Meaning of Faith

 

    Faith is having complete trust or confidence in someone or something.  In Christianity it is believing in something that you have never seen.  Reality tells you that it is impossible, but you believe that it is real making it possible.  Your faith believes in Jesus as your evidence.

    Faith is believing that salvation comes through Jesus alone.  There is no other way.  If you choose to follow Jesus, then it will change every aspect of your life: how you view the world, react to the world, and wisdom.  Jesus gives you a different kind of control over your life.  His control leads to freedom that the world does not understand.  You choose to obey God even when you do not understand because you believe that it is for a bigger purpose than yourself.

    You have the opportunity to be made right with God because Jesus can to this world to be the human sacrifice for everyone's sins.  All you have to do is believe.  When you do you start following Him to experience a little of heaven on earth even in suffering.  You do this because you know when you die you will join him for an eternity of peace that is unknown in the world today.

    You cannot earn salvation.  You can only find it in faith.  Faith becomes a part of who you are in the core because the Holy Spirit lives in you now.  It is only the beginning to your new life's journey.  It will be full of ups and downs, but you are no longer alone in any of it.  

    You become Jesus' modern day witness to tell the world how he changed your life.  Faith is personal and lived out publicly.  The stronger your character becomes like Jesus the more impact you will have in the world.  You choose a life of obedience over comfort.  You choose to walk in faith over feelings.  It is not easy, but it does lead to internal and eternal peace.

    Faith is taking God at His Word.  The Bible proves that God never lies, so you have support there.  You believe in God's promises.  You can look at your own life there and see how He has come through and trust that He will again.  

    Faith is more than one sided thought.  You have to make yourself available to God.  You will never grow and mature if you do not invest in the relationship.  You are open to living a new and extraordinary life or a simple one that impacts the people around you.  The size of your journey doesn't mean anything.  God puts you where He wants you.  He just wants you to follow Him faithfully and keep Him your primary heart focus.

Isaiah 6:8-10, Matthew 5:13-16, Acts 1:7-8, & Hebrews 11

Faith in Action

 

    Faith is the key that gets you into Heaven, but it is so much more than that.  Faith is a word that transforms your life as you develop your relationship with the Trinity.  It is also an action word.  You were never meant to stop growing or sit at church enjoying learning.  Faith is meant to be shared with the world.  The world may not appreciate it, but if you never share then they never have the chance to have what you have.  Sharing your faith is the ultimate act of love.

    Evangelism is a ministry that a lot of people make more complicated than it needs to be.  Make it personal.  Don't worry about all the programs unless they give you more confidence.  Trust God to give you what you need in the moment.  

    A great way to start putting your faith in action is to journal.  Enter in your prayers, so you can see them being answered.  Use the journal to reflect what God is teaching you each day and watch as you mature.  Without a journal you may miss it, but other people will not.  A journal can give you confidence to commit yourself to talk to other people.  You only need to start with one person.

    Faith changes every aspect of your life.  Your focus shifts from your selfish desires to wanting to be more like Jesus.  You start identifying ways to be a living testimony among nonbelievers.  You will see that evangelism is a reflection of your heartbeat of faith.

    When you go into the world faith can replace your fear with zeal.  Training can be a confidence booster, but all you need is your testimony.  It is you seeking to have a sincere conversation with another person while being vulnerable to rejection for your beliefs.  At the same time you are trying to understand where they are coming from and make a real connection.  The truth is if they reject you, then you know you did your part and you can walk away without any regret or guilt.

    Baptism is a part of faith.  If you are going to do evangelism the goal is to have people believe in Jesus and all He did.  Baptism is a part of that.  Baptism is the first act of obedience in faith.  If you can't be obedient there, then God can't trust you with more responsibility.  Make sure you do baptism before you go out in ministry.  Once you are in the world declaring your faith, you need to be prepared to stay with new believers until they are mature enough to be in their own ministry.  Even then, you should never abandon them.

    Faith empowers you to do what you never thought you could do before.  It makes being obedient easier.  It bring you joy in all aspects of life.  Why would you not want to share that.  It changes your life, it will change theirs too.  Use this wisdom to make yourself bold enough to face change and uncertainty with people.  

Proverbs 21:15-16, Matthew 28:16-20, John 14:15-21, Hebrews 11:7-10, James 2:14-26, & 1 John 3:18-20

Boundary Success

 

    If you want your boundaries to work for your life and make your version of successful, then you have to mature in developing your boundaries.  It is hard work that will not allow you to stay in your comfort zone, but will be worth it.

    You have to work on resentment to be able to set good boundaries.  You have to be able to identify what is making you angry or frustrated to use it as an indicator that your boundaries have been crossed instead of being led by feelings.  If you never feel angry, then you need to figure out why.  Anger is normal and okay as long as it does not lead you to sin.  Face the truth and discover where your boundaries are weak so you can strengthen them.  Ultimately it strengthens real relationships.  

    As you mature your taste in things and people change.  As you heal you are drawn to other people that know and use boundaries.  You find people that will love you for who you are and will help you set better boundaries.  You need these people to set success boundaries over your life.  In time you will start attracting people learning to love boundaries too and you can help them.

    You need a family to help you in boundaries.  If it is not your family, then allow another family to adopt you into their family.  To be successful you need to be around people with the same Biblical values to help with setting limits and encourage you.  They will practice with you and share one spirit with you.  You are able to set firm boundaries because you have an emotional and spiritual support system.

    When you feel emotionally safe you are able to treasure what you have in life.  You are successful in boundaries because you have the truth and good people in your life.  You take personal responsibility for your mental health and emotional state so that you are not destructive.  This allows you to love others like God loves them.  It also allows you to receive love the way you need to be loved.  

    To be successful with boundaries you have to learn how to say no.  It allows you to grow emotionally and spiritually.  It will help you heal from past injuries.  You need limits to you.  It starts with baby steps to stick and not fall back to old patterns.  Start with safe people, so that when you work with resistant people you do not feel defeated or will crumble under the pressure.

    Boundary success requires being able to condemn your own bad actions, thoughts, and attitudes.  It keeps your conscience from going silent or being guilt ridden.  It drives you to be better and enforce your boundaries.  

    You need strong boundaries when it comes to communication.  You need self-control in conflict, scary situations, and relationships.  Make sure your life goals line up with your boundaries, so that there is no confusion.  This is where you set limits on yourself, not other people.  

    It will mature you in work, personal practices, and in your prayer life.  It makes it where you are honest with yourself, set well defined goals, and refine your character.  When you set internal boundaries you are able to deal with anything in life.  You do things that are good for you because you see the value, not because you are told to do it.  You discover value in love, responsibility, forgiveness, and accepting the truth.  

    Boundary success requires you being able to respect other people's boundaries in return.  This will confront your selfish nature, but enable you to love and have empathy.  People have set limits to themselves just like you.  Everyone's back ground is different, but everyone has the need for personal boundaries.  Respecting each other's boundaries will allow you to find common ground in life.    

    You will have boundary success in your life when you are free to protect yourself, nurture your relationships, and develop your life with God.  Boundaries is a form of stewardship over the person God created.  You need boundaries to mature, be proactive, and have productive conversations.  Ultimately they give you control over your life.  You no longer feel frantic, rushed, or out of control.  They give you direction and rewards.  

    You know you will face resistance, but that does not mean that other people can take anything away from who you are unless you allow it.  Steady your heart and be prepared.  Boundaries are not punishment, but a form of relationship building.  If a person decides that they don't want a part of it, then they are choosing to exit the relationship.  You never asked or wanted that.  It is not your fault.  It is their faulty character at that stage in life.  

Psalm 90:10-12, Proverbs 4:23-24, 10:17-20, 23:6-8, 30:21-23, Matthew 13:44-46, 18:15-20, Luke 14:28-30, John 1:16-18, 1 Corinthians 8:9-13, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Colossians 3:12-15, & 2 Timothy 4:6-8

You Resist Boundaries

 

    Sometimes other people are not the problem.  Sometimes you struggle with boundaries.  You may struggle with setting, upholding, or honoring other people's boundaries.  Maybe you have a hard time saying "no".  When you are struggling with personal sin, boundaries can make it clear, but that does not mean that it is easy to uphold.

    You are human.  You have needs.  God created you for a purpose you just have to turn to Him and He will fulfill all your needs.  He will put the right people into your life to help you meet your needs.  He will give you the strength for everything else.  Trust in His timing so that you do not fight the boundaries He has laid out for you.  

    Let go of the bad that has happened in your life.  Mourn what did not happen that you had decided you needed.  Grow from your disappointments as you let them go.  Do not give up on your boundaries just because you do not see results immediately.  Life may postpone certain things, but the truth will always be revealed.  Do not become stuck.  Move on in living your life.  You may trail the path of grief for a time, but it will lead to maturity.

    Do not allow anger to be the excuse that you disregard boundaries.  Fear that gets stuck in your head turns into anger.  This fear will drive you to act rashly if you allow it.  Hurt people hurt others.  You need to bring your fear to God.  Expose it so it loses it's power over you.  Allow God to heal your heart.  

    Fearing the unknown can keep you from setting and enforcing boundaries.  It makes you a prisoner to the what ifs.  Your mind thinks that life may be bad, but you know it and are familiar.  If you change anything it could get worse.  The truth is that it probably will get worse before it gets better, but staying where you are is not good for you or anyone else.  Allow God to show you how things could be different and better.  Stay rooting in who God is and how much He loves you as you adventure out into this new world.  

    Unforgiveness will stop boundaries like a brick wall.  Everyone has flaws.  Remember that before you hold things against other people.  Remember all the stupid things you have done and the people you have hurt.  Remember what it meant to you when you forgave them.  Remember that when people do unforgivable things that forgiving them will free you from their control.  Allow God to bring forth resolution and punishment if it is needed.  If the person repents, then great.  It means you can work toward reconciliation.  If not, then you can move on with your life and leave them in the past where they belong.

    Do not allow fear of abandonment to break your boundaries.  If you feel insecure, then that means that Satan has a foothold in your mind.  If a relationship comes from God, then you do not need to worry about them abandoning you.  If the relationship is not from God, then nothing you do will be able to keep that person.  If you place anyone before God, then God will remove that person from your life.  Living in fear is not living.

    Boundaries may not work if you look externally instead of internally about your problems.  Looking externally makes you the victim and everyone else is the problem.  You think everyone else needs to change, but you.  You need to stop blaming and take a real look at yourself.  Be honest with where you messed up and need to change.  All relationships take more than one person.  It is not all on them.  

    Guilt hinders boundaries.  It is where you get stuck in your own head replaying everything you did wrong.  You messed up.  Accept it, change, and move on.  Do not get stuck focusing only on your negative characteristics.  If you learned from your mistake, then you can move on freely.  Forgive yourself even if the other person never does.  No one gets to keep you a prisoner in your own mind.

    Boundaries are not easy.  That does not change the fact that you need them.  Life is full of trouble, doubts, fears, insecurities, and sin.  Following Jesus doesn't change that, but it does change your eternal outcome, perspective in the journey, and freedom from what holds you back.  Jesus has gone before you and prepared the way. It is not as difficult as it would have been without him.  He is with you throughout it all.  Hold onto your faith, seek God, and set boundaries.

Psalm 68:1-6, Ecclesiastes 7:1-4, Matthew 10:28-31, 26:1-5, John 16:31-33, Romans 7:14-17, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 7:8-10, Ephesians 2:8-10, 3:14-19, Philippians 3:7-11, Colossians 2:13-15, & Hebrews 11:8-10

Resisting Boundaries

 

    There will always be people that will not listen or respect boundaries.  Some people may not believe that your boundaries apply to them.  Some people may not understand what your boundaries are.  No matter the reason, you will have to deal with people that resist your boundaries.

    Boundaries bring value to your life.  They give you freedom, but they do require work, maintenance, self-discipline, and desire for peace.  Peace is the motivation behind boundaries.  Boundaries are a form of obedience to God, but it also has to be personal.  You have to see that they are good for you. God has defined who you are and set boundaries in your life to bless you.  You may resist those boundaries which will create an internal battle.

    You will have people resistant to your boundaries, but sometimes you are resistant to setting and maintaining them too.  They create a better life, but you have to make personal changes.  Change can be hard.  In the beginning you will deal with disputes, small battles, losses, and discomfort.  Your salvation gives you security with God, but also change in your personal life.  It sanctifies you, but then you have to change to stay sanctified.  You have to embrace change to have healing and allow the world to see Him in you.

     Outside resistance comes from the relationships that you are trying to establish boundaries with.  Do not allow insecurities, anger, or fear to keep you from setting boundaries in your life that will bring healing.  When people push back you stand firm.  it is common for the person(s) to get angry.  Let them, but do not back down.  It reveals weaknesses in their character.  Your boundaries will force them to learn self-control or to loose you.    

    Boundaries protect you from certain evils of the world.  In return some people will resist your boundaries by using guilt.  Guilt is a very controlling weapon.  People use it to try to force your hand into you backing down so they don't have to.  It reveals their selfish nature and keeps them from having to take responsibility for their own lives.  You can be empathetic, but do not bend on your boundaries.

    Some people will treat boundaries like a game of chess. They use countermoves to get what they want.  Be prepared for these power moves.  Turn to God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.  Some people may physically resist your boundaries.  Flee from anyone who would use physical abuse to solve their problems.  If you can't flee on your own, then seek people who will help.  

    Sometimes your boundaries will hurt other people you love.  It is hard to uphold boundaries here, but remember why you placed your boundaries in the first place.  On the other hand there are the blamers who turns everything around and places everything on you.  These people may cry, pout, or get angry.  You need to confront them to make them take responsibility for their own actions.  

    Sometimes you need to set boundaries on people with real needs.  If you don't take care of yourself, then you can't help other people.  It may break your heart, but you are good to no one if you burn yourself out by giving too much of yourself to people.  Have empathy, but teach people how to help themselves.  Give other people the chance to step up and help them too.

    The point of boundaries is to allow your heart to forgive those who have hurt you and hopefully find reconciliation.  You can find healing in forgiving anyone.  However it takes two to reconcile.  Jesus is your model and the Holy Spirit will guide you through this journey.  You and the other persona each have to take personal responsibility for your parts, be willing to change, and become trustworthy.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, Psalm 16:5-6, Proverbs 25:28, 27:4-6, Jonah 4:9-11, Matthew 10:34-36, 22:37-40, Romans 8:26-30, Ephesians 4:7-8, Philippians 2:12-13, Hebrews 12:1-4

God and Boundaries

 

    The Bible is a book about love.  It is full of lessons that teaches you how to love like God.  It has rules, principles, and moral guidelines, but it is given out of love.  If you need a loving relationship the Bible is where you begin.  God is pursuing you in a way no person ever could.  His love is true and stable.  He loves you even when you act unlovable.  He never gives up on you.  In the process He teaches you how to love.  Boundaries are a way of showing love.

    To have healthy boundaries you need to learn how to love other people the way God loves them.  It is not easy.  Some people will make it very difficult.  However forming boundaries with difficult people will help you love them like He loves them.  It is a labor of love.  

    It all starts with respecting God's boundaries.  God already respects yours.  He does not force Himself into your life.  He will always work through and around your life, but He never forces you to have a relationship with Him.  He will allow you to make your own choices and decisions in life, but that also means you will deal with the consequences.  

    In time you will learn that it is self-destructive to ignore, avoid, or hide from God.  Your soul is always searching for Him.  Your void in your soul will never be satisfied by anything except God.  You have to be bold enough to be honest with yourself.  You can be angry with God.  He is strong enough to take it.  Be angry, but do not turn away from Him.  Be honest with Him about all your thoughts and feelings.  Bring the truth into the light to find freedom.  His love will transform you and heal all your inner brokenness.

    Respect God's boundaries even when you do not understand.  You can't manipulate or sweet talk God into doing what you want Him to do.  You have to accept or reject it.  It is in your best interest to accept and seek understanding if you need it.  God does not need people.  He chose you.  It is your choice to accept His boundaries or not.  The more embrace His love on His terms the deeper your relationship with God will be.

    If you want people to respect your boundaries, then you need to learn how to respect God's boundaries.  In return you will respect other people's boundaries set for you.  You can respect boundaries even if you disagree.  If you respect God's boundaries, then He will look at things from your perspective.  

    God provided boundaries to be acknowledged and respected.  Do not pull away your love when He says no.  Instead try to understand.  He has a bigger perspective of your life and all life than you do.  There is a reason why.  Even if you do not understand, respect His decisions.  He is not turning His back on you.  He is not removing His love.  He is redirecting perspectives and motivations.  

    Relationships can be difficult.  The relationship with God is the easiest relationship you can have.  He will remove people and add people into your life to bring you closer to Him.  He is protecting you.  He is protective of what is His, so He will lovingly take care of you.  It may feel painful for a time, but it is the best thing for you.  He takes responsibility and will heal the heart that others have broken.  

    This boundary of  loves is what the Gospel is all about.  It is all about you finding reconciliation with God.  When you do you find healing, pure love, protection, and more.  All you have to do is put Him first.  You will find boundaries in any relationship that God has created so that you can have pure love that brings living joy into your life.  

    Boundaries help you to be the best person you can be.  The closer you get to God the more you will be a living replica of His love.  It opens your eye to see who God really is.  It makes navigating life easier.  You become a partner with God, not just someone working for Him.  It gives you the strength to live life differently than the world.

Job 13:1-6, Psalm 51:1-6, Ezekiel 18:23-24, Matthew 19:16-22, 22:37-40, 25:13-30, Luke 15:11-32, John 4:21-24, Romans 5:6-11, Colossians 1:15-22, Hebrews 12:10-11, & 2 Peter 3:8-12

Boundaries with Yourself

 

    To be able to set good boundaries in your life you need to be able to look at yourself, your choices, and thought process.  You have to take personal responsibility over how your life has turned out so far.  Decide what you need change to make it look like the life you want.  It all starts with the internal conflict and setting boundaries for yourself.

    Take a humble look at yourself.  Are you able to admit when you were wrong?  Are you strong enough to make internal changes to get the life you want?  Can you set boundaries for your own actions and attitude?  You need personalized boundaries on your diet, money, time, activities, words, substances, sexuality, and more.

    One word you need to learn how to use often is "no".  No can be a complete sentence for other people, but it is necessary for you to have boundaries for yourself.  If your life feels like it is out of control, then the next time someone needs something from you say no.  Simplify your life until you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  You can't solve a problem until you are able to identify it, so give yourself what you need to identify your problems.

    You are your own worst enemy.  You need to learn how to love yourself the way God loves you.  Placing limits on yourself is a way to draw closer to God.  This takes being intentional and proactive.  If you know something will not be good for you, then say no.  Do not allow outside forces to push you into something that will not benefit anyone in the long run.  Instead surround yourself with people that will love you the way God loves you and give you wise counsel.

    Will power is not boundaries.  Will power will only get you so far.  Setting boundaries and learning self-discipline will push your further than will power.  Maturing in boundaries is not easy.  The only reason to persevere is to desire God's will over your life and establish healthy relationships.  

    You identify where you have boundary problems through identifying what causes your depression, anxiety, panic, phobias, anger, relationship issues, work problems, phycological issues, OCD, and other isolating issues.  Find the roots and start digging them out.  Burn them so they can never take root in your mind or heart again.  You have to understand where you contribute toward your issues to understand how they become sin to be able to destroy them completely.

    You need to be able to trust God, feel safe, rely on His grace, and allow the Holy Spirit to fuel you to really understand to make boundaries work in your personal life.  Identify the problem,  You have real needs, you fail, you accept feedback, deal with consequences, and become restored to make stronger boundaries.  

    You may have been a victim, but that does not mean you get to stay a victim.  Hurt people hurt other people.  If you stay the victim, then that means you are only hurting the people around you.  You make them the villain or responsible for you.  Neither are healthy.  Take ownership on how to heal and set firm boundaries to have control over your heart and mind.  Boundaries will help you heal.  You may just need a little professional help to get you to a certain point of healing and able to see things more clearly.  

Genesis 3:1-10, Proverbs 10:17-19, 17:27-28, 21:5-8, Matthew 12:33-37, Luke 11:24-26, John 15:1-8, Romans 7:14-20, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 5:6-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, James 5:16-18, & 1 John 4:18-19