How is your faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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

How is your assuredness?

Are you able to accept things even though you may not have any physical evidence that it is as you desire? Do you know with certainty that your salvation has been bought with a price that you could not afford to pay? Are you positive that Jesus arose from the grave?

How you answer these types of questions is a direct reflection on your faith.

Even though we say it, it is not possible to share your faith. You can only tell others about your faith, but it cannot be shared. Faith is personal. Faith is something that must be built and maintained in a one on one relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Faith is something that God plants in your life and it slowly matures if you will let it. According to Matthew 17:20, faith can grow to tremendous size even if it starts off as small as a mustard seed.

There is a circle that cannot be broken if it is strongly built. That circle consists of faith, hope and love. Faith shows belief. Hope shows the desire for something better. Love shows the desire to share something better with those we meet. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that the greatest of these is love, but I would safely venture that faith is the root of the three, for without faith, we have no hope, for we would not see any reason to look beyond our circumstances. Without faith, we have no love, for we would not see the need to look beyond ourselves and care for others.

Faith is a strong concept. With faith, we can move mountains. It is important to place your faith in the One who can return it multiplied. Only Jesus can return your faith so that it multiplies and spills over onto those around you.

How is your faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What do you rejoice in?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
  though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
  though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.
(Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV))

Think about that passage for a moment.

The society was an agricultural society. What this passage describes is the equivalent of someone saying today:

Though the car breaks down
and the refrigerator needs repaired,
though the lawnmower won’t run
and the bill collectors are calling,
though there are no jobs to be found
and the house is being foreclosed,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

No matter what the situation, we must rejoice in the Lord. No matter how desperate things may look, we must rejoice in the Lord. We are not the only people to have ever gone through trials and tribulations. We are, however, the ones who are facing them now.

Each generation goes through trials. We undergo tests of our faith. No matter what we may face, we can rest assured that the world cannot take our faith, unless we willingly give it up.

Faith is a choice. It is not something that we lose when things get bad. It is not something that we can set aside when things are going well. Faith should be an integral part of our daily lives. Faith is what sees us through the tough times. Faith is what we rejoice over during the good times. Faith is what we look back on and realize that it was faith that brought us through tough times.

Tough times fall on everyone. It is faith that makes the difference between despair and hope.

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

I am certain that things will get better. I am certain that God will see us through this time. I am certain that the fig tree will bud and that there will be grapes on the vines, and that the car will run and the jobs will return. I am certain that no matter to what extent that these things happen, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will strive to maintain my faith.

What do you rejoice in?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you sure about your relationship with Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

“Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

Are you following your will or God’s?

Do you know the difference?

Most people may not know that there is a difference. Too many pray for things to happen because it is their will. All too often, when things don’t work out the way that they think they should, they search for another way to make them happen. Is this truly following God’s will or is it following your own will and your own desires?

I know far too many people who seem to beat their heads against the wall with respect to things in their lives. They never see a blessing and they never see encouragement, yet, they still claim to be following God’s will.

Does this sound like your life?

I realize that God is not slow in keeping His promises and the lack of blessings and the lack of encouragement may be God saying that the time is not right. I know that this is a tough call. What do you do in these circumstances? What do you do when you feel that God is calling you into something, yet you are not seeing anything come to fruition?

Look at David. He was called to be king of Israel, yet he faced many years of persecution. The one thing about David that stands out is that he had a personal relationship with God. He longed to know God and he longed for God to know him.

Can you say the same thing?

Are your thoughts in line with God’s thoughts? Are your actions in line with what God is telling you? Perhaps the best way to say this, to cut to the chase, is to look at your priorities. Do you focus on yourself first and then everything that you claim to do for God is only done so that you can receive the accolades of people? God looks at the heart.

Are you sure about your relationship with Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Only the Lord is a perfect fit!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
(Psalms 19:7-9 (NIV))

Some say that there is a God shaped hole inside of our hearts that we strive to fill. Some fill it with wealth; some with power; some with lust; some with greed; and some with false religions. All of the people who try to force fit a “square peg into a round hole” are never truly at peace. They occasionally can make something “fit” temporarily, but due to the mismatched shapes, whatever they place there eventually works its way out.

When this happens, there is much pain, sadness and anger. Filling the space that was intended for God to fill only leads to false hope and aggravation. The Psalmist knew of this and conveyed this truth very eloquently in the above passage. This was before the idea of a “God shaped hole,” but it conveys the same underlying truth.

How are you trying to fill this hole that yearns to be filled?

Only the Lord is a perfect fit!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you sure you know what is best for you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.’
(Isaiah 48:17 (NIV))

Do you honestly allow God to direct where you should go?

If you are like everyone else, chances are very good that you have probably gotten yourself into situations that have been less than ideal in your eyes. You tried to follow your own direction. How do you think these situations looked to those around you? How do you think they looked to God?

What have you got to lose? If you follow God’s direction, you will not find yourself in situations that will embarrass you because of stupid decisions. You won’t find yourself having to figure out which lies to tell so that you won’t get caught in the first set of lies you told.

Far too many people believe that the Bible is not relevant in today’s society. If you believe that truth is relative, then this is probably you. If you believe that there is no such thing as sin, then this is probably you. If you think that there is no one greater than you, then this is probably you. For the rest of us who know that truth is the same no matter what the circumstance, we know better. For those of us who know that sin is rampant in this world, we know better. For those of us who can’t imagine anyone being worse than we are, we know better.

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))

Filthy rags!

Can a filthy rag direct how to clean itself? Can a filthy rag lift itself out of the filth? Only God can cleanse us. Only God can direct us in the way that we should go. Reflect upon where you are going and repent. Allow God to direct your paths and He will draw you closer to Him.

Are you sure you know what is best for you?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Believing is seeing!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

“Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
(John 4:48 (NIV))

Are you a visual person? Do you learn only when you see it before your own eyes?

Where is the faith in this?

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

There are just some things that you must accept without seeing. Faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is one of those things. We do not have the good fortune of having been alive when He walked the earth. We will never see the miracles that He performed. Perhaps that is a good thing, for those who actually saw them wanted more before many of them would believe.

Where does that leave us?

We must be certain in our hope that Jesus is who He says He is. We must be certain of what we do not see. We will be blessed if we can go beyond our physical limitations and start to believe even if we do not see. We must remember what Jesus told Thomas.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
(John 20:29 (NIV))

This world teaches us that we must see it in order to believe it. That is true of anything of this world. Faith in Jesus is not of this world. We must be sure of the hope that Jesus brings even though we may not see it.

Are you sure of your faith? Do you need to see to believe?

Believing is seeing!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Have you heard the Word made flesh?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
(Romans 10:7 (NIV))

Do you have faith?

Are you completely sure of what faith is? Let’s face the truth. It’s difficult to know if you possess something if you aren’t sure what that something is!

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

Do you see the one thing thing that is so obvious that most people tend to miss it? Faith is built on hope! Not only is faith built on hope, it is built on a confident hope. Hope can be both a noun or a verb, but in essence, the meaning truly doesn’t change. You want or desire something to happen or to be true. You either possess the characteristic of hope or you actively want or desire.

What do you want or desire? What is it that you hope for? Upon what do you build your faith?

Various things fall into this category, but there is something that will never fail you, and that is the promises that God has given to us in His Word. God’s Word is alive.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

God’s Word walked among us. God’s Word is Jesus! Have you heard the Word of God? Have you heard the Word made flesh?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Faith and fear do not go together!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?
(Mark 4:40 (RSV))

What do you face in your life that makes you afraid?

To some people, their fear is of a horrible death. To others, their fear is financial failure. Some people fear being alone, while others fear being with people.

The fears that people have are as unique and varied as the people who have them.

Think about the questions presented in Mark 4:40. Is there really anything that you have to fear if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? His very words tell us:

“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))

If we place our faith in Jesus, then we truly have nothing to fear, for whatever the world may throw at us, He has overcome. It is true that we may have our faith tested by Satan, for he will attempt to use our old fears to get us to deny Jesus, but do not abandon your faith. Fear only thrives where there is no hope. Hope thrives where Jesus is. Faith thrives were there is hope.

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

Firmly place your faith in Jesus!

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Are you filled with great boldness?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
(Acts 4:29 (NIV))

How strong is your faith?

Are you willing to stand against those who ridicule you because of your faith? Are you willing to speak the truth even when the truth is not popular? Are you willing to risk everything you have in order to speak the Word of God into a dark and dying world?

Or, are you like most people and too timid to speak up for what you profess to believe?

I know that I may make some people mad with that last question, but we all need to stop and ask ourselves this on a regular basis. If we are not willing to speak the truth of God’s Word, then are we fulfilling the task that we have been given?

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:15-18 (NIV))

Do you see anything in this passage that looks as if the Body of Christ is timid?

Why should we be?

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

If we are timid in our faith, is it really faith?

Are you sure of the things that Jesus has done? Are you certain of the salvation that you have been given? If you had been given a mansion, you would tell everyone that you encounter about the great gift that someone gave you. What God has given each of us through the shed blood of Jesus is far greater than any earthly mansion, yet we fail to tell anyone about it. Why are we willing to be bold in certain things while we become timid when we are talking about our faith?

I know that there are those who will profess a faith in Jesus because it makes them feel good, but this is not what Jesus promised.

“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))

Jesus promised peace through the troubles that He knew we would face. It takes a boldness to face the world and proclaim the truth!

Are you filled with great boldness?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

What is your definition of faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
(Hebrews 11:3 (NIV))

What is your definition of faith?

Do you require physical proof before you will “accept something on faith.” That is a contradiction of terms, for faith requires a sound belief in things that you cannot see.

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

I find it interesting that as science makes progress in the understanding of our physical world, they have discovered that the atom is not the smallest particle. It is not the protons, neutrons and electrons. There is a scientific theory that states that all of these particles are actually made up of smaller particles called gluons. Do you know what the scientists have speculated that these particles are made of? They theorize that these gluons are actually made up of energy. In other words, they are made out of nothing physical. They are made out of nothing that is visible.

What did Paul know two thousand years ago that our scientists are only beginning to realize is true? Paul knew that the universe was created out of nothing, and the scientists of today are actually starting to say the same thing. The only difference is that today we have super computers to test this theory. We have electron microscopes that can give us hints of what is actually present in the very building blocks of the atoms. We have equipment that allows us to test and verify everything before we draw any conclusions. We can claim with a 99.99% certainty that what is seen is what is the truth.

Two thousand years ago, Paul made the same conclusions.

What did Paul have? He did not have any of the super computers or other test equipment to study his surroundings. He did not spend years formulating mathematical equations to predict the physical world. He had only one thing!

Paul had faith, and by his faith, he was able to know two thousand years ago what our scientists are just beginning to realize. If Paul was so accurate about this, I am going to step out in faith and say that he was right about the message of grace and mercy afforded to us through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Is your faith based on what is seen or do you stand firm in the hope of what we cannot see?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery