Welcome And The Big Question

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Hi, and welcome to our podcast, Revelation Within on the Go. I'm Heidi Miles Maperson, one of your hosts, and the owner and lead coach of the Revelation Within Ministry.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach, and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. And we are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode of Revelation Within.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

Oh, yay. We're so glad you're here. Thanks for joining us. And happy Wednesday or whatever day of the week it may be for you. Yeah, exactly. Today we're gonna kind of approach a question that may be on the minds of some of our newer listeners, it may be on the minds of many of y'all. Uh, and that is is Revelation Within right for me? Yeah, or perhaps you know what? What a great question. It is a good question. Or how would I even know if it was right for me? I mean, maybe you've listened to a few podcast episodes, maybe you've visited our website or joined some of our classes or one of our classes. Maybe someone told you that Revelation Within is what used to be thin within. And maybe you're intrigued, but maybe you're also cautious. Or maybe you're a former Thin Withiner who has looked into Revelation Within and is like, there is no resemblance. I don't see it. You just may be wondering, okay, is this another diet? Is it an intuitive eating program with Bible verses slapped on? Am I gonna be told that wanting to lose weight is wrong? Oh, will I have to give up caring about my health? Good questions. Is this gonna be another plan that I just flat out fail? And yeah, these are understandable questions.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah, they really are. I mean, I'm chuckling, but these are really good questions. And I think there are quite a few of you out there who are wondering. So let's get into it. Let's jump right in.

Why So Many Are Wary

SPEAKER_03 2:24

Let's.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Many of the people who find Revelation Within have been through a lot.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

A lot.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

I'm gonna say all of the people who find Revelation Within, and that includes Heidi and I. That includes us. You know, they have followed, we have followed, all of us have followed food plans, counting calories, counting points, tracking nutrients, eliminating entire categories of food, starting over on Mondays, and um after the holiday, and January 1st, we have joined challenges, we've made all kinds of promises, and we've tried to summon more willpower.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

There's that word. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Oh my gosh. Yeah, and some have experienced temporary success. Probably we all have, I'm guessing. We have all experienced something that felt like that was successful for a minute, but I'm speaking about myself. Yeah, um, and some did not, but many are left with a strange relationship with food, with their bodies, with themselves, and sometimes even with God. I don't want that for them. No, but that describes me in different stages of my seasons, too, for sure. So it makes sense that you would be cautious. You know, you who are listening, um, and me back years back, you know, you don't want to be swept up into one more system, program, or plan that promises freedom, but eventually leaves leaves you feeling ashamed once again.

SPEAKER_03 4:18

That is so true. And and be honest with you, we do not want to pressure anyone to join us at Revelation Within. So please throw that off. If you feel pressure, just know that's not what we intend at all. We're not interested in convincing you that this ministry is the answer to everything. Nope, nope, nope. Jesus is the answer, only Jesus. Yes, and really revelation within offers just simply one way of learning to walk with him in some very personal places, yes, inside our thoughts, our bodies, our eating, our emotions, our desires, and our choices. And so this is just one approach, and we offer it to you with lots of love and prayer in our hearts.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Yes. I like the word approach rather than program or plan or anything.

SPEAKER_03 5:13

I don't like program at all. No plan.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Not at all.

SPEAKER_03 5:16

Our hope today really is to help you have a strategy to discern whether this particular approach may be a good fit for you in the season that you are currently in. And really, God knows the answer to that. So invite him in. Please invite him into your decision making. And really, we don't claim that this is the only valid approach. I need somebody to hear me say that. Um really, because I know people have said that some things over the years. No, yeah, we're not claiming that this is the only valid approach. But really, when you think about it, clarity can help us respond honestly to God and to ourselves, where we can sit with him and be honest and open to him.

What Revelation Within Actually Is

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Before we explore whether Revelation Within is right for you, perhaps we should actually explain what it is. How about that?

SPEAKER_03 6:12

That's a thought. Sure. Yeah, let's do that. So at its most basic, Revelation Within is a Christ-centered ministry. It's a Christ-centered and exalting ministry focused on mind renewal, our identity in Christ, spirit-led eating, joyful movement, and learning from our experiences without shame. I think I'm gonna say that again because I think it's got a lot there to unpack. Um, Revelation Within is a Christ-centered, Christ-exalting ministry focused on mind renewal, identity in Christ, spirit-led eating, joyful movement, and learning from our experiences without shame.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

So, really, I mean, yeah, at its heart, Revelation Within is discipleship. It's not merely a way to shape shift your body. It's not just changing what we eat. In fact, it's not changing what we eat necessarily, it's about learning to bring our thoughts, our choices, our emotions for sure, our bodies, our appetites and longings into our relationship with God. He wants the whole enchilada, y'all.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Is that a cheese enchilada?

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Yeah, I think. You bet it is. Romans 12, 2 tells us, and we love this verse here at Revelation within We do. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So we participate by renewing our minds, and God brings about the transformation. So it's not about working myself up into enough, I don't know, what do you call that? Willpower.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

That's the first state of mind. Yeah, self-control, pulling yourself up by your own boots.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

Yeah. No, no. We're going to renew our minds, think God's thoughts about Him, about our bodies, about our identity in Christ. And as we renew our minds about everything, God brings about an amazing transformation in our lives.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 8:29

We're not trying to force the transformation part through control or fear or punishment or shame, self-condemnation. No, not at all.

Four Gentle Rhythms Explained

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Well, and we often describe our approach through four gentle rhythms. So let's kind of go there for a minute. The first one is renewing the mind about the body. Oh my gosh. This this one has changed my life. So we learn to notice the thoughts that we have about our bodies and compare them with the truth of God's word. The second one is spirit-led eating. This has also changed my life. Um, we practice slowing down, becoming present, noticing our bodies, and inviting God into our eating choices rather than relying entirely on what someone else is telling us to do. External rules and restrictions. Yeah. Okay, the third one is joyful movement. I love this one as well. We explore movement as care, celebration, stewardship, strength, mobility, pleasure, and connection. Not punishment for what we ate. Oh, I love that. And then the fourth is looking and learning along the way. So important. Instead of declaring ourselves failures when something does not go the way we hoped it would, we become curious. Yay. Yeah, we ask questions like what happened? What was I feeling? What was I believing? What might God be showing me? And what could I practice differently next time?

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Well, and just to reassure you, these rhythms are not another set of rules to perform perfectly. Look at me, look at me. No, no, no. They are ways of remaining connected with God and responsive, best of all, responsive to his good leadership. Yes. So we're gonna go through a number of indicators or signs that will help you to know if revelation within is a good fit for

Signs 1 To 3 Of Fit

SPEAKER_03 10:49

you. So sign number one, you are tired of the shame control cycle. Is that you? Revelation within maybe right for you if you are weary of cycling between control. I will have only so many points, or I will eliminate all of this food in this category. So cycling between control and shame, on the other hand. In the old days, Judy Halliday called this the pendulum, um, where you go to one extreme of taking control, and that's when the diet was working for you, and then it stopped working for whatever reason, maybe because you were sick or because the kids were freaking out, or whatever it might be, and then you'd throw caution to the wind and give in to desire eating, and going back and forth, feeling enough shame so that I stay controlled. Maybe you become really rigid for a while, and that's when you're having the success. You decide exactly what you're gonna eat. Maybe you even portion it out ahead of time for the whole day or for the whole week. I've seen people do that. When you're gonna eat and what you will never eat ever again. Yeah, right. And for a time, you feel powerful and you feel hopeful. Woo-hoo! And then life happens. Yeah, you eat something that was not on your plan, you have an emotional evening, you grow weary of constant vigilance, and who doesn't? Right, you feel deprived, overwhelmed, you might feel rebellious, and the rules begin to unravel, and then in comes the shame, it rushes in, you blew it, you have no self-control, you will never change, you have ruined everything. Why bother trying?

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

So you create a stricter plan and begin the cycle again. No thing.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

How many times have I been there? How many? Too many to count, um, since I was a teenager, really. So Revelation Within offers another way. Yeah, another way, another approach, a different path. Instead of asking only, how do I get myself under control? We begin asking, what is happening with me? What's going on underneath this? Is there a reason for this? What am I believing? What am I truly needing? Where is God in this moment? What would love, wisdom, and truth look like here? This doesn't mean that our choices don't matter. Of course they do. They do matter. But lasting transformation, it's well, it's unlikely to grow from contempt for ourselves. Heidi, I know you and I have tried this in the past. Does it work to beat ourselves up? No, ever.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

You can't hate yourself into lasting transformation. You just can't. It may work to motivate you for five minutes, maybe five days even, maybe. Yeah, maybe but ultimately you're gonna go, I need comfort for all of that brutality I put myself through.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

And then you go back for more, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:09

Right?

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yep. So God's kindness leads us toward repentance. That's what his word says. His grace teaches us to say no to what is harmful and yes to what brings life. Grace is not permission to stay stuck, but grace is the environment in which honest transformation becomes possible. Okay, so sign number two you want more than behavior modification. Maybe you're tired of it, you're done with it. It's like there's gotta be something else out there, right? But revelation within may also be right for you if you sense that your struggle is about more than food. Maybe you're thinking, it's gotta go deeper than this. This is such a big deal for me. It's such a stronghold. There's gotta be something deeper. Perhaps you know exactly what to eat. You may know more about nutrition than most people around you. That happens a lot, you know. We have a lot of knowledge that we've accumulated over the years. It's like, well, I know, I know, but uh, but I know. So the difficulty, it's not necessarily lack of information. In fact, it probably isn't at all. The difficulty may come at night when you feel alone, or after a demanding day when you want relief, or when someone disappoints you and you feel unseen or misunderstood, or when you look in the mirror and hear years of criticism that you have been throwing at yourself for years and years, and maybe others have been too. Or when anxiety is humming beneath the surface and eating gives you a temporary sense of calm and quiet.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

Hmm. Now, food may not be the deepest problem for sure. It may have been a solution, actually. I mean, that's kind of an interesting thought. Yeah, it's what we call a counterfeit comfort, uh, perhaps, but it's still a solution. There's something going on inside of us, and if we start treating it like it's the food's fault, we're gonna miss something big. It's actually food was the solution we turned to. Um, and that's why simply removing the food behavior isn't gonna resolve that underlying issue. You know, we have controlled our way through years in our lives, controlled the food and uh controlled our bodies and done more exercise and more this and more that, and yet the there's something still going on inside of most of us. If food has been helping us soothe, escape, celebrate, protest, numb, reward, protect ourselves, yeah, we need more than just a command to stop. And we see this a lot with women in our ministry who are experiencing the joy of not using food for all of these things. They have to find a way of processing the pain and challenges and transitions of life in order to not go nuts, really, you know, and we're there to provide all kinds of tools for that. But the bottom line is we need the presence of God, we need his truth, yes, and we need to learn new ways to respond to our legitimate needs. And so Revelation within may be a good fit if you want to explore not only what you're doing, but what may be happening beneath what you're doing. Yeah, because we're gonna go deep. If you come to us and you've never done that before, you're some people get put off by the whole idea of going deep. Just tell me what to eat. I want to change what I'm eating, and I want to lose a bunch of weight and ta-da. But that's not where we go. We want to go where God calls us to go, and we believe that that's probably deeper.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Otherwise, we just go back, we just come back, go back to the same thing again and again and again and again and again.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

And some of us are tired of that old pattern.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

Right. So, sign number three that revelation within may be a good fit for you if you want your faith to be central to what you choose with regards to food, eating, and body image. Really, if you don't want to compartmentalize your faith, you want something that integrates well with your faith. Perhaps you've participated in programs that offered all kinds of useful ideas, but something important seemed to be missing. And you had a feeling you knew what that was. You don't merely want to add a Bible verse to a behavior change plan. You know, it's like I remember being in programs like that. They were Christian because they threw Bible verses on top of the old-fashioned Weight Watchers Exchange Plan. It's like, well, wait, why how is this God-inspired and God-infused? So if you want your relationship with God to be central, then you would be a great fit for revelation within. In fact, I just want to say some people say, well, God doesn't care about what I eat or what I choose for um uh coming to a place of peace with my body and food and eating and all that. But think about it how much anxiety, how much emotion has gone into this topic in your lives. God cares a lot about that. He does, he does, and he knows exactly how he created you and what is needed. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

So in Revelation Within, we invite God into the actual moment, not only into our morning devotional time, for example, but actually into the pantry. Come on in, Lord, come on into the pantry, into the restaurant, into the dressing room. Okay. Into the photograph that was taken of you, that you're mortified to look at, into the evening when we feel the most vulnerable, tired, weary, into the thoughts that say our body our bodies make us unacceptable. Oh we invite God into the moment when we want to keep eating, but even though we sense that we've actually had enough. We believe that God cares about all of this. And I mean, he does, he does, he does. There's no part of our lives that is too ordinary or too physical or too embarrassing or too messy to bring into his presence. He cares about every single detail.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

And just to make sure we say this, you know, it's not about making food and eating morally righteous or unrighteous. We know this is about relationship with the God of the universe who gave his son so that we could experience freedom from all kinds of things, including shame. It's about learning to recognize God's voice and respond to his loving invitations, receive his grace, and live from the identity he has given us in Christ.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

That sounds really good, Heidi. It does. I say so myself. Thanks, God. Right, exactly.

Signs 4 To 6 Renew Trust

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Okay, here's sign number four uh that you might be a good fit for revelation within. You are willing to question the voices that have shaped you.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Revelation within is It might be right for you if you're becoming willing to question some of those messages that you've absorbed from diet culture, family, social media, advertising, or you know, even some church environments. I mean, do we have any shortage of messages these days that are coming at us? There's like thousands of messages coming at us every day. Like what? Well, for example, your body determines your worth. How about that one?

SPEAKER_03 22:31

Ah, thanks.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Or smaller is always better. Or weight loss proves discipline. You know, weight gain proves failure. Oh, ouch. Ouch. You might dislike your body enough to change it. You can't trust yourself. And you can't trust your body. You must earn permission to eat. Or your appearance is the most important thing about you.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

You know, it's so interesting. These statements that you just rattled off for us to give us examples in the coaching that I've done one-on-one with over the years, the many years, some have been full on eating disordered people who struggle so much. And these are the messages that were going through their heads.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

There's still some in our midst who who believe this that weight gain is failure, and I have to dislike my body and I have to earn permission to eat. Oh my goodness. And those are lies. Those are lies. Yes. And to be honest with you, really, what do you think? The messages like these can become so familiar that we don't even recognize them as messages that are coming to us through other people or other vehicles, you know, like advertising. They simply feel like fact. Right. They feel like truth. Yeah. Right. But one part, of course, of mind renewal is learning to separate what we have repeatedly heard from what is actually true. So we begin to ask, okay, does this thought sound like Jesus? Does it agree with scripture? What kind of fruit does this thought produce? And my favorite is God, what do you think about that thought? Yes, yes. Does this thought lead me toward love, peace, wisdom, humility, and self-control? Or does it produce, listen to these, fear, obsession, pride, shame, comparison, or condemnation? Not every uncomfortable thought is untrue. That's true. God does convict us and redirect us. And sometimes that's uncomfortable. But conviction, conviction is different than condemnation. Conviction is specific and it's hopeful. It leads us to the Lord. Condemnation attacks our identity in Christ and tells us to hide from Him. Yikes. That is so true. So sign number five is you are open to learning trust. Oh boy. And I'm still learning this for sure. Me too. All these many years. Revelation within may be right for you if you want to learn to trust, but perhaps aren't sure yet how. You may not trust your body. I went through a major health crisis 12 years ago now that has caused my body to speak a completely different language, and I haven't yet learned it. So I have a hard time trusting my body. You may not even trust hunger. You may not trust that place of just enough satisfaction. You may not trust yourself around certain foods. And you may worry that without strict rules, everything's gonna spin out of control.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Woo! And you know what? We get that. We understand that fear. We definitely do. We don't tell people simply to throw away every structure that they've ever encountered and do whatever feels good. No, no, no, no, no. That's not us. Spirit-led eating is not impulsive eating, and it's not rule-dominated eating. Spirit-led eating is a relational way. I love that it's relational, a relational way of eating that involves God's leadership, body awareness, wisdom, freedom, responsibility, and love. And you know what? Tons of grace. I was just thinking the same thing of grace. So much.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Yeah, grace saturates this journey. If there's one thing that we experience in Revelation Within, it's God's grace. Yes, we're swimming in an ocean of grace.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Trust is often rebuilt gradually. It's a process, it takes time. There's not a quick fix here. We practice noticing physical hunger and satisfaction. We practice eating with greater presence. You know, we want to be present to our meal in a really positive, life-giving way. We notice what foods feel supportive to our bodies and satisfying. We also pay attention to medical needs. Yes. And what what our medical team says that is important to us. We observe our energy, comfort, preferences, also circumstances. We bring all of it to the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 27:53

Nay to that. We invite him in, invite him in, and then when we think we've finished inviting him in, we do it again. We do it again.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:03

Yes. Oh, and one of the things that I think is a benchmark of this approach is we learn through our experience. Failure isn't failure, it's an opportunity to learn. Um, and that's why we look and learn is what we call it. It's where we take whatever failure, sidestep, slip, stumble, fall failure, and we look at it with the Lord. And we don't have to get it all right. No. Even before you can begin. No, no, no, no, no. You don't have to get it right 10 years into it. You don't have to get it right. In fact, to be honest with you, some of my most meaningful learning happens when things don't go as I expect it to, and I can take that with me into the next time.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

So, sign number six that revelation within might be right for you. You're willing to practice rather than perform. Practice. So, if you're willing to practice, it may not be a good fit if what you most want is a perfect formula that guarantees a predictable result.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

This really is super important. Really, Revelation Within is not a pass or fail system, black or white, good or bad, none of that. There's no gold star for eating only when you're physically hungry. Uh I loved the days of gold stars and celebration at Weight Watchers.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Well, I could get you some, Heidi.

unknown 29:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

There's and you know, there's no spiritual price for stopping at the exact right bite. Like, I don't need any more. Poof, I'm done. Ta-da! And there's no punishment when you eat for emotional reasons. You know, and that's just the thing. God knows we have emotions, and we he knows what causes those to just move us towards food. He understands. It doesn't mean that he wants us to keep looking to food for comfort, but he has a plan. Yes there's an invitation to us to notice, to bring, choose, respond, and learn. And some days you may feel so deeply connected with God and so aware of your body. And then other days you may realize after the fact that you were distracted, hurried, maybe lonely, or totally disconnected. And the realization is not proof that you failed at all. No, no, no, no, no. No, it's an opportunity, it's an opportunity to return to him.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

You know, we often talk about that, about practicing the return. The Christian life, I mean, that's what it is, right? It's full of returning, it's returning again and again and again. There's no way we will ever be perfect this side of heaven. There's just no way. Returning our attention to God, returning to truth, returning when we have wandered, returning when we recognize that we've been seeking life somewhere that can't provide what we need, what we want. It's a counterfeit, it's a fake. We do not practice returning because God keeps leaving us. No, no, he never ever leaves us. The Bible says that over and over and over. We practice returning because we forget that he's near, that he's right here. We forget. Right here.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

Yep.

Community Without Comparison

SPEAKER_03 31:33

So sign number seven, if you are somebody who wants community without comparison, this may be right for you. Um, if you want to walk with others who understand this struggle, I mean, really, it's amazing when we see people connect with each other in our groups and in our community. They are like, oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one that felt this way. And there's a sense of shame. Yeah, there's a sense of shame that goes with that feeling that you're the only one who can't get it together or whatever. Right. Um, yes, isolation actually makes shame sound so much louder. Does. We can believe we're the only ones who think about food quite this way, and we might feel uncomfortable in our bodies, eat when we're not hungry, or struggle to follow through on what we genuinely desire. But there's others like us in this community. When we hear another person speak honestly, something in us exhales. Yes, that's so true. The only one.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

Yay. So important, so healing. Our community, it's not intended to become another place to compare bodies, food choices, progress, even spirituality. The comparison game is horrible. I hate that game. And we play it often, and the enemy loves when we play that game. We do not line people up according to who is succeeding most impressively. Oh, what a nightmare. We want to cultivate a space where people can feel safe and be totally honest without being humiliated and encouraged without being controlled. And of course, no human community is gonna do this perfectly, but it is what we value. Yes. And I mean, our community is amazing. It is amazing, isn't it? I just love, I love our people that are with us, um, and we're with them. We are part of the community. We want to offer invitation rather than inspection, compassion rather than competition, and curiosity we've talked about already, rather than condemnation. Definitely. So, sign number eight that you might be a good fit for revelation within. You're willing to let God define the outcome.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

Ooh, ooh, yeah. This is kind of trust.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

Yes, and this might be one of the more challenging signs. Willing to let God define what transformation looks like.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

But usually the outcomes we're focused on when we do that include a change in body size, and we understand that. Absolutely. We've been there before, and we're not shocked by it. We're not here to scold anyone for having the desire to change their physical shape or condition. Most of us have been shaped by a culture that continually tells us, like on and on and on, that a smaller body will give us safety, it'll give us confidence, belonging, health, beauty, peace, love, etc., etc., etc. It would really be unrealistic to expect those desires to vanish the moment someone finds revelation within. So we don't expect that.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

No, not at all. In fact, come with mixed motives. It's fine. Yeah, it's fine. Most of us do. I certainly did. Um, you can say, Lord, part of me still desperately wants my body to change, and that's fine, but I'm willing for you, Lord. So this is about Him to show me what is true. I'm willing for you to change my heart, even as I bring you the desires I already have.

SPEAKER_03 35:50

Yeah. And and really in keeping with this, we do not promise weight loss, not at all. And that may be disappointing for some who really want that more than anything else. If we were to promise weight loss, it would fix our focus on the body, on food. And we want our focus to be on him because really Jesus said if you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all these things will be added to you as well. And that all these things he was talking about had to do with food and the body. It's fascinating to look at that passage in Matthew. Yeah, and we also do not promise that your body will remain exactly the same. You know, bodies are living, changing, complex creations. They're influenced, of course, by age, it's true, by genetics. What? Oh by medication. I know that one very well. By hormones, stress, illness. Have you experienced that, Christina?

SPEAKER_00 36:57

I have. Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

Oh, I have. Sleep, movement, eating patterns, and of course, many other factors as well. Really, our bodies are really they're amazing, but they respond to all of these things and so many more. Our focus, though, at Revelation Within is not on manipulating the body or food into a guaranteed outcome. Uh, you know, and I'm not gonna say I'm sorry for that because really we our focus is so much better. So much better. Learning to live with God faithfully and peacefully and responsively in the body we have today, you know, it's fixing our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, because what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal. Really, our deeper question becomes can I trust God with the outcome that he brings? That may not be a question you can answer with an immediate yes. So it's okay. Perhaps your honest answer is, Lord, I want to be willing, and that is a meaningful place to begin. It's good enough for us. Hope it's good enough for you.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

Absolutely.

When It May Not Be Right

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Okay, so you know, we also want to be honest about when revelation within may not be what someone is looking for. Let's go there for a second.

SPEAKER_03 38:23

All right, so the obvious after what we just said, it may not be the right fit for you if you're looking for a weight loss program. We don't provide weight loss promises, we don't provide prescribed menus, calorie targets, weigh-ins, or before and after celebrations. And our I just have to be honest with you, anything that we might call a challenge of the month or whatever has more to do with mind renewal and are you staying the course than anything else? Our community may not be the right fit if you want someone else to make food decisions for you. We just won't do that. No, no, but we do offer principles, practices, questions, tools, teaching, and support and coaching if if you want it, we're there. Yes. Um, we also want to encourage you to grow in personal discernment before God, with God, in Him. Yes, and it may not be the right fit if you believe body shame is a necessary motivation. In fact, I will say it isn't, because you will be encouraged by others in the community, and we're included, Christina and I, to let go of using body shame that way. We don't find body shame consistent with scriptures. So therefore, it's not uh, you know, it's not Christ-like. We don't want to see people using um that kind of approach to help them in some way. Uh, we don't believe contempt is a trustworthy foundation for care. So revelation within may not be the right fit if you want instant change without an ongoing process of mind renewal. You know, really, we could tie you to a chair and never let you out. You'd lose some weight if that's what you want. Uh, we won't do that. We'll encourage you to find somebody else to tie you to that chair. God can certainly bring sudden breakthroughs, though. I mean, he can. Yes, yes, much of the transformation is gonna unfold through repeated practice, honesty, surrender, grace. It will be hard. It will be hard. You know, it's just discipleship, there's a cost to it. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

Another thing we want to mention here revelation within is definitely not a replacement for medical care, nutrition care, trauma treatment, or eating disorder treatment. Right. You you'll need your team, and we we support that. We all have a team of some kind. There are times when a person needs specialized professional support, and seeking that support is not at all a spiritual failure. No, not at all. God can care for us through physicians, registered dietitians, therapists, counselors, other trained professionals, you name it. And we are all for it. Revelation within may sometimes complement that care, but it should not be used to avoid any appropriate treatment. That's not what we're about.

SPEAKER_03 41:37

No. Before we wrap up, let's spend just another moment with a question that a lot of people are afraid to ask.

If You Still Want Weight Loss

SPEAKER_03 41:45

And that is, what if I still want to lose weight? Does that mean revelation within is not for me? No. The short answer is no. No, it does not automatically mean that. You do not need to pretend that you no longer care. Nope, nope, nope. Please do not think that's what we're trying to say. You do not need to say the spiritually correct words while hiding what you actually feel. Please don't. Bring that real desire to God and invite him into it. And it is not our belief that he's gonna zap that out of you. That's not it at all.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

No, no, no. So, for example, you might pray something like, Lord, you know how much I want my body to change. You know, you might be praying about feeling uncomfortable, or maybe your mobility or your health, or or who knows what what the reasons are. You might say to the Lord, you know what I believe that that change would give me. Please show me what is true. Show me where this desire is connected with wisdom and where it may be connected with fear, shame, comparison, or the need for approval. You might want to pray and say, Teach me, Lord, how to care for myself without making my body an idol or an enemy.

SPEAKER_03 43:09

And the really cool thing is, God is not intimidated by your honesty, not at all. He relishes that, he welcomes it. Revelation within is also not for people who have already resolved every body image issue. In fact, if you have resolved every body image issue, would you would you come and teach me? It really is for people who are willing to bring those issues into the light with the Lord and others who are on the same journey.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah. Okay, so what if I failed at everything else? Maybe that's what you're thinking right now. I have failed at everything else. What do I do? Where do I go from here?

SPEAKER_03 43:54

Well, one of the beautiful things about this approach is that you can't ruin it with an imperfect. Not at all. In fact, it can be exactly what's needed because you can learn from whatever it is that went sideways. There's no perfect record to preserve. You will have experiences that you wish had gone differently. We all do. I do. Christina does. But instead of using those experiences as evidence against yourself and condemning yourself for them, you invite God into them, you bring them to Him, you look and learn with Him, you renew your mind, you receive His grace, and you choose your next step. And the next I do too. The next choice is not about compensating for the previous one. So I ate something that was beyond my hunger, and I felt really stuffed afterwards. So I'm going to get up first thing in the morning and go run 10 miles. No, no. We're going to start each day with a clean slate and maybe each moment. It's simply another opportunity to walk with God in the messy.

SPEAKER_00 45:08

Yes, yes. And we want to just say your struggle does not disqualify you.

SPEAKER_03 45:15

No.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Your struggle may be the very place where you learn how faithfully Jesus meets you. That has happened to me again and again and again.

SPEAKER_03 45:26

Yeah.

Discernment Questions And Next Steps

SPEAKER_03 45:27

So how do you know if Revelation Within is for you? We just want to encourage you to take all of these questions and any others he may lay on your heart to him. And you may even want to pause after each one. Just be still with him.

SPEAKER_00 45:41

So here's the first one. Am I tired of living under food rules, body shame, or the constant pressure to fix myself?

SPEAKER_03 45:50

Do I want my relationship with God to become more central in the way I relate to food, my body, movement, and emotional needs that I have?

SPEAKER_00 46:00

Am I willing to examine my thoughts and compare them with the truth of Scripture?

SPEAKER_03 46:06

Am I open to practicing body awareness and spirit-led discernment even if trust develops slowly?

SPEAKER_00 46:14

Hmm. Am I looking for deeper transformation or am I primarily looking for another method of controlling my body?

SPEAKER_03 46:24

Hmm. Am I willing to be honest with God about my mixed motives, fears, and desires?

SPEAKER_00 46:31

Am I willing to practice, learn, and return without demanding perfection from myself?

SPEAKER_03 46:39

Do I sense God inviting me to take a step toward greater freedom, peace, and truth?

SPEAKER_00 46:50

Wow, those are good questions. You know, it can also be helpful to notice the fruit an approach is producing. Jesus taught that a tree is recognized by its fruit. As you listen to these conversations or begin practicing these tools, you might want to ask, is this drawing me closer to God? Am I becoming more honest? Am I growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Am I becoming less condemning toward myself and others? Am I learning to care for my body rather than punish it? Am I gaining greater freedom to make wise choices?

SPEAKER_03 47:34

That's one of the things that I really despised about dieting was I felt like the character I was developing was actually incongruent with the character I see that God values in his word. And so for me, dieting just caused me to be more self-centered and more self-absorbed and more me, me, me, me, me. So yeah, I think that's a an important thing to consider. And really be honest with you, an approach can still feel uncomfortable, even if it does produce good fruit. Yes, of course. Truth is going to challenge us because we're human. Letting go of familiar control can feel frightening. I've had uh one-on-one clients who have struggled with counting calories in their minds because that's what they've done for years. And and they, you know, would renew their minds to break free from that so they wouldn't feel that burden. Um, recognizing our dependence on counterfeit comforts can also be really painful. So we're not saying that everything from God is going to feel easy, but there is a difference between being lovingly challenged and being chronically shamed. For sure. There's a difference between conviction that draws us toward God and accusation that tells us to hide. You may not need to make a huge decision today about joining us at Revelation 11 or not. Right. You can take one teeny tiny itty beady step if you like. Listen to another podcast episode or try one of our mind renewal tools. Invite God into one meal. Notice one thought about your body and ask whether it agrees with him. Practice looking and learning after an eating experience. Yes. Join us for a gathering if you'd like, or spend some time in our community and notice what God brings to your attention.

SPEAKER_00 49:35

You are allowed to discern, you're allowed to ask questions, you're allowed to move slowly, you're allowed to discover that one aspect of revelation within is helpful while another takes more time to understand. It's all okay. And you're also allowed to conclude that this is not the right resource for you in this season. There is no pressure.

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Hmm. And to be honest with you, our desire is not that everyone choose revelation within. Our desire really is that each person respond to the Lord. Yes. Because that's never gonna let you down. It really isn't. If he is leading you here to us, we would be honored to walk with you. If he is leading you toward another source of care or support, we want to bless that too.

SPEAKER_00 50:23

Yes, absolutely. So maybe the question is not only is revelation within right for me. Maybe the question beneath that is, is it really possible for my relationship with food and my body to become more peaceful?

SPEAKER_03 50:42

We believe it is possible to experience meaningful freedom and meaningful peace. Not because we finally become perfect, not because we gain complete control, not because our bodies become exactly what we hoped they would be, but because Jesus, he meets us here, he meets us in our hunger, he meets us in our longing, he meets us in our shame, and he meets us in our fear, he meets us in places where we have tried to manage life without him. Yes, yes, he doesn't stand at a distance waiting for us to improve, he invites us to come near, and as we come near, he changes us from within.

SPEAKER_00 51:26

That's beautiful. Yay!

Prayer And Closing Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Let's go ahead and pray. Lord Jesus, thank you that you know the person listening right now. You know her history, you know the plans she's tried, the promises she's made, the disappointment that she may carry. Lord, you know what she longs for and what she fears.

SPEAKER_03 51:50

Please, God, would you give her wisdom? Silence the voices of shame, panic, comparison, pressure. Help her recognize your voice. Show her whether revelation within is a helpful next step for her in this season. Give her freedom to say yes if you are leading her here, and freedom to say no if you're leading her elsewhere.

SPEAKER_00 52:14

Lord Jesus, teach each of us to bring our whole selves into your presence. Renew our minds with your truth. Help us receive our bodies as your creation. Teach us to eat, move, and live in responsive relationship with you, and help us, Lord, to look and learn with humility and grace.

SPEAKER_03 52:38

God, where we have sought life and things that can't truly satisfy, would you please gently turn our hearts toward you? Thank you that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Thank you. We do not have to transform ourselves. Thank you, Lord. And we trust you to do your transforming work within us. In Jesus' mighty majestic name, I pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 53:05

Amen. We are so glad that you've been with us today. So glad. And we'd love for you to come back and join us for our next episode of Revelation Within. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_03 53:25

Bye for now.

SPEAKER_00 53:26

Bye bye.