We have all been created with two empty, needing-to-be-fed holes in our body. One is the stomach, and the other is the heart. The stomach is a literal hole in our body, which is to be fed with the proper amount of food. As for the heart, I am speaking figuratively of our deep-down feelings—your passion and soul. To satisfy these God-given longings, we may often turn to food and overload our stomach with more than it needs. Trying to feed a hurting, needy heart with food or anything on this Earth—alcohol, tobacco, antidepressants, sexual lusts, wealth, overshopping, the praise of other people, etc.—is a common error. These lifestyle choices or desperate copings really are no alternative, because they bring harm to the body one way or another. The person who attempts to feed a longing heart with food will stay on the path to overweight. Those who pursue an overindulgence of alcohol or tobacco or power will also reap the consequences of those pursuits. There is nothing inherently evil about food, alcohol, tobacco, currency, credit cards, etc. In Mark 7, Jesus pronounced all foods clean. However, it is wrong to become a slave to any of these things or to let them master you.

To read more on this topic, get your copy of Weigh Down Works!