Posture: Down is Up

Living low begins with understanding your heart's posture before God, emphasizing the importance of humility over pride. This episode explores the significance of authentic engagement in prayer through the lens of biblical parables and personal stories, inviting listeners to reflect on their own relationship with God. 


• Exploring the concept of heart posture
• The parable of the Pharisee and tax collector illustrating humility
• Self-righteousness vs. surrendered hearts
• Understanding personal intentions when approaching God
• The struggle between pride and authenticity
• Personal experiences revealing the need for surrender
• Encouragement to reflect on what is being withheld from God
• Weekly Challenge: Is it yours? or God's?
• Next episode preview on the power of prayer

Chapters

• 0:00 Living Low
• 1:25 Episode Intro
• 2:44 The Pharisee and The Tax Collector
• 3:42 Parable Breakdown for Posture
• 6:30 Posture: Self-Righteous vs Surrendered
• 8:55 Flashback: Postured for Life
• 9:26 Posture
• 12:34 Flashback: Helpless Helps Quit Nicotine
• 16:48 Pause for The Cause: Weekly Challenge
• 17:32 Outro and Prayer
• 18:45 The Power of Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Low Life Show, a space where we have conversations about the struggles of life, where we declare war on pride and walk humbly into renewed living with a surrendered heart. Where we take our past failures and turn them into a roadmap for you to live in peace and living the low life. Whether you're working through personal struggles or simply seeking a fresh perspective, this podcast will inspire and equip you to live low and let God lift you up. I'm your host, dl the Low Life, a reformed professional dirtbag who's here to tell you that I now live a life of peace, transformed through humility. Join me, let's get low. So so what's good? Welcome back to the low Show. If this is your first time here, welcome. It's a privilege to have you. You're in luck today because you picked a good episode to pull up on.

Speaker 1: 1:36

Today we're talking about that action, the very first step in living low, and that's posture. I'm not talking about how you sit or stand nothing to do with the spine, let's be real, though some of us could use a reminder to sit up straight. I'm talking about posture in the heart, your reason why, when you come before God, are you ready to surrender or are you holding back? And it's really not an if it's more, what is it that you're holding back? Let's face it we all carry reservations when we're not the focus and beneficiary of what we do. We've all been there showing up just to check a box. Showing up to church because your mom or your grandfather or your dad or somebody told you to, not because you're seeking. And even when you pray, when you're seeking an answer from Him more than you're seeking Him, it's the wrong posture. But if you want to live low, it starts with getting your heart in the right posture. So let's jump in, because the water is warm. We're going to begin in Luke, in a parable told by Jesus himself. This one is all about posture.

Speaker 1: 2:50

Two men went up into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself God I thank you that I'm not like the other people swindlers, crooked, adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that. I'm not like the other people swindlers, crooked, adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest saying God, be merciful to me, the sinner. I tell you, this man went to his house justified, rather than the other one, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted, so let's talk about this.

Speaker 1: 3:44

We've got two guys on one side. There's talk about this. We got two guys on one side. There's a Pharisee, holy man, proud of what he does, for God Wants everybody to know it. The other side, tax collector, who won't even look God in the eye, probably for shame. He's a sinner, he claims it.

Speaker 1: 4:05

The Pharisee, though. Look at his motivation, look at his reasoning and his intention. You can tell what informs his actions. Very, very proud, proud of what he can do. Look at me.

Speaker 1: 4:14

The other thing, though, is I don't know he looks pretty passive-aggressive. If it's me, I would just tell the tax collector I think he's a piece of crap. I wouldn't just pray it out loud, hoping he hears me. Anyways, that's just me. He says God, I thank you that I'm not like the other people robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even this tax collector. Then he flexes about his tithing Like he really wants to be noticed, he wants to be seen and he thinks all of those things mean something. It shows that he's expecting something from God as a result of his actions, that he's not doing it with an open heart. He's not doing it in honesty. He's doing it trying to highlight only the things that he thinks are going to please God. But you can see it in his words he's condemning, he's comparing, he's trying to play the judge that God is for himself and convince God of something that he believes, not what's right. Then you got the tax collector, who doesn't even look at God, but he beats his chest and he boldly proclaims that he's a sinner and asks for mercy.

Speaker 1: 5:21

Why did Jesus say the tax collector went home justified before God, not the Pharisee? It's because of the posture, his posture of humility. It wasn't anything he did that made it better or worse. It was his willingness to admit his sin. It was his surrender right in front of God, saying I know I'm a terrible person, I know that I'm a sinner, I am unclean, imperfect, and yet here I am asking you for mercy. He went home justified because of his honest heart. In that honesty he embraced his imperfections. He had nothing to hide. That takes humility to embrace the things that you've done wrong, to accept them and then to surrender them to God. The Pharisee was unjustified because he was proudly bragging about how good he thought he was. Unwilling to see his flaws, or maybe just trying to hide them. Either way, it's the wrong posture. What is your posture?

Speaker 1: 6:27

In the parable we have two people, a Pharisee and a tax collector, with two different postures. One was self-righteous, the other one was surrendered. The Pharisee showed himself to be self-righteous because he thought he was doing God a favor by showing up. He didn't show up for God's help. He didn't show up for God's help. He didn't show up seeking God. He showed up to brag before God and others just about how amazing he is, how pious. He also compared himself to the tax collector. The tax collector who came with a surrendered posture. The tax collector who had nothing to offer but a repentant heart.

Speaker 1: 7:07

Here's the good thing. It's not like once you're postured one way, it'll never change and that's just the way you're going to be forever. You can check that. Here are some signs to find out if your posture is off. Have you ever found yourself comparing your walk with others? Like well, at least I'm not as bad as them.

Speaker 1: 7:25

You might be a Pharisee, or maybe you're coming to God with a checklist like, okay, I prayed, I went to church, now where's my blessing? The beauty of the way God operates is your life is going to prove what your posture is. One way or another, it'll either show the fruit in this case, fruit of the Spirit, and it'll show evidence that you want Him for Him, or it'll show the opposite, regardless of what you say or how you pretend to be no-transcript, it doesn't matter if you fool people around you. If you feel like you can do that to God, you know for sure pride's sneaking in and if you find yourself in that way, it's very easy to fix, it's very easy to turn back. It starts with being honest, honest with yourself and honest with God, accepting of yourself. Remember, god's not impressed by your checklist and there's nothing you can do that he hasn't seen. There's nothing that's really going to impress him, because it's by his grace that you have, that you can, that you ever even will accomplish anything at all. He's looking for your heart. Keep it real with him. He already knows anyways. You're not going to impress him by lying, by hiding, by highlighting things that you think he'll enjoy. You want to try to impress him. Why don't you try by not impressing him and see how that works?

Speaker 1: 8:57

Let me take you on a journey back in time. I wonder if some of you maybe you're like me, like I was Maybe part of why you feel pain or hurt is because you're too smart for your own good, might be backward. There's no such thing as being too smart, right, it is when it's combined with being too proud. See, I knew everything. I had life by the balls. I had cracked the code and figured it all out.

Speaker 1: 9:26

When my life started to break, it was like nothing I did was fulfilling enough. Every time I had a great idea, right before I hit the start button it lost its purpose. I would have a great idea for a painting and 90% through it. I'd wipe the entire thing out and start over. Every time I had a design concept, it'd be dope. I'd get kudos when I shared it and I would be riding on that high of compliments and then I would just have no interest in it. It even happened in my criminal life. I'd have a great idea on a lick to hit, work through it, develop it. I'd even get agreement from others on the odds of success. We were about to make some money and then I'd abandon it at the finish line. I used to think it was just fear of failure.

Speaker 1: 10:10

After losing my promising career, I didn't want to fall again. That might have been chump change to some, but it was everything for a poor kid from Vallejo. After a while I did what I could to turn my brain off. Sometimes that meant not engaging in any meaningful thought process. Mostly it just meant hella, weed and nothing serious. It got to this point where my mind scared me and I didn't like that. So that led me to tons of TV time. I rationalized it, as at least it keeps me out of trouble. This was the trend I went through to get through grief, probation, prison, parole, even boredom in everyday life. Just ignore it by focusing on a fake reality. Turn on the TV.

Speaker 1: 10:51

Only recently have I been led to do life a little differently. So what changed? I was given something, every single thing I have and ever had Time, and breath included. It's all been given, didn't earn it, didn't work for it. So this realization, it came during a time of understanding that God led me through, to help me realize that nothing is mine. Everything I have is and always will be his, my life included. I'm just keeping this body warm for him. Problem was I wasn't even doing that right. All the accolades and achievements meant nothing, because the glory is his. I was seeking it for myself. This revelation got me thinking about what I do with my time. Even Time is his and I'm not spending it with him. What am I doing, would you realize? I found out that I watched about 8 to 12 hours of TV a day. I guess you don't realize that math is mathing when you took a blunt to the face and you're just spaced out on the screen.

Speaker 1: 11:57

The other thing that got my attention was the constant distraction I had of needing to hit my vape to smoke a cigarette. Sometimes I'd be in conversation fondling that thing like it was. Anyway, you get my point. Even during prayer, sometimes I would have my hand in my pocket holding onto the vape, just waiting for the amen so I could run outside and hit it. I had not been acknowledging anything other than what I wanted and expectations and preferences for my life. Acknowledging what's his and being willing to return it to him is the posture I had been missing, this posture of no expectation of me, because I'm not even my own. It could look like a bunch of different things.

Speaker 1: 12:36

For me, it made sense after God walked me through actually quitting the nicotine. You know, since I started smoking, I'd always quit until I bought a new pack. I remember saying to God I know that when it's time for me to be done with this, I'll be done. When you want me done with this, I'm not going to smoke it anymore. I know that you won't let me crave it. I know that you won't let me think about it. I know that you won't let me crave it. I know that you won't let me think about it. I just know.

Speaker 1: 13:02

And then I said well, please make sure that I'm down to my last cigarette or last percentage of juice in the vape, don't do it. When I got a fresh pack in my pocket. So this was the beginning of posture. I removed myself and whatever independent strength I thought I had, and I leaned on God for the entire process. And so it went. This is where God's funny. I had about 85% juice left in my vape and I felt this strong desire to toss. It Didn't make no sense because I had just spent my last 20 bucks on it. So I went down to the dumpster and I paced around it for about 20 minutes maybe 30, trying to convince myself that I was tripping. Then I tossed it because I couldn't shake the feeling, I couldn't shake that notion that this was the moment I was leaning on him. For After that, though, I have not had one craving for it at all, and that was five months ago by returning to him what was his, in this instance, my life.

Speaker 1: 14:06

He allowed me to lean on him and he literally did all the work. Nicotine and all the toxins and cigarettes were not doing my lungs or lifespan any favors. I was putting something he gave me at risk, and I've been doing it since I was 12. Then he got to work on my leisure TV time. That was way easier than I thought. I was very dependent on escaping reality through TV, but he did it all.

Speaker 1: 14:29

One day I was watching a movie and I just found myself disgusted. I don't even remember the movie, but it wasn't anything crazy, just your standard PG-13 movie on Netflix. So I shut it off and I opened up the Bible, just thinking why not give it a shot? That day began a daily replacement in hours in the Bible instead of on the TV. It began a daily six to maybe ten hours total of reading every day. It became my go-to for boredom, sleeplessness, anytime I felt in need of satisfaction.

Speaker 1: 15:00

His words just gave it to me. I didn't know it then, but he was also teaching me. Teaching me how to know and see and hear and feel what his will and purpose are for me. Teaching me how to be obedient to his calling. Teaching me to accept that he really was calling me and it didn't make it up in my head. Teaching me how to sit with him.

Speaker 1: 15:19

He was teaching me posture, a posture of placing him above myself, letting him be God and showing him that I know this because my life is surrendered to him, remembering that time is a finite thing and wanting to spend it with him. Remember tomorrow's not promised, when he knows that you're aware of this and you choose to spend your time with him anyways. It's an honorable offering, it's a sacrifice of something valuable. Whatever your wants are, you have to lower them. Put his will above yours and put him above you. Take a moment to consider your posture.

Speaker 1: 16:06

Ask yourself where you're coming from when you pray. Are you praying because you have to? Are you hiding anything? If that's the realization you come to, then it's time to make a shift, time to stop trying to hide. Remember he sees you, no matter how many masks you put on. You could fake a voice, you could do all those things. He sees you. So be comfortable in your mess. Mess and when you are there, cry out to him, lean on him, be helpless and know that it's okay because he's not. He's all the help you'll ever need. Pause for the cause.

Speaker 1: 16:49

This week Weekly challenge. This week in prayer. Take some time and ask God what in your life do you think is yours? What in your life do you withhold from Him? Where are you unwilling to invite Him or where have you not even thought about it? Remember Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says to acknowledge him in all our situations, in all our ways. That means inviting him, that means remembering him, that means thanking him and knowing that it's his and it's not yours. Remember, be honest with yourself and when he does respond, ask him to help you with whatever it is, to inform your posture. Write it down if it helps, and then we will see you next week. Thank you for hanging out with me today. Remember, living low starts with your heart.

Speaker 1: 17:40

Next week, though, we're going to get into some real stuff the superpower prayer. We're going to dive into the real stuff, the superpower prayer. We're going to dive into the Lord's Prayer, break down the format, the intention, the reasoning, and we're going to learn what it really means to get low before God in prayer. You'll hear why it's more about relationship than routine, more posture than ceremony, and more intention than structure, and it's all going to come from the model that Jesus gave the disciples.

Speaker 1: 18:11

Let's pray, father. We thank you today for posture, for your willingness to wait for us patiently and even informing us on how we need to be to approach you. We thank you for showing up and doing all the heavy lifting, all of the work for us. Bless the listener. We ask that they would grow one step closer to you this week. Thank you, and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen, you won't want to miss any episodes, but if you have to pick just one to tune into, tune into next week. Prayer is something I hold dearly to, something that I find as part of my goal, my mission, my calling, my purpose, my all, everything To steward well, prayer is the only reason I'm alive today, the only reason I'm here. Who knows, tune in. It might just set your prayer life on fire. Until then, stay low, stay blessed and stay ready.

Speaker 2: 19:28

Until the next episode of the Low Life Show, peace. We'll get to the low life, low life. We'll get to the low life, low life.