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/

Sometimes It's Hard to Forgive Ourselves, but Christ Is So Very Forgiving

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.

Just think, Jesus Christ forgave the very same people who had spit on Him, beat Him, mocked Him, were in the process of crucifying Him and were trying to see who would get Jesus' garments. If He would forgive people doing all of this, don't you think He will forgive us, as well?

Sometimes it's hard for us to forgive ourselves of all we've done, but Christ is so very forgiving. Someone may be saying, "How can Christ forgive me, I've had an abortion or committed adultery, or stolen, or lied, or turned my back on Christ or someone in my life, and the list could go on and on and on. 

The thing is, we no longer have to punish ourselves with food, drugs, alcohol, unhealthy relationships or any other thing to reinforce what terrible people we think we are. In Christ's eyes, we are the ones that He freely gave His life for, because He loves us, imperfections and all. We need to know that all we have to do is tell Him we're sorry for our past and that we love Him and know He loves us even when we find it difficult to love ourselves. He is there for us, but if you have a difficult time believing in all that Jesus offers you, ask Him to give you the willingness to believe in Him, the willingness to trust Him. He will if you ask Him!!!!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

Although He Is Risen, He's Not Far Away

Matthew 28: 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Sure, Jesus was crucified and arose from the grave. But, is He too far away in heaven to pay attention to our needs? You would think that, but it's not the case. Jesus Christ has been there time and time again, just when I needed Him. He is not so far away that He can't be there for us.

 Yes, Christ allowed the loss of 80+ pounds and keeping it off for over 30 years, but He does so much more than that in my life. He is there when I stumble and lose my way with my food or my choices. He is always there quick to forgive me when I ask Him and to aim me in a more positive direction.

 He gives me the words to say when I am in a potentially stressful situation when I ask Him for guidance. He makes me a better person and allows me to be more patient of others, when I normally wouldn't have been so. Jesus gave His life for you and me to save us from all our many sins. He has a vested interest in helping us to become the Christians He wants, if we only let Him and not just put our faith in Him on a back shelf for a rainy day when we need Him. 

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

Sometimes I Sow Sparingly

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 

Christ has done so much for me, but do I sow bountifully, because I've certainly received bountifully? Unfortunately, I can't honestly say, "Yes." Yes, Christ has allowed an 80+ pound weight loss and kept the vast majority of it off for over 30 years. Yes, Christ has gotten me through so many situations where I was beside myself, but have I always been there for Him? Unfortunately, no!

Sometimes, I get too self-absorbed thinking about what I want, instead of focusing on what Christ wants of me. Sometimes, I tend to think narrowly, but Christ knows all that is possible. I get fearful about trying things out of my comfort zone, but sometimes Christ wants me to be open to taking risks for Him, but do I do it? Sometimes, I say,"No, no. I can't. I'm too afraid." But fortunately for me, Christ is patient and forgiving and will refocus me and remind me that He is all powerful. If He wants me to do something, He can make it happen and He can overcome my fears with His strength!

I want to sow bountifully. I want to be focused on what Christ wants instead of mine. I want to take the risks that He guides me to and trust in His strength amidst my weaknesses. I know that He can overcome my selfish, fearful ways if I let Him. He is God. He can do anything!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

This Is a Tricky One for Me

Mark 11: 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

This is a tricky one for me. Yes, Jesus took away 80+ pounds and allowed it to stay off for over 30 years. God can do anything! It wasn't because I was such a great Christian, but seems to be more related to turning the control in my life over to God when I told Him that I gave up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't and He did.

That was a major turning point in my life, not just because of the weight loss, but because of all the lessons God showed me along the way that I try to apply to my life. Reading the Bible on a daily basis helps, as well, and makes it easier to learn to apply this lessons to your life. 

So, why is this passage so tricky for me? Good question! It's because I feel that some people feel let down when they pray for particular things like cars, jobs, or health for those who are ill and it doesn't go the way they had hoped. In this verse, God isn't promising that we will have whatever we pray for. We just are supposed to believe that He can do whatever we ask and realize that we need to ask if it's His will. The new car or the particular job, may not be what He has intended for us, at the time. It may be that God wants the ill person to join Him in heaven at that time and not suffer any longer. That's even harder to understand when it's a young person who hasn't been ill, but we don't have to understand everything God does. We just have to trust God, Who is gracious, but His will and timing are impeccable, even though we have difficulty understanding, because we are human. Regardless our faith needs to be focused on Him and His ultimate will in these situations!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

I've Been Weak More Times Than I'd Like to Remember!

Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 

You would think that after a major miracle where Christ allowed a weight loss of 80+ pounds and for the vast majority of it to stay off for over 30 years, I would be extra careful to not slip back into old eating patterns. I wish I could tell you that I have will power of steel, but that's just not the case. I've been weak more times than I'd like to remember!

 It doesn't take much to get me into slip sliding down that path either. My husband can start snacking in the evenings and then it seems that sooner than later, I'm starting to snack in the evenings. At first, I will have only healthy snacks, but after awhile, they aren't readily available or they don't look so appealing and I find myself starting to indulge in things that I know I should have.

 Does that knowledge stop me? Well, not a first, but at some point, Christ does remind me what I'm doing. I try to pray right away, because He doesn't have to go out of His way to remind me, but He does. I ask His forgiveness and ask Him to get me focused on the right track. Sure, I might notice not having a snack the first couple of evenings, but I can put that into Jesus' very capable hands and He gets me through snack withdrawals and aims me on the correct path. If He can do this for me, He can most definitely do it for you, too, that is, if you pray and trust Him to!

 Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

If Jesus Can Do This for Me, He Can Do It For You, but You Have to Believe That

Mark 9: 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

I'm sure that there's some that listen to the miracle Jesus did for me by allowing the loss of 80+ pounds and the vast majority of it staying off for over 30 years and think, "Yeah, sure. It might have happened for her, but it sure isn't going to happen for me."

Well, I'm no body special. I didn't lead the most pious, righteous life and Jesus rewarded me by allowing the weight loss. Actually, I'm just a sinner, like we all are. The miracle happened when I was fed up on trying diet after diet only to gain more weight back afterward. I sat down one day and told God that I was giving up and if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it. And you know what, He did!

That very same day some time after my prayer, Jesus took the urge to eat plate after plate after plate of food away from me. He also took the urge to eat sweets and carbohydrates away. I hadn't planned any of this, Jesus just had it happen. I guess I was shocked at first, then realized that Jesus can do it-He's God and He can do anything and He did! Over the next six months, Christ showed me all types of lessons, but especially how food had become a false god in my life. I had been turning to food to console me when I was stressed, etc. rather than turning to Christ in times of stress. This lesson played a major role in my life. Sure, I slip sometimes, but Jesus is always there encouraging me to turn my focus to Him instead of food, which makes all the difference. Note: this Bible verse says: Mark 9: 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. You have to trust God to do this and if you feel unsure, at times, ask Him for the willingness to heal your food, body, and eating. He's God and He can do anything!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

Christ Made Me Strong Through My Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

All those years I compulsively overate, I was so weak and full of self-loathing. It not only affected me, but it affected my relationship with my family and my relationship with Christ, because I avoided going to church. The thing is, my overeating was such a big weakness in my life, but through that weakness, Christ showed me how He can make me strong and healthy, when I let Him be in control of my life.

 It was when I gave up after trying so many diets over the years that it could make your head swim, that I gave up and told God so and said that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. That day I was so weak and gave up was when God's strength kicked in. He turned my time, attention, and focus on food, weight, and my body to focusing on Him and His guidance in my life. He took the weakness of self-loathing and self-doubt and filled me with the strength of knowledge that God would be there with me through thick and thin.

 It has been when I've been beside myself with grief and doubt, Christ has shown His compassion in my life through His forgiving grace. He lets me know that He loves me regardless of my weight and has taught me to love myself, regardless of my weight. He has shown me that I no longer need to beat myself up because of my weaknesses, but remember that He uses these weaknesses to strengthen me and those I come in contact with...especially those who read this blog!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

I Was Not Willing to Put Myself Out There

 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 

So, God did this major miracle in my life. He allowed the loss of over 80 pounds and for the vast majority of it to stay off for over 30 years! Was I willing to share this with others? Not really. Sometimes, I could tell a very close friend about it, but mainly I watched how I worded things, because I thought someone might think I was a religious fanatic and would back away from me. I let me concerns of their approval interfere with sharing the wonderful things Christ had done in my life.

 Not only did He cause the weight loss when I gave up after lots of diets and told God that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't, He showed me how food had become a false god in my life. When I was sad or worried, I would eat and eat and eat until I made my stomach so sick from all that I had eaten. I was turning to food to console me instead of turning to my Savior. Once I started putting these worries and concerns in Christ's very capable hands, that gnawing hungry feeling would leave the pit of my stomach only to be replaced by a calm, soothing feeling that Christ gave me instead.

 How could I have held back this crucial information from people for so long? I don't have the answers, but feel like I'm being negligent to not share this life changing information. If Christ did this for me, a sinful human being, He can do it for you, too. You just have to be willing to give up and put the control of your food, body, and eating into His very capable hands!!!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

Not Something Special I Did

2 Corinthians 4: 5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 I want viewers to know, I am not here to tell you my 80+ weight loss and it's staying off for over 30 years is because of me or something I did. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; It was more that God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  The darkness in this situation was all the negativity and self-loathing I let Satan cultivate in my life. His cultivation did not produce flowers, but weeds in my life that strangled that life and my relationship with Christ and my family. My thoughts and actions were so clouded by this self-loathing and negativity and couldn't see that God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, 

 Then, one day after trying loads of different diets only to gain more back afterward, I gave up! I told God that I was giving up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. It was then that God's light shown through in a way that had never existed in my relationship with Him before. He took my desire to eat large amounts of food, sugary things and excessive carbohydrates away. It was just gone that very same day and I know it came from God. I think it was because I had always tried to be in control in my life and my eating asking God to help me solve a problem, to help me lose the weight.  I hadn't, to that point, asked Him to be in charge of these issues. I have no idea why not, because He immediately made so many changes in my life, in my perceptions of things.

 It was like God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,  I didn't feel so negative. I was open to the many lessons God had to show me about how eating, food and the desire to be thin had been in control of my life. I turned to food to console me when I was stressed rather than turn to Christ to console me, but after this, it was all different. Christ was the One I yearned for, not food. I didn't worry about becoming thin, because I trusted it was all in Christ's very capable hands. My focus was no longer on worldly things, but was on the Lord and the lessons He had for me. These lessons weren't always easy, because it's hard to find out that you are responsible for causing the pain in your life and sometimes the lives of those you care for. The more I was willing to listen, the more Christ healed my aching soul and freed me from the obsessions of food and weight. I have been very blessed, but He can bless each and everyone of you if you'd turn the control in your lives over to Christ's very capable hands!

Because these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie
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