Have you accepted what Jesus did for you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
(Matthew 20:18-19 (NIV))

In the next few days leading up to the crucifixion on what we now call Good Friday and to the resurrection on what we now refer to as Easter, we need to remember what happened in Jesus’ life during these days!

He knew what was coming and He went into it willingly!

He laid down His life for us.

Even though He was, and is, the Son of God, He paid the ultimate price for us willingly. He could have avoided the cross, yet He went through the torture and agony because of His great love for us.

As Easter Sunday draws closer, remember the agonizing death that Jesus went through so that we could celebrate His resurrection and our salvation. It is so much more than a church service, a family dinner, and Easter eggs. It is the culmination of the promise of redemption paid for at the cross and redeemed with an empty tomb.

It is the reason that we have hope!

Have you accepted what Jesus did for you?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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What are you ready for?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
(Acts 21:13 (NIV))

Do you love your life?

This passage clearly shows what Paul thought. He had been warned that if he returned to Jerusalem, people were plotting to kill him.

Did that stop him?

He knew exactly what his priorities were. He knew exactly what he was called to do.

He knew that he had to proclaim the name of Jesus no matter the worldly consequences.

Are you that bold?

As believers, we have been called to be a witness to the world. We are called to be the light to the world. We are called to share the good news of Jesus. We have no other assignment! In fact, these were words spoken not too long before He ascended into heaven.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

We were not told to proclaim the name of Jesus only if it is safe to do so. We were told to proclaim the name of Jesus to all nations and not to be concerned about the consequences.

“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 have a heart like Paul? What are you willing to endure in order to tell people about Jesus? Are you prepared in season and out of season?

What are you ready for?

Copyright 1998 – 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Is it closer than you think?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
     sound the alarm on my holy hill.

Let all who live in the land tremble,
     for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
(Joel 2:1 (NIV))

Are you closely watching what is happening in Israel?

For years I have been monitoring many different pastors and teachers of end-time prophecy. I have stopped watching in detail. I no longer believe that I need to, for things are unfolding so fast that I honestly can’t keep up. This may sound strange, but what I am saying is that I feel we no longer need to be shown where to look. Everywhere we look, things are happening. I like something that I recently read.

“Conspiracy theories are becoming spoiler alerts!”

It is happening right before our eyes!

It is happening at a rate that makes your head spin if you try to keep up with it all.

We are told that Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling for all the nations. For years, it has been the center of almost all attention. Now, it is front and center. The stage is being set for what is coming.

Just what is it that is coming?

It is the Day of the Lord!

Depending on which translation you reference, there are close to thirty passages that speak about the Day of the Lord. It is when God pours out His judgment on sinful humanity. Whether we think that we know when the church will be removed or whether we are wrong, we know one thing for sure. God’s plan is unfolding. For those who study God’s Word, we see a world rapidly heading to something that will culminate in Jesus’ return.

Are you ready to meet Jesus face to face?

You will either be filled with joy or you will be filled with extreme fear. The choice is yours. Don’t make the wrong choice. Don’t wait too late to make a choice.

I have but one question left to ask.

Is it closer than you think?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
     so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
(Psalm 83:4 (NIV))

I just learned something that I need to share with you.

What do you think of when you hear the word “hamas?”

In today’s world, we know it as an anti-Israel terrorist organization. We know it as the group that attacked Israel. We know it as the group that Israel is at war with. We know it as a very zealous group whose intent is to destroy Israel. In Arabic, it is an acronym for a resistance movement that we are all too familiar with.

But, did you know that the word “hamas” is found in the Hebrew language as well? You will be astonished when you realize what that word means when translating from Hebrew to English!

Violence.

The word occurs sixty times in the Hebrew scriptures, and it is used to identify physical violence.

There are other things that I have learned, but suffice it to say, everything that I have learned requires much more study. It also requires much more time and space than I have to convey it here.

I will say that if this sounds like a coincidence, keep in mind that the Lord sees the end from the beginning. There are no coincidences when it comes to what the Lord knows will happen. There are no coincidences when it comes to how things are rapidly unfolding. There are no coincidences when we have been told the end from the beginning.

You may say that prophecy is unclear and that what has been written could unfold in a vast number of ways. Until things actually come to pass, we will not completely understand. Think of prophecy as a road map. We have been given this road map that tells us the journey. We may not fully understand the turns that must be made in the future, yet we are told that they will be coming. We are told to be on the lookout for them.

Are we seeing the signs along the way telling us what is ahead?

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you praying for Jerusalem?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
     “May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
     and security within your citadels.”
(Psalm 122:6-7 (NIV))

Have you been praying recently?

I see so many things on social media where people are professing their support for Israel during this time of war.

I also see a lot of people supporting the group that attacked them. Sadly, this group does not comprehend the importance of Jerusalem and God’s plans for those who attack His city.

On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
(Zechariah 12:9 (NIV))

There has been much speculation about whether this is the Ezekiel 38 war. It may lead up to it, but at present, it appears that Israel is able to wage war. If it were the Ezekiel 38 war, no nations would come to their assistance. I am seeing reports that even the current administration is sending aid and assistance. If it were the Ezekiel 38 war, Israel would be overwhelmed and only the hand of God will save them. I don’t know what tomorrow may bring. Things are changing rapidly. We may wake up tomorrow and the whole world may be completely upside down and Israel may be on its own.

With that in mind, no matter what governments may say, if you profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you should be praying for Israel and for Jerusalem. You should be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. You should be praying for God’s perfect will to unfold so that He may be magnified. As believers, we can take a stand for Israel by falling to our knees. In order to truly pray, you must know how the Lord sees Israel and Jerusalem.

Do you understand the importance of Israel and of Jerusalem?

Are you praying for Jerusalem?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you watching Jerusalem?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
(Luke 21:20 (NIV))

Do you love the Lord?

If you do, then you know that Jerusalem is His holy city. It is at the center of all that He has planned.

Recent events in the Middle East, and especially the recent invasion of Israel and the declaration of war confirm what I, and many, have been thinking. Prophecy is unfolding right before our eyes!

Are you ready?

The time is urgent. The decision is important. Even if what we are seeing is only the beginning, your decision about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior must not delay any longer.

Do you know where you will spend eternity?

Do you know that your sins have been forgiven?

Do you know without any doubt as to who your Savior is?

Have you placed your faith in Jesus and accepted the free gift of grace and mercy that is yours if you will only repent and accept?

For years I have been relaying what I am seeing. For years I have been relaying what others are seeing. Things are converging! Things are accelerating! The alignment of nations that we are told of are here. There are wars and rumors of wars. Evil is called good, and good is called evil.

What does your spirit say? Do all of these events make you uneasy, or do they make you lift your head and look for His return?

Personally, I am watching and waiting. I am praying and looking up!

Jerusalem is not surrounded by armies, but with all that is happening, God is rapidly unfolding His timeline. Don’t get caught on the wrong side.

Are you watching Jerusalem?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Who are your companions?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Walk with the wise and become wise,
     for a companion of fools suffers harm.
(Proverbs 13:20 (NIV))

It seems that more and more people have become a companion of fools!

All that you have to do is turn on the news to see what the world has become. All that you have to do is turn on a television show or go to a movie to see the agenda of the fools that they are trying to force down our throats. All that you have to do is look at the lack of common sense that seems to be permeating the world right now!

We were told that things would get like this. We were told that good would be called evil and evil would be called good. We were told that those who profess a faith in Jesus would be mocked. We were told that nation would rise again nation and kingdom would rise against kingdom. We were told that the third temple would be built in Jerusalem. There are so many things that we were told would happen, and they are happening at an alarming rate.

The fool says in his heart,
     “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
     there is no one who does good.
(Psalm 14:1 (NIV))

If this is what God considers the definition of a fool, do you truly desire to be a companion of fools?

We have a choice!

Now is not the time to either avoid that choice or make the wrong choice. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Our lives may end in the very next heartbeat. Jesus may return for His true church. If you are a companion of fools, where does that leave you?

Are you ready to walk with the wise? Are you ready to acknowledge that there is a God and that Jesus is His only begotten Son? Are you ready to repent and accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? It is as easy 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.

I realize that I have been giving an alter call quite often lately. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so I feel that it is necessary to make sure that all who read these devotionals know that they have an option. I want people to know that as long as they have breathe, it is not too late to accept Jesus. I want them to know that their next breathe may never happen, so now is the time to wise up and call upon the name of the Lord. Now is the time to call upon the name of Jesus!

It is time to take a serious look at your life and the company that you keep!

Who are your companions?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Do you pray for His Will or yours?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:7-8 (NIV))

With all that is going on in the world, I know that many people long to know the times and the dates that God is using to unfold His plan. I know that many people are praying for God’s grace. Many are praying for His mercy. Some are simply praying to return to normal!

Are we praying for the right things?

Many of us are praying for peace in our neighborhoods, in our cities, in our nation and in the world, but is peace what we should be praying for?

We are told that certain things must transpire before the return of Jesus. We also know that all of these things are not pleasant. They are downright dangerous and evil. Are we seeing these events unfold? Are we praying for peace because we want to get back to the status quo for our lives. Lives that used to be consumed with family, friends, jobs and the future. Should we be praying for peace when we know that God’s plans do not call for peace? Should we possibly be praying for God’s plans to be made manifest among us? Should we be praying that God will use us mightily for His Kingdom?

Should we be praying for wisdom and insight to know and acknowledge His plans as they unfold?

It is true that we do not know the times or dates, but that does not mean that we simply stick our heads in the sand. It does not mean that we ignore what is going on in hopes that it will go away. If all of the things that we see simply went away, would we truly have peace? Would we turn to God during these times? Would we truly have the faith to stand firm in God’s promises?

We must keep our eyes on Jesus! We must keep looking up to the true source of peace. We must earnestly seek God and be willing to discern His true intentions.

What is it that you pray for?

Do you pray for His Will or yours?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Have you been praying?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
     “May those who love you be secure.
(Psalms 122:6 (NIV))

Do you love Jesus?

Do you love what Jesus loves?

What do you think of Jerusalem? Does it match what the Lord has said?

but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there,
(2 Chronicles 6:6a (NIV))

Even when the people rebelled, He still looked on in love.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
(Matthew 23:37 (NIV))

Jerusalem is important to God. Jerusalem is crucial to God’s plans. Jerusalem, and Israel, were supposed to be the beacon shining God’s light to the world. They were chosen to serve this purpose and no matter how many times they rebelled against God, He still has a purpose for Israel and Jerusalem. Many scholars believe that prophetic events that we know as the end times, even though they will impact the whole world, are God’s call for Israel to accept their Messiah. Everything that happens during the end times are focused in and on Jerusalem and Israel. We know that they will be attacked and miraculously saved. We know that the antichrist will allow the temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. We know that the antichrist will go into the temple and declare himself to be God. We know that all nations of the world will turn on Israel, and we know that the battle in the valley of Har Megido, otherwise known as Armageddon, will take place in the land of Israel.

There is also one other thing that we must be aware of. God set the land aside for Israel as an inheritance.

for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
(Genesis 13:15 (NIV))

I realize that they did not possess the land for centuries, but it still belongs to the offspring of Israel. If you find this difficult to comprehend, all that we have to do is consider this passage and how Israel became a nation again after almost two thousand years. This basically transpired with the stroke of a pen!

Who has ever heard of such things?
     Who has ever seen things like this?
Can a country be born in a day
     or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
     than she gives birth to her children.
(Isaiah 66:8 (NIV))

It is clear that the Lord loves Israel and Jerusalem. We know that He has warned against dividing the land since they returned.

I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,
(Joel 3:2 (NIV))

He does not like anyone to divide what He has given. In fact, many of the natural disasters and attacks that have happened in this country have happened on the very same days that plans we presented or agreed to that divided up Israel. We have to stop trying to take what God has declared as His and giving it away. Why are we, as humanity, so arrogant that we think that we can do whatever we want?

We must pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Have you been praying?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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God still saves those who call upon His name!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Alas! That day is so great
      there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
      yet he shall be saved out of it.
(Jeremiah 30:7 (NIV))

What is your understanding of the importance of Israel in God’s timeline?

What is your understanding of the tribulation that is spoken of in Revelation and hinted at in Jeremiah and many other books?

There are many who believe that the tribulation is what is referred to in this passage. You may be more familiar with it being called the time of Jacob’s trouble. Based on this concept, many believe that what is spoken of in Revelation is God’s plan to redeem, to refine Israel and that the church will be gone before this happens. As God unfolds His plan, more and more will be understood. Now, we can only speculate as to what all of this means and how the Lord will unfold all of it as His plan comes to fruition. One thing is certain. God is not through with Israel. He has plans to redeem Israel for Himself. He has plans to redeem Jerusalem to Himself. With this in mind, we must be diligent in our prayers.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
(Psalm 122:6a (NIV))

We must also be like the Bereans and search the scriptures for the truth as God unfolds it.

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))

God gave us His word.

I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
(John 14:29 (NIV))

We must dive deeply into His word so that we are able to recognize when things happen and believe. We must also share the Gospel so that others will believe. We must lead people to Jesus before they are distressed and troubled. We must lead people to Jesus so that they may know of God’s grace and mercy before it is too late.

God still saves those who call upon His name!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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