Christians understand that sin separates mankind from God. Consequently, human beings spend eternity in hell if they choose not to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, confess their sins, and repent. In contrast, repentance brings about reconciliation with God, so the believer is no longer separated from the Lord. He dwells within us during the remainder of our time on earth, and we spend eternity in Heaven with Him when our time here is up. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to forget this, especially when we stumble, backslide, or discover that we have sinned in ignorance.
Like Adam and Eve, and even disobedient children today, we run away and hide instead of running to the Lord in those instances because the enemy uses the sin against us. He attacks you spiritually, mentally and emotionally by attempting to make you doubt your salvation and sending wave after wave of guilt and shame upon you for everything you have ever done wrong. This same demonic pattern is true even in terms of health and fitness.
Once the Lord reveals that your problem with being overweight or entangled with an eating disorder is rooted in sin, the Holy Spirit does His conviction work to bring you to a state of sincere repentance. Conversely, the enemy wants you to feel the sting of guilt and shame, but it is his plan to use it to drag you further into sin. Specifically, emotional eaters will likely comfort themselves with food, for example, instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter. Likewise, those with eating disorders may be triggered to binge eat or abstain from eating for long periods of time. Consequently, Satan often succeeds in making a person think he is not worthy of forgiveness, he is gone too far to be forgiven, and he should run away from the Lord in shame.
God cannot help you if you do not repent from revealed sin, and the enemy knows that. It is part of his strategy to keep you entangled with the sin of gluttony. So long as you refuse to repent, God will allow you to reap the harvest of the sin you are sowing into your life, specifically, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, to name a few, because, “The Lord disciplines those He loves as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6).
Stop falling for the enemy’s trap! Understand that just as parents in the natural do not stop loving a child who disobeyed, neither does the Lord stop loving you. Return to the Father in regard to the sin of gluttony, making idols of your stomach and food, and failing to otherwise take care of your body by eating and drinking for the glory of God. Then repent, and reap the harvest of His empowerment to finally obtain and maintain permanent health and fitness success (Romans 8:29)!
If you are tired of running back to your unhealthy habits, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!