15 Powerful Ways to Overcome Overeating with God

Biblical truths to help set you free from overeating! 15 simple tips for the Christian and a free 5-day overeating Bible Study printable will show you how to overcome overeating with God and put your faith in your food choices.

Do you believe what God says is true? I mean, do you really believe it? I find that my lips say “yes” but my life often speaks “not so much…”

As we read the Word of God we may find ourselves shaking our heads vigorously in agreement only to end up utterly stumped by how to apply these principles in real life.

Overeating is a prime example. The Bible has numerous verses that speak to the topics that encompass how to stop overeating (self-control, gluttony, and casting our care on God) but how does one actually use the power of these promises to help them shut the ice cream tub when they are no longer hungry?

Before you continue, pray for the Holy Spirit to prick your heart with which idea will help you the most in this season. If you’re anything like me, you’ll read this list and identify with each and every point. Then, when you see that there is so much to be done, you’ll get overwhelmed.

Rather than getting stuck, look for your most effective strategy. Next, practice it a few times before moving on. This is how we move away from all-or-nothing eating and find true freedom in Christ.

“15 Tips” to Overcome Overeating with God

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 And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:10,15 (ESV)

1. Put on your new nature. Think of how a naturally thin person would handle this situation. How would someone completely free from an attachment to food handle a stressful day or a half-eaten pie on the counter? Imagine what would happen and try that behavior on for size. Your new nature IS free from sin; you can walk in it by faith! Faking it ’til you make it can be a spiritual practice.

2. Ask God for His peace. As darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, a binge never happens in a peaceful environment. If you feel the desire to dive headfirst into a plate of brownies… don’t fight, turn on the light! Don’t wonder where your peace is, ask for it! (Matthew 7:7, Philippians 4:7). Then, seek out practical ways to find calm, such as going for a walk, turning on praise music, or shutting yourself in the bathroom. This will truly glorify God in your eating!

3. Put on Praise! Right now, wherever you are, standing in your struggle- praise God! It is ok if you don’t feel like breaking forth in glorious praise, really. Any effort will do. Look around, find something that you are grateful for and tell God. And do it again, and again, and again. This is medicine to a weary soul.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

ROMANS 8:12, 15 ESV

4. Make a decision. Embrace your freedom of choice. Although when faced with a demanding desire to eat, a choice may feel like the last thing we have, there are Bible verses about overeating that tell us that we have NO obligation to our flesh. Let that sink in. No matter how drawn you feel to the food, you 100% CAN say “no!” with God’s help. Not sure? Try it and see what happens!

5. Let go of your fears.  If anxiety and fear are propelling you to seek comfort in food, acknowledge that your kinship with God ensures that He will take care of you. You are not His casual acquaintance or unappreciated employee; you are His child. We take care of our children and have a God-given desire to not only meet their needs but to bless them. God hasn’t forgotten your situation; He will take care of you. Envision yourself curled up next to your Heavenly Father where safety is the only feeling you can know.

6. Let God love on you. Here we are instructed to call the Creator of the Universe “Abba,” or in our modern language- “Daddy.” While we may never address the Queen “Hey girlfriend!” or ask the President “what’s up buddy?,” God encourages us to have a relaxed and loving relationship with Him. Love and acceptance trump overeating. You can find both with Him!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV)

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7. Pick a fruit. We have been given clear evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. Read over the list above and pick a fruit (to walk in). Maybe what you need now is patience with your children or faithfulness with a difficult job. See it and DO it. By doing so you are stepping out of your flesh (overeating) and into the Spirit.

8. Imagine the cross. Close your eyes and picture our loving and sinless Savior on that cross on that dark day. Look Him in the eyes and reach out to touch His bloody feet. This isn’t an exercise in guilt, it is an exercise in grace. He died for our overeating. What is the least we can do for Him?

9. Ask your Guide. We have been given the Holy Spirit to direct us in every single step that we take (John 14:15-17)! Isn’t this exactly what we’re longing for! If uncertainty and “overwhelm” are prodding you to eat, reach out to the One who is there to help you navigate your life. But you have to ASK.

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:4-5,8 (ESV)

10. Put on thankfulness. As you contemplate eating more than your body needs, stop and thank God for the food. While praying won’t turn a sinful heart pure, it will turn our hearts toward God. Thankfulness softens our firm resolve and opens our hearts to communicate with God through prayer. If your heart is feeling hard, thankfulness will help you get to the place where you are more willing to ask for overeating help.

11. Watch for justifications. Are you debating with yourself about what to eat? Maybe you are relying on worldly wisdom to justify eating, saying this food is “low calorie,” “low fat,” or “healthy.” Try to keep this debate off of the specific food and direct yourself toward the heart. Doing so will help you walk in integrity and that, my friends, will fill your spirit with joy that overcomes your desires.

12. Train like it matters. I get it, not eating is not easy. If it were easy to make self-controlled food choices, the size and shape of the people around us would look a lot different. We aren’t training for smaller jeans, we’re training for something bigger- godliness! Think about the importance of your choice to eat in your training. Athletes make hard choices with their bigger picture in mind every day. Envision your desired end result and choose to make one decision to push toward that goal today.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

James 1:2-3,6 (ESV)

13. Find the joy. In the midst of a struggle, this probably sounds like the worst suggestion ever. However, have you noticed that when we need something the most is when we want it the least? This trouble you are experiencing, it is for your greater JOY. The refinement that will come from these battle wounds will make you into the Christ-follower you long to be. Embrace the lack of comfort as you learn how to stop eating too much because fighting it is often more painful than the discomfort itself.

14. Ask in faith. Do you believe God? I mean, do you really believe what He says? I tend to have faith for big things, but small life details– I’m apt to act as if I’m on my own. But God promises to be our strength. He says that He will fill us with the fruit of self-control and teach us how to overcome temptation. It is our job to ask, expecting Him to answer. Pray and act as-if.

15. Stop wavering. You know that battle in your mind that wavers between “eat!” and “don’t eat!” Yeah, stop it. If we are less than 100% set on a making a difficult choice, it’s going to be HARD. Notice your lack of resolve and make your mind up completely that you are not going to eat when you are not hungry this time. I think you’ll find that the choice itself feels like a relief simply because you made a decision.

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Find Your Freedom (+Free Overeating Bible Study Printable)

1. Download your FREE 5-Day, 15 Tips From the Bible to Overcome Overeating Bible Study below.
2. Print out the overeating Bible study and complete one section each day. As you are journaling, look for particular habits that you would like to apply to your life.
3. Commit these changes to God through prayer.

“I cannot tell you how amazing this [15 Tips from the Bible to Overcome Overeating] study has been for me the past week and how it has truly been such a breakthrough in this department of my life where I have been struggling and nothing was seeming to get through to me- this is seriously what I needed”.

-Abby

So there you have it, 15 powerful tips that can help you overcome the spirit of overeating in your life.

While we know that no one practice is your “answer,” JESUS IS, these strategies will strengthen your relationship with Him. Then, as you rely on HIS strength when you feel weak, you will truly be made strong!