Diet No More STEP 6: Deadly Traps

by Beth Ann Ziarnik @bethannziarnik

Wow! we’ve arrived at the weight the Lord knows is best for our bodies. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord! You’ve set us free and blessed us with incredible peace.

Ah, but . . . 

Now is no time to relax. Past experience tells us to guard the freedom God has given us. It also warns us that Satan may back off for a while but never gives up. He will be back with some deadly traps designed to pull us back into overeating.

Danger lurks in the form of at least two deadly traps:

Pride’s Deadly Trap

Only by God’s grace, have we finally developed the habit of eating in a way the honors him. WOW! Our freedom from overeating is amazing. A whole vista of peace and joy has opened to us!

But, If we’re not careful, we might fail to notice the snake slithering into our lush garden of peace and joy. Oh, not right away. But before long, the devil will attempt to drag us into a sneaky sin. One we may not recognize right away. We may not realize it’s him directing our attention to an overweight person. “Poor thing, such an unnecessary lack of self-control,” he whispers in our ear, hoping we’ll agree with him.

What rot! As if we’d never been caught in that deadly trap. As if the self-control we enjoy now is something we accomplished in our own power. No way! Without the Lord’s help–without his Word and guidance–we would still be trapped.

This vicious attack is nothing more than the devil’s attempt to take us down sin’s path to defeat. Yet hasn’t God said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged”? (Matthew 7:1, King James Version)

Disarming Pride’s Deadly Trap

So, how should we respond?

First, refuse the temptation. Every time an overweight person comes to our attention, God is giving us the opportunity to let him fill our hearts with his loving compassion.  An opportunity to recall how awful it felt to be caught in that deadly trap, our many failed attempts to escape, and the hopeless certainty that we would never escape.

Second, pray for the person.  The devil may be directing our attention in order to trap us into sin. But, on the other hand, God allows the temptation to give us the privilege of praying for one still caught in the devil’s trap. Since we have experienced God’s rescue from overeating and that sin’s dreadful consequences, he now calls us to be humble servants, not ugly, self-appointed judges.

Blind-Side Maneuvers

The second deadly trap is alarming.

Just when we least expect it, an unexpected crisis hits us or someone we love. Heart attack. Vicious car accident. Life-threatening health problem. Financial crippling.  We could name many more examples. In the past, we ran to food, blindly overeating to comfort and calm ourselves. But we’ve kicked that costly method to the curb and are now walking in God’s peace and freedom . 

Avoiding Blind-Side Maneuvers

So, how can we avoid this deadly trap?

First of all, refuse to blame God. Oh, yes, Satan will want us to blame God for the crisis. But God is good and our only hope of weathering the crisis successfully.

Do you have a current crisis?

Then, cling to God. With his help, you will get through any crisis. Instead of running to food, pour out your heart to him. Keep seeking his guidance through prayer and searching his Word until the crisis is resolved. Some crises take longer than others, but don’t give up and don’t give in. Stand your ground in the strength the Lord.

Finally, continue to practice the principles of God-honoring eating. Remind yourself to whom your body now belongs. Practice what we’ve learned in Steps One through Five in order to remain free from the sin of gluttony and walk in peace and freedom with God.

A brief Story

My husband died in January 2013. At the time, I had lost 30 pounds in three months, letting the Lord lead me in my eating the steps I’ve shared in Diet No More. I loved Jim and still do. His unexpected death through a heart attack was horrible. Yet I clung to the Lord and did not run to food to comfort and calm myself.

But four months later, I fell halfway down the basement steps and crushed my left wrist. The x-ray showed nothing but a milky substance with small rods floating in it. Healing required surgery. The doctor installed an external fixator to stabilize the wrist so the bones could reform–and they did over then next several weeks. It took about two additional months for them to become solid and usable.

In the meantime, I made a huge mistake. I took offense from a medical person’s unkind words directed at me. Words both untrue and unfair. A friend who went with me to that appointment was shocked by what she heard the person say. Strangely, some of what the person said wasn’t even related to my injury and its recovery. I confess, I fell into Satan’s trap. I harbored those offenses, and it took me a long time to break loose of them. 

Little by little, I ran to food for comfort, until once again I was trapped. The weight started piling on. To break free I had to confess my sin to God and then forgive and pray blessings on the person. Which, with God’s help, I was able to do.

Praise the Lord! I had escaped that deadly trap. Yet I still faced a long road back to my God-appointed healthy weight and the freedom and peace that go with breakthrough.

What’s Next

This was not an easy post to write, but I do hope we both benefit from it by the grace of God. In my next post, we’ll consider some supporting scriptures for Step 6: Deadly Traps. See you then!

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