213. Courage Isn't a Personality Trait

As He is, so are you. Not as you hope to be someday. As He is, right now, so are you, right now, in this world.This isn't one isolated verse making a bold claim. This is a theme woven throughout the entire New Testament. You died with Him. You were raised with Him. You are seated with Him. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is in you. You are in Christ. You have been given His divine nature. You have the mind of Christ.This is not a metaphor. This is the reality of union. And your job is to believe it and walk in it.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/x_X9wrF8xpk

By grace. Through faith. Not by works.Most of us understood this when we first came to Christ. We knew we couldn't earn our way to God. We received His grace and it changed everything.But somewhere along the way, many of us picked the performance back up. We started trying to earn our peace. Earn our joy. Earn our identity. We accepted grace to get in the door and then switched to works to stay in the room.In this episode, we're exploring what Paul asked the Galatians, why the way you started is the way you continue, and how to actually believe new. Because belief is not a feeling you wait for. It's an agreement you make.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CHQgEypOHcE

Throughout Scripture, God is consistent in assuring us of His never leaving, never forsaking presence. And He's also consistent in His provision of community to reinforce us in that truth. It's hard to find a person in Scripture who walked their entire journey of faith without others spurring them on.The foundation we've been building in this season is this: knowing who God is and knowing who we are in Him is what grows courage in us. Because the kind of courage that endures doesn't come from your own willpower. It's not a personality trait you either have or don't. It comes from choosing to trust the Truth, trusting the One who said, "I will be with you wherever you go."And in His abundant provision, He also gives us the gift of each other.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/F2rjf0gcrMw💛 A mentorship community for Christian women: upliftcommunity.co

This is true about you: you are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Not someday. Right now.Ephesians 2:6 says God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. Past tense. Already accomplished. Not something you're working toward.In this episode, we're exploring what it means to live from a position you already occupy instead of striving toward one, and why being in this position doesn't mean absence of struggle. It's the place you face hard things from.An absence of trouble is not proof of victory. His permanent presence in us in every circumstance is.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RYurbwkiS_M

What do you do when the people you trusted to point you to God become the reason you’re questioning Him?I’ve walked through my own version of that question. And what I found changed everything.In this episode, I’m sharing a season when ministry culture became my access point to God, what happens when you put a gift in the place of the Giver, and what Hebrews 12 says about the shaking that reveals what cannot be shaken.I also want to speak directly to those who’ve been wounded, not just disappointed. Your healing matters. And there’s so much hope for you.The structure may have crumbled. But what it revealed is something that cannot be shaken. Him. In you.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/S9nd5z8Kvgk

Someone asked: "Aren't we meant to feel like aliens on earth and not enjoy it?" I'm glad this was asked. Because I think it reveals something about how we've been taught to view our lives here.In this episode, we're digging into what Scripture actually says about endurance, what the Greek word "kosmos" really means, what Jesus modeled about being fully present on earth, and why we're sent into the world, not just left behind.We're strangers to the orphan system. Aliens to fear-based living. But we're not strangers to joy. Not aliens to beauty. Not foreigners to rest and enjoying the good gifts of a good Father.You're not a tourist enduring a bad trip. You're an ambassador carrying another Kingdom inside you.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PeKemOHMgic

Last week we talked about the third way to handle fear. And I said the first step is being honest with God about what you're feeling. But then what?Because most of us pray about our fear. We tell God how we're feeling. That's good. That's the starting point. But then we get up and keep carrying it.In this episode, we're talking about what the word "cast" actually means, why it requires releasing control, a practical rhythm for bringing your anxiety to God, and why things like rest, nutrition, and therapy can be expressions of faith, not alternatives to it.Casting is a transfer of ownership, not an instant removal of sensation. You may still feel it at first. But it's no longer yours to carry. And the God of all grace will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. You're not stuck with fear forever.This is Part 2 of a two-part series.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AmYfiIu6tAw

What do you do with fear? Not the idea of fear. But the actual feeling of it when it shows up in your body and wants to dictate your next move?Most of us have been handed one of two options. Suppression says don't feel it. Surrender says let it lead. But neither one works. And neither one produces courage.In this episode, we're talking about what Jesus and David modeled about leading your emotions, why "trust" language can actually be self-reliance in disguise, and what it looks like to bring your fear to God instead of burying it or being ruled by it.Your emotions are not your enemy. But they're not your guide either. They were designed to be led.This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 drops next week.📲 Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pd_uwMGEeik

Courage isn't a personality trait. It's a command. And that changes everything if you've ever felt like you're "just not that brave."In this episode, I break down a pattern I found in Scripture that I'd never noticed before. Every single time God commands courage, He pairs it with something that shifted how I think about bravery entirely.We're talking about why "be strong and courageous" isn't about willpower, what God's presence has to do with bravery, and the invitation I'm stepping into for 2026.📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @lindsay.vanzyl🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lindsayvanzyl

What if your battle isn't to win... but to wake up to a victory that's already yours?In Romans 8:37, Paul uses a word that appears nowhere else in Scripture. He doesn't just call us "conquerors." He calls us HYPER-conquerors. Overwhelming victors. But most of us are still white-knuckling our way through life trying to earn what's already ours.Religion taught us that victory comes through performance. Pray enough, serve enough, declare enough... THEN you'll overcome. But Paul points to something different. He says we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM who loved us. Not through our striving. Through His love.You don't become an overcomer by overcoming. You overcome because you already are one.In this episode, we're unpacking what it actually means to be "more than a conqueror" and why this truth changes everything about how you face hardship, anxiety, and uncertainty.You're not a soldier fighting to secure the kingdom. You're royalty learning to rule in it.📖 Scripture referenced: Romans 8:35-39, John 16:33, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 44