The Mental War on Gluttony

Last week we talked about the physical issue of gluttony: how our bodies can make us think we are subject to them by presenting us with cravings and growling belles. The main take away from last week was that we are commanded to be self-controlled and given the power to dominate, deny and put to death our flesh and its desires, desires that tend to make us fat and sick. This week I want to talk about the mental and emotional aspects of gluttony. Just as I wrote last week, the sign of gluttony isn’t a round belly, but rather it is someone who is overtaken by their desire for food. Quoting John Piper again (because it’s just so good), “Gluttony is the enjoyment of food that has become untethered from contentment in God as the governing love of our life.” It is okay to find enjoyment and comfort in food, but when we look for enjoyment and comfort in food before we look to the Creator of joy and comfort, then we put food above God. Paul explains people who do this as “enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things,” (Philippians 3:19). Putting anything above God is a serious issue and we need to understand the things that cause us to fall into this temptation. The causes that I’ve found are usually when we look to food for our joy, for our comfort, or our security.

Food as our Joy

This temptation is the one I struggle with most. I absolutely love food so when I’m in charge of finding something “fun” to do, food is always involved. Sometimes it’s hard for my mind to fathom a fun activity that doesn’t involve food. Looking at our world, this is obviously not something I only do. Food is front and center at every holiday, every vacation, and every party. Going on a road trip? “I’ll get the snacks.” Just finished a hike? “Let’s stop for ice cream.” Going to the movies? “Pass the popcorn.” Every culture throughout all of time features food at all gatherings and celebrations. Food connects all peoples of all ages more than any other earthly substance. In fact, God created our world to be this way. Food’s proper place is to be enjoyed among fellowship. But when food no longer supplements our enjoyment but is the source of our enjoyment, that is when we start getting into trouble. Would you still go to a friend’s party if there wasn’t going to be food or drink there? Would you go to the church class if they weren’t serving lunch? I know I’ve had times where I am hanging out with friends and I think discontentedly, “This would be more fun if there was food here.” Back when I ate really strictly, I would avoid going to events because I knew I couldn’t eat any of the food there “and if I can’t eat, why go?” I’ve missed out on so many opportunities to fellowship because eating was more important to me than enjoying being with people. All of God’s commands can be summed up in “love God, love people” (Matthew 22:37-40). If my joy is in food, then loving people will become secondary to my love for my own belly, making me transgress the law of God for the sake of my selfish, insatiable stomach. This overruling enjoyment in food is not only dangerous when people are involved; we also fall into gluttony when we are all alone, seeking food for our comfort.

Food as our Comfort

I’ve never been the type to down a tub of Ben and Jerry’s when I’m sad, but I sure will hunt for some CheezIts when I’m bored. Finding comfort in food is another one of those things that isn’t bad 100% of the time but it can get out of hand quickly. If I made a habit of pulling out the crackers every time I get bored, then every day at 3 in the afternoon I’d be packing in those carbs. I don’t think my skinny figure would last very long. This is just another area where we have to be disciplined. If we know that eating snack food every time we are bored is bad for our health, then we need to put to death that desire and seek the Lord for our excitement in life, not food. This might sound extreme but it’s just the truth. If God is supposed to be our enjoyment then anything else we try to make our enjoyment will be harmful. Whether that’s shows, video games, exercising, eating… they can all have serious consequences when done in excess. 

I also want to talk to the people do eat when they are sad. Even though I’m not typically an emotional eater, I do sometimes look to food to cheer me up when I’m feeling down. Sometimes it can be hard to tell when I am emotionally eating because I do it without thinking. What’s even more dangerous is when I know I am eating unhealthy “comfort food” but I excuse it because I think the sadness justifies me. Making this emotional eating a habit will not only take a toll on your health but it will also lead you further away from finding your comfort in the Lord. Eventually, you will find that food is insufficient to bring you out of sorrow. At that point, you have the option to either turn to another substance or turn to the only One who can ever bring you true comfort and joy. If you are feeling lost, depressed, sad, or anxious, look to Jesus before all other remedies. The same goes if your life is feeling out of control.

Food as our Security

Humans love to be in control. When we can’t control certain aspects or situations in our life, we tend to try to control other areas of our life. This can look very similar to seeking food as our comfort, but I think it can be a little more obsessive. For me, this looked like restricting what I ate, controlling my meal times, and spending every waking minute making food or reading about food. This was largely due to my fear of chronic illness as well as my fear of becoming overweight. Chronic illness and being overweight can definitely be avoided by being careful with what you eat, but I was so obsessive about it because I couldn’t bear the thought of even the possibility of losing my health. I have now accepted the reality that I could get sick or overweight no matter how well I eat; that is the reality of the fallen world. Will I stop eating healthfully? No. Will I lose my mind if I get a cold? No. I know my security is in Jesus and someday, I will live with Him without the possibility of sickness or discomfort. 

To sum this all up, when you understand that Jesus Christ is the only One who can bring you true joy and comfort and security, succumbing to gluttony will be much less of a temptation. This series on gluttony was a little heavy-hitting, but I hope you now see that gluttony isn’t just a “stuff yourself at Thanksgiving” issue but it is a heart issue of putting food in God’s rightful place. Looking to food to provide satisfaction will only cause physical, mental, and spiritual turmoil. There is never an excuse to over-indulge on food because Christ has given us the Spirit of self-control to deny the physical and mental cravings of the flesh. The cool thing is, with God as our ultimate satisfaction, we can truly enjoy food within its prescribed limits, and not have any guilt or any fear of getting overweight or sick! Praise God! I pray that this series encouraged you to submit this area over to the Lord and that you find amazing freedom and happiness by doing so! All glory, honor, and praise be to the Lord, our joy, comfort, and security!