So, what does the Bible have to say about food? A lot, actually. The desire for food is a surprisingly common topic and theme in the Bible. That desire and a well spoken lie set all of humanity down a dark path of bondage that required Jesus’ death on the cross to redeem. Is it any wonder that desire for food and Satan’s lies can still entangle, distract and limit us today? Let’s take a look at how this desire for food has been illustrated and addressed throughout the Word. Appetite is a far greater spiritual issue than I ever imagined.

Eve

Genesis 3:1-6, “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.”

We only get to chapter three, in Genesis, before food becomes an issue. Eve is confronted by the serpent and he plants doubt. Eve knows what God said and actually quotes Him. The serpent lies, and since the fruit looks good and she wants to know what God knows, Eve eats it. Then we see the first incident of mindless eating as Adam partakes as well. Eve was tricked into disobeying God. The serpent lied, but Eve knew exactly what God had said. She wanted the fruit and what it offered, so she chose to believe the lie instead of what God had spoken.

Genesis 3:13, “Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

When I re-read this story, for what was probably the thousandth time, I had to ask, “Was Eve telling the truth?”, or did she deceive herself because she wanted the food? She believed what she wanted, so she could do what she wanted. This is the very heart of deception. Have you ever done anything similar? What lies are you choosing to believe? The battle with appetite is what plunged us all into sin. Think about that for a minute. The first recorded spiritual battle was over food and it lead us all into the bondage of sin. We are still using the same tired excuse that Eve did – justifying our behavior by questioning if God really said what he did and if what he said was true. This applies to every area of our lives. Do we want to indulge the desires of our flesh more than we want to walk in obedience to God?

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau Jacob

Genesis 25:27-33, “When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom. Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.”

How many times have we despised our birthright, as Christians, because of our relationship with food? By that, I mean how have we sacrificed our testimony or effectiveness because we chose our appetite over what God has for us? What have we given up because the desire for food was so strong? What have we not done because the consequence of indulging that desire is a body that is sick, tired and depressed; a spirit that is defeated?

Children of Israel

Exodus 16:1-31, 1 “Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” 8 Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud. 11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13 That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. 14 When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 15 The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. 16 These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.” 17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. 18 But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed. 19 Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” 20 But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them. 21 After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation. He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.” 24 So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. 26 You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.” 27 Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. 28 The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? 29 They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.” 30 So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day. 31 The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.

Numbers 21:5-6, “The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.”

In Psalm 78:18, David refers to how the Israelites related to God over food, “They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved”.

Exodus 16 is an entire chapter about disobedience toward God over food. It manifests in many ways, just in that one example. God’s people, who had seen His provision so many times and were led by visible signs of God’s presence in the cloud by day and fire by night, were basically at war with him over food. They wanted to go back to physical slavery just to have the foods of Egypt again. They preferred slavery and death to God’s provision, because it was not what their flesh craved. Think about that for a minute. Do you stay in bondage to food because you want it more than what God has for you?

Look at how the Israelites interacted with manna – God had to order them not to be gluttonous and greedy with his provision. He wanted them to trust him, but they did not have enough faith to trust him for a single day. They disobeyed him at every turn because of their appetites. They complained to the point that God sent snakes and killed many of them. I am incredibly thankful that grace has covered all of my complaining about food!

In what ways have you complained about food? Have you actually complained about God’s provision? I know that I have. “Why don’t vegetables taste like chocolate?” “Why can’t I just eat what I want and not have to think about it?” “Why don’t the things that are good for me taste better?”

The irony to it all is that the Promised Land, where God was leading them, was described as a “land flowing with milk and honey”. Exodus 3:8, “So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.” I find it interesting that the Promised Land was described by the promise of delightful food. God truly speaks to us in ways we understand, if we can manage to look at his promises rather than our own desires. What he offers is far better. We just need to trust him to get there.

Has your battle with food ever made you question God? How did that manifest?

Practical steps to freedom:

Know the Word. Stop complaining. Be thankful.

Are you beginning to see how this is building on itself? We are establishing a foundation of freedom, through the Word. We are building on the basics, before moving mountains. We have established that we are forgiven, but now we need to talk about the freedom that flows from forgiveness and how to walk in it. The first step is recognizing that this is a spiritual battle that we must overcome by walking in the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18, “The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God. In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way.So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

John 8:31-36, “Jesus said to the people who believed in him,“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”Jesus replied,“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

We try to use the Word to justify what we are doing and call that freedom. The reality is that we are lying to ourselves in order to remain in a bondage that we enjoy.

Overcoming the sinful nature, by dwelling in the Word, (truth), in Christ, and walking in the Spirit is how we find freedom, but we make the process so difficult. One huge pitfall of trying to walk in freedom is trying to have freedom outside of God’s guidelines and often outside of the realm of common sense. This is true in most areas where we are prone to sin. We try to use the Word to justify what we are doing and call that freedom. The reality is that we are lying to ourselves in order to remain in a bondage that we enjoy. We don’t like the consequences, but our flesh desires the behavior. This is not freedom. Freedom comes from applying the Word to truly set us free. It goes back to praying Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Do we want true freedom or do we want our own way?

1 Corinthians 10:23-31, 23 “You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”- but not everything is beneficial. 24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. 25 So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” 27 If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. 28 (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. 29 It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? 30 If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? 31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

The context here is different than what we are facing when it comes to dieting and weight loss, but the excuse making process is the same and the principle of how we should approach every action is the same. If it doesn’t glorify God, we need to re-think our position.

When we allow the desires of our flesh to define freedom, we will never truly walk in it.

Freedom does not always look the way we think it should. In the area of food, we want to redefine freedom as the ability to eat anything, anytime and in any amount – without consequence. However, this definition is a direct contradiction to the Word, because we are to have the fruit of the spirit produced in us, part of which is self control. It also flies in the face of reality. Everyone will have negative consequences, at some point, if some level of self control is not applied to eating and drinking. When we allow the desires of our flesh to define freedom, we will never truly walk in it.

What does freedom actually look like in relationship to food and weight loss?

What are some common bondages related to food and weight?

– Fear of being hungry or not having enough

– Binge eating

– Adversarial relationship

– Fear of how you will interact with food

– The diet de jour

– Guilt about to seeing progress

– Obsession about weight or with the scale

Food is a gift from God. The ability to enjoy it is one of life’s pleasures. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.” Yet this is another gift that the enemy steals from us through lies, confusion and “out of control” desires of the flesh. He then adds guilt, shame and all kinds of condemnation to the mix. Food is required to sustain life. We must interact with it. It is no wonder it is such an effective weapon of the enemy.

Next Week:

So, what does the Bible have to say about food? A lot, actually. The desire for food is a surprisingly common topic and theme in the Bible. That desire and a well spoken lie set all of humanity down a dark path of bondage that required Jesus’ death on the cross to redeem. Is it any wonder that desire for food and Satan’s lies can still entangle, distract and limit us today? Let’s take a look at how this desire for food has been illustrated and addressed throughout the Word. Appetite is a far greater spiritual issue than I ever imagined.

Hopefully, you have been bold enough to pray Psalms 139:23-24 and have spent some time with God, receiving his glorious, life changing, chain breaking correction. If you have, satan* is not happy about it and probably came at you with all kinds of accusations, guilt and shame. It is a tired, old tactic that he has used from the beginning. Any time the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, for the purpose of delivering us from it, satan jumps at the chance to condemn and accuse. He does not want us to fully understand the implications of grace and forgiveness. He certainly does not want us to walk in them in every area of our lives!

(* Using a lower case “s” when referring to satan is not a typo. I just like to do that as an intentional way to diminish and mock him. He does not deserve a capital letter!)

Revelation 12:9-10, “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night.”

God has many names, based on who He is and what He does, and so does satan. He is a very real enemy. Here, John calls him the “accuser”. It’s who he is and what he does, but by grace, through Jesus, we are not guilty. We are the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus! (2 Cor. 5:21) The enemy can accuse us all day long, but if we know the truth, we remain free. Often though, we take on satan’s role and begin to accuse ourselves. We literally do satan’s job for him, becoming our own judge, jury and jailer. We help the enemy to steal, kill and destroy in our lives.

John 8:42-47, “42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

In Exodus 20:7, we read the fifth of the ten commandments, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

Most people read this as only meaning not to use God’s name when cursing. It is quite common for people to use the name of “Jesus” in a profane way, by making his name into an expletive. However, on a more profound level, there is a far more egregious way we take his name in vain. I know this seems like a left turn in our conversation, but bear with me for a moment as we dig a little deeper here.

Vain – adj., producing no result; useless, having no meaning or likelihood of fulfillment

synonyms: futile, useless, pointless, to no purpose, hopeless, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, impotent, unavailing, to no avail, fruitless, profitless, unrewarding, unproductive, unsuccessful, failed, abortive, for nothing; thwarted, frustrated

When we become Christians, we literally take the name of Jesus Christ, but have we taken His name in vain? Do any of the synonyms above reflect your Christian life? Those are not the results Jesus died to give us. John 10:10 says, “The thief’s [satan’s] purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Let’s look at the antonyms of vain: functional, usable, fruitful, effective, effectual, potent, productive, successful, valuable, precious, priceless, cherished, esteemed, prized, treasured, worthy.

Those antonyms of vain are all things that we are to be through, and in, Christ. If we have received Jesus and “taken His name”, we can not let the enemy neutralize us through his lies and strongholds, or we are very much taking Jesus’ name in vain. What He did for us, on the cross, is in vain if we do not receive Him and walk in what He provided. He already paid the price for every sin. He already bore every sickness in His own body. He made peace for us. Stop trying to pay the price yourself. Walk in the grace, peace, love, health, righteousness, holiness and freedom that He bought for you!:

2 Peter 1:2-9, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.[insert your unchecked desires here] In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.”

Psalms 32:1-5, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”

Psalms 103:8-13, “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuseus, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”

Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

In the natural, when we lose weight, we get new clothes, and in the Spirit, it is the same.

Isaiah 61:3, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” (KJV)

Isaiah 61:10, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.”

Psalm 30:11-12.”You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”

Colossians 3:12-14, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Holding on to guilt, grief, shame, pain, unforgiveness, unworthiness, failure, condemnation, regret, and any other thing that the enemy uses to keep us in bondage, makes us so spiritually heavy that the clothing God has for us does not fit right. Until we are ready to let go of all of the spiritual weight, the garment of praise does not fit right. The robe of righteousness does not fit right. We can’t be clothed in mercy, kindness, patience and love if we can’t offer those things to ourselves. We aren’t even able to experience the fullness of salvation when we try to carry the weight of all of these other things! We must cast off the spiritual weight so our new clothes fit! Let go of the spirit of heaviness and wear the garment of praise! God wants us to shed every weight.

Do you get the monumental, life changing, implication of this? I am praying, as I write this, that the Holy Spirit will give you understanding, and God’s perfect love will cast out all fear. Unlike physical weight, the spiritual can be dropped in an instant – in the moment that we fully comprehend God’s love, forgiveness and grace – when we keep our eyes on Jesus! I pray that for everyone reading this. When we receive forgiveness, we can begin to walk in righteousness, because of who He is, rather than trying to earn it through what we have done. The spirit of heaviness is gone and in it’s place, praise. When that weight of condemnation is gone, we can begin to walk in what Jesus died to give to us.

ENGAGE AND APPLY

Three areas of unforgiveness

1. We haven’t received God’s forgiveness

2. We have not forgiven others

3. We have not forgiven ourselves

Have you taken God’s name in vain?

Are you walking in the forgiveness that Jesus died to give you?

Does your life bear fruit?

What have you not given to God?

What do you need to let go?

Are you holding on to any guilt, shame, regret, grief or unforgiveness?

Are you holding on to any sin?

How are those things keeping you in bondage?

Is the enemy accusing and condemning you? Are you?

Have you fully embraced the magnitude of God’s grace and forgiveness?

How do you release anything to which you are still clinging?

Are you ready to lose the spiritual weight and be clothed as God intended?

Spend some time in prayer, praise, and the Word, to allow God to work in all of these things.

Ephesians 3:14-20, ”14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (NLT)

Knowledge of God and His love equals power. Being grounded in Him and knowing the vastness of His love for us gives us power and strength. We must stay plugged in for the power to flow. The power is never out; we simply get out of the power, or never walk into it in the first place.

Hebrews 1:3, “all of creation is upheld by the Word of His power”

Romans 11:36, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whatever brings Him glory is for our good!!

In order to hand this whole dieting thing over to God, we must be open to correction and learn to live by His Spirit, through the Word. Satan will fight hard against you as you begin to walk in this, but condemnation is not of God. Condemnation paralyzes and confuses, but God’s conviction and correction, though painful at times, lead us to freedom. When I first worked through all of what you are about to read, there were many tears and countless uncomfortable moments, but I promise you that the Word will accomplish what God intends in you. The Word itself promises that. Isaiah 55:11, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

Where did He send His Word? In James, it says He sent it to us. It is planted in us and the Word has power!

James 1:21, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”

3 John 1:2,”Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” NKJ

Romans 8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

Romans 8:12-13, “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”

Proverbs 3:11-12, “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 12:1, “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.”

Hebrews 12:11, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Psalm 94:12, “Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions.”

Proverbs 10:17, “People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.”

***Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Do not be afraid of correction! Correction leads to freedom. It leads to peace.

How does God point out anything in us that offends Him? Once we ask Him to search us, we need to spend time with Him, through the Word, and wait for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Be willing to be wrong. Be willing to yield to the Word and His Spirit so that you can be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

James 1:13-15, “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15These desiresgive birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the fleshand the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. “

Wrong desires are the root of sin.

Gluttony is a sin because it gives too high a priority to physical desires – desires of the flesh.

Proverbs 23:19-20, “My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. 20Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons,

Gluttony is eating to excess. Gluttony is a lack of self-control.

2 Peter 1:3-9, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.5In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-controlwith patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

Philippians 3:17-21, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Are you willing to be convicted and exposed in order to be free? Are you willing to present your body to Him? Are you willing to lay down your desires and pick up His? Do you really want to know His will and walk in that Truth?

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

The Word does not only show us what is wrong in our lives, it also teaches us to do what is right. It prepares and equips us.

ENGAGE AND APPLY

Allow the Word to bring conviction. Are you bold enough to pray Psalm 139:23-24? “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Pray this daily. Listen. Receive. Respond.

Do you really want to know the truth? What might it cost you? Are you willing to address what God points out in order to be set free? Are you willing to be obedient to Truth?

We all know that gluttony is a sin, but do we believe it, or do we give ourselves a pass? Do we redefine it so it does not apply to us? Do we dismiss and justify sin in our lives, thereby keeping ourselves in bondage, sometimes even blaming God for it, asking why He made us this way, or questioning why He doesn’t just deliver us from it?

Hmmm, sin? How does that change how you approach the problem?

Have you been truthful about your relationship with food?

Are you prepared to ask yourself, what do I know to do, but refuse to do or feel unable to do?

Do you turn to food more often than you turn to God?

Do you spend more time thinking and reading about food, dieting and weight loss than you do dwelling in and on the Word? Does it prevent you from doing what God called you to do? Does it keep you from being who He created you to be?

What could you accomplish if all of the money, time, energy, emotion, strength and attention could be shifted from this bondage of food and weight to doing things that matter to God, for His glory?

Have you hungered after God, thought about him and pursued him with the same intensity you have pursued food?

Do you experience more joy in food or in a binge than in fellowship with God?

Do you want to know the truth? Are you willing to do what is necessary to walk in it?

Do you need to repent?

Are you glorifying God in your body? What does that need to look like day to day?

John 15:5-11, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. (NLT) Us bearing fruit brings glory to God, but the fruit is good for us!

Whatever brings Him glory in our lives is for our benefit!

Kim

To begin to really understand this verse, let’s take a look at what it means to remain.

Remain (verb) – stay in the place that one has been occupying

Occupy

1. To fill up (time or space)

2. To dwell or reside in

3. To hold or fill (an office or position).

4. To engage or employ the attention or concentration of

To remain is to be constant. There are many things we remain in, but is Christ/the Word one of them? Are you constantly occupying the Word? Have you given place for Christ to fully occupy you? We are instructed to remain in Him and have His words remain in us. If you are tired of remaining in obesity, sickness, depression, strife, unforgiveness – any stronghold where you feel stuck – then start remaining in Him, by remaining in the Word. You cannot remain in the darkness of those strongholds and in His light at the same time.

John 1:1-5, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God,and the Word was God. 2He existed in the beginning with God. 3God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4The Word gave life to everything that was created and his life brought light to everyone. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Matthew 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

Luke 24:45-49, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 4:3-5, “who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (ESV)

Another why to consider is why would we bring something like our weight, or struggles with food, to God? Does God care about your struggles with weight and food?

The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God that is alive and powerful, applicable to every area of our lives. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

John 8:31-32 “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NLT)

1 John 2:27, “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”

We remain in fellowship with Christ by abiding in the Word. He is the Word made flesh. We can, and do, learn from others whom the Holy Spirit has already taught, but the Holy Spirit is the one who confirms and teaches truth as we stay in the Word and hear teaching on the Word. He is the one who expands our understanding. I pray that you will humble yourself and be yielded to whatever God desires to teach through what He is having me share.

Psalms 37:23 & 24, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (NLT)

So, does God care about your struggles with weight and food? That single passage of Scripture already gives a resounding, “Yes!”, and a very powerful answer as to why we should look to God, not just for clarity in this weight loss journey, but in every single area of our lives. What a beautiful and meaningful picture we are given of a father preparing every step for His child, delighting in that child, and holding their hand as they follow the path that has already been established for them. He delights in every detail that He has planned for you. I have seen this play out in my own life over and over again and I often imagine God being delighted as He watches me experience and be aware of a detail that he so lovingly crafted for me.

1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Again, does God care about your struggle with weight? That’s what the Word says – “all your worries and cares”. Here we have the perfect opportunity to do a little exercise that the Holy Spirit showed me, of putting our problem in the context of the Word. What I mean by that is to look for opportunities to put your problem right into the text, where it makes sense. Put yourself in the Word. In that verse, “you” are the understood subject. Replace “all your worries and cares” with your personal worries and cares. As an example, here’s how one of my past worries would look in the Word: “Kim, give [the battle with food and obesity to God], for he cares about you.” We are told to give all of our cares to him. In the King James version, that passage of Scripture reads, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Jesus is the Word, so casting our cares on the Word is very literally casting our cares on Him.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens [insert your burden here], and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Does your soul ever feel weary in this battle? Does dieting feel like a heavy burden? Bring it to Jesus. Let Him teach you about what matters – Him.

Psalms 34:17-19, “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from alltheir troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

I love how this verse comes to life as I put my problems in the context of the Word. “He rescues [me] from [dieting].” “He rescues [me] from [addiction].” “He rescues [me] from [depression].” “He rescues [me] from [sickness].” “He rescues [me] from [every bondage and stronghold].” I am one of His people, so when I call to Him for help, He does rescue me!

Are you excited about this yet? When we show our struggles in the Word, they don’t seem so daunting. God hears us and helps us through everything, every time, if we call on Him, allow Him to take proper place in our lives, believe what He has said to us through His Word, and apply it where necessary.

Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”