“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2
A few years ago, I was pregnant with my third baby. It was late September, early October, there was a crazy hurricane in Fort Myers Beach area, and our friends and their eight kids were on the island still, had not evacuated, because if I remember correctly the storm was not supposed to hit them. But unfortunately it did. it was indeed a scary time, I had just had our third and named her after their street. The next day watching church online the song that they sand was, “rain came, wind blew but my house was built on you, I’m safe with you I’m gonna make it through because I’m standing strong on you.” Y’all I cried my eyes out. But God, was indeed with them, as they carried their kids from their top floor to the neighbors next door that had left a key for them. like thank you Jesus!
All I can say from this is that I don’t know what would have happened to me if I was in their shoes. but I truly believe that if we are truly abiding in Christ we are able to walk unfazed, standing firm on His word that he is with us, that he will never leave us and that he will give us his strength and his wisdom to do what must me done.
We all learn from these experiences that whether you are in their shoes or not, that without Christ we would not be able to stand firm.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27
‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.’
James 1:2-8
we must always ask the question, what am I building my life on? am I easily fazed by the rain, winds that come pounding down at times? am I allowing God’s word to truly keep me steadfast?
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT.
when we read Matthew 7:24-27 all I say to myself is this, there is nothing wiser to build on than Christ himself. a few years ago I was building my life on anything but him, and building on the need to be seen, wanted, heard, all the things, because I didn’t ever feel wanted by anyone. so, I chose the life of starving myself, working myself endless, to look a certain way, to gain approval from guys and girls. while on the other hand growing up in church my whole life and knowing the word of God, but living far from it, ignoring it because of how I felt. can we all agree that feelings are fleeting, they don’t anchor us but they keep us at times from really abiding in the truth of who God has already said we are. When we build our life on feelings (sand) instead of the rock (Christ) we will always sink.
I SINKED. I SINKED BAD. MY BEST FRIEND WOULD TELL YOU STRAIGHT UP. I ALMOST DIED. and tell me why I was not even registering what was happening because i was still trying to satisfy my feelings with my sand building. there are days that I look at pictures and still question why did I really do all this? why did I let it go this far, to have something that I didn’t even know would happen or not. today, I can see how it was indeed all foolish and I almost missed out on having the beautiful life that I have now, one that I didn’t try to get but that the Lord gifted me with.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:16-17
The enemy would love nothing more than for us to continue to live blindly in this temporary world that we are in. He doesn’t want us to see the kindness and love of God toward us. That he desires to give us the best. He desires to see us joyful not in this world but in Him and to expectantly anticipate the joy of eternity with Him, there is nothing better. It literally says it in James 1:16-17, every good and perfect gift is from God. the enemy can give us nothing good, he wants us to be blinded, he wants us to remain fazed by all going on around us, he wants us to be fazed when things don’t go in the way that we thought they would go. He wants us to spiral into oblivion and stay in that trajectory.
The famous verse in the Bible, John 10:10-11 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
How can we stand firm if not on the rock that keeps us firm, unfazed?
How can we stand firm if we are not trusting the Lord, if we are choosing to trust in our own ways?
I have journaled this a couple times in my life, I want to be someone who is stable in the lives of others where they can count on when they are needing a safe place to turn to; to find rest, to find discipleship, to find hope. I can only be that if I am firmly standing on christ and abiding daily in Christ alone. Not this world, the ideas of this world, the fears that the media puts out, the news all around the globe, because if that is what I am abiding in what comes out of me is not hope and rest, but fear and anxiety.
y’all I want to be a voice that shouts warning but the hope that we have on. Am I resting in the hope that I have in Christ? When people look at my life and see me and my family do they see me fazed and freaking out about every little thing that happens, or do they see me unfazed and standing firm in the one that says that He holds my life in His hands, that he holds the life of my family in his hands, that he holds the life of my friends in his hands, and that all I can do is sit down, trust him, and obey him that He may be glorified through our life.
“He cannot be glorified if we are fazed by every circumstance that takes place, he gets the most glory when in every circumstance we thank him and praise him, because in everything he is trying to form us into looking more and more like His Son, so that we are a bright light for all that come into our space.”
As we go about our year, may we rest in the secure faith we can have in GOD, because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. He died so we could rest and be one with Him.
Let’s read this one more time together: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2 — Y’all He is everything we need to remain steadfast, immovable, and unfazed as we stand face to face with this world that is quickly declining everyday.
We are called to be unfazed, steadfast.
‘Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.’ 1 Corinthians 15:58
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” James 1:12
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” 2 Peter 3:17
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You” Isaiah 26:3
I can’t help but say it again, there is a promise in each of these verses that when we are fixed on Him, He will be with us, he will give us the crown of life, we will be unmoved by the world’s wickedness he will give us the way out when in situations that look unfavorable to the world but will look like God’s grace and love to keep us blameless before him, what is better than that. the world can give us none of those things.
This week meditate on these verses, memorize them, hide them in your heart. He promises us when we abide in Him we will not fall.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What has God already proven faithful in that I can remember today?
- What would it look like to remain steady in faith, even if nothing immediately changes?
last little thought, after that hurricane, our friends moved into a rental and god provided for them through someone they never thought they would see again, you have no idea the adventures God takes you on how that will open a door for you later, to remind you of his goodness and kindness. the other little thought after they got their house manageable they get hit again, y’all their faith challenges me everyday that yes are we human and get shaken up, yes, but when we truly love and trust the Lord, he gives us His strength in our weakness, he shows us grace because he knows the feelings of just being done with it all and running away and choosing easy over hard, but is choosing easy over hard really a good idea, choosing the easy way out makes it worse I think, just my opinion. we will have trials and tribulations but Christ has overcome this is our victory, we can have joy in the midst of all circumstances because this is all temporary!
How will people remember you when you are ten feet deep?
Faithful and unfazed/steadfast or unfaithful and fazed?
BUILD ON THE ROCK THAT WILL NEVER MOVE!
Cafe Enciende 
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