What have you seen?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
(Joel 2:28 (NKJV))

I have a list of sites and people that I monitor in addition to reading and studying, and all of the sites seem to be exploding with content about people who are having dreams and visions. I have not seen anything like this in the twenty plus years that I have been reading, studying and writing. It is as if the flood gates have opened!

I am seeing things from very well known individuals in the Body of Christ who are talking about recent experiences and dreams that they have had. I also see countless ones from people who are not well known, but have been given a glimpse of something that is beyond their understanding.

What do you think about dreams and visions?

Do you believe that the Lord will do, and possibly is doing at this time, things written of in Joel?

We have evidence all throughout the Bible that God uses dreams to communicate with people. If we say that we believe the Bible, then why do so many people laugh at the idea that God uses dreams today? Why do so many people who profess a faith in Jesus ridicule those who have the faith to step forward and share what they have seen?

Have you ever had a dream or a vision that you feel was from the Lord?

What have you seen?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Is your spirit able to make that claim?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
(1 John 4:2-3 (NIV))

Too many people simply cannot believe that the Gospel is so simple. They feel that they must do something in order to receive anything from God, let alone salvation. They feel that unless they do something great for God, then they are not worthy to receive anything from God. Because of this misconception, many people find it impossible to believe that God would reach out to save them. They feel that God could not love them because of all the bad things that they have done, and that there is nothing great enough that they could do to reach God on their own!

Thankfully, this is not how this works!

It does require that we take a serious look at ourselves. In that introspective, we must recognize our need for salvation.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

Even though we are all sinners, God has a plan to redeem us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

Do you believe?

Can you believe that God would devise a plan so simple and all that we have to do is acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh from God as your personal Lord and Savior?

Is your spirit able to make that claim?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What does your spirit say about Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
(1 John 4:2-3 (NIV))

What does your spirit say about Jesus?

I know that most people don’t read this passage and draw the conclusion that it could be talking about them. They forget that each person is multifaceted and many consider us to be body, mind and spirit. Some people refer to these aspects as physical, mental and spiritual. No matter how you label them, each person has a spiritual side and it is that spiritual side that is the part of us that must come to the full realization that Jesus has come in the flesh from God. We can come to a mental conclusion of this truth. We can surrender our bodies to the works of God, but unless our spirit acknowledges Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, our mental and physical actions are just that. They are merely actions. They have no meaning. They are only works.

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
(Romans 3:28 (NIV))

Where does faith originate within each of us?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

Can the physical be confident in what is unseen?

Can the mind be confident in what cannot be comprehended?

I honestly believe that faith originates in the part of us that was designed by God to understand the unseen, the part of us that was designed to be confident in what we cannot comprehend. Faith originates in our spirits.

In closing, I want to ask this question one more time.

What does your spirit say about Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We have an obligation

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
(Romans 8:12-17 (NIV))

Paul could have made his living today as a trial attorney. His arguments that he presents are so powerful. Yet, given this gift of persuasion, Paul did not use this to his own ends. He presented the legal issues as they pertained to God and Jesus Christ.

Can we read these words and truly say that Jesus should not be the central aspect of our lives, for it is through Jesus that our sinful nature has been given an opportunity to be redeemed from the death that comes with sin. Accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior is a vital step to our salvation. It is the most important step, but our actions afterwards still play a big part in our spiritual walk.

We can not simply claim Jesus with our lips and continue to claim the world with our actions. We must die to the world and fully embrace the Holy Spirit that has been sent to live within us. Our hearts must reflect the change that we say we have made within our lives. We must be able to know that the Spirit has “marked” us as children of God because of our desire to turn from the world.

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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