Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

Blessings of the Sixth Day, No More Veneers

God made man (male & female) on the sixth day. Our original design gives insight on our purpose and best destiny. We don't have to live superficial lives because something great lies within. Gen 1:26-31
God’s original design for you:
1. Be fruitful: Fruitfulness
2. Multiply: Multiplication
3. Fill: Remove void, bring fullness
4. Subdue: Overcome negative factors for yourself and others
5. Dominion: Maintain control through appropriate authority, responsibility, and accountability. Care for others. Maintain good order. Lead.
6. It is God who provides “I have given you every herb...”
7. God said that man (as He intended us) was: "Very good"

Principles for Increase

Mark 4:26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
Four Principles from Mark 4:26-28:
1. The kingdom of God, and your life, functions on the principle of Seedtime and harvest.
a. Gen. 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and nigh hall not cease.”
b. “...a man should scatter seed...”
c. The harvest, or results, we get from life come from the seeds of action that we plant, or of what others plant for us.
d. This is also true for financial blessings for ourselves and our church.
2. A seed, once planted, gains the power to produce and increase.
a. We don’t know how this happens, since we cannot see and it is not possible to be aware of every process.
b. One thing is certain, if we have not planted any seed, we won’t have any harvest.
c. None sowers only benefit, or leach, off the efforts of others
d. This is what the Lord meant by asking this question, “Will a man rob God? Question: “How have we robbed you?” Answer: “In tithes and offerings.”
3. Increase comes in stages. “For the earth yields crops by itself.” Expect and look for signs of increase. When you see the “blade” make your plans for increase and continued sowing.
a. We don’t how this happens, since we cannot see and it is not possible to be aware of every process.
b. Don’t let fear and stinginess keep you from your greater blessings and, more importantly, greater benefits for God’s work.
4. Our goal is not only to have success and more money, but to have “good success” and to establish God’s covenant in the earth
a. Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
b. Deuteronomy 8:17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Preparing Your Heart and Life for Increase

Jesus spoke a parable describing the conditions of the people’s hearts in relation to God’s word, or the seed. How you handle the seed of God’s is the most important thing that you handle.
Matthew 13:1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Look at what Jesus said in regard to The Purpose of Parables:
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Notice the characteristics of “them;”
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15  For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should[a] heal them.’[b]
Characteristics of “you”
16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Hearing and receiving is a matter of both conditions of the heart and God’s timing (Kairos).
He describe four conditions of soil, or of the heart: Three bad and one good.
1) Wayside is an unreceptive place: In Palestine the fields were in long narrow strips; and the ground between the strips was always a right of way. It was used as a common path; and therefore it was beaten as hard as a pavement by the feet of countless passers-by
2) Stony was shallow. It is a then layer of soil over limestone rock
3) Thorny was full of weeds and distractions. Luke 8:14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. The thorny ground was deceptive. When the sower was sowing, the ground would look clean enough. It is easy to make a garden look clean by simply turning it over; but in the ground still lay the fibrous roots of the couch grass and the bishop weed and all the perennial pests [like crab grass], ready to spring to life again. Every gardener knows that the weeds grow with a speed and a strength that few good seeds can equal. The result was that the good seed and the dormant weeds grew together; but the weeds were so strong that they choked the life out of the seed.
4) Good ground was tilled and ready to receive seed. Which condition describes your heart?
Operating in your authority requires a heart prepared like a good garden or farm field. There’s a lot that God wants to do through us and with us.

How to Live in Resurrection Power Everyday

L.G.S.
1. Jesus died for our sins | “Look up”
Jesus didn’t suffer and die for anything He did. Jesus suffered and died for everything we did against God and every sin we have committed.
Zech 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
John 19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Jesus, the last Adam, did not only die for Christians, he died for the sins of all people and to also redeem all of creation. Jesus death has prevented greater trouble and calamity than we have already seen.
Jesus death balanced the scales of divine justice. People who commit crimes produce an imbalance in society that can only be rectified by justice and dealing with criminals, both in punishment and reform.
Sin creates an imbalance, pain and impending trouble. Like a bad diet imbalances the body. He took the punishment that all of us deserved.
As a child, everyday I woke up, I found myself in a warm bed, in a nice house. I could get up, go into the kitchen and get some food out of the refrigerator. I could turn the tap and receive cold, clear water. I could turn another tap and draw hot water for a bath.
As a child, I was oblivious to the sacrifices that my father and mother made for me to able to live a carefree life. As I child, I thought that my father went to work everyday because it was something he liked to do, and had fun doing it.
Here's my point: Many people walk around drawing breaths, thinking thoughts, making money, living mostly sickness and disease free, enjoying life, overcoming difficulties, but, like naive children, never stop to consider that it's the mercy and grace of God that keeps them.
People are unaware that because of Jesus sacrifice, there is, especially in Christian nations, a measure of peace in life that we would not have, if Jesus had not died for the sins of all humanity.
2. He was buried | “Give up”
Jesus burial was proof of his death. Being buried signaled the giving up of His life. When people die, they have to give up everything…even if they didn’t want to. You’ve never seen a U-Haul truck in the funeral possession carrying of the stuff of the deceased.
Either you “Give Up” your old selfish life voluntarily, or it will be taken away involuntarily and all kinds of ways.
He burial also symbolized the end of our old lives and the permanent removal of our sins. Once someone or something is buried, it is gone. All activity ceases. All power is gone.
1 Cor. 15:21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
Jesus burial represented the breaking of the power of sin, and satan.
Have you have a car or something that simply could no longer be repaired? A sinful nature cannot be repaired, it has to be reborn. That car is beyond repair, it has to be replaced. It's totaled!
3. He rose from the dead | “Stand up”
1 Cor. 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
Jesus resurrection validated and activated every promise and every benefit of salvation. His resurrection also broke the power of death, the deception of Satan and the reign of sin over humanity. Because of Jesus' resurrection, no one has to live in sin, dwell in defeat, or spend eternity without God in Hell. We receive a spiritual resurrection when we are born again.
Resurrection” is from the biblical Greek word: “Anastasis” which is a combination of two words meaning: up and to cause to stand.

New Attitude for a Higher Altitude

A new attitude brings higher altitude. A higher altitude is what God had in mind. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope
Fruitfulness God's way begins with a Promise and a purpose. The promise in Jeremiah’s prophecy is God plan to prosper his people after a long season of captivity. The promise in John’s opening statement in his letter to the churches is a prayer for prosperity in health and all of life.
The purpose in Jeremiah’s prophecy is calling on God people to seek the Lord with their whole hearts. The purpose in John’s letter is prosperity of the soul, or inner life and character.
Prosperity God’s way is always rooted in His promises and purposes. When people do not know God’s promise and are unaware of His purposes, they make poor choices and lose sight of Christ in day to day living.
Cultivating a new attitude begins in the heart, but is made real in the soul. Your soul is your mind, will and emotions. Your soul represents what you think, what you do, and how you feel. Thinking, doing and feeling dominates our lives, so we had better seek to align our mind, will and emotions with the Lord. Again, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the these things will be added to you.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "attitude" means "an internal position or feeling with regard to something else." Other words often used as synonyms are: "disposition, feeling, mood, opinion, sentiment, temper, tone, perspective, frame of mind, outlook, view, or morale."
Airplane pilots often use the term "attitude" to describe their horizontal relationship with the runway then they land. If their attitude isn’t aligned properly, the plane will make contact with the ground at the wrong angle and it will cause them to crash.
Your attitude is your inward disposition toward other things, such as people or circumstances. As in with an airplane, attitude is applied whenever you must deal with something other than yourself. According to God’s word, when you become a Christian, a part of your new creation is the development of new attitudes — your attitude should become like that of Jesus.
The Bible says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" (Philippians 2:5). "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds." (Ephesians 4:22 NIV)

How Hope Works

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Col. 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Strong faith begins with strong hope. If faith is like a roadmap, then hope is the brochure of your intended destination. Sometimes we struggle in our faith walk because we are struggling in our hope-walk.
Every one has dreams, aspirations and expectations for his or her life. The Word of God sums up all of these desires in a single word - HOPE. Hope is at the beginning of every great exploit carried out for God. Hope is the foundation for a life that is lived by faith, peace, joy and encouragement.
Hope defined: noun - confident expectation, the happy anticipation of good, a belief that something is obtainable. verb - to trust, to have confidence
Hope does not disappoint because of God’s love empowered by the Holy Spirit:
Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Keep Covenant - Have Ears to Hear

Keep It Real

Keep it Real
Matthew 13:44-46 (Amplified Bible)
44The 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. 45Again 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.
Everything that is real has value and priority
Value is defined as: the worth, importance, or usefulness of something. The verb is defined as: to rate something according to its perceived worth, importance, or usefulness.
Priority is defined as: 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
PRIORITY
Matt 13: 44The 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
At the time Jesus spoke these parables, it was common for people to hide their money and valuables in the ground for safe keeping. There were not safes or banks. In a time of war, people would flee after hiding their valuables. When they returned, they would retrieve them.
In the parable of the talents the worthless servant hid his talent in the ground and brought it out, lest he should lose it (Matt. 25:25). No risk, no reward
There are even people who make it their life's business to search for hidden treasure, and that they get into such a state of excitement that they have been known to faint at the discovery of one single coin. When Jesus told this story, he told the kind of story that anyone would recognize in Palestine and in the east generally.
In regard to hidden treasure Jewish Rabbinic law was quite clear: What is found belong to the finder.
SIMPLICITY
The great point to this parable is the joy of the discovery that made the man willing to give up everything to make the treasure his own.
What are you willing to go “all in” to gain something greater?
Matt 12:45,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.

Keep it Simple

2 Cor. 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
God gave Adam and Eve simple instructions. The devil's craftiness made them feel discontented when they should have been perfectly content.
This is a very common trap, even until this day. People can be corrupted from simplicity in Christ, and become addicted to unnecessary complexity. This leads to a loss of peace, joy and forfeiture of position (Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden). Said another way, people become carnal, petty, and "flaky."
Don't go there! KEEP IT SIMPLE!
In John Chapter 15, Jesus said we are like "branches" connected to a grapevine. The natural growth pattern of vines is complex and confusing. Vines (and people) need a "vinedresser" to purge and prune the branches. This keeps the vine (and people) simple and fruitful.
Three keys to simplicity and fruitfulness:
1. Follow instructions from the Vinedresser (Jesus) and His “associates” (pastors, elders, etc)
2. Put first things first. Seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33)
3. Do your best. Doing less will require more effort to correct mistakes.

Vision for 2013: Chosen Appointed Fruitful

John 15: 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.