No Food Tastes As Good As This

Does God care about your weight? He definitely cares about your body.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul is sending a blessing and an admonition to believers: “May the very God of peace sanctify you completely. And I pray to God that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He is admonishing believers that we are responsible for the care of our bodies, as well as our spirit and soul.

The world sees a body, God sees a temple. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own? You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

For years, I fought the battle of the bulge, riding the roller coaster of emotions that accompany this battle. I did not understand the cravings for food that led me to poor eating habits causing the relentless urges, short-term satisfaction and long-term guilt. 

The guilt brought shame, anxiety and weight gain. The consumption of a poor diet doesn’t just affect our taste buds and waistline, but over time, it will rewire our brain. Pleasure and reward, entwined with our emotions, produce a powerful force that is hard to break.

One day I saw five words that changed my life. “The devil wants you fat!” Those five words brought reality to my life. This is a spiritual battle. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy (see John 10:10). I was playing right into his hands. Life was being drained from me: spirit, soul and body, one bite at a time.

I hate the devil. I had seen the destruction he had done in family and friends with alcohol and drugs. Now, I had to face the truth. My poor food choices had caused me to be addicted to certain foods. I repented and cast my weight cares onto the Lord.

No longer would I look to the world to solve this problem. You cannot fix a spiritual problem by natural means. The eyes of my understanding had been opened. A lack of knowledge of how my body functions and the necessary nutrition to preserve my body blameless, had brought me into a life of addiction.

After I repented and asked the Lord for His help, He gave me a battle plan that took 88 pounds from my body. It didn’t happen overnight, and I’m still walking day by day to please the Lord with my body. Nothing tastes as good as obedience.

“For the kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Cast your weight cares on God and give Him the opportunity to lead you in the path of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.

Those of us who are saved by the grace of God should take heed to 1 Corinthians 10:31, which states, “Therefore, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Our blamelessness reflects on the name of the Lord. God is not looking for perfect people, but are you attempting to live blameless?

Rest and relax; time is your most valuable asset. Investing a small amount of time over a longer period of time will bring increase in areas that matter most: preserving yourself blameless—spirit, soul and body. You can look and feel better than you have in years when you are willing to invest your time pleasing the Father and walking in obedience to His Word.

What joy to realize that the power to change lies in the hand of the very one who created you. The battle is not yours, my friend. It never was, so “…let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1b).

I haven’t arrived, but I have left, and God isn’t finished with me. “But none of these things deter me. Nor do I count my life of value to myself, so that I may joyfully finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

My testimony of His grace is in my book, Why Diets Don’t Work—Food Is Not the Problem. I pray that this testimony will give you courage as you fight the good fight of faith. A workbook is also available, designed for personal or group study. Be blessed as you walk the runway of life. {eoa}

Joyce Tilney, founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday, is an author and teacher. She is available for Bible studies or speaking engagements to bring healing to wounded hearts that have kept us from enjoying the abundant life that has been provided for us. For information visit the websites: whydiets.com and wogministries.com.