Boundaries Are Blessings by Healthy by DesignSample

Start with Heart

Devotion

So, where do we begin this conversation about health boundaries?

We've defined health boundaries as invisible lines that we draw around our health. Depending on the behaviors we engage in, these boundaries will either help or harm our health.

If you were never taught about the importance of establishing boundaries around your health, it could seem like an overwhelming task. How are we to know where boundaries are needed?

If you think about it, every decision we make is based on some boundary from the minute we wake up. Should we get out of bed or sleep when our alarm goes off? Should we brush our teeth or forego the boundaries around our personal hygiene? Should we pray or jump into our day and forgo the boundaries around our faith? Should we exercise or watch TV? The day-to-day behaviors that we engage in will determine whether our boundaries are helping or harming our health. Unfortunately, if we have not erected firm boundaries that support good health, the result is often illness, disease, and sickness.

So how do we start if we have not learned?

Thankfully, the Bible provides us with answers to every issue we face in life, including erecting boundaries and why they are important.

In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon teaches us a lot in one short sentence as he tells us of the wise advice his father, David, passed on to him.

He uses the term "above all else" to indicate what was most important: his heart.

He then goes on to explain why. He says, "... because EVERYTHING flows from it."

By this, he means that it's in our hearts where everything begins—our feelings of love, our thoughts, passions, and desires—they all start from our hearts. The heart is ground zero. It is the gateway to our entire being. That's why Solomon was advised to guard his heart above everything else; to put boundaries on his desires, proclivities, and affections, which all reside in the heart.

A "wrong" heart will always produce wrong boundaries, so we must understand our hearts before we can understand boundaries.

Understand that we are tripartite beings—body, soul, and spirit. So just where does the heart fit into this equation?

In the Bible, the heart is a composition of all aspects of our being. Scripture refers to the heart as all-encompassing.
IT THINKS: "Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts" (Matthew 9:4).
IT SEES TRUTH: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you" (Ephesians 1:18).
IT WILLS: "Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart" (Acts 11:23).
IT EMOTES: “Therefore you also now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you” (John 16:22).
IT CONDEMNS: “If our hearts condemn us" (1 John 3:20 ).

In his book, The Economy of God, Witness Lee states that "Our relationship with the Lord is always begun and maintained by the heart. Of course, to contact the Lord is a matter of the spirit, but this must be initiated and maintained by the heart, for our heart is the gateway of our whole being.”

We often think of our heart as the place where we feel, but it does so much more. It thinks, discerns right from wrong, and guides us. So, the question becomes if our heart is Command Central, who is in the driver's seat?

If the Lord does not have our heart (and I mean all of it), then we will continually be led astray by our own desires (James 1:14).

As you begin to understand why the heart is so important, you see why you can't fix any boundary problems until you fix your heart problem. You might be saying, I don't have a heart problem, but if the Lord does not have your heart fully, then you do. God designed us to be connected to Him; that's the only way we can live (John 15:5).

So, as you learn how to give your heart to the Lord fully, then and only then will you be able to set boundaries in all areas of your life-- including your health.

So, let's begin with a simple heart check as David does, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).

Reflect

Without judgment, use the Greatest Commandment to perform your heart check by answering the following questions:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

1. AM I LOVING GOD WITH ALL MY HEART? Do I acknowledge God in all I do, at all times, in all situations, and in all circumstances?

2. AM I LOVING GOD WITH ALL MY SOUL? Do I follow my own desires and passions, or am I allowing God's Voice to guide and direct me?

3. AM I LOVING GOD WITH ALL MY MIND? Do I focus more on my problems or God? Do I take my thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ?

4. AM I LOVING GOD WITH ALL MY STRENGTH? Am I being obedient to what God is calling me to do?

If you do not answer these questions in a way that you like, be encouraged. As we go through this study, you will learn how to commit your heart to the Lord. And the bonus, you will develop boundaries that will protect, guide, order, and bless your life.

Worship and Prayer

"Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that everything starts and ends with You. I see that I don't have boundary problems but a heart problem. So, I give You my heart today, Lord. Mold it and make it malleable so that it conforms to Yours. Purify my heart, Lord. Left on my own, I so easily give in to whatever I want. I want to have healthy boundaries in my life, but I know that it starts with You. I know that I will never maintain my boundaries until my heart is fully submitted to You, so I offer it to You right now, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart so that I can see You fully. Perform open-heart surgery on me, and I will be healthier than ever. In Jesus' Name. Amen!"