We need to see that what is right is also good for us. And we usually only see these good reasons when we’re in pain. Our pain motivates us to act. Even with the desire for a better life, we can be reluctant to do the work of boundaries for another reason: it will be a war. There will be skirmishes and battles. There will be disputes. There will be losses. The idea of spiritual warfare is not new. For thousands of years, God has given people the choice of living lives of ruin, or possessing what he has secured for them. And it has always involved battles. When he led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the promised land, they had to fight many battles and learn numerous lessons before they could possess the land. We have to fight for our healing as well. God has secured our salvation and our sanctification. In position and principle he has healed us. But we have to work out his image in us. Part of this process of healing is regaining our boundaries. As we become like him, he is redeeming our boundaries and our limits. He has defined who we are and what our limits are so that he can bless us: “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Ps. 16:5–6). But we are the ones who have to do battle. The battles fall into two categories: outside resistance and inside resistance—the resistance we get from others and the resistance we get from ourselves. Outside Resistance Julie had had a difficult time with boundaries most of her life. As a child, she had a domineering father and a mother who con-trolled her with guilt. She had been afraid to set boundaries with some people because of their anger and with others because of the guilt she would feel for “hurting them.” When she wanted to make a decision for herself, she would listen to other people’s anger or pouting and let their reactions affect her decision.