Food Isn't Your Problem- Lent Series

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Matthew 6:16-18 says, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,  so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” 

Notes: Kids should not fast. If you have a medical condition you should consult a doctor before even considering a food fast. 

If you can't food fast; social media, gossip, pop, coffee, games on your phone, gambling.

When the craving hits, get on your knees and pray. 

Psalm 69:10 - When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.

Ezra 8:23 - So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Acts 14:23 - And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Isaiah 58:6 - “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

God, I am selfish. Forgive me. Forgive me for all the distractions that keep me from pursuing you and leaning into this part of Your word. You command me to fast Lord and I haven’t. But I want to. I know discipline is an area I struggle with, but I know that with You all things are possible. Create in me a clean heart O God, I ache to hear from You. Show me how to lean into this fast Jesus and help me break the chains that are holding me back from living out all You have for me. I may not be ready Lord, but I AM willing. I think about all You did for me on that cross and it fills me with unspeakable gratitude, let me never take it for granted Jesus. Let me do this because You love me, not so that You’ll love me. Teach me Jesus, my heart is open. Amen.

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and NOT losing weight?

Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting. 

 In this podcast, I'll teach you how to:

• • Lose Weight in a Way that honors God without obsessing about the scale
  • Meal Plan and Prep for Your Family
  • Follow a MACRO based plan that allows you to eat the foods you love.
  • Recognize and pray through triggers keeping you stuck.
  • I’ll help you Plan your week and schedule your self-care time.
  • Cultivate a spirit of self-discipline in your workouts you actually enjoy.
   
  It's time to give God your health journey and watch Him make you new, from the inside, OUT.

Join The Biblical Weight Loss Framework: https://www.herweightlossmindset.com/framework

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Transcript

Food and Faith

If food disappeared tomorrow, your struggle wouldn't because food is not the root. It's just the response. So today we're going to talk about emotional eating without shame, blame, or excuses.

And we're going to face it ahead on because let's face it, God gave us food, which tells us it is good. We've just used it for distraction and comfort instead of fuel that it was created for.

So during this season of Lent, I really want to encourage you to lean into this area of struggle in your life and really, truly, prayerfully seek God's face.

Seek him so intentionally that you are so ready to lay down your struggles and truly confront the real issues that push you to food instead of your heavenly father. So stay with me here. Are you sick of trying diet after diet and not losing weight?

Are you tired of doubting your ability to actually lose weight in a healthy way? Do you wish you could find a laid out for you plan that will help you stay accountable to your goals?

Hey, friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late 20s and struggled for years to get it off. Nine years ago, I found a system that works and has helped me lose over 90 of those pounds.

I've worked with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since.

In this podcast, I'll teach you how to reframe your thoughts about weight loss and your ability to achieve lasting results and lose weight in a way that honors God without obsessing about the scale and meal plan and prep for your family.

So grab your pre-workout and let's chat. Did you know that I do one-on-one coaching and not just a group accountability program? If you're not someone who is interested in group coaching, reach out to me about options for one-on-one.

I have two spots that are open right now. So if that is something that you want to talk about, shoot me an email at info at herweightlossmindset.com. That's info at herweightlossmindset.com.

And in the subject line, just put one-on-one coaching.

Call to Fasting

So today's verse comes from Psalm 34 verse 18. It says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those who are crushed in spirit.

So what does this verse tell us? It tells us that God wants to take this burden from us. He wants to rescue us from ourselves.

And He will rescue us if and when we reach out to Him, when we seek Him, and then walk in Holy Spirit obedience. Listen, it is not our fault that food is chemically created to keep us addicted. It's not our fault.

However, it is our responsibility to own our choices. God has put a multitude of healthy options on the earth for us to eat. We just have become lazy, complacent, and excuse driven, and it's time to stop.

So I'm going to get a little tough love on you today because it's this season of Lent. Well, at this time, thousands of years ago, Jesus was walking into crucifixion for me and for you.

He was in the wilderness for 40 days fasting and praying, tempted by the enemy just like we are today. He took on every sin that every person on this earth would ever or had ever committed. Just sit in that for a minute.

And then we sit here and make excuses as to why we can't fast during Lent or we don't want to be legalistic. Well, I'm here to encourage you today to lay down your excuses and to really prayerfully get to the root of the real problem.

You just don't want to or you don't feel like it because it's hard. It is hard to fast. It is hard to give up sugar.

It is hard to change. It's hard to give up social media. It's hard to shut the TV off.

It's hard to not read the newspaper. You know what's harder?

Getting to the end of your life and Jesus asking you why you did not obey, why you lived in gluttony and self-pity, which is a sin, as my pastor so lovingly reminded me at the beginning of my infertility journey. Life is hard.

We read that in this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world. Jesus came to earth to be born in a cave, live a human life, be tempted the way that we are, and die on a criminal's cross.

And it is time for us to start walking in the resurrection power that God's Word says that we have. Are you ready to claim it? I hope so.

I hope so because I'm going to challenge you today to pick a time, the season of Lent, to give up food for a day, to give up social media for a week, and to give up your excuses for a lifetime. God has placed a divine purpose on your life.

And us being self-righteous is not making disciples. You deserve better. You deserve to heal.

And today is the day that we are going to repent and ask the Lord to give us the strength that we need to endure. I am struggling right here with you, okay?

Fasting Guidance

Matthew 6 verses 16 to 18 says, When you fast, do not look sober, somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others that they're fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your father who is unseen, and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Did you catch the first word of that verse? It doesn't say if you should fast or that you should fast, it says when, when you fast. Twice in those three verses, it says when you fast.

When you fast, do not look somber. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face. That implies a holy command given to you by God.

So when was the last time you gave up food for God? Now I wanna be really clear here, kids should not fast. In any medical condition that you have, you should consult a doctor before even considering a food fast.

But if you can, fast. If you can't food fast, you can fast other things. You can fast social media, fast gossip, pop, coffee, games on your phone, gambling, anything that pulls you away from God or distracts you, fast from it.

That thing that you're like, oh, I could never give that up. Maybe it's alcohol. That's what you need to fast from.

If you say, oh, I could never do that, that's what you need to do. Pick a day, one day, start with 12 hours, then do two days, then five days.

When the craving hits, when you feel that pull to social media, when you feel that pull to sugar, when you feel that pull to coffee, get on your knees and pray. God created us to crave.

It is a natural human feeling, but He wants us to crave Him, to seek Him. So pray for the world. Pray for the prodigal son.

Pray that the bonds of your addiction be broken. Ask the Lord, Father, what do I need to pray for during this fast? But fast and pray.

I have never felt closer to God than when I fast. And I'm telling you, He's been calling me to fast for two years, and I have not been obedient.

Biblical Fasting Purpose

So let's see what else the Bible says about fasting. In Psalm 69 verse 10, it says, when I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.

Ezra 823 says, so we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. If you have a spouse that is not a believer, if you have a child that has wandered away from the faith, fast for that person.

And anytime you start to feel the pull towards sugar or social media or whatever it is that you're fasting from, that is God's call for you to bow your head, get on your knees, lay prostrate, and pray. Father, I am feeling this craving right now.

I don't want to push it away. I want this to be the gentle reminder that I need to get on my knees. I am claiming victory and blessing over my spouse's salvation and sanctification.

Father, I beg you, break the bonds of unbelief in my spouse. I am claiming victory over this today. Father, I am sick of craving sugar.

I only want to crave you. I receive healing in this way in Jesus' name. We fasted and implored our God for this and he listened to our entreaty.

Acts 14 23 says, and when they had appointed elders for them in every church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

If you're in a church and they're not pushing you or encouraging you to fast, just talk to someone, get in the Bible.

We just went through a situation at our church about a year ago, and when I was having a conversation with one of the elders and his wife, he said, we fasted over this decision. We prayed, we sought God.

That is the kind of Bible-believing church that you want to be a part of. Isaiah 58 6 says, Is not this the fast I choose? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.

Write it down, Isaiah 58 6. Is not this the fast that I choose? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to loose the bonds of sugar, to undo the straps of yoke, of addiction, of gambling, of overspending, to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke.

If you are ready to live for more than yourself, fast. If you are truly ready to seek God, fast. If you want to hear from your heavenly father, fast.

Will it be hard? Absolutely. But it's not what about your giving up.

It's about what God is going to do in you and through you. Chains will break for other people when you fast for them. Is the prodigal in your life worth fasting for?

Is the unbelieving spouse worth fasting for? Is your addiction worth fasting for? Yes.

Yes. What are you waiting for?

Prayer and Action

God, I am selfish. Please forgive me. Forgive me for all of the distractions that keep me from pursuing you and leaning into this part of your word.

You command me to fast, Father, and I have it, but I want to. I know discipline is an area that I struggle with, but I know that you are in me, and with you, all things are possible. Created me a clean heart, O God.

I ache to hear from you. Show me how to lean into this fast Jesus and help me break the chains that are holding me back from living out all you have for me. I don't feel ready, Lord, but I am willing.

I think about all you did for me on that cross, Jesus, and it fills me with unspeakable gratitude. Let me never take it for granted. Let me do this because you love me, not so that you'll love me.

Teach me, Jesus, my heart is open. Amen. Hey, sis, I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with a friend? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcasts. It lights me up to know this podcast is helping you.

Okay, it's time to go make a protein shake and get my sweat on. No more standing in the kitchen waiting for motivation to appear. I will meet you back here for another episode.

God bless.