“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 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. 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.” (Lk 6:46-49)
Many desire to experience miracles of healing or prosperity. I too desire those great blessings. But I know that God is sovereign in the way He blesses people. I know that God is good and faithful to His promises. This morning, I ask myself: as a ‘simple person’, what can I do to experience the supernatural power of God? How can I ‘facilitate’ a miracle? What is the part I must play in my relationship with God? The answer is this: I must dig deeper and draw closer to God! I must remove the religious junk and get to the reality of Christ!
Our Lord tells a story about two men. One is foolish and the other one is wise. Each one loves the good things of life. Each one built a house for himself. Both houses look good from the outside. Each one enjoyed his house for a time. But when the storms of life came, one house stood strong and the other fell down and was destroyed. Why? Wisdom means to apply in practice the knowledge that you already have. For example, you know some scriptures. Now obey what you know! This is wisdom and everlasting success! What is the secret of the wise man? He is a true believer obedient to the Word of God! The foolish man was a false believer, a hypocrite. He called Jesus ‘Lord. Lord’ meaning ‘Master, Master” but he did not obey the words of his master.
This is the first lesson: Christianity is not just words, even if they are good religious words. Christianly means willing, active faith and obedience to the Word of God! Faith and obedience are twins. A true child of God OBEYS his Lord’s commands! The clear proof of salvation is an obedient generous spirit! To obey it means to comply, to follow the commands, restrictions and wishes of your master. It means to submit to his authority. Obedience is action and not just words.
The secret of the wise man is that he went to ‘dig deep’ until he touched the Rock. That is the place he anchored the foundation of his house. Foundation is always very important! That Rock is Christ! He is ‘The Rock that is higher than I’. He is ‘The Rock of Ages, Cleft for me’. Once the invisible foundation is secure, no outside storm can destroy the house. To ‘dig deep’ it means to penetrate down the earth, to advance by pushing aside or removing the soil. It means to go down, to be profound in thinking and to have deep faith. This wise man is not shallow or superficial. He is not interested only in the visible things. He is not a pleaser of men. He wants a deep humble genuine walk with God. He wants to be established in his faith. He wants to have a strong testimony and character. He is not just saved, but he has the assurance of his salvation. This treasure is never found lying on the ground for men to pick it up. There is a price to pay! It is found inside the holy mountains of incense where the gold of His majesty is hidden. You need to be ‘a spiritual miner’ to become prosperous, sure and secure in your faith. Then your life becomes spiritually fruitful. These mysteries are found one by one, as you study the Word, fast, pray and doing ministry in the church. Simple question: when last have you fasted just to have a deeper revelation of the Word of God?
This is my attitude to spiritual things: I want to be a wise builder of my home and ministry! I search for the gold of revelation deeper than what is easily available for me. I take the ‘hard’ road. I dig deep. I do not search for things. I search for an encounter with a Person. I search for Christ! Like a woman pushing during labor, I do not stop until ‘virtue goes out of me’. Rivers of living water must leave my belly! Thru the power of the Holy Spirit I work to kill the desires of my flesh. I hate fear, doubt, confusion and empty religion. These are my enemies. I know them well for they live ‘under my skin’. I know the power and the seduction of an easy lazy flesh life! Every day, I carry that selfish desire to the Cross and I kill it! No mercy for the devil! When it comes to sin, I am a hunter and a killer! For as long as these voices of fleshly desires still whisper to me, they are not dead. So the battle goes on.
This is the truth: from the bottom of my heart I want to obey God. I want to make my Lord happy. He knows my heart! To please God, this is not just my work. It is my passion! Of course, it is hard labor and the flesh hates it. But the Holy Spirit loves it and He encourages me. I want my life to be an inspiration, beautified with miracles and testimonies. I want my life to remind you of Jesus! So, I remain focused on the Lord and work hard. I do not do it to impress people. I do it to help them!!! They need encouragement to grow and to be fruitful spiritually! In these days of ‘famine of the hearing of the Word of God’ I promised God that I will pay the price to give people true hope! I am a hope giver! The price for this work is high: loneliness, battle with discouragement and persecution. But the reward is so much greater than any of my labors. Anyway, I am willing to pay the price for true Christianity. That settles the matter! I love Jesus Christ my Lord!
My prayer today: “Dear Abba Father, please strengthen my body, soul and spirit! Please touch my heart, my mind and my will! Encourage me so that I can encourage others! Help me to remain focused and fruitful! I give You all the glory! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!”
Green Pastures 
Amen