"Word of God Speak"

April 30, 2012 (2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalm 68; Matthew 17)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:7 NLT

Observation: David was having the Ark of God moved back to Jerusalem. He placed the Ark on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart when suddenly the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out and steadied the Ark. God had given specific instructions on how the Ark should be handled and carried. These instructions did not include a cart or anyone touching the Ark. Uzzah had good intentions but his intentions went against God’s instructions. Obedience to God’s laws are more important than our good intentions. The Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah because he ignored the instructions that had been given.

Application: It’s very easy for our good intentions or enthusiasm to lead us to do things against God’s commands. We must be mindful and careful to obey God rather than just doing what “feels” right. We must remember to not only seek the wise counsel of those around us, but to first seek God and His direction and guidance. To obey God is better than any of our sacrifices. Sin has consequences, so we should be careful to keep ourselves unspotted from the stains of disobedience. God is a loving God that has mercy beyond compare, but when He speaks, He says what He means and He means what He says.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for being the same yesterday, today and forever more! Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Help me be obedient to Your word and listen to Your Spirit’s guidance. Keep me from being spotted by the stains of disobeidence. Keep me mindful of my good intentions and enthusiasm, let them not cause me to sin against You in any way, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 29, 2012, (2 Samuel 4-5; Psalm 139; Matthew 16)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux: 

Scripture: “Search me , O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139: 23-24 NLT

Observation: David asks God to search him for sin and point it out. Search even my thoughts because I want to be clean before God, inside and out. Point out anything that offends You, O Lord. Know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. Clean out any thought of defilement from within me. Lead me along the path of everlasting life which is straight and narrow. Keep my feet from veering off to the right or to the left, keep me on the path that leads to You, O Lord. Show me my sin so that I may repent and turn away from such defilement. Reveal it to me clearly so I can walk uprightly before You!

Application: If we really long to please God and live according to His righteousness, we will pray that He searches us and points out any sin in our life that offends Him. We pray this prayer genuinely, watching and waiting for God to reveal what our eyes are blinded from seeing. When we ask God to “search us” we are inviting Him into every aspect of our life. We openly welcome and receive the privilege of repentance that He offers and freely gives to all who sincerely ask. The path that leads to everlasting life is free from willful, clearly understood, sin. God searches us, and reveals our sin to us, because of His great love for us. We demonstrate our love for Him, by the willingness to receive the gift of repentance that He offers.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for searching and revealing the sin in my life to me. Thank You for the privilege of repentance that You give to me daily. Thank You for Your patience and great love You have for me. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts, point out anything in me that offends You and lead me along the path of everlasting life, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 28, 2012 (2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But the words you speak come from the heart – that’s what defiles you.” Matthew 15: 18 NLT

Observation: The Pharisees were bent out of shape because the disciples of Jesus ate without first washing their hands. The Pharisees made up a lot of rules and regulations that they commanded must be followed or else you would be deemed unclean. Their worship was a farce, for they taught man-made ideas as commands from God. Jesus revealed the source of their defilement, it was from within, not without. It was not what went in the body that defiled them, it was what came out from their heart. The words they spoke came from their heart, and it was these words that defiled them.

Application: It’s very important for a person that professes to be a Christian to pay close attention to what’s coming out of their mouth. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The words we speak often defile us and reveal the true state of our inner man. If you’ve truly been “born again” then the Holy Spirit will convict you and guide you into the righteousness of God the Father. We can never really hear and understand what the Spirit is saying, unless we voluntarily surrender to Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane first. We must totally surrender our lives to Christ and only allow what’s pleasing to Him to come forth from us. This will not just magically happen, we must make it a point to commit ourselves completely to His holiness.

Prayer: Dear Lord thank You for this day. Thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for Your strong right arm that fights for me and wins! All of my hope is in You. Lord, help me be mindful of what comes out of my heart. Cleanse my heart of all wickedness and make it clean in Your sight. Cause the thoughts and words that come from me to please You at all times, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 27, 2012 (2 Samuel 2; 1 Chronicles 11; Psalm 142; Matthew 14)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:27 NLT

Observation: The disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. It was dark, the middle of the night, and Jesus was not with them. They began to panic over their dire situation when suddenly Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid, take courage, for the “I Am” is here!”

Application: Sometimes the storms of life can cause great fear to come upon us. This fear has a crippling effect. Fear causes us to gaze at the wind and the waves. Faith causes us to look to the one that proclaims, “Peace be still.” Jesus is stronger than any enemy we will ever face. He has defeated every foe. In the midst of any storm look to Jesus. You will hear Him say, “Don’t be afraid, take courage, for the “I Am” is here!” Fix your eyes upon Jesus and step out of the boat and walk on the water. Watch the strong right arm of Jesus provide and protect you completely through every storm! He has never failed, and He never will!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day You’ve made. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for Your strong right arm that fights for me and wins! Thank You for the victory You give. I praise and glorify You the “I Am”. I have no cause to fear the storms of this life because I take courage in You, for You are with me and speak peace in every storm. Jesus, You are the Son of God and my trust and hope is in You! Lord Jesus, come quickly, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 26, 2012 (2 Samuel 1; Psalm 140; Matthew 13)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So I killed him,” the Amalekite told David, “for I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took his crown and his armband, and I have brought them here to you, my lord.” (2 Samuel 1:10 NLT)

Observation: This “Amalekite” man that brought Saul’s crown and armband to David was a liar. (To read how Saul really died see 1 Samuel 31). This man thought David would be happy that he killed Saul. He thought surely David will reward me for such an awesome thing I have done for him. But he never expected David to receive the news of Sauls death like he did. David ask the man, “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” Then David ordered one of his men to kill the Amalekite. David said, “you have condemned yourself, for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”

Application: Telling lies will never turn out good for you. Although many have tried, and many still try, the end result is always the same. Lies bring about destruction. Seeking the approval and praise of man will also get you into much trouble. In the story above we see how a man’s lie cost him his own life. He was seeking praise from David and received death instead. Honesty is always the best policy. If you lose your life over truth, then you have died an honorable death. Truth and transparency should be in the heart of every born again believer. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap. Lie seeds produce a corrupt harvest. Yet truth seeds bring forth an abundant harvest of good.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this wonderful day You have made. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for Your strong right arm that fights for me and wins! Help me always speak truth, keep my tongue from speaking lies. Teach me to seek only Your approval and only be concerned about what is pleasing to You. For I know if I sow seeds You are well pleased with a harvest of praise and thankfulness will come forth in due season. You give me increase, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 25, 2012 (1 Samuel 30-31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” 1 Chronicles 10: 13-14 NLT

Observation: Saul was the poster child for what not to do. He not only did wrong, but he also failed to do right. He ran the kingdom his way, until he got himself into a mess he couldn’t get out of, then he would consult God. He consulted God as a last result and tried to use God like one of his servants. God finally had enough of Saul’s disobedience and turned His face from him and closed His ears to Saul’s request. When the Philistines attacked all of Saul’s hope was lost. He had forsaken God one too many times and his reign was about to end. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s commands and arrogantly rejected the Lord’s guidance.

Application: Although Saul failed in many ways his failures can be a great teacher for us. We can heed the lessons that Saul never did. We can seek God first, not last. We can look to Him for guidance in every area of our life and consult Him daily. We can surrender 100% of our lives to Him and hold nothing back from Him. We can obey His commands, keep ourselves from wrong and strive to do whats right. Saul’s life serves as a warning to us that persisting in ungodly ways cuts us off from God’s help. Calling upon God will be useless unless we repent and turn from our ungodly and rebellious ways. His ears are open unto the cry of the righteous and His right arm is strong to defend them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayers. Thank You for the guidance You provide through Your Holy Spirit. I praise You for the protection I receive from Your strong right arm! I seek You first and now for guidance. You know well the struggles I face and I need Your Holy guidance to lead me. You are my strength and my God, I trust You and put all my hope in You alone, in Jesus name, Amen!

April 24, 2012 (1 Samuel 28-29; Psalm 109; Matthew 11)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising Him to everyone.” Psalm 109:30 NLT

Observation: David was a man that suffered at the hand of many that were led by the spirit of satan. He was falsely accused and lied about in an effort to outrage the people against him. Satan wanted him dead. Satan wanted God’s plan spoiled. But God proves His power and strength once again by never leaving David’s side. He comforted David when he was down and discouraged, and He provided for David when he was in need. Though the wicked slandered and told lies about David, he put his trust and hope in the Lord. While they were falling in disgrace, David was praising the Lord to everyone. The Lord stood with David and saved him from all those who condemned him falsely.

Application: We have no greater comfort than to know the Lord is standing beside us. When our enemies attack us, lie on us, and seek to destroy us, we can continue praising the Lord because He is right by our side. Our hope, and our trust, is in the Lord God of Heaven and He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will rise up with His strong right arm and fight for us. Victory will be enjoyed because of His great names sake. For He stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them. He will not allow our enemies to triumph over us, and with every loss at the hand of the enemy, we will receive increase and blessing from the Lord of Heaven!

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 faithfulness. Thank You for never leaving or forsaking me. Strengthen me to never leave or forsake You! Stand beside me as I face the enemies in my life, rise up and fight for me and win victory for Your names sake. Encourage me to give repeated thanks to You and praise You to everyone, in Jesus name, Amen!