For the past several years, well every since we moved into our home, we've had an issue with the neighbors in the rental house next door. Our first neighbor there killed our resident squirrel with a poisonous blow dart and practiced urinating out his back door in broad daylight. The next group to move in broke into our cars in the middle of the night, stole my husband's laptop and set off a fire extinguisher in my daughter's car. The ones after that were a family with loving yet mischievous children who were daily coming into the yard and tearing things up when we were not home. We would come home to the gravel from the driveway being scattered all through the yard and holes in my fish pond, so many that it would no longer hold water and we had to buy a new one. They wrote on and threw knives at our son's tree house that his grandpa had built for him until they eventually destroyed it, along with many other things. We had plenty of talks with the parents but it wasn't until we put up a privacy fence along the property line this past year that all the shenanigans stopped. I kind of hate that we rarely see those kids anymore but there had to be a physical boundary set before something else was destroyed.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
Gen. 11:4-8
I know you recognize this passage of scripture from the story of the Tower of Babel and while I'm sure this all seems unrelated, bear with me, I am going somewhere with this...
Can I tell you there was a time that I wondered...even questioned...why God did not want the people of that time building a tower to heaven. I mean what's wrong with that, right? I wondered why God did not want mankind to be of one language, a people who communicated well enough to make anything possible to them. After all, I thought God loved us and wanted us in heaven. I thought he wanted us to communicate and get along with each other. So, why did he stop them from reaching heaven? Why did God confuse their language?
Then I realized a truth, not the only truth behind this passage of scripture mind you, but a truth that gave me a greater understanding of both man and God.
You see, men do not like boundaries. Never have and never will. We don't like rules. We don't like laws. We don't like authority. That's just the way we are.
I mean stop and think about it, God gave Adam and Eve just ONE rule. "you can eat of every tree in garden EXCEPT for that one..." and they broke it! They just couldn't stand to have something forbidden from them. They had to have it! Yet, the almighty God in his infinite wisdom set boundaries. Boundaries for Adam and Eve, boundaries for the people at the Tower of Babel. All kinds of boundaries that no man should cross. Why? Because, in the words of my mother and probably yours, "it's for your own good". God's boundaries are for man's protection. They are safety nets if you will, against danger. They are walls to keep evil out and good in. Just like the railings at the Grand Canyon or the privacy fence on my property line. Had Adam and Eve not crossed the boundary of that tree that day, the whole world would be a MUCH different place!!!!
Yet still in this day and age, though the bible has given us example after example of boundaries and the dangers of crossing them; remember Korah?, we live in a world whose mindset is "NO BOUNDARIES", "NO WORRIES", "NO FEAR", "EVERYTHING GOES", "JUST DO IT".
Recognize any of those slogans? Of course you do!!!!
We live in a world where people have set no limitations on themselves in any area of their lives. There is no restraint, no discretion, no self-discipline, no restrictions, no decency, no shame, no morals, NO BOUNDARIES. We live in a world where we are trying to get to heaven WITHOUT God....hmmm, think Tower of Babel!
A world where people (even self-proclaimed Christians) believe you can do what you want, live how you want, act how you want, dress how you want, speak how you want, have whatever sexual orientation you want....SIN as much as you want...and still go to GOD'S heaven. i.e. Ever been to a funeral where anyone didn't go to heaven, no matter how horrible a person they were?
They are Tower of Babel minded...saying, we will make a name for ourselves and build our way to heaven without God being involved or getting in the way. Saying, we do not need Him!
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Prov. 25:28
The World English Bible says it like this...
Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.
We have become like unguarded, un-fenced cities, lying prey to whatever enemy desires to come in and destroy.
As people in general and especially as "Christians" we must have God's boundaries established in our lives. After all they really are for our own good.
Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Prov. 22:28
Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless...
Prov. 23:10
God, through His word, has set holy standards, boundaries...landmarks...for our safety and protection against the enemy. To keep us on a good and safe path. To give us guidance on getting into heaven through the "Door" instead of trying to get in some other way like the people at Babel.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
John 10:1
I've watched with my own eyes as churches have become cities without walls, allowing and accepting anything (every worldly spirit of every kind) to walk in a take up residence without batting an eye. Yes, it's an epidemic and not just in denominal churches but in Apostolic churches as well.
There are churches that look like the world, act like the world, talk like the world, sound like the world, do things like the world, they love with the shallowness of the world's love and then claim to be holy churches of God separated from the world!!!??? I don't get it and neither does God!!! They've torn down the holy standards, landmarks and boundaries that God has placed so that they don't offend and the "world" doesn't feel rejected, unloved or unaccepted. They have allowed the ungodly to become, players, singers and entertainers on God's holy platform. Saying, "if you have a talent we will use you. It doesn't matter how unholy and ungodly you are in your daily life!" We have allowed them to teach and impress worldly attitudes onto our children service after service until our children have learned no fear or respect for the holy things of God. We have allowed men (the devil) to creep in unawares and corrupt a holy, pure land all because we would rather live without boundaries.
From one Christian to another, I urge you today to reflect upon your life. Take a really good look! Do you have boundaries as to what you will allow into your life? Into your spirit? Do you put limits on the places you go? On the things you look at? On the things you say? On the things you hear? On what you put (or not put) on your body? On how and what you spend the money and blessings God has given you? On your relationships and who you allow to influence you or touch you and how far you will let them go?
The Devil's shenanigans are not going to stop in our lives until we set up some boundaries to keep him out!
None of us are perfect and there are areas we all have to do some improving on, but I for one do not want to live without boundaries! I don't want to attend a church without walls! Boundaries and walls are good. They keep us safe from the predators of this world. They put solid ground under our feet and a barrier between us and the mischievous one who would break through to steal, kill and destroy. We must have boundaries and I thank God for them!!!!!
Let us establish God's boundaries in our lives today!!!!
There are churches that look like the world, act like the world, talk like the world, sound like the world, do things like the world, they love with the shallowness of the world's love and then claim to be holy churches of God separated from the world!!!??? I don't get it and neither does God!!! They've torn down the holy standards, landmarks and boundaries that God has placed so that they don't offend and the "world" doesn't feel rejected, unloved or unaccepted. They have allowed the ungodly to become, players, singers and entertainers on God's holy platform. Saying, "if you have a talent we will use you. It doesn't matter how unholy and ungodly you are in your daily life!" We have allowed them to teach and impress worldly attitudes onto our children service after service until our children have learned no fear or respect for the holy things of God. We have allowed men (the devil) to creep in unawares and corrupt a holy, pure land all because we would rather live without boundaries.
From one Christian to another, I urge you today to reflect upon your life. Take a really good look! Do you have boundaries as to what you will allow into your life? Into your spirit? Do you put limits on the places you go? On the things you look at? On the things you say? On the things you hear? On what you put (or not put) on your body? On how and what you spend the money and blessings God has given you? On your relationships and who you allow to influence you or touch you and how far you will let them go?
The Devil's shenanigans are not going to stop in our lives until we set up some boundaries to keep him out!
None of us are perfect and there are areas we all have to do some improving on, but I for one do not want to live without boundaries! I don't want to attend a church without walls! Boundaries and walls are good. They keep us safe from the predators of this world. They put solid ground under our feet and a barrier between us and the mischievous one who would break through to steal, kill and destroy. We must have boundaries and I thank God for them!!!!!
Let us establish God's boundaries in our lives today!!!!
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