Let’s define the real enemy when it comes to food and food related issues.

“You gotta know who to blame, and who to glorify!”

A pastoral friend shared that nugget with me and it came to mind today. Although I studied nutrition in college and worked alongside some stellar physicians and integrative practitioners, each of whom fed my knowledge in unique ways – I am and will ever FIRST be a follower of  Christ who seeks to honor Him in my health decisions.

The Bible is my filter for science and nutrition. That’s why therapeutic diets such as the Blood Type Diet, Atkins, Wheat Belly, Vegan and Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free and so forth don’t fully settle with me as a longterm solution.

The issue?

These diets accuse foods Jesus made and called good! Conceptualized by well intentioned individuals who I believe truly want to help others, these manners of eating claim certain foods Jesus calls beneficial are actually bad for us. Furthermore, some diet plans like the BLOOD TYPE DIET AND PALEO ARE BASED ON EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES, as if I haven’t ‘evolved’ enough to eat chicken or a green bean. THAT’S CRAZY! In my view, because these diets contain some unbiblical ideas they need to be considered with discernment. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I avoid certain foods for a season of healing. You, too?  Oh good, we are in this learning journey together!

Evolution-based diets directly oppose Scripture

God says I am created in His image and wonderfully made! Why would God create His children lacking the freedom and ability to consume the very foods He provided them to eat? 

He didn’t.

It makes me sad how nutritional lies have duped Christians into resigning themselves to occlusions of Truth, to anything less than God’s best for them.

“I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14 NKJV

A bit of transparency

Truthfully, though, I can relate to groping for an answer…any answer. I, too, plowed through challenging valleys where I clamored for anything that promised to help me feel better.

In some form or fashion, haven’t we all?

The enemy is unfair and sneaky in his schemes to deceive and convince people that food can cure their ills. He paints an attractive picture to lead us astray from Truth. According to John 10:10, the enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy us by any means possible.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” John 10:10a MEV

Undoubtedly, the enemy will use food and food issues to accomplish our demise! 

A prime example of the enemy’s deception is exemplified in my own journey to health. Through certain seasons of life, I succumbed to experimentation with various extreme ways of eating. This food experimentation stemmed from fear and fear’s fruit, which is a desire to control (for me, my seemingly out of control health). My medical history is – to say the least – colorful. For brief periods, abstaining from certain foods helped ameliorate physical discomfort but it was in few ways helpful for promoting longterm wellness. Other times, I restricted my style of eating as a means to cope with the intense pain of grief. Whether to soothe physical or emotional pain, it was fearful desperation which drove bouts of avoiding nutrient dense foods that God provided to help restore strength to my physical body.

“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

My Light Bulb Moment

While John 10:10 teaches of the enemy’s harmful intentions, it profoundly shines with a powerful Truth. Jesus came for us to have an abundant life, full of vitality and purpose!

“I (Jesus) have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly!” John 10:10b MEV

That John 10:10 “aha moment” deeply enabled me to discover a Biblical, balanced way of eating. Most importantly, I began to walkout of a fear of food. Throwing down that heavy burden was liberating!

• God alone is the Healer.
• God alone is the Keeper of my wellbeing.
• God alone is the Sustainer of my life.

Learning to love the person God created me to be was integral in my journey to health, as well, and I’ll share more of that story in another post.

For now, know this:

Food is not the enemy! The enemy is the enemy! 

Truth I’ve Come to Know

If my Creator, Jesus Christ, likened Himself to a food group  – bread – then there must be something to glean from the comparison as well as the food, itself. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ will satisfy the deep longing in the human heart and thereby, heal the human body. Only God’s food, God’s way can support health.

Food is important. And yet, Jesus ALONE is the Way, Truth and the Life. Seek the Truth in all matters of food. Instead of popular opinions or fear, base all your choices upon the Word of God – the Bible – which is daily bread. After all,

“His words are life to those who find them and health to all their body.” Proverbs 4:22 MEV

In Christ Alone,
Jessica