I have been struggling. Writing about TLT lessons and experiencing a passion in my heart about the Lord and this journey in the wee hours of the morning…and by evening, throwing my care to the wind and being rebellious. It isn’t about the food…it is about the heart. I have been saddened by what has been revealed to be in my heart.

The enemy also accuses me. “You are such a hypocrite and fraud! You spout off about ‘holiness’ and ‘humility’–but LOOK at you! You are arrogant and prideful and your attitude PROVES that! Why don’t you just admit that you will NEVER be all those things that you claim to be and just give it up?”

The battle is very real. In fact, I thought about not sharing today about TLT lesson because of it. But this is the VERY lesson I *should* share. It is so profound, deep, and life-changing. (Even now I battle hearing the voice of the enemy “Yeah, like *your* life has really changed, you liar!!!”)

I will ignore it…2 Corinthians teaches me I have divine power to demolish strongholds. I can tear down anything that stands against the knowledge of God and take captive any thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. So right now I choose to do so.

TLT – Day 8 – The Cross

Here is what I wrote in my journal about this day in The Lord’s Table material.

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This is a powerful lesson. Lord, please help me to experience all you have in mind. Let it settle in my mind and make it through to my experience. I want to live, breathe, and apply your Word to my life.

First, Mike Cleveland defined overeating: “Overeating is defined as continuing to eat past the point of receiving all we need to sustain our lives.”

I have shared this thought with others before and found that people sure don’t like this definition. When I want to define it differently, I am:

“invent[ing] a god of my own making, to my own liking, a god that tolerates sin and overlooks continual indulgence of the flesh. I am very lenient with myself…” (p. 24 TLT)

I don’t want to create god in an image I can “tolerate” or who tolerates me! I want to be in relationship with the one True God!

When I gave in to the temptation to overeat in my past, I allowed a wall to be built between the Lord and me. I resented the Lord, in fact, for insisting that I surrender this to Him.

The Lord offered himself on the cross, though not *just* for the forgiveness of sins–which is HUGE–a BIG deal!–But also so that I might no longer wander away from Him–so that I could stay close to Him.

1 Peter 2:25 says “Rof you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

I no longer need to stray. He has provided me a way to stay close. Thank you, Lord.

“The purpose of Jesus’ death is two-fold: first, that He might remove my sins from me and second that He might heal me from going astray and bring me back to God. It is God’s work to remove our sins from us, it is GOD’s work to heal us from going astray, and it is GOD’s work to cause us to return to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.” (p. 25, TLT)

I am reminded that I have been called for the purpose of suffering willingly like Jesus. (1 Peter 2:21)

“There is no other way to solve the sin problem than Jesus. There is no other way to be reconciled to God, to be changed from his enemy to His friend, to cease from going astray, than through Jesus.” (p. 25, TLT)

The author states that it is vital to see that overeating is a sin. We can’t hate ourselves into change as one Thin Within participant said so eloquently…but we can hate our SIN and must hate our sin!

“We must begin to detest [our sinful behaviors] with all of our being and to think of them as sin against our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in order to truly turn away from them and find victory. If we minimze them, we will continue to flirt with them and treat them as no big deal. Begin to seek the Lord about giving you a heart that hates all sin, including your sinful eating habits.” (p. 27, TLT)

Summary: Jesus provided payment for my sin and a way that I can no longer go astray. He did this by the cross. As I ask Him to do so, he will help me to detest my sin of overeating and enable me to turn from it and stay close to Him. God provided Christ out of his compassion and love for me. I want to embrace all that He has done through the cross for all I am worth!

Application: Have I asked the Lord to help me to detest all my sin? Do I agree with TLT conclusion that overeating is eating more than I need to sustain my life? Or do I think a few bites more than that is ok? Who is my authority in this? Am I willing to be humble about it? Am I willing to hear what God may clearly say about it, or do I resist? How will I choose to live differently in light of these things?

Lord, please help me to be open to whatever the truth is about this issue. If my mind and heart are closed, please show me. Whatever YOU define as sin in my life…that is what I want to detest. Lord, please work this in me. Thank you for the cross. You have poured out compassion, grace, mercy and love through offering Jesus on the cross for me. I don’t have to fear calling overeating a sin. I am not condemned! Jesus took the condemnation for me that I might be saved through Him. Thank you for the cross. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.