Jesus said, “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart builder who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit – but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use My words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a foolish builder who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” When Jesus concluded His address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that He was living everything He was saying – quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard. Matthew 7: 24-29 MSG
The eye of Hurricane Nicole passed by me in northeast Florida, but the extreme distance that its strong winds embraced did not leave me alone. The dunes were already compromised from Hurricane Ian a month ago and now they were devastated. They were breached by the wind, the ocean’s surf, and the full moon tide. My cottage that is a quarter mile from the beach became ocean front property, for a few days anyway! The might of the Atlantic Ocean moved along just below my front porch. It flowed down the street and surrounded my house. I didn’t worry that my house would be washed away, we had built it high enough and upon a deep foundation, but I didn’t really want the ocean inside! I had to put my chickens and my car in the garage for safe keeping but the water still came within inches of breaching it and overflowing into my small pool outside.
Isaiah 58:12 refers to breaches in the walls of Jerusalem. The book of Nehemiah (a good read, by the way) is about repairing those walls. It was a point of vulnerability that brought Nehemiah to his knees in Babylon. He prayed and fasted for four months and petitioned King Artaxerxes to send him to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. His petition was granted!
Watching the water continue to rise, I came to the realization that it wasn’t stopping. I petitioned God to stop the water NOW. He did!
Places where we are not strong become an easily breached vulnerability. Those gaps can devastate us when we need peace to think clearly (1 Thessalonians 3: 8-10 NLT). Jesus taught His most important messages early on in His ministry, called the Sermon on the Mount. They built strong disciples who followed Him, even after He ascended to heaven. We must pay attention to His foundational truths and how they permeate our whole life.
PRAYER: How might skipping devotional time with God because of the busyness of your life change your ability to love others unconditionally, by faith?
FORGIVE: How might unforgiveness affect the relationships that you need and how might that affect the faithfulness of your relationship with God?
DISCIPLINE: How might lack of self-control cause you to lean on trivial or dangerous things to get through the day and upset your desire to stand on your faithful God’s firm foundation?
Ask God to show you where you have gaps or weakness in your faith. Pray, fast and petition Him for the growth that will repair the wall and firm up your faith. Work His words into your life. Share these things with your sisters and brothers in Christ and cherish their prayers and help.
Dearest Teacher, where might I be stronger in my faith? Give me the courage to be vulnerable to others and repair the breaches together. Amen.
happy hunger 
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