Repentance in Overcoming Addiction

In the previous post I wrote about repentance in changing eating behavior that may involve sin. Overcoming an addictive relationship with food is most often a process.  Don’t expect the battle to be over and just “go away” the moment you bring it into the light--for most of us it is a process to freedom.  Don’t give up after the first try.  Does God?  Far from it!  Keep walking in the light, keep confessing, trust God, and let Him Heal and sanctify this area of your life.  Celebrate your victories no matter how “small” and keep returning to God in confession and repentance for as long as it takes to overcome the temptation and sin.  While God can instantly remove an addiction (and I have heard many stories of Him doing that for smokers and drug addicts), I think the reason it is usually a process for compulsive eaters is that compulsive overeating is usually driven by underlying emotional pain which takes time to Heal, not just a physical addiction as in the case of cigarettes and drugs. 

You may feel you lack discipline to withstand temptation, but if the only discipline you can muster is to keep confessing and repenting with each fall then do so.  Don’t buy the lie that God is tiring of you coming back over and over because of repeated failure with a besetting sin.  On the contrary, continual confession is evidence of faith that pleases Him.  God tires of the unrepentant sinner, not the repentant one.  If you struggle with a stubborn habit or stronghold God understands that and He is Faithful to do His part if we do our part:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

I daresay God is not disappointed in us for “failing too much” as He is disappointed in us not coming to Him after failing because He can help and wants to.  That’s how I feel about my children when they fail.  I would much rather they keep coming back to me for help than separating and going off so I don’t see them for long periods of time.  You can choose to either keep going back to food after failure, or keep going back to God.  God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-24).  If we sin, do you think God wants us to stay away, or do you think He wants us to come back into fellowship with Him immediately?  If you are not sure of the answer, read the account of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), paying special attention to the father:

“So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.    Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’  So they began to celebrate.”  

Luke 15:20-24 (NIV)

Does that sound like a Father who wants his sinning child to stay away?  He was waiting and looking for his son’s return.  In fact it pleased the Father so much to see his return.  He longs to see sinners repent and rejoices when they do.  So it really becomes an issue of if we want to please God and be obedient to what He would want.  And do you see how fast He forgives?  The son didn’t even get to say the words he rehearsed.  The son received no rebuke, just an outpouring of love and joy.   

If you think you shouldn’t go back to God until you are ready to never fail again (all-or-nothing thinking) you deprive yourself of the very help you need to come out of the bondage to freedom.  When my boys were young I would hold their hands on walks along uneven or rocky paths.  I did not let go simply because they slipped or stumbled.  And I didn’t get mad at them or think less of them if they stumbled.  In fact, I cared all the more and held on even tighter.  The Bible acknowledges that good men (and women) stumble and fall, but that the Lord is there to help and that God cares for His children even when they stumble and fall:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

Psalm 37:23-24 (NKJV)

“The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.”  

Psalm 145:14 (NIV)

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)

Do you think God expects us to be sanctified (which is a transformation process) all at once?  Would you expect your children to grow up all at once?  Any effective behavior change program will emphasize realistic goal-setting.  Baby steps!  Sanctification is a process.  It’s important to not become disillusioned if the victory does not come in the first skirmish.  Moses foresaw that the completion of the conquest would be gradual, and that Israel would have to go to battle many times before all the enemies would be overcome.  We don’t suddenly overcome our struggles with sin and the flesh by making just the right decision that ends the struggle with temptation.  However, the Spirit does provide us with the power to continually subdue the lusts of the flesh and overcome sin.  When people would ask me how I lost so much weight, while I could share all the practical steps, the primary reason is summed up in this—the closer I got to God the weight melted off.  He enabled me to do all the practical steps of changing eating behavior more and more.  Without even realizing it at the time, even my desires were being sanctified (changed!), and that is a work of the Holy Spirit (God knows I couldn't change them).  While your desires are being sanctified and changing you will probably continue to battle temptation.  Eventually even the temptation goes away.  The foods (and emotions) that used to have power over me do not even appeal to me anymore.  The more I obeyed the healthier I ate until the time came that eating the same junk food that I used to eat all the time now makes me not feel good.

So the word "repentance" may seem rather dramatic for a blog for eating issues but unless we face the fact that the habitual overeating is not just a “problem” we have, but rather the lust of our flesh, we will not recognize our true need for help.  Don’t misunderstand, there are times we may overeat when it is not sin (periodically feasting in celebration).  In fact, normal eating is sometimes overeating, sometimes undereating, and in general being in balance.  Normal eating is flexible.  But there is also overeating that is sin, and then our battle is with sin and flesh.  Tiptoeing around the issue of overeating as a “non-sin” issue when it is sin is not helpful.  Nobody has the solution to sin apart from Jesus Christ (certainly no diet does!), and the Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us overcome sin in our lives.  While it may seem temporarily that you have won a battle on a diet, there may be more temptation to come, especially if the diet made you feel deprived.  You will almost certainly lose the war by dieting.

Until we understand that we are dead in our trespass and sin, that our will is obstinate, that our carnal mind is hostile to God, and that left to ourselves we love our sinful pleasures more than God, we will not realize that we need the Almighty power of God to change (perhaps that is why diets are so popular).  This is why sanctification is a work of the Spirit of God.  Only the Spirit of life from Christ can quicken us when we are dead in trespasses and sins starting with the conviction of the Holy Spirit beginning God’s holy work of repentance in us.  Instead of gathering up a new round of “willpower” to try harder, agree with God and trust Him to change you instead of turning to yourself to change you, and enjoy the relationship you have with Him in the process.  Repent means to turn--turn from food to God.  Let Him lead the steps of your path of behavior change and be obedient in the little things, change that happens little by little “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) regardless of what “everyone else” around you may be doing (including dieting).  

The personal conviction that my compulsive overeating was sin was the turning point that led me out of the downward spiral of stifling addictions to begin the process up to complete freedom.  As I stood at the refrigerator in the 15^th year of bingeing 5x/night every single night and admitted to myself (finally) that “something is obviously wrong”, I was also convicted by the Holy Spirit of sin, though I didn’t recognize it as from the Holy Spirit, or that I was sinning, at that point.  What I felt at that moment was conviction that it was not right to be eating so much food (gluttonous in dousing my pain for 15 years straight) while there are so many people all over the world who do not have enough food to eat.  I truly felt bad--and sorry.  Perhaps it wasn’t a full confession of sin at that moment in time, but it was the necessary conviction of the Holy Spirit about my sin in that area.  That moment of conviction and revelation by the power of the Holy Spirit (I had never been concerned about eating more than my fair share before—not one time in 15 years of bingeing every night did I ever even think of that, no less feel bad about it) was the moment that Healing actually began.  Conviction, repentance, Healing.  If there is going to be a transformation in our lives it may be necessary to come face to face with sin, and repent.  

But (and here's the unexpected kicker) at the same time as I was convicted, I also felt acceptance for the first time in 15 years of bingeing.  When the Holy Spirit convicts he does NOT condemn.  In fact, quite the opposite!  I had believed the lie that my worth was dependent on my body image.  But at this turning point God was accepting me, and I was coming out of denial and accepting the fact that “something is obviously wrong” to be causing so much overeating (notice the compassion in that thought, like the compassion Jesus had with the adulterous woman at the well for why she was so "thirsty" in her sinful life).  I knew something was wrong but I suddenly became aware that I didn't really know what it was (I thought it was my "failure" in not making an Olympic team, but that was the tip of the iceberg), so I asked God to show me.  I put my hand in God’s Hand and walked forward that night with Him step by step to complete freedom.  Pastor Jim Keavney explains that repent and believe means turn and trust.  As I began to walk with God with my sin He Revealed pain that I was not even aware of and then I would go through the Healing process with Him.  Step by step, He never misses a step.  He knows everything that has happened, and He knows our hearts better than we do.  The Word of God says we don’t even know our own hearts:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?”  

Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)

Many professionals in the field of eating disorders say that people can get better from eating disorders, but they will have to live with the struggle to some degree for the rest of their lives.  But Jesus said,

". . . ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” 

John 8:31-32 (NIV)

I am completely free from compulsive overeating, even from the urges.  In fact, my body changed such that I don’t feel good when I don’t eat healthy and, miracle of miracles, I don’t even want to eat the way I used to eat.  My desires are completely changed—for 30 years.  The temptations and desire to overeat are completely gone and the pain is Healed.

So if you hesitate or resist at the thought of repentance think of it this way--repentance may be the door through which you need to go to walk out of prison (bondage to food) to freedom.  It is the door through which the prodigal son met with his Father's incredible Love.  If you are too ashamed to come before God or think you need to "be better" before you come to Him realize that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) and that Jesus "gave himself as a ransom" (1 Timothy 2:6) to get us out of prison.

You probably will not overcome a besetting sin without the power of the Holy Spirit.  If you are not a believer, confess and repent, and receive the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for your sin.  Then get ready to be amazed at the gift of the Holy Spirit given to you.

For more encouragement and help you can check out the N.E.W. LIFE e-book which includes more support, the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan and additional nutrition information.

Your Christian dietitian and friend in Christ,

Diane                                                                 

Repentance

There is an often overlooked key to becoming free of bondage to food (and other things).  It's not a secret--Jesus shared it from the very start of His public ministry and continually shared it right up to the finish, and He told His disciples to continue to share the same message.  It is understandable if unbelievers don't know about it but even believers seem to be woefully unaware of (or unresponsive to) this remedy which is probably the reason that many believers are in as much bondage as the world.  So what is this door to freedom that Jesus indicated is available to everyone?  Repentance.  Perhaps repentance is not our first thought or the road most travelled because we have to overcome a lot of barriers to walk through that door--denial, pride and preference for the lusts of our flesh to name just a few--stubborn barriers that may be impossible to overcome without the powerful conviction of the Holy Spirit.  But Scripture tells us that "the kindness of God leads you to repentance" (Romans 2:4)--the kindness from Almighty God that can break through hearts "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).  It is the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and the powerful Love of God that can bring the most hardened sinner, and the most addicted overeater, to repentance.  

It is a mistake to think that repentance is only a one-time-event for remission of sin and reconciliation with God for eternal life.  That is the Big One--being saved.  We need to repent for our sins and receive Jesus Christ who died to take the place for our sin and rose again as our Lord and Savior, and that is a one-time event that seals us for eternal life with God for good.  But we also need to keep confessing known sin (and thank God that the Holy Spirit reveals it to us) and continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit (especially when we're in bondage and need His power to overcome) and allow Him to sanctify us to become more and more Christlike.  If we limit repentance to just one time for reconciliation to God for eternal life we miss that we also need to be reconciled to God when sin separates us from Him now.  Jesus' death on the Cross took care of the main event and provided for reconciliation of sinful men with a Holy God for eternal life, but we need to continue to repent when sin separates us after we are saved while we walk out our life on earth. 

I employed decades' worth of energy and good intentions in diligently trying to control problematic eating behaviors, all to no avail.  I don't remember ever thinking about repentance.  We have been encouraged to work on the symptom (the overeating) and not the problem (underlying pain and sin).  But that's like trying to get a baby to stop crying instead of feeding his hungry tummy or changing his dirty diaper.  The baby keeps crying no matter how hard you try to get him to stop if you don't feed him or change his diaper, and I kept bingeing no matter how hard I tried to stop (for 15 years) while never dealing with the underlying issues.  My discipline to keep dieting (always sabotaged by the resultant bingeing) and to keep trying to "control" my "problem" (food) may have lasted longer than most because I have the discipline of an elite gymnast.  Others give up trying and resign themselves to a life of overweight or obesity.

I was not even aware of any sin involved in my overeating because the pain was so prevalent.  Not all eating problems are a result of sin, but the likelihood of repentance being necessary when we find ourselves in bondage to something is high.  Overcoming bondage that also involves sin starts with repentance.  Repentance allows for filling of the Holy Spirit in the believer.  Recall (or re-read) from the last 3 posts that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome addictions and bondages that have control over us.

Jesus began his earthly ministry with these words:

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” 

 Matthew 4:17 (NIV)

But that’s not all.  Jesus continued to put the emphasis on repentance throughout his entire earthly ministry “from that time on”, from start to finish.  Repentance first, the kingdom of heaven follows.  Jesus didn't continually preach about repentance to make people constantly feel bad, but because it is necessary to be reconciled to God and this is what His whole purpose for coming to earth was.  If Jesus firstly and consistently focused on repentance, then I see no reason why we wouldn’t want to do the same.  In fact, it probably would have been best to start the Seed blog the way Jesus started his ministry, with the call to “Repent!”, but I wasn’t sure how many people in our modern culture would read any further (which may explain some things).  But following the example of Jesus, we need to take care of first things first.  Not all eating problems involve sin but if there is sin involved, then the healing process from bondage to freedom starts with repentance and includes the powerful help of the Holy Spirit.  Repentance is the door through which we can be saved, and repentance breaks strongholds.  Believers need to be willing to continually repent, if need be, to continually “be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). 

Jesus emphasized to the disciples that they were to preach repentance as well:

“Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’   And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, ’Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.’” 

Luke 24:44-48 (NKJV)

And so Peter did so as he exhorted the disciples who witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost with a rushing mighty wind, tongues of fire, and filling of the Holy Spirit, and they were "cut to the heart" and asked Peter, "what shall we do?" and he answered:

“‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.’”  

Acts 2:38-39 (NIV) 

To the reader who may not have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you might be wondering if you can just ask to receive the Holy Spirit.  The answer is no--we have to confess and repent of sin, and accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sin, before we can receive the Holy Spirit.  Furthermore, repentance itself is a work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life.  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came first, they were cut to the heart with conviction, and then they repented and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus continually called people to repentance, and it is still God who moves us to repentance now via His kindness and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would “convict the world of sin”:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment . .”

John 16:7-8 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit convicts, our responsibility is to obey and repent.  We choose to either obey or not, and if we obey we then receive the Holy Spirit.  Repentance isn't just deciding you won't do something anymore, it's a change of thinking that caused the behavior in the first place.  By reading the Word of God we can "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).  Do you see how this all fits together?  If we read God's Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit can prompt us to conviction which leads us to repentance, receive Forgiveness and filling of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit to change what we could not change by ourselves.  There is power in the Word of God to renew our minds and change us so continue to feed on God's Word.  God's Word spoke all of creation into existence but a culture that increasingly does not believe that is also increasingly ignorant of the power in God's Word. 

Don’t misunderstand—repentance is not a work. We cannot rouse ourselves up to repentance:

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” 

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)

A “godly sorrow” produces repentance, turning from sin and restoring relationship with God.  It is initiated by God, and it is by His Grace:

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 

 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NIV)

The Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears”. 

Having said all that, there are a variety of reasons why people don’t eat well, and not all of it is sin.  You may have allowed a relationship with food to replace a relationship with God not realizing that God desires relationship with you.  On the other hand, you may have made food an idol.  However, don’t confuse enjoying food with idolizing food.  Since God gives us food to enjoy, then it isn’t an idol if we enjoy it.  Perhaps you have simply developed some out-of-balance eating behaviors--that wouldn’t be unusual in a culture that has flipped a healthy diet upside down (and it is the reason I have also shared the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan in the N.E.W. LIFE e-book).  That may or may not be sin if you have become a poor steward of your health.  Or you may be guilty of the sin of gluttony.  Or maybe you don’t think God cares about what you eat as you endeavor to keep your priorities right with Him and, if so, you’d be partly right.  When I began to lead the first Christ-centered support/recovery group for people in bondage to food I was so gung-ho to tell people about the freedom I had received, but God stopped me about 6 months into leading the group and gently revealed that while He does grieve for their diseases and bondages, even if they remain obese or anorexic to the grave that is not His first priority for them (like I was making it sound), but that His first priority is relationship with them.  Duh.  Guess what happens when you get that right?  When people would ask me how I lost all the weight I really didn’t have much more to say to explain it other than the closer I got to God the weight “just melted off”.  That was the big Truth that included all the particulars I could share.  

It would not be helpful, but in fact counterproductive, to think something is sin when it is not.  It is important to follow God’s lead because, especially for dieters there is confusion as to what is “good” or “bad” to eat.  For example, so often dieters think they are “bad” if they didn’t follow the rules of a diet, that they “cheated”.  There is real cheating that the Bible calls sin, but I daresay if your relationship is right with God that eating a piece of chocolate cream pie is sin.  Does enjoying a bowl of ice cream mean you have gone a “crooked path” (Proverbs 10:9) or enjoying a piece of wedding cake mean you have lost your integrity?  If you eat a piece of chocolate does that mean you are a liar, a deceiver, or an adulterer?  These are what the Bible calls cheating.  God forbid, dear reader, that you would misconstrue what I am saying and think you are in sin when you enjoy a bowl of ice cream.  You may be, or you may not be.  It’s important to be available to let the Holy Spirit reveal to you if there is any sin involved in your eating that requires repentance.

So if you are struggling with a bondage to food ask God to reveal if there is any sin.  In my case, the Holy Spirit did indeed convict me of the sin of gluttony.  I was not even consciously aware of it at the time, but as I stood in front of the refrigerator bingeing for the umpteenth time as I had done for 15 years straight, but this time thinking "something is obviously wrong" and wanting to know what it was (I could not then label the pain) suddenly I felt very bad for eating so much food when there were people starving in the world.  I do not remember ever consciously having that thought before that night.  I believe that was the conviction of the Holy Spirit (of my sin) because not only did I suddenly “see” something I had not thought of before, but for the first time I felt conviction, not condemnation.  For all 15 years prior I had only felt self-condemnation for my weight and lack of willpower.  I didn’t understand it then, but I know the difference now—conviction is from the Holy Spirit, condemnation is not:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .” 

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

So while my overeating was driven by underlying pain (which I could not yet then label but God began to reveal), I was also sinning (which the Holy Spirit revealed and convicted me of).  I also know that was the Holy Spirit that night because it was the key turning point from going ever further deeper into addiction and beginning the process of turning and coming up out of it.  The Holy Spirit wrought a change in me as I finally came out of so much denial and not only realized clearly, “Something is obviously wrong”, but also began to ask the question of God, “What is wrong?”  I couldn’t label the pain yet, but God was leading and I was beginning to “understand” at a very elementary level what the Holy Spirit would continue to reveal (truth!) throughout the process that led to freedom.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth . . . He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, NKJV) and “He will teach you all things” (John 14:26, NKJV).  The change had begun, a powerful work of the Holy Spirit.   

Having said all that about repentance, the next blog post is really important because overcoming addiction and bondage to food is most often a process.  Don't believe the lie that God is tired of your repeated "failure" in the process of Healing.  Don't give up--keep confessing and keep repenting.  The truth is continual confession is evidence of true salvation and a faith which pleases God.  God does not tire of the repentant sinner, but the unrepentant one.

For more help in the meantime you can check out the N.E.W. LIFE e-book which includes more support, the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan and additional nutrition information.

Your Christian dietitian and friend in Christ,

Diane                                                                 

Emotional Eating

I have taught thousands of people in the American Heart Association of Colorado's Slim for Life programs and the N.E.W. LIFE (Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness for LIFE) programs which I developed, as well as many other community programs.  There are two large groups of people who participated in the programs.  About 50% of the people do not know what a balanced diet is, no less an optimal one, because there is so much misinformation about nutrition, and because the Standard American Diet is so far from optimal.  Teach them, they have hardly any barriers to change (which totally amazes me), contact them years later and they often have maintained many or all of the changes made.

However, the other 50ish% of each class (and I believe the culture at large) comes with an additional component underlying their food behaviors—a very out-of-balance, or outright addictive, emotional component to eating.  Now don’t misunderstand—an emotional component to eating is right and good. Nutriture and nurture are two God-given roles of food (watch a baby at the breast).  Nurture is not the problem—overnurture is.  And overnurture usually results from undernurture, as with a “good food/bad food” diet mentality and restrictive diets that lead to what I call the deprivation-rebound overeating cycle.  The most perfect eating plan on earth is not going to help that 2nd (very large) group of people, because their “problem” is not first and foremost about food, but rather coping with underlying unresolved issues without the aid of food.  In fact, often it will make them feel worse for having “failed” yet another great diet.  

So the first thing you must do if you are looking to take the journey to better health is determine which group you are in.  Are you an “emotional eater” or not?  It’s time to be honest.  Do you have a relationship with food?  

Using Food as a Coping Mechanism

Whenever I use the term “emotional eater”, what I mean is an overemotional eater. There is an emotional component to eating.  The goal is not to achieve a lifestyle of eating behavior totally devoid of any emotional component to eating.  But if you have no self-control regarding food, feel enslaved by food, or have allowed food to become an idol and take the place of God, then food has taken a place it is not meant to be in.  Overemotional eating is often fueled by underlying unresolved emotional pain. Emotional eaters also turn to food to comfort loneliness, to calm stress, and about as many other reasons as there are emotions.

Individuals who struggle with emotionally-driven eating often use food as a “coping” mechanism.  For emotional eaters the “problem” is not first and foremost about food, but rather coping with other issues without the aid of food.  If you are an emotional eater food can be a coping mechanism to “deal” with feelings that might otherwise make you feel uncomfortable—you may even feel they threaten to overwhelm you if you did not use something (like food) to cope with them.  This is why it is so difficult to break the cycle of emotional eating—it takes feeling, and healing from, difficult feelings that are much “easier” to ignore, bury under food, or deny.  Ironically, if you are an “emotional eater” you probably eat to keep uncomfortable feelings from surfacing.  You may not be able to label the pain, or you may be in denial that there is any pain fueling your eating behavior.  When I was bingeing 5x/night I could not label what the pain was and I was also in denial and unaware that there was anything “wrong” other than my lack of ability to control my food intake.  All I knew was I felt anxious if I did not eat (to stuff the pain)—food was a “calming” device.  But once I started (with God’s help) to lift the coping mechanism, the pain started to surface.  That’s when it was time to walk through the pain with God—not around the pain, ignore the pain, stuff the pain, deny the pain—but walk through the pain, with God, to Healing and freedom on the other side.

However, the pain can be so great that it may not only be helpful but necessary to not go through it alone, but with an understanding spouse, a trusted friend, a professional Biblically-based Christian counselor or an experienced Biblically-based pastoral counselor and, most importantly, with God. When you take each step with Him through the process of Healing He won’t miss any steps (as even the best counselor, without God, likely will).  He knows everything that has happened, and He knows your heart better than you do.  The Word of God says we don’t even know our own hearts:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” 

Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)

God knows everything and He won’t miss any steps if you follow His lead for Healing, so the result is freedom.  Many professionals in the field of eating disorders say that people can get better from eating disorders but they will have to live with the struggle to some degree for the rest of their lives.  But Jesus said,

". . . ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” 

John 8:31-32 (NIV) 

The believer who has received Christ also receives the promised Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us.  The believer who dies with Christ truly experiences that old things pass away as he/she becomes a new creation in Christ.  Sanctification is not merely an outer change, but a thorough change, transformation from the inside-out (not the outside-in like diets which fail).  Increasingly the sanctified believer loves the things of God more than the things of the world, and the bondage to food and body image begins to disintegrate.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

I, for one, can testify to the fact that I am completely free from the 5-tier, 15 year, unrelenting bondage I was in to food, diets, body image, exercise and the scale.  I can sleep in the same house as Haagen-Dazs ice cream through the night (whereas before I had to keep it out of the house, but would often go out and get it in the middle of the night).  Now I forget to eat in situations that have been far more painful than the ones that had me bingeing for 15 years straight.  I remember when I was facilitating a Christ-centered support/recovery group and I shared a painful situation I was going through, one of the women asked me, “Did you eat?” and I was the most amazed person on earth that I actually forgot to eat!  When God Heals He really Heals.  Freedom from food/body image obsession is available to everyone. All agree that the problem involves physical and emotional factors.  However, the spiritual component is just as important as the first two (if not more) and, if left out, the professionals are right--we can get better, but not necessarily free.  True freedom results in being able to grieve the pain of life rather than turning to the “aid” of food to “cope”.  Often that healing requires forgiveness which, without God, is virtually impossible for many people who have experienced so much horrendous offense.

I remember the exact moment 30 years ago that I stood in front of the refrigerator and, for the first time, felt “conviction” rather than the 15 years straight of “condemnation”.  I didn’t realize it then, but now I know that was the Holy Spirit, and that was a powerful work of God.  It was the key turning point from self-condemnation to self-acceptance (instead of 15 years of feeling “you terrible, slovenly, lack of willpower person” I was coming out of denial and recognizing “something is obviously wrong”, though I could not yet tell you what it was). I finally said to myself that something was obviously wrong, but I could not label the pain.  All I knew was that I felt anxious if I did not eat.  The difference was (and this was the turning point from going continually downhill to beginning the process up and out of the eating disorder) self-acceptance (notice I didn’t say “self-esteem”).  I felt conviction instead of the condemnation I had been under up until then.  That was the key turning point—conviction is from the Holy Spirit, condemnation is from the enemy.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .” 

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

The reality is if you suffer from emotional eating driven by unresolved issues, in order to become free of the bondage to emotional eating (and the toll it is taking on your life) it will likely involve healing from pain.  I define freedom as being able to grieve the pain of life without the aid of food to “cope”. Real life involves both pain and joy.  With God’s Grace we can deal with the pain.  I don’t think He meant for food (or drugs, or alcohol, or promiscuous sex) to take that role.  Think about it—wouldn’t that mean we might just as well become an alcohol or drug addict and be excused for the same reason?

For those readers who are not emotional eaters, with some encouragement, nutrition education and perhaps some accountability and support you will probably be able to change behaviors and maintain healthy eating and lifestyle habits for the rest of your life.  For those who are emotional eaters, it is likely you will not be able to achieve permanent weight management and freedom from bondages to food/body image obsessions until underlying issues are resolved and your relationship with God begins to replace your relationship with food.  You can begin today to grow your relationship with God.  Start by reading His Word, daily.  Get to know Him.  Let Him Speak into your life.  And get ready for an amazing journey with God which includes Healing from any underlying pain feeding your out-of-balance relationship with food.  Begin now to live the life you were meant to live.  My hope is that the Seed blog can help people along the way.

For more help in the meantime you can check out the N.E.W. LIFE e-book which includes more Biblical support, the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan and additional nutrition information.

Your Christian dietitian and friend in Christ,

Diane                                                                 

My Story

My own experience with bondage to food started with 22 years of nearly all consuming physical, mental and emotional involvement in elite gymnastics competition, coaching and judging.  Along with the stresses and loneliness of a gymnast training and competing at the elite level, I was raised in a dysfunctional family system.  I wish to say here that the effect of a country gone so far astray from Christian principles is that, at this point, it may be that a majority of families have a significant amount of "dysfunction".  There is no blame intended here.  If anyone is to blame I am because I turned to food instead of God for comfort.

I began to use food in more than its God-given place to fill legitimate unmet needs.  In seeking God I would have found the way to heal, overcome, and live righteously in a fallen world.  Instead, after retiring from the sport of gymnastics at the age of 17, disappointed in myself for not making an Olympic team, I began to use food to quench feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.  The vicious cycle had begun, and as my body weight increased beyond what is healthy I felt increasingly worse about myself so I dieted, and I dieted hard.  Before long I had developed a bondage to food and body image which resulted in a 5-tier, 15-year addictive relationship to food, diets, body image, exercise and the scale.

My pattern was to eat 4-5 times in the middle of the night and then exercise 2-3 hours each day driven out of guilt and fear of fat.  I was "purging" myself of the food I had eaten.  It made me feel somewhat better to make up for, at least in part, the out-of-control eating I was engaged in.  This went on for 15 years straight, no Sundays off!  Regardless of the constant dieting and excessive exercise, I gained over 60 pounds in the first 2 years as I turned increasingly to food to try to quench unlabeled and unresolved emotional pain (and set myself up for what I call the "deprivation-rebound overeating" cycle exacerbated by hypoglycemia and probably a psychological component from depriving myself of food).  Food is a substance which in its rightful God-given place is a wonderful means of nutriture and nurture.  However, disobedience can pervert the abundant blessing which the Lord has given to us and it can be misused in a way that God never intended for it to be.  Anything can be good or bad, and food may be used or abused just as drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.  I realize now that even exercise can be misused too:

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

Later when I obtained a master's degree in nutrition I was given the opportunity to do nutrition research. This gave me an appreciation for the observable biochemical nature of the science of nutrition, that there are causes and effects and, in more practical terms, consequences of our actions.  During this time I also became certified as a Registered Dietitian through the American Dietetic Association (renamed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2012).  Professional work has included teaching nutrition education/behavior modification programs for the American Heart Association of Colorado, radio shows, hospital, business and community seminars and 10-week programs, health club programs and consultations, college instruction, publishing, individual consultations, and finally, development of the N.E.W. LIFE program.  I have been free from the bondages of food abuse, diets and preoccupation with body image for over 30 years.  I define freedom as the ability to grieve the real pain of life without the aid of food.  I am the most amazed person on earth that I actually forget to eat even in response to deep pain whereas previously it had unyielding power over my life.  Anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating are the extreme manifestations of a growing epidemic of eating disorders, and there are an immeasurable number of people struggling with bondages to food, body image and emotional eating in-between those extremes.  My heart goes out to the women, men and children who struggle with food addictions, emotional eating, and eating disorders, as well as to a Church burdened with disease due to out-of-balance eating behaviors.

I want to share what God has done for me, and what He can do for you.  My intention is to share my experience and Scripture to bring light into this area of nutrition, health and the food/dieting struggle many believers are engaged in.  It is not the intent of this author to “preach”.  As you can see I come with my own history of eating/exercise disorder, the result of a self-esteem futilely tied to body image and performance.  I prayerfully write this blog in truth and love, praying that God will fill in the gaps necessary for each and every one of us.  May God bless you in your obedience to His ways.

For more help in the meantime you can check out the N.E.W. LIFE e-book which includes more support, the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan and additional nutrition information.

Your Christian dietitian and friend in Christ,

Diane                                                                 

Relationship with God and the Abundant Life

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10 (NKJV)

Food is a BLESSING from the Lord, but for a variety of reasons it is being misused and abused resulting in a national epidemic of “lifestyle” diseases.  Furthermore, a hurting world is reaching out to find ways to fill emotional hunger and anesthetize pain.  Many of us allow food to take an inappropriate role when we use it as a substitute for our relationship with other people and/or God.  The lack of God in peoples’ lives has left a void which cannot be filled no matter how much sex, alcohol, drugs or food is used.  Millions have developed an emotional or addictive relationship with food.  

The Church may be at particular risk for the consequences of food abuse because Christians believe that promiscuous sex, alcohol and drug abuse are sinful and grievous offenses.  However, legitimate needs go unmet and people often turn to the “legitimate” comfort of food.  Meanwhile, a national obsession with food, body image, diets, and an epidemic of eating disorders are robbing our nation--and the Church--of its physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

There is also a lot of misinformation in nutrition and weight-loss, often from self-proclaimed “experts”. People need clarity in an area that has become confused with opinions, half-truths, and contradictions.  God's way is Perfect and it is only by receiving and being obedient to His truth that we can attain complete Healing and live His best plan for our lives.  My prayer is that while I share from my professional and personal experience the Holy Spirit will speak to the issues with which the reader may be dealing.  If even one reader receives the truth, and by the truth is set free, then this blog has served its purpose:

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’" 

John 8:31-32 (NIV)

And yes, yes, yes, the N.E.W. LIFE program, the N.E.W. LIFE e-book, and what I share in the Seed blog is very effective for weight-loss.  But God’s plan goes FAR beyond just losing weight. In fact, the reason why N.E.W. LIFE is so effective for weight-loss is precisely because we take the focus off of weight and put it on behavior and relationship with God instead.  N.E.W. LIFE stands for Nutrition, Exercise Wellness for LIFE—notice there’s no “diet” in the name.  My prayer is that the words I share and the work of the Holy Spirit will help every reader to break any “diet mentality” that may be present. A diet mentality is in direct opposition to God’s Word, so it is no wonder that it leads to even more bondage and results in physical, emotional and spiritual havoc in so many lives.  Diets are based on “man’s law” instead of God’s law, and even God’s holy law can only show us where we fall short.  The law shows us what is required but has no power to help us do it.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit, a gift of a deposit in those who have received Jesus Christ, to make happen what the law says should happen but doesn’t have the power to make happen.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can become free from bondage, walk in optimal health, and live an abundant life.  As pastor Tony Evans has so eloquently said, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to bring the promises of God into your life.  And from the apostle Paul:

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. . . But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” 

Galatians 5:16-18, 22-25 (NKJV)

Are you beginning to see how your relationship with God, and walking in the Spirit, is where you will find the power to overcome the desires and fleshly behaviors which you may be in bondage to?

I speak from experience (check out "My Story").  I am completely free from the 5-tier, 15 year, unrelenting bondage I was in to food, diets, body image, exercise and the scale.  I can sleep in the same house as Haagen-Dazs ice cream through the night (whereas before I had to keep it out of the house but would often go out and get it in the middle of the night).  Now I forget to eat in situations that have been far more painful than the ones that had me bingeing for 15 years straight.  When I was facilitating a Christ-centered support/recovery group and I shared a painful situation I was going through one of the women asked me, “Did you eat?” and I was the most amazed person on earth that I actually forgot to eat!  When God Heals He really Heals.  

Freedom from food/body image obsession is available to everyone.  All agree that the problem involves physical and emotional factors.  However, the spiritual component is just as important as the first two (if not more) and, if left out, the professionals are right--we can get better, but not necessarily free.  True freedom results in being able to grieve the pain of life rather than turning to the “aid” of food to “cope”.  Often that healing requires forgiveness which, without God, is virtually impossible for many people who have experienced so much horrendous offense.

There are two reasons (at least) why it is important that you determine to walk with God through the process of healing from pain and any bondage to emotional eating that may have developed.  First of all, if you have replaced a relationship with God with a relationship with food, it’s time to repent and get that right.  Furthermore, when He leads the process He doesn’t miss a step, so the result is freedom (rather than a lifetime of constant setbacks) because He really Heals.  And it starts with the first turning-point step with Him.  I remember the exact moment 30 years ago that I stood in front of the refrigerator and, for the first time, felt “conviction” rather than the 15 years straight of “condemnation”.  I didn’t realize it then, but now I know that was the Holy Spirit, and that was a powerful work of God.  It was the key turning point from self-condemnation to self-acceptance (instead of 15 years of feeling “you terrible, slovenly, lack of willpower person” I was coming out of denial and recognizing “something is obviously wrong”, though I could not yet tell you what it was).  I finally said to myself that something was obviously wrong, but I could not label the pain.  All I knew was that I felt anxious if I did not eat.  The difference was (and this was the turning point from going continually downhill to beginning the process up and out of the eating disorder) self-acceptance (notice I didn’t say “self-esteem”).  I felt conviction instead of the condemnation I had been under up until then.  That was the key turning point—conviction is from the Holy Spirit, condemnation is from the enemy.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .”

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

The reality is if you suffer from emotional eating driven by unresolved issues, in order to become free of the bondage to emotional eating (and the toll it is taking on your life) it will likely involve healing from pain.  I define freedom as being able to grieve the pain of life without the aid of food to “cope”. Real life involves both pain and joy.  With God’s Grace we can deal with the pain.  I don’t think He meant for food (or drugs, or alcohol, or promiscuous sex) to take that role.  Think about it—wouldn’t that mean we might just as well become an alcohol or drug addict and be excused for the same reason?

For those readers who are not emotional eaters, with some encouragement, nutrition education and perhaps some accountability and support you will probably be able to change behaviors and maintain healthy eating and lifestyle habits for the rest of your life.  For those who are emotional eaters, it is likely you will not be able to achieve permanent weight management and freedom from bondages to food/body image obsessions until underlying issues are resolved and your relationship with God begins to replace your relationship with food.  

I hope that everyone will find encouragement and help in the Seed posts.  May God bless you with good health and the abundant life that Jesus came to give you.

For more encouragement to grow in your relationship with God and your journey of good health check out the N.E.W. LIFE e-book which includes the N.E.W. LIFE Eating Plan and additional nutrition information.  

God bless your journey with Him!

Your Christian dietitian and friend in Christ,

Diane