As we enter into the last month of this year, how would you grade your spiritual growth so far? Though this answer will vary from one person to the next, it is important to realize that this  should be a question that we ask ourselves from time to time. I'm a firm believer that each day, either you get better or you get worse. You never stay the same. In our journey, we should be striving for perfection.

 

In Philippians chapter 3 verse 14, Paul states that he is forgetting those things behind him, he presses toward the goal which is the high calling of God that can only be found in Christ Jesus. The importance of this statement is that Paul does not limit the things that he is “forgetting”  to negative things. We assume this because that fits the mold of doctrine that we have been taught. In the verses prior we see that his reason for pressing is to gain understanding or to “know Him, the power of His resurrection, fellowship of His suffering, and be made conformable to His death (v.10).

 

Paul, even being the great apostle that he was, understood that no matter the number of victories, miracles, conversions, or planted churches qualified as having reached the goal, he realized that focusing on even the greatest of accomplishments would anchor him to his present state the same way focusing on his shortcomings would.The lesson that we as Kingdom citizens must learn to apply is that there is a life beyond the cross. The greatest threat to your future growth is your current success. When we are committed to an inexhaustible God, it is detrimental to our spiritual growth to believe that God is limited to what we currently have. God desires to bless us. The sky is not the limit to our God, but we limit ourselves from experiencing the fullness of the restoration obtained through Jesus's sacrifice.

 

In 2 Kings chapter 13 verses 14 through 19, we find Elisha on his deathbed. After the Lord has said that He was going to end Israel's captivity to the Syrians, Elisha instructs King Joash to shoot an arrow out of the window that represented the Lord's deliverance from the Syrians. He then instructed him to strike the ground. In verses 18 and 19, King Joash struck the ground three times and stopped. Following this, Elisha became angry with the King because he hit the ground only three times. Elisha explained that if he had hit the ground more times he would have completely consumed the enemy. What a costly mistake! King Joash limited himself to the current victory he had obtained in verse 17. So Elisha was upset with him because he didn't take advantage of the fullness of God's plan. This is what we currently do when we do not push ourselves and those that are around us to seek the fullness of the victory of the cross. 

 

I have heard many times people say be excited because Jesus died for us, but we cannot hang our hat there. Jesus did that for us and that was the ultimate expression of love. Yet we do not understand that he died for us…to walk in the restored position as heirs and joint heirs (Romans 8:17) . He did it for us to come out and be separate(2 Corinthians 6:17 ). He did it for us to walk in authority, not being afraid to live a life that challenges the world's system (2 Timothy 1:7). So starting this month, reclaim your position as a true citizen of the Kingdom try to obtain the goal that lies beyond the cross. There's a world of victory that even the grave cannot prevail against (Matthew 16:18). Say hello to your new life of dominion and power!