“My Rock” TNT 💥

A Wise Woman 💥 TNT Version

“My Rock"

“Therefore, each of you who hears these Words of Mine
Then acts upon them,
Will be compared to the wise,
Who built their house upon the ROCK.
When the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew,
and burst against them
It did not fall.
Why?
It was built on their ROCK.”¹

Here is where the Love of My Life reveals His strength. Knowing the Lord as you do gives us the confidence to say in our hearts, He is My Rock, we can face life’s storms without fear. He is steady when everything else feels uncertain, strong when we feel weak, and unshakable when the world around us shifts.

Building our lives on Him gives us the confidence to stand, the courage to rebuild, and the peace of knowing we are safe and secure in His hands, so we can Encourage Younger Women.

"Secure on My Rock"

“Secure on My Rock” fits beautifully with the flow of what we’ve been learning in "Encourage Younger Women” and the solid foundation of being able to say, He is the Love of My Life. It builds on the message of finding steadfast love and identity in the Lord, our unshakable foundation. Let's begin by asking yourself this question. In the original Wise Woman, I asked the question, but He's had us make a beautiful shift—just like your relationship with Him—He wants to make this book more personal and reflective, inviting the reader, you, to pause and look inward "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."²

Is my life built upon the Rock? Am I sure? God’s Word tells me that storms will come—they always do. They may arrive as financial strain, loss, betrayal, health battles, or the heartbreak of a wandering loved one. When those storms hit, will my life stand firm—or will it crumble?

When those storms hit, will my life stand firm—or will it fall apart?

Even if everything around me feels shaky, it’s not too late. I can begin again—rebuilding my life on the Rock, on the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

Dear reader, I’ve spent years studying, attending Bible groups, and reading countless devotionals. Is that you? Have you said to yourself, Yet, with all of this I’ve still found myself unsettled inside. Why? Because true peace doesn’t come from simply learning about the Lord—it comes from knowing Him, trusting Him, and obeying what He says. There's an unsettling passage that baffles many Christians, who claim to be "followers of His." Yet, I personally don't want to simply follow. I want Him to say, "Yes, my Beloved, I knew you. I knew you well."

"On judgment day, many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.'"³ The word "knew" is inṓskō in the original language, Greek and it means to "properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance) and is used, for example when "And Mary [a virgin] said to the angel, 'How will this be since I do not "know (being intimate) a man?'" It's the kind of closeness we spoke about earlier, and it's why we first established the Love of your life.

So often, I carry the weight of responsibilities, expectations, and emotions, and I quietly wonder, Will I make it through this? But then I hear His gentle reminder: *“If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”*⁵ His warning isn’t harsh—it’s love calling me to depend completely on Him.

The truth is, the world’s way of thinking can easily slip into my heart—shaping how I see myself, my relationships, and even my purpose. When I follow those ways, my hope eventually sinks. But when I turn back to God’s blueprints—His Word—I find stability again.

Have I really looked at how He designed life to work? His way of blessings, His plan for love, His wisdom for every season—whether I’m single, married, or walking through change?

As I read on, I want to let Him speak to me about things that truly matter:

What does it mean for me to follow the Lord in every season?
Why does human advice so often fail where God’s wisdom brings peace?
How might the trials I face actually become blessings in disguise?
Who do I truly let guide my heart—others, or the Lord Himself?

As I continue walking hand in hand with Him through His Word, I want my foundation to be rebuilt—not on my emotions, not on my own understanding—but on the Rock Himself. When my life rests on Him, I can face anything.

So today, I choose to begin rebuilding—one step of faith, one truth, one act of obedience at a time. My heart is secure on my Rock.

"Rooted in His Word"

Are you saying to yourself, "I love hearing powerful messages that stir my heart and remind me how much the Lord loves me. But what about the messages that challenge me? The ones that bring conviction, convincing me of my errors and compelling me to admit I may have been wrong, knowing He's calling me to change? Do I quietly resist those messages, or do I let them draw me closer to Him?

"Sometimes I notice how easy it is to listen only to what sounds comforting. The world is full of voices—even sadder, within the church—that tell me what I want to hear. But the Lord warned that a time would come when people would no longer endure sound teaching that heals and brings peace. Like me, they search for voices that please them and what they want to believe, instead of seeking Truth.⁶

That time feels like now—in the world and in my life.

So I have to ask myself—am I listening for Truth, even when it’s uncomfortable? Or do I turn away when the Lord’s Word challenges something in me that needs to change?

The Lord said to beware of false prophets—those who look kind and trustworthy on the outside but are like wolves on the inside.⁷ How can I tell the difference? He said I would know them by their fruit. The fruit of a life, a ministry, or even my own choices—whether it draws people closer to Him or toward pride, fear, or confusion, or whether it is centered in peace. "And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Him alone, let it rule (act as an umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in our minds, in that peaceful state]."⁸

When I read His Word, I am able to tell what’s real from what’s counterfeit—what’s grain and what’s straw.⁹ That means I can’t rely only on what others say about God. I must open His Word myself and let Him personally guide me and reveal Truth to me. It brings us closer together and makes sure I am working with the Builder Himself.

Sometimes the Lord’s correction hurts at first because I hate to disappoint anyone—especially the Love of My Life. But His discipline is love, like a personal trainer—it’s proof that I belong to Him.¹⁰ He’s not condemning me; He’s reshaping me, just as a father lovingly corrects his child. When I resist conviction, I miss out on His best. But when I welcome it, when I seek it every day, I discover unimaginable wisdom far more valuable than silver or gold.

That's why every morning I remember His promise, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty and marvelous and wondrous things, which you do not know…things to come, things you could never figure out on your own, remarkable secrets…“¹¹

There’s such peace in remembering that even when I stumble, His purpose for my life remains good. He allows testing and adversity to strengthen my heart and deepen my dependence on Him. He did it for Jonah, who needed obedience. He did it for Saul, whom He turned into Paul. And God's doing it for me—using even hardship to conform me into the image of His Son.¹²

Sometimes, what He asks of me feels unfamiliar or different from what I’ve heard before. But His Word reminds me: “My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”¹³

That's why I know I can trust that everything He says is pure and tested. He is my shield when I take refuge in Him.¹⁴ I don’t need to add to His Words or try to make them fit my preferences. I just need to let His truth take root in me—and grow—watering it daily "washed in the water of the Word"¹⁵ as His bride.

When I do, I find myself grounded, not swayed by every new idea or emotion. Rooted in His Word, I stand secure.

"Hearts Ready for His Word"

Before I can truly receive what the Lord wants to teach me, my heart must be soft—maybe broken—fully tender before Him.

Am I coming to His Word with a broken and contrite heart?¹⁶ That’s the kind of heart He will never turn away. It’s the fertile soil where His truth can take root and grow.

When I think about the parable of the sower, I ask myself: what kind of soil is in my heart?¹⁷

Do I let the Word, His seed of truth, fall on hard ground—hearing it but not really understanding it?
Do I receive it with joy at first, but let fear or trouble cause me to fall away?
Do I allow worry, busyness, or the pursuit of things to choke out His truth?
Or do I let His Word sink deep, where it can grow strong and bear lasting fruit?

I want my heart to be that good soil—the woman whose heart receives His Word, understands it, and produces fruit that changes lives.

The Lord said that many people longed to hear what we now hear, but they never would.¹⁸ That humbles me. I never want to take His voice for granted. Whether it be His written voice or the still small voice I hear when I stop to listen. I want to have “ears to hear,” to truly listen when He speaks.

That means renewing my mind—learning to think the way He thinks, not the way the world does. When I "meditate on His Word day and night, I become like a tree planted by streams of water.¹⁹ My roots go deep. My leaves don’t wither. Whatever I do in Him begins to prosper—not because of my effort, but because I’m nourished by His living water.

The enemy will always try to distract or divide me. He’ll tempt me to doubt God's Word or to disagree with the truth that challenges me. But I’m learning that it doesn’t matter what anyone else says—it matters what God says. His Word is Truth.²⁰

So when I’m unsure or confused, I have a choice:

I can look for voices that agree with me,
I can pick and choose only what feels comfortable,
Or I can search for Truth—really search for it.
And when I choose to search, the Lord always meets me there. Because the Truth never harms—it sets me free.²¹

He invites me to seek Him first.²² To ask, to seek, to knock—and to keep knocking until the door opens.²³ Every time I do, He draws me closer and fills me with wisdom that only comes from His presence.

Time is precious, and life is short. So I want to spend mine pursuing what matters most—knowing Him. “Teach me to number my days,” Lord, “that I may gain a heart of wisdom.”²⁴

When my heart is soft, my ears are open, and my mind is renewed, His Word becomes my greatest treasure. And in that place—broken, listening, rooted—I find myself ready for whatever He wants to do next.

"Hungering for More"

When I quiet my heart before my Lord, I can almost feel it — that deep hunger inside, the kind that no amount of distraction or success can satisfy. It’s not a hunger for things, or even for answers… It’s a hunger for more of Him.

If I’m truly a follower of the Lord, then my purpose here on earth is simple: to let others see Him in everything I do. That’s what our Savior did — every word, every step, every breath was for the world to see the Father.

The question is, am I really following Him that way?

I’ve tried many times before. I’ve promised to trust Him more, to read more, to do better… but then I stumble again and again. But the beautiful thing is, He never turns away. He looks for opportunities like this to reach out and take His hand. When I open my heart, His Word stirs that longing all over again — a hunger and thirst for goodness that comes from Him. And He promises that when I hunger for Him like that, only then will I be filled.²⁵

There’s a sweetness in that kind of hunger. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God.”²⁶ I want to feel that way — not out of obligation, but out of love.

His Word is what satisfies that longing. Hearing His Words touch my heart. It heals what’s broken in me. “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”²⁷ Every time I read His truth, something in me comes back to life. His Word is light in my darkness — a lamp for my feet, showing me the next step when I can’t see far ahead."²⁸

And it’s always, always true. “The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your just ways is everlasting.”²⁹

For all that, reading alone isn’t enough. I can’t just hear His Word — I have to live it. “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it” God says is "like someone who glances in the mirror and walks away, forgetting what they saw.”³⁰ I don’t want to forget. I want to remember — to let His truth change me from the inside out.

Sometimes I think about how I got here — how desperate I was when my Savior first found me, how broken I felt when I cried out, “Oh, God, save me!”³¹ That desperation turned me into a zealot — because once I found His love, I didn’t want to go back to life without it.

That moment I surrendered changed everything. It awakened something deep inside me—a longing to know Him more, to never be satisfied with anything less than His presence.
That cry lit a fire in me. It turned my desperation into desire, my pain into pursuit. From that moment, I didn’t just want relief—I wanted Him.
In that moment, something shifted. My emptiness became longing, and my longing became love. From then on, I wasn’t searching for answers—I was searching for Him.

Oh, sweet sister, that’s the kind of heart He calls me and you to keep: passionate, wholehearted, and zealous for what is good.³² When He gently guides me, it’s out of love, not disappointment—it’s because He loves me. When He calls me to change course, it’s because He wants to bring me closer.³⁴

The Lord doesn’t ask for lukewarm love — He asks for all of me. His words are radical and life-giving. He calls me to let go of anything that leads me away from Him, no matter how precious it seems.²⁸ “It isn’t rejection—it’s His kindness guiding me back, lovingly protecting my heart. It’s meant to heal me, leading me to something better. He’s showing me that nothing is worth losing Him for.

So here I am again — hungry for more of Him.

Precious, give me a heart that burns for You,
A heart that burns for Your Word,
A passion that listens when You speak,
And a life that radiantly shines with Your love.

"Choosing to Follow"

I often think about the story of the rich man who met the Lord face to face. The Lord looked at him with love and said, “Come, follow Me.”³⁵ But the man turned away because his heart was tied to other things, things in this world.

It makes me pause and ask—how many times has the Love of My Life invited me to come and walk with Him, but I hesitated? How many times did I cling to something familiar when He was offering me something eternal, something that never fades?

Sometimes, joining Him means letting go. It means He's asking me to lay aside what slows me down—old habits, fears, or the need to control. God says to “lay aside every weight and get rid of anything in our lives that keeps us from doing what we should that so easily entangles”³⁶ so I can run with endurance the race before me. I can’t run freely while holding on to the past.

I’m learning that doing what He asks isn’t just about saying yes—it’s about trusting His heart when I don’t understand His plan. He knows what lies ahead. “The night is almost gone, and the day is near,” so He calls me to put aside "the darkness and walk in His light."³⁷

The truth is, there’s no “right time” to surrender and let it all go. The perfect moment is always now. "Life is a vapor":

“Life passes so quickly.”
“Life is brief and fragile.”
“Our time here is short.”
“Life doesn’t last forever.”
“We’re only here for a little while.”

"None of us is promised tomorrow.³⁸ So I want to make every day count—to live ready to trust and say yes to Him, to live surrendered and available for whatever He asks.” I long “to live free from fear, ready to follow wherever He leads, to live each day trusting Him. "Here I am, send me."³⁹ Let me be the one who encourages women, letting them know Him because they see He is the Love of My Life.

There have been times I’ve grown comfortable—content to think of myself as a believer but not truly burning for Him. The Lord said He would rather I be hot or cold than lukewarm.⁴⁰ Those words remind me how much He longs for sincerity—real, wholehearted commitment, not routine.

When I come to Him poor in what I have to offer to Him, empty of pride, He fills me with Himself.⁴¹ The poor don’t have to hold tightly to anything—they know their treasure is in heaven. That’s the kind of heart I want to have: humble, yielded, and ready to follow wherever He leads.

Now, maybe for the first time, I realize that much of my life was built on sand—on the world’s values, my own strength, or the approval of others. But each time the winds came, I saw how easily my life all shifted.⁴² Yet even that proved His graciousness towards me. Because when everything falls apart, that's when I can see He's letting me begin again—this time on solid ground.

So, today and every day, I’m picking up the pieces of my life, not to rebuild what was, but to build something new—with Him, on Him, and through Him—on My Rock!

Precious, I want to follow You—not halfway, not when it’s easy, but completely. When I "extract the precious from the worthless,"⁴³ that's when I can speak on Your behalf. Take me to walk in step with Your Love, to trust where You lead, and to rest when You tell me to wait. You are my Rock, and my heart is Yours.

"Strengthened in the Struggle"

When I begin to rebuild what’s been broken, I know it won’t always be easy. Just like Nehemiah and his people who rebuilt the wall around the city, I may face ridicule, doubt, or even resistance.⁴⁵ But I’m learning that opposition is often a sign that something significant is being restored.

When discouragement overwhelms me, I remember what Nehemiah did first—he prayed—He cried out for God's help. He didn’t argue with his critics or defend himself. He turned to the Lord for support, direction, and God gave him strength and a “mind to work.” That’s what I need too—a heart that cries out to Him first and keeps going, even when it’s hard.

Nehemiah also prepared wisely. He built, but he also watched. Day and night, he (and those who built with him) stayed alert and protected what mattered most. In the same way, I need to be aware of the weak places in my life—those areas where the enemy likes to whisper lies or stir fear—and guard them with truth and ongoing discussions with Who is in my heart. This also reminds me, when I am an encouraging woman to younger, older, or those my same age, I'm not alone rebuilding.

We are rebuilding our lives side by side, supporting, encouraging, and able to be the heart that doesn't need to have it explained—there's a built-in understanding. To "live with women in an understanding way [with great gentleness], as with someone physically weak, since we are women. Show her honor and respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life," since it is both a privilege and an honored responsibility.⁴⁵

The people working on the wall grew weary, and fear began to spread. Oh, how I understand that feeling. There are moments when my strength runs low, and those around me start to lose heart, too. But just like Nehemiah, I hear the Lord’s encouragement: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, it's Me, who is great and awesome.”³⁹ "You will not need to fight this battle. Stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf."⁴⁶

When I shift my focus from fear to remembering who my God is, courage rises again. Then, I give my courage to someone else, so they, too, are encouraged.

Sometimes the struggle feels long, but I know I’m not fighting alone. The Lord Himself is beside me, in front of and behind me. "the LORD will go before me, my God will be my rear guard."⁴⁷ My battle isn’t against people or circumstances—it’s a spiritual battle.⁴⁰ So I can fight my fear with peace, knowing the outcome belongs to Him.

As I press on, I hear His quiet promise: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My loving eye upon you.”⁴¹ That reminder steadies me. I don’t need to figure everything out—I just need to stay close enough to see where His gaze leads.

The Lord has a purpose for every trial.⁷ He doesn’t waste my tears or my waiting. Through every struggle, He’s shaping my heart to reflect more of Him—patient, humble, dependent, and full of love.

So even when the rebuilding of my life feels slow, or it feels as if I'm going backward, I can rest in this truth: He is the One who will finish what He started.

Darling, help me to remember You in the middle of my struggle. Teach me to speak to you first, listen to You still small voice, in order to keep working with joy, and to let Your strength carry me when mine runs out. Now, let's move on to the next section, “Tested and Refined,” which carries such deep emotion and truth.

"Tested and Refined"

When I face trials, I try to remember—they aren’t random. The Lord allows and chooses each one of them to shape me, not to harm me. “Don’t be surprised at the fiery trial,” God says, “as though something strange were happening to you.”⁵⁰ These moments test me and refine my heart, teaching me to depend on Him more deeply.

I used to see hardship as punishment. Now I see it as preparation. God often uses people or situations in my life to reveal what’s still rough around the edges—places that need His refining touch. It might begin as a small irritation, then grow into something that exposes my impatience, fear, or pride. But even then, His hand is gentle. He’s shaping me, like a Potter and the Clay, not shaming me.⁵¹

Sometimes I don’t like the process. I may feel angry or hurt by the very people God is using to refine me. I’ve tried to step away from those difficult situations, run and hide, even reject them—only to discover the same lessons waiting for me somewhere else. The Lord is patient; He won’t stop until I’m completely free.

He loves me too much to leave me unrefined, rough, and unfulfilled.

When relationships shift, when someone I love grows distant, when doors close that I thought would stay open—I remind myself, the Lord is still in control. He often removes what I lean on so that I’ll lean fully on Him. “You have distanced my friends from me and made me detestable in their view, unworthy of consideration,”⁵² the psalmist wrote, “but in You I can hide myself.”⁵³

There’s always a purpose, even in loss. Selah—pause and let that truth settle.

I want to see the Lord in everything—the joy and the sorrow. Our Savior said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”⁵⁴ That’s the kind of purity I want: a heart so clear that I recognize His loving hand, even in pain.

When I turn my face toward Him, something changes inside me. His light softens the hard places and lifts the weight of shame. God says, “They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces were never covered with shame.”⁵⁵

If my countenance, my attitude toward life has fallen, it’s often because I’ve been looking in the wrong direction—at my circumstances, at myself, at what I’ve lost. But when I look directly into His eyes, hope rises again.

So I’m learning to let Him know my heart in the middle of refining:

Lord, whatever it takes to soften my heart, do it.
Even if the fire feels hot, let it purify me, not destroy me.
Teach me to see You—always.

Because every trial, every tear, every test has the same purpose—to make me look and act and love a little more like Him.

Closing the Chapter
“My Rock”

Once we built our lives on the Rock—our steady foundation—we learned that real strength doesn’t come from standing tall but from standing firm. We discovered that even when storms came and the winds howled, the One beneath us never shifted.

In My Rock, we found peace in His unshakable presence and courage in His faithfulness. We realized that every wave that once threatened to undo us only pressed us closer to Him. And as we stood there—secure, steadfast, unmovable—we began to see that His strength is not loud or forceful, but quiet, steady, and sure.

Now that we know where our true strength comes from, the Lord invites us to something deeper. Beyond standing firm, He calls us to live gently. Beyond holding ground, He teaches us to hold grace. It’s here that we begin to reflect His heart—not just as our Rock, but as the One who shapes in us a Gentle Quiet Spirit.

Open the Chapter
“Gentle Quiet Spirit”

Footnotes

1. Matthew 7:24–25
2. Psalm 139:23–24
3. Matthew 7:22–23
4. Luke 1:34
5. 1 Corinthians 10:12
6. 2 Timothy 4:3–4
7. Romans 8:28
8. Colossians 3:15
9. Jeremiah 23:28
10. Proverbs 3:11–14
11. Jeremiah 33:3
12. Isaiah 55:9
13. Proverbs 30:5–6
14. Ephesians 5:26–27
15. Psalm 51:17
16. Matthew 13:18–23
17. Matthew 13:16–17
18. Psalm 1:2–3
19. John 17:17
20. John 8:31–32
21. Luke 12:31
22. Luke 11:9
23. Psalm 90:12
24. Matthew 5:6
25. Psalm 42:1
26. Psalm 107:20
27. Psalm 119:105
28. Psalm 119:160
29. James 1:23–24
30. Matthew 14:30
31. 1 Peter 3:13
32. Revelation 3:19
33. Matthew 18:8–9
34. Mark 10:21–23
35. Hebrews 12:1
36. Romans 13:12
37. James 4:14
38. Nehemiah 4:2
39. Nehemiah 4:14
40. Ephesians 6:12
41. Psalm 32:8–9
42. Isaiah 52:12
43. 2 Chronicles 20:17
44. 1 Peter 3:7
45. 1 Peter 4:12–13
46. Jeremiah 18:4–6
47. Psalm 88:8
48. Psalm 142:4–5
49. Matthew 5:8
50. Psalm 34:5
51. Matthew 5:3
52. Isaiah 6:8
53. Revelation 3:15–16
54. Matthew 7:26–27
55. Jeremiah 15:19

ORIGINAL from https://hopeatlast.com/c3/d1-chapter-1-on-the-rock/