Denying the Flesh: Break the Habit of Reckless Eating

“Break the Habit.” This was the word the Lord spoke to my heart as I earnestly sought Him for direction in my weight battle.

I had a bad habit of eating the wrong food at the wrong time. I did not “think” about what I was eating or when I was eating. I ate to stop the craving that screamed for my attention. I had opened the door to the enemy through my eating habits and he was happy to take advantage of the situation, planting seeds of thoughts about food until I was totally addicted to certain foods. The cravings were consistently screaming in my head to be fed.

At this time, a big change had come into my life and I was having trouble adjusting to the change. During this time, I gained 75 pounds! I was shocked when I stepped on the scales! I cried out to the Lord, “I need your help!” In His great love and mercy He spoke to my heart, “break the habit.” I knew this was my eating habit.

Food addiction becomes a habit when we eat wrong foods that create cravings that we find impossible to stop in our own strength. A habit is a constant, often unconscious inclination to perform some act acquired through its frequent repetition, an established trend of the mind or character. I soon found out that it is not easy to break a habit and that the enemy is not happy about giving up his territory.

In Romans 7:15, Paul shares about a struggle he was having, “…For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I have, that I do” (NLT). I have heard many people say, “if Paul couldn’t control his flesh, how can I?”

Keep reading! Romans 8:1-2 (MSG) “With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.

“Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.”

As a child of God we have a helper. Jesus knew what we were going to face in this world. He came to show us the way and to learn from His walk in this world. He did not forsake us but gave us the assurance to walk the runway of life. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). We have an advantage over the world; we have a helper.

Paul received a revelation, the Spirit of life in Christ, brings freedom to us and breaks the yoke of bondage.

Revelation is the language of the Spirit. We thrive on receiving revelation of the knowledge of God. As Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18 (NKJV), we must ask for “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

Paul recognized he was practicing a habit he hated and felt powerless to stop. In his own power he could do nothing, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, his helper, he could overcome any trial that tried to destroy his joy and peace.

As I changed my focus from food and weight, the Lord spoke quietly in my spirit one day, “when you receive a revelation of the purpose of your body, you will not abuse it.” Immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

My body was created in His image and was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. I carried the message of Christ, the gospel of peace in my body! I had been fearlessly and wonderfully made. His thoughts are precious towards me. I began to meditate on Psalm 139 and Philippians 1:20 that Christ would be magnified in my body.        

The revelation from these Scriptures gave me the strength to make the choice that I would glorify God in my body and spirit. When I surrendered my food addiction to the Lord, He gave me a battle plan that worked from the inside out and took 80 pounds from my body.

You can read this battle plan in my book, Why Diets Don’t Work—Food Is Not the Problem. The problem is the daily choices that we make. Right choices activate your faith in God to bring deliverance to your challenges of life.

You are made for more. You are not created to survive and be in bondage to anything. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4)

Join the Walk! “…Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

Joyce Tilney is founder of Women of God Ministries and author of Why Diets Don’t Work—Food Is Not the Problem. Visit her website to sign up for a Free Devotional and a free monthly newsletter that will bring help and encouragement in your walk in the Spirit. www.whydiets.com and www.wogministries.com.