In Hebrews 4:2 the Bible says, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard, did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
Did you catch that? “For indeed the gospel,”…what’s the gospel? – the good news of Jesus…”was preached to us as well as to them; but the word,”…what word? – the gospel…”which they heard, did not profit them”…why?…”not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
This may sound strong, but this verse says that you can hear the Word, you can hear the gospel, but unless you mix it with faith, the Word will not profit you.
What is faith? Faith is believing that what God said is true and acting on it. In other words, believing the Bible, believing God, is only profitable if you act on what you believe.
In Matthew 7:24 Jesus talked about two men who built houses. The first man built his house with a solid foundation. It was anchored in the rock. This man was compared to a man who heard the sayings of Jesus, the Word of God, and acted on what he heard. He was not just a hearer of the Word, but he was a doer of the Word.
The second man built his house on top of the ground, in the sand, without a foundation. Jesus compared this man to a man who heard His sayings, but never acted on them.
Both houses probably looked beautiful and strong. To everyone passing by, the houses looked alike. But when the storms came, the house that was built on the sand, the house built by the man who only heard the Word, was completely destroyed.
The house built on the rock, the house built by the man who heard and did the Word – the man of faith – did not fall. His house and all it contained was safe.
One thing to note here is that both houses went through the storm. Jesus never promised that there would not be storms in our lives. He never said that once we acted on the Word that Satan would quit trying to attack us.
But what He did say is this. That even though the attacks come, even though Satan still comes against our households, that if we hear and do His sayings, we will weather the storm. We may go through it, but we will not be destroyed.
Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
The key is to do the works of the Word. We must not only hear the sayings of Jesus, but we must do them. James 2:17 says that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
But what are the works that we are to do? In John chapter 6 the disciples ask Jesus point blank this question. They said, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
In other words, the work of God is to walk in faith. We must believe God’s Word so completely, that acting on it becomes second nature. Only then will we be like the man who built his house on the rock.
Remember, Hebrews 11:6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.