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Do you ever feel like everywhere you look the news is bad? It’s also bad in our valley right now. Yesterday we had a major fire blow up in in the mountains and it looks like several structures have been burned. Many have had to evacuate their homes and a couple of our local churches have become homes for those who are displaced.
This was the view from just down our street yesterday.
When life is hard like this, it’s easy to get discouraged. And when we get discouraged, we often give into emotional eating. If you’re struggling with something difficult today, I invite you to renew your minds with me on the Christian Habits Podcast.
We’ll be going over the emotional eating questions, Bible verses, and tips from I Deserve a Donut (And Other Lies That Make You Eat). I’ve included the questions and Bible verses below but we’ll be fleshing them out on the podcast.
Emotional Eating Questions
- What’s going on in your life right now that’s making you want to eat?
- What emotion are you experiencing?
- Will eating make you feel better? If so, for how long?
- Will eating solve your problems?
- Will eating create any new problems? Explain.
- What do your boundaries protect you from?
- Do you need protection today?
- What do you think God wants to teach you through this trial?
- Is there anything you need to accept?
- What can you thank God for in this situation?
Emotional Eating Bible Verses
Psalm 3:3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?
Romans 5:3-4 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Emotional Eating Tips
The telltale sign of emotional eating is that you feel driven to eat. You don’t just see a brownie on the counter and want it; you go looking for the brownie because you need it.
Emotional eating is usually triggered by something else going on in your life, usually something bad. Sometimes the need to eat is all-consuming, and sometimes it’s just a nagging little thought at the back of your mind.
The best way to break free from emotional eating is to get rid of the emotions that are driving you to eat. Ask yourself, “What emotion am I experiencing?” Then go through the questions and Bible verses for that emotion in I Deserve a Donut (And Other Lies That Make You Eat).
What usually happens when you take the time to work through the emotion is that your desire to eat will disappear. If you don’t take the time, that emotion has to go somewhere. Usually, it goes to the kitchen looking for something to eat.
See also: Taste for Truth Christian Weight Loss Podcast. Click here for more info! Click here to view on iTunes.
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P.S. I mentioned in my last email that I was going to post a podcast on boredom eating today but in light of our local struggles, I decided to post a podcast I recorded a couple of weeks ago on emotional eating instead.
Barb, thanks for this podcast, I’m listening right now. I find myself emotionally eating when I’m feeling overwhelmed with all my work! Eating is a distraction to keep me from thinking about what I need to be doing right now.
Phil 4:19 is a big help to me when I get overwhelmed!
PS. I know the feeling of getting halfway through those projects and then getting discouraged about it. Keep pushing through, your work is a blessing to many!
I can relate to the desire to eat when overwhelmed, Caleb. It’s a handy way to keep us going and also an easy way to procrastinate. I didn’t realize I had a tendency to eat for procrastination until I started writing about emotional eating, which was kind of funny. I worried that I would publish my emotional eating Bible study, then gain my weight back, and lose my credibility. Thanks for the encouragement on the study too. I appreciate it!
Jer 32:27 gives me great comfort when I feel powerless and scared.
And I take comfort and find hope in Hebrew 12:11 as I raise my kids. :)
I hadn’t heard about that fire, I pray all are ok.
I love both of those verses, TC. Thanks for including them. So far there’s only been one indirect death from the fire – someone who had a heart attack when he was evacuating. The firemen – both volunteer and Forest Service employees – have been wonderful as has been the community. Thanks for your prayers. We appreciate it.
That’s a serious fire! Hope they get it under control soon. I’m with you on the deluge of bad news too, Barb. It definitely sinks the spirit, but your work serves as a reminder of Who we serve and puts things back into a proper perspective. Those are perfect verses for the occasion.
Praying for you and yours.
Thanks, Floyd. I appreciate that!
Thank you for this, Barb! I could relate to the writing woes. I really liked walking through the verses too, that was great!
Thanks, Jules! How is your writing going these days? Glad to hear you’re persevering with it! I always enjoy your blog posts and would love to read a book you’ve written!
I feel crushed by my eating habits it has overwhelmed me and I am so heavy… I feel powerless and food has become my drug…
I’m so sorry, Mike. I know how hard it is. Many who read this blog can relate, including me. It’s super hard to break free from the control of food, but it can be done with God’s help! There’s a Bible study going on right now that you can check out if you’d like some companionship on the journey. Here’s the link to the group: https://barbraveling.com/online-bible-studies/. It started a week ago, but I think it would still be helpful to start doing the study and slowly catch up. You could still get a lot out of all the comments. Taste for Truth might be the most helpful study to start out with, along with I Deserve a Donut. Also, sorry it took so long to answer your comment. My husband and I were backpacking the last few days and didn’t have Internet or cell service.