God's promises can shape our posture

Years ago, I visited a local, Cajun Restaurant that had a high profile for it's alligator and various seafood platters. It was my first time, so you can imagine I was a bit excited mixed with some hesitations (as I am not easily inclined to step outside of my routines to try new things). I remember my friends pressuring me to not only try crawfish (which is a huge thing in the south), but to also 'suck the head' of the crawfish for it's renowned juices!!

As my platter was delivered, my glands filled with its own juices and I began my first "adventure" with crawfish. Being a crawfish peeling virgin, I slowly took away the hard exterior and with feeble hands pulled away the tail, breaking it into pieces (as impossible as that is). The meat was tasty and by my third or fourth crawfish, I got a tad bit quicker. It wasn't long before my friends had reminded me that I needed to suck the head as "that was the BEST part".

So I accepted the challenge (sidenote: I'm not sure what got into me that night, because I'm not that easily persuaded when it comes to new food). But I remember staring the crawfish in its beady eyes (as if to prep him for my attack and plead for him to be forgiving) and finally turned his head around to the exposed portion. I, in fear, stared into the cave like head and thought "how am I supposed to get juice out of this thing without ingesting what looked like brains to me?". I snapped out of my fearful trance by a friend saying "Kim, just do it!" And so I did. I closed my eyes, raised the head to my mouth, stuck my tongue into the cavity and inhaled its juices. I'm sure my putrid face told it all as I coughed and frowned and coughed some more. My friends must have had the time of their lives at my expense that night, because they were laughing HARD!

Well as harrowing as that experience was for me, I had to admit the juices were everything they promised it would be! However, less than 5 hours later, I found myself bent over the toilet in the comfort of my own apartment and unable to peel myself away from it to return to sleep. For hours, I sat on the rug that hugged my toilet, and I myself, hugged the seat prepared for the next unexpected rounds of regurgitation. A series of episodes that occurred for at least the next few hours.

Something I ingested, took into my system was able to control and cripple my posture. What I welcomed into me, shaped how I moved (or didn't move) for a period of time in my life.

Let me say this, spending time in church might help us know "of" God's Word, it might even aid in keeping us in awe of how 'sacred' His Word is. Spending time listening to church songs (contemporary Christian and even gospel) may lift you in difficult times and feel 'good' for some time while you're behind pews swaying along with the audience and praise team. Hanging around "Christian" people or church people is no doubt healthy for the growing Believer (1 Corinthians 15:33 7 Psalm 1) and listening to audio sermons or podcasts absolutely have their place in reminding our souls of the truths we know.

But, dear sisters and brothers in Christ, nothing compares to studying the Word of God for ourselves. Knowing God's promises in an intimate way most assuredly comes from intentionally making time to read His Word, digest it, rehearse it, memorize it and pondering upon it when necessary! His sweet, compassionate, gentle and yet stern, correcting and redeeming words and promises are the key to His heart!

Yes, a direct result of ingesting God's Word, taking it into our minds and letting it stew and marinate there causes it to trickle into our hearts. This ingesting has the same affect on us, that the crawfish had on me; meaning the act of taking in His Word can't help but affect our posture before Him. A posture in our lives, that reflects His truths.

Here are three POSTURES, right off the top of my head, that I've witnessed in my own life be affected directly by God's Word:

1. Pride to Humility
Many people can recite God's Word; but a person who is convicted by it and and willingly allows it to change them, will be someone who speaks phrases laced in humility. Their lives won't be about themselves, but increasingly and overwhelmingly about others. Their lives request no praise or spotlight; they're satisfied never being acknowledged for what they lovingly do for others.

2. Condemning to Forgiving
It's completely hypocritical to verbally admit Christ as your Savior and yet hold grudges, demean and purposefully condemn others or not be willing to forgive. This is no overnight quality, but one who is proactively learning of God's thoughts, actions and posture before us as it relates to OUR SINS, can't help but be so humbled by His forgiveness and mercy. This truth and reality bleeds and seeps through our pores when we interact with others. We look for chances to show others mercy and are quick to forgive understanding that our debt was too large to be canceled, yet it was!!!!

3. Stingy to Generous
God's Word is bursting with not only His generosity to us in His qualities like grace and love, but His generosity abounds for us in blessings! He willingly gives to us without us knowing that we even needed it. A person taken aback by this revelation is the same way with his/her time, material possessions and realizes nothing is given to them without a purpose to assist others lying somewhere in that blessing!

What does your posture reveal about your daily intake of God's Word? We can bend over for many external things: bowing, tying our shoes, reaching for something, sneezing, etc. But only what we allow inside of us has the ability to keep us in a bowed posture; I submit we continually feast on God's Word and watch what it does to your life posture!