Is your food making you sick? No, it isn’t. Let me explain. Jesus told us plainly that food is not the problem! 

“Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes).

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (Mark 7:18-23). 

As medical science spends billions of dollars to discover the origin of sickness, food has become a convenient scapegoat. We blame our international food chain, our production facilities, and our diets for many of our common illnesses. We have outlawed salt, sugar, saturated fat, sweets, starches, fast food, restaurant food, and practically everything that tastes good. 

In some cases, we may have abused food, but it has not abused us! 

I have been guilty of reading every book and magazine I could get my hands on healthy eating. I used to live by these rules. However, as I meditated on the Word of God, I realized that when the Lord said, “Nothing can harm you,” He meant it.  

The Word of God Is Truth

1. God said if we serve Him, He would bless all our food and water and give us a long lifespan (Exodus 23:25-26).
2. Our food is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
3. Food cannot defile us, and all food (including meats) are clean (Mark 7:18-19). 
4. Food does not make us holy or unholy (1 Corinthians 8:8). 
5. No sickness or evil can approach us or come near our dwelling (Psalm 91:10). Even drinking poison will not harm a faith-filled believer (Mark 16:18).
6. We are never to judge or criticize each other’s food, food habits, or dietary beliefs (Romans 14-3; Colossians 2:16).
7. We must never encourage someone to eat something they believe will harm them or is bad for them. Proceeding without faith (that what we do is acceptable before God) is sin (Romans 14:23).
8. Everything we do (including mealtimes) must be done in good conscience and to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). As an example, Daniel did a partial fast (Daniel 10-3). 
9. Jesus thanked God for food (Mark 8:6-7), and He blessed the food (Mark 14:9). Notice in most cases, He blessed the food Himself, He did not ask God to bless it. If we are saved, our food is already blessed, but Jesus always thanked God for the food. Perhaps we should say, “Father, I thank you for this food and bless it in agreement with your Word.” 
10. The prophet Isaiah said, “By His (Jesus) stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus Thanked God & He Blessed the Food 

So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them. – Mark 8:6-7, NLT 

What Is The Real Challenge? 
What is profound about scripture is that God has promised us that if we trust in the finished work of Christ and walk in His ways, we won’t get sick in the first place! By His stripes, we were healed (Isaiah 53:5). 

IT IS NOT OUR FOOD THAT IS MAKING US SICK. 

“So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25, NKJV). This fulfilled the Word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases (Matthew 8:17, NLT).” 

God said we are already healed. Furthermore, He promised to bless our meals and take sickness away from us. Why aren’t we walking in these promises?  Why don’t we believe it?  Why are we saying our food (which God has blessed and approved) is making us sick?  This is contrary to the Word of God!

Of course, we must exercise prudence and moderation in what we eat. There are no hard and fast rules that dictate what is best for everyone.   

Therefore, it is totally unscriptural to tell everyone that one particular food is not suitable for them or to speak word curses over another’s meal. God has made each of our bodies differently. 

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths (Colossians 2:16, NLT). 

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor (John 14:26). If we listen and obey, the Holy Spirit will show each of us the foods that are most ideal for our own body. One respected man of God said that the Holy Spirit prompted him to avoid coffee, but that was a personal message that the Lord gave him. Many of us already know how to adjust our diets to our own body chemistry.  

Yes, we should use discernment concerning what we hear about foods. If I heard that a shipment of food left a factory tainted, I would not eat it, just to test God. If the Holy Spirit confirms that a particular food is not ideal for my body, would I be blessed if I eat it in defiance? 

However, it’s important to note that when it comes to food we consider healthy, we should thank God for everything we eat and come into an agreement (with God) that all our food (and even our medicine) is blessed.  

God wants us to acknowledge Him (through thanksgiving) pronounce His blessing over all foods so that we can enjoy it and digest it without challenges. 

IT’S NOT OUR FOOD THAT IS MAKING US SICK.  

Here’s what is truly making and keeping us sick. 

• God said we are healed (Isaiah 53:5), we but continue to complain that we are sick.
• God said our food and water are blessed and clean, but we have been saying it’s making us sick. The Word says that we can have what we say (Mark 11:23). We are verbally cursing our food and living what we are saying!
• The Word says if something is not done in faith, it’s a sin. We are eating and drinking foods and beverages that we genuinely believe are harming our bodies. Actually, we should only eat what we believe is healthy or examine and change what we think.
• God said, don’t criticize each other’s food, but we have given lectures and made movies concerning what everyone should avoid. Some of these lectures, films, and books are filled with fear. God did not give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). We are speaking word curses over our own foods. Then we go ahead and eat the very foods we cursed!
• God said it’s acceptable to eat meat, but we are told (and many believe) that no one should eat meat. If we believe we can eat meat, God said that we can. However, if we believe that we shouldn’t eat meat, then we shouldn’t because we would be violating our conscious, which is sin. The Holy Spirit may lead some of us to abstain because everyone’s body (and their walk with God) is unique.
• Jesus thanked God for food, and He blessed it. We are asking God to bless food He already blessed, or worse eating without ever thanking God for His blessing.
• It is not what we put IN our mouth that defiles us, it is what comes out of our mouth (the unbelief and word curses we speak) that is polluting us and making us sick (Mark 7:18-23). 
• Yes, gluttony is a sin. Therefore, it’s the sin, not the food that can open a door for sickness to enter.

I used to be the food police. I would advise people regarding what they should and should not eat. I repent of this! Even today, I must restrain myself from spewing out my old word curses on certain foods. I had so many food taboos that I began to look at all food with suspicion. I’ve stopped. It’s not scriptural. This is a trick of the enemy! 

Recently I said to my son, “We must stop speaking evil over our food. We must stop repeating that certain foods are bad for us. Think about it, we are cursing our foods – then eating them. The Word says to bless our food, not curse it!  We’ve got to stop saying this or that is bad for us. Saying a food is bad for me sounds helpful, but actually, it’s contrary to the Word of God. Furthermore, if I believe it’s bad for me, I must never put it in my mouth!” 

What really causes sickness? Unbelief in God’s Word and not acting on His Word. God is telling us to believe His Word (Isaiah 53:4-5) and his main commandment to walk in love with everyone. We have allowed the world to take us on a wild goose chase. We are blaming foods when (as believers) God said we should never be sick in the first place. 

Like everyone else, I often hang on my refrigerator door looking for a treat to cheer myself up. I sometimes forget that the Holy Spirit is my Comforter (John 14:16) not a sandwich!  In my lifetime, I’ve been every size from two to eighteen. Looking back, I realize that food was not the cause of that eating disorder. I was suffering from trauma and anxiety. I thought I needed more food when I actually needed more faith in God. 

What about overeating? Overeating is complicated because when we overeat, it’s often a result of past trauma, present worry, exhaustion, and stress. Food is not to blame. If we would cast our cares (past and present) on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) and do not worry (Matthew 6:25-34) as God commanded, we would no longer require outside stimuli for comfort.  

IT IS CONVENIENT TO BLAME OUR SICKNESS ON FOOD INSTEAD OF IDENTIFYING THE ROOT OF OUR MISERY. 

The Bible says our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I agree that it is a sin to abuse our bodies with foods or any other substance. We must be directed by the Holy Spirit and use prudence regarding which foods and portion sizes are healthiest for our frame.  

The Apostle Paul gave the church of Corinth a great word concerning Holy Communion and how Christian dinners are to be conducted. He said, “Let a man examine himself, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). Of course, he was speaking of taking Holy Communion in an unworthy manner. However, there is a worthy and unworthy manner to partake of all food. 

The Bible confirms that sickness originated from man’s sin, is a curse, and can involve demonic oppression (Genesis 3; Acts 10:38). When disease strikes our bodies, we should examine ourselves. We should ask God outright, “Lord, why am I sick? What must I do differently?” 

God is “The Lord That Heals” (Exodus 15:26). Our food is not making us sick. If we are believers who serve the Lord, He has already blessed all our food and water.

No, I am not saying we should eat everything the Holy Spirit, our doctor, and our stomachs have told us to avoid. I am saying we must discern (think about and pray about) what (and how much) we eat. 

7 Tips To Stay Well

1. We must meditate on the Word of God concerning divine healing and have steadfast faith in the Word of God.
2. We must see ourselves well.
3. We must speak wellness over ourselves by speaking the Word of God and His healing scriptures. 
4. We must always thank God for our food and bless it before we eat it.
5. We must act in faith by eating only those things that we have the confidence to eat. We should eliminate foods and portion sizes that the Holy Spirit has prompted us to avoid.
6. We must pray for guidance. We cannot blindly accept any word curse or fear tactic that is spoken over foods by the media, professionals, or well-meaning others. In fact, we should “cancel” any negative unbelieving word spoken over our food by anyone.
7. We must honor our bodies through temperance because we are God’s Temple. Our Father would not have us do anything to destroy or defile His temple. We are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV), we were purchased with the precious blood of Christ.

We can walk in divine health and enjoy a wide array of foods and beverages. Let’s honor our bodily temple by making prudent decisions and, most importantly, standing on the Word of God.  

The promises of God are our armor and protection (Psalm 91:4).