The following note from Gwen Shamblin was originally sent to participants via e-mail in 2001 and was also read LIVE on Thursday’s You Can Overcome…

GIVING GOD MORE THAN YOUR WAIT!

“Let’s say that you have been really focused on God all day, waiting until you feel a REAL growl before you eat. You have been waiting and waiting, and finally – you feel it! A stomach growl! So you sit down to eat…and you eat too quickly, grabbing, and overindulging. Before you know it, you have overeaten…again…and you feel terrible. (So that’s YOUR WILL: you actually want to surrender to God, but you are losing control when it is time to eat.)

What is the ROOT PROBLEM here? Well, even though you waited until you felt hunger, the WAIT was the only thing you were going to give God! Does that make sense? All that you gave Him through obedience was your actual “wait!” During the waiting, most people probably didn’t spend that time focused on Him, but probably focused on what they were going to eat as soon as they were given that “green light” stomach growl.

If this sounds like you, this is what is happening: during your wait for God’s will, you were actually feeding your own self-will. Read that again: You gave God your WAIT, but NOT your devotion and focus. Instead, you spent that time feeding your own self-will by allowing yourself to keep focusing on the food, maybe even beginning to lust for it, eager for that growl so you can start grabbing what you want.

The SOLUTION? During your wait from this day on, take DELIGHT in the wait. Give it totally to God! Find people to talk to who are doing this His way. Ask God to show you His Word and His stories about people doing His will and never focused on what they would do as soon as He gave them some freedom. Get a new heart. Plan ahead and get away from anything that is feeding your own will. But be careful…PLAN ahead, don’t LUST ahead! If you are sitting there thinking, “Boy, as soon as I feel that growl, I am getting some of that spaghetti, and some of the bread, and I am going to eat those cookies I set aside, and this and that and the other. I can’t wait!” This is lusting for the food that isn’t even yours yet! In contrast, the person focused only on God during their wait is thinking, “I don’t deserve anything, and I have already eaten enough in my years to last forever! I have breakfast sitting on my hips, and lunch stuck to my thighs, and a whole bunch of dinners here around my belly. This is not my body, God-it’s Yours. If you want me to eat something today, okay, just show me when and what and how much. If you don’t want me to eat until next Sunday, that’s fine, too!”

If you still don’t get the idea that a person can be DYING to their will (waiting for hunger) while still FEEDING their own will, picture a person on a treadmill for a “have-to” exercise routine! (Or you can think back to your own actions in the days before you joined Weigh Down!) This person is wearing a calorie counter that will tell him how many calories he has burned so far during his exercise. He watches the counter click off 50 calories, 100 calories, 200 calories! He happily tells himself, “Great! I’ve burned off a candy bar!” He continues to run, and the counter clicks. “600 calories! I can eat an extra piece of pecan pie tonight!” Do you see what is happening? Even though he is exercising and burning calories, he is feeding his own will the whole time. Even while you are waiting for hunger, you are feeding your own will if you are lusting after the food you will be grabbing for later. Get your mind on God and His will for you during your waiting-get your mind off yourself and your stomach!

Now, if you know that letting your mind and heart lust for the food during the time you are waiting for hunger is NOT your particular obstacle, you may be overeating at your mealtime simply because you are truly hungry (which is a good thing) and you are simply eating too quickly! Here are some reminders about slowing down. First, if you are really, really hungry and feel that you might start grabbing instead of slowly eating, this tip will REALLY help you out! A few minutes before you sit down to eat, drink a few ounces of juice or milk. This will start getting your blood sugar level up, and you will find that you are calmer and have much more control when you sit down at your plate. Also, remember to put only small portions on your plate. If you are eating out, ask the waiter for a small plate with your meal, and before you touch your food, put proper portions on the small plate and put the rest in a take-out box. Remember to sip your beverage as you eat, and put down your fork between bites. All of these things will help you eat slowly and be able to sense when the stomach reaches a satisfied point. And keep in mind that it is better to stop eating too soonthan too late! If you find that you didn’t quite “fill up” at this meal because you stopped eating too soon, your stomach will give you another growl in just an hour or two and you can enjoy a few more bites from those great leftovers! “

…For more, watch

Episode 25 of You Can Overcome - “Giving God Your Wait”.