(Because of the sensitivity of my overseas ministry I am just using my initials)
My entire adult life I have battled with overeating and weight. Raised in a strict Muslim home, I experienced a lot of abuse. Self-esteem and personal identity was driven out of me, so I turned to eating for comfort, food became my best friend and worst enemy.
I was a skinny kid at the beginning, but once the teenage years were over and my metabolism slowed down, I started gaining more and more weight. I began to fail in every area in my life: business, relationships, marriages... you name it. I had no real personal relationship with God as a Muslim. It was not long before I plunged into dark depression, awaking every morning and wanting to die. I felt unloved, unworthy and abandoned. All this only increased my dependence on food.
During my divorce from a drug abuser husband, I got a job working in a place where I was surrounded with joyful Christians. They really seemed to have a personal relationship with their God, Jesus. Even though I despised the thought of worshiping a man, (Muslims called Jesus just a man), I envied their relationship. They were not perfect people, but seemed to have peace and love. They said this came from their relationship with Jesus. My boss would be praising God all day. I thought he was crazy.
Making a long story short, one day I woke up very suicidal. I dreamed of nothing but dying and ending my pain. I went to the restroom at work and cried. I begged God to help me and reveal himself to me. When I came back to my desk, my boss called me over and said, “Jesus heard your prayer in the restroom. He will not abandoned you or forsaken me.”
That day I give my heart to Jesus. I fell on my knees, wept bitterly, and said a simple "Yes" to the Kingdom of God, and I was changed from that moment on.
God did a quick work in me over following 11 years. I gave him my all without any reservation, except for my food addiction. I became a public speaker, have a full time job and was a mother. In my fast-paced life, I found my comfort in food. Thankfully, I have a high metabolism, otherwise, I could possibly be well over 200 pounds, but instead I was 45 pounds overweight. My craving was fat. If there was a rotisserie chicken, I would only eat the skin of it or would love to eat the fat of any type of meat. Add to that, pasta, chips and so on. I fasted a lot, usually for 3 days. But after the fasts, I would eat twice as much before, gaining even more weight after the fasts. So I stopped fasting.
Few years ago, God opened a door to produce evangelical TV programs for overseas, sensitivecountries. These programs started getting number 1 ratings and we began receiving hundreds of letters from people who shared my past trials. As more doors started opening my energy level could not keep up with the demand; plus I was struggling with my appearance. Unfortunately, TV puts another 15 pounds on you. These where only symptoms of the real problem. I was serving God in increasing capacity and still was in bondage food: gluttony, which was no better than drug addiction or adultery.
I was eating uncontrollably and finally decided to do something about it. I started a 21 day Daniel fast first and exercised on a moderate level. When I was about to finish Daniel fast, I found Freedomyou. I can't tell you how much I was encouraged. I was in tears when reading the testimonies and articles. "You shall find the truth and the truth will set you free.".
With the motivation and information on Freedomyou, I began a 40 day fast right after the Daniel fast, and presently I’m on my 10th day. I have already lost 35 pounds and have overcome several health problems! They are all gone. Also, my energy level has increased big time. Before the fast, I had a sleeping problem, now I sleep a straight 8 hours and get out of the bed without any aches or feelings of laziness. Most importantly, I started hating the thought of junk food. Already, for the first time in my life, I am feeling freedom from my food bondage.
Spiritually, God is taking me to places words cannot describe. It will be on the 36th day of my fast when I will be doing a live TV program. The devil is attacking me with the fear that I will faint in front of the cameras during the program. But I know God will sustain me. When I’m struggling, I have been going to Freedomyou to find encouragement through reading the articles. There is no feeling like freedom from the chains of food bondage.
Related Articles: Broke Food Cravings