Date Day with My Man!! *sips tea*

Listennnn... The title of this blog is kinda cap🧢 lol but not really. Lemme explain.

Over the past week, I celebrated THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DAYS of my celibacy/ abstinence journey. I use those two terms interchangeably and have been corrected a time or two. Whether you wrap it in a bow or with wrapping paper- the fact of the matter is, I was able to not be sexually intimate with anyone for the past year for the sole purpose of waiting until marriage. 🤯 This has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. In full transparency *sorry parents if you are reading this lol* I have had a couple veryyyyyyyyyy close calls. (and if you are one of the close calls- Im not gone put you out like thett lol don't get tense.) I am not super woman and I am fully still in a flesh suit walking this journey out every day. I would have fallen a billion times if I did not have Holy Spirit providing me ways of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

All I know is I started doing things and being in situations and environments that I couldn't believe that I was in. You know those things you tell yourself and others that you would NEVER do... yeah. I was living in my own truth that my body was my own. I can look how I want, choose what I want to do, go where I want to go and be with who I want to do it with because I was living my truth and no one could take that from me. Alcohol, brunching, and binge drinking wrapped in the term "social drinking" had me in a choke hold and although I was fun and bubbly-- I continued to open the door for lust and sexual immorality to slide right on in at the end of the night.

This past week was the first time I looked at this year long journey as something different. Almost the whole year I was looking at this from a deficit perspective. Like okay God, I can't sleep with people. Then you want me to delete all of the dating apps and never get back on them again? God, you frfr want me to stop watching things that trigger lust including Power, netflix, hulu and youtubers I love? Now you want me to stop listening to music that doesn't feed my spirit?! Bro, You want me to stop self pleasure but you know I'm not getting it from anywhere else? ON TOP OF ALL THIS YOU WANT ME TO BE INTENTIONALLY SINGLE?! Like stop dating a person I feel like you sent and talk to no one in a romantic way? I was honestly fed up.

Somebody I really really reallllllllly wanted to see was going to pull up to Oklahoma and I was going to risk it all. SMH. No body would have known unless I told them and I could just mess up and get back up quick enough that no one would even suspect. Holy Spirit convicted me in that moment. Thats just what the enemy does- when you make up your mind to change, he sends old things to pull you back into the very thing you left. Genesis 19: 1-26 emphasis 26 It's nothing wrong with the people he uses... like its not the people- its the cycle thats trash.

This past week, an angel I knew from college reached out and spoke life over me.

She didn't know I had just lived through probably the worst two weeks I've had since 2020. She was the only one to reach out and just celebrate me on the 21st of April. My official one year! I legit had forgotten about it lol since the weeks and days and hours were all running together. She text me and told me to buy myself some flowers and have a nice dinner. Even more than what she shared and sent, God used her to show me a revelation. I am just so so blessed God reconnected us years and years later.

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So, Sunday April 24th was my first date day with Jesus. I had heard of people letting Jesus woo them and taking them out on a date. I wanted to be intentional- I wasn't taking myself out I let Christ lead this entire day.

It started with the blessing of being able to attend church.( TC is still not open for in person service to the public BUTTTT we are having a Version2 conference happening this fall that you should come to!!!!) I got ready for the day like I would any date. Put on an outfit I looked cute in, hair and makeup and had so much joy and anticipation in my heart. You know those butterflies you get before a date.

BABYYYYY! The service from SUNDAY! God met me in a tangible way. I went to church alone just with him. He was in that entire sermon. So many 💎💎s were dropped. You just have to watch it!! I promise you it will be an on time word. "God won't look you over for medals, diplomas nor degrees, he will look you over for scars." PROOF you survived!

After spending time with Him at church. He encouraged me to go to Trader Joes in Tulsa. Yall, I been here almost eight months and I haven't been to Trader Joes before, didn't even know Tulsa had one. So I was headed there-- made so many wrong random turns and ended up at Trader Joes. While I was at Trader Joes, I ran into somebody I love from TC in the checkout line. *Perfect Timing* The way God moved!! We were both standing outside in the rain, crying and sharing testimonies and confirmation and I felt God smiling on us.

Literally, allowing Holy Spirit to take over my day and do whatever he wanted to do had me in the perfect place! After Trader Joes, we went to my favorite smoothie place and had smoothie bowls! I just sat and listened. God was literally the man of the hour! The man of the day and I had no agenda- I just wanted to make room for Him.

After we left there, I went home and put the flowers in water and started cooking dinner! We had a Bgroup Pour In experience ( a leadership training if you will) and JESUS!! THE HEALER!! did his thang. It was just another example of His love and His tenderness.

Y'all we had a BOMB candle light dinner. I had a sermon playing and the word open and just talked to God. Told Him how trash the past two weeks were. I thanked Him for keeping me. I thanked Him for delivering me but talked about areas where I am not free yet. I don't wanna just exist and live, I want to exit and live out my freedom.

I sat at my island in my kitchen and just felt a tangible JOY. I spent my 56th day being weed and alcohol FREE celebrating choosing my relationship with Christ intentionally for 365 days! I am choosing to put Christ first and I am dating him. I am running this race until someone else who is running their race with God catches up so that we can run our individual races with God together.

Chileeeeee, I am no expert on this! It was legit my first date day with Christ but I was amazing. I have been struggling to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. I haven't been resting in God's presence enough. I've been serving His people and trying to push the kingdom forward that all of that started to take His place. Thats a nono- so I had to recenter. Slow down. Take a Holy pause for the cause and get back to the wonder and the mystery of learning about God.

So all in all, I in-fact had a date day with my mann!! I encourage you to have a date day with Him too. He's the only man that can love us all individually and at the same time. There is no way you can't feel better after doing this. So here is to this journey! I don't want to wait to celebrate how far God is bringing me on April 21, 2023- I'm going to celebrate this journey of putting God first so much more now.

So when you see me out here on the town looking good and alone and living my best life know that its with the Father and I am fully enjoying my relationship with my man. If Jesus is never enough no man/ woman/ friend etc will ever be.

xoxo-Paige