Electives – Section 7

… (Your name), listen to what you are saying. Let yourself believe, love, and be thankful for the truth!

…I don’t have to binge on food to quiet my hunger for the presence of God. I turn from distracting my desire for God by being full of food. Lord, I turn all my cravings to binge on You: “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You” (Ps. 16:2). “…the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge…” (Ps. 73:28).

…I grab my soul and turn it away from having to stuff myself and purge in order to find the cleansing I crave. I turn to God and trust that I can “…draw near…in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean…and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:19 and 22); by God’s radiance coming onto me, I “…put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Rom. 13:12 and 14) and am “…washed…in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11).

…I reject and renounce bulimia as a way to deaden my desire for God. I repent of purging myself to lose weight so I can feed myself with how attractive I am. I turn to love that “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” (Ps. 50:2); and heart, the beauty of the kingdom of Heaven is perfect and the nearness of His beauty close to me is what I need. So, I turn my heart to believe I can enter the kingdom of Heaven by receiving it here with childlike faith (Mark 10:15). Heart, show “gratitude” with playfully childlike freedom and joy that I am receiving the kingdom of Heaven here. Heart Jesus said, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matt. 19:14); and, “he who takes refuge in Me…will possess My holy mountain” (Isa. 57:13); so when I enter by faith that God’s kingdom is coming to me here, it is the truth that “…you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus…Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude…” (Heb. 12:22-24, 28).

…Heart, by stretching my faith about the greatness of God and the beauty of His kingdom coming to me here, I can satisfy myself with the closeness of God’s beauty touching me and all around me. The nearness of God is the beauty that identifies me. I am turning my heart to love being called by Your name so I can trust by faith that I am looking at the Lord and His radiance around me here: “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

…Heart, I don’t have to find the perfection I long for by purging to keep my weight down. The Lord is the purging and the perfection I need. I present the demons pushing me into bulimia before God. I present them before God’s holiness and kingdom coming down (James 1:17) upon and around me here (Heb. 12:22-24, 28). I turn away from fear about looking at the nearness of God because the radiance of God upon me is His righteousness coming down upon me like rain: “…seek the Lord / Until He comes to rain righteousness on you” (Hos. 10:12). Heart, “…the Lord is [my] righteousness” (Jer. 33:16); “…the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness…” (Ps. 11:7). I turn to God because everything else is idolatry.

…I don’t have to find the cleansing I long for by purging myself of the food I eat. Lord, I love that the cleansing from You is more powerful than my sin. I turn my affections to love drawing near to You and letting You wash me clean: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9); “…washed…in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11). I turn my heart to love being open before Lord, I love the closeness of Your holy perfection touching me, cleansing me, purging me of evil, making me righteous, and enough.

…I don’t have to feed myself with how well I please people with my appearance or personality. I am directing my heart to enjoy thinking with faith often about God’s nearness so I can satisfy myself with the greatness of what I believe about His power and glory close to me here. I am trusting that my eyes are looking at Your beauty close around and touching me: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” (Ps. 50:2); “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

…I don’t have to find the perfection I need by purging myself to be thin. God is my perfection. I grab my soul and turn it to enjoy knowing I can honor God greatly by childlike faith that depends on His coming to me abundantly. I love that God says to me, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” (Isa. 43:25).

…I don’t have to quench my thirsty desires by planning out when I could binge without people knowing. God is my desire, and He doesn’t hold back from drawing near me here. God says to me, “…I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols” (Eze. 36:25); so, I present bulimia before the Lord so that the holiness of His Spirit can wash it off of me. I praise You, God, for the power of Your cleansing coming onto me now. Lord, I open my heart to You. I love Your grace to draw near. I set my heart on enjoying the fact that I can trust You. By faith, I am looking at Your beauty and cleansing power on me, touching me here.

…I don’t have to binge and purge to force myself into depression. I love that I don’t have to hide myself in a hard shell of depression. God is a better place to hide. I have determined to love finding refuge in Your presence, Lord: “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!'” (Ps. 91:2); and because “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:14), I will keep declaring to my heart that God is my refuge until my heart believes it and God draws near as He promises in His Word.

…I don’t have to preoccupy myself with eating, purging, or my weight. I love that I can trade my dependence on food for the presence of God. I confess my need to You, Lord. I turn my heart to trust Your grace and nothing else because my soul is “satisfied” by seeing with faith the “power and glory” of God near me in His “sanctuary” Ps. 63:1-2, 5); and heart, “God is to us a God of deliverances…” (Ps. 68:20); it says, “…the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion…by…the spirit of burning” (Isa. 4:4); so, by faith I trust I am presenting bulimia before the Lord so that He can burn it off of me. Heart, the purging from God that cleanses me, is far greater. I love receiving God’s presence and kingdom into and onto me here.

…I can turn away from wanting pleasure, control, reassurance, or power from binging and then purging food. I reject and renounce bulimia as a way to feed my desire for God’s presence and His heavenly sanctuary with me here. I will keep saying to my heart until I hear and enjoy believing it that Lord, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1-2, 5).

…I don’t have to live a dull life and binge on food to hide from despair. I am told to worship the Lord in “holy array” and to ascribe glory to our God, so I am telling my heart to believe the glory of God is greater clothing and “array” around me than any earthly glory I could ever want, treasure, or put on around me. Thank You, God, that it is glory close to me that I naturally love and that I can build my faith about the glory of Your presence with me here. It says to “…put on the armor of light…and make no provision for the flesh…” (Rom. 13:12, 14), so heart, open up and embrace the nearness of God as my greatest treasure and thrill. I praise You, Lord. I love that I can glorify God by my total dependence on Him to draw near so I can enjoy His presence and heavenly kingdom like a child who cuddles into and is satisfied by their favorite blanket.

…I don’t have to open my mouth and cram food down my throat. Lord, I open myself to You: I turn all my cravings to You, God. I love that I don’t have to hold back with God: “…My people will be satisfied with My goodness,’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 31:14); I declare to my heart that “…the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge…” (Ps. 73:28); “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You” (Ps. 16:2).

…I don’t have to settle for living in despair. I don’t have to feel empty. I turn from hopelessness about binging on God. I turn all my cravings to binge on You, God. I turn to delight myself in the abundance of Your radiant presence coming to me. By faith I come to God by trusting Him to come to me: “…come to the waters…delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:1-2); “…there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance…” (Ezek. 1:1 and 26,27); “…the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps. 36:7-9).

…I repent of ignoring and hiding from the pain I feel sometimes. If I don’t depend on God, I will turn somewhere else for something that soothes me. So, I turn to You, Lord. I love that I can present my body before God by trusting He is drawing near me here. I love letting You wash over me and soothe me with Your presence. I present the emotional, physical, and spiritual pain I feel before You, Lord, and I am trusting You to reach in and heal me of it. Thank You, God!

…I can turn away from wanting pleasure, control, reassurance, or power from binging and then purging food. I reject and renounce bulimia as a way to feed my desire for God’s presence and His heavenly sanctuary with me here. I will keep saying to my heart until I hear and enjoy believing it that Lord, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1-2, 5).

…I don’t have to live a dull life and binge on food to hide from despair. I am told to worship the Lord in “holy array” and to ascribe glory to our God, so I am telling my heart to believe the glory of God is greater clothing and “array” around me than any earthly glory I could ever want, treasure, or put on around me. Thank You, God, that it is glory close to me that I naturally love and that I can build my faith about the glory of Your presence with me until what I believe about Your tangible nearness becomes what satisfies me. It says to “…put on the armor of light…and make no provision for the flesh…” (Rom. 13:12, 14), so heart, open up and embrace the nearness of God as my greatest treasure and thrill. I praise You, Lord. I love that my childlike dependence on God as my refuge brings His presence and satisfies me (Isa. 57:13; Ps. 36:7-9).

…I don’t have to open my mouth and cram food down my throat. Lord, I open myself to You. I am turning my cravings so I can fill them with God. I love that I don’t have to hold back from binging on opening up with faith that God and His kingdom are coming to me here. Heart, God says, “…My people will be satisfied with My goodness,’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 31:14). So I declare to my heart that “…the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge…” (Ps. 73:28); “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good besides You” (Ps. 16:2).

…I don’t have to settle for living in despair. I don’t have to feel empty. I turn from hopelessness about binging on God. I turn all my cravings to binge on You, God. I turn to delight myself in the abundance of Your radiant presence coming to me. By faith I come to God by trusting Him to come to me: “…come to the waters…delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:1-2); “…there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance…” (Ezek. 1:1 and 26,27); “…the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps. 36:7-9).

…I repent of ignoring and hiding from the pain I feel sometimes. If I don’t depend on God, I will turn somewhere else for something that soothes me. So, I turn to You, Lord. I love trusting I am before God by His drawing near to me here. I love letting You wash over me and soothe me with Your presence. I present the emotional, physical, and spiritual pain I feel before You, Lord, and I am trusting You to reach in and heal me of it. Thank You, God!

…I repent of binging on food to relax. I turn my soul to depend on the “abundance” of God’s presence coming to me as how I relax. Thank You, God, that I can binge on the coming of Your presence to me here. I only have to humble myself from pride that keeps me holding back. By faith, I trust that my eyes are looking at Your power and glory, close to me here, Lord. Again, I declare to my heart in God’s hearing, that Lord, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1,2,5).

…I repent of binging on food to relax. I turn my soul to depend on the “abundance” of God’s presence coming to me as how I relax. Thank You, God, that I can binge on the coming of Your presence to me here. I only have to humble myself from pride that keeps me holding back. By faith, I trust that my eyes are looking at Your power and glory around me here, Lord. Again, I declare to my heart in God’s hearing, that Lord, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Ps. 63:1,2,5).

…I repent of demanding that the pleasure, control, and reassurance I need come from binging and then purging food. I turn to You, Lord. I reject and renounce bulimia as a way to deaden my desire for God’s presence and kingdom around me here. I set my heart to feed on God and trust the power of His cleansing. Heart, after salvation, God still tells us to walk in His radiant Light for cleansing (1 John 1:5, 7); “I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me…” (Jer. 33:8); “…by the sanctifying work of the Spirit…sprinkled with His blood…” (1 Peter 1:2). Heart, when I enter the “holy place” with gratitude (Heb. 12:22-24, 28), and faith, God comes to me and cleanses my body here: “…have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19, 22); so I set my heart to believe I can enter the holy place because “…Christ also died for sins…so that He might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18); and, “…through Him we…have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18); “…we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12); and, “…the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

…I repent of binging on food to distract myself from fear about being acceptable to God. I set my heart to trust the power of the cross of Christ, His resurrection, and glorification that brings the cleansing I need for salvation, “He saved us…by the washing of…the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6). Heart, hear this and enjoy that trusting Christ for salvation makes me acceptable to God: “…the gospel of God, so that…the Gentiles may become acceptable…” (Rom. 15:16); and, “When you [make] a sacrifice…to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted” (Lev. 22:29); “…Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God…” (Eph. 5:2). Jesus is “…the Lamb of God…” (John 1:29); “…He Himself is the…[payment] for our sin…” (1 John 2:2). So, I turn my soul to find delight in the acceptance of God. The payment Jesus made and His cleansing upon me is enough. Hear it again: “He saved us…by the washing of…the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6).

…I repent of being impulsive toward food. I turn all my impulsiveness and my cravings toward God and the perfection of beauty that comes down from above when Heaven comes to me by faith about what I am receiving: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” (Ps. 50:2); and, “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:14). So, I love Your abundant grace to wash me clean. I grab my soul and turn it away from having to hold back. I set my heart to trust God to feed me with Himself and to burn and crush anything evil that is pushing me toward sin.

…Thank You, God, that I don’t have to find the approval and pleasure I need by purging myself of the food I eat. I turn from feeding myself with praise because of losing weight. God is my delight. I humble myself from pride so I can more freely trust and receive the presence of God’s kingdom around me as the protection and beauty I need.

…I repent of trying to ease the hurt and the loneliness I feel by binging and purging. The Lord is my God. I set my heart to trust that God’s presence is close and that by faith about receiving His heavenly kingdom, angels are with me also (Heb. 12:22-24, 28; Mark 10:15). I set my heart to soothe my loneliness and pain with God.

…I don’t have to be out of control with food because I can be out of control when, by faith, I receive God’s presence lavished on me from the radiance around Him. I love feeding my neediness with a God who loves and cares for me! Heart, God wants to be God to me, and because idols are things that I depend on here, I must trust God to come to me intensely, or my heart will always be pulled back into sin and idolatry. So, Lord, I love that it is safe, true, and right to believe God’s love for me. Everything else I could depend on is idolatry.

…I don’t have to be angry with people until I can get alone and binge and purge again. I turn from frustration with people who prevent me from being alone so I can binge again. I turn away from wanting to feed my soul that way. Heart, the Lord is my God, and I humble myself from pride until I can satisfy myself with His coming to me freely. Thank You, God, for what You want to do on earth and in my life! Thank You that I can direct my heart with joyous declarations that help me cooperate with Your being able to come freely into this realm. I am drawing near to You, God, by trusting You to draw near to me so You can wash my body and heart as You come (James 4:8; Heb. 10:19-22).

…I don’t have to find the thrill I need in a feeding frenzy on food. God offers more. Lord, I love that I can find the pleasure I need through a feeding frenzy on You through a bold and playfully childlike faith that You are lavishing Your presence onto me here. My greatest thrill is that I don’t have to hold back from gorging on God and His presence coming to me here: Jesus said, “…come to Me and drink…But this He spoke of the Spirit” (John 7:37, 39); so hear and enjoy believing this: “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters…delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:1,2); “…You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain…” (Ps. 36:8,9); “…the fountain of living water, even the Lord” (Jer. 17:13). Heart, God and His coming to me by His radiant glory is my delight. I love that You feed me with Yourself, God.

…I don’t have to be obsessed with food and angry about my obsession. I turn from being irritable and withdrawn from others in my family. I turn away from living in such dullness. Lord, You are “…my rock and my fortress.” (Ps. 71:3); “You are my hiding place and my shield…” (Ps. 119:114); “…the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name…” (1 Sam. 12:22); “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man” (Ps. 118:8); “The Lord is my strength…and I will praise Him…” (Exo. 15:2); “…My soul clings to You…” (Ps. 63:8). Heart, God is my obsession. I set my heart to enjoy trust that my eyes are looking at Your beauty close around and touching me. Thank You, God, that Your radiant glory and power are great enough to hold my attention better than all the earthly glory life could ever bring.

…I don’t have to love binging on food. I turn from being obsessed on the next time I can binge. Heart, “…it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefitted” (Heb. 13:9). So, I turn to You, God. I love that I can humble myself into making God my refuge and stand before the Lord of hosts and binge on the river and radiance around Him: “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps. 36:7-9). “…My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped…” (Ps. 28:7); So, by faith, I believe I can “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8). God says, “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Ezek. 37:27): “…glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3); “…the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.” (Jer. 4:2); so, “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert…To give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself, Will declare My praise” (Isa. 43:18-21). Heart, with joy, I am boldly turning to make God the one obsession, who is my strong refuge!