Sand in Your Teeth

We had a large sand box when my kids were little.  The boys really enjoyed it, but we finally got rid of it and I was happy to have it gone.  Why?  Because, as all moms know, sand gets EVERYWHERE.   It would get in their clothes and shoes, they would track it into the house, and it would be in their hair (because, of course dumping sand on each other is what boys do).

I see a lot of sand all over people lately.  All you have to do is listen to their words or watch their actions.  Sand.  All over them.  Stuck to the bottom of their feet, falling off their hands and flowing out of their mouths.  It’s a disturbing sight.
It is not a complicated message, but most still get it wrong.  Here is the story straight from the mouth of Jesus:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. - Matthew 7:24-27

Basic construction class 101: building your house on the rock = wise, building your house on the sand = foolish.  The rains, floods, and winds are coming to beat on your house.  No “maybe” about it, a storm is going to hit.  So what is the key to having a house built on the rock to keep it standing?  It is the difference between a wise man and a foolish one - both hear the words, but only one does them. 

What are the “words of mine” spoken of in these verses?  Well, Jesus is the speaker so they are his words.  And if you look at the context of where they are found, they are at the end of Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount”.  So Jesus is meaning all that he said while speaking to this crowd, all of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 (really all the words of God).  Now it would be good for you to go and read the sermon to remind yourself of what was said.  You will find that each passage comes back to the heart.  If your heart belongs to God, you will be inclined by the Holy Spirit to obey (more and more s as you grow).

In other words, those who know God have their lives built upon him (the Rock) because they have listened to and obeyed him.  “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” Ps. 62:6.  Others may hear the same words but it is not in them to obey because the Holy Spirit does not reside within them.  They build upon sand and have no security.  Therefore they are shaken easily when difficulties come and will eventually fall and fall in a big way.  They may look fairly solid on the outside, but trust me, sand makes one very uncomfortable in many miserable and hidden ways.

So, Ladies, what is my point today?  Check your feet, are you standing in sand?  Do you feel scared about your future?  Has the recent election or a situation in your life have you acting out of worry?  What is coming out of your mouth?  Are they words of fear, hate, anxiety or anger?  You probably have sand in your teeth, better check the mirror of God’s Word. 
“What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart,” Matt. 15:8.  If your heart’s foundation is sand then you will see evidence of it.  Sand out of the mouth is the first telltale sign of a desperate need for relocation.  Your foundation is crumbling, it is not meant to last, it is designed to fail.  Time to pray to the Builder while time is left.
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Ladies, if God is your rock upon which you stand then your words during times like this will also prove it.  “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,” Colossians 4:6.  Grace and salt, not sand.  You will not fall because the Architect did not design you that way, you will be kept standing forever by his power, there is no need for worry here.  Continue to hear his words and do them, allowing him to continue his work in you.  Be an unshakable woman by his power proclaiming, “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”