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/

To Turn Away or Smile?

Acts 26: 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee. 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.

When I was growing up, I was told that I shouldn't look at people with disabilities or minorities. Being an inquisitive kid, I asked why and I was told that those people would think you are staring at them, because of their differences and that was rude. 

I didn't want to be rude, so I learned to turn my head any time I was walking near someone with a disability or was a minority. I thought I was being polite, all those years. It was many years later when I found out that I had been misinformed. I was talking to a young minority lady at one of my husband's work conferences, I found out that when I turn my head to avoid looking like I am staring, it comes across as if I'm repulsed by their differences. It looks to them like I don't approve of them and don't feel they are work acknowledging with a smile.

I realized that it's important for me to look at smile at have a disability or are a minority. The difficult thing is that although that's my desire, I find that I instinctively turn my head many times when I cross the path of those with a disability or is a minority. Sometimes, I do what must look like a double-take. I see someone and instinctively turn my head, realize what I've just done and turn my back to face the person and smile. By the time I smile at them, they will no longer make eye contact with me to see that I am smiling, which saddens me. It feels like I've hurt the feelings or self-esteem of someone who may already feel marginalized and I've contributed to that feeling. This has been an on-going struggle since I first talked to the young lady some 20+ years ago, but I've not been able to completely change my instinctive response although I really try. It's just like I try to fight the temptations like overeating that Satan puts in front of me, although I try. It is only when I turn these weaknesses over into Christ's very capable hands when there is truly a change. I'm just now realizing that I need to be turning my instinctive turning away when passing others  over to Christ's very capable hands, because He alone can heal my weaknesses. I need to be prayerful about this. 

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 Wasn't Content

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 

After I ate dinner, I was still hungry. I had put the remainder of the dinner in a container in the fridge for the next day. I felt like I wouldn't make it until tomorrow, so I asked my husband if he wanted the remaining dinner. When I was asking him this, I was secretly hoping he didn't want it, because I did!

 I ate the food that I had put in the fridge, but was still hungry. Again, I thought I wouldn't make it until the next morning without eating something else. I was trying to be prayerful about what to eat, because I didn't really have any more "breads" coming to me. I decided to eat a salad, since I hadn't eaten one earlier. After I ate it, I was a little hungry, but nothing like what I felt before.

 What this reminded me of is when I used to have the "Eat the Door Knobs Off" hunger. I would eat one thing, then another, and another, but still felt hungry enough to eat the door knobs off. When I used to do this more frequently, Christ showed me that something was bothering me and instead of dealing with these issues by turning to my Lord and Savior, I was turning to food to comfort me, thus making food a false god. I was somewhat shocked to see that I was doing this again, after all these years. I shouldn't be so surprised, because Satan knows where our weaknesses are and when we are vulnerable and are apt to be open to being led astray. It's kind of scary to thing that I've allowed myself to become so vulnerable to Satan's wiles again. I have to be very prayerful to ask Christ to keep me from being vulnerable and being led astray.

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

My Double Chin

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Periodically, probably more often than I'd like to admit, I look at myself in the mirror from a side-view to check out in my hair. When I do, I am confronted by a view of my double chin, that I really like to ignore. I like to rationalize it away. I try to tell myself if isn't from eating too much. It isn't from getting older. It isn't from not exercising enough. If it isn't from any of these things, what causes it? It must be Heredity, of course! That way, I don't have to take any responsibility!

Well, it's this way with my faith, at times! When my faith starts to falter and my prayers become less frequent and more repetitive in nature, I try to find some way to try to rationalize it just like I do with my double chin. Is it that my faith isn't strong enough? Is it that I'm rushing through my prayers rather than focus on what I am saying? Is it that something else is interferes with my focus? It must be Heredity, of course! That way, I don't have to take any responsibility!

The way in which Heredity does play a part in this is that I have inherited my sinful, human nature, but can I just blame my actions or inaction on this?  I think this is where I have to have a wake-up call. It says in James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So, in fact, I was going through the motions and the works of my faith by active prayer were minimized by my lack of focus! Yes, it was my fault! I was the one who chose to allow myself to be distracted in my prayers. I'm prayerful for the Holy Spirit to heal my prayer and lead me away from my sinful, human nature and be more mindful when I focus on Him, my Lord and Savior! 

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

My Double Edged Sword

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. 

I have very recently had to deal with this double edged sword. I sent a text with a negative remark to one person, eluding to someone's poor life style choices. I inadvertently sent it to the person I was texting about. That person WAS NOT a Happy Camper, to say the least.

So, when I read this verse, we are to behave in righteous ways, as best we can as a Christian, which doesn't include making judgmental remarks about others. When I was making that negative remark, although I regret it dearly now, it puts me and my moral choices up as superior, when my actions were more indicative of being led by the "Tempter," because I was not showing love, tolerance, or support to a fellow human being.

Instead of eating over this right now, though my stomach is churning, possibly because of the stress, I texted and apologized to the person. I need to apologize to Christ even more than the person. I took my faith in Him and used it to belittle someone else. In that, I am very ashamed. 

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 Get on My High-Horse

Romans 5: 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I realize that when I get upset by all those who spout hatred and less then supportive remarks and tweets about others, I am, on the other hand, being just as judgmental. That makes me equally wrong if I let that anger toward them ball up and affect my interactions with others. I used to turn to food when I would feel frustration at things like this. Instead, I'm letting that frustration turn to anger about those who are less than supportive of others. 

 Sometimes, I get on my high-horse and feel my views are the right ones, but I guess that every one feels that way about their perspective.  I remember my dad telling me when I was little, "Debra, you get off your high-horse and get in here and do your work."

 Maybe my work is to draw attention to where our focus should lie. Instead of us trying to keep mental tally marks about who is using the most negative rhetoric these days, we should all be focused on Christ as our Lord and Savior. It's our faith in Him, that will lead us to salvation, not whether we are on the right side of the political divide that makes all the difference. In that focus on Christ, we have peace with God. Romans 5: 1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
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

Eating Lunch With a Friend

Luke 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

We were talking over lunch about little kids who grow up thinking they are no good at anything academic. I mentioned a former student who was reluctant to read silently in class when it was time to do so. I talked about how I started reading one-to-one with this student during the Silent Sustained Reading times. I had originally thought that this student avoided reading because he wasn't a good reader, but was surprised to find out I was wrong.

 This student had some strong reading skills, but just didn't know it. My feeling is, he might have felt inferior to a more proficient reader when he was younger and just thought he still wasn't any good at reading, but he was wrong!

 Sometimes when we feel so sinful, unloved, incapable of making good choices in our lives, we're wrong. We sometimes mistakenly think, like my student did, that we aren't capable of making the good choices that Christ would want from us.  Sometimes it's easier to give up on ourselves and feel we are a corrupt tree incapable of good choices, much like the reader I mentioned. But just like the reluctant reader, who really was a good reader, we are often are Good Tree Christians, but just don't realize it yet. 

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

The Beam That's In My Eye

Matthew 7: 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye: and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

This Bible passage has been on my mind quite a bit the last couple of weeks. I've noticed a possible health issue that concerns me about my husband. When I went to the doctor's office for a check-up, I mentioned my the possibility of my husband's health issue. He more or less told me, let's get your health issues with your eyes taken care of, first, before we address any possible health issues with your husband.

 It made this passage so meaningful plus it made me realize that it almost precisely parallels what the passage says only with health issues instead of behavior choices. I realize that it's so easy to get caught up in observing and making mental notes on how everyone else should improve their lives, their faith, their choices, etc. 

 In reality, I could get caught up in things like this instead of being introspective about my own life, faith and choices. I need to turn to Christ to lead me on this, because I can't do it alone, although I plow through life like I can, sometimes! Unfortunately, I'm deluding myself. I'm Strongest if I'm leaning on the Lord!

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

Six of One and Half a Dozen of Another

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:

I went out to lunch with a group of people. It happened to be on Dad's birthday, so I decided to order a chicken fried steak, gravy and all in memory of Dad. It happens to be the one thing that makes me feel a connection with Dad, but of course, I have to put it into Christ's very capable hands, so that it doesn't become a problem.

 The other people put half of their meals in a Styrofoam box to eat the rest for dinner. I've read that it's a good thing to do for portion control.  I, on the other hand, have found that if I eat only half of my meal, I am more tempted to eat the desserts or snack before the next meal.\

 I guess there's no one right or wrong way to handle this situation. I think it depends on what you do later. The thing is, if I get to playing with "food issues" too much, it's easier to become obsessed with food again, making it a false god where I turn to food for comfort instead of turning to my Savior, my advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!

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

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Links to Other Blogs I Felt Led to Create Below: