Fat on Jesus

"We need to seek after reading the Word of God more faithfully than we seek after eating our meals. We need to treasure the Words from God’s lips, even His commands, more than we treasure our favorite foods."

"Obedience to and love for God’s commands must go together. Job spoke of loving God’s Words more than his daily bread."

We so often eat food when our body craves it - NOT when we are hungry! We can walk in a room and smell the aroma of one of our favorite foods (aka anything with garlic or anything with chocolate for me!) This is the first mistake, and this is what this blog is about :)

When first denying ourselves what we are accustomed to eating, our bodies will have cravings. These cravings are normal, but we do not have to satisfy them. It's OK to be in discomfort, it's OK to deny ourselves. Use the cravings of the body to turn you to Christ; go to Him often to feed on and drink of Him. You will be SHOCKED that it works...at least I was! I thought to myself..."How the heck can reading words, even from the Bible, help satisfy my craving for a food that sounds so good right now?" Um, well, it works. Try it, I dare you. Seriously. Do it. It's freaking awesome.

Now, you have to have the right mindset while doing this: it is not as much about denying ourselves food, as it is about learning how to feed on Christ. When we learn how to feast on Him, we become full of Him. It is so amazing! And so peaceful (meaning, no guilt)! It is this very "fullness" that God desires for His people. He longs to give, to fill, to nourish and to satisfy His people. It is also learning how to discipline ourselves to form good eating habits: eat when your body tells you to...one major sign is when your tummy growls! Enjoy what you eat, God gave us taste buds for a reason! God created food to enjoy, but we need to be disciplined to eat and truly enjoy this food only when we are hungry...don't over indulge...and don't ignore those feelings of hunger either. We are depriving ourselves from what God created for us to nourish our bodies with. How selfish is it not to eat what God has blessed us with. Your body is not yours, it is His temple, and it was bought at a huge price! We need to fill our bodies with energy so we can be as productive as possible for the sake of the Gospel, in however God wants to use us!

Here's a question...
How are we satisfied, filled and nourished by God? What means does God use to fill the emptiness of His people today?
Here's the answer...
We open our mouths by opening our ears! God said, "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it, but my people would not listen to me..."

"This teaching, if employed by the grace of God, is going to free you from your old eating habits for life! As you learn to "feed" on God's Word by listening to Him, your soul will "feel full," your heart will be satisfied, and you will have replaced your bad eating habits with good ones! The Word of God will nourish you. Of course, we must not only feed on God's Word, but also learn to discipline ourselves to eat properly, and it is the combination of these two principles that will bring lasting freedom in our lives."

A major problem is when food becomes a substitute for God. Whether it is going through a break-up with a guy, a bad grade on a test, family issues, wanting to look good for a guy, or whatever, it is a huge temptation to go to food to "solve" that problem. Or just the opposite...to eat barely anything. Or, since we have no control over a situation, we choose to take control of what we can and over-eat and then get rid of it (that was one of my heart motives behind my struggle with bulimia). Instead, we need to feed on God's truth and find comfort in that, surrendering whatever is going on in our lives to God and genuinly trusting Him that He is going to work it out for our BEST and for His GLORY.

We may begin to idolize food instead of worshipping God. Then, as we start losing weight on some fad diet, we think we have solved the problem. But, in reality, we may have just hidden it. We may now think, "No one knows about the problem, because I am thin." The truth is that we need to be fat on Jesus. Sounds cheesy, but oh, so true!

"I experience deep satisfaction and fullness and I become thankful for the victory He gives me through His Word. This contented condition removes my craving. I seek to fill my soul by hearing and doing God's Word, and then I seek to discipline myself to eat correctly. These are the two principles that need to be embraced. It takes the focus off ourselves and our body image and places it, appropriately, on Christ. So, if your issue involves starving or binging and throwing up, there is much hope for you, as well." -Anonymous bulimia survivor

We need to seek after reading the Word of God more faithfully than we seek after eating our meals. We need to treasure the Words from God’s lips, even His commands, more than we treasure our favorite foods. Learn to seek the Lord. Learn to be eager to hear what He has to say, and to do it.

Lastly, we need to be renewing our minds with Scripture. When I crave a certain food (yes, sometimes I give in, I am not perfect haha), I try my best to be disciplined in that moment and RENEW MY MIND WITH SCRIPTURE! Or i walk away and say a prayer to God, praising Him for something that happened that day, or for Him to fill me with Him in that moment. It is the cooooolest thing ever because it works! God hears our prayers and honors them because He knows our heart behind them! Sisters, we need to strive for this and put it into action! If we have the commands of God always with us (memorize scripture!), if we meditate on His statutes (meditating on the Bible is a worthwhile pursuit), and obey God’s law (that means no longer overeating, starving or throwing up). Victory over gluttony only comes when we gain a delight in the Word of God. Until you relish reading the Word of God, and make it a priority over eating, you cannot overcome sinful eating habits.

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:15)

Eating Happily Ever After

How do we enjoy eating without feeling guilty? How do we not over-eat, or under-eat for that matter? How do we fulfill our cravings without over-indulging? How do we eat in a way that we enjoy that makes us healthy and content with our bodies? How do we have the right mindset with food? How do we feast before the Lord? God desires His people to be full-filled. He longs to give, to fill, to nourish and to satisfy His people.

I struggled with body distortion and bulimia for over 5 years, until I learned how to feed on Christ and why it is so important to do so. And let me tell you, it is AWESOME! Some of us don't struggle with a specific "eating disorder", but it is so tough to eat healthy (meaning the types of foods AND the mindset we have while eating them) in today's culture, especially as women.
I found out a lot about myself, specifically that it went way beyond "wanting to lose weight and look good." I had to dig into my heart and its motives, and I learned that a lot of it was about control and wanting to satisfy myself with food, or lack there of.

Through a study I did (settingcaptivesfree.com - which i highly recommend), I was slowly trained to learn how to eat food in a disciplined, healthy way that honors the Lord, while feasting on Him. It has been an incredible journey, and I felt pressed to use an experience that was so ugly in my life that God made beautiful to encourage my sisters in Christ. I know a lot of us, whether we are willing to admit it or not, struggle with the fear of weight-gain or how to eat in a healthy, controlled fashion. That is why I am writing this. This is not a diet...it is to be trained how to eat and look at food in a way that Christ created us to and glorify Him with our eating habits. It is about disciplining ourselves to form good eating habits. Diet's are a temporary change and usually not fun. Learning how to eat in a way that honors God is permanent and an EXCITING experience! God created food for us to enjoy! Not to indulge in, and not to feel guilty eating!

Throughout each week I am going to post different blogs that is a similar journey that I made that got me from point A (bulimia, body distortion), to point B (being contently filled with Christ). I hope God can use this is your lives and that it will encourage you as well! It is such an exciting journey! Use the cravings of the body to turn you to Christ; go to Him often to feed on and drink of Him...His Word!

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." (John 6:53-58)