While we do have a personal responsibility to care for our bodies, it is also important to recognize the role that Satan plays. I want us to be prepared and understand the hurdles he may throw as he tries to steal, kill, and destroy our health and redirect us away from God and His purpose for us. It is important not to be fearful but to remember that God is always there to protect you and to help you recognize and overcome whatever Satan throws your way.
Satan is keenly aware of our vulnerabilities. He takes advantage of our desire for immediate gratification and tempts us to make impulsive decisions. He lures us to pursue temporary pleasures over discipline. When it comes to eating, his “weapons” can catch us off guard and lead us to binge, overindulge, and make poor choices. He wants us to be a slave to food.
As I mentioned, emotions are often a catalyst for overeating, turning food into a coping strategy for stress, boredom, sadness, or even joy. Satan, the master deceiver, capitalizes on these feelings and whispers lies, telling us food will fill our emotional voids and provide us comfort. He distorts God’s purpose for food, disguising it as a means of emotional escape. He takes advantage of the opportunity to distract us from God – our true sustenance.
Satan is manipulative and has also mastered the cunning art of justification. When faced with unhealthy eating options and overindulgence, we often give in to his subtle whispers of rationalization, allowing him to downplay the seriousness of gluttony. Satan also knows we can beat ourselves up after binging and wants us to feel defeated and ashamed, which can ultimately cause us to hide from God.
Another tactic Satan loves is our skewed societal norms that shape our ideas of acceptable eating habits. We’re bombarded through advertisements and media with manipulative messages that embrace and even glorify indulgence and excess.
Society’s standards of beauty and physical appearance introduce another layer to the battle. Satan plays on our insecurities as we fall victim to the “comparison game”. We see people with perfect bodies and think, “I’ll never look like that,” so we throw in the towel and turn to food for comfort.
I want you to understand all of this not to scare you but because once you are aware of the enemy’s plot of destruction for your life, it will help you stay alert and realize your need for God’s help and protection. Please be encouraged! If we turn to God, he will provide the strength and guidance we need to overcome Satan’s little schemes. Lean into Him and tap into all He has to offer as you pray and read your Bible.
JOHN 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
JOHN 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Romans 7:18
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Galatians 5:16-18
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
