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Today we're going to take on a posture of peace by rebranding the season that we all find ourselves

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in right now to align with the promises of God. Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale. Posture is a podcast

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that serves a short audible fist bump to remind you that God is in everything.

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Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.

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Romans chapter 8 verse 28 says this,

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and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called

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according to his purpose. You know, change is hard, especially the rapidly fast change we have

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all had to deal with with this global health crisis. And the Lord reminded me that I was

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actually this time last year when Bruce and I, my husband and I, were experiencing so much change,

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rapid change. Some of it was good, we were renovating this home that we now live in,

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we were launching a new company, and we were restructuring the details of our lives to

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live in a way that didn't run us ragged. But some of the change that we experienced last year

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was actually absolutely terrible. And here's the thing, good or bad, change is change is change.

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It takes away what is familiar to us. It requires learning new things, ditching old habits,

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changing routines, and ultimately for the people of God it requires that we embrace perfect peace

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in the midst of a lot of unknown. And believe me, I know that it is all too easy to crash against

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the hardness of a season of change because it's the unknown that has a way of just overshadowing

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all we think we know, clouding our perspective, and really seeding a lot of doubt in our lives.

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And when I was caught up in all of the unknown about our circumstances last year, I had to lean

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into the Lord and learn how to remain focused on all that I did know about him. And so Bruce and I

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decided to rebrand our season of transition last year, and instead we called it our season of

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transformation. Why did we do that? Well because what we did know is that we serve a God who

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doesn't just merely transfer us around from season to season haphazardly. No, he intentionally

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transforms us from glory to glory. And with all the change that is happening right now in our

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world, have you maybe branded this hard season in a way that has left you feeling scared, or insecure,

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or frustrated, or exhausted? Maybe you've said things like, man this is going to wipe me out,

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or I am being crushed right now, or I don't know if the world's going to recover from this,

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I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what our future is going to look like.

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And maybe those definitions, the things you've been saying about this season, have left you

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feeling hopeless. If that's the case, it's time to rebrand. And the good news is people of God,

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we don't need special permission or even different facts to define, to redefine the space and season

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that we're in with hope and goodness. All we actually need is a promise keeping God. But

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please do not take my word for it, because my words are only going to get you so far,

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and that's not very far. It's the word of God, it's only the word of God actually, that carries

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the promise and the power to transform you. So last year we rebranded our season to match

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our expectations, to match what we did know about what we believed God was doing with us,

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in us, and through us according to his word. And you know what? We were totally transformed

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in that season. You know, some of our biggest dread actually became our greatest dreams last

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year. And just to be clear, this is not a mind over matter psychology tactic, and it's not actually a

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fake it until you make it theology either. This is life in the kingdom. This is walking in faith.

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You and I, as people of God, have been empowered and equipped to transform the world around us by

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partnering with heaven. And it starts with us, it starts with our minds. Romans 12.2, it's a

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verse you may be familiar with about renewing your mind. I'm going to just share the Passion

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Translation because it's taken a familiar verse and it's just opened it up to me again. The

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Passion Translation for Romans 12.2 says this, it says,

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Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you.

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But instead, be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through the total reformation

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of how you think.

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This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and

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perfect in His eyes.

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You know, you and I can always know God's will by looking to His Word.

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And according to His Word, not mine, not the world's word, but His Word, you can expect

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good things from God.

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Here's what I discovered last year.

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Valleys, low seasons, they actually lead us from one mountaintop to another.

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And before you think I'm just like above it all, let me be real and confess with you.

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Right in the middle of that valley that we found ourselves in last year, I looked behind

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me at the big mountain I had just climbed down, the job I had left behind, the community

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I thought I lost, the dreams I felt like I had to let go of.

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And then I looked ahead at me at the big mountain I was about to climb, the new business, going

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out on my own, being innovative, and it just felt so daunting.

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I thought, this is going to be so much hard work, this is going to require so much time,

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this is going to take so much strength and courage and oh, so much change.

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And when I sized up that big mountain of change that I was about to climb, I looked at my

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husband Bruce and I just confessed, I don't know if I have what it takes.

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I'm tired and I'm scared.

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And the real scary thing about that confession was not that I said it out loud, but it was

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that I believed it in my core.

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I had gotten stuck in expecting the worst because I was so caught up in self-condemnation

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and really despair of believing that I just wasn't enough.

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And so what happened is my focus, my mind, was all focused in on what I thought I could

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make possible instead of trusting in a God who can do the impossible.

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And thankfully Bruce, who's my hero and he's my fellow warrior, he just took my hand and

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he said, I have so much hope for the future.

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And it wasn't a harsh correction or a condemnation, it wasn't even wishful thinking.

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It was a gentle invitation based on the word of God to just share my burden of doubt and

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join it instead with his bounty of faith that he had.

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You know, God is so kind to give us all each other, especially for seasons like this.

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So today I want to share with you my bounty of faith that I have for this season because

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I have been through really low seasons before and I have come out on the other side transformed

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because of who God is.

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So if you're in a valley right now, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of change

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that you have to climb, I want you to know I have so much hope for your future because

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I know the God who you serve.

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You will be marked by innovation, not limitation, and you will be defined by faith, not fear.

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Today let's all lean in and live lives filled with joyful anticipation, not angst.

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Let's not dread.

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Let's dream.

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Let's replace any worry with wonder today because even in the unknown, we know this

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because of who God is, your future and my future is filled with hope.

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The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3 and in Hebrew it is shalom, shalom, meaning

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complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken.

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This is who you are in Jesus.

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Let's declare this together.

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Today I am kept in perfect peace.

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With my whole heart, I trust the Lord.

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I am strong.

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I am victorious.

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I am whole.

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Remember friend, you are a living testimony of Jesus's ultimate win, not because of anything

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you did, but because of what he did for you.

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With every step you take today, you're putting Jesus's victory on display and Satan's defeat

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on replay.