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The Sanctifying of Food
One of the most important aspects of eating, and something that will help you to keep a right attitude in your eating, is found in 1 Timothy 4:3-5: "Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

These verses tell us that we do not have to be vegetarians. Every creature is good for food. Remember, though, that we are not to be riotous eaters of flesh. Did you know that what you pray over, giving thanks, is set apart by the Lord for your well-being? I believe that if nutrition is lacking in what you have to eat, God can make it up to you if you will give thanks for it and pray over it.

However, that doesn't mean you can neglect good meal planning. But sometimes you may be in a position where you can't eat correctly. I fly quite often, and I know that the food on planes isn't always the most nutritious. If you believe everything you hear or read about food, you will become frustrated: "Bacon causes cancer," "Coffee causes cancer," etc. If you followed it all, you wouldn't know what to eat! Ask God to bless and sanctify your food, and He will take away sickness from you. You can't always be extremely selective about what you eat, but you can pray the right thing over your food before you eat it.

The Choosing of Food
The Bible gives us an idea of what we should eat. Paul had a habit of eating bread with believers. They did it for fellowship. Something goes on in eating with others that brings a unity. Paul ate with a great expectation: he expected to be healthy from his eating. He expected something out of the bread that many others didn't understand. A good example of this is seen in Acts 27. Paul warned the owners of a ship not to sail because of impending danger. They refused to listen to him and sailed anyway. A tremendous storm arose, and it looked like they were all going to die.

Paul fasted and prayed and urged the others to do the same. Surprisingly, the unsaved members of the crew of that ship fasted with Paul. After 14 days Paul received a visit from an angel telling him that no one would die. Paul said, "I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health" (Acts 27:34). God is practical! He knew that those men needed some meat for their health. "And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat" (v. 35). Then notice Verse 36: "Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat."

We must eat the right kind of food! If you are tempted to eat a blueberry pie or a piece of cake, think of partaking of resurrection power - the power you need to overcome all those bad eating habits. The more resurrection power you feed to your mind and body, the easier it will become to say, "No!" to bad eating habits.

The Kingdom of Food
By way of review, the following points have been covered to help you maintain a proper diet and stay in shape physically, so that your body will look the way God intends for it to. We have looked at all the troubles food can bring to people and have seen how to deal with food lusts, how to eat different kinds of food, how to "set apart" our food and have it produce strength and good health in our bodies. Last of all, we have learned to choose the most important food of all - the "raised bread" that brings resurrection power into our eating habits.

The last point is without doubt the most important one. Paul said in Romans 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink: but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." We are not to major on the "kingdom of food," but we are to major on the Kingdom of God. Do not dwell on your eating habits, whether you are too fat or too skinny. Take your eyes off the problem and put your eyes on the Kingdom of God. Pray in the Spirit and begin to devour the "raised bread" that will supply all the power you need to overcome bad eating habits.

Here are some practical steps to change your eating habits and see your body improve:

1. Keep your mind active - think on right things (Prov. 19:15; 27:7).
2. Don't eat to stuff yourself, but to satisfy yourself (Prov. 13:25).
3. Watch your intake of sweets and meats (Prov. 23:3,20).
4. When you eat, do it to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31).
5. Take your bad eating habits to the cross and reckon them dead (Prov. 23:2).
6. Pray in the Spirit for 10 minutes before you sit down to eat (Rom. 8:26, 27).
7. Speak right words about your food before you eat (Prov. 18:20).
8. Don't eat when you are depressed (Prov. 15:15).
9. Pray God's Word over your food (1 Tim. 4:4,5; Deut. 7:13-15).

Source: Winning Over Weight by Marilyn Hickey
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Marilyn Hickey
Web site: Marilyn and Sarah
 
Encouraging, optimistic, always upbeat, and energetic at the young age of 90, Marilyn Hickey actively ministers internationally, most recently in Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, India, China, and Pakistan, as well as domestically in the United States through Bible Encounters and speaking engagements. Marilyn has had audiences with government leaders and heads of state all over the world. She is the first woman to join the Board of Directors of the largest church in the world, Dr. David Yonggi's Church Growth International in South Korea. She has traveled to 146 countries and plans to visit many more in the years to come. She and her late husband Wallace were married for over 50 years, and have two children and four grandchildren.
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