Author: Charlie Brignac

I am forever a student of the Word and a disciple of Jesus Christ, finding life applications in Scripture. I write about Christian themes, including bringing others to Christ, the matchless name of Jesus and various spiritual concepts like a penitent heart and overcoming darkness. I focus on Christian teachings, personal faith and reliance on the Holy Spirit. I invite you to read through my daily writings. Think them out for yourself through your study of God's Holy Word. Pray on the meaning of the message. Then let the message come alive in your life.

Humbling Ourselves Before the Gift Giver

Matthew 18:3
Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
What a wonderful time Christmas is to a small child in our culture.  They go to bed on Christmas Eve eagerly anticipating the arrival of the gift giver.  They burst from their beds on Christmas morning knowing that they will find gifts with their names on them under the Christmas tree.  Many of the gifts will be there simply for their pleasure.  Other gifts will be there for their comfort and provision.  They receive them all with great joy.  All the while, they never doubt that the gift giver will provide for them that which they could not provide for themselves.
This is the type of reliance that God wants to see from all of us.  God wants us to rely on Him for everything without ever considering that we could provide for ourselves just as well.  Of course, the gifts that He gives to us are far more valuable than anything we could find under a tree.  Almighty God provides us with the gift of life.  He sustains our lives with every single breath we take.  Along the way, He sees that our pleasures, our provisions and our comforts are taken care of.  Then He provides the greatest gift of all – eternal life in His heavenly kingdom.  All He ever asks from us is to accept His Son as Our Savior.   
As a matter of process, He asks that we love Him and respond to Him like small children.  Small children run to their parents for everything.  Whether they need comfort, provision or direction, they immediately seek the arms of their parents.  They do not question the authority or the power of their parents.  They assume the parents have the power to provide whatever it is that they need or desire.  More than anything else, they do not see themselves as capable of doing more for themselves than their parents could do.  Almighty God wants us to do the same with Him. 
His Son Jesus gave us this instruction in His sermon on the mount. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings and the benefits that we receive as Your children.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to inherit Your kingdom and all of its provision and protection for all eternity.  We pray, Father, that we be renewed in our minds so that we may become as simple, as humble and as teachable as small children.  May we discard forever all the self-seeking lifestyles, distrust and deceit that we learn from the world.  May we walk in the excellence of Our Savior.   We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Perfect Timing of the Birth of Jesus

Galatians 4:4
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.
God does everything in His perfect timing.  He is never early.  He is never late.  He never does anything without first preparing the way.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus was born when He was?  Mankind certainly could have benefitted from His arrival at any point in time.  So why was He born exactly when He was born?
Consider these facts: 
1.    Jesus was born at a time when the whole world spoke and understood one language – Greek.  Even though the Romans had conquered the world, there was not insistence that Latin become the language of the people.  The Greek language, which had been mandated during time of Alexander the Great, remained the prevalent language spoken throughout all of Rome’s conquered territories.  The early evangelists could travel to any point in the Roman Empire, deliver their message in Greek and know that their message would be understood.
2.    The Romans had built a massive road system unlike anything the world had ever known.  As historians like to say, all roads did in fact lead to Rome.  This made it relatively easy, considering travel in those days, for any evangelist to get to any major population group within the Roman Empire.
3.    After the Roman Empire was established, there was worldwide peace for over 200 years.  Again, travel for the evangelists was easier than ever.  There were even Roman centuries posted along the major roadways to insure that there was no impediment to safe travel within the conquered territories.
4.    And finally, we know that the Jews had been dispersed throughout the Roman Empire.  Even though there was no longer a central temple for the Jews, there were active synagogues built throughout the Roman territory.  These synagogues were attended regularly.  They made for easy access points to disseminate the Good News of the Gospel throughout the land.
With all these factors coinciding perfectly, it is remarkable how ideal the circumstances were for the rapid spread of the story of Jesus and His salvation message for all of mankind.  And it was all in perfect accordance with the many prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter.  The arrival of Our Savior was not only perfectly timed, it was a confirmation of the infallible nature of the Word of God.
As we celebrate the birth of Our Savior this Christmas, let us consider in awe that Almighty God was just as purposeful in selecting our time on this earth as He was in selecting the time for His Son.  We were all created for this exact time and place in the history of mankind.  It was no accident.  It was because Our Father in heaven had a specific plan for our lives on this earth and with Him for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us with a sovereign, gracious purpose for our lives.  We bless the name of Jesus for shedding His blood so that we may be worthy to do the things that bring pleasure to You.  We exalt the Holy Spirit for standing by us so that we may overcome our weaknesses.  We rejoice in knowing that Your grace is not bestowed on us in vain.  We pray for the strength to persevere in pursuing Your will for our lives and not our own.  May the fruit of our efforts be for Your honor, Your glory and Your good pleasure.  We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Your dearly beloved Son in whom You are well pleased.

His Living Springs of Love

Psalm 87:7
Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”

Christmas services are so joyous.  The singers, the dancers and all the glorious instruments come together to celebrate the birth of Our Savior.  With all the wonderful old hymns being sung, even the classic lip-syncers like myself can join in with great energy.  It is always a time when the presence of the Lord seems so powerful as God Almighty and His angels come and celebrate His Son with us.

It is a special time in which we can rekindle our love for the Lord.  It is a time that we can recover from the dry times in our lives which the world seems to pile on us through the year.  It is a time in which we can surrender anew to Jesus and tap into His living springs in us.

The surrendering process is not for the proud.  It is a most humbling experience as God reveals to us everything in our lives that is hindering the flow of the living springs of Jesus within us.  And it is generally not the “don’t do” sins that are the most humbling for those who God has called to be His own.  The most humbling experiences come when we find ourselves in dry periods because the Holy Spirit shows us that we are simply falling short of what God has called us to do to please Him.
Jesus only did in His life what the Father called Him to do.  So it will be in our lives if we surrender to the one who indwells within us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us through dry seasons when we are falling short in our efforts to please You.  We thank You that You use these seasons to draw us to the Living Water, Jesus Christ.  We pray that we may bath in the springs of His joy, His peace and His comfort.  We pray that as we experience the fullness of His grace that we may become living founts of His perfect love for those around us.  We ask all these things in the name of the Eternal Spring of Life, Jesus Christ.

He Lifted Up His Son Incarnate

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to earth as a new born baby.  He allowed Jesus to learn and grow in the same way that we learn and grow.  He sent His Son so that the world might be drawn to Him.  He sent His Son as the perfect example of obedience, so that we might understand how to be in union with Our Father in heaven as Jesus was.  

He sent His Son because there is sin in each of us, even the tiniest of which separates us from ever entering into the presence of God.  He sent His Son because only the Cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient to reconcile the separation that is caused by our sin.  Only through Jesus Christ can we have a place prepared for us in heaven for all eternity.  Only by accepting the invitation that Jesus issues when He draws us unto Himself can we receive what has been set aside for us. 

Because Our Heavenly Father loved us so much, He allowed His Incarnate Son to die for us.  He then resurrected Him, making it possible for us to live in union with the Father and the Son for all eternity. He lifted up His Son that we may be lifted up eternally to the Father through His Son.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace that prepares an inheritance for us that we did not earn.  We praise You for Your mercy that spares us from the destiny that we deserve.  We bless the name of Jesus who draws us unto Himself that we might overcome what the world has prepared for us and receive what Our Heavenly Father has prepared for us.  May our gratitude for Your matchless love be expressed in our living testimonies.  May we draw others to the gift of salvation that is offered through Your Son.  May we lift them up just as we have been lifted up by Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.

Self-manipulated Lifestyles that Require No God

Romans 10:3
For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

Most of the Jews at the time of Christ were more interested in an outward show of their piety than to submit to the new freedom and righteousness offered by Jesus.  Jesus offered two commandments.  Love God above all things and love thy neighbor as thyself.  Yet the Jews clung to their traditions.  The Pharisees followed 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions.  There was no room in their lives for the message of the Gospel for it was crowded out by their obstinance in sticking to their own man made laws.  Their lifestyles were dictated by their independence from God.

Move forward some 2000 years.  Our nation was born under a call for fierce independence from a government that wanted to control how individuals related to their Creator.  The early founders, while becoming fiercely independent of England, became fiercely dependent on Almighty God.  But over time, Satan has done his evil work in our nation.  Many individuals in America have become arrogantly and selfishly independent of God.  They have built their lives around self-manipulated lifestyles that require no God and they have fashioned laws to fit their choices.
May we, as a nation, return to the teachings of the psalmist in Psalm 119:33-40 
Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing Your laws on our hearts.  We praise the name of Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.  We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who stands with us to incline our hearts toward the ways of Our Savior and not our own.  We pray, Father, that as You touch our hearts with Your laws that You will also touch the hearts of the leaders of this nation.  May we once again return to be a nation that has its trust in You.  May we once again be a nation whose laws are the same as Your laws.  We ask all these things in the name of the Mediator of the new covenant, Jesus Christ.

For the Good of Those Who Love God

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
As Christians, we all love the promise of Romans 8:28.  We all take great comfort from the idea that all things in our lives are going to work together for good.  We are certain to be very disappointed, however, if we narrowly define “good” in a temporal sense and not in a spiritual sense.  Our frustration will be even greater if we fail to measure the “good” in our lives from an eternal perspective.
There is simply no question that God orders or allows everything in our lives.  To think that one iota of our lives can pass by without Almighty God being in control is heresy.  God created us and wants to use us for His eternal purposes.  He will control every component of the people, places and things in our lives in order to see that we are successful in fulfilling His eternal calling on our lives.  He will measure the good that He provides for us only from an eternal perspective.  If temporal goods help us meet our calling, they will be poured upon us.  If temporal goods become a stumbling block for us, they will be replaced by trials and affliction.  If our trials and affliction work for our eternal good then God will consider them as a good things.
Just as the Father called His Son into service, so does He call us.  The good that God works in our lives will be reflected in the things that He brings to us in order to take us from darkness to light, from bondage into liberty and from the company of sinful men into fellowship with Jesus Christ for all eternity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for setting aside roles for us in Your eternal plans.  We rejoice in knowing that You will work out every single element of our lives in order that we may fulfill the purposes that You have created us to meet.  We pray, Lord, for the grace to be able to live with our focus on our eternal good and the eternal good of those around us.  May the Holy Spirit help us and strengthen us when we weaken because we cannot see the good that You are putting into place for us.  We praise Your Name because we know that Your way and Your work are perfect.  We ask all these things in the name of God incarnate, Jesus Christ.

Satisfaction Beyond Anything the World Promises

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Check out the news.  The foolishness of carnal men and women rejecting the things of the Spirit of God are rampant in our society.  Carnal men and women look upon the things in the Bible as absurd and contrary to reason.  They find the truths in God’s Holy Word to be weak and distasteful.  They are quick to ridicule anything having to do with Jesus and delight in bashing anyone who stands up for their Christian beliefs.

It is easy to see why Jesus said that it was so hard for the rich man to get into heaven.  In his comfort, the rich man feels no need for a Savior.  The rich man finds all of his satisfaction from the things of the world.  Unfortunately for the rich man, he will soon enough find out that the cravings of his flesh will never be satisfied.  His flesh will always demand more than he is ultimately able to attain.
Fortunately for all of us, the Creator placed a void in our hearts that can only be completely and perfectly filled by Jesus.  Nothing of the flesh can bring the satisfaction that is derived from fulfilling the spiritual need that is within us. If we will recognize the folly in our carnal ways and surrender to Jesus Christ as our Savior, we will find satisfaction far beyond anything the earth promises or can deliver.  Only when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to submit to the governance of the King of Kings, and not to the kings of the earth, will we receive the fullness of life that Almighty God planned for us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating a void in our hearts that only You can fill.  We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins so that we can be deemed worthy to become His disciples and live under His Lordship.  We pray, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to see the folly in the things of the earth.  May we live in the fullness of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.  We ask all these things in His Precious Name.

Choosing the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
In Paul’s final letter to the Ephesians, he was making emphatic closing statements.  Paul sought to alert the Ephesians that they had a mighty foe that wished to come against them.  He made it clear that the battles that they would face would not be battles against flesh and blood, but battles against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Paul then emphasized that they had all they needed to stand firm against the enemy.  All they had to do was put on the whole armor of God.

In other words, Paul was making them aware of their choices.  They could choose to fight against the evil and iniquity in their lives through their own strength or they could choose to take up the strength promised to them by their Savior Jesus Christ.  Such is the choice that we have been given.

One of the basic principles of human existence is that God has given us free choice.  Even though He has a specific plan for our lives, He allows us to make our own choices along the way.  Knowing our frailty, God has given us the Holy Spirit to stand with us as we wrestle with all that the enemy brings against us.  God even promised that He will perfect His power in our weakness. 2 Cor 12:9
So why is it that we still wrestle with personal decisions?  These personal decisions that tend to overwhelm us can be made a lot easier to handle if we are willing to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in Truth and we are willing to forego the choice of navigating through the trial on our own.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the weapons that we need to carry us through spiritual warfare and the trials of every day life.  We humbly submit to Your power in our lives.  We ask that the Holy Spirit stand with us against the wiles of Satan so that we may oppose his schemes and resist his temptations.  We pray for the wisdom to understand that we cannot stand against our enemies alone.  May we become victors through Christ Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of the victorious king of kings, Jesus Christ.

Rightly Handling the Truth

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God.  The Bible is a repository of God’s truth.  The truth is held there for us to absorb and apply to our lives.  But we have to persistently study the Word of God to find the truth.  Or as the scripture indicates, we must rightly handle the word of truth.  To rightly handle the word of truth requires study and hard work.  It is good work but it does require industry, diligence and application.  

It is work that cannot be done without the grace of God.  The grace of God is extended to us as we strive to arm ourselves with the truth.  His grace provides the Holy Spirit to insure our understanding of His Word and to show us how to apply it to our lives.  Keenly aware of our need for His truth in our lives, Our Heavenly Father encourages us with the promise of comfort through our struggles when we seek His truth.  He then delivers on His promises by comforting us as He shines divine enlightenment on our lives even when we are going through the darkest of times.  

Through yet another extension of His grace, He will use us to comfort others as we have been comforted.  We will find this play out in every area of our lives.  When we struggle with anything, we might as well look around because there will be someone near us who is struggling with the same thing.  As the Holy Spirit directs changes in our lives through the application of God’s Word, we should prepare ourselves to comfort others with what we have learned and experienced.  As we receive revelation, we should be alert to passing the truth on to others in need.  It is all a part of rightly handling the truth.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, constantly drawing us to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You that Your Word enlightens us and comforts us in our struggles.  We pray, Father, that the Word that we have received from You will be at work within us.  May that good work in us pour forth, as we become founts of the Living Truth for the thirsty that surround us.  We ask all these things in the name of the True Light and the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Living the Life of Riley

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
“What a revoltin’ development this is!” was the frequent line of indignation spoken by Chester A. Riley, the blundering lead man in the early tv show, The Life of Riley.  The line became one of the most famous catchphrases in American culture.  It was so easy for the average American in the 1950’s to relate to Chester’s futile attempts to live the ideal life of leisure and good fortune.
Push ahead 60+ years and we find that we have many of the advancements that Chester was dreaming about and possess even more remarkable discoveries than he could imagine.  But with all the new changes and subsequent benefits, nothing has really changed.  We continue to seek to live the “life of Riley” just like Chester and we continue to experience the futility of it all as we foolishly put all of our trust in ourselves and the promises of the world.
Unlike Chester who was forever bound in futility with no method of escape, we can live lives of complete contentment.  This gift was set aside for us in the last will and testament of Jesus Christ spoken to His disciples before He left them on this earth.  He promised us peace.  He promised us hearts free of trouble and fear.  And He reminded us it is through Him and not through the world that all of this is available to us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us peace of mind that is beyond all human understanding.  We rejoice in knowing that we can escape all the futility of this world by surrendering our lives to Your Son, Jesus.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will teach us to lean on Your ways and not our own.  May we rest on the strength of our faith in You in every circumstance in our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.