Influencers of the Central Valley

​ Riddles of the Wise OUR DAILY INFLUENCE M onday Devotion The path of a full life “The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:1-7 ESV The path of an empty Life Do not be enticed by sinners (world) “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to e...

Two common traits are found in a man drawn to be an influencer for Christ. First, he comes to a point in his life where he has or is willing to surrender all control to Christ alone. This man has found that all he has accomplished, all he has strived for, and everything he has set out to overcome by his own determination and grit have left him feeling empty, lacking, and discontent. The harder he leans into himself, the harder the enemy pushes back. When he thinks he is doing right, it is wrong. When he finds a solution based on his own understanding, the solutions end up backfiring or crumbling to the ground like children's toy blocks stacked one too high. Every day is Russian roulette in his successes or failures. He often comes home empty, but he lets no one know. His relationships with others are okay, but not deep in their common desire, nor are they truly authentic enough to confide in. Everything in his life is at a surface level, and he is momentarily satisfied with the fac...

Warriors in Prayer- Our Daily Breath How important would prayer be if every single day, when your eyes open from sleep, you had 60 seconds to acknowledge God and ask for the ability to breathe for that day? If you failed to do this, you would suffocate and simply die. It's an extreme and provoking thought. Except it's not too far off from the reality of how detrimental our lives depend on God and what He has to sustain us in our daily lives. Satan loves to work alongside our fallen nature; he loves to support and help justify all the reasons and excuses for placing God on “standby” or putting Him “on hold.” Satan knows all he has to do is distract us, and we will soon forget, only to remember too late in the battle of the day. Could you imagine the feel of complete terror and desperation to run into a battle and suddenly be surrounded by the enemy, then, with complete confidence, reaching for your weapon and realizing you left it back at camp? Prayer is no different. Train your...

Men of God Monday thru Friday Devotions Perfection is in the Proof “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than...

​ People will often say that you just need to pray. Sounds easy, but for some, it's not. Praying is personal, intimate, and involves being vulnerable. Many men are not comfortable being in a position that exposes those characteristics in communicating with God or anyone else, for that matter. Learning to pray is learning how to communicate the expression of oneself to another. This is one of many weapons the enemy wields against God's warrior. To eliminate a warrior of God is to eliminate all communication with other warriors and with his commander-in-chief. This is a great strategy on the enemy's part. He isolates his opponent, causing the warrior to have no backup and exposing him to an ambush. This is one of Satan's most effective weapons that he uses against men. Not only is it effective in destroying the relationship with God, but also in destroying the relationship between a warrior's spouse, children, and others in his life. As a man who desires to be closer ...

  SINNING FOR THE FIRST TIME A month ago, my father sent me a verse he had come across during his studies, which stood out to him and he wanted to share with me. The verse is in Hebrews 8:12, which says, 'For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.' I couldn't shake the last part of the verse, “and I will remember their sins no more.” I know God doesn't forget, and knowing this made the verse stand out even more. It's not that God actually forgets our sins; it's that He has the ability to never recall them, use them against us, or hold them over our heads. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. He also says in Micah 7:19, 'I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.' From those verses, we can make this statement: Each time we come to God in repentance of our sin, He demonstrates true and perfect forgiveness, seeing it as our first...

   READ-BE INFLUENCED-BE INFLUENTIAL                                           PSALM  20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!     May the name of the God of Jacob protect you, 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary     and give you support from Zion! 3 May he remember all your offerings     and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah 4 May he grant you your heart's desire     and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,     and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! 6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;     he will answer him from his holy heaven     with the saving might of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,     but we trust in the name of th...