“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and 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 man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 
Matthew 7:24–27

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Do you love attending personal development workshops as much as I do? If your answer is no, please don’t stop reading. I think there still might be something in the next few words for you. 

From mindfulness and stress relief to creating better habits and harnessing the power of emotional intelligence, I enjoy the learning process. And with the accessibility of the internet, there are a plethora of options online. Browsing through the many notebooks I have collected over the years that contain the gems from these workshops, I’m reminded of the wealth of information and advice I have available at my fingertips. But the question is not how much we know—the question is how much of what we know do we put into practice?

The world is filled with knowledge, but Jesus came to give us something far greater. He offers us the gift of wisdom and teaches us how to apply it. He is called “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6), someone we should seek counsel from. But that counsel is ineffective if it remains in our mind and is not shown in our actions; it loses its potency. There is power in application. 

I don’t want to build my house on sand; I don’t want to be foolish. And yet, it’s so easy to keep filling notebooks, attending the workshops, talking about wanting to change, without ever moving in the direction of growth. Maybe it’s procrastination, maybe it’s fear, or maybe our habits are too ingrained. But we can’t just be hearers of the Word; we must also take the Word and soak our actions with it. Jesus’s teachings need to penetrate into our footsteps, for His “word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

What we choose to stand on matters more now than ever because, my dear brothers and sisters, the storms will come, the rains will pour down, and the winds will blow and beat against our house. Will we be ready? Will our house stand because it has its foundation on the rock of God’s Word? We may not be able to control the weather, but we can prepare for the worst of it. We have the capacity to put into practice the wisdom Jesus shares with us. Let us be wise and apply it. No workshop required. 

Next Steps

• Spend some time in prayer and ask God how you can put into practice what He’s been teaching you. 
• Talk to a friend about ways you have already been applying God’s teachings in your everyday life to encourage one another.