Matthew 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”  NASB

At times, the quest for a Word from the Lord has relegated many believers to becoming nothing but ears!  The church is the Body of Christ, not the Ears or Mouth of Jesus!  As Jesus taught, He clearly distinguished between success and failure in the Christian walk.  Both groups Heard the Word, and I contend that an absence of the Word is not the problem. It is the application of the Word. 

I recall a story about a preacher who was chosen by a congregation.  The first Sunday, he preached a powerful message that had the people raving about it for days.  The same message was preached the following Sunday, which continued for several weeks.  The congregation began to complain, and the board met to discuss the issue and decided to approach the minister and advise him that this was unacceptable. 

The board called him in and said, “Pastor, your message was great, but you keep preaching the same thing.  You need to get a new sermon.”  He calmly looked at them and said, “Only when you do something with that one.”

Jesus said if we Hear and Apply, we are like the house built on the rock that cannot and will not be moved by trial, trouble, or difficulty.  However, if we Hear but Do Nothing, we are like a house built on shifting sand that can and will be shaken by the trials of life, and failure is virtually guaranteed.  We have the choice as He opens His word to become Action-Oriented in faith through the grace of God.

May God help us apply His word in our lives daily!  Blessings as you go through your day!