What barriers has God placed along your life's pathway for your protection?

God's laws and commandments create our freedom
or
We are free BECAUSE of the laws and commandments that God has given us.

It is only because we keep God's commandments and adhere to His laws--when we act within the framework of God's laws--that we are kept free and safe.  For without the protection and safety that we have from the fact that we keep His laws and commandments that we can remain free--otherwise we are left fighting against Satan or the natural repercussions of our own choices, which is to not be free but to be in bondage or slavery!

"As you and I walk the paths of life and pursue our dreams, God’s commands and standards—like the barrier—can sometimes be difficult to understand. They may appear rigid and unyielding, blocking a path that looks fun and exciting and that is being followed by so many others."

"But He who “comprehend[s] all things” knows exactly where those dangers lie. He gives us divine direction, through His commands and loving guidance, so that we may avoid the dangers—so that we may set a course in our lives that is protected from spiritual predators and the gaping jaws of sin."

"We show our love for God—and our faith in Him—by doing our very best every day to follow the course that He has laid out for us and by keeping the commandments that He has given to us. We especially manifest that faith and love in situations where we don’t fully understand the reason for God’s commands or the particular path He is telling us to take. It is relatively easy to follow a course inside the barrier once we know there are sharp-toothed predators swarming just outside of it. It is more difficult to keep our course within the barrier when all we can see are thrilling and tantalizing waves on the other side. And yet it is in those times—times when we choose to exercise our faith, put our trust in God, and show our love to Him—that we grow and gain the most."

"Put another way, the Lord’s commands do not constitute some grueling underwater maze of barriers that we must learn to grudgingly endure in this life so that we might be exalted in the next. Rather, the barriers established by the Lord create for us a safe harbor from the evil and destructive influences that would otherwise drag us down to the depths of despair. The Lord’s commandments are given out of love and caring; they are intended for our joy in this life just as much as they are intended for our joy and exaltation in the next. They mark the way that we should act—and more importantly, they illuminate who we should become."

"The barrier offered protection, safety, and peace."

"True obedience, therefore, is giving ourselves entirely to Him and allowing Him to chart our course both in calm waters and in troubled ones, understanding that He can make more of us than we could ever make of ourselves."

Elder Vaughn G Keech (Oct 15)

This is the only true freedom that we can experience--when we choose to obey God's commandments--or when we place our choices in God's hands and He can give it right back to us accompanied by the freedom that He grants unto His children and the consequences of that choice.

JPS