Now is the time to hold fast to Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
(Revelation 12:17 (NIV))

Many people find the events recorded in Revelation to be overwhelming and hard to comprehend. Whether you are a student of prophecy or you are a complete novice, one thing is certain from this passage – if you profess a faith in Jesus and hold fast to that faith, the dragon will be waging war against you.

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
(Revelation 12:9 (NIV))

Satan is angry. He is angry at God. He is angry at Jesus, and he is angry at anyone who professes a faith in Jesus. He realizes that his time is short and he will lash out at those who are no longer within his grasp. Many people believe that this has already started to happen in various parts of the world, and that it is now happening here. Are you prepared? Are you holding fast to Jesus? Are you ready to proclaim that Jesus is your Lord and Savior no matter what circumstances you may find yourself in?

We are seeing things happening now where believers in Jesus are being targeted because of their testimony, because of their faith. Can you say with complete confidence that you will keep your eyes focused on Jesus? Can you say with complete confidence that you will not deny Jesus if circumstances arise where you are told to deny Jesus or die? I realize that these are tough questions. I realize that we may never face this in our lives, but I also realize that we could face this tomorrow. How will you respond? Are you fully prepared to have the enemy attack you because of your faith in Jesus? Are you fully prepared to stand firm, to hold fast and to fully rely on Jesus? We can overcome because He has overcome.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
(1 John 4:4 (NIV))

We can fight the battle because we are His.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
(Ephesians 6:11 (NIV))

We can bear His fruit because He is with us.

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
(John 15:4 (NIV))

Now is the time to hold fast to Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you ready to persevere?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because,
(James 1:12a (NIV))

As believers, we are told to stand firm, to hold fast, and to persevere under trial. With everything that is going on in the world, hold fast to what you know to be true! Don’t let the things of this world sway you from your faith. We have been told that there would be trouble in this world that we must go through. We have also been told that Jesus, in whom we have placed our faith, has overcome the world.

“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))

Did you notice the one word at the end of the scripture segment that starts today’s devotional. It is a word that we use all of the time, but we have probably overused it to the point where we no longer truly realize the implications that it contains. We are used to hearing people answer questions with “because” as if it is a reason in and of itself. According to Merriam-Webster, because means “for the reason that” and points you to the reasons for a thought process, a statement, or a fact. In this particular case, it points to what will be the result of persevering under trial.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
(James 1:12 (NIV))

It points to the rewards that will be given for standing firm in our faith and loving the Lord!

Do you love the Lord?

Don’t let the things of this world change that love and that faith. Time is short and we are undergoing trials. Personally, I believe that what we are seeing is only the beginning. Things are ramping up fast. There are many people who study prophecy that have all independently stated that God’s end time plan is unfolding rapidly right before our eyes. If that is the case, we will face more trials.

Are you ready to persevere?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you prepared for what you may face?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:10 (NIV))

Many people in the church today have not been prepared for what is coming. Far too many people have been told that following Jesus is easy and everything in your life will begin to get better if you follow Jesus. I need to clarify something at this point and admit that God will begin to work things for your good when you start to follow Jesus. These things are probably best explained as a fresh manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

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

When these things are present in your life, people notice. They will be drawn to you because they see something that they desire in their own lives. This is the prime opportunity to share the Gospel, to share the source of your love, joy, and peace.

Sadly, when this happens, the enemy also takes notice. He will muster all resources to keep you from sharing the Gospel, for he knows that you have a powerful witness that must be stopped.

Hold fast!

Stand firm!

Do not allow the threat of ridicule or persecution keep you from following Jesus.

We are all familiar with the accounts of what the disciples and the early church had to endure. We may never have to face the same things that the disciples and the early Christians had to face, but what if we do? Are you prepared to completely place your faith in Jesus no matter the worldly consequences? Are you willing to stand firm and tell the world that you believe in Jesus and nothing that they can do will make you change your mind?

Are you prepared for what you may face?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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When was the last time that you truly prayed?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
      to serve him,
   to love the name of the LORD,
      and to worship him,
   all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
      and who hold fast to my covenant–
these I will bring to my holy mountain
      and give them joy in my house of prayer.
   Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
      will be accepted on my altar;
   for my house will be called
      a house of prayer for all nations.
(Isaiah 56:6-7 (NIV))

For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations!

When we, as believers go to our churches, what is it that we spend most of our time doing once we get there?

Chances are, if you are like most other congregations, you spend a good amount of time singing and an even larger amount of time hearing someone preach. Don’t take what I am about to say wrong, but, God did not say that His house was a house of singing or a house of preaching. It is a house of prayer. All throughout the Old Testament, we see God moving when His prophets prayed.

Jesus knew this principle. He became very angry when people turned the Temple into a place to make a profit.

“It is written,” he said to them, ” `My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a `den of robbers.’ “
(Matthew 21:13 (NIV))

Take a look at all of the great things that God accomplished through the apostles in Acts. Every time that one of these great works of God happened, you will find the words “they prayed.”

It is through prayer that God moves. It is through a fervent desire to see God move that He moves.

When was the last time that the Body of Christ got together in your church group and fervently prayed from the heart? Was it something that was so distressful that your very spirit cried out for God to intervene?

This is true prayer! When we turn to God out of a deep despair or desire, God will hear.

When was the last time that you truly prayed?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What have you been finding?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
(Proverbs 21:21 (NIV))

There are so many distractions in this world and all of them seem to focus on one target and one objective. The prime target is us! The prime objective of any distraction is to keep the attention of an individual off of what they should be focusing on, thus keeping them completely from the intended outcome. Distractions come in so many different forms, yet the enemy seems to know each of us so well that he can send just the right distraction, the right temptation, that will keep each of us in his grasp if we do not take action to steer clear.

What is that action?

We must stay focused on the Lord!

Even before Jesus came into this world to save us from our sins, God had a plan for us. We were to pursue His righteousness and love as He loves. Sadly, this was impossible.

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

Fortunately, the Lord knew this and had a more detailed plan.

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
(John 3:16-21 (NIV))

If we accept this plan, then we are covered by grace. Even if we slip and fall when we are pursuing His righteousness and when we try to love as He loves, we can repent and get back on track. We may find bad days along the way, but, through God’s grace, we can repent and stand firm in His promises knowing that we will find that if we hold fast, He will be true!

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV))

What have you been finding?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you unswerving?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:23 (NIV))

Are you a person who likes to set goals in your life? Perhaps you have even gone so far as to develop a roadmap of the steps required to achieve your goals. Let’s face the facts. If you want something badly enough, you hold fast to the plan, you maintain a steady course, and you never take your eyes off of the prize!

If we are capable of doing this for a worldly treasure, why do we so often fail to do this very same thing for a treasure of eternal value? Why do we focus so much on this world when we claim to desire God’s will and His desires?

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV))

Perhaps it is related to our human nature and our limited ability to comprehend what we do not see, after all, all of human history has been a struggle about desiring the things that we can see. When we desire what we cannot see, we are ridiculed. We are made fun of. We are told to grow up. We are told that if we can’t see it then it doesn’t exist!

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

Have you ever seen God? I’m not talking about seeing His presence manifested in His creation. I am talking about actually seeing God. Let’s face facts. We cannot even begin to fathom His greatness. We cannot even begin to understand His omnipotence and His omnipresence. We cannot even begin to comprehend the awesomeness of heaven, yet we all have hope in these things. We have faith to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. We have faith to hold fast to His Word, yet, so many of us falter. So many of us are not unswerving in our hope and our faith. Thankfully, when we are not capable of doing this, our Lord is faithful. We must remember that it is not by our power that we hold unswervingly to Him, but it is His faithfulness that holds unswervingly to us. When we place our hope in Jesus, we have an unswerving guide who will never leave us, and because He will never leave us, we can be held unswervingly in His love.

Are you unswerving?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you alert to the prowling of the enemy?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(1 Peter 5:8 (NIV))

Do you find that you are the focus of more attacks from the enemy since you professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?

There is a very good chance that this question is answerable in the affirmative. The enemy couldn’t care less about people who don’t profess a faith in Jesus, since, in his mind, they already belong to him. But, if you profess a faith in Jesus, he becomes the roaring lion with the intent to devour the person he just lost!

We, as members of the Body of Christ, must be ever vigilant to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and open to the instruction of the Holy Spirit so that we can recognize the devil in all of his prowlings. We must also hold fast to the faith that we possess and hold fast to the promises that we have been given.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10 (NIV))

Are you able to recognize physical danger when it draws near? Most people are capable of this, yet, far too many fail to recognize spiritual danger when it draws near. The enemy is a sly trickster. He is the father of all lies. We must be ever on our guard and ever diligent of our spiritual well being just as much, if not more so that with our physical well being. We have so much more to lose than just our physical life!

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
(Luke 12:5 (NIV))

The enemy will use anything and everything at his disposal to trick you, ensnare you and devour you. Never forget that by professing a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you have declared yourself an enemy combatant of the devil. Each of us are in a war against the devil. He will use do all in his limited power to devour you.

Are you alert to the prowling of the enemy?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Yes and Amen!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
(2 Chronicles 1:20 (NIV))

What is your favorite word in the English language?

It may not be your favorite word, but “Yes” carries so much promise in three letters. It can be the word that is said that means you will spend the rest of your life with that someone special. It can be the word that is heard when you ask if you got the job. It can be the word that is said when a door is opening for you. It can be the word you say in response to God pursuing you. It can be the word you say or have said to you that will change your life and your eternity.

Now, let’s take this one step further.

Do you like promises?

I realize that everyone has had people who have made promises to them that were never kept. That is not the type of promise that I am talking about. I am talking about a promise from a reliable source. I am talking about a promise from someone who you know will keep their word. This type of person will go out of their way to make sure that what they promise comes true. What if the source of the promise has all the resources in all of creation and His reputation for keeping His promises is impeccable?

“So let it be.”

“He is faithful.”

“It is true.”

From doing research on the word “Amen,” I have come to understand that it can mean any or all three of these statements, and so much more! It is used to emphasize and to punctuate the power and the glory and the truth of God. It is a term of praise. It is a term of authority. It is also a term that represents the humility of the person who says it. When we say “Amen,” we are willingly placing ourselves at the feet of God and using the word to indicate that His will be done.

Think about that in context to God’s promises being “Yes” in Christ. What has God promised humanity? What has God promised you? Please understand that I am not talking about our interpretation or our understanding of what we want Him to promise us, but what He actually has promised. Through the two words, “Yes” and “Amen,” we are told that God’s promises will come true and then we are told that God, the One who promises, is faithful and true.

This may sound strange, but sometimes I hate the English language. “Amen” is so much more expressive than we have words to understand. I know one thing, though, and that is I will hold fast to the promises of God!

Yes and Amen!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you love the Lord and keep His commandments?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.
(Joshua 22:5 (NIV))

Even though these words were spoken through Joshua, they still hold true today!

About two thousand years before Jesus came to this world to teach us, and to die for us, these words of truth were spoke to the nation of Israel and to all who would listen. Have you listened to what Joshua has written? They do not differ from what Jesus has taught us.

Take a long, hard look inside your heart. What is it that you love most?

Money? Fame? Power? Family? Worldly possessions?

Or is it something that has an everlasting value?

Do you hold fast to God and desire to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul?

The world can assault us in many different ways. There is the direct attack and then there is the sneak attack where we do not even realize that we are being attacked. It is these attacks that can slowly divert our love from God. We come under attack daily. We should be renewed by God’s Word daily. Loving God and obeying his commands is a daily desire.

What is your desire today?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you know the real truth that is Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Jesus said…”I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
(John 18:37 (NLT))

Do you believe Jesus?

Do you believe in Jesus and the truth that He brings?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 (NIV))

Contrary to what the world says, truth is not relative. It is not one thing for one person and something else for another. Truth is consistent. It is ageless. Truth never changes. Truth is absolute!

Have you bought the lies of the prince of the world? These lies can sound so much like the truth that if you don’t truly know the truth, you can be deceived. These lies start out so close to the truth that it is difficult for someone who isn’t firmly grounded to tell the difference. For example, if we look at this as a mathematical example where truth is 100% and someone tells a lie that sounds so close to the truth that it is 95% right. That is still 5% wrong and we are slightly off course. Now, what happens when the enemy gets everyone to believe that 95% is truth and then modifies that again by 95%? What happens as you get further and further into the lies and they sound so real? You soon get 95% X 95% X 95% X 95% and so on. You soon have a society who not only doesn’t know the truth, but are so convinced that the ones who do know the truth are liars.

Do this sound familiar?

Hold fast to the truth that Jesus brings. It never changes. It is absolute!

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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