Crossing The Invisible Fence: Boundaries and Why They Matter
“She just keeps getting out!” I heard my girlfriend’s frustration in her voice as she hung up the phone with a neighbor who had rescued her new puppy. The dog had escaped through their invisible fence and kept figuring out how to get out. It made me think about the “invisible fences” in my own life.
God’s wisdom found in His Word is our invisible fence.
Cultural worldviews and enticing selfish choices seem to draw many Christians through God’s invisible fence. Are you staying within God’s foundational boundaries? Maybe it’s time to pay attention and understand who and what is egging you on and beckoning you to disregard and defy those little shock wave warnings in your spirit. Understanding the line God draws and trusting that He has His best in mind for us when he lays down those fences through the wisdom found in His Word takes a mature Christian mindset. Our mind affects our passions and heart; our heart controls our hands, feet, and what and where we go.
It takes a willingness and discipline to be obedient.
Working in media, entertainment, music, and the arts today means working in diverse and often anti-biblical territories. Remember the story of Pinocchio, the puppet who was given life and freedom as a real boy? He was exposed to new places and cultures when he received this “real boy” freedom. He saw the lights and sounds of the distant carnival and fell into its alluring trap. We have been given much freedom as Christians, but God requires us to live within His biblically based boundaries. Just like my friend’s new puppy, we can push past the invisible boundaries set up for our protection and compromise our values as we’re drawn into what the culture promises as places of happiness and contentment – even though they are illusions created by the deceiver, the devil.
We must be mindful and understand the strategic place, territory, and influence God has placed us in and also its influence on us. Those places and territories affect our careers and lives. Austrian/American management consultant Peter Drucker says, “Culture eats strategy. Who you are is more important than what you do.” A trusting, obedient follower of God knows who they are in Jesus Christ and refuses to let the culture dictate where they will go. This is essential because knowing the Master’s voice allows us to feel God’s presence – and also the boundaries of His invisible fence when we step out of the perfect place He wants us in.
God often limits us until we mature and learn to pay attention to His voice.
When we are ready to venture further into new territory and places, God opens the way for us to move forward into new territory because He can trust us. Remember, His heart is to keep us safe and close to Him. It took the Children of Israel 40 years of wandering in the desert before they were allowed to enter the Promised Land. When we trust Him, He trusts us. He then gives us new assignments and challenges and will enable us to connect with others and new projects. We have proven to Him that we are trustworthy.
The power of the Word protects and surrounds you like an electronic collar on a dog. When you step over the line, God’s Spirit gives you a buzz, giving you notice that you are heading into the wrong places. As leaders, we are called to be spiritually sensitive and mindful, paying attention when cultural and selfish curiosity tries to pull us beyond the line. Our job is to remember who we are and God’s boundaries of protection – His wisdom, laws, and precepts. When we do, joy and freedom are bountiful, and we no longer see God as limiting our freedom but expanding it. “Apart from Him, we can do nothing.” John 15:5
Are there any areas in your life where you are ignoring the alerts from God’s Spirit and venturing into compromising spaces?
Are you willing to thrive within Biblical boundaries and where God has placed you?