A great many incredible things have been happening in my life lately, and from them, deep revelation is springing up. One of the things that have happened in the last several months is that I felt this overwhelming urge to get healthy. It all began in a seemingly ridiculous way. This past summer, the mission (www.purusamor.com) took my children and I to southern California. While there, we stayed with a beautiful, godly family in Oceanside. One morning, while using the restroom, I glanced over at their bathtub and noticed a daddy long legs spider climbing quickly across the bottom of the basin, in my direction. Without a second thought, I reached over to turn the water on full blast. As it gushed forth from the spout, I noticed the spider struggling and straining to maintain it's life. The words that came from my mouth next echoed in my mind..., "Just die already!" I immediately heard the loving voice of Holy Spirit respond,"Die?" Something clicked in my mind and spirit in that very instant...if the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, why was I sitting here impatiently ushering in death? As silly as it may sound to those of you reading this now, it was a very real lesson to me in that moment. I slammed the nozzle closed on the tub, plucked the spider from it's watery grave, laid it on the edge of the tub, and commanded that arachnid to live in Jesus' name! I did this for probably close to five minutes! Convinced at this point that the deceased was not going to be resurrected, I washed my hands and left the restroom...devastated! "I don't understand Lord! What just happened in there? How far does this go? Oh...my...goodness.....will I stop eating meat? *GASP*" To my initial dismay, Holy Spirit was no longer playing the role of Teacher in that moment, but had switched to the role of Comforter. I felt an extreme peace come over me, and left that scene behind. A week or two later we were blessed to stay at a hotel in beautiful Cardiff by the Sea. While there, I received a call from my friend in Wisconsin. She expressed to me that while she is so glad we live victoriously in every area of our lives, why is it that food cravings control us in such a way that we mindlessly devour bags of popcorn or chocolate bars against our better judgement and wishes. I concurred with her dilemma, and asked what she proposed we do about it. She suggested that even though we were separated by half the country, we could support and encourage one another in bringing our bodies into submission to the Spirit by eating only fruits and vegetables for two weeks. I was stoked and agreed right away. Now anyone who knew me at that time would have agreed that Amber going without meats, cheese, and carbs for any length of time was a miracle in and of itself. I'm not going to lie, it was a battle in the beginning. The second week of the challenge we ended up in a small town called Buttonwillow that had next to no population, which leads to very limited selection for produce at the local convenience/liquor store/gas station. Not to mention that I only had a hotel microwave and an electric griddle for food prep. At times I felt as though I was going to starve, but I persevered and did the full two weeks with not a single cheat! By the end of the two weeks I felt so great, I didn't want to stop! I had more energy! I could breathe easier! I could keep up with my kids! I decided right then and there, this challenge from my friend was a kick start to the new life Holy Spirit had prompted in that Oceanside restroom a few weeks earlier. I was never going to eat meat again! Fast forward about a month or so, and we had made our way to Sacramento. The man at our host home decided he was going to teach me to make smoothies. These smoothies were strictly for nutritional value, not taste. After choking down the first one, I asked him what it was spiked with! I was severely jittery as if I had slammed too much espresso. He assured me that it was just a nutrient overload because my body was not accustomed to so many vegetables at one time. Once I realized this, I prompted the production of smoothies daily. I didn't want to ever live without the correct vitamins and minerals in my body ever again! I felt even better than I did eating only fruits and veggies straight! I thought to myself,"it would be so nice to have an emulsifier like theirs while we're on the road, so I can drink smoothies everyday." Wouldn't you know it, when we arrived in Wisconsin, my mother gave me an emulsifier! Jesus is Lord! After a few days I was exposed to a video on YouTube about the meat and dairy industry. It was one of the most disturbing things I had ever seen, and it was official...I was full on vegan! Now that I had so much more energy, I began to be more active. I'm not real big on "working out", so I incorporated physical activity into nearly every non-physical activity that I participate in. When I am standing still to cook dinner, I might be doing leg lifts. When I am in worship, I might be twisting at my core. When I am reading, I might be doing crunches. Now, I'm so used to staying active and in motion that I rarely have to consciously choose to do it! Since the beginning of all these life changes, I have lost 4 pants sizes and about 35 pounds! I'm not saying that everyone should all of a sudden become vegan, but....everyone should become vegan! lol
Seriously though people, we eat to live not live to eat! Our bodies were created to ingest vegetation only! It wasn't until after the fall that the first animal was killed, and eating animals and their by-products was introduced! Not to mention what kind of garbage the food industry is passing off as edible! Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Would you feed God something that is known to cause health problems? Of course not! It doesn't matter that all things are permissible...not all things are beneficial! We need to beat our bodies into submission that we can run this race with perseverance, and while that scripture is not literal in the physical, it might as well be! How effective of a witness can you be when you are too tired to get off your couch? Christ died and rose to give us total victory in every aspect of life! He died and rose so we could be fully restored...justified...just as if the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had never been eaten! Why allow the enemy to have control in any part of your life? Why willingly allow him to destroy your body with poisons and contaminates and diseases? It's time to take a stand! It's time to say that we declare Christianity to be disease and illness free! It's time to love God not only with our time and our resources, but also with our bodies! I mean come on, we are the body of Christ! Can you picture Jesus obese with high cholesterol and high blood pressure? Of course you can't because it's ridiculous, and it should be equally ridiculous for us! No more separation in this life! Let Holy Spirit infiltrate your entire being! Let Him lead you into a better life, and a better you!
Run with me church!
*www.purusamor.com*
