Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Bible in a Year Reading Plan: Ezekiel 19-24 | Titus 2

Nehemiah 4:8-9 
They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.

Nehemiah couldn’t control the people outside the walls. He couldn’t change their minds, stop their anger, or convince them to behave differently. So he didn’t try. He prayed to God, then guarded what God had entrusted to him.

If I am being honest, that doesn’t always come naturally to me.

When you care about someone, it can be easy to ask, “What can I do to make this person happy?”

As a problem solver, that is where my mind goes. Could I explain myself differently? Give a little more so they aren’t disappointed? Avoid bringing up what is bothering me because keeping the peace feels safer than facing the conflict?

Maybe you have found yourself doing the same thing.

The desire to love someone well can slowly become taking responsibility for their feelings. Before long, your words, choices, and boundaries begin depending on how you think someone else might respond.

That is when we need to start praying, “God, what is mine to do here?”

A boundary cannot make someone speak kindly, respect your feelings, or change their behavior. It determines what you will do when they don’t. You cannot do the work for both people. But knowing where to draw that boundary requires discernment. That is why we Pray First.

Not every disagreement requires distance. We don’t want to build walls out of anger, fear, or hurt. We want God to show us what is ours to carry, what to release, and what he is asking us to protect.

Sometimes, after seeking God’s direction, the healthiest boundary is to step away. That doesn’t mean you stop loving them, praying for them, or trusting God to work in the relationship. It means recognizing that loving someone does not require giving them unlimited access to you.

Before reacting, sending the text, having the conversation, or drawing the line, bring it to God. Ask him: What is mine to do? What isn’t mine to carry? What are you asking me to protect? Then listen.

Nehemiah prayed, and then he guarded the city. You cannot control what happens outside the wall. But with God’s help, you can prayerfully decide what gets access inside it.

Questions: 
Is there a relationship where I have been taking responsibility for someone else’s feelings or behavior?

What are you trying to control that you need to release to God?

Is there something God may be asking you to protect, release, or step away from?

Next Steps: 
Think of one relationship where you are experiencing conflict or struggling to know where to set a boundary. Before doing anything else, Pray First. Ask God: “What is mine to do here? What isn’t mine to carry? What are you asking me to protect?” Then give yourself permission to listen before you act.

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, I confess that sometimes I spend more time trying to keep other people happy than asking you what you want me to do. Help me remember that I am responsible for how I love and respond to others, but I am not responsible for their choices or reactions. Give me discernment to know when to stay, when to speak, when to set a boundary, or when to step away. Show me what is mine to carry and give me the courage to release what isn’t. Help me love others well without losing the peace you are creating within me. Teach me to pray first, trust you, and guard what you have entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.