Thanks for sharing this Ryanne. I have that book, maybe I should get out and read it again. I used to read a chapter of Proverbs everyday. Years ago, I read that Billy Graham does that so I started doing that. I need to get back to that again as well. I absolutely love Proverbs.

Have a good one. Blessings,

Thank you Ryanne for sharing that. I only came to the knowledge of the fact that you cannot lose your salvation recently. I believed I was secure, but just learned the security of the Seal of the Holy Spirit. I love your discription of like a "wedding ring".

I have that book of Joyce Meyer. I just found it the other day as I had misplaced. I followed it too and did good for a while. In fact, I lost a lot of weight using it and then I'm not too sure what happened that I got away from it.

I agree that it is easier when we have each other to share our feelings with.

Thanks again to Kellie for sharing with us.

Bootsie I hope all is well with you.

I came earlier but it would not let me post again. I have that book Ryanne by Joyce Meyers in fact i have a-lot of her books. When my sister died she sent me two tapes to try to help me free of charge . You know not many would do that, but she did. i still have them and i listen to them a-lot even loaned them out, thought i would never get them back but did. So glad too but now my tape machine don't work! I think one of the best studies and i still am not through with it is Me and my BIG MOUTH! Love it, she kinda just nips it in the bud. Has the work book with it too. I thought I kinda needed to study it since I rattle off at the mouth sometimes before thinking. I never have beat around the bush on things just let the words flow and boy does that get me in a heap of trouble. I also have straight talk by Joyce Myers that I love to read. It is so strange I can hear her voice when I read it. I love one thing she says, Endings always bring new beginnings. That really hit home. Well now I got to talking and thinking about Joyce and forgot what is on Bible Study and it is on another page .Well I will be back if it lets me come back, if not y'all have a great day tomorrow and it looks like in November I will be traveling, don't rightly know which day yet.

Ok girls now it will not let me read the Bible Study!!!! I am getting so tired of this! Kelli I will just go to your site and read it!

Hello Ladies!!

Ryann, I am so glad you are feeling better. Man you are really having to depend on God. Thank God He is dependable. If your like me, I feel like when I am in a struggle or trial that I just stumble around all over the place, than I look back and see how God worked through it, and am amazed. It seems like such a slow process to us, and it's so hard to trust (anyway for me) but that's how we learn to trust.


It's funny you guys talk about Joyce Meyer writing a diet book, for so many years I have kept myself away from "diet" books because I had tried so many before... but now that I am basically finished with the study (except the editing) Maybe I should look for this book. Is it really the same way of eating???? That is so exciting to me because it's a confirmation.

I know I have talked about Mylissa before... She called tonight and told us she lost her job, so hopefully she will move back in with us, my daughter happens to be going to Salt Lake next week so she could pick her up! Please pray for her. She is so sweet and she loves Jesus, but gets so messed up (she had a tough life). I would love it if she would stay long enough with us to go to college and get a degree... That's her dream.

Love, Kelli

Oh Kelli this is my favorite Bible study! I had forgot all about this one till now! Thanks for the free face lift it always made me smile when i read:
“Mama did you know Tayler was playing with the neighbors mouse and didn’t even wash her hands?”
I just love children! I will be praying for Melissa, just talked to my daughter a few minutes ago and we are planning our trip.

Kelli it is called Eat & Stay Thin Simple,Spiritual and Satisfying weight Control by Joyce Meyer it was pretty good but at the last she kinda lost me seems like . I guess maybe i need to read it again.I know now what it is that I just did not understand. She is teaching seems like the same way of eating Kelli as you do. Kelli you will like this book. Thank you Ryanne for bringing this book to my attention again, for I never heard of eating what you want till your full till I heard of Intuitive eating . I remember now what was going through my mind at the end , now that don't make a heap of sense to me...it is because at that time i did not understand what she was talking about but now I do! So I am going to read it again!

Week 2 Day 2
Establish Being Occupied With Food and Your Weight Is Idolatry

Day ___________________________ Date ___________________________

Definitions:
Idol: A false God: and object of passionate devotion excessive devotion.
Idolize: to make an idol of, greed selfish desire beyond reason.
Idolatry as, "To put your trust, Love, devotion in anything other than God."

The Neilson Illustrated Bible Dictionary says, “In the New Testament period, the term idolatry began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not the actual bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper.”

Read Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put to death covetousness, which is idolatry. I like how the NIV Bible interprets it: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed which is idolatry. What does the word greed mean to you? _________
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The dictionary defines it as a selfish desire beyond reason. When you desire food past the point of satisfaction, you desire food beyond reason. The over eater must understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a

statue we have to be on guard constantly so we don’t let food and the obsession to be thin come between God and us. As soon as it does it becomes an idol, and being over weight is the evidence.

Some of the synonyms for greed are; gluttony, voracity, ravenousness, hunger and self-indulgence, sound familiar? The Antonym for greed is moderation.

Besides food, idols can be material objects such as houses, land, cars, also people or those whom we love. Objects of worship can even include things like fame, reputation, hobbies, pride and deeds done in the name of the Lord. Any overindulgence i.e. greed is Idolatry. When you over eat you are greedy for more food than you body needs.

Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin. No wonder the prophets preached against it so often and so strongly.

An idol is defined as; a false god on object of passionate devotion. How many times have you hidden food or waited until you were alone to eat and then been angry when you were interrupted. God showed me how greedy and passionately devoted I was to my god one day in a somewhat humorous but sobering way, but before I tell you this story I need to preface it with a confession of a couple of my many weaknesses.

I have a little aversion to germs in food and a terrible phobia of mice. I go into hysterics and panic when I see one.

Now on with my story; My favorite thing to eat in the whole world is warm pecan pie ala mode and I couldn’t wait until the kids went outside to play because I had made a pecan pie, and there were only three pieces left and five people in my family!

By the time my girls finally went outside, I was lusting for my treat. There I was all alone with my love. Even though I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry, I thought I had better steal the chance while I had it.

I lovingly cut a large piece of the delicious treat, put it on a small decorative desert plate and placed it in the microwave and set the time so it would be the perfect temperature, I got the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer. I was thinking about how wonderful the warm pie taste with the cold ice cream. Right on time the microwave beeped signaling my pie was the ideal temperature. I adoringly pulled my sweet prize out and put the frozen ice cream on the pie.

Just then, the front door slamming interrupted the moment I was having with my lover. I immediately got angry with the person who would break up my stolen moment. I decided they were out to get me and came in at this moment just to bug me.

My darling but willful five-year-old, Tayler, came in and climbed up on the stool in front of me saying, “I want a piece.”

Although this made me angry, I held my temper in check, as I was still sane enough to appreciate I was being unreasonable.

I passed her my piece of pie and began to cut another from the pie in the refrigerator.
She decided the perfect piece of pie I had given her was not good enough and started poking it with her tiny finger saying look it’s too hot to eat mama you made it too hot.

My temper was mounting, and my sanity level was plummeting, looking at her petulant face and watching her little finger poking holes all over the thing of my affection. Gritting my teeth, I said, “fine!" and slid the cold piece of pie her direction knowing full well this would not satisfy her.

Soon, we were nose to nose mouths wide open each throwing a doozey of a tantrum, trying to out shout each other, she howling and crying and me yelling.

Finally, I sent her to her room, because I’m the biggest. I sat down determined to eat my pie still fuming.

Looking at what had once been my masterpiece and now was a protuberant lump full of holes, cold pie swimming in warm separated white watery "goo" that used to be ice cream, but I was still determined to eat it, muttering at how she had spoiled everything because now I couldn’t even enjoy my pie—because of the guilt—

I cut a piece with my fork, raised it to my mouth... When my nine year old; who had walked in just before the tantrum episode, and was a witness to the unholy melee said calmly,

“Mama did you know Tayler was playing with the neighbors mouse and didn’t even wash her hands?”
That was it! I totally lost control, I was about to do something Tayler would have been punished for. I raised my fork behind my ear and was getting ready to fling it, when God chose that moment sweetly speaking to my raging heart, in a still, small, un-condemning, voice.
“You love this pie more than you love anything.”

I was so convicted, as I sat there I realized, I had been worshiping, adoring and loving that mess more than my children, and most of all my Lord. I had completely lavished all my love and affection on this god. It was my golden calf and I was worshiping at its feet.

If you give your affection and love to the one who truly deserves it, He will fill your life with joy. Anything you give up he will replace with something better.

Read: Psalm 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Do you feel satisfied or filled with goodness after you have eaten the forbidden food, and by forbidden, I mean something you eat when you’re not physically hungry, or does it leave you feeling empty and longing for more? You have a hunger for God and are seeking satisfaction else were. Food will never satisfy you. It wall always leave a craving more.

Read I Corinthians 10:14-32 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

18 Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.” 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 30 But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
Write I Corinthians 10:21 __________________________________________________ __
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Contemplate this scripture; mull it over in your mind. Write how it makes you feel to think when you overeat you are communing, Fellowshipping, with demons? __***_______________
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When I read this passage, it made me sick! The sickening part of this is the objects of worship are actually demons. You can make anything a god, but in doing so you are worshiping or communing with Satan, dictionary.com defines communing as;

1. To converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.
2. To be in intimate communication or rapport: to commune with nature.
–noun
3. Interchange of ideas or sentiments.

It’s a hard thought to think, but let’s be honest; when I was in such a rage over the pie, I wasn't worshipping God. The object wasn't a threat, the pie isn't dangerous. The danger is the demons associated with the idol.

What do you think verse twenty-three from the above scripture, means when it says: All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify? __________________________________________________ ___________
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We have liberty, yes, we are not under the law we can do whatever and still go to heaven. Overeating and the desire to be thin is not a sin in itself (v23 all things are lawful…). What makes a sin a sin is how you feel about it. If you make something an idol, including the desire to be thin, you have placed it above God and are communing with demons.

Read: Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart. It’s your soul that’s hungry not your stomach. Feed it with the Word of God. Go to your true God and worship at His feet. He will satisfy your needy soul.

Read: Psalm 107:1-9

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________ ________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Memorize the following scripture this week.

I Corinthians 10: 31 _________, whether you eat or drink, or ________ you do, do all to the ______ of God.

Good Morning Girls,

I found my Joyce Meyer book when I cleaned out an end table. I think everything is in timing. I started reading again. Just read the intro so far, but it goes along so well with Kellie's lessons so I think I'm going to get a double blessing. If I remember right, she does not give a diet to use as she kind of goes more in tune with Intuitive Eating from what I've read so far. I don't know if she tells it in this book or another book of hers called Look Great Feel Great. But she does tell that she has to eat lowcarb for her body type. I think she pretty much seems to feel everyone has to find what works for them. I want to read the 2 again, but start with Eat and Stay Thin first.
I too thank you so much Ryanne for bringing the book to my attention. And I think it is great that we all are so touched by her. She has really touched my life and the life of my "new" family.

When Tony and I married, I kept his grandchildren especially youngest granddaughter. Little did we know that a year or so after we married that their Daddy would leave the family for another woman. Joyce had just come out with her 2 books for children and teens. I purchased the books for the oldest grandson and the oldest daughter. Tyler was becoming a teen and Haley was in elementary school. Her books came out just in time to get them through the breakup of their family and really helped them. Also Battle Field of the Mind was out then and I was able to help them see how had worked in their Daddy's mind. They heard Joyce Meyer so much from me as I tried to help them through this time. I think the best compliment I ever heard from anyone in my whole life was one day as we were going some where in the car, Tyler said, "Nannie, you could be another Joyce Meyer". I wanted to cry. It is one of my cherished moments with him. How wonderful to have your grandchild (we bonded so I feel totally they are God's gift to me) feel that way about you. He is a remarkable young man. He helps teach and gives testimonies at church and he an a young Christian girl he has met in high school have started a group in their school to help new Christians learn how to walk with Jesus and live their Christian life. I tell him all the time that his "real" grandmother who went to heaven 2 years before Tony and I met and married, would be so proud of him. I believe she prays for him even in heaven.

Bootsie It is so good to hear from you and I do pray that things get worked out with your computer problems.

Kellie Again thank you so much. And I will be praying for your
Mylissa. I don't know her situation, I'm sure she will get things worked out. She has you to guide her. Sometimes it takes a while. It took me a while to get my life straightened out, but is so Good to always be there to guide and help us.

Got to get to my Devotional time and read next lesson. So will be back later to share what speaks to me.

Later.

The thing that I am most impressed with today is the above. I know that I need to be the one who tells my body what it is going to do and not give it a chance to explain what it wants. I am not interested in what my flesh wants. It's not helpful to me.
I get to decide and I tell my body what it is going to do...like an athlete, I treat it roughly and make it do what it should.
I have a story: I have been gaining weight this week, every morning for three days, I watched it creep up pound by pound...then today I stepped on the scale and it was up two more pounds!!! Arrrghhh, so I was like "GOD WHAT IS GOING ON HERE????!!!!" I was saying, I'm not snacking between meals and then I felt like He was telling me I was. Well, I haven't been "eating" I have been drinking MILK and not just milk, but milk with malt flavor, milk with chocolate flavor, milk with strawberry flavor...etc...and grape juice...etc... I had been "drinking my snacks" and I know my body doesn't handle sugar well, so I got rid of the flavors I put in the milk, and will only drink milk with meals if I want it...Wow.
Also, God showed me that I have been eating too much salt, which I am NOT supposed to do, and my fingers were swollen and hurting, now I know that I have been being led to drink more water, and I drank more milk...and I was also getting a check about the salt, and did it my own way in the name of "liberty"...well...it just goes to show that God does know our bodies, just like I had so much trouble with the artificial sweetener in the diet soda. Hmmmm....my eating and "drinking" need to glorify God, and if I am doing things that harm my body, that is NOT glorifying God. So today, I threw out the "baked lays" that I bought, and I threw away the flavorings, and I will make this weeks menu and make my body eat what it should. I was going to keep the malted stuff around for my son, but God showed me that he doesn't need all that sugar, either! LOL... wow... I know I will be asking His help in making my menu and grocery list and to bless my shopping. The Bible says to not make provision to fulfill the lust of my flesh, and just as Trish said, I will not be bringing those things into my home again.
Wow, God is sooooo good!!! So, My FREEDOM my LIBERTY is in being able to follow the Spirit and not being subject to my flesh, but that my flesh is subject to ME! I GET TO CHOOSE, I GET TO DECIDE!!! That is true liberty! Not to fulfill the lust of the flesh is my liberty. For me, sugar begets sugar, salt begets salt, but also, water begets water, and vegies beget vegies...etc.
Well, I need to go get the laundry out of the dryers and get it all folded and or hung up, and I need to run to the grocery for this week's supply, so I will be back on later. I'm so glad that you guys are here.

Ryanne We are thinking along the same lines. Let me share a quote from Joyce Meyer's book Eat and Stay Thin page 28 "In God's terms, freedom does not mean the liberty to give in to the desires of the flesh. It means the liberty to be led by the Holy Spirit. Roman's 8:12 - 14." I like the title of her first chapter "The Flesh Wants to do Crazy Things".

Boy does that fit with today's lesson. What really stood out to me when I studied this before was greed. I never thought of overeating or even eating what my body cannot tolerate would fall under greed. My story.

For many years I ate low carb and I lost almost 70 lbs. to get rid of diabetes 2. Then I started gradually adding more and more carbs. The Holy Spirit would impress on me that I needed to get back to low carbing, but I just ignored it. Oh I would try, but there are so many carby foods that I "my flesh" craved. Now, once in a while when I was faithfully doing low carb, I could have a carby foods like when we celebrated a special occasion I would plan ahead of time what I wanted. I learned this from a book I read of a woman who wrote how she lost weight doing low carb. She said if you didn't make it a regular habit that you could do that and not gain or continue losing depending on where you are in the process. But I got greedy. I wanted more and more carby foods. When I was working the plan it worked great.

The Holy Spirit has been strongly impressing on me that I need to get back to my lowcarbing. When I learned about the gluten intolerance, I was impressed with the thought that when you low carb, you don't eat grains thus no problem with gluten. The Holy Spirit knew this and He has been trying to lead me, but I wasn't listening.

This morning, I did start back on lowcarb. And then I read the lesson. When we eat more than we are supposed to eat of anything and when we eat foods that are harmful to our bodies like I have been doing, we are eating with the demons. OUCH!!! That hurts and grieves me to even think of it that way. But I need to see it as what it is. When we obey the Holy Spirt, we are in fellowship with the Lord and working with Him. When we disobey, we are in fellowship with the . Let's face it; there are only 2 choices... Obey God's way or disobey and follow 's way. We are duped into thinking a lot of things are "our" thoughts or ideas, but this isn't true. Thoughts have one of 2 sources... God's or the enemy. We have to make the Choice of which one we are going to decide to listen to and obey or follow.

I hope that this will help me to do better at listening to the Holy Spirit and to follow His leading. I can see that if I continue to listen to my flesh, etc, it will kill me as I am damaging my body. God is sooooo Good and so good to us. He has so much He wants to do for us and through us if we will just let Him.

Y'all have a great and blessed Saturday.

The lesson spoke to me in a different way today than it did for you guys. It spoke to me not about the issue of food, (since I don't have any intolerance for anything). It spoke to me about my obsession with dieting and guilt. I know it's not God accusing me of overeating. I weigh between 158 and 161, and according to the BMI standard, I am right on the cusp of normal to overweight.

I know that's not unhealthy for my height because the only health problems I had from being overweight were Joint pain and high blood pressure... My joints don't hurt anymore and I don't have to take blood pressure medicine anymore.

I know God has healed me of my addiction to food, but I have still felt that urge to diet. To count and fret and worry about what I have, or have not eaten. I'm done ladies, I give it to God.

Is the idea that I have to be stick-thin God's, or the media's? I am happy with myself. In fact I love myself, I think I will say... I'm done... Wow! I guess I'm done.

I fall into His arms and what will be will be.

I will eat... and every time a thought comes into my head about dieting, or guilt, or any argument, and every high thing that exalts itself against what God has taught me through studying His Word, I will bring it into captivity and say, "Jesus... Satan is knocking will you please answer it?" then move on. I know that my obedience is fulfilled. It's time...

Philippians 4:6 & 7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I Peter 5:10-11 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ...AMEN

Kellie This is my testimony scripture because this is how I have felt today. I am doing Atkins diet. When I woke up this morning, I just knew beyond all doubt in my heart that is what God wanted me to do. Once I repented, and committed to do what the Holy Spirit was telling me to do, everything changed. I still eat only when I am hungry not because I am supposed to eat. Not doing 3 meals and 2 snacks unless the Lord leads me to. I have allowed the Holy Spirit to show me what to eat only when I'm hungry. And I have to say that it has been a very blessed and peaceful day for me with no cravings. I have had three meals that could really be described more like snacks, but I'm satisfied and content. Since I've already given up some things like caffiene and been doing a semi-low carb thing, I haven't had the withdrawals I've had in the past when doing this. I can honestly say that when God does it, it is sooooo much easier and better.

You know I read some where that we don't have to go by man's or the media's idea of what we should weigh. What I read said that we will know when we get to the weight we are comfortable with and that is healthy for us. I believe God's idea of a healthy weight is probably a lot different than what the world's idea is. I want to lose down to about 120 lbs, but a weight loss site where I checked what I should weigh for my age said more like 135 for my age etc.

I think it is great that you have made it to your place. Thanks for sharing that with us.