“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.”

In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus tells us of the wise man who chose to build his house on the rock—a solid, steady, and true foundation. He could have chosen a more convenient foundation that would crumble under pressure, or be moved by the wind, but he chose a strong foundation that would not waver in a storm. Like this wise man, take care to build your life on the true, unshakable foundation!

The Word of God is the only foundation that will never fail, change, or pass away. Worldly foundations are enticing, but they will ultimately fall with the floods, winds, and rain. Let’s look at a few worldly foundations and see what the Word of God has to say about them.

Pursuit of Pleasure
It can be easy to build your life around the pursuit of pleasure. But it is extremely dangerous to love and pursue pleasure over everything else. That is why 2 Timothy 3:1-5 warns us against loving pleasure more than loving God. When pleasure is our ultimate goal, we forget that the only source of true joy and abundance is God. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that cannot be obtained by fulfilling the simple desires of our flesh.

Many people spend their lives waiting for happiness on the weekend or in their retirement years only to find it empty and unfulfilling. Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. God has prepared good works for us to accomplish! He has a plan for each one of us that requires so much more than the simple pursuit of pleasure. And when we choose to build our house on the rock, we will have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Kingdom of God.

Love of Possessions
A materialistic worldview considers possessions and physical comfort to be more important than seeking God. This foundation continually says: I need more. This will make me happier, more comfortable, and more secure. We hear this view often in our daily lives through commercials and advertisements that constantly promise us a better life with their product. But Luke 12:15 tells us, And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Our value and comfort cannot come from material possessions.

Many people have much to live on, but nothing to live for. We were not created to be satisfied by material things, but to love God and love others above all else!

Self Focus
Another popular view in our world is individualism. We may find ourselves leaning on independence and self-reliance rather than God as we strive to succeed, make important decisions, and even when we face hard times. Individualism says, I have to do what is right for me above all else. I can do it myself without any help. However, Jesus did not call us to only be concerned with ourselves over everything else.

In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus says: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” You see, independence and self-reliance cannot direct us toward happiness or fulfillment. We will not find our purpose or identity without God, and we find life and truth only when we surrender to our Creator.

Good Enough
Many believers think that they only need to be good enough, kind enough, or spiritual enough to be right with God. Some may even think they are saved simply because they believe God exists. But you can only be made right with Him through Jesus—the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6 tells us that no one can come to the Father except through Jesus.

We also need to understand that God cares so deeply for us that He wants to be a part of our daily lives. He doesn’t want us to hope we are behaving well enough or doing enough good deeds to make up for our mistakes. As He shows us in His Word, the only way to be made righteous is through faith in Jesus.

Building a Biblical Foundation
Far too many believers live their lives without a solid foundation. Many fall into the views of the world and are shaken or even washed away when the storms come. Take care to build your life on the rock!

While many worldly foundations seem to make sense, they are the opposite of what the Bible teaches. For example, the world encourages us to seek greatness and glory for ourselves, but Jesus tells us that in order to be great, we must serve others, and in order to be first, we must put ourselves last.

So how do we build a biblical foundation? The Bible instructs us to change the way we think. Romans 12:2 says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Our minds are renewed as we consume, meditate on, and digest the Word of God. With a renewed mind, His Word in us builds faith, understanding, courage, and wisdom so our lives begin to look more and more like Jesus!

But when we consume the views and ideas of the world more than we consume the Word of God, our foundation will be unstable. Our hearts are like fountains—whatever we put in is what will flow out. A biblical foundation knows that God keeps His promises, that you are secure in Christ, your past is forgiven, you are right with God and have eternal life in Christ.

Faith grows on a solid foundation. God loves us just the way we are but He does not leave us the way we are; our faith is meant to grow and become stronger throughout our life. In 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Paul says, We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing (NIV). We are not designed to only exist on a foundation, but to continuously build on our faith as we walk with God.

In Closing
Jesus is the rock, and God’s Word provides the sure foundation you and I need for a solid Christian walk. According to Jesus, if you want to build an unshakable life, you need to build your life on the truth of His Word and trust that you are secure in Him when the rain, wind, and floods come.

Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? If not, here’s a prayer you can pray:

“Dear God, I believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again, and I believe His blood paid for my sins. I surrender my whole life to You and hold nothing back. Thank you, Jesus, that you are my Lord, that I’m forgiven, that I’m a part of your family and on my way to heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, we encourage you to read Pastor’s free book, Your New Life, to help you grow in your relationship with God. You can request it on  our New Life page or by calling (800) 988.5120.

(All scriptures are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.)