3 Underlying Schemes From Satan That Appear As Food Temptations
3 Underlying Schemes From Satan That Appear As Food Temptations
The story of Eve being tempted by the serpent in the garden of Eden is very popular. It’s a story of the first women God created encountering satan in the form of a serpent and being tempted with food. This Bible story is normally told with the purpose of describing how sin actually entered the world, but there is an underlying message that gets over looked by most. You can read this story in Genesis chapter 3.
Food was the 1st temptation and is still one of the biggest temptations for women today!
Now the serpent was more crafty then any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The women said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ “
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the women. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the women saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. (Genesis 3:1-6)
Isn’t that how our minds work as women? We try to rationalize decisions that we honestly already know the answer to. Does the Bible reaaallly say that or did God reaaallly say that to me?!?! We over analyze it until we get to a conclusion that meets the answer we are wanting and makes us feel as less guilty as possible.
According to Mark 7:19, Jesus declared all food clean. So, that should give us the green light to eat what we want when we want right?!?! If it was a “green light” then why is food such a struggle or temptation for women still today??! Because of the underlying schemes from satan that appear as food temptations.
The problem is a deeper issue that certain foods cause.
Eating the apple for Eve caused her to fall off track with her walk with God. Once she had given into the temptation she immediately was aware of her own body and the fact that she was naked. Her first reaction was to hide from God. Her focus was pulled from God and onto herself loosing the confidence that God gives us when we stay close to him.
Negative body image is a scheme satan has been using since the beginning to distract women from God.
When we don’t feel confident in our bodies it can cause us to hide and seclude ourselves.
It effects our relationships.
Women were called to relationship and build each other up, so satan knows that if he can keep us focused on “not fitting into any clothes in our closet” or “comparing our body size/shapes to the other women”, then we will eventually talk ourselves into not going to the dinner with friends, bible study, or even park playdates. Not going causes us to miss out on being spiritually uplifted and fed by other women, keeping our minds focused on the negative.
Marriage is hard enough with out battling negative body images issues. When we don’t feel good in our skin it can cause us to pull away and be distant from our spouse. Feeling body shame normally isn’t communicated, but instead it becomes a silent tension put between the couple that chips away at their happiness.
Feeling negative with ourselves can reflect on how we parent also. Patience is a quality that comes from God when we choose to see the joy in all circumstance. If we are internally struggling with our body image and self confidence then that negativity will reflect in how we react to our children’s behavior. This is when “Monster Mom” enters with yelling, short tempered fuse, and zero patience for situations that really might not have been that serious to begin with. The root of the negative reaction is we are just struggling with ourselves and our kids fighting or not listening is the fuel needed for a explosion.
If satan has successfully tricked us to seclude ourselves or constantly feeling like we are on the edge of an explosion, then it will also cause us to hide from God just as Eve did. Keeping us from God is always the root of his plans.
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, about your body, or what you will wear.” Luke 12:22
Jesus spoke these words because he knew that negative body image causes our focus to leave Him and be on ourselves. When the focus is on ourselves we become selfish and prideful. These are qualities that harden are hearts and build walls up that shut out Jesus.
The blame game is a negative self destructing cycle that always ends in pain.
Then the Lord God said to the women, “What is this you have done?”
The women said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
We all have a vice…what is yours? Sweets, soda, wine, large portions at meal time, fast food?? Most people have a certain “comfort food” they turn to when they are feeling weak, stressed, anxious, sad, or even angry. It’s the temptation that is given into because we hope to relieve our current emotions about what is happening in our lives. Once we give into the temptation….the blame starts!
My kids have fought all day long, so i’m going to watch tv and eat this tub of ice cream while they are sleep. (Blaming the kids behavior for the ice cream.)
If my job wasn’t so stressful I wouldn’t need a glass of wine every night. (Blaming the job for the nightly wine)
If my schedule wasn’t so crazy busy I wouldn’t have to eat fast food all the time. (Blaming schedule conflicts for not being better prepared.)
If I didn’t have (fill in the blank) going on right now then I could relax and not need the (fill in the blank) comfort food. (Blaming negative situations in life for choosing food as comfort.)
Jesus delights in being our comfort in every situation in life no matter how big or small it maybe, so turning to food as our comfort takes away from the REAL comforter to heal the situation in our lives instead of just masking the negative feelings for a few moments.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in ALL our troubles.” 2 Corinthians 1:3
When life gets tough or stressful it’s easy to turn to food for comfort. By doing this we are saying that the food is more powerful then Jesus to heal our broken and tired bodies. Subconsciously we are giving our trust to food and taking it away from Jesus.
The foot of the cross is where healing begins no matter how big or little the circumstance might be. Jesus will never give us more struggle then we can handle at one time, but to move past the struggle and onto healing we have to be disciplined in running to Jesus instead of food.
Blame stops when we are honest with ourselves about our actions and reactions, over scheduling our lives, or not taking time to draw close to God daily. When we allow God to reveal the areas of our life we are blaming others as the cause of giving into food temptations, then we can grow in spiritual maturity by allowing God to help us work through those issues and be healed.
Foods that tempt us are normally full of toxic ingredients causing our toxic attitudes.
Yes, Eve was tempted with an apple, but it’s ingredients were toxic to her body. Most people don’t normally turn to fruits or veggies when they are stressed and tempted to cling to food to feel better. Instead we choose foods like sweets, fast food, salty chips, sodas, ect that have toxic ingredients in them.
These types of foods have ingredients like
Artificial sweeteners,
Artificial colors
Modified flour or modified starch
MSG
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Carrageenan
Sodium Benzoate
Today more then 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise.
These are a few examples of the toxic ingredients we consume when we give into the temptation of junk food. The negative ingredients in foods are actually considered chemicals and they cause havoc on our bodies….
Damage to our brain health
Cause weight gain and other metabolic syndromes
Circulatory issues
Thyroid issues including tumors
Increased anxiety and emotional upset
Bad gut health
Damage to our organs
Cancer risks
Diabetes
Inflammation issues causing heart disease
ADHD and anxiety issues
The biggest downfall to the toxic ingredients is their addictive properties! When we consume these toxic ingredients our brain is tricked into thinking it constantly needs that chemical, similar to a reaction to consuming a drug. Most soda drinkers crave soda when they are super stressed because their body is wanting the chemical ingredients in the soda to take their hormone levels from high stress mode to relax mode. The problem is the result of the relaxation mode is only temporary and the other negative side effects are causing damage to the rest of our body.
When are bodies are constantly trying to fight off negative toxins that we are consuming we are left feeling stressed, irritable, weak, and extremely tired. God called us to be Warrior Women and if satan can keep our bodies fulled with toxic ingredients then he has weakened us to the point that we aren’t fighting as warrior women, but instead staying chained to weakness and bondage.
“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Isaiah 1: 19-20
In Genesis 3:6, “the women saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye”. Just because the temptation to eat the junk food seems pleasing to the eye doesn’t mean that it is actually good for you or pleasing to God. Our eyes have a way of playing tricks on us and when we give into the temptation of toxic foods we are actually being “devoured by the sword” or toxic ingredients.
….one bite at a time….
Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living.
(Genesis 3:20)
The definition of living is: the pursuit of a lifestyle of the specified type.
It’s time for God’s Warrior Women to start pursuing a lifestyle of health! A lifestyle that allows God to work through our prideful blaming hearts and bring us comfort, NOT FROM FOOD, but from His Holy Spirit.
A lifestyle that focus on being disciplined with healthy food choices, NOT TO BE SKINNY, but to be able to hear God clearly. Sooo clear that the calling and purpose over our lives is able to be full filled!
The apple Eve ate was small, but it had a mighty negative consequence on her life. When we resist the temptation to eat junk food we release a mighty power of healing over our lives, because anytime we resist the serpent it allows God’s might power to strengthen and bless our lives!!
You have the choice to decide if you want to release mighty healing power or mighty consequence on your life.
Over coming food temptations can be difficult at first, but with God’s help and taking it a day at a time you CAN become a WARRIOR WOMEN once again!!
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