining the weight back and focus on God. 

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.





When We Finally Lose All the Weight, What Will We Do?-

Psalms 1: 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate all day and night.

So, when we finally lose all that weight, what will we do? Do we buy slinky clothes to show off our new body to all those who looked down on us all the time we were heavy? Do we finally get to go on a shopping spree to buy clothes, regardless of the financial impact it has on our family? Do we start turning up our noses at other overweight people, because that is no longer who we are?

Is this why God had us lose our weight? Was God thinking, "I will have this child of God lose weight so s/he can buy clothes to show off their body, and go on a shopping spree, ignoring whether their family can afford it or not? S/he is no longer heavy, so what's it matter if they are as insensitive to other overweight people just as people were insensitive to them when they were heavy?"

I have a feeling that those weren't God's goals for us to lose weight. Of course, we are going to need some new clothes, but we can buy them responsibly. One of my favorite places to shop for clothes is a thrift shop or a consignment store. I can get clothes that are much more reasonable and I don't feel guilty that it's upsetting our family's finances. Even if you can afford all the new clothes, I think God would still prefer we buy them and be financially responsible and donate the money saved to those less fortunate. I think God wants us to continue to be good stewards with what He has given us.

I think that God wants us to buy appropriate clothes, not necessarily clothes that are going to make the opposite sex drool when they see us walk by. I'm not sure that's the type of partners God wants in our lives even if we are single. If we're married, I don't think that God would approve of us trying to see if we can still turn the heads of the opposite sex in order to bolster our self-esteem. That's not the behavior that a secure marriage is based on.

So, when I'm prayerful about God's laws and what He would want once I'm thin, I realize that He would want me to be as sensitive to others who are currently overweight as I had wished someone would have been to me. I desperately desired to be treated with respect, to have my comments acknowledged, to be included instead of made to feel like a bystander. When we are befriending the overweight, it is like we are somehow befriending the lonely, sad, overweight person we used to be. Psalms 1: 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate all day and night.

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.





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