Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

5 Good Things That Happen When You Give Thanks

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1 Thessalonians 5:17, Pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
#1 -  Giving thanks helps you reconnect with your foundation#2 -  Giving thanks helps keep your life clear of anxiety, worry, and sin traps#3 -  Giving thanks is the container that allows you to receive and hold blessings, benefits and responsibilities#4 -  Giving thanks puts you in a position to allow God to transform every weakness into a strength#5 -  Giving thanks draws you closer to God and closer to covenant relationships

The Pull of Value & Priority; ”Pearls of Priority” | Navigate, Part 11

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Key Scriptures:Matthew 13:45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls, 46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it. 
Value of Learning and DiscoveryOne great lesson of the parable is the joy of the discovery that caused the man to be willing to give up everything to make the treasure, and the expectation of discovery his own.The Pull of Priority Revealed:Find your “Pearls” and “Pearl.” Prioritize the things in God and in life that are most beautiful to you. What is the Value of Priority?Priority is not only about things you HAVE TO DO.It is also about things you LOVE TO DO.It is about things that you consider beautiful and the the pursuit of those thingsWe don’t seek the kingdom only to have things added. We seek the kingdom because it is beautiful!  We seek the kingdom because there’s nothing better!Value Reflection Questions:1. What is Value? 2. Who are the people you value?3. What are the things you value?4. What values need to change?5. How to you value the kingdom of God?Priority Reflection Questions:1. What is Priority? 2. What do you have to do?3. What should you do?4. What things are beautiful to you?5. Where does the Kingdom of God fit in?6. What needs to change?

The Pull of Value & Priority (Continued) | Part Ten of Navigate: How to Successful Journey Through Life and These Times

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Key Scripture:Matthew 13:44-46 (NKJV), Again, The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.  45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls, 46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.

The Pull of Value & Priority | Part Ten of Navigate, How to Successfully Journey Through Life and These Times

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More than living by reason and decisions, we are often pulled by our values and priorities. We all have good intentions, but our actions are sometimes not aligned. Placing a Christ-centered fresh focus on our actual (not imagined) values and priorities is the way into a Kingdom lifestyle.
Matthew 6:31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 13:44-46 (NKJV), Again, The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. 
45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,  46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it. 
Value defined:  The worth, importance, or usefulness of something. The verb is defined as: to rate something according to its perceived worth, importance, or usefulness.
Priority defined: 1. The state of having most importance or urgency, 2. Somebody or something that is ranked highly in terms of importance or urgency, 3. The state of having preceded something else.
Value Determines Priority
What we call “values” drives our attitudes and actions. 
We all have “values” and our values should be shaped by Christ and God’s kingdom
Testing What We Value and Prioritize
We follow what we value and we do first what is our highest priority. 
We go in the direction of what we value and we start the journey based on our priority. 
We make our choices based on the value we place on things and people.
We rank things and people according to our priority. 
We are driven by the value (importance and usefulness) of things natural and spiritual.
Our level of focus is based on the priority we place on things natural and spiritual.
 

The Power of Together, Cont. | Part Nine of Navigate: How to Successful Journey Through Life and These Times

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Ecclesiastes 4:9, Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.Proverbs 17:17, A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.John 13:34, A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
We are going to learn about the Power of Together highlighting four words:
 
Better, Bigger, Braver, and Bolder
 
BETTER
Ecclesiastes. 4:9, “Two are better than one…”
You can do more with others than you can by yourself.
 
BIGGER
Ecclesiastes. 4:9, “They have a good reward for their labor…”
NLT, “…For they can help each other succeed.”
 
BRAVER
Ecclesiastes. 4:12,  “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him….”
BOLDER
Ecclesiastes 4:12, And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
 
Watch Video "Lesson from Mother Duck and Ducklings"
Brave defined:  Willing to face and endure danger or pain; Possessing or displaying courage. 
To be brave and have courage does not necessarily mean there is an absence of fear. 
When you are brave, your sense of purpose and willingness to act are greater than your fear.
You learn bravery from others and God gives you strength to stand against obstacles. 
For this reason, it is good to read biographies and study the lives of others. 
It is amazing what you can learn “vicariously,” meaning through the “flesh/experiences” of other people
Example of Courage by Frederick Douglass
“…Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference — so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ..”
April 28, 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, 

The Power of Together | Part Eight of Navigate: How to Successful Journey Through Life and These Times

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Ecclesiastes 4:9
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
We are going to talk about the power of Together using four words:
Better, Bigger, Braver, and Bolder
BETTER
Eccl. 4:9, “Two are better than one…”
You can do more with others than you can by yourself.
BIGGER
Eccl. 4:9, “They have a good reward for their labor…”
NLT,  “…For they can help each other succeed.”
We usually think of bigger as large size or quantity –– more. We should think of bigger as higher quality. 

FIRM FOUNDATION BIBLE STUDY “Who I Am In Christ”

LESSON 1: Two Kinds of Peace You Can Have Now
Philippians 4:7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
 
LESSON 2: "My God Shall Supply All Your Needs" Not Written to You, But...
Philippians 4:19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Never Accept Condemnation From Others or Yourself – ”Who I Am In Christ” Firm Foundation 21-Day Devotional

Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.One of the complex and recurring problems that many people face is the feeling of condemnation. “Condemn” means, "To pronounce to be guilty, to sentence to punishment, or to pass judgment against.”Condemnation is complex because it can present in many ways: 1) As real, 2) As imagined, 3) From others against yourself, 4) You against yourself, 5) As a demonic attack.Regardless of the source, the feeling is the same: You feel guilty of something. You think you deserve punishment. This feeling can linger like a dark cloud blocking all light. The mind can replay bad experiences and hurtful words, long after (sometimes years and decades after!), something occurred. Recalling past pain creates another problem, because pain distorts memory. The distortion can become so severe that the mind can create an alternate reality – to include past things imagined that feel real when looking back at it. Real things that occurred in the past can torture your present.There is no minimizing trauma and there are no easy answers if you are dealing with unresolved matters. This blog post is not your entire answer. Sometimes, you must reach out for help from people qualified to provide expert support such as pastoral or professional counseling.In all cases, self-condemnation offers nothing helpful. When you've done something wrong, the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin. This may feel like condemnation, but it is not. Conviction of sin is a genuine and helpful feeling that you need to "get it right" with God and others. Neglecting the Lord, His Word, and fellowship with believers opens the door to negative feelings and mindsets such as condemnation. Every feeling of condemnation is unnecessary because:
1. Jesus has forgiven your sins and changed your heart (if you received Him as Lord). There is NOTHING about which to feel condemned…not even things people say to you.2. GRACE IS STRONG. It is stronger than your mistakes. It is stronger than controlling people who want to use feeling of guilt to control you. It is stronger than the devil who is called, "The accuser of our brothers and sisters..." (Revelation 12:10)3. When you "walk in the Spirit' or walk with God moment-by-moment, you will find encouragement everywhere you look.Reflection Questions:1. Do you need pastoral or professional counseling to address neglected matters?2. Why is a feeling of condemnation never necessary?3. What will you do to allow grace to develop in your life?

Systems of Failure & Success | Part Seven of Navigate: How to Successful Journey Through Life and These Times

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Ecclesiastes 7:29 ESV, See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.Matthew 6:10, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What is a System?•  A system affects the whole not only the parts, which is why we call its effect “systemic.” Systematic is doing something in steps.•  Systems are embedded within and spread throughout and affecting a group, system, body, economy, market, or community.•  Systems can either contribute to your failure or to your success, but you get to decide.Common Systems In Our LivesEducationFinancePublic Health (vaccines)Law & JusticePoliticsReligionGod’s SystemPsalm 103:19 NLT, "The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything."•  You were born into a world and nation with systems already in place•  Many systems were invented to help you (Family, Education, Kingdom of God). •  Some systems were invented to control people (Segregation & Jim Crow in the past, White Supremacy today).•  Some systems were invented to explain/expose other systems (Direct Action, Critical Race Theory)
 
Navigating systems of God and men is essential for living a productive life. We are all parts of things larger than ourselves. The whole concept of navigating is based on dealing with forces and factors that we cannot control. What you cannot control, you must navigate.
 
In our time, systems that serve or seek to control us are shaped by our habits and reinforced by something called “algorithms”
 
•  Social media algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users' feed based on user preferences. 
•  Social networks prioritize which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they'll actually want to see it. 
•  Social networks prioritize which content a user has already seen.
 
The Kingdom System & Algorithm 
Matthew 25:29, For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
 
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Navigate, The Conquerer‘s Mindset | Patricia A. Hudson

Romans 8:31-39
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.