Today we are going to take a posture of peace by believing what's true about you.
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.
In John chapter 14 verse 20, Jesus said,
On that day, you will realize that I am in my father and you are in me and I am in you.
Such good news.
Hello, by the way.
Happy new year.
Happy 2022.
It is so good to be back with you, my posture family.
It's a little bit later in the year than I was originally anticipating coming back,
but here we are.
It was a bit of a rough start to the year for our family.
Our health was really challenged the first part of this month.
So we took some extra time to rest and reset before diving in to 2022.
But don't let my messy bun fool you.
We are alive.
We are well and we are well able to take on this new year.
You know, it is pretty discouraging to start the new year in what feels like a deficit.
And I was reminded when things are hard, it's hard to believe what's true about you.
But it was the perfect opportunity to practice living in perfect peace.
And I'm actually very grateful for that opportunity,
because what is the point of showing up here every week and only teaching theory?
I just refuse to do that.
I mean, it can be done.
I can look up a scripture.
I can get on here.
I can share some inspirational fluff about it.
I can say it could mean this and this is how you could apply it to this theoretical scenario.
But the truth of God's word is not meant to be theorized.
And it's not meant to just be taught.
It is meant to be lived out, fully experienced in every aspect and in every arena of our lives.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
And I was reminded in the middle of the hard at the beginning of this year
that the word of God does not stay on the page.
It is alive.
It is active.
And it is not just speaking to us.
The word lives in us.
Jesus is the word of God.
And Jesus is in us.
And we are in him.
So what does life in God look like when life isn't what we want it to look like?
I know that I'm not the only one asking this question,
because I actually got a lot of DMs over the holidays.
And you guys were asking this question.
You were sharing various scenarios and hardships that you were facing,
but all had the same question.
Lindsay, what does this life in God look like?
What does walking in perfect peace look like when my life isn't anything
what I want it to look like?
When the circumstances that I'm facing do not line up
with the promises that I find in God's word.
And something that I am discovering and continuing to explore and practice
is that life in God is not circumstantial.
It's relational.
Colossians 127 tells us that Christ in you is the hope of glory.
And I think sometimes we're tempted to believe that our hope of glory
is found in our ability to navigate life flawlessly,
or to dodge hard circumstances, or to be able to understand
and perfectly articulate the issues of the world.
But life in God is not about merely resolving issues.
It's about fully realizing your identity
and walking in newness of life in every circumstance of life.
It's not about discovering the answer to the question of
why is this happening to me?
No, it's actually about discovering the answer to the question,
who am I while this is happening to me?
Who am I really?
What is true about me?
In sickness and in facing loss or dealing with sin habits
and family dysfunction, career disappointments, betrayal,
a global pandemic, we want to know why.
Why is this happening?
I don't deserve this.
I mean, actually, many of you who have DM'd me
are tormented by the sense that you do think you deserve this.
You're like, I think life is hard because I deserve this.
And you know, there's a lot of people taking the airwaves right now,
showing up in our feeds, showing up in our scroll,
wanting us to know why it is they feel we deserve
what it is that we're facing, you know?
You deserve judgment and condemnation and shame, shame, shame, shame, shame.
But you know what?
It's not about what you do deserve.
It's not about what you don't deserve.
It's about what Jesus deserves.
Because you don't.
pay the price of sin and the people that are rattling on your feet didn't pay the price of
sin. Jesus paid the price of sin and Jesus is going to get what he paid for. Jesus didn't pay
the price so that he could dish out shame and judgment and condemnation on the earth. Actually,
he already had that right and authority to do that before the cross, but he chose something
different than condemnation. He chose the cross and Jesus willingly died as you so that you could
be raised as him so that you could have the same relationship with the father that Jesus has.
Romans 5, 18 through 19, Romans 6, 1 through 11, John 17, 20 through 23. I know we've talked about
the scriptures before. As always, I will link those scriptures, not link, I'll put them in
the description below the references so that you could find them and easily go and read them. Do
not take my word for it. It's time that we give Jesus what he deserves. It's time that we start
walking in this newness of life that he died for us to have. Romans 8, 17 says, we are now heirs of
God and co-heirs with Christ. That's what's true about you. First John 4, 17 says, as Jesus is,
so are we in this world. That's what's true about you. John 14, 20 that I read earlier, Jesus said,
I am in my father and you are in me and I am in you. This is what's true about you. You are not
just a son or a daughter of God. You are one with the son. You are one with the father. There's no
distance. There's no separation. There's no waiting until heaven to experience the kingdom of God.
There's no waiting to get it all right, to navigate life flawlessly in order to experience the kingdom
of God. In fact, when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, when is the kingdom of God coming?
In Luke 17, what did Jesus say? Jesus didn't point to the sky. He didn't point to the end of your
life. He didn't say when you die and go to heaven, you're going to experience the kingdom of God. No,
Jesus said, behold, the kingdom of God is in you. Let me read Romans 8. Not the whole thing,
though I would love to, you know, it's my favorite, but I'm going to read Romans 8
verses 18 through verse 20. It says, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing
with the glory that will be revealed in us for creation, for the circumstances,
weights and eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who
subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought
into freedom and glory of the children of God. That's you and me. What does life and God look
like when life isn't what we want it to look like? As sons and daughters of God, we live in this
world, so we're going to face some worldly things. Sickness, loss, sin habits, family dysfunction,
career disappointments, betrayal, global pandemics, friendships destroyed because
someone brought up a political issue at dinner and now we're totally mad at each other.
Worldly stuff, very worldly things. We're going to face these things, but
we experience these circumstances so that these circumstances can experience us.
We face these circumstances so that these circumstances can come face to face with the glory
in us. So whatever worldly thing you're facing today, it's not your bondage, you are its
liberation. The Redeemer is in us and we are in this world, so we're going to redeem some things.
We're going to find ourselves in circumstances that need redeeming. This is the life of an
overcomer. We're going to overcome some things. We are more than conquerors, so we won't be
conquered, but we will conquer. What does life in God look like when life isn't what we want it to
look like? It's not for me to tell you specifics. I know we want the formula, we want the rules,
we want the steps, just give me the steps and I'll do it, Lindsay, just tell me what to do,
but we were not called to a formula, we were invited into a relationship.
It's a relationship. This is for you to start talking about with God.
Ask Him today, God, what are we redeeming together at this dinner?
table, in this conference call, in this doctor's office, in this pandemic, in the
year 2022, God what are we partnering with in together to redeem? And you know
this is not a one-time conversation, it's a continuous one. It's not a quick fix,
it's a process and it's a practice of trusting what's true. And what's true
about you is Jesus.