May the Lord grant you grace to move into the proper inner posture to be able to hear what He IS saying to you TODAY! This past week I was blessed to read a chapter in a book by A. W. Tozer. The chapter had to do with Abraham's relationship with God. The gist of what Tozer said was this. The reason Abraham heard God and eventually obeyed Him was because of being in the proper spiritual posture. God was on His throne speaking - and Abraham was on his face listening. There is a whole lot being said in that statement. Let's look at it for a few minutes this week together.
The first proper inner (or spiritual) posture for us to know is the posture of God. He IS seated on His throne. In understanding that posture we are grappling with the fact that God is king, that He rules and reigns over all things, and that He is seated in the place of absolute, ultimate, unquestioned authority over ALL THINGS (and by the way - that "all things" includes you and everything that ever has or will pertain to you).
Some think God is in a posture other than this. Some consider that throne to be empty and non-existent - but we know that the fool is the one who says in his heart, "There is no God." Others think God, after winding up the earth, took a break from it all and is allowing the earth to wind down on its own. He is not active in the scope of human affairs. Some would place another chair next to God. Seated in that chair opposite Him is the devil who, according to their thinking, is somewhat equal with God as the two of them "duke it out" for supremacy over earth and the spiritual realms.
Here are the facts! In Isaiah 37:16 we read the following, "O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth." In addition to this we read 5 other times in the Psalms that God is enthroned in the heavens as well. In Ephesians 1:20 we read that Jesus was exalted, after His resurrection, to the right hand of God's throne. God is seated on His throne - and what we read in the Bible is His revelation - i.e. Him speaking to us! But if we are going to hear Him as we should - we need to remember and submit to the fact that when He speaks - it is from the place of ultimate authority - on everything!
What this means is that when God says it - we have heard ultimate truth spoken with ultimate authority. We can debate it in our minds and even with others - but - when we're done God is right and we are still called to respond obediently. Our other choice is rebellion. We are truly ready to hear from God when we acknowledge from where He is speaking and with what authority those Words come to us.
The second inner or spiritual posture Abraham portrays for us is that he was on his face listening. The posture here is unmistakable. It is a posture of submission - to listen - to hear - to understand - and then to obey. Think about this - even when God tested Abraham with the request to sacrifice Issac - Abraham did not rebel. He chose to obey God and head to Mount Moriah to do what God said. We read in the New Testament that Abraham thought that God would raise his son from the dead if he had to. Such was the faith and the truth that Abraham had for God and His commands.
Are you in a spiritual posture to listen to God? Can you hear what He is saying through the Spirit to the church? Does He speak to you through His Word? Are you getting it - understanding what He is saying and dealing with the ramifications and the obedience that He is calling you to in life? Is hearing God resulting in action in your life - a choice for obedience and a choice to DO what He says you should do? Is your obedience instant - or delayed - or even subject to what you think in the end? Your spiritual posture often has a lot to do with whether you will hear Him at all. What is your spiritual or inner posture? Are you on your face - ready to obey OR are you sitting on a throne of your own making? Have you set up a rival throne to God from which you speak over your own life?
Dearest saints of God, THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION YOU FACE DAILY IS THIS, "WHAT IS YOUR INNER, SPIRITUAL POSTURE BEFORE GOD?" Nothing is more important that this. Nothing supercedes it. It is THE determining factor on how your life will ultimately go each and every day you live. Join me, saints, in assuming an "on your face" posture of hearing, listening, understanding, and obeying God. There is another word for this - it is WORSHIP. Romans 12:1 tells us that posture when we read there, "I urge you therefore, brethren, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship." You could almost switch the word "posture" for "service" here and lose little in the translation. Our posture before God - our whole selves as a sacrifice to God. Oh, may God's grace make such a wonderful thing possible - and may our passionate obedience follow Him entirely in the way our inner posture is set daily. See you Sunday as we continue our study in 1 Peter!
The first proper inner (or spiritual) posture for us to know is the posture of God. He IS seated on His throne. In understanding that posture we are grappling with the fact that God is king, that He rules and reigns over all things, and that He is seated in the place of absolute, ultimate, unquestioned authority over ALL THINGS (and by the way - that "all things" includes you and everything that ever has or will pertain to you).
Some think God is in a posture other than this. Some consider that throne to be empty and non-existent - but we know that the fool is the one who says in his heart, "There is no God." Others think God, after winding up the earth, took a break from it all and is allowing the earth to wind down on its own. He is not active in the scope of human affairs. Some would place another chair next to God. Seated in that chair opposite Him is the devil who, according to their thinking, is somewhat equal with God as the two of them "duke it out" for supremacy over earth and the spiritual realms.
Here are the facts! In Isaiah 37:16 we read the following, "O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth." In addition to this we read 5 other times in the Psalms that God is enthroned in the heavens as well. In Ephesians 1:20 we read that Jesus was exalted, after His resurrection, to the right hand of God's throne. God is seated on His throne - and what we read in the Bible is His revelation - i.e. Him speaking to us! But if we are going to hear Him as we should - we need to remember and submit to the fact that when He speaks - it is from the place of ultimate authority - on everything!
What this means is that when God says it - we have heard ultimate truth spoken with ultimate authority. We can debate it in our minds and even with others - but - when we're done God is right and we are still called to respond obediently. Our other choice is rebellion. We are truly ready to hear from God when we acknowledge from where He is speaking and with what authority those Words come to us.
The second inner or spiritual posture Abraham portrays for us is that he was on his face listening. The posture here is unmistakable. It is a posture of submission - to listen - to hear - to understand - and then to obey. Think about this - even when God tested Abraham with the request to sacrifice Issac - Abraham did not rebel. He chose to obey God and head to Mount Moriah to do what God said. We read in the New Testament that Abraham thought that God would raise his son from the dead if he had to. Such was the faith and the truth that Abraham had for God and His commands.
Are you in a spiritual posture to listen to God? Can you hear what He is saying through the Spirit to the church? Does He speak to you through His Word? Are you getting it - understanding what He is saying and dealing with the ramifications and the obedience that He is calling you to in life? Is hearing God resulting in action in your life - a choice for obedience and a choice to DO what He says you should do? Is your obedience instant - or delayed - or even subject to what you think in the end? Your spiritual posture often has a lot to do with whether you will hear Him at all. What is your spiritual or inner posture? Are you on your face - ready to obey OR are you sitting on a throne of your own making? Have you set up a rival throne to God from which you speak over your own life?
Dearest saints of God, THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION YOU FACE DAILY IS THIS, "WHAT IS YOUR INNER, SPIRITUAL POSTURE BEFORE GOD?" Nothing is more important that this. Nothing supercedes it. It is THE determining factor on how your life will ultimately go each and every day you live. Join me, saints, in assuming an "on your face" posture of hearing, listening, understanding, and obeying God. There is another word for this - it is WORSHIP. Romans 12:1 tells us that posture when we read there, "I urge you therefore, brethren, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship." You could almost switch the word "posture" for "service" here and lose little in the translation. Our posture before God - our whole selves as a sacrifice to God. Oh, may God's grace make such a wonderful thing possible - and may our passionate obedience follow Him entirely in the way our inner posture is set daily. See you Sunday as we continue our study in 1 Peter!
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