By BILLY HOLLAND

Living on Purpose

A friend of mine called the other day and was really excited about a new idea he had about flipping houses.

My wife and I watch programs about renovating properties and we enjoy seeing the creative ideas and amazing results. I told my friend I thought this was a great adventure and that I’m sure it will be a success since he is skilled in the area of construction work.

I became even more enthused when he went on to tell me that quitting his job and going into a new profession was not the only thing that was going on in his life. He also has a desire to rededicate his life to God and allow the Lord to do some serious spiritual remodeling within his heart.

This vision of making a major change is refreshing to say the least and I’m always encouraged to hear about individuals who step out in faith and have a passion to improve their life, and fulfill their destiny. No matter who you are or what you’ve been through, God is inviting you today to be spiritually redeemed and transformed by the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Whether remodeling a house, or our life, it’s going to take a lot of determination and hard work. Have you noticed it seems there are always improvements that need to be done around the house and a considerable amount of constant maintenance in order to keep everything running smoothly?

Of course, some issues are more important than others, but we can agree that our foundation is one of the most critical factors, because that is what everything is based on. If the foundation has problems, we need to deal with that before we go any further in our improvements.

It’s deceptive to paint and decorate a structure that is literally falling apart internally. Likewise, when it comes to our spiritual life, many people can paste a smile on their face and seem to be alright on the outside, but often they are empty and miserable on the inside.

The Bible actually compares our existence with a house and uses the symbolism of our faith to describe the stability and endurance of our life. In Matthew 7:24-27, we read the words of Christ, “Therefore, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise person who built their house on the rock. The rain came down, the floods came, 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 person who built their house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a terrible destruction.”

Just as the foundation is the most important part of any physical structure, becoming born-again creates for us a brand-new spiritual foundation — along with a new identity as a member of God’s eternal family.

These storms and floods are referring to the difficulties we will face throughout our journey, and is a heavenly warning for us to be prepared by trusting God, who is our refuge in times of trouble. How many times have we known what we should do, but rebelliously decided not to do it?

Christianity is a privilege and an opportunity to follow Jesus, nevertheless just because someone declares to be a follower, does not necessarily mean they are living God’s way. There is a huge difference between knowing about God and having a personal relationship with him. How can we learn to trust God if we do not know him? When our comprehension of him is cloudy, we are going to view him wrongly.

However, the individual who places their faith in God and is dedicated to obeying his instructions will have peace and joy no matter what type of crisis may come. Giving our life to Jesus as a “fixer-upper” is the most important decision we will ever make. Only his power and authority can transform us into what we’ve been called to be. Our creator has all the answers and solutions, but it’s our responsibility to take the initiative as building inspectors to make sure the foundation of our life is strong on the inside because there’s more to a house than curb appeal.

Read more at billyhollandministries.com.