"Word of God Speak"

March 9, 2013 (Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 16)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Look, today I am giving you a choice between a blessing and a curse!” Deuteronomy 11:26 NLT

Observation: Moses fully explained what was required and expected of God’s people. He told them of the blessings they would enjoy if they obeyed, but he was also sure to tell them about the suffering they would face if they disobeyed. It was not a sugar coated message that enticed people’s emotions only; it was a message that clearly outlined two very distinct pathways that could be chosen. A walk of life that leads to a blessing or a walk of life that leads to a curse. God does not force His people to be obedient, He gives them the opportunity to choose Him, or deny Him. Blessing or curse is determined by the path we chose to walk.  

Application: Obedience to God is not optional, it is required. A decision to walk in the center of the pathway of righteousness must be made daily. It’s a choice that we as individuals must make. God’s desire for His people is that they be obedient to Him because of their great love for Him. Because of His great love for us, He allows us the privilege of making that choice. Everyone wants God’s blessings, but few are willing to surrender to the requirements that ensure we receive them. Just like Moses, preachers today must have the courage to tell people the truth. Exclaim to them the greatness of God’s blessings, but explain to them the requirements God has put in place to enjoy them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful day You’ve made. Thank You for the privilege You have given me to choose to be obedient to You today. Place my feet on the path that leads to Your blessings today, keep them there! I praise You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday, in Jesus name, Amen!

March 8, 2013 (Deuteronomy 7-9, Mark 16)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But He does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject Him.” Deuteronomy 7:10 NLT

Observation: Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands. But He does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject Him. He is a God of Justice. He rewards according to what is right. He punishes and destroys all that reject Him as Lord. He fully expects His followers to obey all that He has commanded. Obedience is not an option, it is a command. The choice is yours, be lavished with unfailing love, or be punished and destroyed.

Application: The message of God’s wrath and punishment on those that reject Him and His standards has all but been done away with in our day. Slowly, but surely, people that reject God have influenced preachers to turn away from this stern message of warning. Most people have no desire to hear anything of God’s wrath, only of His blessings and prosperity. Yet God’s word is clear from beginning to end how important obedience is to God. He has, and always will, bless those that love Him and are faithful to His commands. He has, and always will, punish and destroy those that reject Him as Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord thank You for this day. Thank You for Your unfailing love that is lavished on all that love and obey You. Teach me Your ways. Give understanding to me. Fill me with Your Spirit that will enable me to stand firm, trust and fully obey all Your commands. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that You freely give to Your undeserving servant, I am grateful. In Jesus name, Amen!

March 7, 2013 (Deuteronomy 5-6, Psalm 43, Mark 14)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.” Deuteronomy 5: 33 NLT

Observation: Moses told the people to be very careful to obey all the commands of the Lord, following His instruction in every detail. He gave them further instruction that included, “when you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 6: 11-12) To obey God, was the central truth of the message Moses spoke to the people. It was the message that was to be passed on to future generations. Reminding them that “the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear Him so He can continue to bless us and preserve our lives…” In essence Moses was telling them to be watchful, be mindful, and don’t forget God.

Application: When the Lord Jesus finds us, lost and separated from God, He reaches out to us with mercy and grace. At that point if we look we can see two paths. One that leads to more and more heartache and pain, and one that leads to peace and eternal life. If we accept God’s offer of grace we are placed on that new path that the Lord God has commanded we follow. To walk on this new path we must become obedient to God. We must surrender our lives to Him completely and keep His commands. We must be watchful and mindful of all He would desire of us. We must watch and pray in order to safeguard ourselves from returning to the old path. Staying on the path God has commanded we follow will provide us with the privilege of all God’s blessings and protection.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me stay on the path You have commanded I follow. Anoint my mind to understand and comprehend what You desire. Make my spirit watchful and mindful of Your ways. Keep my feet on the right path. Guide me by Your Spirit and Your word. Thank You for the mercy and grace You have given to me. I was guilty, but You pardoned. Help me to give grace and mercy to those that are guilty of offenses toward me. Help me pardon them and set them free, in Jesus name, Amen!

March 6, 2013 (Deuteronomy 3-4, Psalm 36, Mark 13)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!” Mark 13:23 NLT

Observation: Jesus warned us ahead of time of false messiahs and false prophets that will proclaim a false gospel. Their message will be powerful, and very convincing. They will perform signs and wonders to aid their deception. Those that are ignorant of God’s word will easily be led astray. In fact, even the very elect of God are in danger of being deceived. The warning Jesus provided was for our protection and instruction when we see the time aproaching. Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When it’s branches bud and it’s leaves begin to sprout, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that His return is very near, right at the door.

Application: Jesus has provided us all the warning we need. He has provided us instruction and His Holy Spirit to guide us. What we must do is heed His warning. Take it serious and realize that we must be on guard. It’s not enough to just know the Word of God, we must put it into action in our lives. We must seek God and pray daily. Be watchful and alert of the things going on around us. Earnestly prepare and be ready for His return. Have our lamps trimmed, filled with oil, burning and ready to enter into the marriage chamber. We will not have an excuse if we end up deceived, we have been forewarned!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Father, help me remain alert and discern the times. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide me daily. Help me heed Your warnings and instructions, in Jesus name, Amen!

March 4 2013 (Numbers 34-36, Mark 11)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.” Mark 11:25 NLT

Observation: Jesus is teaching His disciples about prayer. He is explaining to them how to get what they pray for. It all starts with faith (verse 22), then truth provides us the authority we need to make it happen (verse 23). But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. You can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But first, you must forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too!

Application: Holding grudges against others will always harm you, more than them. A grudge left unforgiven will fester into bitterness that hinders our attitude, and our prayers. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks one from the bondage of bitterness. Forgiveness is also the key to our prayers being answered. We all fall short of His marvellous glory, we all need His grace. None of us are perfect, no not one. We have all gone astray and failed to live up to His standard. We all need His forgiveness. Forgiveness is the key to the freedom we all need and desire. Be set free today, let go of the grudge!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for Your wonderful word that instructs and encourages us to do the right thing. Thank You for the forgiveness that You have given to me, help me forgive those that have wronged me. Enable me by Your Spirit, to let the grudge go. Help those who hold grudges against me to experience the same freedom. In Jesus name, Amen!  

November 28, 2012 (Matthew 28, 1 Thessalonians 1-3) 

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For He called you to share in His kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT

Observation: Paul was not a man that catered to what the people wanted to hear, he spoke the truth to them out of pure love. Many rejected the truth and retaliated against Paul, but he was not deterred. He pleaded, encouraged and urged the Thessalonian church members to live their lives in a manner that God would find worthy. He treated them as a father would treat his own children. He taught them truth as he lived it out before them. He was an example of Christ and urged them to live the same way. He not only shared with them the glory of God, but also the responsibility that comes with receiving God’s wonderful gift.

Application: When was the last time you heard a pastor pleading, encouraging, and urging people to live their lives in a manner that God would find worthy? It seems that message has been replaced with a more popular message of God’s unconditional grace. Living life in a manner that pleases God has become unnecessary and touted as impossible by the modern church. Yet God’s word gives us a completely different instruction. His word says we are to be holy just as He is holy. His word says He overcame, and so can we. His word says we are the head, not the tail. I wonder what would happen if preachers returned to the message and instruction of Paul. What if the focal point of our pleading, encouraging, and urging was turned back to what God would consider worthy, instead of what we consider worthy for our own kingdom’s interest.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for Your word that stands truth forevermore. Thank You for the instruction You give that teaches truth and love. Turn my heart back toward You and become again the focal point of my life, in Jesus name, Amen!

November, 26th 2012 (Matthew 23-25)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Five of them were foolish, and five of them were wise.” Matthew 25:2 NLT

Observation: There were ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, but they were all virgins. Yet when it came time to enter into the marriage chamber only the wise virgins were permitted to enter. The foolish virgins were not ready or prepared to meet the bridegroom. They had a half-hearted commitment to the responsibility that came with being pure. They did not prepare well and hoped they could borrow from someone else to make up for their irresponsible actions. When they knocked on the door requesting it to be unlocked, the bridegroom said, “Believe me, I don’t know you!”

Application: “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” You cannot serve God with a half-hearted commitment expecting to borrow from others what you should possess for yourself. We must actively live daily with a healthy anticipation of Christ return. Our Lamps must be full of oil, trimmed and burning no matter what’s going on in the world around us. It’s not enough to say, “I know Him”, we must live in such a manner that when He comes He says He knows us. Only those that are pure and are found ready will enter into the marriage chamber with Jesus. Do you know Him, more importantly, does He know you? Are you prepared and ready?

Prayer: Dear Lord thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Teach me how to be ready. Place within my heart the desire to live in a manner that proves you know me. Provide strength and understanding for the decisions that must be made. Guide me by Your Spirit into all truths, in Jesus name, Amen!