You know, those foods you start eating and cannot stop? The foods that are SO hard to say no to. For some it might not be a particular food, but just sugar in general or salty crunchy snacks.

We tell ourselves a few things when we eat trigger foods:

1. "Life will be better if I eat this"

And some of you might respond to that with "they do make life better!" But do they? There is a time and a place for yummy food. But when food is filling an emotional void- that's not really good.

A good thing to ask yourself in those moments when you’re about to compromise and make an unhealthy decision “am I eating this because I need nourishment or I am feeling emotionally or spiritually empty?” I’m not talking about eating birthday cake at your best friend’s birthday or the occasionally ice cream on a Saturday night. I’m talking about those random donuts leftover from Saturday morning or that trip to the kitchen after everyone’s gone to sleep.

We need to match these triggers with truth: “I am not physically hungry right now, but I need to be filled in another way.”

I pray that you…grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ.. that you may be filled to the measure of all that fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

2. "I decided to eat this & I am in control."

Control is a tricky thing. We can use our diet to find a sense of control in the midst of our seemingly chaotic world. It's the one decision we can control. It's our escape from things going on around us that we cannot control. But really when we cannot say no to something, like a trigger food, IT IS CONTROLLING US. It's a trick. Our diets are not a safe place to find that "control" we are looking for in the midst of our crazy day.

What we are truly looking for, what our heart truly desires is surrender. We so desperately want to feel safe enough to "let go" instead of "control". The good news is we CAN let go!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Mathew 16:24-25

Whoever loses her life will find it!
When we say "no" to trigger foods we are making this point:
I don't have to seek control by saying "yes" or "no" to this tempting food.
I can choose to surrender to a God that allows me to live a life of freedom from constantly seeking false control.