If we do not repent, what could await us?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
(Revelation 2:2-6 (NIV))

Far too many people claim salvation and then, eventually, they let the world back into their lives. They live as if they never accepted the grace and mercy freely given to them at Calvary. They seldom think of the great gift that they have been given. They seldom think of anybody but themselves. They have forgotten their first love!

When these people proclaimed their faith, they were enthusiastic and very much in love with their personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Soon, just like any relationship, they let it slip and stopped spending time with Jesus. They soon lost what it means to be a man after God’s own heart. They started following the ways of the world once again.

Jesus warned us about becoming someone like this. He told us to repent and to return to following Him.

If we do not repent, what could await us?

If we continue on our path to the point where we not only ignore Jesus, but completely turn away from Him, we are given clear results. We will have our “lampstand” removed. In the tabernacle, the lampstand is the light in the Holy Place. We will have our light removed! We will be removed from God!

We, as believers, must stay focused on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must not allow the world to come back into our lives and make us lose sight of our first love.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:2 (NIV))

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you take prophecy seriously?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a home for demons
and a haunt for every evil spirit,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
(Revelation 18:1-5 (NIV))

Do you take this passage seriously?

Who do you think that this refers to? Just who is Babylon the Great?

Whoever it is has a great influence on the whole world. They trade with the whole world and many have gotten rich from this trade. The leaders of the world have taken part in the sins of Babylon the Great. They do not follow sound, Godly teachings. In fact, they appear to like the sin that they are spreading throughout the world.

I have heard several different people espouse several different ideas as to who Babylon the Great will be. Some say that it is literally Babylon rebuilt. Others say that it is spiritual Babylon as embraced by some unknown entity. Some say that it is the Catholic church. Others say that it is the United States.

Regardless of who it is, we, as the Body of Christ, must not fall into the trap that is set for the whole world. We must “come out of her” by following Jesus. We must earnestly seek to be set apart from this terrible thing that causes all of the world to sin. We must stand firm in our faith in Jesus.

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Where do you place your trust?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
(Psalms 20:7 (NIV))

With the state of the economy, where do you place your trust?

With the state of the government, where do you place your trust?

With the state of society, where do you place your trust?

Is it just me, or does it seem like everything is falling apart? It is acceptable to kill unborn children but it is a profoundly intolerable crime to kill an animal. It is acceptable to embrace sin, but to confess that you are a follower of Jesus is socially unacceptable. It is okay to teach our children about Islam in schools, but if we mention Jesus we are told to be tolerant. It is okay to allow someone who very publicly states they want to destroy us to have the very weapons that would allow it to happen, yet we cannot have weapons to defend ourselves. It is okay to be homosexual, transgender or whatever else someone’s mind tells them that they should be, yet if we say we disagree with their choices, we are labeled as haters.

In the midst of all that is going wrong in the world, where do you place your trust?

Every man-made organization is falling apart. Sinful man cannot create anything that will last.

Even the church is having issues. Let me clarify this. Society thinks of the man-made aspects of the church and not the true church. Man-made traditions are falling apart. God’s truths last forever and no amount of societal pressure can change that. Think about that last statement and then decide where you will place your trust. Would you place your trust in the fallen systems created by a sinful, fallen humanity or would you trust a perfect Creator who has a perfect plan?

Take a long, hard look at all that is going on in the world and tell the Lord our God that you place your trust solely in Him?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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