He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock – Luke 6:48.

To live a successful Christian life it is determined by the foundation of what we have been taught. Many built their foundation on everything except the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

Sometimes, people build the foundation they learned from their parents or grandparents from other professing Christians. If the foundation is not built on the Word of God, there will be a flaw. Jesus instructed His people to build their spiritual foundation upon the Word of God.

He wants His disciples to be born of the Spirit and to ask the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit – John 3:5-6). Flesh indicates our natural birth, but born of the Spirit is when God comes in and takes up residence in our human Spirit.

When the Spirit of the Living God comes and dwells in our human spirit, our appetite changes from the things of the world. What used to gratify us no longer is a desire when God impregnates us with His seed of righteousness.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is for every believer who desires to live according to God’s Word. He’s the enabler that assists us to live according to God’s standards. Wearing certain clothes and doing things religiously is not the foundation of truth.

A portion of God’s Spirit enters the believer when they accept salvation. If the disciples had received the fullness of the Spirit there wouldn’t have been a need for Jesus to instruct the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit empowered them (And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry (wait) ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high – Luke 24:49). The disciples had received salvation, but Jesus knew they would need more than salvation, they needed something to empower them to live holy during the good times as well as the bad times.

In this life, storms will come and go, but the Christian must be strong enough to weather the storms of life without back-sliding, losing faith, or blaming God for what they’re going through.  It’s the Holy Spirit that enables Christians to live according to God’s instructions rather than the instructions of the world. The fulfillment of the Holy Spirit wasn’t just for the Apostles; it’s for every Christian who desires the fullness of God.

Reading and studying the Bible is the foundation for spiritual growth. A Christian cannot grow spiritually without knowing the Word of God. How can one follow the instructions if they don’t know the instructions?

How can one speak the Word of God against Satan’s attacks if they don’t know the Word of God? Christians have been assigned to be soldiers in the army of the Lord (Thou, therefore, endure hardness [hardship] as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life: that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier – 2nd Timothy 2:3-4).

A soldier never knows when the enemy will attack, so they must be prepared daily with the whole armor of God in order to fight and win, your spiritual belt, keeping your spiritual garment, knowledge of the truth of Scripture, breastplate of righteousness, living a righteousness life, feet shod with the gospel of peace, shield of faith to quench the all the fiery darts of the enemy, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

Secondly, Christians must fast to make the fleshly side of them submit to the Word of God. Fasting enables us to see ourselves and where we need spiritual growth.

When we’re filled with the Word of God, it speaks to our spirit man when we become weary in well doing. It speaks when the pain and hurts of life surround us. It speaks when Satan tries to influence us to do wrong.

To be built on a strong foundation, Christians must pray, fast, read, and study the Bible, as well as be filled with the Holy Spirit. No spiritual foundation equals no spiritual growth.

Why do you think so many professing Christians can continually be involved with worldly actions? First, they haven’t completely surrendered themselves to God; they received salvation, but the Spirit hadn’t regenerated the heart because they have not allowed Him.

Thirdly, in order to grow spiritually, one must take time to communicate with God and build a relationship. Look at it on the natural side: if you have a friend or spouse, if you don’t communicate with them or spend time with them, the relationship will not grow.

It’s the same thing spiritually;  if you don’t communicate with God in prayer on a daily basis, you don’t have a relationship with Him. Neither will you be spiritually fit for battle.

How can you know someone if you know nothing about them other than hearsay? To know God is to learn of Him, and we do that by spending time with Him in prayer, praise, reading, and studying the Word of God.

Jesus is returning for His church, the body of Christ, and we must be prepared for His coming in order to go back with Him.