Have you had your heart transplant?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
(Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV))

Does the world leave you feeling heavy and burdened? Has it made you so cynical that you automatically find the worst in everything?

It is so easy to let your heart be hardened. It is so easy to simply give up on the things that God desires. It is so easy to shut yourself off to such an extent that you become helpless, hopeless and lost.

Does this sound too familiar?

I will let you in on a little secret. It is also so easy to overcome this hardened heart. It is so easy to overcome the feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and being lost.

It just takes a different point of view. It takes seeing the world, and your situation, through the eyes of Jesus.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 (NIV))

Do you want a change of heart?

Do you long to overcome your hard heart and the cynical nature that this world makes us feel?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
(2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV))

Do you want to be a new creation? It’s as simple as ABC.

A is for admit that you are a sinner in need of a savior.

B is for believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Him from the dead.

C is for call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

You will find yourself with a new perspective, a new attitude and a new heart!

Have you had your heart transplant?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you ready to decrease?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

He must increase, but I must decrease.
(John 3:30 (NKJV))

Humanity has spent all of history with an attitude that is exactly opposite of what John proclaimed!

It is our sinful, fallen human nature that wants to be elevated. We want to increase no matter the cost.

We all want the biggest house, the fanciest car, the best looking spouse, the most prestigious job, the biggest income, and the adulation of those whom we have stepped on in the process of attaining these things. Now, multiply that attitude by the number of people who are alive today. Perhaps we should even multiply that attitude by the number of people who have ever lived, and you then have the current condition of the human heart and the world in which we live.

The first time that I saw the movie Jesus Revolution, there probably wasn’t a single moment after the movie started that I didn’t find myself with involuntary tears. Tonight, my wife and I started watching it again on one of the streaming services, and the results were the same. As humanity, we long for something greater than us, yet, we still fail to relinquish our desires and our priorities in order embrace what has been there all along. We are too proud to realize that humility is what is needed. We have tried to be the masters of our own destiny, and we have failed miserably!

James said the same thing, but with different words.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
(James 4:10 (NIV))

If you have been paying any attention to the world of the last several years, you know that we are on a worldly path that many believe will end in war. In fact, we are seeing wars and rumors of wars in the daily headlines. We are seeing nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. We are seeing Israel under attack, and we are seeing so much more that is transpiring right in front of us. To put it simply, people are too focused on what they want for themselves, or for the groups that they identify with. They are adamant about being right. They are adamant about increasing their holdings, their status, and their power.

I love how Jesus addressed this when He walked the earth.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV))

This reminds me of a saying that you may be familiar with.

Humility doesn’t mean that you think less of yourself. It means that you think of yourself less. In other words, we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. In order for this to truly happen, we need to shift our priorities. We need to seek for Jesus to increase in our lives so that we will decrease. We need to empty ourselves so that there is room for Jesus.

With that said, I have one simple question that I want you to honestly answer.

Are you ready to decrease?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is it that you find yourself doing?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
(James 1:22 (NIV))

Do you attend church regularly?

Do you praise the Lord during worship? Do you open your Bible and follow along with the sermon? Do you take notes so that you can look things up later? Do you walk out of the service realizing that you need to be a different person than you were when you walked in?

OR, . . .

Do you look at your watch wondering when the songs will be over? Do you look at your watch wondering when the sermon will be over? Do you hear the words and think that they don’t apply to you? Do you walk out of the service thinking that you are above all of this?

In both instances, the individual sat through a service. They had an opportunity to praise the Lord in song. They had an opportunity to hear the Word of God taught, and they had an opportunity to reflect on His Word and how it should relate to their life. One person thinks that they are a good person because they go to church. The other person realizes that they are a sinner in need of a Savior, so they go to seek after Him in all that they do. One person merely listens and deceives themselves. The other person desires to do what God’s Word says. If you truly stop to look at these two individuals, you can start to see the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. One is arrogant and the other is repentant.

To be honest, most people, even the ones who truly desire to be a man after God’s own heart, will fall somewhere between these two individuals on any given day. When you find yourself being too much like the person who merely listens, how do you react? Do you repent and seek His face or do you simply shrug it off and move on?

It is a matter of attitude!

Is Jesus something that you feel required to be a part of, or is Jesus someone whom you can’t live without? Do you walk away with an attitude that you have met your weekly obligation, or do you walk away longing to dive deeper into His Word in order to mature in your faith?

The choice is yours, but you have to have a change of heart in order to truly seek Him in all that you do. Impatiently sitting in a church pew will not make you a believer, just as sitting in a garage will not make you a car! You must listen to that still, small voice. You must listen to the words of praise. You must listen to the teachings. You must take all of these things to heart and allow them to change you from the inside out! Don’t let the enemy deceive you. God’s Word is alive! The more you desire, the more insight He gives you. The more insight He gives you, the more you find yourself walking in His light. You will find yourself doing what it says.

What is it that you find yourself doing?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What are you in step with?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:25 (NIV))

Do you listen to the Spirit?

Are you receptive to that still, small voice?

If you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, it is so easy to think that this is always true. Sadly, for most people it is not. Even those who desire nothing but to be in His Will make mistakes. Even Paul struggled with this. Thankfully, he wrote down his thoughts for us.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
(Romans 7:15-20 (NIV))

Paul did not give up. He did not give in to his sin!

It is a matter of attitude. It is a matter of priorities. Even when we want to do what is right, we will fail. The key is to always keep your eyes focused on Jesus and your spirit willing to listen and learn from the Holy Spirit. When the times come, and they will, when you fail to do the right things that you know you should do, it is important that you do the things you did when you first accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, still!

Humbly seek His grace and mercy.

Repent and pray for the strength to stand firm in your faith.

If we strive to live by the Spirit, we will desire to keep in step with the Spirit, but since we are still not mature in our faith, we will falter. In much the same way a child who is walking with their father will become sidetracked by all of the things that catch their eye, we, too, are still a child in our faith journey. We will inevitably become sidetracked. We will sin. When this happens, it is important to remember that we must get back in step with the one who is leading us on this faith journey.

What are you in step with?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Who can be against us when we wait in His strength?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(Psalms 27:14 (ESV))

When you think of waiting, what type of attitude do you usually associate with this process?

Are you anxious? Perhaps you are fearful. Perhaps you are even experiencing an attitude of complete loss where you are simply waiting for the inevitable to happen.

Have you ever waited from a position of strength where you knew the outcome will be one of victory? You knew that all you needed to do was wait for the time to pass to bring this victory to fruition.

If you have professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, there is absolutely nothing in this world that should make you anxious, fearful, of have a feeling of loss. We have been told that all we must do is to be still for we are not relying on our strength. We are fully relying on His strength!

Be still before the Lord
     and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
     when they carry out their wicked schemes.
(Psalm 37:7 (NIV))

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
(Exodus 14:14 (NIV))

It is completely possible to wait in His strength! It is completely possible to place you faith in the Lord and completely rely on Him in all situations. Sadly, our sinful human nature takes over and we find ourselves doubting. We take our eyes off of Jesus and we start looking at the world, but, we must never forget in whom we have placed our faith. I believe that Paul said it well when he wrote these words to the believers in Rome.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8:31 (NIV))

Who can be against us when we wait in His strength?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How is your attitude through all of the world’s troubles?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
(James 1:2 (NIV))

I think that the enemy is testing our ability to find joy under trial. Perhaps I should rephrase that to say that I know that the enemy is testing our ability to find joy under trial. Personally, I do not see how anyone who does not profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior can make it through what we have been through and what I am certain that we will be going through in the not too distant future.

When we face trials of many kinds, we must have joy.

When we face worldly uncertainty, we must have joy.

When we face persecution, we must have joy.

In all circumstances, whether good or bad, as believers in Jesus, we must have joy, for He is our joy.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 (NIV))

If we profess a faith in Jesus and we do not have joy, what does that say about our faith? What does that say about our relationship with Jesus? Jesus told us to rejoice and be glad! Jesus told us that if we follow Him, we would face persecution. Thankfully, we have His promises to stand firm in.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV))

How is your attitude through all of the world’s troubles?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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His ways are perfect!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
      neither are your ways my ways,”
         declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
      so are my ways higher than your ways
      and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV))

Have you ever found yourself asking, “What is God doing?”

If you are like a vast number of people, this has probably come to mind quite often in recent history. To be honest with you, if you aren’t asking this, then it means that you aren’t paying attention to the world and what is unfolding right before our eyes. If you stop to consider that there are two ways that this question can be asked, then it opens up a complete new perspective on this question and how that you view God’s authority.

If you ask this question sarcastically, then it shows your contempt and disdain for how God is handling things. In essence, you are fed up with what is unfolding and are frustrated with God for not fixing it according to your desires. Be careful with this, for this is pride and has caused many to stumble and fall harshly.

What if you are asking this question with a curiosity and an eye to God’s Word? Are you searching God’s Word for insight and understanding?

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
(Acts 17:11 (NIV))

Are you excited to think that you get to be alive during this time as God unfolds His plans? Do you ask this question in awe and wonder of God’s eternal plan and where we might be in His timing?

The next time that you find yourself looking around and asking “What is God doing?”, I pray that it is with an attitude of awe and wonder, after all His ways are higher than ours. We are only the creation. He is the Creator! His timing is perfect.

His ways are perfect!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Where do you send your praise?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
     and his courts with praise;
     give thanks to him and praise his name.
(Psalms 100:4 (NIV))

All too often we forget this simple statement of faith. We forget to praise God and give Him thanks!

What does that say about our walk with God if we allow ourselves to be diverted from what should be our foremost thoughts? Are we so easily distracted by the temporary things of this world that we ignore the permanent things of God and eternity? Sometimes it seems that we would rather partake of the minute waltz that leaves you exhausted and empty while we ignore the fulfilling rewards of Amazing Grace.

In all things we should give thanks unto God, for it is through Him that we have been given all things good.

When you receive a pay raise at your job, do you thank the envelope that the check came in, or do you thank the boss who gave you the raise? Do you thank God for the blessings or do you thank the blessings, or yourself?

It is a matter of attitude.

Do you acknowledge the source or do you simply acknowledge the blessing? Whom or what you acknowledge and thank is a direct result of your attitude. The right attitude will greatly enhance your praise of the one who is worthy of all praise.

Where do you send your praise?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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I will serve the Lord!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
(Romans 12:2 (NIV))

Do you think of yourself as a nonconformist?

Let that question sink in for a moment with respect to your attitude about the world and with respect to your faith in Jesus.

If you conform to the world, then you reject Jesus. If you conform to Jesus, then you reject the world. Personally, I choose Jesus! I do not desire to be like the world. I do not desire to trade God’s goodness for evil. I do not desire to trade God’s truth for lies. I do not desire to trade eternity with Jesus for eternal torment. I do not desire to trade God’s love for what the world calls love.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
(Joshua 24:15 (NIV))

I proudly declare that I am a nonconformist, for I do not desire to conform to the pattern of this world.

I will serve the Lord!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you willing to pay the full price?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
(1 Chronicles 21:24 (NIV))

Is this your attitude?

King David wanted to create an alter to the Lord at the site of the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Just a few verses before this, we learn that the angel of the Lord had appeared at this very site and was visible to David, to Araunah and to Araunah’s sons. Araunah did something that I am not sure too many today would do. He offered to give the property to David and to also provide David with all of the animals, the wood and the grain for the offering. In essence, David would not have had to make any personal sacrifice to build the alter on what would become the location of the Temple. By today’s standards, David would have been considered a shrewd businessman if he had agreed to these terms.

David was not there to get all that he could for little or nothing!

He knew the importance of personal sacrifice when worshipping the Lord. He knew that everything that he had been given and had attained belonged to the Lord. He was not about to approach the Lord to make a sacrifice when he wasn’t making a sacrifice at all. He wasn’t going to lie to the Lord and make a sacrifice of someone else’s property. David knew that the sacrifice, the gift to the Lord, had to come from himself.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV))

Do you give to the Lord? Do you sacrifice or do you give when someone gives to you or for you?

Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
(Deuteronomy 17:1 (NIV))

In other words, we are to give our best to the Lord! David understood this. He knew that if it was to be considered his best, then it actually had to come from him. David knew that he had to pay the full cost.

Are you willing to pay the full price?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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