Say Goodbye to Emotional Eatingনমুনা

Yesterday we talked about the renewing of the mind on a big picture level. Today we’ll zoom in and see what it looks like on a day-to-day level. One way to renew our minds is to do what I call truth journaling.

With truth journaling, you record your beliefs in your journal, then ask “Is this completely true?” Then record the full truth.

Here’s an example. Picture yourself at home on the weekend with four lemon bars in the refrigerator. You have a lemon bar at lunch and go about your day. At 3:00 you start thinking, Another lemon bar would sure taste good about now. You want that lemon bar, but you decide to truth journal first. Here’s what a truth journaling session might look like.

Belief: I should eat those lemon bars because once they’re gone, they’ll no longer tempt me.

Truth: This may be true, but it’s not a good reason to eat. The Bible tells me to flee from temptation, not, “Give into temptation so it will no longer tempt you!”

The truth we record will be based on the lie we’re believing. Here’s another example of truth journaling for the same situation.

Belief: That lemon bar was so yummy that I should have another one!

Truth: Just because the lemon bar was yummy, that doesn’t mean I should have another. If I base all my eating decisions on what’s yummy, those decisions won't be best for me!

Do you see how these truths would make me think twice about having the second lemon bar? Truth changes our desires and sets us free. It makes us actually want to eat with control.

When we renew our minds, we can see the truth of Romans 12:2 playing out on a practical level:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Before renewing, we’re usually thinking that our will—eating three more lemon bars in this example—is good, acceptable, and perfect. But when we take the time to see life from a biblical perspective by renewing our minds, we can see that God’s will—for us to eat with control (Galatians 5:23)— is far better. It really is good, acceptable, and perfect.

We just need to keep renewing so we remember that!

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We hope you enjoyed this plan from author Barb Raveling. To read more about finding freedom from unhealthy views of food, check out Barb's book, Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating, available here.