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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

. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God —Colossians 3:3 It is the season of Peace on Earth. But if we look around we see a world sorely lacking in Peace. It’s because it’s a world living without God. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you . . .” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “. . . your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of […]

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14 Tonight is our traditional Sigur family Christmas gathering. I was born the oldest of nine children. Our mom and dad and one of my sisters have gone on to be with the Lord; but the rest of us enjoy getting together each Christmas Eve Eve. I am proud of our family. Our parents did a lot better raising us than I realized they were doing at the time. I am proud of my beautiful daughter, grand and great grand children. My beautiful wife and I have been together for over forty years now. It’s a wonderful time. It makes all the more impressive the admonition that I should not boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes? I don’t think I am there yet. It is said that the proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God […]

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . . —John 6:44 The Father draws us but not with intellectual arguments. It is a call of His will to our will. We respond as an act of will alone. For us the response is an issue of commitment. But will I commit, placing myself completely and absolutely on God, and be willing to act solely on what He says? If I will, I will find that I am grounded on reality as certain as God’s throne. In preaching the gospel, always focus on the matter of the will. Belief must come from the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to a persuasive or powerful argument. I must deliberately step out, placing my faith in God and in His truth. And I must place no confidence in my own works, but only in God. Trusting in my own mental understanding becomes a hindrance to complete trust in God. I must be willing to ignore and leave my feelings behind. I must will to believe. But this can never be accomplished without my forceful, determined effort […]

We have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God —1 Corinthians 2:12   Most of us know someone (maybe the man in the mirror) who has run from place to place looking for spiritual experience. Rallies, retreats, and revivals are all great, as are mission trips and ministry where God moves. These experiences can excite and encourage our faith; but can not be the basis of our faith. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is. Faith grows fed by the day-to-day movement of God and the working out of His revealed truth in our lives.   Praise God when He blesses you with mountain top experience; but praise Him also as He walks with you through the valleys in victory and joy.   Nick

And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32 Folks generally love Christmas. A child born in a manger isn’t very intimidating. We can handle that kind of God. Shepherds, sheep, wise men and angels. Again no problem there. When the lost are attracted by the beauty of Christmas, we need to hit them hard with the cross. A God who comes as a child is one thing; one who comes to die is something else. Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not “a little bit of love,” but major surgery. When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must […]