How does one begin this journey? How does one know the next step in building this strong foundation? In my early twenties, I had learned a lot about construction. While studying architectural engineering, I built commercial buildings, apartments, and new homes and restored older, run-down homes. One of the first things I learned was about the part of the foundation that most don't expound upon. It's a boring subject. However, it is the most crucial beginning stage of any new construction project, "The Footings." Its importance is easy to determine as it is the section where all structures stand. The most essential attribute of the footing is that it must begin with the end in mind. What is the vision of the finished structure?
In our walk with Christ, the question would be the same...What do I want my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, strangers, and mostly God to say at the end of my life? Would I do things differently if told I have three years to live? If my answer is yes, more than likely, my footings were not put in their proper place. You need to use more concrete; they need to be deeper, broader, or stronger to endure the weight.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision "revelation," people cast off moral restraints. However, when people obey God's word, they are blessed.
The goal or vision that all believers must have been to share Christ and make Disciples. Knowing that the day of His return is imminent, and that the afterlife is "Eternity!"
An excellent example of not having your "footings" complete was demonstrated in the house where I was raised. It was only a couple of years old when we moved into our home. I would have been about eight years old. Eight years later, we noticed that the hall in the middle of the house was bowing down about two inches. The house was in a crawl space; therefore, my Father could only look in the small opening to assess the reason. Everything looked good from that opening. The foundation blocks appeared to be holding up the center support beam. Because of my size, Dad sent me into the crawl space to investigate further. I found the problem: the builder did not put a footing under the blocks. He had decided to place the foundation blocks on the dirt. If we didn't secure the foundation, over time, the center of the house would come crashing down. The only possible correction was that I had to shore up the house and pour footings under each center pier.
Today, maybe you need to shore up your walk with God by installing or repairing your God footings. Building your house on solid ground.
I know this; it would have been easier for the builder to put the footings under the foundation when he built the house. It was much more challenging to install the footings after completion. Stand on the word, strengthen your footings, and your house will stand firm.
James 1:22-24 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Today, we continue building a solid foundation by properly establishing our footing. Most builders know that you can begin installing your footings once you have the end structure in mind. A few things must be understood before you begin working on your foundation.
You must be on solid ground.
Pouring your footing on weak soil or sand would be a future disaster. It is the same in our walk with Christ. Asking Christ into our lives begins our journey as a believer. The solid ground is trusting and believing everything is on his word and resurrection.
In the Beatitudes or the sermon on the Mount, Matthew writes the words of Christ, teaching how we, as Christians, are to live our lives. Everything from "Adultery" to "The Way into the Kingdom". Then he ends with this:
Matthew 7:24-27 "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."
The second attribute of a Strong Foundation is the footings and foundation must have:
Forms or boundaries.
I poured footings on the top of the ground using wood forms and had a backhoe dig the footings right into the ground. Either way, the purpose was to keep the concrete in its proper place. The concrete would run out of control without the forms and boundaries.
We can become unstable when we don't establish Christ-like boundaries. Like concrete out of control, our result is not Christ-centered but world-centered.
Romans 8:5-6 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies!!!
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Our minds must be transformed to fight the desires of the flesh.
You must strengthen the footings once you have established your forms and boundaries. The best way to accomplish this task is by adding a rebar to your footings. A rebar is a steal round bar contractors use to strengthen the footing. It will tie all the concrete together and, over time, stabilize the footing from cracking and shifting. The rebar in my life would be surrounding myself with other male believers who can keep me stable in my walk. Frankly, this is tough for me, as I'm sure it is for other men. It's not that I don't want to be around other male believers; life seems to keep me so busy that I don't find the time. However, men, we must make the time!!! The Bible has many scriptures teaching the importance of this. Find one man or put a study group of men together to hold each other accountable.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as, in fact, you are doing.
Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens; this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the things of this world. Satin is always looking for the one thing to get you off track. I know that for everyone, it is something different. For some, several things could have brought you to this uncertain place in your life. Uncertainty about who you are in your walk with Christ.
They say you can't eat an elephant in one sitting, so you must eat it one bite at a time. So, how does one start? It is easier to start with looking for the "One Thing." I began looking at my life to find that "One Thing." For a guy who has a multitude of things, finding that "One Thing" was difficult. The one thing for me is, "I didn't want to be poor." At first glance, it doesn't appear that not being poor is a bad attribute in one's life. It's not about being rich or poor; it's about one's attitude of being rich. The problem was that I would give anything not to be poor. I would walk away from the call of God to gain success. As I dug through my life, I asked myself, "What if I had said yes when I was seventeen?" Today, It's not that important to me. It took a while, but five years ago, I said, "Yes!" As I stated earlier in 1997, I began writing a daily planner. Looking back, I see that my mind was ready, but my heart and walk with Christ weren't. I had to get to where I understood that the cross was a lifestyle, not a symbol. It's not something you wear around your neck but something that permeates your heart. Reading the Bible is excellent for all believers; don't read it to gain knowledge but read it to change your heart.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Mark 10:17-27
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?" But Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth." Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus responded again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." And they were even more astonished, and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."
Today, we want to look at the problem that crops up when the concrete is not properly mixed. If the concrete is not properly mixed, the results won't always show up immediately. It might take months or years before you see the results of poorly mixed concrete. I saw the results of this in 1975 when I received a call from a contractor that was having problems in a small AT&T sending station. The problem seemed to be that the tile on the floor was coming up in one section of the floor. It didn't take long to find that the tile on the floor was not the problem, but the concrete under the tile was falling apart. In this section of the floor someone had not mixed the concrete properly and it was becoming a major problem for the equipment setting in that section of the building.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Galatians 1:8-9 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!
Be strong in the word. Verify that everything you read or hear measures up to what the Bible says. When men begin to understand the importance of this "Footings" part of the foundation, it becomes easier when building a strong walk with Christ.
As we begin to move in the direction that God wants to take us, we can accomplish it with a "God Confidence". That simply means that the confidence we hold comes from the truth that God never leaves us or forsakes us.
Psalm 46:1-5 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Building a strong footing and foundation doesn't happen overnight. For those that have been Christians for many years possibly have already built a strong foundation. While others have excepted Christ and are still in the process of digging their footings. Possibly there are some that are not sure what the vision of their future looks like. As one builds this foundation of being the man God wants us to be, one will find that soon one will discover what God has called us to do. The question...What do you value in life? Don't ask yourself, what do I like, what do I want or what's in it for me? Ask, "What do I value?" Do I value the thing of the world, or do I value the things of God?
Holding On!!!
The question one must ask, what am I holding on to that is holding me back?
The question I have always asked myself and I'm sure most men have asked, "How do I know that I am on the right path with God?" How one knows that they are on the right path with Christ is going to be evident in one's actions with others. It was especially evident in my life when I was with someone that was not in my church, men's group, bible study or home group's. I know this, that I always knew when my foundation was starting to crack or when I was not walking on the path that God wants me to be on. If or when my old nature would kick in, it would be evident in my conversation.
In Paul's letter to the Colossians and the Romans, he distinguishes between the old man and the new man. He tells us how we know that are footings and foundation is strong. That our old man, (old way of living) was crucified with Christ.
Romans 6:6 For we know that our old self (old man or old nature) was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-
It goes on to say that anyone that has died to sin has been set free.
Part of the building of our strong foundation is knowing when we look in the mirror, we see the new man. By what they are willing to give up to server him
To become the man that God calls use to be we must continue to make the changes in our lives to become more like Christ. My footings and foundations must be built on the cornerstone of Christ.
1 Peter 2:6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
Peter in his writings to these first-generation Christians tells them that Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of the coming messiah.
Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
During the time of Isaiah, the cornerstone was the most important stone for the foundation. The size, placement and how solid it was would determine the strength of the final structure. It would ensure that the building would not fall. Peter tells us that Christ is the cornerstone that our belief, hope, faith, and salvations stands.
1 Peter 2:4-5 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The first word Coming should say-Keep Coming to Him. Lithos-Stone has been quarried, hewed, and ready for construction. Now we must consider ourselves as living stones built into a spiritual house.
I recently read a book by Rabbi Jason Sobel titled Mysteries of The Messiah. The sixth chapter, THE MESSIAH GREATER THAN MOSES, took me back to my introduction where I used Mosses as an example of great leaders of God that had wondered "Why Me?" This brought me to understand, not just the call of God to Moses, but the call of God to each of us.
Moses had this encounter with the Lord in the thornbush while he was alone, going about his ordinary routine of shepherding his father-in-law's flock in the desert. God prepares us through the seemingly mundane. All of life is preparing you for who you are called to be and what you are called to do.
Often, it is not convenient when God calls us. But when it happens, it can happen in a moment, as it did for Moses and David. When we are called, we must drop everything, just as some of the disciples dropped their net, and go where the Lord calls.
The question one must ask…, what has the Lord called me to do? When the Lord calls, will I follow? God is looking for modern-day Moses.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
The world needs people who will hear the Lord's call and bring His message of salvation and healing to a hurting and dying world.
Remember that no matter where you have been or what your past failures are in is not too late to get back on the right path. At times, it might seem that your goals and dreams of yesterday have come to a screeching halt. When you feel that there is no hope, no place to turn or that you are stuck in the desert of mediocracy, when you can't find a way out…" just look up." That's when you will find that God is there and has prepared a way our of darkness and through His Son has given us the ability to live in His marvelous Light.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
One will find that at times in the desert there is place of transformation. For example, the Lord used the desert to transform the Israelites and prepare them for the Promised Land.
The Desert was the place of renewal and redemption.
Hosea 3:14-15
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.
I will give her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
When in the desert of mediocracy don't walk away, give God the opportunity to change you.
When pursuing a stronger relationship with Christ, one must understand the importance of our Christ foundation. In building our foundation for Christ, one must establish a solid and meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ and incorporate Christian principles into one's life. Here are some steps that will help you navigate might consider for building a foundation for Christ:
1. Study the Bible: The Bible is central to Christian beliefs, guiding faith and practice. Regularly reading and studying the Bible can deepen your understanding of God's Word and help you apply its teachings to your life.
2. Prayer: Develop a consistent and sincere prayer life. Prayer is a way to communicate with God, seek guidance, and express gratitude. It's an essential aspect of building a relationship with Christ.
3. Attend Worship Services: Regular attendance at a Christian church provides a community of believers for support, encouragement, and worship. Participating in worship services, communion, and fellowship with other Christians can strengthen your foundation.
4. Christian Education: Engage in Christian education programs, whether through your church, online resources, or community classes. Education can help deepen your knowledge of Christian doctrines, history, and theology.
5. Fellowship: Surround yourself with fellow believers who can support you on your spiritual journey. Joining small groups, Bible studies, or engaging in fellowship can provide encouragement, accountability, and a sense of community.
6. Service and Outreach: Embrace the principles of love, compassion, and service that Jesus taught. Actively engage in acts of kindness, volunteer work, and outreach to those in need, reflecting Christ's teachings daily.
7. Live by Christian Values: Strive to live according to Christian values personally and professionally. This includes practicing love, forgiveness, honesty, and integrity in your relationships and actions.
8. Reflect on Christ's Teachings: Take time to reflect on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. Consider how you can apply his teachings to your life and emulate his example of love, compassion, and humility.
9. Seek Spiritual Growth: Embrace personal spiritual growth through continuous self-reflection, repentance, and a commitment to become more Christ-like in character.
10. Share Your Faith: As you grow in your faith, consider sharing the message of Christ with others. One can accomplish this through personal conversations, acts of kindness, or evangelistic involvement.
Building a foundation for Christ is a lifelong journey, and each person's path may look different. The key is to be intentional, seek God's guidance, and actively incorporate Christian principles into every aspect of your life.