Did you know that emotional eating started with the first woman, Eve?
I consider her the world’s first emotional eater.
Many of us know that the Lord gave the first man, Adam an instruction: You can eat of any tree in the garden, but you can’t eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Lord said that the day Adam ate from it, he would die (see Genesis 2:16-17).
Eve knew about this instruction too. So what was the emotion that drove Eve to eat?
Let’s pick up the story in Genesis 3:1-7. The turning point happened when the enemy pulled out his biggest weapon against mankind – contradicting God’s word:
“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Uh-oh. Eve believed the enemy’s word above God’s word so this is what happened next:
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
Notice that scripture does not say that Eve was even hungry! So why did Eve choose to eat then?
Here is a clue from James 1:13-15:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
So it was Eve’s desire that drew her away from God and enticed her to sin through disobedience. Desire means “A strong feeling of longing to obtain something.”
At the same time, I believe that the enemy appealed to Eve’s fear of deprivation, which is also called the “fear of missing out.”
I looked at some key definitions associated with the word “deprivation” to see what that really means:
- Deprivation: The lack or denial of something considered to be a necessity.
- Necessity: The fact of being required or indispensable.
- Indispensable: Something so good you could not manage nor exist without it.
Eve longed for the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because she had convinced herself that it was something that she could not manage nor exist without!
Now was that true? Of course not. However since Eve wanted wisdom, she could have obtained it from the Source: God. Our Father’s plans for us are always good!
But Eve decided to meet her needs apart from her Heavenly Father.
The next time you are driven to eat emotionally, give yourself a truth check.
1. Ask yourself, “Do I believe that I can’t manage or exist at this moment without eating this particular food right now?”
2. If you answer yes, then put that thought to the truth test: “Is that really true?” To be really true, that means that you would stop breathing and die if you did not eat it.
3. To prove this truth to yourself, I suggest you have a heart conversation with your Heavenly Father for a minimum of 10 minutes instead of eating the food. Set the timer and see what happens.
4. After the 10 minutes, check yourself again: Are you still breathing?
You are, aren’t you? Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step in changing your brain through confronting the enemy’s lies in your life.
The more you practice living according to God’s truth, the more you will overcome emotional eating and obtain the great plans your Father has for you!
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
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Thank you Kimberely. Such conformation to the truth that we have already been blessed with all things that pertain to life and godliness. May our Heavenly Father continue to live the life of Christ through you and all you do.
I was always taught that it was the first act of disobedience. She was told not to even go near the tree. When I go near something I know is not good for me I am putting myself right in the line of temptation. Thank you for your great share.
Wow! Dr. Taylor, you have just done surgery, and removed the root of the cancerous growth that was choking our hearts. Thank you! Now I have a sword to confront the enemy, and win. I am so grateful God gives us brothers and sisters on this journey to help us when we do not know the way. “In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He sent His word and healed me. O that men would give thanks to the Lord, for His mercies endure forever”. Ps 107
Just like the old Campbell soup commercial use to say , ” umm umm Good!”
Thank you, Kimberly. This is brilliant!
I will use this now. I will include it in my Lenten meditations & activities and beyond.
You are gifted. I thank God for you and for working through you. Your story, your help and your communications are important parts of my healing )and many others I think!).
I’m becoming more like the person God intended me to be. I keep pressing toward the goal. I’m not giving up. I’ve stumbled so many times! I will not quit. I think this piece you wrote will be so helpful!
Thank you!
Michele