“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” – Matt 7:24-27

I am one of those people who can be standing perfectly still and fall. (I have several witnesses to prove this fact.) I have no idea how it happens. One second, I’m standing; the next, I’m on the floor. I even broke my shoulder on one occasion.

This past weekend I was outside trying to decide what I needed to do next. While walking, I got distracted and slipped in the mud and fell again, which is not good when you have arthritis anyway. My husband ran to me saying, “I told you to go around and get on solid ground” … solid ground.

How many of us fail to stand on solid ground in our spiritual walk? Do we listen to other voices saying, ‘You’re ok. It’s safe to walk here’? Let’s face it, we all look for short cuts thinking it will make life easier. It’s our own thinking that gets us into trouble time and time again. It’s what the devil wants. Satan is the father of lies, and every time we fall for one, he laughs. He tells us there are so many easier paths to walk in our life; paved roads that curves out of site that are level and easy. But they are built on sand. When the storm rages, we are swept away with the destruction.

But Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life.” Matt 7:13

When we build our foundation on solid ground, on Jesus, it isn’t easy. But when the storms surround you, Jesus holds us; we are not swept away by destruction, but we stand in the promises of our Lord. He gives us ‘beauty for ashes’ (Isaiah 61:3).

Life is hard, but beware of the roads that seem easy. The road may be rocky and narrow, but it is the only way to walk, for we have Jesus’ promises and He will never let us fall.

Watch where you walk and don’t slip in the mud.