This is a life-changing choice. Yes, you will have almighty help, but the work will still be up to you. These nine qualities require commitment and effort. Think of them as representing nine decisions that will transform your life if you take them seriously. And if you do take them seriously, you will start a journey that will not leave you as the same person you are today.

The same Bible that describes love as a fruit of the Spirit also commands us to love one another, to clothe ourselves with love, and to walk in love. The same New Testament that calls joy a by-product of the Spirit also tells us to rejoice in the Lord always and to be of good cheer.

Lots of extra joy doesn’t sound so difficult, does it? Plenty of love to fill your heart and your life is the kind of commitment you’re more than ready to make, right?

That depends. None of what I will share with you is beyond your reach . . . unless you try it alone, without the spiritual support Jesus makes available to us. That spiritual support will sustain you when what I’m asking you to do feels like more than you can handle, much less achieve. I will tell you how to access that support and how you will be uplifted for any challenge when you do. Because if you take this path and do this work, you will have help. Not just any help, you will have the help of the Holy Spirit every step of the way. And nothing, truly nothing, is more powerful than that.

In John 10:10, the Lord said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The abundant life is solid to the core, fruitful to the end, and amazing to experience. It is the biblical norm for God’s people.

In Philippians 2:13, we read: “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The development of character is a joint effort by our Savior and ourselves, and it is part and parcel of the abundant life.

Why, then, are we living beneath the norm?

Why is there such a gap between what Christ wants us to be and what we are?

David Jeremiah, A Life beyond Amazing: 9 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life Today (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2017).

Check out our Bible Study on the Fruit of the Spirit based on David Jeremiah’s book, A Life Beyond Amazing.

These lessons are available on Amazon, as well as a part of Good Questions Have Groups Talking Subscription Service. Like Netflix for Bible Lessons, one low subscription gives you access to all our lessons–thousands of them. For a medium-sized church, lessons are as little as $10 per teacher per year.

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