How a Renewed Mind Can Help You Break Free from Emotional Eating

Posted on Oct 27, 2022 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Barb Raveling

It’s 2:00 in the afternoon and everything in me wants to walk to the local grocery store and get a carton of Ben and Jerry’s. Not because I’m hungry, but because I’m publishing a book on how to overcome emotional eating in one month. And for some reason, publishing a book on emotional eating makes me want to eat.

Emotional eating is letting our emotions determine when and what we eat, not our will. So instead of us being in charge, we’re letting our emotions dictate our eating choices. And right now my emotions are saying, “Eat, Barb, eat!! Go get that Ben and Jerry’s!! You’ll be happier! Who cares if you’re publishing a book on how to say goodbye to emotional eating in a month? That’s not hypocritical. In fact, you need this right now. You deserve it!”

There’s only one thing to do. And no, that’s not to go out and get the ice cream. It’s to go to God for the strength to not get that ice cream!

Here’s what I love about God—He's always there, ready to help. He doesn’t judge, doesn’t condemn. He just loves us and wants to help (Romans 8:1; Hebrews 4:15-16). But here’s the thing: While salvation is a free gift, sanctification is a partnership. It’s the Holy Spirit and us working together.

The Bible tells us we’re saved by grace but transformed by the renewing of the mind (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 12:2). So if I want to break free from the lure of a carton of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that I’ll regret later, I need more than a quick prayer to God to ask Him to help me not give in to temptation. I need to renew my mind:

Take off my cultural perspective that tells me to eat what I want when I want and

put on the biblical perspective that tells me to use self-control.

Take off the lie that tells me I’ll be happy if I eat that Ben and Jerry’s and

put on the truth that I’ll actually be happier if I get my work done.

Take off what I learned growing up—that drowning my sorrows in ice cream is a good thing—and

put on the truth that if I regret it later, it’s not a good thing.

Truth sets us free, but it also changes desires. It makes me actually want to follow my food boundaries. I just need to keep going to God for help with life so He can use His truth to transform me.