Posture Before Position

Physical Posture

Have you ever noticed your sitting hunched over and then when you think to correct it it’s like you grow a whole foot taller.

You Come Up Higher

         When you keep an upright/correct posture: 

                  You create less stress & pain on your body

                  It is better for your overall health 

                  Boosts your mood & energy

                  It prevents more problems from arising in the future

                  Allows you to engage crucial core muscles

                  It keeps your neck & head where they are supposed to be

                  Allows you to breathe more freely 

                  Helps you look better!

Spiritual Posture/ Heart Posture     

As a follower of Jesus, We have many postures to uphold

-Fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, & Self-Control.

Posture of Honor

Righteousness 

Holiness

Meekness 

Obedience

Willingness 

Surrender

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!

Jesus prays in John 17  before being betrayed that we would be one with each other and one with God.

That we would know the the father as he knows the Father

That the Lord would protect us from evil and that we would represent Jesus well.

How do I keep or correct to an upright posture? Not on your own

         -the grace of God

         -not by power or by might but by His spirit zech 4:6

         -by knowing the Word of God

         -looking at examples in the bible

Our calling is to Jesus first and foremost

         Come to me … and I will give you rest

         Follow me… and I will make you fishers of men

 Posture of fixation of watching God and where He moves

Of open hands open heart 

Watching trusting 

Constantly looking to the Lord

Psalm 37:23-25

The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord,

And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

24 When he falls, he will not be hurled down,

Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.

25 I have been young and now I am old,

Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned

Or his descendants pleading for bread.

When you keep your posture pure, your position is secure.

The Lord defends you and protects you. And He establishes your steps

Stop trying to understand God and how He will do something and just trust Him, He and His ways are higher and better

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not realy on your own understanding

         In all your ways know him

And he will make your paths straight

When you keep your posture and heart in line with God:

It allows you to receive things God needs to get to you and in you

It allows a firm positioning for when things need to be dealt with around you

It also allows things in you that don’t need to be there to come out smoothly

SAULS DISOBEDIENCE & REPENTANCE

1 samuel 15

         15:3

Saul was told to COMPLETELY destroy the Amalekites and everything they have. SPARE NOTHING

SIDE NOTE: after reading through the kings, the ones who did the best in their reign and did what was pleasing to the Lord are the ones who got extreme with exiling things that did not please the Lord

15:14-30

Saul’s heart was not in tune with God because it was clouded with pride and fear of men.

He was more concerned with upholding his image rather than the Father’s had commanded.

He exalted the things God did and gave to Him rather than God himself.

His heart was not grieved with true repentance

How many times has God told us to get rid of something completely in our life and we held onto it or didn’t fully get rid of it. 

Rather than fully exterminating the thing

Or how many times have we only partially obeyed God?

Or we want to do these great sacrifices for God when He just asks for our attention or our obedience?

Partial obedience is still disobedience.

What you justify in your life, you buy.

When your posture is incorrect, your positioning is not unstable.

Proverbs 2:21

For only the Godly will live in the land 

and those with integrity will remain in it.

David – 

God called David a man after His own heart

         1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22

Often when people think of David they identify him with his fault

His fault

The sin he committed with Bathsheba and arranging Uriahs death

OR

One of his greatest & first public victories

David slaying goliath

2 Samuel 12

         13: I have sinned against the Lord

He pleaded with the Lord for his son’s life.

He fasted and wept and did not move from the ground

David realized his sin was against the Lord, not uriah or Bathsheba although his act was evil and affected them. 

His repentance was to God because He knew that’s who he sinned against. His heart was hurt because He hurt the Father’s heart.

Psalm 125:4 

O lord do good to those who are good 

Whose hearts are in tune with you

Proverbs 11:6

The godliness of good people rescues them

The ambition of treacherous people traps them.

Proverbs 15:8

         The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

Samuel 16 David is anointed as king

         Then…. He goes back to the fields to tend the sheep

1 Samuel 16:7 “…humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible; but the Lord sees the heart.”

It took around 15 years and many adversities from the time David was anointed as king

I believe God was giving David a vision to hold onto

David had things he knew he was responsible for and 

Did not neglect those things

He still had servant’s hear

David used the fields as a meeting place with God

And God used the fields as a preparation place for David

He played Lyre in the fields and in turn earned favor with Saul

1 Samuel 16:14-23

He killed lions and bears in the field and in turn killed Goliath

1 Samuel 17:34-37

Saul placed David in command over the fighting men

Saul becomes jealous and afraid and begins attempts to kill David multiple times.

He relentlessly pursues David 

And all the while David never lifts a hand or a word toward Saul.

He honors him.

1 Samuel 24

         Saul goes into the cave that David is hiding in

1 Samuel 26

         David take Sauls spear and water jug

         :22 - 24

David trusted God through all those years to bring to pass what He said he would

Through ever adversity his heart/posture was fixed on the heart of God

Psalms 7:10

         God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right

David took whatever postion the Lord placed him in and did it with all his heart.

He knew God would establish His steps and God would protect/defend him.

I truly believe had David became king right away, he would not have been the king he ended up becoming 

David’s honor to those God placed in his life and love for the Lord secured his position.

It can be detrimental to a life, that is put in a great position before their posture can hold the weight of that postion. Before the correct time.

David’s posture was always a posture of a king, 

even if his position had yet to establish him as king.

David stayed humble, he trusted God and he honored those God put in his life.

Your posture will ultimately bring about your position.

God is more concerned about your heart/posture than He is your position.

God is more concerned about your condition than he is your comfort.