Freedom from Food Triggers

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” ~Billy Graham

On my personal health journey over the years, a big part of my angst as a Christ-follower was the thought that if I was godly enough, I wouldn’t be struggling so much with my food triggers. I felt that along with my lost health, my character must be lost too. For too long, I allowed the enemy to confuse me.

I remember how it felt to be the heaviest I had ever been. I was unhealthy and I knew it. Even though I loved Jesus and was involved in lots of ministry, I felt a deep conviction that I was out of control with my mindless eating and unhealthy pattern of craving ice cream and desserts every night. I was miserable. The quick sugar fix or carb binge left a lasting and obvious impact on my life—and one look in the mirror told the truth.

Here’s what I want you to know: It’s possible to be in a good place spiritually, but to not be perfect. The enemy was trying to whisper that I was a fraud because I had no self-control regarding food and sugar. He toyed with my mind that I could do okay for a while, but that I would go right back to my old ways again. It took several starts and stops for me to finally learn how to respond correctly to my food triggers. God under- stands this. He knows we are not perfect. Only Jesus is perfect!

My weakness did not mean I was worthless. It did not mean I was a fraud.

It did not mean I would never change.

It just meant I was on a spiritual journey with ups and downs. It meant I was human and still sinned, even though God had done a lot of transforming work in my life already. It meant that my weakness gave all the more glory to God because I couldn’t do it on my own. This is just as true for you as it is for me.

So I didn’t give in to the feelings of hopelessness when I hit rock bottom. I didn’t believe I could never get a handle on my spiritual weakness and tendency to run to food. I didn’t listen when Satan whispered that my food triggers were more powerful than my God.

Instead, I found a medically designed plan and began eating healthy foods to help me get back on track again—and that was the practical piece I had to invest in with my time, money, and commitment. I adopted new, healthy habits for life. But it was mostly a spiritual transformation for me. The physical weight came off—sixty pounds—but the spiritual weight of my gluttonous tendency has been the most freeing! Facing my food triggers, one by one, was the jump-start I needed to set the stage for a lifetime of healthy habits.

Whatever plan you use to get healthy, the biggest factor for all of us is to exchange unhealthy patterns for God-honoring habits. It’s foundational to remember that our weaknesses are not a reason to feel shame. They are a reason to place our hope in something bigger and better than ourselves—our faith in God.

For you, dear friend, let this be a time when lies about who you are and what you are capable of—even lies about God—fade away. Let this be a season when you learn to awaken hope that God is who He says He is. That He can and will help you in all your weaknesses. That every one of us can change when we pray expectantly and invite the Holy Spirit to transform us. That even though it may take time, nothing is impossible with God!

I am living proof of this holy exchange:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:9)

I’m betting that you have had enough of the ups and downs of getting healthy and staying healthy. I imagine that even if you have figured out a lot of your food and health issues, there is still that one thing that keeps gnawing at you. It may be that thinking about food and dealing with your health problems is exhausting you. It’s taking up way too much space in your brain and messing with your emotions! No matter what plan you have used, the same old triggers trip you up. You are not alone. Years of research and hundreds of conversations with men and women all over the country have formed the foundation for this book. The thirty-one common food triggers that we’re going to talk about aren’t just triggers; they manifest as shackles. It’s become clear that our enemy, the devil, has thousands, if not millions, of us trapped in the bondage of unhealthy thinking and eating. I understand. My own journey from obesity to optimal health has been one that I wanted to experience in private. But God had other plans. When you find freedom and you live among captives, you can’t help but want freedom for them too. For you!

It’s possible that some of you are ready to throw off those unhealthy patterns. You are full of excitement, and the thrill of hope is coursing through your body. This is your moment!

For others, we know we need a change, but we still feel timid about proceeding. We wonder, Is this one more thing I will fail at? I understand your wariness.

I have had a number of life moments that are personal measures of achievement for me. At ten years old, I stepped onto the first-place block after a gymnastics meet. As an adult, it’s been an immense honor to write several bestselling books. Being a mom counts as one of the best parts of my life! But perhaps one of my greatest blessings has been my journey away from unhealthy patterns and toward God-honoring habits—and helping others do the same. Now we get to take this journey together.

For all my little victories, my life has been peppered with far more failures. Far more “nos” than “yeses.” Far more valleys than mountaintops. I don’t believe I’m unique in this. My hunch is that you have had your own set of highs and lows in life. For many of us, the highs and lows affect our health—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Whether I was achieving my life goals or facing disappointments from one letdown or another over the years, my food triggers were the one constant. I knew the right things to do, but I often felt powerless to do them.

The apostle Paul describes the battle within us this way:

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. (Rom. 7:17–23 MSG)

Have you felt any of this? As a certified health coach, I have heard this struggle verbalized from men and women of every age and stage of life, all over the world. I’ve come to realize that our circumstances or our food triggers don’t get the final say in our personal growth. I’ve seen the sheer joy and relief of clients who have finally traded in their old ways and are living life to the full as God intended. Their health struggles were the portal through which they learned to succeed in areas of their lives beyond their health journeys.

When I began to apply biblical principles to each food trigger in my own life, everything changed. You see, no matter what is happening in our lives, our physical and spiritual health need not fluctuate with the ebb and flow of life’s circumstances. The spiritual tug-of-war to exchange unhealthy patterns with God-honoring habits is the ultimate food fight. But I’m in your corner. More important, almighty God can help you achieve a new, healthier way to live.

This excerpt was taken from Food Triggers: Exchanging Unhealthy Patterns for God-Honoring Habits (Bethany House Publishers, 2022). Used by permission.

Amber Lia is an independent certified health coach who has been on her own transformative health journey. She has written and coauthored several books, including Marriage Triggers and the bestselling parenting book, Triggers. A former high-school English teacher, Amber is a sought-after mentor for women and a regular contributing writer for The Better Mom. Amber and her husband co-run the faith-friendly production company Storehouse Media Group, and they live in Southern California with their four boys. To learn more, visit AmberLia.com.