Spiritual Self-Cannibalism

“The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.”

Ecclesiastes 4:5

“Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.”

Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.

What posseses a man to sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate? What is the condition of a fellow whose appetite drives him to a handicap? What can be done for a man who can’t say “no” to his desires, but instead consumes his health, freedom, abilities, or friends to slake them?

We’re talking today about something that sounds seriously grotesque, yet it is an open, observable phenomenon in our society. It is spiritual cannibalism.

This is a deeply troubling thought, so I’ll be brief. I read online that self-cannibalism is called autocannibalism or autosarcophagy. It is a practice you might think is usually forced upon an unwilling victim, but it is not. The chance for fame in front of a camera is causing people to commit this sick act publicly and unabashedly. If it turns your stomach to think of someone cooking up and eating their own amputated, infection-ridden finger or foot, then good. It should.

Are we THAT starved for entertainment?

God is not surprised at man’s capability for degradation. The Bible contains warnings of the start and end for all sins. David’s Psalms show the progression of being a fool: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) That same fool- four verses later- devolves to, “Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.” (Psalm 14:4) Cannibalism and self-cannibalism will mark the end of an atheistic society. God is not mocked.

That kind of heathen practice in a first-world society is not nearly as destructive as spiritual autocannibalism. This kind of madness is the slow form of spiritual suicide that backslidden believers commit daily.

“He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.”

Proverbs 26:6

We would all agree it is unwise to bite the hand that feeds you. Spiritual self-cannibalism is even more insane. It is butchering parts of the new man in Christ so you can feed the old, dead man who is cursed and bound for a 6-foot hole in the ground.

It typically occurs when carnal desires scream for satisfaction, and a person chooses to self-mutilate their spiritual man to satisfy their stomach cramp. Here are some common examples:

• A teenager bent on being popular is found out to be a Christian. When their friends confront them, they swallow their witness, and deny ever knowing the Lord that saved them. Their courage and testimony are now shot; they will never lead those friends to Christ.

• A convert struggles to read his Bible, but instead of disciplining himself to study, tries to have spiritual thought without Scripture (via the ‘medium’ of the internet), thus digesting his own brain. The longer he gives his mind over to artificial sermons and virtual church the more impossible Bible reading becomes.

• A man cannot bring himself to forgive, and harbors a grudge. That bitterness creates a cancer that eats away at his soul. He will lose the love of Christ forever, and feel ‘right’ the whole while.

• A Christian in greatest need of fellowship, isolates themself in hopes they will just ‘feel better’ somehow. They become ‘self-consumed’ of grief and pity, as they shut out the very people they need the most. When they finally encounter an estranged church friend, they will recoil with feelings of judgment and hypocrisy, thus reinforcing their choice of self-destruction.

• A musician with some talent tries her hand at worldly music to improve her God-given gift. Thus she procures talent, but in the process loses her calling and the ability to gain true satisfaction. Now that she has the skill, she is unable to enjoy it.

I think you’ll agree that this is a truly disturbing psychosis. It is even more troubling when it is on display for the world to mock and ridicule. The sooner we become aware of this hideous trend, the sooner we may repent and return to the Satisfier and Healer of our hearts.

“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 16:11

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