"Another great email message from Christine Caine today. This picture was below, as well as this verse ~ "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)" I have been thinking about this a lot.
Church, aren't we called to be set apart? If we eat and drink for the glory of God, doesn't WHAT we eat and drink matter? Doesn't what we put in our bodies matter? I think it does. Our bodies are to be temples....so, how are you treating your temple? See, what gets me is that we are not TAUGHT how to eat right, or to eat well, or to read labels, or how much water to drink, or what type of exercises to do. We continue in this vicious cycle, which isn't healthy and quite honestly is killing us. Isn't it time to rise up, and be good stewards of what we have been given? You only have one body to live in, so why not treat it with love and respect?" That concludes the post. I would now like to expound upon it.
This weekend, we had the opportunity to attend a conference for people in ministry. It's always interesting to me to see what type of food and drink they serve at events, especially the faith based ones. See, it seems to me as though this is an area where the devil has gotten us as believers ~ the area of being disciplined with what we eat and drink; the area of taking care of our temples; the area of self control; the area of gluttony, particularly around food. "It's not drugs!," some may say. Or, "it's not alcohol," say others. Or "it's legal." Exactly. That is why it is a trap, because it is legal. There is nothing wrong, immoral, illegal, or even sinful about eating, is there? Nope, sure isn't. We need to eat to survive, yes? However, it is a HEART ISSUE.
See, when we are eating out of brokenness, or stress, or seeking "comfort food," that is a sin. Why? Because it is idolatry. We are turning away from God and turning to something else. Yet, the church continues to do it, day in and day out. Sometimes it is even promoted within the church at various events. All you-can-eat type events, potlucks, that sort of thing. Again, I am not saying that these things are wrong or sinful, please don't hear me saying that. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater, but when we are encouraging or helping people to stumble, rather than helping them, we are part of the problem. For example, a lot of events in the community revolve around food, yes? Pancake breakfasts, fish frys, cookouts, festivals, fairs, etc. You can always count on food that isn't good for us at those events. It would be like taking an alcoholic to a bar, walking them around and expecting them to not be tempted. It's not going to happen, is it? So it is with us. The exception is our addiction is legal. It is accepted. It is encouraged. It is promoted.
So, back to the event this weekend. The food. All in all, was not too bad. There were cookies {more than once offered during the day}, soda/pop, whatever you call it, some protein and lots of carbs at lunch. There were no fruits and not too much veggie-wise. The problem, I see, is that it really isn't about the food, but how we are using the food and what the food is for.
See, I have learned on my journey that food is fuel. Food is energy. Food gives you what you need to be well fueled, prepared and ready to handle your day. Food is not meant to be an idol, a comfort, a soother, a helper. That is what Jesus is. So when we turn to food instead of Jesus for that, that's a problem. From my personal experience, I had to have some inner healing take place before I was ready to tackle the food area of my life. Food was my comfort, my refuge, my solace, my comforter....anyone relate? I was using food where I should have been turning to God. So the problem, as I see it, is we are hurt and wounded and turning to the wrong source for healing. Instead of turning to the One who can heal us, bind up our wounds and hurts, we are turning to something that is killing us.....both spiritually and physically.
The other problem I see is we can't give someone something we don't have. Yes? So, if we are ministering out of this unhealed part of us, turning to food to "help" us, aren't we teaching those we minister to to do the same? Instead of helping them be free and well, we are crippling them as well because of our own issues. Is that why the church is so wounded? I don't know. I'm just speculating. From doing a quick Google search, the following caught my eye, published earlier this year
~"More than a third of American clergy are obese, according to a new study from Baylor University." Google it and see what you find.
From my own past with food and current experiences, there is a problem in the church. It's an area we either go after, repent from and transform our minds, or the devil continues to win in this area of the Bride.
What say you, church? Are you ready to rise up and take care of your temple the way we were intended to? I'm here and ready to help when you are. We already know who wins the battle, so why let the enemy keep picking on you?
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