via TJC
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and tend it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” - Genesis 2:15-17
Mankind does not like boundaries, limitations to our freedom, or restrictions on our actions. I used to consider boundaries capricious, an unnecessary hindrance. However, as my relationship with my Creator has deepened, I have seen that His boundaries were given for my benefit. Boundaries are a blessing, keeping me secure.
I wanted to visit a friend who was suffering. As I prepared to see my friend, steadily His peace departed. ‘Are we not to care for those in need, Lord?’ was my question. I could have pressed through this boundary and ignored the Spirit. The freedom to choose is one of the attributes of being created in His image. However, in setting a boundary and saying, ‘Do not go,’ the Spirit was creating a blessing for my friend. That boundary seemed harmful. “Surely the Lord does not want Carl to suffer?” Now, where have I read that question before? Sounds similar to “Surely you will not die”. In the end, my friend needed to wrestle with the Lord ALONE. To give comfort at that time would have stunted his growth and caused me separation from my Father.
Pushing beyond the boundaries the Lord sets always produces fruit. It just happens to be rotten. His boundaries always keep us safe and produce good fruit. “All things are permitted for me, but not all are beneficial. Everything is permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
Daily Battle Order
Take stock of those times when you have pushed beyond His peace. Put your great ideas under your feet and into submission to the Lord. Tell the Lord your plans…but be willing to hear ‘Do not go!” just as much as hearing “Yes! Proceed, for I am with you.” For to obey is better than sacrifice.
Made me think of our Battlefield trainings this year; good fruit, more fruit, much fruit. We never talked about rotten fruit. This is a sticky DBO. Thank you.