Author: Nick

You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard —Isaiah 52:12   These are insecure times, politically, physically and fiscally. There is much to unsettle and create fear. Security is the great gift of the saved, security in Christ. With security comes joy and the absence of fear. It is His gift to us; don’t let Satan steal it from you.  Security from Yesterday. New Years tends to be very forward looking. At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our past can drag us down. Satan can use the past to condemn and distract us from the all important now.  Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very […]

A bit over a year ago my Pastor suggested that I use Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest as a basis for my daily devotional for 2010. After some prayer and thought I agreed. I have been greatly blessed by the process. Sometimes I simply quoted the devotionals word-for-word. On others I picked out and tried to explain one aspect of Chambers’ thoughts. On still other days, Oswald’s words led me to share on something only generally related. It has been a great experience. I considered repeating it for 2011, but have decided against it. Beginning on Saturday I will be embarking on more “original” daily postings. I have subscribed to several devotionals which I hope to draw from in the year ahead. I pray I will receive guidance from the Lord on what and how to share in the year ahead. I also pray these sharings will be of some benefit to each of you. Looking forward to 2011. Nick

We have natural talents. They vary person to person. Folks who are successful in life are those who correctly identify and develop those talents. and apply them to the puzzle of life. It is important to know what gifts we have been given and focus on those. The frustrated are those who try, maybe all their lives, to “develop” talents they have never been given.  When we come to Christ it is “natural” to want to use these natural virtues in a new way, to glorify Christ. But this ignores the fact that we are new creations and the glory should not go to what we have been given naturally, but to glorify Him who know resides in us. We want to cling to our natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us in contact with the life of Jesus Christ— a life that can never be described in terms of natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people who are trying to serve God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them. They are depending solely on what they have by virtue of heredity. God does not take our […]

Visions are greatly misunderstood by Christians. God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives us a clear vision of His will.  This can be a personal vision of what He is calling us to do, or a group vision, His plan for a church or ministry. When received, we must “walk in the light” of that vision (1 John 1:7).  These visions are personal. We get ourselves into trouble when we apply our vision to others or try to apply the vision of others to our situations. God has plans for all His children; they are not all exactly the same. Take a moment now and give it some thought. Has God revealed His plan for you, a vision. If not or if you are not sure then more time with Him and His word is called for. Visions are never contrary to the word of God and are usually conveyed through it. Visions become clearer and more real as we begin to walk in them, one step at a time. Group visions require additional effort. We should openly discuss the vision with other members of any Christian group we are part of. Failure to have a common vision […]

. . . unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven —Matthew 18:3 Kaydence is sick. She is running those triple digit temperatures and has a running nose and a cough. Because of that we have spent much time together. Her on my lap, playing with my phone, just talking or watching TV. Grandchildren, and even more so, great grandchildren come to us at just the right time in life. When they arrive we have begun to use youth and the positive attributes of youth: whatever beauty we formerly possessed, energy, dreams for a future.  When they come we have reached a stage where we don’t feel particularly loved and are way behind on our hug quota. Into this world they bring their energy, trust and unconditional love. One of the reasons why the Christ Child is so venerated is because He represents a God of unconditional child like love who hugs and kisses without reason or excuse.  That’s also a model for how we are to be: trusting, unconditionally loving, giving out kisses and hugs at random. Our natural tendency is to “grow up” to lose our […]

Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. Our time spent alone with our God is precious and crucial to our performance as soldiers in the Army of Heaven. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there. It is unwise to go into the battles of everyday life thinking I will call on God as needed. The time to spend time with God is pre-battle. The battle is won. In our time with Him, we become convinced of the victory and confident of our small part in it. Get alone for awhile, then get in the battle. Nick

If we walk in the light as He is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin —1 John 1:7 Christians are often considered “judgmental.” This is often due to an unloving attitude displayed by some who call themselves Christians. But there is some real basis for this. A Christian knows sin like no other. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection. Our problem is that this is a personal knowledge: the sin in ME, his impartation of grace to ME. We go astray when we apply these standards to others. We should not expect the unsaved to truly understand sin or the natural of their transgression against God. This is something they must come to if they are to be saved. It is not until […]

’Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ’God with us’ —Matthew 1:23 I may not always “feel” the presence of God; but He is with us. He is with me. Christmas is not about the Christmas “spirit” or a “holiday” feeling or even “good will to men.” Christmas is a fact of history. God is with us and that changes everything. Through His presence we have access to Him,  and His redemption, salvation, sanctification. If I observe and listen in the Spirit, I can confirm His presence. I see him in the face of a child. I feel His arms as I wrap mine around a little one or a loved one. I can look the the footsteps of my history and see His presence and intervention in my life. I can see lives changed by the hearing of the Gospel and the work of the Spirit. God is with us and that means everything. Merry Christmas. Nick