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(Thin Within – Lessons: Day 3, Week 3)
GOING DEEPER ~ Do you feel as if you’re held captive by food and eating? How has this area of life kept you from doing all that God has planned for you?
Yes, I feel as though I’m held captive. I hate that I’m often unable to participate in activities with my kids because of my weight, or my lack of endurance/strength. I don’t volunteer for things because I’m either too self-conscious or too tired.
BIBLE STUDY ~ Read Jeremiah 29:12-14a. What does it show you about God’s deliverance from any captivity you may be experiencing? Read Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 1:5, and Zephaniah 3:17. Write down what these Scriptures say about God’s view of you, and His plan for your life.
Jeremiah 29:12-14a ~ He will end our captivity and restore our “fortunes”. He’ll gather us from faraway “nations” and bring us home.
Jeremiah 31:3 ~ He loves us with an everlasting love and draws us to Himself.
Ephesians 1:5 ~ He adopted us into His family, and He was pleased to do so.
Zephaniah 3:17 ~ He lives among us; He is a mighty savior; He takes delight in us; He calms all of our fears; He rejoices over us with singing.
KNOWING GOD BY HEART ~ Find synonyms for the word “love”… How do these words give you a deeper understanding of God as love? Read 1 John 4:8-10,19 and John 3:16. What do these Scriptures tell you about God?
LOVE = cherish :: devotion :: adore
God cherishes and adores us, and is devoted to us, His children.
1 John 4:8-10,19 ~
- God is love, so if we don’t love, we don’t know God
- God sent His son to die in our place to show His great love for us.
- real love = God loving us and offering up His son in our place
- v.19 ~ God loved us first, thereby enabling us to love others
John 3:16 ~
- God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to die in our place so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with Him.
GETTING PRACTICAL ~ Keep the phrase “when in doubt, leave it out” in mind as you wait for hunger. It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re hungry when you may in fact be at a 1 or 2 on the hunger scale. Prayerfully invite God to direct you when you’re uncertain or in doubt. Make a prepared plan for those times of doubt, so that you’ll be ready when you’re bombarded by the overwhelming desire to eat.
My Plan: If I’m not really hungry, I will distract myself by any one of the following activities:
- blog / check emails
- journal
- do Bible study homework
- practice my Spanish
- go for a walk / do my workout
(Thin Within – Lessons: Day 2, Week 1)
GOING DEEPER ~ This week’s lesson refers to a performance-based pendulum swing. One side represents the pride associated with an ability to lose weight through sheer self-effort, and the other side depicts the extreme of giving up on the weight loss effort and eating everything in sight. Have you had any experience with these two extremes? How does this cycle contribute to a feeling of hopelessness?
I’ve been on both ends, and it wears you out to be constantly swinging back and forth. One minute you think you’ve got it all figured out, and the next you’re having a pity party where only you and the cheesecake are invited. :-& When you flop back to the “I give up” side, it feels as if you’ll never learn; as if you’ll always struggle with this problem.
BIBLE STUDY ~ God uses His living and active Word to convict us and call us to righteous choices (Hebrews 4:12). Read Ephesians 2:4-9. Note the things God has done for you. According to verse 4, why has He done all of this? Read Ephesians 1:3-8 and replace the word “us” with your own name. Try to put into words how all of these verses speak to your heart.
God has… loved us so much :: gave us life through Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection :: raised us from the dead :: seated us in the heavenlies :: united us with Christ :: pointed to us as examples for future generations :: saved us by His grace.
v.4 ~ He did this because He loved/loves us so much, and because He is rich in mercy.
Eph.1:3-8 ~ my response: It is SO much more powerful when you insert your own name into the verses! I really feel that this was done for me, and not just for “everyone else” alone.
KNOWING GOD BY HEART ~ We continue to grow in our knowledge of God by looking at 1 Corinthians 13. Since God is love, replace the word “love” in verses 4-8 with “God”. Record how God reveals Himself to you. Use this revelation of God to guide you in worship of Him.
“God is patient and kind. God is not jealous, or boastful, or proud, or rude. God does not demand His own way. God is not irritable, and He keeps no record of being wronged. God does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance… God will last forever!“
My response: “God keeps no record of being wronged“, and yet, so often I feel like He’s hanging onto His anger over something I have done, and that I have to keep trying to make it up somehow…that I have to appease Him.
GETTING PRACTICAL ~ Journal as you reflect on the last twenty-four hours. As you’ve paid specific attention to your body and your hunger numbers, what have you discovered? Have you been able to find “0″? Write down your body’s specific indications of hunger…
Well, I wasn’t really attentive to my body’s hunger signals today… I ate mindlessly, and gave into cravings when I knew I wasn’t really hungry. BUT, having former experience with this (having paid attention on other days), I know that my body’s signals of true hunger start with a fuzzy-headed feeling (or, lightheadedness), and then a headache and shakiness. Sometimes I get a growl in my stomach, but not usually. It’s the lightheadedness/headache/shaky thing that always lets me know I’m going to need to eat real soon. If I get to the headache, I’ve gone too far (waited too long).
Finding “0″ is never a problem for me, really. I recognize that very easily. It’s the stopping at “5″ thing that I always seem to have trouble with.
