How is your strength?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

He gives strength to the weary
     and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
     and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
     will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
     they will run and not grow weary,
     they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV))

I don’t know about you, but I am weary in my own strength. I don’t have the ability to face the world on my own. I am tired! Perhaps I could even go so far as saying that I am exhausted.

The world in which we live has become so polarized. People rage against anything and everything that God considers good. They openly embrace anything that God considers evil. They mock anyone who clings to the sole source of truth. They censor the name of Jesus who is the source of this truth because they don’t want to offend those who do evil. They don’t want to offend the enemy!

Do you understand why I am weary?

I, like every single person who has ever lived, do not have the strength to face the enemy on my own. Thankfully I can turn to the ultimate source of strength. I can rely on the strength of someone much greater than I. I can rely on the strength of my Lord and Savior. I can rely on the strength of my God! With this strength, I have the ability to face whatever the world may send my way. I have the strength to face whatever the enemy may send my way.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
     my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
     and with my song I praise him.
(Psalms 28:7 (NIV))

He gives us strength by letting us rest in His presence. He gives us strength when we need shelter from the world. He gives us strength by equipping us with His truth. He gives us strength when we are still. When we desire to live out His truth, He fights the battles.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
(Exodus 14:14 (NIV))

When you are on the side of the Lord, that should be enough to give you the strength to overcome the weariness caused by the evil in the world!

How is your strength?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you truly long for the Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
(Habakkuk 1:3 (NIV))

Habakkuk knew what injustice was. He saw it in the society of his day. He saw it in Jerusalem. He had grown tired of the sinful practices that he saw on a daily basis. He pleaded with the Lord to do something that would make the people repent and return to the Lord. The people had rebelled against the Lord to the point that the Lord decided to have the Babylonians invade.

Think about that for a moment!

We pray for God to do something in this nation. We grow tired of the injustices, the evil, the wrongdoing, the destruction and the violence. We can’t seem to go more than an hour without hearing about a new conflict that has people polarized in their responses. We pray that the Lord would heal this land, but what if the first step in the healing process takes us down a road similar to what the Lord told Habakkuk would happen? When the Babylonians came, it was not just the people who were doing evil who where affected? The consequences impacted the whole region.

With the events in the world and the alignment of nations, the peace treaties and all other factors, we realize that we will probably soon be facing end time events. We long for the moment when the Lord will come for His church. Until that time, we must be prepared for much worse than we have seen. We should continue to pray for repentance and healing. We must pray for eyes to be opened and hearts to be turned to Jesus.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV))

If we, who are sinful by nature, grow weary of all of the sin that surrounds us, how much more does this bother the Lord? We know that the Lord will win in His time, for He, too, is growing tired of the things in this world. Until that time, we must stand firm in our faith. We must stand firm in proclaiming the Gospel. We must stand firm in showing the world what God calls righteousness and justice.

Do you truly long for the Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We should never grow tired of doing good!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
(Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV))

The old saying “You are what you eat” has a lot of truth to it. But, in this case, it should say “You are what you feed on!” If you feed on the Word and things of the Spirit, you can’t help but reap things of the Spirit.

God wants us to do this in all ways, not just in our spiritual life, but also in our physical life within this world. We must be the light that shines for the world to see. This light must be allowed to shine on everyone at all times.

It is easy to do good to those who do good to us. Everyone is capable of doing this. We, as believers, must do good to everyone, whether they do good to us or not. We must show God’s grace and mercy to all that we encounter so that they may see God through us.

Jesus allowed that grace to be shown to us. We did not deserve it, yet, it was given to us freely. How can we, who did not deserve that grace and mercy, show nothing but grace and mercy to others who are as worthy as we are?

We should never grow tired of doing good!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We have not been forsaken!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:7 (NIV))

As I sit here tonight, I am feeling like many people are probably feeling right now. I’m tired of the isolation. Even churches have gone to live feeds. I’m tired of the inability to socialize. I’m tired of the lack of basic essential supplies in many stores. I’m tired of not knowing how long this will last.

I’m tired of the uncertainty!

Does that sound like you?

Are you tired of all that is going on, or have you grown anxious because of the uncertainty? Perhaps I could even say that many people are borderline fearful. Is there a difference between being tired of a circumstance and being anxious or fearful because of a circumstance? Being tired of something implies that you wish it would go away. I find it interesting that many dictionaries will define the word anxious as an extreme uneasiness or fear and the word fear is defined as an unpleasant anticipation of danger. In essence, do you wish that the current circumstances in the world would go away or do you feel an unpleasant anticipation of danger because of the circumstances?

Depending on the translation and the wording, God tells us to “fear not” or “do not be afraid” 365 times. He knows human nature. He knows that we are creatures of comfort and creatures of habit. He also knows our hearts. He knows what causes fear in our minds and in our hearts. He also knows how to give us peace!

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33 (NIV))

I have one more thing for your consideration in 1 Peter 5:7, and that is the word “cast.” When you place something, it implies a careful movement into a new position. The word cast implies that you are throwing something away from you and to a new place. You are throwing you anxiety away from you. You are willfully and purposefully taking your anxiety and trading it for His peace! Does this sound like instructions from someone who doesn’t care about us? He is telling us to turn to Him and cast our anxiety onto Him. He does not wish for us to go through these tribulations alone.

In the days ahead, stop and pray for the Lord to take away your anxieties and give you His peace!

We have not been forsaken!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Are we still witnessing or are we simply waiting?

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))

Have we gotten tired of waiting? Have we given up being witnesses because we don’t see any evidence of His return? Do you tell yourself that witnessing is not your gift? Perhaps we have developed an attitude that we have done our part and it’s time for a rest. Have I left your excuse out of my list?

I don’t mean to sound harsh and degrading. I don’t want to sound like I am pointing fingers. I realize that we have all felt like this at some point or another. In fact, I have told myself that personal witnessing is not my gift more times than I care to admit. To be honest with you, I am not good at public speaking. I am not good at one on one, but, if you give me a keyboard and a verse, I believe that I have found my way of witnessing. With this simple truth about myself, I believe that if you look at humanity, you will quickly realize that God created each of us with unique gifts. Because each unsaved sinner is unique, each repentant sinner who has claimed salvation has a unique way of reaching someone else. It is a way that may be designed for reaching only one person. We must remember that each person is loved by God and the one that you are called to share the Gospel with may be the next person to share the Gospel with millions!

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
(Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV))

Just because our gift is not evangelism doesn’t mean that we can’t use our gifts to witness, to spread the Gospel!

It is true that we don’t know the hour or the date that the Father has set, but we all have an urgent task that we must not neglect. Whether it is by evangelism, writing, hospitality, generosity, music, or art, we all have a gift that we can use to witness to the amazing truth of the Gospel. Just because we don’t know the hour or the date doesn’t mean that we should stop using our gifts to reach the world. We are called to be faithful until He comes.

Are we being faithful with the gifts that He has given to us or have we grown complacent in our witness? Have we started using excuses like those I previously mentioned to convince ourselves that it is okay if we don’t witness? We need to take a serious look at what Jesus has called us to do and whether we are being faithful in that calling.

Are we still witnessing or are we simply waiting?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Do you rely on the strength of the Lord?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV))

This world has a way of bringing everything that can drain you down upon you in an attempt to make you stumble and fall. If you rely solely on yourself, then you have no external strength to call upon to see you through these times. We are only human, and as sinful humanity, we are not capable of lifting ourselves out of these draining times.

But, by the grace of God, we have a place to turn in times of trouble. We have the strength of the Lord if we only place our hope in Him. We have the promises that God has given us throughout the ages.

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))

Do you receive strength when you are weary? Do you soar on wings like eagles?

Fully accept the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will receive His strength.

Do you rely on the strength of the Lord?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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God’s timing is perfect!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
(1 Peter 5:6 (NIV))

Are you tired of waiting on God?

Do you think that you could do a better job than God does with your life?

If you answered “Yes” to either or both of these questions, I need to point out something to you. Based on the first two words in 1 Peter 5:6, do your answers make you sound humble? On the contrary, they indicate the exact opposite. In fact, it could be said that these answers border on pride. In order of the questions, they convey that you feel that you are more important than anyone else, and that you feel that you are more important than God.

Are you guilty of telling the Lord that He is too slow? Would you be spiritually ready if He did everything you asked according to your timeline? Can you tell the end from the beginning as well as every single turn that must be made to get to that end? Think about that last question in context of a road trip as a passenger in a car. You only know that you are moving forward. Some roads along the way are smooth like an interstate highway and you long to stay on these pleasant roads. Unfortunately, not all destinations can be reached via interstate. Sometimes there is road construction or sometimes you need to travel on a road that is bumpy and unpleasant, but it gets you where you need to go. When you arrive at your destination, you recognize each stretch of road for what it contributed to your arrival.

Think of your life in this manner!

When we say that we are tired of waiting on God, or that we could do a better job than God, we are trying to smooth out the road and arrive based on our understanding and not on the understanding of He who sees the end from the beginning. In fact, God has a unique plan and purpose for each person’s life. Some may travel the bumpy roads longer than others, but don’t lose hope. We simply need to humble ourselves and surrender to the Lord and acknowledge that He is in control.

You may just be surprised to find that God’s timing is perfect!

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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How well do you know the everlasting God?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
(Isaiah 40:28 (NIV))

Everyone who has ever lived has had a definition of a smaller god that is who they would like to make God into.

Far too many people limit God because they lack the faith to understand, to believe that God is far greater than we can comprehend. They pray to Him, yet, they truly don’t believe that He can do anything to help them. They read the Bible and will make comments about how He no longer does miracles. They look at the world and blame God for all of the sin and take credit for anything good that happens to them.

Is this how you think that you know God? If it is, you need to spend more time with the Lord and in God’s Word! Nowhere is the Lord our God described as weak and insecure. Nowhere is He described as anything less than mighty and powerful. Nowhere is He described as anything less than the awesome Father that He is!

We all have things that we elevate to places of importance in our lives. I pray that we, as the Body of Christ, lower our individual gods of status, wealth and whatever else we elevate as important and replace them with the knowledge and understanding of the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth!

How well do you know the everlasting God?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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Are you weary in your walk with Christ?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
(Galatians 6:9 (NIV))

Do you get tired of seeing the terrible, ungodly things that happen in the world? Do you ever think that you are only one person and are not capable of changing anything on your own? Do you grow tired of doing what is right in the eyes of God and not seeing anything happen?

It is so easy to get discouraged by the events in this sinful, fallen world, especially when your only desire is to see God glorified through His Son, Jesus. Sadly, too many people rely on their strength to do what God has called them to do. Are you strong enough to carry the weight of sin on your shoulders? Are you strong enough to provide a way for people to escape their sin? Are you strong enough to bridge the gap between humanity and God?

None of us are strong enough!

Thankfully, we are not called to be strong enough. We are called to allow God to work through us. We are not the ones called to carry the burdens. We are called to be obedient and answer God’s call. If we become weary, there is a good chance that we are trying to rely on our strengths and not on God’s strengths. I can think of so many mental pictures for this concept, but the one that seems to represent this concept the best is the story about the footprints in the sand. In this story, we learn of Jesus walking side by side with an individual. Then, all of a sudden we see only one set of footprints. Jesus is asked why He abandoned them and He replies that He did not abandon them, but He was carrying them!

Do the things of this world make you weary? Keep in mind that Jesus bore all of this for us. It is not our calling to reinvent grace. It is not our calling to save people. Only Jesus can save. It is our calling to be willing to answer His call. He will equip the called. He will give you His strength and His peace to do what He has called you to do.

Don’t try to do it on your own!

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
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In our weariness, we must turn to Jesus!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 (NAS))

There are two types of weariness that we, as humans, experience. We can be weary physically and we can be weary spiritually and emotionally. No matter how strong we may be, our physical bodies can only handle so much before we reach a point where we are too tired, too broken, to do anything else. We need to rest! I am sure that all of us have experienced this in our lives.

What about emotional and spiritual weariness?

I realize that this could be considered two separate instances, but have you ever seen someone who is emotionally drained who is not spiritually drained? Have you ever seen someone who is spiritually exhausted who is not emotionally drained? The two go hand in hand. When we are like this, we also need rest!

What are the things in this life that beat you down, make you tired, and leave you feeling exhausted and drained? Is it finances? Is it addiction? Is it the state of the world? Is it a loved one’s lack of a relationship with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior?

I know that we all have them, I know that we all need to find a shelter from these things. I know that we need a safe and secure place where we can find rest from the things in this world that make us weary.

We can find physical rest in many different ways and places. Some go to the mountains. Others go to the beach. Some go fishing, while others will simply become a semi-permanent fixture on their couch. In all of creation, there is only one place where we can find rest from the things that weigh heavily on us spiritually and emotionally.

That one place is at the feet of Jesus! That one place is in the presence of the one who has taken all of our burdens upon Himself. Only Jesus can lift the burdens that our sinful nature weighs us down with.

In our weariness, we must turn to Jesus!

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