Lucho Llanca

No matter whether you’re a controller or compliant, you can go through life exhausted because of the demands on others or yourself. You can damage yourself and others, and you can miss out on God’s best for your life. That’s why getting a clear sense of boundaries is so important.

1. Our Friends – Part 1

2. Our Family – Part 1

3. Our Work – It is possible that for some your work is threatening to take over your whole life. The first piece of wisdom I have from Scripture is when you’re at work, devote yourself to work. See Ecclesiastes 9:10. “Whatsoever your hands find to do, do it will all your might.”

When you’re saying “Yes” to work, say it with all your heart. But when it’s time to say “No,” for God’s sake, your sake, and your families sake, say it. Say it loud and clear, NO!

Jeff Danielson has written a book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Time Management.” He sites surveys about America’s work habits: The average American spends 40% of their time at work doing something other than work. In an 8 hour day that adds up to over 3 hours. Like talking at the water cooler, making personal phone calls, tweeting or checking your facebook status, just kind of day dreaming about what you are going to do when you get off work, or maybe what you will do when you are promoted to the next job (which is unlikely). You add that up and over the course of a year, 50 weeks (2 week vacation), 40 hour weeks, that adds up to 800 hours per year that a person is not working at work.

Paul says, “work as unto the Lord when you are at work.” As God was your supervisor and your work was a gift unto Him. “Work in such a way that when you’re ready to leave for the day, you can say, “God, this day has been a gift to you!”

No one to my knowledge before dying said, I wish I had spent more time at the office.

God Himself worked six days in creation, and then it was time to say “No.” Your choices about work are YOUR CHOICES. If you need to make some changes, make them now, make them today, before it is to late and you live with a lot of regrets.

4. Our Spiritual Life – Saying “Yes” to God means saying “No” to anything that gets in the way of following Him.

Scriptural examples of crossing over boundaries:

Aaron giving in to the people when Moses is on Mt. Sinai remember the impatient people said, “make gods for us who shall go before us.” NO WAY!

Adam and Eve violating the one boundary God gave them.

A lot of freedom, but one limitation. You can eat of all the trees with the exception of this one. Freedom doesn’t mean having it all your way and having it all now. Freedom means living wisely within God’s prescribed boundaries.

Jesus is the great example of saying “No” to pressures and the demands of others (Mark 1:35-37). He said “No” to non-stop accessability, not because he didn’t care about His friends, but because He knew He needed to say “No” so he could be alone with His father. He was ready to say “No” to the whole world in order to say “Yes” to His Father.

Some of you may be at places RIGHT NOW where you are being tempted to walk a different path. Maybe it is deception, maybe wrong sexual behavior that is not God honoring, maybe it is financial behavior or ethical misconduct.

Will you avail yourself to the courage and strength from God to say, “I don’t care how much pressure there is in it for me, I don’t care if it means loosing this relationship, I am saying NO to it rather than disobeying God. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. CHOOSE GODLY, CHOOSE WISELY.

Jesus said, Let your “yes be yes,” and your “no be no.”