For Reinforcing Boundaries

For Reinforcing Boundaries

WHEN I STARTED CALLED MAGAZINE, I knew little about industry standards. So imagine my surprise when I learned that advertisers paid thirty to sixty days after signing a contract. It seemed unjust! How could a fledgling company survive with those standards? Consequently, I prayed. And with a dose of chutzpah, backed by necessity, I established a new boundary: “All invoices are due upon receipt.”

Boundaries don’t just happen. They are prayerfully created. In Exodus 19, the Lord instructed Moses to set boundaries around Mount Sinai to keep animals and people from climbing the mountain. But God commanded one more step: “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries . . . or they will die. Even the priests who regularly come near . . . must purify themselves” (verses 21-22).

This passage teaches that boundaries must be prayerfully established and prayerfully reinforced. The two must go hand in hand. We must tell people what boundaries we’ve created, and then ensure that they don’t cross them.

STRENGTH IN THE WORD

I want you to put your foot down.

TODAY I DECLARE

Boundaries keep me safe.

PRAYERFUL THOUGHTS

Dear Lord,

Please place a hedge of protection around me. Shield me from exploitation and abuse. You know my weaknesses and vulnerabilities; you know which people take advantage of me.

But you, O Lord, are my gallant protector; you, O Lord, are my shield and strength. Please reveal which boundaries I should establish, and give me the courage to maintain them.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

KEEPSAKE

“We must tell people what boundaries we’ve created.”