Overeating is something that God does not approve of. It is a sin that can lead to all sorts of other problems, both physical and spiritual.

Even if the Lord is often seen as a loving and forgiving figure, when it comes to the sin of gluttony or overeating, He doesn’t make allowances. The Bible contains numerous references to gluttony as a sinful act, and in many of these passages, God is shown as bringing down punishment on those who overindulge.

If you struggle with overeating, know that you are not alone. But also know that there is hope. God only gets angry if you don’t show effort to transform yourself and fix your mistaken ways. He can actually help you overcome the temptation of food so you can live a healthier, more balanced life. Just follow these 15 verses to guide you in changing your bad eating habits:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

Proverbs 23:20-21 NIV

Do not join those who drink too much wine
    or gorge themselves on meat,
for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
    and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Proverbs 30:8 NIV

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.

Proverbs 23:2 NIV

And put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.

Philippians 3:19 NIV

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

Galatians 5:16 NIV

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Luke 21:34 NIV

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.

3 John 1:2 NIV

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 

Titus 2:3-5 NIV

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Galatians 5:22-24 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Isaiah 55:1-2 NIV

Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

2 Timothy 2:22 NIV

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Proverbs 21:17-20 NIV

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
    and the unfaithful for the upright.

Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
    but fools gulp theirs down.

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.