Last time we met here I left you in a pretty hopeless place. I hoped you would come back to learn the rest of the story; I am glad you did! If you didn't read the previous post, I would suggest you do before you continue here.
If you are a person who realizes you have been living in pride and rebellion you may be wondering what you are supposed to do now. You understand that overeating and binge-eating are sinful. You also understand that these are primarily heart issues, or issues of misplaced worship. You have come to worship your desires rather than worshiping God. You also understand that as a Christian you have to repent.
It is not enough to change the behavior of sinful eating patterns. You have tried that and while you had success for a while it just didn't stick! There has to be change at the heart level and that is something you cannot accomplish on your own. Thankfully, because of the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross you do not have to try. When you became a Believer you were empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. He is your strength and He has enabled you to experience change at the heart level that will aid you in the process of repentance.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 (NASB)
You are dead to sin. Jesus broke the power of sin in your life, what are you doing with that freedom? Are you making excuses for why you continue to overeat or binge? If so, then your belief system needs an overhaul because your mind is not living in your present reality of freedom.
You have continued to live as though you were a slave to your sinful desires, a helpless victim of fate and nothing is further from the truth! You must decide to live the new life you have been given in Christ.
The new life is centered around worship of God over self. Your new life in Christ makes it possible for you to say no to using food to comfort and console yourself. You have been enabled to worship God and Him alone. If you struggle with this let me ask you; are you spending enough time putting God's Word into your heart? Are you meditating on the Truth? Are you acting on that truth? Are you refusing to worship your own desires when they conflict with what you understand to be God's desires for you?
Are you staying away from situations that you know will be too tempting for you to bear up under? I frequently talk with people who have Diabetes and I am amazed at how many tell me the reason for their high blood sugar is they just couldn't stay out of the candy aisle or the all you can eat dessert buffet! That is a path that leads to death and failure. Put this away from you!
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Eph. 4:22-24
To live in the victory that you have been given you must take seriously the words of Ephesians 4: 22-24, lay it aside. Lay aside your sinful food desires. Your desires for food will not lessen with time because your sinful heart is never satisfied and it will continue to deceive you into thinking all is well with you because you are "not as bad as some people."
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. As has previously been said, repent of your rebellion and pride and begin to look at your eating habits the way God does- gluttonous and sinful. Remind yourself of the truth of your freedom in Christ (Romans 6) and that you are not obligated to indulge the sinful heart anymore (1 Cor. 2:16).
Put on the new self. Live what you are training yourself to think and believe. Live out the Scriptures with respect to how you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat. Become honest with yourself and others about the sinful rebellion you have been living with. Not just that you overeat or binge eat, but the sin that motivates you to do so. Sin hates exposure so don't expect this to be easy! Be willing to be vulnerable and transparent with others and share your struggles with them. You have no idea what encouragement can be found from listening to someone who desires to honor God tell of their struggle to do so!
Believe that you are already victorious! No, this is not some happy, feel-good tagline. If you look at it that way then I encourage you to revisit the Gospel! You are victorious because of the Gospel, because you are in Christ.
Go forward in grace and in truth!