"Word of God Speak"

September 13, 2012 (Ezekiel 33-35; Revelation 18 )

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins.” Ezekiel 33:12 NLT

Observation: God gave Ezekiel some powerful messages to deliver to the people. Strong messages of repentance and abandonment of wickedness were required because the people had forsaken God and His righteous standards. Notice God did not instruct Ezekiel to accept or condone the way people were living in the name of peace and love. Rather, God instructed Ezekiel to shine a light of righteousness on people exposing all their wicked acts and deeds. Ezekiel was not instructed to do this out of hate, but because of God’s love for people. God desired them to repent and turn from wickedness. Ezekiel was motivated to proclaim the message to the people because he loved them; he was obedient to God because he loved Him.

Application: This warning is intended to emphasize the importance of remaining faithful and committed. It is not enough to commit to righteousness at some distant point in time and then drift away from it and return to a lifestyle of sin and wickedness. The righteous behavior of your past will not save you. Nor will the sin and wickedness of your past destroy you if you repent and turn from that wickedness. Turn from wickedness and turn to righteousness. Walk in a newness of life. Forgetting those things that are behind, press on ahead toward the good things God has in store for you. Don’t count on your past righteousness to save you and don’t worry about your past sins destroying you. Trust in His present grace and mercy and walk daily with Him. Only in Christ can we walk in such victory!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right at all times. Help me remember to count on Your present mercy and grace and not depend on past righteousness or worry about past sins and failures. I repent of wickedness! I turn from it and run toward You! You are my Savior, my King, my Lord and my God! In Jesus name, Amen!

September 10, 2012 (Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge, and prove me right.” Lamentations 3:59 NLT

Observation: Jeremiah was abused and treated with contempt because of the message he proclaimed. He did not speak a sweet grace covers all sin message, but rather a message that revealed sin and called for an immediate response of repentance. He was a light shinning on a hill. His prophecy was not favorable for the people, but it was the truth. What he spoke came to pass. Jeremiah was a living example of God’s mercy and grace in action. God tried to use Jeremiah to warn the people and give them the opportunity to turn from their wickedness and repent. Yet the people rejected the messenger God sent and the message he proclaimed. God’s anger was kindled and Jerusalem’s demise was inevitable. These events are recorded for our learning and instruction, yet we treat them with the same contempt and abuse.

Application: God has graciously given us the same opportunities to repent that He gave to our forefathers. He has provided messengers with a message of truth, giving us space to repent, in an effort to spare us the agony of His wrath. Yet we treat those with the true message contemptuously and abuse them for proclaiming what God has ordered them to speak. We cast them aside and replace them with men that will speak the words and message we desire. But the Lord is a lawyer to those He has redeemed and a judge to those that have been done wrong. He sees the vengeful plots of wickedness and will repay those that are guilty in due season. His anger is being kindled and His wrath will come forth with power and great might. Not a king in all the earth; no one in all the world would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets, the sins of her priest and the sins of her people.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day, bless it and keep it for Your glory. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for the justice You provide. Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right at all times. You are my lawyer! Plead my case! You have seen the wrong they have done to me, Lord. Be my judge and prove me right. Rise up with Your strong right arm and fight for me and win, in Jesus name, Amen!

September 9, 2012 (Lamentations 1-2; Obadiah; Revelation 14)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope.” Lamentations 2:14 NLT

Observation: False prophets were everywhere in Jeremiah’s day. They gave counterfeit and misleading messages. While Jeremiah warned the people of coming destruction and lengthy captivity, the false prophets said that all was well so the people need not fear. Jeremiah’s message was hard to endure and fearful to accept, yet it was the absolute truth. The message from the false prophets was easy to entreat and offered peace and safety at no cost or responsibility. False prophets speak many foolish things that are false to the core. They fail to point out sins and justify their inaction by claiming “Thou shall not judge”. All the while they a scratching itching ears and leading souls to eternal hell.

Application: There are just as many false prophets in the world today as then, maybe even more. Our modern language doesn’t call them prophets, but rather preachers, teachers, bishops, or pastors. Unfortunately many of these modern prophets preach many foolish things that are false to the core. They do not point out the sins of the people, nor do they call for repentance. Instead, just like in the days of Jeremiah, they offer salvation and security without cost or responsibility. They paint false pictures filling the people with false hope. They paint a picture of Christianity as if it’s a walk in the rose garden in the cool of the day. No longer is a person required to be “Born Again”, all that is required now days is a verbal profession. Repeat a prayer after a lost pastor and you will have the same eternal security that he has! Don’t be fooled by false prophets, read and study God’s word for yourself!

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 strong right arm that fights for me and wins! Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right at all times. Fill my mouth with the words You would have me to speak. My I ever be faithful to proclaim Your message no matter how discouraging or fearful it may be. Keep my lips from lies and cause my tongue to speak truth, grace and mercy, in Jesus name, Amen!

September 7, 2012 (2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.” 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 NLT

Observation: God has great patience with His people. He graciously gave warning after warning because of His great love for His people. But the people mocked the messengers He sent and ignored the message that was delivered. The message that was delivered to save them, and protect them, was discarded and treated with contempt. God desired what was best for His people, but the people settled for destruction over salvation. They scoffed at the prophets God had sent and rejected His merciful message so long, that God finally had enough. He brought the King of Babylon against them to destroy their wickedness because of His great love for them.

Application: There is a great lesson for us to learn from the people of past times. They suffered greatly because they refused to repent and accept God’s mercy and grace. They chose to hold on to their sin rather than exchange it for pardon and forgiveness. We do the same things. We repeat the same mistakes. God, and His message, are being rejected and ignored today just as then. We are fools to think that His anger is not being kindled against us. We are naive to think He will allow sin to run rampant in His people. We are crazy to boast and trust in our own power and strength. The Babylon army is being prepared for battle and will march to war at God’s command. Repent and turn to God while there’s still time!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right at all times. Open my ears to hear the message You are speaking. Allow me the privilege of repentance once more. Keep me from evil and deliver me from the grasp of my enemy. Rise up! Fight for me and win, in Jesus name, Amen!

June 7, 2012 (Ecclesiastes 4-6; Psalm 18; Ephesians 3)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.” Ecclesiastes 5:1 NLT

Observation: Solomon is basically saying, when you enter the house of God you should enter with the right attitude. You should be intentional, and careful, to be open and ready to hear from the Lord, rather than being careless to dictate to Him what He should do. Ready your ears to be open before you enter His house and prepare your mouth to be shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Think before you speak to Him. Think about what you are saying. Consider the cost of a promise, before you make it to the Lord. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. Be prepared to follow through on any commitment you make to the Lord, talk is cheap and in the end is useless without action. Fear, and reverence God as Lord of the universe for this is who He is.

Application: God graciously gave us two ears and one mouth. I praise Him for His divine wisdom and knowledge in this matter. We must learn to discipline ourselves to listen twice as much as we speak. It is discipline that teaches us to be prepared to hear when we enter His house. It is discipline that teaches us to keep our mouths shut. It is discipline that will warn us to think before we make a promise to God. It is discipline that will protect us from making huge mistakes. Don’t despise discipline; it is a friend to all who learn from it. Be prepared to keep all the promises you make to the Lord, for He will hold you accountable to every one, because He is just and righteous. Open your ears to hear and keep your mouth shut; you’ll be glad you did.

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 the two ears You gave me to hear with. Thank You for only giving me one mouth. Give me the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right even when it’s hard. Open my ears to hear and help me keep my mouth shut. Strengthen me to fulfill every promise I’ve made to You, in Jesus name, Amen!

June 6, 2012 (Ecclesiastes 1-3, Psalm 45; Ephesians 2)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 NLT

Observation: Life is a cycle; it just repeats itself over and over. Take the children of Israel for example, from one generation to another they cycled to and away from God. One generation would destroy the idols and turn to God, and then the next generation would forget all the suffering and go back to worshipping idols once again. A vicious cycle that lifted some up and cast others down. The present generation forgets the struggles and lessons learned by past generations and ignorantly repeat the same cycle. This fate awaits us as well. All too soon, the lessons and struggles we face and learn today will be forgotten and a future generation will suffer because of their failure to remember and take heed.

Application: Many of the struggles and suffering we face today are due to us forgetting the lessons learned by our forefathers. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. History can be a great teacher if it is embraced and heeded. Unfortunately most view history as useless, old, and outdated. Useless to us, because we have evolved into a more brilliant people. Useless to us, because we are wiser than our forefathers ever dreamed of being. Useless to us, because we have more knowledge than any other generation before us. We have become so blinded by our own wisdom, knowledge and brilliance that we don’t even recognize the oncoming train that will soon plow us down. History merely repeats itself; it has all been done before.

Prayer: Dear Lord thank You for this wonderful day You have made! Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for the lessons You taught our forefathers, help us to take heed and spare ourselves from the pains they suffered. Teach me Your ways. Give me wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s hard, in Jesus name, Amen!

June 5, 2012 (Proverbs 30-31; Psalm 33; Ephesians 1)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Now He (Jesus) is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come.” Ephesians 1:21 NLT

Observation: Jesus is the one in charge. He knows all, sees all, and controls all. He is the one that sets up governments, and He is the one that brings them down. He is the one that orders the wind where to blow, the rain where to fall, and the sun where to shine. He has been given all authority and makes the final decisions in all matters. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He (Jesus) is Lord! He is The Way, The Truth, The Life, and The Word too! He is the one that should be consulted when decisions need to be made. He is the counselor that provides wise and faithful instruction. Jesus Christ, name above all names, Lord above all lords, King above all kings, forever and ever, amen!

Application: Jesus is the final authority in all matters. He must be surrendered to because He is Lord. He is Lord even over those who reject Him. He is Lord even over those that don’t believe in Him. He is Lord over the living and the dead. He is Lord over the wind, moon, sun, stars, sea, rain, sleet, snow, sand, heaven, and earth. He is Lord of all things! He is Lord of all people, whether you like it or not. He is the authority that must guide our thoughts and actions. His word is the authority that all standards should be based upon. He is alive and He will return. His promise is certain, and His promise can be counted on. Surrender to Him today, it’s the greatest victory you will ever experience.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for the blessings You give. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for Jesus, Lord of lords and King of kings. Thank You for His amazing sacrifice that gave me a way to be made right with You. Thank You for Your love and patience with us, in Jesus name, Amen!