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.

A Life of Imitation

1 Corinthians 11:1
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he exhorted them to pattern their lives after Jesus Christ.  Paul understood that obedience to a creed simply takes us to a proper and higher level of lifestyle.  Accepting Jesus Christ as Our Savior and patterning our lives after Him will move us toward a level of perfection, holiness and purity that only He could attain and we can begin to approach through Him.

In truth, it is not good enough to be good.  It is not good enough to do great works.  The only thing that we can do that is of any eternal value is to submit our lives to Jesus Christ as Our Savior, to die of self and to take on the spirit of the One who dwells within us.  Anything less than full submission to Our Lord and Master and anything less than becoming imitators of Jesus Christ as His disciples leaves us short of being true Christians.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing the Word to become flesh so that we could see the standard to which we are all called.  May we stand before You one day in the image of Your Son, washed clean by His blood and perfected by His presence within us.  Father God, we pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to become true disciples of Jesus as we spend our time on earth preparing for the glorious day of coming into Your presence.   

Living According to Kingdom Principles

Matthew 5:25-26
Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

In Matthew, we are taught that when we have a debt that needs to be paid that we should try to reconcile with the one to whom we owe the debt.  We will always end up suffering the consequences of the unresolved debt if we do not try to come to terms with our accuser.  We should try to come to terms with the accuser prior to going before the judge.

The same perspective can be applied to sin in our lives.  It was necessary for Jesus to redeem us from our sin debt for there is not a space in heaven where the slightest sin is allowed.  It is our responsibility to try to come to terms quickly with the sin in our lives.

Once we received Jesus as Our Savior, we found it generally easy to turn away from obvious and grievous sin.  It is probable that we have found out that there were areas of sin in our lives that had been hardened prior to our renewal in Christ.   It is even more likely that we have found areas in our lives that are not necessarily sinful, but are separating us from the perfection that we will reach in heaven.   It is in these areas that we find that we continue to struggle.  Thank God that He is so merciful for it is through these struggles the He reinforces our dependence on Our Savior and He draws us closer to Himself and to the time that we will spend eternity with Him. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to spare us from our sin debt.  We thank You for Your mercy as You see us struggle against sin in our lives.  We thank You for Your grace as You provide Your Holy Spirit to aid us in departing from our errant ways.  May Your countenance shine upon as we turn away from our old lives and learn to live according to Your kingdom principles here on earth.

Staying in the Light

Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

It is very important that we confess our sins and repent of them quickly.  We should not hold on to them for any reason – not even to punish ourselves.  We must take God’s merciful grace and cleanse ourselves of our sins.  We must recognize that Jesus Christ has atoned for all of our sins for all eternity.  To hold on to any sin, even its guilt, is to continue to unnecessarily suffer its destruction in our lives.

Once we have cleansed ourselves of our sins through confession, the Holy Spirit will come along side us and lift us to a new, higher level relationship with the Father.  Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  Psalm 32:1-2

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy and Your grace that has provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins and freed from its destructive power in our lives.  We thank You Jesus for settling our sin debt for all eternity.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to uncover all of the sin in our lives so that we may quickly confess it with our mouths.  May we escape the darkness that has overcome us and live in the precious light of Our Savior.

Sharing the Truth

Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

When given the opportunity to share the Good News, we may find ourselves trying to massage the message so that it is more palatable to the listener.  How dare we presume that our words are more pleasing to the lost than the Word of God?

When we are sharing God’s Word with the others, we should speak the truth as it is written.  We are doing the lost a great disservice if we give them anything other than the full truth.  Our words are powerless when they are not grounded in the Word of God.  Yet when we speak under the authority of the Word of God, our words  hold the same truths and promises as the Word of God.  Our words offer hope and assurance for those who are in need.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Your inerrant Word so that we may have knowledge of who You are, so that we may know how much You love us, so that we may know that You have created us in Your image and that You have a perfect plan for our lives here on earth and in Your eternal kingdom.  We exalt You for all the promises that You extend to us in Your Holy Word.  Lord, we pray that You open our minds to receive the truths in Your Word.  We pray that You equip us to share the perfect truth in Your Word with those that You have placed in our lives.   

Above and Beyond the Law

Philemon 1:21
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

Paul wrote to Philemon asking him to forgive his slave, Onesimus, who had run away.  Paul also asked Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ.  The law gave Philemon the right to deal with his runaway slave harshly.  Paul was asking Philemon to go beyond the law and respond with an act of brotherly love.

God’s call on each of our lives is unique.  While He gives all of us the Ten Commandments to follow, He sets aside specific directives for each of us to follow.  He places these callings on our heart.  He wants to see our obedience to Him.  It is for His glory.  It is for the gain of His kingdom here on earth and in heaven.

Although we do not realize it, our obedience is also for our good, perhaps leading us to act in a way that protects us.   The Jews were commanded not to eat pork.   They did not understand the inherent sickness that could overcome them if they ate undercooked pork.  God protected them from this unseen danger through their obedience.  When we follow God’s calling, it is certain that our obedience will provide favor in our lives beyond anything that we see.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for calling us to serve You.  We know that You will provide Your favor and protection when we follow your Commandments and the callings that You place on our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity.  Gracious Father, we pray that Your Holy Spirit reveal to us the areas where You are calling us in obedience to serve you.

Learning to Trust in the Lord

Jeremiah 1:8
“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you”, declares the LORD.

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah to give him confidence.  He assured Jeremiah that he would not be asked to do anything for which the Lord had not equipped him.  The Lord also confirmed with Jeremiah that He would be protected from anything or anyone that tried to come against him.

Surely one of the most difficult lessons that we as believers ever learn is to trust in the Lord in all matters concerning our lives.  Even though the Lord has promised His perfect provision and protection in our lives, we still struggle to live in the fullness of what He has declared.  Sadly, it is a lesson that is probably not fully internalized even up to our death beds.  In troubling times, we just do not allow ourselves to see past our circumstances to receive the grace that the Lord has for us.  How much more joy would we have in life if we just simply put our complete trust in Him?

Prayer,
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the protection and provision that You promise us.  We rejoice in Your unbreakable commitment to Your Word.  We praise You for allowing us to live in Your grace.  We pray, Lord, that You give us the courage to see past our circumstances and the wisdom to know that Your hand will be sufficient for all that we need.  May we find the comfort and the joy that is available only through You.

The Throne of Grace

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Grace is the overflowing favor of God.  This awesome and marvelous gift is always there to be drawn upon.  Prayer is the exercise of drawing upon God’s grace.

The throne of grace is open 24-7.  The line into the throne is prayer.  If the throne is available continuously, why would we only access it at certain times?  If the bank would give us funds at anytime, wouldn’t we run there continuously?  Wouldn’t we run there as often as possible?  Everyone at the bank would surely know us as a regular within their doors.  How can we then miss the opportunity to regularly access the greatest treasure on earth and in heaven – the throne room of Almighty God.

Let us draw upon the grace of God continually through our constant prayers.  For God’s grace not only provides our strength during trial and tribulation, but God’s grace also provides God’s favor in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the constant flow of Your grace into our lives.  Teach us, Father, to come to You throughout the day, not just at certain assigned times.  Show us how to come into Your presence without ceasing.  May we learn to humble ourselves before You endlessly as we come to You in prayer, bringing You the love, the honor and the praise that You alone deserve. 

Dwelling in the Shadow of the Most High God

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

There is nothing on this earth that can conquer us.  What are these things that we struggle with?  Shall our troubles overcome us?  Shall our worries distress us?  Shall our hunger stop us?  Shall our worn clothing deter us?  Shall our enemies harm us?  Shall evil make us fear?  Shall those who persecute us take away our faith?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us.

For no matter what we lose on this earth, no one can separate us from the love of Christ.  His love is so powerful that as all the things of the earth are removed from us, our faith and our joy are often increased.  His victory over all evil is so certain that we share in His conquest.  Satan and his emissaries are doomed to weariness and defeat for the Blood of the Lamb conquers all.  The victory is ours.

Prayer,
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to dwell in Your shadow where we are protected from all that might come against us.  We thank You for providing Your angels to guard us.  We praise the name of Jesus for the victory over all evil that He secured for us on the Cross.  We pray that You teach us how to make You our dwelling place.  We pray for the wisdom to trust in You in accordance with Your promises.  We rejoice in knowing that the victory is ours.

Standing On Watch Against Sin

Mark 14:34
And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”

Through Jesus, we receive the exchanged life of joy for the old life of sin and its miserable consequences.  Jesus paid a great price for our redemption.  He suffered physically, mentally and emotionally to go to the Cross for us.  He knew in advance the bodily torments, the agonizing death and the inconceivable burden of the weight of the sins of all men that He would suffer.  To secure our redemption, He chose the only path that fulfilled God’s plan for our salvation.

Ultimately, we must choose to take up the Cross of Jesus Christ.  We must die to sin.  If we choose the way of Jesus Christ, God’s life lives in us and sin dies.  If choose the way of sin, then God’s life cannot live in us.  This is an impossible decision for our flesh to make on its own.  We must recognize that the power that we receive to overcome sin comes from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit prepares our hearts to receive Our Savior.  Once we accept Jesus, then the Holy Spirit dwells within us.  The Holy Spirit remains on watch with us as we struggle with our sorrows and our sins.

Prayer,
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  We praise the name of Jesus who chose to take all the sorrow and grief that He endured on our behalf.  We thank You for the Holy Spirit who guided us in choosing to accept Jesus as Our Savior, so that we might overcome the sin in our lives that separates us from You.  We pray for wisdom to always seek the strength and the counsel available to us through the Holy Spirit that stands on watch against sin with us.

Judging Others

Matthew 7:2
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

We can be certain that if we have very judgmental natures that we have much to be concerned about in our own lives.  We must be careful not to look upon those around us in judgement.  We must avoid seeking to see the stains of sin in the lives of others so that we might judge them.  

Instead, we must look for the blood of Jesus to cover them so that they may be without the stain of sin before the Father.  As we seek to find Jesus in every relationship, the judgmental nature will leave us.  Our judgmental spirits will be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb that we seek for others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the sacrificial blood of Your Son.  We praise You for the mercy that You have extended to us through Your Son.  We pray that You will shield us from the desire to judge others when You have kept judgment for Yourself.  May we not seek to find sin in the lives of others, but only seek to help others find the forgiveness that is in the name of Jesus.  May we all be judged through the marvelous atonement of Jesus Christ.