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Revelation Within On the Go!
Revelation Within equips people with life-giving, grace-infused mind renewal tools to deepen their intimacy with Jesus so that counterfeit comforts (like overeating) lose their allure, and the joy and hope of Jesus fills their lives, satisfying their souls.
In our podcast we talk about mind renewal, tips and tricks for getting and staying free from counterfeit comforts like overeating (over-scrolling, over-drinking, over-anythinging...)
We began as Thin Within in 1975, a pioneer in intuitive, mindful eating back when diets were in their hey day! Thin Within has taught people how to tune in to their body's natural signals of hunger and satisfaction, remaining present with their meals and delighting in tastes and textures--and the Lord!
In the 1980s, Thin Within became a Christian ministry, showing people that the emptiness that they have felt and often filled with food that their bodies don't require, was really placed in there to be filled full with God through Jesus. He wants to set us free from all strongholds!
We rebranded our ministry and our podcast in 2023 to Revelation Within.
Join us!
Visit us in our RevWithin.Team community as well! (https://revwithin.team)
Find our listing of classes at https://www.revelationwithin.org
Revelation Within On the Go!
Focus on the 5 Intentions of Spirit-Led Eating: Intention 2
Can our daily meals be transformed into acts of worship? Discover how inviting the Holy Spirit into every aspect of eating can change your relationship with food. This episode of Revelation Within On the Go takes a deep dive into the second intention of spirit-led eating: "I will invite the Spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise". Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 10:31, we explore how an attitude of openness and intentionality can make even the simplest meal a peaceful experience. From meal preparation to post-meal reflection, we'll reveal how welcoming God's presence can shift us from entitlement to a profound sense of gratitude.
Tune in as we discuss how to overcome struggles with food and eating by making them opportunities for spiritual growth, preparing you for more insightful discussions ahead.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
Hi and welcome to Revelation Within On the Go. I'm Heidi Biles-Mapperson, one of your hosts and the owner and lead coach of the Revelation Within.
Speaker 2:Ministry, and I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. We're so happy to invite you to join us today for this episode of Revelation Within on the show.
Speaker 1:Well, welcome to this, our second installment of five that we're going to be doing and are doing on what we call the five intentions of spirit led eating. The last episode. We focused in on that first intention and we're going to review all of the intentions just briefly, and then we're going to zero in on intention number two. So, welcome, we're going to be dissecting it today. I hope you don't mind dissections, all right, so this time I'll read the preamble. Okay, sounds good. So we what we did was we created a context in which we can read these intentions. So this is that context. My body is a gift from God to me and is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image and by his careful and loving design. I am his beautiful masterpiece, his poetry in motion, one of a kind. I look to the Holy Spirit for his wisdom and loving leadership. Therefore, I will honor my God-given body with these intentions.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I love that truth. I love it so much and you know we've shared that. That little paragraph that's like a, it's like a truth list, it's like a truth paragraph. You could put that on cards or you could use even just that to renew your mind each day, and it would make such a difference. I love it.
Speaker 1:Christina is going to start us off by reading the first intention.
Speaker 2:Okay, intention number one I will busy myself as the spirit leads until I prayerfully sense a physical hunger signal, and this is the one we talked about on our last podcast.
Speaker 1:Yes, number two, I will invite the spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise. We'll be dissecting that one today.
Speaker 2:Yes. And number three, I will choose food in a just right size portion that delights my taste buds and causes my body to feel energized and strong.
Speaker 1:Number four I will create a peaceful eating experience by being present with the food and reducing distractions. And number five I will create a peaceful eating experience by being present with the food and reducing distractions.
Speaker 2:And number five, I will stop eating before my stomach is full, at the peaceful place, of just enough.
Speaker 1:So today we're going to pull apart and look at unpack, as people say. Intention number two I will invite the spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise, and the scripture that I chose to go with this is first Corinthians 10, 31. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we can do it all to the glory of God, and I just love that, because even eating can be done to the glory of God. I love that.
Speaker 2:I love that Well, and maybe even especially eating can be done to the glory of God. You know, I mean, it's something that we do several times every single day. We think about it, we prepare, we go shopping for certain foods. We actually spend quite a lot of time figuring out or, you know, dealing with how are we going to fuel our bodies today. So it's definitely something we want to bring to the Lord with gratitude and praise.
Speaker 1:Yes, all right. So let's start with this idea of invite, inviting the Spirit of God specifically. You know, there's an attitude I bring to my occasions, yes, and it can be an attitude of I got this, I want this, this is me, I'm doing it, it's all on my own, I don't even entertain the possibility that God might care. And if he does care, I don't care that he cares. I mean, I hate to admit it. Yes, I am, I hate to admit it, but that's kind of how I have been for years and sometimes I still can have little pockets of attitude and that whole entitlement justification thing. You know what it kind of gets nipped in the bud when I invite God to join me.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is so, so true, and I know that there's times when I want to invite him in at the beginning of the meal, but I'm also going to invite him in other times of the day, before I'm even going to eat. How about in the middle of the meal? You can invite him again if you feel like you're kind of wandering. Absolutely yes. And then how about after the meal? You know, inviting him to help you to wait for hunger for the next meal. Invite him into the whole process. It feels so good to do so. You're not on your own with this.
Speaker 1:God is with you.
Speaker 2:He wants to be with you. He waits for an invitation. He's a gentleman and he's so much fun to be with and eat with.
Speaker 1:And this isn't just your typical blessing before a meal. I mean, sure, bless your food, do whatever you normally do, but this is my heart is open, my eyes are open. I recognize God, that you were always present with me. But I'm being intentional. That's why we call these intentions. I'm being intentional to roll out the red carpet to prepare a place for you at my table, and I mean maybe not literally, but some people have done that and have found it very impactful. So I want to have an attitude of welcome towards the Lord. And that's a gosh that is such a great place to be.
Speaker 2:It is. And one of the things that helps me too which you just kind of mentioned, heidi rolling out the red carpet. I mean, I, for many years, and sometimes still, I was the kind of person who was constantly eating on the run, on the go, whether it's in the house, you're just racing through the kitchen, you grab something, you're not thinking about it, you don't sit down, you're just having something in your mouth. That's mindless. Sit down, you're just having something in your mouth, it's mindless. Or even the drive-through, or you know, at work I was always working while I was eating. I rarely, if ever, rolled out the red carpet. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate.
Speaker 2:You can if you want which you know that's a lot of fun actually is to set a table for you and the Lord and bring out your best dishes and make a, you know, a beautiful, simple meal, something that you really enjoy and eat it with the Lord, but just on a daily basis. To be able to actually sit down was like a really big deal for me. It was well, where am I even going to sit? Well, there's, I haven't. You know, I never sit down when I eat. And then just that idea of being mindful about each bite and actually thinking about what I'm doing and, as you said, Heidi, inviting God in this is important. I'm fueling the body that you made for me. That's important. I want to slow down, I want to take a few minutes to enjoy with the Lord and inviting God to do that with you. It's beautiful. It really changes things when I eat that way.
Speaker 1:So why do we include the phrase spirit of God instead of just God? I will invite God into my meal. Why the Spirit of God?
Speaker 2:You know what? The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, that's who's with us all the time. Yeah, he lives in us. That's who's in us, that's who's counseling us. That's who the Word of God says, who was left for us when Jesus went back to heaven. The spirit of God, he's the one that's with us now. You know, god is God. All three are God, but I love to think of the spirit of God as my my counselor, constant guide, constant companion, my best friend. He's with me all the time, and so that's why we put Spirit of God there, do you?
Speaker 2:have some thoughts on that Heidi.
Speaker 1:Well, just nothing, really more than what you said, is his presence. This is who Jesus said would be in us, with us, would convict us about sin and righteousness and truth. He would remind us of everything Jesus has said to us. So he's got a very active, present, ongoing role in our lives. And who better to invite when we want to be spirit led than the Holy Spirit himself? And so you know, really we don't want to lose sight of the fact that the whole point of this is not just to be mindful on my own, because my mind can deceive me very easily.
Speaker 1:Scripture says that that is the case. But if I am turning to the Spirit of God, who is in me to convict me of sin, righteousness and truth and to give me the peace that passes all understanding and to comfort me he's called the comforter Then I know when I go to food I'm not going to go to food for any of that, because I've got him. He and the food are right there with me and I love that. Okay, so if I'm going to comfort food, for comfort.
Speaker 1:It's hard for me to invite the Holy Spirit in there. Likewise, if I'm inviting the Holy Spirit in, am I really going to turn to comfort food? Probably not, because he's the comforter. That's just me. I don't know if that resonates with anybody else or not. Well, and I know for me.
Speaker 2:So, oh gosh, a million, bazillion times I would go to food for comfort and I thought somehow that I was separated from God when I was doing that. Oh my, I know it sounds so crazy. I know the word of God, I know what it says, I've known it my whole life. But that's how I felt, and I know that many of you who are listening have felt that way before. Yeah, you feel like somehow you are pushing God away, away.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And somehow he is going away. That's what it feels like.
Speaker 1:Let him down, and he's disgusted with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you're pushing him away and then you're over here in this corner overeating, but that does not line up with the word of God. No, the word of God says he will never, ever leave me, never, right right.
Speaker 1:No matter how much, if it's a full-on binge, you can still turn your mind and heart in a Godward direction. He's there, he waits to show us compassion, it says in Isaiah. So maybe even in the midst of my meal I want to, whether it's a meal that I have waited for, hunger for or not. I want to turn to him and say you are welcome here, and I'm struggling with giving you my eating right now, but you're still welcome here. You're still my God. You're still the one who loves me more than anybody.
Speaker 1:And you're the only one who can truly satisfy me.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, my gosh. So one of the things that helps me with this, because every so often I still struggle with it Um, it's much, much better than it was, but this is what I think of. I think of Jesus with me. You know. God, the spirit, however you want to think of it, but he's with me and I'm eating the comfort food and his arms wrap around me and he says Christina, what do you need?
Speaker 2:And that helps me so much. I mean, it makes me even teary to think about that because it is a very vulnerable place to be, but we are safe with him. We are safe with him, safer than anywhere else. We are the most safe with him. And for him to wrap his arms around me, he's not pushed away, he's not far away, he's not condemning me certainly, because we know there's no condemnation in Christ. He knows that I'm eating because I have a need and so, and he knows what the need is. But still I imagine him wrapping his big, strong, loving arms around me and asking Christina, what do you need right now?
Speaker 2:Talk to me what's going on, I can help, I have what you need and that, wow, I mean practicing that, renewing my mind with those thoughts, with those truths. That really changes my experience when I'm eating, but I'm not hungry.
Speaker 1:That's a great point, and what I'm thinking of is imagining being one of the listeners who says wait a minute, that's not the God that I know and, to be honest with you, that is exactly why years ago 24 years ago now I began creating a God list. I want to know what God's like and what he does for people, because I knew that my view of him was sploogie. It was a mess.
Speaker 1:I related to him as though he was some warped authority figure here on earth, a conglomeration of my dad, my mom, bosses. I didn't like. It's like I created him in the image of especially God, the Father, I tell you, and it's like, okay, but what is God really like? What Christina just painted for us was a picture of God as he is. He's loving and he's compassionate and he wants to be invited to draw near. He's there whether we invite him or not, but he waits to show us compassion.
Speaker 1:As I began to write down what the scriptures say about who God is, what he's like, what he does for people, I began to see that my view of God had been warped by my experiences. You know my experience and yours. They don't define what is true, right, right, I mean, I may have experienced some things that were true, but they don't define God, certainly, and they don't define what's going to happen now or in the future. This is one of the things that I'm kind of jumping around a little bit, but we wanted to share with you each week how mind renewal relates to food and eating. This is one of the ways if we know who God really is and we see him as he is in scripture. You know, that is how he has chosen to disclose himself.
Speaker 1:He puts in scripture what he's like, what he does for people, and we have that answer right there. He reveals it in his world, his natural world. He said all of the heavens proclaim the glory of God. I mean, in Romans one tells us that what is plain about God can be seen. We just need to open our eyes.
Speaker 1:It's like that brings me to a place of seeing God as he is, and he's good and sovereign, and I want to exalt him, I want to love him. Well, it's not this condemning, horrible feeling that I'm letting somebody down and he's judging me, or he's crossing his arms and he's so disappointed and can't you get over that? That is not who our God is. And so we want to renew our minds with the truth of who God says he is. And he says something very different than many of us think. And so that is the God, the spirit of God, who we want to invite into our meals so that we can sit at his feet and learn from him and be blessed by his presence, not to have that sense of condemnation. Romans 8, 1 says there is no condemnation in Christ? Why do I keep acting like yes, there is yeah. Why?
Speaker 2:From the pit, right right. So, heidi, if somebody wanted to start a God list like that because I think this is just so, so big, it was for me, it is for me and it was for you, is for you, for so many of our participants what would be a practical way they could get started? Where would you send them?
Speaker 1:in the word I would, probably send them to the Psalms to start with. That certainly isn't the only place Psalms to start with, and that certainly isn't the only place. Scripture has got tons and tons chock full of discoveries I can make about God and his character, his attributes and what he has done for his people, and so I like to write them down. Initially, as I write things down, I'm engaging some learning modalities that help me to get it in my mind and in my head and heart, and then I like to then praise fast what I have written down.
Speaker 1:So one of the ways I did this was I went into the Psalm that kind of corresponded with the day of the month, so Psalm one first of the month, and then once I got to a new month and I didn't start over with the Psalms, I just kept going. So anyway, that got me going. Isaiah was another book I went to which was a little tougher, but you can extrapolate from so many scriptures, even those that don't say specifically oh God, you are awesome, you know, because obviously the Psalmists are there worshiping God oftentimes and we can just pull those out verbatim. But that is one of the things I did. Another thing that I did was I went to the old hymnals.
Speaker 1:I wanted to see how the hymn writers, how they phrased their view of God and, oh my gosh, it gave me a whole new language to use. I mean, a mighty fortress is my God, a bulwark never failing. I mean, that is who he is. Yes, I love that. Quietly, tenderly, jesus is calling, I love that too.
Speaker 2:You know? Oh, he walks with me and he talks with me, walks with me. I was just going to say that one.
Speaker 1:Yes, so those are all wonderful ways of relating to God, as he is. The number one place that's most reliable, of course, is scripture. Then I also like using songs, whether they're Psalms or popular Christian songs. Just everything will agree with scripture. If it's truth, it will agree with scripture. Nothing will be contradictory, and then I can incorporate that into my praying. God, you are sovereign God, you are amazing, you're powerful, you are so creative. You have made the heavens, you've made all the animals in it. It's just amazing when you stop and think about it. That is a God who I want to love and that is a God who I want to welcome into my meals.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, I love that. I love it. Well, and something you've said in the past too, heidi, which I think is so good here when we're feeling that pull to a counterfeit comfort, whether it's food or something else, if we can stop for a minute and praise, if we can stop for a minute and turn our hearts to God and praise him for who he is and what he does, will that change our hearts? Will that change the trajectory of where we're going? Will that change our hearts? Will that change the trajectory of where we're going? Will that change our needs? It does, it, absolutely does, it does.
Speaker 1:I think it's Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes that said that he has placed eternity in the heart of man. And I kind of view that as a God shaped hole that's in my heart and it is only satisfied with the Lord. And the best way to satisfy that hole is with praise. If God inhabits the praises of his people, like the psalmist said, then he's going to fill that God shaped hole. And if there's a little bit of space in there because of one thing life kind of tends to drain us of our resolve to walk with God sometimes Then praise is a great antidote, a great way of filling her up. Give me a refill. Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:I don't even know how it works, but God designed it. You know, he told us all over his word praise me. Praise me, and it is an amazing thing that happens, something very spiritual inside of us when we do. And I just want to encourage those who are listening if you've been a Christian for a long, long, long time, like me, like Heidi, and you think, well, I know who God is, there might be. I just want to encourage you. There might be some things there that are either missing or not quite accurate because of our experiences, because of our lives, because we've been hurt, because we've gone through difficult situations. There might be things there, and so I would just encourage you to go back to the word, go to the Psalms, as Heidi said, or Isaiah or Ephesians, chapter one, or Colossians one.
Speaker 2:Yes, go and see and write it out, you know. Make a list and start renewing your mind with that list so that you can have the most clear view of God that you possibly can, and that will change how you interact with him. Also, it will change the way we respond to God when we have a need.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, when we renew our minds.
Speaker 1:There's all kinds of ways to do it, but we kind of have this focus on who God is and exalting him and as I do that proactively, before I'm ever faced with a choice about am I going to eat right now, in response to whatever's going on, if I have renewed my mind, if I have told myself because I'm thinking God's thoughts after him about who he is, if I have done that, I am much more likely to even want to invite him in like intention.
Speaker 1:Number two speaks up, and that is why we mentioned in this I will invite the spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise, and this is a great, great thing to do. As you're eating, but also before you ever eat, you can remind yourself of what God is like, what he does for people, what does he want you to believe about that and about how he relates to you? Because if we relate to God as he really is, oh my goodness, we want to spend time with him, and that means including when we eat. So don't just wait until you're eating to praise him for who he is, you know. Do it before then, because that'll mean that you'll want to invite him into your meal.
Speaker 1:And then once you're at your meal, once you're sitting down with him and he's, you know he's present because he you've renewed your mind with what is true about God. You know he never leaves or forsakes you. You know that he delights over you with singing. You know that he comforts you with his love. You know that he is your comfort all of those things. Then use your mealtime to give him gratitude. Yes, to me, the difference between gratitude and praise and it's a fine line and they overlap all the time but to me, I praise him for who?
Speaker 2:he is yes.
Speaker 1:And then I give gratitude or thanks for the things he has done, very specifically, like for me at mealtime it might be. Oh Lord, the texture of this food is incredible. I love the way the grains of rice feel on my tongue. They're cooked just right, al dente, whatever. And the spices oh, I had some. I went out for Japanese food. I don't do Japanese food. My mother-in-law and Michael like to do Japanese food, I guess, so I went out with them and they had bacon fried rice.
Speaker 2:Oh, that was a whole. I don't think I've ever had that. Oh my gosh, I mean pork fried rice.
Speaker 1:Oh, that was a whole new. I don't think I've ever had that. Oh my gosh. I mean pork fried rice, okay, fine, but bacon fried rice, oh my goodness, that was an explosion in my mouth and I was grateful, a happy little explosion. Yes, my taste buds were like are you kidding me?
Speaker 2:Isn't it fun to be able to talk about food in such a positive way. Yeah, yeah, that's true. If you know someone in your life who is kind of a peaceful eater, someone who you know, you just noticed that that's not their issue. And you listen to them, they talk about food like that. They get excited about it. They talk about the flavors and textures. They're not, you know, worried about. So all the details of you know. Well, what time is it? Well, what about this? Is it on my list? They're just enjoying God's gift. And when you just described that rice, that's what you sounded like, heidi. You sounded like someone who was just grateful and enjoying the gift that God has given us of food, which is fuel. But it's fun, it's fun.
Speaker 1:It is so this intention that I will invite the spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise is probably one of my favorites.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Gratitude. I love it too, yes, and being able to intentionally invite him in and know he's not standing there with his arms crossed and judging me for something like are you really going to eat that? It does not do that.
Speaker 2:No, not do that, it's not.
Speaker 1:I love this intention for sure, and it's just filled with ways of renewing my mind, connecting it with becoming a peaceful leader. Really, to me, apart from praise, apart from gratitude, I could never be at peace with food and eating, because it would always be almost like an idol for me. But knowing God for who he is, he is enough.
Speaker 2:He is enough he is. So we're just so glad that you've been with us today and we hope that this has been helpful in some way encouraging. We certainly loved talking about it and there's more coming out, and there's more coming, there's more. We're gonna continue on with the third intention next time, so please join us for our next episode of revelation within we'll see you soon.
Speaker 1:All right, bye for now.
