How to Withstand the Storms

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Thursday, May 19, 2005

I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things. (2 Peter 1:12)

In August 1992 Hurricane Andrew blasted across south Florida with 160 mile-per-hour winds and causing terrible destruction. In the midst of all the debris, reporters were amazed to find one house still standing firm on its foundation. A reporter approached a man who was doing a little sweeping around the house and asked, "Sir, how did you manage to avoid the damage of this hurricane?"

"I built this house myself," the man replied. "I built it according to the Florida state building code. I guess the other people didn't follow the code."

There is some good theology in that homeowner's statement. He did it the right way. Yet many believers today are not following the code when it comes to building their faith. They haven't properly laid a biblical foundation. And it is my belief that many people in churches today don't know as much as they think they know. By that I mean, they may intellectually agree with certain truths they are taught, but they could not make a biblical case for those things themselves.

That is why we need to go back to the basics to lay a foundation for those who are relatively new in the faith or for those who didn't do it right the first time. The apostle Peter wrote, "For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12). Let's lay a good, strong foundation for our faith. Let's always remind ourselves of the basics. Let's follow the code by studying the Bible and immersing ourselves in the truth. When we build on solid rock, we, too, can withstand the storms.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000