WE NEED REVIVAL!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV))

What do you consider as foolishness?

Over the last few days, I have read and heard some pretty foolish things from people who claim to be followers of Jesus. Just to provide some background information on what this is all about, there is a revival occurring on Asbury University and it is being received in all manner of various different ways, even among those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

The proper response for anyone who professes a faith in Jesus is a glorious AMEN! This should then be followed up with a desire for the flames of revival to be fanned so that it spreads far and wide!

Sadly, I have read and heard responses that are far from what should be the desire of every person who professes a faith in Jesus. I have even read comments from people who claim to be pastors and preachers that are derogatory to the events unfolding and spreading. Comments range from denominational vitriol to claims that this can’t be from God because it doesn’t mention social justice, or that it isn’t led by ordained clergy. I don’t know about you, but these reactions sound so much like what Jesus encountered with the Sadducees and Pharisees. From the reports that I have seen, it is a powerful move of God through the students and for the students. It is not led by the pastors. It is not led by the professors. It is not clinging to denominational doctrine, but to Biblical truths. People are praying and being delivered. They are surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit and they are not waiting for an official church approval. From the reports that I have heard, it is spreading to other campuses and other cities,

AND, . . .

Students are coming from other college campuses by the bus load to be a part of what God is doing?

Do you want to be a part of what God is doing? Do you long for an honest and sincere revival from the Holy Spirit and not just one hour a day for a few days from a guest speaker?

I applaud the revival. In fact, I long for revival. I pray that it would break out on every college campus across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in every church across the nation and the world. I pray that it would break out in our governments, in our schools, at our jobs, and in our homes. I pray that the message of the cross would spread so fast and so far that those who see it as foolishness would be exponentially decreasing each and every day!

Do you see revival as foolish? Do you see surrendering to the power of the Gospel as foolish? Do you see salvation, mercy and grace as foolish? Do you see redemption and healing as foolish?

Are you stuck in the mindset that says it can’t be done that way because that has never been done before?

See, I am doing a new thing!
     Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
     and streams in the wasteland.
(Isaiah 43:19 (NIV))

John the Baptist was a new thing!

He proclaimed repentance, baptism and the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus was a new thing!

He upset the traditions of man by showing us what God had intended. All that you have to do is take a look at the following passage.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
(Luke 19:39-40 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but I long for the power of the Lord to be made manifest so that the stones don’t have to cry out.

WE NEED REVIVAL!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you truly long for the Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
(Habakkuk 1:3 (NIV))

Habakkuk knew what injustice was. He saw it in the society of his day. He saw it in Jerusalem. He had grown tired of the sinful practices that he saw on a daily basis. He pleaded with the Lord to do something that would make the people repent and return to the Lord. The people had rebelled against the Lord to the point that the Lord decided to have the Babylonians invade.

Think about that for a moment!

We pray for God to do something in this nation. We grow tired of the injustices, the evil, the wrongdoing, the destruction and the violence. We can’t seem to go more than an hour without hearing about a new conflict that has people polarized in their responses. We pray that the Lord would heal this land, but what if the first step in the healing process takes us down a road similar to what the Lord told Habakkuk would happen? When the Babylonians came, it was not just the people who were doing evil who where affected? The consequences impacted the whole region.

With the events in the world and the alignment of nations, the peace treaties and all other factors, we realize that we will probably soon be facing end time events. We long for the moment when the Lord will come for His church. Until that time, we must be prepared for much worse than we have seen. We should continue to pray for repentance and healing. We must pray for eyes to be opened and hearts to be turned to Jesus.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV))

If we, who are sinful by nature, grow weary of all of the sin that surrounds us, how much more does this bother the Lord? We know that the Lord will win in His time, for He, too, is growing tired of the things in this world. Until that time, we must stand firm in our faith. We must stand firm in proclaiming the Gospel. We must stand firm in showing the world what God calls righteousness and justice.

Do you truly long for the Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is it that your life is recognized for?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
(Matthew 12:33 (NIV))

What is your favorite fruit? Is it apples? Perhaps it is pears. Some people love figs, while others love oranges. If you had a tree that gave you your favorite fruit, how would you care for that tree? If the tree began to rot, would the fruit still be as good?

Now, think of your life. What type of fruit does it produce? Each life produces something.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))

The fruits of the Spirit also provide sweet nourishment. Someone who is loving and filled with joy will make the lives of others transform from the spiritual nourishment that they share. You life is the tree that produces that fruit.

If a tree is diseased, it cannot send the required nourishment and other resources to produce the fruit. The fruit will be small and will be lacking much when compared to fruit produced by a healthy tree. Consequently, how can your life produce healthy fruit if your life is diseased by sin? How can you produce enough love to share if you are callous and cold hearted? How can you produce joy if you are miserable and mean. Just as a tree can be diseased, a life can be diseased. Just as that disease will harm the fruit a tree produces, your disease that you carry within your life will also harm the fruit that you produce.

What makes us different from an actual tree is that we can make a decision to turn to the healing. We can turn to Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. He will give us the grace and mercy that will allow our lives to be healed. He will restore that which the sin has destroyed. He will give us the desire to produce good fruit.

What is your favorite fruit? Is it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control?

What is it that your life is recognized for?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have we surrendered our power and effectiveness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
(James 5:16 (NIV))

Have you noticed the sequence of events in this passage?

As the Body of Christ, we are to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other. These steps lead to healing, but did you notice that there is a followup statement? It is actually a declaration. If you believe in logic, then what is presented makes perfect sense. Do steps A and B and then D will result. The reason is because A and B leads to C, which leads to D.

It looks like we have been given a roadmap on how to get to the power and effectiveness of a righteous person. If that is the case, do we truly follow these simple, yet profound, directions? Do we follow the roadmap that we have been given, or do we like to think that we can find our way on our own?

Do we confess our sins to each other or do we just get together and gossip?

Do we truly pray for each other or do we simply give lip service to the needs of others so that we can focus on our needs?

Do either of these sound like they would lead to healing?

Would a righteous person gossip? Would a righteous person focus on their own needs? Is this why our prayers are going unanswered?

Personally, I believe that we need to stop our detours and get back to the roadmap that has been given to us. Because we have strayed, we have surrendered our power and effectiveness.

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Has your faith made you well?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
(Luke 17:19 (NIV))

Are we capable of claiming such a statement as our own?

Can we believe with all of our being that our faith can make a difference in our health, in our lives, and in the lives of those around us?

It is a hard task to live up to. It is even harder than we care to admit. Faith is an unusual thing. It is the foundation for our society, yet our society is turning it’s back on it. It is the basis for our morals and ethics, yet they seem to be fading fast. Many people have something that they call faith, yet it is a faith in money, or government, or themselves. It is not the faith that can save. Only a faith in Jesus Christ can save.

We cannot mandate faith as a societal objective. However, we can develop our faith and share it with others in hopes that they will develop their own Biblically based faith.

Let’s take another look at the words of Luke 17:19 – “your faith had made you well.”

Faith in Jesus saves us from eternal separation from God, from a death far worse than a physical death. Through this faith, we escape the grave. We are made well. Through our faith, we have the ability to claim many healings. Eternal life with God is the greatest healing. Physical healings can also manifest themselves through your faith. Even if this type of healing never occurs, rejoice, for you have already been granted the ultimate healing – eternal life!

Has your faith made you well?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you bold with the power and authority?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey–no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
(Luke 9:1-6 (NIV))

He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases!

He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick!

Do you see anything in these words that says the disciples of Jesus are to be timid and roll over and play dead?

Too many people believe that professing a faith in Jesus means that we are to be quiet and love everyone as if in a 60s peace movement. This is not what Jesus told us to do!

We are to be bold!

We are to be witnesses for Jesus. We are to do the things that Jesus told us to do. He did not tell us to accept whatever sin someone is committing as something that is ok. He did not tell us to give in to the ways of the world. He did not tell us to tell people about Him only if it does not offend them.

We are to be bold!

Can you be bold enough to walk in the power and authority that Jesus says that we have?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you in harmony with Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
(Matthew 9:12 (NIV))

Do you consider yourself to be a good person?

Do you consider yourself to be a healthy member of the body of Christ? Are you someone who never has any difficulties and always does what a member of the body of Christ should do? Are you in harmony with the rest of the body of Christ? Are you in harmony with the head, which is Jesus?

Using what we take as common knowledge about someone being healthy, we know that a healthy person is considered to have all parts of their body working in harmony with each other. For example, the lungs breathe in the air and the blood carries the oxygen to the different parts of the body. An unhealthy body would have difficulty breathing through the lungs and could not pass the oxygen to the blood.

As such, do you ever have times when you are not in the perfect will of God and you do something that causes another part of the body of Christ to stumble? Is this considered being a healthy part of the body? Think about your last twenty-four hours. I would venture to say that each of us has had several moments when we did not function as a member of the body of Christ.

Fortunately, we have the Great Physician to help us become healthy. He has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us in what a healthy life in Christ is all about.

When you are sick and go to the doctor, do you always take his or her advise? What about when it comes to spiritual health? Do you always take the gentle proddings of the Holy Spirit and put them into action? We are only human. We will always need doctors in this physical world just as we will need healing in the spiritual world. Thankfully, we have grace and mercy through Jesus.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10 (NIV))

Open up your life to the healing that is yours through Jesus Christ.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you thought to be discerning?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
(Proverbs 17:28 (NIV))

It seems that all too often I am found out for my true identity. I have an alter-ego and it is not one that I am proud of. All too often my tongue gives me away for who I do not want to be. I am sure that I am not alone in this. Since we are all human, I think that it is safe to say that all of us have been guilty of this more often than we care to admit.

Why does the tongue rule our lives so much? How can an organ that spends most of its time out of sight of ourselves and others cause so much damage when it does show up?

Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
(Proverbs 12:18 (NIV))

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
(Proverbs 5:3-4 (NIV))

Perhaps it is simply due to our rebellious nature. God, in all of His glory, speaks and the truth that comes forth cuts through all that it touches.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

We in our sinful, fallen state desire to be in control, to be like God. Our words are pronounced judgments upon those whom they are directed towards. Perhaps our words cut in an effort to elevate ourselves above others. Perhaps they even cut to try to elevate ourselves above God. Either way, we play the part of the fool, for we are no better than the one we confront, and we are definitely no better than God.

Are you thought to be discerning?

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