“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, even as your soul is well” (3 John 2, MEV).
We all know that we need to eat healthy to prevent heart disease and live a long, productive lifestyle.
I think we all have good intentions, but we get distracted by life; and there are many places that are just waiting to fill our cravings and stop the growl coming from our stomach. What we don’t realize, with this pattern established in our life, is that we are becoming “addicted” to food.
As a Christian there is another level of this—our lifestyle has now become a tool for Satan to use against us. After indulging, he heaps loads of guilt and condemnation on us. It is a continuous cycle. We promise to do better, to take care of our bodies, but then our stomach growls, sending a signal that demands immediate satisfaction.
When our body controls us by its demands, it is a sign of a thirsty soul. When we are habitually heart heavy, hanging our head, wandering around in circles trying to figure out life, it is a symptom of an unhealthy soul. Your soul is crying out as David’s did in Psalm 63:1: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, in a dry and thirsty land with no water” (MEV).
In the physical, when our body is not healthy, there are symptoms that appear: obesity, lack of sleep, stress in our life that shows us that something is not right. When we are not feeding our soul, there are symptoms that appear: anxiety, fears, depression, guilt and condemnation that many times lead us into addictions to food, alcohol, tobacco, or overspending.
Job 23:12 tells us, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (MEV). We all know about the misery that Job endured, but God was faithful to Job. James 5:11 tells us, “Indeed we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the purpose of the Lord, that the Lord is very gracious and merciful” (MEV). This is the end intended by the Lord!
How did Job endure to the end? He treasured the Word of God. The Word of God was in his mouth.
We must get honest, ask the Holy Spirit—your Teacher, Helper, and Comforter—for help. Ask for revelation knowledge that will bring life to your soul and strength to your body. God has an intended end for your life.
The Word of God is alive and powerful and will bring life and order out of chaos! Eating heart healthy will bring peace and joy to your life as you walk the runway of life towards the end intended by the Lord! There is “no diet” in the world that can bring health to your body and give you the strength to endure each day!
Obesity is fast overcoming smoking as the number one cause of death by a preventable disease. The world can give us all the statistics and information for the need to lose weight and take care of our bodies, but only the Word of God can give us the power to change.
After surrendering my eating habits to the Lord, He gave me a battle plan that worked from the inside out and took 88 pounds from my body!
Joyce Tilney is the Founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday. She is an author and Bible teacher. Visit www.wogministries for more information. Her new book and workbook, Why Diets Don’t Work—Food Is Not the Problem, share her testimony of how the Lord helped her lose 88 pounds. There is nothing impossible with Him. Visit the website: www.whydiets.com for information.
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