Nicole actually wrote me over 1 month ago in response to my “Women Food and God” review. She wrote that it drew her to tears and the message that God wants to heal your pain really spoke to her. She told me then that it inspired her to confront her own eating behavior and to write a poem about it.

And this week, she sent that poem to me. I read most of it with my hand over my mouth, overcome with emotion.

I asked Nicole if I could share her story and poem with you. She agreed to share all of it. I believe it will be the catalyst for others who are hurting to turn to God for comfort rather than food, just as Nicole did.

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For many years, I did not truly trust God for my comfort. I begin eating to replace the pain of not having my parents in my life, then to cover or mask my fears, anxieties, or disappointments.  A few years ago, I ate also to replace my appetite for other things that I desired but could not have such as sexual pleasure and intimacy. Funny, how we use something that God gave us to enjoy and pervert it with addictive and abusive behaviors. This world and country is in denial that food is the next hit, shot, and overdose. Marketing and the food industry has obliged us with bigger, larger, and heavier portions for our delicacies and appetites.

Just recently I read on a blog, view God as the one who loves you so much that He wants heal your pain — instead of viewing Him as judge and condemning.  God is not condemning.  At that very moment, I became not the same.  I have been on this journey for a long time to lose the pounds of the pain; I am really set free to receive Him as my comforter.  I knew and adored Him as my redeemer, but now I trust Him as my lover and friend. I made a decision to Trust God for Comfort.   I was led to write a poem about it.

Trusting God for Comfort

How can I trust you when I could not let go.  When I would not say no —

How can I say yes to you, when in my mind was a “maybe.”

Once I thought I was stuck here, caught in an illusion — a dreamer deferred — it did not occur to me He died also for me to be freed in this area indeed.

Where were you comforter, when my mommy left me and my daddy stopped looking?

Where was comfort, when self-doubt, defeat, desires unmet was present?

I found comfort at 7 years old in a rice bowl, neckbones, and a glass of tea–really sweet!

All those days, I would wait and declare this is the day she would come for me — I am going to hide her in the closet so she can’t leave.  She has been running for so long — I guess that is where I learned it.

Where was my comfort? — it was in the second and third plate and a Dairy Queen’s Parfait.

Broken heart, broken promises, and potential not fulfilled — I thought it was better to pretend than to feel — that they loved me, comforted me, and was the real deal. I was so messed up, I pretended when he touched me it was a bad dream. Then, one day many years as an adult I remembered and he thought I used food because I felt so unclean. Maybe I did….

I had to ask the questions — what am I hungry for and what is eating at me?

Now on those long nights when my peace is dim and sleeping is hard, I reach out to Elohim to keep me and bring me peace.  God is the only one that can make us complete.  In my singleness, He is my source of protection, refuge, comforter, and redeemer.

I trust God for a “just right, Holy Spirit filled” man that is available, willing, and actively pursuing me.  Our Almighty God is waiting for us.  He wants to woo, love, and dine with us. What a beautiful dance it is to dance with the Heavenly Father!

I am a daughter of the Most High King. He is a mother to the motherless and a father to the fatherless.  I am royal and peculiar.  [He will redeem the time and heal the pain]

I am more precious than rubies.

I am valued and loved.

I am truly comforted by the Holy Spirit. He indwells and renews me daily.

I have come to learn how to Trust God for my comfort and so much more…

I rest in His Glory and I offer to you to open your heart and Trust in His comfort and receive eternal life.

©2010. All rights Reserved.  No duplication.
C. N. Henderson Speak LIFE Ministries

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Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

In fact, the word “devil” comes from the Greek word “diavolos” which means ‘slanderer’ or ‘accuser’. If you allow slander or accusation to rule your mind, then mental strongholds are built that drive you to destructive habits. That will eventually ruin your life.

To be victorious, you must be faithful in “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)”.

I have a special article by Rhonda Jones of thechristianmeditator.com to assist you with that. Rhonda shares some excellent advice on how to renew your mind to God’s word and defeat negative thinking habits for good.
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How to Defeat Negative Thoughts with Christian Meditation

by Rhonda Jones

As Christians we are in a battle everyday of our lives. It is not a battle with our mates, kids, friends, or even our bosses. The greatest battle that faces every believer is the battle with his or her own mind. But what does it mean to battle with the mind? Our minds or thoughts are usually contrary to God and the scriptures. Instead of focusing on faith we focus on fear. Instead of focusing on abundance, we focus on lack. Instead meditating on the word of God, we meditate on news, sitcoms, and negative thinking. These thoughts steal our peace and joy, and interfere with living out God’s promises.

Here is what the Bible says about our minds:

• Romans 1:28: “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”

• Ephesians 4:23: “to be made new in the attitude of your minds.”

• 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

• Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern (conditioning) of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Paul said it best in Romans 7:21 when he stated that he knows what to do, but has trouble doing it.

• “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

You can see from these scriptures that believers truly have a mind problem. Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us to cast down every fiery dart that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. This is easier said than done because many of our thoughts are unconscious. They just play like a broken record in the back of our heads over and over again and we live our lives according to what they are telling us. It’s kind of like living on autopilot.

So how does Christian meditation help believers bring healing to their minds? Christian meditation helps us to still our minds so that we can observe the subtle and subconscious thoughts that we’re thinking. Spend a day recording every thought that comes to mind. Write it down. Then review your thoughts at the end of the day.

I had my daughter do this for a day and every thought she wrote down was negative and debilitating: “no one will ever hire me, I’m a failure, I’m ugly,” etc. It was no wonder she was having so many emotional problems at the time. Do you know that we would never let another person talk to use like this, but too often we say horrible things about ourselves.

The good news is that once you know what is going on in your head you can do something about it. You can change your thoughts and change your life. You can replace negative thoughts with God’s word.

By getting still and quieting your mind and filling it with the truth of God’s word through Christ-center meditation you can uproot negative thinking and replace it with thoughts of peace, joy, and purpose.

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Rhonda Jones is the author of a series of Christian meditation and relaxation CDs that encourages listeners to relax, spend more quality time with God, and learn to live more consciously and in the present.

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I hope this article blessed you. Go ahead now and check out Rhonda’s Christian Meditation sample so you can see how it works. Just click the link below, scroll down the page and you can listen to the sample. See for yourself how relaxing and soothing it can be:

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S Please share this message with your email lists, on forums you visit, or on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages. I need your help in getting the message out. Thank you in advance!

Note: Below is my original review of Women Food and God. Since then, I have since taken a closer look at the book and recorded a video with my additional thoughts. You can listen to it at the end of this post.

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You may have heard of a new book called “Women Food and God” by Geneen Roth about compulsive overeating. I heard it was featured on Oprah, but I discovered it by accident while browsing popular books on Amazon. The title intrigued me, so I bought it.

But I stopped reading on page 16. More about that later, but first I want to share a conversation I read on an earlier page. The author has a retreat for women who compulsively overeat and this is what one attendee told her over dinner. It is startling:

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Laurie, a thirty-five year old CEO of a Boston mortgage company, raises her hand. “I am not hungry, but I want to be. I want to eat anyway.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“Because it looks good and it’s here, right now. It’s the best comfort in town. What’s wrong with wanting comfort from food?”

“Not a thing,” I say. “Food is good and comfort is good. Except that when you are not hungry and you want comfort, food is only a temporary pallative; why not address the discomfort directly?”

“It’s too hard to address things directly, too painful, and there isn’t any end to it. And if it’s going to be endlessly painful, then at least I have food,” she answers.

“So you figure that the best you can get out of life is cold vegetable soup?”

When she talks again, her voice is quivering. “It’s the only true comfort I have and I am not going to deprive myself of it.”

______________________

That hurt my heart because I was once in the same place as Laurie. Even though I was “saved,” I did not trust God for comfort. At that time, I didn’t view him as one who loved me and could heal my pain. Instead, I viewed him as ready to judge and condemn me.

Reading that conversation alone was worth the cost of Women Food and God for me, but I stopped reading on page 16 because of this author statement: “It doesn’t matter whether we believe in one God, many gods, or no god.”

Oh, but it does matter! I believe there is no such thing as a weight management issue; it is all ultimately a life management issue.

Your belief about God determines how you view life, approach it, and what you expect from it. If you believe there is no god, then all you have is yourself as the compass to discern what is good and right. And we know all know how self-deceptive humans can be.

If you believe in many gods, then how do you know which to follow in a given situation? God is not the author of confusion.

I believe in the God who says in Isaiah 44:6: “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me  there is no God.”

It makes a big difference when you view yourself as a daughter (or son) of the King.

I believe in the God who heals as said in Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”

And I believe in the God who comforts, protects, and leads me in the right way as said in Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

I have a personal relationship with the one true God, which I obtained through the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6): Jesus.

So I say to Laurie and to anyone else suffering from compulsive eating: “God is the true source of comfort and he wants you to expect more from life than cold vegetable soup! He wants you to experience eternal life, which is that you may know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent.”

Open up your heart and let God comfort you. Trust him and you will be healed.

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Video Follow-up Review: Author’s Views on God

Did you find this information on overcoming compulsive eating useful? You can learn a lot more about starting the healing process through achieving a closer relationship with God and how to achieve healthy weight loss. Check out my Take Back Your Temple eBook and the 8 bonuses that come with it.

Click here to learn more.

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

In this article, I want to share my answer to that question as well as some other controversial questions surrounding weight loss programs for Christians and then, my thoughts on the ideal Christian weight loss program.

The questions I will answer include:

• Does God really care about our weight?
• Can I ‘shame and guilt’ my way into changing?
• If I fall short in my weight loss plan, do I disappoint God?
• What is the best Christian weight loss approach?
• Can I eliminate the desire for quick fixes?

So let’s get started with the questions…

Does God really care about our weight?

No, God does not care what you weigh. The bible says that man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). God loves you just as much at a size 28 as at a size 8. Nothing you do can make Him love you more than he does now.

What does God care about? Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are called to glorify God in body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In John 15:8, Jesus tells us how we glorify God: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

The fruit that Jesus is talking about is the fruit of the Spirit. We are to bear much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Any thoughts or behavior in your life that have become weeds hindering the fruit that you bear concern God. In my case, compulsive overeating was that behavior – one that I was using to hide myself from emotional pain. My excess weight was just an outward manifestation of what was going on in my heart.

So you see, the real issue is not about size, but stewardship. God can teach you how to become a good steward of your body and remove the hindrances that keep you from bearing fruit. Humble yourself and pray the same prayer that King David prayed in Psalm 139: 23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Caring for your body requires wisdom and balance. Only with God’s help can you gain both. As I learned to build my health through following Godly wisdom in my eating behavior and through disciplining my body with regular exercise, my weight took care of itself.

I’ll discuss this point more later in the article.

Can I ‘shame and guilt’ myself into changing?

I’ve read many articles about weight loss for Christians, and some seem to endorse the “shame your way to change” approach. But that approach does not work. Well, not for long!

Why? Because shame and guilt ignores the grace of God. Trying to use shame as a motivator ultimately leads to frustration, hopelessness, discouragement, and depression.

But meditating on the grace of God, his goodness, and his love for you constantly leads to a renewed heart and inspires repentance (a change of heart and mind). You acknowledge that God personally formed every part of your body skillfully and wonderfully, and you want to honor him by taking care of it.

A change in daily behavior is evidence of true repentance.

If I fall short in my weight loss plan, do I disappoint God?

The other issue I’ve seen is Christians thinking they are “disappointing God” by falling short in their weight loss plan. But this too is an error in thinking. Disappointment comes about when you expect something of a person and are surprised when they don’t come through. But God already knows everything about you. He knows about your mistakes before you make them! So how can you ever disappoint him? Not only that, but he already has a plan in place to help you recover!

Secondly, there is really no way that you can fall short if you use each mistake as a building block, not a stumbling block. What can you learn from the mistake that can propel you forward?

God is ever patient in teaching you the right way and leading you in the way you should go. Remember Philippians 1:6: “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. With that in mind, resolve to never give up on yourself. Hold fast to your confidence.

What is the best Christian weight loss approach?

Scripture says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So any thoughts or behaviors that are contrary to God’s word, that takes away your joy, and that disrupts your peace concern God. All of these hinder your ability to fulfill the purpose for which God created you.

Remember that Jesus said that his food was to do the will of God? As his disciples, it is our mission as well.

Let me cover what should be different in how a Christian approaches weight loss. The differences arise from:

• Our identity
• Our reason
• Our methods

Our Identity

We are disciples of Jesus Christ and our aim is to walk as he walked.  In Revelation 1: 5-6, we are told that Jesus through his sacrifice has made us kings and priest to God. In Romans 5:17, scripture says that we who have received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus.

In contrast, I remember my past struggle with emotional eating issues. I felt out of control with certain foods, feeling they controlled me rather than me reigning over them! And I felt powerless to change the other habits that led to my weight gain.

It was only by assuming my true identity in Christ that I gained victory. When I had a severe chest pain at 240 pounds and God whispered to me, “It is not supposed to be this way” then I chose to believe him. I had to open myself up to his leading in the way it was supposed to be.

In the process, I admitted my weakness; I asked God for help in prayer daily and walked out the guidance he gave me daily in rooting out the habits that were destroying my health.

I also learned to appreciate my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. It was not an overnight change, but it certainly is a lasting one!

But an effective Christian weight loss program teaches us to restore a right relationship to food. God created food for us to enjoy, to give us energy, and to provide the raw materials for our bodies to repair and rebuild themselves. But food was never meant to control our lives.

Hebrews 12:1 urges all of us, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

The Method

An ideal weight loss program for Christians would use biblical principles to guide us into reaching our best weight.

When I created Take Back Your Temple, one of the guiding scriptures is this one from Proverb 23: 1-3:

“When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

Consider carefully what is before you;

And put a knife to your throat

If you are a man given to appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies,

For they are deceptive food.”

Two principles are given regarding eating – eating with wisdom and eating with self control.

Eating with wisdom

You are the ruler in this case since most of the time, you are serving food to yourself. So the guidance is to consider your food carefully. Not be anxious over it, not worry over it, but do consider it.

One thing to consider first is what a privilege it is to have food to eat at all.  As you know, many people in the world do not have food, so it’s not a small thing that you have the ability to get food. That’s something to be grateful for.

With being able to get food comes responsibility to ensure that the food you eat helps you and doesn’t hurt you. Scripture says that some food is deceptive. Many modern processed foods (those found in a bag, box, or can) impair your body’s natural hunger/fullness signals, which can lead to out-of-control cravings and overeating. Remember the potato chip slogan, “Bet you can’t eat just one”? It is true! That statement applies to many junk foods and the manufacturers like it that way. The more you eat, the more money for them.

So make it your business to learn about the foods that you tend to eat and the effect they have on your body. I advise you to pay at least as much attention to what you put in your body as what you put on it.

When you shift your focus from losing weight to building health, your body will naturally reach the weight that is best for you.

Eating with self control

The bible puts it bluntly, “Put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.” One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of self control. You already have it but like any muscle, it must be exercised to grow stronger.

One aspect of self control is to learn to eat when your body is hungry. If you have a weight problem, chances are you have disconnected from your body’s natural hunger signals.

Proverbs 23:21 says, “For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” The implication here is that when you practice gluttony (overeating), you become drowsy and when you are drowsy, your judgment is impaired.

To hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, your mind must be alert and sharp. But if you are going through life with brain fog (as I was when I overindulged regularly with food) then you are more likely to make decisions that you will regret later.

Discipline your body

I believe that as you increase your physical strength it enhances your mental and emotional strength. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, the apostle Paul says “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

A regular exercise program shows you vividly that your body is your servant, not your master. Remember that as you go about the work God has called you to, your spirit does not get tired but your mind and body can.

So you want to do everything you can to improve your physical strength, endurance, and flexibility so that your physical condition can better respond to spiritual demands.

Can you eliminate the desire for quick fixes?

I don’t believe it is possible to eliminate the desire for a quick fix. I think that is part of our sin/flesh nature. It’s like little children on a road trip to Disney World continually asking their parents, “Are we there yet?” When little children want something good, they don’t want to wait to get it. They want it now!

But as mature believers, we recognize the truth of the scripture that says that we inherit God’s promises through faith and patience (see Hebrews 6:12). Patience is part of the fruit of the spirit and as I mentioned previously with self-control, it must be exercised to grow (see Galatians 5:22).

With that being said, you’ll never get to “Disney World” as long as you stay at home. You have to get on the right road to it. Then once you are on the road, you can enjoy the trip by reminding yourself that you will get there in time – encourage yourself continually. You can also amuse yourself by making your goal a game daily. For example, count how many healthy choices you make each day and every day try to match or beat your previous score.

Finally enjoy the scenery along the way…notice you getting stronger, fitter, faster than you were before. Notice better muscle tone. Notice less shortness of breath. All of these will ensure that you will not only enjoy your ideal size when you get it, but enjoy yourself all the way to it.

I hope this article clearly provides my stand on some controversial Christian weight loss questions. And if weight is an issue for you, ask God to show you wisdom in how to handle it.

I am not special – the victory he gave to me, he can give to you!

Kim

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book