Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson
2019-08
Episodes
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
The Power of Perception
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
The Power of Perception
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" – Matthew 6:23-24
Jesus said that that the eye is the lamp of the body.
Jesus said our eyes are like lamps or lanterns, something that gives light. I would have thought that he would compared eyes to windows, something through which we view the world around us.
Using the word “lamp” is very strong because he is saying that we literally cast our own light or perception on things around us. We are not only taking in what we see, we are also shaping our perception of the reality of what we see.
So we can say, if your perception are healthy, your life will be full of light. But if your perception is unhealthy, your life will be full of darkness
We don’t actually change things by how to see it, but learn to respond to things by how we see it. There things in life that we can and cannot control. Our perception and reaction is one of the things we can control.
Perception is powerful and we sometimes see the same things differently
There things in life that we can and cannot control. Our perception and reaction are two things we can control.
We all know what it is like to be around people who are always negative, or find something wrong with everything and everyone. It’s like the sun got covered by clouds, or like someone turned out all the light in the room.
Stephen Covey, the author of the Habits of Successful people wrote, “We do not see the world as the world is. We see the world as we are.”
(Ryan Holiday, the author of The Obstacle is the Way, wrote, ”Perception is how we see and understand what occurs around us—and what we decide those events will mean. Our perceptions can be a source of strength or of great weakness. Faulty perceptions lead to misdirection & disconnection. We participate in creation and destruction of our obstacles. So what are your perceptions today?"
We want to have "healthy eyes," which is seeing things as they are and through the Word of God. Bad perception taints our world and our reality. As Jesus said, when your eyes are healthy, your whole body (life) is full of light. On the other hand, when you eyes are unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.
One key to healthy perception is to be objective:
Definition: not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased. Intent upon or dealing with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings, as a person or a book.
Unhealthy perception often comes from being subjective:
Based on feelings or opinions rather than facts; Pacing emphasis on one's own feeling, mood, attitude, and opinions.
In a scene from Remember the Titans, Coach Bill Yoast and Coach Herman Boone show their objective and subjective perceptions based on each one knowledge and life experience.
To survive and thrive in life, you sometimes have to focus on things that cannot be seen. This is where knowing the Lord, knowing the Bible, and having the power of the Holy Spirit in your life makes all the difference.
Moses endured by seeing Him who is Unseen. Hebrews 11:27, By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
Jesus said that Faith in God can move mountains. Your mountains are obstacles that must first be moved in your mind before they are moved in your life and cirsumstances.
Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Noah had to do it, Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Abraham had to do it, Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 10 for he looked for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
The Hub of Grace
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
Sunday Aug 18, 2019
The Hub of Grace
1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
A hub is the central part of a wheel, as that part into which the spokes are inserted.
A center around which other things revolve or from which they radiate; a focus of activity, authority, commerce, transportation, etc.
Grace enables, empowers, and gathers everything else. Grace is the hub of all fruitful and authentic Christian activity. God’s grace is not just a nice word. Grace is a virtue and a power at work on the inside of believers in Christ.
Grace is intrinsic, not extrinsic. Intrinsic means: Belonging to the essential nature of a thing: occurring as a natural part of something.
The various insights, mandates, and blessings mentioned in this text are all connected through the Grace of God.
Grace is multi-facited. It is multi-functional. It has variety within unified purpose. Grace is a hub for your life
Psalms 46:1 reads, “God is our refuge and strength, avery present help in trouble.”
The Apostle Paul discovered grace as a hub and learned to live by it.
2 Corinthians 12:7, And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
What Paul learned and taught us:
We all have burdens and weakness that keep us humble
Grace is sufficient. God does not say “no” to help. He trains us to find help His way
Strength comes out of weakness. If you cannot admit to your weakness, you will not become stronger.
Embrace the trouble or weakness, then receive God’s answer and strength
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
The Grace of Becoming
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Sunday Aug 11, 2019
Colossians 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving….9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossians 2:10, (Berean Literal Bible) And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority,
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Becoming begins with knowing what you already have. Every advanced course starts with something called prerequisites. As believers in Christ and adults, we don’t start from scratch. We are new creations in Christ.
You are complete in Christ. Just like every person is born with DNA that carries instructions about our bodies and minds, you were born again with New Creation DNA. You have the prerequisites. What you need now is recognition and development.
Philemon 6 That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.