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Feasting at The Lord’s Table Set Me Free
by Deanne Crawford
In the spring of 2003, I was miserable. Recovering from surgery that sent me into "medical menopause", my weight was at an all-time high of 236 lbs and I was on two medications for high blood pressure. I had no energy or even desire to do much of anything. A simple walk to the mailbox left me winded and ready for a nap, and I wasn't even 40 yet. Growing older certainly didn’t hold much promise for me.
But that is not the end of the story. By the grace of God, I have been set free from the sins of gluttony and laziness. I have been able to discontinue taking one of the prescribed blood pressure medications, have lost 60 lbs. and have been able to enjoy doing activities with my husband and children that I had previously been unable to do. God graciously led me to repentance and taught me how to feast on Him, the Bread of Life.
How was my life transformed? A little over two years ago I was introduced to an online ministry at
www.settingcaptivesfree.com called
The Lord’s Table, an interactive Bible study course available there. Before I started
The Lord’s Table, food consumed my thought life. I would spend hours pouring over cookbooks and
Taste of Home magazine, often to the detriment of my time with the Lord. Oh, I still had a quiet time each day, but I gave God twenty minutes a day and
Taste of Home two hours a day. As I progressed through The Lord’s
Table, God began making me aware of how often I would choose food to fill my loneliness and boredom, rather than depending on Him to satisfy me. He gently revealed to me that I depended on food to make me happy rather than Him. I trusted in food more than Him.
I had tried to lose weight in the past, through a variety of diets and programs, but now God showed me that my motivations in using these plans were all wrong. I was trying to lose weight to look good for my husband, to be healthier, or to impress former classmates at my 20 year high school reunion. God wanted my whole-hearted devotion. He wanted me to seek to glorify Him, not myself, in all the choices I made throughout the day --- even the choices I made about eating.
During the sixty days going through The Lord's Table, I learned that God desires my whole-hearted worship and by the grace of God I have everything I need to overcome
sin"[1] God really helped me to see the changes He was making in me at about forty days into the course. One day my husband offered to take me out to lunch, and wanted to know where I wanted to eat. He had done this many times before, and the same thing always happened. I would say, "Yes dear, whatever you would like," and then I would proceed to disagree with his choice. Then I would basically have a temper tantrum as I tried to convince him that my choice was a much better one.
But on this occasion I said, "Yes dear, whatever you would like" and I meant it. I was completely agreeable to his choice and appreciative of his generosity. My husband looked at me and asked, "What happened to you?" with total amazement written all over his face. At that moment, I realized how pervasive the worship of food had been in my life.
God brought The Lord’s Table into my life at the exact moment He knew I needed it. Through the sixty days of the interactive Bible study and accountability with a mentor, I learned that my gluttony was a sin. I learned what true repentance was and how to delight my soul in Christ.
The Lord’s Table was the tool God used in my life to show me my sin and lead me into repentance. By His grace, I am continuing to persevere in living my life to please Him and bring glory and honor to Him.
For the past two years I have maintained my weight loss, but even more exciting has been my "God Gain". I have fallen more deeply in love with my Savior, repented of my sins, found forgiveness, and now strive to help others find freedom in Jesus Christ as a mentor at
The Lord’s Table.
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."[2] It is my prayer that if your spirit was quickened while reading this, that you will take the necessary steps to find the freedom that is yours in Jesus Christ.
About Setting Captives Free
The Lord’s Table is one of 15 courses available on the Internet at www.settingcaptivesfree.com. Other basic courses include:
The Way of Purity - a Biblical approach to overcoming pornography/sexual impurity;
A United Front - for wives of men enslaved to sexual sin;
New Wine - for overcoming alcohol and drug addiction;
Door of Hope - freedom from homosexuality;
Breath of Life - freedom from smoking;
Purity Challenge - teen purity for life; and
Higher Stakes - freedom from gambling and greed.
There are also a variety of Bible study lessons.
Mike Cleveland, the founder of Setting Captives Free, says the non-profit organization exists, "to offer Christ-centered freedom to those in the grip of sin through accountability to Bible-based truth resulting in true enjoyment for the glory of
God"[3] The objective of the ministry is to see sin captives released for God’s glory and to see God’s name exalted above all things. God’s grace is indeed stronger than the pull of
sin.[4]
The core teachings of Setting Captives Free center on the fact that the Word of God has the solution we need to overcome sin! Through
"radical amputation"[5]--- the cutting off all avenues of sin;
"radical appropriation"[6] --- the filling of the heart on Christ; and
"radical accountability"[7] being applied in the lives of people with habitual sins, freedom can be found in Jesus Christ!
Deanne Crawford and her husband, Manuel, are Samaritan Ministries members from Delavan, Illinois, and have two children. Deanne serves as a team member of Setting Captives Free.
Setting Captives Free is a non-profit ministry in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. All of their basic courses are offered free online at
www.settingcaptivesfree.com. Some of the courses are also available in book form, and bookstores may order them from Focus Publishing.
For more information on Samaritan Ministries, see their website at www.samaritanministries.org
[1] Titus 2:11-12
[2] John 8:36 New American Standard Bible
[3] Settingcaptivesfree.com Website news item
[4] Settingcaptivesfree.com Website news item
[5] Mark 9:43-47 or Matt. 5:29-30
[6] 1 Cor. 10:3-4, Psalm 87:7
[7] Ecc. 4:9-12, Heb. 3:13
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