Building a life... some questions

"If you live in My teachings, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the binds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

But what if the rain, floods, and winds of life aren't emotional and physical stresses, tragedies, and hardships, but rather aggressive and subversive competing philosophies, ethics, and theologies?

Did Jesus mean for His "if you just obey me you'll know truth; you'll get it; you'll prevail" statements to apply to intellectual challenges to the 'house' of life that must be built on something?

If this is Jesus' answer to intellectual objections, then He's not playing by the rules. He's refusing to argue and convince - the only option He gives us is to take Him at His word or not. It's "Do what I say and you'll see," not "Here's my superiorly coherent G.U.T. that will force those of you who hold 'intellectual honesty' as your highest value to conclude that I am in fact God." Either His words here aren't meant to apply to intellectual challenges, or He's refusing to respect our rules for the intellectual arena.

Are there assumptions here underlying His prescription for discovering truth and a solid life foundation?

Is there really a difference between intellectual challenges and personal challenges?

If our intellectual challenges came under Jesus' piercing gaze, would they - in each individual instance of each individual person - be reduced from respectable-sounding objecting philosophies and theologies to mere veneers of pride, rebellion, and enslavement to prideful, sinful, selfish desires?

Is it possible to have an intellectual problem that is not ultimately - if we could boil it down and see it for what it truly is - a 'heart' problem?

I don't know. Just thoughts from my reading this morning.