Freedom Is Choosing What Helps Your Body Heal

What if the foods we reach for to feel better are actually adding to our pain? In this episode, we talk honestly about the pain–comfort–inflammation loop, sharing our own stories of mystery aches, stiff mornings, and the subtle clues our bodies were giving us all along. We explore overlooked signs of inflammation—like puffy faces in photos, tight rings, itchy scalps, burning skin, and that heavy stiffness that drains the desire to move. We also unpack common surprises, like how drinking something all day can still lead to dehydration, why artificial sweeteners matter, and how simple chair exercises can help when walking hurts. Along the way, we share personal experiments—taking a break from gluten, easing off diet sodas, trying dairy alternatives—and how quickly pain eased and energy began to return.

Instead of rules or shame, we focus on curiosity, prayer, and gentle testing. We talk about what real freedom looks like—not eating anything anytime, but choosing what supports healing so we can show up fully for the people and purposes we love. With a faith-first lens, we offer six grace-based steps: inviting God into the process, noticing patterns without obsessing, running short single-variable experiments, prioritizing water, practicing gentle movement, and renewing the mind with truth. There’s no one-size-fits-all and no pressure to be perfect—just compassionate guidance and practical tools to help you feel better. If this resonates, press play, try one small change this week, and let us know which experiment you’re starting.

Class starts December 10th

https://teamlifeisgood.com/go

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Topic Reveal
• 2:32 The Pain-Comfort-Inflammation Cycle
• 6:45 Compassion And No-Shame Framing
• 9:46 Possible Triggers And Experiments With God
• 14:46 Artificial Sweeteners And Hydration
• 18:01 Movement, Aging, And Hope
• 21:21 Redefining Freedom Around Food
• 24:21 Christina’s Gluten And Dairy Journey
• 28:30 Heidi’s Health Crisis And Sensitivities
• 32:46 Stewardship, Scripture, And Availability
• 35:31 Six Grace-Based Action Steps
• 39:26 Mind Renewal And Look-And-Learn

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:02

Welcome back to Revelation Within on the Go. I'm Heidi Bilton Epherson, one of your hosts, and the Chief Cook Bottle Walker Revolution.

SPEAKER_00: 0:13

And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach, and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. We are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode of Revelation Within. I never know what she's gonna do. Okay, today, today, today, today of all days, we are diving into something super practical, but also very personal.

SPEAKER_01: 0:52

Yeah, so personal we had to record it again because it really stuck in the market.

SPEAKER_00: 0:56

It's a tough one for both of us, for probably for all of us, but we're gonna tackle it today. We're gonna be looking at food, inflammation, pain, and how it can affect how we feel physically, especially our joints. Okay, I think that's enough. Do you think we've covered it now? Yeah, we're done. Okay, it's been great having you with us. Let's talk about Christmas now.

SPEAKER_01: 1:27

Oh, if you've ever had, oh, I had this happen during the middle of the night last night. Last night. Oh no. A mystery pain. I don't know what it was. And I've I've gone through everything that I have been teaching about this, and it doesn't seem to fit. So, but if you, listener, have ever had a mystery pain in your knees, your back, your big toe, your hands, or you've just felt like your body hurts and is stiffer than it should for your age. Today's conversation might shed some light, and we hope so, because that would be the good news.

SPEAKER_00: 2:07

And and it's hard to swallow some of this stuff. It is, it's hard, it's one of the hardest things, I think, to talk about. But hang with us, yeah. Hang oh, don't go anywhere. Hang on, hang with us, don't go anywhere. We do have hope for you. We do have some things that might be really helpful, hopefully. But if you turn off the podcast, you're gonna miss it.

unknown: 2:32

That's right.

SPEAKER_00: 2:33

That's right. So, okay, are we ready to get real? Let's just get real. When our bodies hurt, we want relief. Of course, it's one of the hardest things, right? When your body hurts, when you move and there's pain and you don't know what's going on. I mean, we just want relief. And very often, those of us who have struggled with food and eating issues for any amount of time, we reach for food or drink to comfort ourselves because of the pain, because of the hurting. But sometimes, and this this part is is hard, I think, too. What we're reaching for in our effort to be comforted and find relief, what we're reaching for is actually making the problem worse. Yikes.

SPEAKER_01: 3:23

Yeah. It creates what I have so cleverly called the things that is very clever, very straightforward. Thank you. Thank you. So this is what it looks like. We hurt, and we may not have a clue why, and we reach for comfort, and that comfort is actually something that our bodies react to with inflammation, and that causes us to hurt more, and so we reach for comfort, and that comfort causes an increase in inflammation, which makes us hurt more. You get the drift, right? I'm sure it truly is a cycle, and to make matters even worse, when I feel like that, I don't want to move for all the tea in China. So when I feel like that, I don't want to move, and then I want to just sit and veg. And then the stiffness gets even worse, and then I want to reach for comfort, and then the comfort increases inflammation, and so on and so on. Oh my goodness, this is a cycle, and we don't have to be in it.

SPEAKER_00: 4:30

No, and I just I just want to mention here this is not a shame conversation. Heidi and I get this. We've been in this, we've done the pain cycle, we've done it a lot. Even since I've known you, both of us have struggled with pain and physical discomfort many times. We've been through a lot of stuff with our bodies in the last 12 years. A lot. So just know this is not a hospital. We started with you. That's right. In the hospital, in more pain, more pain than I can even imagine being in. Oh my gosh, Heidi, that was something else. Anyway, there's there's no condemnation here. Um, Heidi and I both have stories, many stories, really, where we have been in that very cycle. So please, please hear that.

SPEAKER_01: 5:25

We're with you. Anything that we are saying, it's because it's been born out of our experience and still might be the tow thing in the middle of the night. I still don't know what that was about. But anyway, there you go. Let's go ahead and explore. Let's experiment, let's explore, let's be adventurers together. If you want to know some reasons that you might have aches and pains that you can't explain, or why your body might feel stiff or inflamed, like if you have skin crawling feeling or itchy scalp, it can't be attributed to anything else, or some people even experience inflammation as a burning on their skin. What we're sharing may apply to you. And so, really, it's worth bringing these questions to the Lord. Just ask him, Does would this help me? Should I try this? Should I do a little experiment? Um, and really, that's all we're suggesting is let's be open, let's ask God what he might want us to do with this information. So these are some reasons that we might have inexplicable pain or feel worse than usual.

SPEAKER_00: 6:39

Yeah, just yeah, that's why you are so miserable. Miserable. And you know what happens when we are so miserable is that we are people who need a lot of comfort. That's what happens to me. We're grumpy. We're grumpy, we're frustrated, we're crabby, and for good reason. We don't feel well, our bodies don't feel well. That makes sense, but it's an awful place to be. And I know for me, it turns me into a person who is constantly looking for comfort, and usually that's that's food.

SPEAKER_01: 7:13

Yeah, yeah. We don't usually in our ministry categorize foods. I mean, everybody is encouraged to do that for themselves, like foods that my body seems to respond really well to might be called whole body. For me, mine are different than Christina's. Total reject for those foods that I don't respond well to, and mine are different than Christina's. But there are some scientific facts that tell us that there is one category of food that is it's a category for a reason. It's legit, and that's the category I hate to even mention it, of inflammatory foods. And some people, the things that are inflammatory are different. All of these things, these inflammatory foods, and you could go online and type into Google what are some examples of inflammatory foods? Yeah, and it will spit out all kinds of things. I'm not gonna rattle them off because I don't want anybody to have their brains sprained that we're telling you you can't eat these foods. Yeah, but I would urge you to consider asking God, should I do an experiment for a week? Yeah if you have inexplicable pain in your joints or muscles.

SPEAKER_00: 8:24

Yeah, I like the word beneficial in terms of foods, instead of saying good foods, bad foods, anything like that. Um, and I love the way you explained that, Heidi. It's different for all of us, it's different for you and I. When Heidi and I get together, which we love to do, we'll go out to eat or go to a grocery store, and we're choosing different foods that are beneficial for our individual bodies. And that's that's good. That's the way it should be. That's discernment, inviting God into that. So, okay, the second category is artificial sweeteners. Some people have major sensitivity to things like sucralose or aspartame, often found in diet sodas or sugar-free snacks. For some people, this is a major, major obstacle in feeling well. Uh Heidi, I know you've had a lot of experience with that.

SPEAKER_01: 9:21

Yes, a lot of experience with it. For me, I'm not sensitive to just a little bit, but if I just keep guzzling the diet sodas all day long, as I have done, then I'm going to be in pain. I will be in pain. To the point that I can't even, I have an arthritic ankle that pretty much stays okay much of the time. But if I drink a lot of diet soda, it aches so badly I can hardly walk on it. So I know if I want to feel my best, I need to drink more water than anything else. That's just something I know. Um, and so if you have an explicable ouchies in your joints or in muscles, consider maybe it's a little too much of the artificial sweetener. Other food sensitivities or intolerances are also a possible reason you might have aches and pains. Um enough, a lot of people think that well, food sensitivities and intolerances show up as digestive challenges. They may, but they also may show up as fatigue, headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, you name it, um, the inflamed skin feeling. Really, if if we eat foods that we are sensitive to, we are likely to feel miserable for it one way or the other. And so we want to kind of be sensitive to what we're sensitive to, and and knowing that we're gonna feel good if we follow along with what God might encourage us to do with that. Um, just ask him, Lord, what should I do with this? What would you have me do? And can I do it for a you know, like five days and just see how I feel?

SPEAKER_00: 12:13

You know, I actually started noticing this in pictures of myself, like it maybe a year ago or 10, 10, 11 months ago. In the same week, like for example, if we were on vacation or something, in the same week, I could see pictures of myself and I noticed a difference in my face. I noticed um a puffiness, and I feel the puffiness in my body, which is what inflammation, you know, can do. I would feel it like my wedding ring was really tight, and I would feel it in my whole body, you know, my clothes would fit differently, even though I was kind of, you know, eating the same way. And it's like this picture of me looked really different than this, even in the same week. And I thought, what is going on? You know, that was the very beginning of noticing, me noticing that maybe some of the things that I thought were whole body pleasers for me really weren't, at least in this season. It might be just a season. Yeah, I know you've had that, Heidi, where you've gone in and out of seasons of food sensitivities. And so, you know, so there's that. So, and you mentioned already water and drinking water, and so dehydration is often overlooked. You know, we think, well, you know, I drink something throughout the day.

SPEAKER_01: 13:38

Yeah, the something might actually be a diuretic, and that's the thing, is like it can make us lose water. So that's tricky.

SPEAKER_00: 13:46

Well, it is tricky because I mean, I was in that camp where I thought I'm just drinking liquids throughout the day, so it's fine. Whatever that liquid is, it's I'm hydrating from it, but that's not always true, and those drinks, whatever they are, are not always whole body pleasers for us, not at all. But when we are well hydrated by water, water, water, water, water. God made water for us to hydrate to give our bodies life, and our joints and our connective tissue feel so much better when we are drinking a lot of water when we're hydrating. So that's a big one that is often overlooked.

SPEAKER_01: 14:31

Right. Another thing that can add to our discomfort or even pain in our joints and muscles is the lack of movement. I mean, when we are sedentary, stiffness builds. That's kind of obvious. Um, and when we hurt, we don't want to move. So it kind of is a cycle there as well. Even if a person has an injury that keeps them from being able to move in like a traditional way, like walking every day or something like that, whatever, even if we can't do that. I mean, I when I had my hip replaced, I certainly couldn't walk rigorously for a while, but I could do things in a chair. I could lift my arms and move them around and get my heart rate up. And that makes my whole body feel better, not just my arms.

SPEAKER_00: 15:18

Right, right. I was there when you did those exercises after your hip replacement. And it was a workout. I mean, just those like you can do it in a chair, absolutely. So that brings us to the next one age-related changes. You know, sometimes things happen and change and shift in our bodies as we get older. And that's part of life, that's part of aging, but that doesn't mean at all that we're hopeless or doomed. Absolutely not. No, there's plenty we can do.

SPEAKER_01: 15:52

Yeah, I just want to urge you if you're listening to this and you're thinking, yeah, well, that's me. I'm just at the end of, you know, at the end of my life. I'm in the retirement years, the the twilight years, whatever you want to call it, you don't have to settle for that. Really, it's worth an experiment. Check and see, just like one of these things that we've talked about, be open, ask God, Lord, I want to feel better. Could you make me willing to be willing to, in my case, not drink diet soda or drink a lot less of it? And he did, he put a willingness in my heart. And as soon as I start sliding back into drinking more, I can tell in my body. And I go, oh, but we want to invite him to show us how I can feel better, what can I experiment with? What can I try? Because it is so worth it.

SPEAKER_00: 16:45

So worth it. Yeah, it is. So here's the tricky part. Well, one of a few. Um, many of us, and I've been here too, many of us don't want anything to be off limits. We don't want to hear that our go-to foods might be causing more problems than we already have. Heidi and I really get this. We really, really do. For most of my adult life, I have been able to pretty much eat anything without consequence until just until the last couple of years. Really, it seemed like, now, I don't that's actually not true. Maybe it was a consequence that I couldn't see. So, for example, you know, I don't have a gallbladder anymore. And I think I probably had a part in that anyway, with my behavior with food and eating. I was in a place for a long time where I loved the idea of not having to restrict any food. And my body was just fine, healthy, and strong and everything good. Okay, so a couple of years ago, I started to have some very real digestive issues with dairy products. And I kind of just set it aside because I love dairy. I set it aside and I thought, this is not a big deal. I can deal with it. It's just a little bit of discomfort. It got worse and worse and worse to the point where what you just said came up, Heidi, it wasn't worth it. It wasn't. I was having hours and hours of discomfort. And many, many people experience this with dairy as they get older. And this was digestive, right? So this is this is digestive, no, but I just wanted to mention it. And these days it's pretty easy to go non-dairy. There's lots and lots of choices. And so I did an experiment with dairy and cut it out for a few weeks. And wow, I mean, I felt so much better. My stomach, my digestion, my whole body felt better. So that was kind of a no-brainer. That one was like, okay, it's clear, I can see it. I'm gonna let go of dairy. It's not something my body wants right now. It's it's not a whole body pleaser anymore. I'm gonna replace it with non-dairy options, and that was fine. Okay, so then it was about probably about a year ago, a little more than a year ago, I started sharing with Heidi, who is my best friend, that my body was really aching all the time. And it was getting worse and worse. And I told her, you know, I have chronic Lyme disease, so it's gotta be that. It's gotta be that. And Heidi said, Well, it might not be that, or you there might be a lot of people. I didn't laugh at her though. No, she didn't. She was kind and loving. What she said, I didn't want to hear. And she was giving me the idea that maybe some of the foods I was choosing were not beneficial for me anymore. And I just said, Nope, I'm not going there. That's not what I love. Between the boundaries of physical hunger and satisfaction. I'm good. I'm just gonna keep going with this. It'll be fine. Well, I got worse and worse, and my feet were just killing me. My feet every day. Every day my feet were killing me, my lower back, my joints. I was having trouble getting in and out of my little convertible bug, my car that I love so much. And I thought, I'm feeling like I'm at least 20 years older. It must be the Lyme disease. So I finally got to a point where you get to a point where it's like, okay, I'm kind of getting desperate. And that's when you're you're open to a change. I took it to the Lord. I said, Lord, is there something here that I need to do differently for my body? Because this doesn't feel good. And I'm doing all these stretches and all these like gentle exercises, and it's not changing this. It's not changing it. And so I went back to Heidi and said, I think I'm gonna listen. To what you said and give it a try. It's probably not going to have time. I think I said it's probably not going to make a difference because I think it's the Lyme disease, but I'm going to try. And I noticed a difference within the first few days. The first few days, I noticed a difference. And I thought, yeah, we'll see. I was still really hesitant. I thought that freedom meant that I could have any food anytime. That's not freedom. Freedom is choosing what's beneficial. Freedom is walking with the Lord and whatever He's calling me to in whatever season it is. And so after two weeks, I realized that I had been putting this off and I could have felt a lot better sooner, a lot sooner. For me, and this isn't for everybody, for me, it was gluten. Um, and so I let go of gluten and I have not looked back. I just kept going. And now it's been almost a year, and I feel so much better. Yeah, so much better. I mean, I still have normal aches and pains, but it was over the top what I was experiencing. And I don't have to be perfect, I don't have to be 100%. Um, but it has helped me to feel so much better, and that leads to more activity, that leads to more movement, which leads to feeling even better. Of course, right now I'm struggling with that because I'm in breast cancer treatment. But I'm grateful that I finally listened to. Um and that I finally laid down that old definition of freedom, which is not God's freedom at all. God has a very special, very beautiful definition of freedom, and that is following his leadership. That's freedom.

SPEAKER_01: 23:04

Yeah, freedom from having to eat those, you know, whatever it is. If it's gonna hurt me, why would freedom be defined as being able to eat those? Exactly. No, freedom is I don't have to eat it. I can be free and feel good. My story is really similar to Christina's in some ways, just started a lot sooner. Um, in 2014, I had a major health crisis. That's not new news. But I was told by the doctor who did the surgery on my back that I would have residual pain the rest of my life, and that chances are I would have some numbness in my legs the rest of my life because my back had been um impacted so dramatically by a staph infection that my spine had kind of eroded. And so I had numbness, I had pain, and that you think that makes sense when you've had gone through something like that. Well, three years afterwards, I had a lot more ability than I had previously. I really thought the doctor had told me I wasn't going to be able to get any better and that I was always gonna be limited in my mobility, but I I wasn't at that point, but I still had the pain. I had the pain, not as much numbness. And I began to wonder is this really because of what I called neurological weirdness from this plane um being damaged so much? And so I went to a doctor who gave me all kinds of tests for sensitivities to different foods, and she did a complete workout up, and um, I found that I was sensitive to a lot of things, a lot of things, a lot, and they were all on my must-have list. Yeah, uh very um varied diet. I really don't. I mean, meaning I don't eat a variety of foods, I am pretty boring that way, you know. And and so for me, it was telling me I couldn't have the things that I ate to sustain my life.

SPEAKER_00: 25:05

Oh, that's tough. That's tough.

SPEAKER_01: 25:07

Yeah, it it was tough. But Michael, in his wisdom, and I just am so grateful, he suggested he goes, why don't you instead of looking at all of these different things that you are sensitive to and feeling like you've got to get rid of all of them at once to feel better, why don't you just try eliminating one of them for a season? Yeah, and a short season and see what happens. And I could not believe the difference. And so dairy and gluten were the two biggies. I am pleased to say that it seems as though it was for a season that I needed to not eat those things because I can have them in moderation now, you know. And that was what in 2019 that I found out about these sensitivities. So when we're recording this, it's that was about six or seven years ago. So I am grateful that I was willing to follow my husband's suggestion. And I found that I feel so like right now, I'm sitting here and I'm not in pain. And I am so grateful because I thought I was gonna be in a life of pain for the rest of my days because of what the circumstances said. Right. And right now I manage it really well with not eating certain things or not drinking certain things or having them in moderation, and I mean moderation, yeah, I can still have them, and thankfully I I'm not as sensitive as I once was, so that's good too, and I enjoy that. Yeah, but yeah, it's worth an experiment, it really is. It is so we believe that God created our bodies with a ton of resilience, and he's given us wisdom in the Lord, and he knows we live in a fallen world. He's not surprised when our joints creak. He's also invited us, though, to steward the bodies he's given us. And and really, I think at the heart of it is Heidi, come on along. I have something I want us to do together. I think that's what God is kind of doing. And I want to feel well enough that I can say, okay, I'm gonna do it. But if I'm you know eating certain foods in excess that I know make me feel cruddy, I'm not gonna be able to go along with them. It'll hurt too much. Right. So, yeah, for sure. Anyway, Romans 12:1 says, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. I want my body to be given over to the Lord in all things, and and that means do I really want to hang on to whatever tasty morsel it is if it means I'm gonna hurt more and be less able to do what he calls me to when he calls.

SPEAKER_00: 27:54

Yeah. Let's look at Ephesians 2 10, one of our favorite, favorite verses. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. We want to be available when God calls us, but when we're in pain, we're far less likely to step into those good works with joy and energy. Well, and I just want to jump in really quick here and say, you know, we're not talking about like recovering from an injury. We're not talking about recovering from a surgery or, you know, certain, I mean, there there are people, I'm sure, listening right now who are in pain for those kinds of reasons as well. We're talking about kind of making it worse. You know, you've got pain in your body, maybe even chronic pain, but just the idea that it might be worse because of some of the foods that you're choosing. So it's which is hard for me to even say. It's hard. Um, we have so much compassion for you if you are living in pain. We have so much compassion.

SPEAKER_01: 29:02

Yeah. So just to be clear, this isn't about weight loss or food lists or anything like that. It's not about perfection, it's not about never eating this or that again. Right. It's really about being available to the Lord, to his call on my life. When he calls me to do this or calls me, invites me to do that. I want to feel my best. I mean, really, Lord, I want to feel my best so I can be ready for whatever you have for me today. What would you have me do so that I can feel my best and answer the call? Those good works that you've prepared in advance for me to do. I want to walk in them, Lord, because that's where my wheelhouse is, that's where my joy is, that's where I get to honor and exalt you. You've called me out of darkness into your marvelous light so that I can proclaim your praises. I do that best when I have no hindrances that I can help anyway, and leave the rest to you.

SPEAKER_00: 30:02

That's how I want to yeah, that sounds really good. Thank you, Heidi. So, what can we do? What can we do? What do we do if we suspect that food, our food choices might be affecting our pain? And we're not just talking about this or that, but what if it's just a lot? Like I can think of certain foods where I used to eat large amounts of those foods. And that really did. Yeah. And they were not beneficial for me. Um, well, when I think back, it's like, oh, Christina, what did you do? I'll just be honest. I mean, I was stuck in some pretty some habits that were not beneficial at all. So what can we do, Heidi? Give us some steps.

SPEAKER_01: 30:53

Yeah, okay. Well, here's some grace-based steps and invite God into the whole thing. In fact, that's the first step. Yes, invite the Lord into it. Lord, is there something you want to show me about this pain? Is there something I can do differently? Lord, is there something you will do differently for me? You know, invite him into it. What do you want me to know or do or be or think or feel in response to this? I know, Lord, that you do not want me to grab for comfort in food or drink. I know you don't want that. Right. So, what can I do differently, Lord? Please show me.

SPEAKER_00: 31:30

Yeah. Okay. Um, so inviting God in is always the first idea. Always. This next one, you might want to jot down some notes about what's going on when you eat certain foods at certain times and certain amounts. Don't be obsessive about it. Maybe if this isn't a good idea for you, it brings up dieting mentality, then skip this one. Yeah. But you might want to just say, Lord, I want to see patterns. What patterns do I have in my food and eating that might be causing some problems here? Um, and just to be honest, I had a lot of those. I had a lot of patterns that were not beneficial for me. And so it might be helpful to jot some things down, maybe even just a short time, a week or two at most, so that you can see, well, gosh, I didn't even realize I was doing that. And that often and that amount, I just didn't even realize it. So that might be helpful for you.

SPEAKER_01: 32:34

Absolutely. Yeah. Just ask God to help you see the patterns and then ask him what you should do in response to that. Um, a third step that you can try, again, invite God to show you is a short reset. I mean, now when I say short, it could be three days, it could be two weeks, but ask God to show you what he wants you to do with this. Like Christina, like I did, um, you might want to try to abstain from one thing at a time for a week or two and see what happens. We're not going to tell you which things might be the best to try to abstain first. Because we don't know. No, invite God to show you if there is something that's caused. And if you have jotted down some notes, like we suggested in step two, you've seen patterns and those can kind of help you. But always invite God to be the final authority in what you try because he wants your wholeness, he wants your healing, he wants, he's passionate for your joy. So he knows how miserable we can be when we're in pain.

SPEAKER_00: 33:41

Yeah, he sure does. Another idea, and we've talked about this already, is just to stay hydrated with water. You know, sometimes that's all we need is to drink more water. Sometimes that is enough to make us feel a whole lot better, letting go or decreasing some of those other drinks that might not be so beneficial for us. Um, so that's another idea.

SPEAKER_01: 34:07

Yeah, number five is just practice gentle movement if you can. If you have an injury or something that keeps you from being able to get up on your feet, then stay in your seat and move your body as best you can. Stretch, even just a few minutes a day, can reduce inflammation, actually, which is really cool. Our bodies are amazing when you think about it.

SPEAKER_00: 34:32

Yeah, that's so true. And then the last one on the list really is the most important, I think. Well, it comes right after inviting God in. And that is renew your mind. Even with something physical like joint pain, what you believe really matters. So you want to listen to what you're thinking. What are my thoughts? What am I thinking? Like, for example, I was believing that lie that freedom, true freedom, was being able to eat any food, even if it wasn't beneficial for my body. That would be something that I've had to renew my mind about. What is the truth about that? And we want to make sure that we're listening to our thoughts and replacing old thoughts with thoughts that are true from the Lord's perspective and from a perspective of peace in our bodies. We often think of renewing the mind as being helpful for all kinds of things. And it is, including how we respond to pain and soreness.

SPEAKER_01: 35:33

Yeah, a simple God list might be really helpful for us in these kinds of situations. And really just remembering who God is can be super helpful. You know, God, you are my healer. Uh, you give strength to the weary, you lead me in paths of righteousness. You created my body and you care about it. Just reminding myself of who God is relative to my body and healing in my life. It can be really helpful because then I tend to orient myself towards Him according to how I view Him. And what is true about God's character is he is amazing and He's loving and He's good. So we want to keep that in mind.

SPEAKER_00: 36:18

Well, and also we want to be using look and learn pretty much every day. Heidi and I use this as a mind renewal tool every day. If you're reaching for comfort food and you notice more pain the next day, you want to invite God into that and just ask him, again, no shame, no condemnation at all. Lord, what was going on in me emotionally? What lie did I believe? What truth can I hold on to next time? What are you calling me to? I'm open, Lord. I'm open to your teaching and your leadership. Ask him for help. He's so ready. He's so ready to help.

SPEAKER_01: 36:58

Absolutely. Friends, your your pain doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. It doesn't have to mean that at all. And there's really no one size fits all solution here at all. We're not meaning to imply that. But the truth is, God does care and he sees you and he wants to walk with you in healing, body, soul, and spirit. And so there are some things that we can take action about, and maybe they will be helpful. And it's really fun when we discover that the experience works the way we know.

SPEAKER_00: 37:30

And they don't all, I mean, well, you know, everybody is different. Um, and you know, sometimes God will ask us to loosen our grip on a comfort food, not to punish us, not at all, but to bring us freedom and to help us feel so much better.

SPEAKER_01: 37:51

Yeah, and then of course, when we feel better, we're able to do more, move more. When we move more, we tend to feel more alive. And when we feel alive, there's good stuff that happens. We become more available to God's kingdom purposes, and that's just a really good place to be.

SPEAKER_00: 38:08

It is. Isaiah 58, 11 says, The Lord will guide you always, He will satisfy your needs and will strengthen your frame. I love that.

SPEAKER_01: 38:20

I like the way, I like the way you read it. Psalm 1193 says, I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 38:34

So good.

SPEAKER_01: 38:34

Today, maybe ask the Lord, Lord, is there something I've been eating or drinking that's actually making me feel worse? Do I dare ask? I can ask because He will give me everything I need for life and godliness and to feel my best. I really believe that. And then invite him, would you walk with me into freedom in this area of my life?

SPEAKER_00: 38:57

And we want you to know that we're in this with you, Heidi and I. We have wrestled with it ourselves, obviously. But our God is kind and he wants to lead us gently toward wholeness. He does, he really does.

SPEAKER_01: 39:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_00: 39:16

Thanks for spending this time with us. We're so glad that you've been here today. And we would love to invite you to our next podcast episode of Revelation With It. All right, see you next time. Bye bye. See you next time.