What is gluttony and how does it affect your life?
Definition of gluttony:
1: excess in eating or drinking
2: greedy or excessive indulgence
Similar Words: Greed, Overeating, Overconsumption, Binge Eating, Gourmandizing
Examples of Gluttony:
• Over consuming foods beyond your body’s need for food.
• Over consuming drinks beyond your bodies need or not being able to control how much you drink.
• Over consuming materialism that you cannot control. For example: buying things you do not need like the latest fashion trends.
• Keeping up with the Jones’ lifestyle and living more than the resources God has trusted you with.
• YOLO – You only live once, why not live and indulge in the fleshly desires?
• This can be any addiction – food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, shopping, and sexual addictions.
What The Bible Says About The Sin Of Gluttony:
Proverbs 23:20-21
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.
Psalm 78:18
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Proverbs 25:16
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
Philippians 3:18-19
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
Proverbs 23: 1-3
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.
Amos 6: 4-7
“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore, they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
1 Corinthians 10:7
Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”
Encouragement Verses For Overcoming Gluttony:
2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
Galatians 5:16-26
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Take Away
Gluttony is a perversion of natural and normal Godly desires that we are yearning for. Our bodies were created to glorify God and not fall to fleshly desires. Through His power, He has given us the ability to exercise self-control.
Gluttony is defined as the over-indulgence of anything we have a lack of self-control over. When we partake in overindulging food, for example, it becomes an idol in our lives. We plan our indulgence, our treats, and when we will get our next fleshly satisfaction. This can be our next shopping trip, the trip to the casino, or to the restaurant our belly leads us to. That quickly fades away and we become dissatisfied once again. Before we know it, we have entered a quicksand of gluttony that sinks us deep into bondage. God has a plan of escape and to take hold of His plan of escape, we must acknowledge and admit the areas we are overindulging and sinning. When we turn away with a repentant and contrite heart and ask God to forgive us and help us by His strength, He will. The Holy Spirit gives us self-control and we must start exercising it as we deny our fleshly desires. When we make these decisions over and over the bondage lifts and we can begin walking free in Christ. When we are overindulging and focused on our self instead of the needs of others, we cannot live the life God called us to life and we won’t be the set apart witnesses that we should be. Matthew 16:24-26 tells us that we must deny ourselves and pick up our cross.
Heavenly Father,
I come before You admitting that I have overindulged and this is too big for me to overcome without You. I am inviting you into my mess and my weakness. I trust that Your power and strength will guide me as I overcome these fleshly areas in my life. Reveal any hidden areas of my heart so that I may die to self and live for You alone. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen!
Questions to Ponder and Life Application Thoughts:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are dissatisfied in life and acknowledge those areas.
2. Think about what you think about – ask God to confirm if the area is gluttonous.
3. When you think about getting your next treat, where does your heart lead you?
a. Does this activity bring honor and glory to God?
b. Is this something you overindulge in?
c. If you don’t have access to this fix, does your heart tell you to do anything possible to get it?
d. Does this neglect the needs of those around you?
4. How can you make changes in your life to replace your overindulgent behaviors in your life? Replace that time and energy spent into those activities and pray and read God’s word.
Collective Circle Gathering 