Foundation For a structure to remain sound against a quaking and storm it will need to have much more than an attractive façade. Before any walls are raised and the roof attached, there must be a foundation of solid materials formed that makes contact with bedrock for its stability. There is a very interesting Youtube channel that shows two guys performing some amazing construction using simple and primitive resources. They use basic tools to scoop out sand from the ground to build very creative structures. These buildings are attractive and functional creations and are completed in a short period of time with very impressive skill. While their completed work is shown to be useful and pleasant, they don’t ever show it after a storm has passed or the earth has quaked. I’ve often wondered how just a little passage of time and life experience might reduce those charming structures to rubble. For the building that will be formed by our Master Builder, though there will be an amazing finished structure that is attractive and functional, all that is erected according to His plans will be upon a foundation secured directly to the Rock. It will remain safe and unaffected through the perfect storm and mountain-shuddering shake only as the Word is the exclusive foundational substance. Any attempts to build while disregarding the Word at any phase will render the whole structure compromised and subject to damage. Removing the influence of the flesh and worldly passions as diversions from the Word, then, becomes critical for us as the living stones that make up His building. This is a great purpose for us in the fast we’ve begun, to disable any other influence and establish only the Word as our foundation. We desire for the building we give ourselves to in this coming year to not be in vain. This will only be possible as we defer continually to the Word as our singular base. Notes Without the Lord – Building in Vain Psalms 127:1-2 1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders’ work is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, sentries do no good. 2 It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest. We are His building stones 1 Peter 2:4-5 4 Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds; though men have spurned him, he is very precious to God who has chosen him above all others. 5 And now you have become living building-stones for God’s use in building his house. What’s more, you are his holy priests; so come to him—you who are acceptable to him because of Jesus Christ—and offer to God those things that please him. The foundation must be on the Word Luke 6:47-49 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." For the Word to be our foundation, cannot be shared Matthew 4:4 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ " To be our foundation, the Word must be considered in everything. Proverbs 3:4-6 4 (4-5) If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. 6 In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success. Identity Galatians 2:20 20 “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine! Healing 1 Peter 2:24 24 He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we would be dead to sin and live for righteousness. Our instant healing flowed from his wounding. Wisdom from God – when asked apart from earthly influenced doubt James 1:5-6 5 And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. 6 Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. Finances - giving 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 6 But remember this—if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. 7 Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes. 8 God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others. Security Psalms 27:1-3 1 The Lord is my revelation-light to guide me along the way; he’s the source of my salvation to defend me every day. I fear no one! I’ll never turn back and run from you, Lord; surround and protect me. 2 When evil ones come to destroy me, they will be the ones who turn back. 3 My heart will not be afraid even if an army rises to attack. I know that you are there for me, so I will not be shaken. Removing other foundations Isaiah 58:3-14 3 “We have fasted before you,” they say. “Why aren’t you impressed? Why don’t you see our sacrifices? Why don’t you hear our prayers? We have done much penance, and you don’t even notice it!” I’ll tell you why! Because you are living in evil pleasure even while you are fasting, and you keep right on oppressing your workers. 4 Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5 Is this what I want—this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes? Is this what you call fasting? 6 No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help. 8 If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. 9 Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! 10 Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. 12 Your sons will rebuild the long-deserted ruins of your cities, and you will be known as “The People Who Rebuild Their Walls and Cities.” 13 If you keep the Sabbath holy, not having your own fun and business on that day, but enjoying the Sabbath, speaking of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day, and honoring the Lord in what you do, not following your own desires and pleasure nor talking idly— 14 then the Lord will be your delight, and I will see to it that you ride high and get your full share of the blessings I promised to Jacob, your father. The Lord has spoken. Overview: As a new creation in Christ, we become a living stone in God’s building for His glory. The foundation for His structure is His Word that secures us safely to Jesus as the Rock. As the Word declares everything we already have in Christ, we are in need of its discovery and use in every aspect of life. We are already complete in Christ and are in need of removing anything that would corrupt our foundation in Him. Intentional denial of earthly things as our foundation enables us to be His hands/feet/voice in the answered prayer of others. Prayer: Father, I praise You for Your amazing wisdom and power in providing me with new life in Christ. Open the eyes of my understanding so that whom You’ve already made me to be can fulfill the purpose of Your heart. As I set myself apart from other sources in life, I ask that the foundation of Your Word would establish me as an immovable, unshakeable living stone of Your building. Declarations: I have become a new creation in Christ with His nature and ability. This person I’ve become has a significant purpose in fulfilling my part in what God is building. To effectively connect and build upon my union with Christ, I’ve been given His Word as a foundation. In every circumstance I now find myself, there is an application from the Word that will empower me to be His living stone. I set my heart to refuse any other understanding that would diffuse and disallow the Word from empowering my purpose. My heart and my soul respond with delight to the image from the Word of who I am and whom I will touch for His glory.