Hebrews 2:1 says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
In the early nineties, I was on a trip with Love Singapore to Kuching. We had an afternoon off and a group of us pastors were taken to a riverside on a trip. I remember taking a row boat by myself that day to try some rowing down the river. It looked easy but it turned into one of the scariest experiences of my life as the river bank got further and further away. I ended up on the other side of the river because that’s where the current carried me! My oars weren’t strong enough to keep me from drifting. I learned a lesson: when the current is stronger than you are, you’re going to drift. And you usually end up where you never intended to go.
We live in a culture with lots of undercurrents that will take us where we don’t want to go if we let them. And before we know it we’ve compromised our values or settled for second best. That’s drifting. Here are four of Webster’s definitions:
to be carried along by the current
a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position
to take the path of least resistance
to deviate from a set course
All of us have drifted in different areas at different times. The question is: how do we stop? Here are two keys: re-establishing boundaries and re-establishing priorities.
Boundary Stones
Proverbs 23:10 says, “Do not move the ancient boundary stone.” A boundary stone was an ancient “no trespassing” sign. It marked a boundary line that should not be moved or crossed. It was a reference point, a line in the sand.
Sometimes drifting is fast and furious. You get in a strong current and before you know it you’re way downstream from where God wants you to be. But more often than not it’s a slow, almost imperceptible process. You make a few bad choices and don’t experience any immediate consequences, but one day you wake up and realize the boundary stone has moved.
You’re listening to or looking at things you would have tuned out or turned off a few years ago. You’re in a relationship that has gone too far too fast. You’re over your head in debt, but can’t stop spending. You’ve crossed the line where you no longer have control over your time; your job or ministry controls you. Or you’ve lost that spiritual intensity and consistency you once had.
What happened? The boundary stone moved. You need to re-establish some boundaries. Here’s how you do it. Put the boundary stone back where it belongs! You need to draw a line in the sand and say, “With God’s help, I’m not crossing this line.” That’s what Job does in Job 39:1. He says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully on a woman.” He re-established boundaries.
Once you put the boundary stone back where it belongs, you need to leave it there! Sometimes that requires outside assistance. It’s a lot easier to leave the boundary stone where it belongs if you’ve asked someone to keep you from moving it. That’s what accountability is all about. An accountability partner is someone who has the freedom to ask the tough questions and speak the truth into our lives.
Is there is an area of your life where you’ve drifted? Has the boundary stone moved? Tell someone this week. Accountability is offering information before it’s asked for. Part of accountability is the courage to confess. The church is meant to be the place where people are open and honest about the good, the bad, and the ugly. James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other.” When we are transparent--open and honest about who we really are--the spiritual tide turns!
Re-establishing boundaries is like playing defence. Re-establishing boundaries is about not doing what’s wrong. Re-establishing priorities is about doing what’s right. We can’t just play defence. We also need to play offense.
We look at re-establishing priorities in the next post.
