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Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 2:14 Our triumphs are IN CHRIST. All other apparent triumphs are not. The proper perspective of a servant of God must not simply be as near to the highest as he can get, but it must be the highest. Be careful that you vigorously maintain God’s perspective, and remember that it must be done every day, little by little. Don’t think on a finite level. No outside power can touch the proper perspective. The proper perspective to maintain is that we are here for only one purpose— to be captives marching in the procession of Christ’s triumphs. We are not on display in God’s showcase— we are here to exhibit only one thing— the “captivity [of our lives] to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  It is a shameful thing for a Christian to talk about getting the victory. We should belong so completely to the Victor that it is always His victory, and “we are more than conquerors through Him . . .” (Romans 8:37). “We are to God the fragrance of Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We […]

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 Have you consider what “old things” should pass away when we become a new creation? One set of things we should leave behind are our prejudices. As the Spirit fills us, we should become aware that, in our old life, we operated with certain prejudices. We believe ourselves “better” than others; sometimes just in certain ways, and other times we felt ourselves superior in every way.  Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices.  It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is nothing remaining of the old life. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have […]

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit . . . —Romans 8:16 We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him— we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do. Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself— He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then […]

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . . —Jude 20 It’s natural to be impulsive; not good, but natural. In one of our first “teachings” on a Kairos weekend we tell the guys the difference between reaction and response. “Reaction” is  unthinking. “Response” adds some thought and some time to the natural knee jerk situation. Most of the inmates are there because they reacted to a situation without thought and certainly without prayerful consideration.  We tend to “react” because we are not at a peaceful place with our life situation. We don’t have the quiet assurance that comes from a relationship with Christ. Impulsiveness is born of the natural man who is childish and self-centered.  Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline. At our men’s prayer session, this morning we discussed what it means to be “holy” in today’s world. Holiness  is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. A holy man walks confidently, patiently and quietly day-to-day. It requires the grace of God to walk that way on a daily basis. The result is an attractive and beautiful being, completely different from what the world is accustomed to. A […]

This is the will of God, your sanctification . . . —1 Thessalonians 4:3 Am I really willing to be sanctified?  He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification. No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Do I really want the change that sanctification brings? I am truly ready to turn from the things that hinder that process? Am I really willing to completely let go and let God? Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ. It is possible only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Yet my consent is constantly required. My willingness to completely accept God’s will for me.  Am I willing? If I say that I am willing but sanctification is not occurring, then I am lying.  His part is done and complete. The process only awaits God’s Will becoming my will. Be blessed. Nick

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world —John 18:36 The Christian is not identified by what he says or, even, by what he does, but by the Fruit of the Spirit which he displays, the outward evidence of the life of the Holy Spirit within. The church today does not lack for activity. We have programs and broadcasts. We sport clever signs and billboards. We gather in fairly impressive numbers on Sunday mornings and less impressive numbers on Sunday and Wednesday nights. We are greatly organized and have learned to use the management and marketing systems of the world.  In most churches there is  endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation . . . . For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person’s life. The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not […]

. . . they went forth for His name’s sake . . . —3 John 7 Agape love, the unselfish love which expects nothing in return, wants the best for others, and places self last, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is not natural. It is supernatural. It is exhibited by a desire to respond to Our Lord’s inquiry, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:17) with “Feed My sheep.” In effect, He said, “Identify yourself with My interests in other people,” not, “Identify Me with your interests in other people.” It seems that we have a world that knows neither how to love nor how to be loved. We have young men who show no respect for women. We have young women  “looking for love in all the wrong places. Love is not something we can demand or a feeling we can self-generate. It is a fruit of the life of God inside us: “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5). Our Savior teaches us how to love, provides us the ultimate example of what it means to love, but most of all indwells […]

. . I say to you, he who believes in Me, . . . greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father —John 14:12 Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work.  We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25). Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38). Pray and be blessed. Nick