If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. (Proverbs 25:16 ESV)
I am going to pick back up from a blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago entitled “A Word From the Lord” sharing what I felt God was saying to me about what He saw regarding the health of America. One of the things He said He saw was “gluttony.”
But before we dive in, let’s take a look at what the definition of gluttony is so that we will be communicating on the same wavelength.
Gluttony: 1. excess in eating or drinking: 2. greedy or excessive indulgence.
Proverbs 23:21 says “For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”
The first definition of gluttony is probably what most of us think of when we hear the word glutton – excessive eating. But let’s break this definition down a little more by taking a look at what the Bible says about the second definiton, greed. Luke 12:15 says “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Some of the scriptures refer specifically to money and poverty.
Breaking things down just a little more (bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this!), let’s look at the definition of poverty which Proverbs says gluttony can lead to: 1 a. the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Also, 3 a. debility due to malnutrition; b: lack of fertility.
I find it interesting that what starts off as an over-indulgence (gluttony/greed), can actually lead to a lack of (poverty)– money, material possessions, nutrition. And of course last week we talked about “Wellness is Freedom” but in order to have freedom with our health we need to be careful not to find ourselves becoming a servant or slave (poverty) to the lender – whether it be a financial lender or other powers that be that earn major dollars at the expense of our health – big Pharma, corporate hospitals and insurance companies; as well as the corporate food manufacturers. To summarize these words and definitions: Gluttony=Greed=Poverty and we could add = malnutrition.
Now that we have established the definitions of what we are talking about and what God and the Bible say about gluttony, let’s take a look at how gluttony impacts our wholistic health.
Gluttony and our Physical Health
Most likely, when people hear the word “gluttony” they think of over-eating. So why is this bad for us – on all fronts? This one is hopefully the most obvious. First, it’s almost certain that when someone is over-eating it’s not too many fruits or vegetables that they are over-indulging in, now is it? What causes one to over-eat? There certainly can be an emotional component, and we will touch on that in a minute, but there can very well be a physiological component to it as well – meaning something is out of kilter in the body that causes one to over-eat.
Did you know that there is a switch mechanism in the brain – a hormone or brain chemical, called a neurotransmitter – that tells the body when it has received the correct nutrients it needs for the moment? In fact, there are two – leptin and ghrelin. Ghrelin is actually produced in the stomach, and it signals the brain telling it the body is low on fuel. Leptin basically does the opposite; it tells your brain when your body is full. But these hormones only function correctly in response to real food, the right nutrients the body needs. They don’t respond correctly when we are giving the body food-like substances (i.e. packaged & processed foods, sugars, fast food, fried food etc.) that are lacking in nutrients. Remember, it’s not about the calories! It’s about the nutrients. When a person is over-indulging in food-like substances that are manmade in a laboratory somewhere, in lieu of nutrient dense real foods that God made for us, it opens the doors for gluttony. We keep eating and eating the food-like substances waiting for the body to tell us we are full. But the body and brain are waiting for the right nutrients, not calories, in order to respond. The vicious cycle continues.
Solution? Avoid food-like, manmade substances and eat the foods God made for us. I believe that’s what God was showing me in the “Word from the Lord” that I shared with you a couple of weeks ago when I felt I heard Him saying: “I see a lack of trust in Me to take care of them—not after the fact but instead of. For example, they will eat foods made by man because they are fast, easy, and cheap, rather than eating foods I made for them like fruits, vegetables, grains, and yes, even meats and eggs.”
Gluttony and our Mental Health
Gluttony doesn’t just pertain to over-eating, it can apply to over-indulgence of anything, including material possessions. The second definition of gluttony was: 2. greedy or excessive indulgence. And again, here is what the Bible says about greed. Luke 12:15 says “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
By mental health I mean things like time management, budget, career, goal-setting and our purpose in life. We could become gluttonous when we are out of balance with our work/home life – working far too many hours simply to acquire more and more luxuries in life, the material possessions. Working to “keep up with the Jones.” God says “that’s not life” – that’s gluttony.
And ironically, the opposite can ultimately, and quite often does occur – poverty. Let’s look again at Proverbs 23:21: “For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” Gluttony=Greed=Poverty. Again, here is what I heard Him say and what He showed me that morning: “They do not slow down long enough to minister to their Temples, they don’t slow down to spend time with Me. They are depending on so many other things rather than Me. Food is their god. Poor time management is a real problem. I also see slothfulness, laziness. All of these things hurt My heart and are not My plans for them. They are so engrained in the so-called comforts of the world that they no longer enjoy the pleasures I made for them. I made my beauty all around them, all things of the earth and sky, land and water, good food from these places and so much more. Simpleness has been lost—everything is go, go, go.”
Solution? Balance is key – spend your time and your money only on the things that God is asking you to do.
Gluttony and our Emotional Health
There certainly can be an emotional component to one indulging in gluttony – especially food, but even an over consumption or acquiring of anything – material possessions, over-exercising, social activities, even an obsession with a fear of eating too much i.e. bulimia. (A bulimic person still over-eats and then throws it up so as not to gain weight). People will say “I’m an emotional eater”, they eat when they are sad, upset, mad, even happy. This truly is a way that some people avoid dealing with their emotional challenges, especially deep-seated ones. I have known many women who have been abused, especially sexually, that will sub-consciously keep themselves at an unhealthy weight in order to not draw attention to their physical bodies – including under-weight. This is just one example of how gluttony comes into play in our emotional health. For some there are marital problems and to avoid going home they hide behind their work, by working excessively. Others may feel their identity is in their work or social status and to maintain this they over-indulge in activities to achieve or maintain that status. All of these are examples of gluttony, and they are not pleasing to God, nor is it what He is calling us to do.
In the vision that morning He said: “I see abuse of these bodies. This abuse is caused both by the person themselves as well as inflicted by others—this too causes a lack of caring for their Temples.”
Solution? Take a self-assessment and be honest with yourself. Are you indulging in excessive behavior? And if so ask yourself “why?” What is the emotional root of your behavior. Address it and overcome it. You may need to seek out professional help in order to overcome these challenges. I would highly recommend a professional who does Christian Counseling (not just a counselor who is a Christian – there can be a difference).
Gluttony and our Spiritual Health
We, as Christians especially, have a tendency to focus on the outward sins – especially the sins of others. Our own sinful nature doesn’t naturally reveal our own faults, we need to be intentional about searching our own hearts. We see the more obvious sins – what I like to call the “10 Commandment Sins” – killing, lying, stealing, cheating. But God is asking more from us than to avoid just these – gluttony is also displeasing to God. We like to cast the stones of sins we don’t commit – drunkenness, sexual immorality, foul language. But gluttony? Oh not me!
Here is what He said to me: “I see irresponsibility in not taking care of the body, My Temple I gave and created for each child of Mine.”
Solution? Psalm 139:23-24 says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (NLT). I encourage you to search your heart. Are you indulging in gluttonous behavior? Ask Him to show you, repent of it, and then ask Him to help you overcome it. He will.
In Summary
When I asked the Lord that morning what He saw regarding the health of not only our Country, but His Church as well, gluttony was one of the things He showed me. Did I hear Him right? Did I see what He was, and still is seeing? You decide. Bottom line is this: Gluttony is displeasing to God. In fact, it hurts His heart. If there is no other reason to reign in the gluttony – whether it be food, material possessions or anything else, it’s to not break Papa God’s heart – the Creator of all things, including you and me.
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