Made to Crave Study, Chapter 16: Why Diets Don't Work

Continuing with the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, Chapter 16 discusses the problem with diets. Many people can sacrifice short-term, but we all grow weary of it. "So, I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness."

Part of that journey is deciding ahead of time what we will eat. "Deciding in advance keeps my thinking and planning rational and on track." Planning while full, like right after a meal, is helpful, too. "The absolute worst time for me to decide what I'm going to eat is when I've waited until I'm depleted and feeling very hungry."

I Corinthians 10:12-13 says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." The "way out" the Lord provides for Lysa, she says, is deciding in advance what she will and won't have that day. I have to admit, when I think of the "way out," I think more of God coming to my rescue with supernatural strength and reminders of His truth rather than this kind of thing, but He does also say "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (I Corinthians 10:5), and planning is part of doing that. In Israel's battles, sometimes God supernaturally intervened, and sometimes they had to take up their swords and fight in reliance on Him. When God gives me that "sword" with His promise of help and grace, I'm to use it, not wait for Him to do the battle for me.

The next verse in that passage says "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." Lysa says, "Expecting anything outside the will of God to satisfy us is idolatry. Nutrition, which is food's intended purpose, means consuming proper portions of healthy choices that enable our bodies to function properly. Idolatry, in the case of food, means the consumption of ill-sized portions and unhealthy choices because we feel like we deserve it or need it to feel better" (p. 158K). We don't need to flee food, because we need it, but we do need "to flee the control food can have over our lives."