Today we're going to take on a posture of peace by rebranding the season that we all find ourselves
in right now to align with the promises of God. Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale. Posture is a podcast
that serves 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.
Romans chapter 8 verse 28 says this,
and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called
according to his purpose. You know, change is hard, especially the rapidly fast change we have
all had to deal with with this global health crisis. And the Lord reminded me that I was
actually this time last year when Bruce and I, my husband and I, were experiencing so much change,
rapid change. Some of it was good, we were renovating this home that we now live in,
we were launching a new company, and we were restructuring the details of our lives to
live in a way that didn't run us ragged. But some of the change that we experienced last year
was actually absolutely terrible. And here's the thing, good or bad, change is change is change.
It takes away what is familiar to us. It requires learning new things, ditching old habits,
changing routines, and ultimately for the people of God it requires that we embrace perfect peace
in the midst of a lot of unknown. And believe me, I know that it is all too easy to crash against
the hardness of a season of change because it's the unknown that has a way of just overshadowing
all we think we know, clouding our perspective, and really seeding a lot of doubt in our lives.
And when I was caught up in all of the unknown about our circumstances last year, I had to lean
into the Lord and learn how to remain focused on all that I did know about him. And so Bruce and I
decided to rebrand our season of transition last year, and instead we called it our season of
transformation. Why did we do that? Well because what we did know is that we serve a God who
doesn't just merely transfer us around from season to season haphazardly. No, he intentionally
transforms us from glory to glory. And with all the change that is happening right now in our
world, have you maybe branded this hard season in a way that has left you feeling scared, or insecure,
or frustrated, or exhausted? Maybe you've said things like, man this is going to wipe me out,
or I am being crushed right now, or I don't know if the world's going to recover from this,
I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what our future is going to look like.
And maybe those definitions, the things you've been saying about this season, have left you
feeling hopeless. If that's the case, it's time to rebrand. And the good news is people of God,
we don't need special permission or even different facts to define, to redefine the space and season
that we're in with hope and goodness. All we actually need is a promise keeping God. But
please do not take my word for it, because my words are only going to get you so far,
and that's not very far. It's the word of God, it's only the word of God actually, that carries
the promise and the power to transform you. So last year we rebranded our season to match
our expectations, to match what we did know about what we believed God was doing with us,
in us, and through us according to his word. And you know what? We were totally transformed
in that season. You know, some of our biggest dread actually became our greatest dreams last
year. And just to be clear, this is not a mind over matter psychology tactic, and it's not actually a
fake it until you make it theology either. This is life in the kingdom. This is walking in faith.
You and I, as people of God, have been empowered and equipped to transform the world around us by
partnering with heaven. And it starts with us, it starts with our minds. Romans 12.2, it's a
verse you may be familiar with about renewing your mind. I'm going to just share the Passion
Translation because it's taken a familiar verse and it's just opened it up to me again. The
Passion Translation for Romans 12.2 says this, it says,
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you.
But instead, be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through the total reformation
of how you think.
This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and
perfect in His eyes.
You know, you and I can always know God's will by looking to His Word.
And according to His Word, not mine, not the world's word, but His Word, you can expect
good things from God.
Here's what I discovered last year.
Valleys, low seasons, they actually lead us from one mountaintop to another.
And before you think I'm just like above it all, let me be real and confess with you.
Right in the middle of that valley that we found ourselves in last year, I looked behind
me at the big mountain I had just climbed down, the job I had left behind, the community
I thought I lost, the dreams I felt like I had to let go of.
And then I looked ahead at me at the big mountain I was about to climb, the new business, going
out on my own, being innovative, and it just felt so daunting.
I thought, this is going to be so much hard work, this is going to require so much time,
this is going to take so much strength and courage and oh, so much change.
And when I sized up that big mountain of change that I was about to climb, I looked at my
husband Bruce and I just confessed, I don't know if I have what it takes.
I'm tired and I'm scared.
And the real scary thing about that confession was not that I said it out loud, but it was
that I believed it in my core.
I had gotten stuck in expecting the worst because I was so caught up in self-condemnation
and really despair of believing that I just wasn't enough.
And so what happened is my focus, my mind, was all focused in on what I thought I could
make possible instead of trusting in a God who can do the impossible.
And thankfully Bruce, who's my hero and he's my fellow warrior, he just took my hand and
he said, I have so much hope for the future.
And it wasn't a harsh correction or a condemnation, it wasn't even wishful thinking.
It was a gentle invitation based on the word of God to just share my burden of doubt and
join it instead with his bounty of faith that he had.
You know, God is so kind to give us all each other, especially for seasons like this.
So today I want to share with you my bounty of faith that I have for this season because
I have been through really low seasons before and I have come out on the other side transformed
because of who God is.
So if you're in a valley right now, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of change
that you have to climb, I want you to know I have so much hope for your future because
I know the God who you serve.
You will be marked by innovation, not limitation, and you will be defined by faith, not fear.
Today let's all lean in and live lives filled with joyful anticipation, not angst.
Let's not dread.
Let's dream.
Let's replace any worry with wonder today because even in the unknown, we know this
because of who God is, your future and my future is filled with hope.
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.