Out of the heart spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)
I found true freedom from overeating through a changed heart and not just habits. I used to try diets and exercise to control my weight but would always default back to overeating. I became someone who just gave up and accepted that I was overweight and unfit. But, during my journey with God I became aware that this was an area of my life that He cared about. Even if I had given up on being a healthy weight, even if I thought it impossible, God was willing to make a way for me. God wanted to bring me true freedom, not because of my dress size or appearance but because He loves me and wants the best for me.
God showed me that being overweight was an issue of the heart and unless my heart changed I would eventually just go back to those same old comfort eating habits time and time again. It was an area of my life that I had not surrendered to Him. It was only through a changed heart that I was able to put God at the centre and to experience freedom. A freedom that Jesus had purchased at the cross and a changed heart that He wanted to give to me.
Truth is that God deserves to be at the centre of all things, including our eating and exercise habits. And, if we acknowledge Him in all our ways He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Some issues in life we are simply unable to fix in our own strength. No matter how hard we try and no matter how many times we keep getting up, there needs to be an adjustment for some of us that only creator God can make.
Out of the heart spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)
A change of heart is a work that only God can do. God may convict us or motivate us or fill us with His love in response. He has a tailor made response for each one of us, a unique prescription, He knows what we need. God will bring the unique direction that each one of us needs to be able to take the next step. But it is just that, a step by step journey.
My journey started with the revelation that food was an idol in my heart. For me food was being used to satisfy more than a physical hunger but an emotional one too. Eating to excess, is referred to as a sin (gluttony) because it can be used as an alternative source in our life to God. Yes, overeating can offer a false comfort replacing our loving God with food.
Psalm 16:4 expresses that “those who run after other gods will suffer more and more” Jonah 2:8 states that “those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them”. God reaches out to us to save us, He desires to fill our hearts with His perfect love and to comfort us in ways that food never can.
God is more concerned about the state of your heart than your dress size.
God cares for you
Eating to excess, is known as gluttony, it is referred to as a sin because it can be used as an alternative source in our life to God. Yes, overeating can offer a false comfort replacing our loving God with food.
Before we were called by God, all we knew were the desires of our old sinful nature, otherwise known in the Bible as the ‘flesh’. This part of us has many desires that do not glorify God. These desires also lead us to less than the best that God wants for us. Ultimately, whilst fulfilling such desires may provide brief temporary comfort or distraction from the real reason we overeat, ultimately it comes at a high cost and can never solve the problem. In fact, rather than solving the root issue of our heart it can exasperate it.
We each need to ask God to reveal to us why we overeat and to ask Him to make a way for us to look after our bodies in a way that glorifies Him.
God cares for every part of you
I used to think that God was not so interested in my body and so neither should I be. I would often eat without much care. After all, isn’t it just vanity to care about how I look or what I weigh? But, I was deceived. God cares for every part of us, He loves us completely. The Bible refers to our body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and so the body does indeed matter to God. The body is not discarded and separate, like some area that does not need to be considered. Yet, this was exactly how I was treating my body.
We are called to love the Lord our God with all, with heart, mind and strength. The way we eat, provides us with another opportunity to honour God. After all, good food is a source of energy and strength and poor food a source of, well… many negative things.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”. 1 Corinthians 10:31
God is the true comfort
I have found that God can do a much better job of looking after me than I can. It is so good to be honest with Him, to pour out our hearts to Him. He can handle it you know! You do not have to approach Him in your Sunday best. He is our loving caring father. He is the kindest and most patient and most loving person that we could ever meet.
Instead of masking my negative emotions through the use of food or alcohol or entertainment, I eventually brought these emotions to God.
We have an enemy that wants to destroy our bodies, our fight is not against flesh and blood. Our battle is not with ourselves. God knows all about it and today He offers to help you, to give you the grace to hand over this burden to Him. To stop beating yourself up and to receive His love. He will fight the enemy that you just cannot beat. You was not created to try and climb this mountain alone. You need a saviour and that saviour is Jesus. It doesn’t matter how many times you have tried and failed God has not and never will give up on you. He will enable you to overcome, step by step. He will change your heart, He will satisfy you in His love and all the rest will follow.
“So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. ‘What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of “God bless it! God bless it!” ’ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.” Zechariah 4:6-9 NIVUK
Surrendered in every part
There are often a lot of areas in our lives that we need God to renovate. God knows all about this, we don’t all start the journey at the same point. We can certainly learn from Adam and Eve who chose to eat outside of God’s best for them. Maybe we have lived a life like this, before committing our lives to God. Or maybe there are stubborn areas in our lives that we struggle to surrender. Like Adam and Eve who could eat of all the other trees but that one tree. So, in our lives we may be surrendered in all the areas of our life except for that one part.
But that one part not surrendered to God is making our lives utterly miserable. And no, this is not about being overweight but at its core this is about opening the door of our heart to the One who truly loves us and closing the door on the thief and on habits that have us enslaved.
We are called to present our bodies to God (Romans 12:1) We may have neither the energy to serve God nor man if we are all overweight and malnourished though overindulging on junk food (Proverbs 23:21). Ahh wouldn’t the devil just love that. Destroy the temple, stop the worship. What we eat and how much we eat truly does affect our ability to serve God and others.
God will answer when we call
We can be assured that God will answer us when we cry out to Him for help. Because Jesus took all of our sins, all of our weaknesses, all of our areas of defeat on the cross so that we could share in His victory.
“The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
Thank God for Jesus, our redeemer, our saviour, the all-conquering One. Through His perfection we can be strengthened and set free to follow after Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can share in the inheritance won for us through the cross, victory over the flesh, the world and the devil.
We can be assured that God will answer us when we cry out to Him for help. Because Jesus took all of our sins, all of our weaknesses, all of our areas of defeat on the cross so that we could share in His victory.
“The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
Prayer
Thank you God for Jesus, He is the saviour for all of me including my eating habits. I look away from all my efforts and I look towards the all-conquering One. I believe that as I seek you I will find you, as I knock you will open up the door of freedom from overeating to me. I believe that you will lead me in paths of righteousness for your names sake. I choose you and I choose to forsake all food idols by the power of your Holy Spirit. You are my comforter, I choose to enthrone you as my Lord. Help me God, reveal your heart to me. Open up my ears and my heart to receive the truth about my situation that will set me free and lead me in the way everlasting.