Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
If you’ve been following the blog in the past 10 months (or even longer) or you are participating in the 2014 Thin Within Workbook Class, you have probably read or heard a lot about the importance of renewing our mind when it comes to changing the way we have been eating. And this week the workbook study is talking about God’s grace. Recently, the Lord has shown me something spectacular that I wanted to share.
I understood the importance of renewing my mind, which for me has meant taking time each day (at least once a day, if not twice), to read my truth cards. I’ve also been very slowly going through Barb Raveling’s book, Taste For Truth, which is all about renewing our minds when it comes to our weight loss journey. I understood why I needed to renew my mind in a proactive way (before the temptation to overeat), but what I was having a hard time understanding was how to renew my mind after I’ve overeaten.
And then one night last week I had one of those moments of eating way more than my body needed. I stopped immediately after the incident and sat down with my journal, truth cards, and my iPhone that has Barb Raveling’s app ‘I Deserve a Donut’ and also the new Thin Within app. The first thing I did was I wrote to the Lord in my journal, telling Him about what happened, asking Him to forgive me, and asking Him for help. I also wrote down how my body felt after eating too much. I also noted that I hadn’t spent time earlier that day renewing my mind. Then I wrote down the reason I don’t like overeating. I opened the section on Barb’s app about regret, which I hadn’t noticed before. It fit perfectly to how I was feeling and what I was thinking. I answered the questions in my head and read through the scriptures. And then I went to the Thin Within app and wrote down some of the scriptures in my journal that were under ‘failure’. Those scriptures were:
The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. Psalm 25:8
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
After I spent time renewing my mind after I felt like I had failed, I no longer felt like a failure, and I no longer carried this regret or condemnation. I felt renewed in my mind and like I was back right where I needed to be. Praise the Lord! It was such an encouragement to see how God worked in all of that, and all I had to do was take the time to sit in His presence. I’m so thankful for His mercy and grace!
I believe it was a day or two after that incident that I read something really refreshing from Barb’s Taste for Truth book. She said, “You are not set free by following your boundaries perfectly. You’re set free by the renewing of your mind. Failure is an opportunity to renew your mind once again.” That REALLY spoke to me! I even wrote it in my truth cards. And in my own words I wrote this:
I am set free because of what God does when I renew my mind.
I am set free because I renew my mind.
I follow my boundaries because I renew my mind.
This has given me a whole new outlook on failure. I don’t have to look at failure as an “oh well, I failed, I guess I might as well eat” or beat myself over the head with the club of condemnation. I can now look at failure as yet another reason I can renew my mind! I will overcome by going to God each time I fail. I come to Him, He helps me, I am set free, and then I can move forward.
I had a moment today and after I sat down and renewed my mind. The Lord met me and again, I was able to move forward with no regrets and with His amazing peace. I feel like I’ve found this key to overcoming and I’m just so excited! I will renew my mind about this as long as it needs to take, even if I have to fill journal upon journal. I am not going to give up! I know there is power in the Word of God! I will stand upon the Rock of Christ Jesus! He is helping me and through Him I am victorious! Amen!
How about you?
What do you think would happen if you spent time renewing your mind after you feel like you’ve failed? I truly believe that each time we go to God and renew our mind after we’ve eaten outside of our boundaries that we are going to one day find that we are no longer going to give in to the temptation to overeat. It won’t even be an issue anymore. I look at taking the time to renew my mind as part of the victory! The Lord wants us to come to Him after we’ve had a “moment”; He wants to meet with us and fill us with His truth and love!
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Chrisitna – this was just what I needed today! I “failed” staying in one of my secondary boundaries last night. So, after reading your post, I pulled out my journal and “donut” app and journaled on regret. I also had never noticed this in the emotion category. So helpful! As an aside, I have been using the app daily for over a week and wow! It really helps me to see the lies and the Truth. Thank you for taking time to share what God has shared with you!
I’m so glad this was such an encouragement to you, Carrie! And that’s so awesome how you took time to renew your mind this morning. Praise God!
Christina, this journey with you keeps getting better and better. I am so grateful for all of Barb’s materials, too…and am glad God is using them in such a powerful way in your life. God is, indeed, doing a new thing! Thank you for sharing here how God has worked in your life. Walking us through this so-called “failure” with you was great! God is awesome!
Heidi, He is doing a new thing! I was just looking back through my journal this morning to when I was really having a hard time back in the spring of last year. The Lord has done SO much since that time. Thank you for praying for me and for encouraging me!
Christina,
Thank you for sharing your heart so freely today in this blog. It is so helpful. I understand something clearer and deeper now…because of what you wrote. Failure is merely an invitation from God to renew my mind again. This is going to take me to the next level in Him and victory.
Just love your blog,
Cathy
Cathy, I really like the way you worded that: “faith is merely an invitation from God to renew my mind again.” Exactly!!
Thank you for sharing. Will need to make some truth cards from this especially where you put in your own words – I am set free b/c of what Christ does when I renew my mind and the following statements. Appreciate your insights!
Jolene, so glad you were encouraged by this! And what a great idea of adding to your truth cards. I love when I find truths to add to mine!
I needed this today. I was really running this race and doing so well and then BAM! Sidetracked. I have been so frustrated that I even researched gastric bypass today. 🙁 I need to renew my mind daily and without that I just can’t seem to step off the path of overeating. Gonna keep pressing towards this!
Adriane, I want to encourage you that each time you have a “moment” of feeling like you’ve failed, to ASAP grab your journal, truth cards, your Bible, a phone app listed above, or whatever you have, and just talk to the Lord, look up scriptures, write down scriptures, answer the questions, or whatever it takes. I truly believe that each time you do, the better it will get. And then you won’t need the gastric bypass. God wants to deal with the inner issues of your reason for overeating. And He will do this each time you go to Him after a “moment”. He wants to meet with you. Renewing our mind makes a HUGE difference! Also, you just wrote a blog post yesterday, and from my own experience, the enemy comes and wants to kill, steal, and destroy the Lord’s work. I’m attacked a lot for writing on the blog. Keep on keeping on, girl! You can do this with God’s strength!
Thank you for your encouragement! I am sitting now surrounded by all of my renewing my mind material. I know the enemy would love for me to give up. This has been such a fight!! Sometimes I feel like I just lay down and give up and I know the enemy wants that too. I have struggled with the eating a lot lately and just like my post yesterday, I have backed off from God. I feel frustrated for knowing better and still doing that. Renewing my mind now though and I appreciate the encouragement and prayers. I actually starting thinking this afternoon of all the people I know and I have to say that I have never known anyone to have gastric bypass and get all the way down and stay down at that weight so I know it is not the answer.
Hi Christina
I got so excited after reading your blog…thank you so much….I got my truth cards out right away and was writing down a whole lot of truth from your blog…this past few days after eating within my boundaries until late afternoon and then I have overeaten…I realize I am mentally, emotionally and physically tired from my day and that is why I got online to read something today at this vulnable hour in my day….God is so gracious…I am so encouraged by your words and will embrace God’s grace and truth every time I feel tempted.or slip up ..this is Victory in Christ…Thank you
Gillian, praise God! I’m so glad you were encouraged and added some things to your truth cards!