A Lesson From Fences

By Rachel Head

When we think about fences what is their purpose? Why are they even there? My family does not have a fence (or multiple fences) just to make our yard pretty. The purpose of a fence is to keep bad things out and certain things in. We own goats, chickens, and dogs so our fences are keeping those animals inside and keeping predators out. If we allowed our animals to free-range with no fence they could get lost, injured, or killed. So how do fences apply to our spiritual lives? Think of these fences as being boundaries. If we do not have boundaries or fences in our spiritual lives we could stray from the truth and injure ourselves or others. On the flip side, the fence is protecting us from false teachers and people who want to hurt us (the Devil). Let’s look at some of these fences/boundaries that we need to build.

The first fence we need to build is one around our heart to keep God’s Word enclosed. In Psalm 119:105, it states that “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We should keep God’s Word so close to us that we follow that lamp on a daily basis.

The second fence we need to build is one that keeps the bad things out. In John 10, Jesus uses the example of His being our Shepherd and how thieves will come trying to get His sheep. But the sheep know their Shepherd’s voice and do not hear or follow the thief. We should build up a fence around our heart to be able to differentiate who to let in and know the good versus the bad.