Friday Fight 147: Straightening our Spiritual Posture

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF147.

How often have we been traveling the course of our day, and suddenly, it's as if we have walked over some tripwire? Everything seemed fine, but in a few hours, our entire day flipped, and we were fighting to hide our anxiety or fear. We are confident in who we are in Christ, but suddenly, our identity is being threatened; now what?

Straightening our Spiritual Posture:

All of us have experienced figurative tripwires, but it is important now to examine its origin. Generally, anytime something happens that brings immediate anxiety or fear, seemingly out of nowhere, our identity in Christ is being shaken by darkness. Satan likes to manipulate unresolved sins from our past. The fear of childbirth or having a root canal is not what I am describing here. The “tripwire” I’m speaking of is being fine one moment and suddenly experiencing feelings of mistrust and inadequacy for no apparent reason. But why? Darkness wants to gain identity in our lives, so we must constantly tell ourselves to be in the world, not of the world. Our past does not define us, nor whatever label, statistic, or category darkness uses to describe us. Satan cannot remove us from the body of Christ. But it is our job to constantly reflect the character of Christ. Proverbs 27:19 says, "As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart."

Many things can contribute to the diminishment of our spiritual posture, causing us to reflect the world. Let's look at potential indicators that serve as hidden tripwires to alter our perspective of ourselves and God:

- Suppose we have been praying and believing what God can do through us, but we become frustrated by the timing. Keep in mind the goal of Satan is to have us mistrust God and invoke fear (False Evidence Appearing Real). Be patient and have faith. People of fear tend to need things instantly, which opposes placing our faith in God's perfect timing and waiting patiently in prayer.

- Another way to ensure we maintain good spiritual posture is to remember that there is confidence that comes from God's gentleness and truth in love. That confidence increases as our dependence on the Holy Spirit increases. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will walk beside us our entire lives, helping us address one issue at a time. Confidence in God replaces our insecurities fed by self-doubt and comparing ourselves to others. A lack of confidence can also be from someone else's insecurities or expectations placed on us that we did not meet.

- Another posture inhibitor is our ability to decipher what is real/true regarding our sins. I refer to this as being spiritually delusional, where we constantly blame others for every unfortunate circumstance in our lives. Own the sin, ask forgiveness, and move forward in the truth of God's goodness. Do not be convinced that God is not good when we are not holding onto His truth. Instead of placing blame, repair your relationship with God and others.

- Pride is a massive contributor to being disconnected from God. We are forgiven when we repent with a humble heart. Being stubborn and arrogant can lead to rebellion. Pride artificially fertilizes the flesh, but God nourishes the soul.

We must work to maintain our Authority in Christ and pray when our focus is challenged. Remain diligent in giving thanks and be mindful that we find freedom and joy when we praise. Let's share what God has done in our lives and be aware of things contributing to declining our spiritual posture. Stand tall in faith, walk in God's mercy, and reflect His love to others.

Photo Credit: Miguel Gable

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert