SPEAKER_01: 0:01

Hi, welcome to Revelation Within. I'm Heidi Miles and Emerson, one of your hosts, and the owner lead coach of RevelationWithin.org.

SPEAKER_00: 0:11

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. All right, we are so glad that you are here today for a very honest, very real, and hopefully freeing conversation today. Oh, that sounds lovely, but I'm shaking in my boots. I'm actually wearing boots right now.

SPEAKER_01: 0:53

We just had a big snowstorm. Oh, how fun. Well, okay, so Christina mentioned we want to talk about a topic that is on many people's minds. I know we've seen it many, many. Yes, we've seen it in our community members. And you may have even said this to yourself recently. Is going on a GLP1 medication somehow not what God wants for me? Or is it?

SPEAKER_00: 1:25

Or is it? Yeah, good question. And it is everywhere right now, everywhere, everywhere. Um, so these medications like Ozempic, Wagovi, Zeppound, they're everywhere in the news, the media, the lives of the women we serve. And the truth is, a lot of you listening today may have felt shame just even for wondering about it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:51

And that that's to be honest with you, one of the reasons why, well, that's a primary reason why I wanted us to address this as a topic, because I know that shame is accompanying many of us as we wonder about this and we feel bad somehow for it. So let's talk for a moment about why this conversation even matters. Why does it even have to be talked about? So we've heard from many in our community who are curious, concerned too, and hopefully and honestly confused. Some of them admit in our classes and times together in Zoom calls that they feel bad for being envious of what they see happening with their friends and family members who are on one of these weight loss drugs. And so they kind of wonder about taking it for themselves. Some of them have had doctors even suggest it. And some of the questions are things like Does taking that drug mean I don't have enough faith? Ooh, how about this question? Have you ever wondered this? Would I be bypassing the work God wants to do in my heart if I took this medication? And of course, what will other people think of me? And am I cheating if I take this drug to help me with weight loss?

SPEAKER_00: 3:20

Yeah, those are tough questions. And I have heard them from a lot of people. We have people in our community who are on GLP ones. So, what are we seeing? What have we seen? These questions, they're often layered with shame. And this is a topic that we've been really, really talking about a lot in Revelation within over the last year, especially. Um, we've even had a class about shame.

SPEAKER_01: 3:47

From shame to shalom, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 3:49

Yeah, we do, but friend, God never, never shames us for asking sincere, honest questions with a humble heart. In fact, we want to say this up front today. There is no shame in asking God what he wants for you, even in the area of medication. There is no shame in that. Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_01: 4:14

So let's start with scripture. When we're trying to make any difficult decision or sort through anything that has like a variations, nuances, going to the word isn't is going to be a really good place to go. Yes, it really is. The best place to go, yes. Of course. So Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. I love this because there's a promise there. I want to trust in God, of course. My own understanding is not going to necessarily lead me in a Godward direction. But if in all my ways I acknowledge him, he will direct me. He will direct my path, and that's what I want. This tells me it's it's not wrong to not know. So I it's okay. It's okay to be in a place of, well, I'm not sure. What God invites for me is to acknowledge him. Ask him, just ask him, seek him. Like Christine and I say all the time, invite him in, invite him into the process of making the decision.

SPEAKER_00: 5:28

Yeah, yes, absolutely. Uh Heidi, I love what you said about it's okay not to know. That's so important. I think we feel kind of rushed to figure things out. You know, we feel like, well, I should know this. I should know yes or no. Well, what should you know? It's okay not to know. Um, absolutely. It's okay to be in process with this. James 1, 5 says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. So I mean, God is ready to give generously. I love that word generously. It just feels like your best friend. Generous, right? It's good. It's good. He's good, he's full of compassion. God gives wisdom without reproach. What does that mean? That means without shaming, without shaming. If we're coming to him genuinely, he's not standing over us with a scowl or arms crossed, waiting for us to get it right. Absolutely not. He is there for us, arms open wide, full of compassion and patience and understanding. And he gets us. He knows why we're feeling the way we're feeling. We can go to him and know that we are safe with him.

SPEAKER_01: 6:49

Yes. Thank you for saying that. I think that can't be overstated. We are safe with him. So this is a complex decision. There's no doubt about it. And and at Revelation Within, Christine and I don't believe everyone is called to the same journey. Our journeys will not look the same. And the decision to use a medication or not, it's not a spiritual litmus test. No, no, no. And so the I want to say this really clearly. Please hear this. And with the tenderness of heart that it's intended with. Yes, using a tool doesn't mean you are bypassing obedience. And conversely, avoiding using a tool doesn't make you more holy. So if if you feel that, well, I'm not going to use that because I'm better than that, ooh, be careful, sweet sister or brother. Please be careful with that. God may call you to it at some point in time, but he may not. I don't think that it is fair to say that 100% of the time, for 100% of the people, this is a no. I just don't think that's a real wise distinction to make.

SPEAKER_00: 8:07

Yeah, well, and it's not our distinction to make. Each person has their own journey with the Lord. There's no more godly camp here. You're not more spiritual if you never consider medication. You're not less spiritual if you do. None of that. None of that. This is between you and the Lord.

SPEAKER_01: 8:28

Right. So how do we know if it's right for us? I mean, because some of us are in a position right now, right now, we know this because of the women in our community. How do we know if it's right for us or not? So let's talk about a process, a shame-free, God-honoring process that you can walk through if you're asking God, what do you want me to do about GLP1 meds? So that's really, I think, important. Now, the fact that we're talking about this doesn't mean that we think it's always God's plan for you, for everybody. We don't know. This is it's so interesting because I think we as humans gravitate toward the easy answer. We want uh always yes or always no. Tell me what to do, and I can do it. Yeah, this is where we have to lean into the Lord. Okay, so here are some steps to consider if you're wondering if God wants you to go ahead and get on GOP1 meds, or if you're on them already to get off. Ooh, right? Yeah, right. Yeah. Step one is ask God with open hands. Just God, I want to honor you. I trust that you care about my body and my heart. Will you show me what is best for me? Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24 say, Search me, oh God, and know my heart and lead me in the way everlasting. Basically, it's lead me your way, God. Lead me what is right for me. What are you calling me to do? But we have to do it with open hands. If we're clinging to any answer too tightly, we're going to find ourselves not really able to sense what God's leadership is saying to us.

SPEAKER_00: 11:22

Yeah, so, so good. Okay, so step two, bring your motivations into the light. Let's just be real. Let's just have a real conversation. Ask gently and honestly before the Lord why do I want this? Am I driven by fear, despair, hope, freedom, a desire to steward my body well? What's going on in my heart? What are my thoughts about this? Just openly go to the Lord with this. It feels so good to do that. It helps me so much when I just talk through things with the Lord. Like, like I said before, like He's my best friend. Yeah. Proverbs 16, 2 says, all a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. This doesn't mean you have to be perfect. It just means bring it into the light. And God's light is warm and inviting and good and close and personal. This is where you want to bring this conversation to the Lord who loves you the most.

SPEAKER_01: 12:34

Step number three, then, is invite wise counsel. Now, this is tricky because if we feel shame even at wondering, we're not going to want to talk to anybody about it. I've heard that some women who are on GOP1s don't even want their husbands to know. And I mean, and that's well, maybe that's not unusual for some people, but in my circles, it's like I don't want to have anything that I'm doing in secret away from my husband or those that love me. So step number three is to invite wise counsel. And clearly, if we're feeling shame about even asking the question, it's hard to go and actually talk to somebody about it. Um, but really, here's a really good question. Who do I trust spiritually, maybe emotionally, and medically to help me think clearly about this? A godly friend, maybe, uh, a pastor, a doctor who knows your history. Invite people in who won't shame you, but will walk with you as you attempt to sift through the different questions that come up when we're considering this. Proverbs 15, verse 22 say plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed. Obviously, we're not going to put it out there and take a vote of what people think we should do with this. No. But we do want to invite wise counsel. I just want to uh review those three first three steps. Number one is asking God with open hands. Number two is bring your motivations into the light. And number three, so far, is invite wise counsel.

SPEAKER_00: 14:24

Okay, so let's go to step four. Stay in the word during the process. Um, maybe maybe a prayer that you might want to pray sounds like this God, remind me who you are. Remind me who I am. Help me make this decision from a place of intimacy with you. Romans 12, 2 says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So, really, whether you go on a medication or not, this is always part of the journey. Renewing your mind with God's truth. What is true from his perspective? We want to soak there. We want to be there, we want to be in the midst of God's truth while we're making decisions like this. You might be listening at this point and thinking, well, um, I've already started taking the medication. Is it too late to ask God in? Have I kind of gone ahead of him? Um, have I messed everything up? What's what should I do? No, absolutely not. It's never too late to invite God in. And he won't push in. He is a gentleman. He will wait for you. And he's looking forward to that invitation and that conversation with you. He's looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_01: 15:51

And here's what I might say to you uh first, ask God to help you walk with him while you take the medication if you feel a leader, his leading that you are to continue to take it. So ask him to help you walk with him. You know, I think sometimes those of us who have been struggling with food and eating and body image for so long, we're so used to having to control this and manage this. And it's like as soon as we take this uh a medication of some sort to help us with this whole issue, it's like we put our brain and heart on the shelf. Say, well, this will be taken care of because I'm on this medication. My hunger signals will go away, I won't eat as much, and ta-da, it'll be all better. We want to not miss a thing God has for us. So invite him into this decision. Again, even if you're already on a medication, walk with him while you take it. The second thought is don't separate your spiritual walk from your physical journey. Right. God, I think God has something for us to learn in this struggle. And then keep renewing your mind, keep on renewing your mind. Stay curious about how he wants to grow your character during this season. Whether you're on a GLP one or not, these four things are really a good idea. You know, ask God to help you walk with him. Don't separate your spiritual walk from your physical journey. Keep renewing your mind and then stay curious about how he wants to grow your character. GOP1 medications may be a tool, but what causes our transformation? What does he say in that verse Christina read a minute ago? It's Jesus, it's Jesus renewing our minds, and God causes the transformation as we renew our minds. Yes, Galatians 5 1 says, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Christ sets us free, not GOP1 or not the doctor or not whatever else it might be. It's Christ that sets us free.

SPEAKER_00: 18:06

Okay, so what if this whole conversation has stirred up shame for you, either for what you've done or what you haven't done? Let's take that to the Lord right now.

SPEAKER_01: 18:19

And Romans 8:1, of course, one of our favorite verses. Yes, says there is now, now, there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. And that friend includes you. Yes. Jesus never motivates through shame, never, ever, ever, no, not ever. He draws us near with truth, grace, and an invitation. I love that. It's so true.

SPEAKER_00: 18:48

Yeah, it is so true. And really, we're talking about GLP ones, but this is true for all big decisions. This is true for all the challenges we face. Okay, if you're sorting this particular thing out with the Lord, here are a few questions that you might want to ask. You might want to journal through these, pray through these, reflect, you know, take some time, take a few days. Like there's really no rush. So, how about this first question? Lord, what are you inviting me to in this season of my health journey?

SPEAKER_01: 19:24

You know, I I just want to share right now, um, while people are contemplating this a little bit, what are you, Lord, inviting me to in this season of my health journey? As as I have shared before, uh, since 2014, I've been on antibiotics. And wow, if that doesn't change things a lot in your body, it really does. And I have to constantly be asking God, what do you want me to do with this? I have um called on him to help me to know if and when I should stop taking the antibiotics, because you know, when somebody hears you've been on antibiotics for 10, 11 years, it's like, what? That's so bad for you. It is. If it's bad for you to be on antibiotics for two weeks, imagine being on it for 10 years. Yeah, yeah. And so um, for me, I have to lean in. All of us probably do, you know, when when you think about it, I mean, if you're um leaping over buildings in a single bound, maybe you're an exception to this rule. But he wants to be invited into our decisions, into our health decisions, into our medication decisions, into the advice the doctors give us. So we want to be very intentional. God, what is an invitation from you right now for me? What are you leading me to do? And then a second question what fears or expectations might be influencing my decisions? What fears or expectations might be influencing my decisions? And Wow, that's a great question to ask about any kind of decision we're making, but especially perhaps about decisions related to health.

SPEAKER_00: 21:17

Here's another question that might, you know, be a good one to reflect on. Do I believe that you can still grow my character, Lord, even if I use this tool? So that might be something you want to bring to him and just ask him.

SPEAKER_01: 21:32

I want to be sure that I don't think that I can make a decision that in some way ties God's hands as to what he is able to do in my life. I mean, I think that that kind of minimizes the truth of God's sovereignty.

SPEAKER_00: 21:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 21:49

Yeah, I have to walk really carefully with that.

SPEAKER_00: 21:53

One more question. What might it look like to walk in intimacy with you, Lord, in this area? So again, you can write those in your journal, process them with a trusted friend, or use them as prompts for prayer this week. I would just encourage you not to rush. Take your time. There is no rush. Take your time with the Lord and talk about this with him openly, honestly. He's ready. And as I said before, he's looking forward to it. He's looking forward to this conversation with you.

SPEAKER_01: 22:30

Yeah. Friend, no matter what your path looks like, GLP1s or not, um, struggling or thriving, hopeful or hesitant, really, God is with you and He loves you deeply.

SPEAKER_00: 22:45

Yes, He does. And shame is not your companion. Jesus is. He leads with love, truth, and wisdom.

SPEAKER_01: 22:55

Yeah, and we absolutely love you. You are not alone in this. Yes. Keep walking closely with Jesus and with your community speaking. And community, you don't have to carry this alone or quietly. You can join us. And here's the thing: our community and probably others that you know of are not requiring that you park the GLP ones at the door. Right. I'm not going to say that to you. Absolutely not. In fact, it is my deep hope and longing that women who are on GLP ones join us at Revelation Within because we believe we have a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for you to walk with God, renewing your mind. It's wonderful to have this parallel path because mind renewal is something we're called to do no matter what. You could have no eating challenges at all and still need to renew your mind. You could have no counterfeit comforts in your life and still need to renew your mind. It's so funny. My husband and I were having a conversation about this uh yesterday, and he said something about how, well, if they make the not about anybody in particular, but if they make a certain decision, they need to renew their mind. I'm like, it's even better if they renew their mind before they've made a decision that they regret. And that's just it, is this is part of our sanctification journey, is to renew our minds so we don't come to a point of regretting something that we've done or said. And so when it comes to this journey of being on GLP1s or not, we would love to link arms with you. We may not necessarily be doing the same thing as you, but if we're all renewing our mind, we are. So that's kind of awesome.

SPEAKER_00: 24:43

Yeah. Yes. And if you need someone to talk to, we are here. You can reach out for coaching or connection through revelationwithin.org. We have a wonderful, caring, loving community who understands this, all of this. And we're walking together, arm in arm. And it's it's a beautiful thing to have each other.

SPEAKER_01: 25:10

Yeah. So until next time, keep renewing your mind and walking in the freedom Jesus gave his life to give to you.

SPEAKER_00: 25:20

Yes. And we are so glad that you've been here today. We're so, so glad. Um, and we hope that you'll join us next time for our next podcast episode of Revelation Within. See you next time.

SPEAKER_01: 25:42

Yeah, bye for now.

SPEAKER_00: 25:44

Bye.