Welcome to episode 18.
Today, we're going to take on a posture of peace
by fully embracing Jesus's victory.
Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale.
Posture is a podcast that serves as a short, audible fist bump
to remind you that God is in everything.
Together, we're going to be emboldened to take
a daily posture of perfect peace.
John chapter 16, verse 33, Jesus says this,
I have taught you these things so that in me, you may have peace.
In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
What this scripture illuminates to me is that Jesus never promised us a life of ease,
but he did promise us a life marked by peace and victory.
I've said it before, I'm going to say it again.
If you're currently facing loss or the threat of ruin or destruction of any kind,
it is not God's plan for you, and it is not your permanent lot in life.
Only a devious thief like Satan would have such devastating intentions towards you.
But Jesus, who is your Prince of Peace and your mighty Redeemer, intends for you to flourish.
When you became a follower of Jesus, you were given a brand new identity,
a glorious purpose, and a flourishing destiny.
And Satan hates that about you.
And he wants to convince you that your trials and your negative circumstances
are actually what define your identity, so that we stay captive and bound.
And he knows that it's easier to believe a lie when you're hurting.
You know, sick, broken, rejected, unloved.
But Jesus won the ultimate victory so that you and I could identify with him.
He defines your true identity and makes a way for your flourishing,
so that you're healed, you're whole, you're accepted, and you're loved.
Every attack from Satan is designed to try to strip you from your glorious identity in Christ,
so that you become distracted from your purpose and removed from your destiny.
But every promise from God is designed to strengthen your identity,
so that you are established in your purpose and you fulfill your destiny.
When things get hard, it's important that we are quick to set our gaze on God
and reject the enemy's lies.
How do we know if it's a lie?
If it's not good, it's not God.
The circumstances surrounding our lives are not always going to be good.
However, the goodness of God will always surround our lives.
In fact, God is so good that he made sure that we were empowered and equipped to flourish
in every circumstance.
He gave us what we needed to live victoriously at all times.
I'm going to share a few of the promises that God equipped us with
to walk in no matter what the circumstances are.
First of all, you and I are not helpless.
That is a lie.
If you're feeling helpless today, it's a lie.
John 14, 26 says this,
This is Jesus talking.
He's going to teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all I have said.
So we're not helpless.
We're not powerless or out of control.
God said that he gave us, and this is a promise out of 2 Timothy 1, 7,
You and I have a choice.
We're not without a choice.
John 8, 32 says,
If we embrace the truth, if we choose truth, it's going to release only more freedom into our lives.
Here's an honest question that I have asked God even recently.
God, if you're good, why is my life so hard?
I've gotten stuck expecting ease to be the thing that proves God's goodness in my life.
Instead of allowing his goodness to be proven by his peace that I have,
even in negative circumstances.
In this broken world, you and I are not always going to have it easy.
But we will always have peace.
And what's
the difference? Why is that better? Well because you know chasing after ease is only going to strip
you of your courage, the joy of adventure, and your desire to live a big life. But peace, especially
in difficulty, will embolden you to fully embrace the abundant life that Jesus promised. God is our
Redeemer. So let's pause today on praying for an easy life and instead let's start praying for
peace and expecting a life marked by victory. The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3
and in Hebrew it is shalom shalom meaning complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This
is who you are in Jesus. Let's declare this together. Today I am kept in perfect peace.
With my whole heart I trust the Lord. I am strong. I am victorious. I am whole. Remember friend, you
are a living testimony of Jesus's ultimate win, not because of anything you did but because of
what he did for you. With every step you take today you're putting Jesus's victory on display
and Satan's defeat on replay.