Keeping Our Soul Safe

A property line around our yard, a fence around our house, a door on a room, etc. are all physical boundaries. They often keep us safe and settle disputes, as well as protect us from intruders and from losing our self in the midst of their problems.

Emotional boundaries are very important for the well-being of our soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings (Proverbs 4:23). We put distance between us and people who wound us, or we sever ties all together to protect our self from further abuse.

Every human needs to feel protected and unconditionally loved. As we grow in our self-awareness, we begin to realize our need for boundaries. We conserve energy, which we used to consume resisting perpetrators, and have more ability and resources to give to those who truly need what God gives to us.

We use the compassion and empathy we learned from our abuse to minister to those God sends our way. The thorns in our flesh no long consume our time or energy, because of boundaries. We focus on God's will for each moment of our life.

We have grace with our own personal insecurities, blind spots and fears and allow our self to receive God's unconditional love for us. We set limits on our care-giving of others in order to have enough personal resources to care for our own soul.

Saying "No" and speaking the truth in love prevents us from enabling and getting enmeshed by rescuing others who get into trouble due to their disobedience to God, their irresponsible behavior and their own lack of boundaries.

This prevents us from emotional and physical depletion and burning out, and helps us to be more effectual and appropriate in helping others with legitimate needs. We only rescue those for whom God provides us with a lifeline.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that You already rescued every person in the world through Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have no responsibility to rescue people, because they need to turn to Christ in their hour of need, not to us. Help us not to enable selfish and irresponsible people, but only to help as Your Spirit leads us. Enable us to resist taking the weight of the problems of the world on our shoulders and to leave it on Yours, where it belongs.

Cleanse our heart from anger, resentment, an overload of stress and burnout which we acquire from our lack of boundaries and our penchant for attempting to help where You are not calling us to give aid. Do not allow us to be manipulated by the negative emotions others use to control us. Allow us instead to abound in Your grace and to pray for the needs in the lives of others as they learn to trust You as their Savior instead of us.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus made His need for physical rest and the restoration of His soul as a priority in His life by following the leading of God's Spirit with His life. - Luke 5:16

Renewed Mind - Part 2 - Healing for our Wounded Soul

 

Satan plants lies in our soul throughout the experiences of our life. These misconceptions cause us to over-react irrationally and with intense emotion in our current life situations.

There are personality issues and woundedness in every person’s soul, which may trigger our wounds and hinder us, or our partner, friend or relative from changing or growing spiritually.

We need to see life through their eyes, not only through our own. God will give us His agape love to accept them for exactly who they are. Then we can also pray for them to be all that God wants them to be.

If we put their needs above our own, He gives us the patience to love them through their episodes. We realize that they are reacting from fear and woundedness, which our behavior triggered; and we do not take their rage or sullenness or impatience personally.

We pray for them and love them even more when they are behaving badly than we do when they are rational and kind. They have no idea why they are acting this way, but God does.

All negative behavior is a red flag to alert us of the woundedness in our soul. It may also be a false belief that is now an idol in our soul, because we give our pet peeves and misconceptions too much importance in our life.

We can take these irrational beliefs to God and gain His perspective on them, asking Him to change our focus about them until they lose their importance to us.

During rational moments, when no one is in a hurry or in need of our time, we can offer to pray with our spouse, friend or family member about their negative emotions.

They may be as clueless about their behavior as we are. They can start by journaling what they were thinking during their outburst. What thoughts were going through their mind? What did we do that triggered this reaction in them?

As we pray together, these problems are resolved as God reveals their root and origin, uncovers Satan's lie for us, and then speaks His truth to our soul. ( www.theophostic.com )

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that our soul longs more for a relationship with You than with a person. We often go from one person to another in this life, trying to find our soul mate, or someone to complete us.

Yet, the only way we can feel fulfilled is through deepening our commitment and our relationship with You. This is true even for married people. The more we find acceptance and develop satisfaction in our relationship with You, the more we can serve our mate out of our love for You (Ephesians 5:22, 6:7; Colossians 3:18, 23-24).

Thought for the Day:

Our support and acceptance of our partner’s, friend's or relative's shortcomings will do much to improve our attitude, as well as to improve their behavior through our love and consideration of their needs above our own.

Fear Not

God's plan for mankind is to live in us, to fill us with His Truth and Life, and to live in unity with our soul and spirit so that His Life is manifested through us.

He always hears our prayers and stores our tears in a bottle. He will avenge each transgression against His Beloved Saints (Psalm 4:3, 56:8). He gives us His compassionate heart, and we are His People and He is our God (Ezekiel 36:26-28).

We call out to God on His throne in heaven; and He hears and answers us (Psalm 3:4). He sustains us in every way, gives us sweet rest and never leaves or forsakes us, walking in us through every circumstance (Psalm 3:5; Hebrews 13:5).

Our God gives us relief from our distress and has mercy on us (Psalm 4:1). He delivers and blesses us, because He works out every circumstance for our good, even in death we go to live with Him (Psalm 3:8; Romans 2:28).

If we feel overcome by life's problems, we focus on and cling to Christ in us (Colossians 1:27). Our labors for the Lord are not in vain; so we can live this life unmoved by its threats, unafraid in its trials and abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).

Once we surrender our life to Christ, we realize that we are not on this earth to amass worldly goods, but to bring as many people to Heaven with us as will come humbly to God's love.

If we are in Christ, we have no reason to fear the curse of sin or the god of this world, the devil (Mark 5:36). We live in His perfect love, which will diminish all of our fears (1 John 4:18).

As we follow the Lord in our thoughts, words and actions, we live in victory, because He lives within us (Luke 8:50). He works out everything for our ultimate good (Romans 8:29).

Prayer:

Father God, life wounds us and Satan keeps us in bondage to those wounds. Remind us that You will reveal Satan's lies, speak to us Your truth and set us free from the fear of the unknown future, free from regrets or hurts from our past, and free to walk in the new life, which Christ earned for us through His passion and death.

Teach us the fullness of our life in Christ's resurrection. Fill us through our entire being with all of Your fullness (Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible). Empower us to be a light set on a hill and use us to draw everyone to You (Matthew 5:14-16; John 12:32). Help us to live in the purpose You have for our life instead of our own plans (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord who walked on water and calmed the raging sea lives within every authentic Believer; He heals, empowers, guides, helps our unbelief and fulfills every one of us; then He sets apart His true Believers as a special and holy priesthood.

- Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 6:17; John 10:30, 1 John 3:1-3, 4:17; Colossians 2:10; Luke 8:30; Mark 9:23-25