Is the world about to go into labor?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
(Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV))

Is it just me or do you see an ever increasing frequency of events happening not only in our country, but worldwide?

To use the analogy that is used in Matthew, the pains associated with birth are getting more intense and closer together. Just as contractions increase in intensity and frequency right before a birth, the events in this world are increasing in similar manner. Just like in childbirth, there will come a point at which everything breaks loose.

How close are we?

No one really knows, but one thing is sure. Once real contractions start, there is no turning back!

With everything going on in the world, those who do not claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior have come up with a name for what is happening. Many are calling it the great reset, in which everything that has been will not longer be. Think about that for a moment! It appears that we are to the point where those who choose the world and the enemy see what is coming. They have given it a name that matches their expectations of a world without God, without Jesus, without the Holy Spirit and without anyone who follows righteousness and order.

As the Body of Christ, we are seeing things happening that we recognize from scripture. We know what this means for those who truly profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but do we truly know what will be birthed here on earth? From what we have been told in scripture, it is not going to be someplace that anyone in their right mind will desire to be.

It is time to fall to our knees and pray for those who have not accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Honestly, it is past time to pray. Until the actual antichrist system is fully birthed and the church is gone, we must pray, for birth pains appear to be rapidly increasing!

Is the world about to go into labor?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We need to recognize God’s ownership authority!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
(Psalms 24:1 (NIV))

I find it rather amusing that humanity thinks that we are the masters of our own destiny and, yet, we have been brought to an almost complete stand still by something that can’t be seen without the aid of powerful magnification.

We may never truly know the origins of this virus, but we can be certain of one thing. Its appearance did not surprise God! He knew that it was coming. He knew that the enemy would twist and manipulate creation to bring about something that would try to be used to undermine God’s power and authority. If you look at the reactions to this worldwide event, you can see that some people understand this and are at peace, while others are fearful and panicking.

Which one are you?

Do you recognize the fact that nothing surprises God and, as a result, nothing brings fear into your life, or do you focus on the world and react with fear and trepidation at every single misfortune in this world?

Let’s take a small side step for a moment. What is the one thing that you love more than anything in this world? Are you so in tune with it that you know everything about it? Have you ever been completely surprised by something new? Now, let’s escalate this example to the point that we all know, but too often we forget.

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.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

God loves the world far greater than we are capable of loving anything. If we, as sinful humanity, can know everything about something that we love, how much greater knowledge does the Lord have of what He loves? Humanity is His greatest treasure. He loves us! He created this world for us. We are His creation. The world is His creation. There is nothing that happens in this world that surprises God. Everything works to His greater glory! We have developed a very large sinful pride that tells us otherwise. Our sinful nature tells us that we are the final authority in this world.

We need to recognize God’s ownership authority!

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Does your life reflect your hope?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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 40:31 (NIV))

We have been told in other Scripture passages that we would face troubles. We have been told that there would be people who would faint from the things that they would face. Ezekiel wrote about Babylon coming against Israel and what would happen.

And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
(Ezekiel 21:7 (NIV))

We aren’t yet to the point that Luke writes of, but the description is of something that we don’t want to see.

People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
(Luke 21:26 (NIV))

We are facing worldwide troubles. I am certain that some people are in a state of panic and could very easily faint from fear. Others have a peace that passes understanding. We have a hope that brings about a renewed faith even in the face of adversity.

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

I love how the Lord tells us to place our hope in Him, and that He will give us strength so that we don’t grow faint. I did a search for the word “faint,” and I found that thirty-five of the returned passages in one translation are in the Old Testament. I find it interesting that the only passage that is in the New Testament in this translation is Luke 21:26. I love how after Jesus came to the earth to bring us hope and salvation, the only reference to fainting is of a future event and those who are fainting are those who do not know Jesus!

Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Do you place your hope in Jesus as Lord?

Does your life reflect your hope?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Have you been strengthened?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

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))

The circumstances may have changed from when this was originally recorded but the message is still the same.

Has there ever been a generation of humanity that did not need the assurance that is spoken in these words? Israel had Babylon. Skipping ahead to more recent times, the whole world had World War I and World War II. We have had terrorists and now we have a worldwide pandemic brought about by an enemy so small that it can’t be seen. We are told to not even get close to each other out of fear of spreading this contagion. It’s as if the enemy is trying harder and harder to make all of creation fear the glory of God’s creation. Now, just as it was all throughout history, humanity has faced things in this world that bring fear, but just as we were told in Isaiah, we have nothing to fear!

God had chosen the nation of Israel to bring forth His greatest promise. The enemy did all that he could to prevent that. Israel faced slavery in Egypt. Israel faced captivity by Babylon. They faced occupation by Roman armies. Even through all of this, and much more, God’s greatest promise, a savior, was fulfilled in Jesus. All along the way, God raised up individuals whom He used to remind the people to keep their eyes on Him, not to be afraid and to be confident of His strength. We are no different today. God is still raising up individuals to remind us of His promises and to not be afraid no matter what the enemy may send our way.

Right now, the enemy is working overtime. He knows that his time is short. He is doing all that he can to set the stage for his unholy trinity of the false prophet, the antichrist and himself. If you have professed a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then you have nothing to fear from what the world or the enemy may send your way. Through Jesus, we have been promised salvation from an eternity in hell and promised an eternal home in heaven with God the Father.

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 we can count on all of God’s promises being fulfilled, why should we fear anything that the world or the enemy may send our way? When we begin to grow fearful, we must remember that the Lord of all creation has told us do not fear! This single fact should be enough to give us strength!

Have you been strengthened?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
(Psalms 46:1 (NIV))

I want to start this off a little differently than usual. I want to be up front and state that this is not political in any manner.

Now, I know that there is a saying that you can’t believe everything you see on the Internet. I firmly adhere to this saying. However, in the midst of things that are happening in this country and in the world, sometimes you have to consider alternate sources of information.

I have seen things that sound too far fetched to even consider to be true, yet, they do catch your attention. They catch your attention in the same way that the book of Revelation gets your attention. I am seeing warnings of foreign troops on US soil. I am seeing photos of UN tanks on US soil. I am hearing reports of financial collapses worldwide. I am seeing the stage being set for the antichrist to step in and, in the eyes of the world, save the day.

If any of this does happen, where would you place your trust? Where would you place your faith?

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
(Matthew 24:36-44 (NIV))

“and they knew nothing about what would happen”

Do you want to be one of the people who knew nothing about what will happen?

I know that we will not know the day or the hour, but we need to be prepared. Jesus may not return for another hundred years or he may return tonight. We don’t know when, but we do know that we are to be ready. We are to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. We are to fully place our trust in God as our refuge and our strength, for we are not capable of facing this world alone.

No matter when we may face troubles or how big those troubles may be, God is there. He is our refuge. He is our strength. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
(1 john 4:4 (NIV))

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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