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/

Hungrier Than Usual

Ephesians 1: 8 Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself.

I was on the train going to visit family. I felt extremely hungry at times where I wouldn't normally. As I thought about it, I realized I had eaten enough food, but still was so hungry I could eat the doorknobs off. 

 Then, there were times on the trip there and the trip back that my stomach was so upset that I thought that I might throw up, but I didn't understand it, at that point. I thought I was experiencing motion sickness, but that really wasn't what was going on.

 When I prayerfully contemplated this, after arriving home, Jesus helped me to better understand what was going on. On my first night on the train, I had gotten a call from my dad's veteran's home and they told me that they were going to do a chest x-ray on him, because they thought he had another bout of pneumonia.  The next day, they called me and told me that they didn't have pneumonia, as they had thought, but that it was suggested that Dad got a CT Scan. I asked the nurse what they suspected, but she didn't know. Christ showed me that it was my worry about my dad's well-being that had caused me to feel like eating and eating, even after I had eaten enough substantial food to hold me through to the next meal. 

 I have to continue to be mindful of this, because when I have the eat the door knobs off, it means that I'm trying to deal with my stress or worry on my own and I'm not putting it in Christ's very capable hands, trusting Him to get me through what lies ahead.

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

Peter Passed Away and How It Affected My Eating

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to god by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

My dad lives in a Veteran's Home and we've gotten close to a few of the veterans there. One was Peter. We told him that he was like extended family. In fact, when he got sick, my husband told me that after church, he wanted to go see Peter in the hospital which was  1 1/2 hours from our home.

I went to see my dad this week, as I generally do. I saw a nurse come out of Peter's room with a gown and mask on. I wasn't surprised, because we wore gowns and masks when we saw him at the hospital, so that we wouldn't get or pass on his illnesses. I asked the nurse if she would tell Peter that I said, "Hi," because we usually visited him in the hallway or dining hall when we would come see Dad. She put her mask back on and went back into his room.

While I sat visiting with my dad who had gone to bed to rest after he finished Physical Therapy, I saw a man roll a gurney up to Peter's room, but it had a folded flag sitting on the end. I knew this probably meant that Peter had passed away. I watched as they wheeled him out about 15 minutes later and was impressed by the announcement that this was the final salute to Peter. They followed that by playing taps for 15-20 minutes over the speaker system. I was very touched by how respectfully they did this. It also dawned on me that there will be a point when they will be doing the same for my dad.

On the way home and after I got home, I felt very down. Of course, it's only natural to feel this way after losing someone you care about. I told my husband that I just wanted to eat snacky foods for dinner, although I had some decent foods that would be easy enough to heat up. I just didn't feel like doing anything and didn't really care that I was eating snacky foods. I prayed about how I was feeling and the thought was to watch Father Brown episodes on Netflix, because the main character always reminded me of Peter, smart, witty, and extremely knowledgeable about so many things. I know my eating had more to do with my grief and my future grieving for when my dad passes, but right then, I just felt down and didn't really want to make the changes to feel any other way. Fortunately, Christ was there with me as I muddled my way through this grief. 

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

Maybe I Was Getting Too High and Mighty

1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 

God had the word humbling on my mind while I was doing these posts. I'm feeling that's a theme I need to personally pursue. I've been blessed that Christ allowed me an 80+ weight loss and has allowed the vast majority of it to stay off for over 30 years. Some times I take that blessing for granted, which means I'm taking Christ for granted.

 This has been especially apparent to me, since I gained an extra 10 pounds that's been difficult to lose. This shows that I haven't been turning my food, body, eating and stress over to Christ like I should. It is also an indicator that I've gotten sloppy with my relationship with Christ, as well. I've discussed this in recent posts, but I feel God's showing me that my humility needs some work, as well.

 I never really thought about my humility much. I think that I try to be humble, but obviously I'm deluding myself.  I guess that would explain my recent negative interactions with a couple of people I care about, and my feelings about being justified for my actions, although I regret it terribly now. I need to be prayerful for Christ to be in control of my actions, words, and deeds, as much as His being in control of my food, body, eating, and stress. I've been focusing my prayers on my physical needs and not my emotional needs, but I REALLY need Christ to be in control of ALL aspects of my life! It's not too late for me to apologize to Christ and ask for His forgiveness. I especially like verse 7 where it says: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. I can never thank Christ enough for never giving up on me, even when I sometimes turn my back on Him without even realizing it.

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

Regrouping...

1 Peter 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 4 to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

I'm trying to quit trying to be in control so much and trying to put the control of my life in Christ's hands the way it should be. Every time I try to take back that control, my relationship with Him isn't the same as it should be. My relationship with others isn't the same as it should be. My self-esteem, my food, my body and my eating are not the way they should be either!

 When I read this Bible passage, it makes me feel at peace. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have abundant mercy. I'm so very happy to read that, because I sometimes slip backwards and need Christ's reminders that I would benefit from regrouping, taking a look at my priorities, and my recent actions. 

 Quite often, if my my food, body, and eating are out of whack, the rest of my life and my relationship with Christ are, as well. Fortunately for me, God has abundant mercy and brings me back into the fold and sets me aright, one more time. I am very blessed, because He never turns His back on me the way I do to Him by my actions or putting Him on the back burner until I need help. 

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

Hand Over Fist Eating

Hebrews 6: 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

This particular post doesn't focus so much on the literal meaning of this wonderful Bible verse. It has more to do with how I didn't utilize patience and that's how I'm applying this verse to my own life.

 I have recently mentioned that I'm trying to be more mindful during my prayers, my reading the Bible daily and my relationship with Christ. I had noticed that I had become lax with my food plan which quite often is an indicator that I've become lax in my relationship with Christ, as well. Things had been going well for several days, but I must have become too complacent, because everything started to fall apart yesterday.

 It was an EXTREMELY hectic afternoon, but the details don't matter. Others were eating some light popcorn and I asked for some. I ate and ate and ate and ate, eating hand over fist so quickly it could have made your head spin! That should have tipped me off, but did I pray about it? No, I kept on eating until I finally handed off the remaining popcorn, before I ate every last kernel. 

 That wasn't the worst of it. Later, through the evening, I had negative interactions with two different people I care about. Sure, I apologized for what I said, but no amount of apologies could erase the sting of what I said to them. Sure, I had valid reasons for feeling the way I did, but Christ doesn't lead me to say hurtful things to others. Although I apologized several times, I can't forget that my words hurt others, even if justified. Now, I'm trying to apologize to God and ask Him to heal me, so I can forgive myself. This was behavior unbecoming a Christian and I know better. I should have picked up on the sign of my hand over fist eating to let me know that I wasn't in sync with what my Lord wanted of me, but did I listen? No, I regret having to say. Fortunately for me, my Lord and Savior forgives me if I ask Him and He can forgive you of any and all of your shortcomings the way He does mine. He's only a prayer away!


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

Prayerful How to Avoid Snacking

Romans 5: 8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 

 I had recently asked Christ to be in control in my life again, because I had been lax and was trying to control my life, food, body, and eating, which also meant that my faith was suffering, as well. Whenever I'm in the control mode, that means that I'm virtually saying, "I can handle things, God. You wait in the wings until I need you, but I think I've got this one!"

 Well, I learned the hard way, that's not the message that I want to give my Lord and Savior! When I tried to be in control all those years I was heavy, I had not inner peace, low self-respect, and my faith, my weight, and my family suffered for it. When I turned control over to Christ, He allowed me an 80+ pound weight loss and has allowed the vast majority of it to stay off for over 30 years. I had gained some extra weight after an injury, but now that I was healthier, it wasn't despite all my efforts. That's when I realized that I had reverted back to trying to be in control again and needed to turn the control of my body, life, stress, and eating over to Christ's very capable hands!

 I'm trying to make Christ my priority and turn to Him when I'm tempted. I wanted to snack the other night, which happens to be what led me into this downward spiral, so I knew it wouldn't lead anywhere positive. I prayed and asked Christ to handle it, because I really wanted to eat something, anything, in the worst way! The thought He gave me was that I hadn't had my usual milk with my dinner and that I should drink a glass of milk. I remember thinking, "I'll try it, Lord, but I'm not sure it will take care of my hunger. What am I supposed to do if I'm still hungry afterward?" Fortunately for me, He forgave my distrusting nature and after I drank the glass of milk, I was no longer hungry. I didn't even have the least craving after that. I shouldn't ever have doubted the instincts that Christ had given me and am very sorry I did.

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

Dinner at the Pizza Buffet, Uh Oh!

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

A family member suggested that we take the grandkids to the Pizza Buffet for dinner. Uh Oh! I'm trying to get my faith, my food, and my body back into alignment with what Christ wants for me and I have to go to a pizza buffet. I know that I usually eat one to two helpings at the salad bar and have three to four pieces of pizza. If I'm really being honest, I usually have four pieces of pizza, so this isn't a wise option for me, especially when I'm trying to get my eating back into alignment with what Christ has shown me that works for me.

 First of all, I made it clear that I'd prefer not to do this on a regular basis. It's too easy to fall into a routine that's counterproductive. I started praying and praying about it. I didn't know what to do, but it was a day or so after I started praying asking for Christ to be in charge of my food, body and eating, because I had seen that my weight was elevated and wouldn't budge by what I was trying. Those are signs that my faith, my body, and eating aren't aligned with Christ and I've been too lax in one or more of those areas.

 I wasn't sure what to do, but knew that Christ knew how to handle this situation. What Christ led me to do is to eat a late lunch high in protein. Being full, allowed me to watch the family eat the pizza buffet without feeling tempted. I explained that I had eaten a late lunch and they seemed to understand that I wasn't hungry, but wanted to be with them. Later, when I got back home, I had some homemade soup for dinner that I had made a day or so earlier. I'm so glad that Christ made a way out of this temptation. He does when I remember to pray to Him about my concerns. He will do it for you too, 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

Not Being in Alignment in the Ways that Truly Matter!

Romans 3: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

 I'm very grateful for all Christ has done for me over the years. He allowed me to have an 80+ pound weight loss and to keep the vast majority of the weight off for over 30 years. That said, I have learned in the process that my relationship with Christ is vitally important, not only to keep my weight off, but to maintain the peace that He gives me when stressful issues and temptations arise. I don't ever want to go back to living without that daily peace. 

 That's why my daily relationship with my Lord, reading the Bible daily, and being prayerful in all things is not something I take lightly. When I see that my weight is elevated and doesn't seem to budge, despite what I'm doing, something isn't in alignment which lets me know I need to be prayerful about where I'm being lax. Maybe I'm zipping through my reading of the Bible or my prayers or both. Maybe I'm trying to be in control of my life, my stress, my food, my eating instead of turning it over to Christ's very capable hands.

 All I know is when I have times like this, when I focus more on my relationship with Christ in all areas mentioned above, instead of trying to control the issues mentioned, things seem to fall back into place. My main focus has to be my main relationship with Christ and with that, all the rest seems to fall into place. Fortunately for me, Christ shows me through my weight that I need to be more aligned. Otherwise, I could carry on down a self-destructive path and not realize it. I'm very blessed, but so are you! If He can do this for me, He can also do it for you, too, if you let 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

I Couldn't Have Picked a More Perfect Bible Verse

1 John 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Christ led me to this Bible verse, because it is just perfect for what I'm going through right now. over the last couple of weeks, I have been tempted by food. I tried to substitute other food for what I was craving all to no avail. 

 This morning, I felt like I should step on the scale. It's something I avoid most times, because the scale tends to tell me who I am, depending on what I weigh at the time. I don't like giving that power to the scales. Anyway, I weighed more than I wanted to weigh. Christ blessed me years ago, by allowing an 80+ pound weight loss and for the vast majority of the weight to stay off for over 30 years. This was possible through turning control of my food, body, eating, stress, etc. over to Christ's very capable hands. Along the way, He showed me many lessons related to how food had worked a wedge in my relationship with Christ, my family, and others. I had been turning to food for comfort instead of turning to my Lord and Savior for solace.

 In that there's been so many times that I've been tempted and have given in to these temptations recently, I know that my relationship with my Savior is becoming too lax, leaving too much wiggle room for Satan to sneak right back in and tempt me where he knows my weaknesses are. If you notice the underlined phrases above, they all have the word "I" in them. That was a crucial thing when I first turned my control, eating, body, stress, etc. over to Christ. I needed to give up trying to be in control, trying to figure out how to do these things, and start putting that control and trust into Christ's capable hands and listen to the instincts He gives me. They are always right! So, that's what I'm doing. I don't care if I'm going back to square one. Nothing is worth loosing my relationship with my Savior, which is of much more importance than keeping my weight off. I am nothing that I want to be without Him in control of my life!

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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