He's a Brick House: The Watch Letter

We all know the story of the three little pigs.

To summarize, each of the pigs built a house. One made one of straw, the other of sticks, and the last of bricks. When the wolf came along, he was able to blow down and destroy the straw house and the one of sticks, but the one of bricks he didn't stand a chance—it was indestructible.

If you live in Florida or any other place that is in the path of hurricanes, you know the value of a stable house.

The sticks and straw represent vanity, pride, and ambition—things that have no eternal weight and cannot stand in trials and tribulations. The brick house represents a house built of and on the things of God, things eternal, and with a sure foundation.

Only God, His word, and His way can stand in trials and tribulations.

Recently, our Pastor, Chief Apostle Gunn, taught us about a revelation God gave him.

When we call on Him as Father, there is an attribute we have been missing.

Father means more to God than parent, creator, source, provider, etc. God showed Chief Apostle Gunn that when we think of Him as Father, He wants us to think of Him as a Strong House.

And it makes so much sense.

We know the difference that coming from a strong home versus a broken home makes in our lives and the lives of others. Everything that is self-destructing around us can be traced back to weak, divided, and unstable homes.

The brick house in the "three little pigs" was sturdy, safe, and secure. It was designed to protect and sustain those who found refuge in it. It was built with care and detail, not with speed or cheap material.

Often, we don't want to wait on God and the strong house He provides because we think we can outsmart or figure out a way around it to get what we want quicker and without accountability.

We just want what looks good, feels good, and doesn't take a lot of sacrifice, effort, and so on -- no matter if it's built to last.

But when faced with danger, we would easily leave our house of straw and sticks to find safety and protection in the brick house.

God is that brick house. And He always has had an open invitation for us to find our place in Him and choose the eternal way instead of the temporary way.

2 Corinthians 5:1 backs up what the Lord showed Chief Apostle Gunn:

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

Chief Apostle Gunn ministered Psalm 11 in our recent broadcast and encouraged a detailed study of it.

In verse 3, the question is asked of David by thoughts and people mocking him and tempting him to distrust God: "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

But the answer in verse 4 covers it all: "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven."

God The Father is uncorrectable, unbreakable, and unshakable. Destruction cannot reach Him. Why would we want to dwell anywhere else?

In closing, think of Abraham. He was called the father of many nations, and he was a Strong House—he reflected who God wants to be to us.

How did Abraham become a Strong House? When God told him, "Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward," he had to accept God as his Strong House by finally choosing faith in him against all odds. And today, Abraham is a Strong House of many nations and people.

Abraham provided a way of escape for his family and his people by moving them away from idol worship and false gods. When Lot was in danger, he went to war for him and pleaded on his behalf during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saved and provided for many people through his wisdom and business savvy gained via obedience to God. Abraham made a covenant with God and was willing to sacrifice his own son, but believed for his return, which opened the door for the deliverance of many. Now that's a father, and that's a Strong House.

Wherever you find yourself right now, if you left God the Strong House like the prodigal son, or chose not to enter into His care and gave up on your relationship with Him like Cain, Jesus told us one thing you need to know about returning to the safety and refuge in God that's available to you:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." – Matthew 7:7-8