By Jill Coyne

“Treat yourself.”

“You deserve this.”

Sound familiar? We live in a culture that provides excuses to eat whatever and however much of what we want. And so, we can find ourselves drowning in a lifestyle of overindulgence and instant gratification.

Food is a good thing, but society has abused this good gift. We eat without thinking. Without discernment. Without self-control.

We often think self-control steals our freedom, but really it leads to freedom. When we eat with self-control, we enjoy food more. When we eat without self-control, we crave more and more and are never satisfied. Suddenly a meal isn’t complete without dessert. Dinner isn’t enjoyable without a glass of wine. Watching a movie is boring without a snack. That isn’t freedom.

Certainly you’ve seen #foodporn all over social media. This is quite telling to our over-celebration and addiction to food.

Enjoying food can actually be a way to worship God. The next time you enjoy a great meal, let it remind you that it is a piece of God’s goodness, and praise Him!

The problem arises when we worship the creation – food – over the Creator. You may not be quick to call your love of food worship, but take a second to reconsider.

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.” –Romans 1 :25

Ask yourself: why do you eat?

Is it in response to stress or to combat boredom?

So often we eat without thinking, because we don’t want to think. We feel empty perhaps. Maybe we even fear intimacy with the Lord. And so, there is a void in our lives and we attempt to fill it with food.

Overeating is a sin. It is a stronghold that prevents pure, unadulterated intimacy with the Lord. We fill our stomachs to neglect filling our hearts.

Jesus is the bread of life. But do your eating habits say otherwise? Jesus satisfies, but do you allow yourself to be filled by Him first?

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” – Romans 6:12