Going Beyond

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]. Philippians 4:13 (Amp) Currently, I am working through Beth Moore's "Living Beyond Yourself" with my women's Bible study class. This is the second time I have been blessed by this particular study. I find it interesting how my comments and perspectives have changed since I completed this study almost 3 years ago. As I try to remember what was going on in that season of my life and contemplate why some of the content resonates more with me than the last time and vice versa, I realize that this is how the Lord designed life. We do have to go beyond anything we are physically, mentally or spiritually able in order to grow in each area of our life. Some times in our lives take more reaching and divine intervention than others. It can be defined as maturity, experience, growth, and in some cases regression. But all in all, if life were easy, why would we need or want to have the Lord at our side? Would we need the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf and interpret the moans and groans of our soul before the throne of the Most High God? I my opinion, this would get to be a rather pointless and boring way to live. (Sidebar: I am not by any means advocating that I go through any major trial at this point in my life. Now back to the topic at hand...) I do enjoy contentment, but contentment can breed complacency. So, it is my plan to continue to grow by spending time with the Lord and getting to know Him better. Hopefully, this will help me to avoid issues associated with complacency but also for the added bonus, in addition to drawing closer to the Lord, that I will be equipped should I need to encounter any situations that are beyond my abilities. I want to leave you with what I consider to be the vital and core gist of the study. Beth Moore says, " Through the infiltrating power of the Holy Spirit, I can do things I couldn't; feel things I didn't; and know things I wouldn't." To me, that is so powerful and sticks to my proverbial ribs!! It is so filling and so liberating to know that "I CAN do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"Phil 4:3 (KJV) and so can you!!! Dear Lord -- thank you for being there and helping me navigate through all the paths of life. Thank you for helping me to "live beyond myself" with the aid of the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Please continue to help me to mature and grow my spiritual arsenal. AMEN Application:

• What are you going through right now that you can't "do, feel or know" on your own?
• Take these to the foot of the cross and ask the Lord to help you.
• Pray for the Lord to lead you to the areas in which you need to grow spiritually and get equipped for possible future battles.