A Word on Spiritual Posture

“I can always tell our military men by their haircut and their posture.” So said the man at the counter as we browsed a shop in the historic downtown area near the military base where our son is currently stationed. The Lord brought that to my mind this morning and said that we, His children, need to correct our posture. Why?

US military men and women are recognizable not because they carry authority within themselves, but because they carry the full authority of the government to protect and defend the Constitution. Likewise, as God’s children, our authority lies not in ourselves, but in the authority of Christ and His kingdom, and we are authorized by His name to carry out His commission to bring good news to the humble and bind up the brokenhearted while proclaiming release to every captive of the enemy and freedom to prisoners (Is. 61:1).

The hairstyle is an act of submission and a way to create team. They all have one covering, and they are all willing to lay their lives down for a fellow soldier and the civilians they are called upon to protect. It is not contingent on the civilian's politics, but on the mandate they have been given. Likewise, the Body of Christ must come together as one, underneath the banner of Christ as conduits of His rule, reign, and authority, diligently caring for one another.

So many within the Body are sowing seeds of division over non-salvific issues. That is not to say there are no repercussions for how one represents the Body, but just as there is military justice, there is divine justice, and He will correct those who have misrepresented Him and His kingdom. We, as His people, should be immediately recognizable as such to all with whom we come in contact. Our posture should be such that when we walk into a room, the enemy quakes and hides for fear of being found out, and when we encounter the works of darkness, we are authorized to dismantle them. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete” (2 Cor. 10:3-6, NASB20).

I’ll be writing more on this topic, but in the meantime, soldier, stand up straight, keep your head covered, and know you carry His authority everywhere you go.