Today we are going to take a posture of peace by seeing our challenging circumstances
correctly. They are our opportunities for relational growth.
Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything.
Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.
Colossians chapter 3. We are back. We have been there before. Colossians 3 verses 1 through 4
says, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
If we view our challenging circumstances with a mind that is not set on things above,
we will be susceptible to discouragement, to desperation, and to despair.
And I only know that because that's how I used to live. Challenges would come my way,
and I would fixate on a resolution, on an ideal outcome. And the shorter the timeline, the better.
Of course, you know, I wanted instant healing. I wanted instant provision. I wanted instant
answers. And I would become so consumed by my need for rescue and resolve that I did not have
any awareness of the opportunities in the middle of those challenges for my relational growth with
God. You know, my joy, my peace, my faith, my hope, they were all held up by my circumstances,
only to be freed once there was resolve. It was as if my life was buried in my circumstances
instead of being hidden in Christ. But in Christ, my life, your life, is not about what is happening
or not happening to you. It is all about who you are becoming. Every part of our living and
learning in Christ is meant to be connected to who we are becoming in Him. Remember Genesis 1-26,
we've talked about this before. God's primary purpose for us is to be made into His image
and likeness. And that transformation happens not through resolution of circumstances, but in our
relationship with Him. And on that relational journey, that is where we discover the keys that
will unlock our circumstances. You know, Jesus didn't live ever in reaction to His circumstances
or the circumstances of others around Him. He always lived in response to the Father.
And in His response, His responsive living to the Father, came resolution of circumstances.
You know, there's no point in getting an answer to your situation if you remain unchanged. In fact,
it only guarantees that it's going to circle back around again. Every circumstance is an
opportunity for relational growth in God. Every circumstance is an opportunity for you to grow
in your relationship with God. There is territory to be taken. There is strength to be found. There
are deeper levels of intimacy, closeness with God to be experienced. So here's a great question
to ask today, no matter what your circumstances are, heavy, light, easy, hard, how are your
circumstances contributing to you being made more into His image and likeness? Who are you becoming
in Jesus today? The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26, 3. In Hebrew, it is shalom,
shalom, meaning complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who you are in
Jesus because of Jesus. You are a living testimony of Jesus's ultimate win. With every step you take
today, you're putting Jesus's victory on display and Satan's defeat on replay.
you