The Solid Rock

 

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27

When revival is experienced in the home, we live each day as though Jesus were our houseguest. We do whatever we can to please Him. One of the benefits of Jesus’ presence is that it gives us stability during life’s storms. Jesus promised that when we build our lives on the foundation of obedience to His Word, it would not be forgotten during difficult times. He doesn’t say that His Word would become our strong foundation, He says that obeying His Word would be our strong foundation. As we go about this journey we call life, there will be times of testing. The foolish man is not the only one tested, Jesus says that the wise man will be tested as well. So now let me bring this home.

We are not to prepare ourselves, our homes, or even our church for a fair-weather storm. We are to prepare for a 100-year flood. We who live in Findlay know a little about that don’t we? The building of the foolish man and the wise man will go through the same testing. Sometimes it seems like our testing is different. Maybe it has to do with the amount of preparation, the obedience factor, or the foundation in which we build upon.

Fathers, are you preparing your family for the next trial? You prepare for it by opening up your life for more of God. Are you building on a strong foundation only found in the Word of God? Are you seeking more of God and then putting it into practice? Mothers, how about you? We are called to lead the way in our families. Maybe you are a single parent. God will provide others to influence your family for His purpose. God does not see you as a challenging case nor is He shocked at the events that led up to your family structure. It is an opportunity for God to show how powerful He is in spite of the challenges.

Starting this Sunday, we will be gathering in the Sanctuary for prayer for 7 days. Pray and ask the Lord what kind of fast He wants you to do. This Sunday we have changed the time to 7 - 8 a.m. for prayer. Prayer will also take place from 6 - 7 p.m. on Sunday night. The rest of the week will be 6 - 7 a.m., 6 - 7 p.m., or both. Come and hear what the Lord wants to say and plan to obey. Even if you have never spent an hour in prayer, we will have things there to help you. If we step up to this call to prayer, then I guarantee our lives, our homes, and our church will be changed for the better. Can I say that you will get as much out of the revival as you put into it?

I’m looking forward to a great day on Sunday. Join me for prayer at 7:00 a.m.

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike