Overcoming Feeling Overwhelmed

Saturday, August 29, 2015 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments


Psalms 102:27 (NLT) But you are always the same; your years never end. 28 The children of your people will live in security. Their children's children will thrive in your presence.

This Psalm of David began with the words, “A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord...”  (v. 1) David reflected the pressure he was feeling back to God. David, as a shepherd, was also carrying a burden of care for the people he served. In another era, Peter said, “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:7)

In God's presence, tell Him everything that is on your heart, including your concern for others. This is not to inform the Lord, because He knows all things. You “cast it” so that you will not continue to carry that pain, disappointment, or pressure after spending time with the Lord.

Problems don't cease to exist after you give them to the Lord, but the absence of feeling overwhelmed makes it easier for you to find answers and see solutions.

The closing words of Psalms 102:27 shows David's resolution and encouragement as he ended his time with the Lord by recognizing that God alone offers stability, security and future success. Circumstances are like the "variable" in an equation. Christ is the "constant." Every problem is solvable as long as He is in the equation!

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Excerpt from Day 26 of "Morning Light" by Bryan Hudson

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Inspiration Image, "Designed to Fly"

Monday, August 24, 2015 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments

Photo by Bryan Hudson, http://inspirationimages.zenfolio.com

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Mercy is the Gift Before and After Faith

Friday, August 21, 2015 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments



Psalm 107:1, Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

One of the greatest blessings in life is mercy, which has been called "the gift before and after faith."

We walk by faith, know the importance of taking responsibility, and doing good works. However, our best efforts are sometimes not enough and our mistakes appear to set us back. This is why we thank God for His mercy! We don’t want what we deserve! What we want is the mercy and grace of God!

Jesus is our Redeemer, not only on the day we were born again, but every day!

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Seven Principles for Rebuilding Walls in Your Life and Others

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 Bryan Hudson 2 Comments




(NOTE: Link to audio and podcast of this message provided at the end of this article)

Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

The story of Ezra and Nehemiah is a parable for building and rebuilding lives and spiritual foundations. Ezra and Nehemiah are one book in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther all come out of the same general period of Israel's history. In the chronological order in which events took place, Esther actually happened before Ezra and Nehemiah. God used her to set up what happened in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. God raised Esther, a young Jewish maiden, to the throne of Persia as queen as the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia, who was also called Artaxerxes.

Just as Nehemiah was the one who restored the walls of Jerusalem and the morals of the Jewish people in his day, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who can rebuild the lives of all people. This promise of the Lord is sure: ''And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations [Jesus] shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts'' (Haggai 2:7)

Principle One • Care enough to want to do something great
After receiving reports about the condition of the people and walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah became concerned because he understood God’s intended state for Israel. Caring about others, more than for yourself, lays a firm foundation for proper action. Nehemiah prayed and fasted to a covenant-keeping God.

Nehemiah 1:3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven 

You will never rebuild the walls of your life until you first become concerned about the ruins. Have you ever taken a good look at the ruins in your own life? Ruins are evidence of a structure, now broken. Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Nothing can break what Jesus is building, so if it does not look right, that’s because we have let something slip. Like Jesus, Nehemiah saw the true, intended state of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. We must always endeavor to restore and keep God’s intended state for our lives and His church before us. Like Moses of old, all we need to do is build according to pattern.

Principle Two  •  Commit to Prayer
Nehemiah committed himself in prayer. He prayed before doing anything else. He offered a prayer of repentance and dedication.

Nehemiah 1:5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 

Notice this important detail in verse 11:  “O Lord, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who delight to fear thy name; and give success to thy servant today,"

Nehemiah prayed, "...Give success to your servant today…"  Nehemiah formed a plan in his mind, even while he has been in prayer, of how to go about rebuilding the walls. He was already in faith for success in being a major part of doing something great!

Principle Three •  Seek proper authority to act. 
As the king's cupbearer, he had access, but needed FAVOR. Prayer brought the favor to get permission and authority from his king, he went to Jerusalem. Too many people are acting without authority from their pastors, from civil authorities, or others in a position to grant authority.

Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

Principle Four • Come into agreement
The people heard the clear vision, a clear word, and came into agreement. This released corporate faith. Nothing significant can happen without agreement. With agreement, all things are possible! Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matt 18:19)

Nehemiah 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (Rhema, “spoken word”) of God.” 

Principle Five • Don't be surprised by resistance
The “thief” showed up to steal, kill, and destroy! Don't be surprised when opposition and "haters" show up. Sanballat and his crew were determine the maintain the status quo. Not only did they have disdain for the Jews, they had set up shop in the house of God, and did not want to leave.

Nehemiah 4:1-2 (NIV) When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?

Principle Six • Stay out of bad meetings
Went the taunts and distractions didn’t work, Sanballat and crew tried to draw them away into a “meeting.” Don't go to any meeting out of God's will. Going into the wrong meeting will, 1) Take you off your wall and your assignment. 2) It will set you up for ambush, distractions, or worse.

Neh 6:1 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

Principle Seven • Get it done! Make the devil mad!
Experience the benefits of doing the will of God in your life and with others in one accord. Nehemiah and the people got the job done in 52 days! The devil and your haters will become disheartened at your success!

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

Always focus on God and your God-given assignments!
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Listen to my message: "Principles for Rebuilding Walls in Your Life" 

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True Worship: An All Inclusive Lifestyle

Wednesday, August 05, 2015 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments



John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24] God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Worship is an all encompassing, all inclusive experience and lifestyle. It is both spiritual and physical; temporal and eternal. It involves the total person, spirit, soul, body and our possessions. We must challenge ourselves to worship God in fullness.

God expects us to worship Him at two levels at all times: “In Spirit” and “In Truth.”

“In Spirit” addresses the supernatural dimension of our walk with God and the transcendent nature of His presence “In Truth” addresses the practical, everyday actions we engage in obedience to the Truth. Jesus said, “Your Word is Truth.”

True Worship in spirit and truth is shown through giving our three "T's" to God: Time, Treasure, & Talent.

The Apostle Paul confirms this in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (“your act of spiritual worship” -NIV).

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