06. YOUR CORE... Positioning
06. YOUR CORE... Positioning
In WholyFit practice good posture and body position is everything. Just as we concentrate on the position of our bodies for best performance of an exercise, we must also position our spirit for the performance of spiritual exercise. How do we position ourselves best in the Kingdom of God? First by accepting Christ as the only way, the truth and the life. After initial salvation and filling with His Holy Spirit we still need to continually come before the Lord and also examine ourselves and ask, "Is Jesus really the central focal point of my life. If not, what is really at my core?"
Just as the physical core of our bodies dictates real strength, so our spiritual core determines our spiritual posture. We all go through times of being Christians with “fire insurance”: We have accepted Christ, are going to heaven when we die and all our sins, past, present and future are forgiven... But that’s it. We have entered into the Kingdom, but don't live like it. We don’t really live like King’s kids. We don’t know we are Kings and Priests and that everywhere we put our feet belongs to us. We don’t know that God asks us to bring His Kingdom to earth. How do we live like Kingdom dwellers?
First we've got to know what the Kingdom is.
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The following is a description of the "Kingdom", written by Jeff Wells, in his Weekly Devotionals from the series entitled, "Passion". Jeff is the Senior Pastor of WoodsEdge Community Church, The Woodlands, TX
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17
What is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is the heart of Jesus’ message. If the kingdom of God was the message of the early church. If the kingdom of God is our message today, then we must understand the kingdom. It’s God’s rule. It’s God’s rule in the lives of people. It’s God’s rule in the lives of people through Jesus Christ. It is an invisible kingdom. A spiritual kingdom. It is not a political kingdom with armies and parliaments and capital buildings. It is a kingdom not of force, but of love and grace and freedom and joy.
The kingdom of God is not of words but of power, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God’s Spirit inside His people. Because there is the power of God, wherever the kingdom breaks forth there is life transformation and miracles and answers to prayer. God shows up!
Best of all, at the very heart of the kingdom is the stunning story: The King dies for his people. Unlike most kings who send their people to war to die for them, this King, Jesus, came to die for his people, rescuing us from the kingdom of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of light.
All over the world, Christ’s kingdom is advancing, his kingdom of love and grace. We are part of this cause, the only cause that really matters. We are servants of the King. We are his agents, his ambassadors, his representatives wherever we are. Meanwhile, until the King returns and the kingdom is fully realized on earth, we obey and serve and love. And, we pray, “Thy kingdom come!”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17
This was the heart of Jesus’ message: The kingdom of God. This was also the message of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2). It was the prayer Jesus taught us:
“Thy kingdom come … For thine is the kingdom …” (Matthew 6:10, 13).
Jesus tells us to “seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).
When he sends his disciples out, they proclaim the kingdom (Matthew 10:7).
Jesus gives parables of the kingdom (Matthew 13:24f).
Before Jesus returns, the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world” (Matthew 24:14).
When Jesus rose from the dead, during the forty days on earth “he spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
When the Book of Acts ends, Paul is in Rome proclaiming “the kingdom of God” (Matthew 28:31).
The kingdom. Pretty important I would say. The message of Jesus. The message of the early church. The message of the church today. Your message. Your prayer. Your pursuit.
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The Pearl
We must "sell all" for the pearl of Great Price. (Matt. 13:46) Nothing is more valuable than promotion of The Kingdom rule and reign. Everything else is worthless compared to Jesus.
Philippians 3:8
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
In order to be ready for the return of Christ we must be aligned with His Kingdom rule and reign. Yoga and yoga religions are aligned with the kingdom of the coming Antichrist. We must be aligned with the coming Christ who will have victory over the Antichrist. That means we have to know Jesus, the Warrior King and submit to His training in warfare. That duty will require a radically holy attitude and will require that Jesus will cleanse us completely of anything that belongs in the camp of the Enemy. Of course holiness is God's work in us, not our own, lest anyone should be tempted to boast.
Repentance regarding Christians and yoga does not necessarily mean that all we do is change the name of our practice to "WholyFit" or some other catchy name that does not include the word, "yoga". It's more than that. What it means is that we search our hearts at the feet of Jesus and ask Him to reveal our inconsistencies. It is not what we do outwardly but the motives of our heart that Jesus wants us to bring before Him. Repentance is about inward change. Repentance happens first, then the outward stuff happens naturally. Repentance is always the call of the Holy Spirit and is repeated, reflected in the (attitude) of Elijah and of John the Baptist. It needs to be our call today.
We have the Word that warns us of every step to come, but it takes the Spirit of God working in us to be able to understand and apply it in our culture, in our season. The Bible does not specifically address yoga in the "Thou shalt not" section. What to do? Ask God to reveal to you His will. You must be in the Word, and remain in prayer, watchful and alert, which simply means asking Jesus to reveal what's on His mind to you. He will! He is faithful to! He wants to! It's easy because getting through to our brains is dependent on His work, not ours.
What is at stake? Our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's be willing to lay down our lives for them. This doesn't mean necessarily that we die physically. It means that we lay down anything that could hinder them, no matter how sweet and desirable. When I was shown the truth and understood the gravity of the matter, if I didn't turn toward the Lord, I would have risked my heart becoming hard. We can say "No" to the Lord, but if we do we may become deaf to Him. We need to remain tender, attentive and soft toward Him, open to His subtle direction. Let's all return and repent together, and take a bath in humility. It's painful, but so worth it in the long run.
Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord. Amen
Meditations and Prayers:
Jesus, I believe in your Name and ask to become your child, bought by Your blood on the cross. Please forgive me in the name of Jesus for my association with yoga philosophies, practices or religions whether intentional or not. I stand before you completely rejecting Yoga philosophies, practices and religions with all its intrigue and mystery.
I completely reject Shiva
I completely reject Buddha
I completely reject the sun god
I completely reject all Yogic gods and names of gods
Please deliver me from my association with yoga, past, present and future. Because You died to pay the penalty for my sins, I believe on the basis of your Word and Your integrity that I stand before you cleansed and free. Jesus, cleanse my home and my life. Help me to dedicate myself fully to You alone.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus
Thank you Jesus. Lead me now on Your adventure and open my eyes to see. Jesus, show me who you are as the Warrior King and train my arms for battle and my feet for war to prepare the way for you to rule and reign on earth as it is in Heaven. Only You deserve all the glory and honor and praise. Lion of Judah, let me hear you roar!
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