We’ve all probably heard of “Doctors Without Borders”. Since disaster and disease know no borders, we need an international first responding group of skilled individuals that are willing to venture out and provide aid to people in need around the world. Just as disaster and disease fail to recognize boundaries, so do our fleshly human desires if left unchecked. If we fail to allow The Great Physician, our Wonderful Counselor, to do His work in our lives, we too will be a diseased soul doomed for disaster.
The good news of Jesus is that there are no boundaries for how far His love will reach to redeem and restore a soul willing to be rescued.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2 (NIV)
Revelation 18:11-14 gives a list of merchandise that illustrates the extreme materialism of that society. Not much of what is on that list is a necessity but rather a luxury. The desire for non-essentials had driven these people to a point that even human beings were seen as things to own! Yet how much of what is on this list of non-essentials can you find in your own home?! We in America are truly people who live in luxury compared to other places around the globe and are in danger of becoming driven by the non-essentials of life; absorbed by the excess of self-centered pleasure. No one PLANS on becoming self absorbed, no one PLANS on being controlled by what they thought they were in control of… and yet it happens.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
Notice that warning above is not given to those who KNEW they were in trouble but rather to those who THOUGHT they had it all together and were standing firmly. Verse 17 of Revelation 18 (NLT) states, In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!” … May we not be a people deceived by the things of this world. We want our desires to lead us in the right direction so we must ask our Heavenly Father by the power of His Spirit, to help us put boundaries on them. For, The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 (NIV)
One way to do this is to set healthy boundaries on the things of this world being mindful of where we allow our senses to rest. Matthew 6:19-24 is Jesus teaching us about money and possessions. At first glance it would appear that verses 22-23 are out of context and randomly placed but in reality they are the key to understanding the entire concept! Friends, it matters what we allow to filter into our lives by what we listen to, look at, touch, taste and even smell. Satan took Eve down in Genesis 3, not with a stick but rather with an idea. An idea he introduced through her sense of sight.
We cannot allow our desires to go without borders. Be intentional, schedule daily checkups with The Great Physician, the only One who knows no boundaries when it comes to seeking a heart willing to be restored. The Wonderful Counselor is ALWAYS available and is free of charge, dear one.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Desires with boundaries lead to a life where freedom abounds.
Redeeming Grace 99|1 Ministries 