Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV): "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. 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. 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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
FAITH COMES by HEARING, and HEARING by the WORD of GOD, and this is our FOUNDATION: For GOD so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. GOD has highly exalted Him and given Him the name above every name, that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the GLORY of GOD the Father, Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in CHRIST JESUS before time began.
For by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the GIFT of GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS for GOOD WORKS, which GOD prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. For if we live, we live to the LORD; and if we die, we die to the LORD. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the LORD's. And the LORD will give STRENGTH to His people; the LORD will BLESS His people with PEACE; and the GOD of PEACE will crush Satan under our feet shortly. He is GOD WITH US, and when we pass through the waters, He will be with us, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow us. When we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch us.
The LORD is FAITHFUL, who will ESTABLISH us and GUARD us from the evil one. He is a SHELTER for us, a STRONGTOWER from the enemy, and He also has SEALED US and GIVEN US the Spirit IN OUR HEARTS as a GUARANTEE, and GOD is able to make all GRACE abound toward us, that we, always having all SUFFICIENCY in ALL things, may have an ABUNDANCE for every GOOD work. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but OUR SUFFICIENCY is FROM GOD.
The LORD is our LIGHT and our SALVATION, whom shall we fear? The LORD is the STRENGTH of our lives, of whom shall we be afraid? And GOD's WORD is PURE, POWERFUL, PURPOSEFUL, and EVERLASTING; HIS WORDS are SPIRIT and LIFE; and GOD'sWORD is the SWORD of the SPIRIT.
And JESUS, the CHRIST, the ANOINTED ONE, is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and no one comes to the Father except THROUGH HIM, the STONE which the builders rejected WHO HAS BECOME the CHIEF CORNERSTONE, and ON THIS ROCK, the AUTHOR and FINISHER of OUR FAITH, GOD has built HIS CHURCH, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
But without FAITH it’s impossible to please GOD, for the one who comes to GOD must believe that He is, and that He is a REWARDER of those who diligently SEEK HIM, for WITH GOD, all things are possible, and GOD IS IN CONTROL, able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask and think, according to the POWER that works in us, and we know that ALL THINGS work together FOR GOOD to those who LOVE GOD and are the called according to His purpose, for whatever is BORN of GOD OVERCOMES the world, and this is the VICTORY that has overcome the world--OUR FAITH. This is the FOUNDATION--THE ROCK--upon which we build our houses and stand: JESUS CHRIST. And any other foundation when tested by time, ravaged by storms, and purged by fire will eventually crack and fail, buckle and fall, and the house, castle, or church built upon it will be tossed and turned, battered and broken, inflamed and burned, and it will crash and sink beneath shifting sand.
