1 Kings 2:37 (NKJV)
“For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”

Life is full of boundaries. Everyone has boundaries. We live and function within boundaries. Some boundaries are created by us, and other boundaries are made by others. It doesn’t matter who created them; we simply need to understand them.

Some boundaries are specifically created by our enemies. For these, we need to fight back and push back against them. Such boundaries are not from God and not for our good. They are designed by Satan to limit our growth and our potential.

But there are boundaries also set by God for our own good. They may seem restrictive and limiting, but God’s boundaries always offer us safety and a framework for living a better life and for His glory. Resisting God’s boundaries will lead to inevitable loss.

It is important to note that most boundaries are usually created using human instruments, either operating from God’s directives or from Satan’s. These human systems are simply channels and not the source of the boundaries. Don’t focus on them.

So, whether from God or from Satan, we are surrounded by boundaries every day, and we need discernment to know which boundaries we should obey and which shouldn’t. Boundaries can reinforce God’s will for us or can deplete us.

Put another way, discerning our boundaries correctly will either lead to our benefit or our loss. Life and death are hidden behind how we respond to boundaries. We must know them, know how to interpret them, and how to interact with them.

Shimei deserved death, but he was given an option of living, if only he would remain within the boundaries created for him. This was God’s mercy extended to him. Shimei understood his boundaries and agreed to them for three years, and then he broke them.

Tragically, the result was death. He either forgot he needed to stay within the boundaries or he allowed his circumstances to push him outside them. Either way, he crossed the red line and suffered the grave consequences for it. He lost his life.

Know your red lines. Know the boundaries you cannot cross. Know God’s boundaries for your life. Set your own boundaries for godly living. Only the foolish and immature live without understanding the realities and impact of boundaries.

I repeat, not all boundaries are from God, and not all boundaries are good. Invest in the process of discerning every boundary to know what you should live by. Never forget: your prosperity, loss, life, and death come from how you interact with your boundaries.

@ChineduOranye
RestlessPilgrim.org