“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.”
— Matthew 7:24
There is something about building that fascinates me.
You can have the most beautiful house design. The best materials. Skilled workers. A stunning vision.
But if the foundation is wrong, none of it will matter.
Jesus said the wise person is not just the one who hears His words — but the one who puts them into practice. That is the difference between a house that stands and a house that falls.
If we want lives that endure storms, we have to build intentionally.
We need the right plan.
We need the right pieces.
We need the right people.
Let’s talk about what that means.
The Right Plan
Before anything is built, there is a plan.
Blueprints. Measurements. Direction.
For us, the right plan is not self-help strategies or trending advice. It is the Word of God.
Psalm 119:105 says,
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Notice it doesn’t say a spotlight for the next ten years. It says a lamp for my feet. Enough light for the next step.
Psalm 32:8 says,
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
He is not distant. He is not vague. He promises instruction. He promises counsel. And He does it with a loving eye.
Proverbs 4:13 says,
“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Not a suggestion. Not a bonus feature.
It is your life.
And 2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds us why Scripture matters so deeply:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
If we want to be equipped, we cannot neglect the blueprint.
We cannot build a firm foundation while ignoring the plan.
The Right Pieces
Even with a perfect plan, you still need the right materials.
Jesus said in Luke 14:28,
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
There is intentionality in building. There is counting the cost.
And Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:12–14:
“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.”
Not everything we build with lasts.
So what are the right pieces?
Prayer.
Fasting.
Giving.
Serving.
Reading the Word.
Fellowship.
These are not religious checklists. They are structural beams.
Prayer keeps us connected.
Fasting refines our dependence.
Giving loosens our grip on the temporary.
Serving shapes humility.
Reading renews the mind.
Fellowship strengthens endurance.
These are gold and silver pieces. These are materials that survive fire.
If we neglect them, we shouldn’t be surprised when cracks begin to show.
The Right People
No one builds alone.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 says:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
It is important that we surround ourselves with people who can encourage us. People who can give us godly counsel. People who can pray for us. People who are positive and life-giving.
Because here is the truth: when you begin to build your life intentionally, it will expose deficiencies in others. And sometimes, instead of being inspired, people respond with negativity. That negativity can actually cause you to regress if you are not careful.
So we have to be intentional about who we build with.
Psalm 1:1 says,
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers.”
There is movement in that verse. Walking. Standing. Sitting.
We are not walking with the wicked. We are not standing in compromise. We are not sitting and settling in environments where there is no growth.
We are not meant to be sedentary in places that stunt our progress.
And this is something I truly believe:
“Criticism is the language of people who are not creating, building, or moving toward anything.”
You do not want to sit in the company of people who are not building. People who are just floating through life. People who criticize everything but create nothing.
Scripture makes it even clearer.
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
1 Corinthians 15:33
That is not dramatic. That is direct.
Who you surround yourself with matters.
“Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Proverbs 13:20
If we are building a firm foundation in Jesus Christ, then we need people around us who love God, who love His Word, who speak life, who challenge us, who sharpen us, who remind us of truth when we forget it.
The right people do not distract from your foundation. They strengthen it.
The True Foundation
And at the end of the day, even with the right plan, the right pieces, and the right people — none of it works without the Lord.
Psalm 127:1–2 says,
“Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
This Scripture reminds us that if we are not building on the Lord — on His Word, His precepts, His commands — we are wasting our time.
We can strive.
We can grind.
We can exhaust ourselves trying to construct something meaningful.
But if Jesus is not the foundation, it will not withstand the storm.
Trials will come.
Pressure will come.
Testing will come.
The question is not if the storm comes.
The question is: what are you standing on?
So let’s build our house on the Lord.
Let’s make Him the priority.
Let’s make Him the blueprint.
Let’s make Him the foundation beneath every decision, every relationship, every discipline, every dream.
Because a life built on Jesus is a life that stands.
Jasmine Lozano 