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We All Need Friends Who Will Pray Us Through | Stacy Hudson | Better Than Newlyweds

February 29, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

Thursday nights I put on real clothes and sometimes even fix my hair! I don’t wear “real clothes” all day at home with a 10 month old who could dirty my entire outfit without even breaking a sweat! I am usually in sweats! Same thing for the hair. Most days I don’t bother because she is either going to pull it all out or slobber it all up! I put on real clothes and sometimes even fix my hair on Thursdays because I attend a ladies small group Bible study. I sometimes fix my hair because I don’t always get to shower with enough time for it dry and be fixed. On those nights my sunglasses serve as a head band… 🙂 But my friends understand!

One of the awesome things about this group of ladies is that not one of these friends would care if I actually showed up in my sweats! I put on real clothes though because sometimes this is the first time I’ve left the house since Sunday for church… and “real clothes” feel nice. I Love that I get to spend time with these amazing women each week. I Love even more that I get to spend it with them praising and seeking Jesus. He is the center and our reason for meeting.

My husband Loves that I spend time seeking Jesus as well. In the beginning it was hard for me to think about doing it every week… leaving our baby and husband every Thursday. BUT… after my very first time I knew I needed to make this a priority. I knew I was right where God wanted me to be at just the right time. My husband noticed a difference in me as well and always encourages me to go.

This past week our group leader asked me to write a testimony about the group and how it has impacted me. It was originally intended to possibly be read at an event at our church but the event was canceled. However, when I let my husband read it he said I needed to let somebody read it! So, I am sharing it with you here on my blog. Funny thing is that part of it touches on my blog and my fear of stepping out and writing… BUT GOD… here it is:

God absolutely led me to this group. The first time I went was the day I found out my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was pregnant with our first child, her first grand child, and God provided real friendship and support when I needed it most. These ladies, my sisters, prayed with me and for me as if my struggles were their own.

It has been over a year now that I have been a part of this amazing group of ladies and God continues to show up and show off every Thursday when we meet. He has provided the perfect environment for me to grow as a wife and a new mom by investing in my relationship with Him.

Because of this group, and how God has grown me through the Bible studies we have done, I have stepped into my calling as a writer. I feared failure before but God has shown me that if I would just “be with Him” He will “send me out”. ( Mark 3:14 ) He will send my words where they need to be read for His glory! Without the prayers and encouragement of my sisters in Christ… I would still be selfishly keeping my words to myself in fear of rejection. What glory did God get from that?

Mark 3:14

And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,

Are you in a small group? If not, I challenge you to find one to try out. This group has changed my life and I Thank God for them daily. Life is hard. We all need friends who will pray us through. I am better wife and mother for having been a part of this group. My marriage is better also!

In what ways has a small group impacted your life? I would Love to hear your testimony! Comment below.

P.S. My mom is now cancer free living in her dream house loving on her grand baby! Thank You Jesus!

WHEN YOU FEEL GOD ISN’T LISTENING | Better Than Newlyweds | Stacy Hudson

February 8, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

I’ve had moments lately where it felt like God isn’t listening to me. My response (and I think some of you might react the same) was that “that was silly and surely God was listening.” To be sure, I decided to look in the Bible to see if I could find any scriptures about God not listening for some reason and I found a couple right off the bat.

There is a psalm which reads:

Psalm 66:18

18 If I had harbored sin in my heart,
the sovereign Master would not have listened.
If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear (NASB).

This made me start to look inward to see if I had any “wickedness” in my heart or if I had any sins I was hiding away in my heart that I needed to confess to the Lord so he could hear my prayers.

Another verse is even more specific:

Proverbs 1:28-29,

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord.”

It says that those who”hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord” would call on Him but He would not answer. I do not ever want to be the reason God can’t hear my prayers or answer me. He is sovereign so if He chooses to be silent sometimes so that I might focus on Him more or so that I might turn down the noise that can sometimes be my life in order to hear Him… that would be for my good…. which is always His goal…. so I will leave that up to Him.

I continued to search my heart because anyone who would continue in sin does not fear the Lord and surely those who continue in sin do not Love His knowledge.

Those moments when I thought God isn’t listening to me… were all about me.

I took a trip to target recently to get a few essentials (Here in Louisiana that means a King Cake) and maybe clear my head. I turned on the radio. God uses the radio a lot to bring me peace or a little perspective. As I am pulling into my parking spot at Target a song came on that I had never heard. I recognized the singer’s name and knew I Loved all her other songs so I sat in my car and listened. Lauren Daigle – “First” – WOW! It was just what I needed to hear…it was what I hadn’t been doing! It was WHY my day had been so out of wack…. because my priorities were out of wack!

Take a listen and/or read the lyrics at the end of the blog:

When I heard this song…sitting in my car in the Target parking lot… I had to “lift my arms.” It was everything I hadn’t been doing. I was putting myself first… I was rude to my husband… I was angry with God because my prayers weren’t being answered… I was doing all the wrong things if I wanted to have God’s ear.

He has to be first.

Him… not what He can do.

If God never did another thing for me He has already done enough through His Son Jesus.

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God wants us to delight in Him first so He can give us the desires of our hearts.

Psalm 37:4

⁴Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my calling lately too and I’m starting to wonder if we make things more complicated then they need to be…

Mark 3:14

And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,

Maybe our calling as His disciples is simply to “be with Him” and He will send us out to preach/minister.

Be With Him and He will…..

Put you in the right job

Guide you to the right house to purchase

Lead you to the strangers in the store who need to hear about Jesus

Help you be a mother/father

…. the list could go on forever.

Will you put Him first and just be with Him so He can hear your prayers and send you out? @BetterNewlyweds

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Pray with me:

Jesus we thank You for who You are…we thank You for Your patience with us and for Your grace and mercy. We want to know You and to just be with You… help us to do that daily. Help us to seek Your face before Your favor and Your heart before your Help… Forgive us of any sin we have hidden away in our hearts… we want to be like You. AMEN!

First Lauren Daigle from the album How Can It Be

Buy on Amazon | iTunes

Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares
I will lift my arms
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
And seek You

(chorus)
First
I want to seek You
I want to seek You
First
I want to keep You
I want to keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First

Before I speak a word
Let me hear Your voice
And in the midst of pain
Let me feel Your joy
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I speak a word
I will bring my heart
And seek You

(chorus)
First
I want to seek You
I want to seek You
First
I want to keep You
I want to keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First

(bridge)
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
I seek You

(chorus)
First
First
I want to seek You
I want to seek You
First
I want to keep You
I want to keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First
First

Song info:
Publishing: © 2014 CentricSongs (SESAC) / Sony ATV Timber Publishing (SESAC) / Sony ATV Timber Publishing & Open Hands Music (SESAC) / Sony/ATV Tree Publishing & Upside Down Under (BMI) / Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing & Bentley Street Songs (ASCAP)
Writer(s): Words and Music by Lauren Daigle, Paul Mabury, Jason Ingram, Mia Fieldes and Hank Bentley

JUST SAY “THANK YOU” BECAUSE YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE | Better Than Newlyweds | Stacy Hudson

February 1, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Do you believe that?

Someone says “you look great today!” and the person replies “oh my goodness no I’ve got bags under my eyes and this shirt is so old!” Sound familiar? Why do women do this? Whether I am hanging out with family, friends, or even at Bible study… I always hear at least one…usually many more… comments like this!

In a world that fills our heads with ideas of what we are supposed to be… we need to stand firm on what the Bible tells us we are!

¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Does that make you stand up a little straighter? I hope so! This is just one of the many Bible verses that should help us curb our self hate talk.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36

DO NOT throw away your confidence! This means you should have some! And you will need confidence and endurance to accomplish the will of God in your life! Not only that but then you can receive what is promised!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

YOU NEED confidence to draw near to the throne of grace! We all need mercy and grace right?!

I think women (myself included) often times confuse confidence with arrogance. So if someone tells us that we look nice…instead of saying “thank you” we immediately try to “not be arrogant” by insulting ourselves. We all do it! WHY?! I think this is one of the biggest tools the devil uses against women. He sets us up against ourselves and he is free to go attack someone else. After all, if we will insult ourselves for fear of sounding arrogant he doesn’t need to. And yet while we are “not being arrogant” we are actually not being confident! We are also not living up to our full potential in God. The devil knows if he can keep us drowning in self doubt… he has us kept.

The next time your husband gives you a compliment just say “thank you” and maybe give him a kiss on the cheek just to be sweet!
The next time your mom tells you she likes your new haircut just say “thank you” and maybe compliment her as well!
The next time a friend mentions that your hair is long and beautiful just say “thank you” and maybe remind her that she too has beautiful features.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE IMPACT IF WE ALL BUILT EACH OTHER UP?! INCLUDING OURSELVES?!

What if we really believed that we are “FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE”?

The devil wouldn’t stand a chance.

If we were all confident enough to use the gifts and talents God has given us then so many more lives would be impacted. So many more lives would be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! What do we gain by putting ourselves down? I would venture to say only a stiff neck from hanging our heads in self doubt. If we would have confidence in ourselves and confidence in the Lord… we could move mountains!

We are God’s handiwork…His creation…His design… remember this the next time you want to correct someone and tell them that you are too short or that you wish you had different color eyes. GOD MADE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE TO FULFILL HIS PURPOSES. YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. Do not grieve His heart by putting yourself down. Walk confidently in the Lord and hold your head up.

DELIGHT IN THE LORD FIRST | BETTER THAN NEWLYWEDS

January 22, 2016 by Mrs. Hudson

Most of us know the verse that tells us the Lord will give us the desires of our heart… but I think what many of us (myself included) overlook is that we must delight in the Lord FIRST.

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord,” is first. It comes before “and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I do not think this is by chance or accident but that it is written this way. We must first find our delight, joy, peace, comfort, ______ (fill in the blank with whatever you are desiring) in Him… and then He is able to give us the desires of our hearts because… our hearts will have been shaped to His. Our desires will then be for Him… and His purposes. Those are desires He,being a righteous God, can fulfill!

I think we seek the desires part more than the delight part. We say “but I believe so He will give me the desires of my heart like the Bible says.” But we neglect the first part… to delight in Him first. That is like trying to go on a trip to a destination you very much long to be… without putting gas in the car! And then getting mad at the car! We get mad at God for not giving us our desires but we have yet to delight in Him.

What does it mean to “delight yourself in the Lord”? The word delight is defined as:

Let the Lord please you greatly. Let Him charm you, enchant you, captivate you. Let Him Thrill you! What thrills you? Ask the Lord to thrill you today… and to make it clear when that moment comes! Take great pleasure in the Lord! Let Him be your happiness and joy! Let Him fill you with glee!

I don’t know the last time I asked the Lord to delight me. Can you remember when you did it last? But I think He longs to do so.

I can however, remember the last time I looked to my husband to delight me, or my facebook page, or my baby girl, or ______ (I could fill in the blank with so many things!) …I got it wrong. I need to look to the Lord first for my delight… and then get out of His way. 🙂

I challenge you to ask the Lord to delight you…. and then let Him. You will find that is what you actually desired all along.

His Mercies Are New Every Morning | Stacy Hudson

November 14, 2015 by Mrs. Hudson

I don’t know about you but I need to remember that His mercies are new every morning. I try so hard and fail so many times each day that sometimes it is hard to think of myself as a good wife or mom. And that is what the devil wants. I am thankful that I have a sweet husband who, at the end of a long day himself, takes just a moment (as I’m feeding a fussy baby) to tell me “you’re a good momma.” I wanted to disagree with him out loud… because in that moment all I felt like was an annoyed momma! ha. BUT I knew I needed to just keep my mouth shut and let those be the words I hear and not my own telling him he was wrong.

I failed last week at writing this blog. In the past that would have caused me to shut down and avoid posting for awhile. But His mercies are new every morning and I am trying to walk in that. I am trying to do better…to BE better. One of the ways God challenges me and helps me to be better is through my writing. Life is different when it gets written down. Things become more real. Joy is more joyful and sorrow is more sorrowful. And for me, the lessons are more profound. While writing this I am trying to learn the lesson I feel like God is trying to teach me. That just because I failed at posting a blog last week…that doesn’t make me a failure at doing this blog/website. It makes me human. It means that I am a busy wife, mom, daughter, sibling, friend, Bible Study leader, political activist, and whatever other hat I need to wear at the time. I am making more time for the writer hat. And as I figure out how to balance the other 7 hats… the 8th will get a better spot in the rotation. And for those of you who know me well… you know that 8 is my favorite number. 🙂

Don’t let the devil freeze you with the word “failure”… His mercies are new every morning … Thank You Jesus!

Hebrews 10:35-36

What if we really believed that we are “FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE”?

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4