How to Stay StandingAlli Patterson published How to Stay Standing: 3 Essential Practices for Building a Faith That Lasts in 2023. Alli holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition, she serves as a teaching pastor at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, OH. When everything is fine, Alli observes, no one gives foundations a second thought. And those silent cracks in your foundation don’t seem to matter for a long time. Until they do. Also, it’s possible to build strong, yet do it on a bad foundation. Therefore, you need to dig for rock before the water rises. And in the process, you can meet Jesus in three simple rhythms of faith — come to Him, hear His voice, and practice it in your life.
Through these continual rhythms you build faith that puts you on the Rock. But to live a life connected to God and grounded in Christ, you must show up. Define a time and place. Most significantly, you need to fight for this time. Because most likely there’s a cost involved. Yet not one time you show up is worthless to Jesus. So keep pushing through distraction. Furthermore, be ready to deal with the truth of your heart. Acknowledge what you’d rather avoid. Truth is a risky necessity to get Jesus’s reward. Hence, you must fully come to Jesus, kneel down willingly, and see what He might do. In addition, you must choose over and over again whether to kneel down, follow His plan or yours, lean on His power or yours.
As you encounter the written Word of God, you hear the living Word of God louder and more frequently. Thus, to open and train your spiritual ears to focus on the words of God, you need to quiet down, set a plan, and learn your story. And Alli suggests this question to use as a noise filter: Do these words bring life? Constant exposure to God’s Word tunes your ears to put His words into practice through action and obedience. Your authentic attempts to practice fill the Father with joy. Even imperfect practice, the author encourages, creates a relationship with God. So, in Christ, you stand in the grace to get it wrong.
In conclusion, Alli exhorts, to live a robust life of faith you need a robust view of risk. And, the author asserts, your ability to see and take risks determines whether your spiritual life lives or dies. As a result, you need to be sure of your God. Instead of the outcome. Jesus invites you to come and see that whenever you stand on Him, you wind up standing in the end. Consequently, Alli offers you these words of hope on how to stay standing:
“Rising waters and sinkholes often come before the strongest foundations. [God’s] enough to hold you up. . . . Come to him, Hear his Word. Practice it with your life. If you do, your feet will get all the way down to the Rock. And this time, you’re going to stay standing.”
