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/

Choosing a Facsimile Instead of the Real Thing!

 1 John 4: 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 

My church decided to show video of the minister on the wall, while he is speaking to the congregation. They said that it makes it easier for them to video tape his services to put on the internet for those who cannot attend church for one reason or another. That's great, because it allows the home-bound or vacationing to view these.

I found that looking at the wall was much easier than watching the minister as he spoke. There seemed to be nothing wrong with this until one day Christ had it pop into my head that I was choosing a facsimile over the real thing and this would make a significant post topic.

The importance of this is multifaceted. On a personal level, I regret that I've turned to food to satisfy me when I was stressed rather than turning to my Lord and Savior. The thing is, no amount of food can comfort my stress like Jesus can.

On another level, there are people who turn to quasi-minister types who sound like their message is from the Bible, but they take the verses out of context to support whatever personal agenda they are promoting. Both the quasi-minister and the Bible message taken out of context are both facsimiles for the real thing.

I've read some blog posts from others about something called "Progressive Christianity" where people can pick and choose which Christian concepts sound good to them and ignore the rest.  Some share a focus on "feel good" messages which are counterproductive to the message that God has for us within the Bible. To read more about how "Progressive Christianity" undermines the Christian faith, consider reading about this topic at: Alisa Childer's blog.

Sometimes, people focus on the minister or leaders of the church or TV Evangelists and idolize them instead of focusing on God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,  which makes the minister or leaders of the church a facsimile or false god. We need to make sure that we are not choosing facsimiles over a faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...our salvation depends on it!
 1 John 4: 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

What This Bible Verse Doesn't Say Is Important, Too!

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

I like this Bible verse for what it says and what it doesn't say. This Bible verse doesn't say that only the thin shall be saved. This Bible verse doesn't say that only those who have high level jobs will be saved. This Bible verse doesn't say that only those who associate with people in the in-crowd will be saved. This Bible verse doesn't say that only those who have a certain ethnicity will be saved. This Bible verse doesn't say that only those who have rich parents or are affluent will be saved. It doesn't say that people who have fancy cars will be saved. It doesn't say that people who live in their own homes will be saved. It doesn't say that only those who have the latest technology will be saved.

That makes the reverse true. Those who are heavy or are excessively obese can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who have meager jobs or no jobs at all can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who are not in the in-crowd, are taunted or bullied can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who are of any ethnicity can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who don't have fancy cars or have no car can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who don't own a home, are homeless, live in a shelter, or live in a tent city can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Those who have outdated technology or no technology at all can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord.

I think that what this Bible verse doesn't say is just as significant as what it does say!   And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2: 21

Am I Showing Love to Those I Care About When I Eat Things That Make Me Cranky?

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3: 11

I want to take this Bible verse one step further. Am I showing love to those I care about when I eat things that make me cranky? This is a big thing that Christ has shown me in the last 30+ years, I've been trying to turn over my food, eating, and body into His very capable hands.

 Since I'm Hypoglycemic, I am very sensitive to things with sugar. I am able to eats fruits and it doesn't affect my blood sugar, but refined sugars give me very dramatic ups and downs. I remember years ago, drinking several glasses of lemonade, because it was hot. When I went to walk away from the lemonade jug, I was light-headed and had difficulty walking a straight line. Also, when I eat ice cream or other highly sugared items, I get hyper and talk fast.

Now, those, in and of themselves, don't really affect those I care about. The previous were examples of how the sugar elevates my blood sugar. The bad part is when the sugar wears off and my blood sugar plunges. When this happens, I am cranky, edgy, and impatient with those I care about. Sometimes this happens the same day I've had sugar, but lots of times it affects me the next day. The point is, I love the people that God has put in my life and I don't want to be cranky around them. I have to keep putting my food, body, and eating into Christ's very capable hands, because He reminds me when I start to indulge, with a thought on my heart of the effects on those I care about. He stops me from eating these, dead in my tracks, if I let Him. I am very blessed!  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 1 John 3: 11

I Get Caught Up in Maintaining My Wants

Hebrews 13: 1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

This verse always makes me stop and think of whether I've been rude or ignored the needs of someone Christ has put in my life for me to assist. Sometimes, I get so caught up in maintaining my wants that I forget about all the others who have so much less.

When I'm contributing to a food drive for a worthy cause, this is more apparent. I go to the pantry which is in our laundry room. I look at the things I have stocked on the shelves and keep the things that I like and give away the things that I don't eat often or I'm not so fond of.  Is that really being there for needs of others? No, it's minimal giving, at best. 

I'm ashamed that I've done this more times than I'd like to remember and have done the same with clothing and other items I was donating. Am I giving the outcast things that mean little to me or am I giving things that I enjoy, so that the less fortunate might be able to enjoy them, too? Since Christ has taken my hand on this weight loss journey over the last 30+ years, He shows me much more about how He wants me to live than just about my food. He changes me, when I turn my many shortcoming over to Him.  Hebrews 13: 1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Too Quick to Look After My Own Needs

Philippians 2: 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

 Now, this is going to be a very literal focus for this Bible verse which has a more broad focus. The thing is, when it comes to food, I am always looking after my own needs...or maybe I should say my own wants. At a gathering, I am eyeing the available foods to find the things that suit my fancy and am fixed on them.

I watch as each person takes their portion of that item. Whether they took a big or small portion, I feel somewhat resentful of their possibly taking so much that I won't be able to have enough to suit me.  When I've taken a heaping serving of the food, I was more concerned about my wants than those of the rest of the group who possibly wanted it, as well.

Now it may be something as benign as a fruit salad I wanted, which I can eat on my food program. It's really that I coveted that fruit salad which is making food a false god, because I've turned to it instead of to my Savior to make me happy.  Philippians 2: 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

I'm so Glad that Jesus Is Perfect, because I Definitely Am Not

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 so glad that Jesus is perfect, because I am definitely not!!! Christ allowed me to lose around 80 pounds over 30 years ago. In the process, He showed me how food, eating, and thinking about eating had become a false god in my life. I was turning to food to comfort me in times of stress, etc. rather than to Christ for comfort.

When I finally gave up control over my food, body, and eating and turned them over into Christ's very capable hands, excessive amounts of food no longer appealed to me. I didn't crave banana splits, strawberry shortcake and the like. I do have to admit that sometimes I really miss having soft-serve ice cream, but Christ has shown me that I can have a healthy alternative to that when I use my Younana's appliance by Dole that uses frozen bananas and strawberries to make something very similar to ice cream.

What I find is Satan knew that food was a way he could work a wedge in my relationship with Christ and with my family all those years and he doesn't want to just turn and walk away. When I take my relationship with Christ for granted, Satan knows that it's an optimal time to dangle some of those old eating behaviors back in front of me. Fortunately for me, although I'm not perfect and I've slipped, at times, Christ is perfect and He always has it on my heart to stop and see what I'm doing and how I'm starting down that slippery slope. He always provides the strength for me to stop eating whatever it is, when I turn it over to Him. I am so truly blessed, but so are you. He will do the same things for you if you let Him!  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.

What's a Positive Self-Esteem Have to Do With this Bible Verse?

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 

I have a different take on this Bible verse than you would usually hear. Not only do we have to stay clear of people who may negatively affect our relationship Christ, but also those who affect our self-esteem.

Christ wants us to all have a positive self-esteem, since we are children of God. If we choose to be around people who are always putting us down, making us feel bad about ourselves or our weight, pointing out all our flaws while minimizing the good things we do, maybe we are yoking ourselves with unrighteousness without thinking about it. 

This is something to be prayerful about. Sometimes it's difficult, because sometimes these people may not be friends that you can stop choosing to visit. Sometimes these are family members, so how you deal with this needs to be be prayerfully contemplated. I do think that it's vitally important that you start praying for these negative people and turn over the impact their statements have on you. You are a child of God and He's telling us in this Bible verse why should light hang around with darkness. (paraphrased) Maybe you can structure your encounters so that there's less opportunity for those people to be a negative influence in your life. Maybe, it's time to think whether this relationship is worth perpetuating. Maybe, it's time to find people who really appreciate the wonderful person that you are!

Oh, Just One Won't Hurt You...

Colossians 2: 4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. 5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. 

I've heard, "Oh, just one won't hurt you more times than I can remember. This time, Christ won out. I say that, because more times than I'd like to admit, I allow myself to be pulled into believing what they said is true. Sure they mean well, but they don't truly understand how sugar impacts my body and cause it to go through a myriad of highs and lows.

It was about a month or so that I made my husband some extra nutty, oatmeal raisin cookies with honey and applesauce instead of sugar. Although those don't seem to cause me to have a Hypoglycemic reaction to them, those three cookies I ate sent me into a tailspin. Actually, what they did was start me craving nuts again. All I could think of was eating more of those nutty cookies.

I tried to soothe that desire by eating extra nuts in my morning oatmeal, but I was putting in loads of nuts to make them comparable to the nuttiness of the oatmeal cookies. It wasn't long before my pants started being tight on me. I don't weight regularly, because I had once gotten to the point where I let the scale tell me how to feel about myself. I, now, let my waistband inform me when I need to adjust my eating and it was doing so! 

Usually when I'm sloppy with my food, I've become sloppy with my relationship with Christ. Since then, I've been trying to turn my food, body, and eating over into Christ's capable hands. My husband asked me to bake him some more of the nutty oatmeal raisin cookies. Christ was there guiding me and reminded me that in some cases, it's better to not take that first bite. I'm so blessed to have a Savior that looks after my health and my eating, as well as my Salvation! The thing is, He is there to help you with these as well, if you truly turn these over into Christ's hands.
Colossians 2: 4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. 5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

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