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.

My Soul Waits for You, Lord

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

There is all-sufficient fullness in Our Savior.  He is able to meet every single need of each and everyone of us. As He pours Himself out to us, His storehouse remains full of loving kindness, mercy and grace.  His fount is always open to those who wait on His promises.  

Why then would we choose to run ahead of Him?  Why would we choose to turn to a deteriorating world that is always in short supply when it comes to meeting our real needs?  Why? Why? Why?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the all-sufficient Savior that You have given us through Your perfect love and forgiveness.  Our souls wait for You, longing for Your gifts of grace and the evidence of Your power working in our lives.  Strengthen us Lord through our trials and afflictions. We look forward to Your deliverance in accordance with Your good and perfect plans for our lives.

The Promise of His Word and the Power of His Presence

2 Timothy 2:1

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote to his helper, Timothy, to prepare him for everything that the world was going to throw at him.  Paul alerted him that there would be many trials that he would endure.  He encouraged him by reminding him that he would be strengthened by the One who sent them out to preach to the people.  Paul exhorted Timothy to rely completely on the grace of God and not to turn to his own ways to find his strength.

As we find ourselves challenged by life, we can be comforted by Paul’s instruction to Timothy.  Jesus Christ never leaves us.  When we turn to Him for our direction and our strength, our path is secure.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing our understanding of who You are through the teachings in Your Holy Word.  Raise up a desire in us to devour Your Holy Word so that we may find the comfort, peace and strength that we need in our lives daily.  Free us, Lord, from our inclinations to rely on ourselves instead of Our Savior.

Slaves to the One that Strengthens Us

1 Corinthians 10:12

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

The Christian’s security against sin rests in Jesus Christ alone.  He provides ample supply of the oil that we need for our lamps to light our way.  He gives freely of the strength that we will need to overcome the callings of our flesh.

It is our responsibility to maintain the flow of His strength in our weakness.  The “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon, offers the following guidance for maintaining our strength in the Lord:

Be much more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for promising to perfect Your strength in our weakness.  We thank You that You will never allow us to be tested beyond the strength that You provide.  We pray that You will show us how to draw near to You through our prayers, our worship and our study of Your Holy Word.  Help us to be constantly vigilant that we are slaves to Our Lord and not to our flesh. 

The Exchange for a New Life

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God’s immeasurable, inexhaustible, divine love was required to save a sin ravished world.  He gave His Son, Jesus, to be the Prophet, the Priest and the King for all mankind.  

In order to avoid eternal damnation for our sins, we must submit to Jesus Christ as our teacher, our ruler and Our Savior.  Our duty is to proclaim His name.  Our benefit is everlasting life in His Kingdom.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us.  He is asking us to sacrifice our old lives in exchange for a new life under His stewardship.  There is really no sacrifice on our parts.  What we receive is eternally greater than what we leave behind.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a way for us to escape eternal damnation because of our sins. We thank You for providing Your Son as our sacrificial lamb and as our living, ever present Good Shepherd.  We humbly submit to You all that we are and all that we have in the name of Jesus Christ.  May the presence of Your Holy Spirit strengthen us as we walk the pathway of sanctification that You have set aside for us.  We rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand before You in the image of Your Son.

All for the Glory of God

Mark 10:12

Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young man came to Jesus to inquire how he could inherit eternal life.  The young man proclaimed knowledge of the commandments and his complete compliance to the commandments, assuming this to be enough.  Jesus responded, 
“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 
 The young man could not part with the things of this world.  He chose the world over the kingdom of God.

Our Heavenly Father has nothing against our possessions or our money.  Abraham, Moses and David all had great wealth.  Yet they all did what God asked them to do.  They placed their relationship with Almighty God above all else.  They used their wealth to help meet the needs of their people so that God would receive the glory.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provision that You have given us.  We pray that You will show us how to exalt You each day above all the things of the world. We ask that You teach us how to use the provision that You have given us to meet the needs of those around us.  May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom.

Waiting on Your Vision

Acts 26:19

And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.

The apostle Paul was brought before the Judean Monarch, King Agrippa, to defend himself and his gospel.  In his defense, he told the king why he was doing what he was doing, “I obeyed the vision from heaven.”

Paul was not driven by a well thought out plan based on practicality or his own competence.  He went out and proclaimed the gospel against all hindrances imaginable, many of which could not be overcome without the hand of God.  He also went where God told him to go at the time that God told him to go.

Paul is our model for following visions.  We should move forward without regard for our own capabilities for God always provides what is needed to complete His good work.  We should not rush ahead in consideration of our current skills and circumstances.  We should only move when and where He urges us to move.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You allowing us to serve You.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity.  We pray that You will show us Your plans for our lives.  We ask that You teach us how to turn to You alone for our direction.  We ask that You teach us how to wait on You to prepare the way before we move.  

Welcomed Light in a Hardened World

2 Timothy 4:1-2

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word;

Jesus Christ, the Living Word, came to earth to teach us about God and to reveal the salvation plan.  A large portion of His message was presented through the way that He lived and loved among the people.  He used His miracles to exhibit His love and to gain attention for His message – especially for those that would not listen to His message otherwise.

So it is with us.  Because most of the world now has hardened hearts for the spoken Word, we must draw them to the Word by the way that we live our lives.  Once we become a welcomed light in their lives, we can reveal the gospel to them.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the living presence of Your Son in our lives.  We pray that we may become broken vessels, surrendered to You, so that the world may be drawn to us by the Light that lives within us and shines forth from us.  Once they have come to us, we pray that You give us the strength and the boldness to proclaim the gospel.  

Joining Christ on the Cross

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When we accept our salvation, we join Jesus Christ in crucifixion.  Just as He accepted death on the Cross to wash away our sins, we accept the crucifixion of our own flesh to set aside our old nature and take on the nature of the One who dwells within us.  Our new nature rises through the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us victory over our sin stained flesh.

Unfortunately, our flesh does not go without a fight.  It is only by the grace of God that we are able to relinquish our old lives in exchange for our new lives in Christ.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new lives that You have given us through the sacrifice of Your Son on the Cross.  We pray that You will show us the nature of Your grace.  We pray that You will give us the wisdom to toss aside any claim to our own merit and the faith to rely solely on Your grace.  

Following the Way, the Truth and the Life

John 6:67

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

After teaching a particularly difficult lesson, a number of Jesus’ early disciples turned away from following Him.  At that point Jesus inquired of His apostles, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

Today there are many churches teaching their own version of Scripture.  They choose not to follow God’s Holy Word as it is written.  In effect, they are walking away from Jesus because the lesson is too hard for them to follow.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your inerrant Word for us to follow.  We pray that You enlighten us.  Open our minds so that we may understand the exact standard to which You are calling us.  Perfect Your strength in our weakness so that we may be steadfast in following the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus.

What Challenges Will Life Bring Today

Romans 8:37

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

What challenges will life bring today?  Will they be in the form of tribulation, distress or perhaps persecution?  It matters not for we are more than conquerors through Our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

In the midst of all these things we will rise up and find joy.  The undaunted presence of Jesus Christ makes the world’s challenges impotent.  No thing nor no power can put a wedge between us and the love of God that provides our resilience. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for liberating us from our present sufferings by providing the hope that comes from the freedom and glory that has been set aside for us.  We pray for the courage and the strength to face and defeat every trial that the enemy throws our way.  We rejoice in knowing that the victory is ours because it was first won on the Cross by Your Son, Jesus.