S3. E12.
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[00:00:00] I'm not calling the church out, I'm calling them up Take a different angle, the grace and peace angle, and say,
"look, gluttony's not your fault." Mm-hmm. It's not your fault. The world, big pharma, big ag, they choose to push this on us to keep us sick.
That's the enemy. Mm-hmm.
Welcome to Your Daily Bread podcast. I'm your host, Abbie Stasior, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor. My prayer is that these bite-sized episodes will help you heal your relationship with food, improve body image, and ultimately help you grow closer to God. Now, I can't personally heal you, but I'm gonna be directing you to the one that can, and that is Jesus. Also disclaimer, I'm not a pastor, but a sister in Christ that's offering you some food for thought that you can take into your quiet time with the Lord as your daily bread. Let's dig in.
Hello, hello. Welcome back to your Daily Bread podcast. Y'all, I am so excited for today's episode.
We are joined by Jacquelyn Renee, and this is our first [00:01:00] in-person podcast interview. I am so pumped about this. Thank you, Jesus. A little bit about Jacquelyn. Jacquelyn Renee is a Christian holistic health coach with over a decade of experience helping women restore their health and heal their bodies.
She has spent years coaching women through gut health issues, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance, but discovered that , true healing, goes far deeper than nutrition plans and fitness routines, which is exactly what we talk about on the show. She helps people partner with the Holy Spirit in their healing journey, addressing spiritual roots, identity struggles, and patterns that often keep them stuck in cycles of sickness and striving.
And lastly, she is the author of She Abides: Biblical Wellness Guide, and the creator of the Biblical Body Method, a four-step approach to healing the body through Biblical truth, realigning with God's natural rhythms, and restoring a healthy relationship with food and the body, AKA, a perfect guest for our show.
Yeah.
So Jacquelyn, thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for having me, Abby. Yay. I'm so grateful. Aw. Mm-hmm. Me too. Me too. This is [00:02:00] going to be an amazing conversation, 'cause girl, you just do all the things, and we are so aligned with how we approach health and how we help people partner with the Holy Spirit, so I am so excited.
So I will pray us in as we get started. Yes. Father God, thank you so much for this day. Lord, we praise you and thank you for the provision to be able to record together in person. Lord, I pray that you lead us, that your Spirit leads us, , into all truth, Lord. And I pray that we just proclaim your gospel today with boldness and courage.
Lord, I pray that you go before us and just prepare an episode that leads to impact. I pray that every single listener feels blessed when listening to this. I pray that they have ears to hear, they have hearts to be able to receive the truths that are in this episode. And Lord, I pray that you meet every single listener with where they're at.
And Lord, I pray that people hear your heart in this and your compassion as [00:03:00] we dive into some really tender topics, Lord. So I pray that your perfect will is done in this interview and with every single listener, every single stream, Lord. We just praise you and we thank you, and it's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen. Amen. Yay. So Jacquelyn, tell us a little bit about yourself. What led you to pursue holistic health coaching?
I think like many coaches, dieticians, practitioners, there was a journey of me with my own health.
Mm-hmm. And I struggled from when I was a baby, child, , not to date myself, but I was born in the '80s. And, holistic health dieticians, they just didn't e- exist then. Yeah. They or, or they were there, but they were, like, underground. So my parents did the best that they could trying to figure out what was wrong with me, but I was constantly, bloated, throwing up food, rejecting food- Wow
anxious, and then of course you add puberty onto it. Mm-hmm. And then I, you know, did bad in school because I couldn't concentrate. We know the brain-gut connection and all that- Right ... too. And it just kept getting worse and [00:04:00] worse. And then when I was in my early 20s, I was a hairstylist. The boss that I had, she was very into holistic health.
Mm. Probably, like, super new age. I didn't know much at the time. Yeah. But she referred me to a naturopathic doctor- Mm-hmm ... which I didn't know what that meant. Um, it definitely means they don't take insurance. That's definitely what it means. It's so expensive. It is so expensive. Here I am, like, a 20-year-old hairstylist, and I'm just, like, pouring money into this.
Wow. But she was the first person who was like, you know, introduce me, let me know what candida is and what- Mm-hmm ... a gluten sensitivity is, and I just became fascinated with it all and started to unravel the 20 years of disease that I went through. Yeah. Started healing many, , ailments and getting better, and then at 30, I decided to quit being a hairstylist and pursue nutrition.
Went back to school- Cool ... at IIN, and then here I am today, 13 years later.
Wow, that's amazing. Yeah. And I considered that program too. Yes. They definitely have a strong curriculum- Yeah ... all of that. And I [00:05:00] wonder too if from such a young age you had so many issues with food because the enemy was attacking you and that there really was something spiritual.
I definitely believe that, yeah. Yeah. Knowing what I know now after three years of being saved, I see how God always was divinely protecting me. Mm-hmm. And I know that to be true of many women. Wow. You know, He loves His daughters. Yeah. But I see how He was protecting me and always keeping me in His arms- Mm-hmm
but that I never really knew Him. And now that I know Him and understand His love for me, I see how there was always just enough protection to keep me from going too far down. Yeah. And y- the enemy, yeah, has, but it, not just attacking me, attacking my bloodline for generations. Wow. Wow. And now, it's, it ends with me.
Amen. Yeah. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name, yeah. Wow. Wow, so you were only saved three years ago? Yeah. Wow. It's s- same for me too. Yeah. It's only been four years. Yeah. And so what was that journey like? It was wild. Uh, first and foremost, when- The Lord started to [00:06:00] get ahold of me deeply was when my mom got really sick.
Mm. So about five years ago, I'm living in Cabo, living this nomad, new age, chill mode- Yeah ... life. Like, I just can work from anywhere and live my life and do anything. Mm-hmm. And- As so many entrepreneurs do. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Although it's not as relaxing as people say it is. Mm. But, um, so I, I'm living out there.
I get a call from my mom. She has to get a biopsy. Mm. She already had suffered with many, many health issues, as did most people in my family. Like, there was a lot of sickness in my family- Wow ... a lot of disease. Many people died young. Um, so that's, you know, something- That's wild ... I'm breaking. Yeah. A lot of working on breaking in my family, um, and praying for a generation to break that bloodline
So I get this call. She needs a biopsy. They found a lump in a CAT scan in her lungs, and so I go home to be with her for this, and I heard the Lord say, which I didn't know it's the Holy Spirit at that time- Yeah ... that this is the end. Wow. Like, [00:07:00] I, like, He literally is telling me, "It's not gonna be much longer.
You need to go home." So I go home for the results. We get the results that it is, in fact, um, s- very, like, stage five lung cancer. Oh, gosh. It's really, really bad, like, deeply affecting her. The doctors don't give her long to live. I go back, get all my stuff. I come home, and that's when I started to just draw to God.
Mm. Like, not knowing Holy Spirit, not knowing Jesus as much, I start to draw to God, and I start, you know, praying. I start praying with my mom. We start talking about it. We were Roman Catholic when we were young. Mm-hmm, same. So it was very orderly. Mm-hmm. We, we knew Jesus, but we really knew Mary. Yeah. We loved Mary.
Yeah. Like, love Mary. Like, Mary was our life, right? Yeah. And so, we start doing the things we used to do, praying the rosary and calling in prayer and, and doing some of the Catholic things that we used to do. Um, and then my mom passes. Mm. Uh, shortly after, I decide to move to [00:08:00] Arizona. I hear God tell me to move to Scottsdale- Okay
to move to Arizona, and I move to Arizona, and I just, it just fades away. Like, everything, the, the pain, the grief is just so amplified- Mm ... that all I can do is turn to God. Wow.
So I walk into this random church in Chandler. It's called Compass, for anyone who lives in Arizona. I walk into this random church, and I see the prayer partner, this lady.
I look at her. I'm like, "The Holy Spirit wants me to talk to her." Wow. "He wants me to pray with her." I connect with her. I start sobbing. She takes me into a prayer room, and she says, "What do you think you need?" And I say salvation. Mm. I didn't even know what that word meant. Wow. I just was like, "Oh, I just said something- That is the Holy Spirit
is that right? Like, I don't know what that means." Yeah.
So one week later, I was baptized. This lady, Terry- Oh ... she came to my baptism. Oh. She brought flowers- Oh ... and that was something my mom would do, too. Oh.
And it's, that's it. Jesus at the center of my life ever since, like i- immediate consecration, sanctification.
I am all about Jesus in my life.
Wow. Yeah. [00:09:00] Amen. Yeah. So then what brought you to Nashville? Of course, God. So the three years of consecration, you've gone through consecration- Mm-hmm ... you know, and for all the listeners listening, we know that it's, it's not as pretty as people make it out to be. Like, Jesus saves, but he also- There is a cost to discipleship
Disciplines you. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's, there was the learning, the repenting, the letting go of New Age, the letting go of performance-based- Mm-hmm ... healing that hurt a lot, and the things that I had to let go that were a part of my career- Yeah ... that I, like, you've had to do that, too, in many ways, and it's tough.
Yeah. Um, and so it was a wild ride. I joke that I was in the desert, but I was literally, it, in the desert in both ways, in the desert- Yeah ... in Arizona and in the desert with God. Wow. That's wild. And as I came up for air and he started to redeem me- Mm-hmm ... I could feel the redemption coming. He was like, "Okay, you're ready.
Sell all your things and go." Wow. Like, like in Luke, you know? Yep. And I was like, "Where?" Mm-hmm. So he said, , [00:10:00] the south, and I have a one best friend who lives here, who lives in Thompson Station. Oh. I called her. "I'm coming." She goes, "Praise God."
She's probably been praying for you to do that.
Yeah. Yeah. And that's it. That's awesome. Yeah. So good. Here I am. So good. Now, with your nutrition counseling- Yeah ... and, um, health coaching that you were doing, where does that fit in with your timeline- Yeah ... with all of this? Were you already doing nutrition? Such a good question, 'cause I can imagine there are some women listening that had to lay down their business in a certain way. Yeah, I certainly have. Yeah. 10 years of your body can heal itself, and everything you, you h- have is inside. Everything you need is inside. That, positive, spiritual bypassing,, New Age, performance-based healing- Mm-hmm
that's what I was coaching from.
Did it work? Kind of. Mm. But, you know, in certain areas there was always something missing. Yes. So January of 2025, the Lord tells me to lay down my entire business. Mm.
He's like, "You can't teach from this, 'cause I am the healer." Yeah. [00:11:00] "Jehovah Rapha, like- Mm-hmm ... you're teaching that you can be self-sufficient, and I teach- God sufficient.
Mm. And you can see where it's so close to truth, 'cause it's like, "Oh, you have everything within you to heal you," and it's like, yeah, as Christians we do. Yeah. Because we have the Holy Spirit. 'Cause we have the Holy Spirit.
Not because- Yeah ... of anything we're doing. Uh, Jesus says, "Apart from me you can do nothing." Right. The enemy just gets so close to truth, but then twists it. Yep. Yeah. Mm. And that, looking back I see that I've done a lot of public repenting, private repenting- Mm-hmm ... for teaching from this platform.
But he pulled the plug on everything. Five-week social media break. Take down all of your programs. Basically get rid of all the websites. Cut- Yep ... cut everything off. Just do nothing.
I got a part-time job at a detox clinic to reset and reframe.
Mm-hmm. Start learning the Word, refine, because you really need to learn the Word if you're gonna be teaching from biblical perspective. Yeah. So I, I get- Amen ... to a place where I, I just deeply know the Word, and that takes about nine months. And it's just [00:12:00] obedience. Like, what does- Mm ... he want me to put out?
What does he want me to say? And then, um, I did the Daniel Fast, and one night of the Daniel Fast I heard loud and clear the Holy Spirit talking about She Abides, the, the Biblical Wellness Guide. Mm. Yeah. That there was, like, this bridge between holistic health and Christianity that needed to come to light, that needed to be exposed, because I do think people think holistic health is very New Age.
Yeah. And it is, because they've captured it. Mm, mm-hmm. 'Cause they've taken the word meditation from the Bible and turned it into something else. Yeah. Or they've drawn from different places. But once I started to realize the truth, it was very apparent that God had given us these natural rhythms. Mm-hmm.
Like our cycle and our circadian rhythm. Yep. And that was all about exposing that, and women knowing that this is all you need to heal. Yeah. Okay? And this is God's natural design. This is God's natural design.
Well, I love to hear you say that you had to do your own refining and be formed by God first before- Yeah ... really stepping into this ministry. And I mentioned before we were [00:13:00] recording that this morning I was reading Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard.
Yeah. And I got to the chapter about transforming the body, and I'm like, "God, you are so intentional." All the time. "You are so good." And you know what? This is kind of more of a sidebar, but goes into, you know, striving and performance-based things.
I was getting so mad at myself that I had- Mm ... taken a couple weeks off of reading this book, and I'm like, "I gotta bring it back to the library," you know? Yeah. I'm like, "Ugh." Um, I'm like, "Lord, why can't I read this book?
I just don't feel- Mm ... motivated, but, you know, it's a spiritual formation book. Like, I should wanna, wanna read this." And if I had pushed through and read when I didn't feel called to it, , I wouldn't have read this chapter this morning before our interview today.
Right. Which is wild. Yeah. So I think we just need to be Spirit-led and let go of what we think our expectations are, so that's more of the sidebar. 100%. One million percent. Yeah. Yeah. And as I'm reading this, there- is one line that really stuck out to me where Dallas Willard says, "Can our body truly become our ally in Christlikeness?
[00:14:00] It can, and it must, but its essential role in spirituality is the one thing most likely to be overlooked in understanding and practicing growth in grace." And talking about stewardship of the body is so overlooked in the church, and it's something that you talk about so much, and we will get into that.
And I feel like so many women feel at war with their bodies. Mm-hmm. Where God actually intended us to be an ally. With the Holy Spirit dwelling , in us, we are one with God as Jesus is one with the Father. That's the invitation that we're invited into. Yeah. That relationship, that oneness.
And, ... wow, I just, , this really stuck out to me that our bodies can teach us so much about understanding and practicing growth and grace, and I could tell reading this that Dallas Willard was formed by God. Mm-hmm. He has sat at Jesus' feet. To have a sentence like that , to have these revelations, and I'm like, how often are we getting our revelations from stuff on Instagram where [00:15:00] these really sensitive topics about our body, gluttony, things like that, and we'll get into it all, it's met with so much criticism and- Condemnation
yes, and criticism, condemnation, when we need to have Christ's compassion. Exactly. And I'm like, wow, we have gotten so far away from reading- Yeah ... authors like Dallas Willard that have been so formed by God, and we're just turning to Instagram, and it's not that Instagram is, isn't... It's a tool. Mm-hmm. But I think we really need to have discernment of, like, who we are letting speak into our lives because I think these topics can be so taboo- Mm-hmm
because there's so much condemnation because people are not sitting at the feet of Jesus to really be formed by him. Yeah. Because if you do, clearly Dallas Willard has good fruit of that, you're talking about growth and grace. 100%. Yeah. Not condemnation. Not condemnation.
Does that make sense? The, what's the name of the, um, book again?
Renovation of the Heart. Okay. By Dallas Willard. First of all, Jesus, man, you got jokes. So here's the thing. The, the, it's [00:16:00] so beautiful that that book is called that. Mm-hmm. What I teach p- you know, they always say like, you know, tell them what they wanna hear and then bring them in, and then- Yes ... you know. So
What I do with women to break the spirit of gluttony or to heal their relationship to food is not actually heal their relationship to food, it's to heal their heart.
Mm. Yeah. And I focus so deeply on that because, in this stretch where God was consecrating me and he pulled everything from me, he showed me You need to heal your heart. Mm-hmm. Wow. And healing the heart is actually the basis of transforming your body. Yeah. And I always say that nothing exposes your heart faster than when God removes what used to validate you.
Mm-hmm. You take out the business, you take out the performance, you take out the relationship, what is your heart really doing? And w- whatever your heart has going on is what's driving you in your life. Mm-hmm. And if, if the heart has dark places that we get to repent for, search for, be sanctified [00:17:00] for, that's when our body does transform because the heart is like the root of it all.
Yeah. Where if it gets purified, then the body gets purified, too. When that heart feels peace and grace, and then also wants to grow, it's easier to transform the body. Yeah. And so I love that- Absolutely ... that book. It's called that It's that inward transformation that then you see stuff- Yeah ... you know, externally, where we have it so backwards in diet culture.
We do. We're so focused on the- We do ... external and- Yeah ... we're, like, hoping that no one sees what's actually on the inside. Mm-hmm. But then we end up being like the Pharisees and falling into hypocrisy, where- Yeah ... we're doing the right things- Yeah ... but with the wrong heart. But God , sees the heart.
That's why he said in Proverbs 4:20-23, that's why we have to guard our heart, 'cause everything we do flows from it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So I love that that's the work that you're doing, too- Yeah ... and you really get to the root of it. So- Yeah ... I love that. So a lot of what you talk about, , is gluttony- Mm-hmm
because it is so overlooked by the church.
So what is your definition of gluttony, and why do you think that this isn't talked about in the church?
Whoo, that's a loaded double question. Okay, [00:18:00] let's back up. So
Why do I think gluttony is not talked about in the church? Mm-hmm. This is definitely something I am diving into deeper.
Mm-hmm. And you guys, I'm just gonna be honest, this is my opinion. Yeah. And I like to tell people when it's my opinion. Since being saved, I've been to five different churches. Wow. And that's just 'cause where the Lord had me, and all but one served donuts when I walked into church, all but one, and that, that is the one I am at currently.
I'm at the church that doesn't s- serve donuts. Yeah. And I say, "In a world full of churches who serve the donuts, be the girl who brings the banana." Because why are we serving donuts to people? If we say, "Steward the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit," if we say, "Present the body as a living sacrifice," why are we serving donuts?
And what I've learned from having conversations with pastors, people who work in churches, is that's what they believe will get them in the seats. Mm. So again, tell them what they wanna hear, and then bring them in- Yeah ... and, and you know, so I'm like, are they just [00:19:00] enticing people to be there
yeah. I'm just using donuts as a, the specific thing, but it could be anything, coffee cake, whatever. Right. And that feels hypocritical to me. Mm-hmm. And then I think the church shies away from talking about gluttony because it's gonna get people out of the seats.
Well, they just fed them donuts. They don't wanna talk about gluttony Because there's so much shame and condemnation when people typically talk about it There is shame and condemnation Yeah But if they really want to, this is why I have had a couple people in my DMs be like, "Do you really have I'm not calling the church out I'm calling them up Mm ... I am not calling the church out. I'm calling them up- Yeah ... because I'm sharing different ways, this is how you can bring the topic of gluttony into the church, and really, there's tons of scriptures on gluttony, tons of scriptures on being sober-minded and, you know, put a knife to your throat if you're giving into it.
And, because it can feel like condemnation, like, oh, you're, you know, eating bad so you don't belong here, take a different angle, the grace and peace angle, and say,
"look, gluttony's not your fault." Mm-hmm. [00:20:00] It's not your fault. The world, big pharma, big ag, they choose to push this on us to keep us sick.
That's the enemy. Mm-hmm. The church isn't the enemy. Right. The food isn't the enemy. The companies that are trying to keep us sick are the enemy because that's what keeps us cycling. So if we really talk about this in the church and we really start to break it down, we can see that Jesus was always leading us away from, overindulgence, self-control being a fruit of the spirit.
Mm-hmm. But he wasn't doing it out of shame. He was doing it so that we can be well, present our body as a living sacrifice, train godly, be that athlete for God's kingdom. And so I like to take a different approach with gluttony that has nothing to do with condemnation. Mm-hmm. It's truly about it's not your fault, and now that it's not your fault, how do you become so sovereign over your health that you can break that cycle, that the foothold the enemy has on you- Yeah
repeating that cycle of continuing to overeat? I also, I don't know if you've ever [00:21:00] struggled with gluttony, but I've struggled with gluttony a lot in my life, and I watched the pattern continuously repeat itself, and what does it mean to truly break free of that pattern?
Mm-hmm. Does that answer your question?
Yeah, yeah. It definitely does, and I think it's worth saying that gluttony is more than just overeating. Exactly. And it really is a heart issue, people could hear that and think, oh, I can never eat a donut- Yes
ever in my life. Mm-hmm. And then it turns to restriction, and we know that restrictions then lead to binges, and you're still- Yeah ... stuck in that restrict, binge, guilt cycle- Yeah ... 'cause you're really not getting at the root because it's not about the donut. Right. It's about something deeper. True.
And when you do that deeper inner healing, that formation with God, you get to a place- 1 Corinthians 10:23, "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial."
True. I can eat these things. I'm free to eat all of these things. Mm-hmm. 1 Timothy 4, God accepts anything that I eat if it's received with prayer and thanksgiving. But Lord, what are you inviting me into now? Mm-hmm. Is [00:22:00] walking... Do I need a donut right now on an empty stomach?
Right. When there's no protein. Right, exactly. And no fiber, right? You know? Right. So maybe it is better to, to bring the banana,
and we all have different needs. You come from a family line where there was a lot of sickness and disease. Mm-hmm. And a donut may not be beneficial for someone that really struggles with blood sugar issues. Yes, yeah. You know, a donut by itself, right? Yeah. So it's not that we can never have these things. So, I guess I'm struggling with the balance of the messaging of gluttony- Mm-hmm
and finding food freedom. Yes. That's a good conversation. Yeah. I think, you know, many people are gonna have different backgrounds, different ideas about it, even different- Mm ... ideas as a coach or a practitioner or dietician will have different ideas. What I love to call forward is did God create this, or did man create this?
Mm-hmm. I, I just personally teach from a place that's like, was this [00:23:00] available for God, Jesus- Mm-hmm ... you know, the disciples back then? I like to really teach from a place of like, eat what is from God first. Mm-hmm. . And yes, , to enjoy food, enjoy time with people, to celebrate, it's a birthday.
Mm-hmm. These things can come in these areas, but the base of it all is do you have a healthy relationship to food? Mm-hmm. And so I think what, what you're talking about is, like, that balance. Yeah. Can I have a donut without it actually being because I'm stress coping that morning? Mm-hmm. Or can I have a donut because I'm celebrating, not because I'm heartbroken and I need something to make me feel something immediately?
Mm-hmm. Or is this the only time I'm gonna allow myself to have a donut- Right ... so I need to go all out with this experience? Exactly. 'Cause that's not eating for the glory of God. Right. That's not eating from a place of food freedom. That's eating from a place of scarcity. Yes, exactly. So I think- Yeah ... even if you are gonna eat a donut, you know, what, insert whatever- Mm
food, it's getting to the heart. What- Yeah ... what is my motivation behind- [00:24:00] Right ... why I'm eating that- Yeah ... and is that actually gonna benefit me? Mm-hmm.
'Cause I think too many people are expecting food, I... And I recently did an episode on this, talking about emotional eating, where food was never meant to carry the weight of our weary soul.
Right. And we are expecting food a lot of times to play that role for us- Mm-hmm ... and to be our comfort, where God is our comfort. Right. God- Great I am, Yahweh, he steps in and says, "Whatever you need, I am." Right, exactly.
There's a, I don't know the exact place of the scripture, so if you guys know, put it in the comments.
But there's a time where I believe it's Peter and a few other disciples are preaching the gospel, they're spreading their message, and some people in the community are arguing about food.
Mm-hmm. And I remember that Peter's like, "We don't have time for this because we are trying to preach the gospel." Mm-hmm. So he then, uh, hires like a community or like a board to deal with like what people can and cannot [00:25:00] eat, almost saying like, "It's just, it's not of importance- Mm-hmm
because our mission is to preach the gospel." Yeah. "Our mission is to follow the Holy Spirit. Our mission is this," so food became an afterthought to them, and it became more of like, okay, it's just for energy. It's just for our sustainability.
Mm-hmm. It's for our life force because we need food to survive, obviously, but it's not of importance because the message - is what of importance. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it always stuck with me because I was like, how much have we put food at the center of everything? Yeah. Made it an idol, made it a false, lowercase G, god, where if you scroll on the internet, that's, you're getting exposed to that over and over and over.
Mm-hmm. This diet is right, this food is bad, this food is good, all of these things, and it starts to collude a woman's mind, and that's where I really feel like the enemy starts to get a foothold, where a woman sits down at a meal and is having an internal battle- Yep ... with if she can eat it, if she can't eat it, if it's too much, if the calories are too high, if the points.
Yeah. [00:26:00] I mean, it's just so exhausting, and nothing hurts my heart more than when a woman sees food as the enemy- Mm-hmm ... instead of her provision from God.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And that's why we have to teach women how to partner with the Holy Spirit- Yeah ... which is spiritual formation. Yeah. So that they can discern in those moments l- and really hear from God and trust the voice of God.
What are you inviting me into in that moment? Sure. Because with gluttony, there's no, I mean, the Bible doesn't talk about one specific portion size or a number of calories- Exactly ... or a certain amount- Yeah ... that is too much or not enough or just right. So we have to default to the Spirit. That's our wisdom , in that moment.
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And I also think it's important to note, too, that gluttony can also be with material goods, is what we talk about so much- Yep ... with food. Yes. But because it's a heart issue- Mm ... it's, it can be- Yeah ... material goods as well. Where I've seen it show up for many of my clients is all or nothing mentality.
Mm. I'm either on the diet- super [00:27:00] forced, like I'm going, you know, going all the way in on this diet, or I'm so off of it. Mm-hmm. And so, you know, restriction can be a form of gluttony too because of the over-consuming of those things. Yeah. And then additionally, social media, TV, you know- Shopping
relationships, shopping. Mm-hmm. All of these things where it's like, again, the heart posture,
Why am I consuming so much of this? What void am I trying to fill? Mm-hmm. What's the empty part of my heart or the dark place in my heart that I'm trying to, fill? And also, how am I trying to regulate my nervous system by consuming?
And gluttony can be put in this position where, yeah, it's only overindulging in food, but it's really what are we overindulging in in our life, this all or nothing mentality.
Mm-hmm. And how do we break that cycle? Yeah. Truly. Yeah. So what do you see as helpful to getting to the root of gluttony- Yeah
and how do we start to heal? Well, we, it's, I think, different per person. Mm-hmm. So it is about looking at the person. Number [00:28:00] one, we gotta heal the heart with Jesus. Yeah. We've kind of been alluding to that throughout the book, all the stuff. What does it mean to heal the heart?
did you know that in the Bible the heart is mentioned over 800 times?
Wow. The mind maybe like 90 to 120, the body maybe 140, but the heart 800 times. Wow. So Old Testament and New Testament, scripture shows time after time that if your heart isn't at peace, you're not at peace with God, peace with yourself, peace in relationships. Mm-hmm. And, and there's dark place of your heart, you gotta start there.
We gotta clean up the heart first because it is the inner life. Mm-hmm. It's the core of your spirit, your soul, your mind, your will, and emotions. Yeah. The heart needs to be clean. And then once we really clean up the heart, everyone obviously wa- needs to and wants to clean up the heart- Yeah ... then we can look deeper into each person and what they've been experienced.
Now, where I was exposed to gluttony through my family was every single time we got together was an overindulgence of food to celebrate or [00:29:00] a regulation of emotions. Mm-hmm. So I had to look deeper into, one, break that off in my family. Yeah. Do some rebuking, repenting, breaking of the bloodlines. And then from there it was about having the Holy Spirit start to turn in me, create a new, make me a new creation.
Mm-hmm. Help me heal my relationship to food, and he would start to show me, you know, "Are you hungry or you're not hungry?" Mm-hmm. "Do, you know, this isn't good for you." He would show me weird things that he would be like, "Your body's gonna reject that. Don't eat it." And so starting to discern and listen to the Holy Spirit for my clients, it has been so powerful because now that becomes their baseline.
Mm-hmm. I don't have to tell them what to eat. The Holy Spirit's gonna do a new move in them to show them what to eat. It becomes their own journey and not just what I'm teaching them. Yeah. And I always say, if your coach or whoever isn't leading you back to the Holy Spirit, they're leading you down the wrong path.
Yeah, that- that's a problem. Yeah. [00:30:00] Yeah. 'Cause we can't do anything. We're licensed professionals- Yes ... but we literally can't do anything. I t- I teach the Holy Spirit, that's it. Amen. Yeah. Amen. Oh, wow, that's so good.
One thing that you have said on social media before is that
you see these four root causes of gluttony, and maybe you have other ones to add on to that. But- Mm-hmm ... um, restriction. Mm-hmm. Emotional coping, which we've talked about. Mm-hmm. Unrepentance and unforgiveness. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Do you mind speaking a bit more to that- Oh, yeah ... and the root causes?
Yeah, absolutely. When it comes to healing with God and being sanctified- Mm-hmm ... those are all things that are gonna come up in any area of your life.
Yeah. There's always gonna be these deeper roots that need to take hold for preparing for marriage, for healing your relationship to food, to healing sickness and stuff like that. Yeah. But I do think that there can be a time where we wanna push some of it to the side. Mm-hmm. We wanna, make that part go away.
Yeah. And so I wanna start with the [00:31:00] last first, which is unforgiveness. Yep.
When you don't forgive someone, it doesn't torment them, it torments you. Mm. And that's a foothold for the enemy if you're tormented in this place.
Like, let's say you did something to wrong me, Abby, and you didn't really know you did it, but I'm over here stewing and, feeling stressed about what you've done to me, it starts to consume my body. Yeah. It starts to consume my thoughts. Then the enemy can start attacking, 'cause he can't attack your heart if, if you accept Jesus Christ as your savior, he can't...
He doesn't have rights to your heart, so he's gotta go to the mind. Mm. Right? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. This is why having a strong heart is so important, because if the enemy does attack your mind but you have a strong heart, you're like, "Fling, enemy- Right, I'm good ... get out of me. Get out of here." Yeah. But if your heart isn't, you have this unforgiveness- Mm
that's when the, the foothold becomes a stronghold. Things start to, to really penetrate into you- Yeah ... 'cause they can take root in your heart. Mm-hmm. These, these lies that the enemy's telling you, "You'll never be good enough. You'll never heal your body," because now he's able to, to hold onto [00:32:00] something. So unforgiveness is probably...
I should put that one first, because if there is a part of your heart that is mad at someone, resentful, you're bitter, where God is taking you, you can't take a hardened heart. Mm. Truly. If you feel like you're in your purpose, your ministry, you're on fire for God, you've gotta look deeper into your heart- Yeah
and get this unforgiveness out. And I think many people wanna just bypass that place. I did personally, too. Mm-hmm. I will admit that, because it's easier just to work on our own self and, forget about what other people have done- Yeah ... or avoid it or just put it away, but it will resurface. We know this.
Mm-hmm. The enemy will find that place, and he will dig it up. He'll be digging up, like, some guy from when you were 15 that d- ... left you, didn't pick you up, you know? Yeah. So it's really about having that forgiveness. And then moving up, repentance is freedom. Yep. The more I repent, the more free I feel in my body, 'cause I know that Jesus has saved me from my sins.
Yeah. Thank you, Jesus, for that freedom.
And you're letting... Oh, amen, and [00:33:00] just l- you're letting the finished work of the cross be applied to your life. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. It is done, right? Like, we are free from our transgressions- Mm-hmm ... free from our sins, as it says in Isaiah 53:5. But we have to partner with God on that, and we have to repent for what we've done.
So when I was healing gluttony and I was healing a poor relationship to food- Mm ... I had to repent for some of the things I did. Yeah. Like, you know, I'm sorry for,, making food an idol. I'm sorry for being obsessed with food when I should have kept my eye on you. I'm sorry for seeking food first over you, or whatever it is- Mm
we need to find repentance for. You start to find freedom from that. It, it flees out of your body, because now- Yeah ... the enemy's lies have no authority. And then the relationship with food just starts changing, because those sins aren't living deep in your life. Mm-hmm. So that's really powerful as well, too.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that is. I do appreciate you- Yeah ... sharing all of that as well. Yeah.
I actually had a client who, it came out that she was struggling with unforgiveness, and I saw that as the root of her gluttony. So this is a client that I had [00:34:00] been working with for over a year. And we had really worked on healing her relationship with food, she was very much restricting before and had a lot of guilt and shame when she would eat certain foods.
So we did a lot of work on healing her relationship with food. She was giving herself permission now, and I'm also teaching her how to partner with the Holy Spirit, and she was feeling that nudge, like, "Hey, you've been having a lot of fun meals, treat meals, a lot of more calorie-dense meals. We need more fiber.
We need to add more nutrient density- Mm-hmm ... to your foods. , It's okay to have a cookie, but we also need to make sure we're getting enough protein and fiber first." Yeah. Right? And she was feeling that nudge, and she was starting to get frustrated with herself, 'cause she's like, "I hear this on my heart, but why can't I follow through?
Why do I still turn- Mm-hmm ... to these foods that I know are not making me feel physically well? It's, making it, hard for me to sleep. I'm breaking out. I feel bloated. My bowel movements are off. I know that how I'm eating is not serving me, and I feel God inviting me into a different way, but I'm so resistant to it."
And so unpacking all of this, [00:35:00] it came up in one of our sessions that, it came from her mom, and she was still holding onto some bitterness towards her mom because her mom would tell her, "Well, if you just wanna lose weight, you need to eat the salad. Yeah. You need to eat healthier. You need to eat clean foods, and that will help you lose weight.
That will help you." And I think, "Oh, just, order the salad." And she was so resistant to following what the Spirit was inviting her into because she thought, "Well, God is saying very similar things to what my mom was saying, so if I eat that way, then my mom was right." Yeah. And she didn't want her mom to be right.
Mm-hmm. And so I had to say to her in our session, "Look, just because God is saying some similar things that your mom is saying doesn't mean that your mom was right about everything. Right. Doesn't mean that she was leading with compassion, doesn't mean that she was necessarily Spirit-led, but you have to yield to the Spirit."
Mm-hmm. And that gave her so much freedom, and we worked on, we went through a whole forgiveness devotional, and she was set free from that bitterness towards her mom and then felt free to- Yeah ... to listen to the Spirit's promptings, [00:36:00] and, she did not know that that was at the root- Mm-hmm
of everything. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think most people do, you know? Mm-hmm. I think there comes a time where we're presented with it, and it's easy to run away from it. If we just chase God more, we can, bypass some of these things. Yeah. But someone's gonna get ya. It's gonna be the Lord, or it's gonna be the enemy.
At some point, you're gonna get disciplined- Mm-hmm ... or you're gonna get some spiritual warfare. Yeah. I don't want either of those things. Yeah, nor do that, in the name of Jesus. For real. I don't want the Lord to come down on me. Yeah. But it will catch up to you, you know? Mm-hmm.
I just encourage if a listener is thinking right now, "Oh, I really wanna break gluttony"- Do some journaling, go to the Bible, look what Jesus, is there someone or something in my past, or maybe it's even yourself, that you're not forgiving- Mm-hmm
that would set you free a little bit more, and, you know, that breakdown will be the breakthrough that you've been searching for.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amen. Amen. Yeah.
I also think it's important to [00:37:00] note that, just for the sake of our show, that
gluttony is not just eating past the point of comfortable fullness either.
Mm-hmm. 'Cause we d- we're, we're human, and- Yeah ... a lot of us are trying to learn our hunger and fullness cues. Mm-hmm. So if you eat past the point of comfortable fullness, that doesn't automatically mean it was gluttony. Maybe you were just distracted or, - you weren't fully attuned. Mm-hmm. But it doesn't mean that you had this heart posture of putting food in a God-shaped hole.
Eating pleasurable food, there's a difference between eating something that you enjoy and getting enjoyment from food- Mm-hmm ... and then overindulging in it. Mm-hmm. Or using it as a little G god. Mm-hmm. Binge eating disorder, any sort of eating disorder, eating too much at a celebration, I think , you could argue, , that that's not necessarily gluttony, especially if you were distracted.
I think it comes back to the emotional coping piece as one of the roots. Mm-hmm. What was your why for eating? Was it just that you were distracted? Are you in a season of healing your relationship with food, where you're trying to navigate hunger and fullness? Yeah. And you're just, you're like a toddler kind of figuring that out, learning how to walk.[00:38:00]
Yeah. And I find that people do, in those scenarios, when they're learning how to become more attuned to their body, and really become familiar with hunger and fullness, they do tend to overeat sometimes- Mm-hmm ... and that's not a failure, that's f- feedback. Like, okay-
I'm learning how much is too much. And when you go to a situation where you're out to dinner with friends or you're at a celebration, there are more distractions, where you're less attuned. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So if you're not really familiar with what that feels like in your body, you're learning how to partner with the Holy Spirit,, it's not gonna be perfect in navigating- Yeah
but that doesn't necessarily mean it's gluttony. I also think it's important to note, living in a larger body. Mm-hmm. Does not necessarily mean. Mm-hmm. 'Cause there's so many reasons for that. Weight is so multifactorial. Mm-hmm. , And some of my clients that are living in larger bodies eat the least amount of food.
Right.
I find that my clients with weight loss resistance are not eating enough. Mm-hmm. Yes. Which is why their body's in survival mode and holding onto fat. Mm-hmm. Which is very interesting. You know, I'm curious to see, you know, when, when you were saying those things about gluttony, I was hearing the Holy [00:39:00] Spirit say it's because it's a cycle.
Mm. So if, if, if something is a cycle, it, it has a stronghold in your life. Yeah. I don't know if you would agree with that, but, you know, it's like, okay, whatever, once in a while I go to a party, and yum, the food is so delicious, I overeat, or- Mm-hmm ... you know, I, I was in a hurry this one time, and like, this one time this week, and oh man, I'm a little bloated, I overate that day.
But when something is really rooted as gluttony as a cycle- It's a repeating pattern- Mm-hmm ... where it becomes a stronghold in your life. You know, for many of my clients who struggle with gluttony, it's almost like they can't control it. Mm, mm-hmm. And so it's- Yeah ... it's not so much of just a one-off time or, you know, being distracted, but it's more like- Yeah, that's a good distinction
I can't control this. Why can't I control this? Mm-hmm. That's when we can look at there's two things going on. There's a spiritual aspect, how do we break that in spirit, and a physical aspect of maybe not enough education around food- Yep ... because
They don't teach us this in school. Yeah. Yeah. Most of us had to figure it [00:40:00] out in our 20s or 30s. Literally. So that's why we're here having a podcast on it. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and learning ourselves, you know? Mm-hmm. I like to really look at, okay, is something a cycle? Does it keep repeating? Mm-hmm. Or is it just happenstance?
And I think you can learn about God's grace through that in those kind of happenstance things. Yeah. , And obviously in, in cycles as well, but I think we can give ourselves grace for those one-off things I also think, too, you can recognize gluttony from almost this air of entitlement of like, "I'm going to eat whatever I want. I deserve this regardless of the impact."
Mm-hmm. I know myself, and I've had to repent on this, with my shopping. Mm-hmm. There have been times where I'm just like, "I had a hard week," or, "I haven't been able to spend in a little bit 'cause I haven't had a lot of fi- now I have the opportunity. Now I'm gonna buy all of these things."
Mm-hmm. And then I'm right back to where I'm at. Exactly. So it's that cycle. Yeah. I've really had to repent of that myself as like, "Well, I deserve this. I deserve- Mm-hmm ... these things." And it's like, no, we [00:41:00] literally don't deserve anything. Yeah. We deserve nothing. And that, that is a bold-faced lie from the enemy.
Yeah. Right? Because of course you've gotten ahead. Like, if someone's trying to heal their relationship to food and they're like, "Oh, I've felt like I've been restricting because I haven't been able to eat these things because I'm healing or I'm..." Mm-hmm. And it's like that, again, that's where the enemy's gonna say, "You deserve this."
Mm-hmm. Like, "You, you've been so good. You were doing good," and so he's gonna cut you off at the knees. Yeah. 'Cause why would he want you healthy? Why would he want you with money in your bank account? Mm-hmm. Why would he want you feeling like what you have is enough? Yeah. He doesn't want you there. He wants you to be lowly.
He says, "Don't hang out with drunkards and gluttons because it leads to laziness and poverty." Mm. Okay?
What is gluttony? What is over-shopping? What are these things? Is l- it's, it becomes, no condemnation, guys, I'm just saying, this is how the enemy gets us. Becomes laziness and poverty because when we get provision, we don't keep it, hold it, and save it for our future. Mm-hmm. We don't tithe it. [00:42:00] We just immediately say, "Oh, I have more, so I deserve this," or, "Oh, I have more food, I deserve this."
Mm-hmm. And that is, that's where I really want women to know you can take sovereignty over gluttony because they're bold-faced lies from the enemy. Say, "Get behind me," rebuke the enemy, and it's a huge part of why I tell all women gluttony's not your fault, right? We have- Yep ... we have the impact from the outside.
We have y- have you ever heard of the bliss point? Do you, have you ever heard of the- You've talked about it, yes, but yeah, definitely explain it to listeners- Yeah ... for sure. So the bliss point is a chemically engineered exact taste, smell. I'll just say this, everyone knows McDonald's fries.
Yep. We know what they smell like, we know what they taste like. It's nostalgic, reminds us of our childhood. Mm-hmm. And so that is a chemically engineered, meaning not just that it's made up of real food to make it taste a certain way, that chemicals were added for you to be that nostalgic about that. Mm.
Every single manufactured food, every processed food has a bliss point. Does an apple have a bliss point? No, because [00:43:00] God made it. He didn't have to chemically engineer- Mm-hmm ... uh, something to, for it to have it to taste good. So you're being impacted by that, those chemicals, right? So it's like when you have something, it makes it addicting for you.
Yeah. That's why I say gluttony's not always someone's fault, because society keeps telling us, "Eat this-" Yeah "... because it's addictive."
And the food has been manufactured to keep you coming back. Yeah. And it is interesting because I, we could argue that we do have a bliss point when we eat foods because, like, you know, like an apple, for example.
Yeah. Because
When you take the first bite of something- Mm-hmm ... your taste buds are so reactive. The receptors on your tongue are being activated by what you eat- Mm ... because it's trying to detect- Yes ... okay, what type of flavor's here? Is it sweet? Is it sour? Is it salty?
Is it umami? Is it bitter? What are the different flavors here? Part of that's a protective mechanism. If there are bitter tastes, your body takes that as poison, maybe wants to reject that. But the receptors on your tongue are activated. But after a certain amount of time, if you keep eating- Mm ... a food, if you keep taking bites of your apple, [00:44:00] the receptors on your tongue will get desensitized.
Mm-hmm. And After about two minutes, the flavor starts declining. Mm. And that's why they have to manufacture these foods to keep you going back- Yeah ... for more So the flavor doesn't decline. Exactly. That's so good, Abby. Mm-hmm. That's so good. Yeah. That's a word for sure. That's how God designed our bodies to give us a natural landing point to the meal.
Yes. It's actually a sign of a fullness cue, just this gradual, okay, the flavor's diminishing. It's not as pleasurable as it was in the beginning, it's, 'cause it's not supposed to be.
But if it's chemically engineered,, you're not gonna have that drop-off.
Mm-hmm. So there's never gonna be a satiation or satisfaction. I would argue, like, anybody, after you've eaten whatever, let's say after you eat McDonald's, I'm, like, hungry an hour later. No, literally same. I want more. Or even, like, Chinese food. Why am I always so hungry- Yeah ... after I eat Chinese food? Yeah, it doesn't satiate.
Like, there's like MSG or something. It doesn't satiate. Mm-hmm.
I don't know if you knew this, one of my friends has sheep, and so she studies biblical books on being a shepherd. Love that. What it means, yeah. She has three beautiful sheep, and she s- she showed me this book. It's, it's a biblical book on learning to [00:45:00] be, I don't know the name, I'm sorry, but to, to learn to be a shepherd.
Mm-hmm. And you study it in a biblical way, and sh- one day I was at her house and I saw the sheep, and I was like, "They're so cute. Look, they're laying down." Mm-hmm. And she goes, "Do you know why they're laying down?" I said, "No." She goes, "Because they're satisfied." That's why it says- Wow ... "He makes me lie down in green pastures," because they know when they're satiated- Mm
by their nourishment. And when we eat God's food, we know, just, it, this literally, thank you, Holy Spirit, for bringing this in. Mm. When you said that, it reminded me of that, 'cause it's like, well, we know when we eat God's food when we're satisfied, when we're satiated. Wow. Because nobody's gonna be like, "I want a fifth apple," you know?
It's like- Right ... because it's satiated. But if I, if I do eat a donut, I want donuts all day, and probably the next day too. Mm-hmm. There's no turnoff, it's partially science, but it's also how God created our body- Yeah ... to be able to turn that off, which is so wild. So if someone's stuck in a state of gluttony, it's because [00:46:00] they're addicted to that bliss point.
They're addicted to the addictability of that food- Mm ... and not necessarily the food itself. Yeah. It becomes less of an enemy, now we can just break ties with it. Mm-hmm, yeah.
I think it's a lot safer, too, for anyone healing this or healing their relationship with food, to have those bliss foods or the foods with the bliss point would be to have them in combination with- Mm-hmm
protein, fiber. Eat those things first- Mm-hmm ... so that your body actually has a chance to- Yeah ... be full and satiated. Yeah, eat the protein, fiber first. Yes. Yeah. So just to clarify. And Jesus, same. Yeah, no, for real, for real. Making sure, yeah. Yeah, and- this has been so good, and some other things that I see with gluttony is that it's excess without awareness, this kind of unchecked appetite.
Mm-hmm. So we're not checking- Ourselves, w- a, a refusal to listen to wisdom or the Spirit- Mm-hmm ... which I definitely saw with my client- Mm-hmm ... and that was at the root, unforgiveness. Um, and then indulgence that ignores the consequences to yourself or others, and I saw that with my previous shopping sprees and [00:47:00] things like that.
Yeah. That there really wasn't, there wasn't a care. And that coupled with the entitlement, "I deserve this, so I'm going to spend this money." I think at the root of that, and it's a scripture that you talk about a lot, too, , we see our bodies as our own, not that our bodies are not our own and , they have been paid for.
They have been paid for. Yeah. They have been paid for. Yeah. I mean, obviously we, you know, talk about Corinthians 6:19 where it says, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Mm-hmm. And so now the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and so we see that this body is not mine.
It's not yours, not your body, Abby. It's not my body. Yeah. It's God's body. How do I want to take care of, so the word steward means to manage. Mm-hmm. How do I wanna manage the body that God has given me? Do I want to fill it with the good things that God has given us and make sure that I'm strong and able and not inflamed or feeling tired or sick? Or do I want to almost, like, treat it like a trash [00:48:00] can, you know? Yeah, yeah. And, and so we have to really kinda check ourselves in that, and it, it does remind me of, of Romans 12:1 and 2.
Mm-hmm. Do you mind if I read the scripture? Yeah, please. Yeah. Love that one. So it says, "And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you, sacrificing His Son. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way we worship Him.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." And so when I read that, I'm like,
"How am I presenting my body as a living sacrifice to Him?"
Mm-hmm. How often am I giving into my flesh and desires? How often am I following the world's view of what the norm is? Even just asking Him, "God, how can I present my body as a living sacrifice to you?" Yeah. And letting Him unfold it for you, letting the Holy Spirit speak through you.
Yeah, ask [00:49:00] Him what it looks like- Ask Him ... so we don't have to rely on our own understanding. Yes.
And if we're just a manager, but it's God's resource that He's entrusted in us to manage, we need to ask- The CEO. We need to ask him You gotta ask the CEO, yeah ... and not rely on our own understanding, and I find that I mismanage my body or my finances when I think that it's mine and it's ownership- Yeah
not deferring to, "No, God, you're the owner." Mm-hmm. "This is yours. What do you want me to do with it?" Mm-hmm. And then anything after that is an act of obedience. Mm-hmm. And we know that God desires obedience more than our sacrifices.
Yes, yes, and even partial obedience is disobedience. There you go. So if you're feeling the nudge, you know, like you have in your life, you've shared on this podcast, there are times where we get that direct order from the Holy Spirit- Mm
and we often delay or push back what He's asking us to do because of our own flesh or our own will. Yeah. So I just encourage listeners, like, if there is something the Holy Spirit is tugging you on, He's doing it because He loves you. He's doing it because He wants to see you [00:50:00] heal, and you're probably praying and asking for these desires- Mm-hmm
but it's just not the way you thought you were gonna get there. Girl, this is ministering to me right now. One thing that the Lord, and I'll just be vulnerable on the show, One thing that the Lord is really asking me to lay down fully is caffeine. Mm. And it is so hard. Mm-hmm. I'm like, "Well, I go to half-caff, or I only have it here and there."
Mm-hmm. "Or I'll have tea," . And , it is very hard to put down. I've gone through seasons where I fast it, but I think the Lord's really calling me to not just fast it for a certain period- Yeah ... but to fully- Mm-hmm ... lay it down. And girl, it is hard.
I know, I know. Well, I will say, I'm 15 years caffeine free.
Wow, okay. Which is wild. Thank you, Jesus. I love it. But I have some, I have some years on you guys ... probably on the age of the listeners. But I will say, you know, I didn't know the Lord then when I gave it up, but I will say
When I gave it up, but I will say when we talk about consequences- Mm-hmm
and we talk about being connected to the body and our body, and we talk about presenting it as a living [00:51:00] sacrifice, we just get the opportunity to look at how is this serving me? Yeah. Your ministry is so important. Like, Abby, I felt it right away when you reached out to me. Mm-hmm. And I looked at some of your stuff, and then of course our, connection with Tyler- Yeah
and just knowing how much,, how beautiful of a blessing Tyler has been in my life. There's a huge call on your ministry, and I believe that if God is asking you to lay something down, it's because you can't take it where he's taking you. Mm. Otherwise, it's gonna prevent a foothold for the enemy.
I truly believe there's an anointing on your life. And, the truth about coffee is, like, we don't wanna make it the enemy, but it can be dehydrating it's acidic and it causes anxiety when it's not in combination- Mm-hmm ... with what it is. And I find that for me it keeps me self-reliant 'cause I can just keep work, work, work, work, work.
Bingo. And then I'm like, "Well, I'm tired. Well, I'll just pick myself up with caffeine," instead of resting in the Lord- Yes ... and actually yielding to His rhythms of work and rest. Yes. So, yeah. Because Jesus never bypassed His body to get ahead in ministry. [00:52:00] He rested. Woo. He rested. He went to the secret place.
He was like, "Bye, guys. I'm going to the secret place." Everyone's like, "When are you coming back?" Soon. Whenever He decided- Right ... it was time to come out for His ministry, and that shows us we can't be in our ministry based off of performance- Mm-hmm ... or things that enhance our performance. Yeah. There's always consequences, right?
And so ob- obviously this is not for condemnation. This is me- No, no, no ... like I wanna pour into you- I'm receiving this. Yeah ... and potentially pray over you after to help you, to, to help you break that because these are, again, these are, like, the little footholds for the enemy where he wants to just delay your purpose.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um- And it seems so innocent. Like, oh, it's just a cup of coffee, you know? And, and I'm like- It does ... I'm not hurting anyone. Yeah. This isn't a risk to anyone else. Yeah. But that doesn't matter. Yeah. It's like I downplay it praise God- Yeah ... you know, that this came up because I know that so many listeners also struggle with caffeine.
Yeah. So anyway, I just pray that that really ministers to people- I do ... uh, as it's ministering to me. Yeah, and I love how you said it makes you self-reliant. Mm-hmm. Because [00:53:00] of course, like, yeah, can I shoot five episodes in a day? Yes, but with a cup of coffee. Is that what the Lord wants me to do? Right. Is that what the Lord needs me to do?
Is there really, like, I don't have to say more here, that I can just let this, what I'm speaking- Mm-hmm ... marinate for a while, go rest, come back, and, and, and do what I need to do. Uh, this reminds me of a quick story. So
I was speaking at a conference last week, and the conference was the majority of the week, which meant I really had to just take the week off of work. Mm-hmm. Which meant I had to delay my podcast because I record every other week, so, and, you know, talk to my editor.
She was also speaking at the conference. So we're going in this conference a little stressed out, like, "When am I gonna record this episode?" Yeah. "When can we get it out?" And I just heard the Holy Spirit say, "Stop." And I, I sat with the Holy Spirit and I heard him say, "There is no rush to get your next podcast out."
Mm. Wow. Who, who- like, does anybody really know that I put one out every two weeks? I don't think so. Like- Right ... is anybody waiting, like, when is the [00:54:00] next episode of Her Holy Health? Or like- Oh ... you know, counting down their calendar? Maybe not. The message will come exactly when it's supposed to. Yeah. So we just said, "We'll delay for two weeks."
There you go. That's what we heard the Holy Spirit say. Amen. We don't have to do it on our own understanding. We don't have to try to get this out for anybody because we'll rush the message and it won't be, just like you had said about reading the book. Yeah. If you would've rushed ahead and read the book, you wouldn't have read the body chapter this morning on the morning we're talking about the body.
Right. Exactly. So yeah. Exactly. I love that. Yeah. And even there were things too with writing my book that I'm like, ooh, if I had self-published and because if you go the traditional publishing route, it is extended and it does take longer.
Yeah. 'Cause there's a lot of, you know, editing and they're very thorough. I love that. And at first I was like, "Oh, you know, people are asking for this now," but it was actually God's grace because there were revelations that I had, other podcast interviews that I had, and scriptures that I've read that the Lord just, oh my gosh, broke wide open for me [00:55:00] that I'm like, "Oh, clients need this."
Amen. And if I had rushed the book, I wouldn't have had that revelation to be able to add. Yeah. So it's so much richer. It's so true. When we yield to his timing. Yeah. It really is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Well, this has been an amazing conversation. Yeah. I could talk to you all day. I know, I swear. Oh. Part two maybe one day.
Oh, yes. Oh, yes, 100% in Jesus' name. Yes. So yeah, tell us, where they can find you. Yeah. About your podcast and all the things. Yeah. Thank you so much.
Before I tell you, I just wanna say- It's so beautiful to be with a sister in Christ who doesn't feel competition. Mm-hmm. I just felt like the Holy Spirit wanted me to highlight that.
Yeah. Because what Abby and I do are so similar. Mm-hmm. She could have easily said, "Oh, if I have her on the podcast, that's drawing people in a different direction." And I just felt the Holy Spirit wanting me to highlight that- Mm-hmm ... because I do feel like lifting our sisters up and knowing we each individually have our own spiritual gifts, we each individually have a role in society, we each have these things, these missions that God has placed on our heart.
And so I really just welcome that. Most podcasts would not have [00:56:00] me on if I was in the same lane. So I just wanted to appreciate that about you- Wow ... and know that that's just such a beautiful, that shows the posture of your heart for that too. So thank you so much for the opportunity to share. Oh, I really- It's really beautiful
appreciate you saying that. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. And like you said, we each have different gifts and we say things in a different way, and there are gonna be some people that resonate more with you, with me, you know, feel led by the Spirit, and like praise God that there are multiple people in the space- Exactly
that are doing same similar things. Yeah, yeah. If you want the bold face conviction You can listen to my podcast as well. Yes. So my podcast is called Her Holy Health. I'm on episode, I think, 10. Yay. So it's just newer this year. Love it.
I used to have a podcast that was really rooted in self-discipline.
So now it's fully rooted in biblical principles, science-backed strategies, and God-given rhythms. So you can search Her Holy Health, on Y- YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. And then on Instagram, my Instagram is @jaclynreneewellness, and that's where I share a lot of tips, tools, videos, all the stuff to heal your relationship with food, heal your relationship [00:57:00] with your body, and utilize the Biblical Body Method standard, which is truly healing with Jesus at the center.
So- Amen ... thank you. Amen. Yeah. Yay, and we'll have that all linked up in the show notes for y'all. Jaclyn, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for having me. Love you, girl. I appreciate you.
. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of Your Daily Bread Podcast. Now, if anything about this episode resonated with you, I wanna encourage you to send it to three sisters in Christ who may also wanna steward their bodies better.
I read every comment, every review of the show, and I love hearing your testimonies and how the Holy Spirit is meeting you through these episodes. And if you haven't left a review yet, I wanna encourage you to do so 'cause it truly does help the show grow and it. Ultimately benefits the kingdom. And if you need any personalized support with your nutrition and your relationship with food or your body image, head to the show notes and you'll see all the different ways to work with me.
See you next week.
