1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?
Alignment of the body refers to the co-functioning of head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles. Improper alignment puts undue stress on the spine, ligament, and bones. With aging, body posture plays a very crucial role in the alignment of the body. Poor body posture can cause back pain, spinal dysfunction, joint regeneration and even limping. Over a period, ligaments work harder, and muscles begin to pull causing degeneration of the spine. Good posture not only helps with the alignment but also improves digestion and good blood flow.
Allegorically, our spiritual alignment has a heavy bearing on our spiritual posture. The word ‘cofunction’ refers to the ability of the joints to move and bear weight. Our spiritual alignment will determine our maturity. Spiritual maturity does not come from the number of days we fast or our robust Bible knowledge or hermeneutics. Spiritual posture determines our maturity and growth. As every part of the body plays a vital role in the alignment of our physic, our discipline, decisions, deliberation, and dialogue play a vibrant role in our spiritual configuration. Relationships, priorities, entertainment, conversations and our private engagements give our spirit-man the posture that will either align or misalign our structure and stature.
Elijah challenged the Israelites who were dabbling between Jehovah and the pagan idols of Baal and Astaroth. They celebrated the Jewish feasts as directed by Moses, but they also prostituted themselves with the pagans festivals. Baal required the sacrifice of children in fire, often the first-born male child, which the Lord detested. Ashtaroth was the deity associated with sexuality and fertility. Archaeologists have recovered many indecently uncovered statues of this female goddess. The swaying between the truth and profanity gave the Israelites a spiritual limp! Firm spiritual posture builds an upright structure spiritually.
Spiritual posture is important to spiritual alignment:
- Slump: Slumping or slouching can cause muscle tension, back pain, joint pain and affect blood circulation. Bad sitting posture at work can cause serious injuries. Likewise wavering or wobbly faith causes spiritual slump. The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6b-7). When faced by fierce waves of uncertainty, stand steady. Spiritual slumping will cause our faith to crumble.
- Whim: Those who are impulsive, emotionally driven and rash cannot build a strong spiritual structure. As poor posture strains the ligaments causing muscle tightness and bone degeneration, wavering and impulsivity causes misalignment to the spiritual structure. Steady growth requires structural alignment.
- Limp: A ‘spiritual limp’ is caused by dabbling with wrong philosophies, beliefs, and wrong practices. “Majority does not mean right”. Just because our colleagues, friends and mates follow a route, we need not follow. Broadway that the majority take would cause a spiritual limp. Standout for what is right, honest, and true to be spiritually aligned.
Spiritual posture of prayer and purity gives us upright spiritual alignment.
Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Prayer: Holy God, may purity be my priority and may I never be swayed by popularity or prominence that might give me a slump, limp, or droop. Amen.
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