Thought you might enjoy this.

 

 

Bryan Craig

Sigma Sales, Inc.

www.sigmasales.net

918-749-9301 (Office)

918-830-0918 (Cell)

918-749-1827 (Fax)

 

From: Influencers [mailto:information@influencers.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:10 AM
To: bcraig@influencers.org
Subject: Influencers Weekly Devotional

 

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Website    |    Our Story    |    The Journey   |     Resources   |    Community   |    Blog    |    Contact         Influencers Weekly Devotional      Miracles in your own Backyard By Bryan Craig   "But He answered, 'You give them something to eat.'" Mark 6:37               In Mark, Chapter 6, we read an account of where Jesus sent the 12 disciples on a mission trip. He had been teaching them and feeding them for quite some time, but it seems it was time for them to put the teaching into action. He sends them out, 2 by 2, because he knows we all need a "wing man", and he gives them specific instructions. Jesus creates a sense of adventure, as he tells them to take nothing with them on their journey. He implies that everything they need will be provided. It sounds like a great premise for a reality TV show, like the Great Race. It reminds me of times I've gone on a mission trip to a foreign country. Whereas I normally overpack when I travel, when I go on a mission trip, I'm not too worried about what I'm going to wear, and I tend to take the bare minimum. There is also a great anticipation that the Lord is going to show up and do the miraculous. In Mark 6:12, we read that the disciples drove out demons and healed many sick people. When I've been on mission trips, I've seen sick people healed and I'm sure many demons were forced to flee, as we brought the Light of Christ into some dark areas.               Later in verse 30, the apostles get back together with Jesus, and there is a buzz in the air. They are so excited to tell him about their journey, and it seems to be a big celebration. Jesus, the Master, cuts through the excitement and tells them they need some rest. As always, Jesus plans to teach them another important lesson. The disciples go away to a remote place with Jesus, and they want to continue talking about all their spiritual successes on their journey. However, there are many hungry people who find them. These people are hungry, both spiritually and physically. Jesus sees their need, and He has compassion for them. The disciples, who just came back from a ministry trip where they were looking for people to serve, are now oblivious to the needs of the people back home. They actually want Jesus to send the people away. They use the excuse that the people need to go get something to eat.               Jesus, in his stern, yet loving, way, looks straight at them, and says, "You give them something to eat." He lays the burden of the people squarely on the shoulders of his fired-up men, fresh off their miraculous journey. Unfortunately, these men have suddenly lost their spiritual fervor, as they see the situation as impossible. Jesus patiently asks them, "How many loaves do you have...Go and see." They gather 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and Jesus multiplies it to feed 5000 people. I'm sure the disciples stood there in embarrassed amazement. Jesus never stopped loving, and He never stopped teaching.               In this Journey with our Lord, He will send us on some tremendous missions, where we will be used by Him to do some miraculous things. However, most of the work He will do through us is back home, right where He has placed us. There are needs right around us that Jesus sees, which we may be ignoring or to which we are oblivious. However, as we spend time with Jesus, He will open our eyes to see the needs. We may be looking around for someone else to meet the need, but Jesus is saying, "You meet the need." When we start stammering around, making excuses, He says, "What do you have that can meet this need?" What spiritual gifts, what experiences, what resources, what talents do you possess that may be able to meet this need. Bring them to Jesus, as little as they may seem, and let Him multiply them into a solution which will fully satisfy this need. We should expect the miraculous every day, in every way, not just on mission trips, church services, Bible studies and special events. Be careful or you might miss opportunities that God is giving you, right where you are.               About 7 years ago, we met two special kids who were orphans, James and Jamisha. They were 7 and 8 years old. Their Dad had died when they were toddlers, and their Mom had just died of a brain aneurism. The only family member who could take care of them was a 20 year-old half brother. My wife and I became involved with these kids, and we felt God tugging at our heart to consider bringing them into our home. We had 3 daughters at the time, in a 3 bedroom house. We just couldn't see how we could do this, and so, we didn't. We chose to become mentors to them, picking them up for the weekend occasionally, taking them to church, providing for needs. We watched as they were moved around to different living situations with ex-girlfriends of their two half-brothers, sleeping on couches or floors, never really having a home. Meanwhile, I went on on several mission trips, led many Journey Groups, prayed for many people, and was used by God in many ways. Yet, Jesus says to me, "What about James and Jamisha?"               A month ago, we heard that James and Jamisha didn't have anywhere to go. No one really wanted to take care of them. They are now 15 and 16, with only a few years left of high school. We couldn't believe that no one was stepping up to meet this need. Jesus was saying, "You give them something to eat." But now we have four daughters in our same 3-bedroom house, and we're still trying to recover financially from the recession of the past 2 years, and we don't know what this might do to our family dynamic, and we didn't know if there would be a safety issue. The Lord gently reminded us of all the different experiences He had taken us through which prepared us for this. He called us to trust Him with the details and the provision.               James and Jamisha are now a part of our family, and we see miracles every day. We get to feel the special love He has for orphans and for "sheep who are without a shepherd." We feel His pleasure as we meet the needs right around us, which He is helping us meet. We are living by faith like never before. Our girls are getting to be a part of this ministry, learning to surrender their lives to God's greater purposes. There is work involved. Just as Jesus had the disciples distribute the baskets of food and serve them like waiters, we have had a long list of things to do. There are physical, emotional and spiritual needs, all of which have long been unmet. We are tackling these, with God's help, one basket of bread at a time.               For the disciples, this miraculous lesson took place during one meal. However, the spiritual value lasts a lifetime. We pray, that as we meet this need of two of God's children, He will multiply this blessing over and over again into thousands of lives. Look around your life and ask Jesus to show you someone who is hungry or something which needs to be done. He has a mission for you, right where you are. If you answer the call, you will see the miraculous!   Quick Links More About Us

 

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FW: Influencers Weekly Devotional

Thought you might enjoy this.

 

Bryan Craig

Tulsa Men of Christ/Influencers

bryan@tulsamenofchrist.com

918-830-0918

  

 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

 

From: Influencers [mailto:information@influencers.org]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 5:35 PM
To: bcraig@influencers.org
Subject: Influencers Weekly Devotional

 

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Website    |    Our Story    |    The Journey   |     Resources   |    Community   |    Blog    |    Contact         Influencers Weekly Devotional      Flesh vs. Spirit "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."  1 Corinthians 2:14 "God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and truth."  John 4:24 "But our citizenship is in Heaven."  Philippians 3:20 "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."  John 3:5-6 Have you been "born of the Spirit?"  I know all of you reading this have been born of the flesh.  Though you may not be able to produce your birth certificate, if you are walking around in earthly skin and bones, you were born of flesh.  You know the fleshly world.  You have lived in your skin long enough to watch it develop, and you know very well when your fleshly body feels hurt and when it feels good.  As you look around you, you see flesh.  You see others carrying the same flesh around, all dealing with some sort of fleshly struggle. For those who do not know God, all of life is handled from the fleshly perspective.  However, for those of you who have answered the Spirit's call to surrender the flesh and the will over to God, your eyes have been opened to a new world.   All of the sudden, you realize that this fleshly world is temporary and that your citizenship belongs in Heaven, this spiritual place which becomes a reality.  You realize that we are spiritual beings who were made for eternity with our Maker, who is also spiritual. The Spirit calls out to our spirit, and He begins to teach us new things.  He begins to show us that the source of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control is in the spiritual world.  He begins to show us that when we deny our flesh, and give ourselves to our spirit, we find power.  When we read the Bible, the words are no longer ink on paper, but they are a spiritual food which energizes and strengthens our spirit.  When we pray, we are bringing our spirit before the Holy Spirit, uniting the two, so that our spirit becomes like His Spirit. Then, the real struggle begins.  Our flesh reminds us that it is still there.  It says, "Hey, buddy, don't forget about me.  We have a history together.  Remember all the things we've been through together.  Don't leave me behind.  You and I are still one."  And he goes on to remind you of all the things you enjoy and savor and all the things which seem natural to you.  The thought of living out of our spirit and not from our flesh seems a little scary, and we feel a little conflicted.  This is why this faith life is a Journey.  It is a daily walk, step by step.  We must make a choice to surrender our flesh to the Lord.  The Bible calls this "dying to self."  It is only after we get our flesh out of the way that the Spirit has freedom to move in us.  This is why we must start each day seeking the Lord in His Word, allowing His Spirit to prepare us for each day and give us the spiritual perspective we need.    We open ourselves to His plans for each day, instead of asking Him to bless our fleshly plans.  This is why we Pray, so He can inspire our spirits toward the path He has for us, which most often will involve pouring our lives and our gifts into others.  As we live life "in the Spirit", obediently following His flow, we are "abiding" with Him.  When we live life like this, we are getting a taste, or a glimpse, of Heaven. We have to continue living in this flesh, which is deteriorating and fading away, and sometimes our struggle in the flesh can seem like a thorn which won't go away.  The Lord seemingly allows these thorns to keep us dependent upon His grace.  Though in our flesh we deal with temptation, with emotions, with bad memories and with sickness, we must remember that "greater is the One who is us than the one who is in the world!"1 John 4:4  In Him, we find victory, even in this world, in this flesh. Through The Journey, men are finding this life in the Spirit.  They are finding the joy in living for the Lord instead of living for the flesh.  We see men truly finding new life.  They are not perfect, but they care more about what the Spirit wants than what they want.  They are striving, pressing on in the Spirit, toward the prize awaiting them when they meet our King face to face.  It's not about "works"....it's about love, the first fruit of the Spirit.  These men love God, and out of their love for God, they walk in love for those around them.  As a matter of fact, Love is a great word to describe the Spirit world.  For if God is Spirit and God is Love, then the Spirit is Love.  I love the story in Mark 8:22-25, where Jesus healed a blind man.  When He first touched the man's eyes, the man said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."  So, once more, Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes, and it says he then saw everything clearly.  I was touched by Jesus when I was 13 years old, but no one took me on the journey to be a disciple, so my spiritual view was fuzzy.  In 1996, at a Promise Keepers conference, Jesus touched me again, and then, I began to see things clearly.  As I've learned to abide with Him, the things of the Spirit have become vivid and precious to me.  I pray that Jesus would touch you today and open your eyes to His Spirit and to the spiritual world unto which you were born when you gave your life to Him.  I pray you would let His Spirit give new life to your flesh and to your world.  I pray you would follow His Spirit all the way to Heaven. In His Spirit, Bryan Craig  Tulsa, OK         Quick Links More About Us

 

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Joy

Thought you might enjoy this.

BC

 

Bryan Craig

Sigma Sales, Inc.

www.sigmasales.net

918-749-9301 (Office)

918-830-0918 (Cell)

918-749-1827 (Fax)

 

From: Influencers [mailto:information@influencers.org]
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 3:15 PM
To: bcraig@influencers.org
Subject: Influencers Weekly Devotional

 

Website    |    Our Story    |    The Journey   |     Resources   |    Community   |    Blog    |    Contact         Influencers Weekly Devotional   Joy      "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy..." Galatians 5:22 "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." Psalm 51:12             Joy is one of the smallest words in the Bible, but one which has so much power. Joy is a characteristic which should be evident in the life of every believer, yet it seems to elude most of us. However, those who seem to be living the victorious Christian life exude it. It is such a simple thing, but for some reason, difficult to discover.             I think I know why. We have settled for a counterfeit version of joy which the world has sold us. Satan, the "prince of this world", has craftily twisted joy into something it was never intended to be. For example, "happiness" is not joy. Everyone wants to be happy. It feels good to our senses to be happy, so our "happy place" is somewhere we long to visit time and time again. We look for people and situations which will make us happy.          "Pleasure" is not joy. We seek pleasure most every day of our life. We seek it in sex, we seek it in alcohol, we seek it at spas, and we seek it on vacation. Again, when our flesh is aroused and certain endorphins are released, we feel good. So, we naturally desire pleasure.         "Success" is not joy. Everyone in this world esteems success. Whether it is the lifestyles of the rich and famous or achievement at its highest level, we all love to see a "winner." We adore athletes, movie stars, politicians, and all people who seem to have conquered life and who find their way to big stage. We stand in awe of millionaires and wonder what it would be like to live their life. We will work endless hours, manipulate whomever we must, and compromise our morals and ethics all in the search of the "American Dream." We even see this drive for success being passed down to our children as little boys are being pushed in sports to an unhealthy level, all in the hopes of some Father that his son is the next rich professional. We see schools loading kids down with endless amounts of homework, all in this never-ending quest for excellence. We have fallen for a lie.             The problem with the world's counterfeits is that they are all temporal. Whatever satisfaction they may bring to our flesh, and even our spirit, does not last. It quickly fades away, and we're left feeling empty and betrayed. Yet, we usually repeat the cycle, returning to the same vain pursuit. What we are really longing for is Joy.             Joy comes from God. God is eternal, and He has an endless supply joy to give. It never runs out, and it is available to all of His children. It is always there within us by His Spirit, but I'm afraid that when our focus is on the world, joy gets pushed back into the recesses of our spirit. When we finally surrender ourselves to His will and let go of our desires for the things of this world, joy begins to flow back into our lives. It is so much sweeter and more fulfilling than anything Satan is selling. When we discover it, we find freedom. We find contentment. We find peace. We find rest.             Now that I've said what joy is not, let me try to paint a picture of what I think joy IS:             Joy is considering others before considering yourself. Joy is a loving commitment to your spouse. Joy is spending time with your children, giving them your full attention, enjoying them. Joy is reading and meditating on God's Word, finding personal nuggets which penetrate your heart.             Joy is prayer, praising God and interceding for others. Joy is a grateful appreciation for God's creation, whether it be the endless ocean or the majestic mountains or your own backyard. Joy is new birth. Joy is forgiveness and reconciliation. Joy is giving money to someone who doesn't necessarily deserve it. Joy is laughter which is not at the expense of another. Joy is contentment. Joy is integrity and honor. Joy is using your spiritual gifts. Joy is trust.   Joy is hope.   Joy is love.               There are many more example of joy, and those of you who have discovered it could list them. For those of you who don't feel very joyful today, I pray you will examine your life and ask the Lord to show you what's keeping you from it. He wants to give you joy. He loves you, and He has far better things planned for you than you have for yourself. Many blessings to you, my friend, on your Journey to Joy. Bryan Craig                                                  Quick Links More About Us

 

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Are you Superman?

Are you Superman…if so, get ready!

 

            Most everybody loves the Superman comic book story, and I particularly love the Superman movie made back in 1978.  I was only 12 years old, and I can remember seeing this story on the big screen.  It captivated my imagination and my heart.  As I have become a man and as I have become a disciple of Christ, I have drawn so many spiritual parallels from this movie. 

            Clark Kent, a young man, one day discovers his true calling in life.  He realizes that he is not from this world, and as such, he has powers and vision that are not from this world.  He leaves his life of obscurity in the farmlands of Kansas and moves to the battlefield of the big city.  However, before he goes into battle, he spends significant time with his Father from the other world, learning and preparing himself.

            My favorite part of the movie is when he unveils himself and lets the world know he is Superman.  He first rescues Lois Lane, and then he goes out all night, flying, scanning the horizon for people in need of rescue and for evil men in need of correction.  It is a glorious night as he lives out the life for which he was sent to earth.

            However, it is only now, that he has set his life in motion, that he draws the attention of Lex Luthor.  Lex reads about him in the newspaper, and suddenly, hatred and jealousy fill his heart.  He then sets out to destroy Superman.  It is only Lex Luthor who studies Superman to find his weaknesses and who will expose them if he can.  Lex understands Superman’s world and he knows his past, so he knows how to fight him.  Thankfully, we all know that Superman wins the battle in the end.

            All of this reminds me of the life of man of God.  One day, God opens a man’s eyes to the reality that he was made to do great things and to know that he has great powers at his disposal.  He realizes he does not really belong to this world anymore.  He is an alien and a stranger here; his citizenship is in Heaven.  However, God has plans for him on this earth.  The more time he spends with his true Father, the more he will ready himself for the battle.  When this man puts his faith and his power into action to help this world in need, he will draw the attention of his enemy.  All of the sudden, the Devil begins to scheme at how he can take this man out.  He will use the man’s past against him if he can.  He will try to use spiritual weapons to fight this spiritual man.  He will try to discredit him with the public.  He will try to force him into difficult decisions where there are no easy answers.  He is a formidable foe. 

            Every man of God needs to know this.  He must be prepared for the battles by spending time with the Father.  He must take up God’s Word, which is his Sword of the Spirit, the only offensive weapon in the spiritual man’s arsenal.  He must realize that his battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  He must join forces with other men of God who understand the nature of the battle, for together, they will form an even mightier force.  He must always remember that greater is the One who is in him than the one that is in the world.  If God is for him, who can be against him?

            If you are a man of God, you are a Superman!  Now, go live the life you were meant to live.

 

 

Bryan Craig

Tulsa Men of Christ/Influencers

bryan@tulsamenofchrist.com

918-830-0918

 

    

 

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