9 NOVEMBER 2017 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS Will your House Withstand the Storm? "He who hears these words of Mine and does them, shall be compared to a wise man that built his house upon the rock. When the storm came, his house withstood it all." Jesus is talking about a principle in the kingdom of God. He is talking about building your life on a founda- tion that will withstand any storm that comes your way. Jesus is talking about building your life properly. He's talking about pre- paring your life in such a way that you can have a great family. You see, great families are no accident. What kind of a family are you build- ing today? What kind of foundation are you building upon? You're either building your house on the sand or the Rock. If you are building your life on the Rock of Jesus Christ, everything will stand when the storms come. Just because you are saved doesn't mean you won't have storms in your life. In fact, Jesus is letting us know that there will be storms in all our lives. That's why we must build on the right foundation. You can be a good person, but if your house is improperly built, it will come down. You can be a Christian for 50 years, but if your house is not built on the right foundation, the storm is going to bring you down. Whether you are single or mar- ried, you're going to go through some storms. Whether you're rich or poor, you're going to go through storms. If you are single and looking for the perfect person, you can quit looking because they are not there. If you're married and think that all your prob- lems are over, think again. No matter who we are, storms come to us all. You can have a wonderful marriage, and all of a sudden your spouse can have a roving eye. You can have a wonderful marriage, and all of a sud- den somebody at work starts planting some negative seeds about your hus- band. That's why you have to have the Word of God on the inside of you. When the storms arise, you can devil proof your house by being full of the Word. Whether you live in Denver or Detroit, you're going to go through storms. Whether you go to Heritage or the First Church of the Frigidaire, you're going to go through storms. But you can weather every storm if you have the Word of God on the inside of you. You can devil proof your home, if you will build on the right foundation. I remember when we were building our first campus. I watched them dig a huge hole as they started drilling caissons. They put steel, rebar and concrete in all the holes. For months they worked and worked, and it looked like nothing was happening. If you're going to build anything of any magnitude, you have to go all the way down to bedrock. If you're going to build anything of any size, you have to get your roots down deep. If you're going to build a chicken coop, then you don't need to go very deep. But if you're going to build a sky- scraper, then you're going to have to spend a lot of time on the foundation. The reason we come to church every Sunday and every Tuesday is because we are drilling into bedrock. The rea- son we spend time in the Word is because we are building on a strong foundation. You see, we are learning to devil proof our homes. If you are going to do anything for God, your roots have to go down very deep. You have to spend a lot of time with the Lord so you can anchor your- self to the solid rock of Christ Jesus. The Bible says to look at the ant, and do what he does. He builds a home underground, and works all summer long to store up for the winter. There is a lot of preparation in his life. God tells us the same thing. He says that we are to prepare for the winter. We are to prepare for the storms that lie ahead of us. You see, it takes a lot of hard work to devil proof our homes. The ant works all summer long to gather food for winter. You need to be working on your marriage while things are good because a storm is coming. You need to prepare for the storms ahead. If you want to devil proof your house, you need to get involved in your church as never before. If you want to devil proof your house, you need to get into counseling, so you can get rid of the excess baggage. If you are building your life on the right foundation, you will survive every attack that the enemy brings your way. God says, "When you go through the waters, I'll be with you. When you go through the fire, I'll be there." The reason that Christian homes fail is because people don't build their lives properly. People hear the Word, but they don't act upon it. The reason that many Christians don't obey God's Word is because they live their lives according to feelings rather than the Word. The real rea- son you won't forgive your husband is because you live by feelings rather than the Word. The reason you went out with the boys the other night is because you felt like it, rather than going home to your wife. But the Bible says to give no place to the devil. The reason you live a roller coaster life is because your emotions are con- trolling you. One day you believe God, and the next day you think He's forgot- ten you. God wants you to build your life on the right foundation. He wants you to put the Lord first every day, and don't let the winds blow you from side to side. Don't let the devil mess with your head. The reason that some marriages get into trouble is because people live by emotions rather than standing on the Word. One reason marriages get into trouble is because they build on psy- chology rather than the Word. If God can raise Lazarus from the dead then He can raise your marriage from the dead. You need to know that storms don't last, and if you'll build on the right foundation this too shall pass. I'm trying to tell you that it's fool- ish to walk away from a marriage just because you're in a storm. You can build your life on a career or a business. You can build it on financ- es. You can build a life so that you are recognized all over the world, but none of it will stand unless you're building it on the right foundation. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stan- deth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." If you want to build your house properly, then you have to quit hanging out with unsaved folks. "But his delight is in the Word of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." I'm talking about building your life on the foundation of God's Word. "Then he will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf shall not wither and in whatever he does, he prospers." If you want to devil proof your house, get your roots down deep. When I get God's Word deep inside me, I am like a tree that's planted by the river. My roots go down deep, so that when there's a drought, I can feed off of God's Word. And when the winds blow, my roots are deep enough that I can't be blown over. When the storms come, I remain steadfast. When trouble comes into my house, nothing can shake me. When I'm meditating upon God's Word day and night, I know that in due season, everything is going to work out. Things may be tough in my family today, but God's Word says that no weapon formed… You see, God wants each of us to have so much faith in Him that we believe everything is going to work out. He wants us to get so full of God's Word, that we believe our season is coming. I know that God gave you a prom- ise of a spouse, but He has to change some things in you before He can answer that prayer. But in due season, you shall reap your harvest if you don't grow weary. What do you do when you're pray- ing for your children to get saved and they only get worse? You stand on the Word of God that says, "For me and my house shall be saved." So, if I'll put the Lord first, my sea- son of blessing will come. If I'm build- ing on the right foundation, I have to believe that everything is going to work out. Marriage is about building a home together. It's about encouraging each other to be the best they can be. It's about building trust and a support system. It's about communication. It's hard work building the right founda- tion. That's why you have to be continu- ally working on your marriage. That's why your spouse needs to be your best friend. I'm talking about building love and respect. I'm talking about devil proofing your house and building on the right foundation. Forsaking all others, I will cleave to my spouse. So why are you thinking about somebody that you met down at work? Why are you going out with the fellas while your wife is at home? You need to make up your mind from this day forward, your home is going to be a place of love and peace. From this day forward your home is going to be a no fly zone for the devil. From this day forward, your home is going to be a place where the devil's tricks won't work. You'll never have the anointing of God in your home until you quit yelling at each other. You'll never have God's peace until you stop fighting, and your home is a place of unity. You need to know that your fight is not with flesh and blood, but princi- palities, powers and rulers of dark- SERMON By Bishop Dennis Leonard Dennis Leonard Continued on Page 11 That's why you have to be continually working on your marriage. That's why your spouse needs to be your best friend. I'm talking about building love and respect. I'm talking about devil proofing your house and building on the right foundation.