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.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you trust the Lord and shower Him with praise?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
     a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you,
     for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
     proclaim among the nations what he has done.
(Psalms 9:9-11 (NIV))

Trust and praise.

The two go hand in hand. You cannot praise someone that you do not trust, and can you honestly trust someone that does not deserve praise?

With all that is currently happening in the world, I felt led to remind people that we have placed not only our trust, but also our praise, in Jesus. We praise Him for what He has done, and we trust Him for what we know He will do. As humans, we do not like uncertainty. We do not like the unknown. It takes great trust to step out into something that we know absolutely nothing about. It takes great trust to firmly believe in something, even though we may not be able to see it. It takes great trust and faith to know that no matter what the enemy sends our way, we are in His hands. We are in His protection!

Many years ago, my youngest son had to “fall” off of a porch rail for a student film. It had to be convincing for the camera. It had to look real. Unfortunately, there was no airbag or anything else to break his fall from the six foot high rail. The only thing there was a few men, including myself. We devised a method to catch him by locking our arms together and making a “net.” He literally had to fall into our arms.

He trusted us to catch him several times as he fell into our arms.

Do you trust Jesus to catch you when you fall? He is much more reliable than any human safety net. Can you praise Him for catching you? Can you trust Him to catch you in the midst of the enemy’s evil plans? Can you praise Him in the storm?

Trust and praise!

The two are greatly intertwined with each other. The more you trust, the greater the praise. The more you praise, the greater the trust! The more I think about trust and praise, I envision a double strand not unlike DNA. They become so wrapped up in each other, that it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. This kind of trust and praise comes from a maturity in your faith. You have had to experience enough of His promises to know that they are always yes. Only when you trust and praise Him can you fully rely on the Lord to be your refuge, your stronghold!

Do you trust the Lord and shower Him with praise?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you certain of your faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1 (NIV))

How is your faith?

If you were faced with a situation where you would be killed if you professed a faith in Jesus, how sure would you be of what you hope for? Would you loudly and rapidly proclaim your faith or would you hesitate in letting it be known? Perhaps you would be like Peter and deny Jesus in such a time as this.

I don’t know if this is simply human instinct to survive that kicks in or would we actually waiver in our faith. I know that if I faced such a situation, I would be praying for that certainty of what I hope for. I also know that I would probably be praying for a sign that I could see. It is human nature to fear what you cannot see for there is a sense of certainty associated with what you can see. I suppose that when it all comes down to it, faith is being able to place your confidence in Jesus even when you can’t see him. Faith is the ability to allow Jesus to overcome all of your fears.

Peter had done just this at one point.

     “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
     “Come,” he said.
     Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
(Matthew 14:28-29 (NIV))

Yet, in the very next moment, Peter wavered.

     But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
     Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
(Matthew 14:30-31 (NIV))

Jesus will save us in our moments of weakness. He is there when our mustard seed is very small. He is there when our mustard seed has become full grown. He will not give up on us. We must remember that and keep our faith in Him.

Are you certain of your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you prepared to proclaim it clearly?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
(Colossians 4:4 (NIV))

When Paul wrote this sentence, it was part of a bigger communication that he sent while he was literally in prison. There is some variation on the understanding of the exact details of his imprisonment, but everyone agrees that it was because he was preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was arrested in Jerusalem, but because he had earned a Roman citizenship, he appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome. This lead to his imprisonment.

In essence, Paul was in prison for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even in these circumstances he continued to preach. These few words even show that he was asking for prayer for his efforts to continue in proclaiming the Gospel. To put it simply, he was praying and asking for prayer to be able to continue doing the exact thing that got him put in prison to begin with!

Could we have the courage and faith to do this?

Could we stand firm in our faith even though it was our faith that got us into trouble with the earthly authorities?

There are many variations on the following words, but this should be the desire of everyone who professes a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world, than stand with the world and be judged by God.

Paul wasn’t afraid to stand with God and proclaim the Gospel. He was willing to be judged by the world for his obedience. Are you?

Are you prepared to proclaim it clearly?

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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We must proclaim that only Jesus is the truth!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
(John 8:32 (NIV))

If you truly stop to think about this passage, it completely destroys the concept that truth is relative. How can anything that is relative, that constantly changes, have the power to set you free. If truth is relative, then the one who espouses a relative truth is not constant. They change with the seasons. They change with the winds. They change with whatever crowd and whatever lie is most popular at the moment. What they say is their truth one day will not be their truth the next day. In fact, all that they proclaim is a lie. The last that I looked, a lie cannot set you free. In fact, all lies come from satan who is the father of all lies. His lies didn’t get him set free. His lies led to him being cast out of heaven and will lead to being cast into the lake of fire.

Does this sound like any “truth” that you want to be associated with?

Does that sound like freedom to you?

We only need to turn to the words of Jesus to find the real truth. We only need to turn to Jesus to find a truth that is not relative and constantly changing. We only need to turn to Jesus to find the absolute truth that can only come from God!

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))

Too many people simply do not understand or they choose to reject what this means. These are the people who proclaim that there are many ways to God and that Jesus is only one of those ways. If they had actually read and understood this passage, along with many others, they would not be able to make such a claim. They do not see the God of the Bible. They see a god of their own personal designs. They have bought into the lie that God is relative and that He is whatever you wish Him to be!

We, as the Body of Christ, know that only Jesus, as the only begotten Son of God, is the truth. With this concept firmly rooted in Scripture, let’s paraphrase John 8:32 with a simple word replacement.

Then you will know Jesus, and Jesus will set you free.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
(John 8:36 (NIV))

With all that is going on in the world, we must pray for people to come to the realization that there is only one truth and His name is Jesus! We must do all that we can to show that truth is not relative and that those who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior know the truth and that they have indeed been set free!

We must proclaim that only Jesus is the truth!

Copyright 1998 – 2021 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Rejoice in God’s light! His name is Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
(Philippians 4:4 (NIV))

If you had to proclaim the birth of a baby in your family, you would be joyful. You would exude enthusiasm. You would rejoice in the fact that God has blessed you with a new life to share. It would be an extremely happy occasion. Unfortunately, though, that baby would be born with the very same curse that we all face. That baby would be bound by the law of sin and death.

Now, consider that a baby was born into the family two thousand years ago. This baby was no ordinary baby. I am sure that He brought joy to the lives of those whom He called His family, but He was so much more. He came into this world to be a part of the family of each and every single person who has ever lived. This baby came into the world to bring great joy. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be one of us. Unlike everybody who was born under the law of sin and death, Jesus came into the world sin free. He grew up sin free and He remained sin free even to obedience that called Him to die on the cross. Through Jesus, we truly have grace and mercy. Through the baby Jesus, we truly have something to rejoice about. The infant that came into this world symbolizes a rebirth of our human natures.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
(Philippians 4:4 (NIV))

“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 he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men 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 his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
(John 3:16-21 (NIV))

Rejoice in God’s light! His name is Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Is this continually on your lips?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
(Psalms 40:16 (NIV))

Do you proclaim the greatness of the Lord at all times?

Think about that question with respect to these situations. Are you able to proclaim the greatness of the Lord when you’ve just lost your job? What about when you have no money left and you still need food? What about when someone whom you love passes away? Is it easy to still proclaim the greatness of the Lord in these situations?

I realize that these are extreme examples and that everyone has times that they can think of when it was difficult to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Have there been specific times in your life when you found this difficult to do? Did you ever get to the point where you could proclaim this again? Perhaps you are in a situation at this moment in time that you simply feel that the Lord has forsaken you. You are not alone!

Even David had these times in his life where he felt that the Lord had forgotten him or forsaken him. Let’s put this in perspective. David was the young man who faced and killed Goliath. David was the young man whom God anointed to be king over all of Israel. David was the man who defeated all the enemies of Israel. David purchased the land for the location of the Temple. David was called a man after God’s own heart. Still, in all the ways that the Lord blessed him, there were times when David felt that God had turned His back on him. We can read this in the Psalms that he wrote. He goes from praising God to asking why He has been forsaken. In all instances, David quickly comes full circles and praised God in the midst of the troubles because he has a history with the Lord. He knows that the Lord will do once again what He has done in the past. He knows that the Lord will not leave him in the situations that he found himself in.

In essence, David knew to praise the Lord for what He has done. He also knew to turn to the Lord and seek His blessing when the enemy was closing in, even when it appeared that the enemy was winning. David knew that he needed to lift up praise to the Lord for the greatness of the next thing that the Lord would do. It could easily be said that David’s praise could be broken down into two categories.

David praised the Lord for what He has done.

David praised the Lord for what He would do.

Do we have the faith to praise the Lord in this manner? Are we able to say “Great is the Lord” even when we don’t see what He is doing?

We must rejoice at all times for Great is the Lord!

Is this continually on your lips?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you still weary and faint?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
(Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV))

Is the world beating you down to the point that you are just drained, weary and faint?

I realize that this question is probably too close to the truth for many of us today. I fully understand just how someone could feel this way. It seems as if each day brings something new and different to the forefront for us to be concerned about. These words were written long before Jesus came into the world. These words were written long before the nation of Israel was scattered. They were written long before Israel was brought back into their land. This whole passage in Jeremiah describes the promises that the Lord has made. It also describes promises fulfilled, for we see these things right before our eyes as God unfolds them for Israel.

Do you think that what is happening in the world has caught God off guard? Do you think that He had no idea what this year would bring? If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you need to take another look at your definition of God. If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you need to stop worshipping the little god that you have put in a box and start worshipping the true God who is Creator and Lord of all.

I realize that the promise God made was to Israel, but if we place our faith and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then that promise is also for us. In fact, every promise that God has ever made is extended to those who believe in Jesus.

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 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV))

If the Lord has said that He will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint, then we should claim this promise as our own. We should proclaim it to the world so that others may know that they, too, can be refreshed and satisfied simply by professing a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Are you still weary and faint?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Does the enemy ask who you are?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
(Acts 19:15 (NIV))

Have you ever felt like the odd man out?

You know what I mean. The last person picked for something. The only one who has not chosen a side. The person who is so quiet that you don’t know what they want. The person who tries to drop names in hopes of being allowed in with the cool kids, but it backfires completely.

Think about that with an eternal, spiritual perspective. Imagine dropping the name of Jesus in a situation where the evil spirit fights back because it recognizes the fact that you don’t truly know Jesus. You are just claiming His name because you think it will provide some sort of advantage or gain in the situation.

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
(Acts 19:13-14 (NIV))

There is a difference between using the name of Jesus and truly knowing Jesus. There is also a difference that leads to the enemy recognizing your authority over them. They recognize the power that can only come through truly knowing the Lord.

Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
(Acts 19:16 (NIV))

Do you truly know Jesus? Can you boldly proclaim His name in the face of the enemy and know that the Lord will be with you through all that you face? All throughout history, truly knowing Jesus has had importance on an eternal level. We are getting to a point in history where a true relationship with Jesus is crucial in this physical world as well. We must be bold in our faith. We must stand firm in our convictions. We must proclaim the name of Jesus without fear and without shame. That is only possible if we truly have a personal Lord and Savior who stands with us closer than a brother. If this is true, then the enemy knows your name!

Does the enemy ask who you are?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are we listening?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!
(Acts 28:28 (NIV))

When Paul was in Rome, local Jewish leaders came to him. During the visit, Paul spoke of what was told to their ancestors through Isaiah. Some believed while many did not. The last words recorded of that conversation are shown above. For over two thousand years, we, as Gentiles, have listened. We have taken the Gospel that Paul preached and have been able to reach a large number of people. It is true, just as it was in Paul’s day, that some people have perverted the Gospel for their own gain, but for the most part, Gentiles have listened.

The time is now here when we must stand firm in our faith. We must proclaim Jesus loudly and boldly to a world that is falling apart. Time is running out!

Yes, I did just say that.

I have this feeling in my spirit that this world will not return to what we knew just last year. I actually have mixed feelings about this, for I love life. I love my family and I love spending time with those I love. But, I love Jesus more. After years of study, I believe that we are seeing things unfold as we have been told in God’s Word. With the things that are going on in this world, evil is rising. I am seeing things in this country that I would expect to only see in regions of this world that have been known for being oppressive. I am seeing a global hatred of people who profess a faith in Jesus. I am seeing ethnicity rising against ethnicity. Just for reference, this is often translated as nation rising against nation. I am seeing a push to go completely digital with money as well as a push to collect and destroy any physical money once the digital is implemented. I am seeing a big push to wear masks. I realize that the virus is real, so I don’t want to get into a debate about wearing masks. What I find sad is that the whole world is engulfed in this. There are those who are pushing a vaccine in order to be able to take part in society. In other words, get vaccinated and you can buy and sell. Would that vaccine leave a visible mark?

Paul was right.

The Gentiles have listened. But, do we know and understand God’s Word well enough to do something with what we have heard? Are we praying for God’s Will, even if it means things get much worse, or are we praying for our will and our comfort?

We need to truly seek the Lord. We need to listen for His voice and His guidance.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
(Revelation 2:29 (NIV))

Are we listening?

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