Are you alert and of a sober mind?

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))

If you take the time to research things that are happening in the world, then you are probably just as saddened by the overwhelming lack of sober minds as I am. It is very obvious that the enemy has not only been looking, he has been finding many to devour!

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
(1 Peter 5:9 (NIV))

I know many people who claim to possess a faith in Jesus, yet they have abandoned the very things that Jesus said to do. They have abandoned the very reason, to seek and to save the lost, that Jesus said is why He came to this earth. They have replaced it with a social agenda. Is this being alert to the truth of the Gospel and keeping a sober mind in the midst of societal pressures? If we are called to be salt and light to a dying world, shouldn’t we be having an impact on the world instead of the world having an impact on us?

Is this how the devil is able to select who he will devour? Does he select people who don’t know scripture well enough to know what is truth and what is a lie?

How do you become alert and attain a sober mind?

I would venture to say that both of these come from an in-depth relationship with the Lord; one in which you dive deeply into God’s Word and meditate on it day and night. It also comes from a very active life of prayer in which you seek His heart first. Once you know these things, then you will be able to spot the lies of the enemy. You will have put on the full armor of God and will be able to stand firm!

Are you alert and of a sober mind?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you alert and fully sober?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
(1 Peter 1:13 (NIV))

Are you looking for Jesus?

In other words, are you alert and fully sober in spite of what the world says that we should be? Think about that for a moment.

What do you spend your time thinking about? What does your bank account say about your priorities? What do your entertainment choices say about your relationship with the world? What does your time spent in God’s Word say about your relationship with the Lord? What does your computer or phone time say about your focus, and what does your attitude say about you as a person?

I could go on and on, but it is obvious that if you are human, you fall short of God’s idea of righteousness. Even if you have professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, there is always room for improvement, for maturity in your faith. We are called to be holy, but even on our best day, we fall short!

Perhaps our definition of being holy has been polluted by the world. Too many people think of a self-righteous attitude when asked about being holy. I sometimes wonder if there is God’s holiness, which is perfect, and our attempt at being holy, which is flawed drastically by our sinful, fallen nature. We can’t seem to get it right. We are not capable of anything more than a failed attempt at fulfilling our interpretation of God’s ideal holiness. Enter Jesus! He paved a way for us to exchange our filthy rags for His righteousness, His holiness. Through this action, and our acceptance, we can be considered holy, especially when you consider that one way to look at that word is that it means to be set apart.

Are you set apart?

Do you desire to follow Jesus? If you truly desire to follow Jesus, then you are set apart. You have made a proclamation that you no longer wish to live a sinful, fallen life. You have made a proclamation of faith that you will follow Jesus. Will you be able to walk this path perfectly? Will you keep your eyes focused on Jesus? It is a matter of attitude. It is a matter of priorities. Do you wish to be set apart from the world? I long to follow Jesus. Even on my worst days, I still long to focus on Jesus. There is a quote going around in today’s society that sums it up quite nicely.

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

If we can make this commitment, then we are alert and fully sober. We have a hope beyond what this world can offer. We have placed our faith and our hope in Jesus. We deliberately set ourselves apart and faithfully look for His coming. We can decide to be set apart!

Are you alert and fully sober?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Praise the light of Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.
(Psalms 113:3 (KJV))

When this was written, people did not have a grasp of the concept that the sun never sets on God’s creation. They did not know that it is always daylight somewhere in the world. Also, when this was written, people lived their lives around the sun. Unlike today, people basically spent every daylight hour up and about their lives. To them, the sun was the day. In essence, this verse instructed people to praise God every waking hour of the day of their lives!

In our society, the sun no longer determines our daily lives as it did when David wrote this. These words still need to be looked upon as instructions to praise God every waking hour of our lives and not just during the daylight hours, especially if you think about the passages that tell us that most sin occurs in the dark.

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
(1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 (NIV))

Do not stray from your path into the darkness. Stay in the light. Remember that there is always light in the darkness. That light is Jesus Christ. Turn towards Him and keep focused on Him in all that you do.

Praise the light of Jesus!

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.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What are your thoughts?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
(Romans 12:3 (NIV))

Sadly, it is human nature to think more highly of ourselves than we should.

Is this something that you are guilty of at times?

Have you ever looked at someone and thought to yourself that you were glad that you didn’t have their particular sin to deal with? Do you realize that this is exactly what Romans warns against? We have a tendency to place ourselves above others. We think that our sins are nothing compared to the sins of others.

God looks at this much differently than we do.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6 (NIV))

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

We are all guilty of sin. Not a one of us is righteous on our own. All of us have earned something that none of us want to collect.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

As we move from the time that we celebrate as the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, into a new year, all of us need to take the time to reflect on what God has given us. Have we accepted that gift? Have we realized that we are no better than anyone else? Have we learned to control our selfish thoughts? Have we learned to stop thinking of ourselves more highly than we should?

What are your thoughts?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are you alert and fully sober?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
(1 Peter 1:13 (NIV))

With all of the things that are going on in the world, are you alert?

With the world’s current intoxication where things just don’t make sense, are you sober?

I honestly don’t know how much more of the insanity of this world God will allow before He says enough is enough. Every single day I am completely amazed at the depravity and the insanity that is rapidly sweeping the world, our nation and our communities. There is an old saying that appears to apply to our society at this particular moment in time. I honestly believe that the patients are running the asylum. Nothing makes sense. Down is up. Right is left. Good is evil. Criminals are the victims of society, and Jesus is banned from public display.

I long for the return of Jesus!

Do you?

Some people will say that we have an escapist mentality. That may very well be true. We don’t want to live in chaos. We don’t want to live in evil. We long for righteousness. We long for peace. We long for Jesus!

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
(Matthew 24:36 (NIV))

We may not know the day or the hour, but we are told that we can recognize the times.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.
(Matthew 24:32-33 (NIV))

Are you alert to all that is happening? Are you fully sober and understanding of the time?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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