Let me speak to those mercy hearts struggling with putting up strong boundaries in a season where God is desperately nudging you towards a victory with Him.

Some of us need to grow a holy backbone and learn to call things what they are before we find ourselves, and others, in a never-ending trap. We can follow those who’ve had to exercise some divine grit by reading about Nehemiah, David, Esther, Elijah, Abigail, and others.

Elijah had to confront the prophets of Baal. David had to go up and fight the enemy armies, Nehemiah had to expose Tobiah and Sanballet, Abigail had to step into a situation that was about to cost her all the family and Esther had to expose the wicked plan hidden by Haman.

Stop laying down your God-given authority in passivity.

As Jesus begins to give us a stronger backbone, He must expose all the people-pleasing, inability to say “No,” and the mere fact that it will absolutely hinder your progress in completing divine assignments and your ultimate obedience to Christ.

When Jesus takes you through a season of this type of freedom, initially all hell will break loose.

Push through it. Stay the course.

Practice the, “No.”

You must come to a place where He is your commander-in-chief. All other voices must be secondary.

To those who have used you till you have little left, will rise a seething anger. It’s not because you’re a bad person or that you love less-it’s because the enemy is furious that you’ve seen the light, and that devil will wage all-out war against your heart.

This is where the LORD makes you a new kind of warrior.

The kind that says, “No more.”

No more derailing what Jesus intends for me. No more allowing Satan’s subtle manipulation to spin me on my ear. No more push and pull playing to unhealthy usury while Christ is calling from a deep well of promise.

If you want to see if the enemy is in hiding in any situation, “Voice your, “No.”

The God heart will honor your “No.” The enemy never will.

You’ll find pretty quickly whose gonna stay for the long haul and who was just in it for themselves.

You’ve got to decide you’d rather give Christ what He wants than anybody else what they want.

Mercy hearts have a tendency to turn their gift over to Satan and let him craft a web of deceit with it. Soon you’ll find yourself all wound up. No peace. No freedom. Just a pawn on the playground of the devil. Like a merry-go-round that won’t stop.

You’ll give and give, and he will take and take. Boundaries are a must to guard your own heart from resentment and bitterness.

When you realize Jesus expects your full allegiance, your full YES, and your full NO…well then, it’ll be a rocky road with those who have been siphoning off your strength, gifting, resources, and time.

You, and I, must look into the Spirit and see what, or who is really at work.

Keep your mercy heart under the direct supervision and submission of King Jesus. He will never misuse it. Never abuse it. Never overlook it.

But be very careful who else you offer it to. Make sure it’s a God-directed assignment and be willing to exercise that new backbone of yours as Christ makes those crooked paths straight.

You’ll come out of this lesson with new divine grit that knows full well your purpose and calling with Christ.