Built on Rock “Set Apart”

Built On Rock
“Set Apart”

Years after Erin met the Lord of Hosts, she imagined herself standing way up on a Rock—high above a vast, enormous sea. As she was peering down at the sandy beach below, the homes and lives began to disappear sinking into the sand—being washed away.

Erin’s heart ached when she realized she couldn’t rescue them all, “Oh, if only there were more of His Mighty Warriors who knew and lived the Promises of Your wisdom, more who knew how to follow Your lead,” she said to her Lord.

“Since each of us is Your letter, written on the hearts, known and read by everyone, each of Your Mighty Warriors would be a lifeline, right? Oh if only our families, our friends, and our  neighbors witness the Promises of Your wisdom—they soon would ask about Your powerful Promises!”  

Dear Mighty Warrior, did Erin envision YOU? 

When you read and or listened to Mighty Warrior, “Closer than a Brother” did you see that YOUR life has been set apart? 

Are You one of His chosen Mighty Warriors for such a time as this!?!

Have you answered His call? 

Just stop right now and say, “Here I am, Lord, use me!” just like Erin answered Him.

How wonderful!!! Now everyone who witnesses your life has the opportunity to listen to God and follow Him, being wise too—like a person who builds their house on solid Rock. And that means when the rain comes and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on Rock.

Isn’t it sad to know that God said that everyone else is like the foolish who built their house on the sand? So when the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house—it fell—and great was its fall. But I’m excited, aren’t you? Now God will use you, and all you need to do is simply protect others using His love! We love others because He first loved us! 

Where do we start?

God says we must first love our brother and sister whom we can see—people we live with every day. And if we can love our brother and sister who isn’t always kind to us, like Adrien who left Erin to get home on the bus by herself, then it will be very easy to love everyone—just as long as we keep going to Him for His love, which is perfect love, that casts out and gets rid of all our fear!

Like the fear of the rains, He said will come into each of our lives.

THE RAINS

“The rains'' could be your parents who divorced or are separated or just fighting all the time, like when Erin’s parents separated.  

“The rains'' could be someone you love who is old and you’re afraid might die, as Erin feared. Since her parents were older when she was born and people asked her if they were her grandparents. 

“The rains'' could be when someone you love is sick. 

Sometimes “the rains” are money problems that pour down on your family. 

Every day does it feel like there are more and more problems and things that cause you to worry? Are there too many stumbling blocks, obstacles, and hurdles that continue raining down blocking your path? Each of these is “the rains” you can be protected from by first putting on the full armor of God so that it may go well with you, and so you may live long on the earth and save many more people alive! Just listen and obey your parents who God chose to guide you as you read in River of Life.

Are you or is your family living in a home that has fallen or feels like it’s about to fall? 

Have your parents separated or divorced so you no longer feel happy and safe? 

Have you heard that there's nothing you can do? 

Maybe YOU can’t do anything— BUT God can! 

God can do anything—and GOD loves to show up to do the impossible! Remember reading that in Macy's Barn Cat and Horses Hoped For when God said, with people it is impossible, but with God all things are possible? Because nothing, not one thing, will be impossible with God.

When Erin’s parents separated everyone said it was for the best, but that’s not how Erin felt. So Erin spoke to her Heavenly Father and God did the impossible! God restored her parents' marriage after they were separated for 9 years—so that Erin’s children were able to visit both grandparents after she grew up and had children! And both her parents lived a very long life too!! Remember, nothing, not one thing will be impossible with God. 

Just imagine how foolish and sad it could have been if Erin believed the lies rather than trusting the goodness of the Lord and she let fear rule her life all those years!

The Knowledge of Good and Evil 

Should we learn both good and evil? 

Well, let me ask you: As you begin to build your life on Rock, set apart, do you want to use good or bad building materials? Then why look at anything bad, why consider it? God says we must choose good and turn our backs on evil. We know this is true because God commanded us, saying, not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil. 

To be safely set apart means we must turn our backs on the evil and then ask God how we can do something good! Don’t let doubt get into your mind either because God said if we doubt it will feel like we are being tossed about like the surf of the sea. 

When Erin asked God to understand this principle, being tossed about like the surf of the sea, she imagined herself at the beach where her family had a vacation house. When she was at the ocean, on the Pacific Coast, there were large, powerful waves, so her parents wisely taught her that she needed to stay back up on the warm sand and watch the waves.  

They said that even if she stood with her feet in the water, soon she would sink into the wet sand and a large wave could easily crash over her head—dragging her into the deep, rough water. God says it’s the same with doubt. So, rather than doubt and simply be tossed about, or sink with worry, God says to trust Him and grab hold of the gift of peace left by our very own Prince of Peace! 

Never forget to simply ask Him and then not doubt what He says because at the appointed time God promises to answer us and give us the desires of our hearts —just like you read in “Macy’s Barn Cat“ and “Horses Hoped For.” This means that each time we think about what we asked Him to do—we can rejoice, full of joy!!

Who Knows?
God Knows!

Today everyone likes to give their opinion and many people claim to be an “expert” but the truth is, no one but GOD knows. That’s why when anyone asks Erin something, she loves to say, “Who knows? God knows!” That’s because it’s the truth and she knows the truth will set her and everyone else free so they can be set apart for Him. 

Erin began to go to the Source of truth, she asked her Heavenly Father and read the Promises in God's Word. Now you know where to find the truth and you can do the same thing. You can hide God’s Word in your heart. 

You already have learned so much of what GOD says about His love in Mighty Warrior “Closer than a Brother.” It’s also important to find out what GOD says about you as a daughter to your parents, a sister to your siblings, and what He says when you become a husband and then a father. Being a father means you will be fruitful and multiply which is important because God told us to be fruitful and multiply 14 times in the Bible! When you go right to the Source, your Heavenly Father and His Word, you will be drawn to finding a virtuous woman to be the mother of your children— who God compares to be finding a precious jewel! These royal words of wisdom: These are the inspired words the King's mother taught to him recorded in the book of Proverbs—from the wisest man in history, Solomon—so as a future king, you will need to listen and pay close attention to these words too. 

Remember, you have been set apart and God has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be His own special treasure. For Erin to reach the nations, she needed to know what God said, and then give away what she learned to everyone who asked. By following Him as He led her (as you read in Mighty Warrior “Closer than a Brother” Erin began looking for the narrow gates that few ever find.

Entering the Narrow Gate

Being set apart and building on Rock to reach the nations, means you must look for the narrow gate and then choose to walk through that gate—a gate very few will find. Here is one story of walking through the narrow gate. 

One day Erin’s teacher, a nun, said that unless someone confessed to something that happened when she was out of the classroom, her entire class would miss recess for a week. Unfortunately, the person who’d done this was a very shy French girl. So, Erin felt led to encourage all of her classmates to stand up when asked so Monique would not be afraid to stand up alone. But when the nun asked for the person who did it to stand, only Erin stood up and was immediately sent to the principal’s office! 

Erin didn’t say anything, she didn’t defend herself, she didn’t say that Monique had done it because God’s Word says that we are the only person who can confess our own faults, not someone else’s. Erin never confronted Monique either but trusted God who judges righteously, fairly. It may not always seem fair, but it always brings about a hidden reward. Erin simply spoke to her FBF “Forever Best Friend” Who told her to remain quiet and wait. So, Erin chose to love the one who’d treated her unjustly by speaking kindly to Monique before and after school.

A week later, Erin’s desk was still in the hallway as punishment and she still hadn’t been allowed to go out to play at recess. But suddenly, Monique felt convicted and she no longer wanted to hide her transgression (what she’d done wrong). 

Few are Chosen

The day Monique confessed her own faults, Erin was again called to the principal’s office. When she walked in, she saw Monique and her grandmother (who she and her little brother lived with) and Monique was crying. Erin was sad to see that her eyes were red and puffy because she’d hidden her transgression so long. 

Erin was surprised that by doing what was right she was not rewarded or praised for it, instead, the principal and her teacher were angry with her. Even though she didn’t understand it then, God had hardened their hearts because He wanted to teach Erin that the only One she needed to please was her Heavenly Father and because God was saving Erin’s blessings for later. It’s just like when the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, making it strong and immovable. That’s because later when Pharoah does let God’s people go, His people left carrying whatever they asked for, which was all of Egypt’s wealth! 

Doing the right thing isn’t always easy and even though it may not feel like it— it’s much better when you’re not praised or rewarded because the best reward is stored up for us in heaven! A Wise Man, His Prince, doesn’t store up his treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. A Wise Man wisely stores his treasures in heaven, where the desires of his heart will also be.

Set Apart for Good

The next year God rewarded Erin by moving her to a new school, even though at first it didn’t feel like a reward—because, at her new school, Erin had no friends. Once again, God chose her, just as God chose YOU to be set apart from others, His treasure—watching from above—high and safe on Rock.

That’s why Erin was so excited when she was invited to a classmate’s birthday party, another narrow gate. Erin’s mother dropped her off and as all the girls sat around on the floor, she noticed that the girls were passing something around, giggling. It made Erin feel uncomfortable because the tone of their voices and the look on their faces meant that something wasn’t right. Erin had heard of drugs, but she knew little other than it was something she wanted to stay away from. 

So without opening her mouth, Erin simply got up, walked out the front door, and didn’t look back. She didn’t know where she was, but she was sure she was too far from home to walk there. So without any money (and of course back then there were no cell phones), she heard her FBF “Forever Best Friend” lead her to turn to the right and walk down the street towards a busier street, and then she heard someone call out “Wait!!!” 

Instead of looking back, Erin began walking faster, not wanting anyone to try to persuade her to go back inside where she knew something wasn’t right. Then the girl began to overtake her, catching up to her saying, “Where are you going?” Erin replied, “I don’t know but I don’t want to be part of whatever is going on back there.” Then Liesel said, “Me either! I’m going home, do you want to come? I only live two blocks from here.”

That day Liesel and Erin became close friends and years later when they each got married both of them had a little blonde-haired boy—right at the appointed time—just like they dreamed and talked about when they became friends. Having just one like-minded friend (who God will choose for you if you ask) was such a blessing. Even though Erin didn’t get to see or talk to Liesel much (because they were only in the same school for one year), it strengthened both of them to remain walking along the narrow path, each set apart.

Many events happened over the years that set Erin apart, which we trust God will no doubt lead Erin to share in later Wise Man 4 His Prince stories! 

We are excited that you are building YOUR life and future on Rock—watching from above—not enjoying what everyone else is doing but instead being elevated, set apart, and attaining royalty at the appointed time, for such a time as this!

The more you build your life and future on Rock, the more you’ll understand that choosing the narrow road is a moment-by-moment decision that only happens by holding the hand of your Forever Best Friend who you got to know in Mighty Warrior “Closer than a Brother."