Step Twelve – Stay Focused on God

If you play a musical instrument or just about any sport, you know the importance of fundamentals.  Without solid fundamental skills everything else is built on shaky ground.  When you aren’t playing as well as you’d like, one of the best ways to get back to where you want to be is to refocus on the fundamentals – go back to basics – perfect the foundational skills and rebuild.

Luke 6:47-48 (NASB)

“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

The best way to keep your spiritual foundation strong is to stay focused on God.  Constantly look back on the steps you’ve taken and reevaluate your fundamentals.  Shore up any weak parts of your spiritual structure.  Rebuild anything that is not on a solid foundation.

Luke 6:49 (NASB)

“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

The eleven steps listed below are meant to help you focus on God and develop a solid foundation.  Consider each step carefully.  Find your weak area and rebuild by going back to the fundamentals.  You will be reassured and encouraged when you discover much of your foundation is already as solid as a rock.  Making a close examination of your spiritual structure is prudent maintenance that should be conducted on a regular basis.

Step One – Salvation

Your basic understanding of God, the Bible, and Salvation through Jesus Christ are your most important foundational structures.  Are you able to articulate to an unbeliever who God is and why you trust in the Bible?  Can you explain salvation in simple terms?  Why are you a follower of Jesus?

Step Two – Know the Word of God

I’m not sure everyone needs to read the Bible from cover-to-cover, but it’s hard for me to understand why a true believer wouldn’t want to read every word.  In any event, you need to know the Word of God so that you cannot be deceived by those who use the Bible to manipulate the naïve.   How much of the Bible have you read?  How much of the Bible have you studied along with a qualified teacher?

Step Three – Fellowship

There’s a common trend to rebel against organized religion and avoid attending a traditional church or any kind of church for that matter.  Doing anything alone is much harder than doing something with the support of others.  Your spiritual foundation is made weaker when you try to live out your faith in isolation.  Are you in regular contact with other believers? Are you growing in the Lord together with others?

Step Four – I Need God

God is not some abstract idea – He is real.  That may sound obvious, but some tend to treat their walk with the Lord as a philosophy rather than a relationship.  Part of your spiritual foundation is your connection to God.  Time spent cultivating that relationship is enormously important.  Are you looking for God in your daily life?  Are looking for God’s direction in all that you do?

Step Five – Know the Enemy

The devil is real and out to undermine your foundation at every opportunity.  Knowing how the devil works and how to get around his schemes is crucial to your spiritual well-being. Are you aware of the devil’s deception?  Do you have a plan to stand firm against the devil?

Step Six – Put on the Armor of God

The best way to stand against the Devil is with the armor of God.  Is your foundation in regards to truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God strong?  Have you fully protected yourself against evil?

Step Seven – The Parables of Jesus

Jesus came to earth to introduce us to God in an intimate way.  The absolute best way to develop a strong spiritual foundation is to study carefully the teachings of Jesus.  Do you know and understand the parables of Jesus?

Step Eight – Go into all the World

Once a structure is built it needs to be put to use and maintained to remain strong.  If you’ve spent considerable time building a strong spiritual foundation you need to put that knowledge to use by sharing it with others.  How much time do you spend sharing your faith and encouraging others to move closer to God?

Step Nine – Life is Suffering

We live in a world in which God has allowed the devil to essentially run wild.  This constant battle with evil is our spiritual workout.  Constantly facing the enemy’s distractions builds our character for our life beyond.  Have you found shelter from the devil’s attacks in the arms of Jesus?  Are you weathering the battle with a strong foundation?

Step Ten – Connecting with God

Standing on a solid spiritual foundation is made easier through the support of the Holy Spirit.  We tap into that connection through the fruits of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  We all stumble in these areas from time-to-time.  What is the quality of your fruit?

Step Eleven – Your Place in the Body of Christ

One of the most amazing things about God’s creation is the fact that we are all completely different yet we are all working together as one complex machine.  Perhaps our most important foundational endeavor is to seek out and find our place in the body of Christ.  Simply put, we need to stop trying to do what others do best and focus on what we do best.  God has created you in a specific way for a specific reason.  Have you found your specific role?

Develop a Spiritual Routine

Your relationship with God has many points of contact that establish a solid spiritual foundation. It’s important to keep track of every aspect of that relationship.  Know for certain that the devil is looking for any crack in your support structure to attack and dislodge your spiritual stability.  By staying focused on God in all that you do, there is little chance your foundational structure will be undermined.

 Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context.  Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations.  In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon.  Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.

Path to Discipleship