You're Strong Enough by Kassi Pontious Read Free Book Online Page B

ability to conquer in our individual quests. Our weaknesses are here to keep us humble and seek God’s assistance and counsel.
    To find inner strength, we must first discover our strengths and weaknesses. If we know our strengths and weaknesses, then we can be better prepared to know what we can handle and what we can’t handle alone.
    To find out what your strength and weaknesses are, you can do two things. First, you can find out by just asking someone you trust and cares about you. Second, you can search within.
    Ask Someone Else
    When you ask someone what they think your strengths and weaknesses are, you might find it a bit scary because you feel vulnerable. Therefore, you would want to ask someone who really knows you and cares about you. Ask this trusted person what strengths and talents they see you have inside. Then ask them what they see you need to be careful of (weaknesses). Gather this information. Then, look within. If you are satisfied with the answers, focus on those. If one or two don’t seem to fit, then look deep inside and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself: Are these characteristics really true? If they aren’t, toss them out. If they are and you didn’t like how they made you feel, they are probably things you need to deal with, especially if your instinct was to toss them out quickly. After you’ve asked the opinion of a trusted person, you can leave it at that or you can try the second way: to search within.
    Search within
    When searching within, write down the things that you’re good at—things that come easy to you (e.g., smart, good with kids, kind, forgiving). When you are thinking of things that you’re good at, be kind to yourself. No one else has to see this list except for you. So, be proud of yourself. It’s okay to know that you have talents and strengths from God. We all do. Our Heavenly Father gave everyone strengths, so that we can enjoy life and be happy.
    List your strengths first when searching within, so that the weaknesses are easier to admit. Remember, our Heavenly Father gives us weaknesses so that we will draw close to Him and rely on Him. If all humans were good at everything and never had to work on anything, then this quest of ours would be easy.
    As you think about your weaknesses, write down the things you have trouble with and could work on. For example: If you are quick to anger, then your temper is a weakness. If you are easily addicted to things (i.e., food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, women, gossip…), then self-control is a weakness.
    Knowledge is Power
    You may ask: Why is knowing our strengths and weaknesses a powerful tool for inner strength? Knowing what to watch out for (weaknesses) and what to use when your confidence is low (strengths) will not only help you on this quest, but will help you be smarter than the dragon. Knowledge is power. Your knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses will not only make you more powerful on your quest, but will also help you know what pitfalls to avoid.
    If you know you have a problem with pornography, and you want to overcome it, wouldn’t this knowledge give you power when choosing your unobserved activities? What would you do when no one is looking? Knowing our weaknesses and what to avoid will help us when those weaknesses are challenged. Knowing how to avoid certain pitfalls on our quest and what strengths to draw on when struggling will help us on this quest to becoming an heir in the Kingdom of God.
    Drawing on our strengths will help build confidence, and being watchful when our weaknesses are challenged, will help us defeat the dragon when He tries to lure us in through temptation. Knowing each will make us stronger during our quest here on Earth. For instance, if you know you’re not good at climbing, but you are really good at navigating, which activity will you choose when given the opportunity? Use your God given strengths to build your confidence and bring joy to your life.
    Discovering our strengths