“Stand Up Straight”

What is our posture? How we posture ourselves is not only important, it’s vital.

 Improper posturing can cause a wearing down, a misalignment, a weakening,

 and can be disabling.

Correct posture brings alignment, health, and strength.

I had a dream before waking on the morning of December 13, 2016, that I believe is an exhortation, and encouragement that comes with the discipline of the Lord. That Word of God that makes us free and enables us to move forward in the confidence that only comes from the Lord…that confidence is our Lord. He speaks and reveals to our heart what our eyes haven’t yet seen.

When we move into alignment with His heart, the veil is removed from our eyes, the lies are broken off our minds, our hearts are liberated to believe,

 and our feet are freed to run.

As Holy Spirit began to unfold this dream to me, there was such a liberation and confidence in the Lord. I felt debilitating things had been broken off me. I felt light in the Lord, with a sense of forward motion. There was an overwhelming awareness that this revelation was not just for me, or coming only to a few, but was spreading rapidly across the landscape of His people, bringing strength, the joy of expectation, and advancing movement in the Kingdom of God.

The Dream

To summarize, in the dream I had on an outfit that I had worn several years back. I enjoyed wearing this tailored suit; it was a soft yellow that had a light and bright feel to it. (That is the sense of how I felt, at first, in this dream.)

I needed to get to an appointment, but my husband had our (current) vehicle, so I had to wait for him to come pick me up and take me to my destination. Even though I had called him earlier to make sure of the place and time he was to pick me up, he didn’t show up at the specified time. Knowing that I was going to be late for my appointment, and not being able to reach my husband now, I started walking to where I thought he might be in hopes of finding him to drive me to where I needed to be. He was not at that location either, so I decided to walk back to our original meeting place.

As I began walking, I started across the lawn and the sprinklers came on. I moved to the sidewalk where I was still getting sprayed by the water, but was no longer getting drenched. When I moved out onto the main walkway, I noticed the image of my shadow as I looked down. I could tell from my shadow that the way my hair was done was also from an earlier time in my life. My steps became slow. Although I was trying to move quickly because of the situation, I was slightly bent over with my head down, and my feet felt like lead. Then I heard, “Stand up straight.” I stood up straight, and was able to quickly move forward again.

Unwrapping It

My suit speaks of apparel, clothing, covering, a garment, possibly a mantel, or a purpose that was tailor made for a previous season. It could also be a certain gear acquired, or an equipping that was given in that season. As I looked up synonyms for “apparel”, I was intrigued to see the word “trapping” among the list. If we are not careful, we can be trapped, ensnared, and even deceived by trying to stay in a season that the Lord has determined to end, or that has come to completion. Sometimes, we must be willing to remove the familiar before we can be clothed in the new garment. That is not to say that the seasons don’t build on one another. They most certainly do. From season to season. Precept upon precept. From glory to glory. It is the progressive revelation of God. It is His process of transforming us into the image of His Son, and into the fullness of His likeness.

There is a tension that comes with transition.

 Much like a woman giving birth when that moment of transition comes for her baby to be born, is the process of the Lord moving us into a new season.

 Part of the tension comes knowing that it is time for the new and it is here,

 yet questioning if we are ready.

Also in this tension, there is pain that will most likely accompany the process;

 it lets us know that it is time for transition.

 At times, I have compared this process to a momma eagle who gradually

removes all the soft material from the nest,

 making it so uncomfortable that the baby eaglet has no other option

 than to jump from the familiar and learn how to fly.

When we come to this moment of stepping over the threshold,

 there is no going back.

 We can trust our “Coach” and the Lover of our souls

 to walk us through each stage,

as His purposes are birthed through His beloved.

Our current vehicle symbolizes current purpose, vision, ministry, calling.

It was my husband that was in the driver’s seat. Jesus Christ being our Husband (our Bridegroom, our Head), in His wisdom, tarried in picking me up to take me to my appointment. We should not be dependent on anyone (including ourselves!), other than Jesus Christ, to be in the driver’s seat of the purposes of the Father in and through us. Although others may be involved in His timing and orchestration, and even on journey with us (what an absolute joy!), our direction and dependency comes from our vital union with the Lord. We can be at peace knowing that as we are obedient to the Voice of God when He calls, that the working out of all things are in His hands.

The water sprinklers symbolize both Holy Spirit, and the washing of the water of His Word. We can inadvertently remove ourselves from the full saturating work of Holy Spirit and hurry through the restoring place of green pastures (lawn) because we don’t perceive it for what it is. The renewing of my mind with the revelation of Holy Spirit was needed before being able to step completely into the current vision and purpose driven by our Lord, that would take me to the appointed time. (Habakkuk 2:2-3)

He is so faithful and good to bring His truth that allows us to step up, over, and into. Although, it is up to us to choose what we will do with what He has shown us. We are not free to fully give ourselves to Him in the new season if we are not willing to let go of the past, or are even aware that we need to let go.

One powerful way of releasing all to Him and transitioning into the next, is to be grateful and thankful for the previous season(s)…

•  the parts that were bright with revelation and growing in the knowledge of Him
•  the parts that were full of fruitfulness and glimpses of God’s glory
•  and even the parts that were filled with persecution and trials                                    that gave opportunity to grow in the freedom of Truth,                                                      to become more like Him.

A Necessary Note with a Word of Encouragement

This note isn’t part of the revealing of the dream, but I feel it’s important to include at this point, to dismantle some possible roadblocks for the journey ahead. The enemy of our souls has come to kill, steal, and destroy, and is very subtle in his tactics to ensnare people in his web of lies.

 There are three behaviors, that I’ll mention here, that are attached to these lies that cripple and bring destruction:

•  The first, is when hurt is worn as a badge of honor. It shrouds the Love that is to be the banner that marks a life belonging to the Lord.
• Second, holding onto unforgiveness and harboring bitterness robs life and brings death; disabling a person to the core.
• And the third, letting selfish ambition be the motivation instead of the love and will of the Father, will taint the best of “works” …building man’s kingdom, not expanding God’s Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

Here is the GOOD NEWS! Jesus came to give us LIFE, and life more abundantly! Total FREEDOM!

When we ask Jesus to shine His light, exposing anything that is a destructive force and does not line up with the Father’s will, He is faithful to show us and give His truth that will make us free. That truth may produce a temporary pain as we allow Holy Spirit to pull the death breeding root out of us…but now we can heal and walk in a new level of truth, freedom, love, and life. I would much rather experience the temporary pain of the truth that causes me to overcome and live (delighting in the discipline of our good Father), than the torture of a pain that is darkness, constantly producing misery and death.

Back to the dream…

Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 11:15, that hair for a woman represents her crowning glory and her covering. The shadow of my hair style was also from a younger time. The shadow is just a perception of the real image…it’s not the reality.

 We can’t rely on a shadow of what once was, but our trust and confidence must be in the Lord.

Here is the reality…we were created to be ever increasing from one glory to another. We are not meant to only stay in yesterday’s revelation, and the level of the glory of God that came with it. He has fresh manna for each day. “Give us this day our daily bread”, and the Bread of Heaven is never stale! It is a glory to our Father when we partake of the fresh revelation, the fresh manna that He is bringing to the table. We make Him our absolute covering and authority when we receive His revelation, ingest it, and then live it out. It is a glory and a joy to our Father when we are growing in the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ.

The more we SEE Him,

                        the more we KNOW Him,

                                           the more we are TRANSFORMED into His image.

Jesus Christ is the Head, 

the covering, 

the glory of His bride, 

and the glory in His bride.

This belonging to Him is our identity 

and the purpose for which we were destined to fulfill,

in each season,

and throughout eternity.

When we are bent over with our head down, we are not walking in the posture of our identity in Him, or the hope He has called us to in Him. We may have allowed ourselves to be weighed down by past seasons, or we may have given into lies of the enemy that have brought condemnation and shame associated with fears and expectations of man. With these weights strapped to our ankles, we are not completely free to move forward in the present season. Shame that has its origin in lies that we’ve believed, are paralyzing.

There is no shame in moving in the revelation of God

and responding in obedience to His Voice.

SO NOW…

“Through the Blood of the Lamb, I release forgiveness over all those who have spoken words of shame over you for obeying the Word of the Lord. I ask Jesus to shine His light and expose the lies that have caused this trespass, and to bring His truth into their midst, setting them free.

AND

 I declare a full release and freedom in you from the effects 

of those lying words of shame

 in Jesus Name.”

If we belong to Him and are responding in obedience to His Voice, we can trust Him that each season will be what He has designed for it to be. We are His sons and daughters that carry the Hope of Glory and the Reality of His Kingdom in the earth. This is our posture. We were created for such a time as this…and what an unparalleled hour it is. The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. This creation will be liberated from the bondage of corruption and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  (Romans 8:19-21)                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                             

So, when the Father tells us to “stand up straight”, we will, and our hearts and feet will be freed to run in the purpose He has called us to

 in this new season.

We will not miss our appointed time.

What is your posture?

Looking Forward,

~ Tammy ~