Sid: My guest by way of telephone is pastor of In His Presence Church in Woodland Hills, California, Desiree Ayers. I have Desiree’s brand new book called “God Hunger.” If you were listening to yesterday’s broadcast you would find out that she was anorexic, bulimic, compulsive eater, and she tried everything the world had to offer. She was a born again Spirit filled Christian; nothing seemed to be working, but you know Desiree you said that when your husband found out that you’re were back to your old habits of purging and doing everything possible to lose weight, repeat again what he said to you.
Desiree: Well, he looked at me because I was mad, I could just remember how mad, how upset I was and he had like the fire of God coming out of his eyes and he looked at me and he said “Desiree Ayers I don’t care how many times you slip, I don’t care how many times you fall, the word of God says ‘You are healed and you are healed in the name of Jesus.’” And what happened as he was speaking because it was such word of life, he was speaking words of life and I was upset, I was hurt and on the inside I was just crying, I mean not manifesting but just so hurt. But as he did that it was like this strength went on the inside and all of a sudden I know longer viewed myself as a victim that only had a moment of recovery. I started to view myself as a victorious person that simply had a slip and a fall and that I could pick myself back up and I could get the victory over this. And it was a good probably six month battle of different slips and falls that I’ve had but I will say now that I’ve had 23 years where there has not been one slip, there has not been one fall, I am completely healed. I feel better about myself of who I am in Christ at almost 50 years old, then when I was 22 years old winning bikinis contests and felt horrible about myself.
Sid: Desiree in your book you state how big a problem this is, it’s not just a problem that you had and I believe that God redeems everything. Even the big mess you made out of your life you’re able to help others get free of addictions of all kinds but tell me about how serious this problem is.
Desiree: Well, I’ll give you some statistics I got. Eating disorders affect 5 to 10 million American adolescent woman approximately, one million American boys and men. One of the common behaviors that lead to it is dieting. But it is 19% of college age women in America are bulimic and I think that’s shocking; bulimics are where you’re throwing up your food.
Sid: Nineteen percent but you know it’s the field that you used to be in, it’s the movies and it’s the TV that is really saying “You are…there’s something wrong with you if you don’t look like Twiggy.”
Desiree: Yes, this one is shocking “According to a recent study, over half of the females between the ages of 18 and 25 would prefer to be run over by a truck than be fat. And 2/3 surveyed would rather be mean or stupid. It’s just overwhelming, it’s been shown that 80% of American Woman are dissatisfied with their appearance; it’s approximately 300,000 adult deaths in the United States each year are attributed to unhealthy dietary habits and physical activity.
Sid: You know what I was wondering if our role models come from Hollywood I imagine a lot of Hollywood personalities are involved in anorexic or bulimic activities.
Desiree: You’ll find that it runs rapid there, it does with dancers, it does with gymnast people that you know people that have to weight certain weights.
Sid: Listen the young kids, I mean it goes all the way to elementary school now it’s getting ridiculous.
Desiree: Yeah, and I think that’s shocking you know I think it’s very shocking but I can remember dieting at the age of 10 years old being on diets.
Sid: Okay, it’s such a big business would you say in your book $50 billion a year died and diet related industry. And of course there’s the old adage “Diets don’t work.” They literally don’t you need a lifestyle. So what did…how did God heal you?
Desiree: Well, there were a couple of things there are two big keys that I’ve written chapters have in my book. And I’ve written one of them was getting my Bible and saying…I started Matthew and I read Matthew to Revelation and I said God you got to speak to me about this, this a problem Your word is life it’s health talk to me. And when I got to Matthew by Chapter 4 where Jesus said “I’m the bread of life.” And He talks about that He has food to eat that we don’t know about. And there’s a fulfillment in Him and I started to find the more I filled myself up with God I didn’t have these cravings. Then what started to happen…
Sid: But wait a second now Desiree there are a lot of fat Christians that love God and they’re hungry for God but they’re still fat.
Desiree: Well, you have to decide that you’re going to deal with the area you know because you know how the Holy Spirit is, He’ll work on work on one thing and then the next and then the next. If we don’t want to deal with it we don’t have to deal with it but any…
Sid: I say unfair, I say God should make us deal with it but go ahead.
Desiree: Well, fortunately we pay the price how many fat over weight Christians that love God die before their time because they didn’t deal with this area. We all know that it’s not healthy, it’s not healthy for you. If you will allow God and you’ll get serious about it and if you’ll talk to Him and say “God You have every hair of my head numbered,” That means every pound of my weight let’s deal with it and get really serious about dealing with the issue He will come in and He will show Himself strong on your behalf and He’ll help you with that area.
Sid: You know Desiree my producer of the radio show who had to read your book says that she has been following what you are suggesting and it’s only been a week so that’s unfair, however she’s saying it’s supernaturally working the ideas you have in your book they’re not natural they’re supernatural.
Desiree: You know and that’s what God does you know he can make this easy, I thought it was going to be so hard because I did every die there was, I tried every program, nothing worked for me. But God works, He has answers in His work. What happens is the Bible talks about our mind being renewed by the Word of God. My thought process because eating disorder is going to start in your mind, you’re going to become consumed with food, what you eat, what you’re not going to eat, yourself and what you weigh. I started becoming consumed about the things of God and there in excited about the Lord. And I would ask Him to lead and guide me each day in what I would eat and it became very easy because we all know we’ve all read, anyone that’s over weight you’ve read a diet book you know you’re supposed to eat the fruits and vegetables the wholegrain, you’re supposed to add exercise; we know what to do but the ability to apply it as a lifestyle in our life. But when you bring the Holy Spirit in on the scene to help you, and this was a big key because when I would start to binge and purge this is where I found out how powerful the Holy Spirit was. I had one time where I was going to eat all this cookie dough and then I decided you know I’m going to give this Holy Spirit praying in other tongues thing a try. I ended up right before I was going to eat the entire bowl of cookie dough I started to pray in tongues just simply spoke out [praying in tongues]. Just started praying in tongues, well the presence of God filled my little tiny kitchen where I was living and I got on my knees and I started worshiping the Lord; I came up with tears of joy and I took that entire cookie dough without taking and stuffed it down the garbage disposal. And to me that was my first miracle, and you know that I’ve experienced some major healing miracles in my life but this was my first miracle because I couldn’t do that before, food had such a stronghold on me, there is no way I could say no once cookie dough was in front of me.
Sid: Now, I believe that if someone has an addiction of any kind television, sports, whatever it is taking them away from making God #1 in their life whatever that is I believe that if they follow the supernatural principals in your book they will be free also.
Desiree: Yes, and I know that for fact because I had started some eating support groups and the pastor of a church where I was an assistant pastor started to say “Well, Desiree started to say we have alcoholics, we have drug addicts, we have this that, can they come too?” And so they started to come also and we just had so many praise reports from people being set free from pornography, to over spending, to eating disorders because it’s the same spiritual principals that you can apply in your life and be set free.
Sid: Desiree you’ve been teaching this and been free for 23 years and teaching others how to be free why did you write the book?
Desiree: Well, I wrote the book because I travel and I would share my testimony and it was probably 2 years ago I was in Washington and I did a church service, I did their youth group, I did like three meetings. But it was in the youth group when a 16 year old anorexic girl came up and was sobbing and through herself into my arms and said “That you, thank you you’ve brought me so much hope.” And I was very thankful for doing the testimony but I felt like I only gave her 2 to 3 little things, I didn’t give her everything that God has given me. And God has been dealing with me for years about writing the book and I started years ago, but I just didn’t feel like I was a writer so I just didn’t complete it. But that one shook me up I thought “I Got to stop traveling and I got to sit down.” And I have to put this in a book so that when I go off to minister now I feel like I given this little 16 year old sweetheart everything she needs it’s all right here in the book, she can use it whenever she wants but there is every key that God gave me through my 6 months course. Because it was a 6 month battle I went through but He taught me so much in His word, through prayer, I’ve put everything in the book, I have not left out anything. So that’s why I did it; it’s real easy to get the message out.
Sid: In your opinion if someone diligently does what you suggest it looks to me like they’ll move from the natural to the supernatural and really not have a food problem.
Desiree: Exactly, I mean it’s so easy God makes it sooooooo easy.
Sid: We’re out of time though…
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth