Matthew 7:24-27 says, “Therefore, whoever hearth these saying of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon the house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these saying or mine, and doeth them not, shall be liken and unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The storms of life here by Jesus. Both men heard the same truth, but one put it into practice and the other didn’t.
In this story, the rock that we’re to build our lives on that will keep us steady being a doer of God’s word. Both of these guys built a house but it wasn’t until the storm came that what they built on was revealed.
When tests and trials come to us, whether it be sickness or disease or pressure, etc., it will reveal what kind of foundation we have built our life on. If we’re doers of God’s word, then we will still be standing when the storm is over but it hearers, only then it will be made known, we will crumble by the storm.
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Start to practice being a doer of the word, under all circumstances do what the word tells you to do.
So, what does it mean to be a doer of God’s word? Well under the New Covenant, we have one commandment and that is the commandment of love (John 13:34).
If we keep this commandment we will fulfill the law; Romans 13:10 says so.
So, being a doer of the word means to walk in love, but also, it means to primarily do what is written in the epistles, because these are the letters that are written to the church.
Practice the word by not fretting or being anxious.
Philippians is just one of the New Testament epistles written to the church.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, Which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Many times, we only practice part of this verse. For example, we don’t mind the part that says to pray, but, if you just practice that part and not the entire verse, you’re not practicing the word. You’re not being a doer of the word.
First, God says not to fret. If you’re going to fret and have anxieties, then it isn’t going to do any good to make requests. We need to practice not fretting or being anxious. If we’re praying but are full of anxiety, then our prayers don’t work. When God said not to fret that means we can keep from fretting. God is just God and He won’t ask us to do something we can’t do.
Once we make the decision not to worry or be anxious, and we get God involved in the prayer, the temptation to worry will try to come back on us. That’s when we need to go back and read this verse again and use it to resist the temptation to worry. As we practice this, God will be able to do for us what we ask Him.
Many people want verse 7, which is God’s peace keeping our heart and mind but to have God’s peace guard our hearts and mind. We must practice verse 6, that tells us not to fret, then we can experience verse 7.
If you catch yourself worrying, repent and go back and pick up the practice of casting your cares on the Lord.
