Intentional Obedience

"Now the Lord has brought it about and has done as He said: [It is] because you [of Judah] have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you."

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭40:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

This last ten days I've been vegan. Meaning no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and nothing made of or by an animal. This was a part of a 21-day fast God commissioned for my healing and deliverance from my childhood molestation once and for all.  10 days were set aside for me to do a vegan challenge to release and be cleansed. And these last 10 days have been amazing. Most definitely a cleansing, a healing, a purging and a release has taken place in my heart, mind, body and spirit.  God pressed my heart to share, so here goes. 

The things that resonate the loudest are intentional and obedience. I had to be intentional to do what I said I would do so that I could be successful. On the Friday I began, I had to make up on my mind to not eat what was convenient and to instead go eat a black bean burger and sweet potato fries. I contemplated just doing something else and delaying the challenge until later in the year and God said no. He pressed me to do what He said now.  I then spent the weekend buying everything I would need to be successful food-wise. Over these last 10 days, I've just felt light and free. I've been able to release so many things and just be free in myself...but I know it was because God told me that in order to be successful at this I needed to be intentional--which requires absolute obedience and no compromise. 

Some of the benefits I've noticed are clear urine and multiple BMs daily(sorry if it's TMI lol haha 😅) clearer skin, weight loss (I'm definitely not a 6/borderline 8, possibly back into my 4s), more energy, better focus...but I've spiritually released so many lies and ignorance from my life. Molestation took a tremendous toll on my life and it distorted how I saw myself. This purge was to finally efface the stain it put on my life. It was to make me clean and to give me a clear slate. I learned over the years that this single event cracked the lens I saw through. Today, I can finally say it's been renewed, restored and replaced with a new lens, God's truth. As I did this physical thing to signify the spiritual act I partook, I felt mental chains falling off. I now believe I can do anything. I know that everything God has told me will happen. I still have days, where if things aren't happening as quickly as I would like or I'm unsure, I feel overwhelmed by thoughts of doubt trying to make me regress, but I choose to remind myself of God's truth and press onward. 

How this translates to life: sometimes even when others question your journey, stating their objections or they don't understand, you must remain intentional in your obedience. (I believe I must saw that you have to know this is what God told you to do for you.) You must holdfast to what God told you to do. You must take hold of God's promises and obey Him and Him alone. Three times I've gone to restaurants and been faced with the temptation to not eat my vegan meal. The first time my coworkers encouraged me to give up and start over. Because they aren't where I am or even aware, I was able to easily ignore them. On the other occasions, my mother encouraged me to stick to it. Now, on day 10, I'm grateful because God has clearly spoken to me about several things. 

In this walk we must be intentional, regardless of what God leads us to do, no matter how unorthodox it is. We must be obedient to whatever God is telling us to do. We must be intentional in our obedience because in order for us to be used by Him and for Him to get the full glory from our lives, we have to prove He can trust us. (If you can be trusted with little, you can be trusted with a lot--Parable of the Talents) In our intentional obedience to God, we create a trust relationship with him. Who a person trusts demonstrates who can be admitted to the inner circle. I want to be in God's inner circle. I hope you do too!

"But by your callous stubbornness and impenitence of heart you are storing up wrath and indignation for yourself on the day of wrath and indignation, when God's righteous judgment (just doom) will be revealed. For He will render to every man according to his works [justly, as his deeds deserve]: [Ps. 62:12.] To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and self-willed and disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and wrath. [And] there will be tribulation and anguish and calamity and constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile). For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another]. [Deut. 10:17; II Chron. 19:7.]"

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:5-11‬ ‭AMP‬‬

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