Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Sinful habits are often done away from prying eyes. Whether it’s an extramarital affair or a drug addiction, people usually do not openly display their sin. Unfortunately, it’s the same for those suffering from unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders. Although the outward results of your dysfunctional lifestyle can’t always be hidden, most people either intentionally or unintentionally conceal the depths of their detrimental habits. 

​In other words, they prefer to do their dirt in the dark, as the saying goes.
 
However, lots of people, adults and children alike, are afraid of the dark. Nevertheless, society has imposed a stigma of sorts on those who do not like darkness. Usually, that person is labeled as fearful, and children, especially, find themselves being teased or reprimanded for their disdain of dark places. My perspective is different. I am a firm believer that people do not like the dark for good reason, and the problem actually lies with those who love it. The Bible affirms this viewpoint.  John 4:19-21 says, "And this is the condemnation, Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear his deeds will be exposed, but he who practices the truth comes to the Light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
 
In other words, some people prefer the dark because it covers their sin. Adulterers, thieves, and murderers are some who often like to sin under cover of darkness. However, Isaiah 29:15-16 warns that, "Those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, 'Who sees us? Who will know?' You turn things upside down as if the potter were thought to be the clay... Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows nothing?'"
 
Indeed, the darkness referred to in the Scriptures is spiritual darkness, but, "Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). That means darkness exists in the natural world to help you understand its existence as evil in the spiritual realm. Likewise, there is light in the world to help you better understand and believe that God exists and is the Light of righteousness in the world.
 
Gluttony is a sin that people engage in under the cover of darkness, too, just ask the person who is morbidly obese and can no longer leave his home. Indeed, that person is bound in spiritual darkness, chained to a table, and literally eating himself to death. When you go to a buffet alone so no one you know will see you gorge yourself on meat, as Proverbs 23:20 puts it, you are also attempting to sin in the dark even as you enter the restaurant in the light of day. It is the same for the person who visits the restroom to induce vomiting after bingeing or prepares a plate to eat with her family but always finds an excuse to never take a bite of food.
 
The only thing that dispels darkness, especially the darkness of sin that we internalize, is light. That is true in the spiritual realm as well as the natural world. Consequently, you must meet Jesus at the Cross in order to achieve permanent weight loss or be set free from any eating disorder. In Jesus Christ, there is life, and that life is the light of all men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it (John 1:4-5). That means that through Jesus Christ you can and will overcome the darkness of the sin of gluttony and dysfunctional eating habits that are robbing you of the abundant life you were always meant to have through Christ!
 
If you are ready to be free of the spiritual darkness of unhealthy eating and drinking habits and bask in the Light of an abundantly new healthy and fit life through Christ, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com.  In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God.  Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!