Shattering Substitutes #3: Our Stomach

“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”—Philippians 3:19

Man can make an idol out of anything, and one of the most overlooked idols today is the stomach. Yes, I am talking about our appetite for food. We can make an idol out of food, as Solomon wrote:

“When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 

observe carefully what is before you, 

and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. 

Do not desire his delicacies, 

for they are deceptive food”

—Proverbs 23:1-2.

And again,

“Be not among drunkards 

or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, 

and slumber will clothe them with rags”

—Proverbs 23:20-21.

The word that used to be used for such an appetite is gluttony. Gluttony is a misplaced desire for food whereby one finds one’s satisfaction or comfort in food more than in Christ.

Esau is perhaps the greatest example of someone with a desire for food gone wrong. In Genesis 25:29-34, we read about his interaction with his twin brother Jacob after a long day working in the fields. He comes home exhausted, sees Jacob’s red stew and says, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (v. 30). Jacob agrees to give him some, provided Esau sell his birthright (v. 31), which Esau foolishly does (v. 33)—forfeiting the blessing of God on his life in the process (cf. Hebrews 12:16-17).

Is food your idol? Have you used food as your substitute for God? The only way to get right with God is to shatter the substitute! Shatter the practice of allowing your stomach to rule you! How do we do that? We must realize that our desire for food is like every desire we have—good when used properly. However, we must also realize that because of the Fall, our desire for food has also been corrupted (cf. James 1:14). We must remember that food is exactly that—food. Our true comfort can only come from finding our identity in Christ and in Him alone. We don’t have to be slaves to food—whether as gluttons or individuals who starve themselves. Both are idolaters. One finds satisfaction in the pleasure food brings while the other finds satisfaction in the pleasure not having food brings. Either way it is a control issue—one uses food to control one’s environment, and either way it is idolatry.

The only way of shattering the substitute of the stomach is to go to the cross. To realize that even that sin was crucified with Christ. We must learn to find our satisfaction in Jesus and in Him alone. He is the one who bore our sins on the cross. He is the one who enables us to die to our desire for comfort and satisfaction apart from Himself. He is the one who sets us free from the stomach. Go to Him, drag your sin to the cross, and allow Him to set you free! And then enlist a team of godly men and women to help you walk in the freedom He supplies! Don’t forget that you are not alone in this battle! There are others who struggle just like you, and they have found victory through Jesus!

May God enable us to find our true soul satisfaction in the risen Savior! May we let God direct our appetites as we submit them to His sovereign hand! And may the appetite of our hearts be continually to “…taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”—Psalm 34:8. Amen.