The Spirit of Addiction

Addictive Spirit SnakeA South African couple were visiting a national park when they saw a python slither out of the grass and under their parked car.

But the python did not come out.

Cautiously, the man looked under the car but the python had disappeared.

Then the man lifted the hood. There, the giant snake had made herself comfortable around the car engine.

The message the Lord gave me about this story is this: Sugar addiction and other addictions are like a snake wrapped around a car engine.

Addictions don’t belong in our brains any more than the snake belongs in a car engine. The picture shows you exactly how the spirit of addiction operates!

A python kills through constriction. It wraps around the person, putting them in bondage. Each time the person breathes, the snake coils around them even tighter until the person can’t breathe anymore.

Here is the sad thing: Many people start treating that snake as a pet.

They keep feeding it and it deceives them into thinking that it is a part of who they are. They think they cannot live without it.

However, an addictive spirit is never satisfied.

No matter how much you feed it, it will always want more. It will keep feeding upon you until it takes your life.

A few years ago, I watched a documentary called “I eat 33,000 calories per day” about four people who were in bondage to food addiction. This is nothing to play around with, any more than playing around with a python.

Check out this 5-minute clip from the documentary. It is sad because you see how this lady’s food selections are squeezing the life out of her:

It was sobering for me to realize that I was on that same road that Lisa was on.

But it was God’s grace that showed me a better path to take. I can’t deceive myself in thinking I can go back to my old ways. All that will do is invite that “snake” to come back.

I have decided to choose life and blessing rather than death and cursing. 

Breaking free from an addiction requires both prayer and practicality. Prayer is self-explanatory, but the practicality part requires protecting yourself from those things that feed the addictive spirit.

You do those things that nurture you rather than harm you. You find out what ‘need’ that addictive spirit was filling in a counterfeit way and you seek God’s wisdom to fill that need in a way that pleases Him.

It does hurt your flesh to say ‘no’ when it seems that your whole body is screaming for that addictive substance.

And yet, you are not willing to believe the lie that says: “I can’t live without it.” You declare instead,

I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord (Psalm 118:17).”

You choose life and make steps toward life rather than hiding out from it in an addiction, knowing that the Lord is with you every step of the way.

Jesus came so that we do not have to live in bondage and fear. Galatians 5:1 encourages us:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

Grab hold of the freedom that you have in Jesus. Make daily choices that build your health and you will have peace. If a choice does not give you peace, then don’t go there. Trust in the Lord to strengthen you as you create new core health habits that empower you to be about your Father’s business.

If a choice does not give you peace, then don’t go there. Trust in the Lord to strengthen you as you create new core health habits that empower you to be about your Father’s business.

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Taylor
Creator of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ program
https://takebackyourtemple.com/program

P.S. Are you ready to grow stronger Spiritually, heal emotionally, and lose the weight? Fed up with the spirit of addiction choking the life out of you?

Let the Take Back Your Temple program be your plan for getting free! God’s way is changing you from the inside out. Once you are changed His way, you are never the same!

Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program

About the author 

Kimberly Taylor

Kimberly Taylor is a certified Christian life coach and has a heart to help others struggling with emotional eating and weight loss. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify of God’s goodness and healing power to overcome. She lost 85 pounds as a result of implementing techniques to overcome emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

Kim is the author of "The Take Back Your Temple Program," which teaches Christians how to take control of their weight God's way and the books "The Weight Loss Scriptures" and "The Weight Loss Prayers."

Kim has been featured in Prevention Magazine, Charisma Magazine and on CBN’s 'The 700 Club' television program.

  • To God be the glory, I watch the 600 pound show to remind me that this could be me. Lord help us to keep our focus on you. Lord help us to look up from which our help comes from You.

  • Thanks Kimberly … it’s taking a while, however, I’m 13 kilo’s lighter than I was 12 months ago … slow and steady wins the race … that slimy snake is releasing it’s grip because Jesus holds me, and my future in Him, up 🙂 x

  • Wow, right on!!! This is so much truer than most of us realize!!! Recently I realized that spirits are ETERNAL, and currently evil ones like addiction have access to us through trauma and other vulnerabilities. When I am tempted, I have started to remind myself that “I” am not the one who is hungry! If it is not I that need fuel then I decide to not feed the snake! Like a nasty spirit does, it will run all types of games with you to get you to give in (like a spoiled child with a parent). It will run the gamut of guilt, consultation, etc. And then make up some new ones…but once you know what your dealing with and “let your no be no”. It must flee.
    Praise God! We have an amazing Savior. My first remembered prayer: age 5 asking God to help me loose weight! I was not even heavy! Well a couple of years later I am using the authority God has given me to make short order of submit to God, Resist the devil and he must flee from you!

    • Amen, Karen – we must keep speaking the truth so other Christian brothers and sisters realize that this spirit is never satisfied. I agree completely with everything you wrote. All glory to God!

  • I am about 150 lbs overweight. I feel so hopeless. I’ve been on diets and have lost large amounts of weight only to gain it back. I know God can deliver me but its been years of praying and still…..

  • Please pray for me & my needing a place to go. My husband told me last night that either I lose weight or he us going to go & get a skinny woman. We have been together for 19 years & he has never threatened to go get a skinny woman. This is my 2nd marriage, so I feel God us giving me a ticket out by his more or less kicking me out. (In a round about way)

  • Thank you so very much for this & your ministry. This article hit me right between my eyes & spot on my heart. On Sept 14 I started my “healthy lifestyle living”. I begain with 10 day green juicing, increased my physical activity with water aerobics. I lost 10 pounds in the first month. Then I injured my back got a terrible Upper Respiratory Infection that was slow to respond to antibodies. This knocked me down. I recovered but struggled again with my eating. It’s a constant battle.

  • I needed this reminder today. This past summer I refrained from eating sugar. However, when I was “done” with my break from sugar, I found myself returning to my old ways, justifying eating more sugar and other food than necessary. I was letting the snake return! I like how you say “It will keep feeding upon you until it takes over your life.” and ” do those things that nurture you rather than harm you”. God did not intend for us to be in bondage. When I allow anything, but in this case, sugar, to rule in my heart, I am in essence telling Christ that what He did on the cross wasn’t enough to free me from the bondage of sin. How heretical! How idolatrous! Oh, this goes beyond food. May Christ rule our hearts and our lives ONLY. He is all we need, He is enough! Praise Him!!

    • Thank you, Michelle, for the wonderful way you put that into words. I’ve started a Celebrate Recovery step study, and I’ve realized the exact same thing – my idolatry.

    • Very true, Michele! God put this word on my spirit this morning: “We choose to restrict some things now so that we won’t be constricted later.” This is not only true in exercising self control in the eating area. For example, you may choose to restrict spending money now, so that you won’t be constricted later (debt). Or if you are married, you restrict yourself by staying faithful to your mate so that you won’t be constricted later (divorce).

  • I tried to sign up for your program in the last week but got stuck when I wanted to choose Visa or my debit card and not Pay pal.

    I’m going to be 69 this week and need to lose at least 100 to 120 lbs. I have diabetes. I’m a Christian, believe in Jesus as my Savior. I have lost over 100 lbs two times but gained it back both times. I find my self very resistant to controlling accountability. What I have read on your E-mails gives me hope…I want what you are writing about.

    I have visited a Food addiction recovery group but I don’t think my food problem is a disease; part of it is a sin problem. I retired (2012) and moved back to Michigan to my mother’s house. She says if she needed help I might not be able to help her because of my weight and knees.
    Sometimes she questions my food choices and other times (like on Halloween) when I said I wasn’t going to eat any of her donuts she made that day,,she said not even one?

    • Hi Sandra – I’ll respond to you privately about this also. PayPal is the payment processor I use to process credit and debit cards. You do not need a PayPal account to order. Simply click the Pay with Debit or Credit Card option once you get to the order page.

      To move forward, the first thing you’d need to be clear about is that you are ready to change and believe you can change. Check out this article for more information: Do you have the faith to change?

  • Right on time! God bless you and thank you for this post Kimberley. An awesome reminder that there is always a way out of the temptations of wrong food choices and God will protect me through it.

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