Anxious

Philippians 4:4-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Many overweight people relieve stress by compulsive overeating, They are often caught in the vicious cycle of binge eating and depression. With compulsive overeating food is used as a coping mechanism to deal with uncomfortable feelings. Many compulsive overeaters speak of using the episodes as a way to numb all that is going on around them. The amount of food eaten and duration can vary greatly. Compulsive overeating may temporarily relieve the stress of these unwanted feelings, but for the individual the overeating episodes are unfortunately followed by feelings of guilt, shame, disgust, and further depression. For the compulsive overeater, episodes of compulsive overeating usually occur in secret and any evidence is often hidden from others.

It is not uncommon for the individual to eat normally or even restrictively in front of others and then make up for eating less by overeating in private at a later time. Late at night, when others are asleep or frequenting fast food restaurants and convenience stores alone, can also be common. Many even have a secret stash of junk food hidden for their personal use.

The Bible says you can relieve stress through prayer and thanksgiving. These two combined help you realize "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" and in turn "guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Your natural human desire is to first experience anxiety and stress when it seems that your needs and desires are not being met. It's hard to "not be anxious about anything" in these kinds of situations.

However, when you acknowledge your complete dependence upon God and submit to His leadership—in all stressful situations—then you'll be gratefully surprised to find that your anxiety disappears every time!

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for providing you with incredible peace in stressful situations. Pray that He would take control of all anxiety that tries to invade your heart and mind, replace it with peace, and lead you in the right direction (Psalm 139:23-24).

Today's thought: God can help us to be the best we can be!