• Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  Eating as an Act of Worship

Taste and See

4/29/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Most of my favorite scriptures about food were said by Jesus Himself.  For example, in John 4:13-14, Jesus said, "Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up into eternal life."  Similarly, Jesus declared, 'I am the Bread of Life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty (John 6:35).'"
 
John 1:1 explains, "In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD."  Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, and He is also the Bread of Life.  That means His very words are sustenance to our flesh as well as to our spirits!  This is symbolized by our eating of His broken body and drinking of His shed blood during Holy Communion.  Does this mean that you will never eat physical food again?  No.  It does mean that when you make Jesus Lord over every area of your life, including your eating habits, He is the focus instead of the earthly things of this world.
 
As it pertains to food, when Jesus is not Lord over your eating habits, then something else is, your stomach.  Philippians 3:18-19 states, "Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction.  Their god is their stomach.  Their glory is in their shame.  Their minds are on earthly things."  This is the sinful result of gluttony being allowed to rule over and consume your body and your thoughts, if you’re susceptible to obesity or bulimia nervosa.  Likewise, those who suffer from anorexia nervosa or orthorexia have also made an idol of their stomachs instead of obeying God’s command to eat and drink for His glory.  Instead, they eat and drink, or rather, fail to do so for other carnal, worldly reasons.  
 
However, Jesus the Living Word of God, not only taught us that He is sustenance for our flesh and our spirits, He also exemplified it when He walked among us. In John 4:31-34, the disciples repeatedly urged Jesus to eat, and He told them, "I have meat to eat that you know not of."  This confused them, so Jesus explained, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work."
 
God's Word for your life reveals His will for your life even in regard to food and beverages.  Jesus fulfilled EVERY WORD written about Him in the Word of God before He committed His Spirit to the Lord on the Cross.  He obeyed God's Will to the very last detail.  Both His words and His actions illustrated the biblical truth that "man doesn't live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)."  As a Christian, you too, must fulfill God's Will for your life in complete and humble obedience to God, including eating and drinking for His glory.  When you do so, your mind is automatically on heavenly things instead of following the whims of the bottomless pit of your stomach.  Like Jesus, you'll discover that obedience satisfies both the spirit and the body.  In other words, you will “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
 
If you’re ready to make the Lord sustenance for your body and your spirit, take the first step to tasting and seeing that He is good by ordering the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles about the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The 12 concepts will help you renew your mind to God’s perspective of your body and equip you to stop conforming to the pattern of this world when it comes to health and fitness.  ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY at Amazon.com!
0 Comments

Break the Cycle

4/22/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

I don't know what you're going through in your life.  Maybe you've been out of work for six months, your home is in foreclosure, a loved one died, or your business is failing.  I do know that those types of issues often result in "stress eating" which results in people seeking comfort from food instead of from God the Comforter!  It can also be a trigger for those who suffer from anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
 
Add the problems you face to the amount of weight you must lose or the eating disorder you must overcome, and the enemy's calculations equate to failure.  Therefore, you figure there's no need to try.  Jesus said the devil is a liar, the father of lies, and a murderer (John 8:44).  Satan's lies are calculated to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).  He steals your peace by orchestrating circumstances which will cause you stress, hoping to tempt you to return to your old, dysfunctional eating habits.  If he successfully destroys your resolve to continue to eat healthy and exercise, then he's put you back on the path that will ultimately lead to your death.
 
You've allowed Satan to defeat you in this same way countless times before.  It's time to break the cycle!  I encourage you to trust in the Lord and the power of His might and believe that He has equipped you to stand strong on His promises in the midst of the storms you face.  Don't be discouraged!  The problems will still be there regardless of whether or not you give up, so you may as well press forward and remember, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)!
 
If you’re finally ready to break the cycle and circling the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders, order the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles about the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The 12 concepts will help you renew your mind to God’s perspective of your body and equip you to stop conforming to the pattern of this world when it comes to health and fitness.  ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY at Amazon.com!

0 Comments

Focus

4/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the EAW Health and Fitness Course, we spend 3 weeks discussing the opposition you must face from the enemy when you start to rebuild the temple of the Holy Spirit and fortify the walls of your mind with God's Word.  Although the Bible clearly identifies Satan's tricks, it never fails that an EAW class participant is spiritually attacked in one of the ways mentioned in the Word.  For example, the enemy attacks the family.  Sometimes it's sickness.  Other times marital problems or family strife.  He attacks finances, and he sends fatigue, to name a few weapons in his arsenal.
 
You must remember God promised in His Word that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).  Life's journey is filled with distractions even when you're not trying to lose weight, get help for anorexia or bulimia, or otherwise live a healthy lifestyle.  Your past should be a good indicator that you can't eat or starve your way out of the stress of life.  The food doesn't change anything except you.  In the case of the glutton, it makes you fatter, sicker, and closer to death's door with each unhealthy meal.  In the case of the anorexic, it makes you skinnier, sicker, and closer to death’s door with each meal you forgo.

You must learn to recognize that stressful situations are the enemy's strategy to get you to take your eyes off Jesus and sink in the sea of debt, marital problems, sickness, and relational strife you are experiencing.  But if you stay focused on the Lord, you will rise above the turbulent waters to take your place at the Master's side.  He'll command the storms in your life to cease and give you peace within as you continue to trust Him and eat and drink for His glory.
 
Therefore, I encourage you to ignore the howling wind and the torrential rain of problems the enemy hurls at you, and stay focused on the spiritual task at hand! You've quit under pressure too many times before, and it's never solved anything! It only added to the mountain of guilt and shame for giving in to the temptation to quit.  Again, you felt the sting of another defeat on top of your list of other sorrows.  Instead, let's pray to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14) and trust God’s promise that you will finally attain it!
 
If you’re finally ready to leave the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders and truly focus on claiming the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life, order the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles about the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The 12 concepts will help you renew your mind to God’s perspective of your body and equip you to stop conforming to the pattern of this world when it comes to health and fitness.  ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY at Amazon.com!
0 Comments

What's in Your Heart

4/8/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is (Proverbs 23:7)."  It also teaches us, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be changed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).  In other words, God is saying that true change starts within when you decide to make a different choice, take a new path, form a new opinion, or try a different way of doing something.  However, you don't immediately become the "new you" the moment you decide to change.  Just as there is a process to change your mindset from your current way of thinking, there's also a process to turning your thoughts into reality.  You've gone through this process numerous times throughout your life without recognizing what was taking place.
 
For example, at some point in your life, you accepted (chose to believe) the lies of the world regarding food and bought into the notion that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want or became entangled with an eating disorder.  Once you realized you were deceived, you probably tried to reorient your thinking, but you didn't think you could control your cravings or resist the temptation to change your unhealthy eating habits.  Many of you lost hope of being set free from eating disorders.  Others stopped trying to lose weight because your mind could only envision the overweight version of you and doubted you would ever successfully and permanently lose the weight you've gained over the years. 
 
If you continue to think that way, your situation will not change!  You will remain fat, and the inevitable results you fear will follow.  Namely, you will eventually need medication for high cholesterol, hypertension, or diabetes. You will need heart surgery.  Your leg will be amputated due diabetes.  You'll have to learn to walk and talk again after a stroke.  It’s the same for people dealing with anorexia and bulimia.  If you don’t see yourself eating healthy meals and living a balanced life on a regular basis, you’ll continue to see food and beverages as the enemy that must be avoided at all costs.  Ultimately, your jaded image of food will kill you.  Likewise, those suffering from bulimia must first envision a life without throwing up after every meal. 
 
From your perspective, being free of those dysfunctional and life-threatening eating habits probably seems impossible, but God says you can rewrite the story in your mind and think, "1,000 shall fall at my side, 10,000 at my right hand, but obesity, anorexia, and bulimia will NOT come near me" (Psalm 91:7).  "For I can do ALL things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13), including losing 200, 400, or 500 pounds of weight, eating healthy meals every day, and ending the trips to the bathroom to throw up food recently ingested!  Once you change your mind, act on your new beliefs!  Remember, faith without works is dead (James 2:20).  Your behavior is the proof that your mind has been changed.  The new you that emerges is evidence that you truly are the product of what you think.
 
If your heart cries out for change, order the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles about the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The 12 concepts will help you renew your mind to God’s perspective of your body and equip you to stop conforming to the pattern of this world when it comes to health and fitness.  ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY at Amazon.com!

0 Comments

Claiming the Promised Land

4/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

God promised Abraham and his descendants, the Children of Israel, that He would GIVE them the Promised Land, which flowed with milk and honey.  The only problem is that the land was inhabited by the Canaanites who lived in fortified cities with seasoned armies and by the giants who lived in the mountainous regions of Canaan.  Consequently, the Israelites were afraid of what they saw even though God had just miraculously delivered them from enslavement by the Egyptians.
 
We hypocritically criticize them harshly for their lack of faith, but we're guilty of doing the very same thing in our own lives, even when it comes to weight loss and eating disorders.  Like the Israelites, many of you focus on what it will take to succeed instead of on the promise of success through Christ!  You see the number of pounds you have to lose, recall how difficult it has been to resist the temptation to eat what you crave then purge, and doubt that you can ever successfully climb your way out of the mountain of weight you've put on or overcoming your unhealthy habit of abstaining from eating food altogether.
 
God's GIFT to you is the same as it was to the Israelites, Moses, Joshua, Caleb and David.  The gift is the victory that is assured through Christ not the avoidance of the battle!  God is your secret weapon!  You won't be on the battlefield alone.  On the contrary, what you'll discover is He will fight for you, for the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's (2 Chronicles 20:15).  Nevertheless, you must show up on the battlefield with healthy meals, by exercising on your dusty treadmill, resisting your cravings and the temptation to return to your old eating disorder habits.  
 
You must not yield to fatigue, be afraid that you’ll never be free of the eating disorder, or be intimidated by how many pounds you must lose to achieve your goal. You must continue to consume healthy foods and beverages when you don't want another carrot or a bottle of water.  When there seems to be a stalemate (plateau), trust God to turn the tide of the battle in your favor.  Keep going to therapy and following your eating disorder treatment plan even when you don’t feel like it’s working.  In the end, your testimony will be that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37) enough to bless you with the laurels of success when the battle is over just as an athlete receives a medal for winning a race after months and years of training.
 
If you’re ready to stop Wandering in the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders, God is ready to help you claim the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life,  ORDER your copy of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher's Edition TODAY at Amazon.com!

0 Comments
    Picture

    Ann Wooten Taylor

    Ann is an attorney who has been licensed to practice law in the State of Arkansas since 2004, practicing in the areas of child abuse and neglect, special education, and unemployment insurance law.  Mrs. Taylor is also the C.E.O. of Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries and a Christian author.  Her first non-fiction, Christian book entitled, "Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook" was published and released by Life to Legacy Publishing in 2015. Her second book, the "Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher's Edition" was published and released in December 2016. 

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact