I must confess… I have a food fixation. As I’m finishing breakfast, I will be thinking about what I will have for lunch, snacks, and supper. As I’m eating breakfast and finishing off one piece of toast, I am loving the buttery, bread taste so much, I have to talk myself out of going to make another piece. So… I promise myself, I’ll have another piece in the evening or the next morning, to get myself to stop thinking about it.
When I’m feeling low, I want chocolate and cashews. When I’m watching TV, I want something to nibble on. It doesn’t matter how full I feel. In fact I don’t feel full much of the time. Eating between hunger and fullness, as we are supposed to do, as we are designed to do, is hard for me. In her book, Full— Food, Jesus, And The Battle For Satisfaction, Asheritah Ciuciu, points out that “food addiction suppresses the release of serotonin (the chemical in our brain that indicates fullness).” (p. 45)
So I put a knife to my throat.
In Proverbs 23:2 KJV it says, “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.”
The knife comes in the form of the LOSE It app. I have added this app and taken it back off my phone too many times to count. If I don’t keep it on my phone, and use it, the pounds start rising.
I have recently come to understand that my problem is a spiritual one. A very deep spiritual one. If I am honest with myself, I know that I love food more than I love God.
WHAT?
Yes, I love food more than God. It’s there. I can see it, smell it, taste it, and it comforts me in stressful times. God seems remote compared to food.
I buy books and read them over and over to help me learn to love God more and not be fixated with food. My weight goes up and down depending on the spiritual state that I’m in.
Last week at the end of my blog, I mentioned this book by Asheritah. I ordered it and started reading. Asheritah points out that the very first sin involved food. Apparently the lush tropical garden with every fruit imaginable, right there at hand, was not enough for Eve. There was that one fruit she could not have. It wasn’t a problem for her until Satan pointed out the fact that she couldn’t have it. She had been doing just fine without that one fruit. (See pp. 59-60)
Asheritah points out that “Jesus said…, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10). For many of us, the enemy’s preferred bait is food. He steals our peace through consuming thoughts of food. He steals our victory by luring us back into temptation. He steals our joy by drawing us away from God, the only one who satisfies. He also kills with food. Quite literally, the food we’re putting into our bodies can cause diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity.” (p. 48)
“But Satan also seeks to kill us spiritually, keeping us in spiritual darkness, blind to the life-giving elixir found only in Jesus Christ. Our enemy wants us to eat Twinkies after a stressful day instead of praying. He wants to wreck our testimony as lights in the darkness, causing us to eat and diet desperately just like the world does.” (p. 48)
Asheritah says, “Jesus, our Good Shepherd, laid down His life so we could have abundant life, which includes experiencing victory and freedom in our eating. He endured what the enemy had planned for us: His glory was stolen, His life was snuffed out, and His ministry was destroyed. Or so it seemed. For a few dark days, the earth trembled and hell celebrated as the Son of God endured what each of us deserved. But hell’s festivities were cut short by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, declaring His ultimate victory over sin, death, and destruction. Satan has no power over us because Jesus has overcome!” (p. 49)
I’ve read the following verses in scripture numerous times and thought… what on earth was wrong with those Israelites?
“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!'” (Numbers 11:4-6 NIV)
What was wrong with them?
They loved food more than God.
And guess what the only solution to this horrible spiritual problem is…
GOD!
He is the only one that can stop this sinful state in any of us.
Asheritah says, “We cannot rely on our own willpower to overcome food fixation, because we’ll eventually reach its limit. When we get weary, our mind, will, and emotions want to do what’s easy, even if that results in our destruction. But the Holy Spirit of God leads us to victory, and we’re to follow His lead in our lives: ‘Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves’ (Galatians 5:16 NLT)….Instead of relying on our own willpower, let us beg God for a fresh outpouring of His Holy spirit in our lives. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty’ (Zechariah 4:6) His Holy Spirit infuses our willpower with His supernatural resources, energizing us to cross the finish line. This way, we don’t get credit for our success—all glory goes to God. He is the one who helps us stand firm in our battle for finding satisfaction in God alone.” (pp. 46-47)
I highly recommend this book if you are struggling, especially with the holidays and all the temptations that we face this time of year to overeat. It is so important to not to let our god be our stomach, as it says in Philippians 3:19, because God is a jealous God and it gets us in serious trouble with Him.
“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Exodus 34:14
Praying for everyone in this season to love God above all else!
Have a great week!