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Today, we're going to take a posture of peace by thinking differently about our challenging circumstances.

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Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale.

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Posture is a podcast that serves as a short, audible fist bump to remind you that God is

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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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This week, I'm joining Graham Cooke for a five-day challenge on Facebook called 3 Plus

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Me, where together with people from all over the world, we are exploring the depths of

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God's empowering presence within us.

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And we would love for you to join us this week.

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If you're able, just click on the link in the description of this episode for the details

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on how to join.

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Today, I'm actually going to be sharing a clip from Graham and I's 3 Plus Me conversation

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that illuminates a different way to think about the challenges that we face.

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I want to talk about this word challenge because I know that it can have a negative meaning

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or definition.

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Sometimes we say, I'm being challenged by this person or circumstance, or this is a

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really challenging situation, meaning it's a hard situation.

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But if I know nothing else except for this truth, it's that the kingdom works opposite

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of the world.

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And the new man, the new us, responds in the opposite spirit.

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So that must mean that challenge has a different definition for the new man.

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Can you talk about that, Graham?

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Yeah.

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I think primary purpose goes all the way back to Genesis 1.26.

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The first thing God ever said about people, he said, let us make them in our image according

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to our likeness.

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So the challenge in every situation is to become like God.

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So it's not about the circumstances first.

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It's about you discovering what God wants to be for you now, because he's always upgrading

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your identity.

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So when you focus on circumstances, what am I going to do about this, and you don't actually

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upgrade your identity, you're just guaranteed that the circumstance is going to come back

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around because everything is relational with God.

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And so it's always about primary purpose.

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He's been faithful to that for thousands of years.

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So the challenge is God is giving me something else instead of this.

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So I need to know what God wants to be for me.

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I need to know what part of me is going to get an upgrade in terms of being like him,

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becoming like him.

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So it's always about that.

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So in Scripture, when God says, give me the preeminence, he's not saying like, in your

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circumstances glorify me and all that kind of stuff.

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What he's saying is, remember, I'm putting something into you.

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So make that your preeminent thought.

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This situation is going to empower me to become more like Jesus.

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So I want to know what that looks like, and then we'll get to work on the issue itself.

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So primary purpose is the challenge for us, being made in God's image, learning to see

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like he sees, think like he thinks, talk like he talks, and act like he would act.

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Primary purpose.

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That's the big challenge for all of us, I think.

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And you know, it's that primary purpose that then challenges the circumstance versus the

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circumstance challenging us.

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It's a whole different shift in perspective.

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It totally is, because if you understand, this situation is about me becoming this.

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Like instead of me being anxious and worried, this situation is about me gaining more peace.

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So let's do that, and then we'll focus on the situation, because nine times, well, probably

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seven times out of ten, your identity in Jesus trumps the situation.

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It overpowers it, you know.

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So what we're learning is that all we need is inside us already.

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So it's always three plus me, and God's answer is, me first.

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Let me do this in you so that you become like me, and then together, we can face this

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in a very different way.

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So today, let's make this truth preeminent.

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Romans 8.28, and we know, for those who love God, all things work together for good, for

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those who are called according to his purpose.

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The challenging circumstance that you may be facing right now is going to be used to

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empower you to be more like Jesus.

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So today...

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With expectation in your heart and full trust in who God is for you, ask Him this,

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Lord, what are you upgrading in me through this challenging circumstance?

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And then challenge your circumstance with His upgrade.

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The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3.

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And in Hebrew, it is shalom shalom, meaning complete wholeness.

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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' ultimate win.

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Not because of anything you did, but because of what He did for you.

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With every step you take today, you're putting Jesus' victory on display

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and Satan's defeat on replay.