Becoming Stormproof in 2025 - Adam Heather

``So what does that mean for us? It's like our foundations get tested and proved when the notes of redundancy comes, when the bad diagnosis comes, when the breakup comes that you weren't experiencing, When you sense anxiety in the news, when you fear all the fear mongering around AI, when you hear rumors of wars in The Middle East. Whatever the storm, the solution is the same. And what is that? Well, Jesus makes it so clear. Two words. Hear and do. Hear and do. do. [00:15:48] (44 seconds)  #HearAndDo

And let's be honest, forgiveness is hard work, but in the long run, it's much harder to be a person of bitterness and resentment. Generosity is hard work, but in the long run, it is much harder to be enslaved to our possessions. Purity, it's hard work. But it is much harder to feel compromised in our covenants. And so the truth is that Jesus says, if you allow those other things to take root, it is only a matter of time before the whole house comes crashing down. [00:27:19] (35 seconds)  #ChooseGraceOverBitterness

From the words of Jesus, the wisest mind to have ever lived, what type of house are you building? What type of life are you building? Or maybe more importantly, what type of foundation are you building your life upon? Does your life feel storm proof? Or are there areas where you feel like your life isn't really resting on anything that feels very secure? If you're honest, you feel like somewhere in your life, there is water seeping into the soil around your foundations, foundations, and now is the moment. Now is the warning to do something about it. [00:07:32] (42 seconds)  #BuildOnRock

And I think this is helpful framing for us because we all look somewhere for salvation. We all look to something to trust to save us. And our salvation isn't just what you look to to save you from death. Salvation is what you look to to grant you life. Salvation is safety and refuge, but it's also your source of freedom and identity and purpose, which is why so many pop songs and movies use salvation language. [00:13:00] (33 seconds)  #SalvationIsMore

And the message that life's all gonna be fine is nice until it's not fine. And then where does it leave you when the winds blow and the rains come and the streams rise. But actually, the promise of the Bible is the opposite. It says that those things will happen, but we are not immune from the human condition. One day, we will be set free from sorrow and sin and suffering. But for now, we're not immune, but we can be equipped. We can be equipped, sturdy, and strong in the midst of all of those things happening. And there is something in this simple parable that equips us. [00:08:37] (44 seconds)  #BeEquippedForStorms

I wanna sit there and think as a husband and as a dad and as a pastor and as a friend, I wanna build a house that is secure enough, that it can bear a load. You know, the old thing is true. Jesus comes to you and says, you take care of the depth. Let me take care of the breadth. And if you wanna believe that God has a big calling and purpose for your life, then I say yes and amen. He really does. But you take care of the depth. Let him take care of the breadth. [00:30:25] (31 seconds)  #DepthOverBreadth

But the truth is we have more content than ever. Right? Like, we are in such a loud world. There is exponentially more content available to us than any generation before. More bible translations, more devotional resources, more podcasts, more sermons at the touch of the barn with some of the greatest preachers in the whole world. We have plenty of ways to hear the word. And yet sometimes it doesn't feel like we're doing any better. Why? Because content isn't enough to make us storm proof. Hearing doesn't do the job. [00:16:54] (42 seconds)  #HearingIsntEnough

So maybe the foolish builder wasn't as foolish as one might imagine. He just cut corners and allowed himself to be duped by a time of favor and forgot that just because the sun is shining now, it doesn't mean it will always shine. And that we mustn't, in times of favor, build things on stuff that will not withstand the call and the conditions of winter. [00:23:06] (31 seconds)  #DontCutCorners