Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

Philippians 3:14, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

There is always something valuable for you ahead. This is why we “press,” not in forcing anything, but staying in position through diligence. There are three elements that keep your heart prepared for empowerment.

1. Training in understanding and wisdom

Proverbs 1:2,To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel

Wisdom is knowing the best paths. Understanding is knowing the meaning of things. You gain wisdom and understanding by learning from God and key people in your life.

2. Receiving the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Nothing is more empowering than encountering the Source of power, God’s Spirit. In essence, we are spirit beings, so your intellect and skills require the support of the Holy Spirit to maximize your wellbeing and effectiveness.

3. The Call of God

Acts 26:16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.

Ministers are not the only Christians who are called by God. Everyone of us is “called” in the sense that we have specific purpose in life and service within God’s kingdom. The Apostle Paul was the worse kind of enemy against Christ’s church before his conversion. It is ironic and fitting that a man who was a fierce enemy of Christ and God’s people became the greatest Apostle.

Reflection Question: What is your understanding of your training, relationship with the Holy Spirit, and God’s call on your life?

Key insight I gained today:

Today’s action item based on insight:

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Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Persistence Definition: Firm continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. The quality that allows someone to continue doing something even though it is difficult or opposed by negative factors.

Few things sap your energy, motivation, and power to take action more than weariness of body and mind.

It is well known that a lack of proper rest is a major contributor to emotional and physical distress. The physical aspects of tiredness are obvious, but the emotional and spiritual aspects of a lack of rest are less obvious. What is at stake is your willingness to keep on “doing good.” In a world full of takers and people needing empowerment, we need those who give and empower. We need you, if you’re one of those people who give.

Persistence is more than not quitting. Persistence is maintaining willingness--which is not as easy as it seems.

We persist and maintain a spirit of willingness in three ways:

Prayer: Communication with God, empowerment for people, influence over circumstances

Personal Power: Your ability to influence or change an outcome.

Purpose: Fulfilling your assignment(s)

On the matter of prayer, Jesus taught in Luke 18:1, Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

In this story, God is not the stubborn, unjust judge. He is exactly the opposite. We should identify with the widow who knew she had every right to come and expect help.

In the end, the challenge is not about the willingness of the judge or God. The challenge is found in our willingness to be persistent and personal with God.

Reflection Question: What does persistence look like in your life today?

Key insight I gained today:

Today’s action item based on insight:

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Philippians 2:5 (NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor.

“Cultivate” is a farming term. Because attitudes “grow” we have to pay attention to factors that affect our attitude and cultivate a better attitude.

• A good attitude will not always change our circumstances, but it will always change us. ~ John Maxwell

• What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. ~ Charles R. Swindoll

Attitude is your internal disposition.

Your attitude is your inward disposition toward other things, such as people or circumstances. As with an airplane, attitude is adjusted to keep the flight level. In a similar way, we pay attention to our “attitude-level” in life. For example, anger, resentment, disobedience to God and unresolved conflicts create imbalance in our lives. Our attitude, in terms of what others see and experience from us, arises from our inward disposition towards God and people.

According to God’s word, when you became 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)

What we see and experience from others may be a reflection of his or her attitude, but don’t make the mistake of judging people from outward appearance. I have a friend who seems to be overly serious. One day I learned that he lost two sons in a car accident. This tragedy happened a long time ago and it obviously changed his life. He does not lack joy and I know first hand that he enjoys life.

Some people, like the Apostle Paul in his day, have been challenged and empowered by circumstances in unusual ways. He wrote:

1 Corinthians 13:11, When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1 Thessalonians 5:6, Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Reflection Question: What “attitude-level” areas need adjustment in my life?

Key insight I gained today:

Today’s action item based on insight:

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Colossians 1:9-11 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.

God thought about us before we thought about him.

Everything that empowers you came from the heart of God and other people. All of our blessings have come because of God and other people. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of things natural and spiritual form the basis of empowerment.

The root of the word “empower” is “power” which is: “The ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.” Our education through schools is the most obvious form of empowerment. We cannot conceive of not being able to read and write, because others who were previously empowered made it their priority to empower us academically.

Power has to be gained, learned, imparted, or received from God and others. This is the basis of being empowered. The prefix “em-” or “en-” before an English word means, “in, into, within, inside.”

Empowerment defined: The process of helping others obtain opportunities, develop skills, and gain self-sufficiency. Empower is an instance. Empowerment is a process.

The power and ability that is available to people lies outside of themselves. God and other people must act to empower or move that power and ability from outside of people to inside of people. This is the whole purpose of child training, education, and spiritual growth.

People who empower others care as much about others as they care about themselves. God cares for people most of all and His love is the motivating power behind empowerment. The most empowering people in your life are parents, teachers, preachers, public servants, mentors, employers, and coaches, and people who fulfill similar roles in your life.

Where would you be today without God and the people who empowered you?

Reflection Question: What and who are my sources of empowerment?

Key insight I gained today:

Today’s action item based on insight:

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John 8:31, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Say this out loud: “In Christ I am free indeed and free forever!”

Freedom is a treasure and a legacy. It is a treasure because it is valuable. It is a legacy because we did not create it, we only inherited freedom. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. We have the responsibility to live a certain way and we have the responsibility to share our blessings with our family and with others.

When Jesus says He makes us “free indeed” He is talking about freedom in the total sense, at every level. The word “indeed” means: Truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended, fictitious, false, conjectural.

God’s word provides the basis and operating manual for freedom of the spirit and soul.

Psalms 119:98, Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.

Many people are not living in freedom at the foundational level because they have not experienced freedom indeed through Christ.

There is a catch: With freedom comes responsibility. It is our faith followed by actions that determine if we are experiencing God’s best. Everything we enjoy may not always be God’s best for us.

Looking again at our text in John 8, notice how the Jewish people responded to Jesus’ statement about truth and freedom, They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” (v. 33)

They felt that their religious and racial affiliation with Abraham was enough. They reasoned they already possessed all the truth and freedom they needed. We don’t want to make that same mistake in leaning only on our feelings, on mere religious traditions, or what our society defines as freedom.

To be “free indeed” requires a Savior. Jesus is the beginning of true empowerment and association with God’s brand of truth and freedom.

Reflection Question: What have I substituted for the true freedom that only Christ can give?

Key insight I gained today:

Today’s action item based on insight: