Food Cravings | What does the bible say about self control

Food cravings | what does the bible say about self control

Do you struggle with self-control when it comes to eating right and dieting as well as other areas of your life like spending money or something else? Let’s learn the A B C's to self-control in the bible when we are challenged with our crazy food cravings and pray to grow in fruit from the Holy Spirit. I know how hard struggle is and so let's take a look at what the bible say's.

Hello and welcome to my blog. I’m Renee Dumont, founder of Conquer Cravings for Christians health ministry and creator of the Real Food Real Faith Christian Lifestyle program.

Are you struggling with food cravings and want to know what i went through? Well, when it came to my food cravings I had no self-control whatsoever and for the most part I didn’t care, especially when i was tired and when weekends came. After having a tough day at work or feeling stressed out when I was raising my children I felt like I deserved everything. So when I felt the cravings coming on strong for my favorite food. I just wanted to kick back and forget about life for a while.

I kept letting my excuses control how I ate. It seems I would start off the day with all good intentions to eat healthy and small portions until I felt tired and disappointed about something. I couldn’t even stand the scent or the aroma of food without feeling like I just wanted to indulge and have my own little private party. 

When it came to my food cravings I especially loved going to an All You Can Eat restaurant on weekends with my friends. You know how it is, you think you’re doing good by making a plate full of salad and veggies. My plate actually looked like a mountain of salad with tons of dressing, maybe two and three kinds and I couldn’t forget a nice warm piece of bread with lots of butter to eat with my salad.
  
I couldn't wait to get back up to go back to the buffet and dive into the main course only to return to the table with another mountain of food on my plate. And yes I just had to find room for dessert and go over to the ice cream bar and sample a few of the desserts. I managed to satisfy every craving I had. 

This was typical of me and I loved doing it at least once a month. And after all that indulging on the weekend I had a hard time going back to eating a moderate meal that was well balanced. Overeating and then under-eating to save calories was typical. 

Can you identify with any of this? Well I can tell you that I had no self-control with my food and I didn’t think about what a bad habit I had developed. The only thing that I can tell you is that every time I fell into this crazy Eating pattern my cravings made me an emotional wreck. I wasn’t aware that I was obsessed with food. 

It’s only when I would find myself in a dark place that I would decide to pray to God and ask him to help me but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be honest with myself. That was the tough part. It was scary for me to really take a good look at what I was doing and make a decision to make some serious changes in my life.

The first step that we learn about food cravings

What I did start to notice is that sugar was addicting. It truly is like any drug or alcohol. The more you consume the more your body craves. So the first step that we can learn about food cravings is that you don’t eat what you crave, you actually “crave what you eat”.  

If you ever had any other kind of addiction for example: did you smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, do drugs or take diet pills? Do you remember what you did to overcome it to stop craving those bad habits?

In order to stop creating a bad habit you have to stop giving yourself what your body is going to crave. So the very first step to overcoming food cravings is to remove the food that’s going to cause a stumbling block in your life. The best way I knew and still know what to do is by first confessing to God what my problem is. I then had to make the choice to get the junk food out of my house that I craved or to put it in an area where I would not see it if there were other people in the house that wanted to eat it. 

Still today when I’m around people that do decide to eat food that I crave I make sure I leave the room and do something creative or even go for a prayer walk. I also like to plan ahead if I have to chance, to make something I like that is good for my health. Speaking about prayer, are you wondering what the bible teaches us about self-control? 

wondering what the bible teaches us about self-control

Yes we can learn from the bible about self control and what is expected of us as Christians.  Well let’s look at 1 Peter 5:7-10 and see what the bible says so we can make better choices when we are having crazy food cravings.  
 
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Let’s learn the  A B C ‘s to control food cravings from this bible verse. Beginning with the letter A let’s think of the word ALERT. The word Alert which means to stay aware of your thoughts and behaviors. It means to be ready and on your guard in case you are under attack. We read that the devil is like a roaring lion and wants to TAKE YOU DOWN. Don’t let your guard down, be alert and know that temptation is a trap! So the first step is to protect yourself from temptation and it’s something you develop a skill for overtime. 

Moving onto the letter B. B is for Balance and to Be sober! Don’t stuff your emotions by overeating. We use food as a drug and we have a need to stop giving into our cravings as a means of finding comfort. Truthfully, sugar is a drug that we use to run away from stress. Sugar, junk food and starchy food is commonly what we crave. 

 As Christians we need to invite the Holy Spirit to fill our heart, mind and emotions with comfort. Food is not for the purpose of self indulging but is for nourishment and healing. The more we walk in steadfastness of our faith the more we desire to resist food cravings. [see verse 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith] Today you can begin by inviting God's love and being filled with the peace of Christ. More peace means more power. 

The letter C, C is for Christ centered - cast your cares at the foot of the cross. [see verse 7] Letting yourself eat out of emotional stress is no way to live as a Christian. Hardships are what makes us grow strong and we have a need to trust that God is in control no matter how dim life may seem. That is what faith must be! We must pray that things will work out for our good. Ok well I said we would learn the A B and C but there is one more letter, the letter D. 

self control in the bible

D is for Discipline and Determination. We can deal with our food cravings by practicing Godly discipline and praying that God will increase our desire and determination to control our food cravings without feeling sorry for ourselves and with honesty. 

Notice in verses (8) the bible says to not only be  sober, but to also be vigilant. To be vigilant  means we have a need to watch out for danger. Unhealthy eating is dangerous in plain English, it will destroy our life. To be vigilant we have a need to stand firm in our belief and grow in our determination to avoid cravings as much as possible. When you're determined to get there, make a plan and follow it. For example, using meal plans is a powerful tool. It’s important to get a clear picture of what to eat and then plan a weekly grocery list. 

We learn from discipline by exercising our spiritual muscles. There is a little saying, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. To serve the Lord and to undergo hardships is difficult, but it is the power of God in us that strengthens us and creates the stable healthy life God intended for us to have.  See in verse 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. As you become more like Christ you become stablished meaning: more stable.

Walk in faith and call upon the Lord often. HE will rescue you when you are under attack. See Psalm 34:19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. God will rescue, protect and guide your every step!

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