It’s essential to know the boundary of our calling. Stepping outside that boundary can make us vulnerable to things God did not plan for us to experience. Demons are waiting to attack those who step outside those boundaries.
When Paul defended his apostolic authority, he began by addressing spiritual warfare.
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (II Corinthians 10: 3-5).
Only when working within the boundaries God has set for us can this kind of spiritual power be expressed with such profound evidence.
Paul then addressed the boundaries of his ministry and how he represented himself within those boundaries.
“We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you. We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you as if we had never visited you” (vs. 13-14).
While God’s authority rules over all things and all geography, there is a boundary to our spiritual jurisdiction. Our authority is not defined by our zeal or ambition but by the Spirit.
Paul addressed those challenging his apostolic authority, “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” (vs. 12).
Jan and I have discerned a more distinct boundary of our calling. We are not spiritual guns for hire roaming the Body of Christ looking for another place to speak. This defined boundary has empowered a higher level of authority in us because we have remained within the boundary of our calling.
Some of us stepped into that boundary by trial and error. Others, like Paul, sought the Lord first to tell him where to go and what audience he should address. Either way, when we reach that place of understanding and enter God’s defined boundary, the evidence of the Spirit’s presence in us will be expressed in ways that a self-defined boundary and self-promotional pride could never release.
Only then will God get the glory because we are not measuring our effectiveness by human comparison standards but by the power of God’s Spirit. Paul said that a bounded authority would be able “to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.” That is the power expressed in spiritual warfare when we live and minister within the boundary of a God-ordained calling.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Patrick from Pixabay
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