Binge eating is one of the most common defense mechanisms people have in order to cope with difficult emotions. It, however, is wrong. It's not just unhealthy – it also makes us avoid dealing with the real issues of our hearts, causing us to delay much-needed repentance and healing, and adding unwanted stress to our bodies and wallets.
Are you a chronic binge-eater? Do you often run to the refrigerator, pantry, or food cabinet whenever you're down, depressed, in trouble, or lonely? Then you've got to be free from this dangerous habit.
Here are a few ways you can stop binge eating the Biblical way.
1) Talk straight to God and give Him your concerns
Instead of talking to that huge pack of potato chips and hoping it will understand you, choose to go into your room, fall on your knees, and cry out to God for help. Psalm 55:22 encourages us,
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."
God knows how to help you the best way possible. He is omniscient, knowing what to do with every concern in all of creation.
2) Take your thoughts captive
Many of us, when we're down and depressed, find the idea of eating comfort food very appealing and so without blinking we proceed to the kitchen and whip up something nice. While that is really appealing, we need to recognize binge-eating for what it is: an attempt to comfort ourselves apart from God.
What we should do, then, is resist the urge to eat more than what's healthy and the urge to shelter in food instead of dealing properly with our emotions. We need to catch our thoughts of loneliness (or whatever that causes us to long for comfort) and offer them to Christ.
Binge eating starts with the mind. We think of food, then we go get some food. In a sense, this is warfare. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we should be "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." This includes thoughts of gorging on food.
Instead of focusing on food, focus on solving your problems and think about the pro-active steps you can take to become a positive person. The devil wants you in bondage to food, but God wants you free so focus on the activities that will bring you closer to God and enable you to be more filled by Him than temporary carnal pleasure. Binging often goes hand in hand with low self-esteem so take positive steps to build your self-esteem and you will likely find your impulses easier to control.
3) Repent of abusing yourself
Did you know that when you binge eat, you are actually harming yourself? Doubling down on that huge chocolate sundae after you've just finished off a pack of cookies or snacking on a family-sized cheese pizza might make you feel happy alright, but you are actually overloading your body with too much sugar, fat, and other unhealthy things.
Ok, maybe you don't care since it's your body. Wrong. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us,
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
God doesn't want you burdened with guilt either and that is so often what comes from binge-eating.
God's own Holy Spirit lives in our bodies, and therefore we should take care of it. Instead of eating a lot of food to help cope with our feelings, we should commune with the Holy Spirit, who is more than able and willing to help us.
To help you, you could even share your problem with a friend or family member and ask them to partner with you in controlling your urges and doing things together that are more physically and emotionally beneficial, like cooking healthy meals or taking a class together.
