Brigette Wagner Ministries

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

Becoming a new creation in Christ is an awesome, unexplainable journey that starts right where you are when you repent of your sins and ask Christ into your heart and continues until the day you meet Jesus face to face!

The most amazing thing is that His grace cannot be earned or bought! It cannot be obtained by bartering with God, giving huge amounts of money away, serving on a committee in the church, singing in the choir or worship team, operating in the gifts of the Spirit, or even being the pastor of a church.

His grace is a free gift that covers a multitude of sins!

Salvation, though, is only the beginning. From the moment we give our hearts to the Lord, He begins working in us and through us for His glory. He molds us and shapes us, forming us into that which He created us to be.

As we mature in Him, we learn [or should learn] to renew our minds, re-train our emotions, and re-direct our wills by allowing His Word to infiltrate our being and change our lives. Some areas in our lives take a little more work and a little more time than others; but the goal is to keep pressing forward.

When we fall, we must quickly get back up and try again. When we fail, we must learn from our failure and turn it into success. When we feel defeat, we must hold firmly to the Word of God and shout forth His promises!

Gordon Mote sings a song, “Carry Me Away”, that is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard:

If I was more like You, I would change the way I live. I’d be so slow to anger, a little quicker to forgive. I’d never worry about tomorrow. I’d be more thankful for today. I’d find joy among the sorrow; and let it carry me away.

If I was less like me, I’d find my strength in loving You. I’d be as mighty as a river, and as gentle as the morning dew. And I would walk into the fire, though my feet were made of clay, find the path of God’s desire; and let it carry me away.

And in times of despiration, when I’m weary and afraid, I would cling to my salvation; and let it carry me away.

If you’ve been struggling lately in any area of your life, let me encourage you today: Take it to the Lord and let Him “carry you away”. You’re a new creation. He loves you! He cares for you! And He accepts you just as you are! Trust Him to mold you and shape you for His glory!

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 “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.”  ~Song of Solomon 2:15 (NKJV)

The Message Bible translates the above Scripture like this:  “Then you must protect me from the foxes, foxes on the prowl, foxes who would like nothing better than to get in our flowering garden”.  (emphasis added)

Picture with me, if you will, a beautiful grape vine, filled with large, lucious, juicy grapes.  It looks so inviting…so tempting…so delicious!  By simply looking at it, you are absolutely certain that the grapes on that vine will be sweet and pleasant!  You can hardly wait to enjoy the fruit, but the time has not yet arrived to pick it from the vine.  So you wait……

A few days later you return to the vine and find that it’s branches have begun to sag.  Some of the branches have been pulled away from the life of the vine, and the fruit is beginning to rot.  But you are certain the branches left will be fine; and you’ll have sweet, juicy grapes to eat very soon.  So you wait…..

Week after week you return to the vine.  Each time you return, more branches have been pulled down, more fruit is rotting, and the vine, which once was healthy and thriving, is now beginning to die.  You can’t figure out why, so you watch and wait…..

In your waiting, you begin to see little foxes coming out of the woods, jumping up to get the fruit from the vine.  They are so small, however, that they cannot reach the fruit without pulling at the branches.  They jump and pull, tearing the branches from the vine – one branch at time.  Then you understand…..

You see, it’s not the adult foxes that destroy the vine – they are tall enough to reach the fruit.  It’s the little foxes, tearing at the vine, a little bit at a time that finally destroy it and cause it to die.

It’s like that in our daily lives!  Little by little the enemy comes “to kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10).   At first, we recognize the attack and overcome it.  Then he comes again, from a different direction with a different situation.  We become a little frustrated, but we overcome. 

Again and again he comes.  Day after day, week after week, month after month, the “little foxes of life” tear at our emotions, finances, relationships, health, etc.    The attacks keep coming, and the ”little foxes” keep “jumping up and pulling at our branches”.  Finally, we find ourselves feeling tired, weary, worn, and alone and realize our joy is gone, our purpose is gone, and our victory has been stolen! 

Maybe you feel like you’ve been attacked from all sides in recent weeks, months, or even years.  Maybe you’re simply going through the routine of life in total defeat.  The enemy has lied to you and told you that no one cares, God has deserted you, and you’re all alone.  Let me encourage you today:  You are not alone!  God has not deserted you!  The remainder of John 10:10 says this: “…I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly [overflowing, more than you've ever dreamed of, excessive, more than enough].”

Stand on God’s Word and keep pressing forward.  Don’t allow the “little foxes of life” to keep you from your destiny.  Victory is yours today!  Believe it!  Receive it!  Achieve it!

  “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much….”  ~Luke 7:47  (NKJV)

The room was filled with people, watching and waiting to see what she would do.  As she bowed down at the feet of the Master, weeping at his feet and wiping them with her hair,  judgement and disdain arose in the hearts and minds of those witnessing this event.  Extravagant, costly oil was poured out from a little alabaster box onto the feet of Jesus (by a woman known to everyone as the town’s harlot).

What was she thinking?  Didn’t she know how valuable this oil was?  Why didn’t Jesus rebuke her and cast her away?  She was a “woman of the night”.  She had no right even being there!  Or did she?

As many judged her actions with a wrong spirit, Jesus looked at her with  love, compassion, grace, and mercy.  He knew her past.  He knew everything about her.  But in that most sacred moment, He looked deep into her heart and saw her pain, her rejection, her fear, and her sorrow.  He understood that her desire to honor Him and receive his forgiveness was greater than the cost of that precious flask of oil. 

The Message Bible says, “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful”. 

Most of us can look back over our lives and see the great need we have in our own lives for God’s continual grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  We believe the Word which tells us our sins are forgiven and cast into the sea of forgetfulness.  We want that forgiveness from our Lord!

Many times, however, we are unwilling to grant that to our “brothers and sisters”.  Christ said that we must forgive in order to be forgiven.  So I ask you today, what are you holding on to that sparks unforgiveness in your heart? 

Has someone you love hurt you or disappointed you? 

                      Are you angry at God because He hasn’t answered your prayer the way YOU thought He should? 

Are you frustrated with your circumstances?

First, in the 38 years I’ve lived on this planet, I have learned that MOST people do not intentionally hurt others.  Usually, offenses are a result of miscommunication or a simple misunderstanding. 

Second, God sees and knows that which we cannot see or understand.  Therefore, His answers to our prayers aren’t always what WE THINK they should be.  BUT they are ALWAYS for our good and His glory.

Finally, God + You makes a majority!  Keep your eyes on the Master and your circumstances will not overwhelm you!

If you need forgiveness today, let me encourage you:  Go the Master.  He is always quick to forgive.  Nothing you’ve done is too much for His grace!  On the same token, if you need to forgive, do it quickly!  I promise you:  You will feel His freedom when your heart is clear.

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“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”  ~John 15:2

I  remember as a little girl going to my uncle’s house to pick grapes from his  “plentiful” grapevine.  His grapevine was stationed high above the ground; and you could walk underneath it to pick your grapes.  In season, it would be  filled with lots of large, juicy grapes which were  always so wonderfully sweet and plump!

As I studied John 15, I began to ponder:  “What was it that made those grapes taste so good?”  I thought about how diligent my uncle was to care for that vine.  Every year, when the time was right, he would prune the branches.  Every year, he watered it, “fed it”, and watched it carefully to ensure it’s success.  Every year, he spent hours and hours making sure that each branch was properly cared for and tied up so bugs and little creatures  wouldn’t destroy the fruit.

Likewise, John 15: 1-8, says that our Father watches over us and cares for us to ensure that we have every opportunity to bear much fruit.  In order for us to bear “sweet, juicy grapes”, however, we must be pruned on a regular basis.  If the branches aren’t properly cared for on a grape vine, they will either be barren and bear no fruit or the fruit will be sour and of no use….and so it is with us.

I must be honest and admit:  pruning is not fun!  Pruning involves pain!  Pruning involves submission!  Pruning involves dying to self in order to totally surrender to the Will of God in our lives. 

Mature pruning is harsh and is usually about our values and personal identity.  It causes us to take an honest look down deep inside of us and see the areas that need work.  It causes us to release our relationships, our possessions, our finances, and our will to allow God to do with them whatever He desires. 

Mature pruning cuts away those things in our lives that hold us back or block the Call of God from going forward.  

Mature pruning causes us to remember that we must keep God first in everything we do.

Mature pruning prepares us for the abundant blessings that God has for us!

I want to be like “sweet, juicy grapes” in this walk of life.  I want to be an encourager to those who need encouragement and share the love of Christ with those who are placed in my path.  I know you do, too.

If you’ve been going through “mature pruning”, RELAX!  It’s painful for a little while, but when the pruning is over and everything that is not godly has been cut away, you’ll be sweeter than honey and as beautiful as a new rose.

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  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;  And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”  ~Isaiah 43:2  (NKJV)

Sometimes, we go through various trials in life and it feels like every demon in hell has been sent against us.  Been there?  You know the place…..your finances are “mathmatically challenged”, your body is attacked with sickness, you find yourself in situations where you’re misjudged, well meaning people find only negative things to say to you, and your emotions are on “thin ice” as you walk through the “fires of life”.

As I’ve walked through some of these trials in recent weeks, I have been doing a lot of re-evaluating and re-prioritizing.  As I have done so, the Lord has been faithful to lead me to Scriptures that keep me pressing forward.

You see, I believe that whenever you desire to move closer and go deeper in God and the Call that He has on your life, the enemy wages war to hold you back and keep you down.  If he can discourage you and cause you to get your eyes on your circumstances, he wins!  God’s plan is delayed and your blessing is blocked!

But when you can praise God in your circumstance and hold on to His promises (even though you may not “see it” or “feel it” in the natural), God’s hand of protection is always there and  your victory is on its way!  Praise Him in the storm!  Praise Him in the fire!  Praise Him when everything around you says not to! 

Faith is seeing things in the spirit, not in the natural.  Faith is standing on the promises of God when the manifestion hasn’t yet come to pass.  Faith is believing and speaking forth the Word of God, even when the enemy whispers in your ear and tells you it’s not true. 

If you’ve been under attack, let me encourage you today:  Speak forth your financial blessing!  Speak forth your healing!  Speak forth truth in those situations where you’ve been misjudged!  Speak forth God’s Word to counteract any negatives that others have spoken to or about you!  Speak forth strength into your emotions! And purposely declare Isaiah 54:17 that says, “No weapon formed against  you shall prosper and every tongue which rises against you in judgement, You shall condemn.”