Living Beyond Myself

I really enjoyed and learned alot from our recent ladies Bible study on the fruit of the spirit.

Things got busy and I missed the last class becasue of being on vacation, and I've been a long time since writing in my blog, but have been excited to finish these thoughts up.

I realize how much of the time I'm stuck in my box, and how much I need to live outside the boy, beyond mself, to enjoy the richness of all God wants to bless me with.

Love keeps us afloat. Self-control keeps us anchored.
Love gives us liberty. Self-control gives boundaries where love can abound.

The quality of self-control secures our freedom to love, experience joy, know peace, respond with patience, have a kind disposition, act out of goodness, step out in faith, and agree with gentleness.

Lack of self-control is an open invitation to the enemy.

Victorious living is living in Him, outside of ourselves.

When we find it difficult to accept our lot we need to remember only God can give us a heart of acceptance. Only God can make us happy. But only we can allow God to work contentment in us.

He knows our needs, our vulnerabilities, what we can endure.

Matthew 6:32-34

"...your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself..."

I often have found myself making up things in my mind by not focusing on God, causing myself all sorts of grief.

II Corinthians 10:5 has been a verse I have often turned to to remind me what's what. It's what I need to remember every day.

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God."

I Peter 1:3-8

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue;

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye mght be parakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you hat ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sounds like good companion verses to Galatians 5:22 & 23!