November 5, 2025 • 26 mins
Everywhere we look, someone is selling the next way to change our bodies. We slow down that noise and ask a better question: what does it look like for us to make weight-loss decisions with God at the center—not guilt, fear, or marketing hype? We talk through GLP-1 medications, intermittent fasting, bariatric surgery, and spirit-led eating, exploring the promises, pitfalls, and the steadier peace that comes from honest discernment. Tools aren’t villains or heroes, and the weight-loss industry often focuses on short-term outcomes. So we look at what research truly says about results and regain while also looking inward at motives—calling out shame, comparison, and the pressure to perform.
Anchored in Romans 12:2, we emphasize mind renewal as the path to lasting change—whether someone uses traditional diets, medication, surgery, or a gentler hunger-and-fullness approach. We share stories from our own journeys, along with five clarifying questions and a breath prayer for anxious moments: God, You know my heart… and I trust Your thoughts over mine. If you’ve felt pressure to chase outcomes, we invite you to join us in a calmer way forward—one grounded in wisdom, intimacy with Jesus, and daily choices we can trust.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:01):
Hi, and welcome to our podcast, Revelation Within
on the Go! I'm Heidi MilesMaheverson, one of your hosts,
and the owner and lead coach ofRevelationWithin.org industry.
SPEAKER_00 (00:14):
And I'm Christina Molly, your other host, also a
Revelation Within Coach.
And I'm partnering at all thingsRevelation Within.
And we are so happy to inviteyou to come and join us for
another very special episode ofRevelation Within.
(00:41):
Once again we are together.
Together in Colorado on myporch.
My little office.
And I'm just loving having Heidihere.
Me too.
It's going to be wonderful,wonderful, wonderful.
SPEAKER_01 (00:54):
Yay.
Well, today we're gonna lean.
We're gonna lean.
Lean in.
We need to lean into God forthis one.
And we're also gonna talk aboutsomething that a lot of our
community members and those wholisten to our podcast and those
who are familiar with ThinWithin as well wrestle with.
Yeah.
(01:14):
Especially right now.
There are so many new weightloss options being marketed
everywhere with the key emphasison the word marketed.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (01:26):
And so let's talk about it.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Yeah, let's do.
Let's talk.
Let's hit it on the head.
Let's hit it on the head.
We're not afraid.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
We're not afraid.
No, definitely not.
Definitely not.
Okay, so GLP1 medications likeZeppan, Wagovi, Um, Ozempic,
weight loss surgeries,intermittent fasting apps,
30-day programs.
I could go for days talkingabout all the things that are
(01:55):
out there.
Right.
All the diet plans, all thethings.
All the things.
All the things.
It's a lot.
Yes.
And it's a lot coming at us allthe time.
All the time.
Especially in social media.
Yeah.
Everywhere, really.
It's everywhere right now.
And we are absolutely not hereto bash any kind of tool.
(02:17):
Yeah.
Because that's what they allare.
They're tools.
They're tools, yes.
What we're here to do is togently ask what's behind our use
of them.
And even more importantly, havewe invited God into the process?
SPEAKER_01 (02:33):
Really good question.
Yeah.
And so we want to say right upfront, and we mentioned this
last week on our podcast aswell, a revelation within.
We do not teach, we do notbelieve that dieting, taking
GLP1 meds, or even having aweight loss surgery is by
(02:53):
definition a sin.
Absolutely not.
And we found that a lot ofpeople want to know what we
think about those things.
SPEAKER_00 (02:59):
And so just as clearly, we want to say we do
not believe that not doing thosethings somehow puts you on a
higher spiritual plane.
No way.
No way.
And I'll just kind of say itagain.
I kind of said this in our lastpodcast.
We are all on differentjourneys.
And we all have differentchallenges with our bodies and
(03:21):
our health and also emotionalchallenges, challenges from the
past, challenges that you're inright now.
We are all on our own journey.
And we want to validate that.
What you're doing, what you'refeeling, what you're struggling
with is very real, veryimportant, and valid.
And so we just want to put thatout there.
(03:43):
We are not anyone on a spiritualhigher plane by doing A, B, or
C.
Or not doing X, Y, or Z.
SPEAKER_01 (03:50):
Exactly, exactly.
But here's the heartbeat.
And I think this has to alwayscome to the surface.
This is the cream that rises tothe top.
Yes.
Have we asked God what histhoughts are?
unknown (04:04):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (04:04):
Have we paused?
Have we stopped long enough?
I know this is not somethingthat comes naturally to most of
us, but have we stopped longenough and said, Lord, are you
in this with me?
If we don't want to ask him,maybe we don't even want to hear
his thoughts.
Right.
And that may be a red flag.
And it may point to somethingdeeper in the heart that he
(04:26):
wants to heal.
We want to ask him, what areyour thoughts about this God?
Yes.
Because he knows us perfectlyand intimately.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Well, and I'll just throw in if you're at a place
where you feel very unsettled,where you feel very not at
peace, the opposite at peace,you know, this is the perfect
time to take it to the Lord.
Yes.
Say, Lord, I don't know.
I'm not sure.
I'm being inundated byinformation.
I'm confused.
I want to go to the God of allknowledge and the God of all
(04:57):
comfort.
And that's where I want to bewith these questions.
Many of us need healing in a lotof different ways.
SPEAKER_01 (05:04):
Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (05:05):
Physical and emotional, spiritual.
So that's our theme for today.
Bringing it all to God.
No more hiding.
Nope.
Nope.
No more hiding.
No more hustling.
No more white knuckling it.
No.
No.
But instead asking, listening,trusting.
SPEAKER_01 (05:27):
Oh, that sounds much better to me than hiding.
Because.
Oh, well, let's just name someof the things that are out there
right now.
Okay.
There is a$70 plus billiondollar dieting industry in the
US alone.
Wow.
Can you believe that?
And that's billion with a B.
You heard me right.
Yeah.
And it keeps growing.
(05:48):
Why?
Why does it keep growing?
Because the long-termeffectiveness of diets is
incredibly low.
That's just a fact.
You can find statistics that areon the internet all over the
place.
Most studies show 80 to 95% ofpeople regain the weight when
they've dieted to lose it.
(06:08):
Now, I used to find statisticslike this so discouraging.
I'm like, what's a girl to do?
Exactly.
Oh, I got this.
So we're going to address thattoday.
SPEAKER_00 (06:18):
Well, and many of you who are here today with us
have been struggling with thisfor 20, 30, 40, 50 years, you
know, and Heidi and I have spentmany years struggling as well.
Um, and so we get that.
We understand that frustrationand hopelessness.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
We get that.
SPEAKER_01 (06:37):
We do.
SPEAKER_00 (06:37):
Um, GLP1 medications like Zeppound or Ragovi can help
with weight loss.
SPEAKER_01 (06:42):
That's true too.
SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
Yeah.
Studies show 10 to 17% totalbody weight loss over time.
Right.
That sounds so good.
Why wouldn't I want to do it?
Yeah.
Well, and it's very new.
It's very kind of this new,exciting thing.
But many people regain once theystop taking them.
And there are side effects toconsider.
SPEAKER_01 (07:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
Nausea, digestive issues, even risks like
pancreatitis for some.
SPEAKER_01 (07:09):
Oh boy.
That's tough.
Have you ever seen those ads onTV that say this is this great
medication you could take and itwill make you feel this and this
and this and then at the veryend of the day, including death.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:20):
Well, they always show like kids playing in the
playground, everything it'ssunshine, everything's good.
Everything's good.
And then, but there's alwaysthat little side effects.
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
Well, and that's some of them aren't so little.
No, that's true.
And the thing about some ofthese things is they are so new
for weight loss purposes thatnobody really knows the
long-term side effects.
Nobody knows.
So, okay, so what about some ofthe surgeries that are possible
to help with the weight loss?
Bariatric surgeries, some peopledo lap-bound.
(07:50):
There's all kinds of optionsnow.
Yeah.
Of course, some peopleexperience profound results with
that.
Up to 30% of their body weightlost.
But here's the thing (08:01):
again, as much as it may sound like it, to
those of us who have never triedthat, but want to think about
it, it's not a quick fix.
It requires huge lifestylechanges.
And sometimes it, and I knowsomebody who this happened to.
She was always sick.
She lost a ton of weight, lookedfine and like a quote normal
(08:23):
person, maybe, but she had allkinds of nutrient deficiencies
that were causing her oneillness after the other.
She was always, she waschronically sick.
And it means lifelongadjustments for many of these
people.
So we want to go in with eyeswide open, but again, we want to
invite God into that.
SPEAKER_00 (08:43):
Yeah, definitely.
And for some, it is the rightchoice in certain seasons of
life.
Absolutely.
Okay, so here's the takeaway: none of these tools are magical, (08:49):
undefined
they all require decisions,motivations, sacrifices, and
they all come with their ownrisks and stories.
That's why it's so critical thatwe bring the whole thing to the
Lord.
SPEAKER_01 (09:07):
Yeah, and what does God care about?
Um, we referred to this passagein last week's podcast, but it's
worthy of mentioning again.
In Matthew 6, 33, Jesus Himselfsaid, Seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all thesethings will be added to you.
I love hearing Jesus' own words.
(09:28):
They're in red in your Bible, ifyou have that kind of a Bible.
Um, anyway, because to me,seeking him first doesn't just
mean God is the first on myschedule, and then I run after
everything else all day long.
It's he saturates everything aspreeminent as the my sovereign
king and lord throughout my day.
SPEAKER_00 (09:50):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (09:51):
Every waking moment.
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Not just, Lord, I made this decision, will you
bless it, please?
SPEAKER_01 (09:56):
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
Yeah, so what does seek first look like when we're
thinking about our bodies?
SPEAKER_01 (10:04):
And who isn't thinking about their bodies?
I mean, really, many of us thinknonstop about our bodies, about
how do I look today, or how canI hide better, or any number of
things sad to say.
Maybe seeking God first lookslike pausing long enough to say,
Jesus, this desire I have, whereis it coming from?
(10:26):
Is it fear, Lord?
Is it shame?
Is it comparison?
And then maybe it to go a littlefurther.
I could ask, what would yourkingdom, seeking your kingdom,
look like in this area of mylife?
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
Yes, because Jesus didn't go to the cross to help
us lose weight.
He did.
Oh, he gave his life for the joyset before him, and that's in
Hebrews 12, too.
The joy of relationship with us.
That's what matters the most tohim.
Why don't you just love him sodeeply?
(11:04):
He loves us so deeply.
Of course, he cares abouteverything that we care about.
Um, I mean, he just wants us, hejust wants relationship with us,
deep, loving, intimate, intimaterelationship with us.
That's what he wants.
SPEAKER_01 (11:23):
And of course, we're gonna tell you again what Romans
12, 2 says, because it is acornerstone verse for us.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.
Then catch this.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is.
Yes, his good, pleasing, andperfect will.
(11:47):
Ah, I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
God's will for us includes freedom.
Yes, and joy, yes, and peace,yes, not striving.
He may lead some to takemedications, he may not, but he
always wants intimacy with us,not performance.
SPEAKER_01 (12:06):
Oh goodness.
You know, sometimes we end upthinking things like that my
body issue is just way too big.
Nothing's gonna help.
I've tried it all.
Therapy, I've tried hypnosis,some people have tried hypnosis,
nutritionists, yeah, exactly.
But Ephesians 3.20 tells us, andagain, that's Ephesians 3.20.
(12:28):
I love Ephesians, but this is abeautiful verse.
Yes, God is able to do, I mean,we could do a scripture-focus,
word-focus on this right now.
God is able to do immeasurablymore than we ask or imagine,
according, according to what?
(12:49):
According to his power, yes,that is at work.
Where is it at work?
unknown (12:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (12:55):
Within us.
Oh, wow, I'm gonna say thatagain.
Okay.
God is able to do immeasurablymore than we ask or imagine,
according to his power that isat work within us.
SPEAKER_00 (13:07):
Ooh.
Yes, and Philippians 4.13 says,I can do all things through
Christ who gives me strength.
Again, the focus is on him andwhat he can do.
He knows what we need.
SPEAKER_01 (13:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:23):
We don't.
Most of the time we areclueless.
No, we're like, well, what aboutthis?
Well, I'll try this.
Well, I'm gonna run here and goto the left and then run to the
right and go here.
And we don't really know, butGod does.
He knows, and he wants to have aconversation with us about it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:41):
I love that.
And of course, that means thisissue, even this struggle that
seems never-ending,all-encompassing with eating or
my body image, it's not beyondhis power.
It's not off limits to hishealing.
He that doesn't have a barbedwire fence or razor wire around
it saying God can't come in hereunless we put that up.
(14:03):
Exactly.
That's yeah, we've got to invitehim into the process, not just
bolt ahead with what feels likethe most urgent option.
And we want to be really clearagain about this.
Even if you have chosen aparticular tool, a diet, a
medication, even surgery, youare still called and still
(14:27):
invited to renew your mind.
Yeah.
Mindonil is not plan B.
No, it's not optional.
Romans 12, 2 doesn't say betransformed by the perfect
eating plan or by a surgery.
It says be transformed by therenewing of your mind.
So no matter what else isinvolved in your particular uh
(14:47):
choice on your journey, renewingthe mind is vital.
And it's life-giving, yes.
Whether you're eating by anexternal structure, diet, in
other words, or practicingspirit-led eating, which is what
we encourage people to do, Godstill wants to meet you.
He wants to reshape yourthoughts and transform your
(15:08):
desires.
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
Yeah.
And you know what's really cooland amazing is that where we do
have confusion, further on inRomans 12, 2, verse 2, we read,
what follows the mind renewal istransformation.
But also we are promised.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is,
his good, pleasing, and perfectwill.
(15:32):
He doesn't want to hide his willfrom us, he wants to talk with
us about it.
He wants to give us the rightinformation, and he wants us to
experience freedom.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
And I just want to say that if you are struggling
with maybe your doctors evensaid you should really try this
medication or that procedure.
Invite God into this.
He says you will know his will,and that his will is good,
pleasing, and perfect.
And so renew your mind,experience the transformation
that he promises and theknowledge of his good, pleasing,
(16:07):
and perfect will.
You're inviting him in.
Oh, he doesn't want to play, youknow, that that what is that
game?
The shell game where there's aball under one of it.
You're trying to see God's willis underneath the coconut and
there's other coconuts, he'smoving it around.
He's not like that at all.
SPEAKER_00 (16:22):
He's not.
He just has so much love for us.
Right.
So, and for those of you whomight be curious about what we
teach here at Revelation Within,it's something we call the five
intentions of spirit-led eating.
It's not a diet, it's not aprogram, it's a posture of the
heart that seeks to follow theHoly Spirit in our eating from
(16:43):
the first hunger cue to thepeaceful place of just enough.
But again, we share this tosupport you, not to box you in.
What we do here at RevelationWithin is life-giving.
Yes, it will lift you up, itwill focus on the Lord and how
he sees us, all of those goodthings.
(17:04):
So, you know, not to box you in,but to bring life to your life.
SPEAKER_01 (17:09):
Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_00 (17:11):
God leads us in different ways at different
times.
And everyone is welcome atRevelation.
Everyone is welcome.
The real question is (17:19):
am I inviting him into the process
and aligning my thoughts withhis?
Right.
So whether you're considering adiet, a medication, a surgery,
or something else, or you'retempted to just give up
altogether, we would just loveto encourage you to ask these
(17:40):
questions.
Number one, what is motivatingme right now?
SPEAKER_01 (17:45):
Let's just pause for a moment in between these.
Sure.
And give them a chance, thelistener, a chance to think,
what is motivating you rightnow?
There's all kinds of options.
It could be the insults fromyour mother-in-law.
I mean, it was pain, physicalpain.
There you go.
It could be any number, it couldbe that cruise that you hope to
(18:06):
go on and want to swim in aswimming suit without feeling uh
embarrassed.
All of those things could bemotivation, it could be change.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, so think about that forjust a moment.
What is motivating me right now?
Maybe ask the Lord to show you.
God, what is motivating me rightnow?
SPEAKER_00 (18:26):
Okay.
And then number two, have Igenuinely brought this to the
Lord in prayer?
Probably not just once.
Right.
Lots and lots of times.
Am I bringing this to the Lordwhen those feelings of confusion
and unsettledness and worry andwhen all of that comes up?
(18:46):
Anxiety, have I brought this tothe Lord again and again?
And number three, am I chasingan outcome or am I trusting the
process?
Am I chasing an outcome or am Itrusting the process?
SPEAKER_01 (19:07):
You know, for all the many years that I've been
involved in this kind ofspirit-led intentional eating,
which we called Finn Withinbefore, of course, I have heard
so many people struggle with nothaving an instant result.
You know, maybe they've evenbeen on crash diets before and
(19:28):
saw a ton of weight leave rightaway and only to come back
later.
And so slowing down and eatingwhen they're hungry and waiting
until they're hungry to eat andthen stopping it just enough,
leaning into the Holy Spirit,asking him for the strength they
need to move on instead ofstopping in the kitchen when
(19:48):
they're not hungry, etc.
It is hard.
It's hard to wait.
It's a process.
It is.
And ask God when you strugglewith that, if that's the
approach you're taking, Lord, amI to move on to something else?
Or is this what you've invitedme to for these months or these
years or for the rest of mylife, maybe?
(20:10):
Um, ask him.
SPEAKER_00 (20:12):
And then number four, do I believe that God can
be glorified in this area of mylife?
No matter what tool I use ordon't use.
That's a good question.
It is, it is indeed.
Okay, number five, am Imeasuring my value, my worth by
how I look, or by how deeply Iam loved by Jesus?
SPEAKER_01 (20:38):
Am I measuring my value by how I look, by how
deeply I am loved by Jesus?
I know when I have beenstruggling a lot, I go into my
closet and grab something that Ihave worn previously, and if
it's a little tight, it's almostlike an accusation.
It's like I can sense the enemyhimself saying, See, you don't
(21:01):
love God like you claim.
I mean, it's lies, it's lies,but it's just, oh my goodness.
So that is one of the ways thatthis question kind of showed up
in my life.
I was measuring my value bybeing able to fit into my
clothes or not, right?
Which isn't the way God measuresmy value.
I am deeply loved by Jesus, asare you.
(21:23):
Yes.
There's no shame, there's justinvitation.
Um, we can bring all of thesethings, these challenges, these
questions, these things thatcause us so much turmoil to him.
He wants us to pour it out tohim.
He already knows, so we might aswell invite him in.
(21:43):
I remember you telling the storyabout the way the scale seemed
to own you.
Oh, yeah.
And it was it causing youturmoil.
SPEAKER_00 (21:51):
And so, what did you do with that?
I brought the scale physicallyto the Lord during my quiet
time.
It was a very uh very privatemoment, so I think that I did
like really late at night wheneverybody was in bed.
But I actually picked up thescale and brought it to God.
I love it because I was somastered by it, and I really did
(22:12):
feel like my worth, my value, Iwas so confused and so tortured
by this whole weight issuething.
Yeah, and like you said, theclothes in the closet that are
too tight and don't fit me rightanymore.
And the other thing about thisis that I've had so many seasons
in my life of this where it haschanged because of getting
(22:34):
pregnant, having babies, becauseof health problems.
I'm in a health thing right nowwith breast cancer where I am
eating very differently than Iate before.
And there's just all kinds ofways that that changes.
What doesn't change though isthat I know how to renew my
mind.
And I use that now, I use mindrenewal no matter what's
(22:57):
happening with my body.
And listening to my body,listening to what my body needs,
as you said, waiting for hungerand then stopping it just
enough.
But those are tools that you canuse no matter what you're going
through, as long as God is incharge.
The minute I go to him, thoseanxious thoughts melt away.
(23:20):
I love that.
Because I know that his peace iswhat I what I want.
And I'm in process.
I'm gonna be in process until Istep into heaven.
We all are, right?
SPEAKER_01 (23:30):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (23:31):
God is constantly teaching me and you know,
there's not a one and done,right?
But embracing I'm in process.
And you know what?
I love this process now becauseit draws me into God's own
heart.
And I know it does you as well.
SPEAKER_01 (23:47):
Oh, yeah, absolutely it does.
SPEAKER_00 (23:49):
Okay.
So we'll go ahead and end withthis breath prayer.
Um, we're gonna inhale and say,God, you know my heart.
And we're gonna exhale and say,and I trust your thoughts over
mine.
And remember, a breath prayer isjust so simple.
It's just breathing, deepbreathing, and adding in God's
(24:11):
truth so that we're renewing ourminds at the same time as
calming our bodies.
And it's just a beautiful way torenew your mind.
You can choose any truth thatlines up with scripture and make
your own breath prayers.
Um so let's go ahead and inhale.
God, you know my heart.
(24:32):
God, you know my heart.
Exhale.
And I trust your thoughts overmine.
And one more time, inhale.
God, you know my heart.
Exhale.
(24:54):
And I trust your thoughts overmine.
SPEAKER_01 (24:57):
Over mine.
That's a good one.
Yes.
Friends, whether you've chosento use a tool or you're
considering one, you might beright now considering one.
Maybe you felt conflicted.
Um, we just want to say you'renot alone.
You are not alone.
(25:18):
Right.
God is with you.
We are too.
We'd be glad to talk with youabout these things if you want
to.
Christina's available forone-on-one coaching, and she
coaches people who have triedall kinds of tools, all kinds of
tools.
SPEAKER_00 (25:32):
I'm in it with you.
I'm in it with you.
Yes.
We're not here to hand outformulas, even though maybe
that's what you want.
Oh, I know.
Sorry about that.
We understand.
But we're here to keep pointingyou to Jesus again and again and
again and again and again.
That's who this ministry isabout.
Right.
And if you want to talk moreabout this one-on-one, I'd love
(25:55):
to meet with you.
Yay! I've walked with many womenthrough decisions just like
this.
SPEAKER_01 (26:03):
Until next time, let your questions draw you closer
to him and let every decision beone made in light of his
goodness, not guilt orcondemnation.
SPEAKER_00 (26:14):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (26:14):
He sees you, he loves you, and he leads you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:20):
So we are so glad that you've been here today with
us.
So glad.
And we sure would love to inviteyou to our next podcast episode
of Revelation Within.
Hi, and welcome to our podcast, Revelation Within
on the Go! I'm Heidi MilesMaheverson, one of your hosts,
and the owner and lead coach ofRevelationWithin.org industry.
SPEAKER_00 (00:14):
And I'm Christina Molly, your other host, also a
Revelation Within Coach.
And I'm partnering at all thingsRevelation Within.
And we are so happy to inviteyou to come and join us for
another very special episode ofRevelation Within.
(00:41):
Once again we are together.
Together in Colorado on myporch.
My little office.
And I'm just loving having Heidihere.
Me too.
It's going to be wonderful,wonderful, wonderful.
SPEAKER_01 (00:54):
Yay.
Well, today we're gonna lean.
We're gonna lean.
Lean in.
We need to lean into God forthis one.
And we're also gonna talk aboutsomething that a lot of our
community members and those wholisten to our podcast and those
who are familiar with ThinWithin as well wrestle with.
Yeah.
(01:14):
Especially right now.
There are so many new weightloss options being marketed
everywhere with the key emphasison the word marketed.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (01:26):
And so let's talk about it.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Yeah, let's do.
Let's talk.
Let's hit it on the head.
Let's hit it on the head.
We're not afraid.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
We're not afraid.
No, definitely not.
Definitely not.
Okay, so GLP1 medications likeZeppan, Wagovi, Um, Ozempic,
weight loss surgeries,intermittent fasting apps,
30-day programs.
I could go for days talkingabout all the things that are
(01:55):
out there.
Right.
All the diet plans, all thethings.
All the things.
All the things.
It's a lot.
Yes.
And it's a lot coming at us allthe time.
All the time.
Especially in social media.
Yeah.
Everywhere, really.
It's everywhere right now.
And we are absolutely not hereto bash any kind of tool.
(02:17):
Yeah.
Because that's what they allare.
They're tools.
They're tools, yes.
What we're here to do is togently ask what's behind our use
of them.
And even more importantly, havewe invited God into the process?
SPEAKER_01 (02:33):
Really good question.
Yeah.
And so we want to say right upfront, and we mentioned this
last week on our podcast aswell, a revelation within.
We do not teach, we do notbelieve that dieting, taking
GLP1 meds, or even having aweight loss surgery is by
(02:53):
definition a sin.
Absolutely not.
And we found that a lot ofpeople want to know what we
think about those things.
SPEAKER_00 (02:59):
And so just as clearly, we want to say we do
not believe that not doing thosethings somehow puts you on a
higher spiritual plane.
No way.
No way.
And I'll just kind of say itagain.
I kind of said this in our lastpodcast.
We are all on differentjourneys.
And we all have differentchallenges with our bodies and
(03:21):
our health and also emotionalchallenges, challenges from the
past, challenges that you're inright now.
We are all on our own journey.
And we want to validate that.
What you're doing, what you'refeeling, what you're struggling
with is very real, veryimportant, and valid.
And so we just want to put thatout there.
(03:43):
We are not anyone on a spiritualhigher plane by doing A, B, or
C.
Or not doing X, Y, or Z.
SPEAKER_01 (03:50):
Exactly, exactly.
But here's the heartbeat.
And I think this has to alwayscome to the surface.
This is the cream that rises tothe top.
Yes.
Have we asked God what histhoughts are?
unknown (04:04):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (04:04):
Have we paused?
Have we stopped long enough?
I know this is not somethingthat comes naturally to most of
us, but have we stopped longenough and said, Lord, are you
in this with me?
If we don't want to ask him,maybe we don't even want to hear
his thoughts.
Right.
And that may be a red flag.
And it may point to somethingdeeper in the heart that he
(04:26):
wants to heal.
We want to ask him, what areyour thoughts about this God?
Yes.
Because he knows us perfectlyand intimately.
SPEAKER_00 (04:34):
Well, and I'll just throw in if you're at a place
where you feel very unsettled,where you feel very not at
peace, the opposite at peace,you know, this is the perfect
time to take it to the Lord.
Yes.
Say, Lord, I don't know.
I'm not sure.
I'm being inundated byinformation.
I'm confused.
I want to go to the God of allknowledge and the God of all
(04:57):
comfort.
And that's where I want to bewith these questions.
Many of us need healing in a lotof different ways.
SPEAKER_01 (05:04):
Oh, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (05:05):
Physical and emotional, spiritual.
So that's our theme for today.
Bringing it all to God.
No more hiding.
Nope.
Nope.
No more hiding.
No more hustling.
No more white knuckling it.
No.
No.
But instead asking, listening,trusting.
SPEAKER_01 (05:27):
Oh, that sounds much better to me than hiding.
Because.
Oh, well, let's just name someof the things that are out there
right now.
Okay.
There is a$70 plus billiondollar dieting industry in the
US alone.
Wow.
Can you believe that?
And that's billion with a B.
You heard me right.
Yeah.
And it keeps growing.
(05:48):
Why?
Why does it keep growing?
Because the long-termeffectiveness of diets is
incredibly low.
That's just a fact.
You can find statistics that areon the internet all over the
place.
Most studies show 80 to 95% ofpeople regain the weight when
they've dieted to lose it.
(06:08):
Now, I used to find statisticslike this so discouraging.
I'm like, what's a girl to do?
Exactly.
Oh, I got this.
So we're going to address thattoday.
SPEAKER_00 (06:18):
Well, and many of you who are here today with us
have been struggling with thisfor 20, 30, 40, 50 years, you
know, and Heidi and I have spentmany years struggling as well.
Um, and so we get that.
We understand that frustrationand hopelessness.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
We get that.
SPEAKER_01 (06:37):
We do.
SPEAKER_00 (06:37):
Um, GLP1 medications like Zeppound or Ragovi can help
with weight loss.
SPEAKER_01 (06:42):
That's true too.
SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
Yeah.
Studies show 10 to 17% totalbody weight loss over time.
Right.
That sounds so good.
Why wouldn't I want to do it?
Yeah.
Well, and it's very new.
It's very kind of this new,exciting thing.
But many people regain once theystop taking them.
And there are side effects toconsider.
SPEAKER_01 (07:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
Nausea, digestive issues, even risks like
pancreatitis for some.
SPEAKER_01 (07:09):
Oh boy.
That's tough.
Have you ever seen those ads onTV that say this is this great
medication you could take and itwill make you feel this and this
and this and then at the veryend of the day, including death.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:20):
Well, they always show like kids playing in the
playground, everything it'ssunshine, everything's good.
Everything's good.
And then, but there's alwaysthat little side effects.
SPEAKER_01 (07:30):
Well, and that's some of them aren't so little.
No, that's true.
And the thing about some ofthese things is they are so new
for weight loss purposes thatnobody really knows the
long-term side effects.
Nobody knows.
So, okay, so what about some ofthe surgeries that are possible
to help with the weight loss?
Bariatric surgeries, some peopledo lap-bound.
(07:50):
There's all kinds of optionsnow.
Yeah.
Of course, some peopleexperience profound results with
that.
Up to 30% of their body weightlost.
But here's the thing (08:01):
again, as much as it may sound like it, to
those of us who have never triedthat, but want to think about
it, it's not a quick fix.
It requires huge lifestylechanges.
And sometimes it, and I knowsomebody who this happened to.
She was always sick.
She lost a ton of weight, lookedfine and like a quote normal
(08:23):
person, maybe, but she had allkinds of nutrient deficiencies
that were causing her oneillness after the other.
She was always, she waschronically sick.
And it means lifelongadjustments for many of these
people.
So we want to go in with eyeswide open, but again, we want to
invite God into that.
SPEAKER_00 (08:43):
Yeah, definitely.
And for some, it is the rightchoice in certain seasons of
life.
Absolutely.
Okay, so here's the takeaway: none of these tools are magical, (08:49):
undefined
they all require decisions,motivations, sacrifices, and
they all come with their ownrisks and stories.
That's why it's so critical thatwe bring the whole thing to the
Lord.
SPEAKER_01 (09:07):
Yeah, and what does God care about?
Um, we referred to this passagein last week's podcast, but it's
worthy of mentioning again.
In Matthew 6, 33, Jesus Himselfsaid, Seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all thesethings will be added to you.
I love hearing Jesus' own words.
(09:28):
They're in red in your Bible, ifyou have that kind of a Bible.
Um, anyway, because to me,seeking him first doesn't just
mean God is the first on myschedule, and then I run after
everything else all day long.
It's he saturates everything aspreeminent as the my sovereign
king and lord throughout my day.
SPEAKER_00 (09:50):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (09:51):
Every waking moment.
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Not just, Lord, I made this decision, will you
bless it, please?
SPEAKER_01 (09:56):
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (09:58):
Yeah, so what does seek first look like when we're
thinking about our bodies?
SPEAKER_01 (10:04):
And who isn't thinking about their bodies?
I mean, really, many of us thinknonstop about our bodies, about
how do I look today, or how canI hide better, or any number of
things sad to say.
Maybe seeking God first lookslike pausing long enough to say,
Jesus, this desire I have, whereis it coming from?
(10:26):
Is it fear, Lord?
Is it shame?
Is it comparison?
And then maybe it to go a littlefurther.
I could ask, what would yourkingdom, seeking your kingdom,
look like in this area of mylife?
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
Yes, because Jesus didn't go to the cross to help
us lose weight.
He did.
Oh, he gave his life for the joyset before him, and that's in
Hebrews 12, too.
The joy of relationship with us.
That's what matters the most tohim.
Why don't you just love him sodeeply?
(11:04):
He loves us so deeply.
Of course, he cares abouteverything that we care about.
Um, I mean, he just wants us, hejust wants relationship with us,
deep, loving, intimate, intimaterelationship with us.
That's what he wants.
SPEAKER_01 (11:23):
And of course, we're gonna tell you again what Romans
12, 2 says, because it is acornerstone verse for us.
Do not conform to the pattern ofthis world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.
Then catch this.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is.
Yes, his good, pleasing, andperfect will.
(11:47):
Ah, I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
God's will for us includes freedom.
Yes, and joy, yes, and peace,yes, not striving.
He may lead some to takemedications, he may not, but he
always wants intimacy with us,not performance.
SPEAKER_01 (12:06):
Oh goodness.
You know, sometimes we end upthinking things like that my
body issue is just way too big.
Nothing's gonna help.
I've tried it all.
Therapy, I've tried hypnosis,some people have tried hypnosis,
nutritionists, yeah, exactly.
But Ephesians 3.20 tells us, andagain, that's Ephesians 3.20.
(12:28):
I love Ephesians, but this is abeautiful verse.
Yes, God is able to do, I mean,we could do a scripture-focus,
word-focus on this right now.
God is able to do immeasurablymore than we ask or imagine,
according, according to what?
(12:49):
According to his power, yes,that is at work.
Where is it at work?
unknown (12:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (12:55):
Within us.
Oh, wow, I'm gonna say thatagain.
Okay.
God is able to do immeasurablymore than we ask or imagine,
according to his power that isat work within us.
SPEAKER_00 (13:07):
Ooh.
Yes, and Philippians 4.13 says,I can do all things through
Christ who gives me strength.
Again, the focus is on him andwhat he can do.
He knows what we need.
SPEAKER_01 (13:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:23):
We don't.
Most of the time we areclueless.
No, we're like, well, what aboutthis?
Well, I'll try this.
Well, I'm gonna run here and goto the left and then run to the
right and go here.
And we don't really know, butGod does.
He knows, and he wants to have aconversation with us about it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:41):
I love that.
And of course, that means thisissue, even this struggle that
seems never-ending,all-encompassing with eating or
my body image, it's not beyondhis power.
It's not off limits to hishealing.
He that doesn't have a barbedwire fence or razor wire around
it saying God can't come in hereunless we put that up.
(14:03):
Exactly.
That's yeah, we've got to invitehim into the process, not just
bolt ahead with what feels likethe most urgent option.
And we want to be really clearagain about this.
Even if you have chosen aparticular tool, a diet, a
medication, even surgery, youare still called and still
(14:27):
invited to renew your mind.
Yeah.
Mindonil is not plan B.
No, it's not optional.
Romans 12, 2 doesn't say betransformed by the perfect
eating plan or by a surgery.
It says be transformed by therenewing of your mind.
So no matter what else isinvolved in your particular uh
(14:47):
choice on your journey, renewingthe mind is vital.
And it's life-giving, yes.
Whether you're eating by anexternal structure, diet, in
other words, or practicingspirit-led eating, which is what
we encourage people to do, Godstill wants to meet you.
He wants to reshape yourthoughts and transform your
(15:08):
desires.
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
Yeah.
And you know what's really cooland amazing is that where we do
have confusion, further on inRomans 12, 2, verse 2, we read,
what follows the mind renewal istransformation.
But also we are promised.
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is,
his good, pleasing, and perfectwill.
(15:32):
He doesn't want to hide his willfrom us, he wants to talk with
us about it.
He wants to give us the rightinformation, and he wants us to
experience freedom.
SPEAKER_01 (15:44):
And I just want to say that if you are struggling
with maybe your doctors evensaid you should really try this
medication or that procedure.
Invite God into this.
He says you will know his will,and that his will is good,
pleasing, and perfect.
And so renew your mind,experience the transformation
that he promises and theknowledge of his good, pleasing,
(16:07):
and perfect will.
You're inviting him in.
Oh, he doesn't want to play, youknow, that that what is that
game?
The shell game where there's aball under one of it.
You're trying to see God's willis underneath the coconut and
there's other coconuts, he'smoving it around.
He's not like that at all.
SPEAKER_00 (16:22):
He's not.
He just has so much love for us.
Right.
So, and for those of you whomight be curious about what we
teach here at Revelation Within,it's something we call the five
intentions of spirit-led eating.
It's not a diet, it's not aprogram, it's a posture of the
heart that seeks to follow theHoly Spirit in our eating from
(16:43):
the first hunger cue to thepeaceful place of just enough.
But again, we share this tosupport you, not to box you in.
What we do here at RevelationWithin is life-giving.
Yes, it will lift you up, itwill focus on the Lord and how
he sees us, all of those goodthings.
(17:04):
So, you know, not to box you in,but to bring life to your life.
SPEAKER_01 (17:09):
Yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_00 (17:11):
God leads us in different ways at different
times.
And everyone is welcome atRevelation.
Everyone is welcome.
The real question is (17:19):
am I inviting him into the process
and aligning my thoughts withhis?
Right.
So whether you're considering adiet, a medication, a surgery,
or something else, or you'retempted to just give up
altogether, we would just loveto encourage you to ask these
(17:40):
questions.
Number one, what is motivatingme right now?
SPEAKER_01 (17:45):
Let's just pause for a moment in between these.
Sure.
And give them a chance, thelistener, a chance to think,
what is motivating you rightnow?
There's all kinds of options.
It could be the insults fromyour mother-in-law.
I mean, it was pain, physicalpain.
There you go.
It could be any number, it couldbe that cruise that you hope to
(18:06):
go on and want to swim in aswimming suit without feeling uh
embarrassed.
All of those things could bemotivation, it could be change.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, so think about that forjust a moment.
What is motivating me right now?
Maybe ask the Lord to show you.
God, what is motivating me rightnow?
SPEAKER_00 (18:26):
Okay.
And then number two, have Igenuinely brought this to the
Lord in prayer?
Probably not just once.
Right.
Lots and lots of times.
Am I bringing this to the Lordwhen those feelings of confusion
and unsettledness and worry andwhen all of that comes up?
(18:46):
Anxiety, have I brought this tothe Lord again and again?
And number three, am I chasingan outcome or am I trusting the
process?
Am I chasing an outcome or am Itrusting the process?
SPEAKER_01 (19:07):
You know, for all the many years that I've been
involved in this kind ofspirit-led intentional eating,
which we called Finn Withinbefore, of course, I have heard
so many people struggle with nothaving an instant result.
You know, maybe they've evenbeen on crash diets before and
(19:28):
saw a ton of weight leave rightaway and only to come back
later.
And so slowing down and eatingwhen they're hungry and waiting
until they're hungry to eat andthen stopping it just enough,
leaning into the Holy Spirit,asking him for the strength they
need to move on instead ofstopping in the kitchen when
(19:48):
they're not hungry, etc.
It is hard.
It's hard to wait.
It's a process.
It is.
And ask God when you strugglewith that, if that's the
approach you're taking, Lord, amI to move on to something else?
Or is this what you've invitedme to for these months or these
years or for the rest of mylife, maybe?
(20:10):
Um, ask him.
SPEAKER_00 (20:12):
And then number four, do I believe that God can
be glorified in this area of mylife?
No matter what tool I use ordon't use.
That's a good question.
It is, it is indeed.
Okay, number five, am Imeasuring my value, my worth by
how I look, or by how deeply Iam loved by Jesus?
SPEAKER_01 (20:38):
Am I measuring my value by how I look, by how
deeply I am loved by Jesus?
I know when I have beenstruggling a lot, I go into my
closet and grab something that Ihave worn previously, and if
it's a little tight, it's almostlike an accusation.
It's like I can sense the enemyhimself saying, See, you don't
(21:01):
love God like you claim.
I mean, it's lies, it's lies,but it's just, oh my goodness.
So that is one of the ways thatthis question kind of showed up
in my life.
I was measuring my value bybeing able to fit into my
clothes or not, right?
Which isn't the way God measuresmy value.
I am deeply loved by Jesus, asare you.
(21:23):
Yes.
There's no shame, there's justinvitation.
Um, we can bring all of thesethings, these challenges, these
questions, these things thatcause us so much turmoil to him.
He wants us to pour it out tohim.
He already knows, so we might aswell invite him in.
(21:43):
I remember you telling the storyabout the way the scale seemed
to own you.
Oh, yeah.
And it was it causing youturmoil.
SPEAKER_00 (21:51):
And so, what did you do with that?
I brought the scale physicallyto the Lord during my quiet
time.
It was a very uh very privatemoment, so I think that I did
like really late at night wheneverybody was in bed.
But I actually picked up thescale and brought it to God.
I love it because I was somastered by it, and I really did
(22:12):
feel like my worth, my value, Iwas so confused and so tortured
by this whole weight issuething.
Yeah, and like you said, theclothes in the closet that are
too tight and don't fit me rightanymore.
And the other thing about thisis that I've had so many seasons
in my life of this where it haschanged because of getting
(22:34):
pregnant, having babies, becauseof health problems.
I'm in a health thing right nowwith breast cancer where I am
eating very differently than Iate before.
And there's just all kinds ofways that that changes.
What doesn't change though isthat I know how to renew my
mind.
And I use that now, I use mindrenewal no matter what's
(22:57):
happening with my body.
And listening to my body,listening to what my body needs,
as you said, waiting for hungerand then stopping it just
enough.
But those are tools that you canuse no matter what you're going
through, as long as God is incharge.
The minute I go to him, thoseanxious thoughts melt away.
(23:20):
I love that.
Because I know that his peace iswhat I what I want.
And I'm in process.
I'm gonna be in process until Istep into heaven.
We all are, right?
SPEAKER_01 (23:30):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (23:31):
God is constantly teaching me and you know,
there's not a one and done,right?
But embracing I'm in process.
And you know what?
I love this process now becauseit draws me into God's own
heart.
And I know it does you as well.
SPEAKER_01 (23:47):
Oh, yeah, absolutely it does.
SPEAKER_00 (23:49):
Okay.
So we'll go ahead and end withthis breath prayer.
Um, we're gonna inhale and say,God, you know my heart.
And we're gonna exhale and say,and I trust your thoughts over
mine.
And remember, a breath prayer isjust so simple.
It's just breathing, deepbreathing, and adding in God's
(24:11):
truth so that we're renewing ourminds at the same time as
calming our bodies.
And it's just a beautiful way torenew your mind.
You can choose any truth thatlines up with scripture and make
your own breath prayers.
Um so let's go ahead and inhale.
God, you know my heart.
(24:32):
God, you know my heart.
Exhale.
And I trust your thoughts overmine.
And one more time, inhale.
God, you know my heart.
Exhale.
(24:54):
And I trust your thoughts overmine.
SPEAKER_01 (24:57):
Over mine.
That's a good one.
Yes.
Friends, whether you've chosento use a tool or you're
considering one, you might beright now considering one.
Maybe you felt conflicted.
Um, we just want to say you'renot alone.
You are not alone.
(25:18):
Right.
God is with you.
We are too.
We'd be glad to talk with youabout these things if you want
to.
Christina's available forone-on-one coaching, and she
coaches people who have triedall kinds of tools, all kinds of
tools.
SPEAKER_00 (25:32):
I'm in it with you.
I'm in it with you.
Yes.
We're not here to hand outformulas, even though maybe
that's what you want.
Oh, I know.
Sorry about that.
We understand.
But we're here to keep pointingyou to Jesus again and again and
again and again and again.
That's who this ministry isabout.
Right.
And if you want to talk moreabout this one-on-one, I'd love
(25:55):
to meet with you.
Yay! I've walked with many womenthrough decisions just like
this.
SPEAKER_01 (26:03):
Until next time, let your questions draw you closer
to him and let every decision beone made in light of his
goodness, not guilt orcondemnation.
SPEAKER_00 (26:14):
Yes.
SPEAKER_01 (26:14):
He sees you, he loves you, and he leads you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:20):
So we are so glad that you've been here today with
us.
So glad.
And we sure would love to inviteyou to our next podcast episode
of Revelation Within.
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