In His matchless Word, our Heavenly Father has set limits and boundaries for our actions, attitudes, behaviors, and thoughts because He wants us to prosper and have a successful life. He requires us, His children, to be disciplined in our conduct and living because this is the way His love operates. 2Timothy 1:7(NLT) tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” These three, power, love, and self-discipline, are in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we live by the Spirit, we will be constrained to live by the limits and boundaries that make us pleasing in God’s sight. This is what keeps us from stumbling, and it keeps our feet firmly planted on the path of God’s blessing.
Contrary to what society wants us to believe, “have it your way” is not going to lead us where we want to go. 1Corithians 14:33(KJV) tells us, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” Our Heavenly Father is a God of order, and He governs His Kingdom, and all who belong to it, according to the order He’s established and given to us in His holy and matchless Word.
God tells us in 1Peter 1:15-19(NLT), “5 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
We can’t negotiate with God about holiness. He commands us to be holy in everything that we do, because He chose us, and He is holy. We’re to imitate our Heavenly Father and follow the example of His Son, Jesus Christ. When we step outside of his example in our behavior and actions, we can expect things like mistakes, disappointment, disaster, and misfortune to occur. Many of us have learned this lesson the hard way, especially when it comes to dating and relationships.
Instead of allowing the Lord to lead and guide us when it comes to dating and significant relationships, we try to steer the ship ourselves. We do this because we’re not yet on board with exercising discipline in this area of our lives. We don’t want God telling us what we can and can’t do, so we neglect to follow His Word. When we set this kind of precedent in the way that we handle things, we will continue to be derailed.
The limits and boundaries that God has placed in His Word will keep us from stumbling, and they preserve us. They prevent us from moving from one heartache to another. We live in a world that condones and promotes ungodly behavior, and we must not fall for this. God’s Word isn’t a scare tactic. It will not reduce our happiness but increase it. His Word is life to us, and it will keep our feet from falling into the devil’s traps. We must understand that the world or society can never give us what we need to maintain good and lasting relationships. Only the Father can do this. He created us for His glory, and if we will discipline our hearts and minds according to His Will and Word, we will have fulfilling relationships and a joyful existence. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Limits and Boundaries Keep You from Stumbling”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack and KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.