"All things are lawful for man, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."
1 Corinthians 6:12
The principles of God's Word hold time-honored values that form the standard for our daily life. If we ignore them or change our view of them, then inch by inch, bit by bit, we will find ourselves beginning to compromise in some area--sometimes without even realizing it.
Compromise can cause a person to drift outside the boundaries of truth where they eventually lose any perceptibility to what is best for their life. This is how folks get themselves in a fix and have no clue on how to get their life turned around.
Take for example a pilot leaving New York and heading for California. Normally, he would file a flight plan. He would gather information concerning weather conditions. He would become familiar with everything needed to make his flight successful, from winds headings, to alternate airports, to fuel requirements, to runways and landing strips, to his own aircraft performance. In other words, he would do his own due-diligence on everything necessary to carry out his pre-flight requirements. No pilot would allow himself to become so naive as to just take off from an airport--never doing his homework or fail to plan things properly.
The same conditions would apply to a ship captain maneuvering his ship to port. He would have to possess detailed knowledge of local waterways. He would have to know how fast to run his ship, the necessary buoys marked for travel, and how to carefully proceed to assure safe docking. What would be the outcome if he chose to ignore all the necessary marking to the shipping land and steer his ship in whatever direction he chose? Clearly, he would endanger his own life and the life of his crew. Without boundaries even a learned captain could not know the dangers that lie beneath the surface of the water.
Whenever a person loses sight of God's Word and tries to navigate their life without boundaries, they run the risk of shipwrecking their faith. The Bible is like a compass, always pointing due north on the latitudes and longitudes of truth, and it is a certain fact that truth carries with it boundaries. Jesus made it very clear in his teachings when he said, "If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32).
Anything outside of being led by the precepts of God's Word is very risky - there are far too many unseen dangers in life that may appear as a clear path, but only end in destruction. God's Word is designed to help steer your life on the right course, the best course. If followed correctly, it will help you make right choices. It will provide you with a sense of values that will bring your life into balance. It is very important that you allow the Word to shape your thinking. It must become the final authority above everything else.
By staying within the boundaries of the Word you have the promise of safe passage that will keep you from making unnecessary mistakes, and costing you down the road.
In every kind of sports there are boundaries. Boundaries establish perimeters. If a player steps out of bounds there are a variety of things that can happen. It may cost him a point. It may turn the ball over to the other team. It may halt play or even keep him from advancing toward a win. In every case, stepping out of bounds costs it never pays.
The Word of God is meant to be our rule of faith and practice. It is a book of standards. It points out what is black and white. The moment we get away from it, we lose our sense of boundaries and we start living by own rules. Sometimes folks think that living without boundaries is freedom, but in reality its being a poor custodian as a steward to kingdom living. Compromise can never bring freedom. It only leads to misery and destruction. God has established standards in his Word that you and I are to adhere to. Sometimes it can be very demanding and challenging, but one thing is for sure, when we follow truth we know there is only one outcome--finishing our course with joy, because we stayed the course and lived within the boundaries that were meant to help us reach our destination!