johnMark
Not long ago I posted Southern Baptists and the Weight of Gluttony. And God has blessed me from that post through a commenter named Jane. She went through the course I listed in the above mentioned post and has a great testimony I thought should have it's own entry and I don't want to take away from that by saying too much. For your consideration I do want to provide two recent articles reporting on the effects of obesity: The Global Problem of Obesity and Brits Find Obesity Deadlier Than Smoking.
Let's read Jane's testimony that she has graciously allowed me to share that she wrote as she finished the Setting Captives Free Course.
Before starting this course, how much I ate seemed to me to be completely disconnected from my spiritual life. I would go to church or a Bible study and then go home or out to eat and eat a big meal without giving it a second thought. I would snack throughout the day (while listening to Christian radio as I did my housework) and never realize how I was turning to food instead of Christ. To my shame, it didn’t occur to me to give the Lord control of my eating habits and patterns.
I have never been thin, but I really packed on the pounds over the course of two pregnancies. This excess weight didn’t come off even during my children’s busy toddler years. Sadly, I had convinced myself that I would always be overweight and that it was an area of my life that I would just have to live with.
I was blind and I had bought a lie!
God started speaking to me through this course as I worked through the very first lesson. The fact that God wanted me to learn about how to eat and drink to His glory struck a deep chord in my heart. I was absolutely delighted that God was very interested in demonstrating His strength as I sought to honor Him in what I ate and drank.
While doing this course I have learned about when it’s okay for me to eat and when I should refrain. I have learned to use scripture to combat urges to snack. I have studied about the proper role that food needs to have in my life and have turned more often to the true source of real satisfaction and nourishment; Jesus Christ.
My eating habits have drastically changed. I seldom eat between meals. I almost never eat after dinner. And I am exercising regularly.
The bottom line is that food doesn’t have the pull on me that it used to have. I have been set free.
I have lost over 20 pounds and I have a lot more weight to lose. My outside will eventually catch up with the change that has happened on my inside. I am so thankful that God is teaching me these lessons at this time in my life. I could have been in bondage for who knows how many more years or additional pounds, but instead God has used the truths in the course to change me forever. God is good, and faithful, and committed to sanctifying me to His glory alone. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Thank you Setting Captives Free!
Thank you for the blessing Jane,
Mark
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4 comments:
This was a great post on a taboo subject. Thank you John Mark. I come from a family that never taught me how to eat with any sort of wisdom. I still struggle to eat correctly.
The question I have is this: If a member of a church was on crack or was an alcoholic, I think an elder would probably step in, and find out what is going on.
Should an Elder confront someone who is seriously overweight? Obviously, something is going on, and that something is spiritual.
My apologies in posting something off-topic but I come in peace! I am a friend of John Bugay and an old regular at NTRMIN. I hope it is OK to post a website for your perusal, to pray for the Califorina fires. You can acces it at:
http://whenthechurchprays.blogspot.com/
I'll be back to read more of your blog.
Thanx!
Ali
James,
I've thought about that too. One does not have to be overweight or obese to be a glutton. But the person may have a problem with food. If there are emotional reasons they eat too much too often there is most likely a spiritual issue tied to it.
Being in the SBC I wish I heard more about this topic rather than just hearing jokes about it. The 100lb over weight preacher who lectures about not having one beer whose face gets so red that it looks like his head is about to pop off has his own issues. Sure, we all have our own issues and excess eating is one we don't like to talk about.
As with anything if it gets out of hand and starts controlling you there's a problem. I think an elder should lovingly confront someone in such a condition... including themselves.
Mark
p.s. Pornography is another taboo subject.
Good points JM.
I think that it's common to point fingers at other people's sin: drinking, drugging, adultery, homosexuality, divorce, etc.
But, all of sudden, when the fingers point back at us to some "socially" accepted sin, its a different story. C'mon now,this isn't really a sin problem.
It reminds me of Paul's list of sins in Romans 1...he starts with the big ones, and then gets us all!
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