by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 23, 2010 | Blog
God said to Moses, “I am who I am .
This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “
– Exodus 3:14
Are you tired of the pit of despair? I have lived enough days in that pit. I am done with it! I now choose to reject any thoughts that aren’t going to lift me up where God calls me to be. I will take captive the thoughts that are about “poor” me.
Instead, this day, I choose to focus on the amazing, majestic, holy, compassionate Lord who calls me his beloved!
He will LIFT my vision!
He will encourage my heart!
When I wonder where I can go, what will be my satisfaction, delight, sustenance, he responds with the name he has given himself through the ages:
“I AM.”
Whatever my need, whatever my question, his answer is “I AM.”
When we foster an attitude of heartfelt gratitude, we find ourselves in a place where we experience His power and strength lifting us like wind beneath our wings.
What choice will you make in THIS moment? Will you allow the seed of discontentment to sprout? Or will you squelch that and sow, instead, a seed of gratitude? Let’s pick our heart’s joy! Let’s choose HIM! His ways and His joy!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 22, 2010 | Blog
You are making your way through Day 2, Day 3, and Day 17 this week.
In addition, as you have time, consider these questions and tasks:
1.) During Day Two, we read about God’s character. You have also been keeping a running list of all of his attributes and the ways he deals with his people. Which of these characteristics and attributes has come home most deeply and warmly to your own heart in the past few days? What characteristic do you feel most distant from experiencing, but would like to experience first hand in a fresh way?
2.) During the goal setting activity in Day Three, I want to caution you…remain focused on the Lord and His love and will for you. Please don’t fixate on numbers. If I could adjust anything about this book, it would probably be this chapter as many people misunderstand the focus here…they are so willing to return to focusing on sizes, weight, measurements. Please ask God to help you to understand what He wants for you in this material. If you have trouble with the goal setting activity, set it aside. Please do not allow it to be a blockade to pressing on. The enemy is crafty!
3.) One reader of the blog (I think it was Peggy) said that she chooses a theme for each day based on one of the attributes of God. I LOVE that idea. Let’s try that! First thing in the morning, let’s praise him for (at least) one of the things on our ever-growing list. Let’s then ask him to walk with us through the day in that way…so if I select “Lord, you are my shepherd,” I will take that through my day, asking God to make me aware of him as my shepherd throughout my day. As you try this (Peggy, tell us how *you* do it, ok?), note how it affects you, your thinking, your speaking, your living, your eating. Ask God to bring it home to you. If he is really sufficient, if we are to FEAST on him, then we have to dig in! 🙂
4.) Try writing down three things you are grateful for each day in your journal or start a gratitude blog online (more on that later this week).
5.) How have you seen practicing random acts of praise affecting your eating? Share that with us if you feel so inclined.
6.) Which key to conscious eating still challenges you the most? Share it with us so we can pray for you. Remember six of the keys are designed to help you to know how/when to do the other two…eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are satisfied. Are you walking in freedom from diet rules? 🙂
This message will post on Tuesday…and I will be at Lake Tahoe with my baby girl enjoying a celebration with friends of her 16th birthday! I will catch up with all of you when I get back. Don’t forget the two opportunities we have to chat this week–Wednesday at 7pm Pacific time and Friday morning at 7AM Pacific time! Hope to see you at one or both!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 21, 2010 | Blog
Can discontentment make us gain weight?
Has an attitude of negativity ever affected your eating habits?
This week, we will focus on fostering a grateful heart, but, first, let’s look at the detriment of a discontented spirit.
During the Exodus out of Egypt, the Israelites saw God do amazing things, but it didn’t take long for them to decide that life was better back in Egypt. When they faced some trials in the present moment, they glorified their past, forgetting the torment of their former slavery.
I can identify, sadly. I think back to days when I gorged myself while watching movies with friends or family. I glorify that past by considering the “fun” and “freedom” of that lifestyle. I fail to remember in those moments that I was in horrible slavery! My body and heart were far from free and I was walking a path that led to physical, emotional, and spiritual health problems!
Please read these selected passages from the book of Numbers to get a feeling for the progression that occurred with the Israelites.
As you can see from these passages:
• The Israelites were discontent with God’s provision for their lives (the manna) and they craved something different.
The discontented heart is always craving; it is never satisfied.
• Israelites rejected manna. But this held deeper significance than just a desire for a change in diet.
Their heart of discontentment was evidence that they rejected God’s best.
They preferred to gratify their fleshly cravings, instead of to feed contentedly on God’s provision for them.
Oh! This is so convicting to me! God provides me with all that my body needs. He does so with abundance. I get to choose from a broad assortment of tastes and textures. Such bounty! Yet, I fuss and complain because if I eat as much as my greedy heart wants, I gain weight and compromise my health. I resentfully think, “How come I can’t get away with doing what I want?” Just like a spoiled child!
God’s best is found in the very place where he has put me.
I don’t want to reject God’s best!
Consider for a moment:
How might eating between 0 and 5 and going to God for all other reasons we might eat, be similar to the Lord feeding His people with manna in the desert? What do you think? I would love to hear from you about this. 🙂
Do you feel prone at all to being discontent at this stage of your Thin Within journey? If not, you may soon! (Well, I hope not, of course!)
You can plan ahead for this! Be proactive! Know that this will come and plan to REJECT thoughts of discontentment or resentment toward God when they come.
Have you heard yourself say (or thought): “I am tired of being hungry!”
This mindset demonstrates my focus is on ME, instead of GOD’s great and marvelous provision: “I get to eat every time I am hungry!”
In fact, some of us struggle with thoughts of “quitting.” It starts with:
“I deserve better.”
“This stinks.”
And similar thoughts.
Satan loves it when we question God’s character – or, like in the garden of Eden, we think: “God is holding out on me.”
Let’s reject these lies!!
Numbers 11 is a sad commentary of the extreme place that discontentment can take us. This is why, during this journey, you will hear me say again and again, let’s get our eyes off of food, our bodies, and ourselves. When these things have our focus, we want to quit.
The antidote to discontentment is praise!
Gratitude!
Choosing to give thanks, even when we may feel something else.
What about you, today? Where is your focus? Are you struggling with discontentment like the Israelites? Choose to shift your focus, your thinking, your speaking, to PRAISE! How about if you take a moment and do so now! 🙂
(Oh…Kim is helping me while I am gone…She knows the material, so while I am gone, Kim will dive in to support you as the Lord leads. THANKS bkimberli!)
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 21, 2010 | Blog
For those in the study of the Thin Within book, this week, please do the following:
1.) Continue to keep a cumulative list of all the characteristics of God and how he treats people.
2.) Take a few minutes at the beginning of your study time each day to ask the Lord to praise him for at least three of the things on your list. Any time you find yourself struggling with “Woe is me” thoughts, trade them for “Great is God” thoughts and use your list to just say back to God his attributes: “God you sustain me, you made me and carry me. Thank you that you rescue me! (Isaiah 46:4)”
3.) Read and complete Day 2, 3, and 17 material.
4.) PRAYERFULLY ask God if you should use any of the tools mentioned in this material (the Observation and Correction chart and the Hunger Graph). Please do NOT use these charts if this hinders your freedom.
5.) Post any insights that God gives you while reading. When you post, you encourage others!
6.) If you can make it to one of the real time chats, please do! The next one is Wednesday evening at 7pm-8pm Pacific Time (8pm Central, 9pm Eastern). Click here to find out how. Friday morning, June 25th, at 7am Pacific is another opportunity. Please join us for one or both! 🙂
I will post more about this week’s material later. I wanted to get this out to you! HAPPY MONDAY! 🙂
(Oh…Kim is helping me while I am gone…She knows the material, so while I am gone, Kim will dive in to support you as the Lord leads. THANKS bkimberli!)
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 20, 2010 | Blog
Hi, everyone. How has your first week of the book study gone (if you have been joining us)? Please comment here anything we can pray for that is related to this issue, to believing what GOD says about you and the promise he makes for our freedom! BIG HUGS!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 20, 2010 | Blog
Practice random acts of praise today! When tempted to think “Woe is me,” trade those thoughts for “Great is God!” thoughts, instead! This can transform a person from the inside out. Try it and see. 🙂
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 19, 2010 | Blog
Hi, everyone. If you want to read the chat transcript from this morning’s chat, please visit this link.
We were lifted up and encouraged! What fun!
The time for our next chat will be changed to 7pm – 8pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, June 23rd. We had to move the chat time because of a conflict–a Thin Within class is using one of the chat rooms and we don’t want confusion. I hope you can join us 7pm pacific time Wednesday. Check here for how to get to the chat location.
Hope to see you!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 19, 2010 | Blog
Hi, everyone! In about ten minutes we will be chatting. Come on along, even if you are late. 7am-8am Pacific time Saturday morning –TODAY! All about Thin Within, getting started, and what is ahead! VERY informal!
Go here http://www.thinwithin.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2256 to find out how to get where you need to go!
I hope to see you!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 18, 2010 | Blog
Do you believe that you will benefit in your walk with God, in your physical, spiritual and emotional health if you become more in tune with your body’s physical hunger and satisfied signals?
The premise of Thin Within is that you will! You will discover that eating only when you are hungry and stopping when you are not (what TW calls eating 0 to 5) is a simple concept, but it is hard to actually do! When you discover this, you will begin to find that not eating just because you want to makes you cranky. And God wants to move into this place and show you why…what is really going on. This is where the real stuff happens–the real, deep healing that lasts. You will begin to find that your time with God in the Word and in prayer is definitely what Beth Moore refers to as God being in your business. Yes, he has plans, a future, and a hope, not to harm you…but there is a lot of ground to cover. It doesn’t always feel good.
One of the first things we have to be willing to do is set aside the idol of “Thin.” God doesn’t call us to be thin. He calls us to be HIS. He is using our weight, eating, and body issues to woo us closer to his heart so that he might flood ours full with his provision. We have a hunger, all right. It is a heart hunger that screams to be fed. When we feed that heart hunger physical food, it misses the mark, doesn’t it?
The Keys to Conscious Eating are in the first chapter of the Thin Within book:
1. Eat only when my body is hungry.
2. Reduce the number of distractions in order to eat in a calm environment.
3. Eat when sitting down.
4. Eat when my body and mind are relaxed.
5. Eat and drink the food and beverages my body enjoys.
6. Pay attention to my food while eating.
7. Eat slowly and savor each bite.
8. Stop before my body is full.
Many people object “Why do I need to turn off the computer?” or “Why shouldn’t I read when I eat?” or “But I have to eat in the car or I won’t have time for lunch!”
Each of us has to decide if we buy into the Keys to Conscious Eating in the first place. Here is sort of the way it works:
If I focus on my food, instead of anything else, if I slow down, if I am present in the moment, is there a chance that it will help me to recognize and be willing to respond to a satisfied signal when my body no longer needs fuel? (Thin Within calls this a “5” on the “hunger scale.”) People for 35 years now (Thin Within began in 1975) would say a resounding YES! It will HELP!
We need to back up even further, though. A person has to decide if they even buy into eating less food! 🙂
Will eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am not, be in any way a benefit to my spiritual, emotional and physical health?
If a person isn’t convinced that there is any need to stop eating outside of the parameters of hunger and satisfied…or that it glorifies God to eat within those parameters, then it stands to reason that they won’t go along with the keys to conscious eating which assume that a person wants to do that. That is what the keys to conscious eating are for!
The keys to conscious eating are designed to help us to be aware of our body’s need for food…am I at a 0 (physical hunger) and am I at a 5 (physical satiety)?
When I slow down, sit down, stop doing anything else but focusing on the food, I begin to have a better ability to sense the 5…the place that God’s Spirit whispers “enough.” The place where my body no longer has need of nourishment because in about 10-20 minutes, my brain will finally get the signal from my stomach. In fact, I have found that, if I don’t start at an honest 0, finding 5 is sort of a joke for me! I have to be honest about eating when hungry or a 5 becomes a moving target…it is all about eating food for some reason other than need.
If I don’t think the keys to conscious eating will really help me figure this out or I don’t really care to eat less food or don’t believe that it will make a difference in my life, then I will continue to want to read or putz around or do whatever while I eat…and as long as I do those other things, I am likely to miss the 5 altogether!
What about you? Have you “bought in?” Do you feel like the Keys to Conscious Eating have value for you in the goals God has for your life? In what way?
