Fluid Communion ( Switching Postures )

Sometime last year, I remember getting frustrated at the need for me to shift postures and get things done as opposed to just sitting with God and receiving. Little things like chores and work started to tick me off because nothing else could measure up to the satiety I got in those quiet times with Abba. I wondered to myself, how can I just stay here? Why do I have to break the flow? Why must I move? The reality of eternity in those moments made me want to label most of my daily tasks as mundane.

The job I was working did not seem to be doing anything for my spirit or soul… so then, in light of eternity I wondered, what was the point? If only I could dedicate those 9 hours a day to more study of the Word & meditation time. If only I could live an uninterrupted life where I continually did nothing but take up nutrients from my source- God. That sounded noble and great until I recognized that it was born out of selfishness. I didn’t realize I was basically desiring to remain a consumer yet never a distributor – eat without working out. The problem with the mindset I had then(heck..let’s be honest..”then” was like.. 48 hours ago) is that it was so self centred and self-serving. My job may not have been feeding my spirit but perhaps, I was supposed to be the one helping feed someone’s spirit on my job.

Imagine if we all went out for lunch and every single person in the room was waiting to be served… who would do the serving? Maybe the “interruptions” were opportunities for me to share and pour what I had received rather than stay bloated with the things God had been giving me. Maybe I was being selfish with my salvation. Maybe instead of just asking God “where can I go to be filled?“, I needed to ask “Where will you have me pour?“. Just like a fountain, fullness should result in overflow for others. I am learning this and I’ve been a slow learner in some areas of my life. Jesus said ;

“Freely you have received; freely give.”
(Mat 10:8)

When Jesus first recruited the disciples, they were able to do a lot of sitting and gleaning from the master Himself. Lots of feasts, suppers, stories/parables and relaxing while receiving in God’s presence. However, there came a time where Jesus was departing and He commissioned them to go into all the world (WALK) and make disciples of all men (WORK). This was a season of transition where they had to move from sitting to walking and working. This revelation hit me when I was listening to a podcast last year. The guest spoke about how busy a few weeks had been with ministry and she had started to feel guilty about the decline in set-apart, seated(figuratively) , alone-time she had been getting with God. As she thought about it, she heard the Holy Spirit say to her – Paraphrased – “In this season, I don’t need you to sit with me, I need you to walk with me“. Once I heard that line, all the restlessness in my spirit just had language attached to it – I knew God used that to speak with me. He had been saying, “It’s time to walk, go out and share what you’ve gleaned from me”. I had gotten so comfortable sitting and receiving but my spirit had been witnessing to me, “It’s time to fulfill the commission“.

So here’s the deal, to be very clear, there is absolutely no amount of work , even for God , that will ever beat being with Him. This is not a call for you to act like Martha in Luke 10:38-42. It is however a call to act like the disciples. Major difference – in that kitchen, while Martha was cooking(working) for God, there was distance between her and her master. She had chosen producing for Him over being with Him. However, with the disciples, it wasn’t a shift from one to the other – they went from sitting with Him to walking and working WITH Him by means of the Holy Spirit. When Martha had the option to cook or sit with Jesus, I don’t believe the issue was that she chose to serve the master, Nooo, the issue was that her choice of service created distance between her and the one she served, albeit for a moment. I don’t know how houses were back then but if I conceive it like a modern kitchen, the wall was a demarcation that separated her from her partner. Partner – that’s the word. Partners work together and that’s what God invited us to partake in ->
A divine partnership.

It is very important that I clarify the point I’m trying to make here – setting aside time to sit with God privately – hiding and seeking is still of very very high importance. However, what I’m getting at is not doing anything FOR Him WITHOUT Him. If it’s a season where He requires you to walk, walk WITH Him. If it’s time to work, work WITH Him and not solely FOR Him. I particularly remember when Jesus said

 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Mat 7:22-23

Here’s the lesson I got from there;

It is not enough to do things For God. Do them with Him.

Something so primary that constant communion aids us with is sensitivity on when to Pivot. Just because God asked you to start one way does not mean He desires for you to continue the same way. I’ll give two examples – Both of these people walked with God and got directions on when to pivot – yet one obeyed fully and the other partially which resulted in severe consequences.

First, let’s talk about David. There were two times specifically where David inquired of the Lord on how to defend himself and the Israelites from the incoming attack by the Philistines. Though it was the same scenario twice, God gave different strategies each time and David obeyed and made the pivot. The first time, God gave David the go-ahead to attack the philistines head-on(2 Sam 5:19). The second time however, God gave a specification that would position Him to be defended by God first (2 Sam 5:23). The latter was a specific instruction to do things differently so that God Himself would go ahead of the Israelites. Had David not walked with God closely such that He was regularly inquiring of God, he would not have known to pivot as He would have continued acting on an expired instruction/directive.

The other instance was with Moses. When Moses asked of the Lord the first time regarding water for the people, God said to Him, “strike the rock”(Ex 17:6). Moses stayed close to God and the next time, as He inquired of the Lord, God said “speak to the rock”(Num 20:12). Now most of us know that that didn’t particularly go so well as Moses only acted in line with the 2nd half of the instruction – noting the resource but not how to pull from it. He got water from the rock alright , but due to disobedience in strategy … whether it was due to emotion or familiarity …not so sure, the point is he did not pivot when needed and it cost him greatly( Num 20:12 ).

Again, It is not enough to do things For God. Do them with Him. When God says, get up and walk, that’s exactly what we need to do. TAKE HIM WITH YOU.

Take God with you. As the Lord was encouraging me during the week, He brought to my remembrance the time where Jesus just got news that His cousin (John the baptist) had just been beheaded (Mat 14). When John’s disciples told Jesus the news, like any of us, He withdrew privately to a solitary place. I believe this was a moment where He was trying to just sit with God and His emotions however, there was an “interruption” of some sorts and the way Jesus responded was a lesson for me. The scripture tells us that when the people heard Jesus was withdrawing, a large crowd followed Him. Jesus did not continue running away from them, He did not yell, He did not scream “Let me sit down”… He had compassion and pivoted to heal the people. He did God’s work and He remained in communion with God establishing the kingdom of Heaven on earth.

There will be times where we must adamantly go to the secret place, withdraw and sit with the father. However, be willing and sensitive to change posture in line with God’s will. Bring Him into your sitting, your walking and your working. Let it be that regardless of your stance, you invited God, the Holy Spirit right there with you. Either way, let it be that His will is done in partnership with you as lean into the “interruptions” life brings. We can choose to view them as opportunities to experience God in a new and fresh way.

Busy or not, stay in Communion with Abba then both receiving and pouring will be fulfilling.

I hope this encouraged you. Lord knows it encouraged me. This is the beauty of the veil being torn – We have a constant companion. ” I AM WITH YOU”. God says it many times in the Bible. He says it consistently today. Abide in Him, Abide in that.

I put out a podcast this week that goes in a little deeper on this and more. Check it out, Subscribe and share with a friend if it resonates with you ❤️

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