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.
I speak from experience. When I was a child, I was sexually abused by two different people and severely bullied. As a result, I suffered from clinical depression by fifth grade. As I matured, I developed an unhealthy relationship with food. When things bothered me, I ate. For example, I ate when I was angry as well as when I was sad. I also ate whenever the thoughts of childhood trauma tried to overwhelm me. This started a cycle which led me to eat even more and resulted in significant weight gain. As I discovered, when the enemy has you add the problems you face to the amount of weight you must lose or the eating disorder you must overcome, his evil 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 of circling the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders, then 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, the 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!
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In the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Course, we spend three (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 Ministries class participant is spiritually attacked in one of the ways mentioned in the Word. For example, the enemy often attacks a class participant’s family. Sometimes it is sickness. Other times, class participants experience marital problems or family strife. Satan also attacks finances and sends fatigue, to name a few other weapons in his arsenal.
Nevertheless, 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 are 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 cannot eat or starve your way out of the stress of life. The food does not 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 you eat. In the case of the anorexic, it makes you skinnier, sicker, and closer to death’s door with each meal you forgo. Consequently, 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, relational strife, and health and fitness struggles 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 will 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 winds and the torrential rain of problems the enemy hurls at you and stay focused on the spiritual task at hand! You have quit under pressure too many times before, and it has never solved anything. It only added to the mountain of guilt and shame for giving in to the temptation to give up. 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, then 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, the 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! Philippians 3:18b-19 (NIV) says, "Many LIVE as enemies of the Cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things." Is it possible to accept Jesus as your Savior but still live as if you are His enemy? Yes! Unfortunately, it happens every day. For example, you probably know Christians who are not married but live together like a husband and wife contrary to God's Word. You sit on the same pew with the Christian who smoked marijuana at a club on Saturday night. You listened as a deaconess gossiped about a person who came to the church for prayer. And you, yourself, have made a "god of your stomach" and failed to obey the Lord's commands to "honor God with your body" by keeping the temple of the Holy Spirit in excellent condition.
In the event you haven't noticed, the devil doesn't bother you while you are comfortable with your sinful existence. After all, you are fighting on his side by actively rebelling against Christ. It's when you resolve to change, or even consider changing, that Satan comes against you. At that point, you are a threat instead of a pawn on the battlefield because you are trying to become free from bondage that you aren't even aware you are captive to. In terms of health and fitness, that means the cravings intensify. People suddenly want to take you out to lunch, and you don't even have to pay. There's no free time to cook your own meals or go to the gym, and those are just the warning shots. The warfare intensifies until your feeble resolve crumbles, and you return to your sin, in this case, your old eating habits, like a dog to its vomit (Proverbs 26:11). The cure for this is to denounce the idol you have made of your stomach and serve the One True God in every aspect of your life, including how you eat. In other words, follow Romans 12:1, which says, "I beseech ye, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Then the battle is no longer yours. It's the Lord's! He'll fight for you when you stop warring against Him! If you’re ready to stop living as enemies of the Cross of Christ, then 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, the 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! I love puzzles! The Bible is my favorite puzzle book because when you put certain verses together, they flow as if they were written as one passage of Scripture even though the verses were penned years apart, often by different biblical writers. The Scriptures regarding faith are a perfect example. For instance, Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Hebrews 11:6 adds, "But without faith it's impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. James 2:26 further explains, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
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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
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