ANYTHING?

OK, I know that this may seem as though I've flipped but I really think that I made a wonderful discovery yesterday.  You see, while the children and Robert played, "Scotland Yard," I read the next chapter in the book that Elizabeth blessed me with called, "THE PEARL BOX."  The subtitle reads: Breaking the bondage of disease through Biblical tools for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. 
  THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE BOOK AND I URGE EVERY CHRISTIAN TO BUY IT AND START USING IT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY!  It's self-explanatory and there are many insights about recovering from illness that I have not read anywhere else.  The most awesome part is that the author, Sylvia Rogers, shows how to use Scripture to break the patterns of illness!!

So I was reading along and found this healing pearl:  LET THE WEAK SAY, "I AM STRONG."  Sylvia explains that when we think we are strong, we are deceiving ourselves but when we admit that we are weak, then God can come in and strengthen us for ANY personal battle that we are facing. 

  At this point, the author shared the story about a man who was trying to quit smoking.  He had tried many times to quit, but without success.  He met a pastor who offered to help him.  The man assumed that the pastor was going to tell him again to JUST STOP.  However, the pastor gave him permission to smoke as he wished with the condition that each time he thought of a cigarette; bought a pack; lit up; or took a puff, he was to proclaim out loud, "I AM FREE OF SMOKING!"   The man agreed to give it a try and had completely quit smoking within a few weeks!

"WOW" I thought, "I wonder if that would work for my battle with over-eating?" 

As I pondered this, though, I could see that it wouldn't work in exactly the same way as one cannot just stop eating forever.  I was almost ready to move on in my thinking when an interesting thought ran through my mind, "What if I stopped denying myself food?"  You know, "I can't have sesame seeds or MSG because I go anaphylactic." "I can't have strawberries and grapes because they're cooling."  "I can't have starches because they make my body store fat.".............................."

  I next heard the verse, "Behold I have come to give them life and life abundant."

"What in the world are you saying to me, Lord?" I asked.

Every once in awhile I actually hear Him speaking to me and this was one of those times.  "Dawn," He said, "you're so into protecting yourself through removing foods that may make you sick that you totally have missed that I gave you food to nourish AND to give you delight in this world." 

"DELIGHT IN FOOD?"  HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM  "What are you saying, Lord?"

"I'm saying that I want you to be able to enjoy any (clean) foods that you want to eat! I want you to ENJOY life."

"EAT ANYTHING?"

"Dawn, when you get so wrapped up in protecting yourself from food, you totally miss the blessing that I intended food to be to you mortals.  PLUS when you deny yourself a piece of bread because of the starches, it only makes you want it more.  It puts me, GOD, in the position of the bad guy for giving you the bread which is meant to be a blessing.  In this way, you have made the BREAD your god in that IT is more important to you than I am!!!!!!!!"

I was trembling with excitement and I let these thoughts sort through my mind for a few moments.  "Are you saying, Lord, that I can eat anything that I want?"

"ANYTHING--as long as you are thankful for it.  By doing this, you WILL break the hold that food has on you.  Because you are sinful, you WANT what you think you cannot have.  By making it available to yourself, You WILL break the hold that food has had on your mind through the many years of dieting."

WOW--IT WORKED.  Almost immediately after this, Cora asked me to pop some popcorn.  Now, if you know me at all, you know how much I love to pop popcorn AND to eat popcorn.  Since I've been following THE NEW ME DIET, though, I have felt guilty for enjoying it's crunchiness.  However last night when I looked at the large bowl of fresh popcorn, I told myself, "I can eat all of the popcorn that I want."  As a result, "I only ate 3 pieces" and was overjoyed knowing that I could eat the whole bowl if I had wanted to. 

Do you see what I'm saying?  Because we're sinful, we want what is not good for us.  When, in our flesh, we decide that we WILL conquer ourselves, we are doomed to fail.  However, when we let God direct our thinking, He WILL help us to conquer our sinful natures.  Maybe this wouldn't work for you, but I urge you to give it a try.  If it doesn't, though, keep asking the Lord for what will help you to overcome temptation and be prepared to enter into a truly joyful life.

Want some popcorn?

Dawn