I’ve been teaching and counseling people for years about the necessity of having boundary lines in our lives. The society we live in provides those checks and balances all around us. We drive on the right side of the road; we don’t pass when we see double yellow lines; speed limit signs, stop signs, yield signs. When we go into a grocery store we don’t put what we want into our carts and walk out the door without paying. I could go on and on with examples of prescribed limitations (boundary lines) that we operate within every day. Society even provides a safety net when we cross those lines (*cue the flashing blue lights and sirens).

Within our private lives many, many people have not developed their own set of boundary lines for their standards of behavior, nor have they established what they will and won’t allow from someone else. I love helping people develop those healthy limitations because they always find a much steadier path to walk in life with the boundary lines in place.

Scripture is full of the stories of those who operated within behavioral boundaries and those who did not. One of the major themes in all of Scripture is rebellion. One of the major themes in all of life is rebellion. I hear from those who do not wish to have a relationship with God because they believe they will have to give up everything they love to do. I hear from many within the church who enjoy journeying with Jesus to a point until He “asks me to give up something I just can’t live without”. Satan has swirled the lie extensively that a relationship with God works from the outside in. In other words, our churches have taught and many have believed that God wants us to add boundary lines on the outside of our lives and change outward behaviors and once we are sad, bored, and G-rated, all will be right in our lives.

A real relationship with God begins on the inside. Boundary lines are formed in the heart through a yielded mingling of our spirit with the Holy Spirit of God within us! He teaches us to be merciful by showing us mercy. The boundary line of mercy forms in our heart by His example and then we know how to treat others. He teaches us to be loving by showing us a pure love we couldn’t earn. The boundary line of love forms in our heart by His example and then we find ourselves unable to cross the line into hatred and unforgiveness. He teaches us to be people of integrity by showing us what true honor and holiness look like. The boundary line of integrity forms in our heart by His example and then we find ourselves becoming a person of integrity. As those beautiful lines form inside our hearts, many outward behaviors begin to fall away because we don’t want them anymore and the new fruit of joy and peace and kindness, etc., replace the old behaviors. Oh, and as all of that wonderful transformation is going on, we find out the great truth: we aren’t sad or bored without all that junk. We’re just free!!

If you’ve ever thought that having boundary lines would mean giving up a lot of great stuff, hear the Word of the Lord through David in Psalm 16:6NIV, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Do you know what he is saying? Allowing the Holy Spirit to re-shape our hearts with learned and loved changes in behavior will put us in the most pleasant place and peace we have ever known. He is desperately waiting for us to allow Him to do His interior work so that we can become the person we were always created to be. I want my boundary lines to fall in pleasant places, don’t you?