“…the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
To have God’s freedom in our life, we need to recognize and observe boundaries that are pleasing to Him. Healthy boundaries are not meant to control us, but to cause us to live in freedom.
There are boundaries set in the Bible. In the Bible, God reveals Himself and the lifestyle that He fashioned us for, a lifestyle patterned after Him, one of holiness and manifested glory. Whatever is outside of God is sin, and sin is bondage. To live in true freedom, we will live within God’s ways. We don’t have to do this in our own strength. God has positioned in right standing, He has given us a new nature and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. If we live within the boundaries of obedience to God and His Word, we will live in true freedom.
There are boundaries set by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God causes us to live freely by following His leading into God’s will for our everyday life. He will confirm when we are going in the right direction, and He will convict when we are headed in the wrong direction. We are never alone; the Holy Spirit is always with us, ready to empower us as we yield ourselves to His authority.
There are boundaries set by human authorities. There is freedom in living within boundaries set by our human authorities. There are civil authorities, work authorities, educational authorities, parental authorities, and others. We do well to live within the boundaries they give us.
There are boundaries that we set for ourselves. We should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when setting boundaries for ourselves. Examples of personal boundaries would be how we spend our time and whom we spend our time with. Personal boundaries include how we take care of our bodies, our marriages, our children, our homes and other responsibilities. For our personal lives, there are areas that don’t come with a rulebook, but there are boundaries that we live our life by. When we have boundaries, we know when to say “yes” and when to say “no” to responsibilities. People that don’t set personal boundaries often overcommit themselves so that they don’t live free. Personal boundaries are healthy and required for a life of freedom.
Application: If you are stressed, ask yourself if you have overcommitted yourself. Then, sit down and prayerfully set boundaries for yourself and experience the freedom that God intends for you to have.