Post BASIC Journal

Journal Entry 3- The Poser

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'" -Genesis 3:8-10
 
You may well have figured out by now some areas in your life where you are scared and hiding.  It is evidenced by a pose that you are presenting.  Some false representation of your true self whose purpose is to keep people from seeing the "you" that you believe people will not or cannot accept. My main pose early in my life was to appear "preoccupied" or "shy".  I put on this pose because I believed I did not have anything to say, so I presented myself in a way that would give me the best shot at not engaging in conversation.  It was effective according to my goal, but was even more effective for the enemy's goal, separating me from God.
 
In BASIC we used some visuals related to the pose. You may recall the "elaborate fig leaf" or the "brick wall". When you imagine these around you, it is easy to see how it keeps people and pain out, but the bigger reality is that it keeps God out. And that is the goal of the enemy.
 
I have said that posing is a sin exactly for this reason.  At its core, sin is any act that separates you from God.  When we don the elaborate fig leaf to protect our hearts from perceived pain, to hide ourselves out of the fear of exposure, we also put up a barrier to God coming in to expose, to heal, to initiate, and to love. Posing is not your end story, it is just one of the things that is getting in the way of the story God has written for you.  
 
How good would it feel to quit hiding? What would it be like to find out the real you is actually enough? And that the true, unhidden you is exactly what God wants? Pride and shame are the foundations of the pose. Repentance prepares the way for God to come and bring his salvation.
 
There is a time for every purpose under heaven, and now is the time to kill the poser so you can come out of the shadows and into the light. Go after the pose: Expose it. Repent of it. Renounce it. And ask God to renew and restore the true you. He will do it and you will love the freedom it brings.
 
Pilgrim On Brother,
Alan Pyle
The Alamo Band of Brothers

DOWNLOAD THE DEVOTION PDF HERE

Homework you will enjoy: A Movie

There is no better movie that we know of than the Disney movie "The Kid" to see a man who has learned to live successfully out of the pose. It's a story of the masculine journey through the eyes of a man who learned to profit from his ability to pose but was eventually rescued from it and all it had stolen. Don't be fooled by the title. This is a deep and mature movie, playfully made.

Journal Questions:

1. What do you think it would be like to take a 10 hour car ride with yourself? Do you think someone would enjoy this? Why? Dig into this?

2. What do you fear your friends would say if asked to describe you?

3. What do you keep hidden so others will not reject you?

4. When do you feel an overwhelming compulsion to disengage? To reject? To become aggressive? What's the shame or fear behind this?

5. Ask your Heavenly Father "How does my pretending keep you at a distance?"

now you can Take action.

Are you ready to do the work? You can begin choosing trueness, and in doing so you will begin to strangle the poser. Expose. Repent. Renounce. And agree with God about your new Christ-like nature as his son. Keep your gun loaded and repeat as necessary. This is not a one and done. The enemy will try desperately to convince you that the false self is zombie-like and immortal, but it loses power quickly once you begin clinging to God’s truth about you.

Be strong. Be courageous. Be resolute. And you will finally be free.

 The Final Authority on This Matter:

What does God have to say about posing? Gen 3:7-10, Matt 21:18, Matt 23:23-39

Who are you now in Christ? 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 3:25, 2 Cor 6:18

How do I kill the false self? James 4:7, 2 Cor 10:5 (repeat as necessary forever)

Resources for you

1. The Daily Prayer  This is the truth you need.  Packed with scripture to re-orient your heart around the truth of who God is, who you are in him, and what he is doing in you through the power of Jesus perfect and complete work. We strongly suggest you make it a part of your morning routine every single day. Find it on our website -Daily Prayer.

2. Ransomed Heart Tribe (http://ransomedheart.com/join-rh-tribe) gives you great resources like these: "The Poser" by Craig McConnell, and "Styles of Relating" by Morgan Snyder. Use the Promo Code ALAMOBOB to extend the free trial another month.  All of these resources are available for free download, so even if you don't keep the subscription, they are giving you the resources, essentially for free.

3. Brene' Brown has been a YouTube sensation after uncovering through research what factors help people live wholeheartedly. Check out this TED talk, the Power of Vulnerability, that uncovers the power of shame and reveals the path to wholeheartedness and joy.