Imagine moving into a new, beautifully done house.
A few months later, you begin to see a crack developing in the well-finished floor. This doesn’t cause you sleepless nights; after all, it’s only a small crack.
A few months later though, you notice that the crack has extended. It’s unobtrusively making its way across the floor.
By now, you’re getting alarmed, wondering: How further might the crack go? What are the implications of a crack in my floor?
Notice as we move along that a crack in the foundation doesn’t mean the structure is not in use. A crack is the outward evidence of a problem within.
Ignoring a crack, therefore, can be detrimental to the usability of the building in the long run.
As you know, a crack can also mean that one can lose the entire building if nothing is done to deal with the underlying problem.
Let’s come to a spiritual foundation because we often will understand spiritual reality using the physical reality around us.
Jesus did this time and again. For instance, he used the parable of the farmer who went out to sow seed, explaining to his disciples spiritual truth using the illustration of the seeds that were scattered by the farmer.
Do you believe one can have cracks in their spiritual foundation?
Yes, they can. The spiritual foundation is a foundation nonetheless.
The foundation I’m referring to is the one Jesus talked about in Matthew 7: 24-27. Paul also talked about it in 1Corinthains 3:10-11:
“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.”
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
It is imperative that you and I have a stable spiritual foundation devoid of cracks that can compromise one’s eternal destiny in the long run.
We must identify any cracks that might form in our spiritual foundation.
Identifying these cracks will help you and I look to God for a lasting solution so that we will have a stable foundation in him.
In this blog post here, I’ve shared 5 ways to tell, especially in the life of a younger believer you are walking with, whether there is a problem with the foundation.
You could check your own life as well against these to ensure that your foundation too is right.
Let me now suggest four possible causes of a crack or cracks in a spiritual foundation:
Lack of clarity of who God is
If you ask a typical church-going believer in Christ whether they know God, you will most likely get an answer in the affirmative.
Most people who call themselves Christians believe they know God.
Go a step further and find out how they know him.
You will get a variety of answers. Some will say they know him from their Sunday school teacher or a parent.
Others will claim to know him because their pastor talks about him every Sunday.
Others will say they just know him because he created the earth and everything in it. In other words, they are seeking an answer that makes the most sense.
Others will say they know him because they often talk to him.
I am reminded of the story of the disciples.
One time, as Jesus gave a discourse about his heavenly Father, one of them responded and said:
“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” (John 14:8)
Jesus responded and told them that once they’d seen him, they’d seen the Father. Jesus and the Father are one.
Knowing God is knowing his Son Jesus Christ. No wonder Jesus, as he prayed for the disciples and those who would believe after him, prayed these words:
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
Knowing God and Jesus Christ his Son is therefore not about going to church or engaging in other religious activities as much as these are good to do.
It is about getting to know him personally by putting your faith in his Son Jesus Christ, a process I’m assuming you’ve already undertaken, then getting to know him through his Word, the Bible.
His Word is alive and active. He has chosen to reveal Himself through his Word.
We get to know him as we consistently take in His Word the way we consume our daily food.
We need physical food to survive and wax strong physically. We need God’s Word daily to survive and wax strong spiritually.
His Word has been referred to as food in multiple places in the Bible.
The more we consume His Word the way a baby consumes a mother’s milk, the more we get to know God.
He has revealed himself, his purposes, and his ways in the Holy Scriptures.
A Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of Who You Are in Christ:
“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Stated Hosea in Hosea 4:6a.
Several years ago, my husband and I were driving back home from an event. We got to a junction and joined the main highway. A few meters away from the junction, we were flagged down by the police.
We were both puzzled, wondering what we might have done wrong.
To cut a long story short, we were guilty of having entered the not-so-busy highway using the wrong lane.
Our only defense was we didn’t know. The policeman reminded us that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
There are so many Christians around us who are ignorant when it comes to understanding who they are in Christ Jesus.
Some have no idea of what the Scriptures say about their place in the body of Christ.
Others even imagine God must be like their earthly father who was perhaps not loving towards them, now that one of the Bible’s references to God’s names is that he is our Father.
They have little or no knowledge of what the Scriptures say about who they are as children of God.
They have not experienced the presence and love of God.
The cracks in the foundation begin to reveal themselves through their convictions and the kind of decisions they make.
We have many tribes in my country for instance.
I have found a few young Christian girls of marriageable age adamantly stating they can never marry a man outside their tribe.
Such a statement reveals the presence of a crack in the foundation.
I haven’t even talked of the choice by a Christian young woman to marry an unbeliever.
What of such an issue as a lack of submission by a wife to her husband, citing all sorts of reasons as to why she’s justified not to submit?
This is a reality facing many Christian men and women. One may never get to know there’s a crack until a time of crisis or decision-making in such situations as I’ve cited above.
I remember also wondering why a Christian girl shouldn’t marry an unbeliever when I was a younger believer.
It is as I grew in discipleship that I understood why. I should probably write a blog on how I got to that understanding through God’s Word.
Knowledge and understanding of who you are in Christ and hence how you should live comes as you remain in fellowship with God in his Word and prayer.
You will get to know God, know who you are in Christ, and hence make the right choices toward living in freedom in Christ
An Incomplete Process of salvation:
You might have come from a country such as where I hail from.
You have been a victim of the senseless corruption that has robbed many a nation of its dignity.
Of the effects of corruption I have experienced has been the poorly done tarmac roads in some parts of our country.
No sooner has the road been completed than it needs recarpeting with fresh tarmac!
I would later learn that a lot of the people around the roads being done “benefitted” from loads and loads of cement that were supposed to be poured into the construction of the roads.
This cement got siphoned illegally into those individuals’ homes at throwaway prices.
Someone once joked that those who did the roads made sure that the roads were so badly done that they could constantly milk the government of funds to repair those same roads.
This is a sad state of affairs. I’m however using this example to help you and I see how a missing ingredient as it were in tarmacking a road can have such far-reaching effects, affecting the usability of the road long term.
In the same way, a rightly laid foundation in God will mean a full expression of life in Christ.
When, however, an aspect of the foundation is missing, the foundation will develop a crack; eventually.
There are certain components, according to the Scriptures, that entails a normal Christian birth, which is the process of salvation.
I have explained each of these components in greater detail in this blog post here.
I need to say here that when one of these components is missing, this may not necessarily mean that one is not born again.
It means though that your obedience will be critical in completing the process of salvation once you get to know what aspect is missing and what you ought to do about it. Take a look at this verse below:
“In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30)
My understanding of this verse is that as long as you are ignorant, God will overlook. Once he leads you into his truth concerning the missing component and what you ought to do, you will be judged for what you knew you ought to do but you didn’t.
It is therefore of paramount importance that you and I ensure that the process of our salvation is complete according to the Scriptures.
If that process is incomplete, we will find ourselves again and again, not experiencing all that God has intended for us to experience.
We will always be vulnerable, especially to the attack of the enemy of our souls, who will take advantage of our susceptibility.
We will not be as effective as we should be, just like the tarmac road that eventually develops potholes because a critical ingredient in its foundation was compromised.
A Backsliding Heart:
Thinking about this point brings to mind the statement by the aged apostle Paul. This is what he said about Demas:
“for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” (2Tim. 4:10)
A backslidden heart is a heart that might have known God and his ways. Due to conforming to the standards of this world, like Demas did, and choosing to walk in disobedience to the Master, even the Lord Jesus Christ, cracks begin to develop in one’s foundation.
Christ is our foundation. Hearing his words and putting them into practice solidifies that foundation.
When we drift away from him, then we no longer have a center that will hold our lives together in him.
The trouble with a backsliding heart is that it drifts, ever so slowly, from the Lord.
I think of a businesswoman who considers herself a follower of the Lord Jesus. She may be faced with the pressure to conform to the world’s standard to ‘survive’ in business.
A bribe here or there may look ‘normal’, even right to do. But is it? It eventually becomes a way of life.
This woman may have slowly backslidden, her conscience seared as with a hot iron. Bribing is no longer considered a sin to her.
You will find many Christians drifting away from the fellowship of brethren because they may not want to be open about how they live their lives. We are commanded not to forsake the meeting together of the brethren as some are in the habit of doing.
At the writing of this blog post, I was rather shocked to hear that some in a student fellowship on a nearby campus were engaged in cohabiting with fellow students of the opposite sex.
It was even more horrifying to hear that some of those engaged in this sinful act were leaders in the fellowship.
I hope you can see how a backsliding heart can lead to major cracks in a foundation, eventually leading to death spiritually and eternal separation from God if something isn’t done about this.
May God help you and me to guard against this, trusting God that he will keep us from conforming to the standard of this world.
Remember that the only foundation that will stand the test of time is the Word of God, in hearing and doing what it says.
Let’s check our lives in light of the four factors I have elaborated. You want to ensure that your spiritual foundation is foolproof as God continues to form you into the woman he wants you to be.
Recommended:
Why Rising up Early is Biblical: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series
7 Reasons Why you Need to Rise up Early: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series
7 Rhythms and Routines of the Noble Woman: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series
The Most Misunderstood Verse in Proverbs 31: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series
6 Components of our Spiritual Foundation