Life Talk With God By Izabella GatesSample

Boundaries & self-discipline

“Why are boundaries so important?”

Imagine a world without boundaries. A world where everyone is free to do anything. How would that look? Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll in the streets, criminals lurking behind every bush (in fact no longer “lurking” because they’d be free to operate in the open)? 

Putting some boundaries in place for yourself helps to keep you on track towards the Goal Person that you want to be. It’s what God did for us. He gave us His commandments and other guidelines (all of them “boundaries”) so that we could have peace, health and some kind of order in our lives. He sure knew what He was doing, as those of us who’ve broken those boundaries often find out in a painful way.

Spoilsports or saviors?

Boundaries are not the spoilsports one might think they are. They help you to see when you’re about to cross into dodgy territory. No matter how much fun people might say it is to get drunk, sleep around, bully, cheat or do other ungodly stuff—if you do any of that, do you really care about yourself, your happiness and your wellness? 

If you know what kind of person you want to become, choices are so much easier to make. This doesn’t mean that life will always run smoothly (bumps are inevitable), but things will be so much smoother than in a life of no boundaries and no Goal Person. What all this highlights is that if you’re not following God and His boundaries, you’re heading for big bumps in your life . . . 

Willpower and strength of character also play a key role. Your brain may remember the boundaries you’d like to keep, but if your willpower is like fudge then you don’t stand a chance. It’s crucial to remember one thing: The devil loves it if your willpower and strength of character are absent because then he knows he’ll win! So keep thinking about what’s important, and keep asking God for support all the way.

Prayer

Dear God, please help me to set all the important boundaries in my life, and show me if ever I’m about to cross them. Please:

- Keep my willpower strong.

- Help me keep my boundaries, especially when it comes to honesty, alcohol, drugs and sex.

- Keep me away from temptation, and from people or activities that might tempt me to break my boundaries.

- Remind me to ask myself, What would Jesus do? if ever I’m stuck.

Thank You for giving me free will and the ability to make my own choices. Thank You for being there to guide me. Amen.