Lately, I've been thinking a lot about diet & health. I continue to seek God's guidance concerning the best way to feed my family & myself in order to work with Him in creating healthy bodies for us all. The only food plan I've found in the past that seemed to help at least SOME of my symptoms was one that was quite low carb. But I found myself quite concerned about the very limited amount of fruit and legumes that were allowed when eating that way. I kept feeling there was something wrong when so much of the food God made was severely restricted.
When I read 1 Timothy 4:1-5, it seemed to be validation of these feelings.
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer." (NAS - emphasis mine)
One of the things that I notice here is that not only are some of these ideas being brought to us by "deceitful spirits" - some are even "doctrines of demons". That's pretty direct! However, as I have come to understand how the food we eat can lead to cravings for things that hurt us, and even affect our frontal lobes creating impulsive behavior & fuzzy thinking in general, I can see how that could actually be the case!
I continued to seek God's guidance and was led to listen to a series of interviews - mostly with researchers who were MD's or PhD's, though others were included as well. The recurring theme was "whole foods, plant based", and that description really resonated with me. Here were people advocating eating all of the foods that God created to serve us as food (from my reading, though he later gave permission to eat meat, that was not the way we were created, nor what the animals were created for).
Through these interviews I heard so many interesting research findings about this lifestyle in general, and also about specific foods. I felt (and continue to feel) that it's important to look to God for my answers about diet rather than to some researcher or someone who claims to have received divine revelation. I believe that God will tell ME what is best for me (though sometimes he may speak through someone else's ideas). It was still tempting, however, as I listened to interviews with these "experts", to start looking to their specific ideas with regard to specific foods, instead of checking in with God about what I "should" be doing.
It was at this time that I was led to Colossians:
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." (Col 2:8 NAS)
It seems to me that at least one of the "elementary principles of the world" are that it's not true unless you can prove it scientifically. Though I can enjoy hearing about scientific studies that demonstrate how "fearfully and wonderfully made" our bodies are, I felt I was being clearly told that I was NOT to rely on "scientific studies" to clarify my food choices. The truth is that even if the researchers are very ethical and are doing
their very best to create an un-biased environment for their studies,
they can misunderstand their results. And that's not even getting to
those unethically based and downright deceptive "scientific studies". For my specific food choices, I need to look to God, and God alone.
As I continued reading in Colossians, I came to these verses:
"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you.
Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen;
they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Col 2:18-23 NAS)
Father, thank you for such direct and clear guidance! I am so grateful that you are willing to educate me directly about ALL the choices I make in my life. Thank you for working in me to bring about the healing I so greatly need. Thank you for your love for me & my family. Thank you for your patience with me as I seek to know your will - and for your strength and wisdom as I make the choices you've directed. Thank you, Father!
