I hope you all had a chance to attend our Ladies Event last weekend - Pop of Pink! If not, I want to encourage you to go back and watch it, you can find the link at
https://www.mid-way.com/women I know I was so encouraged by it, I wanted to share a recap in today's blog!
Our theme that we looked at was Firm Foundation. We all go through storms in life but what is our life built on, where is our soul rooted? We looked at the passage in Matthew 7:24-27 where Jesus teaches about building your house, or “your life”, on the Rock.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it fell. And great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:24-27
Michelle Staubs gave a wonderful devotion on these Scriptures! She talked about how the most important part of a home is the foundation. It’s not the roof or the exterior, but what’s underneath the house that is most important. If a home were to have a crack in its foundation, it’s only a matter of time before problems arise in the home. But if it’s foundation is solid, the house will stand - no matter the storm. That’s what Jesus is saying in this passage about the foundation of our lives.
Michelle gave such a strong challenge to ask yourself - what is my life being built on? Is it being build on acceptance? Approval from others? Your appearance? Your image/identity? Is it your identity in good things, such as being a wife or a mom or a grandparent? The enemy even wants to use the good gifts God has given us to trip us up.
Then she offered 4 practical ways to build your life on the Rock:
Hear His Word. (vs. 24)
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine..."
Matthew 7:42
In order to hear His Word, we have to be in His Word. We aren’t going to know what God says unless we have an active, growing relationship with Him.
Obey His words. (vs. 24)
"I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock..."
Matthew 7:42
Obedience is key to building your life on the Rock. We can’t just hear His words, we have to follow through in obedience - this is our action step.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
James 1:22
Anticipate storms.
None of us want to go through storms in our life, but the reality is, we all will face them. We have to work on building our foundation on the Rock before the storm hits so that we can withstand it.
Rely on the Rock.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:2
“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 62:6
One of my favorite quotes that I say to myself often is “Obey God and trust Him with the results.” This is how we rely on the Rock when things don’t make sense and our obedience doesn’t seem to be working. Psalm 84:11-12 says “no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly…blessed is the one who trust in you.” We can rely on the Rock.
The key ingredient to all of this, is the great commandment, “you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.” Matthew 22:37 Tara-Leigh Cobble says “the human heart doesn’t respond to laws; it responds to what it loves. And if you don’t love God, you’ll find His rules repugnant and irrational, and you’ll rebel against Him.” Understanding God’s heart and His love for us leads us to loving Him back, and then that love drives us to obedience.
I hope you were encouraged by these truths as much as I was. May we be women who build our lives upon the Rock so that when the storms of life come, we will still be standing rooted in Christ!
Prayer Points:
Lord, help me to build my life on the Rock that is You and keep it founded there.
Lord, give me a love for You and for Your Word that is stronger than anything else.
Lord, help me to obey You. Help me to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.
Lord, show me an area of my life that is not built on You and help me to surrender it to You.
Lord, I pray that You would protect me from storms, but when they do arise let my soul be rooted in You and help me to trust You no matter what.
Lord,
I thank You that You offer Yourself to be the Rock of my life. I pray that You would help me to build my life upon You. Help me to hear Your Word and obey it. I pray that I would be like the wise man who built his house upon the Rock, that when the storms of life come I will not fall, but will stand because my house is built on You. Lord, I pray that You would graciously reveal areas in my life that aren’t built on You and You would help me to give those areas over to You. In Jesus Name I ask all of these things, Amen.
Sincerely,
Madison Hartley