Furnace Prayers: Boundaries...I give You permission...

God of all Creation! Father, Lord, and Holy Spirit!

Good morning and all hail to You, the God of Creation.

You were there when You created the earth:

Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Jesus, You were there too:

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”.

In Your very first act of creation, You created boundaries. It’s amazing to me that there have been boundaries from the very beginning.

• You separated the heaven from the earth.
• Dark from light.
• Water from the dry land.
• Oh…the Garden of Eden - any tree but one.

You are God, You created boundaries when You created the earth. You created boundaries within each of us as well. We are body, soul, and spirit. All integrated, but still with boundaries. We are still learning about them, especially with regard to relationships.

As I think about Your Word, Your wonderful Word, I realize that it is all about boundaries. You tell us where the line is because You want to protect us. Yet, You respect the boundaries You have given us…hmmm…unalienable rights?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

It’s amazing to me that our relationships with others rely on healthy boundaries to be effective. You put boundaries in place from the very beginning to establish appropriate and proper relationships and the vehicle is respect for boundaries. On these "rules of engagement,” we can be effective, if we keep our boundaries, and protect and respect the boundaries of others.

Satan, Your enemy, even Satan, had to ask permission to assault Job. You set his boundaries on what he could do to Job’s family, his wealth, and even Job's body. (Job chapters 1 and 2.)

And You have given us the weaponry and armor to protect ourselves (Ephesians 6: 10-17), and You clearly state that we can withstand Your enemy Satan.

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Boundaries:
You have given us complete authority with regard to our lives — within the confines of a world broken by sin. You set up boundaries, giving us dominion over our souls and spirit. We can control our thinking, our emotions, and our spirit, while our bodies are subject to the inherent and pervasive ramifications of sin.

So if we have control over our mind and spirit, then You won’t intrude without our permission. It’s a matter of respect. You respect us, and we are to respect Your boundaries as well as the boundaries of others.

Your boundaries: All those things You cannot and will not do: Your boundaries. You will not lie. What You do will always be for good and not evil. You will not interfere with our personal boundaries, that You have given us –unless we give You permission. Do I have that right?

Permission granted:
At this time, in this nation, we are challenged daily with regard to boundaries. I’m not sure we are seeking Your guidance on this and I’m coming to You and asking for guidance. Not just for myself, but for my neighborhood, and the United States of America.

Can I give You permission to enter the fabric of this nation and bring us together? I wonder if You would want to do that. Then I think that You want all men to be saved and You are a God of Justice. This is Your will, Your desire. So I am encouraged to stand for those things that You desire.

Prayer:
When we ask in prayer, are we giving You permission to intervene? To intercede? To move across our boundaries? I think so. Many are praying. Many are asking You to come. Many are giving You permission - so You are respecting our boundaries because we have granted You permission to come, to intercede, to intervene. I ask it. I give You permission, I open the door and beckon You and welcome You. Please come in to my life, my neighborhood, and this nation: One Nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

For the sake of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ,