Author: Charlie Brignac

A new man in Christ is identified by his obedience to God’s commands and by the fruit that he bears.  His life is an expression of the gifts that he has received – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  In everything he does, he shares with the world around him the perfect love and forgiveness that he received from the Father.  He pleases the Father by bringing honor and glory to His name, the name of Jesus and to the Holy Spirit.

One thing is as certain as death and taxes.  We are going to experience trials in our lives.  Some of the trials will be small while others will be so big we will nearly faint.  In each, we must learn to rejoice for trials are God’s way of drawing us close and teaching us His ways.

Through our faith we will have our character built up so that we may become the person God intended us to be.  And as our character builds, our faith will grow stronger to facilitate even more spiritual maturity.

When we are in full submission to Jesus as Lord of our lives, we have prepared ourselves to allow the full power of the Holy Spirit to be released into the world around us.  At this juncture, we are fully capable of doing all that God has planned and willed for our lives.  All we need to do is listen for and respond to the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit.  If we do this, our path will be perfect and our fruit will be plentiful.

When we try to teach, preach or evangelize through our own strength and capability, we will not be successful in delivering the true message of redemption.  The work of revealing Jesus is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit within us.  If we let the Holy Spirit lead us, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be our product.

Fundamentally, it is not our job to convert people.  It is our job to have people drawn to us through our living testimony.  Once drawn to us, then Jesus is revealed to them as the way, the truth and the life.  The conversion of souls is the work of Jesus Christ.  To Him goes all the glory.

We are the vessels of the living water that dwells within us.  We are the lanterns for the light that shines from us.  We are the place that others can go to share in the fruits of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Nothing that flows through us to others is of ourselves.  It all originates from the perfection of the Holy Spirit within us.  Our responsibility is to keep the temple undefiled so that the Holy Spirit can operate freely in our lives.

New government leader, new boss, new co-worker, new neighbor, new acquaintance, new friend – not a single one of them are new in our lives by chance.  God has placed them all in our lives to teach us new things about ourselves. 

It seems impossible that all the people placed around us are there for our good.  But our God is the God of the impossible and He loves us so much that He goes to all lengths to meet our needs.  He places people all around us to mold us into who He created us to be.  Some of the people will challenge us, some will aid us or support us and some will need our aid or support.  All of the people around us can benefit us if we take the time to realize that they are not there by chance.  They are there as part of God’s plan for our lives.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I am not worried, things always work out for the best”?  Whether that person has looked at that statement from a spiritual perspective is unknown.  What is known is that if that person is a Christian, a look back from a spiritual standpoint will reveal the hand of God in each circumstance that “worked out”.

God is faithful to His Word.  In accordance with Romans 8:28,  “And we know that in all things God works for the good<span class="crossreference" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(A)”> of those who love him, who have been called<span class="crossreference" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(B)”> according to his purpose.”  No matter what today looks like, we can trust in The Lord to work out all the details for our eternal good.

When we were without Christ, we were not capable of standing against the powers that sought to destroy us.  In the darkness, we could not see that we were being led into a life that would never be totally satisfying.  We could not understand that by settling for what the world had to offer, we fell short of receiving all the riches of Our Heavenly Father.

But now that we have allowed the light of Jesus to come into our lives, we can see the new man for the first time and see all the potential that he has.  We can understand that our renewal was made available to us through Our Savior.  As we draw near to Him, we realize that He will help us to receive all that Our Heavenly Father has prepared for us here on earth and in heaven.

In the days of slavery, the slave was keenly aware of who his owner was and what his owner expected of him.  When the slave had a good master, he could see the value in the provision he was given in exchange for his service.  The well treated slave often delighted in pleasing the good master.

As Christians, we not only have a good master, but a perfect Master in Jesus.  We should delight in meeting every calling that He places on our lives.

Most diets are built on “dos” and “don’ts”.  Don’t eat this type of food.  Do eat another type.  Don’t eat at certain times.  Do eat at other specified times.  Don’t eat too much of this.  Do eat more of that.  For many this regimen is only sustainable for a short period of time.  Ultimately the diet fails.  The flesh is not capable of overcoming the desire to satisfy self.  The people who win at dieting are generally the ones who diet for a higher purpose than losing weight, e. g., “I want to be healthy so I can enjoy my family more.”  

Similarly, obedience to God for obedience sake is doomed for failure.  Obedience to God based on our love for The Lord and our desire to please Him is the way.  We must learn to lean on His Spirit and not our own.