The Lie of Gluttony

What does the Word of God say about Glut·tony

 noun \ˈglət-nē, ˈglə-tə-nē\: the act or habit of eating or drinking too much.

plural glut·ton·ies Full Definition of GLUTTONY

1:  excess in eating or drinking
2:  greedy or excessive indulgence

[Pro 23:1 NIV] When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,
[Pro 23:2 NIV] and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

[Deu 21:20 KJV] And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.
[Pro 23:21 KJV] For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.

So what

that I am a few pounds or maybe even more than a few pounds overweight? What does that have to do with my love and devotion to God? Who really cares anyway? These are some of the rebellious defense thoughts that my flesh spews when confronted with the lie of Gluttony.

I know, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. But is it really about the physical health of my physical body? If it were, those who have medical illnesses would be in peril of accusation of the enemy of not loving the Lord. So maybe it’s not about the outside flesh but a matter of light and darkness that dwells within this body of flesh in my heart and will. The Temple is a place where the Lord dwells and we meet with Him. So the question is, “Has my temple been defiled by a lie of the enemy?” What is the thought that allows me to continue to over eat?

My thoughts that lead to gluttony are justified by the whispers of my enemy. It can be justified selfishness, pride and rebellion of wanting what I want when I want it. Deceived into not really caring about how the Lord feels about it. I forget about the starving and dying. The neighbors not far away that go hungry each night.

It has been written that physical longevity of life is gained in the gym and weight loss is gained in the kitchen. Does God really care if I am “FAT”. Probably not, but He sure cares about my reckless behavior of self pleasure.

Here is a physical and scriptural self-defense technique to remind me of the truth that Jesus is there and loves us.

                                               Totally Christian Karate the Lie of Gluttony

Start with Avoiding

  In Totally Christian Karate there are no kicking or punching techniques in the first two levels. We start with avoiding because the art assumes that we are:

1. Old

2.Out of Shape

3. Injured

4. Slow

Avoiding
Avoiding

5. Weak

6. Outnumbered

7. Caught off guard

Ideally none of these is the case. However as a Self-Defense art we must assume they are and train to be effective anyway. Start with avoiding.

An art that cannot be effective under all these conditions might be an effective military combat method or a winning sport method or even an effective brawling method but they are not a Self-Defense Method!

So in Totally Christian Karate we do not go head to head  or exchange with the attackers. We make sure everything bad happens to the other guy. Our desire is not the destruction of the attacker but our self preservation or the preservation of someone else because that person is created in the image of God and He loves them.

Scripturally, I never try to pay back wrong for wrong or exchange word for word with others. I think of others more than myself. Remembering all of the times in my life that I may have attacked someone else with my words. I avoid the offense, turn the other cheek and look for the opportunity to share truth with love. This takes practice.