Making an Idol of Your Stomach

“[M]any live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things.”  Philippians 3:18b-19
 
Most overweight people don’t realize they are committing the sin of gluttony, and those who do recognize their entanglement with the sin fail to understand that they have made a god of their stomachs.  Gluttons commit the sin of idolatry in two ways, and sometimes individuals do both without realizing it.  The first method occurs when individuals look to food to provide a need only God can fulfill instead of turning to God.  The second method takes place when individuals obey their bodies’ cravings without restraint instead of obeying God’s commands regarding eating and maintaining the temple of the Holy Spirit they are responsible for, meaning their own bodies. 
 
However, the purpose of food is to provide sustenance and nutrition to our bodies.  The problem is that we have increasingly come to require and expect food to do more than it is able or intended to do.  For instance, you should not run to food if you feel angry, depressed, lonely, disappointed, stressed, or hurt.  Whatever hole is left in your heart by life will never be filled by a tub of ice cream, a pizza, burgers with fries, or any other earthly thing you could eat.  In other words, food was never meant to be your comforter, the source of your joy and happiness, a crutch to make life bearable, or a shield against pain and disappointment.  That’s the Lord’s job, and only He is uniquely qualified to do it.
 
1.            God the Comforter
 
“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him, but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless:  I will come to you.”  John 14:16-18
              
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.”  John 16:7
 
 
2.            God the Source of Joy
 
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Galatians 5:22-23
 
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10
 
 
3.            God the Crutch to Endure Life
 
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.“  Matthew 11:28-30
 
 
4.            God the Shield Against Pain and Disappointment
 
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”  Habakkuk 3:17-18
 
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
 
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, your stomach is the equivalent of a bottomless pit.  It will continue to require more and more as it probably already has been with each passing year.  It only takes in what your body craves, and it never gives you what you truly desire.  That’s because it cannot.  It’s a false god that neither sees, hears, nor speaks, yet you run to it with peach cobbler and ice cream as your offering in times of trouble.  The so-called comfort food only earns you a temporary reprieve from your cares.  You recognize too late that your crutch is crippling you, and you are increasingly growing more disgusted with your eating habits instead of happily indulging in your desire for your favorite foods.  Furthermore, instead of shielding you from your pain and disappointment, you realize your stomach and its cravings are slowly becoming or have already become a source of pain and disappointment in your life.